title: Chola invasion of Srivijaya

text:
In 1025 CE, the Chola Emperor Rajendra I launched naval raids on Srivijaya in maritime Southeast Asia, Rajendra's overseas expedition against Srivijaya was a unique event in India's history and its otherwise peaceful relations with the states of Southeast Asia. Several places in present-day Indonesia and Malay Peninsula were invaded by Rajendra I of the Chola dynasty.  The Chola invasion furthered the expansion of Tamil merchant associations such as the Manigramam, Ayyavole and Ainnurruvar into Southeast Asia. The Cholan invasion led to the fall of the Sailendra Dynasty of Srivijaya and the Chola invasion also coincides with return voyage of the great Buddhist scholar Atiśa from Sumatra to India and Tibet in 1025 CE.

Background
Throughout most of their shared history, ancient India and Indonesia enjoyed friendly and peaceful relations, thus making this Indian invasion a unique event in Asian history. In the 9th and 10th centuries, Srivijaya maintained close relations with the Pala Empire in Bengal, and an 860 CE Nalanda inscription records that Maharaja Balaputra of Srivijaya dedicated a monastery at the Nalanda Mahavihara in Pala territory. The relation between Srivijaya and the Chola dynasty of southern India was friendly during the reign of Raja Raja Chola I. In 1006 CE a Srivijayan Maharaja from Sailendra dynasty — king Maravijayattungavarman — constructed the Chudamani Vihara in the port town of Nagapattinam. However, during the reign of Rajendra Chola I the relations deteriorated as the Cholas attacked Srivijayan cities.

The Cholas are known to have benefitted from both piracy and foreign trade. Sometimes Chola seafaring led to outright plunder and conquest as far as Southeast Asia. Srivijaya controlled two major naval choke points (Malacca and the Sunda Strait) and was at that time a major trading empire that did possess formidable naval forces. The Malacca Strait's northwest opening was controlled from Kedah on the Malay Peninsula side and from Pannai on the Sumatran side, while Malayu (Jambi) and Palembang controlled its southeast opening and also Sunda Strait. They practiced naval trade monopoly that forced any trade vessels that passed through their waters to call on their ports or otherwise be plundered.

The reasons of this naval expedition are unclear, the historian Nilakanta Sastri suggested that the attack was probably caused by Srivijayan attempts to throw obstacles in the way of the Chola trade with the East (especially China), or more probably, a simple desire on the part of Rajendra to extend his digvijaya to the countries across the sea so well known to his subject at home, and therefore add luster to his crown. Another theory suggests that the reasons for the invasion was probably motivated by geopolitics and diplomatic relations. King Suryavarman I of the Khmer Empire requested aid from Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty against Tambralinga kingdom. After learning of Suryavarman's alliance with Rajendra Chola, the Tambralinga kingdom requested aid from the Srivijaya king Sangrama Vijayatungavarman.

Invasion

The Chola invasion against Srivijaya was a swift campaign that left Srivijaya unprepared. Moreover, during this time in the 11th century, the Chola navy had developed strongly, while Srivijaya sea power was relatively weak. To sail from India to the Indonesian archipelago, vessels from India sailed eastward across the Bay of Bengal and called at the ports of Lamuri in Aceh or Kedah in Malay peninsula before entering Strait of Malacca. But the Chola armada sailed directly to the Sumatran west coast. The port of Barus in the west coast of North Sumatra at that time belonged to Tamil trade guilds and served as a port to replenish after crossing the Indian Ocean. The Chola armada, then continued to sail along Sumatra's west coast southward and sailed into Strait of Sunda. The Srivijaya navy guarded Kedah and the surrounding areas on the northwest opening of the Malacca Strait and so were completely unaware that the Chola invasion was coming from the Sunda Strait in the south. The first Srivijayan city that was raided was Palembang, the capital of Srivijaya empire. The unexpected attack led to the Cholas sacking the city and plundering the Kadatuan royal palace and monasteries. The Thanjavur inscription states that Rajendra captured King Sangrama Vijayottunggavarman of Srivijaya and took a large heap of treasures including the Vidhyadara Torana, the jeweled 'war gate' of Srivijaya, adorned with great splendor.

The Chola invasion did not result in Chola administration over the defeated cities, as the armies moved fast and plundered the Srivijayan cities. The Chola armada seems to have taken advantage of the Southeast Asian monsoon for moving from one port to another swiftly. The tactic of a fast-moving unexpected attack was probably the secret of Cholan success, since it did not allow the Srivijayan mandala to prepare their defenses, reorganize themselves, provide assistance or to retaliate. The war ended with a victory for the Cholas and major losses for the Srivijaya Empire, thus ending their maritime monopoly in the region.

Aftermath

With the Maharaja Sangrama Vijayottunggavarman imprisoned and most of its cities destroyed, the leaderless Srivijaya mandala entered a period of chaos and confusion. The invasion marked the end of the Sailendra dynasty. According to the 15th-century Malay Annals, Rajendra Chola I after the successful naval raid in 1025 CE married Onang Kiu, the daughter of Sangrama Vijayottunggavarman. This invasion forced Srivijaya to make peace with Javanese kingdom of Kahuripan. The peace deal was brokered by the exiled daughter of Sangrama Vijayottunggavarman, a Srivijayan princess who managed to escape the destruction of Palembang and came to the court of King Airlangga in East Java. She also became the queen consort of Airlangga named Dharmaprasadottungadevi and in 1035 CE, Airlangga constructed a Buddhist monastery named Srivijayasrama dedicated to his queen consort.

This invasion gravely weakened the Srivijayan hegemony and enabled the formation of regional kingdoms like Kahuripan and its successor, Kediri in Java based on agriculture rather than coastal and long-distance trade. Sri Deva was enthroned as the new king and the trading activities resumed. He sent an embassy to the court of China in 1028 CE. Sanfoqi sent a mission to China in 1028, but this would refer to Malayu-Jambi, not Srivijaya-Palembang. No Srivijayan envoys came to China between 1028–1077. This indicates that the mandala of Srivijaya has faded. It is very possible that Srivijaya collapsed in 1025. In the following centuries, Chinese chronicles still refer to "Sanfoqi", but this term probably refers to the Malayu-Jambi kingdom, evidenced by Chinese record of Sanfoqi Zhanbei guo (Jambi country of Sanfoqi). The last epigraphic evidence that mentions the word "Sriwijaya" or "Srivijaya" comes from the Tanjore inscription of the Chola kingdom in 1030 or 1031.

The Chola control over Srivijaya lasted for several decades. Chinese chronicles mentioned Sanfoqi Zhu-nian guo which means "Chola country of Sanfoqi", likely refer to Kedah. Sanfoqi Zhu-nian guo sent missions to China in 1077, 1079, 1082, 1088, and 1090 CE. It is possible that the Cholas installed a crown prince in the Tamil-dominated area of the Malacca Straits.

Tamil colonization of the Malacca Straits seems to have lasted for a century. The Cholas left several inscriptions in northern Sumatra and the Malay peninsula. Tamil influence can be found in works of art (sculpture and temple architecture), it indicated government activity rather than commerce. Chola's grip on the northern Sumatra and the Malay peninsula receded in the 12th century — the Tamil poem Kalingatupparani of ca. 1120 CE mentioned Kulottungga's destruction of Kadaram (Kedah). After that, Kedah disappeared from Indian sources.

See also
 Greater India
 Indosphere
 Sanskritisation
 Maritime history of Odisha
 Indian cultural influences in early Philippine polities
 Hinduism in Indonesia
 Hinduism in Malaysia
 Hinduism in Philippines

References

Chola Empire
Srivijaya
History of India
1025 in Asia
11th century in India
Conflicts in 1025
Overseas empires
Invasions by India
Naval battles involving Cholas


title: Daniel Yule

text:
Daniel Yule (born 18 February 1993) is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer and specializes in slalom. Born in Martigny, Valais, he is of Scottish parentage.

