South Africa is a tourist destination with the tourist industry accounting for 2.34% of GDP in 2019 followed by a sharp drop in 2020 to 0.81% of GDP due to lack of travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The official marketing agency for the country South African Tourism is responsible for marketing South Africa to the world. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the tourism industry directly contributed ZAR 102 billion to South African GDP in 2012, and supports 10.3% of jobs in the country. The official national marketing agency of the South African government, with the goal of promoting tourism in South Africa both locally and globally is known as South African Tourism.

South Africa offers both domestic and international tourists a wide variety of options, among others the picturesque natural landscape and game reserves, diverse cultural heritage and highly regarded wines. Some of the most popular destinations include several national parks, such as the expansive Kruger National Park in the north of the country, the coastlines and beaches of the KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces, and the major cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.

According to Statistics South Africa's latest Tourism and Migration Survey, almost 3,5 million travellers passed through the country's ports of entry in August 2017. The top five overseas countries with the largest number of tourists visiting South Africa were the US, UK, Germany, the Netherlands and France. Most of the tourists arriving in South Africa from elsewhere in Africa came from SADC countries. Zimbabwe tops the list at 31%, followed by Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini and Botswana. In addition, Nigeria was the country of origin for nearly 30% of tourists arriving in South Africa.

Attractions

Biodiversity and ecotourism

South Africa is ranked nineteenth out of the world's twenty megadiverse countries south Africa is home to a large variety of animal life. Among the large mammals found in the northern bushveld include lions, leopards, cheetahs, white rhinoceroses, blue wildebeest, kudus, impalas, hyenas, hippopotamuses and giraffes. A significant extent of the bushveld exists in the north-east, including the Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa, and the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. The Kruger National Park, established in 1926, is one of the most visited national parks in the country, with a total of 1 659 793 visitors in the 2014/15 period. The region is also home to nearly 80 percent of the world’s rhino population. Due to covid-19 restrictions impeding tourism and movement in the region, the killings of rhino species in South Africa have fallen by 53 percent in 2020.

The country is also particularly rich in plant diversity, with a wide variety of biomes found across the country. These include the grasslands in the Highveld, the succulent Karoo in central South Africa, and the endemic fynbos biome, constituting the majority of the area and plant life in the Cape floristic region of the Western Cape. This rare vegetation is protected as part of the Table Mountain National Park (which also includes the iconic flat-topped Table Mountain), which was the most-visited national park in South Africa in 2014/15, with a total of 2 677 767 visitors.

Ecotourism

Cultural attractions

In addition to its numerous natural attractions, South Africa also boasts numerous attractions of cultural significance. These include the fossil-bearing caves forming part of the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng, the ruins of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe in northern Limpopo, the wine routes of the Western Cape, and various historical sites in the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg (such as Robben Island, the Castle of Good Hope and Soweto township).

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Ten South African sites are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in KwaZulu-Natal. There are five Cultural WHS, four Natural WHS and 1 mixed WHS.

Visa policy

Visitors to South Africa must obtain a visa from one of the South African diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries, in which case they get what is called a "Port of Entry Visa". Visitors who require a visa must apply in person and provide biometric data. See also the visa policy of South Africa.

Statistics

In 2014, a total of 9,549,236 tourists (overnight visitors) entered South Africa, indicating an increase of 0.1% from the 9,536,568 tourists recorded
in 2013. The highest number of arrivals was recorded in January of that year, while the lowest number was recorded in June. A vast majority (76.2%) of tourists arriving in the country were residents of SADC countries, 1.9% were from 'other' African countries and 23.6% were residents of countries overseas.

Foreign arrivals by year

Tourist arrivals by country

Tourism in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Prior to the Democratic Elections of 1994
Before the end of apartheid, the nation was not largely celebrated as a tourist destination. As a result of the political unrest, the country faced difficulty in creating a highly-functioning tourism industry. Though the numbers indicate there was active tourism, it was not expansive and faced hardships as a result of the politics of the period.

1994–present
In the years following the multiracial democratic election of 1994, South Africa opened its tourism horizons by hosting a variety of world wide events including the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The hosting of these events helped bolster South Africa’s image and national identity.

South Africa, however, failed in their bid to host the 2004 Summer Olympics. Researchers have cited logistical and political reasons as to why the bid failed. For example, Cape Town was behind in the necessary means to support an event the size of the Olympics financially. Political reasons were also prevalent in the eventual failure of the bid as the committee was all-white and the motive to create a national identity seemed like a false promise to the majority black population of South Africa. The Bid Committee had issues of reconciliation and accusations of racism specifically between Raymond Ackerman, a wealthy white man who led the bid, and Sam Ramsamy who was of Indian descent. Therefore, in an attempt to enhance the tourism industry through an Olympics bid, the challenge of cohesive action posed a great threat.

The 2010 Fifa World Cup is an example of a more successful route by South Africa to increase tourism and influence the nation positively. Firstly, the event helped to bolster South Africa’s global brand and image. One of the main objectives in South Africa’s attempt to host such events was to positively influence its national identity and erase the negative image of apartheid set forth prior to the nation’s gradual shift to become the self-proclaimed “Rainbow Nation.”

Other examples of tourism positively benefitting South Africa; generally have an underlying theme of supporting the cohesion of the nation following years of separation based on race. Some examples of the nation reinventing itself through the tourism industry include: the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, District Six Museum in Cape Town, and former prisons turned into powerful museums such as Constitution Hill and Robben Island which now attract many tourists every year.

Tourism in South Africa has not fully been inviting to the majority of people and reflects the legacy of apartheid that is internalised to this day. Townships, such as Alexandra, were hubs of black communities during the apartheid. After the period of apartheid, townships face the remnants of segregation including overcrowding and high levels of unemployment and crime. However, places such as Alexandra have become part of an initiative of ‘township tourism.’ The concept is meant to develop these townships by inviting tourists into the history of the locations and as a means to celebrate such places of culture.  “...The phenomenon of township tourism has opened up new tourism spaces in South Africa in the post-apartheid period and involves visits to symbolic sites of significance in the anti-apartheid struggle as well as enhancing the understanding of poverty in historically oppressed communities.” Additionally, township tourism is a strategy by the South African government to promote black establishments. One marker of post-apartheid tourism is the movement to bolster black economic empowerment. Some researchers claim that this consumption by tourists of township culture could be at the expense of local residents.

The reason for this breakage between the people in South Africa can be linked to policies during the apartheid restricting blacks from current tourist destinations and a general feeling of otherness by blacks that exists today. It’s not a controversial concept, however, as the civil society and South African members of the tourism private sector have supported the argument that Apartheid “..contributed to the lack of participation in domestic tourism by the youth,” specifically. Research has proven that blacks once effected by the apartheid still have that feeling of disconnect. Black youth, specifically, who experience poverty among other issues, deem tourism and travel to other parts of their own country as a white dominated activity.

Today, South Africa’s tourism industry appears to be on a decline. Naturally occurring issues related to the environment and social issues such as crime rates are contributing factors to the nation’s tourism decline. This decline, however, is a dangerous entity given the importance of tourism for the economic growth of the nation and its continual efforts to rebrand the nation following the historic period of apartheid.

