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Opus Dei and politics

Opus Dei and politics is a discussion on Opus Dei's view on politics, its role in politics and its members involvement in politics.

General political matters
Opus Dei has been accused of supporting Totalitarianism, during the first part of the 20th century, and afterward far-right governments. Opus Dei's history parallels that of Francisco Franco's conservative dictatorship in Spain, and was first developed during the troublesome years of the interwar period, along with the dictatorships of António de Oliveira Salazar and Adolf Hitler, and Benito Mussolini's fascist regime. Some of Franco's ministers were from Opus Dei.

However, supporters of Opus Dei point out that accusations of support to Hitler, Franco or totalitarianism have been often based in scattered information and individual testimonies of former members of the organisation.|date=December 2022}} They also note that the main position of the Socialist and Communist parties in the 1920s and 1930s was against organized religions, especially in mainly Catholic countries such as Spain, where the Church massively took side for Franco during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

Hitler and Nazism
The Unofficial Opus Dei Webpage says: An article in the Telegraph also reports that Felzmann heard Escrivá, "Vlad, Hitler couldn't have been such a bad person," the Father apparently said. "He couldn't have killed six million. It couldn't have been more than four million." Opus Dei supporters state that Fr. Felzmann, on saying these things, is being inconsistent with a testimony he wrote in 1980 saying that Escrivá is "a saint for today." (Documentation Service Vol V, 3, March 1992) They claim that former members, called "apostates" by their former organization, often lend their voices to coalitions fighting their previous religious organizations (see Dr. Bryan R. Wilson).

Escrivá responded to these accusations in 1975, professing his "love for the Jewish people". In addition, according to Opus Dei supporters, the one oral testimony regarding the supposed sympathies of Escrivá towards Hitler is disputed by various documented testimonies of non-members and members who He also allegedly condemned Nazism for being a "heresy," "anti-Christian," "pagan," "totalitarian," "a political aberration," and "racist." About the Nazi persecution against the Christians and the Jews, he was reported to say: "one victim is enough to condemn it". (Urbano 1995, p. 118-199) He condemned it, even going against Spain's public and official attitude of keeping silent about Nazism, despite the Holy See's condemnation of Hitler's ideology. Thus, del Portillo, the Opus Dei prelate who succeeded Escrivá, said that the attacks against the founder of Opus Dei are "a patent falsehood," part of "a slanderous campaign." (del Portillo 1996, p. 22-25). Though members of the Jewish community have defended Escrivá in the past, the issue was far from resolved at the time of his beatification in 1992.

Francoist Spain
There are written by investigative journalists, particularly those written outside Spain like the United States, Britain, Germany and Italy, which agree that Opus Dei was and continues to be "apolitical", meaning that Opus Dei has no purposeful strategy as a whole or secret agenda as some have suspected. John Allen (2005), an American journalist, drawing from the latest historical research, said that "some members worked in Franco's Spain, became ministers of his. But Opus Dei people are free to do whatever they wish politically. Other members were against Franco." Allen cites the dissident Rafael Calvo Serer, who was driven into exile in the early 70s and saw the newspaper he published closed by the government. Allen confirms that by the latter stages of the Franco era, Opus Dei members in Spain were divided "50/50" over the regime.

Allen also recounts the story of Giovanni Benelli and Josemaría Escrivá. Cardinal Benelli - right-hand man of Paul VI- wanted a Catholic Party in Spain similar to Italy's Democrazia Cristiana and wanted all Spanish Roman Catholics to adhere to this policy. Escrivá, who was truly desperate in asking the help of Benelli to talk to Paul VI about the foremost concern in his mind, the juridical problem of Opus Dei which can be resolved by becoming a "personal prelature" status for Opus Dei, refused Benelli. And he later complained to Benelli for holding Opus Dei hostage so Benelli could have his way. Allen says: "The Benelli story offers a good case for testing whether Escriva was serious about Opus Dei having no political agenda. If ever there was a set of circumstances propitious for a "power grab", this situation presented them. ...If Opus Dei led the way in the creation of Spanish version of Christian Democracy, its imaginable that its total of 8 ministers in 36 years under Franco would have been swamped by its representation in a new Spanish government."

Escriva and Franco
Critics, however, point to a letter written on 23 May 1958 by Escrivá to General Francisco Franco, dictator of Spain. They also say that Escrivá supported Franco. On the other hand, members of Opus Dei say that the letter of Escrivá (written 8 years after the US, the UN and Allies recognized Franco) shows his exemplary virtues as a citizen and a Catholic priest, as he says: "Although a stranger to any political activity, I cannot help but rejoice as a priest and Spaniard" that Spain's Head of State should proclaim that Spain accepts the law of God according to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, a faith which will inspire its legislation. Escrivá tells him that "It is in fidelity to our people's Catholic tradition that the best guarantee of success in acts of government, the certainty of a just and lasting peace within the national community.... will always be found." According to supporters, by saying this Escrivá was encouraging Franco (together with hundreds of Spaniards who wrote to Franco) to respect human rights, human dignity and freedom. They say that Escrivá acknowledged Franco's role in bringing order to the country but he totally rejected any form of clericalism whereby Catholics have a single-party mentality or use public power as a secular arm of the Church. Supporters also refer to an immediate correction given by Escrivá to Franco when one of the numeraries was insulted by the regime as "a person without a family." (del Portillo, 1996, p. 25-28) However, historians agree that the Catholic Church, of which Escrivá was a member, was a bulwark of the Franco regime, notwithstanding the dictatorship's brutal repression against Republicans and Communists following the Spanish Civil War.

John Allen in Opus Dei: Secrets and Power in the Catholic Church (2005) states that from the very beginning to the end of the Franco regime Escrivá maintained a complete silence about Franco's government. He claims that there is not one public statement on the records from Escriva — either critical of the regime or in favor. In the 1930s and 1940s, this silence was even interpreted as passive opposition. By the 1960s and 1970s, when the overwhelming sentiment in Spanish Roman Catholicism had become critical of Franco, his silence was interpreted as a kind of covert support. This silence, according to Allen, meant there was no corporate position of Opus Dei towards Franco.

“[I]t’s worth noting that in the context of the Spanish Civil War, in which anticlerical Republican forces killed 13 bishops, 4,000 diocesan priests, 2,000 male religious, and 300 nuns, virtually every group and layer of life in the Catholic Church in Spain was ‘pro-Franco.’” Allen goes on to note that despite this fact, “there is no instance in which [Escrivá] either praised or criticized the regime” throughout its long reign. “In the 1930s and 1940s, when the overwhelming sentiment in Catholic Spain was pro-Franco, Escrivá’s silence was therefore often read to betoken a hidden liberalism; by the 1960s and 1970s, when Catholic opinion had shifted, that same silence was interpreted as masking a pro-Franco conservatism,” he writes. “The overall impression one gets is that Escrivá strove to maintain neutrality with respect to the Franco regime, even if privately he felt some sympathy for a leader trying by his lights to be an upright Christian,” Mr. Allen concludes. “A charge of ‘pro-Franco’ cannot be sustained, except in the generic sense that most Spanish Catholics were initially supportive of Franco.... The most one can say is that Escrivá was not ‘anti-Franco’ either.”

Opus Dei members in Franco's government
Critics underline that several They say that this is evidence of the organization's penetration into the highest echelons of Spain's Fascist regime. Others note the origins of Opus Dei itself and in Burgos, then capital for the rebels seeking to overthrow Spain's democratically elected leftist government. It is worth noting that

According to Berglar, the claim that ministers who served under Franco are proof of the link between fascism and Opus Dei is incorrect; he argues that many Opus Dei members had the personal qualifications to be appointed in government as technocrats assisting in the NATO-USA supported economic Spanish miracle: "In 1957 Franco restructured his cabinet with a view to restoring the economy of Spain and guiding the nation toward a modern fiscal system. With such purposes in mind, he appointed a number of talented young bankers and economists." These technocrats were largely responsible for devising, introducing, and later administering the economic stabilization program that formed the basis of Spain's economic development, encouraging competition as a means of achieving rapid economic growth, and favoring economic integration with Europe.

