Miracle in the Rain is a United States home front during World War II-themed novella by veteran screenwriter Ben Hecht, published in the April 3, 1943 issue of The Saturday Evening Post weekly magazine then, within six months, issued in booklet form and, thirteen years later, following four live television productions (in 1947, 1949, 1950 and 1953) which reduced the story to plot essentials, was adapted by him into a Warner Bros. feature film released on March 31, 1956.

Film version
Hecht's 1956 screenplay is directed by Rudolph Maté and stars Jane Wyman as a lonely New York City office worker and Van Johnson as the happy-go-lucky soldier whom she meets during a downpour. Character actress Eileen Heckart, who plays Jane Wyman's office friend, and Arte Johnson, who achieved TV fame twelve years later on Laugh-In, are seen here in their debut performances on the big screen. The music is by Franz Waxman and the black-and-white cinematography is by Russell Metty.  A subplot about the heroine's estranged father, which was neither in the original story nor in any of the television adaptations, became one of the elements in the embellished screenplay.

The film was produced on location, with several sequences filmed in Central Park and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Ten months before its release, while appearing as the "Mystery Guest" on the May 22, 1955 episode of CBS' live primetime weekly game show, What's My Line?, Van Johnson mentioned that he was in New York shooting scenes for his new film, Miracle in the Rain.

The film earned an estimated $1.4 million in theatrical rentals in the United States and Canada during 1956.

Opening narration
"Champion of all the cities of the Earth is the towering golden city of New York. It looms higher than any town of man before. Within its giant walls, its steel sinews, are more enterprises, more people, more mystery and more music than were ever known before. Its windows are like the leaves of a mighty forest and its streets are filled with wonder. Our story begins on a spring morning in May 1942 as the people of this remarkable city start to live and work another day."

Plot
A few months after America's entry into World War II, secretary Ruth Wood (Jane Wyman) lives quietly in Manhattan with her physically and emotionally fragile mother, Agnes (Josephine Hutchinson). Ruth's co-workers at Excelsior Shoe Manufacturing Company are her best friend Grace Ullman (Eileen Heckart) and Millie Kranz (Peggie Castle), an attractive blonde involved in an affair with her married boss, Stephen Jalonik (Fred Clark). Also in the office is Monty (Arte Johnson), a young shipping clerk classified by the draft as 4-F, who monitors the war's campaigns on a world map pinned to the wall.

One evening after work, when a cloudburst forces Ruth and other pedestrians to take shelter in the vestibule of an office building, Arthur Hugenon (Van Johnson), a cheerful, talkative G.I. stationed in the area, surprises the shy Ruth by starting a conversation. When he invites her to dinner, she declines, saying that her housebound mother is expecting her. Undeterred, Art buys food for three at a delicatessen and accompanies Ruth home. Agnes, who has distrusted men since her husband Harry left her for another woman ten years earlier, receives Art with little enthusiasm. During the meal, Art, who grew up on a Tennessee farm, captivates Ruth with his stories and afterward entertains them by playing Harry's piano. Upon finding the manuscript of an unfinished melody Harry composed, Art asks permission to take it back to camp, where he and his army buddy Dixie will write lyrics for it. When weekend arrives, Art takes Ruth and Grace to a matinee and, as they afterwards walk to a restaurant, passing an auction, Ruth impulsively bids on an antique Roman coin, which she gives to Art for good luck. While the trio is enjoying dinner at the Café Normandy, Ruth is unaware that the piano player is her father (William Gargan), whom she has not seen since he left Agnes. However, Harry recognizes Ruth and confides to his bartender friend Andy that he has been too ashamed to return to his family.

Later, Ruth tells Art that Agnes tried to kill herself after Harry left and still hopes for his return. Art arrives late for their next Sunday date, but brings the lyrics he and Dixie have written to Harry's music, entitled "I'll Always Believe in You", which he sings together with Ruth. As they go out and walk through Central Park, Ruth voices fears about the war and Art tells her she must have faith. They then encounter Sergeant Gil Parker (Alan King), while he takes snapshots of his new bride, Arlene Witchy (Barbara Nichols), who works as a singer. Gil asks Art to take their picture and then offers to photograph Art and Ruth. In private, Gil warns Art that his division will soon be shipped overseas, but Art refuses to believe the rumor. At the lagoon, where children are sailing toy boats, Art recognizes the name of an elderly man, Commodore Eli B. Windgate (Halliwell Hobbes), nicknamed "Windy", a former yachtsman who owned many of the surrounding buildings before losing his fortune in the Crash of '29. Hoping to be a reporter after the war, Art senses a good story and interviews Windy on the spot. He then goes with Ruth to The New York Times Building and convinces the city editor (unbilled Grandon Rhodes) to let him write it as a human interest story. Instead of taking payment, Art asks to be considered for a reporting job after the war. A couple of days later, as Ruth waits to meet him for their pre-arranged date, Art arrives late, riding on a truck filled with other soldiers, including Dixie (unbilled Paul Smith). With only a brief moment remaining before the truck's departure for the port where the troop ship awaits, he asks Ruth to marry him when he returns and, to allay her fears, says he still has the lucky Roman coin.

For three months, Ruth writes to Art every day, but receives no letters in return. Finally, a special delivery man knocks on the apartment door and hands a letter from a battlefield chaplain informing her that Art died in combat and that his dying wish was that she be told about his love for her. Ruth's tear drops on the letter and, in the following days and weeks, she is inconsolable despite the best efforts of her friends and co-workers. Millie, moved by Ruth's misfortune, feels the need for a fresh and pure start, drops Jalonik as her lover and leaves the firm. Grace finds Ruth consumed by grief, sitting on a bench in Central Park, and takes her to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where Ruth lights candles under the statue of Saint Andrew. Jalonik, hoping Ruth will fill the void left in his extra-marital life by Millie, takes her to Café Normandy and attempts to engage in a warm-up conversation, but Ruth is in such a despairing state that she pays no attention as he kisses her on the cheek. A few feet to the side, at the bar, Harry has the radio on and hears the familiar strains of his music since, before shipping out, Dixie made suggestions to Art as to the possibility of marketing Harry's music with Art's lyrics as a professional song. Puzzled, Harry dials Agnes' number but, at the sound of her voice, his resolve falters and he hangs up without speaking. Having written numerous letters of explanation and contrition to Agnes, he continually found himself tearing them to bits, because of inability to face the hurt he caused her.

Ruth has been returning to the statue of St. Andrew and talking to the cathedral's young priest (Paul Picerni). Losing interest in life, she ignores a cold, which turns into pneumonia. Mrs. Hamer, the upstairs neighbor who has often helped Ruth care for Agnes, now helps Agnes nurse the bedridden Ruth. One rainy night, while Agnes has dozed off near her bedside, the feverish Ruth leaves the apartment just before Harry finally musters the courage to walk in with the intention of asking Agnes' forgiveness for leaving. Stunned at seeing him, Agnes also realizes that Ruth is missing, just as Grace telephones. Upon being told that Ruth has left her sickbed, Grace realizes that she must be heading for the cathedral.

Standing on the cathedral steps, consumed by fever, Ruth hears Art's voice speaking her name. Delirious, she sees Art materialize and slowly approach close enough for an embrace or a kiss as he tells her that love never dies. No longer possessing earthly means of holding on to the Roman coin she gifted to him, Art returns it to Ruth. A moment later, in the midst of the heavy, late evening rain, the priest finds Ruth unconscious on the steps, just as Grace arrives. Seeing the coin clasped in Ruth's hand, he shows it to Grace, who recognizes it and realizes that, for a brief moment, Art had returned to Ruth, whose own tenuous hold on life remains clouded in uncertainty at the final fadeout.

Closing narration
"Thus, a story of New York — and of an antique Roman coin. That's the way we heard it. We'd like to believe it's true."

Cast

Jane Wyman as  Ruth Wood
Van Johnson as Arthur "Art" Hugenon
Peggie Castle as Millie Kranz, blonde secretary at Ruth's workplace
Fred Clark as Stephen Jalonik, office manager at Ruth's workplace
Eileen Heckart as Grace Ullman, Ruth's workplace friend
Josephine Hutchinson as Agnes Wood, Ruth's mother
William Gargan as Harry Wood, Ruth's father

Marcel Dalio as Marcel, waiter at Café Normandy
George Givot as Maitre d' at Café Normandy
Barbara Nichols as Arlene Witchy, exotic dancer newly married to Sergeant Gilbert Parker
Halliwell Hobbes as Ely B. "Windy" Windgate ("Wingate" in The New York Times headline of Art's story, but "Windgate" within the body of the article), former millionaire
Paul Picerni as Priest at St. Patrick's Cathedral
Alan King as Sergeant Gilbert "Gil" Parker
Irene Seidner as Mrs. Hamer, Ruth's elderly neighbor
Arte Johnson as Monty, office boy at Ruth's workplace

Unbilled speaking roles (in order of appearance)
Walter Kingson [Unseen narrator: "Champion of all the cities of the Earth is the towering, golden city of New York."]
Marian Holmes [Mrs. Sara Rickles, receptionist at Ruth's workplace: "Your wife called two minutes ago."]
Ray Walker [Mr. McGuire, salesman at Ruth's workplace: "Hiya, slaves. I'm tackling Poughkeepsie today."]
Minerva Urecal [Delicatessen proprietress: "A corned beef, fresh. Eh, you like some baloney?  It's a good."]
Frank J. Scannell [Auctioneer: "Seventy seven, the luckiest number in the world.  Now we have something special — a genuine Roman coin."]
Peter Mamakos [Headwaiter at Café Normandy: "We don't take reservations on Saturday night.  You know that."]
Jess Kirkpatrick [Andy, bartender at Café Normandy: "Whatsa matter, Harry?  You got a little pale."]
Norbert Schiller [Doctor Zero, eccentric character seen pacing in outer office of The New York Times city editor: "Phfft, phfft."]
Charles Meredith [The New York Times representative: "Doctor Zero? Our city editor asked me to tell you that The New York Times has no interest in stories about the end of the world."]
Grandon Rhodes [Mr. Baldwin, The New York Times city editor: "I hear you ran into a story in the park.  Rowboat turn over?"]
Harry Harvey, Jr. [The New York Times office boy: "It's right in the second drawer."]
Paul Smith [Dixie Dooley, Art's Army buddy: "We can't stay more than three minutes, Art."]
Michael Vallon [Flower vendor passing in a horse-drawn wagon: "Fresh flowers, nice fresh flowers."]
Glen Vernon [Emcee at The Garden of Bali, 52nd Street: "Come on, come on, let's bring the little lady back, no extra charge.  Here she is, Arlene Witchy."]
Malcolm Atterbury [Special Delivery man with letter from the battlefield: "Miss Ruth Wood?  Special Delivery for you."]
Roxanne Arlen [Attractive new secretary who has been hired to replace Millie Kranz: "Yes, Miss Ullman."]

Song
"I'll Always Believe in You", music by Ray Heindorf and M. K. Jerome, lyric by Ned Washington is used within the plot to represent the melody by Ruth's father, to which Art adds words and turns into a song.

