König Ottokars Glück und Ende is a tragedy in five acts written by Franz Grillparzer in 1823. Based on the historical events surrounding the life of Ottokar II of Bohemia, the play deals with the fall of the king from the height of his powers to his death, having lost most of his supporters and lands, largely through his own actions.

Grillparzer had originally wanted to write a tragedy about Napoleon, however, fearing censorship from Austrian authorities, instead used King Ottokar II of Bohemia (1253–1278) as the central figure, as there were a number of parallels in personality traits and circumstances.

The play was completed in 1823, but publication was delayed by censorship issues, notably the "unfortunate allusion to Napoleon's second marriage to Marie-Louise of Austria, and its unfavourable portrayal of Bohemia". The wife of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Caroline Augusta of Bavaria read the play and urged her husband to allow it to be publicly performed, which took place for the first time on February 19, 1825 in Vienna's Burgtheater.

The play's nationalistic themes in particular were criticised when first released, and remain controversial today. However the tight focus on the personal tragedy of Ottokar, at once the cause and the victim of events around him, as well as the elegance of the verse, has maintained the popularity of the play among students and audiences to the present.

Characters

Primislaus Ottokar, King of Bohemia
Margarethe von Österreich, widow of Heinrich von Hohenstaufen, his wife
Benesch von Diedicz, Milota und Zawisch, the Rosenbergs
Berta, daughter of Benesch
Braun von Olmütz, Chancellor to the King
Bela, King of Hungary
Kunigunde von Massovien, his granddaughter
Rudolf von Habsburg
Albrecht und Rudolf, his sons
Friedrich Zollern, Burggraf of Nuremberg
Heinrich von Lichtenstein and Berthold Schenk von Emerberg, Austrian knights
Old Merenberg, Friedrich Pettauer and Seyfried Merenberg, Styrian knights
Herbott von Füllenstein
Ortolf von Windischgrätz
Ottokar von Hornek
Merenberg's wife
Paltram Vatzo, Mayor of Vienna
Mayor of Prague
A royal herald
Der Küster von Götzendorf
Chancellor of the Archbishop of Mainz
Elisabeth, Margarete's chambermaid
Kunigunde's chambermaid
Members of the German electoral committee
Bohemian, Austrian, Styrian, Carinthian nobility and warriors

Synopsis of plot
The tragedy begins in the year 1261. Ottokar is at the height of his powers, having recently defeated the Hungarians at the Battle of Kressenbrunn, and the play opens with news that Ottokar is divorcing from his wife Margarete, on the grounds that she cannot bear an heir, and that they are in any case distantly related. Instead, he is to marry Kunigunde, young relative of the Hungarian King Bela, news which breaks the heart of Berta, one of Margarete's most beautiful ladies-in-waiting who Ottokar had previously seduced, as well as alienating her family, the Rosenbergs. Despite revealing that she never loved Ottokar, and only married him after the death of her first husband out of a sense of duty, Margarete is nevertheless deeply upset by this rejection and betrayal, although still waives her rights to retain the lands of Austria and Styria inherited from her first marriage.

Ottokar then marries Kunigunde, who becomes his new queen, despite the age difference. Meanwhile, Zawisch Rosenberg is struck by her beauty, and sets out to seduce her behind Ottokar's back. Kunigunde, unimpressed by Ottokar's age and personality, is attracted by Zawisch and encourages his advances. Unaware of this, Ottokar is provisionally offered the crown of Holy Roman Emperor, however haughtily replies that he will take time to consider the offer. In this intervening period, a letter is rushed to an influential figure among the electors, the Archbishop of Mainz, outlining Ottokar's treatment of Margarete, and the crown is instead offered to the more worthy but lowly Duke Rudolf von Habsburg. In addition, it is announced that the states of Austria and Styria are deemed to have not been passed onto Ottokar following his divorce from Margarete.

Ottokar is enraged by both these decisions, and both sides draw up forces on the banks of the Danube. Ottokar's chancellor persuades him to meet with the Emperor on an island on the Danube to discuss reconciliation. During these discussions, Ottokar indicates he is prepared pay homage to the imperial crown in the interests of peace, but is not prepared to concede his lands. However it is made clear to him that he his behaviour towards Merenberg and Margerete has alienated both Austrian and Styrian subjects, who now transfer their support to Rudolf. As a result, Ottokar is forced to withdraw his claims and be content with retaining the regions of Moravia and Bohemia. The ceremony for this requires him to kneel before Rudolf, and in the interests of decorum this is performed in a tented area. However, the mischievous Zawisch cuts the ropes of the tent, revealing Ottokar on his knees before his enemy, to all in attendance, including his own army.

Ottokar then goes into hiding for two weeks, before returning to Prague weakened and in shame. On his return, representatives of the Emperor arrive demanding the release of a number of prisoners, one of the conditions of the peace treaty. At first Ottokar acquiesces, however on seeing Merenberg among the prisoners, his anger is piqued, and instead he tears up the treaty and demands that Merenberg be executed as a traitor, for his role in communicating the letter to the Archbishop of Mainz, and act which Ottokar considers to have been the starting point of all the subsequent betrayals. Merenberg is then executed by Ottokar's men, by flinging him from a tower.

Ottokar is then spurned by Kunigunde, who openly tells him she has no respect for a man who kneels before his enemies. This further humiliation, spurs Ottokar to raise an army against all who defy him, attempting to restore his lost lands, power, and dignity. Kunigunde then flees with Zawisch, to seek protection from the Emperor Rudolf.

On the eve of the battle with Rudolf's armies, Ottokar stumbles upon the deathbed of his former wife Margarete. Seeing her dead, having suffered at his hands, he regrets his treatment of her. As the battle draws up, Ottokar's remaining loyal lords urge him to act decisively to make the best of his strategic strengths, however he is by now hesitant and incapable of decisive action, as he begins to become aware of his tragic failings. Meanwhile, Emperor Rudolf, recognising with pity how so many of Ottokar's supporters have deserted him (including Kunigunde and Zawisch), orders that no one should kill Ottokar in battle other than in self-defence. However, when Seyfried von Merenberg encounters Ottokar on the battlefield, he seeks revenge for the death of his father, and forces Ottokar, lame through injury, into a fight, in which Ottokar is killed. On the battlefield, Rudolf, founder of the Habsburg dynasty, bequeaths the states of Styria and Austria to his children, and is hailed as a noble and gracious victor by all.

Characterisation
The play is very much focused on the central character Ottokar, his personality, and how he becomes the victim of his own actions. At the start of the play, he is at the height of his powers. He has proven himself on the battlefield, and has been hailed by all as a hero. However he is incapable of moderating his emotions or actions, and feels beyond reproach in all that he does, and loses the ability to distinguish right from wrong, loyalty from treachery, and what is reasonable from what is unreasonable.

We do not see Ottokar during his rise to power, however the implications are that the same essential traits that propelled him forward are, when unmoderated, those that bring him down: his sense of greatness and historical importance in the world mark him out as a mighty leader, yet also lead him to see others as merely pawns in his personal game; his pride is clearly a strong motivating factor for him, but also clouds his judgement; he is a determined warrior, yet does not know when to fight and when to resort to diplomacy.

Inevitably, the other characters in the play are less fully examined, and are defined more by the reaction that they bring about in Ottokar than having real depth in themselves. Margerete, Berta, and Seyfried Merenberg are in their own ways loyal to Ottokar, however they are all turned against him when he does not return their loyalty. Zawisch and Kunigunde are duplicitous, and yet Ottokar places much faith in them, and is most hurt when they betray him as his star falls. Rudolf is everything a good leader should be, yet Ottokar is not: strong yet just, noble yet humble, peace-loving yet not afraid to fight when he needs to. Perhaps inevitably, given the context of when the play was written, his status is too simply that of a paragon of leadership, a thinly-veiled attempt to praise the Habsburg dynasty still ruling in Austria at the time.

Action and consequences
The plot of the play follows the decline in the fortunes of Ottokar, and points to the causal relationship between his behaviour towards others, and the consequences for himself: Ottokar's treatment of Margarete costs him the crown of Holy Roman Emperor; by spurning Berta, he alienates the Rosenbergs, who are then able to undermine him (particularly Zawisch) in numerous ways, none more so than by ensuring the letter to the Archbishop of Mainz reaches its destination; by executing Merenberg, he drives Seyfried to kill him in revenge; and by failing to respond rationally to the peace treaties of Rudolf, he instigates a war with disastrous consequences for him and his people. Grillparzer was keen to emphasise that in historical tragedy, man is not merely the victim of circumstances or fate, but has the power to carve out his own destiny.

Grillparzer contrasts Ottokar actions with those of Rudolf, which show that by being a good and just leader, it is possible to create unity among rival factions, to inspire true loyalty, and to be victorious.

However, for lesser characters, this causal relationship is less clear, for instance in the case of 'good' characters such as Margerete and 'innocent' ones such as Berta, both of whom are victims of Ottokar's egotism and self-interest, along with Merenberg and his son, who are turned away from Ottokar simply for standing up against his wrongdoings. Meanwhile, Zawisch and Kunigunde appear to benefit from following their own desires despite behaving in a thoroughly immoral fashion.

Sources
The principal source used by Grillparzer was the Middle High German piece Steirische Reimchronik ("Rhymed Chronicle of Styria") written in 1306–20 by Ottokar of Styria (Otacher ouz der Geul). It is likely that he also used various periodicals  in order to build up a fuller understanding of the historical context.

Historical accuracy
Grillparzer felt that a true historical context was important to a tragedy's ability to create 'a certain consistency and appearance of reality, which in turn would evoke in the audience a greater sympathy with the tragic hero. However he also recognised that it was also necessary to depart from the facts in order to highlight the dramatic themes.

Although we are not given an explicit timeline in the play, the insinuation is that the events unfold over a relatively short period (perhaps a few months, or even years). Historically, a full 22 years separates the aftermath of the Battle of Kressenbrunn in 1260 with Ottokar's death in 1278 and Rudolf von Habsburg bequeathing the lands of Austria and Styria to his sons in 1282.

