Erigeron vagus is a high-elevation species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names rambling fleabane.

Erigeron vagus is native to the peaks of the western United States where it lives on talus slopes, sometimes above the tree line but other times in open coniferous forests. It has been found in several locations isolated from each other, in eastern California (Sierra Nevada and White Mountains), southern Utah, southern Colorado, northeastern Nevada (Elko County), and northeastern Oregon (Wallowa Mountains).

Erigeron vagus is a small perennial herb reaching a maximum height of about five centimeters (2 inches), forming a taproot and a branched underground caudex. Its stem and small patch of basal leaves are covered with glandular hairs. The inflorescence holds a single flower head per stem, each with hairy, purple-tipped phyllaries lining the underside of the head. Each head contains 25–40 white or pink ray florets surrounding many yellow disc florets.

References

External links
Jepson Manual Treatment
United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile
Calphotos Photo gallery, University of California

Plants described in 1926
vagus
Flora of the Western United States
Flora without expected TNC conservation status


Kvatch may be:
 an alternative spelling of kvetch
 the name of a fictional location in the 2006 video game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

See also
 Dmitry Kvach
 Kavach (disambiguation)


Darko Matić ( born September 26, 1980) is a retired Croatian professional football player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the Sports Director of Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang.

Club career
Matić left his country because of the Yugoslav Wars and would move to Germany to begin his football career with Tennis Borussia Berlin's youth team and Tennis Borussia Berlin first team . He played his first game in the first team in the second division in Germany when he was 17, under the coach Winfried Schaefer. In summer 2000 he would join second tier Swiss football club FC Thun. Matic would help FC Thun winning the promotion after 50 years at the end of the 2001-02 season. In 2002, he signed  for HNK Orašje in the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Premier League. In 2004, Matić joined German team 1. FC Eschborn for a short period. In the 2004–05 league season he would join once again top tier side NK Orašje and play in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, helping them finish third and win the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Cup. Once again moving on to this time Slovak football club FC Senec in the 2005–06 league season he would help them win promotion to the Slovak Superliga. He was captain of his team Senec and he got an invitation from the Slovak Football Federation to play for the Slovakia national football team.

He transferred to Chinese Super League club Tianjin Teda in 2007 and would quickly become an integral member of the team by playing in all 28 games of the season. The following season when he aided the team to a fourth-place finish and had a chance to play AFC Champions League football. At the beginning of the 2009 league season Beijing Guoan were interested at his defensive abilities and signed him, this was to prove a successful signing when Matić once more quickly became an integral member of the team and aided Beijing to win their first league title.

Matić featured in most Beijing Guoan matches since joining the club including a run into the last 16 of the AFC Champions League where Guoan lost out to the eventual runners-up, Korean side FC Seoul. He scored a rare goal toward the end of 2014 in a 2-2 draw with Shandong Luneng.

Matić has become a rare foreign player in Chinese football in that he has played over 200 games for Beijing Guoan by the end of the 2014 Chinese Super League season for one club and is now top of the list for appearances by a CSL foreign player. He subsequently has become a legend with the fans in Beijing and has a following on Sina Weibo of over 1.3 million people. Matić has expressed an interest in staying in China in the future with the possibility of getting involved in coaching.

In January 2016, Matić transferred to fellow Chinese Super League side Changchun Yatai. He announced his retirement in February 2017.

Matić became the director of International Division of Beijing Guoan on 5 April 2017.

Personal life
Matić is ethnic Bosnian Croat. He is fluent in nine languages with those being Chinese, German, Croatian, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Czech. He has proven his fluency in Chinese with his numerous post-game interviews.

Honours
Beijing Guoan
 Chinese Super League: 2009

References

External links

 Player profile at sohu.com (Chinese)

1980 births
Living people
People from Posavina Canton
Men's association football midfielders
Bosnia and Herzegovina men's footballers
FC Thun players
HNK Orašje players
FC Senec players
Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C. players
Beijing Guoan F.C. players
Changchun Yatai F.C. players
Swiss Challenge League players
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina players
Slovak First Football League players
Chinese Super League players
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Expatriate men's footballers in Slovakia
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia
Expatriate men's footballers in China
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in China


Eliade () and Eliad are surnames used by several Romanian people. They may refer to any of the following:
 Ion Heliade Rădulescu (also known as Eliade Rădulescu and Eliad) (1802-1872), writer, historian and philosopher
 Mircea Eliade, historian of religions and philosopher
 Pompiliu Eliade (1869-1914), literary historian and linguist
 Sandu Eliad, journalist and theater director

See also
 Eliad (disambiguation)
 Heliades
 Eliade's Truth
 Eliada, Biblical figure

Romanian-language surnames


This is a list of trolleybus systems in Spain by autonomous community.  It includes all trolleybus systems, past and present.

Andalusia

Aragon

Basque Country

Cantabria

Catalonia

Galicia

Madrid

Valencia

See also

 List of trolleybus systems, for all other countries
 List of town tramway systems in Spain
 List of light-rail transit systems
 List of rapid transit systems
 Trolleybus usage by country

Sources

Books and periodicals
 Murray, Alan. 2000. '"World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia" (). Reading, Berkshire, UK: Trolleybooks.
 Peschkes, Robert. 1993. "World Gazetteer of Tram, Trolleybus, and Rapid Transit Systems, Part Three: Europe" (). London: Rapid Transit Publications.
 Trolleybus Magazine (ISSN 0266-7452). National Trolleybus Association (UK). Bimonthly.

References

Spain

Spain transport-related lists


An area of computer vision is active vision, sometimes also called active computer vision. An active vision system is one that can manipulate the viewpoint of the camera(s) in order to investigate the environment and get better information from it.

Background
The interest in active camera system started as early as two decades ago.  Beginning in the late 1980s, Aloimonos et al. introduced the first general framework for active vision in order to improve the perceptual quality of tracking results.  Active vision is particularly important to cope with problems like occlusions, limited field of view and limited resolution of the camera. Other advantages can be reducing the motion blur of a moving object  and enhancing depth perception of an object by focusing two cameras on the same object or moving the cameras.
Active control of the camera view point also helps in focusing computational resources on the relevant element of the scene. In this selective aspect, active vision can be seen as strictly related to (overt & covert) visual attention in biological organisms, which has been shown to enhance the perception of selected part of the visual field. This selective aspect of human (active) vision can be easily related to the foveal structure of the human eye, where in about 5% of the retina more than the 50% of the colour receptors are located.

It has also been suggested that visual attention and the selective aspect of active camera control can help in other tasks like learning more robust models of objects and environments with less labeled samples or autonomously
.

Approaches

The autonomous camera approach
Autonomous cameras are cameras that can direct themselves in their environment.  There has been some recent work using this approach.  In work from Denzler et al., the motion of a tracked object is modeled using a Kalman filter while the focal length that minimizes the uncertainty in the state estimations is the one that is used.  A stereo set-up with two zoom cameras was used.  A handful of papers have been written for zoom control and do not deal with total object-camera position estimation.  An attempt to join estimation and control in the same framework can be found in the work of Bagdanov et al., where a Pan-Tilt-Zoom camera is used to track faces.  Both the estimation and control models used are ad hoc, and the estimation approach is based on image features rather than 3D properties of the target being tracked.

The master/slave approach
In a master/slave configuration, a supervising static camera is used to monitor a wide field of view and to track every moving target of interest. The position of each of these targets over time is then provided to a foveal camera, which tries to observe the targets at a higher resolution. Both the static and the active cameras are calibrated to a common reference, so that data coming from one of them can be easily projected onto the other, in order to coordinate the control of the active sensors. Another possible use of the master/slave approach consists of a static (master) camera extracting visual features of an object of interest, while the active (slave) sensor uses these features to detect the desired object without the need of any training data.

The active camera network approach
In recent years there has been growing interest in building networks of active cameras and optional static cameras so that you can cover a large area while maintaining high resolution of multiple targets.  This is ultimately a scaled-up version of either the master/slave approach or the autonomous camera approach.  This approach can be highly effective, but also incredibly costly.  Not only are multiple cameras involved but you also must have them communicate with each other which can be computationally expensive.

Controlled active vision framework
Controlled active vision can be defined as a controlled motion of a vision sensor can maximize the performance of any robotic algorithm that involves a moving vision sensor.  It is a hybrid of control theory and conventional vision.  An application of this framework is real-time robotic servoing around static or moving arbitrary 3-D objects.  See Visual Servoing.  Algorithms that incorporate the use of multiple windows and numerically stable confidence measures are combined with stochastic controllers in order to provide a satisfactory solution to the tracking problem introduced by combining computer vision and control.  In the case where there is an inaccurate model of the environment, adaptive control techniques may be introduced.  The above information and further mathematical representations of controlled active vision can be seen in the thesis of Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos.

Examples
Examples of active vision systems usually involve a robot mounted camera, but other systems have employed human operator-mounted cameras (a.k.a. "wearables"). Applications include automatic surveillance, human robot interaction (video), SLAM, route planning, etc. In the DARPA Grand Challenge most of the teams used LIDAR combined with active vision systems
to guide driverless vehicles across an off-road course.

A good example of active vision can be seen in this YouTube video.  It shows face tracking using active vision with a pan-tilt camera system.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0FjDOTnmm0

Active Vision is also important to understand how humans.
and organism endowed with visual sensors, actually see the world considering the limits of their sensors, the richness and continuous variability of the visual signal and the effects of their actions and goals on their perception.

The controllable active vision framework can be used in a number of different ways.  Some examples might be vehicle tracking, robotics applications, and interactive MRI segmentation.

Interactive MRI segmentation uses controllable active vision by using a Lyapanov control design to establish a balance between the influence of a data-driven gradient flow and the human’s input over time.  This smoothly couples automatic segmentation with interactivity.  More information on this method can be found in.  Segmentation in MRIs is a difficult subject, and it takes an expert to trace out the desired segments due to the MRI picking up all fluid and tissue.  This could prove impractical because it would be a very lengthy process.  Controllable active vision methods described in the cited paper could help improve the process while relying on the human less.

External links
 Active Vision Group at Oxford University.
 Active Vision Laboratory at University of Edinburgh.
 Active Vision Tracking System for MAV developed by University of New South Wales.

References

Computer vision


Mazel Group Engineering is a Barcelona based design studio specialising in concept cars and engineering solutions.