Evaluation in film guides
Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (2011 edition) gave Miracle in the Rain 2½ stars (out of 4), describing it as an "above-par soaper of two lost souls" and Steven H. Scheuer's Movies on TV (1986–87 edition) also granted 2½ stars (out of 4), calling it a "sentimental women's picture" and evaluating that "the two stars do well and there's a good supporting performance by Eileen Heckart, as Jane's friend".

Assigning 2 stars (out of 5), The Motion Picture Guide (1987 edition) opined that "Ben Hecht was usually a lot more cynical than what he showed in his novel and screenplay for this hankie-grabber". Evaluating that the presentation has "a bit of comedy from comic King and Nichols, as a stripper, but it's otherwise heavy going", the write-up decides that "too many secondary stories and not enough on-screen time between Wyman and a living, breathing Johnson, are what detract from the picture".

Among British references, veteran critic and TimeOut Film Guide founding editor Tom Milne characterized it as a "weepie" and found it "not a patch on Minnelli's The Clock, though much better than one might expect, thanks to a similar concern for humble detail and a nice array of New York locations", but concluded that "the final 'miracle' — one of scriptwriter Ben Hecht's follies", to be "a tough lump of goo to swallow" (from 2009 edition). Leslie Halliwell in his Film Guide (5th edition, 1986) offered similar views, granting it 2 stars (out of 4) and describing it as "archetypal Hollywood schmaltz, half acute observation of amusing types, half sentimental whimsy, with a final supernatural touch of eating your cake and having it". The write-up also included the film's tagline: "A street corner pick-up that worked a miracle of love! A picture of very special greatness!". Finally, David Shipman in his 1984 Good Film and Video Guide, also settles on 2 stars (out of 4), positing that "Ben Hecht's screenplay is of the genre 'spiritual', and may have been undertaken cynically, but the director has set it in a realistic, working-class New York then rarely seen in movies, so it acquires a certain patina. And it is very nicely played, by Jane Wyman… and Alan King, as a soldier enamoured of his new wife (Barbara Nichols), an untalented cabaret artist."

Television productions

NBC Television Theater (1947)
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, at the start of a period in American TV which was subsequently characterized as the Golden Age of Television or, more precisely, "Golden Age of Live TV Drama", four anthology drama showcases used varying time formats to broadcast adaptations of Miracle in the Rain. The first of these aired during NBC's 1946–47 season, an early period of irregular programming, nearly two years before the start of network TV's first full-schedule season in October 1948. Beginning in January 1946, NBC had been presenting on Sunday evenings, between 8:30 and 9:30 or between 9 and 10, a series of live dramas under the umbrella title of Broadway Previews (later changed to NBC Television Theater).

On Sunday, February 23, 1947, from 9:05 to 9:50, presentation records indicate a sponsored (by Borden) production of Ben Hecht's Miracle in the Rain, adapted by NBC's resident director and head of the network's drama division, Fred Coe. The records are missing details regarding members of the cast or whether Coe also directed the episode.

Chevrolet on Broadway (1949)
The second presentation of the story aired as the February 14, 1949 episode of NBC's 30-minute weekly live drama series, Chevrolet Tele-Theater which, during its earliest months, was titled Chevrolet on Broadway. Presented on a high budget by the automaker, the show's productions tended to use established Hollywood talent which was more expensive than lesser-known actors from the New York stage. Reducing the plot to its core elements, the twenty-six-minute Valentine's Day encapsulation of the original novella starred, as Ruth, Mary Anderson who, in the previous five years, had played the female lead or second lead in six major studio films, including 1944's Lifeboat and Wilson, 1946's To Each His Own and 1947's Whispering City.

Art was portrayed, in his TV debut, by John Dall who, a few months earlier, in 1948, had co-starred as one of the two Leopold and Loeb-like thrill killers in Alfred Hitchcock's first Technicolor film, Rope and, two years before that, at the 18th Academy Awards, was one of the nominees for Best Supporting Actor as a result of his first film role, playing a young Welsh coal miner given a chance for a better life in 1945's The Corn Is Green. The episode was produced by former actor Owen Davis, Jr. (who drowned in a boating accident three months later, on May 21), directed by Gordon Duff and adapted by The Corn Is Green playwright Emlyn Williams. NBC's records indicate that despite the brevity of the adaptation, the storyline included three other cast members, Viola Frayne, Lee Harris and Jesse White, but the identities of their characters were not specified.

Studio One (1950)
The following year, Westinghouse Studio One, which started, in 1948, as CBS' first regularly-scheduled weekly anthology drama series and, unlike Chevrolet Tele-Theater, had an hour-long time slot, presented its adaptation (by David Shaw) on May 1, 1950. Directed by Franklin Schaffner, whose helming of Patton, twenty years later, would win him an Academy Award for Best Director, the live production starred Jeffrey Lynn as Art Hugenon. In the three years between his film debut in 1938 and the start of his World War II service in 1941, Lynn played leads and second leads in eighteen films and was touted by his studio, Warner Bros., as a potential top star of the future. However, upon returning to the screen after a seven-year absence, he found that his initial six films in the 1948–50 period, including the acclaimed A Letter to Three Wives, did not restore his career as leading man and he turned to television, making his small-screen debut with Miracle in the Rain.

The role of Ruth Wood was given to Joy Geffen, a New York stage actress with a number of undocumented appearances during TV's earliest days and at least six confirmed roles in live dramas airing between 1949 and 1953. The on-screen credits also list Catherine Squire as Mrs. Wood and Eleanor Wilson as Flora Ullman, a name that deviated from the 1956 film's "Grace Ullman". Announcer Paul Brinson states that "others in the cast of 'Miracle in the Rain' were Howard Caine [auctioneer selling the Roman coin], Cyrus Steele [restaurant maitre d'], Julian Noa [doctor attending to Ruth] and Carl Dodd".

Tales of the City (1953)
Just over three years later, on August 20, 1953, another production of the story, once again pared down to a half-hour, was presented by a live drama showcase based on the stories of the novella's original author. A seven-episode CBS summer series, referenced as Tales of the City, but bearing the official title, Willys Theatre Presenting Ben Hecht's Tales of the City, used Hecht as the unseen narrator, setting the scenes at the opening of his stories, filling in gaps, and offering closing comments. Miracle in the Rain, the fifth episode, adapted, as were all the others, by Hecht, and directed by Robert Stevens, starred, as Art and Ruth, two familiar TV faces, William Prince and Phyllis Thaxter.

Prince, who served in World War II, and briefly appeared as a serviceman in one of 1944's highest-grossing films, the wartime morale booster Hollywood Canteen, played second and third leads in seven additional films made between 1943 and 1950, with the last of these giving him the third-billed role of Cyrano's friend Christian de Neuvillette in José Ferrer's Oscar-winning portrayal of Cyrano de Bergerac, and then devoted his career primarily to television and theater. Likewise, Phyllis Thaxter, at the start of a long TV career, after playing a couple of minor leads and several second and third leads in seventeen films produced between 1944 and 1952, made her first small-screen appearance in this twenty-six-minute miniaturization of Miracle in the Rain, which also included Una Merkel as Ruth's mother and Mildred Dunnock as Grace.

References

External links

 Miracle in the Rain at TV Guide (1987 slightly revised write-up was originally published in The Motion Picture Guide)
 Miracle in the Rain at DVD Verdict

 Miracle in the Rain at Cinema Crazed
 Miracle in the Rain at Ozus' World Movie Reviews

 Miracle in the Rain at The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review
 Miracle in the Rain {along with 1945's The Clock, 1988's Crossing Delancey and 1959's A Summer Place} at Reel Film Reviews
 screen captures from Miracle in the Rain at DVD Beaver

1943 American novels
Fiction set in 1942
American novellas
Novels set in New York City
Works originally published in The Saturday Evening Post
1956 films
1950s romantic fantasy films
1956 romantic drama films
American romantic drama films
American romantic fantasy films
American black-and-white films
Films scored by Franz Waxman
Films about religion
Films based on American novels
Films directed by Rudolph Maté
Films set in 1942
Films set in New York City
Films set on the home front during World War II
Films with screenplays by Ben Hecht
Warner Bros. films
Alfred A. Knopf books
American novels adapted into films
1950s English-language films
1950s American films


A Christmas Calendar is a 1987 American Christmas television special hosted and narrated by Loretta Swit. The program was co-produced for PBS by Deutsche Welle and Oregon Public Broadcasting and premiered December 18, 1987 on PBS.

Description
Loretta Swit travels to Germany to discover the holiday traditions in the European country. Swit journeys through various regions of Germany including spending some of the holiday with a German family. She discovers the origins of St Nicholas, the Christmas traditions such as the Christkindlmarkt as well as show the viewers the winter scenery of the country. The program includes seasonal music with insight of the origins of the titles.

Cast
 Loretta Swit
 Reinhardt Schmidt
 Theresia Schmidt
 Felicia Sharon
 Barry Sharon
 Regensburger Domspatzen
 Fischer Choir of Stuttgart

Production
Location scenes for the program included Nuremberg, Munich, Aachen, Stuttgart, Hamburg, and Berlin, Germany. The program has not been released on VHS or DVD.

See also
Loretta Swit

References

External links

1987 television specials
1980s American television specials
PBS original programming
American Christmas television specials


In Japanese culture,  is a category of commercial photographic portraits of celebrities including geisha, singers, actors and actresses of both stage and film, and sports stars. The use of the term "bromide" or "promide" occurs regardless of whether bromide paper was actually used for the photograph.

In 1921 the Marubell Company began marketing photographs of celebrities under the name . The first of these was a portrait of the film actress Sumiko Kurishima. Marubell sold the photographic paper as "bromide", and its finished photographs as "Promide". The two words eventually became synonymous and between the mid-1940s and the late-1980s sales of "bromides" were used to measure the popularity of Japanese idols. Sales records were released on a monthly basis for the following categories: "Male Singers", "Female Singers", "Actors", and "Actresses". Bromides remain a popular product in the idol industry to this day.

The use of the term "bromide" to refer to a celebrity photograph remains a part of Japanese popular consciousness, and reference books such as the Kōjien Dictionary and NHK's Broadcasting Glossary recognize the term as such. "Promide" is used solely to refer to Marubell Company's bromides.

In Korea
The term is actively used in Korean culture, where it is the name of a K-pop magazine.  Based on usage of the term by, for example, sellers of K-pop goods on eBay, "bromide" denotes an oversized photo or mini-poster of a celebrity on card stock with a laminated cover or glossy finish.

References

Portrait photography
Japanese popular culture
Japanese idols


Pavlos Voskopoulos (; born 25 November 1964) or Pavle Voskopulos () is a Greek politician, a member of the collective leadership of the Rainbow party that represents the Slavic-speaking minority (identifying as ethnic Macedonian) in Greek Macedonia.