Grillparzer also embellishes historical sources in other ways, particularly in imbuing motives: in the play, Ottokar's desire for an heir,  merely cloaks his lust for Kunigunde. He had previously enticed away Berta, a young noblewoman, from Seyfried von Merenberg, whom he makes the son of Siegfried, who figures in the "Chronicle." His desertion of Berta had arrayed against him the hostility of the three Rosenbergs, powerful and unscrupulous Bohemian nobles – Benesch, the father, Milota, the uncle, and Zawisch, the cousin, of Bertha. Zawisch, impelled mainly by desire to wreak vengeance upon the king, seeks to gain the affection of the queen. Ottokar's treatment of Margaret alienates from him the nobles of Austria and Styria. The indignities heaped upon them open the eyes of the delegates who have come to offer him the imperial crown. His overweening pride in ostensibly disdaining the title of emperor prepares the way for his final downfall.

Historical context
The context of the writing of the drama was very much shaped by Grillparzer's relationship with the Austrian state in which he lived. Inspired by the initial desire to write a tragedy about Napoleon, Grillparzer realised that the heavy-handed state censors of the Metternich regime would never allow him to use such a sensitive subject. By choosing a figure from the 13th century, whose rise and fall in many ways echoed that of Napoleon, Grillparzer hoped he would avoid censorial intervention. In addition, partly out of a sense of genuine patriotism, but also partly to make the play yet more favourable to Austrian authorities, Grillparzer includes various pro-Habsburg elements in his drama. These include: the character of Rudolf himself, founder of the Habsburg dynasty still ruling in the 19th century; the message that, under a just ruler, the disparate states of Austria-Hungary could successfully be part of a united empire (at a time when this empire was starting to creak at the joints); and not least in the monologue of Otto von Hornek in Act III, since known as the 'Praise of Austria' ('die Lobrede auf Österreich'), which has been taught in isolation to many generations of Austrian schoolchildren since.

In the context of subsequent historical events, notably the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire at the end of World War I, and the rise of German nationalism leading to World War II, such overt patriotism seems not only anachronistic and out of place but also potentially unpalatable to modern tastes.

At the time, these themes failed to achieve Grillparzer's aims of become the nation's favourite playwright. Not only did the censors suppress publication of the play for 2 years on the grounds of its 'unfavourable allusion to Napoleon's second marriage to Maria-Louise of Austria and unfavourable portrayal of Bohemia', but critical reception was mixed after its eventual public performance (a result of the direct intervention of Caroline Auguste of Bavaria). Pro-Habsburg critics pointed out that Rudolf had only a minor role compared to Ottokar, while in turn the Czechs disapproved that the play depicts their national hero in a negative light

Further reading

See also
 House of Rosenberg

1825 plays
Plays by Franz Grillparzer
Plays set in the Czech Republic
Plays set in Austria
Biographical plays
Ottokar II of Bohemia


Roinville may refer to:
 Roinville, Eure-et-Loir, a commune of the Centre region of France
 Roinville, Essonne, a commune of the Île-de-France region


Amand Landry (December 8, 1805 – July 12, 1877) was an Acadian farmer and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented Westmorland County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1846 to 1850, from 1853 to 1857 and from 1861 to 1870.

He was born in Memramcook, New Brunswick, the son of Allain Landry and Anastasie Dupuis, and was educated there. His mother was a descendant of Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour who had been governor of Acadia. Landry taught school for a time. He married Pélagie Caissie in 1839. He was defeated by William Crane in 1850 but was elected in a by-election held in 1853 after Crane died. Landry opposed Confederation and railway construction, viewing both as not benefiting Acadians. He died in Memramcook at the age of 71.

His son Pierre-Amand served in the provincial assembly and the Canadian House of Commons.

References

1805 births
1877 deaths
Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
Acadian people
Colony of New Brunswick people


This is a list of Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom who were born, live or lived in Northern Ireland. It is not to be confused with the now redundant Privy Council of Northern Ireland.

Current members by year of appointment
 Sir Michael Nicholson (1995)
 Sir Liam McCollum (1997)
 Sir Anthony Campbell (1999)
 Ruth Kelly (2004)
 Sir John Sheil (2005)
 Sir Jeffrey Donaldson (2007)
 Peter Robinson (2007)
 Sir Paul Girvan (2007)
 Sir Malachy Higgins (2007)
 Sir Patrick Coghlin (2009)
 Sir Declan Morgan, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland (2009)
 Lord Dodds of Duncairn (2010)
 Sir John Gillen (2014)
 Sir Ronald Weatherup (2016)
 Sir Reginald Weir (2016)
 Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (2016)

See also
 Privy Council of Ireland
 :Category:Members of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland 1922 to 1972.
 :Category:Members of the Privy Council of Ireland to 1922.

External links
 Members of the Privy Council – official site

Politics of Northern Ireland
Privy
Lists of Privy Counsellors


Crapaud is a French word meaning "toad".

Etymology
The word  ultimately is rooted from Frankish *krappō, *krappa, meaning "hook", likely in reference to the toad's hooked feet.

Heraldry
Crapaud is sometimes used as an incorrect reference to the Fleur-de-lys on the ancient heraldic flag of the kings of France. The three fleurs-de-lys were sometimes misinterpreted as "three toads erect, saltant", instead of "three lily flowers".

In fiction
The word crapaud is used extensively by fictional British soldier Richard Sharpe as a derogatory term for the French in Bernard Cornwell's novels set during the Napoleonic Wars.

Jean Crapaud
Jean Crapaud, also Johnny Crappeau or Johnny Crappo, as defined by Webster's Online Dictionary, "is a jocose name given to a Frenchman. It is intended as a national personification of the French people as a whole in much the same sense as John Bull is to the English. It is sometimes used as a literary device to refer to a typical Frenchman, usually in the form of Monsieur Jean Crapaud." The usage of the word "crapaud" in this case is similar to the derogative use of the word "frog", referencing the supposed French affinity for frog legs as a delicacy.

Jersey Crapaud

The name Crapaud is used in the Channel Islands to describe a person from Jersey, the name meaning toad in the local Patois languages, including Jèrriais and Guernésiais. Toads live in Jersey but not on the other islands.

Gallery

References

Further reading
 James Edwards (Professor.). John Bull, Uncle Sam and Johnny Crapaud. Henry G. Little; 1888.
 James Edwards. John Bull, Uncle Sam and Johnny Crapaud. BiblioBazaar; February 2010. .
 Mary Alice Fontenot. Clovis Crawfish and the Curious Crapaud. Pelican Publishing; 1 November 1986. .

National personifications
Heraldic beasts


Torfou may refer to:
 Torfou, Maine-et-Loire, a commune of the Pays de la Loire region of France
 Torfou, Essonne, a commune of the Île-de-France region


Cui Bai (, also known as Cui Bo, style name Zixi () (fl. 1050–1080) was a prominent Chinese painter of the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1279). A native of Anhui Province, Cui was best known for paintings of animals and plants. At some point during his life, he traveled to the capital of Kaifeng to seek employment as a court artist, and was accepted by Emperor Shenzong of Song, who admired his works. He became a renowned artist of Shenzong's court, but gained an awkward reputation for his often eccentric behavior.

Cui Bai is today known for two paintings depicting magpies and sparrows respectively. Magpies and Hare, also known as "Double Happiness", because "two magpies" in Mandarin Chinese is pronounced the same as "two happinesses", is held in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. The painting would have been meant as a gift to someone to congratulate them in some way, most likely for a wedding. Wintery Sparrow, a large handscroll, is kept in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Notes

References
Barnhart, R. M. et al. (1997). Three thousand years of Chinese painting. New Haven, Yale University Press.
Ci hai bian ji wei yuan hui (). Ci hai  (). Shanghai: Shanghai ci shu chu ban she  (), 1979.

See also
Culture of the Song Dynasty

Song dynasty painters
People from Fengyang
Painters from Anhui
11th-century Chinese painters


Saint-Chéron may refer to:

 Saint-Chéron, Marne, a commune of the Champagne-Ardenne region of France
 Saint-Chéron, Essonne, a commune of the Île-de-France region


Sir Ronald Henry Amherst Storrs  (19 November 1881 – 1 November 1955) was an official in the British Foreign Office. He served as Oriental Secretary in Cairo, Military Governor of Jerusalem, Governor of Cyprus, and Governor of Northern Rhodesia.

Biography
Ronald Storrs was the eldest son of John Storrs, priest of the Church of England and later Dean of Rochester. His mother was Lucy Anna Maria Cockayne-Cust, sister of the fifth Baron Brownlow.

Storrs was educated at Charterhouse School and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he gained a first-class degree in the Classical Tripos.

Foreign service

Egypt
Storrs entered the Finance Ministry of the Egyptian Government in 1904, five years later becoming Oriental Secretary to the British Agency, succeeding Harry Boyle in this post. In 1917 Storrs became Political Officer representing the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Mesopotamia as Liaison officer for the Anglo-French mission in Baghdad and Mesopotamia where he met Gertrude Bell and Sir Percy Cox.

T. E. Lawrence commented in Seven Pillars of Wisdom:

"The first of all of us was Ronald Storrs, Oriental Secretary of the Residency, the most brilliant Englishman in the Near East, and subtly efficient, despite his diversion of energy in love of music and letters, of sculpture, painting, of whatever was beautiful in the world's fruit... Storrs was always first, and the great man among us".
Storrs is credited with a classic example of British understatement when referring to the behaviour of the British toward the many tribal and regional leaders that the British were trying to influence in "The Great Game": "we deprecated the imperative, preferring instead the subjunctive or even, wistfully, the optative mood".

During the First World War Storrs was a member of the Arab Bureau and a participant in the negotiations between the Sharif Husayn and the British government and in the organisation of the Arab Revolt. His own personal positions were that the Sharif Husayn was asking for more Arab territory than he had any right to, and that Syria and Palestine should be incorporated into a British-sponsored Egyptian Empire as a replacement for the Ottoman Empire, a plan which was never implemented. Storrs is thought to have underestimated Arab Muslim resistance to non-Muslim rule.

Palestine

In 1917 Storrs became Military Governor of Jerusalem, within the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration, for which purpose he was given the British Army rank of colonel. He claimed to be "the first military governor of Jerusalem since Pontius Pilate". He was in fact the second British military governor of Jerusalem, succeeding Brigadier General Neville Travers Borton, also known as Borton Pasha, who resigned after two weeks due to ill health.

The 1920 Nebi Musa riots occurred during his military governorship, and the following year he became Civil Governor of Jerusalem and Judea. In both positions he attempted to support Zionism while protecting the rights of the Arab inhabitants of Palestine, and thus earned the hostility of both sides. He devoted much of his time to cultural matters, including town planning, and to the Pro-Jerusalem Society, a cultural organisation that he founded. Storrs acted as President of the Society.

