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Quantization (image processing)

Quantization, involved in image processing, is a lossy compression technique achieved by compressing a range of values to a single quantum (discrete) value. When the number of discrete symbols in a given stream is reduced, the stream becomes more compressible. For example, reducing the number of colors required to represent a digital image makes it possible to reduce its file size. Specific applications include DCT data quantization in JPEG and DWT data quantization in JPEG 2000.

Color quantization
Color quantization reduces the number of colors used in an image; this is important for displaying images on devices that support a limited number of colors and for efficiently compressing certain kinds of images. Most bitmap editors and many operating systems have built-in support for color quantization. Popular modern color quantization algorithms include the nearest color algorithm (for fixed palettes), the median cut algorithm, and an algorithm based on octrees.

It is common to combine color quantization with dithering to create an impression of a larger number of colors and eliminate banding artifacts.

Grayscale quantization
Grayscale quantization, also known as gray level quantization, is a process in digital image processing that involves reducing the number of unique intensity levels (shades of gray) in an image while preserving its essential visual information. This technique is commonly used for simplifying images, reducing storage requirements, and facilitating processing operations. In grayscale quantization, an image with N intensity levels is converted into an image with a reduced number of levels, typically L levels, where L<N. The process involves mapping each pixel's original intensity value to one of the new intensity levels. One of the simplest methods of grayscale quantization is uniform quantization, where the intensity range is divided into equal intervals, and each interval is represented by a single intensity value. Let's say we have an image with intensity levels ranging from 0 to 255 (8-bit grayscale). If we want to quantize it to 4 levels, the intervals would be [0-63], [64-127], [128-191], and [192-255]. Each interval would be represented by the midpoint intensity value, resulting in intensity levels of 31, 95, 159, and 223 respectively.

The formula for uniform quantization is:

$$Q(x) = \left \lfloor \frac{x}{\Delta} \right \rfloor \times \Delta + \frac{\Delta}{2} $$ Where:

 * Q(x) is the quantized intensity value.
 * x is the original intensity value.
 * Δ is the size of each quantization interval.

Let's quantize an original intensity value of 147 to 3 intensity levels.

Original intensity value: x=147

Desired intensity levels: L=3

We first need to calculate the size of each quantization interval:

$$\Delta = \frac{255}{L-1} = \frac{255}{3-1} = 127.5$$

Using the uniform quantization formula:

$$Q(x) = \left \lfloor \frac{147}{127.5} \right \rfloor \times 127.5 + \frac{127.5}{2}$$

$$Q(x) = \left \lfloor 1.15294118 \right \rfloor \times 127.5 + \frac{127.5}{2}$$

$$Q(x) = 1 \times 127.5 + 63.75 = 191.25$$

Rounding 191.25 to the nearest integer, we get $$Q(x) = 191$$

So, the quantized intensity value of 147 to 3 levels is 191.

Frequency quantization for image compression
The human eye is fairly good at seeing small differences in brightness over a relatively large area, but not so good at distinguishing the exact strength of a high frequency (rapidly varying) brightness variation. This fact allows one to reduce the amount of information required by ignoring the high frequency components. This is done by simply dividing each component in the frequency domain by a constant for that component, and then rounding to the nearest integer. This is the main lossy operation in the whole process. As a result of this, it is typically the case that many of the higher frequency components are rounded to zero, and many of the rest become small positive or negative numbers.

As human vision is also more sensitive to luminance than chrominance, further compression can be obtained by working in a non-RGB color space which separates the two (e.g., YCbCr), and quantizing the channels separately.

Quantization matrices
A typical video codec works by breaking the picture into discrete blocks (8×8 pixels in the case of MPEG ). These blocks can then be subjected to discrete cosine transform (DCT) to calculate the frequency components, both horizontally and vertically. The resulting block (the same size as the original block) is then pre-multiplied by the quantization scale code and divided element-wise by the quantization matrix, and rounding each resultant element. The quantization matrix is designed to provide more resolution to more perceivable frequency components over less perceivable components (usually lower frequencies over high frequencies) in addition to transforming as many components to 0, which can be encoded with greatest efficiency. Many video encoders (such as DivX, Xvid, and 3ivx) and compression standards (such as MPEG-2 and H.264/AVC) allow custom matrices to be used. The extent of the reduction may be varied by changing the quantizer scale code, taking up much less bandwidth than a full quantizer matrix.

This is an example of DCT coefficient matrix:

\begin{bmatrix} -415 & -33 & -58 & 35 &  58 & -51 & -15 & -12 \\    5 & -34 &  49 &  18 &  27 &   1 &  -5 &   3 \\  -46 &  14 &  80 & -35 & -50 &  19 &   7 & -18 \\  -53 &  21 &  34 & -20 &   2 &  34 &  36 &  12 \\    9 &  -2 &   9 &  -5 & -32 & -15 &  45 &  37 \\   -8 &  15 & -16 &   7 &  -8 &  11 &   4 &   7 \\   19 & -28 &  -2 & -26 &  -2 &   7 & -44 & -21 \\   18 &  25 & -12 & -44 &  35 &  48 & -37 & -3 \end{bmatrix} $$

A common quantization matrix is:

\begin{bmatrix} 16 & 11 & 10 & 16 & 24 & 40 & 51 & 61 \\ 12 & 12 & 14 & 19 & 26 & 58 & 60 & 55 \\ 14 & 13 & 16 & 24 & 40 & 57 & 69 & 56 \\ 14 & 17 & 22 & 29 & 51 & 87 & 80 & 62 \\ 18 & 22 & 37 & 56 & 68 & 109 & 103 & 77 \\ 24 & 35 & 55 & 64 & 81 & 104 & 113 & 92 \\ 49 & 64 & 78 & 87 & 103 & 121 & 120 & 101 \\ 72 & 92 & 95 & 98 & 112 & 100 & 103 & 99 \end{bmatrix} $$

Dividing the DCT coefficient matrix element-wise with this quantization matrix, and rounding to integers results in:

\begin{bmatrix} -26 & -3 & -6 & 2 &  2 & -1 & 0 & 0 \\   0 & -3 & 4 &  1 &  1 &  0 & 0 & 0 \\  -3 &  1 &  5 & -1 & -1 &  0 & 0 & 0 \\  -4 &  1 &  2 & -1 &  0 &  0 & 0 & 0 \\   1 &  0 &  0 &  0 &  0 &  0 & 0 & 0 \\   0 &  0 &  0 &  0 &  0 &  0 & 0 & 0 \\   0 &  0 &  0 &  0 &  0 &  0 & 0 & 0 \\   0 &  0 &  0 &  0 &  0 &  0 & 0 & 0 \end{bmatrix} $$

For example, using −415 (the DC coefficient) and rounding to the nearest integer

\mathrm{round} \left( \frac{-415}{16} \right) = \mathrm{round} \left( -25.9375 \right) =-26 $$

Typically this process will result in matrices with values primarily in the upper left (low frequency) corner. By using a zig-zag ordering to group the non-zero entries and run length encoding, the quantized matrix can be much more efficiently stored than the non-quantized version.

title: Quantization (image processing)


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Culture of Somalia

The culture of Somalia is an amalgamation of traditions in that were developed independently since the Proto-Somali era. The hypernym of the term Somali from a geopolitical sense is Horner and from an ethnic sense, it is Cushite.

Overview
The cultural diffusion of Somali commercial enterprise can be detected in its exotic cuisine, which contains Southeast Asian influences. Due to the Somali people's foremost ingenuity and facility with poetry, Somalia has often been referred to as a "Nation of Poets" and a "Nation of Bards", as, for example, by the Canadian novelist Margaret Laurence. Somalis have a story-telling tradition.

According to Canadian novelist and scholar Margaret Laurence, who originally coined the term "Nation of Poets" to describe the Somali Peninsular, the Eidagale clan were viewed as "the recognized experts in the composition of poetry" by their fellow Somali contemporaries:

"Among the tribes, the Eidagalla are the recognized experts in the composition of poetry. One individual poet of the Eidagalla may be no better than a good poet of another tribe, but the Eidagalla appear to have more poets than any other tribe. 'if you had a hundred Eidagalla men here,' Hersi Jama once told me, 'And asked which of them could sing his own gabei ninety-five would be able to sing. The others would still be learning.'"

Somalis have a rich musical heritage centered on traditional Somali folklore. Most Somali songs are pentatonic; that is, they only use five pitches per octave in contrast to a heptatonic (seven note) scale such as the major scale.

Somali art is the artistic culture of the Somali people, both historic and contemporary. These include artistic traditions in pottery, music, architecture, wood carving and other genres. Somali art is characterized by its aniconism, partly as a result of the vestigial influence of the pre-Islamic mythology of the Somalis coupled with their ubiquitous Muslim beliefs. The country's shape gives a united country the nickname toddobo (seven).

Pan-Somalism
Somali nationalism (Somali: Soomaalinimo) is centered on the notion that the Somali people share a common language, religion, culture and ethnicity, and as such constitute a nation unto themselves. The ideology's earliest manifestations in the medieval era are traced to the Adalites whilst in the contemporary era its often traced back to SYL or in present-day Somaliland, the first Somali nationalist political organization to be formed was the Somali National League (SNL), established in 1935 in the former British Somaliland protectorate. In the country's northeastern, central and southern regions, the similarly oriented Somali Youth Club (SYC) was founded in 1943 in Italian Somaliland, just prior to the trusteeship period. The SYC was later renamed the Somali Youth League (SYL) in 1947. It became the most influential political party in the early years of post-independence Somalia.

