title: Torsten Billman

text:
Torsten Edvard Billman (6 May 1909 – 6 April 1989) was a Swedish artist who worked as a printmaker, illustrator, and buon fresco painter. He counts as one of the 20th century's premier wood-engravers.

The poet Gunnar Ekelöf wrote about Torsten Billman: "To those, who with the word art visualise large, magnificent, 'striking' canvases Torsten Billman doesn't have not much to offer. His art serves the simple, neglected, homeless of existence. It features the fellows from the Nippon and other ships, marked by the hard life in ports as well as on board. His art shows the interiors of East End bars, where you get acquainted with the dark side of life. His art however isn't any 'social' art of the arrogant, placarding character there was so much of especially during the 1920s and 30s. It's social, not in attitude or trend, but with objectivity and revealing sharpness in the human portrayal that sometimes seems almost brutal - repulsive, but sadly true. Yet it's, however always carried by compassion. Never by sentimentality. This involves a simple statement of: 'Such is man'. But from the ravaged features, and the gout-ridden limbs stiff from work there's still a notion emanating of how man should look like and could look like."

Biography

Early years
Born in Kullavik, Sweden, Torsten Billman disliked school, with the drawing lessons as the only exception. During a drawing lesson with a substitute teacher Torsten had on a piece of blotting paper drawn a detailed composition, which was supposed to represent an Indian with his tent and utensils. "After the teacher had inspected the pictures produced by the class, Torsten was called to his desk. He expected a sympathetic judgment from the teacher; yes, he also hoped that he might impress a certain girl in the class. So he stepped forward fearlessly. He had hardly reached the plattform when he received such a box on the ear that he fell to the floor. As he crestfallen rose to return to his own desk he was further rebuked by the teacher, who ordered him immediately to fling the drawing in the red-hot stove." "It was my first vernissage", said Torsten Billman.

The father, Frans Ludwig Billman (1862–1930), was born in Berg' parish near Billingen. Here Torsten Billman's grandfather had worn himself out in the hell of a crofter's holding. Torsten's mother Maria (1870–1953), born Hultgren, came from Skövde. Both parents had grown up under very poor conditions in Västergötland. Frans Billman's great talent for tailoring allowed him, despite only 14 days of elementary school, go to Copenhagen and London to train himself to become a fine tailor. In the 1890s Frans and Maria moved to workingclass suburb Haga, Gothenburg. 1909 they moved, with their three-year-old daughter Ingegerd (b. 1906), to Kullavik (south of Gothenburg). In Kullavik Frans Billman opened his own tailor shop. Frans wished that Torsten also should become a tailor; so Torsten's artistic interest lay dormant after he finished school in 1924. Torsten also understood that the father got fewer and fewer customers, as more and more hand-tailors in the mid-1920s were knocked out by the expanding clothing industry. So for good reasons Torsten had no desire to become a tailor - he longed out, away!  What he looked for was both freedom and contact with human beings, work communion.

Years at sea
Billman was 17 years old when he in Stockholm, 1926, signed on SS Valencia; a cargo-boat plying the Mediterranean. He first worked as a deckhand; too young to sign up for a job in the engine department (under 18 years old). In 1927 he became a coal trimmer. His artistic awakening was on SS Nippon, in 1928, a bigger long-distance runner plying the Far East. With white school chalk he drew caricatures of his fellow seamen and officers on the soot-blackened walls and bulkheads of the stokehole. Drawings that evoked encouragement from the men in the forecastle and also from the officers. "That ship put my slumbering pictoral talent in motion. I documented and I stored images - this I understood afterwards", Billman recalls. After the next ship SS Nordic, early in 1929, he told his sister, Ingegerd, that he wanted to become an artist. He worked on five different merchant ships 1926-1929 and 1932 as a deckhand (1926–27), coal trimmer and stoker.

First woodcut
Torsten Billman's cousin on his mother's side Nils Svahn (1890–1936) was an editorial cartoonist at the newspaper Social-Demokraten, in Stockholm 1920–29. During Torsten's visit in Stockholm in the autumn of 1929, Nils explained a little about the woodcut for Torsten. Returned to Kullavik from military service in the Navy in Karlskrona, as a stoker on  1929–1930, he made his first woodcuts Hands (1930) and Thirst (1930) as an unemployed stoker. Billman had not been to any art museum or anything like that and he know nothing about woodcut technique, so his first wood engravings was cut out of the wood of a margarine case with an ordinary carpenter's knife. Artistically he was "the complete savage", but he became interested when he saw reproductions of Frans Masereel and Käthe Kollwitz and when he later saw lithographs by Honoré Daumier it was a stirring experience for him.

Images to union magazine
Torsten Billman's first published images (an ink drawing) was published in the November 1930 issue of the union magazine Eldaren (The Stoker). He also made a few covers for the union magazine Sjömannen (The Sailor). His very last work of art was the Christmas 1988 issue cover.

Art studies
Upon the recommendation of a German woman in Kullavik he gained admittance in 1931 to The Industrial Arts School in Gothenburg, with Hjalmar Eldh as a teacher. Billman studied book illustration at the school. A good example of woodcut making from this period is A Fiddlers Burial (1931), inspired by a poem from collection of verse Black Ballades by the Swedish poet Dan Andersson. He also made five linoleum cuts (linocut) with which he illustrated Upton Sinclair's novel Jimmie Higgins (unpublished illustrations). A sympathy for the little fellow and the underprivileged is a pervading characteristic of all his graphic work from that time on.

When Frans Billman died in 1930 the family had received some money on Frans' life insurance. During the second term at The Industrial Arts School Torsten Billman had no money left for the studies. One morning in April 1932, on the train from Kullavik to art school, Billman wrote to his sister about expensive water colours he can't afford to buy.

Billman tried to get work on a ship again. When he in the summer of 1932 signed on his last ship, SS  Marie, he had bought some sketchbooks so that he could draw during the trip. With these drawings he was accepted, in 1933, as a student at Valand School of Fine Arts in Gothenburg. The teacher Sigfrid Ullman (1886–1960) early discovered Torsten Billman. Under Sigfrid Ullman's direction he was able to work according to his own intuition, and here he came on an even keel again. Torsten Billman left Valand 1934, after only three terms.

Woodcuts made after the trip to Antwerp 1936
In the spring of 1936 the Swedish composer Gösta Nystroem, that was curator at Göteborgs Konsthall 1934–1936, organizes a scholarship to Billman. Billman was given the opportunity to study art in March and April in Antwerp. The journey gave inspiration for new motifs. But above all had the harbour environments strongly reminded him of his years as a sailor. Within a year after the trip he made some of his classic black and white woodcuts with sailor motifs such as: Through the Red Sea - Changing of the guard in the stokehole (1936) and The newly signed on sailors (1936), which is one of Billman's best-known woodcuts. About the woodcut Stoker watch goes over deck in the storm (1936/37) the artist said: "I remember the first scene I got inspiration from. It was when the watch came up and the boat was filled with water and there they stood up to their necks in water, so to speak. That I thought, I would try to portray. But it took many years. I had stored such motifs." "I've experienced all my images myself", Torsten Billman often underlined.

At the crossroads
Torsten Billman's girlfriend since 1933 (Valand School of Fine Art), Kristina Hedenström (b. 1910), traveled to Paris in March 1938 to study art. Billman visited Paris in May and September 1938, and he met Swedes who had participated in the Spanish Civil War. The impressions from the journeys through Nazi Germany by train was a confirmation that a new major European war was imminent. During the visit in September he realized that their relationship was over – Kristina's intention was to stay in Paris.

In March 1939 Billman traveled to London. He made drawings for newspapers in Gothenburg and also visited Tate Gallery and The British Museum. In London he entered a planned marriage of convenience with a Jewish woman from Germany who intended to flee via Sweden.

In mid-August 1939 Billman biked to Paris (from Gothenburg) to try to persuade Kristina to return to Sweden, when a major war in Europe seemed to be coming closer by the day. After a week in Paris World War II breaks out. The 10 September 700 Swedes were transported by train from Paris to Dieppe. From Dieppe they were evacuated by two Swedish hired boats – over mined waters – to Gothenburg. Kristina Hedenström never returned to Sweden. She died in Paris in November 1943 only 33 years old.

Anti-Nazi images
After the Valand period Billman worked sporadically as a drawer for Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning 1934–1940. The newspaper was led by the legendary editor-in-chief Torgny Segerstedt (1876–1945), which made the newspaper internationally known for his uncompromising anti-Nazi stance. Billman would later cooperate with Torgny Segerstedt's daughter the journalist and politician Ingrid Segerstedt Wiberg, which resulted in a buon fresco and a book etc.

From 1936 until 1945 Billman made images (inkdrawings and woodcuts) against fascism and Nazism. Not many newspapers dared to publish them. See: Satirarkivet, note 1.

Grisaille woodcuts 1940–45
In a letter of November 1937, to art historian Gunnar Jungmarker (1902–1983) at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Billman reveals that he is in an artistic crisis. The black and white woodcut restricts his expression - too brutal contrasts between black and white surfaces. It was not until 1940 he was able to present a woodcut with several grey tones, developed from the ordinary black printing ink. Jungmarker called this type of woodcut: grisaille woodcut. "Gris" from French for "grey". A time-consuming printing process, exclusively for handprinting, with several grey-wood blocks (1-4) aside from the black and white key block. These first free grisaille woodcuts (made before the work with Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment, in 1945) are based on self-perceived events for example from Billman's sailor years 1926–32, European travels 1936-39 and trips around Sweden during the war years. Some shining grisaille woodcuts are French Restaurant (1940), Artist Family (1941), Wilderness Kitchen (1942), Around a Guitar Player (1942), Stairway in the South (1942), Stormy Day, Dieppe sept. 1939 (1944) or Tropical Harbour (1945).

Book illustrator
Torsten Billman made a name for himself with the ink drawings he made in 1941–1943 to illustrate Harry Martinson's poetry collection Nomad (1931). Harry Martinson, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1974, like Billman had been through the mill and worked as a seaman. The illustrated edition, with some new poems, was published in 1943 by Albert Bonniers förlag in Stockholm.

Most impressive are his penetrating studies of the characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. Billman's illustrations was published by Bonniers in 1948 and 1980. This consist of some 40 grisaille woodcuts. Art critic Tord Baeckström in Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning wrote about the grisaille woodcuts: "Billman concentrates the expression of a picture with remarkable assurance - with a few jabs of his iron he can summerize a face which speaks the poet's own language, an interior that breathes a hopeless misery, or a suggestion of a wintry street scene so that one feels the pull of Dostoevsky's prose." The publisher, collector and art connoisseur Gerard Bonnier (1917-1987) said about Billman's Dostoevsky-images: "I find them to be some of the best book illustrations made in Sweden during the 1900s."