Concept cars
 Mazel Identity i1
 Mazel Sportiva Latina
 Mazel JAVX (a "Journey adventure vehicle")
 Mazel HS 21 GTS
 Mazel HS K8 Luxury Berlina
 Mazel HS 21

In collaboration
 Mazel-Lancia Grandturismo Stilnovo
 Mazel-Nissan Micra Sport Concept Car

External links
 Mazel

Automotive companies of Spain
Companies based in Barcelona
Concept cars


The Minister of Customs was a position in the Cabinet of the Government of Canada responsible for the administration of customs revenue collection in Canada. This position was originally created by Statute 31 Vict., c. 43, and assented to on 22 May 1868.

From 3 December 1892, the Minister's position was abolished in favour of a Controller of Customs position, which was treated as part of the Ministry, but not part of the formal Cabinet. A similar change was also made to the Minister of Inland Revenue portfolio at that time. The Controller of Customs became part of the Cabinet on 24 December 1895, when John Fisher Wood joined the Privy Council.

The position once again became known as Minister of Customs with the passage of Statute 60-61 Vict., c. 18, which was given royal assent on 29 June 1897. (The same legislation also brought back the title of Minister of Inland Revenue.)

On 18 May 1918, the offices of Minister of Customs and Minister of Inland Revenue were combined into the Minister of Customs and Inland Revenue, as mandated by Order in Council.

Ministers and Controllers of Customs

References

Sources
 Privy Council Office (Canada) -  Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation
 Old and Sold: Canada - Constitution And Parliamentary

Federal departments and agencies of Canada
Canadian ministers


The Bahr el Zeraf (, also spelt Bahr az-Zaraf, Bahr ez Zeraf, and Baḩr az Zarāf), or Zeraf River in the English language, is an arm of the White Nile in the Sudd region of South Sudan. It is completely contained within the South Sudanese state of Jonglei. Its name is Arabic for "Giraffe River".

Course
The Bahr el Zeraf forms in the southern Sudd wetlands as an arm of the Bahr al Jabal ("Mountain Nile") section of the White Nile. A pair of man-made canals known as the Zeraf Cuts were dug in 1910 and 1913 to connect the two rivers at . These canals divert some of the Jabal's flow, more than doubling the Zeraf's volume, with the intention of accelerating the flow to Egypt and thereby reducing the water "lost" to evaporation and transpiration in the swamps.

From the Cuts the Zeraf flows north through the Ez Zeraf Game Reserve for . About  of this distance is through continuous swamp with islands, transitioning further downstream to a well-defined channel with raised banks. The Zeraf rejoins the White Nile near New Fangak,  downriver from Lake No and  upriver from Malakal.

See also
List of rivers of South Sudan

References

External links
Bahr el Zeraf (river), Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Baḩr az Zarāf,  GEOnet Names Server

Rivers of South Sudan
Nile basin
Jonglei State
Greater Upper Nile


This is a List of notable Old Boys of Waverley College Sydney, they being notable former students – known as "Waverlians" – of the Waverley College, an independent, non-selective Roman Catholic day school located in Waverley, New South Wales, Australia.

Business
Ezra Norton, newspaper proprietor (also attended Scots College)
Peter Switzer, business journalist

Clergy
 Patrick Dougherty (1931–2010), Bishop Emeritus and Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst, from 1983 until his death in 2010

Law
 Barry O'Keefe , judge in the Supreme Court of New South Wales and former commissioner of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption
 Charles Waterstreet, Sydney barrister and author

Media, entertainment and the arts
 Scott Cam, TV personality with the Nine Network
 Sam de Brito, journalist and blogger for the Sydney Morning Herald
 Bruce Dellit, architect, pioneer of the Art Deco style
 Costa Georgiadis, television host for ABC TV Gardening Australia
 Robert Grasso, Head of Sport SBS World News
 Damien Lovelock, singer and sports commentator
 John McKellar, playwright and social satirist
 Justin Melvey, television actor (Home & Away, Days of Our Lives)
 Johnny O'Keefe, Australian rock singer of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s
 Kevin Kearney, Film Producer, Sound Designer, Location Sound Recordist, 1960–2015

Military
 Peter Cosgrove , 26th Governor-General of Australia (2014–2019); Chief of the Defence Force (2002–2004); Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University (2005–2014)
 Bede Kenny  (1896–1953), recipient of the Victoria Cross

Politics
 Peter Collins , former leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, deputy premier and treasurer
 Ludwig Keke (Class of 1954), Nauruan politician, Member of Parliament (1968–1972, 1989–1995, 1997–2000), Speaker of Parliament (1998–2000), and Ambassador to Taiwan (2007–2016)
 John Murphy, Australian Labor politician who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1998 until 2013, representing Lowe and then Reid
 Bill Tilley, Victorian politician and member for Benambra (also attended St Gregory's College, Campbelltown & Redden College)

Public and community service
 John McCarthy , Australian diplomat, ambassador, High Commissioner
 Patrick McClure , civil society leader, CEO Mission Australia (1997–2006) (also attended St Peter's College, Auckland)

Sport
 Nick Blakey, AFL footballer Sydney Swans
 Michael Cleary , former rugby union, and rugby league and footballer of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Commonwealth Games sprint competitor and politician as Minister for Sport in the Wran Government (1981–1988)
 Clay Cross, Australian shot putter and competitor in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games
 Ryan Cross, Australian rugby union, and rugby league footballer of the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010
 Morris Curotta, sprint competitor, Olympic Games 1948 (London) and 1952 (Helsinki)
 Tom English, rugby union professional player for the Melbourne Rebels
 Gordon Benjamin Favelle (1912–1987), Australian professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s.
 Adam Freier, broadcaster and former rugby union professional player
 Jack Fingleton , former Australian cricketer, journalist and political commentator
 Isaac Heeney, Australian Rules football player at the Sydney Swans
 Stephen Hoiles, professional Rugby Union player, Wallaby and Fox Sports commentator
 Kenneth Kennedy, speed skater and ice hockey player, Australia's first Winter Olympian
 Massimo Luongo, footballer, Australian Socceroo representative, Queens Park Rangers and formerly of Swindon Town F.C.
 Shawn Mackay, Super Rugby and Commonwealth Games Rugby 7s player
 Tony Madigan, Olympic Games boxing bronze medallist
 Owen Finegan, rugby union player, part of the wallabies 1999 world cup winning team
 Chris Talakai, rugby union player
 Ben Donaldson, rugby union player
 Jed Holloway, rugby union player
 Ben O'Donnell, rugby union player
 Davvy Moale, rugby league player
 Ronald Volkman, rugby league player
 Patrick Phibbs, rugby union player
 Sam Talakai, rugby union player
 Morgan Turinui, rugby union player
 Anatoly Kolesnikov, basketball player
 Jason Sangha, cricketer

References

External links
 Waverley College website

Waverley
Waverley
Waverley Old Boys


Chantrey Inlet (Tariunnuaq) is a bay on the Arctic coast of Canada. It marks the southeast "corner" where the generally east–west coast turns sharply north. To the west is the Adelaide Peninsula and to the east is mainland. King William Island shelters it to the northwest. To the west the Simpson Strait separates King William Island from the Adelaide Peninsula. Its mouth is marked by Point Ogle on the west and Cape Britannia on the east. West of Point Ogle is Barrow Bay, Starvation Cove and Point Richardson. The Back River enters from the south. Near its mouth is a weather station on the  Hayes River. Montreal Island is contained within the Inlet. It is  long and  wide at its mouth.

Chantrey Inlet is the historical territory of the Utkuhiksalik (the people of the place where there is soapstone), nomadic Inuit who lived in snowhouses (igloos) in the winter, tents in the summer, and whose diet centered on trout (lake trout and Arctic char), whitefish, and caribou. In 1834 George Back followed the Back River to its mouth and explored Chantrey Inlet. In 1839 Peter Warren Dease and Thomas Simpson reached it by sailing along the coast from the west. In the present day, sportsmen arrive in Chantrey Inlet by chartered bushplane for fishing.

References

Coastal geography
Estuaries of Canada
Inlets of Kitikmeot Region
Former populated places in the Kitikmeot Region


Eriochloa is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, commonly called cupgrass. They are found across much of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas, plus a few places in European Russia.

 Species
 Eriochloa acuminata – tapertip cupgrass - Mexico, southern USA (from CA to MD + FL), northern Argentina
 Eriochloa aristata – bearded cupgrass - Mexico, USA (AZ, CA, MS)
 Eriochloa australiensis - Australia
 Eriochloa boliviensis - Bolivia
 Eriochloa boxiana  - Mexico, Central America, Lesser Antilles, Colombia, Venezuela
 Eriochloa contracta – prairie cupgrass - Mexico, USA (from CA to FL to MN), Ontario
 Eriochloa crebra - Australia
 Eriochloa distachya - Central + South America
 Eriochloa fatmensis – tropical cupgrass - sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, Arabian Peninsula
 Eriochloa grandiflora - Santa Cruz in Bolivia, Paraguay, Misiones in Argentina, Minas Gerais in Brazil
 Eriochloa lemmonii – canyon cupgrass - USA (AZ, NM), northern + central Mexico
 Eriochloa macclounii  - Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana
 Eriochloa meyeriana - sub-Saharan Africa, Aldabra, Madagascar, Yemen
 Eriochloa michauxii – long-leaved cupgrass - USA (AL FL GA SC)
 Eriochloa montevidensis - Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador
 Eriochloa nana - Argentina (Formosa, Corrientes, Santiago del Estero)
 Eriochloa nelsonii - Mexico, Central America
 Eriochloa pacifica - Peru, Ecuador incl Galápagos
 Eriochloa parvispiculata - Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Eswatini, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal
 Eriochloa peruviana - Peru, Ecuador
 Eriochloa polystachya – caribgrass - Chiapas, Central America, West Indies, northern South America
 Eriochloa procera - Australia, New Guinea, southeast Asia, China, Indian Subcontinent, East Africa
 Eriochloa pseudoacrotricha - Australia
 Eriochloa punctata – Louisiana cupgrass - Central America, West Indies, South America, Mexico, USA (TX LA GA MD)
 Eriochloa rovumensis - Tanzania, Mozambique
 Eriochloa sericea – Texas cupgrass  - USA (TX OK KS), Coahuila, Tamaulipas
 Eriochloa setosa - Cuba
 Eriochloa stapfiana - Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Eswatini, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal
 Eriochloa stevensii - Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru
 Eriochloa subulifera - Aldabra, Madagascar
 Eriochloa succincta - southern European Russia, Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan
 Eriochloa tridentata - Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina
 Eriochloa villosa – hairy cupgrass - Russia (Amur, Primorye, Khabarovsk), China incl Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Japan incl Ryukyu Is
 Eriochloa weberbaueri - Peru, Ecuador

 formerly included
see Ancistrachne Axonopus Brachiaria Isachne Panicum Paspalum Tricholaena Urochloa

References

Panicoideae
Poaceae genera


Brigadier General Joseph Warren Stilwell Jr. (March 6, 1912 – July 25, 1966) was a United States Army general best known for his service in United States Army Special Forces and the United States Army Support Group in the Vietnam War.