Background
Voskopoulos, an ethnic Macedonian, was born in 1964 in Florina, Greece, to a Macedonian-speaking family. He also uses the Slavic patronymic Filipov (Филипов), his family's traditional name, which was changed to Voskopoulos (his application to change back was rejected by the Greek government). He is first cousins with Mayor of Florina, Ioannis Voskopoulos who has a strong Greek identity. In 1988 he finished an Architect's degree in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. In 1989 he helped to found the Macedonian Movement for Balkan Prosperity (MAKIVE) which was based in Aridaia, along with four others; Dimitris Papadimitriou, Traianos Pasois, Kostas Tasopoulos and Petros Dimtsis. MAKIVE never participated in any elections. His first cousin Ioannis Voskopoulos, an elected Administrator of Florina prefecture, as well as other members of his family, self-identify as Greeks.

Rainbow party
In 1994 he helped to found the Rainbow party, of which he has been one of the leading figures since then. The party opened its first office in the Greek city of Florina on 6 September 1995. On 14 September he, along with three other members of the Rainbow Party were charged with "having caused and incited mutual hatred among the citizens" by the local Florina court. Soon organisations such as Amnesty International came to the support of the members of the Rainbow Party, claiming that they would become "prisoners of conscience" if they were to be jailed for the offence.

Public appearances
He has been a prominent figure in Greek media, with numerous appearances in talkshows, and in media of the neighbouring North Macedonia. He has attracted criticism for his positions and activities, given their controversial nature (for more see Macedonia naming dispute).

References

1964 births
Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia
Living people
People from Florina
Rainbow (Greece) politicians


is a Japanese former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Aomori Prefecture. He made his professional debut in January 1999. At the age of 32, he was promoted to the top makuuchi division in the November 2008 tournament. His highest rank was maegashira 3. He is now a sumo coach.

Career
Bushuyama was a contemporary of Wakanosato and Takamisakari, both also from Aomori. He was a member of the sumo club at Daito Bunka University, and reached the round of 16 in the 1998 All Japan Sumo Championship. As his club did not have many members, they regularly trained at Musashigawa stable, and this was the heya he joined upon entering the professional ranks. He made his debut in the same tournament as Asashōryū. He was given special dispensation to begin his career in the third highest makushita division because of his achievements in amateur sumo, but in 2001 fell to the jonidan division because of an elbow injury.  He reached the second highest jūryō division in September 2003, the first member of his university to attain sekitori status.

In 2005 he fell back to , and did not return to  until January 2007. He won the  division championship for the first time in July 2008, with a 12–3 record. He followed up with a 10–5 score in September. In November 2008, he was finally promoted to the top division. It had taken him 59 tournaments to win promotion to the top division from his debut, which at the time was the longest of any former collegiate champion (this dubious honor is now held by Tsurugidake). At 32 years and five months he was also the fourth oldest wrestler to make his top division debut since the end of World War II.

Bushuyama scored eight wins in his top division debut and was promoted to maegashira 6 for the January 2009 tournament. However, a very disappointing 2–13 record there meant he was demoted back to the jūryō division for the March 2009 tournament. He scored 8–7 there, enough for an immediate top division return. He recovered from 1–5 down in May to score 9–6 at  15. In the September tournament he produced his best top division score of 10–5, narrowly failing to win a special prize after being beaten on the final day. He was promoted to his highest rank of  3 for November 2009. He defeated  Kotomitsuki in this tournament, but recorded a make-koshi score of 6–9. In January 2010 he produced a poor 2–13 record, the same score from the same rank as the previous Hatsu basho in 2009. However, on this occasion he remained in the top division for the following tournament, albeit at the very lowest rank of  West. He lost his top division status after scoring only 4–11 in March, but won his second  championship with an 11–4 record in May and secured an immediate return to makuuchi. He was demoted to juryo again after the November 2010 tournament, and lost  status altogether after the May 2012 tournament, never to regain it.

Retirement from sumo

Bushuyama announced his retirement after the January 2013 . He became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Onogawa Oyakata. His danpatsu-shiki or official retirement ceremony was held in the Ryogoku Kokugikan October 2013, with around 300 guests and his stablemaster, former  Mienoumi, making the final cut of his topknot. He works as a coach at his old stable, now renamed Fujishima stable. In January 2016 he switched to the Kiyomigata elder name (owned by active wrestler Tochiozan.) In May 2020 he switched to the Kasugayama kabu (owned by Ikioi). In May 2021 he acquired the Matsuchiyama name following the retirement of the former Banryūyama.

Fighting style
Bushuyama favoured yotsu-sumo or a grappling style, preferring a  or right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponents mawashi. His most common winning technique was  (force-out) followed by  (push out) and  (force  out and down).

Career record

See also
Glossary of sumo terms
List of sumo tournament second division champions
List of past sumo wrestlers
List of sumo elders

References

External links

1976 births
Living people
Japanese sumo wrestlers
People from Aomori (city)
Sumo people from Aomori Prefecture


or Taka Katou is a Japanese male former adult video (AV) actor.

Life and career
Taka Kato was born in Akita on May 1, 1959. He graduated from a high school in Akita and in 1988 went to Tokyo where he worked as a photographer and adult video actor. His official profile claims performances in 5000 to 5300 videos as of 2005. At the 8th Tokyo Sports Film Awards for work in 1997, he won the AV Leading Actor Award.

Kato is famous in the Japanese AV industry for his ability to induce "shiofuki" or female ejaculation. His prowess in this area has earned him the resenting title "Goldfinger", although he claims that this title is made up by others. It was reported in 2007 that Kato's AV workload had lessened because he had erectile dysfunction issues, but Kato called it "all just a vicious rumor", though admitting he may no longer have the prowess of a 20-year-old.

Kato made his debut as a director with Superstar Loves Lolita (スーパースターはロリが好き) starring Yuu Aine and released by AV studio Dogma on September 15, 2007. The video, in which Kato also acted, was part of the 3rd D-1 Climax contest for Dogma directors. Kato's entry finished 8th among the 14 competitors.

In 2008, Kato joined talents with legendary Dogma director and founder TOHJIRO for a 10th anniversary celebration of their Lessons in Secret Technique "shiofuki" video. In this new collaboration, 10 Year Special Lessons In Secret Technique Men’s Bible Vol. 1 (あれから10年 秘技伝授 男のバイブル[完全潮吹き入門] Vol.1), released June 19, 2008, Kato demonstrates his technique using a plastic transparent vagina. His Dogma pupils have only limited success imitating him with actresses Hotaru Akane, Ryo Akanishi, Marin Izumi, Yuu Tsuyuno and Mayura Hoshitsuki. Akanishi wins the special prize of having sex with Taka Kato. In a second video, 10 Year Special - Lessons In Secret Technique - Men’s Bible Vol. 2 (あれから10年 秘技伝授 男のバイブル Vol.2), released July 19, 2008, Kato continues the lesson using vibrators. The Dogma staff learn their lessons well and apply them to actresses Marin Izumi, Yuu Tsuyuno, Ryou Natsume, Mayura Hoshitsuki, and Akane Mochida.

Kato has also acted in several softcore V-Cinema films and has had appearances on TV and in videos as an expert in sexual techniques. He has published several books on the subject as well. He has even joined with a classical orchestra to whisper words of love on the 2006 CD Lovers Classic.

In February 2005, Kato used his porn expertise as one of a panel of 5 judges which gave out the first Adult Broadcasting Awards for adult shows on Japanese satellite TV broadcaster SKY PerfecTV!. Kato also presided as the host of an Internet variety TV program on GyaO called "Corner Kick" (コーナーキック). Sixteen of the 60 minute shows were produced in 2007. AV actress Hitomi Hasegawa was a regular on the program and guest stars included AV Idols Nao Oikawa and Kurumi Morishita as well as porn actor Ryuji Yamamoto.

Kato was one of the people interviewed for Misato Nakayama's January 2006 study of professionals in the adult industry, , published by Ohzora ().

In May 2012, Kato Taka's Gold Finger!! App for iPhone has launched in App Store (iOS).

News came out of Japan in November 2013 that Kato Taka had decided to retire from AV industry at the end of the year, as he was ready to move on with the next phase of his life.

Notes

References

Sources
  Alt URL

1959 births
Japanese male pornographic film actors
Living people
Actors from Akita Prefecture


Sex Cymbal is the fourth solo album by American singer and drummer Sheila E., released in April 1991 by Warner Bros. Records, four years after her previous album. It is the first Sheila E. album that does not feature any input from her mentor Prince.

History
In 1990 Sheila went into the studio to record the album with her brother Peter Michael. She and Michael produced the whole album together and a few songs feature co-production from David Gamson and J.P. Charles.

Sex Cymbal produced three singles, "Sex Cymbal", "Droppin' Like Flies", and "Cry Baby". The title track, which includes an intro with a brief sample of Sheila's 1984 single "The Glamorous Life",  was released as the lead single, and it reached the top 40 of the US R&B and Dance charts. The second single, "Droppin' Like Flies", was a top 40 Dance hit but stalled at number 77 on the R&B charts. The third and final single from the album, "Cry Baby", failed to chart.

The album is a departure from her previous album Sheila E., which was notable for its Latin influence and mixing many styles of music such as jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and salsa. It has a very prominent house- and dance-focused sound that was popular in the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

Track listing
Produced and arranged by Sheila E. and Peter Michael except where noted.
 "Sex Cymbal" – 4:26
 "Funky Attitude" – 5:11
 "Leader of the Band" – 4:04
 "Cry Baby" (Sheila E., J.P. Charles) – 5:44
 "Lady Marmalade" (Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan) – 5:04
 "808 Kate (Drum Solo)" – 1:00
 "Loverboy" – 4:03
 "Mother Mary" – 5:23
 "Droppin' Like Flies" (Peter Michael, David Gamson) – 5:26
 "What'cha Gonna Do" – 4:40
 "Private Party (Tu Para Mi)" – 4:39
 "Family Affair (Percussion Jam)" – 1:00
 "Promise Me Love" – 5:37
 "Heaven" – 4:36

Personnel
Sheila E. – lead vocals, production
Michael Peter – production
J.P. Charles – co-production on "Cry Baby"
David Gamson – co-production on "Droppin' Like Flies"

Charts

References

External links

Sheila E. albums
1991 albums
Warner Records albums


Karl Siegling is the owner and manager of Cadence Asset Management Pty Ltd, a private Australian company that manages funds for Cadence Capital Limited.  He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a law degree from the University of Melbourne as well as an MBA from INSEAD.