Racing career
Yule rose quickly to make his World Cup debut in the 2012 season in Kitzbühel at the age of 18, he had achieved his first points at the European Cup level just a month earlier. Having had a year of solid results in the European Cup in 2013, he became a World Cup regular for the 2014 season.

2014
After earning his first European Cup victory in the early 2014 season, Yule achieved his first World Cup points in the third slalom of the year, a race that was moved to Bormio, where he took 17 place. The breakthrough result came on the same piste on which he had made his World Cup debut. With a start number of 41, Yule finished 30th after the first run, meaning he was the last person to qualify for a second. In that second run, Yule took 4 tenths of a second out of the rest of the field, which catapulted him up the order to eventual 7th position. This result was enough to earn him a place on the Swiss Olympic Team in Sochi, where he competed in the slalom. Twelfth after the first run, Yule was disqualified in the second. After the Olympics, Yule went to his first Junior World Championships, where he earned a Bronze Medal in the slalom.

2015
The 2015 season was to be the first which Yule concentrated on the World Cup, although Yule did claim back-to-back victories in the two European Cup slaloms in Chamonix. He was able to find consistency in his skiing at the World Cup level, achieving points in 7 of the first 8 races of the season. Yule finished tenth three times; in Levi, Zagreb, and Schladming. and with those results, he fulfilled the selection criteria for the World Championships. His run in the slalom at the Championships ended very quickly, as he skied out of the course after only three gates. Yule's season results were enough to qualify for the World Cup Finals for the first time, and he finished the slalom tour in 16th as highest ranked Swiss in the discipline.

2016
Yule began the year promisingly with a ninth place in the first slalom of the season in Val-d'Isère after the season opener in Levi was cancelled.

2018
During the 2018 season, Yule took his first World Cup podium finishes, taking third at both Kitzbühel and Schladming.

2019
Yule started his 2019 season with a fifth place in Levi and a sixth in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. He earned his first win on the World Cup circuit in the Madonna di Campiglio night slalom after finishing fourth in the first run. He benefited from both Marcel Hirscher and Henrik Kristoffersen straddling. Yule's victory was the first World Cup slalom win for a Swiss male skier since Marc Gini's first place in Reiteralm in November 2007.

World Cup results

Season standings

Race podiums
 6 wins – (6 SL)
 15 podiums – (15 SL)

World Championship results

Olympic results

References

External links

 Daniel Yule at the Swiss Ski Team

1993 births
Living people
Alpine skiers at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Swiss male alpine skiers
Olympic alpine skiers for Switzerland
Swiss people of British descent
Swiss people of Scottish descent
Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Olympic medalists in alpine skiing
Olympic gold medalists for Switzerland
People from Martigny
Skiers from Valais


title: Lauritsala Church

text:
Lauritsala Church () is an Evangelical Lutheran church in the Lauritsala district of Lappeenranta, Finland. The church was opened in December 1969. The modernist concrete design was created by architect  and architect student . The basis of the design is an equilateral triangle symbolising the Holy Trinity.

The church and the adjacent parish center are listed as a nationally significant built heritage site by the Finnish National Board of Antiquities.

See also
 St. Mary's Church of Lappee

References

External links
 Official site (in Finnish)

Lauritsala
Lutheran churches in Finland
Modernist architecture in Finland
Churches completed in 1969


title: Enrique Vera Ibáñez

text:
Enrique Vera Ibáñez (born 31 May 1954) is a Mexican and Swedish former race walking athlete.

His first major medal came at the 1975 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics, where he beat his compatriot Domingo Colín to win the 20 kilometres walk title. The 50 kilometres race walk was dropped from the 1976 Summer Olympics programme and the International Amateur Athletics Federation held its own 1976 World Championships in Athletics in Malmö that year to make up for the omission. Vera came away with the silver medal in a time of 3:58:14 hours – the biggest accolade of his career.

He failed to defend his regional 20 km title at the 1977 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics, as he was runner-up some distance behind the reigning Olympic champion Daniel Bautista. He was part of a strong Mexican contingent in the men's 50 km at the 1977 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, but he was disqualified at the competition. His next appearance on the world stage in the 50 km walk brought another medal: he was again behind another Mexican walker, this time Martín Bermúdez, but he took the 1979 IAAF World Race Walking Cup silver medal.

After the 1970s he had less success internationally. He was disqualified at the 1981 and 1983 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. With the launch of the first ever full programme World Championships in Athletics in 1983, Vera entered the 20 km walk and finished in sixteenth place.

He married fellow race walker Siv Vera-Ibañez and settled in her native Sweden. Enrique gained Swedish citizenship and had a brief comeback to represent his new country at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics (he was disqualified in the 50 km walk). The couple had two children, Ato Ibáñez (1985) and Perseus Karlström (1990) both representing Sweden in race walking. The couple were later divorced.

References

External links

Living people
1954 births
Mexican male racewalkers
Swedish male racewalkers
World Athletics Championships athletes for Mexico
World Athletics Championships athletes for Sweden
World Athletics Championships medalists
Immigrants to Sweden
Mexican emigrants
20th-century Mexican people


title: Rita Sangalli

text:
Rita Sangalli (20 August 1849 – 3 November 1909) was an Italian ballet dancer. Born in Antegnate, she danced in the Italian provinces of Asti, Piacenza, and Turin, making her 1865 debut at Milan's La Scala in Paul Taglioni's (1808-1884) Flik and Flok,  before being hired for the opera at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. In 1872, she danced the principal role in La source at its successful revival. In the same year, she joined the Paris Opera Ballet, where she performed in numerous premieres, including in the role of Sylvia (14 June 1876), Yedda (1879),  and Namouna (6 March 1882). She retired from the company in 1884. Sangalli toured America where she performed in The Black Crook and Flick Flock.  In August 1901, Sangali and Marie Bonfanti performed at the Metropolitan Opera House, during the inaugural season of ballet at the New York City venue. She died  in Carpesino d'Arcellasco, Italy.

References

Further reading
Barbara Mackin Barker. The American careers of Rita Sangalli, Giuseppina Morlacchi and Maria Bonfanti: nineteenth century ballerinas. New York University, Graduate School of Arts and Science, 1981.

1849 births
1909 deaths
Italian ballerinas
Dancers from Milan
19th-century Italian ballet dancers
Paris Opera Ballet étoiles
People from the Province of Bergamo


title: Justin Murisier

text:
Justin Murisier (born 8 January 1992) is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer who competes in giant slalom and the speed disciplines of downhill and super-G. Earlier, he also competed in slalom.

Career
Born in Martigny, Valais, Murisier has competed at three Winter Olympics and three World Championships. His first World Cup podium came in December 2020 at Alta Badia, Italy.

Murisier's father is a cousin of alpine ski racer William Besse (b.1968).

World Cup results

Season standings

Race podiums
 0 wins
 1 podium (1 GS); 36 top tens

World Championship results

Olympic results

References

External links

Swiss Ski Team – alpine skiing – Justin Murisier –
 –

1992 births
Living people
People from Martigny
Alpine skiers at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Swiss male alpine skiers
Olympic alpine skiers for Switzerland
Skiers from Valais
21st-century Swiss people


title: 2002 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone

text:
The Asia/Oceania Zone was one of three Zones of Davis Cup competition in 2002.

Group I

Lebanon relegated to Group II in 2003.
Thailand and India advance to World Group Play-off.

