Lunxhëri (; ) is a region in the Gjirokastër County, Albania. It is an ethnographic region along with neighboring regions such as Kurvelesh, Zagoria, Dropull. It is in the periphery of a wider ethnographic region known as Labëria, though its population is said to be non-Lab. Many of its native inhabitants prefer for Lunxhëria to be identified instead as Tosk, as are neighboring regions to the east such as Dangëllia and Kolonja, rather than Lab; some researchers instead prefer to view Lunxhëria as a "transitory region" that is linguistically part of Labëria (using the Vjosa river as the boundary) but culturally part of Toskëria (using the Drino as the boundary). Lunxhëria is predominantly inhabited by Albanians, but also has Greek and Aromanian minorities.

Geography

Apart from the Lunxhëri municipality, Lunxhëri traditionally incorporates a wider region that extends from Hormovë west, Gryka e Suhës south, the crest of Mount Lunxhëri east, and the valley of the Drino west. It includes the villages of Lunxhëri municipality, Odrie municipality, Antigonë municipality, Selckë from the Pogon municipality, Labovë e Kryqit which administratively belongs to Libohovë municipality, and villages of Lekël and Hormovë which administratively belong to Tepelenë District. The region has some rivers and streams: Përroi i Dhoksatit, Perroi i Mingulit, Përroi i Qestoratit, and the river of Nimica.

History

Ancient and medieval period
A number of archeological sites in the region are located next to the modern villages of Këllez, Dhoksat, Erind as well the ancient Greek city of Antigonia, today a National Park. Ancient ruins near Erind appear to be related to the ancient settlements of "Hekatopedion", "Ongolion" and "Eliaion".

In 1321 a decree issued by the Byzantine Emperor recognized the special status of the village of Soucha (today Suhë) is mentioned while its Aromanian (Vlach) population is exempted from military service.

Ottoman period
In 1571 a short lived rebellion broke out under Emmanuel Mormoris and the local population was in favour of the movement, nevertheless Ottoman control was restored that same year.

At 1630-1653 the Aromanian inhabitants of Saraqinisht were able to contribute to the foundation of several Orthodox monuments such as the churches of Saint Nicholas, Prophet Elija and the nearby monastery of Theotokos of Spilaio.

During the era of conversions to Islam in the 18th century, Christian Albanian speaking areas such as the region of Lunxhëri strongly resisted those efforts.

In the early 19th century Austrian, British and French travelers coming from Ioannina to Lunxhëria felt that they were entering in another country that differed from adjacent Greek regions in local customs and way of life while noting that the region was inhabited by Albanian-speaking Orthodox Christians.

Modern period
The area has been characterized by frequent immigration during the 19th and 20th centuries. Members of the local diaspora became notable politicians, merchants, doctors, benefactors, scholars, giving immense contributions to the history of Albania and Greece. Although most of the locals that migrated to other regions declared themselves as Greeks, at the same time, the majority of the population in the end of the 19th century spoke Albanian. In the same context, people like Koto Hoxhi and Pandeli Sotiri were pro-Albanian and part of the elite of Rilindas, while Christakis Zografos, Evangelos Zappas and especially Georgios Zografos (head of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus), supported the Greek national ideas. However, the majority of the locals were between this two extreme points.

After Lunxhëria's incorporation into the Albanian state and the departure or marginalization of many of the strongest pro-Greek ("filogrek") families, a strong Albanian national feeling paired with a strong regional identity took hold. The French anthropologist Gilles De Rapper found that Lunxhots express their pride to be Albanian by asserting that they are the truest Albanians of the area, as opposed to on one hand to members of the Greek and Aromanian ethnic minorities who are of non-Albanian ethnicity and suspicious loyalties, and on the other to the ethnically Albanian Muslim migrants from Kurvelesh, who are asserted to have abandoned their Orthodox faith and therefore become "Turks", as opposed to the Albanian Orthodox who are said to have better preserved their Albanian culture. Lunxhëria villages of the interwar period were small and compact such as Saraqinisht and Stegopull containing some 50 houses each while the people of the region were all Albanian Orthodox Christians except in Erind which was inhabited by both Muslims and Christians. British archaeologist Clarke visited in 1924 and noted that in Saraqinisht and Labove there was a certain amount of pro-Greek feeling. During the interwar period and World War I many families both of pro-Albanian and pro-Greek left the area, with the pro-Albanian families being forced to leave at certain times by powerful pro-Greek families. An Aromanian minority settled in the region as part of the resettlement policies of the communist regime (1945-1991). During World War II and the developments of the Greco-Italian War (1940-1941) the region came under the control of the advancing Greek army, who were welcomed in the houses of the local population.

State policies during the during the People's Republic of Albania also created a buffer zone between Lunxhëria and the nearby recognized Greek minority zone of Dropull with the settlement of Albanian Muslim communities in fear of Hellenization of Lunxhëria.

Demographics
Many families have emigrated after 1990, leading to a decrease in population. The people of Lunxhëria mainly intermarried among themselves, however during the communist era instances of marriage alliances, encouraged by the then regime, occurred with nearby Greek villagers around Gjirokastër to access better life opportunities. Orthodox Albanians in the area do not marry Aromanians.
 the Lunxhots, who call themselves "ethnic Lunxhots" or "autoktonë" and are called "villagers" (fshatarë) by others
 the Aromanian settlers, who call themselves çoban or Greek-Vlachs, and are considered as newcomers (të ardhur) by the Lunxhots, after World War II. Despite being officially the same religion as the Orthodox Albanian autochthones of Lunxhëria, the native Albanians of Lunxhëria sometimes refer to them as being of a different fe (religion) and are reluctant to marry, or to let their children marry, Aromanians. Almost all of them come ultimately in Ottoman times from the village of Kefalovrisso (known as Mexhidë in Albanian), now located in Northwest Greece. In modern times, Aromanians were the first group in Lunxhëria to emigrate to Greece.
 the Muslim-background Albanian settlers from Labëria region (beside Erind who are locals), settling in throughout all 20th century, called Labs by the locals.

The census of 2011 counted for Lunxhëri municipality 1941 inhabitants of whom 58.01% declared Albanians, 3,55% Greeks and 2,42% Aromanians. The same census for Odrie (that belongs to the wider Lunxhery region) counted 433 inhabitants of whom 51,73% Albanians, 31.41% Aromanians, 9,70% Greeks. The rest of the population did not declare any ethnicity while the procedure was affected by boycott by the Greek minority.

Religion

The population is of Orthodox religion majority, with Lab families being a Muslim minority. The so-called "autoktonë" families are completely Orthodox, beside Erind which is mostly Muslim.

Notable people

See also
Lunxhëri municipality
Tourism in Albania
Orthodoxy in Albania
Pandeli Sotiri
Zographeion College

References

External links

Traditional costumes
Women's feast and bridal costume. Folklore Museum of Kozani.

Traditional music
Pjergulla në lis të thatë
Lunxheri Plot Lezete

"Odria" newspaper
"Odria" newspaper online

Ethnocultural  books

Albanian regions
Albanian ethnographic regions
Geography of Gjirokastër County
Labëria
Eastern Orthodox Christians from Albania
Aromanians in Albania


Little brown bird (LBB) or little brown job (LBJ) is an informal name used by birdwatchers for any of the large number of species of small brown passerine birds, many of which are notoriously difficult to distinguish. This is especially true for females, which lack much of the differentiating coloring present in males.

The name little brown bat is also applied to records in general observations of microchiropteran species, many of which are indistinguishable by their greyish brown coloring.

See also
Damned yellow composite, a similar term for the numerous difficult-to-identify dandelion-like plants
Little brown mushroom, a similar term for difficult-to-identify mushrooms

References

Birdwatching
Slang


Jong Hwa Park () is a South Korean pianist. He was prized at the 1995 Queen Elisabeth Competition (5th) and the 1996 Concorso Busoni (4th) before being awarded the 1998 Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition's 2nd prize.

Early life and education
Park was born on September 22, 1974. When he was a boy, Park attended Preparatory School of Tokyo Music College in Japan and then moved to the United States to attend Preparatory School of New England Conservatory. He became a full scholar of the New England Conservatory in 1992 and spend studying piano under guidance from Russell Sherman. At age 12, Park already became a recipient of the first prize at the Mainichi Shinbun Music Competition of Japan.

After completion of the studies and obtaining of both Bachelor and Master degrees with Honors, Park continued his studies abroad, first with Dmitri Bashkirov at Reina Sofía School of Music where he got his artist diploma, it was then followed by Joaquín Soriano in Spain, and lastly with Elisso Wirssaladze in Georgia. After his Park also received guidance from such pianists and conductors as Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Leon Fleisher and Martha Argerich. In 2003, Park moved to Germany, where he enrolled into a Master class program at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.