Historian Paul Preston, a specialist on the Spanish Civil War and Franco, states the following: "The arrival of the technocrats has been interpreted variously as a planned take-over by Opus Dei and a clever move by Franco to 'fill vacant seats in the latest round of musical chairs'. In fact, the arrival of the technocrats was neither sinister nor cunning but rather a piecemeal and pragmatic response to a specific set of problems. By the beginning of 1957, the regime faced political and economic bankruptcy. Franco and Carrero Blanco were looking for new blood and fresh ideas. To be acceptable, new men had to come from within the Movimiento, be Catholic, accepted the idea of an eventual return to the monarchy and be, in Francoist terms, apolitical. López Rodó, Navarro Rubio and Ullastres  were ideal. López Rodó was the nominee of Carrero Blanco. The dynamic Navarro Rubio was the Caudillo's choice. Franco had known him since 1949. He was a Procurador en Cortes for the Sindicatos and had been highly recommended by the outgoing Minister of Agriculture, Rafael Cavestany. Both López Rodó and Navarro Rubio suggested Ullastres...Bright, hard-working functionaries were emerging who were more concerned to get top jobs in the state apparatus than to implement the ideology of Falangism. That was entirely true of men like López Rodó and Navarro Rubio who were labelled as being primarily of Opus Dei but were more accurately seen as being part of what came to be called the 'bureaucracy of number ones', those who had won competitive civil service examinations or university chairs while still very young." (Italics added)

Brian Crozier also states: "The charge that Opus Dei had been aiming at political power, and had achieved it at last, was heard in February 1957, when Ullastres and Navarro Rubio joined Franco’s cabinet. In this bare form, the charge seems to be unfounded because based on a misconception of what Opus Dei is. It is not, as its enemies either think or want others to think, a political party; nor is it a political pressure group. Nor, for that matter, is it a kind of super labour-exchange for politicians... What happened was more pragmatic and less sinister. Franco had heard of the intellectual and technical merits of Ullastres and Navarro Rubio and sent for them; they happened to be members of Opus Dei. On the same occasion, he had heard of the intellectual and technical merits of Castiella and Gual Villalbi and sent for them; but Castiella and Gual Villalbi happened not to be members of Opus Dei. In other words, Opus Dei was not a group to be conciliated by being given a share in power, as the Monarchists were, or the Falange, or the Army." (Italics added)

Messori, who is not a member of Opus Dei, also states that there were only 8 members of Opus Dei (5 of whom served for only one term or but a few months) of the 116 ministers under Franco's regime, and they started serving only after 1956, a few years after the Allies recognized it. There was no Opus Dei member in his last cabinet. They were never a majority: "The myth of an Opus Dei dominated Franco government is just that--a myth" (Messori 1997, p. 30) (Berglar 1994, p. 186). A number of historians say that there were members who were sentenced to prison or left Spain under Franco because they did not agree with the politics of Franco and his regime. (See Opus Dei: Prominent Members) Antonio Fontán and Rafael Calvo Serer are examples of journalists who fought for democracy and press freedom and were persecuted by Franco's Regime. Antonio Fontan would later become the Senate President. Falangists, the main political organization supporting Franco, suspected Escrivá of "internationalism, anti-Spanish sentiment, and freemasonry," according to Berglar, who states that "during "the first decade of Franco's regime, Opus Dei and Escrivá were attacked with perseverance bordering on fanaticism, not by enemies but by supporters of the new Spanish state". Escrivá was even reported to the 'Tribunal for the Fight against Freemasonry.'" (Berglar 1994, p.180-181; see also Vasquez de Prada 1997).

Investigative journalist John L. Allen Jr., who is not a member of Opus Dei, supports Berglar's statements. John Allen also says that there were Opus Dei priests who were involved in opposition movements. He also states that the only Spanish bishop who was put in jail during the Franco era is one of the two Opus Dei cardinals, Cardinal Julián Herranz, who was a young Opus Dei layman at that time fighting for agrarian revolution in Andalusia, Spain.

Allen also states that Opus Dei members (sociologically speaking and not institutionally speaking) acted towards Franco as all Spanish Catholics would. Sociologically at the beginning of Franco's regime, they hailed him as a savior who liberated them from the communism and anarchism of the Second Spanish Republic;this attitude evolved through time and in the end,

Controversy about Opus Dei's political influence
Journalists John L. Allen Jr. and Vittorio Messori claim that Opus Dei as an institution was neither pro-Franco nor anti-Franco. It was "savagely attacked" says Allen by its enemies, starting with certain Jesuits immediately after the civil war. These Jesuits did not understand the novelty of its theological doctrine on the universal call to holiness, says Allen. And, according to Messori, its reputation was besmirched deliberately by some groups of the Falange for they wrongly viewed it as a political rival, since these Spaniards tended to have a Catholic one-party mentality in politics, and did not understand Escriva's new doctrine on the freedom and responsibility of each Catholic in temporal matters. They failed to see, says Messori, that there were many other members of Opus Dei who were against the Franco Regime, like Rafael Calvo Serrer and Antonio Fontán. This deliberate campaign of the Falange led to the black legend that Opus Dei is a type of political party, he says. Brian Crozier, an English historian, says that "Opus Dei is neither a political party nor a political pressure group as its enemies want people to believe." Messori says that Opus Dei's fidelity to the Catholic faith makes it capable of new ideas and its members contributors for the advancement of society.

Pope John Paul II, who viewed the orthodox Catholicism of the organization with favor, established it as personal prelature, a part of the socio-administrative organization of the Catholic Church. Escriva claimed in interviews in the 1960s that the influence of Opus Dei was not socio-economic but ethical. He declared that Opus Dei goal is for rich and poor to work together in building a more just, more human and more progressive society. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer was canonized by John Paul II in 2002, a choice which has been criticized by progressive sectors of the Church.

title: Opus Dei and politics


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Šahbaz Džihanović

Šahbaz Džihanović (born 13 June 1949) was one of the two Vice Presidents of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 27 January 2003 to 22 February 2007.

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

title: Šahbaz Džihanović


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Nueva Loja

Nueva Loja, also known as Lago Agrio, is the capital of the province of Sucumbíos in Ecuador. It was founded in the 1960s as a base camp of Texaco. The official population as of the 2022 census is 55,627.

Overview
Nueva Loja is located in central Sucumbíos, in the Amazonian forest, and is one of the most important cities in northeastern Ecuador. Its importance comes from the oil extraction. It is named after Loja as many of the first colonizers came from the Southern Province of Loja.

The area around the city, the Lago Agrio oil field, has many ecological problems. The rainforest has been all but obliterated in this region and environmental degradation is severe, with catastrophic oil pollution in some areas. On February 14, 2011, a judge in Lago Agrio ruled that Chevron, now owner of Texaco, had to pay $9 billion in environmental damages for polluting the rainforest.

In 2017, the Superior Court of Justice of Brasil rejected enforcement of the 2013 Ecuadorian Supreme Court award, with the Prosecutor concluding that verdict was “issued in an irregular manner, especially under deplorable acts of corruption.”

In 2018 the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of Chevron and said the 2013 Ecuador Supreme Court case was obtained "through fraud, bribery and corruption."

Manchester United Right Back Antonio Valencia was born in Nueva Loja.

Air transport
The city is served by Lago Agrio Airport, with daily flights from/to Quito.

Climate
Nueva Loja has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.

title: Nueva Loja


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17th Dáil

The 17th Dáil was elected at the 1961 general election on 4 October 1961 and met on 11 October 1961. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 10th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.

On 18 March 1965 President Éamon de Valera dissolved the Dáil on the request of Taoiseach Seán Lemass. The 17th Dáil lasted days.

Composition of the 17th Dáil
Fianna Fáil, denoted with a bullet, formed the 10th government of Ireland led by Seán Lemass as Taoiseach.

Graphical representation
This is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 17th Dáil from October 1961. This was not the official seating plan.

Ceann Comhairle
On the meeting of the Dáil, Patrick Hogan (Lab), who had served as Ceann Comhairle since 1951, was proposed by Seán Lemass (FF) and seconded by James Dillon (FG) for the position. His election was approved without a vote.

TDs by constituency
The list of the 144 TDs elected, is given in alphabetical order by Dáil constituency.

title: 17th Dáil


text:
User talk:198.203.175.175

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Atlanta Chiefs

The Atlanta Chiefs were an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1968 to 1973 and again from 1979 to 1981. For the 1973 season, the team played as the Atlanta Apollos.

Founded in 1967 as a charter member of the NPSL, the club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who was the Chiefs' owner. Cecil was intrigued by the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England and decided that a professional soccer team would add valuable events for Atlanta Stadium. From 1967 to 1972, the stadium would serve as the Chiefs' home field for all seasons except 1970, when the Chiefs played their home games at Tara Stadium.

In 1973, the team was sold and rebranded as the Atlanta Apollos. They played their home games at Grant Field before folding at the end of the 1973 season. The Chiefs' brand would later be revived by Cecil and Ted Turner in 1979 after the Colorado Caribous of the NASL relocated to Atlanta. The Chiefs again played at Atlanta—Fulton County Stadium, as well as the Omni Coliseum for two seasons of indoor soccer before the franchise again folded in 1981.

Kaizer Chiefs F.C., a professional soccer team that plays in the South African Premier Soccer League, was founded by Kaizer Motaung, who played for the Atlanta Chiefs in their initial incarnation. The Kaizer Chiefs' name and logo were inspired by those of the Atlanta club.

Formation and NPSL (1966–1967)
The idea for a professional soccer team in Atlanta was first posed by Dick Cecil in 1966, who at the time was the Vice President of the Atlanta Braves, a member club of Major League Baseball (MLB). While Cecil had never before seen a soccer match, he became intrigued by the sport after reading accounts of the 1966 FIFA World Cup and became convinced that soccer games could be a profitable draw for the recently built Atlanta Stadium, which also served as the Braves' home stadium. The Chiefs were one of several professional sports teams to begin play in Atlanta during the late 1960s, which also included the Braves (MLB, 1966), the Atlanta Falcons (NFL, 1966), and the Atlanta Hawks (NBA, 1968).

In 1966, under Cecil's direction, the Atlanta Braves chartered a franchise in the newly created National Professional Soccer League. The team name was chosen based on its association with the Braves, which like the Chiefs also used Native American imagery in their branding. On September 8, Cecil made one of the first hires on the team with Phil Woosnam as head coach and player. Team tryouts were held on the campus of Emory University, which also housed the Chiefs' training facility.

The initial roster included notable international players such as Vic Crowe, Peter McParland, and Vic Rouse. The Chiefs opened their first season with an away game against the Baltimore Bays on April 16, 1967. The game, a 1–0 loss for the Chiefs, is notable for being the first professional soccer match to be televised in the United States. Before the game, the players on both teams were introduced holding flags of the countries they were from, and a band played "Dixie" before kick-off. The Chiefs would finish their debut season with a win–loss–tie record of 10–9–12. Following the 1967 season, the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League.