Notable Pan-Somalists

 * Mohammed Abdullah Hassan fought colonialists with the Dervishes during the Scramble for Africa.
 * Sultan Nur Ahmed Aman (1841–1907) - Sultan of the Habr Yunis and one of the founders of the Somali Dervish movement
 * Haji Sudi - One of the founding members of the Dervish movement and Second in command after Mohamed Abdullah Hassan.
 * Mohamoud Ali Shire – 26th Sultan of the Warsangali Sultanate (1897–1960).
 * Hawo Tako (d.1948) – Early 20th century Somali female nationalist whose sacrifice became a symbol for Pan-Somalism.
 * Bashir Yussuf (b. 1905–1945) – Somali nationalist and religious leader.
 * Abdullahi Issa (b. 1922–1988) – First Prime Minister of Somalia.
 * Aden Abdullah Osman Daar (7 January 1960 – 10 June 1967) – First President of Somalia.
 * Abdirashid Ali Shermarke (10 June 1967 – 15 October 1969) – Second President of Somalia.
 * Hirsi Bulhan Farah – Former Minister in the civilian government of the 1960s, political prisoner and Pan-Somalist.
 * Siad Barre (b. 1919 – 2 January 1995) – Third President of Somalia.
 * Jama Korshel – Somali National Army General, former Head of Somali Police, and commander in the Supreme Revolutionary Council.
 * Daud Abdulle Hirsi (1925–1965) – Prominent Somali General considered the Father of the Somali Military.
 * Mahmoud Harbi – active Pan-Somalist that came close to uniting Djibouti with Somalia in the 1970s.
 * Salaad Gabeyre Kediye – Major General in the Somali military and a revolutionary.
 * Abdirizak Haji Hussein – Former Prime Minister of Somalia (1964–1967) and Somali Youth League leader.
 * Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein, speaker of parliament, from 1965 to 1969 and interim President of Somalia before the coup d'état in 1969.
 * Abdullahi Ahmed Irro – General in the Somali National Army; established the National Academy for Strategy.
 * Michael Mariano legendary politician and diplomat, SYL member and advocate for occupied Somalis
 * Ali Matan Hashi – Brigadier General and politician; first Somali Air Force pilot, the father of Somali Air Force and a prominent member of the Supreme Revolutionary Council.
 * Abdirahman Jama Barre – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Finance of Somalia.
 * Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf – First President of the Somali National Assembly and prominent Somali Youth League member.
 * Osman Haji Mohamed – Prominent Somali Youth League member and parliamentarian.
 * Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed – President of Somalia, Colonel in Somali National Army, and commander during WSLF campaign.
 * Omar Osman Rabeh – Pan-Somalist that has written many works on Somali nationalism.
 * Mohamed Ainanshe Guleid, Major General in the Somali National Army and Vice president of the Somali Democratic Republic
 * Mohamed Farah Aidid – Prominent Somali military commander and political leader. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress (USC) and later led the Somali National Alliance (SNA). In 1992, Aidid attacked American troops in the nation. He was one of the main targets of the Unified Task Force. Eventually forcing United States forces to withdraw from Somalia in 1995.

Religion
With very few exceptions, Somalis are entirely Muslims, the majority belonging to the Sunni branch of Islam and the Shafi‘i school of Islamic jurisprudence. There are two theories about when Somalis began adopting Islam. One states that the religion entered the region very early on, as a group of persecuted Muslims had, at Prophet Muhummad's urging, sought refuge across the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa. Islam may thus have been introduced into Somalia well before the faith even took root in its place of origin. An alternate theory states that Islam was brought to the coastal settlements of Somalia between the 7th and the 10th century by seafaring Arab and Persian merchants. Somali Sufi religious orders (tariqa) – the Qadiriyya, the Ahmadiya and the Salihiyya – in the form of Muslim brotherhoods have played a major role in Somali Islam and the modern era history of Somalia.

Of the three orders, the less strict Qaadiriya tariqa is the oldest, and it is the sect to which most Somalis belong. The Qaadiriya order is named after Shaikh Muhiuddin Abdul Qadir Gilani of Baghdad. I. M. Lewis states that Qaadiriya has a high reputation for maintaining a higher standard of Islamic instruction than its rivals.

Ahmadiyah and its sub-sect Salihiyyah preached a puritanical form of Islam, and have rejected the popular Sufi practice of tawassul (visiting the tombs of saints to ask mediation). B. G. Martin states that these two orders shared some of the views of the Wahhabis of Arabia. The religious differences between Qaadiriya and Salihiyya were controversial, as Salihis continued to oppose the Qadiris' practice of tawassul, and claimed the act to be invalid and improper religious activity. The Ahmadiya has the smallest number of adherents of the three orders.

Qur'anic schools (also known as dugsi) remain the basic system of traditional religious instruction in Somalia. It is delivered in Arabic. They provide Islamic education for children. According to the UNICEF, the dugsi system where the content is based on Quran, teaches the greatest number of students and enjoys high parental support, is oftentimes the only system accessible to Somalis in nomadic as compared to urban areas. A study from 1993 found, among other things, that "unlike in primary schools where gender disparity is enormous, around 40 per cent of Qur'anic school pupils are girls; but the teaching staff have minimum or no qualification necessary to ensure intellectual development of children." To address these concerns, the Somali government on its own part subsequently established the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs, under which Qur'anic education is now regulated.

The Somali community has produced important Muslim figures over the centuries, many of whom have significantly shaped the course of Islamic learning and practice in the Horn of Africa and the Muslim world.

Although Pew Research Center has not conducted a survey in Somalia, its Somali-majority northwestern neighbour Djibouti reported a creed breakdown of Muslims which was reported as 77% adhering to Sunnism, 8% as non-denominational Muslim, 2% as Shia, thirteen percent refusing to answer, and a further report inclusive of Somali Region stipulating 2% adherence to a minority sect (e.g. Ibadism, Quranism etc.). Somali Sunnis primarily belong to Shafi`i school of Islamic jurisprudence, or are adherents to the Salafi creed. Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam, is also well-established, with many local jama'a (zawiya) or congregations of the various tariiqa or Sufi orders. The constitution of Somalia likewise defines Islam as the religion of the Somali Republic, and Islamic Sharia as the basic source for national legislation.

Although Somali women were initially excluded from the many male-dominated religious orders, the all-female institution Abay Siti was formed in the late 19th century, incorporating Somali tradition and Islam.

In addition, the Somali community has produced numerous important Islamic figures over the centuries, many of whom have significantly shaped the course of Muslim learning and practice in the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and well beyond. Among these Islamic scholars is the 14th century Somali theologian and jurist Uthman bin Ali Zayla'i of Zeila, who wrote the single most authoritative text on the Hanafi school of Islam, consisting of four volumes known as the Tabayin al-Haqa’iq li Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq.

Important Islamic figures

 * Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti – 10th century Islamic leader in Somaliland.
 * Sheikh Isaaq Bin Ahmed Al Hashimi – 12th century Islamic leader in Somaliland
 * Sheikh Ahmed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Uthman – 10th-century saint and Islamic scholar referred to as master of the Islamic sciences.
 * Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn – 13th century scholar, philosopher and saint. Associated with the development of Wadaad's writing.
 * Abadir Umar ar-Rida – 13th century Sheikh and patron saint of Harar.
 * Uthman bin Ali Zayla'i – 14th century Somali theologian and jurist who wrote the single most authoritative text on the Hanafi school of Islam, consisting of four volumes known as the Tabayin al-Haqa’iq li Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq.
 * Sa'id of Mogadishu – 14th century Somali scholar and traveler. His reputation as a scholar earned him audiences with the Emirs of Mecca and Medina. He travelled across the Muslim world and visited Bengal and China.
 * Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (c. 1507 – 21 February 1543) – 16th century Imam and military leader that led the Conquest of Abyssinia.
 * Nur ibn Mujahid – 16th century Somali Emir and patron saint of Harar.
 * Ali al-Jabarti (d. 1492) – 16th century Somali scholar and politician in the Mamluk Empire.
 * Hassan al-Jabarti (d. 1774) – Somali mathematician, theologian, astronomer and philosopher; considered one of the great scholars of the 18th century.
 * Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (1753–1825) – Somali scholar living in Cairo that recorded the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt.
 * Abd al Aziz al-Amawi (1832–1896) – 19th century influential Somali diplomat, historian, poet, jurist and scholar living in the Sultanate of Zanzibar.
 * Shaykh Abd Al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i (1820–1882) – Somali scholar who played a crucial role in the spread of the Qadiriyyah movement in Somalia and East Africa.
 * Sheikh Madar (1825–1918) - Influential 19th & 20th century Qadiriyya leader and founder of the Hargeisa tariqa
 * Shaykh Sufi (1829–1904) – 19th century Somali scholar, poet, reformist and astrologer.
 * Sheikh Uways Al-Barawi (1847–1909) – Somali scholar credited reviving Islam in 19th century East Africa and with followers in Yemen and Indonesia.
 * Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (1856–1920) – emir of the Dervishes
 * Abdallah al-Qutbi (1879–1952) – Somali polemicist theologian and philosopher; best known for his five-part Al-Majmu'at al-mubaraka ("The Blessed Collection"), published in Cairo.
 * Sheikh Muhammad al-Sumali (1910–2005) – Somali scholar and teacher in the Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca. He influenced many of the prominent Islamic scholars of today.

Languages
The Somali language is the official language of Somalia. It is a member of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and its nearest relatives are the Afar and saho languages. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies of it dating from before 1900. Somali dialects are divided into three main groups: Northern, Benaadir and Maay. Northern Somali (or Northern-Central Somali) forms the basis for Standard Somali. Benaadir (also known as Coastal Somali) is spoken on the Benadir coast from Adale to south of Merca, including Mogadishu, as well as in the immediate hinterland. The coastal dialects have additional phonemes which do not exist in Standard Somali. Maay is principally spoken by the Digil and Mirifle (Rahanweyn) clans in the southern areas of Somalia.

Since Somali had long lost its ancient script, a number of writing systems have been used over the years for transcribing the language. Of these, the Somali alphabet is the most widely used, and has been the official writing script in Somalia since the government of former President of Somalia Siad Barre formally introduced it in October 1972. The script was developed by a number of leading scholars of Somali, including Musa Haji Ismail Galal, B. W. Andrzejewski and Shire Jama Ahmed specifically for transcribing the Somali language, and uses all letters of the English Latin alphabet except p, v and z. Besides Ahmed's Latin script, other orthographies that have been used for centuries for writing Somali include the long-established Arabic script and Wadaad's writing. Indigenous writing systems developed in the twentieth century include the Osmanya, Borama and Kaddare scripts, which were invented by Osman Yusuf Kenadid, Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur and Hussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare, respectively.

In addition to Somali, Arabic is an official national language of Somalia. Many Somalis speak it due to centuries-old ties with the Arab World, the far-reaching influence of the Arabic media, and religious education.

English is also widely used and taught. Italian used to be a major language, but its influence significantly diminished following independence. It is now most frequently heard among older generations who were in contact with the Italians at that time or later as migrants into Italy. Other minority languages include Bravanese, a variant of the Bantu Swahili language that is spoken along the coast by the Bravanese people.

Clan and family structure
The clan groupings of the Somali people are important social units, and clan membership plays a central part in Somali culture and politics. Clans are patrilineal and are divided into sub-clans and sub-sub-clans, resulting in extended families.

Major Somali clans : Minority Clans :
 * Darod
 * Dir
 * Hawiye
 * Isaaq
 * Rahanweyn (Digil and Mirifle)

• Barwaani

• Jareerweyne

For more about clan structure visit the Demographics of Somalia

Men
When not dressed in Westernized clothing such as jeans and t-shirts, Somali men traditionally wear the macawis (ma'awiis), which is a sarong-like garment worn around the waist and a large cloth wrapped around the upper part of their body. On their heads, they often wrap a colorful turban or wear the koofiyad, an embroidered taqiyah.