In 1919, Storrs was appointed a Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy.

Palestine's first chess club was the International Chess Club founded in Jerusalem in 1918 by Storrs. International Chess Club was an expression of the hope that it  would unite the different nations – local Arabs and Jews, and European Christians of various nations who were then stationed in the city – and help promote peace and understanding. The club closed within a year  due to the increasing tensions between the Arabs and Jews. A chess enthusiast, Storrs also helped to organise in 1919 the city's first championship which was won by Shaul Gordon, the founder of Mercantile Bank.

Cyprus and Rhodesia
From 1926 to 1932 Storrs was Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Cyprus, a period which included an attempted revolt (1931) during which Government House was burned to the ground. He was then appointed Governor of Northern Rhodesia in 1932. He retired for health reasons in 1934, at the age of 53.

Later years

Storrs was one of the six pallbearers at the funeral of T. E. Lawrence in 1935.

In 1937 he published his memoirs Orientations (US edition The Memoirs of Sir Ronald Storrs). Between 1937 and 1945 he served on the London County Council, and during the Second World War he broadcast for the Ministry of Information. He died in 1955, aged 73, and is buried at St John the Baptist Church, Pebmarsh, Essex.

Writings
 (limited edition of 128 copies)

Storrs, Ronald, Dunlop in War and Peace (Hutchinson & Co., 1946) - an account of the Dunlop Company and the importance of Dunlop's production during the Second World War.

References

Sources

External links

 Memoirs of Sir Ronald Storrs at Internet Archive.

1881 births
1955 deaths
Administrators of Palestine
Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge
British Army General List officers
British Army personnel of World War I
British philhellenes
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Governors of British Cyprus
Governors of Northern Rhodesia
Members of London County Council
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
People educated at Charterhouse School
Ottoman Empire in World War I


Dragalevtsi Monastery of the Holy Mother of God of Vitosha (, Dragalevski manastir „Sveta Bogoroditsa Vitoshka“) is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery on the lower slopes of Vitosha mountain on the outskirts of the capital Sofia in western Bulgaria. Founded in the mid-14th century by Bulgarian tsar Ivan Alexander, the monastery was abandoned after the Ottoman conquest of Sofia and reestablished in the late 15th century, when it became an important literary centre. The monastery church and some of its frescoes date from this period.

History
Located  south of the capital Sofia's neighbourhood of Dragalevtsi, Dragalevtsi Monastery was established by Tsar Ivan Alexander (r. 1331–1371) in 1345 at the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The monastery was first mentioned in the Vitosha Charter issued before 1382 by Tsar Ivan Shishman (r. 1371–1395). The charter granted lands and tax exemptions to Dragalevtsi Monastery, including ownership of the village of Novachene.

After Sofia fell to the Ottomans in 1382, the monastery was disbanded and its buildings destroyed. It was rebuilt in the second half of the 15th century with the financial support of local feudal lord Radoslav Mavar and rapidly developed into a repository of Bulgarian cultural records. In 1612, while staying at Dragalevtsi Monastery, the monk Job Kasinets from Timișoara wrote the Boyana Beadroll, a list of medieval Bulgarian rulers. The document shows the extent to which medieval rulers were remembered in 17th-century Bulgarian lands. Other manuscripts completed in this period at the monastery's scriptorium include Priest Nicholas' Gospel of 1469, the Dragalevtsi Gospel of 1534 and a psalter finished in 1598.

Today only the monastery church survives from what was a significantly more extensive complex of buildings in the 15th century. The church was expanded in 1818 and 1932. In the late 19th century, Dragalevtsi Monastery was often visited by national hero Vasil Levski, who used it as a centre for his revolutionary activities. The monastery is currently inhabited by nuns.

Art

The monastery church, eponymously known as the Church of the Holy Mother of God, measures . It has a single apse and a single nave. Architecturally, it shares many features with other contemporary churches in the Sofia region, including the Church of St Petka of the Saddlers in the city and the church of the Kremikovtsi Monastery.

Mural portraits of Radoslav Mavar and his immediate family as church donors (ktetors) were painted on the inside of the monastery church. In addition to these, other 15th-century frescoes also survive, alongside 16th- and 17th-century paintings. The frescoes of warrior saints Demetrius of Thessaloniki, George and Mercurius on the upper reaches of the west facade date to 1475–1476. The saints are clad in realistically painted full knight's armour of the period, with Demetrius and Mercurius wearing spurs. One of the murals depicts Demetrius battling Bulgarian tsar Kaloyan (r. 1197–1207), who is shown as an enemy of the faith. The iconostasis of the church was carved and installed in the 18th century. The icons in the church are the work of 19th-century Samokov Art School painter Nikola Obrazopisov.

References

1345 establishments in Europe
Bulgarian Orthodox monasteries
Buildings and structures in Sofia
Christian monasteries established in the 14th century
Christian monasteries in Bulgaria
Medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church buildings


Sermaise may refer to:
 Sermaise, Maine-et-Loire, a commune of the Pays de la Loire region of France
 Sermaise, Essonne, a commune of the Île-de-France region


West London Eagles Handball Club is a team handball club based in Gunnersbury Park, West London. The club has men's and women's teams in the EHA national Premier Handball League (former men's Super 8 and women's Super 7 league) and development teams in the South East regional divisions. They also have junior boys' and girls' teams competing in the U14, U16, U19 and U21 competitions.

Club history
West London Eagles Handball Club was founded in 1972 by Bill Holderness, a GB goalkeeper and were originally based in the old South Ruislip Leisure centre. Originally the teams were largely made up of British players but gradually more overseas players joined the club.

The club had a successful spell through the 1980s playing in the national leagues, when many of their players were picked for the regional and national teams whilst the women won the national league and cup on several occasions alongside fierce rivals Wakefield.

In 1982 the women became the first British team to win a match in a European Cup, beating the Belgian champions over two legs.

The club have previously been known as Graphite Eagles, when sponsored by Graphite Equipment Ltd, and Robert Jenkins following their purchase of the company.

Up until October 2016 the club were known as Ruislip Eagles but removed the Ruislip name in order to build a greater identity within West London. Alongside this name change the club also announced Mizuno as their official kit provider.

In 2021 Eagles moved to the Gunnersbury Park Sports Centre, which serves as a home court for club's league games where most training sessions are held.

Past performance

Men's team
In 2010 West London Eagles won the EHA Cup after a 26-25 victory over Manchester.

The following season the team qualified to the EHF Challenge Cup for the first time in its history after a second place in the English League 1 and finishing as runner-up in the EHA Cup.

They beat Dublin International Handball Club and the Maltese hosts Aloysians ProMinent but did not qualify for the second round after a defeat against local rivals London GD. That same year the team finished as the runner-up of the National League 1 and therefore qualified for the EHF Challenge Cup again.

In 2012/13 they were again knocked out in the second round of the EHF Challenge Cup after three defeats against the Lithuanian side Dragūnas Klaipėda, SPE Strovolos from Cyprus and the Moldavian host team HC Olimpus-85-USEFS. However, they were guaranteed a place in the EHF Challenge Cup 2013/14 with a 4th-place finish in the newly revamped Super 8 league. The team also finished runner-up in the EHA Cup, losing to Salford H.C in the final.

The team started the 2013/14 season with a defeat in EHF Challenge Cup against the Bulgarian side Spartak Varna with the second leg being broadcast on Bulgarian National TV 1. In domestic competition they reached the semi-finals of the EHA Cup and secured 3rd position in the league.

In the 2014/15 season the team participated again in the EHF Challenge Cup losing in the opening round to Belgian side HC Visé but matched their league position of the previous year securing a European place for the 5th year in a row.

In 2015/16 they lost to eventual champions ABC/UMinho in the opening round but ended the season with a 5th-place finish in the Super 8 league and therefore missed out on an EHF Challenge Cup place for the 2016/17 season.

Women's team
Historically the women's team have dominated the English game, at one point winning the cup and league for 16 consecutive years, a reign that was ended in 2006/07 by local rivals London GD.

In 2012/13 they finished 4th in the South League 1 and 3rd in the EHA Cup, and accepted an invitation to take up a place in the newly formed Women's Super 8 League for the 2013/14 season.

Since the formation of the Super 8 the women's team has not replicated the success seen throughout the 1990s and 2000s finishing 6th in 2015/16.

In 2019 the women's team won the EHA Cup after the 42:40 double extra time victory in the final against NEM Hawks.

In 2022, after finishing 3rd in the regular season and qualifying for English championship play-offs, women's team went on to finish as runners-up. This meant a spot in the British Super Cup, where Eagles won in the semifinal against Scottish champions Edinburgh HC and lost against NEM Hawks the next day in the final.

References

External links
 Official website
 Team profile on EHF Challenge Cup website

Handball clubs in England
Sports clubs and teams in London


Tommy Wood (17 February 1912 – 21 January 2003) was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competed in his first Manx Grand Prix in 1937. His best season was in , when he won two races, including the 1951 Isle of Man Lightweight TT, and finished second to Bruno Ruffo in the 250cc world championship.

References

1912 births
2003 deaths
British motorcycle racers
250cc World Championship riders
350cc World Championship riders
500cc World Championship riders
Isle of Man TT riders


Harishchandrapur I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Chanchal subdivision of  Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

History

Gauda and Pandua
Gauda was once the “capital of the ancient bhukti or political division of Bengal known as Pundravardhana which lay on the eastern extremity of the Gupta Empire.” During the rule of the Sena Dynasty, in the 11th-12th century, Gauda was rebuilt and extended as Lakshmanawati (later Lakhnauti), and it became the hub of the Sena empire. Gauda was conquered by Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji in 1205. During the Turko-Afghan period, “the city of Lakhnauti or Gauda continued to function initially as their capital but was abandoned in 1342 by the Ilyas Shahi sultans in favour of Pandua because of major disturbances along the river course of the Ganga.” “Pandua then lay on the banks of the Mahananda, which was the major waterway of the sultanate at the time. However, when the Mahananda too began to veer away from the site of Pandua in the mid-15th century, Gauda was rebuilt and restored to the status of capital city by the Hussain Shahi sultans”… With the ascent of Akbar to the Mughal throne at Delhi… the Mughals annexed the ancient region of Gauda in 1576 and created the Diwani of Bengal. The centre of regional power shifted across the Ganga to Rajmahal,,,  Following the demise of the independent sultanate, the regional importance of the Gauda or Malda region declined irreversibly and the city of Gauda was eventually abandoned.