Career
Park is a winner of numerous piano competitions, including the Queen Elizabeth International, the Santander International, the Rubinstein International, and the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competitions. Among others, he has performed at the National Auditorium of Music in Madrid, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Herkules-Saal and the Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels. The orchestras that he played with include the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony and the Dresden Symphony Orchestras, as well as performances with Daniel Hope and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.

After long tours and numerous competitions, Park became a professor at Seoul National University in 2007.

References

External links
El Mundo, August 7, 1998.
Jong-Hwa Park Fondazione Concorso Pianistico Internazionale Ferruccio Busoni - Palmares

1974 births
Living people
Reina Sofía School of Music alumni
Academic staff of Seoul National University
Prize-winners of the Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition
Prize-winners of the Queen Elisabeth Competition
Prize-winners of the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition
South Korean classical pianists
South Korean expatriates in Spain
21st-century classical pianists


The Maryland Department of Labor (called the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation until 2019) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is headquartered at 1100 North Eutaw Street in Baltimore.

History
Today's Department of Labor can trace its history to the labor rights movements of the late 19th century. In 1884, the Maryland state government created the Bureau of Statistics and Information to collect information on labor problems and abuses, which were reported annually to the General Assembly.

In 1902, the Assembly directed the Bureau to begin operating a free employment agency. In 1916, the Bureau was renamed the State Board of Labor and Statistics and given new duties: mediating labor disputes and enforcing laws governing hours of work and the employment of women and minors. Renamed the Department of Labor and Industry in 1945, it continued to gather statistics and run the employment agency, but its focus gradually shifted towards regulating labor conditions, including issuing work certificates to minors.

In 1970, a general reorganization of the state government's executive branch pulled labor-related functions—including the agency that had overseen Maryland's unemployment compensation since 1936—into a new Department of Employment and Social Services. In 1983, labor functions were hived off into a new Department of Employment and Training—which just four years later was downgraded to a division and swept into the Department of Economic and Employment Development.

The 1970 reorganization also produced the Department of Licensing and Regulation, the result of consolidating more than 30 state agencies and boards that licensed or regulated various businesses, professions, and trades. In 1995, DLR absorbed the Division of Employment and Training and was renamed the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.

In 2019, it was renamed the Department of Labor.

Secretaries
Secretaries of the department, which has been known as Licensing and Regulation (L&R); Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (LLR), and Labor, include:
 Frederick L. Dewberry, Secretary of L&R, 1984–86
 William A. Fogle, Jr., Secretary of L&R, 1987–94
 Frank W. Stegman, Secretary of L&R, 1995
 Eugene A. Conti, Jr., Secretary of LLR, 1995–98
 John P. O'Connor, Secretary of LLR, 1999–2003
 James D. Fielder, Jr., Secretary of LLR, 2003–07
 Thomas E. Perez, Secretary of LLR, 2007–2009
 Alexander M. Sanchez, Secretary of LLR, 2009–12
 Scott R. Jensen, Interim Secretary of LLR, 2012
 Leonard J. Howie III, Secretary of LLR, 2012–2015
 Kelly M. Schulz, Secretary of LLR, 2015–2019
 James Rzepkowski, Assistant Secretary of LLR, 2015–2019; Acting Secretary of LLR, Jan. 2019–June 2019; Acting Secretary of Labor, July 2019; Assistant Secretary of Labor, Aug. 2019–present.
 Tiffany P. Robinson, Secretary of Labor, 2019–2023.
 Portia Wu, Acting Secretary of Labor, 2023–present

Organization
The Maryland Department of Labor includes the following divisions:

Offices of the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary
 Board of Appeals (2nd. level of appeal of unemployment insurance cases)
 Lower Appeals Division (first level of appeal in unemployment insurance cases)
 Administration
 Communications and Media Relations
 Counsel
 Fair Practices
 General Services
 Information Technology
 Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
 Policy Development
 Program Analysis & Audit
 Small Business Regulatory Assistance

Division of Labor and Industry

 Employment Standards, Wage & Hour
 Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH)
 Prevailing Wage, Living Wage, Worker Classification Protection
 Safety Inspection
 Amusement ride inspection
 Boiler and pressure vessel safety inspection
 Elevator safety inspection
 Railroad safety and health
 Building Codes Administration

Office of Financial Regulation
 Administration
 Bank Supervision
 Bank Corporate Activities
 Enforcement and Complaints
 Licensing – Nondepository Institutions
 Mortgage Compliance – Nondepository Institutions
 Policy – Nondepository Institutions

Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing
 State Board of Architects
 State Athletic Commission
 State Board of Barbers
 Office of Cemetery Oversight
 State Board of Cosmetologists
 State Board of Master Electricians
 State Board for Professional Engineers
 State Board of Stationary Engineers
 State Board of Foresters
 State Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors
 Maryland Home Improvement Commission
 State Board of Certified Interior Designers
 State Board for Professional Land Surveyors
 State Board of Examiners of Landscape Architects
 State Board of Pilots
 State Board of Plumbing
 State Board of Public Accountancy
 State Real Estate Commission
 State Commission of Real Estate Appraisers and Home Inspectors
 State Board of Individual Tax Preparers
 Licensure of secondhand precious metal object dealers and pawnbrokers
 Licensure of sports agents

Division of Racing
 Maryland Racing Commission

Division of Unemployment Insurance
The Division of Unemployment Insurance makes the initial decision on unemployment benefit claims. Appeals are handled in the Lower Appeals Division and the Board of Appeals, under the Office of the Deputy Secretary.
 Benefits and Special Programs Section
 Contributions
 Policy and Planning Unit

Division of Workforce Development & Adult Learning
 Workforce Development oversees the State’s workforce programs. Working with Local Workforce Investment Areas, services include matching job seekers and employers, providing training, and reporting on the needs and demands of the labor market.
 Adult Education and Literacy Services, which also includes Correctional Education, offers adult instructional services and GED testing for people who are at least 16 years old and not enrolled in school. Programs are offered in all Maryland jurisdictions and provide classes for English-language learners and adults who want to improve their reading, writing, and math skills, or who want to earn a high school diploma through the GED tests or the Maryland National External Diploma Program (NEDP).
 The Adult Education, Adult Correctional Education, and GED programs were moved from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).

References

Notes

External links

Biographies of former Secretaries

State departments of labor of the United States
Bank regulation in the United States by state


Zivojin Stjepić was the Deputy Minister of Religion in the Government of Serbia (2001-2004). He was in large part responsible for the reinstitution of religious education as a school subject in Serbian schools after it had been ignored for 60 years by the communist regime.  He was a vice-president of the Christian Democratic Party of Serbia which is a right of centre, pro Monarchist Serbian political party.

External links
Christian Democratic Party of Serbia Official web site

Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Politicians of Eastern Orthodox political parties
Serbia and Montenegro politicians
Christian Democratic Party of Serbia politicians


Odrie is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Gjirokastër. The population at the 2011 census was 433. The municipal unit consists of the villages Andon Poçi, Hundëkuq, Tërbuq, Labovë e Madhe and Labovë e Vogël.

References

Former municipalities in Gjirokastër County
Administrative units of Gjirokastër


In United States federal legislation, the Army Appropriations Act of 1916 authorized money for the larger troop strength, and created the Council of National Defense (CND) which established communications and information sharing between military and industrial leaders.

The CND was a Cabinet committee with an Advisory Commission of prominent citizens working without pay.  It was initially made up of 1) Walter S. Gifford, its Chairman, and a statistician with American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), 2) Howard E. Coffin, the Vice-President of the Hudson Motor Car Company, 3) Bernard Baruch, Wall Street financier, 4) Hollis Godfrey, the President of the Drexel Institute of Philadelphia, 5) Daniel Willard, the President of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), 6) Julius Rosenwald, the President of Sears, Roebuck and Company, 6) Samuel Gompers, the President of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), and 7) Dr. Franklin H. Martin, the Secretary-General of the American College of Surgeons.  It was the 1st peacetime collusion of military and industrial leaders, laying the initial groundwork for the modern U.S. military–industrial complex.

References

1916 in American law
World War I legislation
United States federal appropriations legislation


Nəvahı is a settlement and municipality in the Hajigabul Rayon of Azerbaijan, distinct from the village and municipality of Nəvahı. It has a population of 2,293.

References

Populated places in Hajigabul District


Zagoria ( or ) is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. During the 2015 local government reform, Zagoria became a subdivision of the municipality Libohovë. The population at the 2011 census was 411. Since 2018, the region has been at the centre of the expanded Zagoria Nature Park. Zagoria is also considered to be a distinct "ethnographic region" (Albanian: krahina etnografike), traditionally consisting of 10 settlements: Sheper, Nivan, Ndëran, Topovë, Konckë, Hoshteve, Lliar, Vithuq, Doshnicë and Zhej.