Early life and education
Stilwell was born in Syracuse, New York, one of five children of General Joseph Stilwell. He attended West Point, graduating in the class of 1933. Stilwell later graduated from the Army and Navy Staff College in 1945 and the United States Army War College in 1951.

Military career
Stilwell served as a lieutenant with the 15th Infantry Regiment (United States) in China in 1937. During a troop movement from Chinwangtao to Tientsin on July 29, 1937, Stilwell's unit came into contact with a battle between Chinese and Japanese forces. Major William F. Lee, First Lieutenant Stilwell and four of their men each received the Soldier's Medal for protecting the unit and its equipment from injury and damage.

During World War II, Stilwell served in the China Burma India Theater, earning his first awards of the Legion of Merit and the Air Medal.

Stilwell served as commander of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division in Korea from 1952 to 1953, earning his second award of the Legion of Merit and first award of the Bronze Star Medal.

Stilwell served as commander of United States Army Support Group, Vietnam (renamed United States Army Support Command, Vietnam from March 1, 1964) from August 26, 1962, until June 30, 1964.

Death
Stilwell was lost at sea on July 25, 1966, when flying a C-47 to Hawaii with longtime friend and pilot Hal Grimes of Air Ferry International. Harold Fossum was the navigator. The C-47 was to continue on to Thailand; however, Stilwell was only intending to travel as far as Hawaii to increase his instrument rating qualification. The Coast Guard, USAF and US Navy (including three destroyers and the ) searched an area of 105,000 square miles without finding any trace of the aircraft. A memorial to Brig. Gen. Stilwell was erected at the West Point Cemetery next to the gravesite of his parents.

Awards and decorations

References

1912 births
1966 deaths
Military personnel from Syracuse, New York
United States Military Academy alumni
Recipients of the Soldier's Medal
United States Army personnel of World War II
Recipients of the Air Medal
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Joint Forces Staff College alumni
United States Army War College alumni
United States Army personnel of the Korean War
United States Army generals
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in international waters


"Them There Eyes" is a jazz song written by Maceo Pinkard, Doris Tauber, and William Tracey that was published in 1930. One of the early recorded versions was performed by Louis Armstrong in 1931. It was made famous by Billie Holiday, who recorded her version in 1939 for Vocalion Records. A version by Emile Ford & The Checkmates reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart in 1960.

Notable versions
 Bing Crosby (recorded November 20, 1930 as The Rhythm Boys with Gus Arnheim and his Cocoanut Grove Orchestra.) This was  popular and reached the charts of the day in 1931.

References

Jazz songs
1930 songs
Songs with music by Maceo Pinkard
Carmen McRae songs
Okeh Records singles


Monocytopenia is a form of leukopenia associated with a deficiency of monocytes.

It has been proposed as a measure during chemotherapy to predict neutropenia, though some research indicates that it is less effective than lymphopenia.

Causes
The causes of monocytopenia include: acute infections, stress, treatment with glucocorticoids, aplastic anemia, hairy cell leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, treatment with myelotoxic drugs,  intestinal resection, and genetic syndromes, as for example MonoMAC syndrome.

Diagnosis
- Blood Test (CBC) (Normal range of Monocytes: 1-10%) (Normal range in males: 0.2-0.8 x 10 3 /microliter)

- Blood test checking for monocytopenia (Abnormal ranges: <1%) (Abnormal range in males: <0.2 x 10 3 /microliter)

Treatment
Monocytopenia may be treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

References

External links

Monocyte and granulocyte disorders


The East Turkistan National Army, also known as the Ili National Army (), was the army of the East Turkestan Republic (ETR) that originally consisted of six regiments: the Suidun Infantry Regiment, the Ghulja Regiment, the Kensai Regiment, the Ghulja Reserve Regiment, the Kazakh Cavalry Regiment, the Dungan Regiment, the Artillery Subdivision, the Sibo Subdivision, and the Mongol Subdivision. The last two subdivisions were later reformed to regiments. All regiments were armed with mostly German-made weapons that were provided by the Soviet Union on orders by Joseph Stalin. Its personnel was trained in the Soviet Union. Rebel aviation included 42 airplanes, which were captured in the Ghulja Kuomintang air base and repaired by Soviet military personnel.

History
The East Turkistan National Army, also known as the Ili National Army, was formed on 8 April 1945. Elihan Tore was the Marshal of the Ili National Army until his exile to the Soviet Union. Abdulkerim Abbas served as the INA's political director.

According to M. Kutlukov, in September 1945, the National Army made decisive victories over Kuomintang troops in Jungaria, where two newly-formed full-sized Kuomintang divisions of around 25,000 troops, armed with American-made weapons, were trapped and completely annihilated, except for 6,000 soldiers and officers, including 7 generals, who surrendered, in battles in the highly-fortified Wusu-Shihezi district. This was in part thanks to the courage of soldiers and officers of the Ili National Army, the experience of numerous Soviet military personnel and advisers who directly participated in the military operations, and the employment of heavy artillery fire and aerial bombings (by rebel aviation) of Kuomintang positions in the strategic oil-rich district.

On 22 December 1949, the National Army joined the People's Liberation Army as the Xinjiang 5th Corps, but then was reformed. Its divisions were transferred to the newly-created Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps with all weapons of the divisions having been seized. Later, the national divisions were themselves entirely disbanded.

Structure

The National Army of the Second East Turkestan Republic was formed on 8 April 1945 and originally consisted of six regiments:
 Suidun infantry regiment
 Ghulja regiment
 Kensai regiment
 Ghulja reserve regiment
 Kazakh cavalry regiment
 Tungan regiment
 Sibo battalion
 Mongol battalion

General conscription of all races, except the Chinese, into the National Army was enforced in the Ili zone.

Later, Sibo and Mongol battalions were upgraded to regiments. When Kazakh irregulars under Osman Batur defected to the Kuomintang in 1947, the Kazakh cavalry regiment of National Army also defected to Osman Batur. The motorized part of Army consisted of an Artillery Division, which included twelve cannons, two armoured vehicles, and two tanks. National aviation forces included forty-two airplanes, captured at a Kuomintang air base in Ghulja on 31 January 1945. All of them were damaged during the battle for the base. Some of the aircraft were repaired and put into service by Soviet military personnel in ETR. They participated in the battle between Ili rebels and the Kuomintang for Shihezi and Jinghe in September 1945.

The battle resulted in the capture of both Kuomintang bases and oil fields in Dushanzi. During the battle, one more Kuomintang airplane was captured, and detachments of National Army reached Manasi River north of Ürümqi, which caused panic in the city. Government offices were evacuated to Kumul. An offensive on Xinjiang's capital was cancelled because of direct pressure from Moscow on Ili rebels' leadership, which agreed to follow orders from Moscow to begin peace talks with the Kuomintang and to cease fire on all frontiers. The first peace talks between Ili rebels and Kuomintang followed Chiang Kai-shek's speech on China State Radio offering "to peacefully resolve Xinjiang crisis" with the rebels. The peace talks were mediated by the Soviet Union and started in Ürümqi on 14 October 1945.

The National Army enlisted 25,000 to 30,000 troops. In accordance with the peace agreement with Chiang Kai-shek that was signed on 6 June 1946, that number was reduced to 11,000 to 12,000 troops and restricted to stations in only the Three Districts (Ili, Tarbaghatai and Altai) of northern Xinjiang. National Army detachments were also withdrawn from southern Xinjiang, leaving the strategic city of Aksu and opening the road from Ürümqi to the Kashgar region. That allowed the Kuomintang to send 70,000 troops from 1946 to 1947 and quell the rebellion in the Pamir Mountains.

The rebellion was broken on 19 August 1945 in the Sariqol area of Taghdumbash Pamir. Rebels, led by the Uyghur Sadiq Khan Khoja from Kargilik and the Sariqoli Tajik Karavan Shah, captured all border posts near the Afghan, Soviet and Indian borders (Su-Bashi, Daftar, Mintaka Qarawul, Bulunqul), and a Tashkurgan fortress, killing Kuomintang troops. The rebels took Kuomintang troops by surprise as they celebrated the capitulation of Japanese Army in Manchuria. A few Kuomintang forces in Sariqol survived and fled to India during the rebel attack. The original base of the rebellion was situated on the mountainous Pamir village of Tagarma, near the Soviet border. On 15 September 1945, Tashkurgan rebels took Igiz-Yar on the road to Yangihissar, while another group of rebels simultaneously took Oitagh, Bostan-Terek and Tashmalik on the road to Kashgar.

By the end of 1945, Tashkurgan rebels had attacked Kashgar and Yarkand districts. On 2 January 1946, while the Preliminary Peace Agreement was signed in Ürümqi between Ili rebels and Kuomintang representatives under Soviet mediation, rebels took Guma, Kargilik and Poskam, important towns that controlled communications between Xinjiang, Tibet and India. On 11 January 1946, the Kuomintang Army counter-attacked the Yarkand military zone, bringing reinforcements from Aksu Region. The counterattackers repelled Tashkurgan rebels from the outskirts of Yarkand, recaptured the towns of Poskam, Kargilik and Guma and brought the Tashkurgan Region back to Chinese control by the summer of 1946.

Only a few hundred of the 7000 rebels survived. The survivors retreated to the mountainous Pamir base in Qosrap (village in present-day Akto County). The National Army was partially active in Kashgar and Aksu from 1946 to 1949, the arrival of People's Liberation Army (PLA) units in Xinjiang.

