The International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) is a submarine cable protection non-profit organisation. It was formed in 1958 to promote the protection of international telecommunications and power submarine cables against human and natural hazards. It provides a forum for the exchange of technical, legal, and environmental information about submarine cables and engages with stakeholders and governments globally to promote submarine cable protection. The ICPC has over 190 Member organisations from over 69 nations, including cable operators, owners, manufacturers, industry service providers, as well as governments. The ICPC provides information related to submarine cables generally, best practices for cable protection, and applicable international law and treaties.

Over 99% of the world's intercontinental electronic communications traffic is carried by the undersea cable infrastructure. Likewise, submarine power cables underpin the global expansion of offshore renewable energy generation. As such, the impact of failures of these critical telecommunications and power cables can be devastating to social and economic stability. This is why submarine cables are classified as "critical infrastructure" that is to be protected worldwide from physical damage due to human made or natural causes.

Prime Activities of the ICPC
The ICPC seeks to promote and protect freedoms to install and maintain submarine telecommunications and power transmission cables and mitigate risks of damage to those cables. It works with governments, other marine industries, international organisations (including various United Nations bodies), and NGOs to promote cable awareness, cable protection best practices, and effective international agreements. The ICPC actively participates in the negotiation of multilateral treaties relating to the oceans and monitors the development and implementation of other international agreements and national legislation in order to ensure cable protection and resilience. The ICPC supports peer-reviewed research into the interactions of cables with the marine environment to provide an evidence-based foundation for those interactions. It commissions and encourages peer-reviewed research on the environmental characteristics of cables. The organisation also promulgates recommendations for cable installation, protection, and maintenance.

As directed by its executive committee, ICPC has prioritised work on the following issues: (1) cable awareness and reduction of cable damage risks (particularly from fishing and anchoring); (2) mitigating risks of deep seabed mining, including effective charting of cables in the deep ocean; (3) promoting cable security; (4) ensuring appropriate treatment of submarine cables under a new international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ); and (5) continuing development of ICPC Recommendations. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the ICPC has devoted significant effort to ensure that governments and industry take effective measures to ensure installation and repair of submarine cables continue during the tumultuous time because the world's reliance on submarine cables increased considerably. In April 2020, ICPC issued its “Call to Action” that proposed practical measures to ensure efficient conduct of submarine cable activities while protecting public health.

In early 2022, the ICPC published the document (in English, French and Spanish translations), “Government Best Practices for Protecting and Promoting Resilience of Submarine Telecommunications Cables” to assist governments in developing laws, policies, and practices to foster the development and protection of submarine telecommunications cables, the infrastructure of the Internet. In addition, a Best Practices Annex, titled: “Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) - Risks to Submarine Cable Deployment and Operations,” identifies recommended actions for governments to protect submarine telecommunications cables from interactions with Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) that are known to pose risk to marine vessel operations and damage cables during and after their installation. In presenting these Best Practices, the ICPC encourages government and industry discussions on this topic to ensure appropriate steps can be taken at a national and regional level to maintain continuity of critical telecommunications infrastructure.

History
The Cable Damage Committee was established on 22 May 1958. The name of the committee was later changed to the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) in 1967 to better reflect the intended aims of the organisation and its membership. The original intent was for the "Main Committee," as it was originally known, to formulate the policies, which a small Sub-Committee of Members, voted in at each Main Committee meeting. Adopted policies were then organised and subsequently implemented. In addition, the Sub-Committee ran the internal administration of the organisation through the Secretary.

In the early years, the Sub-Committee would meet frequently, organising many aspects, such as Cable Warning Charts - which were later devolved down to the organisation of individual Members. Most of the detailed notes from these early meetings have disappeared prior to 1975, but they always produced a formal report to the Main Committee.

The title "Plenary" for the Main Committee first appeared in 1972 but would not appear to have been a firm change, but rather a title that evolved gradually during the 1970s. By contrast, the title "Executive" for the Sub-Committee was a firm decision at the 1977 Plenary meeting. It shall be noted that previously in October 1974, ICPC held its 13th Plenary in Cape Town, South Africa and in 2018, the annual Plenary returned to the coastal city for its 60th Diamond Jubilee Plenary to celebrate 60 years of heritage since its incorporation in 1958. The offices of Chair, Vice-Chair and Executive Committee Members have been held by the member administration rather than the individual person. This enables a reorganisation of staff to take place within an administration, without effecting the committee's organisation. Before 1976 there was no vice-chair and, if the administration holding the chair was unable to attend, as occurred twice, then a chair had to be nominated at the start of the meeting. After 1976 the absence of the chair was more smoothly covered, as occurred in 1979 and 1991.

The Secretary was initially provided by Cable & Wireless Communications Ltd, and subsequently passed to the British Post Office in 1960, although for several years after that, the official address remained with Cable & Wireless. The Secretariat remained with BPO/British Telecom International continuously until 1990, when an independent Secretary was engaged. This was followed later by the appointment of an International Cable Legal Adviser (1999) and a Marine Environmental Adviser (2003).

Presently, governance is exercised by ICPC Limited, which operates through a 17-Member Executive Committee, elected by the ICPC membership.

Membership, Organisation, and Governance
As of September 2022, the ICPC has approximately 185 Members from over 65 countries.

Membership benefits include access to a repository of technical and environmental information and probably the largest single source of legal information on international submarine cables. Member organisations actively participate in the annual Plenary meeting and are also involved in ICPC's Working Groups.

ICPC membership has expanded, and since 2011 as national governments have been allowed to join as a Government Member in their own right. Government Members include Australia, Bermuda, France, Malta, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Since February 2013, Associate Membership is available to any individual or organisation that shares the goals of the ICPC.

 Full Membership is open to submarine cable owners, submarine cable maintenance authorities, submarine cable system manufacturers, cable ship operators, and submarine cable route survey companies.
 Government Membership. The ICPC recognises that submarine cable protection interests are better served if the benefits of membership are available to Governments.
 Associate Membership is available to any organisation or individual that has an interest in the submarine cable industry, wishes to be informed about its development and wants to support the ICPC in achieving its goals.

The ICPC's full members elect an executive committee (EC), whose members serve staggered terms, as well as a Chair and Vice Chair (with individuals serving no more than three consecutive terms). The EC serves as ICPC's governing body. The ICPC also maintains a Secretariat and Project Manager, led by a General Manager, to provide day-to-day management and administration with the assistance of a small staff. ICPC appoints an International Cable Law Adviser (to advise and represent ICPC in international law and other legal matters), a Marine Environment Adviser (to advise on interactions between cables and the marine environment), and a United Nations Observer Representative (to represent the ICPC at the United Nations in New York).

Recommendations
The ICPC develops and maintains a suite of industry Recommendations targeted at the various lifespan stages of submarine cables, from conception to retirement. These Recommendations function as guides and best practices, but they are not standards, as ICPC is not a standard-setting organisation. They are available upon reasonable request to the Secretariat and are available to organisations through ICPC membership.

Educational Resources
As part of its cable awareness mission, and to assist its Members, the ICPC develops and distributes educational materials about the importance of submarine cables, their operational and environmental characteristics, their treatment under international and national law, and the risks of damage to cables. The ICPC and its Members use these materials to engage with governments, other ocean industries (including fishing, shipping, offshore energy, and mining), and the public.

In collaboration with the United Nations Environmental Programme World Climate Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), the ICPC published a landmark report, "Submarine cables and the oceans: connecting the world," which provides a wealth of information about the importance of cables, their characteristics and operations, law and policy, environmental science, and history. This report is the most-viewed report ever published by UNEP-WCMC.

Relevant information is also provided to prospective new submarine cable owners to encourage the adoption of minimum industry standards for the benefit of all involved with the seabed. The ICPC has also entered into memoranda of understanding (MoU) with the International Seabed Authority (ISA), European Subsea Cables Association (ESCA), International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), SubOptic and Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy through the University of New Hampshire to further cooperation with these bodies. The ICPC also has working relationships with Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Center for International Law at the National University of Singapore (CIL), Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP), EastWest Institute, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC), ROGUCCI and Sargasso Sea Commission.

The ICPC also publishes a bi-annual, marine-focused newsletter titled "Submarine Cable Protection and the Environment.” This publication aims to provide timely information for seabed users, the scientific community and general public who share the same goal as the ICPC—safeguarding submarine telecommunications and power cables worldwide. Topics covered have included the use of cables to monitor the ocean, impacts of space weather on seafloor cables, and the role of cables in a post-COVID world.

Information Sharing
The ICPC provides a forum for Members to interact and learn about legal, technical, and environmental developments relevant to submarine cables where areas of common interest are identified such that Members can benefit from working together and each other's expertise and real-world experience. To ensure information sharing external to the ICPC, affiliations are also developed with equivalent seabed user organisations from all over the world. Formal relationships with appropriate international organisations are also developed with the goal of information sharing.

Projects
The ICPC engages in projects that are beneficial to the protection of submarine cable systems. For example, a global database showing fault causes and average repair times is developed and maintained, which has stimulated a range of applied and fundamental research projects with academic collaborators. Outcomes of this research have provided greater information on the frequency and nature of external threats for submarine cables, and has motivated follow-on research to understand how sediment and carbon are transported into the deep-sea. Research projects associated with the potential effects of submarine cables on the seabed environment are also performed to ensure harmony with the marine environment.

Research collaborations between the ICPC, cable companies and academic researchers led to the first measurements of powerful sediment avalanches triggered by river floods from the Congo River that ran out more than one thousand kilometres into the deep sea. These powerful flows damaged multiple seafloor cables offshore West Africa during the early stages of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown and findings from this research are now implemented to design more resilient cable routes.

Law
With guidance from its International Cable Law Adviser, the ICPC actively participates in the negotiation of oceans law treaties, advises Members on the treatment of cables under international law, and advocate for governments to adopt and implement their treaty obligations regarding submarine cable freedoms and submarine cable protection. It monitors the development and implementation of international agreements (particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and national legislation and maintains law and regulation resources for consultation and use by its membership.