Group II

Kuwait and Malaysia relegated to Group III in 2003.
Pakistan promoted to Group I in 2003.

Group III

Participating Teams
  — promoted to Group II in 2003

  — relegated to Group IV in 2003
  — relegated to Group IV in 2003

  — promoted to Group II in 2003

Group IV

Participating Teams
  — promoted to Group III in 2003

  — promoted to Group III in 2003

References

See also

Asia Oceania
Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone


title: Mothers of Khavaran

text:
Mothers of Khavaran () or "Mothers and Families of Khavaran" is a group of mothers and families of the victims of the state atrocities in the 80s in Iran devoted to seeking truth and justice for the victims of mass executions carried out by authorities of the Islamic Republic starting around 1981 and peaking during the 1988 summary mass executions of political prisoners in Iranian prisons. The organization comprises mothers and other family members of victims. Despite pressure by state authorities to remain silent, the Mothers of Khavaran have worked for over thirty years to seek justice and accountability for their loved ones.

Origins and formation
The group has no formal structure and there is little documentation. The members and supporters of Mothers began coming together as a community around 1980-1981; survivors of executions would gather around graves of their loved ones, often executed in secrecy and buried in Khavaran Cemetery. During the 1980s, as the Islamic Republic authorities executed and buried prisoners at Khavaran, more families came together and honoured their loved ones en masse. Families of prisoners and victims routinely visited, exchanged information and supported each other while waiting for news or permission to visit, near prisons such as Evin or Gohardasht (Rajaieshahr) or at Khavaran. Through this process that 1988 they discovered increased pressure on the political prisoners. In response to a hunger strike by their loved ones at Gohardasht prison in objection to torture and poor conditions, Mothers stepped up their appeals and activities. During the massacre between July 1988 and January 1989, Mothers of Khavaran entered a new stage in its history.  The joint efforts of Mothers in response to this development marked the beginning of their movement.

Around 4000 prisoners were brought before a three-member body known as the ‘Death Commission’, which included the current Minister of Justice under President Hassan Rouhani and the former Minister of the Interior under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mostafa Pourmohammadi. Executions were carried out at the secret order of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, in order to "cleanse" the prisons of members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, referred to as Monafeq (Hypocrites), as well as leftist prisoners, referred to as Mohareb (Combatants Against God). Although some evidence indicates that the executions were a response to the attacks by Mojahedin against the Islamic Republic, some survivors suggest they were previously planned in 1987. A significant number of victims are assumed to be buried in mass graves in Khavaran Cemetery, referred to by state authorities as ‘doomed land’ southeast of Tehran. Reports indicate that the Islamic Republic authorities ordered family members of victims to refrain from holding any public events associated with mourning the loss of their loved ones.

Mothers of Khavaran were the first to call for the release of prisoners and warn of their possible massacre. Following resolution 598 of the Security Council, the Islamic Republic disrupted regular family prison visitations on 28 July 1988 and refused to provide any information about prisoners regarding their whereabouts or fate. The Mothers were among the first to mobilize support and begin to search for family members and appeal to authorities. Their search resulted in the discovery of mass graves in Khavaran Cemetery between July 10 and August 6, 1988. Mass graves would be discovered in the area throughout the rest of the year. Mothers and their supporters saw and photographed limbs and bodies of partially buried victims. The Mothers' campaign included public gatherings and written statements to authorities like including UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and an unsuccessful attempt to meet with UN Special Rapporteur Galindo Pohl about the state of human rights in Iran. They also visited the residences of Ayatollah Khomeini, the father of the Republic, as well as those of Ayatollahs Montazeri and Marashi Najafi. Later, Ayatollah Montazeri sought ways to end the execution of “thousands in a few days.”

Families of Khavaran then visited Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, but were refused a response. They also peacefully gathered for three days in front of the Central Court in Tehran on August 21, 1988 to try to restore family visitation rights. A member of the High Judiciary Council, Bojnourdi, spoke to the crowd and stated that visitations would resume at Gohardasht prison, but that those at Evin were banned until stated otherwise. The Mothers later found that these periods marked by bans were set aside to process prisoners through two-minute interrogation sessions before a three-member death commission, leading to mass executions and burials. Once the Mothers learned of the massacre they informed the media and the diaspora outside of Iran. This marked the start of their global efforts to raise awareness and object to the secret mass executions. After authorities returned some the victims' belongings  to their families in December 1988, The Mothers took the significant step of organizing a public demonstration. It took place on  December 26 at the Central Court in Tehran.  The Mothers called out the Minister of Justice in a petition outlining violations of human rights and named  August 28 to September 8, 1988 the “Ten Days Honouring Martyrs of the National Tragedy” and September 1 as the day of public commemoration at Khavaran Cemetery.

Impact and contribution
Mothers of Khavaran served as a catalyst for the advancement of a collective process in Iran centered on justice through public advocacy. Their contributions include documentation of details pertaining to the victims and events surrounding the 1988 massacre. One of their first efforts involved compiling a list of names and information about prisoners whose families suspect they were executed. The majority of the victims belonged to Iran’s Communist Party, Mojahedin-e Khalq, Fadaiean-e Khalq (Majority and Minority), Rah-e Kargar, the Iran Tudeh Party or Komoleh. The Mothers' role in the dissemination of information about the deaths of their family members through interviews and documentaries serves as a source of oral history.

It is primarily through their repeated and sacrificial efforts that mass graves of political prisoners at Khavaran remain in place. Initially families gathered at Khavaran every Friday, and later the first Friday of every month.  Despite harassment, violence, and a state policy of erasing this important site, Mothers preserve the site at any cost, including the January 2009 attack on Khavaran.

Mothers is unlike similar movements in the past, as they represent a coalition of survivors who are united in one cause regardless of political or ideological differences in Iran’s political realm. Their series of historic letters to Iranian and international authorities forms the background of Iranians' struggle to raise awareness and preserve the memory of those killed during the massacre of political prisoners. The hallmark of these letters is their departure from the traditional and mournful approaches by victims and is itself a sign of the exemplary power of this group and the manner in which they redefine the role of survivors.

Their call for accountability, redress, and their rightful access to truth and justice is yet another contribution. The Mothers of Khavaran were the first grassroots body in the country to call for the identification and prosecution of state officials responsible for the summary executions rampant in the Iranian judicial system. In addition to their persistent efforts to inform the international community, they tried to meet with the UN Special Rapporteur on the status of human rights in Iran, the late Reynaldo Galindo Pohl, when he visited Iran, but instead the authorities physically assaulted some of those gathered.

The Mothers demonstrated persistence in the face of inaction. While their efforts went unanswered by both Iranian and international authorities and organizations, they searched for new ways to produce awareness of Iran's human rights violations and redefined legal boundaries to further the cause of justice. It was their vision and commitment that acted as a catalyst and served as the background to bring about a new consciousness regarding state responsibility in different categories of crimes against Iranian citizens. The Mykonos restaurant assassinations verdict implicating Iran in assassinations carried out in Germany, Islamic Republic officials' admission of murders of chained dissidents, the expansion and consolidation of human rights defenses through efforts by the Mothers, and the unprecedented Iran Tribunal proceedings, stand as tributes to the unprecedented movement, commitment and sacrifices by Mothers of Khavaran.

Harassment, Persecution and Arrests
Witnesses' statements show that prior to the mass executions, prison authorities would physically assault those who came to visit their incarcerated family members and conduct inappropriate body searches on women and girls as young as five or six years of age, as a means of discouraging and denying family visitations. Others, including Haj Karbalaie, would sexually threaten women. In December 1988 personal property of victims was mixed together and randomly returned to their families, who were left to sort out what belonged to whom, in order to aggravate their suffering. In addition, prison authorities confiscated valuables, such as wedding bands, which were reportedly sold to benefit war victims. This was while many family members of prisoners were in need of financial assistance for their most basic needs in life.