Exhibition matches with Manchester City (1968)
In 1968, the Chiefs hosted two exhibition matches against Manchester City F.C. of the Football League First Division, which at the time was the top tier in the English football league system. In the first game, held May 28, the Chiefs upset City 3–2. Shortly after the defeat, assistant manager of Manchester City Malcolm Allison said of the Atlanta team, "They couldn't play in the fourth division in England." Following the loss, Manchester City requested a rematch, which was held June 15 and saw the Chiefs again beat the visiting team, this time 2–1.

Addressing the upset status of these two games, Atlanta Chiefs captain Ray Bloomfield, an Englishman, said, "It would be like some of your boys coming over here to play American football and then beating the team that won the Super Bowl." That same season, the Chiefs would host Santos FC in an August 28 match, losing to the Brazilian team 6–2 in front of over 25,000 attendees, which was at the time the largest crowd for a soccer game in Atlanta. Notably, Pelé played in the game for several years before he would join the New York Cosmos of the NASL in 1975.

NASL Final (1968)
The Chiefs capped off the 1968 season by defeating the San Diego Toros in the NASL Final 1968 at Atlanta Stadium in front of approximately 15,000 spectators. In doing so, they became both the first champions of the NASL as well as the first major professional sports franchise in Atlanta to win a championship. Atlanta would not host another championship-winning major professional sports team until the Atlanta Braves won the 1995 World Series, and the city would not see another championship soccer team until Atlanta United FC won the MLS Cup 2018. Following the championship, state representative Elliott H. Levitas issued a congratulatory proclamation from the Georgia General Assembly, and players on the team were given championship rings by Braves owners, which is fairly common in North American sports, but was uncommon in soccer.

Following the 1968 season, Woosnam left the team to become the commissioner of the NASL. He was succeeded as team manager by Rouse.

Later years and revival (1969–1981)
Following the 1968 season, the NASL experienced a period of sharp decline. Between the 1968 and 1969 seasons, 12 of the 17 teams of the NASL had folded, and the television contract the league had with CBS had expired. With only five teams remaining in the league, the 1969 season was split into two halves. The first half, called the International Cup, was a double round-robin tournament in which the remaining NASL clubs were represented by teams imported from the United Kingdom. The Chiefs were represented by Aston Villa F.C. The team tied for third in the Cup with a 2–4–2 record. For the second half of the 1969 season, the teams returned to their normal rosters and played a 16-game schedule with no playoffs. The Chiefs, with an 11–2–3 record, were declared runners-up to the Kansas City Spurs in the NASL Final 1969 who, despite having a worse record than the Chiefs, narrowly edged out the Atlanta team in points that season.

After the 1969 season, the high cost of operation at Atlanta Stadium led the team to seek a new home venue. Initially, DeKalb Memorial Stadium was selected as the home venue, but after negotiations fell through, Tara Stadium in nearby Clayton County was selected and would serve as the Chiefs' home venue for the 1970 season. The Chiefs would return to Atlanta Stadium for the subsequent season. Also in 1970, Sonny Carter became the first American-born player to sign with the team, having previously played the sport for Emory's collegiate team. The 1971 season saw the Chiefs win their division and advance to the NASL Final 1971, where they lost to the Dallas Tornado.

After the 1972 season, the team owners sold the team to the owners of the Atlanta Hawks. After the sale, the team was renamed the Atlanta Apollos and played their home games at Grant Field on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology for the 1973 season. The Apollos experienced their worst season in franchise history in 1973, posting a 3–7–9 record just two seasons removed from playing for the championship. Following the 1973 season, the franchise folded.

The Chiefs brand would remain dormant for several years until the name and logo (altered slightly) were revived in 1979 when the Colorado Caribous franchise moved to Atlanta, with Cecil and Ted Turner as owners. Turner had purchased the Caribous franchise for $1.5 million and relocated them following a conversation he had with Cecil about the sport. This new franchise included notable players such as Victor Nogueira, Adrian Brooks, Mark MacKain, Carl Strong, Webster Lichaba, Jomo Sono, and Louis and George Nanchoff.

After the 1979 season, David Chadwick was hired away from the Fort Lauderdale Strikers to serve as team manager. Keith Furphy was also traded to the Chiefs from the Detroit Express before the 1980 season. After an abysmal 7–25 season in 1980, Chadwick brought Brian Kidd to the team on a loan from Bolton Wanderers F.C. While the team's prospect improved during the 1981 season, including increased attendance and a division championship, a lack of profitability led Turner to pull the plug on the team after that season. For these three seasons the team once again played at Atlanta Stadium (by this time renamed Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium), while also playing at Omni Coliseum for two NASL Indoor seasons.

Legacy
One of the biggest legacies of the Chiefs was introducing the game of soccer to the people of Atlanta and the surrounding region. According to a 1968 report by the Chiefs, at the time of the team's arrival in Atlanta, fewer than 150 people in the city were playing organized soccer, a number which had grown to about 16,000 by mid-1968. Furthermore, the Chiefs are purported to have held over 390 soccer clinics throughout the state during their existence. These extensive outreach efforts, primarily led by Woosnam, also lead to the creation of the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League and the soccer program at Georgia State University.

Kaizer Chiefs F.C. of the South African Premier Soccer League was founded in 1970 by Kaizer Motaung, who had played for the Atlanta Chiefs in the 1968 and 1969 seasons. Motaung based the name and logo of the team on that of the Atlanta franchise. Addressing this, Motaung stated that, "We wanted to model ourselves against what my experiences were in Atlanta."

Honors
NASL championships (1)
 * 1968
 * 1969, 1971 runners-up

NASL regular-season premierships (1)
 * 1979–80 indoor
 * 1969, 1970, 1971 runners-up

Division titles (5)
 * 1968 Atlantic Division
 * 1971 Southern Division
 * 1979–80 Eastern Division indoor
 * 1980–81 Eastern Division indoor
 * 1981 Southern Division

Coach of the Year
 * 1968 Phil Woosnam

Rookie of the Year
 * 1968 Kaizer Motaung

League goal scoring champion
 * 1969 Kaizer Motaung (16)
 * 1979–80 David Byrne (23) indoor

League scoring champion
 * 1969 Kaizer Motaung (16 goals, 4 assists, 36 points)
 * 1979–80 David Byrne (23 goals, 11 assists, 57 points) indoor

All-Star first team selections
 * 1967 Emment Kapengwe
 * 1969 Emment Kapengwe, Kaizer Motaung
 * 1970 Uriel Da Veiga, Dave Metchick, Art Welch
 * 1971 Kaizer Motaung
 * 1972 Paul Child
 * 1981 Brian Kidd

All-Star second team selections
 * 1968 John Cocking, Vic Rouse
 * 1970 Ray Bloomfield, John Cocking, Delroy Scott
 * 1971 John Cocking, Uriel Da Veiga
 * 1972 Art Welch

All-Star honorable mentions
 * 1971 Mick Hoban, Manfred Kammerer, Barrie Lynch, Freddie Mwila
 * 1972 John Cocking, Mick Hoban
 * 1973 Paul Child

Indoor All-Stars
 * 1980–81 Keith Furphy

U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame
 * 1992 Ron Newman
 * 1997 Phil Woosnam
 * 2003 Paul Child

Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame
 * 2012 Ron Newman, Victor Nogueira
 * 2014 Slobo Ilijevski, Bruce Savage

Head coaches

 * Phil Woosnam 1967 – 1968
 * Vic Rouse 1969 – 1972
 * Ken Bracewell 1973
 * Dan Wood 1979 – 1980
 * David Chadwick 1980 – 1981

title: Atlanta Chiefs


text:
AVN

AVN may refer to:

Medicine

 * Atrioventricular node, special region of conducting tissue in the heart
 * Avascular necrosis, medical condition

Transport

 * Air Vanuatu, by ICAO airline code
 * Avignon Airport, in southeastern France
 * Avonmouth railway station, UK, by National Rail code

Companies and organisations

 * AVN (magazine), Adult Video News, trade magazine for the pornographic industry
 * AVN (Albania), television network
 * Australian Vaccination-risks Network, anti-vaccination lobby group
 * FK AVN, former name of FK ASK (1923–1970), former Latvian football club
 * Agencia Venezolana de Noticias, Venezuelan state news agency
 * Australian Army Aviation

Other uses

 * Avon (county), historic county in England, Chapman code
 * AVN Award, American pornographic film award
 * Alien vs Ninja, 2010 Japanese film
 * Audio-Visual Navigation, feature of some motor vehicles

title: AVN


text:
Talk:Private brand

Maybe this should be merged with Private label? --Vikingstad 14:23, May 28, 2005 (UTC)
 * Maybe this (Private brand) is actually something significantly distinct from and different than Private label? Would someone who knows this please take action: either merge the articles (if they're the same or nearly the same) or explain/elaborate upon the differences (if they are significantly different concepts). Thanks. Shanoman (talk) 17:26, 10 October 2008 (UTC)

Definitely needs merging with private label/deleting. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.220.254.153 (talk) 11:26, 5 August 2011 (UTC)

title: Talk:Private brand


text:
Philippine Coast Guard

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) (Tanod Baybayin ng Pilipinas) is the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Philippine waters, conducting maritime security operations, safeguarding life and property at sea, and protecting marine environment and resources; similar to coast guard units around the world. In case of a declaration of war, the Coast Guard shall also serve as an attached service of the Department of National Defense.