In 1970 Billman illustrated Georg Büchner's tragedy Woyzeck with 24 woodcuts - another high point among his literary illustrations. Woyzeck the little man who is completely at the mercy of his capricious and cruel masters. "Billman squarely places social responsibility on himself as an artist: He clearly sides with the underdog."

Buon fresco painter
Between 1943 and 1949 Billman made his largest buon frescoes, in scope and artistic quality. When Billman 1943 was asked, by the ombudsman Knut Ring at Swedish Seafarers' Union and the art historian Carl Nordenfalk at Gothenburg Museum of Art, if he wanted to carry out a buon fresco on two walls of 20 metres in the New Seamen Homes ceremonial room, Billman had just worked with woodcuts and small ink illustrations. But 1943 Billman start to work on his first buon fresco painting To Sailors - Workers at Sea (1944) in Seamen's Home in Gothenburg. Billman depicts coal trimmer and stoker down in coal bunkers and stokeholes with self-perceived realism, which has not been previously seen in buon frescoes. There are also events from World War II, for example when Nazi aircraft attacking a merchant ship etc.

Billman's fresco sketches for Development of Society was awarded first prize in Nationalmuseums major competition for public art in conjunction with the exhibition Good Art in Homes and Assembly Halls in Stockholm 1945. In 1947 the buon fresco was completed in The People's House in Gävle. The buon fresco portrays key processes in Swedish history, from the 1870s (Modern Breakthrough) to the end of World War II. Billman have placed the socialist agitator August Palm (1849–1922) in the center of the fresco as a criticism to the labour movement's establishment about their forgotten history and heritage. The two other main figures in the Gävle-fresco is the author August Strindberg, next to a scene from his novel The Red Room (Strindberg) and the publicist Torgny Segerstedt.

The buon fresco In Front of Smålands Taberg (1949) in The People's House in Norrahammar (outside Jönköping/Sweden) is Torsten Billman's work to the honour of labour. With realism, poetry and local colour Billman portrays a recognizable everyday work among the foundry workers in Norrahammar. In the 1950s Billman studied buon fresco painting during his travels in Italy.

Grisaille woodcuts after 1963
In 1963 Billman returns with his political satires Time Images. Billman had not made any "political" pictures since World War II. Billman use his developed grisaille-technique in prints such as: The Murder of Lee Oswald (1964), The Warren Commission (1964), Indian Appeals to Lincoln (1965), Mozart's funeral (1965), Party (1967) and Tear Gas in Paris (1968).

In The Murder of Lee Oswald and The Warren Commission Torsten Billman incisively commented events in the wake of the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. The Murder of Lee Oswald uncovers, in the condensed black satire, complex links people only could sense but, then, couldn't put into words. Two pictures – made when it happened – who went against the grain of mainstream media and which today has a prophetic force. Bertrand Russell wrote appreciatively to Torsten Billman about these two grisaille woodcuts.

He died on 6 April 1989 in Kungsbacka, Sweden.

Major literary illustrations

Ink drawings:
Harry Martinson, Nomad (poetry collection). Albert Bonniers förlag, Stockholm 1943.
Nils Ferlin, Goggles (poetry collection). Albert Bonniers förlag, Stockholm 1945.
B. Traven, The Death Ship. Bokförlaget Atlantis, Stockholm 1978. .
August Strindberg, Tales. Bokförlaget Atlantis, Stockholm 1979. .
Franz Kafka, The Castle (novel). Carlsson Bokförlag, Stockholm 1990. .

Grisaille woodcut:
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment. Albert Bonniers förlag, Stockholm 1948 and 1980 (new edition) .
Honoré de Balzac, Cousin Pons. Sällskapet Bokvännerna no. 54, Stockholm 1961.

Woodcut:
Georg Büchner, Woyzeck. Sällskapet Bokvännerna no. 88, Stockholm 1970.
Jean Bruller (Vercors), The Silence of the Sea. Sällskapet Bokvännerna no. 96, Stockholm 1975. .

Sources
 Gunnar Jungmarker, Torsten Billman. Folket i Builds Konstklubb, Svenska Mästargrafiker IV, Stockholm 1956.
 Dan Lennervald, Torsten Billman, bildmakaren (Torsten Billman, The Image Maker). Published by Halland Art Museum and The Workers' Educational Association in Sweden. Kungsbacka, Sweden 2010. .
 Küllike Montgomery, Torsten Billman. Bildförlaget Öppna Ögon, Stockholm 1986. .
 Leif Sjöberg, Torsten Billman and the Wood Engraver's Art. The American Scandinavian Review pp. 163–171, Vol. LXI, No. 2, June 1973, New York, N.Y. The American-Scandinavian Foundation.

References

Notes

Swedish printmakers
20th-century Swedish painters
20th-century Swiss male artists
Swedish male painters
Swedish illustrators
Swedish engravers
Swedish wood engravers
People from Kungsbacka
1909 births
1989 deaths
Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal
20th-century Swedish male artists
20th-century engravers


title: Maria Cristina Finucci

text:
Maria Cristina Finucci (; born 1956) is an artist, architect and designer based in Rome. She is the founder of the Garbage Patch State.

Biography
Finucci is married to the current Ambassador of Italy to the Holy See, Pietro Sebastiani. The couple has four children and four grandchildren.

She attended the University of Florence graduating magna cum laude, writing her thesis about Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

During her career as an architect, she has lived and worked in Moscow, New York, Paris, Brussels, and Madrid. Her projects have been published in various magazines and books. Her furniture designs have been exhibited at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. She has collaborated as a foreign correspondent to the architecture magazine Controspazio.

Her artistic research, started at a very young age, has encompassed painting, sculpture, architecture, design, video art, and film post-production. In 2010, her work was featured in a solo exhibition titled Paradigms at the Lu.CCA Museum.

The Garbage Patch State project

In 2013 she began her monumental artistic cycle named Wasteland, a transmedia project confronting the problem of the huge islands of plastic garbage spread through the oceans, such as the Pacific Trash Vortex. The idea was to make this "territory" into a federal state. "Since the Garbage Patch keeps on being ignored by public opinion mainly because it is not visible, I came up with the idea of creating a State out of these islands completely formed by plastic wastes whose surface amounts to around sixteen million square kilometers" stated the artist.

On 11 April 2013, with the General Director and other UNESCO authorities, Maria Cristina Finucci planted the flag of her new State and gave the inauguration speech of the Garbage Patch State. It marked the official beginning of the Wasteland cycle.

During the Venice Biennale of 2013, the Garbage Patch State, like the majority of other states, had its own pavilion in the yard of the Ca’ Foscari University. Thousands of colored plastic cups climbed over the walls surrounding the ancient building as if they were going to reach the lagoon.

In 2014 the Garbage Patch State went to Madrid for ARCO, the international art fair, with a public installation on Gran Vía. This work consisted of a "sheet" made out of plastic bottles containing flower sprouts, that at night lit up with camera flashes.

For the first National day of the Garbage Patch State, the artist inaugurated the first Embassy in the MAXXI Museum of Rome. She also realized a new installation consisting of a long plastic "wave" composed of thousands of fragments of recycled plastic bottles.

From September to October 2014 the Garbage Patch State was hosted in the UN headquarters in New York.

Among the collateral events of Milan EXPO 2015, the artist created a new installation "The Vortex", commissioned by Bracco Foundation. The Vortex is now part of the permanent collection of the Bracco Foundation.

In the same year, the hall of the High Level Conference Bluemed for climate in Venice hosted a mysterious animal formed by plastic wastes from the oceans, the Bluemedsaurus.

Crawling through the masses of wastes of the world, the plastic snake reached Paris to show itself to the heads of states present for the Climate Conference COP 21.

The Wasteland cycle continues on the island of Mozia (Trapani), with a monumental installation consisting of five millions of plastic cups contained in metallic cages. The structure, seen from above, forms the word HELP.

In June 2018, for World Oceans Day, Maria Cristina Finucci launched her latest work: a new HELP sign appeared in the Forum, Rome, as a sign of alarm to the millions of tourists visiting this famous archeological place.

Publications

Books

Articles
 [2003] "Fra architettura e scenografia. Allestimenti di Massimo Quendolo", Controspazio, n. 106;
 [2001] "Poesie e virtuosismo", Controspazio, n. 2, pp. 70–75
 [2000] "Xenia Pompeiana. Intervista a Luciano Cupelloni e Stefano De Caro", Controspazio, n. 4;
 [2000] "Nel cuore del tempo. Intervista a Giancarlo Barbato", Controspazio, n. 1;
 [1998] "Chiarezza e semplicita: lo studio Pagnamenta e Torriani a New York", Controspazio, n.1;
 [1997] "Renzo Piano per l'Atelier Brancusi", Controspazio, n.2;
 [1995] "Negozio Banana Republic", Controspazio, n. 4;
 [1994] "A colloquio con Giovanni Pasanella", Controspazio, n. 6;

Awards and honors
 Marisa Bellisario Prize - Lifetime Achievement Award "Golden Apple" [Premio Speciale Alla Carriera]
 International Civiltà dell’Acqua "Renzo Franzin" Award
 Award "R.O.S.A. Canova Club" XIV Edition 2018 "for results obtained without external help".
 Special prize "Anima per il sociale" 2018
 Award from "Club UNESCO Lucca" 2018 to education to sustainable development education.
 Innovation experience award "Angi" 2018
 On February 15, 2019, Finucci received an honor from the Italian Republic for her commitment in her artistic work dedicated to the environment.

Architecture Projects
 Sloane Gardens Apartment, London
 Apartment in Isernia, Italy
 Piazza Navona Penthouse, Rome
 Apartment on Rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame, Paris
 Duplex with views, Paris
 Chalet on the Periphery, Rome
 Palazzo in Circeo, Italy
 Apartment in Metropolitan Tower, New York City
 Testaccio Apartment, Rome
 Duplex on Rue Rouelle, Paris
 Apartment near Piazza Navona, Rome
 Piazza Navona Apartment, Rome
 Strozzi Farmhouse, Chianti, Italy
 Apartment Rue Jacob, Paris
 Prati Apartment, Rome
 Quai Saint-Michel Penthouse, Paris
 Lucardo Alto House, Chianti, Italy
 Farm in Capalbio, Italy
 Agricultural Complex, Chianti, Italy
 Townhouse at Colosseo, Rome

See also
 Garbage Patch State

References

External links

 Official Website
 Vimeo | Maria Cristina Finucci - Vimeo
 The Garbage Patch State

1956 births
Living people
Italian artists
Architects from Lucca


title: Erler

text:
Erler is a German surname.