Reports indicate that on 1 September, the first anniversary of the executions, security and intelligence forces attacked the families and proceeded to arrest a number of them. While attacks, arrests and other forms of harassment went on, Mothers and other family members continued to press on, called on the international community to investigate the executions in Iran and made every attempt to meet with the UN Special Rapporteur, Mr. Pohl, and to present him with significant documents. However, intelligence forces once again attacked the Mothers and barred their access to the Special Rapporteur. In 2001, Islamic Republic authorities instructed the Baha’i community, whose part of Khavaran was full, to bury their dead in the section of Khavaran where political victims of executions in the 1980s were buried, claiming it was unused. Mothers realized the state authorities were trying to incite division and discord among them, and informed the Baha’is that the land was in fact occupied by unmarked graves and that they could bury their dead on top of the executed prisoners or go back to the authorities and demand another piece of land. The Baha’is chose to approach the authorities for another location.

A few years later in 2003–2004, the authorities locked the gates to the cemetery in order to deny the families access to Khavaran. In 2009 they bulldozed the grounds in order to remove any sign of the mass graves. In addition, they routinely remove and destroy any plantation, photos or signs that identify or mark the graves in any way. The authorities have gone so far as to saturate the land with lime and salt water in order to prevent families from planting flowers or greenery at Khavaran. In late July 2013, on the 25th anniversary of the mass executions, Islamic Republic security forces once again began a process of summoning family members and threatening them with arrest should they attempt to gather or publicly mark the anniversary in any way.

On 7 August 2013 an activist among Khavaran survivors, Mansoureh Behkish, issued a letter to President Hassan Rouhani summarizing the plight of the Mothers and families of Khavaran. She stated: “Generation after generation have been subjected to continuous threats and denied the opportunity to live as productive members of society… The greatest tragedy is that no government official has ever given the families of the fallen any answers.” Behkish outlines the following questions to the new President, hoping for answers:

1. How were the executions of political prisoners in the 1980s, especially those killed during 1988, carried out?

2. Why were prisoners who were serving their terms behind bars executed without notifying their families?

3. Why were the political prisoners retried behind closed doors in secret by the Death Commission?

4. Why have government officials not formally answered any of our questions to clarify why and how these mass killings occurred?

5. Why does the regime refuse to tell us where exactly the executed political prisoners are buried?

6. Why does the regime refuse to give the prisoners’ last wills and testaments to their families?

7. Why does the government continue to torment and harass the families who wish to gather in Khavaran?

8. Why does the regime refuse to let us freely commemorate the fallen in our homes and at Khavaran or other cemeteries?

9. Why did the regime make another attempt to destroy Khavaran in 2008 and fail to address our complaints?

10. Why has the main entrance to Khavaran been blocked for the last five years?  What is to be achieved by forcing elderly parents to walk a considerable distance to reach the unmarked graves of their loved ones?

11. Why does the regime refuse to let the families mark their graves, plant flowers and trees, and irrigate and clean the cemetery?

12. Why has the regime denied us the right to petition the government for redress of our grievances?

The authorities blocked families’ access to Khavaran on the morning of 1 September 2013. In his October 2013 report to the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, emphasized recent reports of the “on going harassment of those who continue to seek information about those who have disappeared or who seek justice or mourn for those who were executed”.

Custodians of Khavaran
Many family members tend to Khavaran in order to ensure the site remains intact despite repeated attacks by the authorities. Among the most recognized figures of Mothers of Khavaran are Mother Lotfi, whose son Anushirvan was executed, Mother Behkish, who lost her daughter, four sons and one son in law, as well as Mothers Sarhaddi, Golchoubian, Sarhadizadeh, and Riahi, and also Mother Moeini, two of whose family members are buried at Khavaran.

Mother Panahi, whose son Mehrdad was executed in 1988, Mother Hashmezadeh, Mother Milani and her daughter, Parvaneh Milani, who wrote the poem entitled ‘Khavaran’, have also played a notable role in maintaining this important burial site. Mothers Riahi, Qaedi, the Zakipour family, Mothers Okhovat, Vatankhah, Rezaie Jahromi, Nader, Bazargan, Zargar, Mother and Father Mir Arab, Mothers Abkenari, Bazargan, Sadeqi, Jasm, Tonkaboni, and Mother Sarhaddi and her extended family continue to frequent and preserve this historic site.

In addition, Mansoureh Behkish, a 2013 Frontline Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk finalist, who has survived the loss of six immediate family members during the mass executions, continues to face interrogation, arbitrary arrest, imprisonment, denial of the right to travel overseas, and expulsion from employment. In addition, state authorities denied her son the right to train as a pilot.

Awards and prizes
On May 18, 2014, the Mothers of Khavaran received the 2014 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. The award ceremony attracted the attention of several Iranian media outlets including BBC Persian, Euronews and Voice of America.

See also
 Mourning Mothers
 Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo
 Saturday Mothers
 Women in Black
 Black Sash
 Tiananmen Mothers
 Ladies in White
 StopExecutionsinIran
 Effat Moridi (Mother Moeini)

Notes

Human rights organisations based in Iran
Iranian women activists
Judiciary of Iran
Mass graves
Massacres in Iran


title: Education in Peja

text:
Education in Peja, Kosovo is a based on a system with no tuition fees, mandatory for all children between ages 6 and 18. It consists of a nine-year basic comprehensive school (starting at age six and ending at age fifteen), secondary general and professional education commonly known as high school, and higher education (university). It also includes non-mandatory daycare programs for babies and toddlers, and a one-year "preschool". The school year runs from early September to late June of the following year. Winter break runs from late December to early January, dividing the school year into two semesters.

Peja is the only city in Kosovo that offers high school education in arts and general education for the visually impaired.

Elementary education
Elementary education is divided in two parts. The first includes grades from 1 to 5 in which the students are taught by a single teacher. The second part is known as the lower secondary education, and includes grades from 6 to 9. Each subject is taught by a different teacher specialized in their subject.

Elementary schools

Asdreni
Vaso Pashë Shkodrani
Lidhja Prizrenit
Tetë Marsi
Ramiz Sadiku
Dardania
Xhemajl Kada
Smajl Hajdaraj
Hil Mosi
Lidhja e Pejes
7 Shtatori
Sami Frasheri
Skenderbeu
Ali Kelmendi
Rilindja
Skender Çeku
Haxhi Zeka
Zef Serembe
Naum Veqilhargji
28 Nëntori
Fan Noli
Dëshmorët e kombit
Migjeni
Pjetër Budi
2 Korriku
Mehmet Shoshi
Përparimi
Janko Joviqeviq

High school education
Secondary education includes grades from 10 to 12 and each school is divided into its own departments.

High school

Gymnasium Bedri Pejani is divided into four departments: the natural sciences department, social studies, computing and mathematics and the language department.

Professional education

Professional education is a part of the educational system and professional training that enables students who have finished mandatory education to be included in a democratic society as active and competent participants, and to engage in the constantly changing labor market.

There are two professional high schools in Peja:

Technical School Shaban Spahija in its composition has three separate objects in different parts of the city, with ten workshops: computing, electro installations, auto mechanic, metallurgy, auto coloring, hydro installing, construction, carpentry, tailoring and costume design which are equipped with adequate utensils for maintaining practical lessons. The learning process is divided into four professional subjects: electrotechnics, machinery, construction and textile.

