The Nifty Theatre in Waterville, Washington is a small movie theater. The 1919 frame building features Mission Style detailing, and seats just under 300. The theater ceased operations in 1959 and had been used as a storage building until 1997, when new owners restored the theater for community use.

History
The Nifty Theatre was built in 1918 by W.P. Brown, opening it in 1919 and living in the basement with his wife. The Browns operated the theater until 1959. According to a sale prospectus dated 1946, Brown was a graduate of Washington State University and a wounded military veteran, who had acquired  of land and operated a stable of racehorses on the proceeds from the theater. The theater showed both movies and vaudeville shows, as well as community activities and productions. Brown closed the theater in 1959 due to competition from television and died the next year. Mrs. Brown sold the theater to Claude Case for $1.00, retaining the right to live in the apartment, living there until she died in 1970. Case owned the property until 1997, using the theater for storage for his collections and his construction business, with no alterations.

The theater was acquired by Jim and Jenna Dixon in 1997, who operate the theater as a community theater.

Description
The Nifty Theatre was built as both a nickelodeon movie house and as a vaudeville theater, even though the nickelodeon era was largely past in 1919, when palace-style movie theaters were starting to be built.  As Waterville was a small town, the Nifty was a relatively modest theater that with its flat floor partially could serve as a dance hall and as a prize-fighting arena. The freestanding building stands a block away from the Downtown Waterville Historic District. Its main facade is stuccoed with pilasters at the corners and a curved parapet. The side and rear elevations are covered in tongue-and-groove wood siding. The entry is sheltered by a marquee suspended from the front wall. with steps rising to the main entry door. A further set of interior stairs rises to the ticket window, with the lobby beyond through three doors. Above the doors a permanent backlit glass panel reads "Tonight Nifty Theater 3 reels - Change of Program." The lobby gives on to the auditorium which is level for  before sloping down.  The auditorium measures  by , with a second flat area of floor in front of the stage. The back wall features windows for a "crying room", from which parents could watch the movie while minding noisy children, as well as openings for projection. An office area opens into the east side of the auditorium, with a women's toilet on the west side, next to the stairs to the crying room. Fixed seating is provided in flip-up wood seats, with 158 seats at present. Exit doors lead outside from either side of the auditorium.

The stage rises about  above the floor, with  wide wings on either side. The stage is  by . A low wall separates the orchestra pit from the seating.  Doors at the rear of the stage lead to dressing rooms. The stage edge is equipped with footlights, while the original painted stage backdrop remains operable.

A lower level under the auditorium is entered from the east and west, containing an apartment for the owners with a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and a utility room. The remainder of the space is crawl space, deepened at some points for storage and electrical panels.

References

Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
Theatres completed in 1919
Cinemas and movie theaters in Washington (state)
Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Washington
National Register of Historic Places in Douglas County, Washington


Hwayasan is a mountain in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Its area extends across Gapyeong County and Yangpyeong County. Hwayasan has an elevation of .

See also
 List of mountains in Korea
Bborubong

Notes

References

Mountains of South Korea
Mountains of Gyeonggi Province


Jefferson West USD 340 is a public unified school district headquartered in Meriden, Kansas, United States.  It serves the communities of Meriden, Ozawkie, Rock Creek, housing along the west side of Perry Lake, and rural areas.  It covers  in parts of three counties (Jackson, Jefferson, and Shawnee) in the northeastern part of Kansas.

Administration
The school district is currently under the administration of Superintendent Jason Crawford. Building principals are elementary school principal, Wes Sturgeon, middle school principal, Brenna Dooley, and high school principal, Rhonda Frakes.

Board of education
The Jefferson West Board of Education currently meets on the second Monday of each month at the district office.

Current schools
There are three public schools in the district, all of which are located in Meriden. The current schools are listed below:
 Jefferson West Elementary, K-4
 Jefferson West Middle School, 5-8
 Jefferson West High School, 9-12

Former schools
Jefferson West Intermediate in Ozawkie used to serve grades four and five. At the end of the 2010 school year, the school was closed as a cost-saving measure. Prior to the closing of the school, the school system was as follows:
 Jefferson West Elementary (Meriden), K-3
 Jefferson West Intermediate (Ozawkie), 4-5
 Jefferson West Middle (Meriden), 6-8
 Jefferson West High (Meriden), 9-12

See also
 Kansas State Department of Education
 Kansas State High School Activities Association
 List of high schools in Kansas
 List of unified school districts in Kansas

References

External links

Education in Jackson County, Kansas
Education in Jefferson County, Kansas
Education in Shawnee County, Kansas
School districts in Kansas


Joy Murphy Wandin  is an Indigenous Australian, Senior Wurundjeri elder of the Kulin alliance in Victoria, Australia. She has given the traditional welcome to country greeting at many Melbourne events and to many distinguished visitors where she says in the Woiwurrung language "Wominjeka Wurundjeri Balluk yearmenn koondee bik" ("Welcome to the land of the Wurundjeri people").

Born in Healesville, Joy Murphy Wandin's family never left Wurundjeri land and she is the great-great niece to William Barak, the last traditional ngurungaeta of the Wurundjeri-willam clan. Her older brother (Juby) James Wandin, who once played football with St Kilda Football Club in the 1950s, was the ngurungaeta of the Wurundjeri until his death in February 2006.

Her father, Jarlo Wandoon, tried to enlist for World War 1, but was rejected due to being an Aboriginal person. When he attempted to enlist under his whitefella name, James Wandin, he was accepted into the army and served overseas and is listed under that name on the honour roll in the Healesville RSL. Joy Murphy Wandin told the story of her father's enlistment, and subsequent dispossession and separation from family with the closure of Coranderrk, in 1923 in her Welcome to country speech when John Howard, as Australian Prime Minister, visited Healesville.

Roles in leadership
Her other roles include an honorary professor at Swinburne University, chair of the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the Victorian College of the Arts University of Melbourne, co-patron for Keeping Koori Kids in Catholic Education and patron for Parliament of World Religions. She is also an ambassador for BreastScreen Victoria, Australia Day Victoria and an Animis Ambassador for Zoos Victoria. In the past she has been a trustee of the National Gallery of Victoria, a member of the Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria, a member of the Victoria Police Ethical Standards Consultative Committee.

Musical collaborations
In 2001, she collaborated with didgeridoo player Mark Atkins (musician) and composer Philip Glass in the concert work Voices, performed at the Melbourne Town Hall and New York's Lincoln Center. The composition was commissioned by the City of Melbourne to relaunch the Melbourne Town Hall Organ. Wandin wrote the accompanying text which she narrated in four parts with the music in the performance.

She was the creative artist for projects and lyricist for the Opening and Closing songs in the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne through her consultancy business Jarlo Visions.

In 2011, she performed the Welcome to Country ceremony at the opening of a Scientology facility in Melbourne, "welcoming Scientologists to the lands of her ancestors".

Books

Films

Awards
Wandin was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001. In 2002, she was awarded the Victorian Aboriginal Women's Award for being involved with Aboriginal Issues for thirty years. In 2006 she was made an officer of the Order of Australia "for her service to the community, particularly the Aborigines, through significant contributions in the fields of social justice, land rights, equal opportunity, art and reconciliation". She dedicated the award to her husband of 25 years, Peter Kaal, who died of an unexpected illness in October 2005.

References

Wurundjeri people
People from Victoria (state)
Living people
Australian indigenous rights activists
Women human rights activists
Officers of the Order of Australia
Year of birth missing (living people)


The Observer Group (precursor to Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Company and the Navy Scouts and Raiders) was a joint-United States Army/Marine Corps unit that was the first in the United States and Fleet Marine Force to be organized and trained specifically for amphibious reconnaissance.  The Observer Group experimented in the methodology and equipment for projecting reconnaissance from the sea before the establishment of the OSS Maritime Unit, the Underwater Demolition Teams, and before the Army Special Forces and Air Commandos. It was also the birth of naval amphibious intelligence.

Organization

On January 13, 1941, Major General Holland M. Smith relinquished command of 1st Marine Division and became Commanding General of I Corps (Provisional), U.S. Atlantic Fleet with Colonel Graves B. Erskine as his Chief of Staff.  Throughout the year, the joint command, which was assembled together at Quantico, Virginia, was subsequently redesignated variously several times: Task Force 18, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; 1st Joint Training Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; Atlantic Amphibious Force; Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet; and finally Amphibious Corps, Atlantic Fleet.  Colonel Erskine, under General Smith, was in charge of the Intelligence section jointly devised the plan in organizing a unit of men that were specialized in reconnoitering enemy shores for the upcoming mission of invading Europe and North Africa during World War II.

By December 1941, when the United States has entered the war, the joint unit was designated as the "Observer Group", which was composed of a small group of soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division and Marines from the First Marine Division; two officers and 22 enlisted men. The Marines were mostly from the 5th Marines' Battalion Intelligence (S-2) and Regiment Intelligence Sections (R-2), and the Division Intelligence Sections (G-2) of the 1st Marine Division.  The Observer Group was led by 1st Lieutenant Lloyd Peddicord, Jr. of the United States Army and began to operate under the staff supervision of the Amphibious Corps, Atlantic Fleet G-2 by Army Lieutenant Colonel Louis Ely.  Captain James Logan Jones Sr. was assigned to working under Colonel Erskine as the Assistant G-2 of the Intelligence section, under the Amphibious Corps staff, at the request of the Commanding General of Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, Major General Holland Smith. Jones was fluent in several foreign languages, was extremely familiar with the target area of Africa; had experience with mechanical and mechanized vehicles and machinery, had experience in living in foreign lands, and had a military schooling and background. Because of these qualifications, he was assigned in February 1942  until September 1942, during which time he was promoted to Captain.

In August 1942, both the Army and Navy separated their joint effort and continued its planning for North Africa in Operation Torch.  By September, the Navy established the Amphibious Scout and Raider School on NAB Little Creek, subsequently forming the Navy Scouts & Raiders unit.  On 7 January 1943, the remaining Observer Group, with Captain James L. Jones Sr. commanding, formed the Amphibious Reconnaissance Company, Expeditionary Troops, Amphibious Corps Pacific Fleet (ACPF).