Black Owned Establishments
An emergence of black-owned bed and breakfast establishments is a new phenomenon in the South African tourism industry that is a direct linkage to the legacy of the apartheid. These establishments mainly exist in former “black spaces” also known as townships. These bed and breakfast locations mainly benefit from domestic tourism in South Africa. The rise in these establishments’ significance is that the national government is increasingly looking to bolster black economic empowerment and the general structure of ownership of the tourism industry. “The first decade of the post-apartheid government has witnessed a number of steps taken towards policy framework and strategic development for transformation.” However, black owners of these establishments highlights the issues that exist still in the successful establishment and growth of tourism in this sector. Black entrepreneurs, and owners of such establishments still seek the government’s help to improve in fields such as finance, training, and “access to available support networks of business information and advice.”

See also
 South African Tourism

References

External links

 Official Tourism Website
 South African National Department of Tourism

South Africa


The 1957 Major League Baseball season was played from April 15 to October 10, 1957.  The National League's Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants played their final seasons as New York City-based franchises before their moves to California for the 1958 season, leaving New York City without a National League team until the birth of the Mets in 1962.

Awards and honors
Baseball Hall of Fame
Sam Crawford
Joe McCarthy
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
 American League: Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees, OF
 National League: Hank Aaron, Milwaukee Braves, OF
MLB Rookie of the Year Award
 American League: Tony Kubek, New York Yankees, SS
 National League: Jack Sanford, Philadelphia Phillies, P
Cy Young Award
Warren Spahn, Milwaukee Braves (NL)
The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox
The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award
American League: Billy Pierce, Chicago White Sox
National League: Warren Spahn, Milwaukee Braves
The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
Fred Hutchinson, St. Louis Cardinals
Gold Glove Award
Gil Hodges (1B) (NL)
Nellie Fox (2B) (AL)
Frank Malzone (3B) (AL)
Roy McMillan (SS) (AL)
Willie Mays (OF) (NL)
Al Kaline (OF) (AL)
Minnie Miñoso (OF) (AL)
Sherm Lollar (C) (AL)
Bobby Shantz (P) (AL)

Statistical leaders

Standings

American League

National League

Postseason

Bracket

Managers

American League

National League

Records and notable events
The 1957 season marked the first time that both the American and National League leader in Complete Games had less than 20 Complete Games to lead their league.

Home field attendance

Events

January–March

April–June
April 18 – New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses proposes a new  tract in Flushing Meadows as a site for a new National League baseball stadium. The plan, submitted to mayor Robert Wagner, includes a 50,000-seat stadium with a plastic dome to be built by the Parks Department.
April 21 – The Cincinnati Redlegs are involved in a bizarre play in a game against the host Milwaukee Braves. With Don Hoak on second and Gus Bell on first, Wally Post hits a ground ball to Milwaukee shortstop Johnny Logan. Hoak breaks up a potential double play by fielding the ball himself and flipping it to Logan. Hoak is called out for interference (contact with batted ball before a fielder touched it), but Post is given a single on the play. The day before, Johnny Temple let Bell's ground ball hit him with the same result, Temple being called out for interference and Bell being awarded a single. The two incidents prompt league presidents Warren Giles and Will Harridge to jointly announce a rule change that declared both the runner and batter out if the runner intentionally interfered with a batted ball, with no runners allowed to advance.
April 22 – John Irvin Kennedy becomes the first black player in Philadelphia Phillies history, entering the game in the top of the 8th inning as a pinch runner for Solly Hemus.
April 24 – The New York City Board Of Estimates fails to act on the Moses plan as outlined by Mayor Wagner.
May 7 – Cleveland Indian pitcher Herb Score is hit in the face by a line drive by New York Yankee Gil McDougald, the ball breaking numerous bones in Score's face and leaving him quite bloodied. McDougald vows to quit if Score is blinded as a result. Score regains his 20/20 vision, but will miss the remainder of the 1957 season.
May 10 – San Francisco mayor George Christopher confers with Giants owner Horace Stoneham on a possible move of the New York Giants franchise to the West Coast.
May 28 – The National League approves the proposed moves of the Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers to the West Coast, provided both clubs make their request before October 1 and move at the same time.
May 29 – New York City mayor Robert Wagner says he plans to confer with the Giants and Dodgers about the proposed move, but that the city will not be "blackjacked" into anything.
May 30 – Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley rejects an offer from a Queens group to buy the team.
June 9 – Ernie Banks hits 100th career home run helping Chicago Cubs beat Philadelphia Phillies 7–3.

July–September
July 18 – Horace Stoneham states the Giants will leave New York after the season. He says he has not heard anything more from San Francisco and that his move is not contingent on that of the Dodgers.  Stoneham sees a new stadium or joint occupancy with the New York Yankees as the only reason for the Giants to stay in New York.
July 26 – Mickey Mantle hits 200th career home run.
August 19 – As Stoneham cites poor attendance as the reason for the Giants' move, the team's board of directors votes 8–1 to move to California in 1958, as San Francisco promises a new stadium in the Bayview area. The only dissenting vote is by M. Donald Grant, who would go on to become one of the founders of the New York Mets.
August 20 – Bob Keegan of the Chicago White Sox no-hits the Washington Senators 6–0 in the second game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park. The no-hitter is the first by a White Sox pitcher since Bill Dietrich in 1937.
September 5 & 6 – the only time that a walk-off home run is hit in consecutive days by a pitcher. Bob Grim homers for the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox, followed the next day by Dixie Howell homering for the Chicago White Sox against the Kansas City Athletics.
September 14 – Ernie Banks hits 3 home runs helping Chicago Cubs beat Pittsburgh Pirates 7–3.
September 23 – The Milwaukee Braves clinch the National League pennant at Milwaukee County Stadium after Braves slugger (and eventual 1957 National League MVP) Hank Aaron clubs a two-run walk-off home run off of Billy Muffett in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Milwaukee a 4–2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
September 24 – In the last game at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field in a night game, 6,702 fans watch Dodgers lefty Danny McDevitt prevail over the Pittsburgh Pirates 2–0. Brooklyn's Gil Hodges has the last RBI.
September 29 – With 1895 Giants manager Jack Doyle among the 11,606 looking on, the Giants lose their last game at the Polo Grounds 9–1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pirates pitcher Bob Friend defeats Johnny Antonelli in the historic contest, and fans storm the field for souvenirs as soon as Dusty Rhodes grounds to Pittsburgh shortstop Dick Groat for the final out.

October–December
October 7 – the Los Angeles City Council approves the Chavez Ravine site for Dodger Stadium by a vote of 10 to 4.
October 8 – Walter O'Malley announces that the Dodgers will move to Los Angeles for the 1958 season.  New York would not have a National League team again until the expansion New York Mets began play in 1962.

Television coverage
CBS aired the Game of the Week for the third consecutive year, and began to air games on Sunday as well as Saturday.

NBC also started to air weekend games, purchasing the rights to broadcast 11 Milwaukee Braves games, 11 Pittsburgh Pirates games, two Washington Senators games, and two Chicago Cubs games. The All-Star Game and World Series also aired on NBC.

See also
1957 Nippon Professional Baseball season

References

External links
1957 Major League Baseball season schedule

Major League Baseball seasons


USS Natrona (APA-214) was a  of the US Navy in World War II. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Natrona was named for Natrona County, Wyoming.

Construction
Natrona was laid down 30 June 1944, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCV hull 562, by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California; sponsored by Mrs. Anna Louise Spigler; launched 27 September 1944; and acquired and commissioned by the Navy on 8 November 1944.

Service history
Following shakedown off Southern California, Natrona sailed for Hawaii 3 January 1945, as a unit of Transport Squadron 17. At Pearl Harbor, she debarked Marines, loaded men and equipment of the 806th Engineering Battalion, and continued her westward passage on 16 January. By 1 February, she reached Saipan, debarked her passengers and cargo, and sailed to Ulithi.