Geography

The region is primarily defined by the Zagoria valley, which is 27 kilometres long with a watershed of 171 kilometres squared. Its highest point is Mount Arapi at 2156 meters above sea level, while the lowest is at 350 meters. It is valued for its natural scenery and its pastoral traditions and includes the fields of Çajupi, Çajupi Mountain, and a twenty-meter-high waterfall called the "oars of Doshnica" (Albanian: Rrema e Doshnicës).

Demographics

The municipality of Zagori has an Orthodox Albanian majority and an Aromanian minority. The municipality consists of the following villages: Sheper, Nivan, Konckë, Vithuq, Hoshtevë, Doshnicë, Zhej, Lliar, Topovë and Nderan. Konckë is inhabited by an Orthodox Albanian population. Doshnicë and Lliar are wholly populated by Orthodox Albanian Christians. The villages of Nderan, Nivan, Sheper, Topovë and Zhej are inhabited by Orthodox Albanians, and these villages contain some Aromanian families, while in Hoshtevë and Vithuq the Aromanian community is a significant minority population of the villages. Aromanian communities were part of the local population of Zagori in 1880, in particular in the villages of Topovë, Zhej and Lliarë. During the Communist era, a number of Aromanian families settled in some villages of Zagori as part of the resettlement policies of the People's Republic of Albania.

Its people practised endogamy by intermarrying within their group, although occasionally the Greeks of Pogoni would marry a bride from the area and teach her Greek. The population of Zagori has dialectal and cultural characteristics of both the Lab and Tosk Albanian subgroups, though they also form a unique unit of their own, which traditionally does not marry with people from the neighbouring krahina etnografike of Lunxhëria.

Its population is mostly Albanian-speaking, traditionally with an Orthodox Christian majority. It borders the regions of Lunxhëria to the west and Pogoni to the south. Historically, from Ottoman times when it was part of Tepelena kaza until 1920, Zagoria depended on Tepelena, but in 1920 it was instead subordinated to Përmeti, and then from 1924 until modern times, it has been subordinated to Gjirokastra.

Etymology
The placename "Zagori" itself is probably derived from the Slavic Zagore meaning "beyond the mountains". The name of the region Zagoria is also found in a region of Greece with the same name meaning (Ζαγόρια) and also in Bulgaria, (Загоре) with two settlements being called Stara Zagora and Nova Zagora. It was a vaguely defined medieval region in what is now Bulgaria. This shows the etymology of Zagori in Albania is derived from the time of the Bulgarian Empires in Albania and from the Bulgarian language. The mountains in this region of Albania to which the name Zagori refers are Mount Arapi and the Çajupi Mountains. The region was first mentioned as Ζαγόρια in Greek (in an Old Bulgarian translation, it was rendered as Загорїа).

History
The region was first mentioned as Ζαγόρια in Greek (in an Old Bulgarian translation, it was rendered as Загорїа) The region was named in the rule of the Bulgarian empire in Albania.

The "Zenevias", probably the Zenebishi, are mentioned in 1304 as one of the families that were granted privileges by the Angevin Philip I, Prince of Taranto. According to Robert Elsie, the family originated from the Zagoria region. Gjon Zenebishi was one of the most notable members of this Albanian noble family; he was born in Zagori. Between 1373 and 1414, he controlled Gjirokastër and its surroundings. After the Ottomans captured the region of Epirus, some members of the family fled to Morea, while other members held high positions within the Ottoman hierarchy. Gjon Zenebishi's descendants continued to live undisturbed in the mountains of Zagoria and eventually faded into history. Gjon established the Principality of Gjirokaster (1373–1418) which included Zagori. Gjon Zenebishi was appointed sebastocrator or prefect of Vagenetia near Delvina and in 1386 he became prince. Notable descendants of Gjon and this family include his sons, Thopia Zenebishi and Hamza Zenebishi, and his grandson, Simon Zenebishi.

In 1319-1414 the region was known as "Great Zagori" and was part of the Despotate of Epirus with its capital in Ioannina. In 1399, the Greek-speaking population of Great Zagori joined the Despot of Epirus, Esau, in his campaign against various Albanian tribesmen.

In 1431-1432, there were 188 families and 1600 inhabitants in total; by 1583, this number had grown to 3300, with Sheperi, the largest village, having 600 houses alone. The population growth in the intermittent period was driven by migrations into Zagoria, coming from Kolonja, Laberia, the region of Suli in Greece, and other areas. The incomers came in order to flee religious persecution as well as persecution by personal enemies or foreign invaders.

During the 17th century, Greek elementary schools were opened in the villages and monasteries of the region. Local Greek education was sponsored by the Orthodox communities and the guilds of Orthodox craftsmen.

During the era of conversions to Islam in the 18th century, Christian Albanian-speaking areas such as the region of Zagori strongly resisted those efforts, in particular the villages of Konckë and Sheper. Christianity was preserved in Zagori due to the contributions of various prominent scholars, such as the Greek Orthodox missionary Sophianos who preached in the villages of the area in the early 18th century.

In the mid-19th century, there were 4300 inhabitants of Zagoria. However, this peak population struggled with the limited space of Zagoria, the relative lack of natural resources, and difficulties such as bread shortages. These factors caused a large wave of emigration out of Zagoria. During the 18th to 20th centuries, 80% of males in Zagoria worked abroad (a custom known in the Albanian South as kurbet). The first major wave of permanent emigration occurred in the early 20th century, with Istanbul, Greece and Egypt being major destinations, while America and Canada soon became more popular as destinations; emigration to other parts of Albania was also extensive.
Worldwide today, there are about 18,000 people paternally descended from traceable ancestors in Zagoria.

In World War II, Zagoria was a base for the Albanian partisans within Gjirokaster County, and two partisan brigades were created locally. Major meetings were also held in the area among Partisan leaders. The war saw 323 houses in Zagoria destroyed, 220 of which were rebuilt after the victory of the Partisans.

In the years following the war, new schools were built in the area, as were irrigation works, a local hospital and maternity center, and a cultural center. All villages were connected to the electricity grid by 1969. Today, however, many important services remain lacking in the area.

Notable people

Peco Kagjini, politician and mayor of Tirana
Vito Kapo, politician
Mihal Kasso, politician and representative of the Greek minority
Pirro Kondi, politician, Politburo candidate-member
Kiço Ngjela, Communist Albania politician
Aristidh Ruci, politician
Andon Zako Çajupi, poet and activist of the Albanian National Awakening
Gjon Zenebishi, ruler of Gjirokastra in the early 15th century. The Zenebishi family originate from Zagoria
Thopia Zenebishi (1379–1435) was a medieval Albanian nobleman. The son of Gjon Zenebishi. The Zenebishi family originates from Zagoria.
Simon Zenebishi (fl. 1443–61) was an Albanian aristocrat and vassal of the Kingdom of Naples who held the castle of Strovilo. He is the son of Thopia Zenebishi and the Grandson of Gjon Zenebishi. The Zenebishi family originates from Zagoria.
Hamza Zenebishi (fl. 1456–60), the son of Gjon Zenebishi, was an Ottoman official who served as the Sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Mezistre. The Zenebishi family originates from Zagoria.

See also
Protected areas of Albania

References

Former municipalities in Gjirokastër County
Administrative units of Libohovë
Albanian ethnographic regions
Aromanian settlements in Albania


Mateusz Siebert (born 4 April 1989 in Poznań) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for US Rumelange in Luxembourg National Division.

Career

Club
Born in Poland, he moved to France with his family at the age of three. His father Bernard is a former professional Polish footballer and his mother Renata a former handball player. He made his Ligue 2 debut in October 2008, coming on as a 25th-minute substitute against LB Châteauroux. In July 2009 he joined Arka Gdynia on a one-year loan with a buy option. His season ended in March as a result of injury. Despite wishing to retain him, the small club did not take up the buy option due to cost.

In February 2011, he joined Arka Gdynia on two and a half year contract.

International
Siebert was a part of the Poland U-21 team.

References

External links

1989 births
Living people
Footballers from Poznań
Poland men's under-21 international footballers
Poland men's youth international footballers
Polish emigrants to France
Men's association football central defenders
FC Metz players
Arka Gdynia players
US Rumelange players
Ligue 2 players
Ekstraklasa players
I liga players
Luxembourg National Division players
Polish men's footballers
Polish expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in France
Polish expatriate sportspeople in France
Expatriate men's footballers in Luxembourg


Padar is a village and municipality in the Hajigabul Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 744.