Due to Somalia's proximity to and close ties with the Muslim world, many Somali men also wear the Thawb (khamiis in Somali), a long white garment common among Muslims.

Traditionally Somali attire for men consisted of two sheets (often plain white), one draped over the shoulder and the other tied around the waist. The sheet sometimes had embroidery, patterns or laced borders. This attire is no longer common though it can be found in some rural communities.

Women
During regular, day-to-day activities, women usually wear the guntiino, a long stretch of cloth tied over the shoulder and draped around the waist. The guntiino is traditionally made out of plain white fabric sometimes featuring with decorative borders, although nowadays alindi, a textile common in the Horn region and some parts of North Africa, is more frequently used. The garment can be worn in many different styles and with different fabrics.

For more formal settings such as weddings or religious celebrations like Eid, women wear the dirac, a long, light, diaphanous voile dress made of cotton or polyester fabric. It is worn over a full-length half-slip and a brassiere. Known as the gorgorad, the underskirt is made out of silk and serves as a key part of the overall outfit. The dirac is usually sparkly and very colorful, the most popular styles being those with gilded borders or threads. The fabric is typically acquired from Somali clothing stores in tandem with the gorgorad. In more informal settings, like being at home, Somali women typically wear baati. A baati is a long dress-like wear that is made out of comfortable polyester.

Married women tend to sport head-scarves referred to as shash, and also often cover their upper body with a shawl known as garbasaar. A garbasaar can be worn by any woman regardless of their marital status. In general, however, Somali women cover up with hijab when outside their home or in the presence of men outside of the immediate family (cousins, uncles, friends).

Additionally, Somali women have a long tradition of wearing gold and silver jewelry, particularly bangles. During weddings, the bride is frequently adorned in gold. Many Somali women by tradition also wear gold necklaces and anklets. The xirsi, an Islamic necklace likewise donned in Ethiopia and Yemen, is frequently worn.

Art
Somali art is the artistic culture of the Somali people, both historic and contemporary. These include artistic traditions in pottery, music, architecture, wood carving and other genres. Somali art is characterized by its aniconism, partly as a result of the vestigial influence of the pre-Islamic mythology of the Somalis coupled with their ubiquitous Muslim beliefs. However, there have been instances in the past of artistic depictions representing living creatures such as the golden birds on the Mogadishan canopies, the camels and horses on the ancient rock paintings in northern Somalia, and the plant decorations on religious tombs in southern Somalia, but these are considered rare. Instead, intricate patterns and geometric designs, bold colors and monumental architecture were the norm.

Additionally, henna is an important part of Somali culture. It is worn by Somali women on their hands, arms, feet and neck during weddings, Eid, Ramadan, and other festive occasions. Somali henna designs are similar to other horn of Africans, often featuring flower motifs and triangular shapes. The palm is also frequently decorated with a dot of henna, and the fingertips are dipped in the dye. Henna parties are usually held before the wedding ceremony takes place.

Customs and courtesies
Somalis warmly greet each other with handshakes, but shaking hands with the opposite sex is avoided by many. Common verbal greetings include: Common Verbal Phrases include;
 * Assalamu aleikum (Peace be upon you)
 * Maalin wanaagsan (good day/morning)
 * Galab wanaagsan (good afternoon)
 * Habeen wanaagsan (good night)
 * Iska warran and Ii waran (How are you?)
 * Nabad (I'm fine or literally translated meaning ( peace)

Somalis use sweeping hand and arm gestures to dramatize speech. Many ideas are expressed through specific hand gestures. Most of these gestures are performed by women:

 * A swift twist of the open hand means "nothing" or "no".
 * Snapping fingers may mean "long ago" or and "so on"
 * A thumb under the chin indicates "fullness".
 * It is impolite to point the sole of one's foot or shoe at another person.
 * It is impolite to use the index finger to call somebody; that gesture is used for calling dogs.

During the Siad Barre era, a new greeting intended to combat the prevalence of clannism was introduced called jaale, which in Somali has dual meanings, including the color yellow and comrade or friend.

Literature
Somali scholars have for centuries produced many notable examples of Islamic literature ranging from poetry to Hadith. With the adoption of the Latin alphabet in 1972 to transcribe the Somali language, numerous contemporary Somali authors have also released novels, some of which have gone on to receive worldwide acclaim. Of these modern writers, Nuruddin Farah is probably the most celebrated. Books such as From a Crooked Rib and Links are considered important literary achievements, works which have earned Farah, among other accolades, the 1998 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Farah Mohamed Jama Awl is another prominent Somali writer who is perhaps best known for his Dervish era novel, Ignorance is the enemy of love. Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame is considered by many to be the greatest living Somali poet, and several of his works have been translated internationally.

Sport
Football, or soccer, is the most popular sport in Somalia. Important domestic competitions are the Somalia League and Somalia Cup, with the Somalia national football team playing internationally.

Basketball is also played in the country. The FIBA Africa Championship 1981 was hosted in Mogadishu from December 15 to December 23, 1981, during which the national basketball team received the bronze medal.

Abdi Bile was the first athlete from Somalia to win a gold medal at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics when he became 1500 metre champion at the 1987 World Championships. Mo Farah has also won three World Championship golds and two Olympic golds at the 2012 London Olympics in the 5000 and 10,000 metres.

In the martial arts, Faisal Jeylani Aweys and Mohamed Deq Abdulle took home a silver medal and fourth place, respectively, at the 2013 Open World Taekwondo Challenge Cup in Tongeren. The Somali National Olympic committee has devised a special support program to ensure continued success in future tournaments. Additionally, Mohamed Jama has won both world and European titles in K1 and Thai Boxing.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Culture of Somalia


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East Linton

East Linton is a village and former police burgh in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the River Tyne and A199 road (former A1 road) five miles east of Haddington, with an estimated population of in. During the 19th century the population increased from 715 inhabitants in 1831 to 1,042 by 1881. The 1961 census showed the village had a population of 1,579. The number dropped significantly at the end of the 20th century, but has subsequently risen again.

Prehistory and archaeology
Archaeological excavations in advance of a residential development by CFA Archaeology uncovered a Bronze Age barrow cemetery consisting of three ring-ditches. Cremation burials were recovered from all the ring-ditches, radiocarbon dated to between 1400-1000 BC. A large pit close to one of the ring-ditches, was likely used to dispose of the residue ash from funeral pyres, was also excavated. They also found a ditch dated to the medieval period.

History
Originally called "Linton", the village probably gets its name from the Linn (a waterfall) on the river which it grew alongside. It was later renamed "East Linton" to distinguish it from West Linton in Peebleshire when the railways were built.

Significant to the development of the village was the East Linton Bridge crossing the River Tyne, carrying the Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed post road (Great North Road).

In September 1549 French troops destroyed the bridge to delay the retreat of the English army. The current bridge was built no later than 1560 at the same location.

Today, only one church remains active, Prestonkirk Parish Church which is also an old name of the parish. The village is now, along with Stenton and Whittingehame; part of the parish of Traprain. The original church was founded by Baldred of Tyninghame, also known as 'St Baldred of the Bass', in the sixth century. The current church tower dates from 1631, while the main building is from 1770. It was enlarged in 1824 and the interior was redesigned in 1892. The St Baldred window was established in 1959. There is also a Free Church of Scotland (St Andrew's) built in 1843, which had its own school, a Roman Catholic church (St Kentigern ) and a Methodist hall. Presbyterian Dissenters also used to worship in East Linton. The clock on St Andrew's former church was put in by the village to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee; it was named "Jessie" after a local girl when some village lads climbed into the steeple and poured a libation over the clock to christen it. The name has remained ever since. There has long been a school in the village, and the mid-Victorian schoolmaster in East Linton was a George Pringle Smith (d.1850).

The fountain, which stands in The Square on the site of an old well, takes the form of a large cast iron basin with scalloped edges which stands on an ashlar pedestal and, in turn, supports a three-armed lamp standard. At the base of this there are four young child figures beneath a scalloped canopy, each holding a vase out of which water flows. A plaque attached to the N side of the pedestal records that the fountain was 'Presented to the Burgh of East Linton by John Drysdale Esq., Buenos Ayres. -1882-' Around the bottom edge of the plaque is the legend 'John Storie Esq., Chief Magistrate.' John Drysdale, was a former East Linton native who settled in Buenos Aires, to become a farmer/rancher/businessman. Preston Mill, an old watermill, is on the outskirts. There has been a mill on the site since 1599, and it is still working. Attached to the watermill is a kiln, with a cowl of local design. The property is now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The mill was the location setting for a number of scenes during the Jacobite Uprising in Season 1 of the 'Outlander ' TV series.

Prestonkirk House dominates the entrance to Stories Park. Built in 1865 as the county's Combination Poorhouse, it served 15 parishes and housed 88 people. It now serves as housing and for the library and Day Centre. Stories Park takes its name from the Storie family of veterinary surgeons, who lived in The Square and kept racehorses in their 'park'. Francis Storie (d.1875) was East Linton's chief magistrate 1866–72.

The Peerie Well, beside the River Tyne, supplied the village with water from 1881.

Prior to the coming of the North British Railway, the mail coaches changed horses at the Douglas Inn, opposite the distillery in East Linton. A fine Victorian station on the East Coast Main Line opened in 1846. Following the closure of the branch railway line to Haddington in 1949, East Linton became the next closest for that burgh until it too closed in 1964 as part of Dr Richard Beeching's Reshaping of British Railways. The original station building is now used as a residence.

A surviving relic of East Linton's past importance as an agricultural centre is a timber octagonal auction mart for cattle, pigs and sheep in Station Road. Dating back to 1850, the mart has recently been fully restored and is now used for various community functions and a Sunday market. The location was used as the setting to re-introduce Stephen Bonnet in a darkly memorable fashion during Season 5 of the 'Outlander ' TV series.

Notable people

 * Robert Brown (1757-1831) agriculturalist was born here.
 * Gavin Douglas (c.1474 - September 1522)
 * William Dudgeon c.1753-1813) poet was born at Tyninghame and is buried at Prestonkirk.
 * Charles Martin Hardie RSA (1858-1916) artist born here
 * Andrew Meikle (1719-1811) mechanical engineer, credited with inventing the mechanical threshing machine died here.
 * Robert Noble RSA (1857-1917) artist and founder and president of the Scottish Society of Arts lived his later years here and died here.
 * John Pettie RSA (1839-1893) painter lived here.
 * George Rennie (1802-1860) sculptor and politician was born here, at Phantassie.
 * George Rennie (1749-1828) agriculturalist, was born here at Phantassie.
 * John Rennie (1761-1821) civil engineer was born here, at Phantassie.
 * Gilbert Rule (1629-1701) prisoner on the Bass Rock and Principal of Edinburgh University
 * John Shirreff (1759-1818) agricultural writer is buried at Prestonkirk.