Cadence Asset Management
Cadence Asset Management is a private company founded and owned by Karl Siegling.  It manages two ASX listed funds:
 Cadence Capital Limited: a company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the code CDM (ASX:CDM);
 Cadence Opportunities Fund Limited: a company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the code CDO (ASX:CDM)

References

 http://www.undertheradarreport.com.au/investor-profiles/karl-siegling
 https://www.investordaily.com.au/investor-weekly/head-to-head/34053-head-to-head-karl-siegling-managing-director-and-chief-investment-officer-at-cadence-capital-limited
 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wealth/the-numbers-stack-up-seiglings-highconviction-fund-returns-18pc/news-story/6715dd23929425f9e7f5428dcf7d35db
 https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyOfficers?symbol=CDM.AX

External links
Cadence Capital Limited web site

Australian investors
INSEAD alumni
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)


Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, 289 Conn. 135, 957 A.2d 407, is a 2008 decision by the Connecticut Supreme Court holding that allowing same-sex couples to form same-sex unions but not marriages violates the Connecticut Constitution. It was the third time that a ruling by the highest court of a U.S. state legalized same-sex marriage, following Massachusetts in  Goodridge v. Department of Public Health (2003) and California in In re Marriage Cases (2008). The decision legalized same-sex marriage in Connecticut when it came into effect on November 12, 2008. There were no attempts made to amend the state constitution to overrule the decision, and gender-neutral marriage statutes were passed into law in 2009.

Background
Connecticut had a relatively liberal record on the question of rights for gays and lesbians. It had repealed its law criminalizing consensual sodomy in 1969, banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1991, and authorized second-parent adoptions in 2000.

In response to an inquiry from officials of two Connecticut towns asking whether they could issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal wrote on May 17, 2004, the day that same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts:

Lawsuit
On August 25, 2004, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) filed a lawsuit, led by attorney Bennett Klein, on behalf of seven (later eight) Connecticut same-sex couples in State Superior Court, challenging the state's denial of the right to marry to same-sex couples. All had been denied marriage licenses in Madison and several were raising children. They argued that this violated the equality and liberty provisions of the Connecticut Constitution. Attorney General Blumenthal said: "The question is whether there's a denial of equal protection of the law. My job is to defend the statutes whether I like them or not, and we do that as vigorously and as zealously as we can." The Family Institute of Connecticut asked to be allowed to intervene to defend the suit, but Judge Patty Jenkins Pittman denied that request and her decision was upheld on appeal.

In October 2005, the Connecticut civil unions statute took effect. It was designed to provide same-sex couples with all the benefits and responsibilities of marriage, but it made explicit for the first time in Connecticut that marriage was the union of a man and a woman. The plaintiffs filed an amendment complaint focusing on the distinction between marriage and civil unions.

The court heard oral argument on March 21, 2006. On July 12, 2006, Judge Pittman ruled against the plaintiffs. She called the state's recent establishment of civil unions "courageous and historic". She found no meaningful distinction between marriages and civil unions except for the provision of benefits by the federal government, which did not implicate the state. She wrote:

She noted that "the plaintiffs may feel themselves to be relegated to a second class status, [but] there is nothing in
the text of the Connecticut statutes that can be read to place the plaintiffs there." She also described the court's "very limited authority to interfere with the determination of the General Assembly", i.e., the legislature, which she called "the arbiter of public policy".

Decision
The Supreme Court of Connecticut heard the appeal by the plaintiffs on May 14, 2007. Jane R. Rosenberg, representing the Attorney General, told the Court: "We're not talking about granting rights and benefits; we're talking about a word." Bennett Klein, representing the plaintiffs, called civil unions "a less prestigious, less advantageous, institution". When Klein argued that same-sex marriage was a fundamental right and guaranteed by the state constitution's ban on sex-based discrimination, Justice David M. Borden told him he was "riding two horses". Much of the argument concerned whether the Court needed to treat sexual orientation as a "suspect class", a category that would require the state to meet a higher standard for treating them as a class apart. Part of that argument addressed whether gays and lesbians can be termed "politically powerless". When Rosenberg pointed to their recent "significant advances" and suggested the trend would continue, Justice Richard N. Palmer asked: "Is that your argument—give them more time and they'll do better?" The Justices also referenced recent activity in the legislature, where a week earlier the judiciary committee had endorsed same-sex marriage by a vote of 27–15, surprising legislators who then prevailed upon the bill's sponsors to delay its consideration.

The Court issued its opinion on October 10, 2008. The Court ruled 4-3 that denying same-sex couples the right to marry, even granted them a parallel status under another name like civil unions, violated the equality and liberty provisions of the Connecticut Constitution.

Justice Richard N. Palmer wrote for the majority, joined by Justices Joette Katz, Flemming L. Norcott, Jr., and Connecticut Appellate Court Judge Lubbie Harper Jr. (who replaced the recused Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers).  The Court found a substantial difference between marriages and civil unions:

The ruling was scheduled to take effect on October 28. It was the first ruling by a state's highest court that found allowing same-sex couples their own marriage-like status, in this case civil unions, failing to meet the state constitution's equal protection standard. At the time, three states had civil unions (Vermont, New Hampshire and New Jersey) and four had domestic partnerships (Maine, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii).

Justices David M. Borden, Christine S. Vertefeuille, and Peter T. Zarella each field a dissent. Borden wrote that civil unions deserved more time: "Our experience with civil unions is simply too new and the views of the people of our state about it as a social institution are too much in flux to say with any certitude that the marriage statute must be struck down". Zarella found procreation a sufficient rationale for restricting marriage to different-sex couples: "The ancient definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman has its basis in biology, not bigotry. The fact that same sex couples cannot engage in sexual conduct of a type that can result in the birth of a child is a critical difference in this context."

Governor Jodi Rell said that she would enforce the decision even though she disagreed with it. She said: "The Supreme Court has spoken. I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision, either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution, will not meet with success." Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, called the judges "robed masters" and "philosopher kings". He said: "It's an outrage, but not an unexpected outrage. We have thought all along that this court would usurp democracy and impose same-sex marriage by judicial fiat." To counter the decision, he said Connecticut voters needed to support a proposal on the November 4 ballot to call a constitutional convention, which could lead to a popular vote on same-sex marriage. Voters rejected the call for a convention, with over 59% of voters voting no.

Marriages
On November 12, 2008, the first marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples in Connecticut. Since California voters had passed a ban on same-sex marriage a few days earlier, Connecticut joined Massachusetts as the only other state licensing same-sex marriages.

In the three years between the time civil unions became available in Connecticut and the first same-sex marriages there, approximately 1,800 couples established civil unions.

In the first year that marriage license were available to them, 1,746 same-sex couples married in Connecticut.

See also
 Baker v. Vermont, 744 A.2d 864 (Vt. 1999)
 Lewis v. Harris, 188 N.J. 415 (N.J. 2006)
 Varnum v. Brien, 763 N.W.2d 862 (Iowa 2009)
 Same-sex marriage in Connecticut

Notes

References

External links
 Majority opinion
 Dissenting opinion by Justice Borden
 Dissenting opinion by Justice Vertefeuille
 Dissenting opinion by Justice Zarella

Connecticut state case law
2008 in LGBT history
2008 in United States case law
LGBT rights in Connecticut
2008 in Connecticut
United States same-sex union case law


The Other Half was an American psychedelic garage rock band, based in San Francisco, and active in the mid-to-late 1960s. The band gained interest after one of the Nuggets compilations in the 1980s included their single, "Mr. Pharmacist".

History
The Other Half formed in Los Angeles California, United States, but later moved to San Francisco. They played several shows at Chet Helms Family Dog shows at the Avalon Ballroom. Their music was strongly influenced by the Yardbirds and Rolling Stones. Guitarist Randy Holden had been offered the chance to replace Jeff Beck in the Yardbirds before joining The Other Half. The Other Half were at their peak when the music scene was at its height in San Francisco and the Flower Power movement in full swing in Haight Ashbury.  Their style changed from an earlier vocal based garage band, to the loudest big stage band sound of the time, taken in that direction by former The Sons of Adam guitarist Randy Holden. Their sound has been compared to The Yardbirds, and contained elements of blues, hard rock, and Eastern melodic influences. Holden left the band after their debut album was recorded, dissatisfied with the recording and the guitar he was playing at the time, later stating "I was trying to accommodate everyone else, at the expense of my own soul and happiness". Despite Holden's misgivings, the album has been described as "awesome incendiary rock".

Holden went on to join Blue Cheer before embarking on a solo career.

The band's "Mr. Pharmacist" was included on one of the Nuggets compilations in the early 1980s, Volume 12: Punk Part Three, and was later covered by The Fall, becoming a number 75 UK chart hit. A collection of their recordings, titled Mr. Pharmacist was issued in 1982. This included their entire 1968 album and several tracks from singles.
Two songs, "Bad Day" and "Oz Lee Eaves Drops" appeared in the 1968 pilot episode of The Mod Squad.

Band members
Randy Holden – Lead guitar, vocals
Geoff Westen – Rhythm guitar, vocals
Larry Brown – Bass guitar
Danny Woody – Drums
Jeff Nowlen – Vocalist

Singles
 "Mr. Pharmacist" / "I've Come So Far" (GNP Crescendo 378X, Nov 1966)
 "Wonderful Day" / "Flight of the Dragon Lady" (Acta 801, Mar 1967)
 "I Need You" / "No Doubt About It" (Acta 806, Jul 1967)
 "What Can I Do For You" / "Bad Day" (Acta 819, Feb 1968)
 "Morning Fire" / "Oz Lee Eaves Drops" (Acta 825, May 1968)

Vinyl LPs
The Other Half (Acta 38004, 1968; reissued on Radioactive 025, 2004)
Mr. Pharmacist (Eva 12003, 1982) – this too is a reissue of Acta 38004

References

External links
Randy Holden's website

Prindle, Mark Mr. Pharmacist review

1966 establishments in California
Garage rock groups from California
Musical groups established in 1966
Musical groups disestablished in 1968
Musical groups from San Francisco
Psychedelic rock music groups from California


Le Chat et la Souris (US title: Cat and Mouse,  also known as Seven Suspects for Murder) is a 1975 French mystery film directed and written by Claude Lelouch. The film stars Michèle Morgan, Serge Reggiani and Jean-Pierre Aumont.

It tells the story of a rich widow, whose philandering husband is killed, and an inspector tries to solve the murder mystery.

Cast
Michèle Morgan as  Madame Richard
Serge Reggiani as  Lechat
Philippe Léotard as  Pierre Chemin
Jean-Pierre Aumont as  Monsieur Richard
Valérie Lagrange as  Manuelle
Michel Peyrelon as  Germain
Christine Laurent as  Christine
Philippe Labro as  Philippe Lacombe
Jacques François as  Le préfet de police
Arlette Emmery as  Rose
Jean Mermet
Anne Libert as  Anne
Judith Magre as  The lady with the dog
Yves Afonso as William Daube - le gauchiste

External links

1975 films
1970s comedy mystery films
French comedy mystery films
1970s French-language films
Films set in Paris
Films directed by Claude Lelouch
1975 comedy films
1970s French films


Tajana (also called Tajana Mandal) is a village, situated in Bahawalnagar District, Punjab, Pakistan. It consists 500 homes. The most common profession of the people is agriculture. 70% of the total agricultural land depends on rain water. There are no other sources of the water there.