References

Populated places in Hajigabul District


The Naval Act of 1916 was also called the "Big Navy Act" was United States federal legislation that called for vastly enlarging the US Navy. President Woodrow Wilson determined amidst the repeated incidents with Germany during the First World War to build "incomparably, the greatest Navy in the world" over a ten-year period with the intent of making the U.S. Navy able to defend itself against any European power. The bill called for the construction of ten 42,000 ton battleships, six battlecruisers, ten scout cruisers, fifty destroyers, and sixty-seven submarines. The plan was to start construction in 1919 and have the fleet completed by 1923.

The bill, signed in the middle of the First World War was not to prepare the United States for entry into that war, but rather to guarantee the security of the United States in what seemed an increasingly dangerous world. It was paralleled by the National Defense Act of 1916 that saw a similar expansion of the Army and National Guard.

History
Opposition to heavily armored and thus expensive "Dreadnought" ships was strong in the House, but was overcome by the results of the one great naval battle of World War I between the British Royal Navy and the German High Seas Fleet, the Battle of Jutland (31 May–1 June 1916). The battle was evidence that a great tonnage Navy armed with large guns was necessary to defend U.S. shores and merchant ships on the seas in the event of war.  President Wilson told Col. Edward House that he was anxious to hasten the day when the U.S. Navy was larger than the United Kingdom's, proclaiming "Let us build a Navy bigger than hers and do what we please."

The Senate passed the "Big Navy Act" on July 21 although it specified that five of ten battleships specified would be replaced with battlecruisers. Not until August 8 did Rep. Lemuel P. Padgett, Tennessee Democrat and Chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee, confer with President Wilson and agree to support the Senate bill.  Democrat Rep. Claude Kitchin of North Carolina despaired: "The United States today becomes the most militaristic naval nation on earth."

With the entry of the United States into the World War in 1917 the battleship program was paused in favor of the smaller ships that were more urgently needed to deal with the threat of German U-Boats.

At the end of war the Navy Department's General Board recommended in addition to the sixteen capital ships called for in the initial act, that an additional twelve battleships and sixteen battlecruisers be built. By 1922, the U.S. Navy, if all the ships had been built, could have surpassed the Royal Navy in size and strength. However the expectation of a ruinous arms race with the British and the Japanese led to the Washington Naval Conference of 1921–22 and the tonnage limit ratio agreements with the US having parity with the Royal Navy.

See also
 Naval Act of 1938
 Naval Appropriations Act For 1922
 RMS Lusitania
 Two-Ocean Navy Act

Footnotes

References

External links
Naval Appropriations Act (Text) from Emergency Legislation Passed Prior to December, 1917. United States Dept. of Justice, Joshua Reuben Clark. Published by Govt. Print. Off., 1918
 www.globalsecurity.org: Ship Building 1913-21 - Wilson, Woodrow

1916 in American law
United States federal defense and national security legislation
1916 in military history
United States Navy in the 20th century
United States federal appropriations legislation


Balıqçı is a former village in the municipality of Qazıməmməd in the Hajigabul District of Azerbaijan.

References

Populated places in Hajigabul District


Pirsaatçay is a village in the municipality of Qubalıbalaoğlan in the Hajigabul Rayon of Azerbaijan.

References

Populated places in Hajigabul District


Pogon ( or Pogoni, , Pogoni), is a former commune in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dropull. The population at the 2011 census was 432. It consists of seven villages which are mostly Greek speaking: Poliçan; Skore; Hllomo; Sopik; Mavrojer; Çatistë and Selckë of which Poliçan is the administrative center. The administrative unit of Pogon is inhabited by ethnic Greeks.

Demographics
Greek is spoken in Poliçan, Skore, Hllomo, Sopik, Mavrojer and Çatistë and those villages along with Drymades on the Greek side of the border comprise the sub-region of Paleo-Pogoni (Old Pogoni), part of the wider region of Pogoni. Traditionally Greeks of Pogoni in Albania practised endogamy by intermarrying within their group, although occasionally brides from Zagori were taught to speak Greek. Poliçan is the northernmost Greek-speaking village in the Pogoni area, as villages north west of Poliçan are Albanian-speaking, while those south  of Poliçan are Greek-speaking. Selckë, part of a wider region of Lunxhëria, is traditionally inhabited by an Orthodox Albanian population as well as later Aromanian migrants, while the rest of the villages belong to the Greek minority zone.

History
In 15th century Pogon came under Ottoman rule and became part of the Sanjak of Ioannina. It was a nahiya centre as "Pogun" at Pogun kaza (Its centre was Voştina) in Ergiri sanjak of Yanya Vilayet till 1912. As part of Albania, the municipality is part of the recognized Greek Minority Zone.

Historically each village of Pogon has its own variation of traditional costumes and dresses. The area is part of Pogoni, a region that also includes parts of nearby Pogoni on the Greek side of the border.

Culture
The villages of Pogon (except Selckë) are part of the wider Pogoni region, which is divided between Greece (40 villages) and Albania (7 villages). Polyphonic singing, although shared among several ethnic groups, tends to be mostly identified with the Pogoni area.

Notable people
 Sophianos (-1711), local Greek-Orthodox bishop and scholar.
 Pandeli Sotiri, Albanian patriot, main contributor to the modern Albanian alphabet

References

Further reading
ΖΩΤΟΥ, ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΥ; ΓΙΑΝΝΑΡΟΥ, ΧΡΙΣΤΟΦΟΡΟΥ. Η ΠΟΛΥΤΣΑΝΗ ΤΗΣ ΒΟΡΕΙΟΥ ΗΠΕΙΡΟΥ. ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ, ΙΩΑΝΝΙΝΑ, 1989.
Politsanitika Nea Newspaper, Tel. +30 210 5238058

See also
Mount Nemërçkë

Former municipalities in Gjirokastër County
Administrative units of Dropull
Albanian ethnographic regions


Meyniman (known as Kalinovka until 1999) is a village in the municipality of Birinci Meyniman in the Hajigabul Rayon of Azerbaijan. In 2014, it was listed as an abandoned village.

References

Populated places in Hajigabul District


Fertility tourism (also referred to as reproductive tourism or cross border reproductive care) is the practice of traveling to another country or jurisdiction for fertility treatment, and may be regarded as a form of medical tourism. A person who can become pregnant is considered to have fertility issues if they are unable to have a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. Infertility, or the inability to get pregnant, affects about 8-12% of couples looking to conceive or 186 million people globally. In some places, rates of infertility surpass the global average and can go up to 30% depending on the country. Areas with lack of resources, such as assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), tend to correlate with the highest rates of infertility.

The main procedures sought are in vitro fertilization (IVF), artificial insemination by a donor, as well as surrogacy. These methods are types of assisted reproductive technology (ARTs). Each of these three methods have varying popularity in different countries, with one method being more sought after in these destinations compared to another method in another country.

People are mainly driven towards fertility tourism due to lack of resources and high costs, while other contributing factors include cultural, religious, legal, and safety and efficacy issues. Other impacts on the need for fertility treatments from other countries include those who are infertile, single, of older age, or identify as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. With these rising conditions, people end up having to travel to other countries in order to get the fertility treatments not accessible to them in their home countries.

IVF

Destinations
About 20,000 to 25,000 women (often accompanied by their partners) annually seek cross-border assisted reproductive technology (ART) services. Some countries are more popular than others as IVF destinations due to higher success rates and fewer regulations. Even small countries such as Barbados provide JCI-accredited IVF treatment aimed at women from abroad.

Israel
Reproduction is a central goal in Israel, a leading fertility tourism destination for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment with over three decades of major technologies in the assisted reproduction industry. The trajectory of assisted reproductive technology is outlined through the expansion of IVF, the globalization of donating gametes, and the privatization of service.

United States
Many Europeans travel to the United States because of the higher success rates and more liberal regulations under the Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act, which was passed in 1992. In the United States, affiliation between the right and left sides of the political spectrum motivated the protection of human life, even during the in vitro embryonic stages.

India
India and other Asian countries are the main destinations for U.S. women seeking fertility treatment, being the destinations for 40% of U.S. women seeking IVF and 52% seeking IVF with egg donation. The success rate of embryonic transfer through IVF has continually increased, resulting in more pregnancy outcomes.

Mexico
In recent years, Mexico has become a destination for cross-border IVF treatment due to its liberal ART and egg donation policies with over 50 clinics throughout the country that utilize assisted reproductive technology. Mexico does not have legal regulations that restrict or prohibit IVF or egg donations in Mexican clinics, making it a top destination for infertility treatment for people in the United States.

Iran

The "Iranian ART revolution" is the term coined for the movement that has allowed the advancement of infertility treatment in Iran with over 70 operating IVF clinics, making it the one of the countries with the highest amount of clinics in the Middle East. This may be due to various cultural or religious regulations against fertility treatments. In 2011, the mean cost of IVF ranged from $2250 to $3600 in government and private centers.