People
 Alexander Erler (born 1997), Austrian tennis player
 David Erler (born 1981), German countertenor
 Dieter Erler (1939–1998), German footballer
 Dietmar Erler (born 1947), German footballer
 Fritz Erler (1868–1940), German painter and graphic designer
 Martin Erler, German philatelist
 Michaela Erler (born 1965), German handball player

Other

 Erler, Bismil
 Erler Film, a Turkish movie production company established in 1960
 Karl Erler, the pseudonym of Heinrich Laufenberg

German-language surnames
Surnames


title: Master of the Straus Madonna

text:
Master of the Straus Madonna (active c. 1385 – 1415), was an Italian painter.

Biography
He was active in Florence and is named after a depiction of a Madonna and Child donated by the Straus family to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He is possibly the same person as Cenni di Francesco di Ser Cenni.
One of the most individual and lyrical Late Gothic Tuscan painters, he bridges the gap between Agnolo Gaddi and Lorenzo Monaco. His slender, pale figures blend spiritual evanescence with Giottesque solidity of form and are at their most expressive in the Man of Sorrows with Instruments of the Passion of c. 1395 and the Annunciation of c. 1405 (both Florence, Accademia), in which a highly refined sense of design balances perfectly with a poetic and vivid sense of colour. Striking touches of realism, as seen in the cockerel of the Passion or Gabriel's lilies, enliven these scenes. The subtly modelled Virgin and Child with Two Angels in the church at Sagginale (nr Borgo San Lorenzo), originally flanked by Sts John the Baptist and Dominic (both Oxford, Christ Church Picture Gallery), is one of the Master's finest mature works. Like Starnina and influenced in part by Spinello Aretino and the Giottesque revival, his graceful yet quietly compelling figures were important for the generation of Masolino in the last years of the Late Gothic style.

References

14th-century Italian painters
15th-century Italian painters
Straus Madonna
Painters from Florence
1385 births


title: Tim Hope

text:
Tim Hope is a British director, performer and animator best known for his pop videos for Coldplay, R.E.M., Bingo Players and Captain Ango Pango, and his short film The Wolfman.   His pop video for the Coldplay song "Trouble" won him an MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction in 2002.  Combining live action and animation, he has created a unique body of work.

Biography
After completing a theology and philosophy degree, Tim Hope became a standup comedian, most notably as one half of the comedy techno band The Pod with comedian Julian Barratt.  Although Hope continues to work in comedy it is his animation work that earned him most attention, beginning with his multi-prize-winning manic short The Wolfman (British Animation Awards 2000: Public Choice and Best Animation at the Cutting Edge).

Since then, Hope has directed videos for Coldplay, Bingo Players, R.E.M., 1 Giant Leap, Jimmy Eat World, King Biscuit Time, Johnny Rzeznik, Robbie Williams, Thrice, and Steve Mason. He has also directed TV commercials for Compare the Market, Sony PlayStation, Comcast and Hewlett Packard. His short films include The Wolfman, Minema Cinema and The Savage Canvas.  He is represented by Passion Pictures.

Along with Andrew Bone, Tim Hope is the writer, performer and producer of The Tired Parents  currently available from Mumsnet.

References

External links
 Bingo Players ft Far East Movement “Get Up" (Director’s Cut)
 Comcast “Moving Room”
 Compare the Market "Sick Sergei"
 Sony PlayStation
 The Wolfman
 Coldplay "Trouble"
 Minema Cinema "Keep Going"
 Captain Ango Pango "If I Were A Woman"
 Passion Pictures: Tim Hope

Year of birth missing (living people)
British animators
British animated film directors
British television directors
English music video directors
Living people


title: Francisco Xavier Alvarado

text:
Francisco Xavier Alvarado Villazón (born 23 September 1978) was an elected Mexican Congressman from 2003 to 2009, he was affiliated with the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico before his resignation in 2006, after which he became an independent representative. He served as Congressman of the LIX Legislature of the Mexican Congress as a plurinominal representative. And later since 2006, as Congressman for the Federal District in Mexico. He holds a Master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

References

1978 births
Living people
Politicians from Campeche
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)
Ecologist Green Party of Mexico politicians
21st-century Mexican politicians
Deputies of the LIX Legislature of Mexico


title: Jonathan Shecter

text:
Jonathan Miles Shecter (born August 4, 1968), an American magazine editor and music promoter, is also known as "Shecky Green" and "J the Sultan." He is the co-founder of the music and culture magazine The Source, former Director of Programming for the Wynn Las Vegas, and current Editor-In-Chief for Cuepoint at Medium.

Early life
Shecter was born in Philadelphia and grew up in a Jewish family. He is a member of the Class of 1986 of Friends Select School, a college-preparatory, Quaker school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in Philadelphia. In 1986, he enrolled in Harvard College as an English major and graduated in 1990. During his 1988 sophomore year, he began overseeing a rap music radio show called Street Beat on Harvard College’s radio station, WHRB 95.3 FM, with his then roommate David M. Mays, To promote this radio show Shecter started The Source magazine as a newsletter, using an issue for his senior thesis, The Decade of Hip Hop.With high-school friend Kevin "Kevi-Kev" Krakower, he co-founded a rap group named Big Man on Campus. and they and produced their first single that same year.

Career

The Source
Shecter co-founded The Source magazine in 1988 in Cambridge, MA with his roommate David Mays initially as an effort to promote his rap music radio show on WHRB 95.3 FM.Often cited as “The Bible of Hip Hop,” the magazine devoted coverage to the rising rap and hip-hop music genres.Shecter served as editor-in-chief of The Source, while Mays handled publishing duties.The magazine's officers relocated to New York City in 1990 with the intention to expand the magazine into a mainstream market publication;-->Shecter brought on additional staff. Mays secured the magazine's first newsstand distribution agreement, and publication's distribution increased. Funding was via selling ad space, including to rap performer Christopher Wallace, also known as Notorious B.I.G. and performer/producer Sean John Combs.

Shecter left The Source magazine in 1995, which by then was recognized by Audit Bureau of Circulation..

Wynn (Las Vegas) Hotel: Entertainment director
In 2003 Shecter relocated from New York City to Las Vegas. where he was recognized as a dance music promoter and DJ representative.Shecter partnered with Ultra Music to create compilation albums for the Wynn's nightclubs Surrender, Encore Beach Club, and Andrea's Restaurant. These albums were sold through retail outlets inside the Wynn Las Vegas. He was instrumental in the development of a recording studio for the nightclub's resident DJs in late 2013.

Entrepreneur

Shecter had launched a number of companies after his departure from The Source magazine in 1995. and was also involved in the promotion of rapper Marshall Bruce Mathers III, also known as Eminem, early in his career.

Personal
Shecter has a sister, a half-brother, a son, and a niece and nephew.

References

1968 births
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American rappers
American magazine editors
American music industry executives
Businesspeople from New York City
Businesspeople from Philadelphia
East Coast hip hop musicians
Harvard University alumni
Journalists from Pennsylvania
Living people
People from the Las Vegas Valley
Rappers from Massachusetts


title: Cynometra grandiflora

text:
Cynometra grandiflora is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. It is a tree native to Fiji and Tonga.

References

grandiflora
Flora of Fiji
Flora of Tonga


title: José Irene Álvarez Ramos

text:
José Irene Álvarez Ramos (born 26 January 1955) is a Mexican politician affiliated with the National Action Party. He served as Deputy of the LIX Legislature of the Mexican Congress as a plurinominal representative, and previously served in the LVI Legislature of the Congress of Sonora.

References

1955 births
Living people
People from Navojoa
Politicians from Sonora
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)
National Action Party (Mexico) politicians
Members of the Congress of Sonora
21st-century Mexican politicians
National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni
Deputies of the LIX Legislature of Mexico


title: Captain Wronski

text:
Captain Wronski () is a 1954 West German spy film directed by Ulrich Erfurth and starring Willy Birgel, Elisabeth Flickenschildt, and Antje Weisgerber. A Polish officer works undercover in 1930s Berlin to discover Nazi Germany's plans against his homeland.

The film is very loosely based on 's book about Jerzy Sosnowski. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin with sets designed by the art director Fritz Maurischat. The casting of Birgel in the title role referenced his best-known performance during the Nazi era when he had played another Rittmeister in Riding for Germany (1941).

Cast

References

Bibliography

External links

1954 films
1950s spy drama films
German spy drama films
West German films
1950s German-language films
Films directed by Ulrich Erfurth
Films set in the 1930s
Films set in Berlin
Films set in Poland
Films about Nazi Germany
Films based on non-fiction books
Films shot at Tempelhof Studios
1954 drama films
German black-and-white films
1950s German films


title: SMPTE 2071

text:
SMPTE ST 2071 is a suite of standards published by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) that define a framework, protocol, and method of service discovery for the control of objects within an Internet of Things.  The standards focus on the interoperability and discoverability of objects within the network, and treat media as first-class citizen.  The standard also describes a programming methodology that allows objects to describe their behaviors (features) to other objects over the network and allows objects to change their behavior dynamically at runtime.  Application developers developing to the SMPTE ST 2071 standards focus on writing their applications to the behaviors they wish to support and not the object or class of object that implements those behaviors.

Media as a first-class citizen
The SMPTE ST 2071 standards define media as a first-class citizen, changing the focus from controlling devices and services to controlling media. This paradigm shift provides a more natural method of discovering, managing, and manipulating media as it harmonizes the way media is controlled with the way that it is conceptually perceived.

Features as first-class citizens
The SMPTE ST 2071 standards define a development methodology that elevates features to a first-class citizen status, allowing for those features to be decoupled from the objects that implement them.  The standard defines capabilities as uniquely identified features that may be defined through normative prose and/or interface definition languages, such as OMG IDL or WSDL, and consequently documented or registered within a repository to foster feature-level interoperability within heterogeneous environments.

Interoperability and new applications
The interoperable exchange of media requires common file formats, compression/encoding techniques, transport mechanisms, semantics, and a common means by which media can be discovered, located, accessed, and managed.  The SMPTE ST 2071 suite of standards defines an open protocol for the control of objects within an Internet of Things with provisions for the representation and control of media as a first-class citizen.  The SMPTE ST 2071 Media & Device Control standard also defines a new programming methodology by which complex behaviors can be modeled as sets of uniquely identified features, known as capabilities, and a framework by which the endpoints exposing these capabilities can be made discoverable.  As with media, SMPTE ST 2071 elevates capabilities (features) to a first-class citizen status, allowing for those capabilities to be decoupled from the objects that expose them.  This new methodology can be used to simplify existing applications by facilitating the discovery of media services within a local area network and/or the Cloud.  New applications may also be written to control mediacentric objects (devices and services) without forehand knowledge of the implementation of those objects.  Commands may also be embedded within media streams to facilitate the initiation of action within the receiving system if the capabilities are exposed by the receiving system or can be ignored if they are not.  This may prove useful for the control of objects on the receiving end, such as the control of tactile devices or some yet to be identified application.