Bahawalnagar District


Nemanja Kojić may refer to:

Nemanja Kojić (footballer) (born 1990), Serbian footballer who plays as a striker
Nemanja Kojić (musician) (born 1975), Serbian musician better known by his stage name Hornsman Coyote (or Kojot)
Nemanja Kojić (runner) (born 1994), Serbian middle-distance track athlete who specializes in the 800 metres


The Um interface is the air interface for the GSM mobile telephone standard.  It is the interface between the mobile station (MS) and the Base transceiver station (BTS).  It is called Um because it is the mobile analog to the U interface of ISDN. Um is defined in the GSM 04.xx and 05.xx series of specifications. Um can also support GPRS packet-oriented communication.

Um layers
The layers of GSM are initially defined in GSM 04.01 Section 7 and roughly follow the OSI model.  Um is defined in the lower three layers of the model.

Physical Layer (L1)
The Um physical layer is defined in the GSM 05.xx series of specifications, with the introduction and overview in GSM 05.01.
For most channels, Um L1 transmits and receives 184-bit control frames or 260-bit vocoder frames over the radio interface in 148-bit bursts with one burst per timeslot.
There are three sublayers:
 Radiomodem.  This is the actual radio transceiver, defined largely in GSM 05.04 and 05.05.
 Multiplexing and Timing.  GSM uses TDMA to subdivide each radio channel into as many as 16 traffic channels or as many as 64 control channels.  The multiplexing patterns are defined in GSM 05.02.
 Coding.  This sublayer is defined in GSM 05.03.
Um on the physical channel has 26 TDMA frames each frame consisting of 114 info bits each. The length of 26 TDMA frame also called Multi-frame is 120 ms apart.

Radio modem
GSM uses GMSK or 8PSK modulation with 1 bit per symbol which produces a 13/48 MHz (270.833 kHz or 270.833 K symbols/second) symbol rate and a channel spacing of 200 kHz. Since adjacent channels overlap, the standard does not allow adjacent channels to be used in the same cell. The standard defines several bands ranging from 400 MHz to 1990 MHz.  Uplink and downlink bands are generally separated by 45 or 50 MHz (at the low-frequency end of the GSM spectrum) and 85 or 90 MHz (at the high-frequency end of the GSM spectrum). Uplink/downlink channel pairs are identified by an index called the ARFCN.  Within the BTS, these ARFCNs are given arbitrary carrier indexes C0..Cn-1, with C0 designated as a Beacon Channel and always operated at constant power.

GSM has physical and logical channels. The logical channel is time-multiplexed into 8 timeslots, with each timeslot lasting for 0.577ms and having 156.25 symbol periods. These 8 timeslots form a frame of 1,250 symbol periods. Channels are defined by the number and position of their corresponding burst period. The capacity associated with a single timeslot on a single ARFCN is called a physical channel (PCH) and referred to as "CnTm" where n is a carrier index and m is a timeslot index (0-7).

Each timeslot is occupied by a radio burst with a guard interval, two payload fields, tail bits, and a midamble (or training sequence). The lengths of these fields vary with the burst type but the total burst length is 156.25 symbol periods.
The most commonly used burst is the Normal Burst (NB).
The fields of the NB are:

 Midamble  A 26-bits training sequence that helps in multipath equalisation at the center of the burst
 "Stealing bits"  each side of the midamble, used to distinguish control and traffic payloads
 Payload  two 57-bit fields, symmetric about the burst
 Tail bits  3-bit field, at each end of the burst
 Guard period  8.25-symbols at the end of the burst

There are several other burst formats, though. Bursts that require higher processing gain for signal acquisition have longer midambles. The random access burst (RACH) has an extended guard period to allow it to be transmitted with incomplete timing acquisition. Burst formats are described in GSM 05.02 Section 5.2.

Multiplexing and timing
Each physical channel is time-multiplexed into multiple logical channels according to the rules of GSM 05.02. One logical channel constitute of 8 burst periods (or physical channels) which is called a Frame. Traffic channel multiplexing follows a 26-frame (0.12 second) cycle called a "multiframe".  Control channels follow a 51-frame multiframe cycle.  The C0T0 physical channel carries the SCH, which encodes the timing state of the BTS to facilitate synchronization to the TDMA pattern.

GSM timing is driven by the serving BTS through the SCH and FCCH. All clocks in the handset, including the symbol clock and local oscillator, are slaved to signals received from the BTS, as described in GSM 05.10.
BTSs in the GSM network can be asynchronous and all timing requirements in the GSM standard can be derived from a stratum-3 OCXO.

Coding
The coding sublayer provides forward error correction. As a general rule, each GSM channel uses a block parity code (usually a Fire code), a rate-1/2, 4th-order convolutional code and a 4-burst or 8-burst interleaver.  Notable exceptions are the synchronization channel (SCH) and random access channel (RACH) that use single-burst transmissions and thus have no interleavers.  For speech channels, vocoder bits are sorted into importance classes with different degrees of encoding protection applied to each class (GSM 05.03).

Both 260-bit vocoder frames and 184-bit L2 control frames are coded into 456 bit L1 frames.  On channels with 4-burst interleaving (BCCH, CCCH, SDCCH, SACCH), these 456 bits are interleaved into 4 radio bursts with 114 payload bits per burst.  On channels with 8-burst interleaving (TCH, FACCH), these 456 bits are interleaved over 8 radio bursts so that each radio burst carries 57 bits from the current L1 frame and 57 bits from the previous L1 frame.  Interleaving algorithms for the most common traffic and control channels are described in GSM 05.03 Sections 3.1.3, 3.2.3 and 4.1.4.

Data Link Layer (L2)
The Um data link layer, LAPDm, is defined in GSM 04.05 and 04.06.  LAPDm is the mobile analog to ISDN's LAPD.

Network Layer (L3)
The Um network layer is defined in GSM 04.07 and 04.08 and has three sublayers.  A subscriber terminal must establish a connection in each sublayer before accessing the next higher sublayer.
 Radio Resource (RR).  This sublayer manages the assignment and release of logical channels on the radio link.  It is normally terminated in the base station controller (BSC).
 Mobility Management (MM).  This sublayer authenticates users and tracks their movements from cell to cell.  It is normally terminated in the Visitor Location Register (VLR) or Home Location Register (HLR).
 Call Control (CC).  This sublayer connects telephone calls and is taken directly from ITU-T Q.931.  GSM 04.08 Annex E provides a table of corresponding paragraphs in GSM 04.08 and ITU-T Q.931 along with a summary of differences between the two.  The CC sublayer is terminated in the MSC.

The access order is RR, MM, CC.  The release order is the reverse of that.  Note that none of these sublayers terminate in the BTS itself.  The standard GSM BTS operates only in layers 1 and 2.

Um logical channels
Um logical channel types are outlined in GSM 04.03.  Broadly speaking, non-GPRS Um logical channels fall into three categories: traffic channels, dedicated control channels and non-dedicated control channels.

Traffic channels (TCH)
These point-to-point channels correspond to the ISDN B channel and are referred to as Bm channels.
Traffic channels use 8-burst(Break) diagonal interleaving with a new block starting on every fourth burst and any given burst containing bits from two different traffic frames.  This interleaving pattern makes the TCH robust against single-burst fades since the loss of a single burst destroys only 1/8 of the frame's channel bits.
The coding of a traffic channel is dependent on the traffic or vocoder type employed, with most coders capable of overcoming single-burst losses.
All traffic channels use a 26-multiframe TDMA structure.

Full-rate channels (TCH/F)
A GSM full rate channel uses 24 frames out of a 26-multiframe.  The channel bit rate of a full-rate GSM channel is 22.7 kbit/s, although the actual payload data rate is 9.6-14 kbit/s, depending on the channel coding.  This channel is normally used with the GSM 06.10 Full Rate, GSM 06.60 Enhanced Full Rate or GSM 06.90 Adaptive Multi-Rate speech codec.  It can also be used for fax and Circuit Switched Data.

Half-rate channels (TCH/H)
A GSM half rate channel uses 12 frames out of a 26-multiframe.  The channel bit rate of a half-rate GSM channel is 11.4 kbit/s, although the actual data capacity is 4.8-7 kbit/s, depending on the channel coding.  This channel is normally used with the GSM 06.20 Half Rate or GSM 06.90 Adaptive Multi-Rate speech codec.

Dedicated Control Channels (DCCHs)
These point-to-point channels correspond to the ISDN D channel and are referred to as Dm channels.

Standalone Dedicated Control Channel (SDCCH)
The SDCCH is used for most short transactions, including initial call setup step, registration and SMS transfer.  It has a payload data rate of 0.8 kbit/s.  Up to eight SDCCHs can be time-multiplexed onto a single physical channel.  The SDCCH uses 4-burst block interleaving in a 51-multiframe.

Fast Associated Control Channel (FACCH)
The FACCH is always paired with a traffic channel.  The FACCH is a blank-and-burst channel that operates by stealing bursts from its associated traffic channel.  Bursts that carry FACCH data are distinguished from traffic bursts by stealing bits at each end of the midamble.  The FACCH is used for in-call signaling, including call disconnect, handover and the later stages of call setup.  It has a payload data rate of 9.2 kbit/s when paired with a full-rate channel (FACCH/F) and 4.6 kbit/s when paired with a half-rate channel (FACCH/H).  The FACCH uses the same interleaving and multiframe structure as its host TCH.

Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH)
Every SDCCH or FACCH also has an associated SACCH.  Its normal function is to carry system information messages 5 and 6 on the downlink, carry receiver measurement reports on the uplink and to perform closed-loop power and timing control.  Closed loop timing and power control are performed with a physical header at the start of each L1 frame.  This 16-bit physical header carries actual power and timing advance settings in the uplink and ordered power and timing values in the downlink. The SACCH can also be used for in-call delivery of SMS.  It has a payload data rate of 0.2-0.4 kbit/s, depending on the channel with which it is associated. The SACCH uses 4-burst block interleaving and the same multiframe type as its host TCH or SDCCH.

Common Control Channels (CCCHs)
These are unicast and broadcast channels that do not have analogs in ISDN.  These channels are used almost exclusively for radio resource management. The AGCH and RACH together form the medium access mechanism for Um.

Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH)
The BCCH carries a repeating pattern of system information messages that describe the identity, configuration and available features of the BTS.
BCCH brings the measurement reports
it bring the information about LAI And CGI
BCCH frequency are fixed in BTS

Synchronization Channel (SCH)
The SCH transmits a Base station identity code and the current value of the TDMA clock.
SCH repeats on every 1st, 11th, 21st, 31st and 41st frames of the 51 frame multi frame. So there are 5 SCH frames in a 51 frame multiframe.

Frequency Correction Channel (FCCH)
The FCCH generates a tone on the radio channel that is used by the mobile station to discipline its local oscillator. FCCH will repeat on every 0th, 10th, 20th, 30th and 40th frames of the 51 frame multiframe. So there are 5 FCCH frames in a 51 frame multiframe.

Paging Channel (PCH)
The PCH carries service notifications (pages) to specific mobiles sent by the network. A mobile station that is camped to a BTS monitors the PCH for these notifications sent by the network.