It currently maintains a presence throughout the archipelago, with thirteen Coast Guard Districts, fifty-four CG Stations and over one hundred ninety Coast Guard Sub-Stations, from Basco, Batanes to Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.

Colonial era history
The Philippine Coast Guard is the oldest and only humanitarian armed service in the Philippines. Its beginnings could be traced back to the early 20th century when coast guarding was related to the protection of the customs services of the country and in patrolling the coastlines and harbors.

When the Americans came in 1898, one of the first steps that the military government undertook was the reopening of the port and customs facilities of Manila. Soon after, the civilian Insular Government, through the Philippine Commission, enacted a law on October 17, 1901, that created the Bureau of Coast Guard and Transportation, which was placed under the Department of Commerce and Police. The Captain of the Port was designated as Bureau Director.

Recognition of the difficulty of administering such a vast island area without reliable government transportation resulted in the requirements to establish a transportation system for government services. The resulting report recommended purchase of 21 small steamers to establish 21 circuits supporting communication between provincial capitals and coastal towns as well as prevent smuggling and landing contraband. The average circuit would be. 651 mi. The vessels required should be all weather of about 140 ft in length capable of 10 knots with light armament. Two small stern paddle steamers were recommended for river use on the Cayagen River and the Rio Grande de Mindanao and connected lakes. The bureau concentrated its early days on the contracts for the fifteen vessels with the result ten were to be built by Farnham, Boyd & Company in Shanghai, China and five by Uraga Dock Company in Uraga, Japan.

The ten Chinese contracted cutters were Balabac, Basilan, Busuanga, Corregidor, Luzon, Masbate, Negros, Palawan, Polillo, and Tablas. The five Uraga cutters were to be Marinduque and Romblon, which were delivered, and Bohol, Cebu, and Jolo which were cancelled after serious deficiencies were found on delivery of Marinduque and Romblon. The China built cutters began arriving in Manila by mid 1902 and were found to generally meet requirements. The Uraga built cutters, arriving in January and April 1903, had serious defects, to the extent the inspector in Japan was dismissed for negligence, and costly negotiations led to cancellation of the three others that were in process of completion. Five additional cutters were ordered from China, those being Leyte, Mindanao, Mindoro, Panay, and Samar.

The lighthouse service was placed under the Bureau. In 1902, the Coast Guard fleet of 15 steamers from China and Japan was established and were assigned for the lighthouse service inspection trips of top government officials, for transport to Culion Island, for patrolling against illegal entry of aliens, and for troop movement of the Philippine Constabulary.

The Bureau of Coast Guard and Transportation was abolished on October 26, 1905, and the Bureau of Navigation took over its functions. The Bureau of Navigation was authorized to create a commissioned and enlisted service, and to adopt its own manual of court martial patterned after the US Navy.

Subsequently, however, the Bureau was also abolished on December 19, 1913, and the organization and its functions were transferred to the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Public Works until the establishment of the Commonwealth Government.

Postwar era history
After gaining independence from the United States shortly after the end of World War II, the Philippine government transferred some of the coast guard functions, such as the revenue cutter and lighthouse services, to the Philippine Naval Patrol, which eventually became the Philippine Navy. A Coast Guard unit was activated within the Philippine Navy to implement these functions.

On August 6, 1967, the Philippine Congress enacted Republic Act 5173 of the Philippine Coast Guard Law, which made the PCG a major unit of the Philippine Navy under a flag officer. The PCG was activated on October 10, 1967, and its coast guard functions were transferred from the navy proper.

Contemporary history
The civilian nature of the PCG functions led to the separation of the Coast Guard from the Philippine Navy on March 30, 1998, by virtue of Executive Order 475 signed by President Fidel Ramos. The Order effectively transferred the PCG from the Department of National Defense to the Office of the President, and eventually to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) on April 15, 1998, by virtue of Executive Order 477.

These executive orders provided inter alia that the PCG shall continue to be the agency primarily responsible for the promotion of safety of life and property at sea and the protection of the maritime environment as mandated under the Philippine Coast Guard Law and Presidential Decrees 600, 601, 602, and 979, as a mended.

The transformation of the PCG into a non-military organization has a tremendous impact and significance. Its civilian character has allowed it to receive offers of vessels, equipment, technology, services, cooperation and other needed assistance from other countries, something which would not be readily offered to a military agency.

With enactment of Republic Act 9993, also known as the Coast Guard Law of 2009, as well as its implementing rules and regulations, the PCG has been vested with the necessary authority and responsibility to perform preventive measures in ensuring the safety of merchant vessels. The new law also strengthened PCG's authority to meet new challenges and increasing demands for marine resources, technological advancement and climate change. Further, the law has defined the PCG's rightful niche in the bureaucracy as the premier maritime agency and its vital role in nation building.

Religion
The Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage is officially the patron of the PCG. Its head chaplain Fr. Lowie Palines received from Antipolo Cathedral Parish Priest-Rector Fr. Reynante "Nante" Unidad Tolentino, ACSP President, his requested 2 replicas of the Marian image. The PCG will hold processions thereof in all its headquarters. The second image will also be permanently installed by Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines at Pag-asa Island's Catholic chapel.

Organization
The Philippine Coast Guard is led by the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard, and directly reports to the Secretary of Transportation in maritime law enforcement, and also reports to the Secretary of National Defense in wartime. The Commandant is assisted by the Deputy Commandant for Administration and the Deputy Commandant for Operations, both holders of the rank of Vice Admiral.

Leadership

 * Commander-in-Chief: Pres. Bongbong Marcos
 * Secretary of Transportation (SoTr): Jaime J. Bautista
 * Undersecretary for Maritime, DOTr: Elmer Francisco U. Sarmiento
 * Presidential Adviser on the West Philippine Sea: Sec. Andres C. Centino
 * Commandant, Philippine Coast Guard (Comdt, PCG): CG Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan
 * Deputy Commandant for Administration: CG VADM Rolando Lizor N. Punzalan
 * Deputy Commandant for Operations: CG VADM Victor T. Dela Vega
 * Chief of Coast Guard Staff: CG RADM Hostillo Arturo Cornelio
 * Spokesperson, Philippine Coast Guard: CG CDRE Jay Tristan Tarriela

Commandants of the Philippine Coast Guard
The list shows the following officeholders who served as the commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard since its foundation in 1967.

Ranks
The Philippine Coast Guard ranks are:
 * Commissioned Officer

 * Non Commissioned Officer/Enlisted

National Headquarters Command Group

 * Office of the Commandant
 * Office of the Deputy Commandant for Administration
 * Office of the Deputy Commandant for Operations
 * Chief of Coast Guard Staff
 * Secretary of Coast Guard Staff

Coast Guard Central Directorial Staff

 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Human Resource Management, CG-1
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Intelligence, CG-2
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Operations, CG-3
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Logistics, CG-4
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for International Affairs, CG-5
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Comptrollership, CG-6
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Civil Relations Service, CG-7
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Maritime Safety Services, CG-8
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Marine Environment Protection, CG-9
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Ships and Aircraft Engineering, CG-10
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Maritime Communications, Weapons, Electronics and Information System, CG-11
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Education and Training, CG-12
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Maritime Security Services, CG-14
 * Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Strategic Studies and Modernization, CG-15

Support Services

 * Legal Service
 * Legislative Liaison Affairs
 * Medical Service
 * Nursing Service
 * Dental Service
 * Chaplain Service
 * Command Center
 * Public Affairs Office
 * Headquarters Support Group
 * Office of the Command Master Chief Petty Officer
 * Project Management Office
 * Real Estate Management Office
 * Special Service Office
 * Adjutant Office
 * Receiving Station
 * Gender and Development

Functional Commands

 * Maritime Safety Services Command
 * Marine Environmental Protection Command
 * Marine Security and Law Enforcement Command
 * K9 Force
 * Security and Border Protection Service
 * Sea Marshall Group
 * Investigation and Detection Management Service
 * Surface Patrol Force
 * PCG i-ACT

Coast Guard Districts
The Coast Guard Districts are responsible for securing their respective locations, while launching maritime safety operations, humanitarian assistance, maintaining law enforcement and environment security within their respective area of operations.
 * Coast Guard District Northeastern Luzon
 * Coast Guard District Northwestern Luzon
 * Coast Guard District National Capital Region – Central Luzon
 * Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog
 * Coast Guard District Palawan
 * Coast Guard District Bicol
 * Coast Guard District Eastern Visayas
 * Coast Guard District Western Visayas
 * Coast Guard District Central Visayas
 * Coast Guard District Northern Mindanao
 * Coast Guard District Northeastern Mindanao
 * Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao
 * Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao
 * Coast Guard District Southern Mindanao
 * Coast Guard District Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Units
The Philippine Coast Guard's functional command units include:
 * The Maritime Security Command (MARSECOM) - responsible for overall territorial patrol, surveillance and law enforcement operations of the PCG.
 * Marine Environmental Protection Command (MEPCOM) - responsible for overall maritime environmental enforcement, protection and control through maritime monitoring and enforcing maritime regulation operations.
 * Maritime Safety Services Command (MSSC) - responsible for overall maritime surveillance for the safety of ships, navigational surveillance and ensures maritime freedom of navigation.