Climate
Like most of Scotland, East Linton has a temperate, maritime climate which is relatively mild despite its northerly latitude. Winter daytime temperatures rarely fall below 2 C. and is milder than places such as Moscow and Labrador which lie at similar latitudes. Summer temperatures are normally moderate, rarely exceeding 20 C. The prevailing wind direction is from the south west, which is often associated with warm, unstable air from the North Atlantic Current that can give rise to rainfall – although considerably less than locations in the west of Scotland. Rainfall is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. Winds from an easterly direction are usually drier but considerably colder, and may be accompanied by haar, a persistent coastal fog.

Public transport
The village is served by East Linton railway station on the East Coast Main Line, which reopened in December 2023 following a £15m investment. The new station has step-free access across the railway via a footbridge with lifts and there is parking for 114 vehicles, including 18 electric vehicle charging points. It is on a different site to the earlier station, which closed in 1964.

There are also regular bus services linking the village with Edinburgh via Haddington, north to North Berwick and east to Dunbar, continuing south to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Sport
East Linton has a local football team named East Linton AFC.

East Linton Curling Club was formed in 1837.

East Linton Bowling Club is situated in Bank Road.

title: East Linton


text:
Janes Information Services

Janes is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane.

History
Jane's Information Group was founded in 1898 by Fred T. Jane, who had begun sketching ships as an enthusiast naval artist while living in Portsmouth. This gradually developed into an encyclopedic knowledge, culminating in the publishing of All the World's Fighting Ships (1898). The company then gradually branched out into other areas of military expertise. The books and trade magazines published by the company are often considered the de facto public source of information on warfare and transportation systems.

Based in Greater London for most of its existence, the group was owned by the Thomson Corporation, the Woodbridge Company, then IHS Markit, before being acquired by Montagu Private Equity in 2019.

In March 2022, Janes acquired Washington, D.C.-based RWR Advisory Group.

Description
The company name is officially Jane's Information Group, and it is  located in Croydon. The company continues to provide open-source intelligence in the defence, security, aerospace and transport sectors.

Publications
Of their publications, books (published annually ) include Jane's All the World's Aircraft, Jane's Fighting Ships, Jane's Military Communications, Jane's World Air Forces, Jane's World Navies, and Jane's World Railways. Periodicals include Jane's Defence Weekly, Jane's Intelligence Review, Jane's International Defence Review, and Jane's Navy International. Jane's Police Review (2011) and Jane's Airport Review (2019) were discontinued.

Jane's All the World's Aircraft and Fighting Ships are included in the 2019 edition of the AP stylebook as references for proper notation of aircraft and military ship names.

Jane's Combat Simulations was a brand of computer flight simulation games and naval warfare simulations produced between 1996 and 2000 under license to Electronic Arts.

title: Janes Information Services


text:
General Motors K platform

The General Motors K platform (commonly called the K-body) was the basis of the Cadillac Seville model over two entirely different automobile platforms.
 * 1975–1979 General Motors K platform (RWD)
 * 1980–1999 General Motors K platform (FWD)

title: General Motors K platform


text:
Flax Bourton

Flax Bourton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish, with a population of 715, is situated within the unitary authority of North Somerset, on the edge of Nailsea Moor on the A370 road 5 mi south west of Bristol city centre.

The village has a primary school, one pub named The Jubilee Inn, a church dating back to Norman times and is the home of Backwell Flax Bourton Cricket Club.

History
Backwell Hillfort between Flax Bourton and Backwell is an Iron Age hill fort.

To the north of the village and close to the Bristol to Exeter railway line a mill was built on the Land Yeo. It may have existed at the time of the Domesday Book and strong documentary evidence exists from 1769. Between 1839 and 1885 the river was diverted into the tailrace of the mill, eliminating a bend in the river. All that remains of the three storey mill is a single storey garage of a private house.

Farleigh Hospital and the Church of St. George was built in 1837 as a Workhouse for the Bedminster Union. Also on Old Weston Road is the former Long Ashton Magistrate's Court and Police Station, which was built 1857-58 by John Norton, and is now home to the Coroner's court for Bristol and North Somerset.

An MoD fuel depot, part of the Government Pipelines and Storage System with its own railway sidings, is just off the main line behind the former station. Its future is currently under review. It was constructed between 1954 and 57 by Esso as part of the North Somerset Complex of sites and pipelines for the storage of white oil products. It was originally connected by five pipelines but only one was operational by 1990. It was originally designed for distribution by road and rail with two rail gantries and three road gantries. The site was emptied and closed in the early 1990s following the end of the Cold War.

Governance
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the village hall or community centre, playing fields and playgrounds, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also of interest to the council.

The parish falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992. It provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area including local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection, recycling, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. It is also responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the South Western Ambulance Service.

North Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon. Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Long Ashton Rural District.

The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of the North Somerset constituency. It elects one member of parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, currently Liam Fox of the Conservative Party. It was also part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Geography
Stancombe Quarry was first built in 1952. Today, the quarry which is operated by Tarmac, produces Carboniferous Limestone, which is mainly for use on the roads, after crushing on site. The site has an expected output of 28 million tonnes over a 25-year period.

Along with the rest of South West England, Flax Bourton has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country.

Transport
In 1860 Flax Bourton railway station was opened by the Bristol and Exeter Railway just west of the short tunnel at the summit of the climb from Bristol. It closed to passengers on 2 December 1963. Sustrans have recently built a cycle path leading to Backwell and Nailsea, adjacent to the railway line. Today the nearest station is Nailsea and Backwell. There are also regular bus links available from Farleigh Green (to Weston-super-Mare), and top of station road (to Bristol)

Religious sites
The Anglican parish church of St. Michael and All Angels has 12th-century origins and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building.

Notable residents

 * Edward MacLysaght (1887–1986) genealogist of twentieth century Ireland
 * Field Marshal Roland Christopher Gibbs GCB, CBE, DSO, MC, KStJ (1921–2004) was Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army
 * Harry Chidgey, cricketer
 * Noah Marullo, actor
 * Leonard Curtis Luckwill, (1914-2005), pioneering cider apple scientist who lived at Mayscroft, Flax Bourton between 1945 and 1985
 * Roger Gregory Luckwill, (1943-2022), zoologist and physiologist
 * Anthony Peter Luckwill, (1973-2020), writer

title: Flax Bourton


text:
Beecroft Art Gallery

Beecroft Art Gallery is a gallery in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The gallery is housed in a municipal building built in 1974 in the brutalist style. The Beecroft Art Gallery has a busy programme of changing exhibitions of art, photography and fashion. On the ground floor, the gallery presents temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary artists, focusing on the work of emerging and established local artists. On the first floor, visitors can see works from the permanent collection and exciting fashion exhibitions.

In 2020 the gallery announced its fashion gallery would temporarily close for building works. It will reopen in the summer of 2024.

History
Prior to 2014, the gallery was located in and Edwardian building on Station Road at Westcliff-on-Sea which was donated to the people of Southend-on-Sea in 1952 by Walter Beecroft (1885–1961) to house his eclectic collection of art works. Beecroft was a solicitor in nearby Leigh. He had already set up an Art Gallery Sub-Committee of the Public Libraries & Museum Committee in 1928, and in 1947 he proposed to endow a building to become and Art Gallery. Eventually, this led to the Beecroft Art Gallery on Station Road. Beecroft also endowed the Beecroft Bequest, an art purchase fund administered by the Museums Association. The gallery was resited in 2014 to the former home of the Central Library on Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea.

Art collections
Beecroft Art Gallery has a permanent collection of over 2,000 works, ranging from 17th-century Dutch paintings to contemporary works. The collection includes examples by artists such as Molenaer, Ruisdael and Berchem plus 19th-century artists including Rossetti, Constable and Edward Lear. There are works by Carel Weight, the Great Bardfield Group, and a bronze by Jacob Epstein. The local artist Alan Sorrell is represented by his Drawings of Nubia series depicting a visit to Egypt prior to the building of the Aswan Dam. The Thorpe Smith Collection of local landscape views contains paintings, drawings and prints from as early as 1803.

Photography
The gallery's photography collection consists mainly of two large collections of 1972 photographs taken in Southend by Ron McCormick and Josef Koudelka. In 1972, as part of a major project involving eight towns, The Arts Council commissioned the two photographers to work in the city with the aim of revealing to the people of Southend how they and their environment are seen by two outside observers. Both photographers found inspiration in the street and beach life that day trippers brought to Southend in the summer. The resulting images were later displayed in the old Beecroft Art Gallery building between 24 March and 22 April 1973 and later toured local schools and community centres. The photographs were then returned to the Beecroft Art Gallery and entered into the collection.

Fashion and textiles collection
Southend Museums Service has been acquiring historical and contemporary fashion as part of its social history collection since opening in the 1970s. The collections have subsequently been re-housed at the Beecroft Art Gallery and fashion exhibitions take place there once a year.

The collections' main strengths are the decades from the 1920s to the 1970s but there are important earlier and later pieces, most notably a rare, 17th century slap sole shoe. The collection includes garments, uniforms, shoes, hats, underwear, jewellery and various accessories. Notable collections are the Gloria Levin collection of Hardy Amies couture and a collection of 1970s stage costumes and accessories worn by Dame Vera Lynn.

Not surprisingly, beach wear is a major area of collection and the museums service's swimwear collection is believed to be the largest in the country. The collection dates from around 1900 to present times and include several rare pieces. In 2009 Southend Museums received a large donation of 500 bathing suits from private collector, Mavis Plume.

Fritz Steller wall
The most famous feature of the gallery's building is a tiled wall created by German artist, sculpture and designer Fritz Steller. Steller's Transform Ceramic Company, was commissioned to create a sculptural wall around 1973, prior to the building opening as Southend Central Library. The artist created a series of architectural ceramic tiles with an abstract design referencing the stacking of book spines on library shelves. The brown tiles were cast on sand to give them a unique and unrepeatable surface. Transform Ceramic also created the brick paving and the raised flower beds around the gallery.