Training

Most of the training was done on the Potomac, the Chesapeake Bay area (upper Chesapeake River and Norfolk), and NAB Little Creek, Virginia; and off the coast of Maryland, particularly St. Mary's and Solomon Island, which became their simulated battleground as squads attempted to scout each other's defenses.  Submarine training took place at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut in June 1942.

The Observer Group began to conduct reconnaissance exercises on both the Atlantic and the Caribbean, (just as the Fleet Marine Force's Fleet Landing Exercises had done a few years before) by the Marines' Platoon Sergeant Russell Corey.  He trained the Observer Group in hands-on work at sea abroad fleet submarines and in the tower for instructions in the Momsen lung.  Another Marine by the name of Sergeant Thomas L. Curtis was selected from the Observer Group and was sent to the United Kingdom to train with the British Royal Marines and subsequently was transferred to Office of Strategic Services (precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency).

They began experimenting in the methodology for launching reconnaissance from the sea and testing various equipment.  Inflatable rubber boats were mostly used, although kayaks and canvas folding boats had been tested but were rejected.  The determining criteria for boat selection was that recon boats needed to fit through the small hatches of fleet submarines while carrying weapons and equipment and be capable of handling related loads. Lt. Peddicord designed an inflatable boat and brought his plans to the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company who produced the Landing Craft Rubber-Small craft able to hold seven men that was extensively used by the later Naval Combat Demolition Units.

The Marines were trained and taught knife fighting and escaping techniques in Shanghai by British Commando Instructor Lieutenant Colonel William E. Fairbairn, formerly an Inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Police.  Fairbairn was one of the developers, along with another Inspector, Eric A. Sykes of the Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife that was used by the Marine Recon units and later adopted by the Marine Raiders and the Paramarines during World War II.  Around this time the Observer Group was sent to the School for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which also shared the same base at Quantico, and were trained by FBI Agents for two weeks in the rudiments of jujitsu, pistol shooting from the hip, and operation of the Thompson submachine gun, or TSMG.

While the Observer Group was practicing their operational skills, the Intelligence Officers had worked out the tactical utilization of amphibious reconnaissance developing a new doctrine and organizational plan for the Fleet Marine Force.  With the assignment to the United States Army of primary responsibility for the Atlantic (Amphibious Corps, Atlantic Fleet) and to the United States Navy of primary responsibility for the Pacific (the Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet), the joint command under General Smith divided as he relocated from Quantico to Camp Elliott, northeast of San Diego, California.

References

Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps


Pearloid is a plastic that is intended to resemble mother of pearl. It is commonly used in making musical instruments, especially for pickguards, electric guitar inlays, and accordions.

Production
Pearloid is produced by swirling together chunks of celluloid in a solvent, then curing, which gives it a mother of pearl effect. It is sliced and bonded to or inlaid in other materials, such as the wood of guitar necks.

Use
Pearloid is used in any context where genuine mother of pearl or abalone might be used, as it is much cheaper and doesn't deplete the supply of the natural material. Gibson uses it as a substitute for the mother of pearl inlays in the fretboards on most of its guitars. Various colored versions are often used on items intended to have a retro appearance.

See also
 Cultured pearl
 Imitation pearl

References

Cellulose
Pearls
Plastics
Thermoplastics


The 98th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Lebanon County and Lancaster County. Before the redistricting process in 2022, the district included parts of Dauphin County. Its former area included the following areas:

 Dauphin County
 Londonderry Township
 Lancaster County
 Columbia
 Conoy Township
 East Donegal Township
 Elizabethtown
 Lancaster County (continued)
 Marietta
 Mount Joy
 West Donegal Township
 West Hempfield Township (PART)
 District Farmdale
 District Ironville

Representatives

Recent election results

References

Government of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Government of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
98


The Raymond Theatre is located in Raymond, Washington. It was built in 1928 by Asef G. Basil with 360 seats and a Hope-Jones Wurlitzer theater organ. The Raymond Theatre is owned by the city of Raymond and is operated as a community theatre.

References

Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
Renaissance Revival architecture in Washington (state)
Theatres completed in 1928
Buildings and structures in Pacific County, Washington
Cinemas and movie theaters in Washington (state)
1928 establishments in Washington (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Pacific County, Washington


Benjamin Grant Mitchell, generally known as Ben Mitchell, is a singer-songwriter, writer, and actor from Melbourne, Australia.

Music

Mitchell has independently released three albums: The Stars Can See (2006), Chance To Love (2015) and Summer Lover (2016). Mitchell's fourth album, 'Slow Is The New Fast' was produced by multi ARIA Music Awards winner, Matt Walker (Australian musician) and was released on 10 October 2019.

Radio play

In 2016 Mitchell had a Number 1 song on the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project Regional Charts with 'Keep Community Radio'.

Australian Community Radio stations have been most supportive of Mitchell's music, with every track from his Chance To Love and Summer Lover albums receiving radio play at, or soon after, release. In 2015 Mitchell was chosen as the featured Artist for 'Play Vic Week 2015' by the Community Broadcasters Association of Victoria.

Acoustic Trip, London

While living in London in the late 1990s and early 2000s Mitchell hosted an 'unplugged' singer-songwriter night called Acoustic Trip. Mitchell started the club while working as a dishwasher and short-order cook in The Lock Tavern, Camden in 1998, at the beginning of London's 'New Acoustic Movement'. The Acoustic Trip also had residencies at The Fusilier and Firkin/Caernavon Castle and The Purple Turtle in Mornington Crescent. Acts to have appeared at Acoustic Trip included Kate Havnevik, James Blunt, Cookie, Smoke Fairies, Louis Eliot (Rialto) and Martha Tilston.

The Stars Can See

Mitchell lived and worked in London from 1998 to 2004 where he wrote and recorded the songs for his debut album, The Stars Can See. The Stars Can See was released by MGM Distribution MGM Distribution and picked up by independent radio stations in Australia including 3JJJ, 3RRR and most notably PBS 106.7FM. It features Claire Worrall from Robbie Williams band on keyboards, Pete Cuthbert (Rialto) on drums, Ben Sargeant (from The Script) on bass guitar and was co-produced by Mitchell and Ken Brake at Regal Lane Studios, Primrose Hill.

Chance To Love

Recorded in Healesville, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia, every song on Chance To Love (2015) received radio play across Australia, mostly from community and independent radio stations. Mitchell played all the instruments and produced the album which was released on 17 April 2015.

Mitchell's 2015 independent release, Chance To Love, featured 17 songs, each of which was played on radio stations Australia wide, and in Ireland and UK. Stephen Walker from 3RRR's 'Skullcave' called Chance To Love his "favourite local release at the moment."; The Music's Jeff Jenkins called it "a late night gem."

Summer Lover

Summer Lover was released on 21 June 2016. It was recorded in Healesville and mixed by mixed by Simon Russell (whose credits include Hiatus Kaiyote, Human Face, The Melodics and Husky). It features Andy Taite on bass, Glenn Maynard (Pollyanna) on drums and Shane Reilly (Tex Perkins, Lost Ragas) on pedal steel and baritone guitar.

Live appearances

Mitchell has performed in Australia, England, Germany, France and The Netherland with appearances at Marysville Jazz & Blues Weekend, Queenscliff Music Festival, Spydafest UK, End of The Line, Maroondah Festival (Croydon), Moonee Ponds Festival and Healesville Music Festival.
Venues Mitchell has appeared at include: The Brunswick Hotel, The Corner Hotel, Edinburgh Castle, The Workers Club, Stag & Hunter Hotel, The Retreat Brunswick, The Blues Train and The Newsagency in Sydney.
In London, where Mitchell lived for 6 years from 1998 to 2004, he performed solo and with his band (Pete Cuthbert on drums, and Ben Sargeant, from The Script, on Bass Guitar).

Licensing
An independent artist, Mitchell's music is licensed through Open Sea Music.

Acting
Ben Mitchell also works as an actor and presenter having played roles in Film, Theatre and Television.

Neighbours

Mitchell has played the most roles in Neighbours having, as of 2019, appeared as five different characters: as a Coffee Shop customer (1989) who ordered a steak, despite Kerry Bishop's attempts to get him to order vegetarian, the original Brad Willis (1989), Cameron Hudson (1992-1993) – a motorcycle riding lawyer who shared a house with Beth Brennan played by Natalie Imbruglia (and cousin of his first named role of Brad Willis (who was now played by Scott Michaelson)) and Matt Freedman (2008) father to Margot Robbie.

Film and television work

He had guest roles in the independent film, Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla (2013), and short film M is for Mutant (2014), both directed by Stuart Simpson.

Generally credited as Ben Mitchell, his full name was first recorded for playing ‘'Troy Keogh'’ in a 1996 episode of Blue Heelers titled 'Sex & Death'. Mitchell also played the role of Bevan Quinn in Skirts, a short-lived police drama for the Channel 7 network by Simpson Le Mesurier Films.

Writing

Starting out as a songwriter, Mitchell moved into longer form writing including blogging and novel writing.

The Last Great Day

Mitchell is the author of The Last Great Day (), an autobiographical novel released in April 2011.

Zippin Pippin

A long-time fan of Elvis Presley, Mitchell wrote Zippin Pippin (), a comedy-romance-road-trip about Elvis Presley's unknown, illegitimate Australian son.

References

External links

Australian male singer-songwriters
Australian singer-songwriters
Living people
Male actors from Melbourne
Year of birth missing (living people)


José Mayobanex Fernández Rojas (born November 2, 1974) is a retired third baseman in Major League Baseball, the KBO League, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the Dominican Winter Baseball League. He played eleven years in the NPB, compiling a .282 batting average with 206 home runs and 772 runs batted in.

Fernández played briefly in Major League Baseball for the Montreal Expos () and the Anaheim Angels (). He just hit .143 in 49 at-bats during his MLB career.