The ICPC has long supported and participated in the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, the premier oceans law institute for mid-career professionals that is sponsored by the University of New Hampshire that is held in Rhodes, Greece each July. The ICPC sponsors the annual Rhodes Academy-ICPC Submarine Cables Writing Award, which fosters scholarship in the area of submarine cables and the law of the sea, and its International Cable Law Adviser teaches annually at the academy.

The ICPC regularly conducts workshops with international and regional bodies, national governments, and marine industries to promote cable awareness and observance of international law and to reduce risks of cable damage.

The ICPC sponsored a reference handbook based on unique collaboration of 15 industry experts, scientists, and international law scholars that address critical legal and governance issues, as it pertains to submarine cables deployed around the world.

Submarine Telecommunication Cables and the Marine Environment
The interactions between submarine cables and the marine environment are well documented in peer-reviewed scientific publications. The ICPC supports such research as a means of providing evidence-based analyses to assist cable protection in naturally hazardous regions and cable operations in environmentally sensitive areas. Briefly, cable/environmental interactions can be summarised as follows.

Deep Ocean (Greater than 2,000 Meters)
Over 80% of trans-oceanic telecommunications cables are in water depths >2000m. There, the risks posed by fishing and shipping (the main causes of cable damage and not from rumoured shark bites) are small. Accordingly, a typical cable is a 17-22mm diameter tube, the size of a domestic garden hose. It is composed of optical glass fibres, a copper power conductor and steel wires to add strength, all of which are encased in chemically inert, marine-grade polyethylene.

Laying is planned as a one-off operation in the 20-25 year life of a cable (note the operational life may extend to 30 or more years as improved signal processing has expanded the carrying capacity of some existing cables). Given their well proven design and low risk from deep ocean hazards, cables are subject to an average of four faults annually worldwide. However, fault numbers may spike under extreme events such as a large submarine landslide (see Natural Hazards below).

While studies of cables and their interaction with deep-ocean organisms are few, independent research from the continental shelf (0-130m average water depth) and the upper continental slope down to around 1200m, reveals little effect of modern cables on animals living on and under the seabed. No statistical differences have been observed regarding the abundance, composition and diversity of organisms living near and distant from submarine cables. Any observed changes are usually within the natural variability of the animals studied.

Continental Margin (Less Than 2,000 Meters)
Aptly phrased the "urban sea,” this sector of the ocean is the focus of a wide range of human activities that include fishing, mineral exploration, shipping, dredging, renewable energy generation, scientific research as well as telecommunications. As a result, special measures are required to protect submarine cables. This includes (i) strengthening with steel wire armour, which increases cable diameter up to ~50mm, (ii) burial beneath the seabed  and positive engagement with other seabed users to share information and knowledge regarding their respective industries.

Time-series observations of submarine telecommunications and power cables show that even when cables are buried, disturbance to benthic ecosystems is minor and temporary with the seabed returning to its natural state within months to years - the rate of recovery depending upon (i) the mode of cable deployment, (ii) wave and current regimes, (iii) rates of sediment supply to the ocean, (iv) seabed topography and geology and (v) biological activity. The continental shelf, where most cable repairs take place, is subject to waves, ocean currents and tides that restore the seabed back to its normal state on times scales of days (for strong tidal regions) to years.

Many submarine telecommunications cable systems have no live current at all (called unrepeatered systems) (generally cable routes or sections of telecommunications cable under c.300 km in length) and are unpowered and hence have no or negligible electromagnetic field. This length also varies as new technology allows longer unrepeatered sections; hence the future effects will be much smaller, which could be highlighted in the forward view. Repeatered (powered) telecommunications systems do have a live current, but electrical fields are shielded, and currents are markedly lower than power transmission cables—with an electro-magnetic field less than a laptop computer. Magnetic fields induced by fibre optic cable powering are on the order of 30 to 38 microtesla (μT) at the cable surface. These values are lower than the background magnetic field produced by the Earth (60 μT). At 1 metre from the submarine cable to the magnetic field would be .30 to .38 μT or 1/100th of what it is at the surface of the cable. This is therefore very different to power cables, with a zone of influence of centimetres.

Natural Hazards
Most cable faults result from human activities, (see “Submarine Cable Protection and the Environment") Collectively, these activities account for over 65% of cable faults and occur primarily in water depths <200m. Damage resulting from natural phenomena account for around <10% of all cable faults, but this percentage can spike during or shortly after a major event such as large earthquakes or typhoons when multiple cables can become damaged. On the continental shelf, waves and currents, especially those generated by storms, may abrade exposed cables and/or cause them to sway in the oscillating currents thus inducing fatigue. Those effects are minimised by cable armouring and burial beneath the seabed. Less frequent but nonetheless devastating are tsunamis such as the Great Tohōku Earthquake of 2011 that severely damaged Japanese coastal infrastructure. Such earthquakes may also generate submarine landslides and turbidity currents—sediment-laden currents that travel long distances (100s to 1000s kilometers) at high speeds (up to 68 kilometers/hour). These turbulent flows break cables in water depths down to 5000m and deeper. For example, offshore Taiwan and Algeria suffered earthquakes in 2006 and 2003 that caused 22 and 29 cable breaks respectively. Turbidity currents may also form when large quantities of sediment are delivered to the ocean, such as following major flooding resulting from typhoons. The discharged flood waters are so heavily laden with mud and sand that they sink to the seabed and move downslope to initiate cable-damaging turbidity currents. Other natural causes of cable faults include seabed currents, which can be vigorous even in very deep waters and gouging by floating ice. While such forces may be locally significant, worldwide they are minor compared to earthquakes and storms.

While volcanic eruptions account for only a handful of instances of damage to submarine cables, the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano offshore Kingdom of Tonga in 2022 demonstrated how rare, but powerful eruptions can cause widespread damage and disrupt telecommunications in places that have few cable connections. As well as triggering an atmospheric shockwave that travelled three times around the world and a tsunami that reached as far as Peru, the eruption led to widespread damage of the only cable that connected Tonga to the global submarine cable network. This underlines the importance of diverse routes to improve network resilience.

Future climate change is likely to see an intensification of storms and offshore sediment transport in many regions, hence the ICPC takes an active interest in changing weather patterns and their influence on processes from the coast to the deep-sea.(see “Submarine Cable Protection and the Environment")

References

External links

TeleGeography Interactive Cable Map – comprehensive online submarine cable map with a wealth of information.

International organisations based in the United Kingdom
International telecommunications
Lymington
Organisations based in Hampshire
Organizations established in 1958
1958 establishments in the United Kingdom
Science and technology in Hampshire
Submarine cables
Telecommunications organisations in the United Kingdom


The multi-billion rupee Gurgaon kidney scandal came to light in January 2008 when police arrested several people for running a kidney transplant racket in Gurgaon, an industrial township near New Delhi, India. Kidneys from most of the victims, who were the poor hailing from the nearby western Uttar Pradesh, were transplanted into clients from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Greece. The police raid was prompted by complaints by the locals from Moradabad about illegal kidney sales. The man accused of the scandal, Amit Kumar, was arrested in Nepal on 7 February 2008 and has denied any hand in criminal activity.

Chronology of events

The police raid
On 24 January 2008, police teams from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh raided a residential building and a guest house owned by Amit Kumar.

According to the Gurgaon police, the scandal at a local clinic was going on for six to seven years. The donors were lured with offerings of about Rs. 30,000 for kidney removal. First, they were lured to the clinic on the pretext of job opportunities. They were instead asked for donating their kidneys for the fee and all those who resisted this were drugged against their will and subsequently operated upon.

The Haryana police, under whose jurisdiction the scandal happened, issued arrest warrants against Upendra Aggarwal, a general physician and an associate of Amit Kumar for his involvement in the scandal. However, at the time of the police raid, Kumar and his other accomplices escaped after the knowledge of possible arrests.

The raid helped rescue five people and shifted them to a Gurgaon hospital.

Aftermath of the raid
On 25 January 2008, the police detained a United States–based non-resident Indian couple and three Greek nationals, two among them being patients receiving the transplants.

The police revealed that Dr. Amit Kumar and his accomplices had performed 600 kidney transplants in the past decade. Additionally, at least two hospitals were involved in the after care of patients. Police, through the technology of fingerprinting, determined that Kumar went by many aliases and had been previously arrested at least four different times for illegal organ trade operations. It was further revealed that Kumar, his brother Jeevan Kumar, Upendra Aggarwal and Saraj Kumar, an anesthesiologist were previously arrested three times on charges of illegal human organ transplantation in Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. They were, however, released on bail. On 7 January 2008 Kumar was arrested by Delhi Police but was released on a bribe of Rs. 20 lakhs. Jeevan Kumar was later arrested on 17 February 2008 in Delhi.

The Indian Medical Association, arranged a probe by its three-member committee, and further requested investigation by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's higher investigation agency. The Haryana police further uncovered 2 hospitals and 10 laboratories in Greater Noida and Meerut, cities nearby to New Delhi for their alleged involvement in the scandal.

In the meanwhile, a Gurgaon court had issued arrest warrants for Amit Kumar and his brother, Jeevan Kumar Rawat. With growing suspicions that Kumar might have fled the country, the Haryana police requested the CBI to alert the Interpol. Thereafter, Red corner notices were issued for the Kumar siblings.

Arrest of Amit Kumar
On 7 February 2008, Amit Kumar was arrested in the neighboring country of Nepal. He was hiding in a wildlife resort, about 35 miles from the Indo-Nepal border. He had a bank draft worth Rs. 9,36,000 along with a total of €145,000 and $18,900 in cash. At the resort he made an unsuccessful attempt to bribe the Nepali policemen to let him go. The charges filed against him by CBI are under sections 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon), sections 342 (wrongful confinement), sections 420 (cheating) and sections 120B (criminal conspiracy).

Subsequent conviction
In March 2013, a CBI special court convicted five accused while acquitting another five in the case of a Gurgaon kidney transplant racket that was busted in 2008. Dr Upender Dublesh and Dr Amit Kumar, who was termed a "quack" in no uncertain terms by the court, got seven-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) besides a fine of over Rs. 60 lakh each.