Standards documents
 SMPTE ST 2071-1 – Media Device Control Framework standard defines a platform and application layer protocol agnostic framework for the control of devices and services on Internet Protocol networks.
 SMPTE ST 2071-2 – Media Device Control Protocol standard defines a WS-I Basic Profile 1.2 compliant Web Services protocol with provisions for IP traffic classification to help with the implementation of network-based QoS
 SMPTE ST 2071-3 – Media Device Control Discovery standard defines an application of the DNS-based Service Discovery protocol that is highly scalable, scaling from the smallest network to Internet scales using the DNS and adds support for the separation of the service discovery and name resolution DNS infrastructures. Thereby preventing service discovery operations from negatively impacting the performance of name resolution. Clients use the service discovery process to discover the URLs for each endpoint representing a uniquely identified feature, aka, Capability, that is registered for an implementing device or service.

References

Internet of things
Film and video technology
SMPTE standards


title: National Youth Council (Philippines)

text:
The aim of the National Youth Council (NYC) is to work with the Red Cross Youth Department to develop among the youth the spirit of humanitarianism and social service by giving them opportunities to participate in relevant Red Cross activities within the framework of the organization. The NYC is composed of nine (9) youth leaders, representing nine (9) different regional areas, elected during the National Youth Congress held every two years.

Objectives
 Work with the PRC Management in formulation of policies and programs concerning the youth and the National Society
 To serve as a focal point of coordination of the Chapter Youth Councils (CYC)
 To assist and advise the CYC in the development and promotion of RCY Programs

NYC Areas of Responsibilities

National Youth Council Presidents

National Youth Congress

National Youth Council Officers

1975-1976

1977-1978

1979-1981

1982-1983

1985-1987

1988-1990

1990-1992

1992-1994

1994-1996

1997-1998

1999-2000

2000-2002

2002-2005

2005-2007

2007-2009

2009-2011

2011-2013

2013-2014

2015

2015-2017

2017-2019

2019-2021

2021 - to present

References

External links
 Philippine Red Cross - Red Cross Youth Department
 RCY Volunteer Facebook
 Red Cross Youth Fan Page
 Red Cross Youth - Philippines Facebook Group

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
Youth organizations based in the Philippines


title: Fore River Generating Station

text:
The Fore River Generating Station is a power plant operated by Calpine Corporation since 2014 alongside Weymouth Fore River in Weymouth, Massachusetts. It operates two combustion turbines, two heat recovery steam generators and one steam turbine. The plant has a baseload capacity of 750 megawatts. The plant can run off either natural gas or ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel oil.

The current plant is on the site of the Edison Illuminating Company's Charles L. Edgar Station, built in 1923.

References

External links

Natural gas-fired power stations in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Weymouth, Massachusetts


title: Long Island PGA Championship

text:
The Long Island PGA Championship is a professional golf tournament played on Long Island, New York. It is sponsored by the Metropolitan section of the PGA of America. The current title of the event is the MasterCard Long Island PGA Championship.

History
During the first half of the tournament's history, Al Brosch had great success at the event, winning the event nine times. By the end of this period, the event was jokingly referred to as a "benefit" for Brosch as he so reliably picked up the first place cheque.

In 1975, it transformed into a match play event. The champion was exempt but otherwise the field was determined during a one-round qualifier. In 1978, the local supermarket King Kullen began sponsoring the tournament. They helped provide a record $10,000 purse. King Kullen became the title sponsor in 1980. The tournament has been subsequently sponsored by Union Savings Bank, TaylorMade, Cobra Golf, and Mastercard.

Winners

Source:

1 Borek defeated Wright on the first sudden-death playoff hole with a par

2 Brown (71) defeated Mayfield (73) in an 18-hole playoff

3 Cici (74) defeated Mallon (75) in an 18-hole playoff

4 Hines (73) and Klein (73) defeated Catropa (79) in the first 18-hole playoff. Hines defeated Klein in the second playoff

References

External links
PGA of America – Metropolitan section

Golf in New York (state)
Sports in Long Island
PGA of America sectional tournaments
Recurring sporting events established in 1935
1935 establishments in New York (state)


title: Chandrapura, Buxar, Bihar

text:
Chandrapura is a census village in Buxar district in the Indian state of bihar. It is situated near banks of the Ganga river Nanijor.Chandrapura is a village located in Brahmpur block of Buxar district in Bihar. It has total 766 families residing. Chandrapura has population of 5259 as per government records.

Administration
Chandrapura village is administrated by Mukhiya through its Gram Panchayat, who is elected representative of village as per constitution of India and Panchyati Raj Act.

Geography
Chandrapura is a village in Brahmpur Block in Buxar District of Bihar, India. It comes under mahuar Panchayath. It belongs to Patna Division. It is located 38 km towards East from District headquarters Buxar, 96 km from State capital Patna. Chandrapura is surrounded by Shahpur Block towards East, Chougain Block towards South, Behea Block towards East, Chakki Block towards East. Dumraon, Behea, Jagdispur and Ballia are the nearby Cities to Chandrpura. This Place is in the border of the Buxar District and Bhojpur District. Bhojpur District is in the East of this place.

Industris
Chandrapura has a music company. The name of this company is Dream Films. The owner of this company is Kamal Jee Mishra. This company is the most popular company of Bhojpuri music industry.

Transportation

Rail
Raghunathpur Railway Station and Veer Kunwar Singh Dharauli Halt are the very nearby railway stations to Chandrpura. Chandapura could be reached through Dumraon and Twining Ganj Railway Station. However Ballia Railway Station is a major railway station 26 km near to Chandrpura.

Road
Brahmpur, Dumraon, Jagdispur are the nearby by towns to Chandrpura having road connectivity to Chandrpura.

Culture
Like most cities and towns of the country, Chandrapura has a varied cultural diversity, owing to the various linguistic and cultural groups. Different festivals like Durga Puja, Diwali, Holi, Chhath Puja, as well as some native festivals.

Education

Colleges
 M.C. College, Chausa (Gola)
 Dandi Swami Sahjananad College, simri
 D.K.M. College, Dumri
 D.S.S.V. College Simari, Buxar
 L.B.T. College, Buxar

Schools
 Middle School, Chandrapura, Buxar, Bihar
 M.D.A.V Public School, Chandrapura, Buxar, Bihar
 Upgrade High School Mahuar, Buxar, Bihar
 Ganpati chakni high school, Chakni village, Buxar
 Middle School, Garhatha khurd, Brahampur, Buxar
 Primary School, Nimej, Brahampur, Buxar
 Girls Middle School, Nimej, Brahampur, Buxar
 Girls Primary School, Bagen, Brahampur, Buxar

References

External links
Villages in Buxar, Bihar

Villages in Buxar district


title: Njata, Malawi

text:
Njata is a small town in Malawi.

Populated places in Malawi


title: Do not buy Russian goods!

text:
"Do not buy Russian goods!" () or "Boycott Russian goods!" () is a nonviolent resistance campaign to boycott Russian commerce in Ukraine. The protest started on 14 August 2013 as a reaction to a Russian Federation trade embargo against Ukraine. It was organized by Vidsich on social media. The campaign expanded to mass distribution of leaflets, posters, and stickers in over 45 cities and towns. Having faded by the beginning of the Euromaidan demonstrations in November 2013, it was renewed on 2 March 2014, during the Crimean crisis and the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Causes

The campaign began as a response to a series of economic wars launched by Russia against Ukraine, including the "Meat War", the "Cheese War", and the "Chocolate War". On 14 August 2013, the Federal Customs Service of Russia listed all Ukrainian exporters as companies "at risk", resulting in a blockade of Ukrainian products imported to Russia. A backup developed at customs involving hundreds of truckloads and railcars of Ukrainian goods.

Boycotts

In Ukraine
On 22 August 2013, activists held a protest near the Presidential Administration of Ukraine. The campaign continued with a mass distribution of leaflets, posters and stickers in more than 45 cities and towns in Ukraine. Caricatures of Russian Matryoshka dolls have been used in the campaign. The campaign began to decline with the beginning of Euromaidan.

On 2 March 2014, activists used social networks to announce the renewal of the boycott on any goods and services that benefit Russian companies. The intention was to keep Ukrainian money from going to Russia where it could be used to support the Russian military. The boycott was launched in response to the Crimean crisis and the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.

In March 2014, activists began organizing flash mobs in supermarkets to urge customers not to buy Russian goods and to boycott Russian gas stations, banks, and concerts. In April 2014, some movie theaters in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa stopped showing Russian films.

By April 2014, some Russian manufacturers changed their barcodes from Russian to Ukrainian. Titled Boycott Invaders, an Android app was developed to identify products from Russia, including those disguising their origin.

In the summer of 2014, activists in Kyiv began organizing more flash mobs and other demonstrations in Russian restaurants and coffeehouses.

Towards the end of August 2014, activists started a campaign called "Boycott Russian Films" against Russian movies and serials on Ukrainian media space.

Andriy Dlihach, CEO of the "Advanter Group", urged consumers not to boycott Russian products, but to concentrate on buying Ukrainian goods instead.

On August 19, 2015, activists of the "Vidsich" movement threatened to launch a campaign to boycott Nestlé during a rally near the corporation's office in Kyiv. A discrimination case against a Ukrainian-speaking journalist who was not hired because of language requirements sparked the campaign. Activists also criticized that Nestlé still sold products manufactured by Russia in Ukraine. In September, flash mobs called "Russian Kills!" took place in Kyiv against these products.

International spread

Beginning in March 2014, the boycott spread to Poland and Lithuania.

Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, all major Danish supermarkets stopped selling Russian goods. In the United States, the states of New Hampshire and Ohio, where state governments control liquor sales, announced that they would remove Russian-made vodka from sale. Similar measures were also called for in Virginia. The Canadian province of Ontario also ordered Russian-made products removed from its Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores, with similar measures enacted in Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Banking
The US Department of State added many Russian banks to its sanction list  on February 24, 2023 in response to its aggression toward Ukraine. SWIFT, a key messaging tool for financial trading has disconnected Russia from its services as well. Sanctions have caused Russians to rely on their currency and experience long lines at ATM machines. No runs on banks have been reported. Those who rely on international travel have experienced inconvenience over the sanctions. Russian issued credit cards by Visa and Mastercard do not work. They rely on Mir.

Results
Sales of Russian goods in Ukraine decreased by 35–50% in the spring of 2014. In May 2014, Ukrainian supermarkets began to abandon the procurement of Russian goods. Delivery of goods from Russia fell by a third.