After a successful season in Korea in 2002 with the SK Wyverns, in 2003 Fernández came to Japan to play Nippon Professional Baseball. He played one season for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2003, and then two seasons for the Seibu Lions in 2004–2005. Fernández was a key member of the 2004 Japan Series-champion Lions team.

Moving to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, he played for that team for three seasons, in 2006–2008. While playing for the Golden Eagles, he was a Pacific League Best Nine Award-winner at third base in 2006. On April 1, 2007, Fernández and Takeshi Yamasaki hit grand slams in the same inning for the Golden Eagles. Fernández led the Golden Eagles in RBI in 2008, with 99.

Fernández played for the champion Dominican Republic national baseball team in the 2007 Caribbean Series.

Fernández played for the Orix Buffaloes in 2009 and then returned to the Saitama Seibu Lions franchise for 2010–2011. He returned to the Golden Eagles in 2012, and then returned to the Buffaloes for his final season, 2013.

After briefly playing in Mexican League for the Tigres de Quintana Roo in 2010, Fernández was signed by the Seibu Lions on a ¥30million deal to the end of the season.

External links

, or NPB

1974 births
Living people
Acereros de Monclova players
Águilas Cibaeñas players
Anaheim Angels players
Chiba Lotte Marines players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in South Korea
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Delmarva Shorebirds players
Gulf Coast Expos players
Harrisburg Senators players
Indianapolis Indians players
KBO League infielders
Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
Major League Baseball third basemen
Mexican League baseball first basemen
Montreal Expos players
Nippon Professional Baseball designated hitters
Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen
Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen
Orix Buffaloes players
Ottawa Lynx players
People from La Vega Province
Saitama Seibu Lions players
Salt Lake Stingers players
Seibu Lions players
SSG Landers players
Tigres de Quintana Roo players
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles players
Vermont Expos players
West Palm Beach Expos players


Max Armstrong (born June 13, 1953, Owensville, Indiana) is an American agriculture broadcaster from Chicago, Illinois.

Broadcast History
Armstrong's first job out of college was for the Illinois Farm Bureau as a broadcast editor, which was where he met Orion Samuelson. For 42 years, Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson have partnered together, first on WGN radio, and later on the TV Show U.S. Farm Report, until creating the show This Week in Agribusiness.

Since July 2009, Armstrong has been director of broadcasting for Farm Progress. He produces and hosts the Farm Progress America and Max Armstrong’s Midwest Digest daily radio programs. Armstrong also hosts a three-minute feature, "Farming America", on the Tribune Radio Network.

From 1977 to 2009, Armstrong was the agri-business broadcaster for WGN Radio before the program transitioned to a weekly Saturday morning show and accompanying podcast entitled The Morning Show with Orion and Max.

"This Week in AgriBusiness"
Since August 2005, Armstrong has been co-host and co-founder of This Week in AgriBusiness, owned and produced with Samuelson. The show is a weekly agriculture television show, produced by OMAX Communications, LLC in cooperation with 22 Creative Group and Farm Progress. In addition to its syndication run, the show is broadcast on RFD-TV.

National Association of Farm Broadcasting ("NAFB")
In 2001, Armstrong was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year by the NAFB. In 2017, Max Armstrong was elected President of the NAFB. Armstrong was a member of NAFB for 40 years before being elected president.

WGN Radio Walk of Fame
In 2016, Armstrong earned a plaque on the WGN Radio Walk of Fame in Chicago. Armstrong was full-time with WGN Radio for 32 years until 2009. The bronze plaque is in the sidewalk outside the Tribune Tower studios at 435 N. Michigan Ave. The induction ceremony took place on May 27, 2016, where Armstrong was honored along with 6 others.

Max's Tractor Shed
On This Week in Agribusiness, Armstrong has a segment "Max's Tractor Shed", which features vintage tractors sent in by viewers. These stories were also translated into Max Armstrong's Tractor App, launched in 2013.

"Stories from the Heartland"
In 2015, Armstrong published his first book, titled "Stories from the Heartland."

Philanthropy
For 22 years, Armstrong contributed his time as an appointed Fire Commissioner in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. Serving on a three-member board, he hires and promotes full-time firefighters and paramedics for one of the highest-rated (ISO 1) fire service organizations in the United States, the Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District.

Awards and honors

 At Purdue University, Armstrong received honors as an "Old Master" in 2005 and was recognized as a "Noted Alumnus" in the 2009 Facts at Your Fingertips. Armstrong also was awarded an Alum Certificate of Distinction from the College of Agriculture and a Sagamore of the Wabash, given by the governor of Indiana.
 Max Armstrong was named an Honorary Master Farmer in 2018 by Prairie Farmer Magazine.
 Max Armstrong's Tractor App received a Best of NAMA award, along with awards from the American Agricultural Editors' Association and American Web Design.

References

External links
WGN Radio: Morning Show with Orion & Max
Chicago Radio Spotlight interview with Max Armstrong
This Week in AgriBusiness
Farm Progress America
Max Armstrong's Daily Updates
This Week in AgriBusiness, Facebook
"Stories from the Heartland"
Max Armstrong's Tractor App in the Daily Herald
Max Armstrong's Tractor Stuff, Facebook

People from Chicago
Living people
Purdue University alumni
Farmers from Illinois
American radio personalities
American agriculturalists
American television personalities
Male television personalities
1953 births


Michael Kieran Harvey (born 7 July 1961) is an Australian pianist and composer whose career has been notable for its diversity and wide repertoire.  He is renowned for commissioning, performing and composing new music.  He has especially promoted the works of Australian composers, such as Carl Vine, most of whose piano music he has recorded and much of which was written for him.  He is also particularly associated with the piano music of Olivier Messiaen.

According to critic Clive O'Connell in The Age: "Few Australian pianists can touch Michael Kieran Harvey, one of the most exciting exponents of contemporary music in the country".

Biography

Family
Michael Kieran Harvey was born in Sydney in 1961. He says that as a child he had great difficulty in coming to terms with being a musician, as he played four different codes of football and was also involved in surf lifesaving. His brother, Dominic, was head of brass at the Australian National University and is a noted conductor; his sister Bernadette, is a pianist. and another sister, Rowan Harvey-Martin, is a violinist and noted conductor. His mother, Anne (a student of Alexander Sverjensky), abandoned her plans to become a concert pianist when her own father died in her mid-teens. His father, Francis, was a journalist and for a time a freelance cellist. He is married to pianist Arabella Teniswood-Harvey. Michael has two children, Isabella and Raphael, by his first marriage, to pianist Denise Papaluca.

Background
Harvey studied piano at the Canberra School of Music with Alan Jenkins, at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Gordon Watson, and at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, under Sándor Falvai. He first came to international prominence by jointly winning, with Edith Chen, the 1993 International Solo Piano Competition founded by Ivo Pogorelić in Pasadena, California, in which he performed Carl Vine's Piano Sonata No. 1.

At the time, this was the world's richest piano competition. He entered the competition not believing he could win, but as an excuse to go to Los Angeles to see Frank Zappa, who was very ill, and to seek permission to play his piano music in public. However, Zappa died of cancer on the day of the finals and Harvey did not meet him. His manager from Columbia Artists Management was Ronald Wilford, who was Glenn Gould's manager, and at that stage Ivo Pogorelić's own manager.

Career

He has premiered many new Australian concertos by composers such as Yitzhak Yedid, Carl Vine, Nigel Westlake, Paul Grabowsky, Larry Sitsky, Barry Conyngham, Don Kay, and Eve Duncan.

He has given Australian premieres of important international works by Louis Andriessen, Stefan Wolpe, Donald Martino, Frank Zappa, Jon Lord (of Deep Purple), Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Beat Furrer and Milton Babbitt.

Harvey has worked with conductors such as Edo de Waart, Reinbert de Leeuw, Diego Masson, Markus Stenz and Kristjan Järvi, and has collaborated with the Arditti Quartet, the Netherlands and Luxembourg Philharmonics, Jon Lord, Keith Emerson, and Paul Grabowsky. He regularly appears as soloist with Australian symphony orchestras.

He has performed and recorded most of Olivier Messiaen's works involving piano to high critical acclaim.  In 2005 he released a live 3-CD recording of the Australian premiere of the entire Catalogue d'oiseaux featuring Peter Cundall as narrator. Despite his close association with Messiaen's music Harvey is an atheist, who describes himself as having escaped Catholicism in his early teens, as did Frank Zappa.

He has recorded Carl Vine's complete piano music (including the 12 Preludes of 2006), much of which was written for him.  He commissioned Nigel Westlake's Piano Sonatas I (1998) and II (2004) and Piano Concerto (2000) and gave the premiere performances. Harvey has commissioned and recorded major Australian piano cycles by Larry Sitsky, Mike Nock, and Graham Hair, and promoted major works by Helen Gifford, Warren Burt, Eve Duncan, Tom Henry, and Brett Dean.

Compositions
Harvey holds a PhD in composition and has recorded much of his own music.

Recordings

Legacy
In 2005 the Michael Kieran Harvey Scholarship was established and funded by Susan Mary Remington in honour of his contribution to Australian music, and to encourage future directions in keyboard art music.
Recipients: 2006 – Cameron Roberts; 2008 – Ashley Hribar; 2010 – Zubin Kanga; 2012 – Aura Go and Adam Cook; 2014 – Dr James Hullick; 2016 – Alex Raineri and Nicholas Young; 2018 – Rohan Drape; 2020 – Dr Anthony Pateras; 2022 - Ayesha Gough.