References

2008 disasters in India
Corruption in Haryana
Crime in Gurgaon
Health disasters in India
Medical controversies in India
Medical scandals in India
Organ trade


Lead retrieval is a method for capturing and processing sales leads generated at an event, trade show, or conference.

Lead retrieval tools connect to a database containing the contact details of event attendees, which the attendees provided when they registered for the event. Event attendees wear a badge during the event, which features a barcode, ID number or QR code. Exhibitors at the event use lead retrieval devices to scan the code or number, to digitally collect that person’s data from the registration database.

Lead retrieval provides exhibitors with attendees’ full registration data. As well as their contact details, this often includes job title, company name and company size. This data is predefined by the event organiser, who is responsible for collecting attendee registration data before the event. This means exhibitors receive a lot of data about each attendee, but they cannot choose which data they receive, or to change any questions to make the data more relevant to their needs. Other event lead capture methods provide more flexibility.

Event organisers send exhibitors the data from the attendees’ badges after the event.

Lead retrieval tools
There are two common types of lead retrieval tools:

 Trade show badge scanner - a handheld device which exhibitors use to scan attendees’ badges. These devices are provided by the event organiser for exhibitors to hire during the event.
 Lead retrieval apps - for some events, the organisers provide a dedicated mobile app for attendees and exhibitors to use. An app can be installed on exhibitors’ own devices, meaning they don’t need to hire additional hardware during the event.

Types of technology

 Barcode
 Magnetic stripe
 Mobile app
 QR Code
 RFID

See also

 Trade fair
 Lead generation

References

Sales
Trade fairs


The Vicinic ( - Vičinik) is a left tributary of the river Karaš in Romania and Serbia. Its source and the greatest part of the river are located in Romania. There it flows through the villages Ilidia, Ciuchici, Nicolinț, Rusova Nouă, Rusova Veche, Berliște, Milcoveni, and Iam. On its lower reach it crosses the border into Serbia before joining the Karaš in Dobričevo. In Romania, its length is  and its basin size is .

References

Rivers of Serbia
Rivers of Romania
Rivers of Caraș-Severin County


The Roman Catholic Diocese of Corneto had its see in Corneto, an old name for Tarquinia. It was absorbed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Civitavecchia-Tarquinia

See also
Roman Catholic Diocese of Montefiascone
Roman Catholic Diocese of Civitavecchia-Tarquinia
Tarquinia Cathedral
Catholic Church in Italy

References

Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Italy


Andrew Maclean Pollock (11 June 1914 – 19 December 1969) was a Scottish-born South African cricketer, who played a small number of first-class matches for Orange Free State. A left-handed bat and wicketkeeper, he was the father of Peter Pollock and Graeme Pollock, the grandfather of Shaun, Anthony and Andrew Graeme Pollock, and the brother in law of Robert Howden.

References

External links

1914 births
1969 deaths
South African cricketers
Free State cricketers
Scottish emigrants to South Africa


Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 50th Pennsylvania attorney general from 2017 to 2023 and as a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners from 2012 to 2017.

Raised in Montgomery County, Shapiro studied political science at the University of Rochester and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University. After that he worked as a senior adviser to Senator Robert Torricelli. Shapiro was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2004, defeating former Republican U.S. representative Jon D. Fox. He represented the 153rd district from 2005 to 2012. Shapiro was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2011, marking the first time Republicans lost control of Montgomery County. Serving on the board from 2011 to 2017, he held the position of chairman, and in 2015 was also appointed chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency by Governor Tom Wolf.

Shapiro ran for Pennsylvania attorney general in 2016, defeating Republican John Rafferty Jr., and was reelected in 2020. As attorney general, he released the findings of a statewide grand jury report that revealed the abuse of children by priests and coverup by church leaders; he also helped negotiate $1 billion for Pennsylvania as part of a national opioid settlement.

In 2021, Shapiro announced his candidacy for governor of Pennsylvania in the 2022 election. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee Doug Mastriano in the general election by a 14.8 percent margin.

Early life and education
Shapiro was born on June 20, 1973, in Kansas City, Missouri, to a father serving in the Navy, and was raised in Dresher, a part of Upper Dublin Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. His father, Steven, is a pediatrician, and his mother is a teacher. At a young age, Shapiro started a worldwide letter-writing program, known as Children for Avi, on behalf of Russian Jewish refuseniks. He attended high school at Akiba Hebrew Academy, now known as Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, and then located in Merion Station, Pennsylvania. Shapiro played basketball in high school and was one of the team's captains during his senior year.

He attended the University of Rochester, where he majored in political science and became the first freshman to win election as the student body president of the University of Rochester in 1992. He graduated magna cum laude in 1995. While working on Capitol Hill, he enrolled at the Georgetown University Law Center as an evening student and earned a Juris Doctor in 2002.

Early career

Capitol Hill
After graduating from Rochester, Shapiro moved to Washington, D.C. He started as legislative assistant to Senator Carl Levin, then served as a senior adviser to Representative Peter Deutsch, and then a senior advisor to Senator Robert Torricelli. While working for Torricelli, Shapiro planned foreign affairs tours in the Middle East and Asia, including a trip to North Korea.

From 1999 to 2003, he worked as Chief of Staff to Representative Joe Hoeffel, who represented parts of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

In 2004, Shapiro ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 153rd district. He faced the Republican nominee, former Congressman Jon D. Fox. Shapiro trailed in polling during the beginning of the race, but knocked on 10,000 doors and ran a campaign centered around increasing  education funding and better access to health care. He was elected by a margin of ten points over Fox. He was reelected in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

As a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, he built a reputation as a consensus builder, who was willing to work across the aisle on a bipartisan basis. Following the 2006 elections, Democrats controlled the Pennsylvania State House by one seat, but the party was unable to unite behind a candidate for Speaker of the House. Shapiro helped to broker a deal that resulted in the election of moderate Republican Dennis O'Brien as Speaker of the House. O'Brien subsequently named Shapiro as deputy speaker of the house.

While a state representative, Shapiro was one of the first public backers of then-Senator Barack Obama for president in 2008. This was in contrast with much of the Pennsylvania political establishment, which supported Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary.

From 2006 through 2017, Shapiro also practiced corporate law at the firm Stradley, Ronon, Stevens, and Young in Philadelphia.

Montgomery County commissioner

Shapiro won election to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2011; the election marked the first time in history that the Republican Party lost control of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. Shapiro became chairman of the board of commissioners, initially serving alongside Democrat Leslie Richards and Republican Bruce Castor.

Shapiro's commission duties centered around social services and administration. Castor, the only Republican member of the board during Shapiro's tenure, praised Shapiro's work, calling him "the best county commissioner I ever knew" and "very good at arriving at consensus." In 2016, Shapiro voted for an 11% tax increase, which was an average increase of $66 in property taxes. During his tenure, the board of commissioners implemented zero-based budgeting and shifted county pension investments from hedge funds to index funds. Democrats retained a majority on the board of commissioners in the 2015 election, as Shapiro and his running mate, Val Arkoosh, both won election.

Shapiro chaired the board from 2012 to 2016.

In April 2015, Governor Tom Wolf named Shapiro the Chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Pennsylvania Attorney General

Shapiro announced his candidacy for Pennsylvania Attorney General in January 2016. While he had practiced with Philadelphia's Stradley Ronon firm and chaired the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, he had never served as a prosecutor. Shapiro campaigned on his promise to restore the office's integrity following Kathleen Kane's resignation and also promised to work to combat the opioid epidemic and gun violence. His campaign was supported by President Barack Obama, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and businessman and former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, who was among the largest donors to Shapiro's campaign. He won the Democratic primary for attorney general in April 2016, defeating Stephen Zappala and John Morganelli with 47 percent of the vote. In November 2016, Shapiro narrowly defeated the Republican nominee, State Senator John Rafferty Jr., with 51.3 percent of the vote.

Shapiro was reelected in 2020, defeating Republican nominee Heather Heidelbaugh with 50.9% of the vote. He received 3,461,472 votes, the most of any candidate in Pennsylvania history, and outran Joe Biden in the concurrent presidential election.

Tenure

Before Shapiro took office in 2016, the Pennsylvania Attorney's General office launched an investigation of allegations of sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the Catholic Church. Shapiro inherited the investigation, and, in August 2018, released the results of an extensive grand jury report. The report alleged the sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by over 300 priests. It prompted similar investigations in other states into the Catholic Church, such as an inquiry launched by then-Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley.

In 2017, Shapiro announced the roundup of a "Million Dollar Heroin Ring" under "Operation Outfoxed" in Luzerne County. One of those arrested was Maura Kathio, previously charged in a major bath salts case in 2016. All of the charges in Operation Outfoxed were dismissed after allegations that the attorney general's office mishandled the sealing of wiretapped recordings.

In January 2018, Centre County District Attorney Bernard Cantorna referred the case of the death of Tim Piazza, a Penn State student who was hazed, to Shapiro, because Cantorna had previously served as a criminal defense attorney for one of the defendants. Multiple defendants pleaded guilty.

In August 2018, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner referred the case of the fatal shooting of Jeffrey Dennis by a Philadelphia police officer to Shapiro, because Krasner had previously served as Dennis's criminal defense attorney. Dennis was in his car when he was "box[ed] in" by undercover officers in unmarked vehicles; three officers were injured after Dennis tried to evade them. In December, Shapiro announced no charges would be filed against the officers, saying, "violations of police procedure do not always rise to the level of criminal charges". Dennis's family subsequently sued the officer and city of Philadelphia for the incident.

In 2019, Shapiro led efforts to ensure that insurance holders of Highmark, a healthcare company, can receive treatment at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The settlement allowed 1.9 million insurance recipients to continue using their existing doctors as in-plan providers rather than being forced to switch either medical providers or insurance providers.

Shapiro was one of 20 electors the Pennsylvania Democratic Party chose to vote in the Electoral College for Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris in 2020 United States presidential election.