Cost factors
Women from countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom may travel for IVF treatment and medications to save money. The cost of one IVF cycle in the United States averages US $15,000, while for comparable treatment in Mexico it is about US $7,800, Thailand $6,500, India $3,300, and Iran $2,500. When calculating these costs, the costs of the hotel, travel, and hospital stay may also be considered in addition to the medical treatment.

Egg donation
Egg donation is illegal in a number of European countries including Germany, Austria, and Italy. Many women then will seek treatment in places where the procedure is allowed, such as Spain and the United States where donors can be paid for their donation. Almost half of all IVF treatments with donor eggs in Europe are performed in Spain. IVF with anonymous egg donation is also the main ART sought by Canadians traveling to the U.S, and is the sought procedure for 80% of cross-border treatments by Canadians.

Sex selection
Sex selection is prohibited in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, India, except when it is used to screen for genetic diseases. Some women wishing to be sure of a child's sex may travel to countries where it is legal to perform a preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD, a potential expansion of IVF), which can be used for sex selection, such as in Iran and the United States.

Risks

Multiple births
The rate of complications increases as more and more embryos are implanted. Many countries have no restriction on how many embryos may be transferred into the uterus at the same time, increasing the risk of multiple pregnancy and resultant potential complications. These complications may affect both the mother and the child. Birth defects have been thought to arise from IVF, however not enough information is available on this topic.  In 2005, 35% of all IVF–ET births in the US were multiple births (twins, triplets, or more). The burden of multiple births generated by placing too many embryos is carried by the individuals and the home country.

Donor insemination
Two thousand babies are born from treatments using sperm donations every year. A woman may go to another country to obtain artificial insemination by donor. The motivation to seek donors from outside countries may come from a want for a greater variety of gamete donors.  Stricter laws or an inability to meet the criteria necessary in ones respective countries are other possible reasons. The practice is influenced by the attitudes and sperm donation laws in the host country.

There is generally a demand for sperm donors who have no genetic problems in their family, 20/20 eyesight, with excellent visual acuity, a college degree, and sometimes a value on a certain height, age, eye colour, hair texture, blood type and ethnicity . According to sociology professor Lisa Jean Moore, there is "anecdotal evidence" that sperm from blonde, blue-eyed men is most in demand.

Destinations

Denmark
Denmark has a well-developed system of sperm export. This success mainly comes from the reputation of Danish sperm donors for being of high quality and, in contrast with the law in the other Nordic countries, gives donors the choice of being either anonymous or non-anonymous to the receiving couple. The maximum amount of families that may use the sperm of one donor is capped at 12.
Nordic sperm donors tend to be tall, with rarer features like blond hair or different color eyes and a light complexion, and highly educated and have altruistic motives for their donations, partly due to the relatively low monetary compensation in Nordic countries. More than 50 countries worldwide are importers of Danish sperm, including Paraguay, Canada, Kenya, and Hong Kong.

United States
US sperm is equally sought out for. Denmark and the United States both claim that they have the largest sperm bank supply. Specifically, the California Cryobank believes it is the largest sperm bank in the world. The donations from this sperm bank has reached over 100 countries and accounts for over 75,000 births globally. There is no limit as to how many families may use the donation of one sperm donor.

Shortages
Some countries such as United Kingdom and Sweden, have a shortage of sperm donors.  Sweden now has an 18-month-long waiting list for donor sperm.

As a consequence of the shortage of donor sperm in UK in the late 1990s and the early years of the 21st century, British women travelled to Belgium and Spain for donor insemination, until those two countries changed their laws and imposed a maximum number of children one donor may produce. Prior to the change in the law, the limit in the number of children born to each donor depended upon practitioners at fertility clinics, and Belgian and Spanish clinics were purchasing donor sperm from abroad to satisfy demand for treatments. Anonymous donation was permitted in Belgium and is a legal requirement in Spain. These two countries also allowed single heterosexual and single and coupled lesbians to undergo fertility treatment. Ironically, at the time, many Belgian and Spanish clinics were buying sperm from British clinics donated by British donors, and they were able to use that sperm according to local laws and limits. In addition, lesbian women from France and eastern Europe travelled to these countries in order to achieve a pregnancy by an anonymous donor since this treatment was not available to them in their own countries. British fertility tourists must therefore now travel to other countries particularly those that do not include children born to foreigners in their national totals of children produced by each donor. Britain also imports donor sperm from Scandinavia but can only limit the use of that donor's sperm to ten families in the UK itself, so that more children may be produced elsewhere from the same donor.

At least 250 Swedish sperm recipients travel to Denmark annually for insemination. Some of this is also due to that Denmark also allows single women to be inseminated.

It is illegal to pay donors for eggs or sperm in Canada. Women can still import commercial U.S. sperm, but that is not true for eggs, resulting in many Canadian women leaving the country for such procedures.

Surrogacy

Legal controversies and citizenship

There are differing amounts of laws and regulations on surrogacy around the world regarding the legality of surrogacy, who can be a surrogate or receive this service, if fertility tourism is legal, and if surrogates can be compensated for their services; dictate where potential parents travel to obtain surrogacy. For instance, there are places where there is a lack of laws or guidelines for surrogacy and many custody battles have resulted in outlawing surrogacy and deeming parental rights to the surrogate over the intended parents, or fully legalizing surrogacy all together. In countries where surrogacy is banned, there have been many instances where the intended parents go to different destination for surrogacy, but then have difficulty bringing their new children back to their countries. Also, there are some countries that ban commercial surrogacy, but allow unpaid "altruistic surrogacy" and also provide contracts to the involved parties.

The citizenship and legal status of a child resulting from surrogacy can be problematic. The Hague Conference Permanent Bureau identified the question of citizenship of these children as a "pressing problem" in the Permanent Bureau 2014 Study (Hague Conference Permanent
Bureau, 2014a: 84-94). According to the Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State, either one or both of the child's genetic parents must be a U.S. citizen for the child to be considered a U.S. citizen. In other words, the only way for the child to acquire U.S. citizenship automatically at birth is if he/she is biologically related to a U.S. citizen. Further, in some countries, the child will not be a citizen of the country in which he/she is born because the surrogate mother is not legally the parent of the child. This could result in a child being born without citizenship.

Religious views
There are many differing religious views surrounding surrogacy with regards to lineage and heritability, motherhood, and marital fidelity. Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and other Christian denominations outside of Catholicism generally approve of surrogacy, but each with some concerns. With Judaism, there are concerns regarding legitimacy and most tend to believe that motherhood belongs to the person who actively delivers the child. Hinduism views infertility as a curse to be cured by any means necessary, generally approving of surrogacy. There is Islamic religious concern centered mainly around the importance of and confusion of lineage and inheritance. Other Christian denominations have a wide variety of views from encouraging surrogacy as it shares the blessing of parenthood, to viewing surrogacy as a means of confused identity in a child and a disruption in traditional marital practices and procreation. Catholicism; however, generally views any third party involved in marriage or procreation to be an intrusion, and thus commonly views gestational surrogacy as an intrusion to the marital bond. Religion has led to legal bans on surrogacy in some countries. For instance, in Costa Rica the Catholic church successfully lobbied to ban surrogacy.

Destinations
Some countries, such as the United States, Canada, Georgia, Ukraine, and Russia are popular foreign surrogacy destinations. Eligibility, processes and costs differ from country to country. Previously popular destinations, India, Nepal, Thailand, and Mexico have since 2014 banned commercial surrogacy for non-residents or allow it only for heterosexual married couples. Thailand criminalized surrogacy by foreigners and same-sex couples in 2014, prompted by incidents of surrogate parents behaving badly. The most notable of those cases was that of Baby Gammy, a twin born with Down syndrome and left behind by the Australians who contracted his birth (his sister, who was not born with the disorder, was taken with them to Australia). It did not help that Gammy's biological father was also a convicted sex offender.

Fertility tourism for surrogacy is driven by legal restrictions in the home country or the incentive of lower prices abroad. Popular destinations are those which permit commercial gestational surrogacy, where the cost is relatively low, and which give the intended parents legal rights over the newborn child, whether by streamlined adoption procedures or direct parental rights.

India

India was a main destination for surrogacy because of the relatively low cost until international surrogacy was outlawed in 2015. Although there are no official figures available, a 2012 United Nations report counted around 3,000 fertility clinics in India. India's surrogacy business was estimated at around $1 billion annually.

Indian surrogates became increasingly popular amongst intended parents in industrialized nations because of the relatively low costs and easy access offered by Indian surrogacy agencies. Clinics charged people between $10,000 and $28,000 for the complete package, including fertilization, the surrogate's fee, and delivery of the baby at a hospital. Including the costs of flight tickets, medical procedures and hotels, this represented roughly a third of the price of the procedure in the UK and a fifth of that in the US.

In 2013, surrogacy by foreign homosexual couples and single parents was banned. In 2015, the government banned commercial surrogacy in India and permitted entry of embryos only for research purposes.