Access Grant Channel (AGCH)
The AGCH carries BTS responses to channel requests sent by mobile stations via the Random Access Channel.

Random Access Channel (RACH)
The RACH is the uplink counterpart to the AGCH.  The RACH is a shared channel on which the mobile stations transmit random access bursts to request channel assignments from the BTS.

Allowed channel combinations
The multiplexing rules of GSM 05.02 allow only certain combinations of logical channels to share a physical channel.    The allowed combinations for single-slot systems are listed in GSM 05.02 Section 6.4.1.
Additionally, only certain of these combinations are allowed on certain timeslots or carriers and only certain sets of combinations can coexist in a given BTS.  These restrictions are intended to exclude non-sensical BTS configurations and are described in GSM 05.02 Section 6.5.

The most common combinations are:
 Combination I: TCH/F + FACCH/F + SACCH.  This combination is used for full rate traffic.  It can be used anywhere but C0T0.
 Combination II: TCH/H + FACCH/H + SACCH.  This combination is used for half rate traffic when only one channel is needed.  It can be used anywhere but C0T0.
 Combination III: 2 TCH/H + 2 FACCH/H + 2 SACCH.  This combination is used for half rate traffic.  It can be used anywhere but C0T0.
 Combination IV: FCCH + SCH + BCCH + CCCH.  This is the standard C0T0 combination for medium and large cells.  It can be used only on C0T0.
 Combination V: FCCH + SCH + BCCH + CCCH + 4 SDCCH + 2 SACCH. [(5x1)+(5x1)+(1x4)+(3x4)+(4x4)+(2x4)+1idle=51frame multiframe] This is the typical C0T0 combination for small cells, which allows the BTS to trade unnecessary CCCH capacity for a pool of 4 SDCCHs.  It can be used only on C0T0.
 Combination VI: BCCH + CCCH.  This combination is used to provide additional CCCH capacity in large cells.  It can be used on C0T2, C0T4 or C0T6.
 Combination VII: 8 SDCCH + 4 SACCH.[(8x4)+(4x4)+3idle=51frame multiframe]  This combination is used to provide additional SDCCH capacity in medium and large cells.  It can be used anywhere but C0T0.

Fundamental Um transactions
Basic speech service in GSM requires five transactions: radio channel establishment, location update, mobile-originating call establishment, mobile-terminating call establishment and call clearing.  All of these transactions are described in GSM 04.08 Sections 3-7.

Radio channel establishment
Unlike ISDN's U channel, Um channels are not hard-wired, so the Um interface requires a mechanism for establishing and assigning a dedicated channel prior to any other transaction.
The Um radio resource establishment procedure is defined in GSM 04.08 Section 3.3 and this is the basic medium access procedure for Um.
This procedure uses the CCCH (PCH and AGCH) as a unicast downlink and the RACH as a shared uplink.
In the simplest form, the steps of the transaction are:
 Paging.  The network sends a RR Paging Request message (GSM 04.08 Sections 9.1.22-9.1.23) over the PCH, using the subscriber's IMSI or TMSI as an address.  GSM does not allow paging by IMEI (GSM 04.08 Section 9.1.22.3 as exception to the definition in 10.5.1.4).  This paging step occurs only for a transaction initiated by the network.
 Random Access.  The mobile station sends a burst on the RACH.  This burst encodes an 8-bit transaction tag and the BSIC of the serving BTS.  A variable number of most-significant bits in the tag encode the reason for the access request, with the remaining bits chosen randomly.  In L3, this tag is presented as the RR Channel Request message (GSM 04.08 9.1.8).  The mobile also records the TDMA clock state at the time the RACH burst is transmitted.  In cases where the transaction is initiated by the MS, this is first step.
 Assignment.  On the AGCH, the network sends the RR Immediate Assignment message (GSM 04.08 Section 9.1.18) for a dedicated channel, usually an SDCCH.  This message is addressed to the MS by inclusion of the 8-bit tag from the corresponding RACH burst and a time-stamp indicating the TDMA clock state when the RACH burst was received.  If no dedicated channel is available for assignment, the BTS can instead respond with the RR Immediate Assignment Reject message, which is similarly addressed and contains a hold-off time for the next access attempt.  Emergency callers receiving the reject message are not subject to the hold-off and may retry immediately.
 Retry.  If the RACH burst of step 2 is not answered with an assignment or assignment reject in step 3 within a given timeout period (usually on the order of 0.5 second), the handset will repeat step 2 after a small random delay.  This cycle may be repeated 6-8 times before the MS aborts the access attempt.

Note that there is a small but non-zero probability that two MSs send identical RACH bursts at the same time in step 2.  If these RACH bursts arrive at the BTS with comparable power, the resulting sum of radio signals will not be demodulable and both MSs will move to step 4.  However, if there is a sufficient difference in power, the BTS will see and answer the more powerful RACH burst.  Both MSs will receive and respond to the resulting channel assignment in step 3.  To ensure recovery from this condition, Um uses a "contention resolution procedure" in L2, described in GSM 04.06 5.4.1.4 in which the first L3 message frame from the MS, which always contains some form of mobile ID, is echoed back to the MS for verification.

Location updating
The location updating procedure is defined in GSM 04.08 Sections 4.4.1 and 7.3.1.  This procedure normally is performed when the MS powers up or enters a new Location area but may also be performed at other times as described in the specifications.
In its minimal form, the steps of the transaction are:
 The MS and BTS perform the radio channel establishment procedure.
 On the newly established dedicated channel, the MS sends the MM Location Updating Request message containing either an IMSI or TMSI.  The message also implies connection establishment in the MM sublayer.
 The network verifies the mobile identity in the HLR or VLR and responds with the MM Location Updating Accept message.
 The network closes the Dm channel by sending the RR Channel Release message.

There are many possible elaborations on this transaction, including:
 authentication
 ciphering
 TMSI assignment
 queries for other identity types
 location updating reject

Mobile-Originating Call (MOC) establishment
This is the transaction for an outgoing call from the MS, defined in GSM 04.08 Sections 5.2.1 and 7.3.2 but taken largely from ISDN Q.931.
In its simplest form, the steps of the transaction are:
 The MS initiates the radio channel establishment procedure and is assigned to a Dm channel, usually an SDCCH.  This establishes the connection in the L3 RR sublayer.
 The first message sent on the new Dm is the MM Connection Mode service Request, sent by the MS.  This message contains a subscriber ID (IMSI or TMSI) and a description of the requested service, in this case MOC.
 The network verifies the subscriber's provisioning in the HLR and responds with the MM Connection Mode Service Accept message.  This establishes the connection in the L3 MM sublayer.  (This is a simplification.  In most networks MM establishment is performed with authentication and ciphering transactions at this point.)
 The MS sends the CC Setup message, which contains the called party number.
 Assuming the called party number is valid, network response with the CC Call Proceeding message.
 The network sends an RR Assignment message to move the transaction off of the SDCCH and onto a TCH+FACCH.
 Once the MS has acquired the timing on the TCH+FACCH, it responds on the new FACCH with the RR Assignment Complete message.  From this point on, all control transactions are on the FACCH.
 When alerting is verified at the called destination, the network sends the CC Alerting message.
 When the called party answers, the network sends the CC Connect message.
 The MS response with the CC Connect Acknowledge message.  At this point, the call is active.

The TCH+FACCH assignment can occur at any time during the transaction, depending on the configuration of the network.  There are three common approaches:
 Early Assignment.  The network assigns the TCH+FACCH after sending CC Call Proceeding and completes call setup on the FACCH.  This allows the use of in-band patterns (like the ringing or busy patterns) generated by the network.  This is the example shown.
 Late Assignment.  The network does not assign the TCH+FACCH until after alerting has started.  This forces the MS itself to generate the patterns locally since the TCH does not yet exist to carry the sound.
 Very Early Assignment.  The network makes an immediate assignment to the TCH+FACCH in the initial RR establishment and performs the entire transaction on the FACCH.  The SDCCH is not used.  Because immediate assignment starts the FACCH in a signaling-only mode, the network must send the RR Channel Mode Modify message at some point to enable the TCH part of the channel.

Mobile-Terminating Call (MTC) establishment
This is the transaction for an incoming call to the MS, defined in GSM 04.08 Sections 5.2.2 and 7.3.3, but taken largely from ISDN Q.931.
 The network initiates the radio channel establishment procedure and assigns the MS to a Dm channel, usually an SDCCH.  This establishes the connection in the L3 RR sublayer.
 The MS sends the first message on the new Dm, which is the RR Paging Response message.  This message contains a mobile identity (IMSI or TMSI) and also implies a connection attempt in the MM sublayer.
 The network verifies the subscriber in the HLR and verifies that the MS was indeed paged for service.  The network can initiate authentication and ciphering at this point, but in the simplest case the network can just send the CC Setup message to initiate Q.931-style call control.
 The MS responds with CC Call Confirmed.
 The network sends an RR Assignment message to move the transaction off of the SDCCH and onto a TCH+FACCH.
 Once the MS has acquired the timing on the TCH+FACCH, it responds on the new FACCH with the RR Assignment Complete message.  From this point on, all control transactions are on the FACCH.
 The MS starts alerting (ringing, etc.) and sends the CC Alerting message to the network.
 When the subscriber answers, the MS sends the CC Connect message to the network.
 The network response with the CC Connect Acknowledge message.  At this point, the call is active.

As in the MOC, the TCH+FACCH assignment can happen at any time, with the three common techniques being early, late and very early assignment.

Call clearing
The transaction for clearing a call is defined in GSM 04.08 Sections 5.4 and 7.3.4.  This transaction is the same whether initiated by the MS or the network, the only difference being a reversal of roles.  This transaction is taken from Q.931.
 Party A sends the CC Disconnect message.
 Party B responds with the CC Release message.
 Party A responds with the CC Release Complete message.
 The network releases the RR connection with the RR Channel Release message.  This always comes from the network, regardless of which party initiated the clearing procedure.

SMS transfer on Um
GSM 04.11 and 03.40 define SMS in five layers:

 L1 is taken from the Dm channel type used, either SDCCH or SACCH.  This layer terminates in the BSC.
 L2 is normally LAPDm, although GPRS-attached devices may use Logical link control (LLC, GSM 04.64).  In LAPDm SMS uses SAP3.  This layer terminates in the BTS.
 L3, the connection layer, defined in GSM 04.11 Section 5.  This layer terminates in the MSC.
 L4, the relay layer, defined in GSM 04.11 Section 6.  This layer terminates in the MSC.
 L5, the transfer layer, defined in GSM 03.40.  This layer terminates in the SMSC.

As a general rule, every message transferred in L(n) requires both a transfer and an acknowledgment on L(n-1).  Only L1-L4 are visible on Um.