Deng Liqun, a special envoy of Mao Zedong, arrived in Ghulja on 17 August 1949 to negotiate with the Three Districts leadership on the districts' future. Deng sent a secret telegram to Mao about the Three Districts forces the following day. He listed the forces as including about 14,000 troops, armed mostly with German weapons, heavy artillery, 120 military trucks and artillery-towing vehicles, and around 6,000 cavalry horses. Soviet military personnel were present in the Army and serviced 14 airplanes, which were used as bombers. On 22 December 1949, the National Army was incorporated into the PLA as its Xinjiang 5th Army Corps.

Ranks
The ranks of the national army of the Second East Turkestan Republic (1944-1949) were similar in design to Soviet ranks since the army had been trained by the Soviet Union, which supported it during its war against the Kuomintang.

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading
 William W. Whitson, with Chen-hsia Huang. (1973) The Chinese high command – A history of Communist military politics, 1927–71. Foreword by Lucian W. Pye.

Disbanded armies
Ili Rebellion
Military units and formations established in 1945


The U.S. national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" has been performed at all but one Super Bowl since its first year in 1967; Vikki Carr sang "America the Beautiful" in place of the anthem at Super Bowl XI in 1977. Since Super Bowl XVI in 1982, famous singers or music groups have performed the anthem at the vast majority of Super Bowl games. Since Super Bowl XXVI in 1992, an American Sign Language (ASL) performer has sung the national anthem in ASL.

Beginning with Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, "America the Beautiful" is sung before the national anthem every year and is followed by the presentation of the colors and a military flyover preceded the anthem. Beginning in 2021, "Lift Every Voice And Sing" was sung prior to "America the Beautiful" and the national anthem in honor of Black History Month. Some early Super Bowls featured marching bands performing the anthem and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Performances

Multiple and hometown performances
Acts that have performed three times:
Marlee Matlin (ASL), (XXVII, XLI, and 50)

Acts that have performed two times:
GSU Tiger Marching Band (II and IX)
Billy Joel (XXIII and XLI)
Aaron Neville (XXIV and XL)
U.S. Air Force Academy Chorale (VI and XXXIX)

Singers that performed in or near their hometown metropolitan area:
Beyoncé (XXXVIII, Houston)
Aretha Franklin (XL, Detroit)
Al Hirt (IV, New Orleans)
Aaron Neville (XXIV & XL, New Orleans)
Diana Ross (XVI, Detroit)
Jordin Sparks (XLII, Phoenix)
Gladys Knight (LIII, Atlanta)

Notable performances

The performance by Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV in 1991, during the Gulf War, has been for many years regarded as one of the best renditions ever. It was released as a single a few weeks later, appeared on the album Whitney: The Greatest Hits, and was re-released as a single in 2001 shortly after the September 11 attacks.

The 1992 performance marked the first time American Sign Language was used alongside the lead singer.

Faith Hill performed the anthem at Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. It became popular in country radio. Following the September 11 attacks, her version entered the country singles chart at number 35, despite not being released as an official single, and reentered the same chart at number 49 in July 2002.

At Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, in an emotional and groundbreaking performance, soprano Renée Fleming became the first opera singer to perform the national anthem.  Its critically acclaimed performance helped the Fox network achieve its highest ratings in its history, and remains so today.

The performance at LVII in 2023, by long time country singer Chris Stapleton was, like Renee Fleming’s rendition, critically acclaimed and widely considered one of the best renditions ever, challenging both Whitney Houston's 1991 performance and Fleming’s 2014 performance for the most popular of all time.

Controversies
Since 1993, the NFL has required performers to supply a backup track. This came after Garth Brooks walked out of the stadium prior to his XXVII performance. Only 45 minutes before kickoff, he refused to take the stage, due to a dispute with NBC. Brooks requested that the network premiere the music video for his new single "We Shall Be Free" during the pregame. The network chose not to air the video, due to content some felt was disturbing imagery. Brooks had also refused to pre-record the anthem, which meant the league had nothing to play if he left. Television producers spotted Jon Bon Jovi in the grandstands, and were prepared to use him as a replacement. After last-minute negotiations, NBC agreed to air a clip of the video during the broadcast of the game, and Brooks was coaxed back into the stadium and sang.

Following the "wardrobe malfunction" controversy during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, all scheduled performers for Super Bowl XXXIX were chosen under heavy scrutiny. Game organizers decided not to use a popular music vocalist. The combined choirs of the U.S. Military Academy, the Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets were invited to perform. This was the first time since the second inauguration of President Richard Nixon in 1973 that all four service academies sang together.

Two days after Super Bowl XLIII, it was revealed that Jennifer Hudson also had lip synced.

At the beginning of Super Bowl XLV, Christina Aguilera sang the lyrics incorrectly. Instead of singing "O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming", the pop star sang "What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last gleaming". According to the New York Times, she also changed "gleaming" to "reaming".

Other patriotic performances

The following Super Bowls featured other patriotic performances besides the national anthem. Since 2009, "America the Beautiful" is sung before the national anthem.

Pledge of Allegiance
1969: Apollo 8 crew
1970: Apollo 12 crew
1973: Apollo 17 crew

"America the Beautiful"
1974: Charley Pride
1977: Vikki Carr (in place of the national anthem)
2001: Ray Charles
2002: Mary J. Blige, Marc Anthony and the Boston Pops Orchestra
2005: Alicia Keys and a tribute video to the recently deceased Ray Charles
2009: Faith Hill
2010: Queen Latifah
2011: Lea Michele with Tops In Blue
2012: Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert
2013: Jennifer Hudson with the Sandy Hook Elementary School Chorus
2014: Queen Latifah with the New Jersey Youth Chorus
2015: John Legend
2016: U.S. Armed Forces Chorus
2017: Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
2018: Leslie Odom Jr.
2019: Chloe x Halle
2020: Yolanda Adams
2021: H.E.R.
2022: Jhené Aiko
2023: Babyface
2024: TBD

"God Bless America"
2003: Céline Dion

"Lift Every Voice and Sing'"
2021: Alicia Keys
2022: Mary Mary
2023: Sheryl Lee Ralph
2024: TBD

See also
 Super Bowl
 List of Super Bowl halftime shows

References

National anthem performers at the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
National anthem performers
The Star-Spangled Banner


Marco Oppedisano (born November 20, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and composer whose compositions focus on the innovative use of electric guitar in the genre of electroacoustic music. His musique concrète/acousmatic music compositions have utilized multitrack recording and extended performance techniques for electric guitar, nylon string guitar and electric bass. In addition to musique concrète, compositions by Oppedisano also consist of "live" electric guitar in combination with a fixed playback of various electronic, acoustic (specifically female voice courtesy of Kimberly Fiedelman) and sampled sounds.

Oppedisano has also composed works for solo classical guitar, solo electric guitar and mixed ensemble.

Biography

Oppedisano began playing guitar at the age of 12 and was primarily a rock guitarist before entering studies at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College. After two years of classical guitar study at Brooklyn College, he completed composition studies there with Tania León, Charles Dodge, Noah Creshevsky (Hyperrealism (music)) and George Brunner.

Oppedisano completed graduate studies at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College obtaining his master's degree in Music Composition. There he studied with Henry Weinberg and Thea Musgrave. Oppedisano is also a certified New York State P-12 Music teacher.

From 1999-2003, as a member of the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College Electroacoustic Ensemble, Oppedisano worked at the Brooklyn College Center for Computer Music (BC-CCM) to composeelectroacoustic music focusing on sounds derived only from electric guitar and electric bass. From 2003–present, Oppedisano has exclusively worked out of his home recording studio in Queens, NY. He is a certified NYS music teacher and was also employed as an adjunct professor at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College.

Since 2002, he has also had ensemble works performed by the New York City Guitar Orchestra, Quarto Ensamble (Chile), Esart Quartet, Fireworks Ensemble, Glass Farm Ensemble, Brooklyn College Percussion Ensemble (directed by Morris Lang), Zyryab Guitar Quartet and solo guitar compositions performed by Kevin R. Gallagher and Oren Fader. As a guitarist he has performed in compositions by notable composers/guitarists, Nick Didkovsky and Glenn Branca.

Oppedisano's electroacoustic music with guitars has been used in film and was included in UK feature film "Besides These Walls" (2017), directed by Jules Bishop. "Besides These Walls" won Best Actor and Best Narrative Feature at the 2018 Queens World Film Festival. Oppedisano's music was also use in the short film, Dead Man Rides Subway by Don Cato. Dead Man Rides Subway was premiered in March 2012 at The Queens World Film Festival and was the Grand Prize Winner at the Roxy Underground Film Festival in New York City in 2018.

Oppedisano presently lives in Forest Hills, Queens with his wife Kimberly Fiedelman and daughter, Jillian Maisie Oppedisano (born in July 2010).

Discography
Evening Sky (EP) - (2022: Out Your Ear)
Selected Works (1999 - 2017): Acoustic, electric and electroacoustic music with guitar (2021: Out Your Ear)''Resolute (EP) - Spectropol Records - (2015: SpecT - 37)Mechanical Uprising - OKS Recordings of North America - (2010: OKSRNA - 019)The Ominous Corner - OKS Recordings of North America - (2008: OKSRNA - 016)Tesla at Coney Island with David Lee Myers - OKS Recordings of North America - (2008: OKSRNA - 017)Electroacoustic Compositions for Electric Guitar - OKS Recordings of North America - (2007: OKSRNA - 007)

 Selected Contributions Celestial Marketplace, Feeding Goats (2022:  Feeding Goats)Walk My Way, "Klang," Various Artists, Vol. 2 of 5 (2021: 577 Records/ORBIT577 OR5012) COVID - ?, "Covid - 81," Various Artists (2020: Marco Oppedisano - Christian Vasseur - France)Sounds Exposed, Minds Without Frontiers, "Yawp," Various Artists (2019: GC Sound Artifacts GCSA 27)
 Quarto Ensamble: Música para Cuarteto de Guitarras Eléctricas, "Good News," Various Artists (2018: Chile)I NEVER METAGUITAR FOUR, "Watch Your Step," Various Artists (2017: Clean Feed Records: CFG009CD)
 Hyperrealist Music, 2011-2015, Noah Creshevsky (2015: EM Records (Japan) EM1140CD)Dreamshatterer 3, Dreamshatterer (2014) (Recording Engineer and Performer)The Four Seasons, Noah Creshevsky (2013: Tzadik Records - 8097)$100 Guitar Project, "Red Cent," Various Artists (2013: Bridge Records, Inc.: BRIDGE 9381A/B)Axe, "Fractured Sky," Various Artists (2012: Spectropol Records: SpekT 12)The Unraveling Begins, "From Here To Obliquity" with Infinite Ego (Mark Worrell) Various Artists:(2008: GtrOblq)Post-Minimalism: 4 Countries/19 Composers, "Steel Sky," Various Artists (2007:(France): Trace 024 / 2CD)First Flight, "Primo Volo," Oren Fader (2005) (also Producer, Editor and Mastering Engineer)Vox Novus 2003 60x60, "The End is Near," Various Artists (2004: Capstone Records: CPS-8744)Hyperrealism, "Hoodlum Priest (with Thomas Buckner)," Noah Creshevsky (2003: Mutable Music: 17516-2)