The PCG used to be with the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the Philippine Navy before it was transferred to the Department of Transportation. The PCG is considered the fourth armed and uniformed service of the country primarily tasked with enforcing all applicable laws within the Philippine waters, conducting maritime security operations, safeguarding of life and property at sea and protecting the marine environment and resources.

Due to the 2004 SuperFerry 14 bombing incident in 2004, the PCG activated the Task Force Sea Marshals a composite team from the PCG, AFP and Philippine National Police. These Sea Marshals ride on board the passenger ferries traveling to and from Manila and other ports, and maintain a security presence aboard these ferries.

Coast Guard Aviation Force
The Coast Guard Aviation Force (CGAF), then known as Coast Guard Air Group was formally activated on May 18, 1998, during the incumbency of Commodore Manuel I de Leon PCG as Commandant, Philippine Coast Guard. Accordingly, Commander Noel O Monte PCG was designated as its first Commander holding office at the former PADC Hangar Nr. 3, Domestic Airport Complex, Pasay.

On January 22, 1999, after eight months of existence, PCGAG acquired its first aircraft, a BN Islander from the Philippine National Oil Company – Energy Development Corporation (PNOC – EDC). After six months of intensive inspection and rehabilitation, it was commissioned into Coast Guard service on June 26, 1999, as PCG–251. In June 1999, the first helicopter, a MBB BO-105CB was acquired from PADC and commissioned with the tail number PCG–1636. Another aircraft, a Cessna 421B "Golden Eagle" was acquired without cost from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management sometime in the early part of 2000. However, due to budgetary constraints, the aircraft rehabilitation is not yet completed to date. In the same year, another BN Islander with the tail number PCG–684 was acquired. It was commissioned and activated in June 2002 after it underwent rehabilitation. On March 30, 2001, the helm of the CGAG was transferred to Captain Lino H Dabi PCG. In search of a bigger home for its growing inventory, on November 21, 2002, with the support of Pantaleon Alvarez, the Secretary of Transportation and Communications, the Manila International Airport Authority allowed CGAG to occupy its present location. Extensive renovation work was undertaken to make the hangar suitable as the nerve center of all Coast Guard Air Operations. On March 28, 2003, the CGAG acquired another BO – 105C helicopter from PADC and was commissioned into the service as PCG – 163 during the Group's 5th Founding Anniversary.

With the intense need to have the capability to extract survivors from water, the said helicopter was fitted with a rescue hoist through the courtesy of the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Another significant milestone unfolded in the history of the group when PCG leadership was turned over to Vice Admiral Arthur Gosingan PCG. Through the endorsement of the CGOF Commander, Rear Admiral Damian Carlos PCG in recognizing the importance of the air unit in coast guard operations and their outstanding accomplishments granted the aviators their most aspired yearning of their careers by approving the group's position paper on the Command Pilot Rating. This enabled aviators to have an equal opportunity with officers that acquired a Command at a Sea Badge to assume positions of higher responsibilities in the Coast Guard hierarchy.

Coast Guard Special Operations Force
The Philippine Coast Guard's Special Operations Force (CGSOF) is the special forces unit of the Philippine Coast Guard, founded in 1972. The CGSOF performs underwater operations, domestic counter-terrorism and other law enforcement operations. Some of their notable deployments and accomplishments include the operations to the Laoag International Airlines Flight 585 crash at Manila Bay, the aftermath of the 2004 SuperFerry 14 bombing, the Search and Recovery operations to the ill-fated M/V Princess of the Stars incident, and the Battle of Marawi.

Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary
The Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) is the civilian support group of the Philippine Coast Guard. Although a volunteer, civilian organization, the PCGA uses a military structure for organizational purposes. Like other volunteer sea rescue organizations around the world, it performs non-military and non-police activities in support of its national navy or coast guard. This endeavor includes search and rescue, environmental protection, disaster relief, community service, and marine safety.

The ranks of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary follow those of the Philippine Coast Guard.

Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center has a few officers that serve as Leadership Training teachers and CAT teachers from this Coast Guard branch.

Philippine Coast Guard Officers' Basic Education and Training Center
Like the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)'s Officer Candidate Schools (OCS) of Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Coast Guard also has Philippine Coast Guard Officers' Basic Education and Training Center (PCGOBETC) that serves as officer candidate school of PCG officer aspirants. Officer Candidates taking the Coast Guard Officers' Course (CGOC) become Probationary Ensigns (P/ENS) and after graduation, they will be commissioned as regular officers in the organization.

Disaster Response Equipment for Philippine Coast Guard Project
The Project ensures that each of the Philippine Coast Guard's 12 Coast Guard District Headquarters will be assigned two Rubber Boats each for Rescue missions. Furthermore, all 63 Coast Guard Stations and the 237 Coast Guard Detachments will have one Aluminum Boat. Also, all 63 Coast Guard Stations will be equipped with one Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB). Other RHIBs and Rubber Boats will be assigned to PCG Special Units and Search and Rescue vessels.

All the 300 Aluminum Boats, 81 RHIBs and 50 Rubber Boats will be equipped with 2 units VHF handheld marine-type Radio, 2 units Operators' Life Vests, 6 units of Common Life Vests, 1 Megaphone and 4 units of Flares.

It is projected to minimize the instances when PCG personnel borrowing boats from fishermen, or other private entities to perform their duties during emergencies. This resulted in delays in the PCG's response time, making rescue operations less efficient.

Under this same project but under a different public bidding document, 15 units of M35 6×6 Trucks and 40 units rubber boats were purchased. 3 units of the trucks and all 40 rubber boat units are currently assigned with the National Headquarters of the PCG. The remaining 12 units of the M35 trucks are assigned to each of the 12 Coast Guard Districts. It is expected to further facilitate timely response to disaster situations.

Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project (Phase I)
The Project aims to strengthen and further develop the coast watch/patrol and search and rescue capabilities of Philippine Coast Guard by procuring additional patrol vessels. This will support the PCG in fulfilling its mandate and in complying with the international commitments of the Philippines on maritime safety, security and environmental protection. The vessels are to be deployed in ten PCG Districts Manila, Tacloban, Zamboanga, Puerto Princesa, La Union, Iloilo, San Fernando (La Union), Davao, Legaspi and Cagayan de Oro.

This JICA Project supports PCG, who is responsible of Maritime Safety, to enhance its capabilities to quickly and appropriately respond to coastal maritime incidents, such as search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, etc., by providing Multi-Role Responsive Vessels (MRRVs), thereby increasing the vessel/maritime area rate of each of the 12 districts. The Project is also in line with development policy of the Philippines and assistance strategy of Japan. Therefore, it is relevant that JICA supports the implementation of the Project.

During Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs visit to Philippines in January 2013, Minister Fumio Kishida underscored the role of Japan as the Philippines' strategic ally. In the conference, he stressed Japan would provide 10 patrol vessels to the Philippine Coast Guard on a loan basis. Shinzo Abe confirmed that 10 patrol boats will be swiftly donated to the Coast Guard. President Aquino and Prime Minister Abe witnessed the signing of a $187-million (18.732 billion yen) loan for the Philippines' acquisition of multi-role response vessels to boost the capability of its coast guard to conduct maritime patrols.

Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project for the Philippine Coast Guard (Phase II)
The project involves the acquisition of two heavy weather, high endurance 94-meter Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), to provide the PCG with vessels with a cruising range capability of 4,000 nautical miles, can be used in Sea-State 6 (wave height of up to 6 meters) in rough sea condition, and are capable to conduct continuous maritime patrol up to 15 days at 15 knots. Each vessel, as claimed by PCG, will enable them to recover as much as 500 passengers in the event of a maritime disaster, as well as provide the country with wider maritime coverage for strategic and national security purposes. Given these upgraded vessel capacities, the project now costs PhP8 billion and with the NEDA Board approval, are expected to be delivered by 2022.

Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project for the Philippine Coast Guard (Phase III)
The NEDA Board approved Phase 3 of the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project for the Philippine Coast Guard. This project involves the design, construction, and delivery of five units of multi-role response vessels or MRRVs, each with a length of 97 meters. This project comes after the agency expressed its desire to gain such number of units in January 2023. It also includes a five-year integrated logistics support.

This will further improve the Philippine Coast Guard’s capability to respond to threats and incidents within the country’s maritime jurisdiction. In particular, the project will enable the Coast Guard to secure important sea lines of communication in the West Philippine Sea, Sulu-Celebes Seas, and the Philippine Sea. It will also help the PCG combat illegal activities and enforce maritime laws in the Philippine waters.

The total project cost is PHP 29.3 billion, which will be financed through an Official Development Assistance or ODA loan from the Government of Japan.

Philippine Ports and Coast Guard Capability Development Project
The project aims to strengthen the Philippine Coast Guard's capability to promote safety of life, protect the marine environment and enforce maritime laws through procurement of four brand new 24-meter OCEA FPV 72MKII patrol boats, 20 fast patrol boats, and one 82-meter 270 MKII offshore patrol vessel.

The budget from this project came from the loan balance of a French loan that financed the cancelled Greater Maritime Access Ports Project of the Arroyo administration.

Maritime Disaster Response Helicopter Acquisition Project
The project involves the procurement of seven Maritime Disaster Response (MDR) helicopters for the Philippine Coast Guard to strengthen and expand their MDR capabilities during maritime incidents and natural disasters and calamities. The project will also involve the training of pilots and technical crew, procurement of mission equipment, procurement of maintenance tools and spare parts for five years, and the construction of hangars for the helicopters and offices for the pilots and technical crew. It was supposed to be funded by the Credit Agricole of Germany.