The Essex Open
Beecroft Art Gallery is the home of the historic Essex Open Exhibition, which runs annually. Established by the gallery's founder in 1957 and inspired by the world-renowned Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, over the years, the exhibition has evolved into a cornerstone of the local cultural scene, drawing participants from across Essex and the historic Essex boundaries of East London (today the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest).

title: Beecroft Art Gallery


text:
Talk:Council of Clermont

Untitled
are we sure that it was clarmont in france,and not clarmont in switzerland? Carinae986 (talk) 21:50, 29 November 2011 (UTC)

hi where is the image taken from ? where does it appear ?

thanx nir_evron  yahoo.com

As I posted on the Reference desk:

 * I think I got the image itself from http://www.churchofsaginaw.org/churchstory/crusades.htm. It's a pretty common image on the internet; it comes from a painting in a manuscript written about 1490, which is located in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. The date and place info about the image, although not the image itself because it wasn't as good a copy, comes from http://www.unf.edu/classes/crusades/, the homepage for a class taught by Paul Halsall, probably the most trustworthy source for crusade info on the Internet. Unfortunately I don't know the name (or the shelf mark) of the manuscript, if you wanted to go to Paris to look it up, but I hope this helps! Adam Bishop 04:15, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Another Council of Clermont of 535
Some kind of disambig has to be done. There was another Council (or Synod) of Clermont in 535    Thoughts? ←Humus sapiens←ну? 09:53, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
 * Indeed. "The Council of Clermont" refers to ANY of the medieval church councils held within the Diocese of Clermont-Ferrand (Auvergne, France). For example, another notable "Council of Clermont" is Clermont (1130): see the entry for the Second Lateran Council. More info on Council of Clermont (535):
 * The chief event of the episcopate (bishop-hood) of St. Gal (A.D. 527 to 551) was the Council of Clermont (535). Fifteen prelates of the kingdom of Austrasia assisted at it under the presidency of Honoratus, Bishop of Bourges. {more info: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06335b.htm }
 * This could be partially resolved by moving the current article (main page) to Council of Clermont (1095).
 * - Libertas 10:34, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

 * I think it would be best to disambiguate the councils of 535 and 1130...this one is far more well-known and the overwhelmingly most likely intended target of a search. Adam Bishop 16:34, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

Another point
While I think work still needs to be done to address the Council of Clermont (535) issue, I find it somewhat disturbing that no mention is made, anywhere in the article, which Clermont hosted this Council... Tom e rtalk 02:32, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

 * Oops, fixed. Adam Bishop 04:20, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Gruesome offenses?
A statement regarding Robert the Monk states the following:

"Urban listed various gruesome offenses of the Muslims..."

I think it's fair to add the word "alleged" there since this is merely a claim (at best) and practically shows so.--SlightlyInsane 21:01, 30 December 2006 (UTC)
 * "Alleged" is already well understood, since Urban is being indirectly quoted in this instance. "Alleged" might be inserted into many sentences in all historical accounts, for they are all largely "alleged". --Wetman 22:56, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Urban's real motives for instigating the crusade?
I am studying the beginning of the crusades, primarily whether Pope Urban II had another motive than genuine relgion when calling it. I have read many theories such as Urban's desire for extra wealth for the Papacy through opening up trade routes to Eastern Europe and of course loot. Other ideas are that Urban wished to assert his authority over Orthodox Christianity prompting Alexius I of Byzantium to accept him as head of all Christianity thus healing the Great Schism of 40 years previously.

Could anyone offer any of their own views or other historians views on this subjects or websites,books etc, that could be helpful. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.78.99.167 (talk) 19:41, 12 January 2007 (UTC).

Baldrick, archbishop of Dol
A "Baldric, archbishop of Dol" is mentioned in the article. Dol was not an archbishopric, only a bishopric, a suffragan of the diocese of Tours. And 'Baldric' was never a bishop of Dol.

Has some editor made a mistake? Or is some source unreliable?

--Vicedomino (talk) 03:03, 20 October 2017 (UTC)
 * I take it all back. I found the proof texts that show that he signed himself "Baldricus Dolensis Archiepiscopus" in a bull of Pope Paschal II. I still do not believe, however, that Dol was an archbishopric. The punctuation should be 'Baldricus Dolensis, Archiepiscopus'.

--Vicedomino (talk) 04:03, 20 October 2017 (UTC)

His page is at Baldric of Dol. According to fr-wiki, Dol was an archbishopric from 859 to 1209. --dab (𒁳) 16:15, 9 December 2017 (UTC)

Citation for Fulchers claim
Why is it that Fulcher of Chartres' account of Pope Urban's sermon is considered most trustworthy?

Featured picture scheduled for POTD
Hello! This is to let editors know that File:Passages d'outremer Fr5594, fol. 19r, Concile de Clermont.jpg, a featured picture used in this article, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for November 17, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-11-17. For the greater benefit of readers, any potential improvements or maintenance that could benefit the quality of this article should be done before its scheduled appearance on the Main Page. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you! Adam Cuerden (talk)Has about 8.8% of all FPs. 08:15, 4 February 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Council of Clermont


text: File:Barenaked Ladies - Born on a Pirate Ship.jpg


text:
General Motors N platform

The General Motors N platform (commonly called the N-body or N car) was a front-wheel drive compact automotive platform produced from 1984 to 2005. The GM N platform was based on the GM J-Body and replaced the GM X platform.

First generation
The N body was introduced in late 1984 for the 1985 model year. Initially, offered as the Pontiac Grand Am, Oldsmobile Calais and Buick Somerset coupes, GM positioned them as premium models at an affordable price. Standard in all models was the 2.5 liter "Iron Duke" 4 cylinder engine developed by the Pontiac Motor Division. Optional was the Buick built 3.0 liter V6 with multi-port fuel injection. All models could have a 5 speed manual or 3 speed automatic. During the 1986 model year, four door models were added to all three brand entries. The N platform was very similar to the GM L platform; however, the first generation N cars were engineered by Oldsmobile while the L cars were engineered by Chevrolet. The first generation used a twist-beam rear suspension and MacPherson struts in front, and featured a 103.4 in wheelbase.

The N platform was used for the following vehicles:

 * 1985–1991 Pontiac Grand Am
 * 1985–1991 Oldsmobile Calais
 * 1985–1987 Buick Somerset
 * 1986–1991 Buick Skylark

Second generation
For the 1992 model year, General Motors heavily modified all of their N-Body offerings. The Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais was dropped in favor of the new Achieva, while the Buick Skylark and Pontiac Grand Am nameplates continued. In addition to new styling, this generation was longer and carried more distinctive sheet metal for each brand. The second generation N-Body continued until 1998 when it was replaced by the third and final generation.
 * 1992-1998 Pontiac Grand Am
 * 1992–1998 Oldsmobile Achieva
 * 1992-1998 Buick Skylark

Third generation (GMX130)
In 1997 and 1998 General Motors consolidated the 2nd generation N platform with the GM A platform (FWD) and GM L platform during the corporately engineered P-90 project which became known as GMX130. This automotive platform featured fully independent suspension and a wheelbase of 107 in. This was the last vehicle with significant engineering involvement of Oldsmobile and also the last one produced at the Lansing Car Assembly plant on April 29, 2004. A mid-size version spawned the 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu & Oldsmobile Cutlass of 1997-99, including the 2004-05 Chevrolet Classic.

The GMX130 platform underpinned the following vehicles:
 * 1999–2004 Oldsmobile Alero
 * 1999–2005 Pontiac Grand Am
 * 1997–1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass
 * 1997–2003 Chevrolet Malibu
 * 2004–2005 Chevrolet Classic (a previous-generation Malibu sold to fleet buyers)

The GMX130 was replaced by the Epsilon platform for 2006.

title: General Motors N platform


text: User talk:68.39.60.203

title: User talk:68.39.60.203


text:
Fivemiletown

Fivemiletown is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is 16 miles (26 km) east of Enniskillen and 26 miles (43 km) west-south-west of Dungannon, on the A4 Enniskillen-to-Dungannon road.

Fivemiletown's population was 1,243 at the 2011 Census. The village is most famous for its creamery, which was begun as a cooperative in 1898 by Hugh de Fellonburg Montgomery. Fivemiletown Creamery originally made butter and milk, but now makes cheeses for the British and Irish market, and for export across Europe and North America.

Name
Fivemiletown's name comes from its location five Irish miles (1 Irish mile = 1.27 statute miles = 2044 m) from its nearest neighbours: Clogher, Brookeborough and Tempo. The original Irish name of the townland of Fivemiletown was Baile na Lorgan - ‘townland of the long ridge’ - anglicised as Ballynalurgan. Previous names for the town of Fivemiletown were Mount Stewart, from Sir William Stewart who founded it in 1619 and Blessingbourn from the name of the nearby residence of Colonel Montgomery, the proprietor of the area in the early 19th century.

History
The Clogher Valley Railway ran from Tynan, County Armagh, to Maguiresbridge, County Fermanagh, with Fivemiletown being one of its main stations. The old station house is still one of the landmarks in the village. The trains stopped at the Buttermarket on Main Street and the creamery to be loaded or unloaded with goods.

After the Second World War, the growth of road transport made railways almost redundant and when the Northern Ireland Government learned that the Clogher Valley Railway had operated as a loss for 27 years because of growing road transport, it recommended the shutting of the line. The last train ran on the last day of 1941, bringing to an end one of Fivemiletown's most characteristic features.

The Troubles
Incidents in Fivemiletown during the Troubles resulting in two or more deaths:

 * 12 December 1993 – Andrew Beacom (46) and Ernest Smith (49), both Protestant members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) from the RUC base at Clogher, were ambushed and shot dead by members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army's East Tyrone Brigade while on patrol in their civilian-type car along Main Street after midnight. A British Army Lynx helicopter received automatic fire while chasing the perpetrators.

Geography
Halfway between Fivemiletown and Fintona 9 mi northwest, lies Murley Mountain. This mountain rises to a peak of 312 m above sea level and marks the western edge of the Clogher Valley.

On the summit is the Lendrums Bridge wind farm, one of the biggest in Northern Ireland, with 20 wind turbines. Another ten are planned for the neighbouring Hunter's Hill. Murley Mountain's location is lonely and exposed, especially to prevailing southwesterly winds. This makes it a prime site for wind-generated power.

The River Blackwater runs through counties Tyrone and Armagh, as well as County Monaghan. The source of the Blackwater is to the north of Fivemiletown. There are also several small lakes around the village which draw many anglers.