Economic School Ali Hadri offers education in juristics, food technology, customs, catering and tourism, veterinary medicine, banking and finance and business administration.

School of Applied Arts Odhise Paskali is the only high school in Kosovo that offers secondary education in applied arts. Its departments consist of interior design, graphic design, ceramics, textile and painting.
Medical School of Peja is a secondary education school which offers studies in the field of medicine. It is divided into five departments: general medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing and midwifery and pediatrics.

Private Schools
The private schools in Peja offer education from sixth to twelfth grade. The number of students per class is generally smaller than in public school and the schedule is longer.

Cambridge Gymnasium is the first private school in Peja. On October 10, 2006 it was licensed for lower secondary education and upper secondary education that offers studies in natural sciences, computing and mathematics.
Euroschool

Number of students and teachers according to the 2011-2012 statistics:

Number of students based on ethnicity according to the 2011-2012 statistics:

Other

Music school Halit Kasapolli

The "Halit Kasapolli" school of music is the only school of its kind in Peja. Named after the composer from Peja Halit Kasapolli, it was begun in 2008. In the absence of profile singing the students study Music Theory and Instruments: piano, clarinet, violin, flute and guitar.

School for the visually impaired Dr. Xheladin Deda

School for the blind and the visually impaired – resource center Dr. Xheladin Deda in Peja is the only institution in Kosovo that offers education to blind and visually impaired children. It was founded in 1982 and works as a public institution financed by the Kosovo Ministry of Education.

Universities

Haxhi Zeka University

The public university Haxhi Zeka is originally a descendant of the Faculty of Applied Business Sciences (FABS) in Peja that was founded in 1960 with the decision of KSAK as an Economic-Commercial high school in Peja. At the beginning the school only consisted of the Commercial Business in the enterprise department and a small number of teachers.

Now it consists of the following faculties:

Faculty of business
Law school
Faculty of Management in tourism, catering and environment
Faculty of agribusiness
Faculty of arts

European College Dukagjini

The European College Dukagjini began in October 2006, and immediately enrolled more than 600 students in one academic year (2006/2007). Based on this significant demand, expectations are that this university could, in one five-year cycle of studies, have at least 4000 to 5000 students.

European Dukagjini College includes the following faculties:

Faculty of Economy with the departments:
Banking, Finance and Accounting
Management and Informatics
Business Administration
Applied Informatics

Faculty of law with the departments:
General Law
International relations

Faculty of Biotechnology
Department of Food Biotechnology

See also
 Peja
 Education in Kosovo
 Haxhi Zeka University

References

External links
IKEA foundation article about Peja including its education system

Peja
Peja


title: 2014 Brasil Tennis Cup – Doubles

text:
Anabel Medina Garrigues and Yaroslava Shvedova were the defending champions and successfully defended their title, defeating Francesca Schiavone and Sílvia Soler Espinosa in the final, 7–6(7–1), 2–6, [10–3].

Seeds

  Vania King /  Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová (semifinals)
  Monica Niculescu /  Klára Zakopalová (withdrew)
  Anabel Medina Garrigues /  Yaroslava Shvedova (champions)
  Darija Jurak /  Andreja Klepač (first round)

Draw

Draw

References
 Main Draw

2014 WTA Tour
2014 Doubles


title: Senate Constitutional Amendment 5

text:
Senate Constitutional Amendment5 (SCA5) was introduced by California State Senator Edward Hernandez to the California State Senate on December3,2012. This initiative would ask voters to consider eliminating California Proposition 209's ban on the use of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in recruitment, admissions, and retention programs at California's public universities and colleges. SCA5 was passed in the California Senate on January30,2014  but was subsequently withdrawn by Hernandez due to strong opposition, mainly from Asian Americans.

Background and Content of SCA 5

In 1996, California became the first state to outlaw affirmative action in public universities and state hiring. Proposition209 prohibited state government institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity, specifically in the areas of public employment, public contracting, and public education.

Hernandez introduced Senate Bill185 in 2011, which sought to achieve what SCA5 intended and was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown.

SCA5 essentially does the following two things:
 Deletes the specific provisions implemented through the enactment of Proposition209 that prohibit the State from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to individuals or groups on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin, in the operation of public education.
 Deletes the UC and the public school system from the definition of the "state" under Section 31 of Article 1, thereby repealing the application of the provisions of Proposition209 to those entities.

Support
The lead author of the bill, Senator Hernandez, argued that due to Proposition209, "there has been a precipitous drop in the percentage of Latino, African American, and Native American students at California public universities, despite the fact that those same groups have seen steady increases in their percentages of college-eligible high school graduates."

The same arguments for support were summarized as follows in the bill analysis:

"According to the author's office, immediately following the November1996 passage of Proposition209, there was a significant drop in the percentage of enrolled minority students at both the UC and the CSU. The author's office is concerned that, in spite of new eligibility requirements and admissions initiative which have helped to restore the numbers of some underrepresented students, the proportion of underrepresented students eligible for UC and CSU has not kept pace with the proportion of the high school graduating class that they now represent."

On February24,2014, Gene D. Block, Chancellor of UCLA, sent an open letter to all students and faculties expressing his strong opposition to Proposition 209.

The following Asian American organizations supported SCA 5:
 Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Asian Law Caucus
 UC Asian American & Pacific Islander Policy Multicampus Research Program (AAPI Policy MRP)
 National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE)
 Chinese for Affirmative Action
 The Civil Rights Project
 Asian Pacific Americans for Higher Education (APAHE)
 Southeast Asia Resource Center (SEARAC)
 Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP)

The following organizations support SCA 5, according to the Legislature's record.
 AFSCME
 American Association of University Women
 Association of California Healthcare Districts
 Bassett Teachers Association
 California Academy of Physician Assistants
 California Association for Nurse Practitioners
 California Black Chamber of Commerce
 California Black Health Network
 California Communities United Institute
 California Hospital Association
 California Medical Association
 California Nurses Association
 California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
 California Pharmacists Association
 California Primary Care Association
 California State Student Association
 California Teachers Association
 Equal Justice Society
 Equality California
 Health Access California
 Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
 Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
 Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, Inc.
 People Improving Communities through Organizing
 Public Advocates
 The Greenlining Institute
 University of California Student Association
 Western Center on Law and Poverty

Opposition
California State Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff voiced opposition to SCA5 in the State Senate. Democrats Leland Yee, Ted Lieu, and Carol Liu were among those who voted for SCA5 in the Senate, but the three senators have since asked Hernandez to hold the bill from an Assembly vote in order to better assess its potential impacts, in light of fervent opposition among the public. In addition, Assemblyman Ed Chau has promised that he will vote against SCA5 if it is voted on in the State Assembly.

Opposing organization in the Legislature's record:
 American Civil Rights Coalition

Other organizations and individuals opposing SCA5 included:
 American Civil Rights Institute and Ward Connerly
 Project on Fair Representation
 The Century Foundation
 The Center for Individual Rights
 Chinese American Federation (Representing about 100 Chinese American organizations)
 80-20 National Asian American PAC
 The Committee of 100
 Asian Americans for Political Advancement PAC
 Backbone Foundation
 Chinese Alliance for Equality
 Chinese Americans for Progress and Equality
 Chinese United
 Chinese Young Professionals Networking
 Chinese-American Institute for Empowerment
 DFW Chinese Alliance
 On Leon Merchants Association of Miami
 Overseas Chinese Association of Miami
 Silicon Valley Chinese Association
 The Chinese Association of Science, Education and Culture of South Florida
 The Federation of Florida Chinese Associations
 The Great Philadelphia United Chinese American Chamber of Commerce
 The United Association of Chinese Alumni in Great Houston
 United Asian Americans for Activism
 United Chinese Associations of Eastern USA
 United Chinese Foundation
 The World Association of Chinese Elites
 Chinese-American Oceanic and Atmospheric Association
 80-20 Asian American PAC Virginia-Maryland-DC Chapter
 USCCA (Univ. of Southern California, California Alumni Association)
 San Diego Asian American for Equality
 Indian American Forum for Political Education
 Chinese Americans for Progress & Equality
 Asian American Voters
 Joint Chinese University Alumni Association
 The Orange Club
 Central California Chinese Cultural Association (CCCCA)

Arguments
Major arguments against SCA5 include:

Failing to address root causes of the problem
 To address the problem of failing to obtain college admission, the root causes in early stage should be identified and the quality and outreach of K-12 education should be improved. Artificially lowering the admission standard for a small group of students will not address the root problems. On the other hand, college enrollment should be increased to accommodate qualified students.