Malda district
With the advent of the British, their trading and commercial interests focussed on the new cities of Malda and English Bazar. Malda district was formed in 1813 with “some portion of outlying areas of Purnia, Dinajpur and Rajshahi districts”.  A separate treasury was established in 1832 and a full-fledged Magistrate and Collector was posted in 1859. Malda district was part of Rajshahi Division till 1876, when it was transferred to Bhagalpur Division, and again transferred in 1905 to Rajshahi Division. With the partition of Bengal in 1947, the Radcliffe Line placed Malda district in India, except the Nawabganj subdivision, which was placed in East Pakistan.

Geography
Harishchandrapur is  located at .

Harishchandrapur I CD Block, occupying the north-west corner of the district, is part of the Tal, one of the three physiographic sub-regions of the district. “It lies to the west of Mahananda River and to the north of the river Kalindri. The Tal region gradually slopes down towards the south-west and merges with the Diara sub-region… (it) is strewn with innumerable marshes, bils and oxbow lakes.” The sub-region largely remains submerged during the monsoons and during the dry season large sections of it turn into mud banks with many shallow marshes scattered around. With hardly any gradient, the rivers crawl through the region. The Baramasia River forms the eastern boundary of the CD Block with Chanchal I CD Block.

Harishchandrapur I CD Block is bounded by Azamnagar CD Block of Katihar district in Bihar on the north, Chanchal I CD Block on the east, Harishchandrapur II CD Block on the south and on the west.

Harishchandrapur I CD Block has an area of 171.40 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 7 gram panchayats, 121 gram sansads (village councils), 105 mouzas and 104 inhabited villages. Harishchandrapur police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Harishchandrapur.

Gram panchayats of Harischandrapur I block/ panchayat samiti are: Kushida, Boroi, Rashidabad, Tulshihata, Bhingole, Mahendrapur and Harishchandrapur.

Demographics

Population
As per 2011 Census of India, Harishchandrapur I CD Block had a total population of 199,493, all of which were rural. There were 103,183 (52%) males and 96,310 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 30, 662. Scheduled Castes numbered 49,069 (24.60%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 4,142 (2.08%).

Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Harishchandrapur I CD Block were (2011 population in brackets): Gochia (4,211), Kusidha (4,560),  Uttar Rampur (5,575), Srichandrapur (4,250), Kamarta (4,118), Bairat (4,412),  Rangaipur (6,002), Dakshin Harishchandrapur (5,365), Uttar Harishchandrapur (15,445),  Dakshin Mahendrapur (5,571)  and Gangnadia (4,316).

Other villages in Harishchandrapur I CD Block included (2011 population in brackets): Tulsihata (3,939), Rashidabad (3,050), Barui (1,419) and Bhingol (2,720).

Decadal Population Growth Rate (%)

Note: The CD Block data for 1971-1981, 1981-1991 and 1991-2001 is for both Harishcahndrapur I & II taken together

The decadal growth of population in Harishchandrapur I CD Block in 2001-2011 was 22.84%. The decadal growth of population in Harishchandrapur I &II CD Blocks taken together in 1991-2001 was 25.63%. The decadal growth of population in Harishchandrapur I &II CD Blocks taken together (or Harishchndrapur PS) in 1981-91 was 29.30% and in 1971-81 was 25.13%. The decadal growth rate of population in Malda district was as follows: 30.33% in 1951-61, 31.98% in 1961-71, 26.00% in 1971-81, 29.78% in 1981-91, 24.78% in 1991-2001 and 21.22% in 2001-11. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal in 2001-11 was 13.93%. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal was 13.93 in 2001-2011, 17.77% in 1991-2001. 24.73% in 1981-1991 and 23.17% in 1971-1981.

Malda district has the second highest decadal population growth rate, for the decade 2001-2011, in West Bengal with a figure of 21.2% which is much higher than the state average (13.8%). Uttar Dinajpur district has the highest decadal growth rate in the state with 23.2%. Decadal growth rate of population is higher than that of neighbouring Murshidabad district, which has the next highest growth rate.

Population density in the district has intensified from 162 persons per km2 in 1901 to 881 in 2001 (i.e., around five times), which is highest amongst the districts of North Bengal. However, unlike the densely populated southern regions of West Bengal, urbanisation remains low in Malda district. North Bengal in general, and Malda in particular, has been witness to large scale population movement from other states in India and other districts of West Bengal, as well as from outside the country. The District Human Development Report for Malda notes, “Malda district has been a principal recipient of the human migration waves of the 20th century.”

There are reports of Bangladeshi infiltrators coming through the international border. Only a small portion of the border with Bangladesh has been fenced and it is popularly referred to as a porous border.

Literacy
As per the 2011 census, the total number of literates in Harishchandrapur I CD Block was 88,591 (52.47% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 50,196 (57.37% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 38,195 (46.96% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 10.41%.

See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate

Language and religion

Islam is the majority religion, with 59.41% of the population. Hinduism is the second-largest religion.

As per 2014 District Statistical Handbook: Malda (quoting census figures), in the 2001 census, Muslims numbered 93,885 and formed 57.81% of the population in Harishchandrapur I CD Block. Hindus numbered 63,376 and formed 42.10% of the population. Christians numbered 92 and formed 0.06% of the population. Others numbered 53 and formed 0.03% of the population.

At the time of the 2011 census, 96.83% of the population spoke Bengali and 1.23% Hindi as their first language.

Rural poverty
As per the Human Development Report for Malda district, published in 2006, the percentage of rural families in BPL category in Harishchandrapur I CD Block was 47.6%. Official surveys have found households living in absolute poverty in Malda district to be around 39%.

According to the report, “An overwhelmingly large segment of the rural workforce depends on agriculture as its main source of livelihood, the extent of landlessness in Malda has traditionally been high because of the high densities of human settlement in the district… Although land reforms were implemented in Malda district from the time they were launched in other parts of West Bengal, their progress has been uneven across the Malda blocks… because of the overall paucity of land, the extent of ceiling-surplus land available for redistribution has never been large… The high levels of rural poverty that exist in nearly all blocks in Malda district closely reflect the livelihood crisis… “

Economy

Livelihood

In Harishchandrapur I CD Block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered14,687 and formed 20.94%, agricultural labourers numbered 38,171 and formed 54.41%, household industry workers numbered 2,019 and formed 2.88% and other workers numbered 15,276 and formed 21.78%. Total workers numbered 70,153 and formed 35.17% of the total population, and non-workers numbered 129,340 and formed 64.83% of the population.

Note: In the census records a person is considered a cultivator, if the person is engaged in cultivation/ supervision of land owned by self/government/institution. When a person who works on another person’s land for wages in cash or kind or share, is regarded as an agricultural labourer. Household industry is defined as an industry conducted by one or more members of the family within the household or village, and one that does not qualify for registration as a factory under the Factories Act. Other workers are persons engaged in some economic activity other than cultivators, agricultural labourers and household workers.  It includes factory, mining, plantation, transport and office workers, those engaged in business and commerce, teachers, entertainment artistes and so on.

Infrastructure
There are 104 inhabited villages in Harishchandrapur I CD Block. All 104 villages (100%) have power supply.  102 villages (98.08%) have drinking water supply. 16 villages (15.38%) have post offices. 100 villages (96.15%) have telephones (including landlines, public call offices and mobile phones). 25 villages (24.04%) have a pucca (paved) approach road and 35 villages (33.65%) have transport communication (includes bus service, rail facility and navigable waterways). 6 villages (5.77%) have agricultural credit societies and 4 villages (3.85%) have banks.

Agriculture
“Because of its alluvial soils and the abundance of rivers, large and small, Malda has been an important agricultural region since antiquity, leading to dense human settlement within the boundaries of the district. Rice yields have traditionally been high, making it the breadbasket of North Bengal. But the shifting of rivers and overall ecological change have left an inevitable stamp on the present patterns of human settlement, as a consequence of which settlement densities vary c/onsiderably across the district… Agricultural land in the Tal and Diara is mostly irrigated and intensively cropped and cultivated… Rainfall in the district is moderate…”

Harishchandrapur I CD Block had 93 fertiliser depots, 17 seed stores and 35 fair price shops in 2013-14.

In 2013-14, Harishchandrapur I CD Block produced 29,636 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop from 9,848 hectares, 22,406 tonnes of Boro paddy (spring crop) from 4,843  hectares, 181 tonnes of Aus paddy (summer crop) from 93 hectares, 5,197 tonnes of wheat from 2,080 hectares, 1,155 tonnes of maize from 303 hectares, 55,607 tonnes of jute from 3,727 hectares, 7,899 tonnes of potatoes from 245 hectares and 1,535 tonnes of sugar cane from 15 hectares. It also produced pulses and oilseeds .

In 2013-14, the total area irrigated in Harishchandrapur I CD Block was 11,549 hectares, out of  which 378 hectares were irrigated by river lift irrigation, 395 hectares by deep tube wells, 9,294 hectares by shallow tube well and 1,482 hectares by other means.

Backward Regions Grant Fund
Malda district is listed as a backward region and receives financial support from the Backward Regions Grant Fund.  The fund, created by the Government of India, is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. As of 2012, 272 districts across the country were listed under this scheme. The list includes 11 districts of West Bengal.

Transport

In 2013-14, Harishchandrapur I CD Block had 3 originating/ terminating bus routes.

Harischandrapur railway station is situated at Harishchandrapur on the Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line.

National Highway 31 passes through Harishchndrapur I CD Block.

Education
In 2013-14, Harishchandrapur I CD Block had 105 primary schools with 20,206 students, 16 middle school with 2,009 students, 7 high schools with 12,641 students and 7 higher secondary schools with 12,941 students. Harishchandrapur I CD Block had 1 general degree college with 1,635 students and 286 institutions for special and non-formal education with 16,904 students.

As per the 2011 census, in Harishchandrapur I CD Block, amongst the 104 inhabited villages, 10 villages did not have a school, 57 villages had more than 1 primary school, 37 villages had at least 1 primary and 1 middle school and 15 villages had at least 1 middle and 1 secondary school.

Harishchandrapur College was established at Pipla Kasimpur, Harishchandrapur, in 2008.

Healthcare
In 2014, Harishchandrapur I CD Block had 1 rural hospital and 3 primary health centres, with total 70 beds and 8 doctors (excluding private bodies). It had 25 family welfare subcentres. 7,445 patients were treated indoor and 173,094 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block.