Honours and awards
 Joint Grand Prix in the 1993 International Solo Piano Competition (usually referred to as the Ivo Pogorelić Piano Competition, after its founder) in Pasadena, with Edith Chen
 Debussy Medal (Paris 1985)
 Finalist, Inaugural International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, Utrecht, Netherlands (1986)
 Awarded the Australian Government's Centenary Medal for services to Australian music (2002)
 Three times nominated for the Helpmann Award

ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.

|-
| 2000
| Messiaen: Twenty Contemplations of the Infant Jesus
| ARIA Award for Best Classical Album
|
|-
| 2005
| Rabid Bay
| Best Classical Album
|
|-
| 2007
| Carl Vine Piano Music 1990-2006
| Best Classical Album
|
|-

Mo Awards
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Kieran Harvey won four awards in that time.
 (wins only)
|-
| 1996
| Michael Kieran Harvey
| Classical Performer of the Year
|
|-
| 1997
| Michael Kieran Harvey
| Classical Performer of the Year
|
|-
| 1998
| Bernadette Balkus and Michael Kieran Harvey
| Classical Performer of the Year
|
|-
| 1999
| Michael Kieran Harvey
| Classical Performer of the Year
|
|-

Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards
The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards commenced in 1984 and recognise outstanding achievements in dance, drama, comedy, music, opera, circus and puppetry.

|-
| 1994 || Michael Kieran Harvey  || Individual Award ||
|-

References

External links
 Michael Kieran Harvey at the Australian Music Centre
 The Music Show with Andrew Ford
 move: Michael Kieran Harvey
 move: Catalogue d’oiseaux
 Recitals Australia, Media Information
 Sunday, 20 April 2003
 University of Tasmania Conservatorium of Music

1961 births
Living people
Australian classical pianists
Male classical pianists
Australian male composers
Australian composers
Musicians from Sydney
Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumni
21st-century classical pianists
21st-century Australian male musicians
21st-century Australian musicians


Neuburger is a white Austrian wine grape. The grape is a crossing of Roter Veltliner and Sylvaner. As varietal, it generally produces full bodied wines.

Synonyms
Neuburger is also known under the synonyms Brubler, Brugler, Feher Neuburger, Feher Neuburgi, Feher Neuburgi Ujvari, Neiburger, Neuburg, Neuburger Alb, Neuburger blanc, Neuburger Weisser, Neuburgi, Neuburgske, Neuburske, Neue Rebe, Neuburger Bijeli, Nojburger, Novogradski, Ujvari, Weisser Neuburger.

References

White wine grape varieties


Pardillo is a white Spanish wine grape planted primarily in western Spain. Varietal wines made from Pardillo are neutral flavored.

References

Spanish wine
Grape varieties of Spain
White wine grape varieties


Judith Lynn Ferguson, aka Judith Ferguson-Foreman, is an American–British author and chef. She is the author of 65 food-related books, mostly focused on North American regional cuisine and microwave cooking.

Ferguson was born in Chicago, and lived in Indiana and then Illinois, she graduated from Indiana University Northwest in Gary, Indiana with a BA in Modern Languages (French & German) and then went on to get a Post Graduate Diploma at Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism. After University, she went to work for Standard Oil of Indiana. She then gained a place at Le Cordon Bleu in London to study the cookery diploma course. After graduating, she met and married her second husband, an Englishman (Andrew Ferguson), and settled in London. She initially worked for Pru Leith's School of Food & Wine, where she also worked as a cooking instructor. She was then head-hunted back to Le Cordon Bleu in London, where she ran the Diploma Cookery course. She worked for a UK based publishing company called Colour Library Books as a cookbook editor, then joined the UK's Woman's Realm magazine as the cookery editor. She was a contributor to US cookery magazine Gourmet. She wrote a number of cookery books before remarrying her third husband (John Foreman) and returning to the United States, settling initially in North Carolina. In the US, Ferguson worked as a caterer, cookbook author and writer of articles for magazines, and now lives in Alexandria, Virginia. She has now hung up her apron and cooks only for her family.

Bibliography
A Little Chicago Cookbook (2001), ,
Cajun Cooking (2000), ,
The All-American Cookbook (1997), ,
Flavor of New England (1997), ,
The Great Fish and Seafood Cookbook (1997), ,
The Great Chicken Cookbook (1997), ,
The Great Pasta Cookbook (1997), ,
Creative Cuisine – Greek Cooking (1995), ,
Fish & Seafood (1995), ,
Creative Cuisine – Italian Cooking (1995), ,
El Gran Libro De LA Cocina Con Microondas, co-author Celia Norman (1995), ,
The Great Chicken Cookbook (1995), ,
Delicious Desserts  (1994), ,
A Little Chicago Cookbook (1994), ,
America Cooks : A Culinary Journey from Coast to Coast (1994), ,
The Great Pasta Cookbook  (1993),,
Cajun Cooking (1993), ,
New Orleans Cooking : Regional and Ethnic September (1993), ,
Snacks & Starters (1993),
Mexican Cooking (1993), ,
The Bread Cookbook (1993), ,
The Cookout Cookbook (1993), ,
Polish Cooking (1992), ,
Amish Country Cooking (1992), ,
The Great Fish and Seafood Cookbook (1992), ,
Complete Illustrated Step-By-Step Cookbook (1990), ,
Italian Cooking (1989), co-authored with David Gibbon, ,
America Cooks : A Culinary Journey from Coast to Coast (1989), ,
More from Your Microwave (1989), ,
Microwave Meat and Poultry (1987), ,
Microwave Fish and Seafood (1987), ,
Microwave Soups and Appetizers (1987), ,
Microwave Cooking for 1 & 2 (1987),
Microwave Cookbook (1987), ,
Fish and Seafood (1987), ,
Microwave Chinese Cooking (1987), ,
Microwave Baking (1987), ,

References

Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
British food writers
American food writers
British non-fiction writers
Alumni of Le Cordon Bleu
Indiana University Northwest alumni
Northwestern University alumni


Levan Reid is an American sportscaster who serves as a sports reporter for WBZ-TV in Boston.

Biography

Early life
Levan began working in television when he was 16 years old at "A Current Affair" in New York City. He went on to produce sports for "Good Day New York" at WNYW. His first job after college was as a sports producer at WMUR in Manchester, New Hampshire. He was promoted two years later to sports anchor/reporter.

Career
In 1996, he was hired as a reporter for WFXT. During his seven years in Boston, he covered every major sporting event, including four World Series, the Super Bowl, the Ryder Cup and various NCAA Championships. An athlete himself, Levan's love of sports led him to choose a career in sports journalism.

He served as WUSA-TV 9 NEWS NOW's weekend sports anchor/reporter for five years, and co-host of both Sports Plus on Sunday nights and the station's Operation Football reports that feature local high school football action. Levan anchored Redskin specials and was at the forefront of the Maryland football and basketball stories. WUSA/Gannett chose not renew several contracts due to economic issues and Reid's was one of them.

In the summer of 2010 Reid returned to the Boston market and joined WBZ-TV in boston as a sports freelancer anchor. He has covered the New England Patriots for WBZ throughout the season. He was also a fill-in host for Boston sports radio station WEEI.

Reid plays the character of Doc Brooks on the Onion SportsDome's "Get Out Of My Face" segments.

Education
Levan graduated from Notre Dame College in Manchester, New Hampshire with a major in History and Philosophy. He also earned a minor in English and Communications.

References

Sports commentators
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)


Perle is a white German wine grape planted primarily in Franconia. The grape is a crossing of Gewürztraminer and Müller-Thurgau. As a varietal, Perle produces highly aromatic wines.

References

White wine grape varieties


"Stereo" is a song by American singer John Legend. It was written by Legend, Tom Craskey, and Devon "Springsteen" Harris for his second album, Once Again (2006), while production was overseen by Harris and co-producer Craskey. The song was released as the album's fourth single on April 27, 2007 in the United States. In the United Kingdom, "Stereo" was issued as a download only single on October 13, 2007. It reached number 17 on the Dutch Top 40 and peaked at number 47 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Music video
The song's music video features Legend driving in a desert, interspersed with animated scenes interpreting the lyrics and Legend performing the song against an orange background. While producing the music video, he met his now-wife Chrissy Teigen.

Track listing

UK Digital download

 "Stereo"
 "Stereo" (live from The Royal Albert Hall)

Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Once Again.

 Produced by Devo Springsteen
 Co-Produced by Tom Craskey
 Recorded by Anthony "Rocky" Gallo at The Cutting Room and Joshua Sadlier-Brown at Integrated Studios, NYC
 Additional Engineering: Evan Conquest
 Mixed by Tony Maserati at Chung King Studios
 Mix Assistant: Andy Marcinkowski
 Vocals: John Legend
 Bass, Piano, Guitar and Additional Vocals: Tom Craskey
 Additional Guitar: Evan Conquest
 Organ: Chris Rob
 Drums: Swiss Chris

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

2007 singles
John Legend songs
GOOD Music singles
Songs written by John Legend
2006 songs


Forgotten Chicago is an organization that seeks to discover and document little-known elements of Chicago's infrastructure, architecture, neighborhoods, and general cityscape, existing or historical.

The organization exposes many of these often-overlooked elements of Chicago's built environment to a wide audience to increase interest in their preservation. In addition to conducting research and publishing articles on its website, Forgotten Chicago also leads neighborhood walking tours and holds free presentations at area libraries. Forgotten Chicago has received many accolades including being named one of Chicago Magazine's 171 best Chicago websites in February 2008 and is featured in the Chicago Tribune, The Northwest Indiana Times, Time Out Chicago, and local radio.

Their web presence underwent a major re-design in January 2009 with feature improvements, revised and updated content, and more ways for the public to get involved with the organization through Twitter and Facebook.

See also
Forgotten NY

References

External links
 Forgotten Chicago
 Forgotten Chicago message board
 Forgotten Chicago Twitter

History websites of the United States
History of Chicago
Historic preservation organizations in the United States
Architectural history
Cultural heritage of the United States
Urban exploration


Berkay Onarıcı  (born 10 July 1987, in Eskişehir) is a Turkish professional footballer who last played as an attacking midfielder for Mihalgazispor.

Onarıcı played in nine matches for Eskişehirspor in the TFF First League during the 2007–08 season.

References

1987 births
Living people
Turkish men's footballers
Eskişehirspor footballers
Göztepe S.K. footballers
Sportspeople from Eskişehir

Men's association football midfielders


Seton Palace was situated in East Lothian, a few miles south-east of Edinburgh near the town of Prestonpans. Often regarded as the most desirable Scottish residence of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the palace was erected in the 15th century by George, 4th Lord Seton.