In 2021, Shapiro announced an opioid settlement with Johnson & Johnson and three other U.S. pharmaceutical distributors that resulted in Pennsylvania receiving $1 billion. The settlement resolved thousands of lawsuits against the companies for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic.

In December 2019, Shapiro charged State Representative Movita Johnson-Harrell with perjury and theft of funds from her supposedly nonprofit charity on such things as vacations and clothing.

In July 2021, Shapiro charged State Representative Margo L. Davidson with theft by deception, solicitation to hinder apprehension, and Election Code violations after stealing from the Commonwealth by filing fraudulent overnight per diem requests and various other expenses through the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Comptroller's Office as well as hindering a state prosecution.

In August 2021, Shapiro settled the largest prevailing wage criminal case in U.S. history. Under the plea, Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc., paid nearly $21 million to 1,267 Pennsylvania workers.

Shapiro joined several other state attorneys general in opposing President Donald Trump's travel ban, and also sued Trump and the Roman Catholic organization Little Sisters of the Poor to block the implementation of a rule that would have made it easier for employers to deny health insurance coverage of contraceptives. He also joined a lawsuit against ITT Technical Institute, a for-profit educational institute, that resulted in a $168 million settlement (with about $5 million of that going to Pennsylvania students). In 2018, he reached an agreement with federal officials to prevent the distribution of blueprints for 3D printed firearms. In 2019, he came out in support of the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults, joining Governor Tom Wolf and other leading Pennsylvania Democrats.

2022 gubernatorial campaign

Shapiro had long been expected to run for governor of Pennsylvania, and on October 13, 2021, he announced his candidacy in the 2022 election. In January 2022, Shapiro's campaign reported it had $13.4 million in campaign funds, which was described as a record amount for a candidate in an election year. Shapiro faced no opponents in the Democratic primary, and secured the nomination on May 17, 2022. He faced Republican nominee Doug Mastriano in the general election.

Shapiro ran on a platform of protecting voting rights, abortion rights, and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. His campaign was criticized by some progressives because of his support for capital punishment for "heinous crimes", his public feuds with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, and his compromising with police unions to pass police reform bills. But efforts to enlist a progressive primary challenge to Shapiro were unsuccessful. Shapiro later changed his position, now saying he opposes capital punishment and would sign a bill to abolish it.

During the leadup to the primary election, Shapiro's campaign released a statewide televised advertisement calling a Mastriano win "a win for what Donald Trump stands for", referencing Mastriano's stance on outlawing abortion and his efforts to audit the 2020 presidential election. The ad was seen as an "endorsement" of the Republican candidate Shapiro would want to face in the general election, with Mastriano seen as too extreme for swing voters to elect. Mastriano won the Republican primary and his closest opponent, former Congressman Lou Barletta, later said that Shapiro's ads likely helped. The impact of Shapiro's ads on the primary is disputed as Mastriano was already in the lead.

Platform
Shapiro has said that as governor he will protect abortion access in Pennsylvania and veto any bill passed the state legislature passes that outlaws abortion. In contrast, Mastriano said he would support outlawing abortion in Pennsylvania without any exceptions, including in cases of rape or the mother's life being at risk.

Before running for governor, Shapiro had supported capital punishment for what he called "heinous crimes". During his campaign, he announced that he now favored abolishing the death penalty in Pennsylvania, a reversal of his previous position. Shapiro was asked in a 2022 interview with Pennsylvania Capital-Star why his position changed, to which he responded:
[The] question is a fair one ... When I ran for [attorney general] in 2016, I said that the death penalty should be reserved for the most heinous of crimes. But then I got elected attorney general and I saw these cases come across my desk. I got closer to a system that I thought was in need of reform. And as attorney general I never once sought the death penalty. As governor, I'd be in a policymaking role, together with the Legislature ... and I thought it was important when asked to state my position unequivocally that I would sign legislation to abolish the death penalty. Shapiro also said he would not sign any future death warrants for prisoners on death row.

Shapiro supports cutting Pennsylvania's nearly 10 percent corporate tax rate to 4 percent by 2025. He has proposed hiring 2,000 additional police officers across Pennsylvania, saying, the "more police officers we hire, the more opportunities we have for them to get out of their patrol cars, walk the beat, learn the names of the kids in the communities". Shapiro favors pardoning those convicted for possession of small amount of marijuana.

On efforts to mitigate COVID-19, Shapiro has broken with some in the Democratic Party and opposes mask and vaccine mandates. He prefers educating the public about vaccines' efficacy. Shapiro is also skeptical about Pennsylvania joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a market-based program to reduce some greenhouse gas emissions. He has proposed expanding Pennsylvania's clean energy portfolio for utility companies, greater electric car infrastructure and investing in clean energy research and development. Shapiro supports a Lifeline Scholarship bill, which creates education savings accounts for children in failing public schools that can be spent on approved expenses including tutoring, instructional materials and private school tuition.

Shapiro has proposed a plan that will allow for a $250 gas tax refund per personal passenger vehicle up to four vehicles per household. He proposed funding the proposal with funds from the American Rescue Plan. On the issue of vocational training, Shapiro has proposed increasing career and technical training in high schools, tripling state funding for apprenticeships and union skills programs, and creating a Pennsylvania office of workforce development. He also supports eliminating four-year degree requirements for state government jobs. Shapiro is a supporter of unions and has vowed to veto any "right to work" legislation.

Endorsements and support

Before his announcement, term-limited Governor Tom Wolf endorsed Shapiro. He also received endorsements from former Governor Ed Rendell, State Senator Anthony H. Williams, former Pennsylvania Democratic Party chair Marcel Groen, and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Additionally, he was endorsed by the SEIU Pennsylvania State Council, four SEIU local unions consisting of over 80,000 SEIU members in the state. In January 2022 the Pennsylvania Democratic Party endorsed him by voice vote. The committee also endorsed his preferred running mate, State Representative Austin Davis. Other union support included the Philadelphia Carpenters Union and Sheet Metal workers, the Western Pennsylvania Laborers' PAC, and the Electricians Union Local No. 5 in Pittsburgh.

Eight former Republican officials, including former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman and former Congressman Charlie Dent, as well as the sitting Republican chairman of the Lawrence County Board of Commissioners, Morgan Boyd, endorsed Shapiro, with several calling Mastriano "extreme" and "divisive". Seven more former Republican officials, including former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, endorsed Shapiro in August 2022 for the same reason.

Results
On November 8, 2022, Shapiro defeated Mastriano with 56.5 percent of the vote to Mastriano's 41.7 percent. Shapiro carried 17 counties.

Governor of Pennsylvania (2023–present)
Shapiro was sworn in on January 17, 2023, succeeding Governor Tom Wolf. He is the third Jewish governor in the history of Pennsylvania, after Milton Shapp (1971–1979) and Ed Rendell (2003–2011). He is also the state's first Generation X governor.

Since taking office, Shapiro has focused on expanding Pennsylvania's workforce. The day after his inauguration, he signed an executive order to eliminate the four-year college degree requirement for 92 percent of state government jobs. On July 31, 2023, Shapiro signed an executive order that established the Commonwealth Workers Transformation Program (CWTP), which provides grants to ensure that companies and contractors have the skilled workforce required. As part of the program, as much as $400 million could be used for workforce training in Pennsylvania until 2028. Shapiro also eliminated the college education requirement for state police cadets in August 2023.

In his second month in office, Shapiro pledged to continue the pause on state-level executions Wolf had maintained. He also called on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to abolish the death penalty.

In March 2023, Shapiro proposed raising Pennsylvania's minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15 by 2024.

After the Interstate 95 highway collapse on June 11, 2023, Shapiro issued a "disaster emergency" proclamation, which immediately provided $7 million in state funds for reconstruction work. The proclamation also authorized the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and the Pennsylvania State Police to use available resources to respond to the collapse. Under Shapiro's leadership, the collapsed portion of I-95 was rebuilt in less than two weeks. Shapiro received praise for his response to the collapse. President Joe Biden said that Shapiro did "one heck of a job" in responding to the collapse; Minority Leader Brian J. O'Neill of the Philadelphia City Council said, "you couldn't ask for more from the governor." A Quinnipiac University poll found that 74 percent of statewide voters approved of Shaprio's handling of the crisis.

During the drafting of Pennsylvania's state budget in the summer of 2023, Shapiro supported a Republican-led school choice proposal that would distribute $100 million to families for private school tuitions instead of sending their children to public schools. He later dropped his support to avoid a protracted budget delay after Democrats in the state House refused to follow his lead.

In August 2023, Shapiro announced his administration would end Pennsylvania's nearly 30-year long contract with Real Alternatives, an anti-abortion non-profit that funds anti-abortion counseling centers and maternity homes. Shapiro said he decided to end Real Alternatives' contract in order to better defend abortion access in the state.

On September 19, 2023, Shapiro announced Pennsylvania would enact automatic voter registration, effective immediately. The process will include voter registration when voting-eligible persons receive their driver's licenses, with the choice to opt out.

In late September 2023, Shapiro's longtime aide and then-secretary of legislative affairs, Mike Vereb, resigned after he was accused of making sexual comments to a female staffer. Shapiro's administration faced criticism after it was revealed Vereb had remained in his position months after the accusations were made. Shapiro defended his administration's actions, saying that an investigation into the allegations against Vereb is under way. He added, "Obviously these investigations—and again, I'm speaking generally, and I think it's really important that you understand that—these things don't happen overnight. They can be lengthy processes. But it's important, and I know this from my time as attorney general advocating for victims, it's really important to make sure that everyone be heard and that the process be thorough and complete." Weeks later, Spotlight PA revealed that, three weeks before Vereb's resignation, Shapiro's administration had reached a settlement with Vereb's accusers that included a clause preventing all parties involved from publicly discussing its details.

Personal life
Shapiro met his wife, Lori, in ninth grade as they both attended Akiba Hebrew Academy, now Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, then in Merion Station. They dated in high school and reconnected after college while both were living in Washington, D.C. Shapiro proposed to her in Jerusalem in 1997. They married on May 25 of that year.