Russia
Liberal legislation makes Russia attractive for “reproductive tourists” looking for techniques not available in their countries. Intended parents come there for oocyte donation, because of advanced age or marital status (single women and single men) and when surrogacy is considered. Gestational surrogacy, even commercial is absolutely legal in Russia, being available for practically all adults willing to be parents. Foreigners have the same rights for assisted reproduction as Russian citizens. Within 3 days after the birth the commissioning parents obtain a Russian birth certificate with both their names on it. Genetic relation to the child (in case of donation) doesn’t matter.
On 4 August 2010, a Moscow court ruled that a single man who applied for gestational surrogacy (using donor eggs) could be registered as the only parent of his son, becoming the first man in Russia to defend his right to become a father through a court procedure. The surrogate mother’s name was not listed on the birth certificate; the father was listed as the only parent.
However, courts do not always take the side of such parents. In 2014, a Moscow court denied registration of the baby born via surrogacy to the single man; the decision was upheld on appeal.

Ukraine
Ukraine has seen a significant increase in international surrogacy since 2015, when the practice was banned in several Asian countries that had been popular destinations. Surrogacy is completely legal in Ukraine. However, only healthy mothers who have had at least one child before can become surrogates. Ukrainian surrogate mother are mostly from small towns or rural areas. The full surrogate package may cost around $50,000, with the surrogate receiving less than 50% of that amount. Surrogates in Ukraine have zero parental rights over the child, as stated on Article 123 of the Family Code of Ukraine. Thus, a surrogate cannot refuse to hand the baby over in case she changes her mind after birth. Only married couples can legally go through gestational surrogacy in Ukraine, but they have to be able to prove they cannot carry a baby themselves for medical reasons. Also at least one parent must have a genetic link to the baby (egg donors are therefore frequently used). Gay couples and single parents are prohibited to use gestational surrogates.

Belarus
Surrogacy is legally allowed in Belarus from 2006, however, major clients for such kind of services in this country are mainly Russian citizens. According to Belarusian legislation, surrogacy can be used here due to strict medical indications by married heterosexual couples and single women (for single women only in case they are able to provide their own oocytes). Unlike Russia or Ukraine, in Belarus Intended Mother is written not only in the legal birth certificate issued by local authorities, but also appear in the medical birth certificate given by the Maternity House, where delivery of the surrogate mother took place. This gives to the Intended Parents legal ability to take baby directly from the Maternity house, being sure that no one will claim parental rights over the children born via surrogacy.

In Belarus only healthy women in the age from 20 to 35 years old, who are in legal marriage and have at least one healthy child can be surrogate mothers. Essential conditions of surrogacy agreement, that should be notarized, are also specified in the Law "On Assisted Reproductive Technologies".

United States
People travel to the United States for surrogacy procedures for the high quality of medical technology and care, as well as the high level of legal protections afforded through some US state courts to surrogacy contracts as compared to other countries. Increasingly, same sex couples who face restrictions using IVF and surrogacy procedures in their home countries travel to US states where it is legal.

The United States is occasionally sought as a location for surrogate mothers by couples seeking a green card in the US, since the resulting child can get birthright citizenship in the United States and can thereby apply for green cards for the parents when the child turns 21 years of age. Surrogacy costs in USA between $95,000 and $150,000 for the complete package, including fertilization, legal fees, compensation, the agency's fee.

Canada

Canada has recently become a more popular foreign surrogacy destination, with almost half the babies born to Canadian surrogates in British Columbia in 2016 and 2017 being for foreign parents.

Numerous reasons have been proposed to explain Canada's rising popularity as an international surrogacy destination. For one, Canada is one of the few destinations that still allows surrogacy for foreign commissioning parents. While, Greece, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and a few U.S. states also permit surrogacy for foreign commissioning parents, Canada does not discriminate on the basis of marital status or sexual orientation. Canada is also attractive because it is fairly efficient in granting legal parental rights, declaring legal parenthood and issuing birth certificates within weeks of birth. This contrasts with other countries with lengthier processes that often deter commissioning parents wanting to quickly return home with their new babies. Canada's strong and universal healthcare system also makes it a favourable international surrogacy destination, as pregnant women in Canada receive high-quality, publicly funded healthcare throughout pregnancy, during delivery, and after birth. This reduces the risk of pregnancy complications, which is often a significant concern of commissioning parents.

References

External links
IVF Treatment Abroad: Issues and Risks

Infertility
Medical tourism


Orkney College () is a further and higher education college in Orkney, an archipelago in northern Scotland. It is an academic partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The College serves the Orkney community, which is rural and has long had an economy based on agriculture and fishing. Its main campus is a purpose-built site opened in 2000 on the outskirts of Kirkwall. It is one of very few non-incorporated colleges in Scotland and is the responsibility of the Orkney Islands Council, which has devolved many powers, including management, funding and staffing to the College Management Council.

The College has strong links with agriculture and opened an Agronomy Institute in 2002.

Orkney College's courses provide students of all ages with a full range of qualifications from Scottish Vocational Qualifications, Scottish Group Awards (Higher Still) through Higher National Certificate and Diploma to Degree and postgraduate Degree Level. It hosts research in agronomy, archaeology, cultural studies, geophysics, Nordic studies, language and literature.

Maritime training
The college conducts vocational training for the merchant navy personnel. These are MCA and RYA certified. Some of them are:

 Marine Vessel Operations
 Short Courses for seagoing officers.
 RYA courses.

See also
Education in Scotland
List of further and higher education colleges in Scotland

References

External links
Orkney College web site

University of the Highlands and Islands
Education in Orkney
Further education colleges in Scotland
Higher education colleges in Scotland
Kirkwall
Educational institutions established in 1995
1995 establishments in Scotland


Qendër Libohovë is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Libohovë.

The population at the 2011 census was 1,264.

The municipal unit consists of the villages Labovë e Sipërme, Labovë e Poshtme (together also referred to as Labovë e Kryqit), Suhë, Stegopull, , Drino and Nepravishtë. An important cultural, religious and historical monument in the municipality  St. Mary's Church, Labovë e Kryqit.The church seen today is essentially a creation of the 13th century at the time of the Despots of Epirus. However,  an original foundation may go back to AD 527-565  during the reign of Emperor Justinian.

Notable people
Behxhet Nepravishta

References

Former municipalities in Gjirokastër County
Administrative units of Libohovë


Where, Inc. was a location-based media company in North America. Their main products were the WHERE consumer application and WHERE Ads, a hyper-local ad network that connected merchants with local audiences. PayPal announced its acquisition of Where, Inc. in 2011 for $135 million.

History

Where, Inc. was founded in 2004 under the name  Communications, Inc. by partners, Geoff Palmer, Frank Schroth, and Alan Phillips.  spent its early days creating family tracking services as well as building location-based applications for companies such as MapQuest and Helio.
In 2007, WHERE launched as a location-based mobile service for consumers.

WHERE provides hyper-local information and user generated content about weather, news, movies, restaurant and business reviews, cheap gas, coupons and offers, traffic, etc. Brands such as Starbucks, Yellow Pages and Zipcar use WHERE to reach local audiences by providing data for various features within WHERE. For example, a Starbucks feature lets users search for and find directions to the Starbucks nearest their current location. In 2010, the company grew to over 50 people, moving into larger facilities in Boston. During this year, it launched the Placebook feature, which Facebook contested due to its last syllable of "book".

The company was venture-backed by Kodiak Venture Partners, Grand Banks Capital and Venrock and based in Boston. Prior to its acquisition by eBay in 2011, several industry experts sat on its board including Craig Forman and Jim Bankoff, CEO of Vox Media.

Products

Where.com
The consumer site Where.com launched in March 2010. The Website is a local search and recommendation portal that allows people to find local events, read reviews and other business information, and write their own reviews. On Where.com, people can also create their own user accounts or use their current WHERE mobile application account information to build a personal profile.

WHERE Ads
WHERE Ads is a hyper-local ad network that localizes traditional advertising techniques with improved performance for better results. Ads engage consumers through location relevance, design optimizing, and delivery format flexibility. In May 2012, WHERE Ads became PayPal Media Network (PPMN).

Patents
The firm possesses several patents including one for geo-fencing location technology and one for auto-snap location technology.

Availability
WHERE is available in North America and can be downloaded for a monthly fee from the Android Market, BlackBerry App World, iOS App Store, and Palm App Catalog. WHERE is also available from the AT&T MEdia Mall, T-Mobile web2go, and VZW V Cast Apps.