In addition to the recently acquired Airbus H145 helicopters, plans were also laid out to acquire 2 units of AgustaWestland AW139 for SAR operations.

Lightweight Multi-purpose Fixed Wing Aircraft Acquisition Project
The project involves the procurement of one fixed-wing aircraft in order to increase the Coast Guard's aerial responsibilities, such as maritime patrol, search and rescue (SAR), and utility operations. Due to a limited budget, the coast guard has planned to acquire 1 or 2 units of the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX, with plans laid out to acquire additional units in the coming years as the aircraft is expected to replace the ageing Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander.

title: Philippine Coast Guard


text:
Kōsaka Masanobu

Kōsaka Masanobu (高坂 昌信) also known as Kasuga Toratsuna (春日 虎綱) was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". He is often credited as the original author of Kōyō Gunkan, which records the history of the Takeda family and their military tactics.

Biography
Kōsaka is known as one of the three "Danjō" that served the Takeda family, along with Sanada Yukitaka and Hoshina Masatoshi (Danjō stands for a formal title, Danjōchū; 弾正忠). Among these three, Kōsaka was known as the "Nige Danjō" (逃げ弾正; literally, the fleeing Danjō), because of his cautious commanding and skillful retreats.

In 1561, as the general in command of Kaizu castle, Kōsaka played an important role in the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima. He informed Takeda via signal fires of the movements of Uesugi Kenshin's army as it approached, and then led the sneak attack up Saijo-yama in order to drive Uesugi's men down to the plain where they could be surprised by Takeda's army. Even though that tactic failed, Kōsaka led his men back down the hill, attacking Uesugi's army from the rear, turning the tide of the battle.

In 1575, he led troops to protect Takeda Katsuyori's rearguard at Battle of Nagashino when the latter had been forced to retreat by the Oda-Tokugawa alliance.

Relationship with Shingen
The association between Masanobu and Shingen began in 1543 as a love relationship. At the time they were 16 and 22, respectively. Such relationships were in vogue in pre-modern Japan, a tradition known as shudo. The love pact signed by the two, in University of Tokyo's Historical Archive, documents Shingen's pledge that he was not in, nor had any intentions of entering into, a sexual relationship with a certain other retainer, and asserts that "since I want to be intimate with you" he will in no way harm the boy, and calls upon the gods to be his guarantors. (Leupp, pp. 53–54)

Retirement and death
Kōsaka Masanobu is known to have openly criticized Katsuyori numerous times. Because of this, Kosaka was forced to "retire" from service in 1578 and died later from illness.

title: Kōsaka Masanobu


text: File:Home taping is killing music.png

title: File:Home taping is killing music.png


text:
Timeline of Opus Dei

Opus Dei: A Historical Timeline shows the historical development of Opus Dei.

History of Opus Dei

 * 1902: 9 January. Birth of the founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá, in Barbastro Spain
 * 1917: According to Escriva, he received "inklings" of a "special call", after seeing "footprints in the snow," sign of the generosity of a monk who walked barefooted in winter
 * 1925: 28 March. St. Josemaría Escrivá is ordained as a priest.
 * 1928: 2 October. Founding of Opus Dei. Having "no plans nor project" of his own, Escriva "saw Opus Dei." "On this day," he wrote, "our Lord started His Work. He founded Opus Dei".
 * 1930: 14 February. Founding of the Women's branch of Opus Dei.
 * 1933: The first center of Opus Dei was opened in Madrid: Derecho y Arquitectura, an academy teaching law and architecture. This would later become a residence for students, the base for giving catechesis to children and for taking care of the poor and sick in the area.
 * 1936: Start of Spanish Civil War which unleashed an aggressive persecution of priests, monks and Catholic laity by the anti-clerical Republicans and their stalinist allies.
 * 1939: The Way, Escriva's best-selling spiritual considerations, was first published. Opus Dei started to expand to other cities outside of Madrid.
 * 1941: Opus Dei is granted first diocesan approval by the Bishop of Madrid.
 * 1943: 14 February. Founding of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, an organization for the sanctification of secular priests through their pastoral work. According to Escriva, God showed him during Mass the juridical solution to enable priests to be ordained for Opus Dei.
 * 1946: Beginning of Opus Dei in Portugal, Italy, and England. Escriva moves to Rome to establish the headquarters of Opus Dei there.
 * 1949: Opus Dei begins spreading overseas, starting in Mexico and the United States.[[Image:Thewaystjosemariabookcoversinagtala.jpg|right|thumb|150px|The Way, 999 spiritual considerations written by Escriva.]]
 * 1950: 16 June. In 1950 with the first constitutions Pope Pius XII grants Opus Dei definitive approval.
 * 1962: Start of the Second Vatican Council, which proclaimed the universal call to holiness and initiates the legal framework called the personal prelature.
 * 1975: 26 June. Death of St. Josemaría Escrivá. Father Álvaro del Portillo y Diez de Solano elected as his successor.
 * 1975: 7 July. Consecration of the Shrine of Our Lady of Torreciudad in Aragon, Northern Spain.
 * 1982: 28 November. Establishment of Opus Dei as a personal prelature. Pope John Paul II appoints Monsignor Álvaro del Portillo as Prelate of Opus Dei.
 * 1985: Inauguration of Roman Academic Center of the Holy Cross which in 1998 would become the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
 * 1991: 6 January. Pope John Paul II ordained Monsignor Álvaro del Portillo to the Episcopate as Titular Bishop of Vita and Prelate of Opus Dei.
 * 1992: 17 May. Beatification of Escriva. One third of the world's bishops asked for the beatification.
 * 1994: del Portillo dies. Monsignor Javier Echevarria was appointed prelate.
 * 1995: 6 January. Pope John Paul II, with Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re and Monsignor Jorge Mejía, Titular Archbishop of Apollonia, consecrated Monsignor Javier Echevarria a bishop.
 * 2002: 6 October. Canonization of St. Josemaría Escrivá.
 * 2014: 27 September. Beatification of Bl. Álvaro del Portillo y Diez de Solano.

title: Timeline of Opus Dei


text: User:Yummifruitbat

title: User:Yummifruitbat


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Katrina Ashcroft

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was - deleted - SimonP 23:56, Jun 13, 2005 (UTC)

Katrina Ashcroft
Not notable, 1 search hit. Hasn't this name been up for deletion before? Eixo 14:28, 28 May 2005 (UTC)

 * Seems accurate - Google backs up the idea that literary vomit at Rehabilitation Programs Unit has something to do with a social programme in ACT (the Australian Capital Territory). But she doesn't seem notable on the basis of those 18 Google hits.  Dunc|☺ 19:43, 28 May 2005 (UTC)
 * NB, I think there's some cleaning that needs doing here; Community Based Corrections, Custodial Operations, (Oh and I just realised I forgot to make a joke about the Aussies all being convicts) Dunc|☺ 19:49, 28 May 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Vanity/advertising/promo. Kaibabsquirrel 20:03, 28 May 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. This person is an Australian Capital Territor Public Servant. There are approximately 18,000 people who work in the ACT Government. I doubt that they all warrant their own Wikipedia article. Capitalistroadster 21:01, 28 May 2005 (UTC)
 * Article is now blank. Capitalistroadster 00:22, 30 May 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Its author likely wants to remove it. Pavel Vozenilek 00:59, 30 May 2005 (UTC)

 * This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.


text:
Baltimore Bays

The Baltimore Bays were a professional soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland founded in 1967 as one of the ten charter members of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). When the NPSL and the rival United Soccer Association (USA) merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL), the team moved to the new league. The Bays played its home matches at Memorial Stadium during its first two seasons and moved to Kirk Field, a high school football stadium, in 1969. The team folded at the conclusion of the 1969 NASL season.

Origins
In 1966 several groups of entrepreneurs were exploring the idea of forming a professional soccer league in United States and Canada. Two of these groups merged to form the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and franchise rights were awarded to ten ownership groups. Two of these ownership groups, one led by Earl Foreman and another by Murdaugh Stuart Madden, sought to locate a team in Washington, D.C., and placed bids for a lease at the District of Columbia Stadium. After the lease was awarded to Foreman's group, whose team would become the Washington Whips, Madden looked for another location for his team, eventually selling his franchise rights for $60,000 to the Baltimore Orioles in a deal announced on November 28, 1966. A month later, the team hired Clive Toye to act as the team's Vice President and General Manager. On January 10, 1967, the team name of Bays was revealed. Baltimore Orioles owner Jerold Hoffberger, who was also the owner of National Brewing Company chose the team's kit colors red and gold to match the brewing company's color scheme. Former Ipswich Town forward Doug Millward was brought in to be the club's head coach.

National Professional Soccer League, 1967
The Bays opened their first season at home on April 24, 1967, in a nationally televised game against the Atlanta Chiefs, winning the game 1–0 and receiving a standing ovation from the 8,434 fan in attendance. The game was the first professional soccer match to be televised in the United States. The team finished the season first in the Eastern Division with a record of fourteen wins, nine loses and nine draws, scoring 53 goals with an average attendance of 5,838. The Bays faced the Oakland Clippers for the 1967 postseason championship final in two-game aggregate match. Baltimore won the first leg 1–0 but lost the second game 4–1, giving the Clippers a 4–2 aggregate victory for the championship. Between the two matches, it was reported by that a decision to fire Millward was made sometime in August when the coach had inquired about his future with the club. Gordon Jago was named his replacement on October 24, 1967. For the season, the Bays recorded a loss of $400,000.