Transport

 * The narrow gauge Clogher Valley Railway ran through the village from 1887 until 1942. The train originally had a top speed of 10 mph. Fivemiletown railway station opened on 2 May 1887 and was shut on 1 January 1942.
 * The A4 is the main route into Fermanagh (and on to County Sligo) from the Belfast direction. Running from the end of the M1 at Dungannon, the section through the Clogher Valley is the lowest standard on the whole route. While towns and villages along the A4 in Fermanagh were generally bypassed years ago, the A4 runs straight through the middle of three Tyrone villages: Augher, Clogher and Fivemiletown. These are now the only non-bypassed settlements on the road. The largest of these, Fivemiletown, will be bypassed. The village currently has a one-way system to cope with the heavy traffic on the narrow main street, but this stalls long-distance traffic and is a big inconvenience to residents of the village. The new road will be built to 2+1 standard, meaning that there will be one lane in one direction, with two in the opposite direction to permit overtaking. On longer routes, such as this one, the overtaking lane usually alternates giving an overtaking opportunity to traffic in each direction. The scheme will complement a 2+1 scheme completed on the A4 outside Fivemiletown in 2004.

Sport and leisure

 * Clogher Valley Golf Club
 * Clogher Valley Rugby Football Club
 * Fivemiletown United Football Club

Music

 * Clogher Valley Grenadiers Flute Band
 * Cavanaleck Pipe Band
 * Fivemiletown Accordion Band
 * Fivemiletown Pipe Band (disbanded)
 * Murley Silver Band
 * Pride Of Fivemiletown Flute Band (disbanded)
 * Fivemiletown Boyne Defenders (disbanded)

Education

 * Fivemiletown Nursery School
 * Fivemiletown College
 * St. Mary's Primary School
 * Fivemiletown Primary School
 * Kids R Us Cross Community Playgroup

Religion

 * Aghintaine Roman Catholic Church
 * Aughintaine Presbyterian Church
 * Bell Methodist Church
 * Cavanaleck Presbyterian Church
 * Clogher Valley Free Presbyterian Church
 * Fivemiletown Independent Methodist Church
 * Fivemiletown Methodist Church
 * Kiltermon Church of Ireland
 * St John's Church of Ireland
 * St Mary's Roman Catholic Church

Demography
Fivemiletown is classified as a village by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,499 people). On Census Day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Fivemiletown Settlement was 1,243, accounting for 0.07% of the NI total. Of these:
 * 19.23% were aged under 16 and 18.25% were aged 65 and over
 * 48.75% of the population were male and 51.25% were female
 * 23.17% were from a Catholic background and 72.0% were from a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' background

title: Fivemiletown


text:
User:Craks

One day, i have an idea to developer a p2p system. giFT is a good thing, and now i read its code.

title: User:Craks


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Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City.

The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at the then-Time Warner Center (now the Deutsche Bank Center) in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

The center hosts performances by the orchestra and by visiting musicians. It is home to the New York City Opera. Many concerts are streamed live on the center's YouTube channel. The center also presents educational programs in its home buildings, online, and in schools throughout the country.

History
In 1987, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis was involved in starting the Classical Jazz concert series, the first series of jazz concerts at Lincoln Center.

In 1996, the Jazz at Lincoln Center organization became a constituent of Lincoln Center next to organizations such as the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. The budget for Jazz at Lincoln Center was $4 million in 1996, compared to $150 million for the Metropolitan Opera. In 2016, its budget was over $50 million. Wynton Marsalis has been artistic director since 1987. Greg Scholl became executive director in 2012.

Marsalis leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which performs in the Appel Room and the Rose Theater in addition to extensive international tours. Concerts are also broadcast live online. Educational programs are broadcast on the center's YouTube channel. Since 2015, the orchestra's albums have been issued on its own label, Blue Engine Records.

The center distributes jazz curriculums to high schools through its Essentially Ellington program. Professional musicians visit schools through the Let Freedom Swing program. The center runs a Middle School Jazz Academy, a High School Jazz Academy, and a Summer Academy, all in New York City, all of them with free tuition. Every year the orchestra tours and visits schools throughout the U.S. The Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival takes place every year at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Rose Hall

The performing arts complex, Frederick P. Rose Hall, was designed by Rafael Viñoly and is located on the fifth floor of Deutsche Bank Center (originally Time Warner Center). Rose Hall consists of three venues: Rose Theater, The Appel Room, and Dizzy's Club, named after trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The Hall also contains the Irene Diamond Education Center with rehearsal and recording rooms.

Hall of Fame
The Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame is named for Nesuhi Ertegun, co-founder of Atlantic Records. A 60-person international voting panel, which includes musicians, scholars and educators from 17 countries, is charged to nominate and select "the most definitive artists in the history of jazz for induction into the Hall of Fame".

Inductees have included:

2004
 * Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), trumpeter
 * Sidney Bechet (1897–1959), saxophonist
 * Bix Beiderbecke (1903–1931), cornetist
 * John Coltrane (1926–1967), saxophonist
 * Miles Davis (1926–1991), trumpeter
 * Duke Ellington (1899–1974), pianist
 * Dizzy Gillespie (1917–1993), trumpeter
 * Coleman Hawkins (1904–1969), saxophonist
 * Billie Holiday (1915–1959), vocalist
 * Thelonious Monk (1917–1982), pianist
 * Jelly Roll Morton (1890–1941), pianist
 * Charlie Parker (1920–1955), saxophonist
 * Art Tatum (1909–1956), pianist
 * Lester Young (1909–1959), saxophonist

2005
 * Count Basie (1904–1984), pianist, organist
 * Roy Eldridge (1911–1989), trumpeter
 * Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996), vocalist
 * Benny Goodman (1909–1986), clarinetist
 * Earl Hines (1903–1983), pianist
 * Johnny Hodges (1907–1970), saxophonist
 * "Papa" Jo Jones (1911–1985), drummer
 * Charles Mingus (1922–1979), bassist
 * Joe "King" Oliver (1885–1938), cornetist
 * Max Roach (1924–2007), drummer
 * Sonny Rollins (b. 1930), saxophonist
 * Fats Waller (1904–1943), pianist, organist

2007
 * Clifford Brown (1930–1956), trumpeter
 * Benny Carter (1907–2003), saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter
 * Charlie Christian (1916–1942), guitarist
 * Django Reinhardt (1910–1953), guitarist

2008
 * Ornette Coleman (1930–2015), free jazz pioneer
 * Gil Evans (1912–1988), jazz arranger
 * Bessie Smith (1894–1937), blues singer
 * Mary Lou Williams (1910–1981), pianist, arranger

2010
 * Bill Evans (1929–1980), pianist, composer
 * Bud Powell (1924–1966), pianist
 * Billy Strayhorn (1915–1967), composer, pianist, lyricist, arranger
 * Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990), vocalist

2013
 * Art Blakey (1919–1990), drummer, bandleader
 * Lionel Hampton (1908–2002), vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader
 * Clark Terry (1920–2015), flugelhornist, trumpeter

2014
 * Betty Carter (1929–1998), vocalist
 * Fletcher Henderson (1897–1952), pianist, bandleader, arranger, composer
 * Elvin Jones (1927–2004), drummer
 * Wes Montgomery (1923–1968), guitarist

2015
 * Dexter Gordon (1923–1990), saxophonist, composer, bandleader
 * James P. Johnson (1894–1955), pianist, composer
 * Lennie Tristano (1919–1978), pianist, composer, arranger

2016
 * J. J. Johnson (1924–2001), trombonist, composer, arranger
 * Wayne Shorter (1933–2023), saxophonist, composer, bandleader
 * Ben Webster (1909–1973), saxophonist

2017
 * Tito Puente (1923–2000), songwriter, bandleader, percussionist, producer
 * Don Redman (1900–1964), clarinetist, saxophonist, arranger, bandleader, composer
 * McCoy Tyner (1938–2020), pianist, composer

2018
 * Jimmy Blanton (1918–1942), double bassist
 * Nat King Cole (1919–1965), singer, pianist
 * Nina Simone (1933–2003), singer, songwriter, pianist

2019
 * Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (1928–1975), saxophonist
 * Frankie Trumbauer (1901–1956), saxophonist
 * Dinah Washington (1924–1963), singer, pianist
 * Chick Webb (1905–1939), drummer, band leader

2020
 * Freddie Green (1911–1987), guitarist
 * Lee Konitz (1927–2020), saxophonist, composer
 * John Lewis (1920–2001), pianist, composer, arranger
 * Teddy Wilson (1912–1986), pianist

2022
 * Freddie Hubbard (1938–2008), trumpeter
 * Paul Chambers (1935–1969), double bassist

2023
 * Antônio Carlos Jobim (1927–1994), composer, pianist, guitarist, arranger, singer
 * Hugh Masekela (1939–2018), trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer, composer
 * Mario Bauzá (1911–1993), composer, arranger, clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter
 * Toshiko Akiyoshi (b. 1929), pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader

title: Jazz at Lincoln Center


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Category talk:Marxist theory

From CfD:
How is this different from Category:Marxism? The other subcategories there seem more useful. -- Beland 03:33, 5 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Not being a Marxist, I maybe don't get this, but this category seems to be more like the Marxism studied within academia (more or less critically). If so, I think it might be motivated. Keep - at least until the issue is properly discussed somewhere. /Tuomas 10:31, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Keep: Marxism is a political ideology whereas marxist theory is more about the economic/philisophic work of Marx and his successors. There is overlap of course, but in general the latter is a distinctive enough category to keep. Note also that it isn't just a subcategory of marxism, but also of category:Continental philosophy and Category:Critical theory --Martin Wisse 08:27, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Yes, it is different. Keep. Also, I think this has been listed before. -Seth Mahoney 19:32, Oct 13, 2004 (UTC)

 * See my proposition to maybe rename Category:Critical theory to Category:Theories using materialist dialectics:
 * side note: I don't see anybody working yet on a workable definition for the Critical theory category, so, as promised, I will put it up for deletion soon.
 * "Marxist theory" has a great ambiguity whether or not a theory formulated after Karl Marx, is formulated within Marxism, or is only using Marxist dialectics (which happens to be a synonym to materialist dialectics). Having two separate categories (Marxism and Theories using materialist dialectics) seems clearer to me, making a Marxist theory category redundant, while too ambiguous (e.g. it is not even sure whether Marxian theory should be in this category...).
 * Note that there is no separate Wikipedia article yet defining Marxist theory - this is only a redirect to Marxism. The article does not mention Marxist theory once (apart from a link to the Marxist film theory article), even less defines it the term as separate from marxism (while, on the other hand, the article defines Marxian theory as somehow different from Marxism/Marxist theory). On such shallow grounds it seems not advisable that there be separate categories for Marxism and Marxist theory. Note that there is a separate article on dialectics, with a subsection on Marxist/materialist dialectics.
 * --Francis Schonken 22:09, 20 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Keep. This is a travesty. Marxist theory refers to something very specific. If you ask any English professor at any major university, they will point you to a set of things - Adorno, Benjamin, Althusser, Gramsci, etc. Marxist theory exists, and describes a number of thinkers. Yes, we don't have a Marxist theory article yet. Yes, we need one. No, I don't have time to write it. But Marxist theory is well defined - whether you are familiar with the definition or not. Snowspinner 23:13, Oct 20, 2004 (UTC)