The palace belonged to the Lords Seton by the 1500s and was a popular retreat for Mary, Queen of Scots. She had spent her honeymoon with Lord Darnley there in July 1565. Mary played golf at Seton, and it was said she played "pall-mall and golf" as usual in the fields at Seton after Darnley's murder, taking her "usual amusements in the adjoining fields that were plainly not adapted to women". "Pall-mall" was an early form of croquet. A marriage contract of Mary and Earl of Bothwell made at Seton on 5 April 1567 and exhibited by Mary's enemies at the Hampton Court conference on 15 December 1568, was probably a contemporary forgery.

In the 17th-century, the completed palace was triangular in plan, with three wings around a courtyard. In 1636, it was described as "a dainty seat placed by sea". The palace ruins were demolished in the 18th-century and Seton Castle was built on the site. The adjacent Seton family chapel, Seton Collegiate Church, survives and is open to the public in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

History
The date when the original palace was built is uncertain but it was located on the lands of Seton and Winton. Richard Maitland's History of the House of Seytoun mentions some aspects of the building. He wrote that George Seton, 5th Lord Seton (d. 1513), completed the "jemmay house", a wing which his grandfather, John, Master of Seton (d. 1476) had begun. His widow, Janet Hepburn, Lady Seton built the fore-work or gatehouse. The palace was burnt by an English army on 16 May 1544 after the burning of Edinburgh. The English commander Lord Hertford wrote that while he was burning the palace, Lord Seton was nearby with some horsemen, "so that he might well see his own house and town on fire." Lord Seton was married to a French lady-in-waiting Marie Pieris, their daughter Mary Seton was a companion of Mary, Queen of Scots.

As the war with England known as the Rough Wooing continued, Regent Arran came to Seton in March 1549 because the English were at Haddington. Some whales beached at Cramond Island and were salted and packed in barrels and sent to Seton for him.

The great tower and the "jemmay house" were subsequently restored by Sir William Hamilton of Sanquhar, Captain of Edinburgh Castle and father-in-law of George Seton, 7th Lord Seton. The walled garden was also built at this time. The old great tower collapsed in 1561, the structure comprised by new windows. Janet Hepburn's gatehouse was then almost entirely rebuilt.

In October 1561 the uncle of Mary, Queen of Scots, Francis the Grand Prior, travelled to England and Mary's four companions Mary Seton, Mary Beaton, Mary Livingston, and Mary Fleming came with him to Seton and they all had dinner. Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed in bed at Holyrood Palace. She became a frequent visitor, and in January 1562 New Year's Day was celebrated with a poem by Alexander Scott filled with "advice for princes" for just rule in Scotland, Ane New Yeir Gift to Quene Mary. In July 1565 Mary rode to Seton from Edinburgh at night and stayed two days. She came to Seton after the death of Lord Darnley in February 1567. Articles drawn up against her mention golf, and allege that she slept with Bothwell, who was lodged in an "obscure chamber" beneath her room, a room near the kitchen with access to a secret turnpike stair.

In 1584 Lupold von Wedel admired the tall hedges of the garden but could not get in. James VI stayed at Seton Palace in September 1589 waiting in vain for Anne of Denmark to arrive in Scotland. The English ambassador Lord Burgh was welcomed with a banquet on 24 February 1593. James VI made a hunting trip to the Merse area in February 1595, planning to visit Dunglass, Spott, Beil, Waughton, and Seton.

On 31 May 1597 Anne of Denmark travelled to Seton in a litter, despite the rain, while James VI went to Falkland Palace. Lord Walden came to Seton Palace to see Anna Hay, Countess of Winton, and her children in 1613. King James stayed at Seton again on 15 May 1617, and during the celebrations to welcome the returning king, William Drummond of Hawthornden, presented his poem Forth Feasting, and John Gellie of Gellistoun delivered 300 lines of Latin verse.

Historical records indicate that it was the most magnificent palace in Scotland in the 17th century. Alexander Nisbet described some details of the interior. Above the fireplace in the Great Hall were the Seton heraldry quartered with the Earl of Buchan encircled with a collar which Nisbet claimed to represent the Order of the Thistle. The ceiling of another room, called "Samson's Hall" incorporated 28 armorial achievements of families of France, Scotland and Lorraine, "curiously embossed and illuminated." Viscount Kingston mentions seeing a mural painting on the end wall of the Long Gallery which he believed showed the 7th Lord Seton driving a wagon during his years of exile in France following the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots.

The family built another house further inland, Winton Castle, on an old site around 1630, and architectural details there resemble the fragments of dormers windows and carved strapwork remaining from Seton Palace and now displayed at the adjacent Seton Collegiate Church.

King Charles I commissioned a view of the palace from Alexander Keirincx in 1638.  There would have been a lawn or court for pall-mall, as played by Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1567. James VI recommended the game for his son Prince Henry in his Basilikon Doron.

Produce from the gardens included strawberries in July. Despite the sea air, the gardens were stocked with sycamores, walnut trees, apple and other fruit trees. It is said that one of the sixteenth-century gardeners had a son who became a pirate. He came back and gave the Earl of Winton a rare sea shell, a turbo pica from the West Indies. The earl had it made into a snuff box with a silver lid by George Heriot. It descended from David Seton of Parbroath to the family of the author Robert Seton in New York.

Ruin and replacement
The Seton family, who had acquired the title "Earl of Winton" had their estates confiscated after the Jacobite rising of 1715. The palace was burned out during the Rising and in 1780, it was described as being in ruins.
 The palace was demolished in 1789.

In 1789 the owner of the site, Lt Col Alexander Mackenzie of the 21st Dragoons, commissioned Robert Adam to build a mansion that would become Seton Castle. Some of the stone from the palace was used in the construction.

Some of the walls of the famous formal gardens of the 16th and 17th century remain, with rounds or lookout turrets at the corners.

References

Castles in East Lothian
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes
History of golf
Former palaces in Scotland


Nicholas Mormando, also known as "Nicky Cowboy" (October 28, 1944 Brooklyn, New York – January 7, 1986 Bensonhurst, Brooklyn), was a Gambino crime family mob associate who was involved in the murder of Frank Fiala and member of Sammy Gravano's Bensonhurst, Brooklyn crew.

Biography
Nicholas Mormando was the son of Italian-American emigrants from Morimondo in Milan, Italy. Upon arriving to New York City their surname was changed to "Mormando". Unlike Sammy Gravano, Gerard Pappa, Ralph Ronga, James Emma and other notorious budding mobsters, Nicholas was born in Schenectady, New York. He was a close childhood friend of fellow Gambino crime family mob associate Michael DeBatt who was only two years older than himself.

He was considered a "key man" in Sammy Gravano's crew with Joseph (Stymie) D'Angelo, Liborio (Louie) Milito, Joseph Paruta, Thomas (Huck) Carbonero. Unlike crew members Joseph D'Angelo Sr., Liborio Milito, Joseph Paruta and Michael DeBatt, Gravano does not mention having a close relationship with him or Mormando's relatives. Sammy Gravano later said, "For one week he (himself) would be flush with cash, but two weeks later he would be broke.

He never saved any money. He shopped for clothes, picked up tabs at restaurants and nightclubs, handed out huge tips and dined on champagne and filet mignon at the Copacabana." Sammy later said of himself, Michael and his young aspiring mob associates, "Fucking kids, all dressed up like jerk-offs, running around, doing a little gambling, doing a little this and that "and then broke again and it's "macaroni and ricotta at home or spaghetti, past e olio, with the oil and garlic."

By 1984 he had become exiled from the Gambino crime family and "put on the shelf" being excluded from all criminal activities with the crime family.

Shootout with the Gallos
He took an oath with the other Rampers, "... be together forever. Fuck the world. Fuck everybody, even the mob" and was said by Gravano to be full of "piss and vinegar." Later on, this would change but that was the attitude they held at that point in their lives. In the early 1960s, during the Profaci-Gallo civil war in the Colombo crime family he had an encounter with Gerard, Sammy Gravano, James Emma, Joe Vitale, Tommy Snake and Lenny the Mole including a bunch of other gang members. They were hanging around in a bar at 79th Street and Utrecht Avenue. In the bar were several Gallo loyalists. They were a lot older than the Rampers and had an outstanding argument with associate James Emma. They were heavily armed so Nicholas and the others loaded up with firearms and headed back to the bar. Sammy later recounted the brutal gun battle in his autobiography,

It was a long bar. They were at one end of the bar and we were at the other end. It seemed like one of them went for a gun. We went for guns. There were a ton of shots thrown back and forth. It was like a cowboy movie. Totally unbelievable. Glass breaking, women screaming, things falling on the floor. One of the Gallo guys got hit, like eleven times. He staggers out of the bar and falls in the street. And lived, believe it or not. Another guy in the bar, an innocent bystander got hit in the foot. He went on his own to a doctor and never said nothing. The Gallo guy at the hospital don't say nothing, either.

He was involved in burglaries of local commercial franchises, fencing stolen goods, armed robbery and car theft.

Frank Fiala murder
Gravano stationed Nicholas in a car parked around the corner from the Plaza Suite. He had a shotgun. If anyone in the group that normally accompanied Fiala drew a gun, he was to start shooting. His friend Michael DeBatt was positioned by his usual post as bouncer by the front door of the night club. After Frank Faila was murdered and pandemonium erupted out front of The Plaza Suite, Sammy had a getaway car stationed up the street. Down at the corner Nicholas had his shotgun ready but Fiala's people were in total shock. They did nothing. After the shooting, Nicholas and the other trigger men assembled at Joseph (Stymie) D'Angelo's bar, Doc's. Gravano congratulated Mormando, his friend DeBatt and the others on a "beautiful piece of work." Since this was not a sanctioned murder by their boss Paul Castellano, it could not go down that Mormando could be eligible to become a "made man" in the Gambino crime family for his involvement.