Pursuing the wrong metrics for diversity
 Diversity is defined by the collection of different life experiences, thinking models, approaches to problems, and fresh perspectives within a group of people, not defined by the superficial differences in skin colors. Improving education diversity is to improve different thinking methods and problem solving skills for students so they can be better prepared for life challenges later on, not to increase the number of different skin colors.

Wrongfully blaming Proposition209
 The UC system already leads the country in its admission of talented, socioeconomically disadvantaged students. In 2011–12, 41 percent of the enrolled students at UC and CSU were Pell Grant recipient students (i.e. most often undergraduates with family incomes under $20,000).
 Graduation rates for all races and ethnicities increased by using race and gender neutral policies.

Relying on shaky fundamental supportive data
 Hernandez did not provide publicly accessible sources of the data used to support his statement of the problem. His data is also selectively based on a few campuses (such as UCLA and UC Berkeley) of the UC system or a few isolated years after 1996 (2004 was singled out for example).
 Based on publicly accessible data, it is indisputable that both in absolute numbers and percentages, minorities that attend the University of California have increased. Comparing the data in 1996 and 2013: Black students' population increased from 4% to 4.3% out of 6.6% of the California population, Chicanos and Latinos increased from 14.3% to 27.8% out of 38.2% population, Asian increased from 32% to 35.9% out of 13.9% population. The only race group with decreased student population is whites (decreased from 41% to 27.9%, out of 39.4% population).

Ineffective and harmful policies
 Preferential treatments for certain racial groups in college admission will inevitably deny other racial groups' access to the same education system, creating or sustaining an Asian quota, for example. This may increase the risk of racial tensions or even hostilities in California.
 Race-based preferential treatments in college admission do not work based on latest research.

Legislative action
SCA5 passed the State Senate on January30,2014, and crossed over to the Assembly. On March17,2014, at Hernandez's request, Assembly Speaker John Pérez referred the measure back to the Senate. In a joint statement with Hernandez, Pérez announced the creation of a bicameral commission on issues surrounding recruitment, admissions, and retention in California's systems of higher education. Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg also issued a statement stating that he is a supporter of SCA5: "I look forward to working with Senator Hernandez, my Senate colleagues, and the Assembly in bringing all communities together for a serious and sober examination of affirmative action."

Voting in the Senate
On January30,2014, the bill passed in the Senator in a party-line vote, with 27 ayes, 9 noes, 3 NVR (no votes recorded)
 Ayes: Beall(D), Block(D), Calderon(D), Corbett(D), Correa(D), De León(D), DeSaulnier(D), Evans(D), Galgiani(D), Hancock(D), Hernandez(D), Hill(D), Hueso(D), Jackson(D), Lara(D), Leno(D), Lieu(D), Liu(D), Mitchell(D), Monning(D), Padilla(D), Pavley(D), Roth(D), Steinberg(D), Torres(D), Wolk(D), Yee(D)
 Noes: Anderson(R), Berryhill(R), Fuller(R), Gaines(R), Huff(R), Knight(R), Vidak(R), Walters(R), Wyland(R)
 NVR: Cannella(R), Nielsen(R), Wright(D)

Public reactions

SCA5 received heightened public attention after it passed the State Senate. A Change.org petition has been launched to press the State Assembly to vote No on SCA5. The petition gained over 80,000 supporters in less than two weeks.

Resistance to the bill included a petition to stop the bill that received more than 112,000 signatures. Many different Asian lobbying groups also attacked the bill, including the Southeast Asian Resource and Action Center and the Filipino Advocates for Justice in Union City and Oakland.

Republicans also attacked the bill and went against the Democrats, who had a supermajority in the Senate. Republicans spoke at a forum called "Stop SCA5," which was sponsored by the Chinese-American Institute for Empowerment, which is based in San Francisco.

The bill stagnated while under intense opposition until Senator Edward Hernandez took it off the table. The bill did not qualify to be put on the election ballot as a referendum.

Aftermath
A Change.org petition to stop the bill had more than 112,000 signatures at that time, and at the request of three Democrat senators who voted for the bill in January, Senator Hernandez put the bill on hold. There has been no further action or attempt to revive the bill.

Assembly Bill1726, which was seen by some as a prelude to a revival of SCA5, was signed into law in late 2016.

Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5 (ACA5) was introduced by Assembly Members Weber, Gipson, and Santiago on January 18, 2019. ACA5 is a resolution to propose to California voters an amendment to the Constitution of the State, by repealing Section31 of ArticleI thereof, relating to government preferences. This measure would repeal Proposition209.

See also
California Affirmative Action in Education Amendment (2014)

References

209
1996
History of affirmative action in the United States
Initiatives in the United States


title: Pentacalia todziae

text:
Pentacalia todziae is a plant species endemic to Perú, known only from San Martín Province.

Pentacalia todziae is a large vine climbing over other vegetation. Stems are round in cross-section, hollow. Leaves are fleshy, thick and sturdy, broadly ovate, up to 17 cm long. Flower heads are borne in panicles up to 50 cm long, in the axils of the leaves. Heads each have about 8 yellow ray flowers and 25-30 yellow-brown disc flowers.

References

todziae
Flora of Peru


title: Second VA-215 (U.S. Navy)

text:
Attack Squadron 215 or VA-215, nicknamed the Barn Owls, was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established on 1 March 1968 and disestablished on 30 September 1977. The squadron, based at NAS Lemoore, flew the A-7B Corsair II. It was the second squadron to be designated as VA-215, the first VA-215 was disestablished on 31 August 1967 and had originated the Barn Owls nickname.

Operational history
1 March 1968: Following its establishment, the squadron remained under the operational control of VA-122 during its training in the A-7 Corsair II.
14 January 1969: The squadron was embarked on , conducting operational training in Hawaiian waters prior to deployment when a major fire occurred on the flight deck of the carrier. Several squadron personnel were presented with citations from the Secretary of the Navy and the Commanding Officer of Enterprise for heroism during the fire.
16 April 1969: Enterprise, with VA-215 embarked, departed Yankee Station en route to Korean waters in response to the downing of a Navy EC-121 aircraft by the North Koreans on 15 April. The squadron operated in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea until 11 May.
 02 January  1970: The squadron set sail on the  From Mayport, Florida. This was the ships 18th Mediterranean cruise, returning on 27 July, 1970.

December 1972: The squadron participated in Operation Linebacker II, concentrated air strikes against North Vietnam.
February 1973: Following the ceasefire with North Vietnam, the squadron flew combat missions in Laos until a ceasefire was signed with that country on 22 February 1973.
November 1973: , with VA-215 embarked, departed from operations in the South China Sea to relieve the  on station in the Arabian Sea due to the unsettled conditions following the Yom Kippur War.
October 1976–April 1977: , CVW-19 and VA-215 made their last operational cruise.

See also

Attack aircraft
List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
History of the United States Navy

References

Attack squadrons of the United States Navy
Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons


title: Kyōgoku Takatomo

text:
was a daimyō of the Azuchi–Momoyama period and the early Edo period. He was the second son of Kyōgoku Takayoshi and Kyōgoku Maria, also Takatsugu's younger brother.

In 1592 Toyotomi Hideyoshi gave him the domain at Iida (80,000 koku) in Shinano Province in central Honshu, but he took sides with the Tokugawa clan in the Sekigahara Campaign. For his loyalty he was given 78,000 koku and the Miyazu Domain in Tango Province, where he established himself until his death. His adopted heir Kyōgoku Takahiro went on to manage the domain after his death.

References

Samurai
Daimyo
1572 births
1622 deaths


title: Gian Gheramo Dalle Catene

text:
Gian Gheramo or Giovanni Gherardo Dalle Catene or Zangirardo Cathena (Parma, active 1520–1533) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance, active in Modena in a style reminiscent of Giovanni Bellini.

Biography
He is known to have traveled to Rome and likely Tuscany. Of the few works and documentation, are two lawsuits. One is by a Jewish merchant in the city. The other is a suit by the Benedictine Monastery of San Pietro which demanded in payment an altarpiece with three figures including the Madonna, St Luke, and John the Evangelist, which had to be adjudicated to value 200 lire. This altarpiece was said to be in the sixth chapel on the right of the Abbey church.

References

Painters from Parma
16th-century Italian painters
Italian male painters
Italian Renaissance painters
Painters from Modena


title: Threes

text:
Threes (stylized as Threes!) is a puzzle video game by Sirvo, an independent development team consisting of game designer Asher Vollmer, illustrator Greg Wohlwend, and composer Jimmy Hinson. The game was released on February 6, 2014, for iOS devices and later ported to Android, Xbox One, and Windows Phone. In Threes, the player slides numbered tiles on a grid to combine addends and multiples of three. The game ends when there are no moves left on the grid and the tiles are counted for a final score.

The basic game was prototyped in a single night, but the team spent over half a year iterating through variations on the idea with visual themes such as sushi and chess. By the end of the game's 14-month development, the team returned to the game's simple principles and numbers theme.

The game received what video game review score aggregator Metacritic described as "universal acclaim". Reviewers found the game "charming" and "addictive" and compared it to Drop7, Stickets, and Triple Town. Eurogamer and TouchArcade awarded the game perfect scores, with the latter calling Threes "about as close as it gets to a perfect mobile game". Other developers released similar games and clones within weeks of the game's launch. Apple Inc. named Threes the best iPhone game of 2014.

Gameplay

 The player slides numbered tiles on a four-by-four grid to combine addends and multiples of three. For example, ones and twos merge to become a single "three" tile, two threes merge into "six", and two sixes merge into "12". Swiping the screen up, down, left, or right moves all of the tiles one square (if possible) on the grid in that direction and adds a new tile to the grid in the same direction. The color of the incoming tile is shown onscreen. Players can preview moves by sliding the grid without letting go. Each kind of number tile has its own personality, and new kinds of number tiles are introduced with a screen full of confetti when first unlocked.

Games of Threes typically last several minutes and end when no moves remain on the grid (usually when gridlocked with a single high number tile and many low number tiles). When a game is finished, there is no "game over" screen, but players receive a final score based on the rarity of the tiles (rather than the tile number values). The object of the game is to earn a high score. Outside of the game, players can review their scores and set Game Center challenges.

There are a total of 2 kinds of colored tiles, valued 1 and 2, and 12 kinds of "threes" tiles in the game with values from 3 through 6,144. Color tiles are worth nothing, while the point value of "threes" tiles start at 3 and grows exponentially.

There is also a 13th character that is unlocked when two 6,144 tiles are combined; this character is marked by a triangle rather than the number 12,288. When this character is revealed, the game ends immediately even if the player have moves available, and points are totaled as usual. This feat was achieved and documented by Twitter user Threesporn in 2017 and publicly acknowledged by developer Asher Vollmer.

Development

 Threes was conceived by game designer Asher Vollmer, who worked on the game with artist Greg Wohlwend and composer Jimmy Hinson. The three, as Sirvo LLC, had previously collaborated on the 2012 iOS word game Puzzlejuice. Wohlwend had worked on games including Ridiculous Fishing and Hundreds. Threes development began before Ridiculous Fishing March 2013 release. Vollmer presented an idea similar to the final product in its simplicity: pair tiles as multiples of three. Vollmer considered Drop7 an inspiration for the game, and played it for two years before making his game. The first Threes prototype was written in a single night. With Wohlwend, the two-man development team spent at least half a year of the game's 14-month development iterating on this main idea.

Some of the iterations included new numberless visual themes and new game mechanics such as a monster who ate tiles and a wall that blocked certain movements. Early Threes designs had no inclination towards minimalism: the pair felt that the game needed to appear more complex so as to interest players. Wohlwend sent Vollmer designs including sushi-themed tiles that paired fish and rice, a chess theme that paired chess pieces, themes about animals, broccoli and cheese soup, military insignia, hydrogen atoms, and textile patterns. Their test audiences were confused by the close to two dozen themes tested in total. Vollmer commented that these ideas made the game feel "unwieldy and unnatural" and that he always preferred the game when the changes were reverted. They received a "wake-up call" from fellow game designer Zach Gage, who encouraged them to return from their foray into complexity. The final game returned to its original theme of numbers. Speaking in retrospect, Wohlwend said the game "always wanted to be simple". He noted that players "think math" upon seeing the game's numbers, though the game is more about "spatial relationships" and just happens to have a "number theme".

 When returning to the fundamental and original game conceptpairing tiles as multiples of threethe developers felt their experiments informed their final game development decisions. The theme of individual tile personalities extended to the final version, as tiles have faces and express emotions when paired. For example, the 384 tile has a pirate personality with a large tooth and a pirate eyepatch. Wohlwend has said that the number tiles grow in character with their size. The idea for character faces beneath the cards remained from previous theme iterations, and the character voices were provided by indie game developers. Of the development process, Wohlwend called it "tough and frustrating and sometimes hard to see if it was worth it". Vollmer credited thatgamecompany for teaching him applicable lessons of restraint during his time there.

The game was released by Sirvo for iOS on February 6, 2014, and ported by indie developer Hidden Variable Studios for Android on March 12, 2014. The team chose to release for iOS first due to the small team's difficulty testing across Android platforms. Hidden Variable also developed an Xbox One version, which was originally announced at Microsoft's E3 2014 press conference, and released on December 5, 2014. The release supports the console's "snap mode" (to play in the corner of the screen while the player watches something else) as well as online leaderboards and a "night mode" darker palette option. A free Windows Phone version was released on April 27, 2015, and a free web browser version in December 2015. The browser release does not include advertisements, unlike the free smartphone releases. In a post-release infographic, Sirvo wrote that the average game length was 20 minutes, even though they designed the game's sessions to not last longer than 10 minutes. They also reported that 93 percent of players in China used unlicensed copies of the game.

Reception

The game received what video game review score aggregator Metacritic described as "universal acclaim", with a 92% rating based on 19 reviews. Eurogamer and TouchArcade awarded the game perfect scores, with the latter calling Threes "about as close as it gets to a perfect mobile game". It was an honorable mention in the 2014 Independent Games Festival's Excellence in Design category. The game reached the top of the Apple App Store paid app sales chart shortly after its release. Re/code reported that it "dominated" the chart in the following weeks and became one of the 25 highest grossing apps on the App Store. It later won a 2014 Apple Design Award and was named Apple's best iPhone game of 2014. Reviewers found the game "charming" and "addictive". They compared the game with the luck of Drop7, the challenge of Stickets, and the "match-by-combining" mechanics in Triple Town. Reviewers also praised the simplicity of the tutorial and noted how their attention on combining large number tiles contrasted with their need to watch the board's movements as a whole.

Ben Kuchera of Polygon wrote that the game was "a brilliant little puzzler" and commented on the difficulty of designing such an accessible minimalist game. Dan Ryckert of Game Informer noted that the game had all of the qualities of a successful mobile game: accessibility of short game sessions, easy to learn and tough to master gameplay, room to make and try strategies, and gameplay mechanics suited for touchscreens. He added that his progressive play strategy adaptations for higher scores made the game joyful. Ars Technica Kyle Orland wrote that he expects the game to join Drop7 and Super Hexagon on his phone for the rest of his life and Crypt of the Necrodancer designer Ryan Clark called Threes the best iOS game he had ever played.

Mark Sorrell of Eurogamer compared the game's "profoundly and offensively banal" aesthetic to a "hipster restaurant" with good food but a smug ambiance, citing the soundtrack's "whimsy" and the art style's similarity to iOS game Letterpress. He praised the game's mechanics. TouchArcade compared the game's scaffolding mechanics to the turn-based roguelike Hoplite, and The Verge Andrew Webster compared the game's addictive mechanics to Sudoku and its style to Letterpress and Spelltower. Nick Statt of CNET thought the game had Tetris beauty and Dots visual appeal. He cited the game as an example of "flow" design principles at work, where the game is designed for players to enter a state of focus and self-awareness. Re/code Eric Johnson called the game a descendant of Sudoku, Dots, and Rush Hour. Pocket Gamer Mark Brown thought the game's randomness kept its gameplay interesting and MAME creator Nicola Salmoria wrote an artificial intelligence to play the game.

Edge wrote that the game "can feel a little insubstantial" in its lack of gameplay variety, though its "charm and craft" will make players return. They wrote that the soundtrack is cheerful and memorable with an "indie romcom feel". TouchArcade added that the soundtrack "fits the game perfectly" and recommended playing the game with sound activated so as to hear the tiles' personalities. CNET thought the music became repetitive, but that the tile voices were "a little creepy" without the soundtrack. Garrett Martin of Paste wrote that he heard the influence of Jon Brion and alluded to Paul Thomas Anderson's early films. Comparing Threes to Hundreds as the "quirky American cousin" to Hundreds "European art film", Martin found Threes more whimsical in nature and extended Ian Bogost's statements in The Atlantic about video games as "haute couture ... design objects" to Threes.

Legacy

 Outside developers released games that closely resembled Threes within weeks of its release, including a browser-based version, an "unofficial sort-of-knockoff" Android app (Fives), and another iPhone game, 1024, which advertised itself as "No need to pay for Threes" and was later ported to a browser version. A March 2014 clone of 1024, the browser game 2048, became popular and spawned "dozens of parodies". Journalists, including those at the Los Angeles Times, did not acknowledge the game's connection to Threes.

The Threes team was "puzzled" by the popularity of these releases, especially those that did not credit their game for the idea. They criticized 2048 game design and compared the game as the Commander Keen to their Super Mario Bros. in a 45,000-word post outlining their full 14-month development process. Gamasutra's Leigh Alexander described the situation as a "unique tragedy". Threes designer Vollmer would try to remove the clones from online stores but ultimately accepted that the game would be copied and resolved that his future games would not share the same fate.

Eurogamer listed Threes as one of the top 10 games of the generation. Tom's Guide listed Threes as one of the top 30 games of the 2010s.

Notes

References

External links

2014 video games
Android (operating system) games
Apple Design Awards recipients
IOS games
Indie games
Puzzle video games
Single-player video games
Video games developed in the United States
Windows Phone games
Xbox One games
Browser games


title: Ramon Zenhäusern

text:
Ramon Zenhäusern (born 4 May 1992) is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer and specializes in slalom. He made his World Cup debut in November 2012 and competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, in slalom. At the Olympics in 2018, Zenhäusern took silver in the slalom and gold in the team event. He competed in the slalom at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. At his third World Championships in 2019, he was fifth in the slalom and won gold in the team event.

World Cup results

Season standings

Race podiums
 5 wins (3 SL, 2 PS)
 12 podiums (9 SL, 3 PS)

World Championship results

Olympic results

Universiade results

References

External links

 Ramon Zenhäusern at Swiss Ski Team

1992 births
Living people
Alpine skiers at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Swiss male alpine skiers
Olympic alpine skiers for Switzerland
Universiade medalists in alpine skiing
Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Olympic medalists in alpine skiing
Olympic gold medalists for Switzerland
Olympic silver medalists for Switzerland
FISU World University Games gold medalists for Switzerland
Competitors at the 2015 Winter Universiade
Skiers from Valais


title: 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre butterfly

text:
The men's 100 metre butterfly competition at the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 28–29 at the Yokohama International Swimming Pool.  The last champion was Michael Klim of Australia.

This race consisted of two lengths of the pool, all in butterfly.

Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:

Results
All times are in minutes and seconds.

Heats
The first round was held on August 28.

Semifinals
The semifinals were held on August 28.

Final
The final was held on August 29.

References

2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships


title: 4th Street Feeling

text:
4th Street Feeling is the twelfth studio album by American rock musician Melissa Etheridge, released on September 4, 2012 by Island Records, produced by Jacquire King and Steve Booker, with all tracks co-produced by Etheridge. The album was recorded at the "House of Blues Studio" in Encino, California. It features twelve tracks on the standard release and three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition.

Reception

Rolling Stone gave it 3.5 stars out of 5, stating, "producers Jacquire King and Steve Booker deftly curb her over-the-top tendencies" and, "The restraint serves her well. She's realized that sometimes holding a little back can make what's there hit with all the more force."

People magazine awarded the album 3 out of 4 stars, while Entertainment Weekly rated the album a B+.

AllMusic was also positive, giving the album 3.5 stars out of 5, and wrote, "4th Street Feeling is largely a return to form for Etheridge; a record that reaffirms her place as a songwriter and recording artist who is in a class of her own.

Track listing
All songs written by Melissa Etheridge.

"Kansas City" – 3:20
"4th Street Feeling" – 3:33
"Falling Up" – 3:37
"Shout Now" – 3:17
"The Shadow of a Black Crow" – 3:18
"Be Real" – 3:52
"A Disaster" – 4:07
"Sympathy" – 3:52
"Enough Rain" – 2:49
"A Sacred Heart" – 4:23
"I Can Wait" – 3:30
"Rock and Roll Me" – 5:59

Bonus tracks

Personnel
Performance Credits
Melissa Etheridge – guitar, harmonica, piano, keyboards, vocals
Steve Booker – keyboards
Jon Kaplan – bass guitar
Brett Simons – bass guitar
Zac Rae – keyboards
Blair Sinta – drums

Technical Credits
Melissa Etheridge – Producer
Steve Booker – Producer
Richard Dodd – Mastering
Jon Kaplan – Additional Production
Doug Joswick – Package Production
Jacquire King – Producer, Engineer
Marc VanGool – Guitar Technician
Eric Wong – Marketing
Brad Bivens – Engineer
Kristen Yiengst – Art Direction
Smit – Engineer
Steven Defino – Art Direction
David Grant – Marketing
Oliver Straus – Engineer
Dave Morris – Marketing

Charts

References

2012 albums
Melissa Etheridge albums
Island Records albums
Albums produced by Jacquire King
Albums produced by Steve Booker (producer)