Note also. Bill Brown is one of the biggest names in the University of Chicago's English department. UofC's English department is one of the best in the country. I'm going to go ahead and say that, should they claim Marxist theory exists, it exists and is a meaningful academic specialization, I'm inclined to agree with them. Snowspinner 23:16, Oct 20, 2004 (UTC)

 * In the mean while:
 * The category definition of category:critical theory was improved (not perfect yet, e.g. using a word like "new", which is somehow against the wikipedia policy of not using indefinite time references - so this definition could stand further improvement, anyway, it looks better now thanks also to Snowspinner to get involved in spite of limited time).
 * I performed some reorganisation in the philosophy-related categories (e.g. creation of category:Human sciences - I would be glad to read some comment on whether this would work the way I started it).
 * I made a very embryonic marxist theory article (replacing the "redirect"). Please give some hand on expanding that stub!
 * Side-remark: probably the distinction between marxism and marxist theory is somehow partly western POV (e.g. USA, with its period of McCarthyism, would not revert to teaching a marxist political doctrine - however distant - at its universities I suppose) - but I don't suppose this has to keep wikipedia from making this distinction, while it appears to be well accepted in western world. Nonetheless not something to lose awareness of.
 * category:marxist theory has a category definition now (a "catmore" tag linking to the article described above).
 * In my view this settles enough to remove this category from CfD list again: quasi-unanimous keep, and all objections for those favouring delete have been solved I suppose - I'll copy this discussion to the talk page of the category.
 * --Francis Schonken 14:36, 22 Oct 2004 (UTC)

title: Category talk:Marxist theory


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Galston

Galston may refer to:

Places

 * Galston, East Ayrshire, a town near Kilmarnock in Scotland, United Kingdom
 * Galston parish, a civil parish
 * Galston, New South Wales, a town near Sydney in Australia

People

 * Arthur Galston (1920–2008), American botanist and bioethicist
 * William Galston (born 1946), American philosopher and politician

title: Galston


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User:Prashanthellina

I am Prashanth Ellina from Chennai, India. This is my personal page on wikipedia.

title: User:Prashanthellina


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Uganda national football team

The Uganda national football team represents Uganda in association football and is controlled by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations.

History
It made its debut on 1 May 1926 against Kenya drawing 1–1. It qualified for its debut in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1962, the third edition of the tournament, which included only 4 teams. In the semi-finals, it was defeated and eliminated by United Arab Republic (2–1), and then lost the third place match against Tunisia (3–0).

It returned to the Africa Cup of Nations in 1974, where it was eliminated in the first round following 2 defeats against Egypt and Zambia and a draw against Ivory Coast. It was eliminated in the first round in the 1976 edition, being defeated by Ethiopia, Egypt and Guinea.

In the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations, it finished second in the group stages defeating Congo (3–1) and Morocco (3–0) and lost 3–1 to Tunisia. In the semi-finals it eliminated Nigeria (2–1) and in the final was defeated by Ghana (2–0).

In 2017 it qualified for the African Cup of Nations again after 39 years. It finished the tournament in the first round after two consecutive 1–0 losses to Ghana and Egypt and a 1–1 draw against Mali.

In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, it progressed to the second round with a 4–0 aggregate win against Togo, and was drawn into a group with Egypt, Ghana and the Republic of Congo. It finished the group with 2 0–0 draws against Ghana, a win and a draw against the Republic of Congo and a victory against Egypt followed by a defeat at the home of the Pharaohs. The 9 points won were not enough for it to qualify against the 13 of the Egyptians who finished first in the standings.

In the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, it cruised through qualifiers against Tanzania, Cape Verde and Lesotho. In the competition proper, a 2–0 victory against DR Congo meant that it had won its first match in the competition for 41 years. In the other 2 games of the group Uganda obtained a draw against Zimbabwe (1–1) and a defeat against the hosts Egypt (2–0) qualifying in second place, to be eliminated in the round of 16 by Senegal (1–0).

Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Coaching history

 * Interim coaches are listed in italics.

 * 🏴 Alan Rogers (1965–1966)
 * 🇺🇬 Robert Kiberu (19??–1969)
 * Burkhard Pape (1969–1972)
 * 🇺🇬 David Otti (1973–1974)
 * Otto Westerhoff (1974–1975)
 * 🇺🇬 Peter Okee (1976–1981)
 * 🇺🇬 Jaberi Bidandi Ssali (1982)
 * 🇺🇬 Peter Okee (1983)
 * 🇺🇬 George Mukasa (1984–1985)
 * 🇺🇬 Barnabas Mwesiga (1986–1988)
 * 🇺🇬 Robert Kiberu (1988–1989)
 * 🇺🇬 Polly Ouma (1989–1995)
 * 🇺🇬 Timothy Ayieko (1995–1996)
 * 🇺🇬 Asuman Lubowa (1996–1999)
 * 🇺🇬 Paul Hasule (1999)
 * 🇳🇬 Harrison Okagbue (1999–2001)
 * 🇺🇬 Paul Hasule (2001–2003)
 * 🇦🇷 Pedro Pasculli (2003)
 * 🇺🇬 Leo Adraa (2003–2004)
 * 🇺🇬 Mike Mutebi (2004)
 * 🇪🇬 Mohammed Abbas (2004–2006)
 * 🇭🇺 Csaba László (2006–2008)
 * Bobby Williamson (2008–2013)
 * 🇷🇸 Milutin Sredojević (2013–2017)
 * 🇺🇬 Moses Basena and 🇺🇬 Fred Kajoba (2017)
 * 🇫🇷 Sébastien Desabre (2017–2019)
 * 🇺🇬 Abdallah Mubiru (2019)
 * Johnny McKinstry (2019–2021)
 * 🇺🇬 Abdallah Mubiru (2021)
 * 🇷🇸 Milutin Sredojević (2021–2023)
 * 🇺🇬 Morley Beyekwaso (2023)
 * 🇧🇪 Paul Put (2023-present)

Current squad
The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Comoros and Ghana on 22 and 26 March 2024.

Caps and goals are correct as of 21 November 2023, after the match against Somalia.

Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up in the last 12 months.

DEC Refused to join the team after the call-up.

INJ Withdrew due to an injury.

PRE Preliminary squad.

RET Has retired from international association football.

SUS Suspended from the team.

WD Withdrew.

Player records

 * Players in bold are still active with Uganda.

CECAFA Cup
(1926–2023)

 * CECAFA Cup –  Gold medal 40 times

 * CECAFA Cup –  Silver medal 16 times

 * CECAFA Cup –  Bronze medal 15 times

Head-to-head record
Completely updated and corrected per the cited source on 10 June 2024

Note: Country in italic is not a member of FIFA.

Source:

title: Uganda national football team


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37452 Spirit

37452 Spirit (provisional designation ) is a dark Hildian asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter.

The asteroid was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomers Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, on photographic plates taken by Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory, California. It was named after NASA's Spirit Mars rover.

Orbit and classification
Spirit is a member of the Hilda family of asteroids, which stay in a 3:2 orbital resonance with the gas-giant Jupiter, meaning that for every two orbits Jupiter completes, a Hildian asteroid will complete three orbits. As their orbit does not cross the path of any of the planets, it will therefore not be pulled out of orbit by Jupiter's gravitational field and likely remain in a stable orbit for thousands of years.

Spirit orbits the Sun in the outermost main-belt at a distance of 3.1–4.8 AU once every 7 years and 10 months (2,867 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.

The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation, as no precoveries were taken and no prior identifications were made.

Palomar–Leiden survey
The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand minor planets.

Physical characteristics
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Spirit measures 8.9 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.056, which is typical value for carbonaceous C-type asteroids. It has an absolute magnitude of 14.2.

As of 2017, Spirit's rotation period and shape, as well as its spectral type remain unknown.

Naming
This minor planet was named by the discoverers for NASA's successful Mars rover Spirit which had been exploring the rocks and minerals in the Martian Gusev crater. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 28 September 2004 (M.P.C. 52770). 39382 Opportunity, also an asteroid of the Hilda family and discovered on the same day, was named after Spirit's twin rover, Opportunity.

title: 37452 Spirit


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Galston, East Ayrshire

Galston (Lowland Scots: Gauston, Scottish Gaelic: Baile nan Gall) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland, which has a population of 5,001 (2001) and is at the heart of the civil parish of the same name.

It is situated in wooded countryside 4 mi upriver from Kilmarnock and is one a group of the small towns located in the Irvine Valley between the towns of Hurlford and Newmilns. To the north of the town is the ruin of Loudoun Castle, the site of Loudoun Castle theme park from 1995 to 2010. In 1874 the population was 4,727.

Etymology
The name Galston means "place of the strangers" from the Gaelic word Gall (a stranger), and the Toun or Ton was a farm and its outbuildings. The word baile was anglicised in more recent history as toun like many other place names in Scotland which were originally "bal".

Religion and churches

 * Galston Parish Church, designed by John Brash of Glasgow, built in 1809 on site of a pre-Reformation church. Spire 120 ft in height. Chancel added 1912 and 3-manual pipe organ by J J Binns 1913. The 17th-century Presbyterians forbade burials taking place within churches. In 1609 John Schaw of Sornbeg decided to bury his recently deceased wife within Galston Kirk. He entered the kirk with a party of armed men and proceeded to break up flagstones and dig a grave where he interred his wife's body. He was fined £20 for this action and promised never to attempt this act again.
 * St Sophia's Church, 1885, Byzantine style church designed by architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, based on Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Is a Category A Listed building.

The Burn Anne
The Burn Anne joins the Irvine at Galston. It is named after St Anne, said to be the mother of the Virgin Mary. "St Anne's Holy Well" is marked on the 1860 OS map and lies above Bank Wood, flowing into the Burn Anne. The Holy Well has been destroyed by the construction of a concrete tank which collects the spring water for Cessnock Castle, first constructed for the Duke of Portland in Victorian times. The Carsewell Hole nearby was used for adult baptism.

The woodlands here have a high plant biodiversity value and are a registered provisional wildlife site as designated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Species noted in 2007 include woodruff, bird cherry, primrose, common violet, oak, stitchwort, golden male (scaly) fern, bugle, opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, bluebell, dog's mercury, broad buckler fern, watercress, lady fern, male shield fern, kidney vetch, woodrush, woodsedge, blackthorn, hawthorn, marsh marigold, foxglove, sweet cicely, herb robert, red campion, bistort, ribwort plantain, water avens, wood avens, moschatel, elm, alder, and many liverworts. A pair of buzzards were noted.