Invasion of Okinawa

At Ulithi, Natrona took on Marine night fighters and sailed for Leyte to prepare for operation "Iceberg", the invasion of the Ryūkyūs. On 21 March, Natrona, with Marine night fighters and 77th Infantry Division men and equipment on board, departed Dulag in TG 51.1. Early on 26 March, she arrived off Kerama Retto and proceeded to area "Jig".

At 05:39, she lowered away nine wave guide boats, then moved to "Transport Area Fox" where, at 07:05, she had her first experience with Japanese kamikazes. After that air attack she moved to "Inner Transport Area George" to commence discharging her cargo of fuel and ammunition into small craft. At 19:51, she proceeded to the night retirement area. Until 30 March, Natrona continued daylight replenishment of small craft in area "George", with nightly retirements.

On 1 April, Okinawa was invaded and on 2 April, the Kerama Retto anchorage was the scene of a 13-hour battle against suicide planes, swimmers and boats. On 6 April, the anchorage was subjected to its most severe kamikaze attack, during which Natrona bagged her first unassisted kill. On 7 April, she completed unloading 77th Division cargo. The following day, she crossed to the Hagushi Beach area of Okinawa to debark the Marine night fighters and then returned to Kerama Retto to transport the C.O., General Andrew Bruce and staff of the 77th Division to the same location.

Between 14 April and 10 July, Natrona remained anchored at Kerama Retto, serving as station and receiving ship. She also acted as Fleet Post Office, Headquarters for ComDesRon 2 and ComRepDesPac, Fleet Replacement Center, Fog Oil coordinator and distributor, and subsistence center for crews of damaged and sunken ships. On 10 July, the transport shifted to Buckner Bay and, on 15 July, departed for the US, a veteran of 16 weeks and 208 air attacks in Okinawan waters.

Transport duties
Natrona arrived San Francisco 5 August. Celebrating the end of the war there, she got underway again on 20 August, on the first of two extended transpacific runs carrying replacement troops to forward areas, occupation troops to Japan and returning veterans to the United States. On 13 January 1946, she completed her second cruise at San Pedro.

Decommission

Moving to Mare Island, she underwent inactivation overhaul, and on 29 July, decommissioned and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Stockton, California.

She was transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) 26 August 1958, and struck from the Navy List 1 October 1958. Natrona was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California.

On 5 March 1975, she was sold to Nicolai Joffe Corporation, for $178,789.40, to be scrapped. She was delivered 1 April 1975.

Awards
Natrona received one battle star for World War II service.

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

Online resources

External links

Haskell-class attack transports
Natrona County, Wyoming
World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Troop ships
Ships built in Richmond, California
1944 ships
Pacific Reserve Fleet, Stockton Group
Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet


Bettembos (Picard: Bétimbo) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Etymology of the commune’s name
Betembos (1154), Betemboiz (1177), Betthembos (1206), Bedembos (1337), Bethembos (1349), Bettembos (1483), Betembo (1648), Betenbos (1710), Betenbo (1733), Bettenbos (1750), Betanbo (1778).

Geography
Bettembos is situated on the D36 road, within a mile of the A29 autoroute,  southwest of Amiens.

Population

See also
Communes of the Somme department

References

Communes of Somme (department)


Rudhra Brahmins are a Brahmin community found in the state of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in India.

References

Brahmin communities of Gujarat


Ivar Bernhard Sandström (September 18, 1889 — September 2, 1917) was a Swedish aviation pioneer and one of Sweden's earliest aviators. He became a cadet in 1905 and a lieutenant in 1911. In 1915 he was assigned to Dr Enoch Thulin's aviation school at Ljungbyhed to attend a pilot training course. After passing the examination he obtained the Swedish aviation diploma n° 30 issued by the Swedish Aeronautical Society. He then was assigned to the Navy's aviation department at Landskrona. He was killed during a flight over Malmö when he fell out of his plane.

Biography

Aviation pioneer
Born in Visby, Sweden, he was the youngest son of seven children. His parents were sea captain Bernhard Sandström and Maria Wilhelmina Hallin. Ivar's elder sisters Hildur and Alice married and had children while his brothers William, Henry and Charles went to sea. A younger sister died of diphtheria at the age of 9. Sandström became a navy officer: cadet in 1905 and sublieutenant in 1911. He then started to take an interest in aviation, which was still in its infancy. In summer 1915, he joined Enoch Thulin's flying school in southern Sweden. He was one of the first aviators to obtain the international flying licence, after passing the examination on August 31. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1915 and then flew continuously. He was known to be one of the country's most skillful, calm and experienced aviators. However, according to contemporary newspapers he had already had several accidents. Once the engine stopped and his aeroplane crashed at Nyhamn, Östgötacorrespondenten wrote.

"The plane crash
On September 2, 1917, Lieutenant Sandström, who was assigned to the Navy's aviation corps department in Landskrona, prepared for a flight together with lieutenants Krokstedt and Beckman. His Morane-Saulnier plane was not quite ready for start so he started later than the other two, in a southwards direction towards the city of Malmö.

Witnesses saw the airplane suddenly turned over and the pilot fell out. He was found in a field near Malmö, still alive but badly hurt. He was brought to the hospital but died during the transport. His plane continued to fly and then crashed in a cemetery."

But there was something strange about the accident. Östgötacorrespondenten stressed that "it very seldom happens that a pilot is thrown out of his plane to the ground." Why? Because "nowadays pilots are strongly attached with leather belts in order not to fall out." The author supposed that Sandström, "as a careful and skillful pilot", had put on his belt. The reason why he was thrown out could be "that the belt for some reason came loose during the violent turns of the plane without the pilot noticing it."  *Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snällposten makes a more hazardous supposition: "It was suggested that he could have thrown himself out voluntarily since he had lost control of the plane."

"The mystery about the accident" was the dramatic headline of an article of September 9, which related office clerk Karl Gustaf Berggren's evidence to the police. The newspaper regretted however that the witnesses' stories were too vague and incomplete to give a live and faithful image of the course of the catastrophe.

A stately funeral
The remains of the deceased were placed in a coffin and brought to the chapel of Malmö General Hospital, beautifully decorated with flowers. Ivar Sandström got a magnificent funeral. Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snällposten related the whole event in Malmö: "AT 12.30 the deceased's father and brother, Navy officers led by Commander Count Posse, gathered at the hospital, as well as other high rank officers. In the chapel, Commander Posse expressed a last thanks to Lieutenant Sandström, and the coffin, covered with a blue/yellow cloth, was placed on the hearse. Then the coffin was brought in solemn procession through Malmö to the railway station. The orchestra of the Crown Prince's Regiment played. Two of Sandström's friends, Captain C.G. Krokstedt and Lieutenant S.A. Beckman, walked beside the hearse. The deceased's father Sea Captain Bernhard Sandström and his brother followed in a coach. A great number of Navy and Army officers followed. At the railway station the coffin was conveyed by train to Nynäshamn on the east coast and then to Visby by the destroyer Hugin.

The destroyer arrived at Visby around 2 o'clock on September 7. Gotlands Allehanda's account: "When the destroyer had moored in the port, the oak coffin, covered with the Swedish flag, on which the deceased officer's sword was placed, was carried on land by sailors while a troop of honour paraded and the orchestra played Chopin's funeral march."