Shapiro and his wife have four children and reside in the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Shapiro is an observant Conservative Jew who keeps kosher.

Electoral history

See also
 List of Jewish American jurists

References

External links

Governor Josh Shapiro official government website
Josh Shapiro for Governor campaign website

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1973 births
2012 United States presidential electors
2020 United States presidential electors
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American politicians
American Jews from Pennsylvania
American Conservative Jews
Democratic Party governors of Pennsylvania
Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Georgetown University Law Center alumni
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy alumni
Jewish American people in Pennsylvania politics
Jewish American state governors of the United States
Jewish American state legislators in Pennsylvania
Lawyers from Kansas City, Missouri
Living people
Montgomery County Commissioners (Pennsylvania)
Pennsylvania Attorneys General
People from Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania
Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri
University of Rochester alumni


Fausta (; c. 630 – after 668) was the Byzantine empress as the wife of Constans II, when they married in 642.

Family
Fausta was a daughter of Valentinus, a general of Armenian origins, reputedly a descendant of the Arsacids.

Valentinus enters historical record as an adjutant of Philagrius, the sakellarios (treasurer) of Heraclius. Heraclius died on 11 February 641. His will left the throne to two of his sons, as co-rulers to each other. The first son was Constantine III, his only known son by his first wife Eudokia. The second son was Heraklonas, eldest son of Heraclius by his niece and second wife Martina. Martina was to remain Augusta and thus maintain influence at court.

Constantine was the only one of the two co-emperors to be old enough to rule by himself. He was about twenty-nine years old at the time but already suffered from tuberculosis. Chances were that he would not survive long and Heraklonas would remain as sole emperor. However Constantine set about to secure the loyalty of the Byzantine army for himself. His father had entrusted Patriarch Pyrrhus I of Constantinople with the administration of a treasury fund for Martina. Constantine confiscated the fund and used it for the spring military payroll and substantial donations to the army, estimated to about two millions coins.

Valentinus was appointed commander of the eastern divisions of the Byzantine army at about the same time. The extent of his actual jurisdiction is uncertain due to an ongoing war with the Umayyad Caliphate under Umar. He was appointed by Constantine and would remain loyal to him.

Marriage
Constantine III died between April and May 641, after a reign of three to four months. Heraklonas was left the senior emperor by default and was placed under the regency of Martina. However partisans of Constantine in the army spread the rumor that their emperor had been poisoned.

Valentinus took control of the troops in Anatolia and before long started a revolt in the name of Constans II, eldest surviving son of Constantine III. The boy was barely eleven years old but was proclaimed the rightful heir to his father by the rebels. Valentine led a march to Chalcedon and thus set camp almost directly opposite Constantinople.

The revolt by the Anatolian forces was soon matched by a revolt within the capital. Both sharing the same goal of placing Constans on the throne. Martina had to agree to concessions. Constans was proclaimed co-emperor and her ally Patriarch Pyrrhus was forced to resign. He was replaced by Patriarch Paul II of Constantinople who was an acceptable choice for the rebels. Valentinus was offered the title comes excubitorum, commander of the Excubitors, and thus promoted to a position of great power in the Byzantine court.

All concessions were in vain. In September, 641, Valentinus entered the city. Heraklonas and Martina were deposed and subjected to mutilation: the nose of Heraklonas and the tongue of Martina were cut, and both were exiled to Rhodes. Constans was left the only Emperor, and was soon after bethrothed to Fausta.

The marriage took place in 642. According to the chronicle of John of Nikiû, Valentinus tried to become co-emperor, his argument being that an adult emperor was needed against the Caliphate. The people of Constantinople rose again in defense of Constans and the general had to be content with the offer of general command of the army. His second attempt to rise to the throne in 644 was also stopped by revolt. Theophanes the Confessor reports this second attempt cost Valentinus his life.

Empress
The first known son of Fausta and Constans was Constantine IV. He was born c. 652, ten years following the marriage of his parents. He was proclaimed co-emperor in 654. Two younger sons are known, Heraclius and Tiberius, because of being proclaimed co-emperors in 659.

In 661, Constans II left Constantinople for Syracuse where he set his residence for the rest of his reign. Constantine IV, Heraclius and Tiberius remained in the capital. There is some uncertainty over the location of Fausta.

On September 15, 668, Constans II was assassinated in his bath by his chamberlain. Fausta likely survived him. Constantine succeeded to the throne with his brothers as co-emperors. Constantine had Heraclius and Tiberius deposed in 681. Fausta could still be alive at the time.

De Ceremoniis by Constantine VII mentions the grave of Fausta in the Church of the Holy Apostles but not the date of her death.

References

Sources

External links
Warren Treadgold, "Two Fights for Survival: 610–668," Chapter 9 of his A History of the Byzantine State and Society, Stanford University Press, 1997, pp. 287–322.
Lynda Garland, "Fausta, wife of Constans II"

630s births
7th-century deaths
7th-century Byzantine empresses
Burials at the Church of the Holy Apostles
Heraclian dynasty
Augustae
Mothers of Byzantine emperors


The No. 224 Squadron (Warlords) of the IAF is a Ground Attack squadron based at Jamnagar AFS. It was temporarily disbanded in 2007 after the retirement of MiG-23MF aircraft. The unit was resurrected in 2008 with Jaguar Darin II aircraft and continues to operate from Jamnagar.

The crest
No.224 Sqn crest depicts a warrior on a chariot proceeding to war. The chariot signifies the weapon platforms which are highly lethal and flexible, the horse signifying the power and strength and the warrior is at high state of readiness and aiming his weapons on the enemies.

History
No. 224 Sqn, IAF was raised on 4 July 1983 at Airforce Station Adampur under the command of Wg Cdr RA Massey, Vr C, as a part of Western Air Command. The unit was equipped with the Mig 23MF and assigned the Air defence role and later an additional peacetime role of Banner Target Towing. Later it moved to Jamnagar, its MiG-23s modified to tow targets.

No.224 Sqn was the last operator of the MiG-23MF before their retirement from the Indian Air Force in 2007. The final fly past of the closing ceremony was done by Wing Commander M. K. Singh flying a banner titles "End of an Era", Wing Commander Tapas Sahu, Squadron Leader Vijay Shelke and Wing Commander RS Jamdar.

Operations
Operation Meghdoot from 1985 to 1986.
Operation Safed Sagar during May 1999.

Awards and honours
No 224 Sqn was adjudged the best over all fighter squadron in Western Air Command during 1986-1987
Wg Cdr  Radhakrishnan Radhish Vayusena Medal 2006
Sqn Ldr SV Bal                Vayusena Medal 1991
WO      L Jha                 Commendation by CAS 1997
WO      HS Saini              Commendation by CAS 1989
Sgt     Tanwar RS             Commendation by CAS 1988
Sgt     K Damodaran           Commendation by CAS 1988
WO      Ravi Nandan           Commendation by CAS 1987
Sgt     Sagar SC              Commendation by CAS 1986

Aircraft

References

1983 establishments in India
2007 disestablishments in India
224
Military units and formations established in 1983
Military units and formations disestablished in 2007


A Tiene (plural: Tienen), sometimes also called Tine or Obsttiene (Obst is German for fruit), was a special container for transporting wine and fruit. These were used until shortly after the First World War, mostly in the Brandenburg city of Werder in northern Germany. Normally the wooden tubs were carried on people's backs to small boats and shipped on the Havel River to market stalls in Berlin.

History

The fruit-growing area around the river island city of Werder has a long tradition, back to the fruit fields of the Cistercian monks at Lehnin Abbey, one of the oldest monastic foundations in Brandenberg, established in 1180. The abbey lands produced large amounts of grapes and other fruits which were processed and transported to Berlin.

The term Tiene comes from the wooden vats in which the grapes were pressed for processing into wine, used originally in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 19th century, fruit growers transferred the term to the small wooden tubs in which they transported their fruit.

Capacity and construction
A Tiene holds approximately 7 litres, or 3.5 to 4 kg mass, depending on the kind of fruit. The oak tubs weigh 1.8 kg, while tubs made from spruce weigh 1.6 kg. The conical Tienen were prepared for shipping by covering the top with linen cloth. By about 1900 more than 200,000 Tienen were in use in the Werder region and their production was a significant craft industry in the town.

Three coopers worked on the island and it is to be supposed that the cooper's trade began in the 18th century in Werder. Before the Tienen were sold to the fruit farmers, the coopers had to calibrate them. The Tienen were dried and then weighed and the dead weight was branded on the outside. A new Tiene for cherries with a capacity of 7 to 9 pounds cost sixty pfennigs in 1908. A Tiene for raspberries weighed 50 to 60 pounds.

Werder pioneered these transport containers and when it introduced the 'chip' basket (made from wooden chips) in 1910, the Tienen quickly lost their former importance.

Significance of the industry
In his travelogue Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg, Theodor Fontane recalled walking to school in Berlin past the Werder people at their original position for selling their fruit, at Burgstraße between the Friedrichsbrücke and Herkulesbrücke bridges.
At times it also happened that from the Unterbaum we saw the late 'second wave' of the Werder folks arrive, big barges crammed with Tienen, while twenty Werder women sat on the oar benches, moving with equal energy their oars and their heads in their pannier hats ... The air swam within a refreshing aroma, and the cupola of inverted and heaped up wooden Tienen was more interesting to us than the commode-shaped Monbijou Palace and, sad to say, also more interesting than the forest of columns of Schinkel's New Museum.

References

Sources
Dr. H.-Joachim Koch. "Blütenstadt Werder/Havel" Heimatgeschichtliche Beiträge 1984 pp. 18–21

Containers
Towns in Brandenburg


Bernardo Storace (fl. 1664) was an Italian composer. Almost nothing is known about his life; his only surviving collection of music contains numerous variation sets and represents a transitory stage between the time of Girolamo Frescobaldi and that of Bernardo Pasquini.