A great danger is the presence of the alien invader, the pink purslane or Stewarton flower, which will spread rapidly and destroy the native herbs by out-competing them (2007). It needs to be removed as matter of urgency.

A new (2008) metalled path has been created through part of these woods, greatly improving access. A new wood has been planted along part of the new path and this will in time extend and protect the habitats and the biodiversity of the site.

This tributary of the Irvine was famous for its rich jasper pebbles; semi-precious stones which were collected, cut and polished for use in jewellery.

The Barr Castle
Probably dating from the 15th century, this five-storeyed red sandstone tower castle still stands as a prominent feature (NS 505 360) on a rocky knoll close to the Burn Anne, within the town's boundaries. It was also known as Lockhart's Tower and was built to control the nearby access points up the Irvine Valley.

William Wallace is said to have taken refuge from pursuing English soldiers within the tower, eventually escaping siege by climbing down an overhanging tree. It has a practical, if not authentic, roof which does not hide a view of the continuous corbelling of the parapet. The bottom section of the four angle towers are discernible.

The castle was built for the Lockhart family who held the Barony of Galston; enthusiastic opponents of the Catholic faith. In 1670 the property was purchased by the Campbells of Cessnock Castle nearby. In 2019 celebrations will be held to mark the 125th anniversary of the castle being used as a Masonic Lodge by Lodge St. Peter 331. It also houses a museum of local artefacts. The castle is open to the public on occasions and has proved a very popular venue for weddings. In August 1528, James Campbell of Lochlee abducted Alexander Pawtoun from Mauchline and imprisoned him for 5 days in the dungeon ('spelunca') of the Tower of Galston in order to extort the sum of £20. In an old charter of 12 March 1438, John Lockhart, Lord of Barr, provides for an annual rent to be paid to the chaplain for saying three masses annually for the repose of his soul at the altar of the church of Saint Peter in Ardrossan.

The renowned reformer and Protestant martyr George Wishart preached at the castle in 1545 and in 1556 John Knox also preached here; both were under the protection of John Lockart of Barr and his fellow reformers.

The Judge's Hill

A justice hill survives in a patch of woodland on the Hag Burn near the Loudoun Country Club. This site may have been linked to the old Barony of Galston and the feudal rights of the Campbells of Loudoun.

The site has a nearby lime kiln and old ruins next to the Hag Burn which may have been a forge.

Galston railway station
This station on the Glasgow and South Western Railway line to Stonehouse via Strathaven, closed in 1964.

The Galston Handball Game
This game was popular with farm workers who used clenched hands to hit a hard ball off the side wall of the Barr Castle – similar to Gaelic handball and fives, or rather like squash without the use of rackets or a soft, squashy ball. The court was of earth, beaten hard. Galston became World Champions at this handball sport, however it is no longer played, the last official game being in 1939. Local legend has it that the game was used by William Wallace to help keep his men fit for battle.

Handball was popular in these parts during the 19th century and Galston was the site of the most important competition, held on the Saturday of the Glasgow Fair. It belonged to the group of sports that Gaelic handball still represents. John Galt refers to handball being played in Irvine against the back wall of a malt-kiln.

Notable residents

 * Alison Begbie (possibly Elizabeth Gebbie, 1762–1863), friend of poet Robert Burns
 * Rev Dr Robert Stirling (1790–1878), inventor of the Stirling engine was minister of Galston Parish Church
 * Lady Flora Hastings (11 February 1806 – 5 July 1839) of Loudon Castle was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent. Her death in 1839 was the subject of a court scandal that gave the Queen a negative image. Buried in Loudoun Kirk
 * James Howie (1878–1963), footballer with Kilmarnock, Huddersfield Town, Newcastle United, and Scotland
 * Andy Cunningham (1891–1973), footballer with Kilmarnock, Rangers and Scotland
 * James Leslie (1908–1980), footballer with Kilmarnock
 * Rev Prof Hugh Anderson DD FRSE (1920–2003), theologian

title: Galston, East Ayrshire


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M. Emmet Walsh

Michael Emmet Walsh (March 22, 1935 – March 19, 2024) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films and television series, including supporting roles as Earl Frank in Straight Time (1978), the Madman in The Jerk (1979), Captain Bryant in Blade Runner (1982), Harv in Critters (1986), and Walt Scheel in Christmas with the Kranks (2004). He starred as private detective Loren Visser in Blood Simple (1984), the Coen brothers' first film, for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.

Walsh's other numerous film appearances include Midnight Cowboy (1969), Little Big Man (1970), What's Up, Doc? (1972), Serpico (1973), The Gambler (1974), Bound for Glory (1976), Slap Shot (1977), Airport '77 (1977), Brubaker (1980), Ordinary People (1980), Reds (1981), Silkwood (1983), Fletch (1985), Back to School (1986), Raising Arizona (1987), Romeo + Juliet (1996), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), The Iron Giant (1999), Calvary (2014), and Knives Out (2019). Over seven decades as a character actor, he credited roles in more than 220 films and television shows.

Early life
Michael Emmet Walsh was born on March 22, 1935, in Ogdensburg, New York, the son of Agnes Katharine (née Sullivan) and Harry Maurice Walsh Sr., who was a customs agent, as were his grandfather and brother. He was of Irish descent, and was raised in rural Swanton, Vermont, where he underwent a mastoid operation at age 3, which left Walsh deaf in his left ear.

He graduated from Clarkson University in 1958 (B.A., Business Administration), and in 1998, the Clarkson Alumni Association presented Walsh with the Golden Knight Award. At Clarkson, Walsh had also dabbled in stage productions, and soon after being encouraged by a faculty advisor, he moved to New York City to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He went on to perform in regional theater for the next decade before making his Broadway debut in 1969, with Al Pacino, in Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?.

Career
According to his manager, Sandy Joseph, "Walsh's tremendous body of work includes 119 feature films and more than 250 television productions." Being partially deaf in one ear and with an accent harkening from Vermont made it clear to Walsh: "I wasn't going to do Shaw and Shakespeare and Molière — my speech was simply too bad." His persona was a "mesmerising everyman and an indelible gargoyle" who featured "poached-egg eyes."

Walsh specialized in playing villains who were blissfully oblivious to their villainy. He brought a "delightfully menacing presence" to his characters. He was a no-nonsense worker bee in the film industry. Walsh characterized himself as approaching "each job thinking it might be my last, so it better be the best work possible. I want to be remembered as a working actor. I'm being paid for what I'd do for nothing."

Walsh spent years honing his craft in movie bit parts and on stage. After appearances in the films Midnight Cowboy (1969), Alice's Restaurant (1969), Little Big Man (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), They Might Be Giants (1971),  What's Up, Doc? (1972),  Serpico (1973), The Gambler (1974), Bound for Glory (1976), and Airport '77 (1977), Walsh came to prominence in the iconic 1977 hockey comedy film Slap Shot, in which he played the cynical small town sportswriter Dickie Dunn,   and the 1978 crime film Straight Time, in which he played a vicious parole officer opposite Dustin Hoffman. USA Today film critic Mike Clark wrote that the film character who was "a cesspool in a flowered shirt" was typically Walsh. He also had a small but memorable role as a crazed sniper in the Steve Martin comedy The Jerk (1979),  followed by roles in the drama films Brubaker (1980), Ordinary People (1980), and Reds (1981).

Bigger roles
One of his best-known roles was Captain Harry Bryant in Ridley Scott's cult film Blade Runner (1982). He characterized Blade Runner as being especially difficult and tiresome to make, given director Ridley Scott's insistence on perfection. As a hard-bitten police commander, Walsh's character brings Deckard (Harrison Ford) out of retirement to "retire" cyborgs, telling Deckard, "I need your magic." Walsh allowed that he was completely confused as Blade Runner was filmed, and did not have any idea where it was going.

In 1983, Walsh appeared in Mike Nichols' biographical film Silkwood. In 1984, he was cast as a crooked Texas private eye in the film noir Blood Simple, which was the Coen brothers' first film and resulted in Walsh winning the first Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. Pauline Kael, a film critic for The New Yorker, praised Walsh's portrayal in her film review, stating "his broad buffoonery helps to ground the picture, to keep it jaundiced and low-down." He then reteamed with the Coen brothers for Raising Arizona as a memorable "yakking machine shop worker".

Other prominent film roles include a prostate examining doctor in the Chevy Chase film Fletch (1985), a college diving coach in the Rodney Dangerfield film Back to School (1986), a police chief in the horror film Critters (1986), John Lithgow’s father in the Bigfoot comedy  Harry and the Hendersons (1987), the apothecary in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996), father of the groom in the romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), the voice of Earl Stutz in animated film The Iron Giant (1999), the adventure film Snow Dogs (2002), and the Christmas comedy film Christmas with the Kranks (2004), where he played one of the Kranks' neighbors. In 1992, he appeared as a powerful U.S. Senator in David Winning's Canadian film Killer Image. He later appeared as a writer in the Irish comedy-drama film Calvary (2014), and a security guard in the mystery film Knives Out (2019).

Television and stage
On television, in September, 1971, Walsh appeared in Season 2, Episode 1 of "All in the Family," and also appeared as Alex Lembeck, a motorcycle cop who appointed himself as Sandy Stockton's chaperone and protector on The Sandy Duncan Show in 1972. He appeared in an episode of the NBC drama series Gibbsville in 1976 and Little House on the Prairie in 1981. Walsh also made occasional guest appearances on Home Improvement as Tim Taylor's father-in-law in 1994. Other appearances included Early Edition, The X-Files, Ed, and Frasier. He also appeared as Dr. Joseph Krofft, a medical examiner with a grudge against Andy Sipowicz, on an episode of NYPD Blue. Later appearances included the series Sneaky Pete, and The Righteous Gemstones.

On stage, in 2004, Walsh appeared in the London production of Sam Shepard's Buried Child.

Legacy and accolades
Critic Nicolas Rapold called Walsh "a consummate old pro of the second-banana business", while Roger Ebert hailed him as "the poet of sleaze". Ebert also fabricated his "Stanton-Walsh Rule": "No movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad." Walsh was "ham-faced, heavyset" and "often played good old boys with bad intentions".

In 2018, Walsh was inducted into the Character Actor Hall of Fame by his Blade Runner co-star Harrison Ford. Later in the same ceremony he received the Chairman's Lifetime Achievement award.

Walsh had a reputation for generosity and wry wit. He habitually distributed two-dollar bills to the set's crew, with some advice: "Don't spend it, and you'll never be broke."

Death
Walsh died of cardiac arrest at Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, Vermont, on March 19, 2024, at the age of 88.

title: M. Emmet Walsh