Crowds of people gathered in the streets to follow lieutenant Sandström to his last dwelling. The long funeral procession started to move towards the Old Cemetery. On arrival at the cemetery, the infantry unit formed a lane while the coffin was carried into the chapel. The vicar K. Thelander held a funeral speech ending thus: "Lieutenant Sandström had chosen a very dangerous activity and was well aware of the danger when he chose this profession. But he also knew that his country needs men in the place he chose. And since he was a man devoted to glory and without fear, he wanted to serve his country exercising the aviator's dangerous profession as his mission in life."

The following year, in June 1918,  Ivar's friend Carl Gustaf Krokstedt also lost his life together with C. Cederström in a plane crash in the bay of Åland.

References

 Svensk Flyghistorisk Förening (Swedish Aviation History Association)

External links
The Story about Lieutenant Sandström's sudden death

1889 births
1917 deaths
Aviation pioneers
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents
Deaths by falling out of an aircraft
People from Gotland
Swedish Air Force officers
Swedish aviators
Thulin aircraft
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1917
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Sweden


The California United States House of Representatives elections in California, 1956 was an election for California's delegation to the United States House of Representatives, which occurred as part of the general election of the House of Representatives on November 6, 1956. Democrats gained two seats from the Republicans. As of 2023, this is the last time that Republicans won a majority of congressional districts in California.

Overview

Results
Final results from the Clerk of the House of Representatives:

District 1

District 2

District 3

District 4

District 5

District 6

District 7

District 8

District 9

District 10

District 11

District 12

District 13

District 14

District 15

District 16

District 17

District 18

District 19

District 20

District 21

District 22

District 23

District 24

District 25

District 26

District 27

District 28

District 29

District 30

See also
85th United States Congress
Political party strength in California
Political party strength in U.S. states
1956 United States House of Representatives elections

References
California Elections Page
Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives

External links
California Legislative District Maps (1911-Present)
RAND California Election Returns: District Definitions

1956
California
United States House of Representatives


Wissem Hmam (born 21 April 1981) is a Tunisian handball player. Hmam was ranked as the top scorer in the 2005 World Championship, scoring a total of 81 goals and helping Tunisia reach the semifinals in the 2005 World Men's Handball Championship in Tunis.

References

1981 births
Living people
Tunisian male handball players
Olympic handball players for Tunisia
Handball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Handball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
20th-century Tunisian people
21st-century Tunisian people


The 1966 Arab Cup was the third edition of the Arab Cup hosted by Baghdad, Iraq. The host nation and defending Champions Iraq won the title for the 2nd time.

Participated teams
The 10 participated teams are:

Venues

Squads

Group stage

Group A

Group B
Oman abandoned their first match against Libya with 10 minutes left from a disputed decision when they started losing 21–0 to Libya, and withdrew from the tournament.

Knock-out stage

Semi-finals

Third place play-off

Final

Goalscorers
16 goals
  Ali Al-Biski

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links
 Details in RSSSF

Arab Cup, 1966
International association football competitions hosted by Iraq
Arab
Football in Baghdad
Arab
Arab Cup


Istina (Serbian Cyrillic: Истина; trans. The Truth) is the sixth studio album released by Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.

The album is considered by fans and critics alike to be one of Riblja Čorba's finest works, as well as the band's triumphant comeback after the unsuccessful album Večeras vas zabavljaju muzičari koji piju. Istina is also significant as the band's first album recorded with guitarists Vidoja Božinović and Nikola Čuturilo, the two joining the band after the departure of Rajko Kojić and Momčilo Bajagić.

The album was polled in 1998 as the 43rd on the list of 100 greatest Yugoslav rock and pop albums in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike (YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music).

Background
The album was recorded during the winter 1984–1985. It was recorded by Goran Vejvoda and produced by John McCoy.

After Riblja Čorba's record label Jugoton refused to release the songs "Snage opozicije", "Pogledaj dom svoj, anđele", "Alo", and "Dvorska budala" because of the provocative political-related lyrics, the band signed back with Jugoton's main competitor PGP-RTB. Nevertheless, the song "Snage opozicije" was not released on the album, and it only saw the light of day some thirteen years later on the 1997 compilation album Treći srpski ustanak.

The track "Disko mišić" featured Goran Bregović, leader of Riblja Čorba's main competitors at the time, Bijelo Dugme, on vocals (Đorđević previously made a guest appearance on Bijelo Dugme's 1984 self-titled album, singing with Bregović and Tifa in the song "Pediculis Pubis").

Album cover
The cover art featured the band members' faces among the skulls on the historic Ćele kula. It was designed by cartoonist Jugoslav Vlahović.

Track listing

Personnel
Bora Đorđević - vocals
Vidoja Božinović - guitar
Nikola Čuturilo - guitar
Miša Aleksić - bass guitar
Vicko Milatović - drums

Guest musicians
Goran Bregović - vocals (on "Disko mišić")
Kornelije Kovač - keyboards

Additional personnel
John McCoy - producer
Goran Vejvoda - recorded by
James Woodling - fairlight, mixing
Ratko Ostojić - recorded by, mixed by

Legacy
The album is perhaps most memorable for its apocalyptic track "Pogledaj dom svoj, anđele" (named after, but not inspired by the novel Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe) which went on to become one of Riblja Čorba's signature pieces. It was voted Hit of the Year in 1985 by the listeners of Radio Beograd 202 and Song of the Decade in 1990. In 2009, the song was voted the Greatest Domestic Song by the readers of the Standard magazine. In 2000, the song was polled the first on the Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times list.

The album was polled in 1998 as the 43rd on the list of 100 greatest Yugoslav rock and pop albums in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike (YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music).

Istina was described by Serbian critic Petar Janjatović as "the first real comeback album in the history of Yugoslav rock". Serbian critic Dimitrije Vojnov named Istina one of ten most important albums in the history of Yugoslav rock music, stating also that Đorđević, "just like everyone who came back from the bottom, from rock coma, decided to become a preacher [...] 'Pogledaj dom svoj, anđele' would soon become much more than Čorba's comeback hit. It would become a political ideology, a soundtrack for pathos which announces the final clash, and the borders between rock 'n' roll provocation and reality, between Bora and the audience would be frozen and erased forever". Despite being more heavy metal-oriented than any of the band's previous albums, Istina is also the album after which the band, although generally still fitting into hard rock, started turning towards more commercial sound.

In 2015 Istina album cover was ranked the 2nd by web magazine Balkanrock on their list of 100 Greatest Album Covers of Yugoslav Rock.

References

Istina at Discogs
 EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006,  Janjatović Petar;
 Riblja čorba,  Jakovljević Mirko;

External links
Istina at Discogs

Riblja Čorba albums
1985 albums
PGP-RTB albums
Heavy metal albums by Serbian artists
Heavy metal albums by Yugoslav artists


Bettencourt-Rivière is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Geography
The commune is situated on the D216 road, some  southeast of Abbeville. The commune is made up of two villages: Bettencourt to the west, on the left bank of the small river Airaines and Rivière to the east, on the right bank of the river.

Population

Places of interest
 Bettencourt church
 Rivière church

See also
Communes of the Somme department

References

Communes of Somme (department)
Somme communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia


Combo Racer is a Sidecar video game developed by Imagetic Design and published by Gremlin Graphics in 1990. The game uses an isometric view and the player has to change gear manually. It contains a training mode, a normal game mode and a track editor.

References

External links
Play Combo Racer online
https://web.archive.org/web/20110804213510/http://www.thelegacy.de/Museum/game.php3?titel_id=7143&game_id=7221

1990 video games
Amiga games
Atari ST games
Europe-exclusive video games
Video games scored by Barry Leitch
Video games developed in the United Kingdom


Timothy Beehane O'Connor (1860-1936) was a New Zealand rugby player who played for the All Blacks in 1884. O'Connor was also a very good field athlete, winning the 1893 Australasian shot put title.