Harishchandrapur Rural Hospital at  Harishchandrapur (with 65 beds) is the main medical facility in Harishchndrapur I CD Block. There are primary health centres at Vingal (Bhingola PHC) (with 4 beds), Boroi (with 6 beds) and  Khushida (with 10 beds).

External links

References

Community development blocks in Malda district


Henry William Portman (1738 - 11 January 1796) was an 18th-century housing developer, the ancestor of the Viscounts Portman.

Biography
He was the son and heir of Henry William Berkeley Portman MP (d.1761), by his wife Anne Fitch. His grandfather was William Berkeley (d.1737) of Pylle, Somerset, who had changed his surname, by private Act of Parliament (9 Geo. 2. c. 22), to Portman on becoming heir to his distant cousin Sir William Portman, 6th Baronet (d.1690) of Orchard Portman, Somerset—as well as quartering the Portman arms with his own. He succeeded his father in the estates of Bryanston and Orchard Portman in 1761, and to the Berkeley estates at Pylle on the death of his aunt Lady Burland. He developed  of meadow in London (between Oxford Street and the present site of Regent's Canal) he had inherited from his Tudor ancestor Sir William Portman, turning it into the Portman Estate. He began issuing its first building leases in 1755, and building began in 1764 with Portman Square, which was to owe its popularity to buildings by Robert Adam and James ‘Athenian’ Stuart.

Marriage and Issue
On 20 January 1766, he married Anne Wyndham, daughter of Sir William Wyndham, of Dinton House, Wiltshire, by whom he had two sons and three daughters.
Anne Mary Portman (26 October 1766-22 September 1844) unm.
Henry Berkeley Portman (1767-22 March 1803), m. 2 May 1793, Hon. Lucy Elizabeth Dormer, daughter of Charles, 8th Lord Dormer. Three weeks after the wedding his father signed a new will, in which Henry was disinherited and the Portman properties left to his younger son (possibly because Lord Dormer was a Roman Catholic). Henry was elected M.P. for Wells in 1790, but withdrew from parliament after the disagreement with his father. He and Lucy had one daughter, Charlotte Fanny (1797-27 March 1877), who was born at Barrells Hall, in Warwickshire, the home of Robert Knight (who was married to Lucy's sister). Still resident at Barrells Hall, on 28 August 1820, Charlotte Portman married John Poulett, 5th Earl Poulett & had issue.
Henrietta Portman (1769-15 April 1846), m. 11 July 1800 Lewis Tregonwell (1758-1832), of Cranborne, Hants. & Bournemouth, and had issue.
Edward Berkeley Portman (31 January 1771-19 January 1823), ancestor of the present Viscounts Portman
Wyndham Portman (7 April 1775-21 November 1843) unm.

References

External links
http://www.portmanestate.co.uk/heritage/restoration.html
 John Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, London 1834,  vol. I, p. 62-64

Housebuilding companies of the United Kingdom
Henry William Portman


Un autre monde (Another World) is the fifth and final album by French rock band Téléphone, released on 7 May 1984 by EMI France. The album features John Entwistle (of English rock band The Who) playing the horn.

Track listing

Personnel

Téléphone
 Jean-Louis Aubert – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
Louis Bertignac – lead guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "66 heures", "Le garçon d'ascenseur", and "Oublie ça"
Corine Marienneau – bass guitar, backing vocals
Richard Kolinka – percussion, backing vocals

Additional Musicians
 John Entwistle – horn on "T'as qu'ces mots"
Wix Wickens – accordion and synthesizer on "T'as qu'ces mots"

Production

 Glyn Johns – production
 François Ravard – management

Design

 François Sévemon – cover art
 Lynn Goldsmith – photography
 Penny Smith – photography
 Jean-Baptiste Mondino – photography

References

Téléphone albums
1984 albums
Albums produced by Glyn Johns


Ratua I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Chanchal subdivision of  Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

History

Gauda and Pandua
Gauda was once the "capital of the ancient bhukti or political division of Bengal known as Pundravardhana which lay on the eastern extremity of the Gupta Empire." During the rule of the Sena Dynasty, in the 11th-12th century, Gauda was rebuilt and extended as Lakshmanawati (later Lakhnauti), and it became the hub of the Sena empire. Gauda was conquered by Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji in 1205. During the Turko-Afghan period, "the city of Lakhnauti or Gauda continued to function initially as their capital but was abandoned in 1342 by the Ilyas Shahi sultans in favour of Pandua because of major disturbances along the river course of the Ganga." "Pandua then lay on the banks of the Mahananda, which was the major waterway of the sultanate at the time. However, when the Mahananda too began to veer away from the site of Pandua in the mid-15th century, Gauda was rebuilt and restored to the status of capital city by the Hussain Shahi sultans"... With the ascent of Akbar to the Mughal throne at Delhi... the Mughals annexed the ancient region of Gauda in 1576 and created the Diwani of Bengal. The centre of regional power shifted across the Ganga to Rajmahal, ,  Following the demise of the independent sultanate, the regional importance of the Gauda or Malda region declined irreversibly and the city of Gauda was eventually abandoned.

Malda district
With the advent of the British, their trading and commercial interests focussed on the new cities of Malda and English Bazar. Malda district was formed in 1813 with "some portion of outlying areas of Purnia, Dinajpur and Rajshahi districts".  A separate treasury was established in 1832 and a full-fledged Magistrate and Collector was posted in 1859. Malda district was part of Rajshahi Division till 1876, when it was transferred to Bhagalpur Division, and again transferred in 1905 to Rajshahi Division. With the partition of Bengal in 1947, the Radcliffe Line placed Malda district in India, except the Nawabganj subdivision, which was placed in East Pakistan.

Geography
Ratua is  located at .

Ratua I CD Block is part of the Tal, one of the three physiographic sub-regions of the district. "The Tal region gradually slopes down towards the south-west and merges with the Diara sub-region… (it) is strewn with innumerable marshes, bils and oxbow lakes." The sub-region largely remains submerged during the monsoons and during the dry season large sections of it turn into mud banks with many shallow marshes scattered around. With hardly any gradient the rivers crawl through the region. The Kalindri River flows along the CD Block.

Debipur, Mahanandatola, Bilaimari, Kahala and Baharal gram panchayats in Ratua I CD Block are vulnerable to floods from the adjoining Fulahar, Koshi and Kalindri rivers.

Ratua I CD Block is bounded by Harishchandrapur II CD Block and Chanchal II CD Block on the north, Ratua II CD Block on the east, Manikchak CD Block on the south and Amdabad CD Block of Katihar district of Bihar on the west.

Ratua I CD Block has an area of 225.17 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 10 gram panchayats, 166 gram sansads (village councils), 101 mouzas and 95 inhabited villages. Ratua police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Ratua.

Gram panchayats of Ratua I block/ panchayat samiti are: Debipur, Mahanandatola, Bilaimari, Kahala, Ratua, Baharal, Bhado, Samsi, Chadmoni I and Chandmoni II.

Demographics

Population
As per 2011 Census of India, Ratua I CD Block had a total population of 275,388, all of which were rural. There were 142,183 (52%) males and 133,205 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 45,676. Scheduled Castes numbered 30,538 (11.09%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 23,458 (8.52%).

Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Ratua I CD Block were (2011 population in brackets): Gadai Maharajpur (15,023),  Kamalpur (6,802), Maniknagar (8,877), Balupur (10,808), Durgapur (5,366),  Debipur (4,070),  Jannagar (4,140 ), Austola (4,880), Ratua (5,498), Rukundipur (7,260), Karbana (4,046), Bihari (4,183), Bahirkap (4,549), Bhado (17,190), Kankot (6,491), Parakaram (6,386), Okhra Chandpara (5,196), Chhabilpara (6,479), Andhirampara (5,041), Bijrabhita (5,513), Lakshmipur (4,170), Santapur (5,322), Talparanpur (4,618), Dakshin Durgapur (4,219) and Sahapur (5,005).

Other villages in Ratua I CD Block included (2011 population in brackets): Samsi (2,686) and Baharai (2,775).

Decadal Population Growth Rate (%)

Note: The CD Block data for 1971-1981, 1981-1991 and 1991-2001 is for both Ratua I & II taken together

The decadal growth of population in Ratua I CD Block in 2001-2011 was 26.70%. The decadal growth of population in Ratua PS or Ratua I & II CD Blocks taken together in 1991-2001 was 26.33%. The decadal growth of population in Ratua PS or Ratua I &II CD Blocks taken together in 1981-91 was 24.14% and in 1971-81 was 23.59%. The decadal growth rate of population in Malda district was as follows: 30.33% in 1951-61, 31.98% in 1961-71, 26.00% in 1971-81, 29.78% in 1981-91, 24.78% in 1991-2001 and 21.22% in 2001-11. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal in 2001-11 was 13.93%. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal was 13.93 in 2001-2011, 17.77% in 1991-2001. 24.73% in 1981-1991 and 23.17% in 1971-1981.

Malda district has the second highest decadal population growth rate, for the decade 2001-2011, in West Bengal with a figure of 21.2% which is much higher than the state average (13.8%). Uttar Dinajpur district has the highest decadal growth rate in the state with 23.2%. Decadal growth rate of population is higher than that of neighbouring Murshidabad district, which has the next highest growth rate.

Population density in the district has intensified from 162 persons per km2 in 1901 to 881 in 2001 (i.e., around five times), which is highest amongst the districts of North Bengal. However, unlike the densely populated southern regions of West Bengal, urbanisation remains low in Malda district. North Bengal in general, and Malda in particular, has been witness to large scale population movement from other states in India, as well as from outside the country. The District Human Development Report for Malda notes, "Malda district has been a principal recipient of the human migration waves of the 20th century."

There are reports of Bangladeshi infiltrators coming through the international border. Only a small portion of the border with Bangladesh has been fenced and it is popularly referred to as a porous border.

Literacy
As per the 2011 census, the total number of literates in Ratua I CD Block was 138,137 (60.13% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 76,280 (64.17% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 61,857 (55.81% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 8.36%.

See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate

Language and religion

Islam is the majority religion, with 66.88% of the population. Hinduism is the second-largest religion.