 Dedications
"snapshots (for Noah Creshevsky)" (2003: Revised and remastered in 2020)

 Publications La chitarra elettrica nella musica da concerto: La storia, gli autori, i capolavori (Italian Edition) (October 2019 - Arcana - ) by Sergio SorrentinoVisionary Guitars: Chatting With Guitarists (Andrea Aguzzi, March 2016 - ) by Andrea AguzziState of The Axe: Guitar Masters in Photographs and Words (Museum Fine Arts Houston, October 2008 - ) by Ralph Gibson

 Film Music

"Dead Man Rides Subway" (2011). Film short directed by Don Cato
"Besides These Walls" (2017). Feature Film directed by Jules Bishop

 Selected Interviews and Reviews "Marco Oppedisano, Reviews of Electroacoustic Compositions for Electric Guitar and The Ominous Corner by Darren Bergstein, Downtown Music Gallery NYC newsletter,  May 7, 2021."Marco Oppedisano, Resolute," Prepared Guitar, December 3, 2015"Interview with Marco Oppedisano," Tokafi, October 22, 2014"300 Essential Names in Modern Guitar through 300 Interviews," Prepared Guitar Blog, April 26, 2014"Interview with Marco Oppedisano," Guitar Moderne, August 25, 2013 "A Generic Guitar Inspires a Distinctive Project," New York Times, April 2, 2013 (in photo - far left, rear)
Reviews of music by Marco Oppedisano by The Stash Dauber (2012-2022)"Interview with Marco Oppedisano," Guitar-Muse, October 12, 2012Review of Mechanical Uprising by Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes, April 11, 2011Reviews of Electroacoustic Compositions for Electric Guitar, The Ominous Corner, Mechanical Uprising and Tesla at Coney Island by Mark S. Tucker, FAME, December 2010, FAME, March 2011Reviews by François Couture, Monsieur Délire, December 20, 2010Review of Mechanical Uprising by Tobias Fischer, Tokafi, September 15, 2010''

References

External links
 Official Website
 Marco Oppedisano at the Internet Movie Database

1971 births
Living people
American experimental guitarists
American male guitarists
American electronic musicians
21st-century classical composers
Electroacoustic music composers
Experimental composers
Musicians from Brooklyn
Male classical composers
20th-century American guitarists
21st-century American guitarists
Guitarists from New York (state)
20th-century American composers
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians
Brooklyn College alumni
Brooklyn College faculty


Igor Čagalj (born 6 October 1982) is a retired Bosnian-born Croatian football defender who last played for NK Ravnice.

Statistics

Club

Honours
Gorica
Druga HNL: 2017-18

References

External links

1982 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Doboj
Men's association football defenders
Croatian men's footballers
Croatia men's youth international footballers
HNK Segesta players
NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac players
NK Inter Zaprešić players
HNK Šibenik players
HNK Rijeka players
NK Istra 1961 players
HNK Gorica players
NK Vinogradar players
First Football League (Croatia) players
Croatian Football League players
Slovenian PrvaLiga players
Second Football League (Croatia) players
Croatian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Slovenia
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Slovenia


This is a list of trolleybus systems in Ukraine by oblast.  It includes all trolleybus systems, past and present.

Cherkasy Oblast

Chernihiv Oblast

Chernivtsi Oblast

Autonomous Republic of Crimea

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Donetsk Oblast

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

Kharkiv Oblast

Kherson Oblast

Khmelnytskyi Oblast

Kirovohrad Oblast

Kyiv

Kyiv Oblast

Luhansk Oblast

Lviv Oblast

Mykolaiv Oblast

Odesa Oblast

Poltava Oblast

Rivne Oblast

Sevastopol

Sumy Oblast

Ternopil Oblast

Vinnytsia Oblast

Volyn Oblast

Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Zhytomyr Oblast

See also
 List of trolleybus systems, for all other countries
 Trolleybuses in former Soviet Union countries
 Trolleybus usage by country
 List of town tramway systems
 List of light-rail transit systems
 List of rapid transit systems

References

Sources

Books and periodicals
 Murray, Alan. 2000. "World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia" (). Reading, Berkshire, UK: Trolleybooks.
 Peschkes, Robert. 1987. "World Gazetteer of Tram, Trolleybus and Rapid Transit Systems, Part Two: Asia & USSR /Africa/Australia" (). London: Rapid Transit Publications.
 "Straßenbahnatlas ehem. Sowjetunion / Tramway Atlas of the former USSR" (). 1996. Berlin: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Blickpunkt Straßenbahn, in conjunction with Light Rail Transit Association, London.
 Trolleybus Magazine (ISSN 0266-7452). National Trolleybus Association (UK). Bimonthly.

External links

Ukraine


The Gillig Transit Coach School Bus is a series of buses that were produced by the American bus manufacturer Gillig from 1940 to 1982. Alongside its namesake usage as a yellow school bus, the Transit Coach also served as the basis of motorcoaches and other commercial-use vehicles. Marketed primarily to operators on or near the West Coast of the United States (California, Washington State, or Oregon), the Transit Coach competed nearly exclusively against the similar Crown Supercoach through much of its production.

The Transit Coach was the first school bus produced with a mid-engine layout and would be among the first to use a diesel-fueled engine. The model line also offered the highest-capacity school bus ever produced, offering up to 97-passenger seating (current design standards restrict maximum capacity to 90).

After 1982, Gillig discontinued the Transit Coach after 42 years of production, concentrating its resources on the Gillig Phantom transit bus. For 1986, the company reentered school bus production, developing a school bus variant of the Phantom that was offered from 1986 through 1993; the high-floor Phantom was manufactured through 2008.

The Transit Coach was manufactured by Gillig in its now-former facility in Hayward, California; while no longer a manufacturer of school buses, Gillig currently exists as the second-largest American manufacturer of transit buses.

Background
Founded in 1890, Gillig Brothers initially existed as a manufacturer of custom-built automobile bodies. In the 1920s, the company produced the "Gillig top", a lift-off hardtop for open cars that provided retractable side curtains. As closed cars became more widely available, the company focused on body production, producing its first school bus body in 1932. In 1937, Gillig Brothers moved from San Francisco to Hayward, California.

During the late 1930s, school bus manufacturers were beginning to develop transit-style school buses. In comparison to a cowled-chassis bus mounted on a truck frame, a transit-style bus allowed for greater seating capacity within the same body length; manufacturers also experimented with engine configurations.

Design history

1940–1957
In 1940, after several years of experimenting, Gillig introduced the production Transit Coach. Using a Fabco chassis powered by a Hall-Scott gasoline engine, the Transit Coach adopted a mid-engine configuration, placing the engine on its side.

During World War II,  Gillig entered war production, building hundreds of "Victory Trailer" trailer buses, serving as large-scale transportation on US military bases.

Following the war, the company returned to production of buses, with the Transit Coach resuming production. In 1948, a rear-engine configuration (in line with many other competitors) was introduced for the first time. Alongside the Transit Coach, Gillig sold the Gillig Coach conventional bus, sharing elements of its body design with its transit-style counterpart.

Through the early 1950s, the mid-engine Transit Coach overtook the rear-engine configuration in demand. In 1950, Gillig introduced the Model 590, fitted with a 590 cubic-inch Hall-Scott engine, the largest-displacement gasoline engine ever fitted in a school bus. The early 1950s Transit Coach was offered in multiple seating capacities, up to 79 passengers.

Through most of the 1950s, the Transit Coach design had only minor changes, distinguished from later examples by a smaller windshield, lower roofline, different Gillig badging, and dual (instead of quad) headlamps.

1957–1977
In 1957, Kenworth ended its presence in the bus segment, resulting in Gillig obtaining the product rights to the Pacific bus product lines. With the acquisition of the tooling from Kenworth, the roofline of the Transit Coach was introduced with redesigned front and rear roof caps. While Gillig would not adopt the four-pane windshield of the Pacific T-Series, the Transit Coach saw its windshield expanded in size (from 2,340 to 2,580 square inches); until its 1982 discontinuation, the model line offered the largest windshield on a school bus.

Along with restructuring school bus production on the West Coast to essentially a Gillig Transit Coach–Crown Supercoach duopoly, the acquisition of Pacific led to design changes for the Transit Coach that were retained for the rest of its production.

In 1959, Gillig introduced the first diesel-powered Transit Coach, offering two models. Similar to the Crown Supercoach, the mid-engine Model 743 was powered by a 743 cubic-inch Cummins NHH220 underfloor inline-6; the Model C-180 was the first diesel-powered school bus with a rear-mounted engine (Cummins C-180). To increase intake ventilation for the diesel engine, Gillig added a roof-mounted air intake (first used on the Pacific, in slightly different form). As another addition, the Model 534 was a rear-engine bus powered by a Ford Super Duty gasoline V8 (replacing the Hall-Scott and International Harvester engines). The rear-engine diesel Transit Coach would prove successful, as manufacturers of rear-engine transits from the eastern United States did not widely offer diesel engines until the 1970s; Crown did not offer a diesel rear-engine Supercoach (in school bus form) until the late 1980s.

During the 1960s, in response to the Baby Boom generation reaching school age, school buses grew in size to accommodate the growth of student populations. From 1948, the highest-capacity Transit Coach offered seating for 79 student passengers. In 1967, several changes were made to the Transit Coach. The Model 743DT-16 was introduced, expanding from 13 to 16 rows of seating by extending the body to 41 feet long, requiring tandem rear axles.  Offering a seating capacity of 97 student passengers, the DT-16 was the largest school bus ever mass-produced. In line with similar Crown Supercoaches, the DT-16 was configured with tandem rear axles; unlike motorcoaches, both rear axles were driven. In another change, the interior height was raised 7 inches, from 72 inches to 79 inches. A rear-engine version of the DT-16 was offered, the 636DT-16, powered by the Caterpillar 1160 V8 (later the 3208).

In the early 1970s, Gillig introduced several new engines and retired others. In 1971, the first Detroit Diesel engine was offered, the Model 318D (powered by a 6V53 V6). In 1974, the Model 743 became the Model 855, as the Cummins NHH engine was enlarged to 855 cubic inches; in contrast to its 220 hp predecessor, turbocharged versions were introduced (available up to 335 hp). In 1974, the final gasoline-powered Transit Coach was produced.  In 1976 and 1976, the Transit Coach introduced the Model 555 and Model 426, powered by the Cummins VTF555 V8 and Detroit Diesel 6N71 inline-6, respectively.

In 1974, the interior of the Transit Coach underwent a revision, with a molded-fiberglass dashboard replacing the previous all-metal design. To improve driver ergonomics, key switches were relocated from under the steering wheel onto a single control panel left of the driver; many full-size school buses use this layout to this day. In states outside of California, amber warning lights began to be phased in as a requirement alongside the red warning lights (seen since the 1940s); in 1975, the Transit Coach was offered with amber warning lights for the first time (to meet Washington State specifications).

1977–1982
In April 1977, federal safety standards went into effect in the United States, intended to improve the crashworthiness and structural integrity of school buses. In compliance, manufacturers had to produce stronger bodies to better survive crashes and rollovers, seats had to adopt compartmentalization as a passive restraint system. While largely unchanged from the outside, from 1977 onward, the Transit Coach adopted high-back padded seats; the largest model offered now seated 90 passengers instead of 97 (as the padded seats took up more interior space).

During 1979 production, Gillig made the first visible exterior revisions to the Transit Coach since the company purchased the Pacific product line in 1957. In a major change, the windows were changed from a drop-sash configuration to a larger split-sash design (used on all school buses except the Crown Supercoach), the guard rails on the side of the bus were revised for the first time, as the guard rail below the windows matches the two on the lower body, replacing the previous set of four (used since the 1940s).

Discontinuation
For the school bus industry as a whole, the early 1980s was a period of struggle. At the same time Gillig had facelifted the Transit Coach, two East Coast manufacturers (Superior and Ward) had closed their doors; several others were also struggling financially. Alongside the recession economy, student population growth had largely plateaued, as the entire Baby Boom generation was past the age of secondary education. Gillig Corporation, as a fairly niche manufacturer, saw its school bus sales drop off significantly; in 1980, the company ended production of the Gillig Coach conventional entirely.

In the late 1970s, Gillig launched efforts to diversify its product line; after a joint venture with Neoplan, the company developed its own mass-transit bus, leading to the Gillig Phantom in 1980. In 1982, the company chose to concentrate on mass-transit production, ending production of the Transit Coach after a 42-year production run. In 1986, a successor to the Transit Coach was introduced as Gillig launched a school bus variant of the Phantom; the Phantom school bus was withdrawn in 1993.

Production
Through the production of the Transit Coach, Gillig used the following numbering system to designate school bus models.

Body configuration
C-Type C (conventional)

D-Type D (Transit Coach)

T-Tandem rear axle

"#"-Number of rows of seats (maximum 16 before 4/1/1977, 15 after 4/1/1977)

Example: 426DT15= A Transit Coach with 15 rows of seats, tandem rear axles, and a 6N71 Detroit Diesel engine.

Depending on engine type, Transit Coaches were sold in 28' (only with gasoline engines), 30', 35', 37', and 40' body lengths. The two longest body lengths only were sold with a diesel engine (the 37' could not be ordered as a 318D, a C-Series, or a VTF555-D).

Powertrain

See also

 Crown Supercoach – similar California-manufactured school bus
 Kenworth – manufacturer of Kenworth-Pacific buses (sold product rights and tooling to Gillig)
 Blue Bird All American
 Thomas Saf-T-Liner

References
 Gillig Corporation, gillig.com, retrieved on 2008-01-22
 Gillig Transit Coach/Pacific SchoolCoach Online Museum, gilligcoaches.net, retrieved on 2008-01-22
 Leo Gillig Automobile Works – Gillig Brothers, coachbuilt.com, retrieved on 2006-12-25
 A Brief History of Hall-Scott, northern.edu, retrieved on 2006-12-26

Notes

External links
 Gillig Corporation
 busexplorer.com Gillig Page

School buses
Vehicles introduced in 1940
Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States
Gillig


Shad () was a state office in the early Central Asian Turkic states, roughly equivalent to governor. "Shad" could only be an appointee over a vassal tribe, where he represented interests of the preeminent Kagan. The name of this tribe was included in his title. For example, Tardu-shad could only be a Shad over Tardu tribe. The title carried autonomy in different degrees, and its links with the central authority of kagan varied from economical and political subordination to superficial political deference. The title Shad is borrowed from an Iranian source (cf. Sogdian ’ġšyδ, Saka šao, Middle Iranian šāδ, Persian šāh < Old Persian  xšāyaθiya ‘king’, or Avestan xšaēta "chief").

The position of Shad was traditionally given to the member of a ruling (Ashina) clan. Frequently, Shad was a blood prince, a representative of the next generation. Mahmud Kashgari defined the title Shad as an heir apparent a step above Yabgu. In the early Turkic Turgesh Kaganate, Shad was a ruler of the east wing, and Yabgu was a ruler of the west wing of the state, both directly subordinated to the Kagan.  According to Movses Kagankatvatsi, Böri Shad was a 7th-century Western Turkic Khaganate prince and an ishad, or a ruler of a principality, a nephew of Tong Yabgu Kagan, and a son of Moho shad, who may have been a Yabgu of the Khazars. Later, after a split of Western Turkic Kaganate, the splinter western part was headed by Yukuk Shad of the royal Ashina clan, who became a Kagan of the "western surnames", with a throne name Yipi Duolu Kehan (*Yelbi-Turuk-Kagan).

With weakening of centralized states, the Shads were gaining more sovereignty, and historical accounts record independent states with "Shad" as a supreme ruler. The title "Shad" left prominent marks in the Asian toponymy, and on many mints of Middle Asia Late Antique and Early Middle Age coins, like Shad Bagh in northern Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan, and early Bukhara, Uzbekistan coins.

When the last Eastern Turkic Kagan Illig suffered a defeat from the Tang empire in 630 CE, the Chinese annals recorded that only after the last royal prince, a certain Yshbara-Shad Sunishi (沙缽略設蘇尼失) and Ilig's uncle, surrendered, did the Eastern Türkic Kaganate cease to exist.  Gumilyov explained the Shad's full title as "mighty prince of [the tribe] Shunishi"

See also
History of Kazakhstan
History of Uzbekistan

Notes

References

History of the Turkic peoples
Titles
Heirs to the throne
Titles of the Göktürks


Atmospheric instability is a condition where the Earth's atmosphere is considered to be unstable and as a result local weather is highly variable through distance and time. Atmospheric stability is a measure of the atmosphere's tendency to discourage vertical motion, and vertical motion is directly correlated to different types of weather systems and their severity. In unstable conditions, a lifted thing, such as a parcel of air will be warmer than the surrounding air. Because it is warmer, it is less dense and is prone to further ascent.

In meteorology, instability can be described by various indices such as the Bulk Richardson Number, lifted index, K-index, convective available potential energy (CAPE), the Showalter, and the Vertical totals.  These indices, as well as atmospheric instability itself, involve temperature changes through the troposphere with height, or lapse rate.  Effects of atmospheric instability in moist atmospheres include thunderstorm development, which over warm oceans can lead to tropical cyclogenesis, and turbulence.  In dry atmospheres, inferior mirages, dust devils, steam devils, and fire whirls can form.  Stable atmospheres can be associated with drizzle, fog, increased air pollution, a lack of turbulence, and undular bore formation.

Forms

There are two primary forms of atmospheric instability:

 Convective instability
 Dynamic instability (fluid mechanics)

Under convective instability thermal mixing through convection in the form of warm air rising leads to the development of clouds and possibly precipitation or convective storms.  Dynamic instability is produced through the horizontal movement of air and the physical forces it is subjected to such as the Coriolis force and pressure gradient force. Dynamic lifting and mixing produces cloud, precipitation and storms often on a synoptic scale.

Cause of instability

Whether or not the atmosphere has stability depends partially on the moisture content.  In a very dry troposphere, a temperature decrease with height less than 9.8C per kilometer ascent indicates stability, while greater changes indicate instability.  This lapse rate is known as the dry adiabatic lapse rate.  In a completely moist troposphere, a temperature decrease with height less than 6C per kilometer ascent indicates stability, while greater changes indicate instability.  In the range between 6C and 9.8C temperature decrease per kilometer ascent, the term conditionally unstable is used.

Indices used for its determination

Lifted Index
The lifted index (LI), usually expressed in kelvins, is the temperature difference between the temperature of the environment Te(p) and an air parcel lifted adiabatically Tp(p) at a given pressure height in the troposphere, usually 500 hPa (mb). When the value is positive, the atmosphere (at the respective height) is stable and when the value is negative, the atmosphere is unstable.  Thunderstorms are expected with values below −2, and severe weather is anticipated with values below −6.

K Index

The K index is derived arithmetically: K-index = (850 hPa temperature – 500 hPa temperature) + 850 hPa dew point – 700 hPa dew point depression

 The temperature difference between 850 hPa ( above sea level) and 500 hPa ( above sea level) is used to parameterize the vertical temperature lapse rate.
 The 850 hPa dew point provides information on the moisture content of the lower atmosphere.
 The vertical extent of the moist layer is represented by the difference of the 700 hPa temperature ( above sea level) and 700 hPa dew point.

CAPE and CIN

Convective available potential energy (CAPE), sometimes, simply, available potential energy (APE), is the amount of energy a parcel of air would have if lifted a certain distance vertically through the atmosphere.  CAPE is effectively the positive buoyancy of an air parcel and is an indicator of atmospheric instability, which makes it valuable in predicting severe weather.  CIN, convective inhibition, is effectively negative buoyancy, expressed B-; the opposite of convective available potential energy (CAPE), which is expressed as B+ or simply B. As with CAPE, CIN is usually expressed in J/kg but may also be expressed as m2/s2, as the values are equivalent. In fact, CIN is sometimes referred to as negative buoyant energy (NBE).

It is a form of fluid instability found in thermally stratified atmospheres in which a colder fluid overlies a warmer one.  When an air mass is unstable, the element of the air mass that is displaced upwards is accelerated by the pressure differential between the displaced air and the ambient air at the (higher) altitude to which it was displaced. This usually creates vertically developed clouds from convection, due to the rising motion, which can eventually lead to thunderstorms. It could also be created in other phenomenon, such as a cold front. Even if the air is cooler on the surface, there is still warmer air in the mid-levels, that can rise into the upper-levels. However, if there is not enough water vapor present, there is no ability for condensation, thus storms, clouds, and rain will not form.

Bulk Richardson Number
The Bulk Richardson Number (BRN) is a dimensionless number relating vertical stability and vertical wind shear (generally, stability divided by shear). It represents the ratio of thermally-produced turbulence and turbulence generated by vertical shear.  Practically, its value determines whether convection is free or forced. High values indicate unstable and/or weakly sheared environments; low values indicate weak instability and/or strong vertical shear. Generally, values in the range of around 10 to 45 suggest environmental conditions favorable for supercell development.

Showalter index
The Showalter index is a dimensionless number computed by taking the temperature at the 850 hPa level which is then taken dry adiabatically up to saturation, then up to the 500 hPa level, which is then subtracted by the observed 500 hPa level temperature.  If the value is negative, then the lower portion of the atmosphere is unstable, with thunderstorms expected when the value is below −3. The application of the Showalter index is especially helpful when there is a cool, shallow air mass below 850 hPa that conceals the potential convective lifting. However, the index will underestimate the potential convective lifting if there are cool layers that extend above 850 hPa and it does not consider diurnal radiative changes or moisture below 850 hPa.

Effects

Stable atmosphere
Stable conditions, such as during a clear and calm night, will cause pollutants to become trapped near ground level.  Drizzle occurs within a moist air mass when it is stable.  Air within a stable layer is not turbulent.  Conditions associated with a marine layer, a stable atmosphere common on the west side of continents near cold water currents, leads to overnight and morning fog. Undular bores can form when a low level boundary such as a cold front or outflow boundary approaches a layer of cold, stable air.  The approaching boundary will create a disturbance in the atmosphere producing a wave-like motion, known as a gravity wave. Although the undular bore waves appear as bands of clouds across the sky, they are transverse waves, and are propelled by the transfer of energy from an oncoming storm and are shaped by gravity. The ripple-like appearance of this wave is described as the disturbance in the water when a pebble is dropped into a pond or when a moving boat creates waves in the surrounding water. The object displaces the water or medium the wave is travelling through and the medium moves in an upward motion.  However, because of gravity, the water or medium is pulled back down and the repetition of this cycle creates the transverse wave motion.

Unstable atmosphere

Within an unstable layer in the troposphere, the lifting of air parcels will occur, and continue for as long as the nearby atmosphere remains unstable.  Once overturning through the depth of the troposphere occurs (with convection being capped by the relatively warmer, more stable layer of the stratosphere), deep convective currents lead to thunderstorm development when enough moisture is present.  Over warm ocean waters and within a region of the troposphere with light vertical wind shear and significant low level spin (or vorticity), such thunderstorm activity can grow in coverage and develop into a tropical cyclone.  Over hot surfaces during warm days, unstable dry air can lead to significant refraction of the light within the air layer, which causes inferior mirages.

When winds are light, dust devils can develop on dry days within a region of instability at ground level.  Small-scale, tornado-like circulations can occur over or near any intense surface heat source, which would have significant instability in its vicinity.  Those that occur near intense wildfires are called fire whirls, which can spread a fire beyond its previous bounds.  A steam devil is a rotating updraft that involves steam or smoke.  They can form from smoke issuing from a power plant smokestack. Hot springs and warm lakes are also suitable locations for a steam devil to form, when cold arctic air passes over the relatively warm water.

See also
 Atmospheric thermodynamics
 Buoyancy
 Stable and unstable stratification

References

Atmospheric dynamics
Atmospheric thermodynamics


The ecdysone receptor is a nuclear receptor found in arthropods, where it controls development and contributes to other processes such as reproduction. The receptor is a non-covalent heterodimer of two proteins, the EcR protein and ultraspiracle protein (USP). It binds to and is activated by ecdysteroids. Insect ecdysone receptors are currently better characterized than those from other arthropods, and mimics of  ecdysteroids are used commercially as caterpillar-selective insecticides.

Function

Pulses of 20-hydroxyecdysone occur during insect development, whereupon this hormone binds to the ecdysone receptor, a ligand-activated transcription factor found in the nuclei of insect cells. This in turn leads to the activation of many other genes, as evidenced by puffing of polytene chromosomes at over a hundred sites. Ultimately the activation cascade causes physiological changes that result in ecdysis (moulting). The temporal expression of ecdysone receptor within neural stem cells mediates temporal patterning and neural diversity.

Structure

The receptor is a non-covalent heterodimer of two proteins, the EcR protein and ultraspiracle protein (USP). These nuclear hormone receptor proteins are the insect orthologs of the mammalian farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) proteins, respectively. Based on sequence homology considerations, some researchers reserve the term USP for the EcR partner from lepidopteran and dipteran insects, and use RXR in all other instances.

EcR and USP share the multi-domain architecture common to all nuclear hormone receptors, namely an N-terminal transcriptional activation domain (A/B domain), a DNA-binding domain (C domain, highly conserved between receptors), a linker region (D region), a ligand-binding domain (E domain, moderately conserved), and in some cases a distinct C-terminal extension (F-domain). The DNA-binding domains of EcR and USP recognise specific short sequences in DNA, and mediate the binding of the heterodimer to these ecdysone response elements (ECREs) in the promoters of ecdysone-responsive genes.

The ecdysteroid-binding pocket is located in the ligand binding domain of the EcR subunit, but EcR must be dimerised with a USP (or with an RXR) for high-affinity ligand binding to occur. In such circumstances, the binding of an agonist ligand triggers a conformational change in the C-terminal part of the EcR ligand-binding domain that leads to transcriptional activation of genes under ECRE control. There is also a ligand-binding pocket in the corresponding domain of USP. Its natural ligand remains uncertain, and USPs appear to be locked permanently in an inactive conformation.

X-ray crystal structures have been determined for several heterodimeric DNA-binding domains and ligand-binding domains from ecdysone receptors.

Commercial applications

Ecdysone receptors have two main fields of application:

Gene switches - ecdysone receptor-controlled transgenes for controlled gene expression in scientific research, agriculture, and medicine. The last category includes potential use in gene therapy.
Insecticides - the development of selective insect growth regulators for use as environmentally benign insecticides. Although dibenzoylhydrazine compounds are not ecdysteroids, many are agonists of lepidopteran ecdysone receptors and are used as caterpillar-selective larvicides.

References

External links

PDB representative structures of ecdysone receptor ligand binding domains:
 1R1K, ligand-binding domain heterodimer of Heliothis viresecens in complex with an ecdysteroid; 1R20, the same heterodimer in complex with a dibenzoylhydrazine agonist.
 Mimic insecticide, and associated regulatory information (for Australia).

Insect developmental biology
1


Blank Generation may refer to:

 Blank Generation (album), by Richard Hell & The Voidoids, released in 1977
 Blank Generation (song), the title track to the above album
 Blank Generation (literary), literary genre
 The Blank Generation, a 1976 music documentary
 Blank Generation (1980 film), featuring Richard Hell & The Voidoids


Texas Instruments TI-35 was a series of scientific calculators by Texas Instruments. The original TI-35 was notable for being one of Texas Instruments' first use of CMOS controller chips in their designs, and was at the time distinguished from the lower-end TI-30 line by the addition of some statistics functions.

TI-35 (1979)
It was built with the same slimline design as the 1978 TI-30, but with different processor and slightly changed feature set.

It used TP0324-4N processor (CMOS variant of TMS1000 family).

The display can handle 8 digits (5 digit mantissa with a 2-digit exponent) with 11-digit internal precision.

It was manufactured in the USA.

1980
It was a version with TP0324-4NL processor, which increased accuracy.

1982
It was a version with CD4557, which increased accuracy over the TP processor.

Cosmetic updates, include silver shell and new keyboard styling.

It was manufactured in the USA.

TI-35 (1982)
It retained the 1982 styling, but used CD4557 processor.

TI-35 GALAXY (1984)

It is a horizontal variant, but the functionality was identical to the European 1984 TI-30 GALAXY.

Solar version was called TI-35 GALAXY SOLAR.

TI-35 II (1984)
It is a replacement for the 1979 TI-35.

It used TP0456A or CD4557 processor.

It was originally built in Taiwan, but later in Italy and USA.

TI-35 PLUS (1986)

It added hexadecimal and octal calculations and a 10+2 display (i.e. 10 digit mantissa with a 2-digit exponent) with 12-digit internal precision.

TI-35X (1991)

The design was based on contemporary TI-68. The cosmetics were updated in 1993.

End of life
Following the update of TI-36X Solar in 1996, the TI-35 designation was discontinued after 10 years of coexisting with the TI-36 line.

References

External links
Datamath.org, a museum of TI calculators

Texas Instruments calculators


Robert William Harrell Jr. (born March 7, 1956) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 114th District, from 1992 to 2014, serving as the Speaker of the House from 2005 to 2014.

Early political career
Harrell was the chairman of his Freshman Caucus in 1993. Two years after Harrell was elected, he was appointed to serve on the Ways and Means Committee in 1994. Later, he was elected to serve as Majority Leader from 1997–1999 when he became the Ways and Means Committee Chairman in 1999. He has also served as Chairman of the Economic Development and the Public Education Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee. In South Carolina, State Legislators serve as part-time employees making only $10,400/year.

Business career
Harrell earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. He opened an insurance agency representing State Farm Insurance in 1980. In 2010, after his father died, Harrell combined his agency with that of his father in Harrell Square, a shopping center owned by the family.  He and his wife Cathy opened an independent insurance agency, Harrell Insurance Agency in 2014.  They now represent over 100 companies such as Progressive, Liberty Mutual, Travelers, Nationwide, Allstate and many more. He previously owned Palmetto State Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical repackaging company that he sold in 2012.

The Harrells have owned several pieces of investment real estate in Charleston, Isle of Palms, Myrtle Beach and Columbia, SC.

Political career

Promotion of economic development
Harrell is credited with negotiating the deal on behalf of the House that brought Boeing to Charleston to build the 787 Dreamliner. He was also instrumental in bringing Southwest and JetBlue as carriers to the Charleston Airport.