Life
Very little is known about his life, except that in 1664 he served as Vice-Maestro di cappella to the senate of Messina. This fact is mentioned on the title page of Selva di varie compositioni d'intavolatura per cimbalo ed organo, the single surviving collection of Storace's music, which is also the only source of information on the composer. Messina was twice devastated by earthquakes, in 1783 and in 1908, so archival research is impossible. Given that Selva di varie compositioni was published in Venice and the music is stylistically somewhat more related to that of northern Italian composers, it is possible that Storace was originally from the north of Italy.

Works

Storace's main interest in Selva di varie compositioni is the variation form. Particularly notable are the four passacaglias, which contain, in total, 320 representations of the descending tetrachord. Two of these works are split into several sections connected by modulatory passages: Passagagli sopra D sol re per # contains four sections (D major, A major, E major, and B minor; a total of 91 variations) and Passagagli sopra Fe fa ut per b three (F minor, B-flat minor and E-flat major; a total of 72 variations). The single chaconne included in the collection also comprises variations on a four-bar pattern.

The rest of the variation sets tend to feature longer patterns, up to 24 bars in Aria sopra la Spagnoletta. The theme of the latter piece is, curiously, not related to Frescobaldi's Spagnoletta; it is only found in a 16th-century Florentine manuscript. Storace uses a transposed version of it and produces six variations with very brief connecting passages between them. A similar situation is observed in Partita sopra il Cinque passi: there are fifteen variations on a six-bar theme, connected by brief transitions, and the theme is again not related to the more well-known Cinquepassi of The Mulliner Book, or to cinquepassi as explained by Michael Praetorius in his writings. Storace's Follia uses the same theme as Frescobaldi's Follia, but neither is related to the famous La Folía. Finally, Storace's variations on the Passo e mezzo include one on the moderno variant of the theme and two on the antico; all three sets are examples of mixed variations, for they include sections marked gagliarda or corrente, i.e., dances.

Storace's two toccatas are rather brief pieces, less complex harmonically than their Italian predecessors. The two ricercars, on the other hand, are masterful works–the first (titled simply Ricercar) is in fact a triple fugue, the first theme of which is Frescobaldi's, from the famous Ricercare con l'obbligo di cantare la quinta parte senza tocarla from Fiori musicali. The last piece of Selva di varie compositioni is also its most intriguing: Storace's Pastorale is a very long work consisting of numerous repeated figures, variations, etc., all over an incessant pedal note. There are five sections arranged symmetrically: prima parte and seconde parte are followed by an aria, which is followed by terza parte and quarta parte.

List of works

Selva di varie compositioni contains the following works (listed here in the original order):
Three sets of variations on the Passo e mezzo:
Capriccio sopra il Passo e Mezzo
Passo e Mezzo
Altro Passo e Mezzo
Variations on the Romanesca
Variations on the Spagnoletta (Aria sopra la Spagnoletta)
Variations on the Monica
Variations on the Ruggiero (Capriccio sopra Ruggiero)
Variations on the Cinque passi (Partita sopra il Cinque passi)
Variations on the Folia (Follia)
Four passacaglias:
Passagagli sopra A la mi re
Passagagli sopra C sol fa ut
Passagagli sopra D sol re per #
Passagagli sopra Fe fa ut per b
Chaconne (Ciaccona)
Variations on the Balletto
Ballo della Battaglia
Two correntes
Two Toccata e canzon pairs
Two ricercars:
Ricercar
Ricercar di legature
Pastorale

References
Apel, Willi. 1972. The History of Keyboard Music to 1700, pp. 731–733. Translated by Hans Tischler. Indiana University Press. . Originally published as Geschichte der Orgel- und Klaviermusik bis 1700 by Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel.

External links

17th-century Italian composers
18th-century keyboardists
Italian Baroque composers
Italian male classical composers
Italian harpsichordists
Italian organists
Male organists
Musicians from Messina
17th-century male musicians


A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline.

The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin transversus (transverse) via Old French traversain (set crosswise).

The stern of a boat is typically vertical. It can be raked such that there is an overhang above the water, as at the bow. A reverse transom is angled from the waterline forwards.

Transoms can be used to support a rudder, outboard motor, or as a swimming and access platform.

Gallery

References

Sailboat components
Watercraft components


Melee is a board wargame designed by Steve Jackson, and released in 1977 by Metagaming Concepts. In 2019, Melee was revived and re-released by Steve Jackson Games.

Gameplay
Melee is a game of arena combat in which each player generates their character by purchasing Strength, Dexterity and even equipment as part of a point-based character creation system, and then these characters fight using a tactical combat system involving six-sided dice.

Every figure has a strength and dexterity attribute; the sum of the two must equal 24 for a starting character.

Strength governs the size of weapons used, with higher strength weapons allowing an increase to the damage inflicted in combat, and also serves as "hit points," dictating how much damage a character can take. Dexterity determines how the chance of hitting an opponent.

Movement
Each character has a Movement Allowance (MA) that indicates how many hexes can be moved each turn. The map also has megahexes (an arrangement of six hexes around a central hex), which governs the range of missile weapons. Armor ca be worn to reduce the amount of damage taken in combat at the cost of a lower Dexterity and movement allowance.

Combat
Each attack, whether missile or melee, is determined by throwing three 6-sided dice (or four dice, if the opponent dodged or defended). If the total rolled is equal or less than the attacking character's Dexterity score (when penalties for wearing armor and effects of wounds are subtracted) then a hit is scored. Each weapon has a wounding capability determined by rolling one or more dice with some adjustments. For example, a dagger does 1 die minus 1 point (for a damage range of 0 to 5), while a battle axe does 3 dice of damage. This damage is then adjusted by any protection (armor and shields) used by the opponent. For example, chain mail stops 3 hits of damage; if a battle axe struck this figure and the score rolled was 9, the figure would only take 6 damage because of the armor. Wounds can affect a figure either by giving a temporary or permanent penalty to dexterity until healed. Single powerful blows can knock a figure down.

A figure that wins a fight gains experience points; when enough points are gained they can be traded in for additional attribute points, allowing a figure to advance in power.

Advanced Melee was tied more closely to In the Labyrinth, and featured more combat options, such as called shots, additional weapons, and greater detail in general. Also, IQ (introduced in Wizard) becomes important for allowing a figure to use combat relevant talents, such as Fencing, Two Weapons Combat, and so forth, making figures more varied.

Publication history
While working at Metagaming Concepts in 1977, Steve Jackson created Ogre, a small, cheap, fast two-player microgame packaged in a ziplock bag. This became the first in a line of almost two dozen Metagaming products titled "MicroGames".

At the time Jackson was also playing the new fantasy roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, but he considered the various-sized polyhedral dice from that game "irritating", and the combat rules "confusing and unsatisfying", especially the lack of tactics. Jackson had also joined the Society for Creative Anachronism to find a closer understanding of actual combat, and based on his experiences, he designed Melee, which became the third game in the MicroGame series.

While designing the game, Jackson saw the opportunity of expanding the Melee game into a full system of fantasy roleplaying rules that could be used to compete with D&D and started to design this RPG. Even before they released Melee, Metagaming began to advertise that role-playing system, The Fantasy Trip. Jackson also designed the magic rules, which Metagaming published as the sixth in the MicroGame line, Wizard (1978).

Metagaming then published MicroQuest #1, Death Test (1978), which was a short adventure scenario that could be used with either Melee or Wizard. Jackson intended for The Fantasy Trip to be published as a boxed set, but publisher Howard M. Thompson decided that the price was too high and so he split the game into four separate books: Advanced Melee (1980), which expanded the Melee system, Advanced Wizard (1980), In the Labyrinth (1980), and the adventure Tollenkar's Lair (1980).

Jackson disliked with this change and left the company the same year to found Steve Jackson Games. Metagaming later released Dragons of Underearth (1982), a roleplaying game which was a  stripped down version of The Fantasy Trip, based on the rules from the original Melee and Wizard games. The Metagaming science fiction game Starleader: Assault relied on Melee'''s rules for hand-to-hand and handheld weapons combat scenarios.

Metagaming released a number of small games in plastic bags held closed with cellophane tape. The game came with a blank hex map overlaid with "megahexes" (groupings of 7 standard hexes into larger tesselating shapes for fast range determination), a counter sheet of men and monsters, and a 16-page rulebook.

After Metagaming went out of business, Steve Jackson's GURPS borrowed heavily from his first role-playing rule set The Fantasy Trip, with a similar minimal set of primary attributes to determine in-game results: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence (which had been added in Wizard), and a new ability, Health (which was added to address shortcomings in the original damage system).

In late 2017, Jackson used a provision of U.S. copyright law to reclaim the rights to The Fantasy Trip, allowing Steve Jackson Games to re-release Melee in 2019.

Reception
Martin Easterbrook reviewed Melee for White Dwarf #4, giving it an overall rating of 6 out of 10, and stated that "There are no really original ideas in this game but a number of good ideas have been combined together. Because of this I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone who has already adapted rules from several combat systems for their own use, but it is likely to be a great help to anyone who finds that it is difficult to sort out exactly what is happening during a D&D confrontation."

In the inaugural edition of Ares (March 1980), David Ritchie called the game "Clean, fast and deadly. Combats can be resolved between individual characters in 5 to 15 minutes." Ritchie concluded by giving the game a rating of 7 out of 9, saying, "Simple, but not simple-minded."

In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames, game designer Jon Freeman called  this "the cleanest, simplest, and most understandable role-playing game around. It's the only one that doesn't require a referee." Freeman concluded by giving the game an Overall Evaluation of "Very Good", saying, "Despite its atypicality, Melee is probably the best place for aspiring RPG players and designers to begin."

Steve Perrin reviewed Advanced Melee for Different Worlds and stated that "All in all, Advanced Melee is well worth the money. Don't pay any attention to the publisher's attempt to get you to buy the Microgame, Melee is dead, long live Advanced Melee!"

In the book Designers & Dragons, game historian Shannon Appelcline noted that "The tactical combat of Melee worked because it was also very playable; it was simple, yet allowed for thoughtful play, all without paging through charts and tables."