North American Soccer League, 1968–1969
With the merger of the NPSL with the United Soccer Association it was announced that Baltimore would be one of the 20 teams in play in the North American Soccer League (NASL). Playing its home games again at Memorial Stadium for the 1968 season, the team had an average attendance of 4,628 winning thirteen games, drawing three and losing sixteen ending the season in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and reported loses of $500,000. In June 1968, player Shimon Cohen sued both the Bays and the San Diego Toros accusing the teams of slander, breach of contract and other charges when his contract was sold by the Bays to San Diego.

Baltimore was one of only five teams remaining in the NASL for the 1969 season. Having played home matches at Memorial Stadium for the previous two seasons, the team moved to Kirk field, a high school football field, for the 1969 season. The 1969 season was split into two parts. The first, called the International Cup was a double round-robin tournament with teams imported from England and Scotland representing the remaining five cites. Baltimore was represented by the West Ham United F.C. which finished the tournament in second place. The second half of the season the teams competed with their normal rosters. The Bays finished this second half of the season with only two wins and averaging 1,601 fans a game. On September 24, 1969, citing loses of over $1,000,000, executive vice president Joe Hamper announced the team was ceasing operations.

Honors
NPSL championships
 * 1967 -runners up

Division titles
 * 1967 Eastern Division

US Soccer Hall of Fame
 * 1996 Gordon Bradley
 * 2003 Clive Toye

Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame
 * 2013 Gordon Jago

Rookie of the Year
 * 1969 Siegfried Stritzl

All-Star first team selections
 * 1967 Juan Santisteban, Badu DaCruz & Art Welch
 * 1969 John Borodiak & Art Welch

All-Star second team selections
 * 1968 Dennis Viollet

Coaches

 * 🏴 Doug Millward (1967)
 * 🏴 Gordon Jago (1968–69)

title: Baltimore Bays


text:
Sta. Lucia Realtors

The '''Sta. Lucia Realtors''' were a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) from 1993 to 2010. Prior to joining the PBA, it played in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) from 1987 to 1992.

In 2015, a new Sta. Lucia Realtors team debuted in the inaugural conference of the Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League (PCBL).

History
The Sta. Lucia Realtors began in the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL) in 1986 PABL Filipino Cup, when it played as '''ESQ-Sta. Lucia''', in partnership with ESQ Marketing. The following season, ESQ Marketing left the league and Sta. Lucia played as the '''Sta. Lucia Realtors'''. The PABL was renamed the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) in 1990. The Realtors won two PBL championships - the 1990 PBL Philippine Cup and the 1991-1992 PBL Maharlika Cup.

The franchise transferred to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) by acquiring the franchise of Great Taste/Presto in 1992 and debuted in the 1993 season.

Prior to their PBA debut, the franchise was left with a few holdovers from the old Presto lineup including Vergel Meneses, Bong Hawkins (later traded to Swift and Alaska, respectively), and Gerry Esplana. Other players who joined the team within the season (through trades and free agent signings) were Bong Alvarez, Ric Ric Marata, Jack Tanuan and Johnedel Cardel.

Sta. Lucia had the top pick in the draft and selected amateur star Zandro "Jun" Limpot of De La Salle University-Manila. With Limpot carrying the new Sta. Lucia team for the 1993 season, the Realtors managed to surprise everyone with a semi-finals appearance that led to a fourth-place finish in the All-Filipino Cup. Limpot was named as the Rookie of the Year after the season.

One of Sta. Lucia's first imports was Lambert Shell, who played during the Commissioner's Cup. The team's head coach during its first few years was former PBA coach Nat Canson.

Limpot/Espino tandem
In 1995, Sta. Lucia selected University of Santo Tomas star Dennis Espino as their first round draft pick. But his PBA debut was further delayed after suffering a nose injury during an exhibition game held in the Middle East.

Filipino-American Chris Jackson and Jose Francisco were also acquired in the 1995 draft, veteran shooter Romy dela Rosa later joined the team (via trade in 1994 for Bong Alvarez) to form a solid squad to complement Limpot and Espino.

Espino managed to return to Sta. Lucia late in the season. The Realtors then copped a third-place trophy in the Governor's Cup.

Two more third-place finishes were collected by Sta. Lucia during the 1995 All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cups, with Frederick Pea as import. From 1996, Sta. Lucia captured another third-place finish in the Commissioner's Cup with Adonis Tierra as head coach.

Sta. Lucia's best year was in 1997 when the Realtors finished third in the All-Filipino Cup, and fourth in the Commissioner's Cup and Governor's Cup. The Realtors had Jason Webb as the third overall pick in the 1997 PBA draft and Chot Reyes calling the shots.

Reyes left the team in 1998, replacing him was Derrick Pumaren, Limpot's former coach at La Salle and Magnolia in the PABL. Esplana and Jackson were later traded to Formula Shell for Ronnie Magsanoc. It was at this time when Magsanoc hit his 1,000 career three-pointer. The Realtors entered the semis of the All-Filipino Cup, but were defeated by San Miguel in a do-or-die match for the last finals berth.

The Realtors struggled in the Commissioner's Cup with Ronnie Coleman, brother of then-Philadelphia 76ers forward Derrick Coleman, missing the quarterfinals. Espino and Limpot were later loaned to the Philippine Centennial Team and the Realtors continued to struggle in the Governor's Cup.

In 1999, Limpot and Espino returned for Sta. Lucia but lost Romy dela Rosa to the Metropolitan Basketball Association. The Realtors then added former MBA star and 1992 PBA MVP Ato Agustin with Tierra returning as the head coach. Still, the Realtors placed dead last in the All-Filipino Cup.

Fil-American Robert Parker and Parker's college teammate Kwan Johnson joined the team in the 1999 Commissioner's Cup. The addition of both Parker and Johnson revived the franchise and eventually led to a fourth-place finish in the tournament. However, Parker, along with several other Filipino-American rookies, was targeted by jealous and insecure players and league personalities, and were accused of being Fil-shams. He left the Philippines afterwards out of frustration caused by the issue, and other off the court troubles involving female celebrities, leaving Johnson as Sta. Lucia's import for the Governor's Cup. Sta. Lucia owner Exy Robles and the Realtors management were charged by the government for hiring Parker. The charges were later dropped, as it was proven that the player indeed had legitimate Filipino lineage.

The departure of Parker left the Realtors to a struggling performance in the season-ending Governor's Cup. Johnson was eventually replaced by Joe Temple during the course of the tournament.

First championship
Before the 2000 season, Limpot was traded to the Barangay Ginebra Kings for Marlou Aquino, to solidify the big man position of the team. Former grand slam-winning coach Norman Black took over as Sta. Lucia's new coach. They also had the number-one pick in the draft and took University of the Philippines guard Paolo Mendoza. The Realtors made it to the quarterfinals of the All-Filipino Cup.

In the Commissioner's Cup, Ansu Sesay was signed by Sta. Lucia as an import. After placing second in the eliminations, they made it to the championship series for the first time in franchise history, only to lose to the talented San Miguel Beermen in five games. Sesay was named as Best Import of the said tournament.

With Joe Temple as import for the Governor's Cup, the Realtors did not make it past the quarterfinals. The same results can be said to the 2001 All-Filipino Cup and Commissioner's Cup.

However, in the Governor's Cup, Sta. Lucia signed Damian Owens as import, and the Realtors quickly dominated the tournament to secure their second finals appearance against the heavily favored San Miguel team.

After both teams split their series in Game Four, the Realtors won both Games 5 and 6. Game Six was tightly contested. After San Miguel import Lamont Strothers tied the game at 72 with an off-balanced runner, Chris Tan hit a 24-foot three-pointer with three seconds remaining to give Sta. Lucia the lead for good. The Game 6 win gave them their first-ever PBA championship with a 75–72 win and a 4–2 series victory.

Owens was then awarded the Best Import of the Conference while Gerard Francisco received the Finals Most Valuable Player award.

Decline
In 2002, Sta. Lucia was not able to return to the finals in each of the three conferences, thus failing to defend their Governor's Cup crown. After the season, Norman Black announced his resignation as head coach of Sta. Lucia, replacing him with former Tanduay mentor and Black's chief assistant Alfrancis Chua.

Even with the vast array of talent present in his squad, Chua failed to produce a championship in his tenure as the Realtors' coach.

During the 2003 PBA draft, Sta. Lucia shocked everyone by trading their fifth overall pick to Alaska for 1998 MVP and the Aces' star player Kenneth Duremdes. With Duremdes joining Aquino and Espino, the Realtors became one of the favorites to win any of the three conferences in the 29th season.

However, Sta. Lucia placed fourth in the All-Filipino, did not qualify for the special PBA Invitational tournament, and placed another fourth-place finish in the Reinforced Conference. Espino and Aquino, however, made it to the Mythical Team during the annual awards.

In the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference, with former Purefoods import Derrick Brown as reinforcement, the Realtors blew a double-digit lead to lose to eventual champion Barangay Ginebra Kings in the wildcard knockout phase of the tournament. This caught the ire of Chua, who even brought the whole team to the Commissioner's Office to protest the way officiating was handled.