Early career
Tim O'Connor began his rugby career playing for the Auckland Combined Clubs in 1881 under the North Shore club. By the time he was in his early 20s, there were few better rugby players anywhere in Auckland. In 1883, he was a member of the first Auckland Union representative team and scored the province's first try against Canterbury, gaining Auckland's first point (tries were only worth one point in those days).

All Blacks
In 1884 O'Connor was included in the New Zealand side to tour Australia. This selection came after having a couple of strong seasons for Auckland Combined Clubs also his bulk (at 89 kg, he and James Allen were the heaviest forwards team) and pace, surprising for such a big man, made him an invaluable tourist. O'Connor played in seven of the matches that year and managed to score a try in the fourth against N.S.W. in [Sydney].

Later life
After the 84' tour he came back to resume his club rugby for the Auckland club. He stuck with Auckland up until he played his last year of rugby for Ponsonby. After one season for Ponsonby O'Connor then served for a few years on the Ponsonby committee before turning his attention to the now defunct City club (which had basically taken over the Auckland club's area) and served as auditor to that body for many years. O'Connor's talents were not just in rugby, he was also a notable field athlete as he won the 1893 Australasian shot put title and three at national level (1891, 1892 and 1897), adding another Australasian title in the hammer throw in 1893.

References

1860 births
1936 deaths
New Zealand rugby union players
New Zealand international rugby union players
Irish emigrants to New Zealand
Rugby union forwards


The Psionics Handbook is a sourcebook published by Wizards of the Coast in 2001 for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It contains a multitude of rules and options for integrating psionic powers into the D&D game.

Contents
This book adapts the psionics concept for 3rd edition of D&D. The first chapter describes the two main branches of psionic characters, Psions and Psychic Warriors. The second and third chapters describe new skills and gifts available to these characters. The fourth and fifth chapters explore powers and defenses available. The sixth chapter describes various character classes available. The final chapter describes psi-powered items.

Publication history
The previous iteration of the sourcebook, Complete Psionics Handbook (1991), was released for AD&D. Following the release of the 3rd edition of D&D by Wizards of the Coast, Psionics Handbook was one of the first supplements for the new edition and was published in March 2001. The sourcebook was designed by Bruce R. Cordell, with cover art is by Arnie Swekel, interior illustrations by Lars Grant-West, Heather Hudson, David Martin, Wayne Reynolds, Arniel Swekel, and Sam Wood.

A revised edition, Expanded Psionics Handbook (2004), was later released for 3.5 D&D.

Reception
Pyramid commented that "The Psionics Handbook is almost GURPS like in its approach to Psionics, in that its total coverage that can be added whole, piecemeal, or ignored" and noted that the method by which the psion specializes in one of the fields of psionic abilities "works so well that it's amazing that Wizards didn't do this for the wizard classes".

Psionics Handbook was also #3 on CBR's 2021 "D&D: 10 Best Supplemental Handbooks" list — the article states that "sometimes, generic magic isn't enough to state how insane a character should be. Instead, the idea is to be higher-minded and only utilize the power of their minds. Consequently, the Psionics Handbook is the perfect tool for those who are looking for something a little different".

In comparing the sourcebook to the revised edition, Kevin Kulp, for the Dungeon Masters Guild, wrote that "the change in psionics rules was almost universally welcomed by psionics fans, who felt that the previous rules had not allowed them enough flexibility or power. The previous Psionics Handbook suffered somewhat from having powers linked to key ability scores for each psionic discipline. Players found that this fostered 'MAD' ('Multiple Ability Dependency'), requiring psionic characters to have many high ability scores in order to be effective. In striving toward balance, the original 3e Psionics Handbook may have erred on the side of creating weak player characters".

Other recognition
A copy of Psionics Handbook is held in the collection of the Strong National Museum of Play (object 110.2543).

References

External links
http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=174

Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 2001


Erik Mohs (born 12 October 1986, in Leipzig) is a German professional racing cyclist.

Career highlights

2004
1st, National Championship, Track, Madison, Juniors, Germany, Cottbus
2005
3rd, UIV Cup Dortmund, U23
2nd, UIV Cup Ghent, U23
2006
2nd, UIV Cup Rotterdam, U23
2nd, UIV Cup Bremen, U23
1st, UIV Cup Berlin, U23
1st, UIV Cup København, U23
2nd, General Classification UIV Cup, U23
2nd, Zwenkau-Böhlen
1st, Criterium, Sebnitz
1st, UIV Cup Ghent, U23
2007
1st, Stage 2 GP Cycliste de Gemenc, Pécs
3rd, Purgstall Rundstreckenrennen
3rd, Rund um die Schafshöhe
2nd, Zwenkau-Böhlen
1st, Grosser Silber-Pils Preiss
3rd, Criterium, Osterweddingen
3rd, National Championship, Track, Madison, Elite, Germany, Berlin
1st, Criterium, Zwickau
1st, Criterium, Sebnitz
1st, Stage 3, Tobago International, Milton Road
1st, Stage 5, Tobago International
2nd, General Classification Tobago International
1st, European Championship, Track, Madison, U23, Alkmaar
2008
3rd, Six Days, Stuttgart

External links

1986 births
Living people
German male cyclists
German track cyclists
Sportspeople from Leipzig
People from Bezirk Leipzig
Cyclists from Saxony
21st-century German people


Oscar François George Berger-Levrault (9 May 1826 in Strasbourg – 24 September 1903 in Nancy) was a French philatelist. The invention of the stamp catalogue is attributed to him and to the Englishman, John Edward Gray.

Life

Oscar Berger-Levrault was a bookseller in his birthplace, Strasbourg. Besides his work, he found the time to engage in philately. He was one of the first stamp collectors, who dealt with the scientific and systematic establishment of stamp collections. In the course of his philatelic work, he published a stamp and postal stationery register ("Description of the stamps known to date") on 17 September 1861, which can definitely be referred to as the world's first stamp catalogue, although it was rather a list than a catalogue because of the complete lack of illustrations. However, it listed all of the 973 postage stamps known to the bookseller which had been issued around the world up to then.

Because Berger-Levrault was the first to make such a list, errors had crept in. It was used by Alfred Potiquet as a template for the first illustrated stamp catalogue issued in December 1861.

Although Berger-Levrault's philatelic work was only intended for his friends and only 40 to 50 copies of the catalogue were produced, one copy found its way into the library of the British Museum, now the British Library in London, where it can be found today.

Catalogues issued

 Berger-Levrault O. Timbres-poste. — Strasbourg : Ve. Berger-Levrault & fils, 1861. — 12 p.
 Les timbres-poste: catalogue méthodique et descriptif de tous les timbres-poste connus. — Paris : Ve. Berger-Levrault et fils, 1867. — xiii, 147 p.

Sources
Häger, Ullrich: Großes Lexikon der Philatelie, Gütersloh et al.: Bertelsmann Lexikon 1973. (In German)

1826 births
1903 deaths
19th-century French businesspeople
Businesspeople from Strasbourg
French philatelists
Fathers of philately


The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) is one of Europe's leading marine science research organisations, one of the oldest oceanographic organisations in the world and is Scotland's largest and oldest independent marine science organisation.

Sited on the Dunstaffnage peninsula, beside Dunstaffnage Castle and near Oban, Argyll on the Scottish west coast, SAMS marine research and teaching portfolio is diverse in topic and discipline, global in outlook and relevance, and delivered in partnership with academic, business, government, regulatory, voluntary and civic society colleagues.