In Issue 27 of Simulacrum, Brian Train noted, "Together with Wizard, this set of simple rules for individual combat formed the framework for an array of expansions (Advanced Melee and Advanced Wizard) and associated games (the programmed adventure Microquests, including Death Test; Death Test 2; Grail Quest; Orb Quest; Master of the Amulets; Security Station; Treasure of the Silver Dragon; Treasure of Unicorn Gold)."

In a retrospective review in Issue 35 of Warning Order, Matt Irsik called this "a lot of game in a little package." He noted that "it garnered quite a following by fantasy gamers who used it as the combat system for their role-playing games." Irsik concluded "For $2.95 this was a very well put together game with a lot of ideas that worked out very well in terms of game play."

Other reviews and commentaryPegasus #10 (Oct. 1982)Magia i Miecz (Issue 1 – 1993) (Polish)Fantastic Science Fiction, October 1980The Playboy Winner's Guide to Board GamesReferences

External links

Further reading
 Jackson, Steve. Melee (1st Printing). Metagaming. Austin. 1977
 Jackson, Steve. Advanced Melee''. Metagaming. Austin. 1980

Board games introduced in 1977
Fantasy board wargames
Metagaming Concepts games
Steve Jackson (American game designer) games


The dawn phenomenon, sometimes called the dawn effect, is an observed increase in blood sugar (glucose) levels that takes place in the early-morning, often between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. First described by Schmidt in 1981 as an increase of blood glucose or insulin demand occurring at dawn, this naturally occurring phenomenon is frequently seen among the general population and is clinically relevant for patients with diabetes as it can affect their medical management. In contrast to Chronic Somogyi rebound, the dawn phenomenon is not associated with nocturnal hypoglycemia.

Physiology
Although not yet completely understood, the dawn phenomenon is thought to be caused by an exaggeration of the normal physiologic hormonal processes that occur overnight. Overnight the human body sees increased levels of several hormones, most notably growth hormone and catecholamines, that lead to increased rates of glucose production and release from the liver. These hormones also inhibit the effects of insulin, leading to an overall increase in circulating blood glucose. This effect is amplified in patients with islet β-cell dysfunction such as diabetics. Notably throughout this process glucagon levels remain unchanged and the increased levels of cortisol observed overnight do not appear to be involved. Observed hyperglycemia secondary to the dawn phenomenon is often defined as an increase in blood glucose of at least >1.1mmol/L (20mg/dL) between the lowest level at night and the highest level before breakfast; however, actual ranges may vary.

The physiologic process involved in causing the dawn phenomenon has been shown to occur in most people. In non-diabetic patients there is a modest increase in insulin secretion just before dawn which compensates for the increased glucose being released from the liver to prevent hyperglycemia. However, studies have shown that diabetic patients fail to compensate for this transiently increased blood glucose release, resulting in hyperglycemia. This resulting hyperglycemia is clinically relevant in diabetic patients as its lasting effects can lead to overall poor glycemic control. In Type 1 diabetics hyperglycemia due to the dawn phenomenon can persist despite adequate insulin compensation overnight, while in Type 2 diabetics the dawn phenomenon has been shown to be resistant to treatment with both oral medications and diet modifications.

An "extended" dawn phenomenon has also been observed in which the abnormal increase in blood glucose levels continues after breakfast. This prolonged duration is thought to be caused by the compounding effects of absorbing and metabolizing breakfast carbohydrates during this period. Both the dawn phenomenon and its extended period have been shown to be significantly more difficult to control when a patient's HbA1c is greater than 7%.

Treatment
Management of the dawn phenomenon varies by patient and thus should be done with regular assistance from a patient's physician. Some treatment options include, but are not limited to, dietary modifications, increased exercise before breakfast and during the evening, and oral anti-hyperglycemic medications if a patient's HbA1c is > 7%. Insulin pumps can also be used to provide continuous subcutaneous infusions and are regarded as the gold standard for managing the dawn phenomenon in type 1 diabetics.

See also
 Cortisol awakening response

References

External links
 Mayo Clinic - The 'dawn phenomenon': What causes it?
 Diabetes Self Management - Dawn Phenomenon
 Dawn Phenomenon (Liver Dump)
 Spiritual and scientific benefits of waking up before Dawn

Insulin therapies
Diabetes


Norman Hudson  OBE (1945 - ) Chairman of the Historic Houses Foundation, founder and publisher of  Hudson's Historic Houses and Gardens annual guidebook, is known primarily as having been an advisor to owners of historic houses on management, development of tourism, ancillary uses and location filming.

Career
Norman Hudson OBE, a management and development consultant, advising primarily on Historic Houses and their management, is currently Chairman of the Historic Houses Foundation, a grant giving charitable body. He has had wide involvement in the Built Heritage sector including having been a member of the National Trust Council 1973–1988, a member of the British Tourism Development Committee, from 1977-2005 retained as Adviser to Historic Houses [Historic Houses Association] whose 1,600 members are the private owners of the most important historic houses and gardens in Great Britain. Hudson continues as consultant to Historic Houses and serves on its Council Council. Having been chairman he is now Patron of the Sulgrave Manor Trust, that looks after Sulgrave Manor [www.sulgravemanor.co.uk] the UK ancestral home of George Washington.

From 1987 until 2007, Hudson published, via his publishing company Norman Hudson & Co, 20 annual editions of Hudson's Historic Houses and Gardens guidebook, then the principal annual guide to UK heritage property open to the public.

In September 2007 Hudson sold the Hudson's Historic Houses and Gardens title to the Heritage House Group Ltd. His involvement continued as chair of the judging panel for the Hudsons Awards, now known as the UK Heritage awards. In 2017 he himself received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Heritage Alliance.

In the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours list, Hudson received an OBE for services to the heritage tourism industry. He is married to Jane, founder of M&G Presents, and lives in Upper Wardington, Oxfordshire. Hudson, prior to its sale in 2016, was Chairman of M&G Presents Ltd, then one of the principal UK mail order gift catalogue businesses.

Books – Author/Editor
Historic Houses and Gardens of the Thames and Chilterns (1979) 32 pages, , . Revised edition (1982) 32 pages, , .
Hudson's Historic Houses and Gardens (1987-2007) Norman Hudson & Co, annually, totalling 20 editions, starting with title dates 1987–8, then 1989 and so on annually. There are also identical USA editions, but with a different cover highlighting Great Britain and Ireland, and a separate ISBN through Globe Pequot Press. See the section below for further details.
Film and Photography for Historic Houses and Gardens (1988) A Handbook for the Historic Houses Association, the National Trust and English Heritage, 82 pages, , .
Film and Photography for Historic Houses and Gardens (1995) A Historic Houses Association Handbook, 98 pages, , .
 Hudson's Guide to Historic Properties in Scotland (1997) Norman Hudson & Co, 290 pages, , . Revised editions - (1998) 64 pages, , ; (1999) 88 pages, , .
Hudson’s Historic Family Homes and Gardens: From the Air (2002) Norman Hudson & Co, foreword by HHA President - the Earl of Leicester, 192 pages, hardcover, , . Paperback (2002) , .

Books – Published by Norman Hudson & Company
Highclere Castle (1988) by Sarah Greenwood, 31 pages, (Highclere Castle).
Thirlestane Castle & the Border Country Life Museum, Lauder, Berwickshire: an illustrated guide (1989) 32 pages (Thirlestane Castle).
A Walk for Diana: The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk (2001) by Tom Corby and Lucy Trench, paperback, 84 pages, ,  (Memorial Walk).

Books – Editions of Hudson's Historic Houses and Gardens
The year listed below is that shown on the book cover, not the date published, which is usually at the end of the year before the cover year. The property name is of that featured on the front cover. For each year, the UK edition is listed first, then the separate US edition (which ceased after the 2007 edition).
2008 - Dunrobin Castle, , .
2009 - Dumfries House, , .

References

1945 births
Living people
English publishers (people)
Officers of the Order of the British Empire


The term Varga (Sanskrit , 'set, division') in Indian astrology (Jyotisha) refers to the division of a zodiacal sign (rāśi) into parts. Each such fractional part of a sign, known as an , has a source of influence associated with it, so that these sources of influence come to be associated with collections of regions around the zodiac.

There are sixteen varga, or divisional, charts used in Jyotisha. These vargas form the basis of a unique system of finding the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of planets.

Overview

Hindu astrology divides the zodiac into several types of segments; these subtle divisions or divisional charts are called Vargas and are said to be the various micro-zodiacs created within the natural macro-zodiac, the Horoscope.

The particular location of planets in the Varga charts materially influences the results of planets constituting a yoga. The two sets of vargas that are commonly used are – a) the Shadvarga i.e. the six-fold division of sign namely, the Rasi or sign, the Hora, the Drekkena or decanate, the Navamsa, the Dwadasamsa and the Trimsamsa, and b) the Saptavarga i.e. the seven-fold division, by tagging the Saptamsa to the Shadvargas. Some follow the Dasavargas or the ten-fold division, and in his Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra, Parasara speaks about the Shodasvarga or the sixteen-fold division of a rasi. Planets become more auspicious if they are in same zodiac sign in shodasa varga or 16 divisional charts. Accordingly, the status thus acquired by planets stands graded for easy identification etc. When a planet acquires two out of sixteen such  vargas(divisional charts) or divisions then it is known to have gained the status called the Parijatamsa or Bhedakamsa, when three vargas are gained then the Uttamamsa or Kusumamsa or Vyanjanamsa, four – the Gopuramsa or Naagpushpamsa or Kimshukamsa or Chaamaramsa, five – the Simhasanamsa or Kundakamsa or Chhatramsa, six – the Parvatamsa or Keralamsa or Kundalamsa, seven – the Devalokamsa or Kalpavrkshamsa or Mukatamsa, eight – the Kumkumamsa or Brahmalokamsa or Chandanvanamsa, nine – the Iravatamsa or Poornachandramsa, ten – the Vyshnavamsa or Shridham or Ucchaishrvamsa, eleven – the Saivamsa Dhanvantriamsa, twelve – the Bhaswadamsa or Suryakantamsa, thirteen – the Vaisheshikamsa or Vidrumamsa, fourteen – the Indrasanamsa, fifteen – the Golokamsa, and sixteen – the Shrivallabhamsa (Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra Slokas 42-51) (Sarvartha Chintamani St.32-35).