In April 2014, it was reported that producers from Russian Federation are changing Russian barcodes with barcodes of other countries. Moreover, there are revealed facts of illegal masking of Russian products in some Ukrainian supermarkets.

From January to May 2014, according to Standard & Poor's ratings, banks with Russian capital in Ukraine lost more than 50% of deposits.

According to comparison test of Russian TV series watching ratings in Ukraine for 2013 (sample by GfK) and for 2014 (sample by Nielsen), total ratings dropped by a third.

As of mid of May 2014, it is known that Ukrainian supermarkets have started to massively abandon purchases of Russian goods. Supply amounts from Russian Federation decreased by a third.

Public opinion
According to "Taylor Nelson Sofres" (TNS) Internet research in Ukraine, in March–April 2014 — 52% of Ukrainians were positive or "rather positive" about the boycott of Russian products. According to the survey, 39% of Ukrainians were involved in the boycott. A further survey campaign revealed that from July to August 2014, support for the boycott increased from 52% to 57%, and participation in the boycott increased from 40% to 46% of the population. According to data reported by TSN, in September 2014, 50% of Ukrainians had joined the boycott.

Criticism
The boycott was not supported by Ukrainian retail offices of "Auchan Ukraine" and "Metro Cash and Carry". The companies explained that this was due to their apolitical vision.

Ukrainian and Russian-speaking blogger Danylo Vakhovskyi said that he consciously uses Russian internet services and will continue to do so, because it is a way to support "the creation of a favorable environment for entrepreneurship" in Russia. Vakhovskyi admitted that such usage was "not patriotic", but still considered his support of entrepreneurs as providing opportunities to change the world for the better.

See also
 1933 anti-Nazi boycott
 Boycott Chinese products
 Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
 Boycotts of Japanese products
 Don't! Buy! Thai!
 Great American Boycott
 International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
 Magnitsky Act
 Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses
 Russian financial crisis (2014–2016)
 Russophobia

References

External links

 Дамо відсіч зазіханням Росії на Україну. Official page of campaign on Facebook.
 Дамо відсіч зазіханням Росії на Україну!. Official page of campaign on vk.com.

Reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Sanctions and boycotts during the Russo-Ukrainian War
Direct democracy
2013 establishments in Ukraine
2014 in Ukraine
Anti-Russian sentiment
Slogans
Boycotts of Russia
Vidsich


title: Tutti Frutti (Brazilian band)

text:
Tutti Frutti is a Brazilian rock band formed in the early 1970s by musicians living in the Pompeia neighbourhood, in São Paulo. Between 1973 and 1978, with leading guitarist Luís Sérgio Carlini, the band accompanied Rita Lee in her shows after she had left Os Mutantes. This proved to be a successful association, making Tutti Frutti one of the most prominent Brazilian rock groups in the 1970s. They recorded with Rita Lee several national hits as "Agora só Falta Você", "Esse Tal de Roque Enrow", "Ovelha Negra", "Corista de Rock", "Miss Brasil 2000" and "Jardins da Babilônia". After the association with her came to an end in 1978, the band continued to perform with lead singer Simbas until they finally broke up in 1981. Carlini, who owns the Tutti Frutti brand name, has attempted various other formations since then, achieving only limited success.

In 1981, various ex-members of the band joined together to form a new rock group named Rádio Táxi, that went on to release a string of hit singles in the early/mid 80s.

Formation

Current members
 Franklin Paolillo: drums
 Gilberto Nardo: vocals
 Johnny Boy: keyboards
 Luís Sérgio Carlini: guitars and vocals
 Mr. Ruffino: bass
 Roy Carlini: guitars
 Rubens Nardo: vocals
 Sol Ribeiro: vocals

Past members
 Emilson Colantonio
 Guilherme Bueno
 Juba Gurgel
 Lee Marcucci
 Lúcia Turnbull
 Marcos Posato
 Marinho Thomaz
 Naila Mello
 Paulo Maurício
 Renato Figueiredo
 Roberto de Carvalho (Rita Lee's husband)
 Ronaldo Paschoa
 Sérgio Della Monica
 Simbas
 Walter Bailot
 Willie de Oliveira

Discography

Rita Lee & Tutti Frutti

 1974 - Atrás do Porto Tem uma Cidade - Philips
 1975 - Fruto Proibido - Som Livre
 1975 - Hollywood Rock (compilation) - Polydor
 1976 - Entradas e Bandeiras - Som Livre
 1976 - "Cavaleiros negros"/"Tudo bem"/"Balada do amigo" (single) - Som Livre
 1976 - O melhor de Rita Lee (compilation) - Phonogram
 1977 - Refestança (live, with Gilberto Gil)
 1978 - Babilônia

Tutti Frutti

 1977 - Tutti Frutti - Capitol Records
 1979 - Você (single) - EMI-Odeon
 1980 - Você Sabe Qual o Melhor Remédio - RCA Victor
 1980 - Tibet (guest participation)

References

External links
 Senhor Magazine: Tutti Frutti, do bairro Pompeia à lenda do rock nacional nos anos setenta
 Cravo Albin Dictionary of Brazilian Music: Tutti Frutti
 O Globo: Disco raro mostra transição entre carreira solo de Rita Lee e os tempos de Mutantes da roqueira

Brazilian rock music groups
Musical groups established in 1971
1971 establishments in Brazil
Musical groups disestablished in 1981
Musical groups from São Paulo
Musical groups reestablished in 1997
Musical groups disestablished in 2007
1981 disestablishments in Brazil
1997 establishments in Brazil
2007 disestablishments in Brazil


title: Omnibus Territories Act of 2013

text:
The Omnibus Territories Act of 2013 () is a bill that amend laws concerning the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (collectively known as insular areas). The bill would increase the size of the territory of the Northern Mariana Islands, start an energy plan for the areas, and expand turtle conservation efforts.

The bill was introduced into and passed by the United States Senate during the 113th United States Congress.

Provisions of the bill
This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the Congressional Research Service, a public domain source.

The Omnibus Territories Act of 2013 would convey to the government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) submerged lands surrounding such Islands and extending three geographical miles outward from their coastlines. The bill would include the CNMI among the islands where the President may establish naval defensive sea areas and airspace reservations when necessary for national defense.

The bill would amend the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 to add 2013 and 2015 as years in which there shall be no increase in the minimum wage applicable to the CNMI.

The bill would revise the treatment of supplemental fees imposed for employment of nonimmigrant workers paid into the Treasury of the CNMI government for the purpose of funding ongoing vocational educational curricula and program development by CNMI educational entities to: (1) require such government to provide to the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) a plan for the expenditure of funds, a projection of the effectiveness of the expenditures in job placement of U.S. workers, and a report on changes in employment of U.S. workers attributable to prior year expenditures; and (2) require a biennial report by the Secretary on the effectiveness of meeting the goals set out in the CNMI's annual plan for the expenditure of funds.

The bill would revise the procedure for classification of aliens in the CNMI as long-term investors.

The bill would extend through December 31, 2019, a system for allocating and determining the number, terms, and conditions of permits issued to prospective employers for nonimmigrant workers performing work during the transition period (the period for administration of a transition program to regulate immigration to the CNMI) who would not otherwise be eligible for admission under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to establish a team of technical, policy, and financial experts to: (1) develop an energy action plan addressing the energy needs of each of the insular areas (American Samoa, the CNMI, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands) and Freely Associated States (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau); and (2) assist each of the insular areas and Freely Associated States in implementing such plan.

The bill would require such plan to include: (1) recommendations to reduce reliance and expenditures on imported fossil fuels, to develop indigenous, nonfossil fuel energy sources, and to improve performance of energy infrastructure and overall energy efficiency; (2) a schedule for implementation of such recommendations and identification and prioritization of specific projects; (3) a financial and engineering plan for implementing and sustaining projects; and (4) benchmarks for measuring progress toward implementation.

The bill would require the Board of Elections of the Virgin Islands, as part of the next regularly scheduled, islands-wide election, to hold a referendum to seek the approval of the people of the Virgin Islands regarding whether the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Government of the Virgin Islands shall be established as a part of the executive branch of such government. The bill would require the governor of the Virgin Islands to appoint a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), with the advice and consent of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, from a list required by this Act. Provides a process for appointment of an Acting CFO.

The bill would set forth the CFO's duties.

The bill would establish the Virgin Islands Chief Financial Officer Search Commission to recommend at least three candidates for the CFO position. Terminates the Commission upon the nomination and confirmation of the CFO.

The bill would require the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress an evaluation of whether the annual estimates or forecasts of revenue and expenditure of American Samoa, the CNMI, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands are reasonable and make recommendations for improving the process for developing estimates or forecasts.

The bill would make households located in the Virgin Islands with household income up to 300% of the poverty level eligible for assistance under the low-income home energy assistance program.

The bill would establish the Castle Nugent National Historic Site on the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, as a unit of the National Park System in order to preserve, protect, and interpret a Caribbean cultural landscape spanning over 300 years of agricultural use, significant archaeological resources, an extensive barrier coral reef system, and other outstanding natural features. The bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands within the boundary of the Historic Site to the University of the Virgin Islands for the purpose of continuing the university's operations for breeding Senepol cattle.

The bill would establish the St. Croix National Heritage Area in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The bill would designate St. Croix United for Community, Culture, Environment, and Economic Development (SUCCEED) Inc., as the local coordinating entity for the Area.

The bill would require SUCCEED Inc. to submit a management plan that provides for the protection, enhancement, and interpretation of the natural, cultural, historic, scenic, and recreational resources of the Area.

The bill would recognize the suffering and the loyalty of the residents of Guam during the Japanese occupation of Guam in World War II.

The bill would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a Fund for the payment of claims submitted by compensable Guam victims and survivors of compensable Guam decedents.

The bill would direct the Secretary to make specified payments to: (1) living Guam residents who were raped, injured, interned, or subjected to forced labor or marches, or internment resulting from, or incident to, such occupation and subsequent liberation; and (2) survivors of compensable residents who died in war (such payments to be made after payments have been made to surviving Guam residents).

The bill would direct the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to specify injuries that would constitute a severe personal injury or a personal injury and adjudicate claims and determine payment eligibility.

The bill would require claims to be filed within one year after the Commission publishes notice of the filing period in the Federal Register and in the Guam media.

The bill would allow local matching required of an affected jurisdiction (i.e., American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI, or the state of Hawaii) for federal programs to be paid in cash or in-kind services provided by the jurisdiction pursuant to the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003 (concerning the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands) and the Palau Compact of Free Association Act. Excepts programs of competitive grants.

The bill would amend the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980, with respect to housing assistance for the benefit of an alien lawfully resident in the United States, to provide that within Guam a citizen or national of the United States shall be entitled to a preference or priority in receiving financial assistance before any such alien who is otherwise eligible for such assistance.