Wireless carriers — AT&T, Boost Mobile, Helio, MetroPCS, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Virgin

Mobile smartphone devices — Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Palm, Windows Phone 7

PayPal/eBay acquisition

Management team
PayPal acquired Where.com in 2011. At the time, the management consisted of the following:
 Walt Doyle, CEO
 Jerry King, COO
 Ivan Mitrovic, CTO
 Mok Oh, Chief Innovation Officer
 David Chang, VP, Product
 Dan Gilmartin, VP, Marketing
 Josh Summers, VP, Ad Operations
 Nataly Kogan, VP, Consumer Experience
 Ron Braunfeld, VP of Business Development
 Doug Hurd, VP of Business Development, Carrier & OEM
 Niall Hawkins, VP of Finance
 Arik Keller, Senior Director, Merchant Services
 Jim Caralis, Director, Consumer Product
 Craig Forman, Executive Chairman

Mergers & acquisition comparables

In the mobile industry, there have been several notable acquisitions of Boston area startups by larger technology companies:
 VeriSign's acquisition of m-Qube for $250M in 2006
 AOL's acquisition of Third Screen Media for $107M in 2007
 Nokia's acquisition of Enpocket in 2007
 Apple's acquisition of Quattro Wireless for $275M in 2010
 Twitter's acquisition of Crashlytics for $100M in 2013
 Millennial Media's acquisition of Jumptap for $225M in 2013
 Millennial Media's acquisition of Nexage for $108M in 2014

Post-acquisition

Unlike many other acquisitions in the mobile industry, WHERE continued to grow its Boston-based presence after its acquisition. In January 2012, PayPal President Scott Thompson, local executives Walt Doyle, and David Chang met with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to discuss an expansion of California-based PayPal into Boston. After exploring nearly a dozen potential new office sites in Boston, PayPal selected One International Place as its new location for its Boston headquarters.

In 2013, the eBay Boston office houses several operating entities including PayPal, StubHub, and Start Tank.

Start Tank

The Start Tank is a business incubator hosted by PayPal, which offers free co-working space for early-stage startups.

Inception
Start Tank originated in Boston and expanded to Europe and Asia. With 20 startups, representing over 80 people, Start Tank Boston is unique in its size—one of the largest facilities in Massachusetts that has been dedicated to startups by a corporate entity. There are several similar efforts at eBay including Friends of eBay in New York and PayPal Startup Blueprint, and PayPal incubator in Chennai. These are part of a broader growing trend of business incubators and seed accelerators sponsored by corporate entities and technology companies.

The Start Tank was officially unveiled during the PayPal Boston launch event with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Secretary Greg Bialecki in February 2013. The first class of startups consisted of 15 companies based in the Boston area. The second class started in September 2013 and consisted of 22 startups. A number of these startups gained market traction, raised funds of their own, and soon graduated from the program.

Expansion

The Start Tank gained greater visibility in the Boston area, and by time the third class moved in during March 2014, the program became more selective, accepting only 14 out of 80 applications. It was later named as one of Boston Globe's Game Changers. In summer 2014, the program partnered with The Ad Club to add events such as the Brand-a-thon to engage with the startup ecosystem and expanded globally to London and Chennai. Later that year, the Start Tank program became more competitive, accepting 11% of its applicants in its fourth class. At this time, Start Tank was nominated as a 50 on Fire finalist. In 2016, the program expanded to Singapore.

Founder
The Start Tank was founded by PayPal executive David Chang, who was named to Boston Business Journal's annual Power 50 List of influential Bostonians after its creation. In 2015, as part of the corporate separation of PayPal from eBay, approximately one-third of the staff in the PayPal Boston office was eliminated, leaving the future of Start Tank uncertain. It was later revealed that the Boston-based entity was split off and was acquired by MassChallenge.

References

External links

PayPal Start Tank
iPhone App Store featuring WHERE
Blackberry Application Store featuring WHERE

BlackBerry software
Discontinued iOS software
Internet properties established in 2004
Mass media companies of the United States
Android (operating system) software
PayPal
2011 mergers and acquisitions


Kerala People's Arts Club, abbreviated as KPAC, is a theatrical movement in Kayamkulam, Kerala, India. It was formed in the 1950s by a group of individuals having close ties with the Communist Party of India in Kerala. KPAC was very influential in popularising the Communist movement in Kerala.

In 1951, KPAC staged its first drama, Ente Makanaanu Sheri (My Son is Right). The songs of this play were written by Punaloor Balan. Its second drama Ningalenne Communistakki (You Made Me a Communist), first performed in 1952, became a path-breaking play in the history of Malayalam theatre. The play was penned by the renowned playwright Thoppil Bhasi, under the pseudonym Soman. Bhasi was underground when he wrote the play. The success of Ningalenne Communistakki made KPAC in the forefront of a powerful people's theatre movement in Kerala.

KPAC played a significant role in popularising the Communist Party in Kerala through its dramas, road shows and kathaprasangams (story telling).

References

External links

Youtube Channel
The Hindu article
Thyagaraja School of Music

Organisations based in Kerala
Theatrical organisations in India
Arts organizations established in 1950
1950 establishments in India


Vigor Majić was the Deputy Minister of Education and Sport in the Government of Serbia (2001-2004).

Overview
Prior to being appointed as Deputy Minister, he had been the director of the Petnica Science Center in Serbia since 1982, when he was one of the founders of the centre.  Since leaving his government post, he has again resumed his position as director of the Petnica Science Center in Serbia. In 2021 he stepped down from the position of a director but remained in the organization as an advisor. Petnica Science Center is a non-governmental, non-profit and independent educational institution founded to help and support young people who demonstrate an exceptional interest in science beyond the school curricula.

References

Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Serbian scientists
Government ministers of Serbia


Dropull i Poshtëm (, Kato Dropoli) is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dropull. The population at the 2011 census was 2,100. The municipal unit is inhabited by ethnic Greeks.

Settlements

Derviçan (Δερβιτσάνη)
Dhuvjan (Δούβιανη)
Frashtan (Φράστανη)
Glinë (Γλύνα)
Goranxi (Καλογοραντζή or Γοραντζή)
Goricë (Γορίτσα)
Grapsh (Γράψη)
Haskovë (Χάσκοβο)
Lugar (Λιούγκαρη)
Peshkëpi e Sipërme (Άνω Επισκοπή)
Peshkëpi e Poshtme (Κάτω Επισκοπή)
Radë (Ραντάτι)
 (Σωφράτικα)
Terihat (Τεριαχάτι or Τεριαχάτες)
Vanistër (Βάνιστα)
Vrahogoranxi (Βραχογοραντζή)

Notable people
Vasilios Sahinis (1897–1943), leader of the Northern Epirote resistance (1942–1943).

See also
 Dropull
 Dropull i Sipërm
 Greeks in Albania

References

Administrative units of Dropull
Former municipalities in Gjirokastër County
Greek communities in Albania


There are several locations named Adamkhan:

Adamkhan, Armenia, a village
De Adam Khan, a village in Helmand Province, Afghanistan


KAGH (800 AM, "Oldies Radio 800") is a radio station licensed to serve Crossett, Arkansas, United States The station is owned by Crossett Radio and licensed to Peggy S. Medlin's Ashley County Broadcasters, Inc.

The station airs an oldies music format. Most of the station's programming comes from the satellite-delivered Classic Hits service of Westwood One.

The station was assigned the KAGH call letters by the Federal Communications Commission.

History of call letters
The call letters KAGH were previously assigned to an AM station in Pasadena, California. It began broadcasting July 22, 1948, on 1300 kHz with 1 KW power (daytime).

References

External links
KAGH official website
Crossett Radio

AGH
Oldies radio stations in the United States
Ashley County, Arkansas
AGH
Radio stations established in 1951
1951 establishments in Arkansas


The 2008 Copa Perú season (), the promotion tournament of Peruvian football, started on February 1.

The tournament has 5 stages. The first four stages are played as mini-league round-robin tournaments, except for third stage in region IV, which is played as a knockout stage. The final stage features two knockout rounds and a final four-team group stage to determine the two promoted teams.

The 2008 Peru Cup started with the District Stage () on February 1. The next stage was the Provincial Stage () which started, on June 1. The tournament continued with the Departamental Stage () on July 16. The Regional Staged followed. The National Stage () started on November 8. The winner and runner-up of the National Stage will be promoted to the First Division.

Departmental Stage
The following list shows the teams that qualified for the Regional Stage.

Regional Stage
Each region had two teams qualify for the next stage. The playoffs only determined the respective regional winners.

Region I
Region I includes qualified teams from Amazonas, Lambayeque, Tumbes and Piura region.

Group A

Group B

Playoff

Region II
Region II includes qualified teams from Ancash, Cajamarca, La Libertad and San Martín region.

Group A

Group B

Region III
Region III includes qualified teams from Loreto and Ucayali region.

Region IV
Region IV includes qualified teams from Lima and Callao region. This region played as a knockout cup system and the finalists qualified.