Divisional charts
The Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra defines sixteen divisional schemes, each named according to the denominator of the fraction specific to the division. Thus, the integral fraction is division by 1, which yields, trivially, 12 regions of the zodiac corresponding to the 12 signs themselves: perforce this varga scheme is named rāśi. Similarly, a divisor of 2 defines 24 regions; the name horā, derived from the word अहो-रात्र (aho-rātra) meaning day-night by removing the first अ (a) and last sounds त्र (tra) {Reference: Saravali by Kalyanaverma (Sanskrit Classic)}, is etymologically related to the analogous 24 hours in a day. The divisor of 3 defining 36 regions, named drekkana, is similarly related to the Decans of Chaldean horology.

Four other vargas are attributed to Jaimini:

Besides Rāshi (D-1), Navamsha (D-9), Drekana (D-3), Dasamsa (D-10), Trimsamsa (D-30) and Sashtiamsa (D-60) are considered significant divisional charts.

Implication

A planet situated in any one rasi i.e. sign, by itself constitutes a yoga or an ava-yoga owing to the relationship it establishes with the rasi-lord and other bhava-lords with reference to the Lagna and each other, but its mere occupation need not necessarily produce the results assigned for its such occupation. No planet acts alone, it becomes an active participant by having established an unavoidable relationship with one or more other planets; its assigned results are influenced by the rasi and the vargas gained, that is, according to the varga-wise status gained by it and the associating planets. The failure of the yogas to give the expected results can also be due to the varga-wise weak status of the dispositors of the yoga-forming planets rather than the weakness of these planets. The Sun situated in the 9th house from the lagna but not in an inimical sign or navamsa gives wealth, sons, friends and piety even though it makes one antagonistic towards father and wife and not experience happiness. However, the Sun as the lagna-lord exalted in the 9th makes the person and his father fortunate, have many brothers and friends, intelligent, adept, influential and renowned; in case the exalted Sun in the 9th is in its own navamsa or in vargottama but aspected by a friendly planet, he will enjoy Raja yoga.

Janardan Harji in his Mansagari states that if at the time of birth any planet occupies a friendly sign or its own sign or is in its exaltation sign in a trikonabhava (trine) then that planet having gained many favourable vargas gives its assigned good results in full. One such planet makes one wealthy, and two adept, successful and renowned. In the section devoted to arishtas and arishtabhanga of Chapter IV he reiterates that if at birth a strong (varga-wise) Mercury or Venus or Jupiter is situated in a kendrasthana from the lagna even if combined with an evil planet, it will single-handedly soon destroy all arishtas, and that the Moon situated in the 8th house from the lagna in a drekkena owned by Jupiter, Venus or Mercury will confer a long lease of life.

Parasara states that the Moon in mutual aspect with Venus gives rise to Raja yoga; the person born with the Moon in Vargottma navamsa or in Goparamsa aspected by all strong planets will be a ruler even if lowly-born, three planets aspecting such Moon will make a person born in a royal family a king. A Raja yoga arises if the birth ascendant or hora-lagna or ghati-lagna is occupied by one or more planets occupying their exaltation, own or moola-trikona rasi, navamsa or drekkena; a person will certainly become a ruler if the concerned lagna equipped with unobstructed argala is occupied by Jupiter, Venus or the Moon (Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra XXXV.14-16, 37). If the lord of a kendrasthana and a trikonabhava combining having gained favourable vargas give rise to Raja yoga; having gained Uttamamsa they will make a person a very wealthy ruler, if in Gopuramsa that person will be honoured by other rulers and if in Simhasanamsa the person will be a great ever-victorious ruling a large kingdom (Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra XXXVI.18-20).

Venkatesa in his Sarvartha Chintamani (Slokas I.29 & 112) explains that planets occupying the cruel Shashtiamsas (1/60th division of a sign) produce evil results, planets in good Shashtiamsas, and which planets are also occupying good vargas or divisions become powerful to confer good results and that planets in exaltation, in friendly signs, own navamsas, own rasis, drekkenas, shodasmsas and trimsamsas possess Sthanabala and exercise the most favourable influence.

References

See also

Technical factors of Hindu astrology


Chief Oil & Gas is a company founded in Dallas, Texas in 1994 by Trevor Rees-Jones. Its primary holdings of natural gas were developed in the core areas of the Barnett Shale in Tarrant County, Denton County and Parker County. In 1999, new technology in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing along with rising gas prices made the Barnett Shale, an unconventional resource for natural gas, more economical. Chief rapidly expanded its leasehold position and drilling and production program in the Barnett Shale to become the fields second largest producer there.

After selling, in 2006, the majority of its leasehold and production assets to Devon Energy and its pipeline and midstream assets to Crosstex Energy for $2.63 billion, Chief entered the Marcellus Formation gas play in Appalachia, with its primary leasehold position in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York.  Chief drilled their first Marcellus Shale gas well in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in Watson Township in the fall of 2007. The company also has a leasehold position in the Utah Thrust Belt in central Utah with development expected to begin in 2009.

Quicksilver Resources Inc., a Fort Worth-based company, purchased another portion of Chief's Barnett Shale holdings in July 2008. Quicksilver purchased natural gas producing properties in Tarrant and Denton counties from several companies including Chief Oil & Gas LLC, Hillwood Oil & Gas LP and Collins and Young LLC for $1.3 billion.

In December 2010, Chief entered into an asset purchase and sale agreement to sell certain natural gas properties in the Marcellus Shale to EXCO Holding PA, a subsidiary of EXCO Resources Inc., for approximately $459 million.  The sale assets include 15 producing wells, 11 wells waiting on completion and approximately 50,000 net acres located in Lycoming, Sullivan and Columbia counties in Pennsylvania.

In January 2022, it was announced Chesapeake Energy will acquire the company for $2,6 billion.

Technology

Chief Oil & Gas develops natural gas from shale gas plays in the United States.  Advances in the technology of 3-D seismic imaging, drilling and completion technology, including hydraulic fracturing techniques has enabled Chief to produce gas from the low permeability Barnett Shale and Marcellus Shale that otherwise would not be economically feasible.

Technology has also helped Chief reduce the size of the footprint on the environment.  The size of a drill site today has been reduced significantly compared to 50 years ago. Horizontal drilling has made a significant contribution to reducing the company's footprint on the environment. Horizontal drilling technology enables operators to reach their target site and avoid environmentally difficult areas. It also allows multiple wells to be drilled from the same pad site which not only reduces the environmental impact, but the cost to drill.

In September 2008, Chief unveiled a first of its kind drilling rig designed specifically for drilling horizontal wells in the rugged terrain of the Marcellus shale. The 1,600-horsepower rig is quieter, gives off fewer emissions, is safer to operate and can be broken down and carted off quickly.

Controversies
In October 2010, Chief Oil & Gas donated $50,000 to then-gubernatorial candidate and eventual winner Tom Corbett, which some believe was a payoff in exchange for no severance tax and the repeal of environmental policies created to protect the environment from natural gas drilling.
In January 2011, the Chief Gathering, LLC., a subsidiary of Chief Oil & Gas, was fined $34,000 by the Department of Environmental Protection for releasing approximately 25,200 gallons of hydrostatic testing water into the Big Run watershed in August 2010 at a pipeline project in Penn Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
In the first six months of 2010, Chief Oil & Gas was cited for 78 violations by the Pennsylvania DEP, more than any other Marcellus shale driller in the state and with the highest ratio of violations at 3.5 per well.
In June 2010, a well blowout and fire at a Chief-owned site injured seven contractors in Moundsville, West Virginia, and burned for days.  No one from the emergency response crews had been given instruction on how to fight a well blowout and the burning site was found abandoned when the responders arrived.
Chief is part of an industry consortium of producers that organized the Appalachian Shale Water Conservation and Management Committee (ASWCMC) in the Spring of 2008 to address water issues long term. The ASWCMC has made a financial investment to research water recycling, treatment and minimum water quality needed for the hydraulic fracture stimulation process.

References

External links
Official website

Oil companies of the United States
Natural gas companies of the United States
Petroleum in Texas
Companies based in Dallas
Energy companies established in 1994
Non-renewable resource companies established in 1994
1994 establishments in Texas


The Five-Legged Sheep () is a 1954 French comedy film directed by Henri Verneuil. It won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story. It's considered a classic of French post-war cinema.

Plot

An old farmer whose five sons are quintuplets has hated them for over 20 years. After a visit from the villagers, they become convinced that the brothers should be reunited, and a search for the five brothers starts.

Cast
Fernandel as Édouard Saint-Forget / Les quintuplés : Alain, Bernard, Charles, Désiré, Etienne
Françoise Arnoul as Marianne Durand-Perrin
Andrex as Un marin
Édouard Delmont as Le docteur Bollène
Georges Chamarat as M. Durand-Perrin, le père
Paulette Dubost as Solange
Louis de Funès as Pilate
René Génin as Le maire
Denise Grey as Mme Durand-Perrin, la mère
Tony Jacquot as L'instituteur
Ky Duyen as Un chinois
Darío Moreno as Un matelot américain
Noël Roquevert as Antoine Brissard
Lolita López as Azitad
Michel Ardan as Un marin
Edmond Ardisson as Le brigadier
Manuel Gary as Le docteur
René Havard as Le liftier
Yette Lucas as Mariette
Albert Michel as Le patron du bistrot
Gil Delamare as Le chauffard
Leopoldo Francés as Le métis
Nina Myral as La bonne
Yannick Malloire as Une petite fille
Raphaël Patorni as Rodrigue
Max Desrau as Le nouveau patron des pompes funèbres
Jocelyne Bressy
Micheline Gary as L'hôtesse de l'instutut de beauté

References

External links

1954 films
French black-and-white films
French comedy films
Films directed by Henri Verneuil
Golden Leopard winners
Quintuplets
1954 comedy films
1950s French films