The bill would require the Comptroller General to study the use of benefit-to-cost ratio formulas by departments and agencies for purposes of evaluating projects in American Samoa, assessing in particular its remote locations, transportation costs, airport traffic control towers, and water resources development projects.

The bill would require departments and agencies, in the case of grants to American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the CNMI, to waive any requirement for local matching funds (including in-kind contributions) that the area would otherwise be required to provide, including waiver of an entire matching requirement for a grant requiring matching funds of $500,000 or less.

The bill would exempt vessels from the fishery endorsement requirement that they be rebuilt in the United States if they off load in American Samoa and were rebuilt outside of the United States before January 1, 2011.

The bill would amend the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 to require GAO to include in reports assessing the impact of minimum wage increases applicable to American Samoa and the CNMI an analysis of the economic effects on employees and employers of the differentials in minimum wage rates among industries and classifications in American Samoa, including the potential effects of eliminating such differentials prior to the time when such rates are scheduled to equal the minimum wage set forth in the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The American Samoa Citizenship Plebiscite Act would require the Secretary of the Interior to direct the American Samoa Election Office to conduct a plebiscite on the issue of whether persons born in American Samoa desire U.S. citizenship.

The bill would expand marine turtle conservation assistance under the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004 to include the United States and its territories.

Congressional Budget Office report
This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the Congressional Budget Office, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on December 19, 2013. This is a public domain source.

S. 1237 would amend laws concerning the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (collectively known as insular areas). The legislation would authorize federal agencies to waive the requirement to provide local matching funds to receive certain federal grants in the insular areas; the amount of the waiver could not exceed $500,000. The legislation also would create a fund that would pay compensation to people and their family members who were victims of the Japanese occupation of Guam during World War II. Finally, S. 1237 would require reports to the Congress by the United States Department of the Interior, the Government Accountability Office, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy concerning issues faced by the insular areas.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that enacting S. 1237 would increase net direct spending by about $20 million over the 2015-2024 period. Because the bill would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.

Implementing the bill would increase spending subject to appropriation by about $1 million over the 2015-2019 period, assuming availability of appropriated funds.

S. 1237 would impose no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

Procedural history
The Omnibus Territories Act of 2013 was introduced into the United States Senate on June 27, 2014, by Sen. Ron Wyden (D, OR). It was referred to the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. On June 18, 2014, the bill was passed with an amendment by the Senate by unanimous consent.

Debate and discussion
After the bill had been passed by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, it was amended on the Senate floor. The amendment removed the provisions of the bill that provided war claims to people for the World War II Japanese occupation of Guam and the provision that allowed the requirement than some federal grants be matched with local funds in order to be awarded. Guam's representative in Congress, Madeleine Bordallo, was "extremely disappointed" by this change and said that she was "committed to continuing our fight for war claims for our manamko despite all the obstacles the conservative Republicans continue to raise." The changes were made so that the bill could pass by unanimous consent.

In testimony about the bill, the Department of the Interior said that "despite the fact that the Department cannot support each and every provision, the bill gives and airing to important territorial issues of long standing."

See also
List of bills in the 113th United States Congress

References

External links

Library of Congress - Thomas S. 1237
beta.congress.gov S. 1237
GovTrack.us S. 1237
OpenCongress.org S. 1237
WashingtonWatch.com S. 1237
Congressional Budget Office's report on S. 1237

Proposed legislation of the 113th United States Congress


title: Hans Verhagen den Stommen

text:
Hans Verhagen den Stommen or Hans Verhagen der Stomme (alternative spelling: Verhaghen) (c. 1540-1545 in Mechelen – c. 1600 in Antwerp) was a Flemish painter and draftsman whose exact drawings of animals were influential on other artists who regularly copied them.

Life
He was born in Mechelen and is mentioned in 1554/55 as a pupil in Antwerp of the Mechelen painter Anthuenes (Anthoni) Bessemer.

It is uncertain whether Hans Verhagen den Stommen is the same Hans Verhagen who executed in 1576 two paintings, one depicting Moses striking water from the rock, and the other the Judgment of Solomon which were made for the town hall in Emden, Germany, where they hung until 1944 (now in the Ostfriesisches Landesmuseum in Emden). There was also a painter called Hans Verhaghen from Mechelen who worked around 1600 in Rotterdam and Delft, who is believed to have painted cartoons for the tapestry works. It is not clear whether this person is identical to Hans Verhagen den Stommen.

His nickname ‘’den Stommen’’ means 'mute' in Dutch and indicates that he may have been mute.

Work

He is mainly known for his animal drawings.  The Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna holds a codex of Naturstudien (studies of nature) that was once the property of Emperor Rudolf II. Four of the drawings in the folio are inscribed in the handwriting of the Flemish court painter Joris Hoefnagel attributing the drawings to a 'Hans Verhagen den stommen van Antwerpen'. Other than these four studies in the Naturstudien Codex, only 20 drawings by the same hand are known.  These drawings which depict animals are kept at the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin. One drawing shows the elephant that was exhibited in Antwerp in the autumn of 1563.

Hans Verhagen den Stommen shows very exact observation skills in his drawings. He usually drew animals in their characteristic outline or in complementary views using opaque colours.  In his drawing of a stone marten included in the Naturstudien Codex, Verhagen neatly represents the individual hairs of the animal. His works can be regarded as the start of scientific animal illustration in Antwerp.  His zoological reliability had a significant influence on other artists, such as Hans Bol and Joris Hoefnagel.  Hoefnagel used some of the drawings of Verhagen as models for his four-volume manuscript of natural history miniatures.  Anonymous artists working in the later 16th century and the early 17th also copied his work.

See also
 Nature Studies

References

External links

1542 births
1601 deaths
Painters from Antwerp
Artists from Mechelen
16th-century engravers
Flemish engravers
16th-century Flemish painters


title: Nutshell CRM

text:
Nutshell is a web and mobile customer relationship management (CRM) and email marketing automation service. It is composed of a web application, as well as mobile applications for the iOS and Android platforms. Nutshell is headquartered in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan.

History

Nutshell was launched at the Future of Web Design conference in November, 2010. In 2011, Nutshell launched its integration with Google Apps. In 2014, the company sponsored the SXSW Interactive Festival Later that year, veteran tech investor Joe Malcoun was brought on as CEO.

Integrations

Nutshell integrates with other SaaS services for small businesses.

In March 2014, Nutshell discontinued its integration with LinkedIn, in response to LinkedIn's lockout of API access to CRMs, including Nutshell, Zoho and Capsule.

See also

Comparison of CRM systems
Customer relationship management

References

External links

Customer relationship management software


title: Henry Hildyard (MP)

text:
Henry Hildyard (26 January 1610 – 8 June 1674) was an English politician.

He was the oldest son of Sir Christopher Hildyard of Winestead, Yorkshire and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and at the Inner Temple.

In the Convention Parliament of 1660, he was elected at a by-election for the family borough of Hedon.
In 1660 he was also given the position of Chamberlain of the Exchequer for life and in 1670 made a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, also for life.

He died in 1674. He had married Lady Anne Leke, the daughter of Francis Leke, 1st Earl of Scarsdale and had 5 sons and 9 daughters.

References

1610 births
1674 deaths
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Members of the Inner Temple
English MPs 1660
Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber
Members of the Parliament of England for Hedon


title: Nat Cassidy

text:
Nat Cassidy (born September 25, 1981) is an American actor, writer, and musician based out of New York City, New York, United States.  He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and attended Horizon High School, after which he received his BFA at the University of Arizona.

Career

Actor
Cassidy has appeared as an actor in numerous Off- and Off-Off-Broadway productions. He has also appeared in film, television, and web projects, including the acclaimed webseries High Maintenance. In 2013, Cassidy starred in the independent horror-comedy film They Will Outlive Us All, which won numerous awards throughout the festival circuit, including winning Cassidy Best Actor in Chicago's Route 66 International Film Festival. Ain't It Cool News said of Cassidy's performance that he is "talented enough to carry this entire film." Also in 2013, he was nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, for the one-man play Generic Magic Realism, by Edmond Malin.
Cassidy was inducted into the Indie Theater Hall of Fame for his contributions to the NY independent theatre scene, and was described as "an actor, director, and playwright of surprising range and depth."

In 2017, Cassidy joined fellow New York independent theatre artists Mac Rogers, Jordana Williams, and Sean Williams to form Gideon Media, a company dedicated to producing "complex, riveting genre entertainment, centered on pulse-pounding tales of science fiction and horror." Along with the new podcast imprint Tor Labs (an imprint of Tor Books), Gideon Media produced their debut podcast, the acclaimed serialized sci-fi noir drama Steal the Stars (written by Rogers). Nat performed the role of xenobiologist Lloyd, as well as wrote the novelization of the podcast, which is published by Tor Books.

Writer
Cassidy has a reputation for writing "darkly comic plays with one foot in horror and the other in literary allusion," and often feature historical characters. NYTheatre.com called him "a seismic talent" and the theater podcast Maxamoo described him as "one of the hottest young playwrights in" New York City.

His playscripts have been about, among other things, Shakespeare, Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb, H.P. Lovecraft, nuclear mutation, President Franklin Pierce, zombies, Dostoevsky, Nazi Germany, and genital warts.

In 2009, Cassidy's "metaphysical buddy comedy" about an imagined relationship between Christopher Marlowe and Caligula, The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots, was nominated for three New York Innovative Theatre Awards and took home the award for Outstanding Full-Length Script. His play Any Day Now was also nominated for two NY IT Awards that same year, and took home Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role (Elyse Mirto). In 2011, his Lovecraft-inspired one-man show, I Am Providence or, All I Really Needed to Know about the Stygian Nightmare into Which Mankind Will Inevitably Be Devoured, Its Fruitless Screams of Agony Resounding in the Unending Chasm of Indifferent Space as It Is Digested by Squamous and Eldritch Horrors beyond Comprehension for All of Eternity, I Learned from Howard Phillips Lovecraft, won the NY IT Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. In 2014, his play Old Familiar Faces was nominated for four NYIT Awards, including Outstanding Full-Length Script, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Lead Actor, and Outstanding Lead Actress. In 2015, his play The Temple, or, Lebensraum, another Lovecraft-inspired play set during Black May, was nominated for seven NYIT Awards, including Outstanding Full-Length Script, Outstanding Production, Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role (which Matthew Trumbull, the play's lead, won), Outstanding Sound Design (which its sound designer, Jeanne Travis, won), Outstanding Lighting Design, Outstanding Costume Design, and Outstanding Scenic Design.