As per 2014 District Statistical Handbook: Malda (quoting census figures), in the 2001 census, Muslims numbered 141,895 and formed 65.28% of the population in Ratua I CD Block. Hindus numbered 74,900 and formed 34.46% of the population. Christians numbered 20 and formed 0.01% of the population. Others numbered 541 and formed 0.25% of the population.

Bengali is the predominant language, spoken by 98.27% of the population.

Rural poverty
As per the Human Development Report for Malda district, published in 2006, the percentage of rural families in BPL category in Ratua I CD Block was 25.6%, which was considerably lower than the average poverty level in Malda district. Official surveys have found households living in absolute poverty in Malda district to be around 39%.

According to the report, "An overwhelmingly large segment of the rural workforce depends on agriculture as its main source of livelihood, the extent of landlessness in Malda has traditionally been high because of the high densities of human settlement in the district… Although land reforms were implemented in Malda district from the time they were launched in other parts of West Bengal, their progress has been uneven across the Malda blocks… because of the overall paucity of land, the extent of ceiling-surplus land available for redistribution has never been large… The high levels of rural poverty that exist in nearly all blocks in Malda district closely reflect the livelihood crisis… "

Economy

Livelihood

In Ratua I CD Block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 20,093 and formed 22.24%, agricultural labourers numbered 38,870 and formed 43.02%, household industry workers numbered 6,258 and formed 6.93% and other workers numbered 25,137 and formed 27.82%. Total workers numbered 90,358 and formed 32.81% of the total population, and non-workers numbered 185,030 and formed 67.19% of the population.

Note: In the census records a person is considered a cultivator, if the person is engaged in cultivation/ supervision of land owned by self/government/institution. When a person who works on another person's land for wages in cash or kind or share, is regarded as an agricultural labourer. Household industry is defined as an industry conducted by one or more members of the family within the household or village, and one that does not qualify for registration as a factory under the Factories Act. Other workers are persons engaged in some economic activity other than cultivators, agricultural labourers and household workers.  It includes factory, mining, plantation, transport and office workers, those engaged in business and commerce, teachers, entertainment artistes and so on.

Infrastructure
There are 95 inhabited villages in Ratua I CD Block. All 95 villages (100%) have power supply. 93 villages (97.89%) have drinking water supply. 20 villages (21.05%) have post offices. 86 villages (90.53%) have telephones (including landlines, public call offices and mobile phones). 42 villages (44.21%) have a pucca (paved) approach road and 29 villages (30.53%) have transport communication (includes bus service, rail facility and navigable waterways). 7 villages (7.37%) have agricultural credit societies. 7 villages (7.37%) have banks.

The principal market yard under the West Bengal Marketing Board is situated at Samsi (Samsi Regulated Market Committee). The main markets of Ratua-I block are Samsi, Bhado, Ratua, Debipur, Baharal, Batna and Harikole-Basic More.

Agriculture
"Because of its alluvial soils and the abundance of rivers, large and small, Malda has been an important agricultural region since antiquity, leading to dense human settlement within the boundaries of the district. Rice yields have traditionally been high, making it the breadbasket of North Bengal. But the shifting of rivers and overall ecological change have left an inevitable stamp on the present patterns of human settlement, as a consequence of which settlement densities vary considerably across the district… Agricultural land in the Tal and Diara is mostly irrigated and intensively cropped and cultivated… Rainfall in the district is moderate…"

Ratua I CD Block had 104 fertiliser depots, 7 seed stores and 47 fair price shops in 2013-14.

In 2013-14, Ratua I CD Block produced 3,346 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop from 1,132 hectares, 18,663 tonnes of Boro paddy (spring crop) from 4,504  hectares, 247 tonnes of Aus paddy (summer crop) from 127 hectares, 14,653 tonnes of wheat from 4,643 hectares, 2,311 tonnes of maize from 649 hectares, 50,129 tonnes of jute from 3,270 hectares, 6,966 tonnes of potatoes from 203 hectares and 10,339 tonnes of sugar cane from 101 hectares. It also produced pulses and oilseeds .

In 2013-14, the total area irrigated in Ratua I CD Block was 9,747 hectares, out of which 1,021 hectares were irrigated by river lift irrigation, 692 hectares by deep tube wells, 7,048 hectares by shallow tube wells and 986 hectares by other means.

Mango
25,500 hectares of land in Malda district produces mango varieties such as langra, himasagar, amrapali, laxmanbhog, gopalbhog and fazli. The core area of mango production is Old Malda, English Bazar and Manikchak CD Blocks, from where it has spread to Kaliachak I & II, Ratua I & II and Chanchal I CD Blocks.

Backward Regions Grant Fund
Malda district is listed as a backward region and receives financial support from the Backward Regions Grant Fund.  The fund, created by the Government of India, is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. As of 2012, 272 districts across the country were listed under this scheme. The list includes 11 districts of West Bengal.

Transport

In 2013-14, Ratua I CD Block had 6 ferry services and 5 originating/ terminating bus routes. The nearest railway station is 13 km from the CD Block headquarters.

Samsi railway station is on the Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line.

Culture
Shakti Mishra's Durga Mandir at Kahala is a temple in a remote village with its underground construction where the idol of Durga, made of pure gold, is kept, every people has been invited to join in Durga puja which is the fame of Ratua and how it is effective. one Dargha (Muslim Pir) near Ratua (Kamalpur) is also famous.

Education
In 2013-14, Ratua I CD Block had 121 primary schools with 28,975 students, 14 middle school with 4,845 students, 11 high schools with 22,052 students and 11 higher secondary schools with 27,935 students. Ratua I CD Block had 1 general degree college with 5,064 students and 354 institutions for special and non-formal education with 19,621 students.

As per the 2011 census, in Ratua I CD Block, amongst the 95 inhabited villages, 12 villages did not have a school, 46 villages had more than 1 primary school, 37 villages had at least 1 primary and 1 middle school and 21 villages had at least 1 middle and 1 secondary school.

Healthcare
In 2014, Ratua I CD Block had 1 rural hospital, 1 block primary health centre and 2 primary health centres, with total 80 beds and 9 doctors (excluding private bodies). It had 36 family welfare subcentres. 5,652 patients were treated indoor and 227,686 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block.

Ratua Rural Hospital at Ratua (with 30 beds) is the main medical facility in Ratua I CD Block. There are primary health centres at Debipur (with 10 beds), Mahanandatola (with 10 beds) and Samsi (with 10 beds).

The Arsenic free water supply plant is situated at Kahala under Ratua-I block. The biggest development of Kahala is Arsenic free water project which is over Ganga river.

External links

References

Community development blocks in Malda district


Igiaba Scego (born 20 March 1974) is an Italian writer, journalist, and activist of Somali origin.

Biography
Igiaba Scego was born in Rome, Italy, in 1974, after her parents were forced to flee Somalia following the 1969 coup d'état of Siad Barre; Scego's father, Ali Omar Scego, was a prominent Somali politician, and her great-grandfather, Omar, was a translator for Rodolfo Graziani. She graduated in Foreign Literature at La Sapienza University of Rome and obtained a PhD in pedagogy at Roma Tre University.  Presently, she is writing about and researching cultural dialogue and migration.

Works
She writes for various magazines dealing with migrant literature and African literature, such as Latinoamerica, Carta, El Ghibli and Migra. Her works include autobiographical references, and they depict the delicate balance between her two cultural realities, the Italian and Somali.

In 2003, she won the Eks & Tra prize for migrant writers with her story "Salsicce", and published her debut novel, La nomade che amava Alfred Hitchcock.
In 2006 she attended the Literature festival in Mantua.

Scego collaborates with newspapers such as La Repubblica and Il manifesto and contributes to the magazine Nigrizia with an opinion column, titled "The colors of Eve".
In 2007, along with Ingy Mubiayi, she edited the short-story collection Quando nasci è una roulette. Giovani figli di migranti si raccontano. It follows the story of seven boys and girls of African origin, who were born in Rome of foreign parents or came to Italy when young.

In 2011, she won the Premio Mondello with her book La mia casa è dove sono, which was published the previous year by Rizzoli.
In 2017, her novel Adua was translated into English by Jamie Richards, and in 2019, Aaron Robertson translated her book Oltre Babilonia, again into English, with the title Beyond Babylon. Reviewing it for the Los Angeles Review of Books, Kelsey McFaul wrote: "Rather than suggesting that 'beyond Babylon' is a destination, the novel expresses the material and relational afterlives of resilience, anti-colonization, and collective racial solidarity in the present. Scego's genius is to scale from the international to the intimate, from memory and materiality to music, mothers, and menstruation, the 'rhythm that transports me into a cosmic chaos that appears to be my own.'"

Seago's 2020 novel, La linea del colore, combines the characters of Edmonia Lewis and Sarah Parker Remond and is dedicated to Rome and to these two African-American women who lived in the city during the 19th century.

Bibliography
 La nomade che amava Alfred Hitchcock, Rome: Edizioni Sinnos, 2003.
 Rhoda, Rome: Edizioni Sinnos, 2004.
 Pecore nere. Racconti with Gabriela Kuruvilla, Ingy Mubiayi, Laila Wadia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2005.
 (Edited with Ingy Mubiayi) Quando nasci è una roulette. Giovani figli di migranti si raccontano, Edizioni Terre di Mezzo, 2007.
 Amori Bicolori. Racconti, Roma, Edizioni Laterza, 2007.
 Oltre Babilonia, Donzelli Editore, 2008. English translation (by Aaron Robertson): Beyond Babylon, Two Lines Press, 2019.
 L'albero in Nessuna Pietà, Salani editore, 2009.
 La mia casa è dove sono, Rizzoli, 2010. Libro autobiografico che descrive una famiglia dispersa tra Somalia, Gran Bretagna e Italia.
 Roma Negata, with Rino Bianchi. Ediesse, 2014.
 Adua, Giunti, 2015. Translated into English by Jamie Richard, New Vessel Press, 2017, .
 La linea del colore, Bompiani, 2020. Translated into English by John Cullen and Gregory Conti, Other Press LLC, 2022, .

English translations
Adua. Translated by Jamie Richards. New Vessel Press, 2017.
Beyond Babylon. Translated by Aaron Robertson. Two Lines Press, 2019.
The color line. Translated by John Cullen and Gregory Conti, Other Press LLC, 2022, ISBN 9781635420869.

References

Further reading
 Simone Brioni. The Somali Within. Language, Race and Belonging in 'Minor' Italian Literature. Cambridge: Legenda, 2015.