Advanced research is carried out in the marine environment, including polar research in the Arctic and Antarctic, climate change and marine biological research.

SAMS is an academic partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands and delivers  BSc, Masters and doctorate] programmes in the marine science field. It is also a member of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS), and one of its staff is the director of the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society (SAGES).

History
The Association was founded in 1884 by Sir John Murray following the landmark Challenger expedition. The Scottish Marine Station, as it was then known, was established in Granton outside Edinburgh and was the first marine research station in Scotland. It grew quickly and over the next 10 years began a gradual transfer of activities to Millport on the isle of Cumbrae on the west coast. In 1894 a local committee undertook fundraising in order to construct a building onshore. This station, situated near Keppel Pier, was completed in 1897. In 1901 the committee transformed itself into the Marine Biological Association of the West of Scotland by adopting a formal constitution. In 1914 the association was incorporated as a not-for-profit company and renamed the Scottish Marine Biological Association.

After 80 years of investigations of the Firth of Clyde area and an island location, the Association relocated to the mainland in 1967 and built new facilities near Oban where it has easy access to a variety of oceanographic environments. In 1992 the Association was renamed as the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

The research laboratories at Dunstaffnage were rebuilt and re-equipped in 2004 and new teaching facilities were provided in 2010. The Ocean Explorer Centre, at Dunbeg, allows visitors to learn about the marine environment and the academic research going on at SAMS.

In 2014 the Ocean Explorer Centre was opened by Michael Russell MSP, then Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, to serve as a visitor and outreach facility for SAMS.

Research
SAMS science focuses on three major and urgent challenges which humankind and our natural world must face:

 to discover the physical, chemical, geological and biological processes that drive the marine system so that we have the knowledge needed
 to describe and quantify how our coastal environment, where more than half the human population resides, responds to ever-increasing man-made pressures such as climate change, habitat destruction, pollution and resource overexploitation and to work with society on developing and testing mitigation and adaptation measures and finally
 to develop a sustainable blue economy so that we can use the marine environment for the benefit of people without degrading its health and productivity
 to address these major challenges SAMS science is multi-disciplinary, drawing on the expertise from physicists, mathematicians, biologists, geologists, chemists, social scientists, computer scientists, technologists, engineers and communicators.

In addition to marine research, in the fields of marine processes and climate change, renewable energy, the Arctic, marine prosperity and sustainability, and mining impacts, the institute has a commercial branch and an education department.

Business
SAMS Research Services Ltd (SRSL) is the wholly owned trading subsidiary of SAMS and is also based at the Scottish Marine Institute, Dunstaffange. SRSL has been a part of the SAMS Group since 2002. The subsidiary delivers specialist marine consultancy and survey services, underpinned by the scientific research taking place at the research institute. SRSL aims to mitigate the risks involved in industry interaction with the marine environment, while promoting sustainable and productive oceans. SRSL provides environmental services to multiple industries, including aquaculture, renewable energy, marine mining, oil & gas (decommissioning), seafood security and marine biotechnology. The company also manufactures devices for autonomous snow and ice measurement used in polar environments.

Facilities

Robotics facility

Using a multitude of flying and diving robots, the experienced and skilled staff and students at SAMS' Scottish Marine Robotics Facility develop, adapt, deploy and operate latest smart technologies to answer pressing environmental science questions. These new technologies drive marine science forward and the new knowledge enables people to plan how we interact with the marine realm more sustainably. The facility has an exceptional range of capabilities that support academic, regulatory and commercial projects. From aerial mapping to surface fluxes and the properties of deep water, the Scottish Marine Robotics Facility has technologies that span the atmosphere, ocean and ice.

Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa
The CCAP is the most diverse collection of algae and protists in Europe. It supports SAMS' research, currently with a focus on algal diseases

Education

SAMS offers students a complete educational pathway from undergraduate through to PhD studies.

Undergraduate
Undergraduate studies at SAMS offer three Bachelor's degree options to incoming students:
 Marine Science BSc (Hons)
 Marine Science with Arctic Studies BSc
 Marine Science with Oceanography & Marine Robotics BSc

Postgraduate
Postgraduate studies at SAMS offer three master-s degree options for incoming students:

Aquaculture, Environment and Society (ACES) Joint Masters (Erasmus Mundus)
Algal Biotechnology, Biology and Ecology MRes

PhD
SAMS offer differing PhD studentships over the course of the year when projects or funding becomes available. There is also the opportunity for students who want to self-fund a PhD project.

References

External links

 Ocean Explorer Centre

Oceanographic organizations
Scientific organisations based in the United Kingdom
Science and technology in Scotland
Organisations based in Argyll and Bute
1884 establishments in Scotland
University of the Highlands and Islands
Scientific organizations established in 1884
Scottish coast


Dziecinów is the name of two villages in Masovian Voivodeship, Poland:
Dziecinów, Kozienice County
Dziecinów, Otwock County


Pasquale Amato (21 March 1878 – 12 August 1942) was an Italian operatic baritone. Amato enjoyed an international reputation but attained the peak of his fame in New York City, where he sang with the Metropolitan Opera from 1908 until 1921.

Early career
Amato was born in Naples and studied locally at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella under Beniamino Carelli and Vincenzo Lombardo (who also gave singing lessons to the great Neapolitan tenor Enrico Caruso). In 1900, he made his debut at the Teatro Bellini in Naples as Germont père in La traviata. Engagements followed in Genoa and Rome. Over the next few years he sang in Monte Carlo, Germany, parts of eastern Europe and Argentina. In 1904, he appeared at London's Royal Opera House with the Teatro di San Carlo Company; although well-received, he was not invited back.

He was engaged by La Scala, Milan, and sang there in 1907 under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. His voice had matured by now into a top-class instrument and he was praised for his versatility and artistic integrity. In 1913 he was accorded the honour of taking part in the Verdi centenary commemoration at the Busseto Theatre. He appeared at the commemoration in La traviata and Falstaff with Toscanini conducting. Other important operatic roles which Amato sang in Italy prior to World War I included Amonasro in Aida, Marcello in La bohème, the title part in Rigoletto, as well as Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande, Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, Scarpia in Tosca and Barnaba in La Gioconda.

New York
Amato repeated some of these roles at the Metropolitan Opera, where Toscanini had gone to conduct and where Amato made his debut in 1908. He maintained a taxing performance schedule at the Met until he left the company in 1921, appearing in a number of operatic works that he had not undertaken before. In 1910, for example, he sang in Gluck's Armide, along with Enrico Caruso,  Olive Fremstad,  Louise Homer and Alma Gluck. In December of that same year, he created the part of Jack Rance in the Met's world premiere of  Puccini's La fanciulla del West, singing opposite Caruso, Emmy Destinn, Dinh Gilly and Antonio Pini-Corsi.

Amato was by now a celebrity, and his return to the United States by ship in October 1912 with fellow baritones Titta Ruffo, Antonio Scotti and William Hinshaw, and soprano Lucrezia Bori, received extensive  press coverage.

In 1913, Amato created the title role in Cyrano by Walter Damrosch; Frances Alda and Riccardo Martin were also in the cast. He performed, too, in that year's production of Un ballo in maschera with Caruso, Destinn, Margaret Matzenauer and Frieda Hempel, and with them again in Arrigo Boito's Mefistofele. In La Gioconda, he sang alongside Destinn again, and Margarethe Arndt-Ober. Amato was especially admired as Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen, supporting Geraldine Farrar, Caruso and Alda, when the opera was successfully revived in 1914.