He was never indicted or convicted for being accessory to the murder of Frank Fiala. After the murder of Faila, Castellano was angry. He had Mormando, DeBatt and the others stay up at his New Jersey farm to lie low. After hearing the news that Castellano might order their executions over the unsanctioned murder, when given the chance by Sammy to leave, Mormando said, "Sammy, we'll load up. We're ready." He earned the nickname "Cowboy" because he was known to perform criminal acts on his own without knowledge of Sammy Gravano or the Gambino crime family which was against the regulations.

A renegade
In retribution for being exiled due to his insubordination, Mormando started a crew of small-time armed robbers, truck hijackers, burglars and drug dealers of his own. It is unknown how successful his leadership skills were and if the gang actually formed. It is thought that Nicholas was planning to battle it out with Sammy Gravano and other members of the Gambino crime family that he felt had slighted him. It is thought that after the death of Mormando, the gang dissipated and fell apart without another leader to replace him. It is unknown if his childhood friend Michael DeBatt, who was also heavily addicted to drugs was being persuaded to join Mormando's team of criminals. This worried Sammy Gravano, Frank DeCicco, Carmine Fatico and Salvatore Aurello, whose criminal territory was starting to be threatened by Mormando.

Drug addiction and falling out with Gravano
Nicholas Mormando had become hooked on crack cocaine and cocaine. Sammy Gravano suspected that Mormando also got his friend Michael DeBatt hooked on the potent narcotic. Sammy later said about Nicholas:

He became like a renegade. He went berserk. He didn't want to be in the crew no more. He was going to start his own little gang. I couldn't take a chance on him running around. He knew too much. So I got permission from John (John Gotti) to kill him. We finally got Nicky to come by Tali's, and he went with Huck (Thomas Carbonaro) to pick up Old Man (Joseph Paruta), who was still alive then. Joe got in the backseat and shot Nicky twice in the back of the head.

Sammy Gravano and his brother-in-law Edward Garofalo were trailing in a car behind them. While both cars were driving on West 9th Street, near Bay Parkway, Mormando's corpse was thrown out of the car into a vacant lot. It was found the next day.

The murder of Nicholas Mormando remained unsolved until Sammy Gravano gave testimony at John Gotti's racketeering trial.

Personal toll on Michael DeBatt
It is unknown how Michael DeBatt dealt with the murder of his friend or if he attended Nicholas' funeral. Michael continued to serve in the crew of Sammy Gravano after Mormando's murder. It is also unknown if Michael associated his friend's killing with Gravano or thought of it as a drug transaction gone bad. Michael DeBatt was murdered in 1987 on the orders of Sammy Gravano.  Unlike the time when he would order the murder of DeBatt, Sammy Gravano shows no remorse in ordering the execution of Mormando.

Wrongful death suit
In November 1998, a wrongful death suit was filed by the surviving relatives of Nicholas, Michael DeBatt and Joseph Colucci. According to court documents Sammy Gravano admitted to playing a direct or indirect role in their murders in the plea agreement that he made with the government when agreeing to become a stool pigeon. Along with Gravano, Mormando's family and the others filed suits against the author of Gravano's autobiography, Peter Maas; Maas' literary agency I.C.M.; the publisher of the autobiography, HarperCollins; and 20th Century Fox that was allegedly preparing a film adaptation of the book. These complaints sought relief for the plaintiffs in the form of "monetary and punitive damages from all defendants for their intentional failure to comply with New York's Son of Sam Law ... and their deliberate scheme to circumvent same." Previously during the spring of 1997, the State Crime Victims Board and State Attorney General Dennis Vacco had launched a similar lawsuit against Sammy Gravano and many of the same co-defendants during their criminal trial.

In popular culture
In the NBC miniseries Witness to the Mob, Mormando is portrayed by actor Michael Ryan Segal.

References
 Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia by Peter Mass
 observer.com

1944 births
1985 deaths
Murdered American gangsters of Italian descent
Gambino crime family
Male murder victims


Azhar Ali Abidi (born 6 February 1968 in Wah, Pakistan{cn}}) is a Pakistani Australian author and translator. He went to school in Pakistan and later studied electrical engineering at the Imperial College London and Master of Business Administration at the University of Melbourne. He migrated to Australia in 1994 and lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Career
Abidi has written translations, travelogues, and a number of short stories, including the Borgesian The Secret History of the Flying Carpet, which is a fictitious story in a seemingly scholarly essay. His first novel, Passarola Rising (2006), was published by Viking Penguin in Australia, USA, Canada and India and translated into Spanish and Portuguese. It is set in Europe during the eighteenth century and is the fictionalised story of a true life Brazilian priest and aviation pioneer, Bartolomeu de Gusmão, who built a flying ship but fell foul of the Inquisition. Written in the style of an old-fashioned adventure story, it is a veiled criticism of the scientific materialism emerging from the European Enlightenment, and its inability to explain spiritual and supernatural phenomena. Passarola Rising was shortlisted for the 2006 Melbourne Literature Prize.

In his second novel, Twilight (2008), Abidi turns to domestic and realist themes. Set in Pakistan during the 1980s, it is the story of an elderly matriarch, and her reaction to the changes she sees in her family and society during the turbulent times. Twilight is published by Text Publishing in Australia and by Viking Penguin in the United States and India. It appears in the United States as The House of Bilqis (2009).

In 2010, Abidi wrote an essay on Pakistan, The Road to Chitral, for Granta Online, which is a travelogue and a meditation on violence in the region.

His short story, When the Angel Comes, is set in Iran just after the Islamic revolution of 1979. When the pro-Western, pro-American Shah fled the country, thousands of his supporters were arrested and many were executed by the new regime. This story is about a diplomat and courtier of the deposed Shah who is caught up in that turmoil.

Bibliography
Novels
Passarola Rising (2006)
La maquina de volar (2008) , 9788483650509
Twilight (2008) (reissued in United States as The House of Bilqis) (2009)
La casa degli amori sognati (2010)
Il mio matrimonio pakistano (2011)

Translations
"Old Croc" - a short story by Hasan Manzar (Annual of Urdu Studies, Vol 16, 2001)
"The Fall of Baghdad" - essay by Azeem Beg Chughtai (Annual of Urdu Studies, Vol 18, 2003)

Short Stories/Essays
"Secret History of the Flying Carpet", Meanjin, Vol 63, No 2, 2004 (reissued in United States in Southwest Review, Vol 91, No 1, 2006)
"Rosa", Words Without Borders, April 2006
"A Passage to the Past",  The Pakistan of Azhar's childhood was already coming to an end when he took his leave, The Age, June 2009
"Road to Chitral", Granta, September 2010
"When the Angel Comes", , Meanjin, 2018

Interviews
 The Australian interviews Azhar Abidi
The Age feature on Azhar Abidi
 The Dawn interview
Azhar Abidi examines the emigrant experience in the Wall Street Journal

Notes

Living people
1968 births
Pakistani novelists
Pakistani translators
21st-century Australian novelists
Australian male novelists
Australian male short story writers
Australian translators
Pakistani emigrants to Australia
21st-century Australian short story writers
21st-century Pakistani short story writers
Australian writers of Pakistani descent
21st-century Australian male writers
21st-century translators


Yves Klein Blue Draw Attention to Themselves is an EP by Yves Klein Blue released on 1 April 2008 on Dew Process. An EP of the same name had been produced by the band themselves for sale at local shows, but was re-recorded and produced by Caleb James, a renowned Australian producer. This subsequent re-release saw the band get picked up by Dew Process. The band's first single, Polka, received regular airplay on alternative radio station Triple J, and was followed by the release of their second single, Silence is Distance. Videos were shot for both of these singles, as well as for The Streetlight, which was curiously left off the label re-release of the EP.

"Polka" also performed well in 2008 Triple J Hottest 100 voting, coming in at 76 in the overall list.

Track listing

Self-released EP

 "The Streetlight"
 "Blasphemy"
 "Fall Asleep"
 "Silence is Distance"
 "Polka"

Dew Process re-release

 "Blasphemy"
 "Not What I Want"
 "19"
 "Silence is Distance"
 "Polka"
 "(A Bookend)"

Personnel

Michael Tomlinson – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Charles Sale – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Sean Cook – bass, backing vocals
Chris Banham – drums, percussion

References

2008 EPs
EPs by Australian artists
Indie rock EPs
2008 debut albums
Yves Klein Blue albums


Charles Coffin Sims (April 14, 1937 – October 23, 2017) was an American mathematician best known for his work in group theory. Together with Donald G. Higman he discovered the Higman–Sims group, one of the sporadic groups.  The permutation group software developed by Sims also led to the proof of existence of the Lyons group (also known as the Lyons–Sims group) and the O'Nan group (also known as the O'Nan–Sims group).

Sims was born and raised in Elkhart, Indiana, and received his B.S. from the University of Michigan. He did his graduate studies at Harvard University, where he was a student of John G. Thompson and received his Ph.D. degree in 1963.  In his thesis, he enumerated p-groups, giving sharp asymptotic upper and lower bounds.  Sims is one of the founders of computational group theory and is the eponym of the Schreier–Sims algorithm. He was a faculty member at the Department of Mathematics at Rutgers University from 1965 to 2007. During that period he served, in particular, as Department Chair (1982–84) and Associate Provost for Computer Planning (1984–87). Sims retired from Rutgers in 2007 and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida.

In 2012, he became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.

See also
 Higman–Sims graph
 Prevalence of p-groups
 Sims conjecture

References

External links

 Personal webpage

1937 births
2017 deaths
20th-century American mathematicians
21st-century American mathematicians
Group theorists
Computational group theory
Harvard University alumni
Rutgers University faculty
Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
Mathematicians from Indiana
University of Michigan alumni
People from Elkhart, Indiana


San Nicolás was an 80-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Spanish Navy.

She was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797, when she was boarded by a number of British sailors from  led by Horatio Nelson. They successfully took the ship, then crossed from her decks to board , which had come to the aid of San Nicolás, but had become encumbered with her.  Nelson and his men then captured San Josef as well.

Admiral Sir John Jervis put Commander Peter Puget, in  in charge of San Nicolas, still crewed by Spaniards. Puget suppressed a mutiny and delivered the crew to Lisbon.