In 2012, Cassidy was one of four librettists commissioned by The Kennedy Center/Washington National Opera in the first-ever American Opera Initiative. With composer Scott Perkins, he wrote the short opera "Charon," a loose adaptation of a story fragment by Lord Dunsany, which the Washington Times called "remarkable," "brilliant," and that "Mr. Cassidy’s libretto is what any composer could want."
His work has been produced mainly in New York City, but has also seen productions across the country, including Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Chicago
His plays have been published by Samuel French, Broadway Play Publishing, New York Theater Experience, Smith & Kraus, Applause Books, and Indie Theater Now.

Nat's debut novel, a novelization of the hit podcast Steal the Stars was published on November 7, 2017, by Tor Books and named one of the "best new books of November 2017" by the Chicago Review of Books.

Appearances

Television

Film
 They Will Outlive Us All
 The Moose Head Over the Mantle
 Android Insurrection
 Total Retribution
 Battle: New York, Day 2

Off-Broadway and independent theatre
 Hamlet (Hamlet)
 King Kirby (as Stan Lee), by Fred Van Lente
 The Runner Stumbles
 Lickspittles, Buttonholers, and Damned Pernicious Go-Betweens
 As You Like It
 Honey Fist
 The Rise and Fall of Miles & Milo
 Good

Scripts

Full-length
 Any Day Now
 The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots
 The Temple, or, Lebensraum, loosely inspired by an H. P. Lovecraft story
 Tenants, or, When the Hornet Arrives
 The Eternal Husband
 Old Familiar Faces
 I Am Providence or, All I Really Needed to Know about the Stygian Nightmare into Which Mankind Will Inevitably Be Devoured, Its Fruitless Screams of Agony Resounding in the Unending Chasm of Indifferent Space as It Is Digested by Squamous and Eldritch Horrors beyond Comprehension for All of Eternity, I Learned from Howard Phillips Lovecraft
 Goldsboro
 Pierce
 Songs of Love: A Theatrical Mixtape
 The Blood Brothers Present Bedlam Nightmares

Short plays
 Generation
 Roosterbrood
 Joy Junction
 Sparks Will Fly (a song cycle)
 All in Good Fun (a song cycle)
 Into the Life of Things
 Charon (libretto)

Novels
 Steal the Stars (a novelization of the podcast by Mac Rogers), Tor Books,
 Mary, Tor Books, ISBN 9781250265234

References

External links

 Personal website

1981 births
American male film actors
American male stage actors
Living people


title: Dagfinn Aarskog

text:
Dagfinn Aarskog (10 December 1928 – 27 May 2014) was a Norwegian physician.

Life
He was born in Ålesund, Norway. He received his MD at the University of Bergen in 1956, and received a PhD in medicine in 1965. Aarskog was a specialist in pediatrics (paediatrics) from 1964 and in medical genetics from 1974. In the period 1964 to 1965, he worked as a research assistant at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

He was appointed professor of pediatrics at the University of Bergen. In 1970, he first described the condition that has later been called the Aarskog–Scott syndrome.

Aarskog held several international positions of trust, and was in 1992 appointed a Knight of the Order of St. Olav.

References

1928 births
2014 deaths
People from Ålesund
Norwegian pediatricians
Academic staff of the University of Bergen


title: 1994 Australian Open – Women's doubles

text:
The women's doubles competition at the 1994 Australian Open was held between 17 January and 30 January 1994 on outdoor hard courts at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park in Melbourne, Australia. Gigi Fernández and Natasha Zvereva won the title, defeating Patty Fendick and Meredith McGrath in the final.

Seeds

Draw

Finals

Top half

Section 1

Section 2

Bottom half

Section 3

Section 4

External links
 1994 Australian Open – Women's draws and results at the International Tennis Federation

Women's Doubles
Australian Open (tennis) by year – Women's doubles
1994 in Australian women's sport


title: Georg Poplutz

text:
Georg Poplutz is a German tenor, a soloist in Baroque music, opera and oratorio, and a Lied singer. He has been a member of vocal ensembles such as Johann Rosenmüller Ensemble and Cantus Cölln, and has participated in a project to record the complete works of Heinrich Schütz.

Career
Poplutz was born in Arnsberg. He studied pedagogy for English and Music at the Münster University and the Dortmund University. He studied voice with Berthold Possemeyer at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt. After further studies with Christoph Prégardien at the Musikhochschule Köln, he graduated in 2007 with the concert exam.

Poplutz made his operatic debut at the Theater Gießen in 2004, in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. In 2005 he recorded the part of Balouard in Étienne Méhul's opera L'irato, conducted by ). In the field of historically informed performance, Poplutz has collaborated as a soloist with conductors such as Marcus Creed, Helmut Müller-Brühl, Peter Neumann (de), Ralf Otto, Wolfgang Schäfer and Winfried Toll. In 2005, he sang tenor parts in Bach cantatas with Martin Lutz conducting performances in services in the Marktkirche in Wiesbaden and the Katharinenkirche in Frankfurt, documented in a recording of Du Hirte Israel, höre, BWV 104. He was awarded the Mendelssohn-Preis of the Frankfurt Mendelssohn-Gesellschaft, founded by , in 2009, and performed the tenor solo part in the composer's oratorio Elias with the , conducted by Christmann, in the Alte Oper. With them, he was in 2011 a soloist in Paulus, along with Elisabeth Scholl and conducted by Mathias Breitschaft. In 2013, he recorded the part of the Evangelist in Bach's Christmas Oratorio (parts 4 to 6) with the Kantorei Barmen-Gemarke, conducted by Wolfgang Kläsener. He sang the tenor solo in Bach's Mass in B minor in St. Martin, Idstein, with the orchestra L'arpa festante conducted by Franz Fink. In 2014, he performed cantatas by Georg Philipp Telemann with the Rheinische Kantorei, conducted by Hermann Max, at festivals such as the Magdeburger Telemann-Festtage.

Poplutz has been a member of the vocal ensembles Johann Rosenmüller Ensemble, conducted by Arno Paduch, which performed for example in 2012 the first performance after 250 years of the Missa solemnis by Joseph Schmitt in Eberbach Abbey, where he had worked, as part of the Rheingau Musik Festival. Poplutz has been a member of the ensemble Cantus Cölln, conducted by Konrad Junghänel. He has appeared as a soloist with the Dresdner Kammerchor, conducted by Hans-Christoph Rademann, in the complete recording of the works by Heinrich Schütz. A reviewer noted about the eight soloists performing Kleine geistliche Konzerte 1 (Little Sacred Concertos): "Whether solo, duo or in other combinations the voices are finely scaled, appropriately clear, purely focused and idiomatic".

As a recitalist of Lieder, especially of romantic songs, Poplutz has collaborated with pianist Hilko Dumno. A review of a concert of Schubert's Winterreise noted, that the singer, with an absolutely secure voice and attention to diction, created an intense atmosphere full of tension ("eine dichte, spannungsvolle Atmosphäre"), an "entire cosmos of emotions".

References

External links

 Georg Poplutz recordings for Carus-Verlag

Living people
People from Arnsberg
German operatic tenors
German performers of early music
Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)


title: Understanding Islam (TV program)

text:
Understanding Islam is a United Arab Emirates weekly educational television program that broadcasts on Dubai One TV, a channel of Dubai Media Incorporated, and the broadcast covers the Middle East, Europe and Africa, on nilesat 101, Arabsat BADR-4, AsiaSat 5 and Yahsat in HD. It has aired since 2011.

Each Friday, the show highlights some of the tenets of Islam, and it aims at explaining the foundations of the Muslims faith by exploring it from different angles, from the simplest fundamentals to the most complex questions of how faith applies to everyday lives.

Understanding Islam is prepared and presented by Dr. Mohammed Alkobaisi, a grand Mufti at the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai.

History
Understanding Islam started broadcasting as a weekly program on 21 November 2011. In the first season, 18 episodes were aired covering a wide array of topics, mostly focusing on the basics or Islam and human relationships.
The second season started earlier and lasted longer, with 39 episodes aired. Likewise, the third season delivered 37 episode in total.

Seasons
So far, Understanding Islam Show completed three main seasons, and three Ramadan seasons.

Season One
Season one delivered 18 episodes, three of which were dedicated to answering questions received from viewers.
Some of the topics discussed in the first season were: Morals and Ethics, Parent Child relationships, Rights of the Child, Mercy for the World, Family and Marriage, Charity, Neighbors, Seeking Knowledge, Rights of People With Special Needs, Peaceful Coexistence and The Rights of Orphans.

Season Two
Season two delivered 39 episodes, with one live episode during the Dubai world peace conference, and few episodes dedicated to answering questions received from viewers.

Some of the topics discussed in season two were: Pillars of Emaan (Faith), HAJJ and the Ten Days of Thul-Hijjah, The Day of Arafa and Eid, The Pillars of Islam, Love of Homeland, Importance of Unity, The First Hijrah [immigration], The Hijrah of the Messenger, Jesus in Islam, The Main Objectives and Purposes of Islamic Rules and Regulations, The Five Necessities, Your Body Has Rights Over You, The Birth of our Prophet Mohammed, The Life of our Prophet Mohammed, The Messenger Mohammed in Madinah. Patience and Self-Control, The Relationship Between The Creator and the Creation, Hope for The Mercy of Allah, The Importance of Optimism, Road Safety, Dubai International Peace Convention (Live), Will the World End in 2012? and Al-Israa and Al-Miraaj.

Season Three
Season Three delivered 36 episodes, with one live episode covering the Day of Arafah during the Hajj season, and special episodes dedicated to answering questions received from viewers. This season saw an increase in viewers questions, such as: transliteration of the Quran, the nature of Mohammed, dreaming of Mohammed after his death, traveling to another country that started fasting at a different day, gossip in Islam, getting a physical massage by a person from the opposite gender, small amount of alcohol found in soft drinks, Etc.

Some of the topics discussed in season two were as follows: The Gradual Message to Humanity, The Hajj Season and The day of Eid, Returning From Hajj, Cleanliness, Lessons From the Hijrah, Human Rights in Islam, The Journey of Faith - Day of Arafah (Live), Cross-culture understanding, Happiness in life, Sunnah of Prophet Mohammed, Women in Islam, Meditation in Islam, Learn and seek knowledge and Environment in Islam.

Season Four
Season Four started airing on 13 September 2013.

Some of the topics of the fourth season were as follows: New Academic Year - Urge to Learn and Educate, Sources of Islamic Values, Importance of Thikr, Elderly People - special episode.

Ramadan Seasons
So far, Understanding Islam Ramadan completed three seasons.

Ramadan Season One
The first season of Understanding Islam Ramadan delivered 29 episodes, some of them were dedicated to answering questions received from viewers.