Mobile-Originated SMS (MO-SMS)
The transaction steps for MO-SMS are defined in GSM 04.11 Sections 5, 6 and Annex B.  In the simplest case, error-free delivery outside of an established call, the transaction sequence is:

 The MS establishes an SDCCH using the standard RR establishment procedure.
 The MS sends a CM Service Request,
 The MS initiates multiframe mode in SAP3 with the normal LAPDm SABM procedure.
 The MS sends a CP-DATA message (L3, GSM 04.11 Section 7.2.1), which carries an RP-DATA message (L4, GSM 04.11 Section 7.3.1) in its RPDU.
 The network responds with a CP-ACK message (L3, GSM 04.11 Section 7.2.2).
 The network delivers the RPDU to the MSC.
 The MSC responds with an RP-ACK message (L4, GSM 04.11 Section 7.3.3).
 The network sends a CP-DATA message to the MS, carrying the RP-ACK payload in its RPDU.
 The MS responds with a CP-ACK message.
 The network releases the SDCCH with the RR Channel Release message.  This implies a closure of the MM sublayer and triggers the release of L2 and L1.

Mobile-Terminated SMS (MT-SMS)
The transaction steps for MT-SMS are defined in GSM 04.11 Sections 5, 6 and Annex B.  In the simplest case, error-free delivery outside of an established call, the transaction sequence is:

 The network pages the MS with the standard paging procedure.
 The MS establishes an SDCCH using the standard RR paging response procedure, which implies a CC sublayer connection.
 The network initiates multiframe mode in SAP3.
 The network sends the RP-DATA message as the RPDU in a CP-DATA message.
 The MS responds with the CP-ACK message.
 The MS processes the RPDU.
 The MS sends a CP-DATA message to the network containing an RP-ACK message in the RPDU.
 The network responds with a CP-ACK message.
 The network releases the SDCCH with the RR Channel Release message.  This implies a closure of the MM sublayer and triggers the release of L2 and L1.

Um security features
GSM 02.09 defines the following security features on Um:
 authentication of subscribers by the network,
 encryption on the channel,
 anonymization of transactions (at least partially)
Um also supports frequency hopping (GSM 05.01 Section 6), which is not specifically intended as a security feature but has the practical effect of adding significant complexity to passive interception of the Um link.

Authentication and encryption both rely on a secret key, Ki, that is unique to the subscriber.  Copies of Ki are held in the SIM and in the Authentication Center (AuC), a component of the HLR.  Ki is never transmitted across Um.
An important and well-known shortcoming of GSM security is that it does not provide a means for subscribers to authenticate the network.  This oversight allows for false basestation attacks, such as those implemented in an IMSI catcher.

Authentication of subscribers
The Um authentication procedure is detailed in GSM 04.08 Section 4.3.2 and GSM 03.20 Section 3.3.1 and summarized here:
 The network generates a 128 bit random value, RAND.
 The network sends RAND to the MS in the MM Authentication Request message.
 The MS forms a 32-bit hash value called SRES by encrypting RAND with an algorithm called A3, using Ki as a key.  .  The network performs an identical SRES calculation.
 The MS sends back its SRES value in the RR Authentication Response message.
 The network compares its calculated SRES value to the value returned by the MS.  If they match, the MS is authenticated.
 Both the MS and the network also compute a 64-bit ciphering key, Kc, from RAND and Ki using the A8 algorithm.  .  Both parties save this value for later use when ciphering is enabled.

Note that this transaction always occurs in the clear, since the ciphering key is not established until after the transaction is started.

Um encryption
GSM encryption, called "ciphering" in the specifications, is implemented on the channel bits of the radio bursts, at a very low level in L1, after forward error correction coding is applied.  This is another significant security shortcoming in GSM because:
 the intentional redundancy of the convolutional coder reduces the Unicity distance of the encoded data and
 the parity word can be used for verifying correct decryption.
A typical GSM transaction also includes LAPDm idle frames and SACCH system information messages at predictable times, affording a Known plaintext attack.

The GSM ciphering algorithm is called A5.  There are four variants of A5 in GSM, only first three of which are widely deployed:
 A5/0—no ciphering at all
 A5/1: strong(er) ciphering, intended for use in North America and Europe
 A5/2: weak ciphering, intended for use in other parts of the world, but now deprecated by the GSMA
 A5/3: even stronger ciphering with open design

Ciphering is a radio resource function and managed with messages in the radio resource sublayer of L3, but ciphering is tied to authentication because the ciphering key Kc is generated in that process.  Ciphering is initiated with the RR Ciphering Mode Command message, which indicates the A5 variant to be used.  The MS starts ciphering and responds with the RR Ciphering Mode Complete message in ciphertext.

The network is expected to deny service to any MS that does not support either A5/1 or A5/2 (GSM 02.09 Section 3.3.3).  Support of both A5/1 and A5/2 in the MS was mandatory in GSM Phase 2 (GSM 02.07 Section 2) until A5/2 was depreciated by the GSMA in 2006.

Anonymization of subscribers
The TMSI is a 32-bit temporary mobile subscriber identity that can be used to avoid sending the IMSI in the clear on Um.  The TMSI is assigned by the BSC and is only meaningful within specific network.  The TMSI is assigned by the network with the MM TMSI Reallocation Command, a message that is normally not sent until after ciphering is started, so as to hide the TMSI/IMSI relationship.  Once the TMSI is established, it can be used to anonymize future transactions.  Note that the subscriber identity must be established before authentication or encryption, so the first transaction in a new network must be initiated by transmitting the IMSI in the clear.

See also
OpenBTS
GSM 03.40

Further reading

External links
 3GPP - The current standardization body for GSM with free standards available.
 General Packet Radio Service GPRS: Architecture, Protocols, and Air Interface.

GSM standard


Elsbeth Schragmüller (7 August 1887, Schlüsselburg near Petershagen, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire — 24 February 1940, Munich, Nazi Germany), also known as Fräulein Doktor and Mademoiselle Docteur, as well as Fair Lady, La Baronne and Mlle. Schwartz, was a German university professor-turned-spymaster for Abteilung III b in German-occupied Belgium during World War I.

Early life
Schragmüller was the eldest of four children born to Prussian Army officer and bailiff Carl Anton Schragmüller and his wife Valesca Cramer von Clausbruch. Under the later Weimar Republic, her younger brother Konrad Schragmüller, later became the Sturmabteilung (SA) chief of Magdeburg.

Schragmüller spent her childhood first in Schlüsselburg and then in Münster with her grandmother, who educated her. From 1909 to 1914, she studied political science at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg. She finished her studies in 1913 and was one of the first women in Germany to acquire a university degree. After her studies, she worked for the Berlin Lette-Verein as a lecturer in civic education.

First World War
After the outbreak of the First World War, Schragmüller moved to occupied Belgium, where the German governor general, Field Marshal Colmar von der Goltz, assigned her to Section VII, wherein she opened and assessed private letters in search of coded messages to the Allies.

She later switched to intelligence collection and worked, after a short training period, in Lille for the General Staff's counterintelligence wing, Abteilung IIIb. In 1915, Colonel Walter Nicolai, the head of Abteilung IIIb, promoted her to spymaster of the Kriegsnachrichtenstelle Antwerpen. When the war ended, Schragmüller held the rank of Oberleutnant in the Imperial German Army and had been awarded the Iron Cross First Class.

Later life
After the armistice in 1918, Schragmüller resumed her academic career and became the first female assistant chair at Freiburg University. A few years later, she moved with her family to Munich. Soon afterward, her father and her brother Konrad, a senior SA officer, were shot during the Night of the Long Knives. Soon, she ended her career abruptly for unknown reasons.

Death
Schragmüller died in 1940 at the age of 52 of bone tuberculosis in her Munich apartment.

Legacy
Her activities were the subject of various urban legends during the First World War, but since she was neither captured nor unmasked during her lifetime, much of her life story remains obscure and speculative, and it is unclear to what extent the various fictional treatments of her life story are accurate.

For many years, she was invariably known as Mademoiselle Docteur or Fräulein Doktor, her actual name being revealed only in 1945 from German intelligence documents captured by the Allies after World War II, when she had already died of miliary tuberculosis in 1940.

Her nickname acknowledges the fact that she had a doctoral degree in political science, not psychology as some fictional portrayals have claimed, from the University of Freiburg.

Her death early in the Second World War makes it unlikely that she contributed materially to the war effort even if some have claimed that she again engaged in espionage activities.

See also
 Stamboul Quest – 1934 American film starring Myrna Loy
 Mademoiselle Docteur (also known as Salonique nid d’espions and Street of Shadows) – 1937 French film directed by G.W. Pabst
 Mademoiselle Doctor (also known as Under Secret Orders) – 1937 English film directed by Edmond T. Gréville, an English version of the above, shot at the same time, but with some cast changes.
 Fräulein Doktor – 1969 film, an Italian/Yugoslavian co-production
Mata Hari – 1985 film; Elsbeth Schragmüller is shown as the master spy.

References
Notes

External links
 The Films of 'Fraulein Doctor'

German women in World War I
World War I spies for Germany
Female wartime spies
1887 births
1940 deaths
Tuberculosis deaths in Nazi Germany
People from Petershagen
University of Freiburg alumni
German Army personnel of World War I
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class
Academic staff of the University of Freiburg
20th-century deaths from tuberculosis
Spymasters
German women academics


Vimaladharmasurya II (ruled 1687–1707) was a peaceful king of Kandy who succeeded his father, Rajasinghe II, on December 7, 1687.

Childhood
During his childhood, Lord Ambanwela Rala, who was a member of the royal court from a noble Kandyan family led a rebellion against Rajasinghe II. Rebels tried to use Crown Prince Vimaladharmasuriya against his father. But his paternal half-aunt Sama Devi, who held the position of "Mother Queen" at that time was rescued him from rebels and taken to the king. Rajasinghe II hide him to save from the rebels. So Vimaladharmasuriya was brought up by a bhikku for a long period in his childhood.

King Vimaladharmasurya II was naturally of peaceful temperament. During his childhood though, a sufficient number of Buddhist priests were not able to conduct the higher ordination (Upasampadā) ceremony.

Ascension
In 1687, Rajasinghe II realized that his reign was nearing its end. He convened a gathering of his ministers at Hanguranketa Place and introduced them to his son, Prince Mahastana, who was destined to succeed him on the throne. Although surprised, the ministers did not express any doubt. It is said that Rajasinghe II humbly knelt before his son, pledging his loyalty, before the ministers officially recognized Prince Mahastana as the new king.

On December 10th, two ambassadors arrived in Colombo to inform the Dutch authorities that Prince Mahastana had ascended to the throne of Kandy. This news brought immense joy, leading to widespread celebrations and acts of clemency such as the release of slaves and the pardoning of criminals. Five days later, additional ambassadors arrived in Colombo to deliver the somber news of Rajasinghe II's passing and subsequent cremation. They also conveyed Rajasinghe II's final wish for his son to maintain friendly relations with Laurens van Pyl, the 12th Governor of Dutch Ceylon.

Marriages
Vimaladharmasuriya II, following in his father's footsteps, maintained the connection with Madurai Nayak  clan through marriage. As documented in the Cūḷavaṃsa, he wedded the daughter of his father's queen consort and appointed her as his queen.