Also in 1914, he performed the part of Manfredo (opposite Adamo Didur and Lucrezia Bori) in Montemezzi's L'amore dei tre re, when that new work came to New York, and in 1915 he created the part of Napoléon in Umberto Giordano's Madame Sans-Gêne, with Farrar as Catherine. In 1916, he gave the premiere American performance of the role of Giovanni in Riccardo Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini (opposite Alda and Giovanni Martinelli), and in 1918 that of Gianetto (with Farrar, Caruso, and Didur) in Mascagni's Lodoletta.

Amato's punishingly busy schedule at the Met took its toll on his voice and his health in general. He retired to Italy during the 1920s,  to relax and recuperate, but in 1933, 25 years after his American debut, he appeared there again at the New York Hippodrome, singing the role of the elder Germont in La Traviata.  Amato had an affinity with America and, in 1935, he accepted the position of Head of Studies in voice and opera at the Louisiana State University, where in 1939 he was initiated as an honorary member of the Beta Omega chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity, the national fraternity for men in music. He died at the age of 64 in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Appraisal

Amato in his prime possessed a superb high baritone voice of wide compass. According to Michael Scott in The Record of Singing, it had a ringing and a unique vibrant tone that could not be confused with that produced by any other baritone. Although it was not quite so opulent as the vocal instrument possessed by his famous contemporary Titta Ruffo, it was still wonderfully resonant and secure, with plenty of carrying power and flexibility. Amato also sang with masterful phrasing and cantabile. In short: he was one of the most distinctive singers of his age.

Recordings
Amato made a number of extremely impressive  operatic recordings in America for the Victor Talking Machine Company—including some duets with Caruso, Johanna Gadski and other stars of the Met. His 1914 Victor recording of "Eri tu" (from Un Ballo in Maschera), for example, is considered by many critics to be the finest version of the aria ever committed to disc.

Prior to his contract with Victor, Amato had made a series of discs in Italy for Fonotipia, which included operatic arias and a remarkably intimate "A Sirena" (a Neapolitan song). Later, in 1924, he made an obscure (and poorly recorded) group of records for the Homophone company. He made just one known electrical recording—the live-recorded soundtrack of the 1927 Vitaphone short, "A Neapolitan Romance," which featured Amato singing "Torna a Surriento" and "Con voi ber," the Italian-language version of the Toreador aria from Carmen. Both sound only and motion-picture versions of the song have recently surfaced. Amato also appeared as a straight actor in a Warner Bros. motion picture, playing Napoléon in 1928's mostly-silent film Glorious Betsy.

Awards
As well as receiving honours from the Italian government, Amato was initiated as an honorary member of the Beta Omega chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, at Louisiana State University in 1939.

Notes

Sources
 A. Eaglefield-Hull, A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians (Dent, London 1924).
 G. Kobbé, The Complete Opera Book (Putnam, London 1935 printing).
 H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (OUP, London 1974 printing).
 M. Scott, The Record of Singing Volume I (Duckworth, London 1977).
 J.B. Steane, The Grand Tradition (Duckworth, London, 1974).

External links

 Biographical notes
 1911 recording of "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville
 "Modern Vocal Methods in Italy", in Great singers on the art of Singing, Harriette Brower, James Francis Cooke (eds.), 1996, Courier Dover Publications, Mineola, New York,

1878 births
1942 deaths
Italian operatic baritones
Singers from Naples
Louisiana State University faculty
Italian emigrants to the United States
Fonotipia Records artists


Events

January
  January 22–24 – In anticipation of heavy snowfall and preparation for the effects of winter storm Jonas, WMATA shuts down all services for the weekend. Metrorail services are suspended completely for two days and restored to normal service in phases up until January 29. During the shutdown, trains are stored in the system's subway tunnels to shelter them from the storm.
  January 23 – The First Hill Streetcar line opens in Seattle.
  January 31 – Baixada Santista Light Rail operations begin.

February
  February 9 – Bad Aibling rail accident: Two Meridian trains are in a head-on collision at Bad Aibling in southeastern Germany, leaving 12 people dead and 85 injured, due to a train dispatcher's errors.
  February 27 – The DC Streetcar opens in Washington, D.C., after several years of delays.

March
  March 5 – The Gold Line Foothill Extension in Los Angeles County, California opens, extending the Metro Rail light rail system by  to Azusa, California.
  March 16 – The entire Washington Metro system, the second-largest subway system in the United States, is shut down on a weekday for 24 hours during emergency inspections of jumper cables in tunnels. The shutdown follows an electrical fire caused by a jumper cable two days prior.
  March 19
 The first phase of Valley Metro Rail's Northwest Extension in Phoenix, Arizona opens.
 Sound Transit opens a Link light rail extension in Seattle, Washington to the University of Washington campus.
  March 22 – 2016 Brussels bombings: 21 are killed by a terrorist suicide bomb in a subway car at Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.
  March 26 – The first segment of the Hokkaido Shinkansen opens, bringing high-speed rail service to Hokkaido, following the final run of an overnight locomotive-hauled train in Japan.

April
  April 1 – Arriva Rail North takes over the Northern franchise in England from Northern Rail.
  April 5 – Indian Railways (Northern Railway zone) inaugurates the semi-high-speed luxury Gatimaan Express between Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station and Agra Cantonment.
  April 9 – Rail transport in Cambodia: Passenger services between Phnom Penh and the southern city of Sihanoukville resume after a 14-year suspension.
  April 22 – The A Line in Denver, Colorado, an electrified commuter rail link between Union Station and Denver International Airport owned by RTD, begins service.

May
  May 20 – The second phase of the Expo Line light rail in Los Angeles, California opens, extending the line to Santa Monica.

June
  June 1 – Opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world's longest and deepest rail tunnel.
  June 4 – Beginning of "SafeTrack" program by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, to conduct emergency maintenance on the aging Washington Metro system, with expected single-tracking and shutdowns scheduled to last until March 2017.
  June 6 – Opening of the Perris Valley extension of the 91/Perris Valley Line, a commuter rail line operated by Metrolink in Southern California, from Riverside to Perris.
  June 19 – JR Kyushu phases out the 485 series.
  June 19 – Opening of Kirkstall Forge railway station in England, close to the site of the earlier station with the same name .
  June – The last locomotives are removed from the strategic steam reserve in Sweden in working order.
  June 30 – Full opening of LRT Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line extension line operated by RapidKL.

July
  July 1 – Taiwan High Speed Rail Nangang Station opens.
  July 3 – Phase 2 of LGV Est, including the Saverne Tunnel, opens, extending the line from Baudrecort to Vendenheim near Strasbourg.
  July 12 – Andria-Corato train collision: at least 23 people are killed and 50 injured by the head-on collision of two passenger trains on a single-track railroad in the Apulia region of Italy.
  July 25 – Opening of the B Line commuter rail system in Denver, Colorado.
  July 26 – The Chinese-built Kaduna–Abuja section of the high-speed Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway starts operation.

September
  September 9 – Cincinnati Bell Connector opens to the public with a free-ride weekend after years of planning and building, bringing streetcar service back to Cincinnati for the first time since the 1950s.
  September 10 In Moscow opened movement on Moscow Central Circle
  September 24 – Angle Lake station near Seattle, Washington opens, extending Link light rail service past SeaTac Airport.
  September 30 – The Wachusett station near Boston, Massachusetts, begins limited service, with full service beginning in November. The new station extends the MBTA Commuter Rail system by .