San Nicolás was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS San Nicolas.  She became a prison ship in 1800, and was sold for breaking up on 3 November 1814.

References

External links

Ships of the line of the Spanish Navy
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy


The 99th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Lancaster County. David H. Zimmerman has been the representative of this district since 2015. It includes the following areas:

 Akron
 Caernarvon Township
 Earl Township
 East Earl Township
 Ephrata
 Ephrata Township
 New Holland
 Salisbury Township
 Terre Hill

Representatives

Recent election results

References

Government of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
99


"Best Days of Your Life" is a song performed by American country music artist Kellie Pickler. It was written by Pickler and American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift who also provides background vocals on the song. It was released on December 1, 2008, as the second single from Kellie Pickler's self-titled second album. The song is about a narrator explaining how her former boyfriend cheated on her and moved on to a new girlfriend to start a family with, wishing them well on their new life but says that the new girl won't top what they previously once had before.

The song received negative reviews from critics who panned the lyricism and melody for being nondescript. Despite this, "Best Days of Your Life" peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, Pickler's highest charting country single to date. It also charted at number 46 on the Hot 100. The song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 1,133,000 units in the United States as of June 2010. The song also charted in Canada, peaking at number 99 on the Canadian Hot 100.

The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Roman White, features Pickler's ex-boyfriend having a miserable life with his new girlfriend and misses being with Pickler instead. Pickler debuted the song with a performance on November 12, 2008 at the 2008 CMA Awards. She also performed the song on American Idol, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and the 2009 CMT Music Awards.

Composition and lyrics
"Best Days of Your Life" is an up-tempo country pop song mostly backed by electric guitar. Its narrator tells about a former boyfriend who cheated on her and is going to get married and build a family with the lover. Although she wishes them to be happy and have a nice life, she says that he's already had the best days of his life with her (the narrator), and the new partner can never top it. She also feels sorry for his new girlfriend, because she has the concept that a cheater will always be a cheater, and while she is getting the prizes of her future, all the lover gets is the cheater boyfriend.

In an interview, Pickler has said that the circumstances portrayed in the song are based on a real-life experience that she herself went through. Pickler stated that she discovered her boyfriend cheating while she was on Brad Paisley's Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour as an opening act alongside her friend and fellow country singer Taylor Swift. She told Swift about her boyfriend cheating and Swift had the idea of writing a song about the experience.

Pickler's former boyfriend Jordin Tootoo claimed in an interview with the Montreal Gazette and in his autobiography that Pickler's song was about their relationship.

Critical reception
Kevin J. Coyne of Country Universe described the chorus as strong and compared it to the catchiness of Faith Hill's "This Kiss". But, he described the verses unfavorably: "Pickler sounds strained, there’s no discernible melody and the lyrics are no more memorable than the music backing them up." Jim Malec of The 9513 gave the song a thumbs down, saying that "[The song] isn’t funny, nor poignant, nor empowering. It is solely, and wholly, and unapologetically concerned only with expressing its fury. “Best Days of Your Life” is essentially four minutes of Pickler venting, unbridled and unartful."

Chart performance
The song debuted at number 56 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of November 20, 2008. The song has become her biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 50 following the song's performance on American Idol. This song has been Pickler's most successful single to date and her first Top Ten hit on the country charts, as well as her first single to surpass 1,000,000 legal downloads, achieving platinum certification in June 2010. After spending nearly 40 weeks on the country chart, it reached a peak of number nine in August 2009.

Music video

The music video was shot on February 26, 2009, in Nashville, Tennessee, and is directed by Roman White. It was released on March 25, 2009, to members of Pickler's official fanclub, and then to CMT on March 28, 2009.

In the video, Pickler goes out to the movies at the Belcourt Theater with her friends for her birthday and sees her boyfriend cheating on her (played by Cortney Buczkowski), so she leaves. Later on, he is completely unhappy with his new life and has many flashbacks of him and Pickler. One day while he and his girlfriend are walking through Hillsboro Village, she reveals that she is pregnant; he runs across the street and tries to make it up to Pickler, who is out shopping with Taylor Swift, but he is hit by a bus and put in the hospital. Later, Pickler visits him and signs her name on his body cast and leaves. Throughout this, Pickler is shown singing alongside Swift and her band, with Pickler's ex watching through his television.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

2008 songs
2008 singles
Kellie Pickler songs
Songs written by Taylor Swift
Songs written by Kellie Pickler
Song recordings produced by Chris Lindsey
BNA Records singles
Music videos directed by Roman White


Alban Thomas (1686–1771) was a Welsh doctor, librarian and antiquarian, who followed in his father's footsteps in supporting Welsh literature, being particularly associated with efforts by Moses Williams to publish Welsh-language manuscripts.

Life
Thomas was the son of a Welsh cleric, poet and translator, also called Alban Thomas, who was involved in a literary renaissance in the Newcastle Emlyn area at the end of the 17th century / beginning of the 18th century.  Thomas (the son) was born in 1686 and matriculated at Jesus College, Oxford. By 1708 he was librarian of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and he was the assistant secretary of the Royal Society in London in 1713.  He graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Aberdeen in 1719.  His Aberdeen links led to suspicions in Government circles that Thomas was a Jacobite sympathiser, and Thomas had to stay away from London, where he practised, for some time after March 1722.  Unable to resume his medical career in London on his return, he moved back to Wales and practised there until his death in 1771.  He was associated with the attempts of the antiquarian Moses Williams to collect and publish material contained in manuscripts in the Welsh language, taking subscriptions in 1719 towards publication of Collection of Writings in the Welsh Tongue, to the beginning of the Sixteenth Century, to be printed in several Volumes in Octavo. Thomas himself published a List of Fellows of the Royal Society of London in 1718.

References

1686 births
1771 deaths
17th-century Welsh medical doctors
18th-century Welsh medical doctors
Welsh librarians
Welsh antiquarians
Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
Alumni of the University of Aberdeen


Piotr Abraszewski (June 29, 1905 – June 9, 1996) was a Polish painter born in Zamość, Poland. From 1928 to 1934 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw with Professor M. Kotarbinski, and in 1935 he became Assistant Professor at the Academy. Between 1936 and 1939 he taught at the Academy and in other Warsaw schools.

World War II
When Nazi Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, German Nazis began rounding up and killing the local intelligentsia (see: Operation Tannenberg) and forbade all higher education except for vocational ("useful") training.  Abraszewski survived five different Nazi concentration camps, including the Wildflecken Labor Camp and Mauthausen, where he made minute sketches for the administration.

Unwilling to return to Communist-ruled Poland after the Second World War, Abraszewski spent several years in Polish Displaced Persons camps in Germany where he taught art to refugees. In 1949, Abraszewski arrived in San Francisco with his wife who also graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and who also survived Nazi concentration camps. Piotr Abraszewski painted scenes of San Francisco in oil and watercolor.

It was Piotr Abraszewski’s dream to paint frescoes in churches and public buildings.  In the mid-1950s he worked as a commercial artist at The Emporium. He was a member of the Western Artists Society. Several of his paintings were exhibited at the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park.

When Mr. Abraszewski became a member of the Polish Arts and Culture Foundation  (established in 1966 in San Francisco), he participated in historical exhibits, created hand-made signs still in use today and, with encouragement of the Foundation, exhibited his work.

He painted scenes of Europe as well as a series of oils and watercolors of San Francisco. Several years before Mr. Abraszewski fell ill, ten of his favorite paintings were photographed and produced as postcards. Mr. Piotr Abraszewski died in 1992 (his wife preceded him in death by several years). In his will, Piotr Abraszewski donated his entire art collection to the Polish Arts and Culture Foundation.  Some of these works are now in private collections.

See also
 The Holocaust in art and literature
 Playland (San Francisco)
 San Francisco visual arts

References

External links
  Elżbieta Gnyp: Piotr Abraszewski (1905-1996), listed in Table of Contents of the Zamojski Kwartalnik Kulturalny 2 (103) 2010

1905 births
1996 deaths
20th-century Polish painters
20th-century Polish male artists
Fresco painters
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw alumni
Modern painters
Polish male painters


John Walter Yanta (October 2, 1931 – August 6, 2022) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.  He served as bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo in Texas from 1997 to 2008 and as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of San Antonio in Texas from 1994 to 1997.

Biography

Early years
On March 17, 1956, Yanta was ordained into the priesthood for the Archdiocese of San Antonio by Archbishop Robert Lucey. In 1957, Yanta was assigned as assistant pastor at St. Ann’s Parish in San Antonio.

During this period, Yanta would frequently join protests in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic in San Antonio, protesting its abortion services to women.  He was arrested during one protest for disturbing the peace. In 1981, Yanta and Father Larry Steubben founded Catholic Television of San Antonio (CTSA).

Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio
On December 30, 1994, Pope John Paul II appointed Yanta as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Antonio.  He was consecrated by Archbishop Patrick Flores at the Immaculate Conception Church in Panna Maria, Texas.

Bishop of Amarillo
On January 21, 1997, Pope John Paul II named Yanta as the bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo.  He was installed on March 17, 1997.

On July 10, 2002, Yanta and the Diocese of Amarillo were named in a lawsuit for the rape of a teenage girl in 2000 by Rosendo Herrera, a diocese priest.  When the plaintiff was aged 17, Herrera raped and impregnated her.  The suit claimed that the diocese was aware of previous offenses by Herrera, and had failed to notify authorities as required by state law.

By September 2002, eight priests had resigned from the diocese due to sexual abuse allegations.  On February 28, 2003, Yanta agreed to a US$27,000 legal settlement with the family of the girl raped by Herrera in 2000.

Retirement
Yanta retired on January 3, 2008.  Upon his retirement from the Diocese of Amarillo, Yanta moved to San Antonio  where he was active in socially conservative political causes. In 2011, Yanta established the Polish Heritage Center Foundation and bought land in Panna Maria to build the Polish Heritage Center, a museum about Polish immigrants to Texas. In 2021, Yanta spent a week in the hospital due to a case of pneumonia.