External links

 Her voice at Festival di Letteratura of Mantova on 6 September 2008 morning and afternoon.
 "Igiaba Scego", Festivaletteratura.

 "Stories Without Borders: A Conversation with Igiaba Scego" (2020, June 17). Interview with Candice Whitney and Stefano Albertini (NYU).

1974 births
Italian people of Somali descent
Italian women writers
Living people


Devecey is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Gazole (also spelled Gajol) is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Malda Sadar subdivision of Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

History

Gauda and Pandua
Gauda was once the “capital of the ancient bhukti or political division of Bengal known as Pundravardhana which lay on the eastern extremity of the Gupta Empire.” During the rule of the Sena Dynasty, in the 11th-12th century, Gauda was rebuilt and extended as Lakshmanawati (later Lakhnauti), and it became the hub of the Sena empire. Gauda was conquered by Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji in 1205. During the Turko-Afghan period, “the city of Lakhnauti or Gauda continued to function initially as their capital but was abandoned in 1342 by the Ilyas Shahi sultans in favour of Pandua because of major disturbances along the river course of the Ganga.” “Pandua then lay on the banks of the Mahananda, which was the major waterway of the sultanate at the time. However, when the Mahananda too began to veer away from the site of Pandua in the mid-15th century, Gauda was rebuilt and restored to the status of capital city by the Hussain Shahi sultans”… With the ascent of Akbar to the Mughal throne at Delhi… the Mughals annexed the ancient region of Gauda in 1576 and created the Diwani of Bengal. The centre of regional power shifted across the Ganga to Rajmahal,,,  Following the demise of the independent sultanate, the regional importance of the Gauda or Malda region declined irreversibly and the city of Gauda was eventually abandoned.

Malda district
With the advent of the British, their trading and commercial interests focused on the new cities of Malda and English Bazar. Malda district was formed in 1813 with “some portion of outlying areas of Purnia, Dinajpur and Rajshahi districts”.  A separate treasury was established in 1832 and a full-fledged Magistrate and Collector was posted in 1859. Malda district was part of Rajshahi Division till 1876, when it was transferred to Bhagalpur Division, and again transferred in 1905 to Rajshahi Division. With the partition of Bengal in 1947, the Radcliffe Line placed Malda district in India, except the Nawabganj subdivision, which was placed in East Pakistan.

Geography
Gazole is located at .

The ruins of the historic city Pandua are located in Gazole block and also naturally growing a forest which called Adina Forest (now it is a Deer Park namely Adina Deer Park).

Gazole CD Block is a part of the Barind Tract, one of the three physiographic subregions of the district that goes beyond the boundaries of the district. “This region is made up of the ancient alluvial humps that are remnants of old riverine flood plains that remained unaffected subsequently by inundation and renewed silting.” It forms an upland slightly higher than the surrounding areas. Old Malda and Gazole CD Blocks form the Mahananda-Tangon interfluves area. Barind soils permit little percolation and most of the monsoon runoff accumulates in the large natural bils (ponds) in the ravines formed by the courses of the Tangon and Punarbhaba rivers, covering the lowlands.

Gazole CD Block is bounded by Itahar CD Block of Uttar Dinajpur district, Harirampur and Bansihari CD Blocks of Dakshin Dinajpur district on the north,  Bamangola CD Block on the east, Habibpur and Old Malda CD Blocks on the south and Ratua II CD Block on the west.

Gazole CD Block has an area of 513.73 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 15 gram panchayats, 220 gram sansads (village councils), 293 mouzas and 286 inhabited villages. Gazole police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Gazole.

Gazole is an intermediate panchayat in Malda district. The village panchayats under it are: Alal, Babupur, Bairagachi I & II, Chaknagar, Deotala, Gazole I & II, Karkach, Majhra, Pandua, Raniganj I & II, Sahajadpur and Salaidanga.

Demographics

Population
As per 2011 Census of India, Gazole CD Block had a total population of 343,830, of which 332,191 were rural and 11,639 were urban. There were 174,536 (51%) males and 169,294 (49%) females. Population below 6 years was 44,134. Scheduled Castes numbered 128,464 (37.36%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 68,548 (19.94%).

There are two census towns in Gazole CD Block was (2011 population in brackets): Bandhail (6,175) and Rangabhita (5,464).

Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Gazole CD Block were (2011 population in brackets): Rajaram Chak (5,379), Saharol (4,365), Arazi Deharul (5,934), Bahirgachhi (8,014), Alinagar (4,895), Kutub Sahar (6,807), Mishipur (5,105), Adina (6,581), Barijpur (4,652), Saidpur (4,561), Gajol (4,626), Garail (4,251), Bade Mayna (6,452), Deotala (4,916), Duba Khoksan (4,475), Raniganj (4,880) and Arazi Jalsa (4,085).

Other villages in Gazole CD Block included (2011 population in brackets): Alal (2,050), Kakrach (651), Babupur (2,709), Chak Nagar (1,998), Sahazadpur (1,275), Salaidanga (1,427), Majhra (797) and Pandua (1,911).

Decadal Population Growth Rate (%)

Note: The CD Block data for 1971-1981, 1981-1991 and 1991-2001 is for Gazole PS

The decadal growth of population in Gazole CD Block in 2001-2011 was 16.67%. The decadal growth of population in Gazole PS covering Gazole CD Block in 1991-2001 was 26.41%. The decadal growth of population in Gazole PS in 1981-91 was 29.30% and in 1971-81 was 25.72%. The decadal growth rate of population in Malda district was as follows: 30.33% in 1951-61, 31.98% in 1961-71, 26.00% in 1971-81, 29.78% in 1981-91, 24.78% in 1991-2001 and 21.22% in 2001-11. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal in 2001-11 was 13.93%. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal was 13.93 in 2001-2011, 17.77% in 1991-2001. 24.73% in 1981-1991 and 23.17% in 1971-1981.

Malda district has the second highest decadal population growth rate, for the decade 2001-2011, in West Bengal with a figure of 21.2% which is much higher than the state average (13.8%). Uttar Dinajpur district has the highest decadal growth rate in the state with 23.2%. Decadal growth rate of population is higher than that of neighbouring Murshidabad district, which has the next highest growth rate.

As per the Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Department of the Government of West Bengal and 1971 census, only 1.7% of around 6 million refugees who had come in from erstwhile East Pakistan, were resettled in Malda district. The Barind tract was opened for refugee resettlement in the aftermath of the partition.

Population density in the district has intensified from 162 persons per km2 in 1901 to 881 in 2001 (i.e., around five times), which is highest amongst the districts of North Bengal. However, unlike the densely populated southern regions of West Bengal, urbanisation remains low in Malda district. North Bengal in general, and Malda in particular, has been witness to large scale population movement from other states in India and other districts of West Bengal, as well as from outside the country. The District Human Development Report for Malda notes, “Malda district has been a principal recipient of the human migration waves of the 20th century.”

There are reports of Bangladeshi infiltrators coming through the international border. Only a small portion of the border with Bangladesh has been fenced and it is popularly referred to as a porous border.

Literacy
As per the 2011 census, the total number of literates in Gazole CD Block was 189,014 (63.07% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 106,217 (69.79% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 82,797 (56.13% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 13.66%.

See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate

Language and religion

Hinduism is the majority religion, with 74.51% of the population. Islam is the second-largest religion.

As per 2014 District Statistical Handbook: Malda (quoting census figures), in the 2001 census, Hindus numbered 222,610 and formed 75.53% of the population in Gazole CD Block. Muslims numbered 65,650 and formed 22.28% of the population. Christians numbered 2,883 and formed 0.98% of the population. Others numbered 3,572 and formed 1.21% of the population.

At the time of the 2011 census, 80.11% of the population spoke Bengali, 16.49% Santali and 0.92% Koda as their first language.

Rural poverty
As per the Human Development Report for Malda district, published in 2006, the percentage of rural families in BPL category in Gazole CD Block was 46.5%. Official surveys have found households living in absolute poverty in Malda district to be around 39%.

According to the report, “An overwhelmingly large segment of the rural workforce depends on agriculture as its main source of livelihood, the extent of landlessness in Malda has traditionally been high because of the high densities of human settlement in the district… Although land reforms were implemented in Malda district from the time they were launched in other parts of West Bengal, their progress has been uneven across the Malda blocks… because of the overall paucity of land, the extent of ceiling-surplus land available for redistribution has never been large… The high levels of rural poverty that exist in nearly all blocks in Malda district closely reflect the livelihood crisis… “

Economy

Livelihood

In Gazole CD Block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 51,433 and formed 35.20%, agricultural labourers numbered 57,954 and formed 39.67%, household industry workers numbered 2,748 and formed 1.88% and other workers numbered 18,179 and formed 23.25%. Total workers numbered 146,048 and formed 42.49% of the total population, and non-workers numbered 197,732 and formed 57.31% of the population.

Note: In the census records a person is considered a cultivator, if the person is engaged in cultivation/ supervision of land owned by self/government/institution. When a person who works on another person’s land for wages in cash or kind or share, is regarded as an agricultural labourer. Household industry is defined as an industry conducted by one or more members of the family within the household or village, and one that does not qualify for registration as a factory under the Factories Act. Other workers are persons engaged in some economic activity other than cultivators, agricultural labourers and household workers.  It includes factory, mining, plantation, transport and office workers, those engaged in business and commerce, teachers, entertainment artistes and so on.

Infrastructure
There are 286 inhabited villages in Gazole CD Block. All 286 villages (100%) have power supply. 285 villages (99.65%) have drinking water supply. 10 villages (3.5%) have post offices. 273 villages (95.45%) have telephones (including landlines, public call offices and mobile phones). 90 villages (31.47%) have a pucca approach road and 64 villages (22.38%) have transport communication (includes bus service, rail facility and navigable waterways). 10 villages (3.5%) have agricultural credit societies. 10 villages (3.5%) have banks.

Agriculture
The upland regions in the Barind area are mono-cropped because of limitations regarding the use of tube wells here.

Gazole CD Block had 194 fertiliser depots, 18 seed stores and 70 fair price shops in 2013-14.

In 2013-14, Gazole CD Block produced 97,935 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop from 29,577 hectares, 24,516 tonnes of Boro paddy (spring crop) from 5,995  hectares, 119 tonnes of Aus paddy (summer crop) from 61 hectares, 21,145 tonnes of wheat from 5,958 hectares, 65 tonnes of maize from 17 hectares, 5,948 tonnes of jute from 346 hectares, 10,517 tonnes of potatoes from 437 hectares and 102 tonnes of sugar cane from 1 hectare. It also produced pulses and oilseeds.