Some of the topics discussed in the first Ramadan season were as follows: The Beginning of Ramadan, [Fasting] Sawm and its Rules and Regulations, Terms and Worships of the Holy Month, Rewards for Fasting, The Month of Extra Work, How To Avail Ramadan, Fasting of the Heart and Soul, Ramadan and the Holy Quran, Morals While Fasting, Charity in Ramadan, The Feeling of Ramadan, Ramadan and Children, Losing Fast and Rewards, Taraweeh and Qiyam, The Month of Patience, Generosity, The Last Ten Days, Laylat Al-Qadr, Etikaaf, Worshipers of Ramadan, Goodbye Ramadan, Zakaat Al-Fitr And Eid Al-Fitr Festival.

Ramadan Season Two
The second season of Understanding Islam Ramadan delivered 30 episodes, some of them were dedicated to answering questions received from viewers.

Ramadan Season Three
The third season of Understanding Islam Ramadan delivered 30 episodes, some of them were dedicated to answering questions received from viewers.

Awards
In 2011, Understanding Islam won in five categories of the PromaxBDA Arabia Awards:
- Gold Award for "Best Script",
- Gold Award in the "ME, MYSELF & I" category,
- Gold Award in the "BEST USE OF ENGLISH TYPOGRAPHY".
- Silver Award in the "Habibi" category,
- Silver Award in the "BEST PROMO NOT USING PROGRAMME FOOTAGE".

In 2012, Understanding Islam was finalist in five categories in the PromaxBDA Arabia Awards, and it secured three gold awards, one silver award, and one third place;
- Gold Award for "Best Script",
- Gold Award in the "Habibi" category,
- Gold Award in the "ME, MYSELF & I" category,
- Silver Award in the "BEST USE OF ENGLISH TYPOGRAPHY".

In 2012, Understanding Islam was nominated in two categories in the PromaxBDA Global Excellence award.

See also
 List of Islamic films

References

External links

2010s Emirati television series
2011 Emirati television series debuts
Television series about Islam
Dubai One original programming


title: Andi Soraya

text:
Andi Soraya (born 18 June 1976) is an Indonesian actress. She became known to the public after starring the RCTI soap opera Air Mata Terakhir.

Career
Soraya began her career by modelling in advertisements for clients such as Prenagen, B-29, Vegeta, Bank Mandiri, and Hit. She was cast in the Indonesian soap opera Air Mata Terakhir on the RCTI network. In 2008, she appeared in the film Anda Puas, Saya Loyo.

In 2008, she appeared in the suspense mystery Hantu Aborsi and the comedy Kutunggu Jandamu with Dewi Persik. She was in the films Hantu Puncak Datang Bulan and  Arisan Brondong with Ferly Putra in 2010. She sang and produced the  song Terpisahkan from the film Pengakuan Seorang Pelacur. She also had the lead role in the film.

Personal life
Soraya has Arab, Cirebon and Bugis blood, where her father was Andi Zen Assegaf was an Arab-descent and mother was Laela. Soraya has three siblings: Andi Mohammad Noor Assegaf (older brother), Andi Suzie (older sister) and Andi Jihan (younger sister).

She married Ahmad Kurnia Wibawa in 1997. They divorced in 2000. She was in a relationship with actor Steve Emmanuel, and they have one child. On 18 November 2011, she married again, with Rudi Sutopo, an oil businessman. They divorced in October 2015.

Filmography

Film

Television

TV advertisement
 Prenagen
 B-29
 Vegeta
 Bank Mandiri
 Hit

References

External links

1976 births
Actresses from Jakarta
Living people
Bugis people
Indonesian people of Yemeni descent


title: Mr Nice (book)

text:
Mr Nice is the autobiography of former drug dealer Howard Marks. Published in 1996, it became an  international bestseller due in large part to the humour and unabashed bravado the author uses to describe his life and the sheer scale of his drug deals involving, among others, the CIA, MI6, the IRA and the Mafia. The book received mostly positive reviews, though some critics were initially sceptical of some of the more outlandish details portrayed. It was adapted for film in 2010 as Mr Nice.

Overview
Welsh born Marks began small scale dealing of hashish in the late 1960s while at Oxford University studying nuclear physics and, later, a postgraduate degree course in philosophy.

His activities rapidly expanded after a chance meeting with a Pakistani supplier made him realise how lucrative drug smuggling could be. After teaming up with Jim McCann, a senior member of the IRA, his business was soon bringing in huge amounts of cash and he began setting up various legitimate businesses as a front, to launder the proceeds of his hashish smuggling. At one time he claims to have had 25 such companies, 89 phone lines and 43 aliases, including the name used for the title of this book, Mr Nice, an alias he adopted after buying a passport from a convicted murderer of that name.

Following his arrest in 1980 in a combined operation by British and Spanish police, Marks managed to avoid a lengthy sentence by claiming to be a spy for the British intelligence agency MI6. He was eventually caught again, this time by the American DEA, and sentenced to life in prison at Terre Haute federal penitentiary in Indiana. He was released after seven years and allowed to return to the UK.

Film adaptation
The book was adapted into a film Mr Nice in 2010, directed by Bernard Rose and starring Rhys Ifans and Chloë Sevigny.

References

External links
 Howard Marks interview
 Live stand up show

Welsh biographical books
1996 non-fiction books
Secker & Warburg books
British autobiographies
Works about cannabis trafficking
Non-fiction books about cannabis
British works about cannabis
Memoirs about drugs


title: Peter Matthew Bauer

text:
Peter Matthew Bauer is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the bass guitarist and organist of the indie rock band The Walkmen, with whom he recorded seven studio albums. Prior to The Walkmen's formation, Bauer and lead vocalist Hamilton Leithauser were both members of the indie rock band The Recoys.

Following The Walkmen's decision to enter an "extreme hiatus", Bauer recorded and released his debut solo album, Liberation!, in 2014, and embarked upon a tour with The Devourers; a newly assembled backing band featuring Fleet Foxes' Skyler Skjelset on guitar.

Bauer released his second studio album, Mount Qaf, in November 2017. Bauer released his third studio album, Flowers, on September 23, 2022. The album was recorded and co-produced with Bauer's Walkmen bandmate, Matt Barrick.

Backing band
Bauer's band, The Devourers, consists of:
 Matt Oliver – guitar
 Skyler Skjelset – guitar
 Mickey Walker – bass
 Jesse McIntosh – drums
 Marisa Brown – vocals, percussion
 Jess Conda – vocals, percussion
 Hillary Ashen – vocals, percussion
 Rachel Hoke – vocals, percussion

Discography
Liberation! (2014)
Mount Qaf (2017)
Flowers (2022)

References

American rock singers
American male singers
American bass guitarists
American rock guitarists
American male bass guitarists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Mexican Summer artists


title: Francisco de la Mora y Ceballos

text:
Francisco de la Mora y Ceballos was a Spanish military officer and merchant who served as governor of colonial New Mexico between March 1632 and 1635.

Biography
Ceballos joined the Spanish Army in his youth, eventually becoming the Captain of the Army.

Government in New Mexico
Ceballos was appointed Governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in 1632, while Alonso Varela was appointed as his lieutenant. In addition, Father Perea, a priest, worked for the Inquisition, where served as Commissary, and at the Definitory of the custody. However, later,  Perea began to collaborate at the catholic mission of the Moqui Village, where he and other friars taught Christian doctrine to the indigenous population of the place to turn them into such faith. So, Fray Francisco de Porras was appointed Custodio of New Mexico, taking the place of Perea.

Trade relations
On his way to New Mexico, Ceballos tried to trade with the natives of some missions, using the friars as his agents. When the Franciscans opposed the trade with the Native Americans, Ceballos threatened them.

Ceballos arrived in Santa Fe on 3 March 1632, after leaving Mexico City. He began his administration sanctioning the Zuni Amerindians, who had killed two of the friars who worked at the missions of the province. However, he tried to keep his job as a merchant, while holding the position of governor, in order to enrich himself "by enlisting the assistance of the friars". Thus, Ceballos sold numerous products from Mexico City in the Amerindian villages.

According to Elizabeth Ann Harper John, he expropriated the belongings of the Spaniards and Native Americans of New Mexico. In addition, he traded in Santa Barbara "nine wagons load of loot" and most of the New Mexican livestock. Three years later, the population of New Mexico suffered hunger and disease.

In 1633, Ceballos issued laws that banned the workshops in the encomiendas and the slavery of Native Americans. Ironically, the Franciscans accused Ceballos of using indigenous (particularly orphaned) and military labor. Both groups were employed on their personal ranches. The governor even raised cattle on the corn lands of several Amerindian tribes, so they were forced to abandon their crops and take care of Ceballo's livestock. In any case, the ecclesiastics' denunciation of Ceballos was not due, simply, to the labor exploitation of the indigenous people, but was due to the idea that a non-ecclesiastic should not dispose of them nor of their lands, since many friars had their own farmland in Amerindian villages and the missions had their own cattle, despite being located in Amerindian villages.

In addition, Ceballos established the obligation to pay taxes to the Government of New Mexico on "wheat, corn, cassava, fish, cotton, vegetables, or anything else". In addition, it was asked that government officials in the province call a meeting of the royal officials, prelates, the bishop, and some "disinterested" persons to discuss the issue and decide the amount of money that people had to pay through tributes. The trustees were supposed to obey the decision by law, and their salary would be limited to the amount that had been set. However, the authorities and the church disobeyed those laws, due, respectively, to the "selfishness" and "jealousy" that they had.

Francisco de la Mora y Ceballos was replaced by Francisco Martínez de Baeza in 1635, returning (probably) to modern Mexico sometime in this year.

References

Colonial governors of Santa Fe de Nuevo México


title: Malangabang

text:
Malangabang (variously Malangaban) is an island and barangay in northeastern Iloilo, Philippines. It is part of the municipality of Concepcion. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 2,925. Fishing is the main source of income for the island's residents.The Owner is Honorato Ciriaco.

Location and geography

Malangabang Island is east of Panay Island in the Visayan Sea. Part of the Concepcion Islands, it is a wooded island and is  at its highest point. Malangabang is  southeast of . Malangabang completely surrounds the small Chico Island. Malangabang's sole barangay is also named Malangabang.

Natural disasters

Typhoon Haiyan

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) struck Malangabang with  waves, and many residents lost their boats to the storm. All told, the storm destroyed at least 470 boats and 370 houses. After the storm passed, several relief organizations went to Malangabang to deliver aid and offer assistance, including Multicultural Response, the Philippine Medical Association's Doctors on Boat project, and the Korea-based 601 Habitat.

See also

 List of islands in the Philippines

References

External links
 Malangabang Island at OpenStreetMap
 Help Philippines Update at Multiucultural Response

Islands of Iloilo
Barangays of Iloilo