First Stage

Semifinals

Regional Final

|}
*The 2nd leg between Unión Huaral and Íntimo Cable Visión was suspended by the FPF because of some incidents with the crowd in the first game. Cable Visión qualified for the next round

Region V
Region V includes qualified teams from Junín, Pasco and Huánuco region.

Group A

Tiebreakers

|}

Group B

Tiebreaker

|}

Region VI
Region VI includes qualified teams from Ayacucho, Huancavelica and Ica region. Two teams qualified from this stage.

Group A

Group B

Region VII
Region VII includes qualified teams from Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna region.

Group A

Group B

Semifinals

Final

|}

Region VIII
Region VIII includes qualified teams from Apurimac, Cusco, Madre de Dios and Puno region.

Group A

Group B

Playoffs

National Stage
The National Stage started on November 8. This stage had two knockout rounds and four-team group stage. The winners and runners-up of the National Stage will be promoted to the First Division. The two semifinalists as well as the best quarterfinalist will be promoted to the Second Division.

Final group stage

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Notes

External links
  FutbolPeruano.com
  Semanario Pasión

Copa Perú seasons
2008 domestic association football cups
Cop


The Lesser Poland Voivodeship Sejmik () is the regional legislature of the Voivodeship of Lesser Poland. It is a unicameral parliamentary body consisting of thirty-nine councillors elected to five-year terms. The current chairperson of the assembly is Rafał Bochenek.

The assembly elects the executive board that acts as the collective executive for the regional government, headed by the province's marshal. The current Executive Board of Lesser Poland is held by the Law and Justice party, headed by Marshal Witold Kozlowski.

The assembly convenes within the Marshal's Office in Kraków.

Districts

Members of the Lesser Poland Regional Assembly are elected from six districts, serving five-year terms. Districts does not have the constituencies' formal names. Instead, each constituency has a number and territorial description.

See also
 Polish Regional Assembly
 Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Charts

References

External links

Lesser Poland
Assembly
Unicameral legislatures


Dropull i Sipërm (, Ano Dropoli) is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dropull. The population at the 2011 census was 971. The municipal unit is inhabited by ethnic Greeks.

Settlements

Bodrishtë
Bularat
Dritë
Jorgucat
Kërrë
Klishar
Kakavijë
Koshovicë
Krioner
Likomil
Llongo
Llovinë
Pepel
Selo

Vrisera
Zervat

See also
 Dropull
 Dropull i Poshtëm
 Greeks in Albania

References

Former municipalities in Gjirokastër County
Epirus
Administrative units of Dropull


Cheirothyris is a genus of fossil brachiopod from the Upper Jurassic period. The shells of this genus are characterised by four, high, radially arranged ribs on each valve. On the anterior edge of the valves the ribs protrude like fingers, so that the shells look like the webbed feet of birds from above. Cheirothyris fleuriausa is one of the largest reported specimens measuring about 3 cm.

References

Prehistoric brachiopod genera
Jurassic brachiopods
Jurassic animals of Europe


The LiV DASH is a lithium-ion battery powered vehicle made by Hybrid Technologies.  Built on the Smart Fortwo platform, it was first made available through a cross promotional sale with Sam's Club on November 7, 2007.  It was later made available for an online purchase through the company's 2008 vehicle lineup for $43,500.

Hybrid electric cars


The Tea Fire, also known as the Montecito Tea Fire, was a wildfire that began on November 13, 2008, destroying 210 homes in the cities of Montecito and Santa Barbara, California, in the United States of America. It was the first of several November 2008 wildfires that burned hundreds of homes from November 13–15, 2008. The Tea Fire ignited in the Cold Springs section of Montecito at approximately 17:50 PST on November 13, 2008. The fire started at a Mar Y Cel historic structure called the "Tea House" above Mountain Drive, giving the fire its name. Spreading rapidly, it was fanned by offshore winds, known as Sundowner winds, that blow down the Santa Ynez Mountains, gusting up to 85 mph (137 km/h). These winds caused the fire to spread into the city of Santa Barbara. The fire was 40% contained on the 15th, 75% on the 16th, and by November 17, 2008, it was 95% contained after burning 1,940 acres (785 ha), and on November 18, it was 100% contained.

On November 15, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited areas burned in the Tea Fire, noting: "When you walk around the area that was destroyed, it looks like hell."

Cause
The cause of the fire was under investigation for the first four days when authorities determined on November 17 that it was "human-caused". The following day, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office investigators announced that the fire was caused by a group of ten men and women, age 18 to 22, college students, who went to the abandoned Tea House on the night of Wednesday, November 12, and held a bonfire party at the location, through the early morning hours of Thursday, November 13. The students told investigators they had put the fire out, but authorities believe the fire smoldered until the heavy winds ignited the fire on Thursday afternoon.

On November 20, 2008, Dr. Andreea M. Serban, President of Santa Barbara City College, issued a statement noting that "nine of the ten individuals identified as allegedly responsible for the Tea Fire have been confirmed as Santa Barbara City College students." That same day, Dr. Gayle Beebe, president of Westmont College, noted in a press release the college's relief to learn that none of the ten was enrolled at Westmont.

Although the individuals were found guilty of trespassing and holding an illegal bonfire, the DA's office felt there was not enough evidence to convict them of starting the blaze. "After a months-long investigation by several agencies, the District Attorney’s Office decided it could only charge the group with the misdemeanor crimes, the DA felt as though she would be unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the campfire they had started — and, according to group members, extinguished — more than 12 hours earlier had led to the Tea Fire."

Impact

Injuries and evacuations
Santa Barbara County officials stated that they had reports of 13 persons injured, including 10 who were treated for smoke inhalation and three with burn injuries, one of whom was critical. There is a foundation for two burn victims of the fire, Lance & Carla Hoffman. Information on this foundation including benefits and donations can be found on Facebook's group "Tea Fire Survivors: Lance and Karla Hoffman". The fire resulted in the evacuation of 5,400 homes with 15,000 residents. Approximately 2,700 evacuees were back home by the November 16, 2008. There was one fatality amongst the evacuees, a 98-year-old man, though the county sheriff-coroner had not ascertained yet if the death was due to the fire or his many medical problems.

Destruction of 210 homes

The Tea Fire resulted in the destruction of 210 homes in Montecito and Santa Barbara. Of the destroyed homes, 106 were in the city of Santa Barbara, and the remainder were in Montecito. One of the homes destroyed in the fire belonged to actor Christopher Lloyd (best known for playing "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy).

Westmont College
The campus of Westmont College was heavily damaged, though no injuries were reported on the campus. The college's planning for a shelter-in-place was credited with this favorable human outcome. 800 people (students, employees, visitors and neighbors) hunkered down in the gymnasium as the fire burned to within ten feet. The Physics Lab, Psychology Building, Math Building, and 15 of the faculty homes were destroyed. Two of the residence hall buildings in Clark residence hall were completely gutted, along with the RD cottage. With the recovery phase initiated over the weekend, faculty and staff were allowed back on campus November 17, but the school was scheduled to remain closed to students until December 1.

Mount Calvary Retreat House and Monastery
The Mount Calvary Retreat House and Monastery in Santa Barbara, part of the Order of the Holy Cross, was also destroyed.

Response and resources

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County due to the Tea Fire. Schwarzenegger issued a statement that he was "making all state resources available to the fire commanders and was requesting assistance from the federal government as well."

On November 14, 2008, 1,141 personnel were on the scene, including 260 from CalFire, and 25 fire crews. They were supported by 193 engines, 7 dozers, and 1 watertender. Resources were expanded on November 15 to include 2,235 firefighters and 9 helicopters with cost estimates of $3.5 million, which increased to $3.9 million the following day.

Staffed from 8 a.m. to midnight, a public information call center was established to provide updates and status reports. Information was made available on the County Government-access television (GATV) cable television station, as well as specific AM and FM radios that provided Emergency Public Information. CSBTV Channel 20 ran a live video stream.

San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara became an emergency shelter, operated by the American Red Cross, Santa Barbara County Chapter. Earl Warren Showgrounds was opened for large animal evacuees, while small animals could be brought to the Santa Barbara Humane Society in Goleta.

See also
2008 California wildfires
Sayre Fire
Freeway Complex Fire

References

External links

 Official Montecito Fire District site
Coverage from the Santa Barbara Independent
Coverage from the Los Angeles Times
Fire information from the County of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara EdHat Real Time Community Discussion
Pictures of the Westmont College campus after the fire
 Erosion Control Resources for Santa Barbara Fire Victims

2008 California wildfires
Montecito, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Ynez Mountains
History of Santa Barbara County, California
Wildfires in Santa Barbara County, California
November 2008 events in the United States


Hacıməlik (known as Əzizbəyov until 1999) is a village and municipality in the Goygol Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 3,871.

References

Populated places in Goygol District