In 2008, Harrell, legislative leaders and business executives formed the Knowledge Sector Council. In an effort to support South Carolina’s growing knowledge-based economy, the public/private Council was created to encourage research universities, economic development entities, private businesses and state agencies to work together in expanding jobs and economic opportunity.

In 2010, Harrell sponsored the S.C. Economic Development Competitiveness Act.

Election as Speaker of the House
Harrell ran unopposed as Speaker in 2006 and 2008, and 2012.  In 2010, Harrell had a token opponent for Speaker when Ralph Norman challenged Harrell for the Speaker’s office. Harrell was re-elected, defeating Norman who only drew five votes of support – including his own vote – among the 124 House members. As Speaker of the House, Harrell effectively controlled policy in South Carolina alongside Hugh Leatherman and Glenn F. McConnell during Governor Mark Sanford's administration.

Political contributions
In 2010, Harrell received the largest amount of political contributions – $47,425, or nearly 22 percent – from lawyers and lobbyists, according to OpenSecrets. The next-largest amount, $30,100, came from health professionals. In 2008, Harrell received $361,053 in contributions. The largest contributing industries were real estate ($29,825), and lawyers and lobbyists ($28,000).

Campaign contributions and receipts
In September 2012, The Post and Courier reported that Harrell had reimbursed himself more than $325,000 from his campaign war chest since 2008 but had produced no receipts or itemized invoices accounting for the spending. Harrell informed The Post and Courier that all his expenses were legitimate and the reimbursements were less than the fair market value.

Harrell provided receipts to an Associated Press reporter who reported that the receipts and invoices were in order.

In October 2014 Harrell pleaded guilty to 6 counts of misusing campaign money; he was fined $30,000 and required to pay $94,000 to the State’s general fund, received three years of probation, was required to resign his office and was barred from public office for three years.

Even though he had left office, and was not seeking office, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot in the 2014 elections. Democratic nominee Mary Tinkler received the most votes for the seat, but Harrell still carried Dorchester County even with signs in the polling places stating that he had withdrawn from the election.

References

External links
 South Carolina Legislature – Speaker Robert W. Harrell Jr. – official SC Legislature website
 Project Vote Smart – Representative Robert 'Bobby' W. Harrell Jr. (SC) profile
 Robert W. Harrell Jr. campaign contributions – Follow the Money

Republican Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives
1956 births
Living people
People from Orangeburg, South Carolina
University of South Carolina alumni
Speakers of the South Carolina House of Representatives
South Carolina politicians convicted of crimes


The 2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses were held on February 1, February 2, and February 3 at various locations throughout the state of Maine. The results were used to apportion 21 delegates for the state.  The Maine Republican caucuses were the first caucuses in the 2008 election season in which Rudy Giuliani was out of the race.

Process

The Maine Republican caucus is a modified closed caucus. New voters and voters who have not declared a party may register as Republicans 30 minutes before the caucus begins. Otherwise, a voter must have been registered Republican 15 days before the caucus. In addition, those who turn 18 by the general election are eligible to register at the caucus site.  The delegates chosen at the caucuses are actually non-binding; this means that they will not be bound to any specific candidate.

Like most Republican Party caucuses, there are two components to the Maine caucuses. First, delegates are elected from the attendees. These delegates later represent the caucusgoers at the state convention in May. Candidates generally provide slates of delegates to voters who are interested in supporting them, and voters can ask prospective delegates whom they support for president. A total of 3,867 delegates were selected statewide in 2008. Then, a straw poll, called a presidential preference ballot, is taken of the individuals in the room. The results of this secret ballot are transmitted to the media, who use it as a "snapshot" of the opinions of Maine Republicans. Although the media report the results of the ballot, and assign delegates appropriately, it is the state convention which determines who actually goes to the Republican National Convention. Even after the state convention, all delegates remain unbound to any candidate.

In 2008, although some caucuses were held on February 3, this was the day of Super Bowl XLII and county parties were discouraged from holding caucuses for fear of low turnout. Only three caucuses were scheduled for that day. Thus, the party released results statewide for the media on the evening of February 2.

Campaign

Since Maine is adjacent to New Hampshire, Mainers have the benefit of traveling to New Hampshire to look at the candidates, and spillover coverage from the New Hampshire primary, traditionally the first primary election of the nominating process. Some candidates traveled to Maine during the 2008 campaign on visits to New Hampshire. Rudy Giuliani visited the state in September, 2007. Many candidates mobilized supporters. Further visits to the state were expected to be few, given that the Maine caucuses were sandwiched between the prominent Florida primary and Super Tuesday. However, Ron Paul visited the state in the end of January, five days before the caucuses.

By the time of the caucus, Ron Paul was the only presidential candidate still in the race who had visited Maine to campaign, but Mitt Romney's oldest son, Tagg, campaigned for him there.

Some residents have criticized the caucus system, complaining that it disenfranchises the elderly and military service-members and discourages turnout.

Results
Maine 2008 Presidential Preference Survey Results:

* Candidate dropped out of the race before the caucuses

See also
 2008 Maine Democratic presidential caucuses
 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries

References

External links
 Official website

Maine
Republican presidential caucuses
2008
February 2008 events in the United States


The House of Melikov (, ), the Russified version of Armenian last name Melikyan () was an Armenian noble family in the Kingdom of Georgia and later in the Russian Empire.

The family descended from an Armenian nobleman named Malek Miriman who hailed from Somkhiti, had converted to Islam and was enfeoffed with the melikdom of Lori by the Safavid Iranian king Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576). Under the Safavids, the family continued to rise to prominence, and they were known as the Mirimanidze clan/family.

Later, the family returned to Christianity (Georgian Orthodox) and were confirmed as Princes Melikishvili () and dukes of Somkhiti.

A branch of this family became Armenian Apostolic and came to be known as Loris-Melikov''' (Лорис-Меликов), which means Meliks of Lori (Princes of Lori). After the Russian annexation of Georgia, the family was received among the princely nobility (knyaz) of the Russian Empire, and was made famous by General Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov (1825–88) who was bestowed with the dignity of count in 1878.

Loris-Melikov branch

Prince of Lori, Count Mikhail Loris-Melikov and Princess Nina Ivanovna Argutinskaya-Dolgorukova
Maria (1858–1916), Italy, lady-in-waiting. Husband Sergey Evgeniy Novikov (married in 1859)
Sofia, born 1862
Tariel (1863–1941) Paris, Colonel of Life Guard of the Preobrazhenskiy Regiment. Wife Varvara Nikolaevna Argutinskaya-Dolgorukova (1872–1942, Paris),
Konstantin, died in childhood.
Zakhariy (1866–1896), Petersburg, single.
Elizabeth, Wiesbaden, Germany. Husband Baron Konstantin Stanislav von Nolken (1878–1949).

Tariel (Stepan) Loris-Melikov (1863–1941)
Colonel, Count, representative of an old Armenian princely-count family. The eldest son of the General-Lieutenant, the minister of internal Affairs of Russian Empire Count M.T. Loris Melikov. In 1913 reminded in chronics as the Colonel of Life Guard of the Preobrazhenskiy Regiment. Was married on the granddaughter of A.S.Pushkin on a female line – Princess Varvara Nikolay Argutinskaya-Dolgorukova (1872–1942, Paris). In Switzerland live continuers of the female line V. N. Argutinskaya-Dolgorukova – Count Aleksander Mikhail Loris Melikov (1926) and his four children Anna-Elizabeth, (1959), Dominica, (1961), Natalya (1963) and Mikhail (1964).

Oksen Tariel Loris Melikov (1895–1970)

Notable people with the surname
Isa Melikov (born 1980), Azerbaijani composer and producer
Genia Melikova (1924–2004), ballet dancer of Russian origin
Grigori Melikov (born 1976), Russian footballer
Mikhail Loris-Melikov (1826–1888), Russian-Armenian statesman
Yuri Melikov (b. 1997), Armenian-Cypriot singer-songwriter
Sergey Melikov (b. 1965), governor of Dagestan

References

Armenian families
Armenian noble families
Noble families of Georgia (country)
Russian noble families


This is a list of trolleybus systems in Switzerland.  It includes all trolleybus systems, past and present.

Alphabetical list by principal city

Trolley freight
In addition to trolleybus systems, one trolley-freight (or trolleytruck) system existed, on a route between Mühleberg and Gümmenen, from 1918 to 1922. It had just two trolley-truck vehicles and was used during construction of a power station.

See also
 List of trolleybus systems, for all other countries
 List of town tramway systems in Switzerland
 List of light-rail transit systems
 List of rapid transit systems
 Trolleybus usage by country

Sources

Books and periodicals
 Murray, Alan. 2000. "World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia" (). Reading, Berkshire, UK: Trolleybooks.
 Dölling, Gerhard (Ed.). 1993. "Strassenbahnatlas Schweiz 1993"  ().  Berlin: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Blickpunkt Strassenbahn e.V.
 Peschkes, Robert. 1993. "World Gazetteer of Tram, Trolleybus and Rapid Transit Systems, Part Three: Europe" (). London: Rapid Transit Publications.
 Trolleybus Magazine (ISSN 0266-7452). National Trolleybus Association (UK). Bimonthly.
 Blickpunkt Strassenbahn. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Blickpunkt Strassenbahn e.V. (Germany). Bimonthly.

References

External links

Switzerland

Trolleybus systems


This is a list of trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom by Home Nation and by regions of England. It includes:
Past trolleybus systems in the UK.
Museums in the UK capable of running trolleybuses (i.e. possessing overhead wires and trolleybuses in working order).
There are currently no operational trolleybus systems in the UK.

In the United Kingdom the first trolleybus systems were inaugurated on 20 June 1911 in Bradford and Leeds, although public service in Bradford did not commence until 24 June. Coincidentally, the UK's last trolleybus service also operated in Bradford, on 26 March 1972.

England (by region)

East Midlands

East of England

Greater London

North East England

North West England

South East England

South West England

West Midlands

Yorkshire and the Humber

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

Museums with working trolleybuses
 Black Country Living Museum
 East Anglia Transport Museum
 The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft
 Beamish Museum

See also

 List of trolleybus systems, for all other countries
 List of town tramway systems in the United Kingdom
 List of light-rail transit systems
 List of rapid transit systems
 Trolleybus usage by country

References

Notes

Further reading

External links

United Kingdom

trolleybus systems