October
  October 23 – Kwun Tong line extension opens.
  October 24 – Opening of the South Oak Cliff extension of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Blue Line to University of North Texas at Dallas.

November
  November 8 – Major mass transit expansions are approved by voters in U.S. cities, including Los Angeles (Measure M), Seattle (Sound Transit 3), and Atlanta.
  November 20 – Pukhrayan train derailment: Indian Railways' Indore–Patna Express derails at Pukhrayan near Kanpur with at least 146 fatalities.
  November 28 – The double-track high-speed section from Larvik to Porsgrunn on the Vestfold Line, including the Holmestrandsporten, opens for service.

December
  December 2 – The Evergreen Extension of the Vancouver Skytrain opens, extending the Millennium Line  to Coquitlam.
  December 11 – Reopening of Łódź Fabryczna station after 5 years of reconstruction.
  December 16 – Opening of MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line Phase 1 connecting Sungai Buloh to Semantan.
  December 28 – The South Island line of Hong Kong's MTR metro system opens, connecting Admiralty station to the Southern District.

References


Dziecinów (Polish: ) is a village in Otwock County, Gmina Sobienie-Jeziory. The village covers an area of 6 km2. It has approximately 704 inhabitants (2007). In the village is Voivodship Road 801, Voivodship Road 799 and Voivodship Road 805 and the sports club Wisła Dziecinów. It lies near the Vistula river. From 1975 to 1998 the village was in Siedlce Voivodeship.

Villages in Otwock County


Dziecinów  is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Grabów nad Pilicą, within Kozienice County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately  east of Grabów nad Pilicą,  north-west of Kozienice, and  south of Warsaw. From 1975 to 1998 the village was in Radom Voivodeship.

The village includes the districts of Adamów and Grzybowszczyzna.

Battle of Kuznow
Remnants of the 22nd Infantry Division, 1st Corps of the Imperial Russian Army, were engaged by pursuing German troops, led by Captain Jan Mieszkowski, and destroyed on 14 October 1914, as they attempted to retreat from the Battle of Tannenberg.

References

Villages in Kozienice County


In front of the Karlskrona Admiralty Church, in Sweden, the popular wooden figure of Gubben Rosenbom (Old Man Rosenbom) has been standing since the mid 18th century. In 1956 the original was replaced by a copy and put in a safer place inside the church. The life-size figure is actually a poor box, which means, if you lift its hat, you can insert a coin for the poor.

The figure holds a placard in one hand which states in a slightly old-fashioned Swedish:

I humbly beg of you,
even though my voice may be weak,
come and put a penny in
but first lift my hat.
Blessed are those that care for the poor.

The last sentence is from the Bible.

The figure of Rosenbom is particularly well-known because it is featured in Selma Lagerlöf's book The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. There, the title hero meets Rosenbom and speaks with him.

Folk art
Outdoor sculptures in Sweden
Buildings and structures in Blekinge County
Wooden sculptures in Sweden
18th-century sculptures


Vittorio Emanuele is a station on Line A of the Rome Metro.  The station was inaugurated in 1980 and is sited underground, beneath Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, which gives it its name, in the Esquilino rione.

The atrium of the station houses several mosaics from the Artemetro Roma Prize. The mosaics on display are by Nicola Carrino and Giulia Napoleone.

On 17 October 2006 there was a train crash in this station, killing one and injuring over 200 people.

Located nearby
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II
Auditorium of Maecenas
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Teatro Ambra Jovinelli
Temple of Minerva Medica (nymphaeum)
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
Porta Maggiore and the underground basilica of Porta Maggiore
Tomb of Eurysaces the Baker
Basilica di Santa Prassede
Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale
Capolinea Roma-Pantano
Via Gioberti
Via Merulana
Mercato Vittorio

External links

The station on the ATAC site.

Rome Metro Line A stations
Railway stations opened in 1980
1980 establishments in Italy
Rome R. XV Esquilino
Railway stations in Italy opened in the 1980s


USS Okaloosa (APA-219) was a  in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1949. She was scrapped in 1972.

Construction
Okaloosa was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type and was named after Okaloosa County, Florida. She was laid down 8 August 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCV Hull 567, by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California; launched 22 October 1944; acquired by the Navy on a loan charter basis 28 November 1944; and commissioned the same day.

Service history

World War II
Following commissioning and fitting out, Okaloosa departed Seattle with troops 26 January 1945, for Honolulu, then operated out of Pearl Harbor until sailing 29 March, with US Army units for Eniwetok, Ulithi, and Okinawa. She arrived off Okinawa 26 April, and offloaded troops without incident during the next four days, despite frequent enemy air attacks. The transport then returned to the West Coast, arriving San Francisco 22 May. Her stay was short, however, and she embarked troops and cargo immediately, leaving 30 May, for Manila and Leyte, Philippines. Except for a brief voyage to New Guinea in early July, Okaloosa shuttled troops and cargo among the Philippine Islands until departing Manila Bay 7 September, for Tokyo Bay with occupation units.

Post-war service
From Tokyo Bay, Okaloosa sailed, in turn, to Guam; Qingdao, China; Manila; and Haiphong, French Indo-China; where she loaded elements of the Chinese 52nd Army bound for the Gulf of Pohai, China.

Operation Magic Carpet
Assigned to Operation Magic Carpet on 16 November, Okaloosa sailed to Jinsen, Korea, took on her full capacity of returning troops, and sailed 30 November, for Tacoma, Washington, arriving 17 December. Four days later, she entered Puget Sound Navy Yard for overhaul. She sailed 11 January 1946, via the Panama Canal for Norfolk, Virginia, arriving on the last day of the month. Also, on 14 January, she came under full ownership of the Navy.

Peacetime cruises
For the next few years, Okaloosa operated out of Norfolk, many times with Marines from nearby bases. Three times, in June and July 1947, and June 1948, she conducted cruises for large numbers of east coast reservists, sailing to Bermuda on the last two. In addition, amphibious exercises took her to Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands on a number of month-long cruises and several shorter ones.

Decommissioning and fate
On 15 April 1949, Okaloosa sailed from Norfolk for Orange, Texas, and deactivation. After overhaul, she decommissioned on 21 July, and entered the Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was  returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) 23 September 1955, with permanent custody transferred 26 September 1958. She was struck from the Navy Register 1 October 1958. On 28 October 1971, Okaloosa was sold to Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation, along with eight other ships, for $467,100, with the condition that they would be scrapped. At the time she was part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, Group. On 30 May 1972, she was officially withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet.

Ship's bell
When the vessel was dismantled, its relics were salvaged and Baldwin County, Alabama requested the ship's bell for a war memorial at its satellite courthouse in Foley. Okaloosa County Judge T. Patterson Maney, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general, discovered the bell during a visit to Foley and worked to bring it back to its namesake county.  On 4 January 2012, county officials of Okaloosa County, Florida, retrieved the bell from Foley for display in front of the Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport. In exchange, the U.S. Navy presented Baldwin County with the bell from  for its memorial. Okaloosa County held a dedication on 26 April 2012.

"The Baldwin County Commission has been extremely gracious," said Tracy Stage, projects manager for the airport, of the transfer of the bell. "We're bringing it back to Okaloosa County where it belongs. I can't think of a better way to recognize the Navy, the Marine Corps and all the veterans."

Awards
Okaloosa received one battle star for World War II service.

Notes

Bibliography

Online resources

Further reading

External links

Haskell-class attack transports
World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Okaloosa County, Florida
United States Navy ship names
Troop ships
Ships built in Richmond, California
1944 ships
Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group
Mobile Reserve Fleet