The Realtors were again eliminated in the wildcard phase of the 2004–2005 Philippine Cup after they were swept by San Miguel. In the 2005 Fiesta Conference, Sta. Lucia blew a twice-to-beat advantage in the wildcard phase and was eliminated by the soon departing Shell Turbo Chargers. Former Cincinnati Bearcat Ryan Fletcher was the Sta. Lucia import during the conference.

In the 2005 PBA draft, Sta. Lucia used the second-overall pick to draft point guard Alex Cabagnot. Cabagnot had a solid performance in the 2005–2006 Fiesta Conference, along with former PBL refugee Chester Tolomia, but Sta. Lucia only managed to finish seventh in the classification phase. The Realtors were swept by Alaska in the quarterfinals, losing the two games by huge margins.

The Realtors finished with a 4–12 record in the classification phase of the Philippine Cup. The Realtors then played in the wildcard playoff phase. However, the Realtors won only one game during the wildcard phase and bowed out of the tournament with a 1–2 record, defeating Talk 'N Text in their final game of the season.

2006–07 season
In the off-season, the Sta. Lucia management had a big dispute with their ace point guard Alex Cabagnot, after the latter returned to the United States before a scheduled postseason team meeting. After months of failing to communicate with the team, and also playing for a Los Angeles-based summer league squad, the team handed out an indefinite suspension. But Cabagnot has since mended fences with the Realtors management and was able to play during the season.

During the 2006 PBA draft, the Realtors selected Filipino-American Kelly Williams as its first overall pick in the draft. They also nabbed Mark Isip as sixth overall and Mark Magsumbol as 13th overall in the said draft.

In the Philippine Cup, Sta Lucia was able to pull off a surprising start in the conference, due to great performances by their young player such as Williams, Cabagnot and veterans Marlou Aquino, Dennis Espino, and Kenneth Duremdes. However, a late slump followed a one-game playoff loss to Purefoods that relegated the Realtors to the wildcard phase. Despite a 1–2 win–loss record, Sta. Lucia was able to gain a berth in a knockout game due to their superior record in both the classification and wildcard phase. The Realtors defeated the Air21 Express 121–118 to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2003 Reinforced Conference. However, Sta Lucia lost 3–1 to Red Bull in the five-game series despite a Game 1 victory.

After the tournament, Alfrancis Chua was relieved of his duties as head coach and was moved to a position as team consultant. He was replaced by assistant coach Boyet Fernandez.

The Realtors paraded Rock Winston as import for the 2006–2007 Fiesta Conference. Sta. Lucia then dealt Kenneth Duremdes, Alex Cabagnot, and Ricky Calimag to Coca-Cola for Denok Miranda, Manny Ramos, and a 2008 second round draft pick. Later in the tournament, they replaced Winston for Jamaal Williams. They went 2–6 with Williams and got booted out in the wild card phase of the tournament by the San Miguel Beermen.

2007–08 season and Second championship
The Realtors underwent a major overhaul in their roster. Nurse Coach Boyet Fernandez retained only 6 players from the previous roster and went on to tap undiscovered talent on the rookie free agent pool. Fernandez decided to get deserving players who have not got the chance to play in the PBA. The Realtors got Ryan Reyes, a standout from the PBL, and John Paul Limpo, from Malolos, Bulacan in the draft. Sta. Lucia also obtained the services of Dennis Daa, Christian Coronel, and Philip Butel from the rookie free agent pool. The team also added former Green Archer Joseph Yeo.

Sta. Lucia ended the elimination round of the All-Filipino Cup with 8 straight wins to get one of the two outright semi-finals slots along with the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants. In the semifinals that reached the maximum seven games, the Realtors relied on Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes to barge into their first Philippine Cup finals berth by beating the Alaska Aces. They further shocked PBA aficionados by winning the championship series in seven games against the number one seed Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants to win the 2007–08 PBA Philippine Cup, the second championship title of the franchise since entering the league in 1993. PCU stalwart Nelbert Omolon gunned for 40 points to beat the Air21 Express in their last elimination game. Sta. Lucia won the first automatic semifinal berth and cruised through the playoffs, beating Alaska in the semifinal. The real challenge from the young Realtors team came in the finals when they went 2–0 but lost two straight games. The series went down to the deciding Game 7, with Sta. Lucia winning the game and the series against Purefoods. Kelly Williams was named Conference MVP while Dennis Espino was the Finals MVP.

2009–10 season
Due to insufficient funds, Sta. Lucia was forced to make alterations in their roster. They traded Dennis Miranda to San Miguel Beermen for a draft pick and Dennis Espino to Coca-Cola Tigers for Jason Misolas and two second-round draft picks. They signed free agents Josh Urbiztondo, Chris Pacana and Ardy Larong to fill in the slots. Coach Boyet Fernandez was said to be very unhappy of losing their two powerhouse players. On May 13, 2010, after a long trade speculations, Sta. Lucia finally traded Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes and Charles Waters to Talk n' Text exchange for Nic Belasco, Ali Peek, Pong Escobal, and Ogie Menor and Yousif Aljamal via Barako Bull. Sta Lucia team owner Buddy Encarnado was very sad of releasing their two powerhouse players again. Because of struggling mid-season, the Coca-Cola Tigers acquired former No. 1 pick Paolo Mendoza exchange for rookie Chris Ross.

Disbandment
In June 2010, there were reports that Meralco expressed interest in joining the PBA and intends to buy either Sta. Lucia's or Barako Bull's franchise after both teams unloaded most of their major players. After Barako Bull informed the board that they intend to stay with the league for the 2010–11 season, Sta. Lucia filed a "leave of absence". On August 10, the PBA board finally approved the sale of the Sta. Lucia franchise to Meralco. It is also announced that Ryan Gregorio will be its head coach.

"Pure-Filipino" policy
Sta. Lucia had a policy of fielding all pure-Filipino lineup, which meant for the team to acquire only those players who have no foreign blood. This was criticized by many PBA fans because of Sta. Lucia's reluctance to improve their team. Some blamed center Marlou Aquino for this implementation. Aquino is a staunch opponent against fake Fil-foreign players that have invaded the PBA since the arrival of Asi Taulava, Eric Menk and others in 1999, in which he had appeared in several Senate committee hearings in the past.

Another conflict is the case of Alex Cabagnot. Cabagnot is considered by many as a Filipino-American after spending his high school and collegiate studies in the United States. However, the PBA listed him as a local player since he was born in the Philippines to Filipino parents. He was the Sta. Lucia Realtors' second overall pick in the 2005 PBA draft.

This policy was later scrapped after the team drafted Filipino-American Kelly Williams in the 2006 PBA draft.

Season-by-season records

 * Records from the last 3 seasons:

PBA 40 greatest players

 * Marlou Aquino #13
 * Kenneth Duremdes #19
 * Ronnie Magsanoc #5
 * Kelly Williams #21

Other notable players

 * Francis Adriano
 * Donbel Belano
 * Philip Butel
 * Alex Cabagnot
 * Boy Cabahug
 * Aramis Calpito
 * Christian Coronel
 * Gabby Cui
 * Dennis Daa
 * Angelo David
 * Andy De Guzman
 * Richard del Rosario
 * Romeo dela Rosa
 * Maximo Delantes
 * Gilbert Demape
 * Dennis Espino
 * Gerald Esplana
 * Noynoy Falcasantos
 * Boyet Fernandez
 * Gerald Francisco
 * Jose Francisco
 * Arnold Gamboa
 * Roberto Jabar
 * Chris Jackson
 * Peter Jao
 * Jun Limpot
 * Edgar Macaraya
 * Jojo Martin
 * Gilbert Mamaklay
 * Paolo Mendoza
 * Vergel Meneses
 * Dennis Miranda
 * Nelbert Omolon
 * Michael Orquillas
 * Marvin Ortiguerra
 * Ali Peek
 * Eugene Quilban
 * Ryan Reyes
 * Omanzie Rodriguez
 * Jack Santiago
 * Chris Tan
 * Hercules Tangkay
 * Melchor Teves
 * Chito Victolero
 * Rob Wainwright
 * Jason Webb
 * Joseph Yeo
 * Norman Gonzales

PABL

 * Nemie Villegas (1987–1989)
 * Francis Rodriguez (1989–1992)

PBA

 * Nat Canson (1993–1995)
 * Adonis Tierra (1996–1997), (1999)
 * Chot Reyes (1997)
 * Derrick Pumaren (1998)
 * Norman Black (2000–2002)
 * Alfrancis Chua (2003–2007)
 * Boyet Fernandez (2007–2010)

title: Sta. Lucia Realtors


text:
User:Maizuru

I am a Japanese who lives in Kyoto.

Since he is poor at English, I want to offer the picture about Japan etc.

title: User:Maizuru


text:
USS Varuna

Two ships in the United States Navy have been named USS Varuna for Varuna, the Vedic god of oceans and rivers and keeper of the souls of the drowned.

 * The first USS Varuna (1861) was a screw gunboat launched in 1861 and sunk by enemy action in April 1862.
 * The second USS Varuna (AGP-5) was a motorboat tender, commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned in 1946.

title: USS Varuna


text: Talk:Zool

title: Talk:Zool


text:
User talk:PANONIAN/Maps

I am studing English Language and Literature, and I have just seen that you have added some interesting information about my home town Sombor. I just want to say that I appreciate your passion for creating and drafting maps. brankomedic@yahoo.com Hello could you add some cities in and show some more subdivisions of the areas at least for illyricum? Some people are confused and think there were no cities and no other separations between internal prefectures.I know its weird but i have seen it happen.

title: User talk:PANONIAN/Maps