Not only his Queen Consort but also he had several Royal Concubines from Nayakkar clan. But none of those consorts were able to produce an heir to the throne.

So he married a princess from a local noble family who lived in the Muthukude Walawwa at Wattegama. This Royal Concubine was called as Muthukude Devi. She could able to give birth to a son, who later became king's successor Vira Narendra Sinha

And also according to historical sources he had a concubine from Kirawelle royal clan, who was the mother of king's another son Pattiya Bandara.

Contributions to Buddhism in Sri Lanka
He invited 33 priests from Burma and established the higher ordination that helped protect Buddhism.

The Dutch
During the reign of King Vimaladharmasurya II, many attempts made by the Dutch to capture the Kandyan Kingdom had failed. However the Dutch gained control of the Kandyan Kingdom's foreign trade.
He allowed Joseph Vaz to settle in his kingdom and allowed him to preach the Christian faith.

Relations with Daud Khan Panni
In the year 1703, the Mughal commander at Coromandel, Daud Khan Panni spent 10,500 coins to purchase 30 to 50 War elephants from Ceylon. These purchases were acknowledged by Vimaladharmasurya II of Kandy.

See also
 Mahavamsa
 List of monarchs of Sri Lanka
 History of Sri Lanka

References

Sources
 Kings & Rulers of Sri Lanka

V
1707 deaths
Monarchs of Kandy
Year of birth unknown
V
V
V


The 1968 Tasman Championship for Drivers was a motor racing series contested over eight races during January, February and March 1968, with four races held in New Zealand and four in Australia. The championship was open to Racing Cars fitted with unsupercharged engines with a capacity equal or inferior to 2500cc. It was the fifth annual Tasman Championship.

The championship won by Jim Clark, driving a Lotus 49T.

It was the third and final Tasman Championship win for Clark who was killed in a Formula 2 crash on the ultra fast Hockenheim circuit in West Germany just over a month after the series concluded. Clark won the last of his twelve career Tasman Series wins when he won the 1968 Australian Grand Prix at the Sandown Raceway in Melbourne, only 0.1 seconds in front of the Dino 246 Tasmania of Chris Amon after a famous duel between the pair.

Reigning  Formula One World Champion Denny Hulme finished equal seventh in the series in his Formula 2 Brabham with a best finish of third in Round 3 for the Lady Wigram Trophy, his first race of the series.

Schedule

Points system
Points were awarded at each race on the following basis:

Championship placings were determined by the total number of points scored by a driver in all races.

Championship standings

References

1968
Tasman Series
Tasman Series


Anu Choudhury is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Odia, Telugu, chhattisgarhi, Bengali and Hindi films. She has starred in more than 65 films. Her debut Odia film was Maa Goja Bayani.

Career

Career in Odia film industry

Anu began her career in Odia film as a child artist. She acted in two movies, Badhu Nirupama and Mamata Mage Mula with very small roles. Her first film as main lead actress was Maa Gojabayani in 1998. In her first movie though there were no such big stars, but still with her effort she was eligible to compete with Rachana Banerjee in Ollywood during that period. She won praise for her acting in the film. For her first movie she got Odisha State Film Award for Best Actress for that movie in Chalachitra Jagat award. Since then, she has acted in a number of films, Biswaprakash. In Biswaprakash she acted with actress Nandita Das which movie is a part of Indian Panorama.

Then she did movies like Mana Rahigala Tumari Thare, Maa-O-Mamata, Gare Sindura Dhare Luha. For Gare Sindura Dhare Luha movie she got Orissa State Film Awards as best actress. Anu next appeared in the movie Rakhi Bandhili Mo Rakhiba Mana. She also acted in Sashu Ghara Chalijibi which was produced by Rajshri Productions and co-starred Siddhanta Mahapatra.

Her first film in Bengali was Ram Lakshman but Surya was released first in 2004. Both films had Prosenjit Chatterjee in the male lead. She has also acted in a Telugu movie Subha Bela directed by V.B. Ramana. Anu gave a super hit movie " Maa Gojabayani" at the entry of her into film industry.  Her 1st Telugu movie was Subhavela. At the peak of her career she got married and after a very short time period, she had seven releases as lead actress in a single year 2007 out of which four were hits. Due to some personal issues she left Odia industry for two years and back to industry after two years with two flop movies. But again she gave a hit number with " Pahili Raja" in which she played a cop character.

In 2022, she debuted in Odia television with Sarbajita Anu on Zee Sarthak.

Career in South industry

Anu Choudhury started her career with the Telugu movie Subhavela which was into controversy in 2000.

The movie revolves around a young woman, Satya, (Anu) who dumps her bridegroom at the altar, not once but four times. The reason – her best friend attempts suicide after marriage. This unusual behaviour attracts the attention of journalist Surya (Vijay), who begins writing a serial version for his newspaper, which turns into a best-seller.

Anu Choudhury continued to act in Muthyam and then Manasu Telusuko, but did not have much success in the south Indian film industry.

Career in Bengali industry
Anu started her Bengali film career in 2004 with movie Surya opposite Prasenjit Chatterjee. Then she continued to be attached to the Bengali film industry as one after another she appeared in movies like Ram Laxman, Dadar Adesh, etc.

Her notable movies with Prasenjit Chatterjee are Surya, Dadar Adesh, Rajmohol, Jamai Raja, Rajkumar etc.  Anu also appeared in the movies Hangama, Abhimanyu and Mahaguru. She was also seen a very prominent character in Thikana Rajpath with a deglam role. Lastly she was seen in " Aami Aachi Sei Je Tomar " in 2011.

Bollywood debut and film breakthrough
Anu got a break in the Hindi movie Nirvana 13, directed by Jitin Rawat, currently streaming on MX Player. Nirvana 13 is a story about a patient's cry for relief from agony and a nurse who is silently wishing for the same. The two have a conversation about their struggles with morality and helplessness and their constant quest for a way out. This provokes different perspectives of the pragmatic and spiritual aspects of life and death.

Anu Choudhury is playing the character of Marium D'souza in the movie. Anu received best actress award for her 1st Hindi movie Nirvana 13 in Los Angeles movie award. She was the only Indian actress selected for this award in 2011.

Anu has also worked in a film Babloo Happy Hai based on youth released in 2013 with talented director Nila Madhab Panda with costars Parvin Dabas, Sahil Anand, Erica Fernandes.

The director Nila Madhab Panda said, "I have seen Anu's work and really liked her. It was Anu's talent that made me finalise her."

Social activism and commercials

Anu Choudhury has been a committed social activist, active in supporting child survival and fighting AIDS and injustice in real life. Anu has worked as a brand ambassador for UNICEF, Lalchand Jewellers, Kanchan Jewellery, Ruchi Curry Powder, Epari Sadashiv Jewellery etc. She has been a brand ambassador for more than 20 commercials. She says, "Along with films I have been doing commercials for the last ten years and it's natural that the product manufacturers want us to endorse their brand since we have face value. And it's obvious that we won't do it for charity but then money is not everything." She has been brand ambassador for prestigious Emami edible oil.
Anu is also working as a brand ambassador for FAME (First Academy of Media and Entertainment)in Odisha. Anu Chaudhury, along with Ms Shabana Azmi, renowned actress and former Member of Parliament, noted Indian classical dancer Ms Shovan Narayan and rockstar Mr Subir Malik, member of the Parikrama band, were declared as brand ambassador for safe motherhood, champion and Youth Icon for Safe Motherhood, respectively.

Choudhury was appointed as Brand ambassador for a public awareness campaign, "Bijuli Didi" on behalf of all the electric distribution utilities of the State, CESU, NESCO, WESCO and SOUTHCO, and all the franchisees working in the CESU area. The brand Bijuli Didi was unveiled at a function by Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) Chairman Satya Prakash Nanda. As part of the Bijuli Didi campaign, Anu will make people aware about simple facts that will help people to conserveelectricity, check power theft and pay bills on time.

On 1 November 2013, Anu Choudhury was declared to be part of TeachAids, a nonprofit organisation that develops HIV prevention education technology materials, based on an approach invented through research at Stanford University. On 21 November 2013 official launching of TeachAids of Odia version was done. A teaser of the animated software, which features the caricatures and voices of actors Akash Dasnayak, Anu Choudhury, Prashant Nanda and Odissi dancer Aruna Mohanty, will be released online (www.teachaids.org) on 1 December to mark the occasion of World Aids Day. Anu said the "revolutionary product" would combat ignorance about HIV as it is likely to be introduced in schools and colleges from next year. A preview of the film was screened for the media here on Thursday.

Filmography

Awards
Anu Chowdhury was adjudged the Best Actress for her performance in Sasughara Chalijibi at the 2005 Orissa State Film Awards ceremony held at Bhubaneswar on 30 May 2007. She won the best Actress Award in the 4th Cine India International Film Festival, Noida for her portrayal of a second generation refugee from East Bengal in the Kadambinee Media Pvt Ltd. productions Kathantara.

On 30 December 2007, Anu won the Best Actress Award at the "Chalachhitra Jagat Pratibha Samman – 2007" for her performance in the Odia movie Lal Tuku Tuku Sadhaba Bahu. she is four time state award winner for best actress category. Anu again received best actress award for her 1st Hindi movie Nirvana 13 in Los Angeles movie award. She was the only Indian actress selected for this award in 2011.

State Awards
Anu has received the glorious Orissa State Film Awards for Best Actress four times
 2001 – Orissa State Film Awards, Gare Sindura Dhare Luha
 2002 – Orissa State Film Awards, Rakhi Bandhili Mo Rakhiba Mana
 2004 – Orissa State Film Awards, Omm Santi Omm
 2005 – Orissa State Film Awards, Sashu Ghara Chalijibi

International Awards
 2006 – Best Actress award for Kathantara in 4th International Film Festival of India, Noida
 2011 – Best Actress award for Nirvana 13 in Los Angeles Movie Awards

References

Notes

External links

Living people
Actresses from Bhubaneswar
Indian film actresses
Actresses in Odia cinema
Actresses in Bengali cinema
Actresses in Telugu cinema
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Female models from Odisha
Indian women activists
Women in Odisha politics
Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Odisha
Year of birth missing (living people)
20th-century Indian actresses
21st-century Indian actresses


Megasporaceae are a family of fungi belonging to the order Pertusariales. Taxa are lichenized with green algae, and grow on rocks, often in maritime climates close to fresh water. Phylogenetic analysis has shown that this family is related to the Pertusariaceae, another family of lichens. The genus Aspicilia was moved here from the Hymeneliaceae.

Genera
Genera of this family include:
 Aspicilia  – ca. 200 spp.
 Aspiciliella  – 2 spp.
 Circinaria  – 31 spp.
 Lobothallia  – 17 spp.
 Megaspora  – 4 spp.
 Oxneriaria  – 9 spp.
 Sagedia  – 12 spp.
 Teuvoa  – 5 spp.

References

Pertusariales
Lichen families
Taxa named by Helge Thorsten Lumbsch
Taxa described in 1994
Lecanoromycetes families