In 2013-14, the total area irrigated in Gazole CD Block was 13,911 hectares, out of which 450 hectares were irrigated by tank irrigation, 1,060 hectares by river lift irrigation, 793 hectares by deep tube wells, 8,049 hectares by shallow tube wells and 3,559 hectares by other means.

Backward Regions Grant Fund
Malda district is listed as a backward region and receives financial support from the Backward Regions Grant Fund.  The fund, created by the Government of India, is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. As of 2012, 272 districts across the country were listed under this scheme. The list includes 11 districts of West Bengal.

Transport

In 2013-14, Gazole CD Block had 8 ferry services and 9 originating/ terminating bus routes.

Eklakhi Junction railway station is on the Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line. The Eklakhi-Balurghat branch line links Eklakhi to Balurghat.

National Highway 12 (old number NH 34) and State Highway 10 cross at Gazole.

Education
In 2013-14, Gazole CD Block had 219 primary schools with 24,283 students, 24 middle schools with 3,116 students, 17 high schools with 28,245 students and 17 higher secondary schools with 21,342 students. Gazole CD Block had 1 general degree college with 4,335 students, 3 technical/ professional institutions with 300 students and 936 institutions for special and non-formal education with 21,840 students.

As per the 2011 census, in Gazole CD Block, amongst the 286 inhabited villages, 62 villages did not have a school, 151 villages had more than 1 primary school, 73 villages had at least 1 primary and 1 middle school and 35 villages had at least 1 middle and 1 secondary school.

Colleges
 Gazole Mahavidyalaya
 Adarshabani Teacher's Training College
 Pandua Ideal Teacher's College
 North Malda Teachers' Education College
 David Hare Teacher's Training College
 Gazole College of Education

High schools
 Tiakati High School
 Pandua A.K. High School
 Gajol Haji Nakoo Mahammad High School
 Shyam Sukhi Balika Siksha Niketan
 Moyna High School
 Dharani Bhuban Shashi Vidyapith (H.S.)
 Hatimari High School
 Ram Chandra Saha Balika Vidyalaya
 Swechand Parameswari Vidyamandir
 Chandrabati Saha Vidyapith
 Tarikullah Sarkar High School
 Badnagra High School
 Raniganj Krishnachndra High School
 Mashaldighi Sibabrati Vidyapith
 Ahora Vivekananda Shikhaniketan
 Dubakhoksan Bairdangi K.R. High School
 Alal High School
 Madnahar Jr High School
 Babupur High School (H.S)
 Rajaramchak High Madrasha

Healthcare
In 2014, Gazole CD Block had 2 rural hospitals and 3 primary health centres, with total 70 beds and 13 doctors (excluding private bodies). It had 60 family welfare subcentres. 3,955 patients were treated indoor and 252,694 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block.

Gazole Rural Hospital at Gazole (with 30 beds) is the main medical facility in Gazole CD Block. Hatimari Rural Hospital at Hatimari (with 30 beds) is another major rural facility. There are primary health centres at Babupur (with 4 beds), Kutubshahar (Pandua PHC) (with 10 beds) and Purba Ranipur (Ranipur PHC) (with 10 beds).

External links

References

Community development blocks in Malda district


Dommartin () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Wang E (; 1465? – 1545) was an imperial landscape painter during the Ming dynasty.

Wang E, style name 'Tingzhi' (廷直), was born in Fenghua, Zhejiang. He studied under Xiao Feng and later he served the Hongzhi Emperor. The emperor praised him as the Ma Yuan of his day (今之馬遠). Among the paintings of his that can be definitively dated, two were for Japanese envoys. He later retired to teaching and died at age 80.

Web sources

1465 births
1545 deaths
Artists from Ningbo
Ming dynasty landscape painters
Painters from Zhejiang


The WM-80 is a multiple rocket launcher formerly used by the People's Liberation Army of China and sold to other states like Armenia.

The MRL system was developed by Norinco on Chinese designed Type 83 (WM-40) 273mm. It adopts a modular design, with two launcher boxes each containing four ready-to-launch rocket rounds on a TAS-5380 8x8 truck chassis.
China newly developed WM-120-type multi-barrel rocket launcher system. The weapon system to WM-80-based development, launch tube diameter of 273 mm, with the use of solid fuel rockets, the maximum range of 120 km, the minimum range of 34 km, circular error probability of about 20 meters and equipped with global positioning systems inertial guidance device.
The system (WM-80) is now replaced by the A-100 multiple rocket launcher system.

Operators

Current operators
  - 8 vehicles bought in 1999

  - 24 WM-120 systems purchased from Norinco-China in 2010. (It has appeared as part of military exercises conducted by Jordanian Armed Forces)

References
 WM-80 273MM MULTIPLE LAUNCH ROCKET SYSTEM

Wheeled self-propelled rocket launchers
Self-propelled artillery of the People's Republic of China
Multiple rocket launchers
Modular rocket launchers
Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s


Domprel () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Dung () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs
County of Montbéliard


Durnes () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Échay () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Chuignes (; Picard: Chuingne) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Geography
Chuignes is situated on the D143 and D71 crossroads, near the banks of the river Somme, some  east of Amiens.

Population

See also
Communes of the Somme department

References

Communes of Somme (department)


Échenans is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Scot Dapp (born September 27, 1951) is a former American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania from 1987 to 2010, compiling a record of 144–103–1. Dapp was also the head baseball coach at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania from 1980 to 1985, tallying a mark of 74–66. He was the president of the American Football Coaches Association in 2005.

Dapp is a 1973 graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania.  He earned a master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Prior to coming to Moravian he was an assistant coach at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Delaware State College, and Susquehanna.

Dapp was MAC Commonwealth League Coach-of-the-Year three times.

Head coaching record

Football

References

1951 births
Living people
American softball coaches
Moravian Greyhounds softball coaches
Delaware State Hornets football coaches
Kutztown Golden Bears football coaches
Moravian Greyhounds football coaches
Susquehanna River Hawks baseball coaches
Susquehanna River Hawks football coaches
West Chester University alumni
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni


École-Valentin is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

Geography

The town, located north of Besançon, is crossed by the National Road 57. It is part of the Besançon urban area.
The toll of the "Besançon North" exit of the A36 motorway is located in the village of Ecole-Valentin. École-Valentin station has rail connections with Besançon and the TGV station Besançon Franche-Comté.
A major shopping area is located in the town of École-Valentin (as well as the neighboring towns of Miserey-Salines and Châtillon-le-Duc).

Transport
 Gare d'École-Valentin

Sights
 Fountain below the village, called St. George fountain, dating from 1630, located on the ancient Roman paved road linking Besançon Vesoul, where the animals could drink.
 Priory
 Church of St. George: 1892/83
 Castle built from 1557 to 1559 by the Commander of the Order of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, Claude Buffet.

International relations
It is twinned with Rathcoole in County Dublin, Ireland.

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Buzz!: Master Quiz, is a 2008 video game developed by Relentless Software and Curve Studios for the PlayStation Portable, is the first game in the  Buzz! series of quiz games to be made for a hand-held console.

The game includes both familiar round types and rounds that are new to the Buzz series.
The game's multi-player option operates in three different modes: multiple consoles and multiple copies of the game, multiple consoles and one copy of the game or Pass Around mode for use with one console and one copy of the game. Pass Around allows multiple players to pass the console between themselves and to target certain players. There are five rounds in a game of Pass Around with 2 players but with more there are six although that number can be lowered.

Pass Around Mode
Picture This – The first round in Pass Around mode involves one player selecting one of four portions of an image which another player has to use to identify the whole image.

Rollover – The next round features a lottery machine like device that starts with a jackpot prize pool of 200 points. The jackpot increases by 200 points for every wrong answer until one player answers correctly and wins the points that have accumulated in the prize pool.

Short Fuse – After this round comes the Pass the Bomb. A fictional bomb with a burning fuse is given to one player at random, if that player answers a question correctly the "bomb" is passed to another player who must again answer a question correctly to pass the bomb. If a player takes too long to answer a question or fails to answer correctly before the bomb's fuse burns through, the bomb will explode taking 500 of the players points with it.

Weak Spot – The next round allows a player to see a question and then choose which other player to give it to, if the question is answered by the chosen player that player gets 200 points if not the player who gave the question gets 200 points. In this round no player loses points.

Virus – Another of the rounds is called Virus. This round lets a player pass a "virus" to another player of their choice, the virus quickly starts taking points away that player if they do not answer the question in time.

Snapshot – In the last round when a player answers a question, along with winning points, the player gets to reveal one part of an image divided into 12 pieces. When the player randomly picks a piece of the image they can PLAY or PASS, if they PASS a question will go to the next player but if they choose to PLAY they are asked a question related to the whole image. If the question is incorrectly answered the player will be eliminated until the image is solved.

Quiz Host Mode
Quiz Host mode is the second multiplayer mode in the game and can be played with up to 7 players, 6 answering questions and 1 being the "Host".

The mode is the same throughout with some exceptions with some questions showing pictures where the host shows everyone the console before carrying on or a question where the host thinks of something that the question asks and each person has to guess.

The host can deduct or add as many points as they want when each person answers.

Single Player Challenge
Single Player Challenge is the only single player option of the game and consists of 15 different quiz challenges such as how many questions you can answer in 1,2 or 3 minutes or simply to answer 15 movie questions.

You complete each challenge by receiving enough points from each correct answer to get at least the bronze medal, if not the player fails.

Quickfire Challenge – One of the challenges is called Quickfire Challenge.  It's similar to Fastest Finger, where you answer questions, the faster the answer, the more points won.

Time Challenge – There is also the Time Challenge, a quiz of how many questions the player can answer in 1, 2 or 3 minutes time.

There are many trophy challenges to try to receive during each quiz such as answering a question under 0.50 seconds or answering 20 questions in a row.

References

External links
Relentless Software
Curve Studios

Buzz!
2008 video games
PlayStation Portable games
Sony Interactive Entertainment games
PlayStation Portable-only games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Curve Games games
Relentless Software games


Les Écorces () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Écot () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

External links

Official website

Communes of Doubs


L'Écouvotte () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Écurcey () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs


Émagny () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

Population

See also
 Communes of the Doubs department

References

Communes of Doubs