John Yanta died in San Antonio on August 6, 2022, at age 90.

Viewpoints

Politics
On May 14, 2009, Yanta sent a letter of protest to Father John I. Jenkins, the president of the University of Notre Dame about the university inviting President Barack Obama to its commencement ceremony. In the letter, Yanta stated:I also see Notre Dame crucifying Our Lord once again. Our Blessed Mother must be sorrowful for what you are doing to her Son, using her name in doing so.

Sexual abuse scandal
In 2002, Yanta criticized the "zero tolerance" policies on sexual abuse by priests that were adopted by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in June 2002.  He argued that one-time offenders who had gone through counseling should not be punished for their crimes. However, Yanta admitted that his predecessor, Bishop Leroy T. Matthiesen, had recruited many of the problem priests out of treatment programs and kept that information secret from parishioners.

See also

 Catholic Church hierarchy
 Catholic Church in the United States
 Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
 List of Catholic bishops of the United States
 Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

References

External links
Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo Official Site

Episcopal succession

1931 births
2022 deaths
People from Karnes County, Texas
American people of Polish descent
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II
Roman Catholic bishops of Amarillo


Sons of Steel is a 1989 Australian sci-fi fantasy musical film written, directed and composed by Gary L. Keady and produced by James M. Vernon.

Plot
The film is set in Australia, where an accidental future time traveler finds himself going back in time to change events to prevent a calamity. It stars Rob Hartley as Black Alice (who performed most of the songs for the movie) and Australian musician Jeff Duff (who sang "The Burn").

Cast
Rob Hartley as Black Alice
Roz Wason as Hope
Jeff Duff as Secta
Dagmar Bláhová as Honor
Ralph Cotterill as Karzoff
Elizabeth Richmond as Djard
Wayne Snell as Ex
Mark Hembrow as Mal

Production
The film is based on an original short called "Knightmare", written, co-directed and music directed by Gary L. Keady and co-directed by Yahoo Serious. Gary Keady developed the script for Sons of Steel from the short film, and the feature was shot in 1988. The short film was shown before David Lynch's Dune in theatres, and it received enough notice for major producers to show interest in turning it into a feature.

Release
The film had a box office release in 1989. Gary Keady and Nicholas Huxley were nominated for an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for best costume design for Sons of Steel in 1989, and the film was nominated for best original Australian soundtrack at the ARIA Music Awards of 1990.

Sons of Steel premiered at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and was released in thirty two countries. It won official selection at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film and was a finalist at the Festival of the Imagination, Clermont Ferrand, France in 1989.

Accolades
Nicola Braithwaite, Nicholas Huxley and Gary L. Keady were nominated for Best Costume Design at the 1989 AFI Awards.

References

External links
 Official Website

 Sons of Steel trailer

1989 films
Australian science fiction films
Science fiction musical films
1980s English-language films
1980s Australian films


Lauren Brooke Frucci ( Thompson; born July 29, 1982) is an American television personality, print model and voiceover actor who worked for Golf Channel, mostly as a co-host on "Morning Drive", (from 2010 to 2020) the channel's daily morning show. She has been a host of "Top Ten", the "College Sports Minute" and is currently a host for GolfNow (formerly "Destination Golf"). She is also known for having worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as a backstage interviewer.

Career

Thompson has modeled, represented companies as a spokesmodel and done voice-overs. She has appeared in various television commercials, many television shows, and music videos. She has appeared at conventions across the United States and accepts national bookings through her website as a spokesperson, print model and voiceover talent. She appeared in the music video for Jason Aldean's song "Hicktown", and for Sevendust's song "Praise". She also has been on Southeastern Conference rivalries on SEC websites. She modeled under the name Lauren Brooke early in her career.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2007–2009)
Thompson was hired by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as a backstage interviewer, along with Jeremy Borash, for TNA's primary television program TNA Impact!, and for their monthly pay-per-view events.

Eventually, her character became involved in numerous angles during her interactions with TNA talent. The Beautiful People, as part of their arrogant Barbie gimmick, often taunted her in various ways during interviews. After a series of interviews, the mentally unstable Abyss began thinking of her as his girlfriend, leading to Lauren attempting to help him in his feud with Matt Morgan. She then assumed a more active role in the feud between Abyss, Dr. Stevie Richards, and Daffney, which also briefly involved Raven. The latter program also involved Taylor Wilde, who was established as Lauren's (kayfabe) best friend and sorority sister. Lauren became physically involved in a match for the first time at Victory Road by attacking Daffney.

On December 17, 2009, it was reported that Thompson was leaving TNA to focus on her job with the Golf Channel. Her absence from TNA programming was explained on the "New Year's Knockout Eve 2010" broadcast as being "fired" by TNA Management, having assaulted Lacey Von Erich on the December 17 episode of Impact!.

Personal life
On October 11, 2009, Thompson announced her engagement to long-time friend and fellow UCF student, Richard Frucci. They were married on January 23, 2010.

On July 29, 2013, during the last segment of the program Morning Drive, while being wished a happy 31st birthday by the other cast members, Thompson announced she was pregnant with her first child. The couple have two sons together, born in January 2014, and in July 2017.

References

External links

Official Bio

1982 births
American women television personalities
Golf writers and broadcasters
Living people
People from Orlando, Florida
Professional wrestling announcers
University of Central Florida alumni
Television personalities from Florida


The National State Bank Building is located on River Street in Troy, New York, United States, at its junction with Fulton and Third (southbound US 4) streets. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, one of the earliest buildings in the city so recognized. Since 1986 it has been a contributing property to the Central Troy Historic District.

It was built in 1904, on the site of a public market that had burned down the year before, by local architects M. F. Cummings & Son in the Beaux Arts architectural style. Five stories high, three bays wide by nine deep, its fenestration is similar to the larger Ilium Building a block to the east. The first story is faced in rusticated stone, the second through fifth in light gold brick with stone and terra cotta trim, and with carved stone panels beneath the third and fourth floor windows. These three distinct zones, along with the building's steel frame construction and use of an elevator inside, show the influence of early skyscraper design.

References

Buildings and structures in Troy, New York
National Register of Historic Places in Troy, New York
Beaux-Arts architecture in New York (state)
Commercial buildings completed in 1904
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in New York (state)


Dan McCauley (16 January 1936 – 28 March 2020) was a major shareholder of Sutton Harbour Holdings plc, in which he held a 30% stake. Ranked at 723 on The Times "Rich List 2004" for the UK, his main source of wealth was the company Rotolok Holdings plc which is based in Tiverton.

McCauley was chairman of Plymouth Argyle F.C. when he presided over what most supporters consider the darker years of Argyle's recent history, to the extent that he and his family received several death threats from extremely aggrieved Argyle supporters. In 1995, he purchased Drake's Island in Plymouth Sound with the intention of turning it into a hotel.

He died on 28 March 2020, at the age of 84.

References

External links

1936 births
2020 deaths
Plymouth Argyle F.C. non-playing staff
English football chairmen and investors


The 100th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania and has been represented since 2007 by Bryan Cutler.

District profile
The 100th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Lancaster County. It includes Wheatland. It is made up of the following areas:

 Bart Township
 Colerain Township
 Drumore Township
 East Drumore Township
 Eden Township
 Fulton Township
 Lancaster Township (PART, District 09)
 Leacock Township
 Little Britain Township
 Martic Township
 Millersville (including Millersville University of Pennsylvania)
 Paradise Township
 Pequea Township
 Providence Township
 Quarryville

Representatives

Recent election results

References

External links
District map from the United States Census Bureau
Pennsylvania House Legislative District Maps from the Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission.
Population Data for District 100 from the Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission.

Government of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
100


Logan is a locality in Victoria, Australia. It is located at the intersection of Bendigo-St Arnaud Road (Wimmera Highway) and Logan-Wedderburn Road in the Loddon Shire.

The Logan Pub (or Avoca Forest Hotel) has accommodation and hosts events.

History
Logan was once a larger town during the Victorian Gold Rush. There was a post office, school, two churches, a community hall, a general store and other buildings. Logan Post Office opened on 18 January 1886 and closed in 1974. The locality had a medium-sized oval which was home ground for a local Australian Rules football team.

There have been three pubs in the Logan's history - the first two have been demolished.

Gallery

References

External links

Logan Pub official website

Towns in Victoria (state)
Shire of Loddon
Mining towns in Victoria (state)


The Marina Reservoir is a reservoir in Singapore formed in 2008 by building a dam across the mouth of the Marina Channel. With the completion of the Marina Barrage on 30 October 2008, the reservoir, which contained mainly salt water, became freshwater and started operations at 7 pm on 20 November 2010
after a process of natural desalination, when excess water was released out to the sea after heavy rains. The reservoir will provide 10% of the island's water needs.

The catchment area that feeds the reservoir is about one-sixth the land size of Singapore, making it the largest of all the Singaporean reservoirs. Two of the island's most notable rivers - the Singapore River and Kallang River are part of the reservoir. The Geylang River and the Rochor River, both tributaries of the Kallang River form part of this reservoir as well.

The reservoir was a competition venue for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, where the canoeing and rowing events were carried out.

History
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With the recent completion of the Marina Barrage in 2008, the newly created Marina Reservoir is a choice venue for a wide range of water activities including hosting the canoe-kayak and rowing events.
The area includes a one-kilometre straight race course for canoeing and rowing activities. The Singapore Canoe Marathon 2009 was staged at the Marina Reservoir in January 2009.

The on-land staging of canoeing and rowing competitions is along a portion of Gardens by the Bay – a new 32-hectare park next to the Marina Reservoir. With an extensive water frontage along the Marina Reservoir, the Gardens will provide an excellent vantage point.

The facilities at the reservoir during Singapore 2010 include a boat-storage shed for up to 200 boats, a boat-washing area, toilets and showers, and a doping-control station. A seating gallery for approximately 1,000 spectators will be constructed.

References

External links
 Marina Reservoir

Reservoirs in Singapore
Marina Bay, Singapore
Kallang
Venues of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics