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Everett Community College

Everett Community College (EvCC) is a public community college in Everett, Washington. EvCC educates more than 19,000 students every year at locations throughout Snohomish County, Washington, with most students and faculty at the main campus in Everett.

History
Everett Junior College (EJC) was founded in 1941, with the college's first students taking classes at a converted elementary school. In 1957, construction began on a new college campus in north Everett. The campus, which originally included seven buildings, opened in 1958.

The college's name changed to Everett Community College in 1967 to conform with the Washington State Community College Act.

On February 16, 1987, an arson fire broke out at the college's library that destroyed the main student services building and killed firefighter Gary Parks. The arson destroyed 48,000 books and remained unsolved for decades. In 2021, Elmer Nash pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Parks; he had been 12 years old at the time of the arson and admitted to starting it to conceal a theft. A new library and service building was opened in October 1988 at the same site and dedicated to Parks, who was honored with a statue in the courtyard. The building cost $8 million to construct and stock with new books, using funds from the state legislature and private donations.

Campus

Everett Community College's north Everett campus is located at 2000 Tower St. in Everett on 46 acres near the Legion Memorial Park Golf Course. The campus includes 20 buildings, many of them named after the peaks of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges.

In the past 10 years, EvCC has completed more than $150 million of new construction:
 * 2007: Whitehorse Hall opens. The 88000 sqft building is home to the college's physical sciences, visual arts, and journalism programs.
 * 2009: Gray Wolf Hall opens. The 77,000-square-foot building has EvCC's humanities, social sciences, and communications programs.
 * 2011: Walt Price Student Fitness Center opens. The 49000 sqft building replaced the college's 1958 gym. In 2015, EvCC named the building in honor of former athletic director and coach Walt Price.
 * 2013: Liberty Hall opens. The three-story, 72,000-square-foot building is located on north Broadway next to the college's fitness center. It is home to the college's nursing, medical assisting and phlebotomy programs and other health sciences training, plus EvCC's criminal justice, fire science, and EMT programs.
 * 2014: Advanced Manufacturing Training & Education Center (AMTEC) opens. AMTEC educates students in six programs - mechatronics, precision machining, welding and fabrication, engineering technician, composites and pre-employment. The center teaches students about the manufacturing process from start to finish as they complete interdisciplinary projects like creating unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, robots and paddle boards. AMTEC expanded in 2015, adding 17,000 square feet to make the center 54,000 square feet.
 * 2016: Mountain View Hall opens. The college's first student housing building has 120 furnished private rooms with their own bathrooms and shared kitchen space. All units in both buildings are fully furnished. Rent includes all utilities and wireless internet. Mountain View was constructed by Snohomish-based real estate developer Koz Development, Inc.
 * 2017: Cedar Hall opens. The college's second student housing building includes 132 beds in furnished studio, three bedroom, and four-bedroom apartments with living rooms and kitchens. Rent includes all utilities and wireless internet.

The Nippon Business Institute at EvCC was founded in 1987 to provide education in Japanese language and culture, in part due to Everett's relationships with Japanese partners. The school's building is located at the southwest end of the campus and includes Nishiyama Garden, a traditional Japanese garden with Sukiya-zukuri wooden gates, gravel paths, and a portion of the Kintai Bridge from Iwakuni, Japan, one of Everett's sister cities. In addition to the college's main campus in north Everett, EvCC offers classes at its East County Campus in Monroe, Aviation Maintenance Technical School at Paine Field, Corporate & Continuing Education Center in south Everett, School of Cosmetology in Marysville, and at several other locations in north and east Snohomish County.

Organization and administration
EvCC is one of 34 community and technical colleges governed by the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges. The college is administered by a five-member board of trustees appointed by Washington state's governor. EvCC's interim president is Darrell Cain, who was appointed in 2022. The college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Academics
In 2016-17 the college educated 19,673 students. EvCC students range in age from 12 to 85 with the largest number of students between 18 and 21 years of age.

Students come to EvCC to affordably start their four-year degrees, earn certificates, train for new jobs, experience hands-on training in professional and technical programs, learn English, develop basic skills, finish high school, train for a promotion, or to learn just for fun.

The college offers more than 90 different majors and programs. Associate degrees are available in Arts and Sciences, Science, Business, Applied Science, Technical Arts, Fine Arts, and General Studies. Certificates of completion are awarded in more than 30 technical and career fields. Students can also enroll in Transitional Studies classes to improve their basic skills, upgrade job skills, prepare for college-level classes, learn to speak English, complete high school, and earn a GED.

EvCC also offers professional development and career training options through its Corporate & Continuing Education Center. Courses can be customized and delivered on-site throughout Snohomish County and the Northwest.

In addition to traditional classroom courses, EvCC offers online courses.

Athletics
Everett Community College has 11 athletic teams including baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, cross country, track and field, and volleyball. All teams use the school colors of red and white. The college's mascot, the Trojan, was selected by students in 1941. Everett Community College teams compete in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC).

Alumni / former students

 * Rick Anderson, Major League Baseball former player (New York Mets and Kansas City Royals) and current pitching coach (Minnesota Twins)
 * Earl Averill Jr. - MLB player with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and an original member of the Los Angeles Angels; All American at University of Oregon
 * Jean Berkey, former Democratic Party politician
 * Stan Boreson, the "King of Scandinavian Humor"
 * Chuck Close, photographer and painter
 * Aaron Cunningham, Major League Baseball player (Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Cleveland Indians)
 * Stephen Fife, Major League (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Minor League Baseball player
 * Steve Hobbs, current Democratic Secretary of State of Washington
 * Keone Kela, Minor League Baseball player
 * John Koster, former Republican member of the Snohomish County council and Washington State House of Representatives
 * Lloyd Meeds, congressman (2nd district, 1965–1979)
 * Mason Tobin, Major League (Texas Rangers) and Minor League Baseball player
 * Archie Van Winkle, United States Marine and Medal of Honor recipient (Korean War)

Faculty

 * Dick King, former Democratic Party politician

Staff

 * Bob Gambold, football player and coach (former EvCC assistant football coach)

title: Everett Community College


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Grigory Razumovsky

Count Grigory Kirillovich Razumovsky (Григорий Кириллович Разумовский; Григорій Кирилович Розумовський; November 10, 1759 – June 3, 1837) was a Russian nobleman, political philosopher, botanist, zoologist and geologist. He was a member of the Razumovsky noble family.

Career
Razumovsky is known from his writings in the West as Gregor or Grégoire, who lost his Russian citizenship for openly criticizing the czarist system under emperor Alexander I, which he saw as pandering to the desires of a corrupt oligarchy of nobles. Gregor emigrated to western Europe, where was subsequently incorporated into the Bohemian nobility (Inkolat im Herrenstande) in 1811 and accorded the rank of count of the Austrian Empire. As a natural scientist, Gregor was the first to describe and classify Lissotrion helveticus. He was the fifth son of the last hetman of Ukraine, Kirill Grigorievich Razumovsky and brother of prince Andreas Razumovsky, he is also the ancestor of all living members of the family as such, the Russian lines having gone extinct.

In the field of geology, Razumovsky has been described as a "non-actualistic catastrophist". He was also an advocate of Neptunism.

In 1788, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Publications

 * Observations Minéralogiques sur les environs de Vienne (1822).
 * «Essai d’un système de transition de la nature dans le règne minéral. Lausanne»
 * «Oeuvres de M. le comte Grégoire de Razoumowsky». Lausanne, chez Maures Cadet. 1784. 2 vol.
 * "Histoire naturelle de Jorat et de ses environs et celle des trois lacs de Neufchatel, Morat et Brienne, précédée d’un essai sur le climat, les productions, le commerce, les animaux de la partie du pays de Vaud ou de la Suisse Romanne, qui entre dans le plan de cet ouvrage, par le comte de Razoumowsky (Lausanne, chez Jean Maures. 1789. 2 vol).
 * Von der Ukrainischen Stutereien. Lernbegriff von den Krankheiten der Pferde und deren Heilung von I. C. Zeihers. Berlin. 8

Memberships

 * Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
 * Royal Academy of Turin
 * Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
 * Russian Mineralogical Society
 * Jena Mineralogical Society
 * Imperial Moscow Society of Naturalists
 * Zurich Physical Society
 * Basel Medical Physics Society
 * Turin Agronomic Society

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

title: Grigory Razumovsky


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Kilmarnock Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Kilmarnock Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post voting system.

Kilmarnock county constituency was created when the district of burghs constituency was abolished.

Boundaries
The constituency consisted of five parliamentary burghs: Kilmarnock in the county of Ayr, Dumbarton in the county of Dumbarton, Rutherglen in the county of Lanark and Renfrew and Port Glasgow in the county of Renfrew.

The Kilmarnock burgh was previously within the Ayrshire constituency and Port Glasgow was previously within the Renfrewshire constituency. Dumbarton, Rutherglen and Renfrew were transferred from Glasgow Burghs.

In 1918 the burgh of Kilmarnock was merged into the then new Kilmarnock county constituency, which included areas previously within North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. The new Kilmarnock constituency consisted of "The county district of Kilmarnock, inclusive of all burghs situated therein except in so far as included in the Ayr District of Burghs." The burgh of Dumbarton was transferred to Dumbarton Burghs, the burgh of Port Glasgow was merged into West Renfrewshire, the burgh of Renfrew into East Renfrewshire and the burgh of Rutherglen into the Rutherglen constituency.

Elections in the 1840s
Johnston's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s
Pleydell-Bouverie was appointed Vice-President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.

Pleydell-Bouverie was appointed President of the Poor Law Board, requiring a by-election.

Elections in the 1910s


text: User talk:69.149.82.28

title: User talk:69.149.82.28


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Osiris (lunar crater)

Osiris is a tiny lunar volcanic crater in the southeastern part of the Mare Serenitatis. It is located to the northeast of the small crater Dawes, and to the west of the Montes Taurus range. To the east-northeast of this position is the landing site of the Apollo 17 mission, in the Taurus–Littrow valley.

Osiris and nearby Isis are located on conical uprises situated along a rille and are interpreted as small volcanic cones. Osiris is the biggest of 5 cones on this rille.

The name of the crater was approved by the IAU in 1976, and refers to an Egyptian male given name.

title: Osiris (lunar crater)


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User:Feyenoord Rotterdam till i die

This is a list of holy words and dates

Feyenoord Rotterdam 1908(founding year) Wednesday May 8,2002(uefa cup) 1970(champions league) 1924(first title) 2000(last time they won of .... home (3-1)) may 13,2001(last time feyenoord won of .... away (3-4)) anti-jood Dirk Kuyt Salomon Kalou

I'm not a hooligan,but i do say c.nc.r if feyenoord loses,and i hate muslims,.... (what's the difference?) and school.

title: User:Feyenoord Rotterdam till i die


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Athanase Laurent Charles Coquerel

Athanase Laurent Charles Coquerel (7 August 1795 – 1868) was a French Protestant theologian, born in Paris, elected deputy of the Constituent Assembly after the revolution of February 1848.

Life
He received his early education from his aunt, Helen Maria Williams, an Englishwoman, who at the close of the 18th century gained a reputation by various translations and by her Letters from France. He completed his theological studies at the Protestant seminary of Montauban, and in 1816 was ordained minister. In 1817 he was invited to become pastor of the chapel of St Paul at Jersey, but he declined, being unwilling to subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England. During the following twelve years he resided in the Netherlands, and preached before Calvinistic congregations at Amsterdam, Leiden, and Utrecht. In 1830, at the suggestion of Baron Georges Cuvier, then minister of Protestant worship, Coquerel was called to Paris as a pastor of l'Oratoire du Louvre. He succeeded Paul-Henri Marron as principal pastor after Marron's death in 1832. During the course of 1833 he was chosen a member of the consistory, and rapidly acquired the reputation of a great pulpit orator, but his liberal views brought him into antagonism with the rigid Calvinists. He took a warm interest in all matters of education, and distinguished himself so much by his defence of the University of Paris against a sharp attack, that in 1835 he was chosen a member of the consistory of the Legion of Honor. In 1841 appeared his Response to the Leben Jesu of Strauss.

After the revolution of February 1848, Coquerel was elected a member of the National Assembly, where he sat as a moderate republican, subsequently becoming a member of the Legislative Assembly following the May 1849 election, won by the conservative Parti de l'Ordre. He sieged as a member of the legislative commission which prepared the draft for the Falloux Laws on education.

He supported the first ministry of Louis Napoleon, and gave his vote in favor of the expedition to Rome and the restoration of the temporal power of the pope. After the coup d'état of 2 December 1851, he confined himself to the duties of his pastorate. He was a prolific writer, as well as a popular and eloquent speaker. He died at Paris on 10 January 1868. A large collection of his sermons was published in 8 vols. between 1819 and 1852. Other works were Biographie sacrée (1825–1826); Histoire sainte et analyse de la Bible (1839); Orthodoxie moderne (1842); Christologie (1858), &c.

He married (Amsterdam, 7 September 1819) Anne "Nancy" Rattier (8 November 1792 - 24 January 1826) with whom he had 5 children: Athanase (16 June 1820 - 24 July 1875), Charles (2 December 1822 - 12 April 1867,) Helene Rosalie Cecile (30 September 1821 - 20 January 1826), Jean Persis (23 June 1824) and Cécile (20 July 1825 - 2 July 1885). In his second marriage (Amsterdam, 25 October 1827) he married Sophie Mollet (1802 - 1891) and had 3 children: Etienne Jean (9 November 1829 - 15 June 1901), Henri (8 September 1828 - 28 June 1841) and Paul Augustin (20 November 1831 - 1909)

His brother, Charles Augustin Coquerel (1797–1851), was the author of a work on English literature (1828), an Essai sur l'histoire genérale du christianisme (1828) and a Histoire des églises du desert, depuis la revocation de l'edit de Nantes (1841). A liberal in his views, he was the founder and editor of the Annales protestantes, Le Lien, and the Revue protestante.

title: Athanase Laurent Charles Coquerel


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Peter Annet

Peter Annet (1693 – 18 January 1769) was an English deist and early freethinker.

Early life and work
Annet is said to have been born in Liverpool. A schoolmaster by profession, he became prominent owing to his attacks on orthodox theologians, as well as for his membership of a semi-theological debating society, the Robin Hood Society, which met at the Robin Hood and Little John at Butcher Row. Annet was very hostile to the clergy and to scripture, being a thoroughgoing deist. He distinguished himself by being extremely critical of the character and reputation of King David and the Apostle Paul. In 1739, he wrote and published a pamphlet, Judging for Ourselves, or Freethinking the Great Duty of Religion, a strong criticism of Christianity. For writing this and similar pamphlets, he lost his teaching position.

A work attributed to him, called A History of the Man after God's own Heart (1761), intended to show that King George II was insulted by a current comparison with King David. The book is said to have inspired Voltaire's Saul. It is also attributed to one John Noorthouck (Noorthook).

In 1763, he was condemned for blasphemous libel in his paper called the Free Inquirer, of which only nine numbers were published. After his release he kept a small school in Lambeth, one of his pupils being the politician James Stephen (1758–1832), who became master in Chancery.

Pillory and death
At age 68, Annet was sentenced to the pillory and a year's hard labour. He died on 18 January 1769.

Position
When the Christian apologists replaced the argument from miracles with the argument from personal witness and the credibility of Biblical evidence, Annet, in his Resurrection of Jesus (1744), assailed the validity of such evidence, and first advanced the hypothesis of the illusory death of Jesus, suggesting also that possibly Paul should be regarded as the founder of a new religion. In Supernaturals Examined (1747) Annet roundly denies the possibility of miracles.

Annet stands between the earlier philosophic deists and the later propagandists of Thomas Paine's school, and seems to have been the first freethought lecturer (J. M. Robertson); his essays, A Collection of the Tracts of a certain Free Enquirer, are forcible but lack refinement. He invented a system of shorthand (2nd ed., with a copy of verses by Joseph Priestley).

title: Peter Annet


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jarden Corporation

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was Delete --Allen3 talk 20:04, July 22, 2005 (UTC)

Jarden Corporation
This was marked as a speedy delete candidate, but isn't really. I intentionally mangled the external links because they were un-useful and spammy. No vote from me, however. CDC  (talk)  19:57, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete - no notability established, ad. --TheMidnighters 20:22, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete per TheMidnighters. Dcarrano 21:14, July 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. I originally marked it as a speedy candidate, I figured it was nothing but a corporate ad. —Cleared as filed. 22:15, July 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * Comment - There is an article (marked as stub) for Coleman Company, which is one of the companies that makes up Jarden; if this is deleted should that one be deleted as well? . The Jarden article certainly reads like an ad in its present form. (Mulling it over...no vote yet) --WCFrancis 23:08, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete advertising. JamesBurns 07:07, 12 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete --Hooperbloob 22:18, 14 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Save I just started this article and have not finished it. The company is a spinoff of Ball Corporation, and has a rich history dating back over 100 years.  It started in the 1800's as a home canning company.  Now it includes other 100+ year old companies like Diamond Brands matches (largest match mill in the US), and US Playing Cards.  There is a lot of history here that still needs to be added to the article.  I'd think once this historical content is added it will be worthwhile.  --mab  15:28, 18 July 2005 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


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Skype Technologies

Skype Technologies S.A.R.L (also known as Skype Software S.A.R.L, Skype Communications S.A.R.L, Skype Inc., and Skype Limited) is a telecommunications company headquartered in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, whose chief business is the manufacturing and marketing of the video chat and instant messaging computer software program Skype, and various Internet telephony services associated with it. Microsoft purchased the company in 2011, and it has since then operated as their wholly owned subsidiary; as of 2016, it is operating as part of Microsoft's Office Product Group. The company is a société à responsabilité limitée, or SARL, equivalent to an American limited liability company.

Skype, a voice over IP (VoIP) service, was first released in 2003 as a way to make free computer-to-computer calls, or reduced-rate calls from a computer to telephones. Support for paid services such as calling landline/mobile phones from Skype (formerly called SkypeOut), allowing landlines and mobile phones to call Skype (formerly called SkypeIn and now Skype Number), and voice messaging generates the majority of Skype's revenue.

eBay acquired Skype Technologies S.A. in September 2005 and in April 2009 announced plans to spin it off in a 2010 initial public offering (IPO). In September 2009, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board announced the acquisition of 65% of Skype for $1.9 billion from eBay, valuing the business at $2.75 billion. Skype was acquired by Microsoft in May 2011 for $8.5 billion (~$ in ).

As of 2010, Skype is available in 27 languages and has 660 million worldwide users, an average of over 100 million active each month, and has faced challenges to its intellectual property amid political concerns by governments wishing to control telecommunications systems within their borders.

History

 * Skype was founded in 2003 by Janus Friis from Denmark and Niklas Zennström from Sweden, having its headquarters in Luxembourg with offices now in Berlin, Frankfurt, Tallinn, Tartu, Stockholm, London, Palo Alto, Prague, and Redmond, Washington.

 * The Skype software was originally developed by Estonians Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn, who together with Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström were also behind the peer-to-peer file sharing software Kazaa. In April 2003, Skype.com and Skype.net domain names were registered. In August 2003, the first public beta version was released.

 * One of the initial names for the project was "Sky peer-to-peer", which was then abbreviated to "Skyper". However, some of the domain names associated with "Skyper" were already taken. Dropping the final "r" left the current title "Skype", for which domain names were available.

 * In September 2005, SkypeOut was banned in China. In October of the same year, eBay purchased Skype for $2.6 billion. (In 2011, the Ars Technica estimated the purchase price at $3.1 billion, not $2.6 billion.) In December 2005, videotelephony was introduced.

 * In April 2006, the number of registered users reached 100 million. In October 2006, Skype 2.0 for Mac was released, the first full release of Skype with video for Macintosh, and in December, Skype announced a new pricing structure, with connection fees for all SkypeOut calls. Skype 3.0 for Windows was released.

 * In 2006, a feature called "Skypecasting" was introduced as a beta. It allowed recordings of Skype voice over IP voice calls and teleconferences to be used as podcasts. Skypecasting remained in beta until it was discontinued on 1 September 2008. Skypecasts hosted public conference calls for up to 100 people at a time. Unlike ordinary Skype p2p conference calls, Skypecasts supported moderation features suitable for panel discussions, lectures, and town hall forums. Skype operated a directory of public Skypecasts.

 * Throughout 2007, updates (3.1, 3.2, and 3.5) added new features including Skype Find, Skype Prime, Send Money (which allowed users to send money via PayPal from one Skype user to another), video in mood, inclusion of video content in chat, call transfer to another person or a group, and auto-redial. Skype 2.7.0.49 (beta) for Mac OS X released adding availability of contacts in the Mac Address Book to the Skype contact list, auto redial, contact groups, public chat creation, and an in-window volume slider in the call window. During several days in August, Skype users were unable to connect to full Skype network in many countries because of a Skype system-wide crash which was the result of exceptional number of logins after a Windows patch reboot ("Patch Tuesday"). In November, there was controversy when it was announced that users allocated certain London 020 numbers (specifically those beginning '7870') would lose them, after negotiations with the provider of this batch of numbers broke down.

 * By early 2008, the tumultuous ownership relations between the founders and eBay had resulted in significant leadership churn, with a succession of Skype presidents including Niklas Zennström, Rajiv Dutta, Alex Kazim, Niklas Zennström (again), and Henry Gomez, all holding that title at various points between 2005 and 2007. The business had failed to meet certain earn-out targets, growth was decelerating, product development had slowed significantly, and in October 2007 eBay took a $1.4 billion 'impairment' on the value of Skype, admitting it had overpaid, and now valuing the company at about $2.7 billion.

 * In October 2008, analysis revealed TOM-skype — the Chinese version of Skype run by TOM Online — sends content of text messages and encryption keys to monitoring servers.

Two original founders depart, new CEO, and the eBay years

 * For the six months after the departure of Zennström and Friis, Michael van Swaaij led the company as interim CEO, until the appointment of Josh Silverman in February 2008. Silverman was "widely viewed as bringing in stability to Skype after a tumultuous phase that followed the exit of the two Skype co-founders." Under Silverman's two-and-a-half year tenure, the company focused its product efforts around video calling, ubiquity (gaining high penetration on smartphones, PCs, TVs, and consumer-electronic devices), building tailored offerings for enterprise customers, and diversifying revenue through subscriptions, premium accounts, and advertising.

 * In advancing this strategy, Skype released many new products, substantially revamping its flagship Windows software (3.8 -> 4.0), and its macOS and Linux software; while introducing new software products for smartphones, and consumer electronics. In 2009, Skype 4.0 was released, featuring full-screen high-quality video calling. the Linux client was updated, and an iPhone application was launched which topped the charts with over 1M downloads in its first two days. Skype also announced the launch of its software for the Android platform.

 * During this period Skype also discontinued lesser-used services such as support for the "Skype Me" presence indicator, which meant that a user was interested in receiving Skype calls from a non-contact. Skype also discontinued its SkypeCast service without explanation and added internal monthly and daily usage caps on their SkypeOut subscriptions, which had been advertised as "unlimited". Skype also discontinued its "dragonfly" feature, a community-generated yellow-pages product, and other features which were deemed to be under-performing or a distraction to management. Many users and observers had commented on the high rate of dropped calls and the difficulty reconnecting dropped calls. Updates including versions for the Sony PSP hand-held gaming system, version 2.0 for Linux with support for video-conferencing.

 * As part of its efforts to diversify revenues, Skype launched in April 2008 Skype for SIP, a service aimed at business users. At that time around 35 per cent of Skype's users were business users. In targeted premium products to consumers, Skype launched new monthly premium subscriptions products in May 2010.

 * Marketing efforts were also re-vamped, with a particular focus on innovative partnerships with TV broadcasters to integrate Skype into their programming. The Oprah Winfrey Show began using Skype regularly to host video calls between Oprah and her viewers at home, culminating in a show dedicated exclusively to the wonders of Skype ("where the Skype are You", aired first in May 2009). Skype also became commonly used by network news stations around the world, as a cost-effective replacement for sending satellite trucks, and enabling fast response from citizen journalists. Skype was also integrated into scripted TV programming, such as Californication; and in the seventh season of the U.S. syndicated version of the British game show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire in a new Ask the Expert video chat lifeline.

 * These efforts led to accelerating growth of Skype's Connected Users and Paying Users and by 2009 Skype was adding about 380,000 new users each day. By the end of 2009 Skype was generating around US$740 million in revenue.

 * In January 2010, Josh Silverman was recognized for his accomplishments at Skype by being named First Runner Up in the TechCrunch "Crunchies" award for "Best CEO", beaten only by Mark Pincus of Zynga.

Independence and Silver Lake

 * Building on the revitalization which had begun in 2008, eBay announced, in April 2009, plans to spin off Skype through an initial public offering in 2010. In August, Joltid, Ltd. filed a motion with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, seeking to terminate a licensing agreement with eBay which allowed eBay (and therefore Skype) to use the peer-to-peer communications technology on which Skype is based. If successful, this could have caused a shutdown of Skype as it existed, and made an IPO challenging to execute. In September, eBay announced the sale of 65 per cent of Skype to a consortium of Index Ventures and Silver Lake Partners. Early in September, Skype shut down the Extras developer program. In November, Skype settled the Joltid litigation and acquired all Skype technology in exchange for equity in the company and eBay completed the sale of 70% of Skype to a consortium comprising Silver Lake Partners, Joltid, CPPIB, and Andreessen Horowitz for approximately $2 billion, valuing the entire business at US$2.75 billion.

 * In May 2010, Skype 5.0 beta was released, with a capacity to support group video calls involving up to four participants. Also in May, Skype released an updated client for the Apple iPhone that allowed Skype calls to be made over a 3G network. Originally, a 3G call subscription plan was to be instituted in 2011, but Skype eventually dropped the plan. Rounding out its ubiquity push, Skype also announced deep integration of Skype software into the IP-connected TVs from Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony.

 * In June 2010, following the rapid departure of Daniel Berg, the chief technology officer, and then chief development officer Madhu Yarlagadda, Mark Gillett, an operating partner at Silver Lake Partners, assumed the role of chief development officer, taking responsibility for development of Skype's client software, cloud services, and product management following a period of several months working closely with Joshua Silverman to drive the transformation of the business, and the acceleration of cross-platform and mobile product delivery.

 * With its newfound independence and under ownership, Skype's growth accelerated and by 2010, Telegeography estimated that Skype accounted for 25 per cent of the world's international calling minutes. According to their research, the overall international calling market grew a tepid 5 to 6 per cent annually in 2010. "Skype, however, has seen a huge uptick in growth, particularly in the last two years."

 * On 9 August 2010, Skype filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise up to US$100 million in an initial public offering. Sources reported that the company expected to raise at least US$1 billion. In October 2010, Skype announced the appointment of Tony Bates as CEO; Bates was a senior VP at Cisco and was responsible for its multibillion-dollar enterprise, commercial, and small business division. On 14 October 2010, Skype 5.0 for Windows was released with a number of improvements and feature additions, including a Facebook tab to allow users to SMS, chat with, or call their Facebook friends via Skype from the News Feed. The "Search for Skype Users" option was omitted from this version.

 * On 14 January 2011, Skype acquired Qik, a mobile video-sharing platform. In March 2011, Skype named Jonathan Chadwick as its new chief financial officer and confirmed that Mark Gillett would serve full-time as chief development and operating officer following the departure of chief financial and administrative officer Adrian Dillon.

Microsoft subsidiary (2011–present)

 * On 10 May 2011, Microsoft announced it had agreed to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion. This marked a 300% increase in value for the company in the three years since the eBay write-down in October 2007. This constitutes Microsoft's second largest acquisition to date. It was announced that Skype will become a division within Microsoft, with Skype's former CEO Tony Bates —now its president— reporting to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The price Microsoft agreed to pay for the company is 32 times Skype's operating profits. According to the Financial Times this raises fears of a new "tech bubble". Ars Technica and the BBC have questioned the value for Microsoft in the purchase. Microsoft's acquisition of Skype got EU approval on 7 October 2011.

 * In October 2012, one year after the closure of the Skype acquisition, the newly formed Skype Division took responsibility for Microsoft's other VoIP and Unified Communications product Microsoft Lync.

 * On 11 July 2013, Microsoft's then-CEO Steve Ballmer announced a reorganization of Microsoft along functional lines and with four engineering groups each led by a senior leader. Microsoft's new Applications and Services Group, led by executive vice president Qi Lu was to include Skype along with Bing and Microsoft Office.  Following a period where the strategy for the Skype business as a part of the broader Microsoft portfolios including Office 365 was established, and Skype's share of the international communications market rose to 36 percent (over 214 billion minutes), Mark Gillett announced that he would be leaving Microsoft to return to Silver Lake.

 * In September 2016, after Qi Lu stepped down from Microsoft, Skype and Office became part of the Office Product Group, led by Rajesh Jha. The other part of the former Apps and Services Group (which includes Bing) became part of a new AI and Research Group.

 * Between 2020 and 2023, Skype lost daily users.

Palo Alto office
The Skype North American headquarters was opened in early 2013, after the design was completed by San Francisco architect firm Blitz. Located in Palo Alto, California, the space is designed to encourage interaction and spontaneity, while also introducing a sense of humor into the workplace. Fake lawn, cushions that look like boulders, open spaces, and high ceilings accommodate 250 employees in a 5000 m2 building. The Palo Alto headquarters also houses a games room complete with a pool table and table football machine. The office's silver LEED Silver certification means that it received between 50 and 59 points for its environmentally friendly construction.

P2P licensing dispute lawsuit and IPO
In its 2008 Annual Report, eBay admitted to an ongoing dispute between it and Joltid Ltd. over the licensing of its peer-to-peer "Global Index" technology in its application. It announced that it terminated a standstill agreement, allowing either company to sue. On 1 April 2009, eBay filed with a UK court to settle the legal dispute. A few days later, eBay announced the planning of a public stock offering in 2010 to spin off Skype as a separate, publicly owned company. Some media outlets characterized the proposed sale and ongoing provision of Skype as being under threat because of the concurrent dispute.

On 1 September 2009, a group of investors led by Silver Lake bought 65% of Skype for $1.91 billion (~$ in ). This prompted Joltid to countersue eBay on 17 September 2009.

Both settled the simultaneous suits in November, resulting in Joltid's part-ownership of the newly formed Skype Limited. The final holding share were with Silver Lake reducing their share to 56%, Joltid entered at 14%, and eBay retained 30%.

Streamcast lawsuit
StreamCast Networks filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleging theft of its peer-to-peer technology and violation of the "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations" statute. The complaint, titled; StreamCast Networks Inc v. Skype Technologies, S.A., was filed on 20 January 2006 in Federal Court in the Central District of California and assigned Case Number, 2:2006cv00391. The $4.1 billion lawsuit did not name Skype's parent company, eBay, when initially filed. Streamcast's lawsuit was subsequently amended on 22 May 2006 to include eBay and 21 other-party defendants.

In its lawsuit, Streamcast sought a worldwide injunction on the sale and marketing of eBay's Skype Internet voice communication products, as well as billions of dollars in unspecified damages. The lawsuit was finally dismissed in a decision filed on 19 January 2007.

IDT lawsuit
On 1 June 2006, Net2Phone (the Internet telephone unit of IDT Corp.) filed a lawsuit against eBay and Skype accusing the unit of infringing, which was granted in 2000. The lawsuit was settled between the parties in 2010.

GPL lawsuit
In July 2007 Skype was found to be guilty by a German court of violating the GNU General Public License in one of its for-sale products, the SMC WSKP100.

China 2005
Skype was one of many companies (others include AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Cisco) which cooperate with the Chinese government in implementing a system of Internet censorship in mainland China. Critics of such policies argue that it is wrong for companies to profit from censorship and restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Human rights advocates such as Human Rights Watch and media groups such as Reporters Without Borders speculate that if companies stopped contributing to the authorities' censorship efforts, the government could be pressured to change.

Niklas Zennström, then chief executive of Skype, told reporters that its joint venture partner in China was operated in compliance with domestic law. "TOM Online had implemented a text filter, which is what everyone else in that market is doing," said Zennström. "Those are the regulations," he said. "I may like or not like the laws and regulations to operate businesses in the UK or Germany or the US, but if I do business there I choose to comply with those laws and regulations. I can try to lobby to change them, but I need to comply with them. China in that way is not different."

France 2005
In September 2005, the French Ministry of Research, acting on advice from the General Secretariat of National Defence, issued an official disapproval of the use of Skype in public research and higher education; some services are interpreting this decision as an outright ban. The exact reasons for the decision were not given.

United States, CALEA 2006
In May 2006, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) successfully applied the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act to allow wiretapping on digital phone networks. Skype was not compliant with the Act, and stated that it does not plan to comply.

United States, Transparency, and PRISM 2013
Starting in November 2010, Skype has been participating in a U.S. Government spy program titled PRISM, allowing the National Security Agency (NSA) unfettered access to people's chats and video and audio communications. However, it was not until February 2011 that the company was formally served with a directive to comply, signed by the attorney general.

In March 2013, the company issued transparency reports. confirming long held beliefs that Skype responds to requests from governments. Microsoft's General Counsel wrote to the US Attorney General, outlining the company's concerns in July 2013 in a blog from Brad Smith including a copy of the letter to the US attorney.

title: Skype Technologies


text:
Pavlov (crater)

Pavlov is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, approximately 143 kilometers in diameter. Located just to the north-northeast of it is the crater Levi-Civita while to the southeast is Jules Verne.

Description
The outer rim of Pavlov is somewhat worn and has been damaged in a few locations. There are outward bulges along the southern and eastern rim, and smaller bulges along the western side. Several small craters lie along the inner walls and the interior floor. Pavlov H is located along the east-southeastern edge of the floor. There is a small crater chain leading to the northwest of this satellite, culminating in a teardrop-shaped crater to the east of the midpoint of Pavlov. There are also small, cup-shaped craters along the southeastern and northwestern edges of the floor. Where it is not marked by tiny craters, the interior floor of Pavlov is relatively flat and level.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Pavlov.

title: Pavlov (crater)


text: Category:18 deaths

title: Category:18 deaths


text:
Joseph Bancroft Reade

Rev. Joseph Bancroft Reade FRS FRMS (5 April 1801 – 12 December 1870) was an English clergyman, amateur scientist and pioneer of photography. A gentleman scientist, Reade co-founded the Royal Microscopical Society and the Royal Meteorological Society.

Early life
Born Leeds, he was the eldest of six sons and two daughters. His father, Thomas Shaw Bancroft Reade (1776–1841), was a merchant and Christian pamphleteer who actively supported the British and Foreign Bible Society. His mother, Sarah née Paley (d. 1825), was a relative of William Paley. He was educated at Leeds Grammar School, Trinity College, Cambridge and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, graduating in 1825.

Clerical career
Reade was ordained a deacon in the Church of England and became curate of Kegworth, Leicestershire. He married Charlotte Dorothy Farish (1796–1882), niece of William Farish in 1825, and the couple parented three children, none of whom lived beyond 21 years of age. Reade was ordained priest in 1826 and took his master's degree in 1828.

In 1829, Reade became curate of Halifax Parish Church where he befriended amateur meteorologist John Waterhouse, who would later invent the Waterhouse stop. In 1832 he took a part-time curacy at Harrow Weald, and in 1834 became proprietor of a school in Peckham.

John Lee and the Royal Astronomical Society jointly owned the advowson of the parish of Stone, Buckinghamshire and they appointed Reade vicar in 1839. In his 20 years as incumbent, Reade established a school and an astronomical observatory.

In 1859, Reade became vicar of Ellesborough, Buckinghamshire, and from 1863 until his death, rector of Bishopsbourne, near Canterbury.Towards the end of his life, Reade suffered from cancer and died from jaundice at the Bishopsbourne rectory. He was buried at St Mary's Church.

Scientific work
Reade was an enthusiastic amateur scientist. His first work was in optics and, in particular, microscopy. His first scientific paper in 1836 was on the use of a pair of convex lenses to focus light on a microscopic specimen without overheating. Reade was interested in chemistry and botany, performing microscopic investigations of various specimens including microfossils. His knowledge of metal salts led to an 1846 ink patent. A design for a telescope eyepiece won a medal at The Great Exhibition in 1851, and he designed a condenser, known as "Reade's kettledrum" (1861), and a novel prism (1869).

In September 1839, Reade was one of 17 gentlemen scientists who met at 50 Wellclose Square, London, the home of John Thomas Quekett, to found the Microscopical Society of London, which later became the Royal Microscopical Society.

Photography
Reade was present at the Royal Society to hear William Fox Talbot's first presentations on photography in February 1839 and immediately started to experiment himself.

Reade was also at the Royal Society on 14 March to hear Sir John Herschel's seminal paper on photography in which Herschel proposed sodium hyposulfite as a fixer. (The fictional discovery of a salt-solution fixer is portrayed in the film The Governess.)

Herschel also made some observations on the light sensitivity of silver carbonate, nitrate and acetate as being superior to silver chloride.

Reade began experimenting with light-sensitive substances in a solar microscope, for the intensity of the light it projected to produce images of small transparent objects. He soon discovered that he could get much better results when the silver salt was applied not to paper but to tanned leather. Allegedly, he used his wife's gloves for experiments. Reade conjectured that the difference in sensitivity was caused by gallic acid used for tanning, and indeed by treating paper with gallic acid before soaking it in silver nitrate solution, he could drastically increase the sensitivity.

In 1854, Reade testified at the Talbot v. Laroche trial, where Laroche tried to prove that Talbot's calotype patent was invalid because the use of gallic acid was first discovered by Reade, from whom Talbot learned it. In his testimony, however, Reade upheld Talbot's originality, explaining that while he had used gallic acid for preprocessing the light-sensitive paper, Talbot was the first to discover that gallic acid can reveal the latent image in an already exposed paper, i.e. he was the first to develop a photographic material. In fact, Reade erred in making the latter broad statement, as the earlier Daguerreotype process also involved the chemical development of an initially invisible latent image.

Offices and honours

 * Member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, (1831);
 * Fellow of the Royal Society, {1838);
 * Microscopical Society of London (Royal Microscopical Society)
 * Founding member, (1839);
 * President, (1870);
 * Founding member of the British Meteorological Society (1850};
 * Photographic Society
 * Member, (1855);
 * Vice-president.

title: Joseph Bancroft Reade


text:
Roche (crater)

Roche is a large crater on the far side of the Moon from the Earth. The prominent crater Pauli lies across the southern rim of Roche, and the outer rampart of Pauli covers a portion of Roche's interior floor. To the north-northwest of Roche is the crater Eötvös, and just to the west-northwest lies Rosseland.

The western rim of Roche has been somewhat distorted and straightened. The rim as a whole is worn and eroded, with multiple tiny craterlets marking the surface. The satellite crater Roche B lies across the northeastern inner wall.

The interior floor of Roche is relatively level, but is also marked by several small and tiny craterlets. A grouping of these craters lies near the midpoint. Just to the northwest of this grouping is a bright patch of high-albedo material. Sections of the floor along the north-northwestern side have a lower albedo than elsewhere, usually an indication of basaltic-lava flows similar to what fills the lunar maria. The extent of this patch may actually be larger, but covered with higher-albedo ejecta.

Satellite craters
By convention, these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Roche.

title: Roche (crater)


text:
The Italian Girl

The Italian Girl is a 1964 novel by Iris Murdoch.

Plot introduction
Edmund has escaped from his family into a lonely life. Returning for his mother's funeral he finds himself involved in the same awful problems, together with some new ones. He also rediscovers the eternal family servant, the ever-changing "Italian girl".

Plot summary
Edmund Narraway returns to his family home, an old rectory in the north of England, for the cremation of his mother, Lydia. His brother, Otto, probably drunk, starts giggling during the service, and has to be taken outside. Edmund is disgusted rather than scandalised, yet he immediately finds himself fascinated by Otto's daughter, his own niece, who is now a teenager and, for the first time since Edmund last saw her, sexually mature. After the service Isabel, Otto's apparently neurotic wife, attempts to involve Edmund in her small and frustrated life. He at first refuses. When Edmund later talks to his self-pitying brother, he detects evidence of a sexual tension between Otto and his apprentice David Levkin. Isabel, Otto and Flora all implore Edmund to stay and help them, each for a different reason. In each case, Edmund seems at first untempted, reluctant to get involved, and aware of his own impotence against their troubles. It is finally Flora who gives Edmund a real reason, or excuse, to stay. She confides in him that she is pregnant by another student, and has only him to rely on for assistance. One by one, each character in the house manages to enveigle Edmund in a series of confessions, exposés and almost farcical in flagrante delicto discoveries. Edmund, though sexually aloof and anodyne now seems, somewhat contradictorily, highly prone to getting involved and seeing himself as an integral part of everyone else's problem, if not the means to a solution. He cuts a slightly preposterous and contemptible figure, ever more so as each character, led by David Levkin and Flora, respectively devilish and vituperative, make evident their disgust for him.

Midway through the story we have learnt that Otto is having an affair with Elsa, David's sister; Isabel and her daughter Flora have both had affairs with David, and it is he who made Flora pregnant; 'Maggie', the Italian girl, whose actual name is Maria Magistretti and who was nursemaid to Otto and Edmund, had been having a lesbian affair with Lydia, their recently deceased mother and, it transpires, she is the sole beneficiary of Lydia's will.

After all these 'secret' relationships have been revealed, Otto's response is to send David and Elsa Levkin packing. Elsa, in despair, reacts by setting fire to herself and the house. She dies, the house survives. At this surprising turn of events Otto and Edmund now seem reconciled, perhaps in misery, perhaps in astonishment. Similarly, Otto and David act civilised towards each other, and Edmund and David begin to talk honestly and respectfully to each other for the first time. David departs, leaving instructions for Elsa's funeral.

The fire and Elsa's death seem to have had a cathartic effect on everyone. Isabel finds her independence and leaves Otto. She joyfully announces that she too is pregnant by David. Flora, who ran away from home at the climax now returns to look after her rather helpless father Otto. Maggie generously agrees to split the inheritance equally with Edmund and Otto, and allows Otto to keep the house. The fire damage, incidentally, is all covered by insurance.

To crest this unexpected wave of redemption Edmund discovers that he has always actually been in love with Maria and she, conveniently, has always been in love with him. The book closes with them preparing to travel by car to Rome.

Characters in "The Italian Girl"

 * Edmund Narraway – (the narrator) abstemious, puritan, fastidious and bloodless. Edmund is an engraver who lives alone in a flat somewhere in the south of England. He has had moderate success in his career, but has not come close to rivalling his more famous and more talented father, John Narraway, who has been dead for several years when the story begins. At the end of the book he awakens to long-concealed emotions.
 * Otto Narraway – (Edmund's brother) self-pitying, dissolute, desolate and addictive. Otto is a sculptor and stonemason whose self-destructive tendencies have probably helped to ruin his career. He is now dependent on the income he derives from carving gravestones for the local village, though even this is not enough to sustain him. He lives in tense counterpoise with his mother, wife and daughter in the family home.
 * Isabel Narraway – (Otto's wife) desperate, neurotic, depressed and manipulative. Isabel was resented and psychologically tortured by Lydia Narraway, her mother-in-law, and appears to have been beaten senseless by the punishment. She eventually overcomes this, regains independence and is infused by optimism.
 * Flora Narraway – (Otto's daughter) tempestuous, erotic, haughty and vicious. Flora has recently started attending a local technical college, studying textile design, for which she has 'a small talent'. She matures and learns to accept responsibility for both herself and others.
 * Maria Magistretti 'Maggie' – watchful, cagy, removed and circumspect. Maggie is the last in a long line of interchangeable and unrecognised Italian nursemaids who were tasked with bringing up Otto and Edmund. She has stayed on, apparently sacrificing herself to the family. She harbours a secret yearning, sublimated for years, but which is finally satisfied.
 * David Levkin – (Otto's apprentice) puckish, devious, amoral and provocateur. David, like Maggie, is the last in a line, in his case of thieving and untalented apprentices to Otto. He has first seduced Isabel and then, to torture her, done the same to her daughter Flora. He deceives for his own perverse sense of pleasure, but finally is shocked into maturity.
 * Elsa Levkin – (David's sister) promiscuous, earthy, and apparently insane and delusional. Elsa appears to be an irrational being driven by sensuous appetites and curiously intense and imaginative self-delusions. Much of this is David's manipulation of others' perceptions of her. We never quite know what drives Elsa, other than a profound despair at the loss of Otto.

Major themes
The major theme of The Italian Girl is that of resolution and redemption. The final chapters of the book are so heavily steeped in this theme that they have the flavour of a morality play. Good replaces evil. Solutions appear to be problems, and characters develop extra dimensions that enable them to cope, perhaps even to thrive. Secrets are revealed, honesty pervades. A claustrophobic convergence is replaced by divergence and optimism. Characters even set off to romantic or familiar destinations.

Adaptations
The Italian Girl was adapted for the stage by James Saunders, in collaboration with Iris Murdoch. It was first performed at the Bristol Old Vic on 29 November 1967, directed by Val May. The same production opened on 1 February 1968 at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End, where it ran for 315 performances.

In March 2019, the London-based production company Rebel Republic Films announced that it had optioned The Italian Girl and was developing a screenplay based on the book.

title: The Italian Girl


text:
Prince (album)

Prince is the second studio album by the American musician Prince. It was released on October 19, 1979, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince. Overall, Prince was regarded as more diverse than For You (1978), and performed better critically and commercially. Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "This boy is going to be a big star, and he deserves it".

Prince peaked at 22 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Billboard R&B Chart. The album contained three Billboard Hot Black Singles hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?", "Sexy Dancer" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover". "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was Prince's first hit single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eleven while also topping the Billboard Hot Black Singles. Prince was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) four months after its release.

Background
The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince. On the album credits, Prince thanks his bassist André Cymone and drummer Bobby Z. as "heaven-sent helpers".

Prince recorded the album in five weeks, after Warner Bros. asked for a follow-up to his 1978 debut, For You. Prince had used twice his initial recording advance on that album, and it had failed to generate a pop hit (although "Soft and Wet" became a No. 12 R&B hit). Displeased at his lack of success, Prince quickly recorded the follow-up.

2019
On October 19, 2019, Prince's estate released an acoustic demo version of "I Feel for You" as a single to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Prince album release.

Critical reception
Overall, the album was much more diverse and well-received than For You, critically and commercially, selling three million copies. It is notable for containing standard R&B ballads performed by Prince, before he would go on to establish himself with sexual romps on later albums. The album was certified platinum and contained three R&B/dance hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?", "Sexy Dancer" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover." "I Wanna Be Your Lover" sold over one million copies and received a gold disc, rushing to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 (becoming Prince's first hit single) and topped the R&B charts. In addition, it peaked at No. 41 in the United Kingdom (his first entry in the country) and reached number 2 on the Billboard Dance/Disco Singles chart. Prince performed both "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" on American Bandstand on 26 January 1980. Overall, the success of this album geared Prince towards his next album, Dirty Mind, which would be called a complete departure from his earlier sound.

Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "This boy is going to be a big star, and he deserves it—he's got a great line. 'I want to come inside you' is good enough, but (in a different song) the simple 'I'm physically attracted to you' sets new standards of 'naive,' winning candor. The vulnerable teen-macho falsetto idea is pretty good too. But he does leave something to be desired in the depth-of-feeling department—you know, soul."

Singles

 * "I Wanna Be Your Lover" b/w "My Love Is Forever" (US number 11, US R&B number 1, US Dance number 2, UK number 41)
 * "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" b/w "Baby" (US R&B number 13)
 * "Still Waiting" b/w "Bambi" (US R&B number 65)
 * "Sexy Dancer" b/w "Bambi"/"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" (UK and Japan Only US Dance number 2)

Personnel

 * Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, Oberheim 4-Voice, Yamaha cs80, Polymoog, Minimoog, ARP String Ensemble, clavinet, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, bass guitar, drums, Pollard Syndrums, percussion, producer, arranger, remixer
 * André Cymone – backing vocals (2) (uncredited)

Technical
 * Gary Brandt – engineer
 * Mark Ettel – assistant engineer
 * Bob Mockler – remixer
 * Bernie Grundman – mastering (A&M)
 * Lynn Barron – album design (RIA Images)
 * George Chacon – album design (RIA Images)
 * Jurgen Reisch – photography (front cover)
 * Chris Callis – photography (back cover)
 * Terry Taylor – calligraphy

title: Prince (album)


text:
Spencers Wood

Spencers Wood is a village in the Borough of Wokingham, Berkshire, England, 4 mi south of Reading. The village of Three Mile Cross adjoins it to the north, and both form part of the civil parish of Shinfield.

Basingstoke Road, the historic main road between Reading and Basingstoke, runs through the village, though it has been bypassed by the A33 to the east, which separates Spencers Wood from Grazeley.

History
The earliest confirmed reference to the name 'Spencers Wood' dates from 1500, when a man named John Blunt left 3s 4d for the repair of a road through the wood called Spencers Wood. The name of the wood may derive from the le Despencer family — a Norman family – who held half a knight's fee in Swallowfield in the 13th century, but there is no confirmed documentary evidence for this. Before that, the area was probably part of the Royal Forest (Windsor Great Park). By 1761 when John Roque published his map of Berkshire, there was no wood as such.

There was instead a common – one of a series of commons and greens south of Reading – and on the Ordnance Survey maps of the later nineteenth century, the area is referred to as 'Spencerswood Common', even though the common had by then been enclosed. The area from Three Mile Cross to the boundary with Hampshire beyond Riseley, including part of Swallowfield – Part Lane in Swallowfield marks the partition – was until 1844 a detached portion of Wiltshire. (In the 13th century, Spencers Wood was administered by William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury and his court in Amesbury. ) On 20 October 1844 in the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 the area became part of Berkshire.

Around 1816 a non-conformist chapel (Congregational) was built near the corner of Hyde End Road and Basingstoke Road, set back from the road near the fourth mile post from Reading on the Reading to Basingstoke turnpike. In 1905 it was replaced by a new larger church (nearer the road), which, due to falling attendances, closed in 1999 and was subsequently converted into apartments. In the late nineteenth century this was the only church in the village and, with its Institute serving as a village hall, tennis courts etc., provided a focus for social activity in the village.

After the common was enclosed
By 1864 all of the common land had been enclosed. On the west side of Basingstoke Road, north of Beech Hill Road, two gentlemen established country estates: the local philanthropist Frederick Allfrey, who built Stanbury (where Wellington Court now is) and William Merry, who was a County magistrate and a visiting magistrate to Reading Gaol, as well as Secretary at War Lord Palmerston's private secretary from 1812 to 1828. The open area in front of Merry's house, Highlands, is still known as 'the Common'. The east side of Basingstoke Road was divided among many owners, who progressively sold off the land for development.

By 1880, Spencers Wood had become a thriving village with a population of 600, of whom 200 were children. Most of the adults worked in the fields or were in domestic service. Victorian and Edwardian style houses were built along the Basingstoke Road using bricks baked at the local Swain family kiln. The Square became the heart of the village during this building period, and many of these houses still stand. In 1890 Frederick Allfrey built an Infants' School opposite the end of Hyde End Road. It closed as a school in 1915, as both Lambs Lane and Ryeish Green schools were open by then. The building continued to be used for educational purposes, but since the 1970s has been used as a library.

In spite of its growth, Spencers Wood was still split between the ecclesiastical parishes of Shinfield, Swallowfield and Grazeley. This changed in 1908 when the Church of St Michael and All Angels was consecrated. The ecclesiastical parish of Spencers Wood was created five years later, although some parts of the village remained in the parish of Grazeley. In 2004 the parishes of Spencers Wood and Grazeley with Beech Hill were united under a single PCC, and the same year became part of the United Benefice of Loddon Reach. Also in 1908, Lambs Lane school opened, ending the need for older children to walk to Swallowfield's Russell Hall, Shinfield or Grazeley School. The Arts and Crafts-style Village Hall was opened in 1911 and is run by a board of trustees on behalf of the village inhabitants.

World War Two
Spencers Wood, being a rural community, was unaffected by the Blitz. Few German bombs fell in the area, which was just as well as the village had no air-raid shelters. One German plane was shot down locally. Rationing also had little effect on the village since a majority of villagers were too poor to notice a real reduction in goods. Food was grown and caught locally as part of the dig for victory programme and the black-market was able to supply all excess demand. The main impact of the war was the influx of people.

Two coaches of evacuees arrived in the village in September 1939. Evacuee children and local children were educated separately until Christmas 1939. Canadian forces were stationed at Stanbury (where Wellington Court now is) for a while, and a small POW camp was opened there after the Canadians relocated. Some POWs helped on the local farms. The village hall served as the Local Defence Volunteers headquarters. Basingstoke Road was the main road to Aldershot, and frequent troop convoys ran through the village. After the war, many soldiers, evacuees and prisoners of war decided to settle in the village.

Recent history
The first street lighting in the village was installed after the war. In 1954, Spencers Wood Women's Institute was formed. It closed in the mid-1980s. In the 1960s, the M4 Motorway was built and became a man-made barrier between the village and Reading. In the 1980s, the A33 Swallowfield Bypass severed roads to the village of Grazeley lying to the East.

Village services

 * The local library is part of Wokingham Borough Council's Libraries. The building was originally an infants' school (opened in 1890).
 * The village post office is on the Basingstoke Road. It has been a post office since 1885, and was a manual telephone exchange until 1934. The oldest surviving postbox in the village dates from King George V's reign.

title: Spencers Wood


text:
Koha

Koha may refer to:

 * Koha (custom), a New Zealand Māori custom of gift giving
 * Koha (software), an open-source integrated library system
 * Koha, Iran, a village
 * Kalju Koha, Estonian politician
 * Koharu Kusumi, a Japanese pop singer
 * KOHA-LD, a low-power television station (channel 27) licensed to serve Omaha, Nebraska, United States

title: Koha


text:
Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain (at Westminster) from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (also Westminster) from 1801 to 1950.

Creation
The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland shire constituency of Dunbartonshire.

History
The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system until the seat was split in 1950. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Boundaries
The constituency was created to cover the county of Dumbarton (later Dunbarton) minus any parliamentary burgh or part thereof within the county. From 1832 to 1918, however, under the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 and the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the boundaries of counties and burghs for purposes of parliamentary representation were not necessarily those for other purposes.

The Representation of the People Act 1918 brought constituency boundaries generally into alignment with local government boundaries established under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and subsequent related legislation, but there were later changes to local government boundaries which were not reflected in new constituency boundaries until 1950, the same year that the Dunbartonshire constituency was abolished, under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949.

For the period 1832 to 1918 boundary details below are nominal, and for the period 1918 to 1950 they are those applicable in 1918.

For the 1708 (first) general election and every subsequent election of the Parliament of Great Britain the Dumbartonshire constituency consisted of the county of Dumbarton minus the burgh of Dumbarton, which was a component of the Clyde Burghs constituency.

In 1801 the Parliament of Great Britain was merged with the Parliament of Ireland to form the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Dumbartonshire constituency retained its boundaries as a constituency of the Parliament of Great Britain for the 1802 (first) general election of the new parliament and for the general elections of 1806, 1807, 1812, 1818, 1820, 1826, 1830 and 1831.

Nominally, the constituency had the same boundaries for the 1832 general election, but the burgh of Dumbarton was now a component of Kilmarnock Burghs. 1832 boundaries were used also in all general elections up to December 1910.

For the 1918 general election the constituency was defined as covering the county of Dunbarton minus the burghs of Dumbarton and Clydebank, which comprised Dumbarton Burghs. 1918 boundaries were used also in all general elections up to 1945.

For the 1950 general election new constituency boundaries divided the county of Dunbarton between the East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire constituencies, both entirely within the county.

Elections in the 1860s
A petition was lodged in this election, against Stirling, but was later withdrawn after he decided not to defend his claim to the seat, allowing Smollett to be declared duly elected.


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History of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (1954–present)

The History of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (1954–present) encompasses the History of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt from its suppression under Nasser to its formation into the largest opposition bloc in the Egyptian parliament. The Brotherhood operates under the slogan "Islam Is the Solution," and aims to establish a democratically introduced civic Islamic state. It has been described as "a deeply entrenched force, with hundreds of thousands of members and affiliates across the Middle East".

The Brotherhood under Nasser, 1954–1970
Throughout the rule of Gamal 'Abd al-Nasser in Egypt, after many assassination attempts and terrorist plots against the State many members of the Muslim Brotherhood were held in concentration camps, where they were tortured. Those who escaped arrest went into hiding, both in Egypt and in other countries. One of those tortured was Sayyid Qutb, former editor of the Society's newspaper, a prolific writer of fiction, literary criticism and articles on political and social issues, and author of the bestseller Social Justice in Islam, which set out the principles of an Islamic socialism. He became the Brotherhood's most influential thinker for a time, and in 1959 the organisation's General Guide, Hassan Isam'il al-Hudaybi, gave him responsibility for the Brothers detained in prisons and concentration camps. Qutb attempted to interpret the situation in the camps in Islamic terms; these reflections, which he circulated as commentaries on passages from the Qur'an, came to encompass an analysis of the regime that meted out such barbarous treatment to its prisoners.

Outside the prisons, those Brothers who had gone underground began to reorganise. In 1956, those who had been imprisoned but not judged were released. Zaynab al-Ghazali, head of the Association of Muslim Women, organised charitable work to meet the basic needs of these now-impoverished Brothers. Along with Brotherhood leader 'Abd al Fattah Isma'il, she went on to play a key role in rebuilding the organisation. While Al-Ghazali's focus was on Islamic education, other autonomous groups of Brothers also appeared, who were impatient to avenge the suppression of the Brotherhood in 1954. They found the analytical framework and political programme they were looking for in Qutb's writings, which were circulated by Al-Ghazali and in which his assessment of the Nasser regime, and of the way in which it could be overcome, was gradually taking shape.

In 1964, Qutb was released for several months, and his book Milestones was published; it was reprinted five times in six months. In it, Qutb argued that humanity was in the midst of a profound crisis caused by the failure to adopt a value system that could allow human beings to live in harmony; the threat of nuclear war was a symptom of this ailment. The value systems that dominated the world had failed to live up to their promises. The Western world's concept of democracy, based on an individualistic ideology, had led to vast social injustice, colonialism and the domination of human beings by capital. In the Eastern Bloc, collectivist ideology had failed as well: Marxism had lost touch with its original principles, and had become the ideology of oppressive states. Qutb saw Islam as the solution to humanity's predicament: the entire world (including Egypt) was living in a state of jahiliyya, which can be roughly translated as a way of life characterised by ignorant hostility towards god's will. In particular, human beings erred in allowing themselves to establish their own value systems, instead of accepting god's sovereignty.

Although the theme of the failure of both capitalism and socialism was not new in the Brotherhood's discourse, the application of the concept of jahiliyya to Egyptian society represented an innovation, motivated in part by Qutb's personal experience of the brutality of what had become a totalitarian state.

In order to play its proper role, Islam needed to find tangible expression in an Ummah, a society of people whose lives were fully in accord with Islamic ethics. A vanguard of believers was needed to begin creating the Ummah, which would then grow until it encompassed the entire world. Qutb meant for his book to provide "milestones" tracing the path that this vanguard should follow. Faced with a totalitarian state, he advised them to prepare a jihad whose military aspect went beyond self-defence, and aimed to overthrow those who had usurped the sovereignty that should be God's alone. Qutb's view was that this preparation would take up to fifteen years.

Milestones gave rise to debates within the Brotherhood between young activists who favoured an immediate coup, and more experienced members such as Zaynab al-Ghazali, who took the view that the organisation should limit itself, for decades if need be, to educational work until it had 75% of the population on its side. In August 1965, the government claimed to have discovered that the Brotherhood was organising a huge revolutionary plot. About 18,000 people were arrested, 100–200 were imprisoned, and 38 of these were killed in custody during the investigation. The police made systematic use of torture during interrogations; many, including Sayyid Qutb and Zaynab al-Ghazali, were tortured for months. The police destroyed the village of Kardasa, where the police believed a suspect was hiding, and arrested and tortured its entire population. Raids throughout Egypt were accompanied by an intense media campaign against the Brotherhood. On the basis of confessions obtained under torture, Qutb and two other Brothers were hanged in August 1966. In the 1970s, it emerged that the plot had probably been fabricated by the security services as part of a conflict between different factions within the regime.

After Qutb's death, his ideas remained influential but controversial within the Brotherhood. Some of the younger Brothers interpreted Qutb's analysis to mean that anyone who failed to revolt against a tyrannical regime, or whose government was not based on Islamic law, should be regarded as excommunicated; they saw this as a justification of a revolutionary strategy. The Brotherhood's leadership, which favoured a reformist approach, disagreed, pointing out that it is sufficient to utter a profession of faith twice in order to become a Muslim, and that though there are Muslims who sin, this is not considered grounds for excommunication. In contrast to those young Brothers who advocated revolution, the leadership maintained the view that the organisation should rely on educational work in order to reform Egyptian society. This policy, which has characterised the Brotherhood ever since, earned it the scorn of revolutionary Islamic militant groups.

The Brotherhood Under Sadat, 1970–1981
Nasser's successor, Anwar al-Sadat, introduced a policy of economic liberalisation and, to a much lesser extent, political liberalisation. In 1971 the concentration camps were closed, and the regime began to gradually release the imprisoned Brothers, though the organisation itself remained illegal; the last of those still behind bars regained their freedom in the general amnesty of 1975. The Brotherhood did not officially designate a new General Guide after Hudaybi's death in 1973; Umar Talmasani became its most prominent spokesperson. Although the organisation refused to give its allegiance to Sadat, its critics on the Egyptian left chastised it for not taking a clear stand against the regime and against economic inequality. Its members came to include many successful businessmen who had profited from Sadat's free-market economic policies (infitah).

The Brotherhood's main political demand during this period was the application of shari'a law; the government responded by initiating a lengthy review of all Egyptian law to determine how best to harmonise it with shari'a. In 1980, the constitution was amended to state that shari'a "is the main source of all legislation".

Another important objective for the Brotherhood was to persuade the government to allow it to operate legally and to act as a political party, whose representatives would stand for office in Parliament. This request was not granted, and the Political Parties Law of 1977 specifically prohibited parties based on religious affiliation. However, the Brotherhood was tolerated to an extent, and in 1976 it was allowed to publish its monthly newspaper, Al-Da'wa ("The Invitation to Islam"), whose circulation is estimated to have reached 100,000 before it was shut down in 1981.

Al-Da'wa often focused on the problem of Palestine; its editors disapproved of the Camp David accords of 1978 and the peace treaty signed by Egypt and Israel in 1979, arguing that Israel would never accept a peaceful and just solution to the conflict. Articles in Al-Da'wa tended to portray all Jews, whether Israeli or not, as inherently untrustworthy and guilty of the injustice endured by the Palestinians, and repeated myths typical of anti-Semitic texts. At the same time, and often in the same articles, the paper continued to reject Arab nationalism. The editors also condemned Christian evangelism, communism and secularism.

Scholars differ on the Brotherhood's influence on Egyptian politics in the 1970s, but it seems clear that other Islamic political movements came to play a more important role. After Egypt's defeat in the 1967 war with Israel, students and workers had protested against the regime's failure to take responsibility for the defeat, and began to call for a more democratic political system. The broad student movement which took shape was at first mainly secular in nature, but student Islamic groups gradually came to the fore, thanks to their ability to implement practical solutions to problems faced by students in their daily life (such as severe overcrowding), by means of the national student union in which they were increasingly elected to positions of responsibility. When Sadat's economic policies caused severe price increases for basic necessities and appalling degradations in public services (leading to huge riots in January 1977), these groups gained influence outside universities as well. Al-Da'wa supported the student Islamic movement, and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood were invited to speak at large, festive gatherings organised by student groups on Islamic holidays. When the government began to obstruct the student movement, and then to attack it using riot police, the Brotherhood's relations with the government soured as well.

The Brotherhood's spokespeople consistently rejected the revolutionary and terrorist violence of the militant Islamic groups that appeared in Egypt during the 1970s (such as Al-Jihad, which assassinated Sadat in October 1981). At the same time, they argued that increasingly brutal police persecution was largely to blame for this radicalisation, and that if the Brotherhood were legalised, it would be able to help prevent extremism by providing Islamic education to young people. These arguments fell on deaf ears; in the months before his assassination, while his popularity was plummeting, Sadat ordered massive arrests among all opposition forces, including the Brotherhood. The arrested Brothers were released in January 1982, having been cleared of any wrongdoing.

The Brotherhood Under Mubarak, 1981–2011
During the presidency of Hosni Mubarak, who succeeded Sadat in 1981 and remained in power until 2011, the Brotherhood's relations with the government are still essentially what they were under Sadat: the Brotherhood is tolerated to a degree, but is officially illegal, is not allowed to distribute literature or assemble in public, and is subject to periodic arrests. It has nevertheless published two newspapers (Liwa' al-islam, "The Banner of Islam", and al-I'tisam, "Adherence"), maintained regional and national offices and made public statements, and books by prominent Brothers are sold in bookshops. The Brotherhood has held to its reformist outlook, pursuing a long-term, gradualist approach to the establishment of an Islamic state with popular consent, by reforming society from the bottom up, using persuasion and other nonviolent means.

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has faced significant repression, with many leaders imprisoned and assets seized. Former President Morsi, who was ousted from power, died in 2019 after being denied medical care in custody. This has limited the group's political and civic participation, potentially pushing some members toward radical factions and violence. While Qatar and Turkey have cultivated ties with the Brotherhood and its offshoots, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have sought to suppress such movements. They advocate for a broad U.S. terrorist designation, despite the Brotherhood's reduced influence over its diffuse network, which comprises various movements and parties.

Despite being outlawed, the Brotherhood has been able to take advantage of political and social developments in Egypt to increase its membership and influence. Egypt's emergency law imposes drastic limits on legal political opposition, and it is widely believed that elections are routinely rigged in favour of the government. However, Islamic charitable organisations and private mosques have flourished; though many of these organisations are apolitical, it is largely within this decentralised network of associations, which pursue different agendas and enjoy different degrees of autonomy from the state, that dissent has found expression. There is also anecdotal evidence that Islamic activists have gained some influence within the state bureaucracy, and that their supporters include many doctors, teachers and administrators. The Muslim Brotherhood has benefited from these developments more than any other Islamic political group, thanks in part to the energetic efforts of a cadre of experienced activists in their thirties and forties, who had honed their skills in the student movement under Sadat and joined the Brotherhood after graduation.

The Brotherhood has been particularly successful at recruiting young people, including university students and recent graduates. Jobs, material goods, and the money needed for a conventional wedding have been increasingly out of reach for young Egyptians, and rampant corruption and a closed, authoritarian political system have bred alienation (ightirab) and despair. The Islamic revival offers a way of life in which young people can be respected for their piety and Islamic learning rather than for their titles or wealth, and in which it is considered admirable to live simply. The view that it is the duty of every Muslim to be involved in political and social reform (which the Brotherhood particularly emphasises) acts as an antidote to political alienation and defeatism, enabling young people to feel more optimistic about the future. Women from lower-middle-class backgrounds have found that stricter religious observance gives them increased respectability, enabling them to disregard other social codes that would otherwise limit their options in areas such as education, career and marriage. Young people's work in the Brotherhood includes organising Islamic seminars and plays, supporting Brotherhood candidates in elections in student unions, professional associations and parliament, and participating in demonstrations.

1980s
In the 1980s and early 1990s, more and more of the members of Egypt's leading professional associations were economically disadvantaged university graduates; their votes helped Brotherhood candidates gain large majorities on the executive boards of several of these associations, such as those representing lawyers, doctors, pharmacists, scientists and engineers, defeating government, secular, and militant Islamic candidates in open, competitive elections. Under Brotherhood leadership, several professional associations set up programmes to help remedy practical difficulties faced by young graduates, offering health insurance, low-interest loans and training to fill in the gaps left by inadequate university courses. However, the limited resources available to professional associations did not enable these programmes to have a significant effect, and the Brotherhood's success in this arena was due more to voters' perception of its candidates as honest and motivated by a sense of civic duty, in contrast to the corruption that has often characterised professional associations. These associations gave the Brotherhood a platform from which to criticise Egypt's lack of free parliamentary and presidential elections and the use of torture in prisons, and to call for the repeal of the emergency law.

Parliamentary elections, though largely closed to opposition, give some indication of the Brotherhood's popularity under Mubarak. In the 1984 elections, the Brotherhood was allowed to run candidates for the Wafd party. In 1987 it was permitted to repeat the experiment, this time switching to the Labour Party. In both cases, the party aligned with the Brotherhood received more votes than all the other opposition parties combined.

1990s
Starting in about 1992, the government again resorted to repressive measures to stem the Brotherhood's increasing influence. In 1993, professional associations were placed under direct state control. In 1995 and 1996, over a thousand Brothers were arrested. Several were convicted by military tribunals to several years of hard labour; the main charge was that the accused were members of an illegal organisation that planned to overthrow the government. At the same time, the government directed a huge media campaign against the Brotherhood, accusing it of being a terrorist group. This reaction can best be explained as an effort to stave off a nonviolent, popular challenge to the regime's power, by preventing the Brotherhood from participating in elections. Similarly, in 1998, hundreds of student Islamic activists were arrested just before student union elections. The Brotherhood was particularly vulnerable to this crackdown because of its lack of support among the upper middle classes, industrial workers, and the poorest and least educated segments of Egyptian society.

Increased government repression led to a conflict between the Brotherhood's "old guard", which dominated its Guidance Bureau, and its middle generation of leaders, who favoured cooperation with other political trends, a more open internal debate on political issues, a more concerted effort to gain legality for the organisation and a more liberal interpretation of Islam.

On 20 January 1996, Hamid Abu an-Nasr, the General Leader of Egypt's MB died. His successor was MB first deputy, Mustafa Mashhur, who had been "an active member of the underground secret apparatus (al-Jihaz al-Sirri)" as a youth. He had spent a total of 16 years in prison and was considered a hard liner. The Egyptian interior minister, Hasan al-Alfi, responded with a threatening speech and shortly after a raid on the MB central offices and the arrest of 46 members.

Also that year, to the dismay of the Brotherhood's senior leadership, a group of prominent middle-generation leaders left the Brotherhood and joined with several Copts to form a new political party, called Wasat ("Centre"), intended to represent "a civic platform based on the Islamic faith, which believes in pluralism and the alternation of power". The Wasat Party has won the support of some well-known secular intellectuals, but its repeated requests to become a legal political party have been denied.

2000 elections
After a period of soul-searching and retrenchment, the Brotherhood has made a comeback in recent years, as its middle-generation leaders have become more influential within the organisation. In 2000, the Brotherhood ran 76 parliamentary candidates as independents (including one woman, Gihan al-Halafawi, whose victory in her district was disqualified when the government cancelled the election there), and won 17 seats (as many as all the other opposition parties combined), despite the government's strenuous media campaign against it and the arrest of several of its candidates shortly before the vote. In 2001, the Lawyers' Association held open elections for its executive board for the first time in five years; in order to avoid embarrassing the regime, the Brotherhood chose to contest only a third of the seats, and won all of those.

In its public statements, the Brotherhood has shed the religious intolerance and anti-Semitism expressed in its newspaper in the 1970s. In recent years its spokespeople have said that Copts are welcome to join the organisation (noting that Hassan al-Banna had two Copts as his assistants, and was known for his lack of prejudice towards Copts); Mohammad Mahdi Akef, who became the Brotherhood's General Guide in 2004 at the age of 75 told Al-Jazeera in 2005:

Islam dignifies Christians and Jews and we hope they treat us the same way. The ignorance of people is what is causing a grudge among them and not their religion.

In recent years, the Brotherhood has frequently called for greater democracy in the Middle East. 'Abd al-Mun'im Abu-l-Futuh, one of the middle-generation leaders who is respected both in the Brotherhood and in the Wasat Party, told the International Crisis Group in 2004:

The absence of democracy is one of the main reasons for the crisis here, in Egypt and the Middle East. The Muslim Brothers believe that the Western governments are one of the main reasons for the lack of democracy in the region because they are supporting dictatorships in the Arab and Islamic region in general, despite the fact that it has been proved that the absence of democracy and freedom is the reason for terrorism and violence.

2005 election
In 2005, the Brotherhood began participating in pro-democracy demonstrations with the Egyptian Movement for Change (also known as Kifaya, "enough"), and many of the Brotherhood's members were arrested, over 700 in May 2005 alone.

In the 2005 parliamentary elections, the Brotherhood's candidates, who stood as independents, won 88 seats (20% of the total) to form the largest opposition bloc, despite many violations of the electoral process, including the arrest of hundreds of Brotherhood members. Meanwhile, the legal opposition parties won only 14 seats; this revived the debate among secularists and Coptics about whether is cause for worry over the rise of the Brotherhood.

Post-2005 election events
The Brotherhood made repeated calls for a more democratic political system in Egypt and participated in pro-democracy demonstrations with the Kifaya movement in 2005. Since 2005 Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt have also become a significant movement online. In 2006 Abdel Menem Mahmoud created the first publicly identified Brotherhood blog, Ana Ikhwan (http://ana-ikhwan.blogspot.com). In an article for Arab Media & Society (http://www.arabmediasociety.com), Courtney C. Radsch of American University explores how the Egyptian blogosphere expanded as many younger members followed suit, especially the activists who were sympathetic to Kefaya and members who wanted to be part of the discussion about the draft party platform. These "cyberactivists" are often critical of the organization, such as its rejection of women and Copts as being permitted to hold the presidency, and more liberal than their offline counterparts.

Its 2005 success provoked "a government counterattack" against the Brotherhood. Egypt's constitution was amended in 2007 in favor of registered parties and against independents, to the disadvantage of the officially outlawed Brethren which can only field candidates as independents. In 2008 the state disqualified most Brotherhood candidates in the local council elections. The Mubarak regime also launched a wave of arrests and military trials against the Brethren, "ensnared thousands of rank-and-file members," but also important leaders "who ran the financial apparatus that funnels millions of dollars in donations and investment proceeds into campaigning and social outreach." This has weakened the movement, as have some recent controversial positions of the Brotherhood. In 2007 it distributed a draft program for its proposed political party which called for a ban on women or Christians as Egypt's president, and for a special council of Islamic clerics to vet parliamentary legislation. During the 2008-9 Gaza War, some Brotherhood leaders called for Egyptians to go to Gaza and fight Israel, notwithstanding Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel.