The Japanese weasel (Mustela itatsi) is a carnivorous mammal belonging to the genus Mustela in the family Mustelidae. The most closely related Mustela species is the Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica). Its taxonomic species name, itatsi, is based on the Japanese word for weasel, itachi (イタチ). It is native to Japan where it occurs on the islands of Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku. It has been introduced to Hokkaidō and the Ryukyu Islands to control rodents and has also been introduced to Sakhalin Island in Russia.

It has an orange-brown coloured fur coat with darker markings on the head and varies in size depending on its gender. They have a long slender body, a long tail, relatively short legs and sharp claws. It is often confused with the Siberian weasel which has a different ratio of tail to head and body length.  Unlike other species of weasels, their coat does not change colour in winter. Average lifespan of a Japanese weasel is highly dependent on the availability of food and to a lesser extent other factors that affect its life. In the wild it can live for 2 to 3 years with the highest in the range living to about 5 years. The Japanese weasel has a tail ratio of 36–50% while the Siberian weasel has a ratio greater than 50%. The population of the Japanese weasel has seen a decline of 25% over the last 3 generations which has been used to justify its status as near threatened on the IUCN Red List. The government of Japan has prevented the hunting of female Japanese weasels as a measure to conserve the species.

It is often classified as a subspecies of the Siberian weasel (M. sibirica). The two species are very similar in appearance but differ in the ratio of tail length to head and body length. There are also genetic differences which suggest that the two diverged around 1.6–1.7 million years ago. Mitochondrial sequencing of the two species suggests that the two species diverged in the Early Pleistocene. Their ranges now overlap in western Japan where the Siberian weasel has been introduced.

Adult males of the Japanese weasel can reach  in body length with a tail length of up to . Females are smaller. The species typically occurs in mountainous or forested areas near water. Its diet includes mice, frogs, reptiles, insects and crayfish.

Ecology
Japanese weasels are sexually dimorphic with the males weighing approximately three times that of females. Despite this, there is no significant observable difference of tail-ratios between the sexes. Both sexes are capable of creating a smelly excretion known as musk from an anal gland used to repel predators which is employed by rubbing this secretion on rocks, branches and other natural obstacles. They are sexually mature before they are a year old and give birth to four to five offspring. The offspring are weaned in 8 weeks.

Japanese weasels have been responsible for the protection of tree saplings in winter as they hunt the rodents that chew on the roots when hibernating snakes and owls can’t control the rodent population.

Diet
The diet of the Japanese weasel involves a mix of animals including mice, reptiles, crayfish and frogs. They eat some non-meat food such as berries, seeds and fruits but generally only when hungry.  Additionally, there is a difference between the diets of males and females due to their sexual dimorphism. Males tend to eat more mammals and crustacean while females tend to eat a more varied diet of insects, fruit and earthworms. Their stomachs can only hold 10-20 grams of food and as small rodents weigh 15-30 grams, Japanese weasels cannot eat more than one small rodent in a sitting.

Their diet changes depending on the season depending on the scarcity and availability of certain foods. Fish and insects constitute a part of their diet throughout all seasons. However, seasonal change means that the most consumed food seasonally is coleoptera insects in spring, fruits in summer, orthoptera insects and crustaceans in autumn and fish and fruit in winter.

One of the dangers of urbanization to Japanese weasels is their intolerance of artificial food.

Temperament
Japanese weasels live a solitary life and as they are prey to numerous species, cautious behaviors can be observed in the weasel. The only situations that force them to leave their solitary lifestyle is cases of mating and mothers feeding their young. Their temperament and activity is largely controlled by a balancing of several essential needs: finding food maintain metabolism, avoiding harsh weather and predators, finding mates  and feeding their young.

They move into open areas with great care and live in dens within logs, and tree stumps. They react quickly when they believe they are in danger and quickly dash to safety. Their dens are lined with grass or feathers and are known to store food in dedicated caches. Communication between weasels is achieved acoustically and chemically. Territory is decided by marking the earth with musk. Scent marks hold information that can be comprehended by other weasels about “sex, identity, social status, and breeding condition, but also the probable outcome of a confrontation.” The calls and sounds made by a Japanese weasel are varied and include trills, screeches, hisses and barks. Each sounds is used in different scenarios and circumstances from indicating imminent danger to comforting the young. should The vision of Japanese weasels is unimpeded by the dark.

Japanese weasels have a polygynous mating system as, after copulation, the male often never sees the female again. The male hunts down the female by analyzing traces of her scent. Once the female is tracked down, hours or days of play biting occurs before the relatively brief act of copulation.

Like other species of weasels, Japanese weasels, particularly males are ferocious fighters. Despite this, they are capable of avoiding confrontation by retreating from areas where another weasel’s scent remains.

Hunting

Weasels hunt regardless of whether it is day or night, instead, they hunt depending on their level of hunger. For Japanese weasels, hunting most often occurs along rivers though, at times, they enter suburban areas and grasslands to find prey.

Due to their high metabolism, weasels must constantly hunt to fulfill their energy needs. Japanese weasels, like other weasels, use their agility to their advantage as they are confident swimmers, climbers, runners and capable of reaching prey in hard to reach places. The use of their long body to aid their hunting as they wrap their body around prey to suppress its struggle. Additionally, the prey can be reoriented within its bodily grip. Even after taking a deep bite into the prey, the Japanese weasel holds on for some time. The prey can be found by scent, vision or hearing though the kill is ultimately done by sight.

Japanese weasels investigate holes and cracks to hunt out smaller prey. Small prey such as mice are hunted by pierces to the brain and neck with their teeth and are also carried by the neck. Japanese weasels are prey to some larger animals. Foxes, martens, preying birds and domestic cats hunt Japanese weasels and pose a threat to their life.  Despite this, Japanese weasels are known to hunt prey larger than them such as rabbits. Even as prey, rabbits pose a threat to weasels and are capable of kicking and dragging in defence. In snowy areas in winter, Japanese weasels chase rodents through tunnels in the snow, using their slender bodies to their advantage.

Caching is employed by Japanese weasels when they kill multiple prey within one session. This occurs when multiple prey are visible to weasels as their willingness to hunt is instantaneous and instinctual when prey enters their line of sight regardless of hunger levels. Japanese weasels maintain this supply of excess food in their cache, and this is done at a greater importance in winter as there are days when weather prevents hunting. Where there are chicken coops or other locations of extremely vulnerable prey, the supply of cached food can far exceed its dietary needs.

Distribution and habitat
As they have thin fur and long bodies, the selection of a nest is important to Japanese weasels. There is variation between males and females in the way they select their nests as females require habitats with higher quality food than males. This is due to the need to feed both themselves and their offspring.

The Japanese weasel is found to inhabit grasslands, shrublands, forests and plantations. They are not affected greatly by altitude and have an upper elevation limit of 336 metre. Of the forests they live in, they inhabit both natural and secondary forests. They are found widespread throughout Japan but have evacuated most of western Japan and lowlands which the introduced Siberian weasel has taken over as the dominant weasel.

The co-existence of villages and Japanese weasels pose a risk to the life of the weasel as many dead Japanese weasels are found to be killed on roads. Further, they are not typically found within big cities. They are not at all found within urban Tokyo. A decrease in human activity in rural areas leads to the return of Japanese weasels to that area. This was seen in the rural regions of Oita, Japan. The area that sees the greatest decline of Japanese weasels is western Japan.

Vermin control
The Japanese weasel has been used by the governments of both Russia and Japan as an aid for vermin control.

In order to deal with Hokkaido’s rat problem, the Japanese weasel was introduced to the island in the 1880s. In 1932 it was also introduced to southern Sakhalin Island in Russia however there are no reliable records on the current state of the Japanese weasel’s population there since 1980.

The introduction of the species in some cases, especially Miyake Island has inadvertently affected population of Japanese bush warblers as they hunt eggs and chicks of the bird. Prior to the introduction of the Japanese weasel, predation towards the warbler rarely occurred. After introduction of the Japanese weasels, the survival rate of the warbler in nestling and incubation stages has been measured to be around 0.498 and 0.848.

As they prey on domesticated birds such as chickens they are seen as having a negative economic impact on humans.

In Japanese culture
The Japanese weasel has been embedded in everyday Japanese vernacular. In Japanese “itachi gokko” or “weasel play” defines the vicious cycle of repeating the same message. The scent of their excreted musk gives rise to the saying “itachi no saigo-pei” which translates to “the weasel’s final fart” which is used to describe the final words of an unpopular speaker. An individual who acts with bravado only when they have no formidable opponents can be labelled “itachi” or “weasel”. Despite the everyday use of these phrases, they do not reflect the true temperament of Japanese weasel.

Folklore
A countryside Japanese legend states that after reaching the age of 100, a Japanese weasel will transform into a Japanese marten (Martes melampus).

Though not originally depicted as a weasel, the yokai to explain the phenomenon of cutting winds was eventually represented as a Japanese weasel. Named kamaitachi (鎌鼬), the yokai is depicted as having long, sharp nails similar in shape to sickles. It is a highly recognisable yokai found throughout Japan though most commonly in the snowy north of Honshu. The characterisation of the yokai varies slightly across Japan. For example, it is recognised as a trio of three weasels each with their own characteristic action. One to push over a victim, another that inflicts injury with a blade and the third which administers a healing salve.

The existence of kamaitachi has been accepted from as early as 1911 as the British Medical Journal reported on what was referred to as "Kamaitachi Disease" which was labelled as a spontaneous wound. The wound is described as crescent shaped and spontaneously appeared during thunderstorms as a result of temporary vacuum. (Y. Tanaka), writing for the British Medical Journal explains with the phenomenon that “…during thunderstorms a temporary vacuum may occur in places as a result of stray air currents, and if a part of the body comes into such a space a tear may result from the internal pressure unmodified by the action of external pressure.”

References

External links

Weasels
Endemic mammals of Japan
Mammals described in 1844
Taxa named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck


Ogden–Weber Technical College (also referred to as OTECH, Ogden-Weber Tech or OWTC) is a public technical college in Ogden, Utah. It is one of the largest of the eight technical colleges within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE). The college offers open-entry, open-exit, competency-based education targeted at technical skills and job placement (also called career and technical education).  The college provides technical training in 30 different programs. Primary career clusters include Business and IT, Construction, Health, Manufacturing and Service occupations.

History

The college opened its doors in April 1971. At that time it was known as Skills Center North. The institution helped adult students learn new job skills to attain employment. The student body consisted of 100 students. By 1975, the Utah Board of Regents incorporated Skills Center North as part of Weber State College. Within several years the Center's training programs had received full state and regional accreditation which opened the door to allowing high school students to attend the Center while completing their high school graduation requirements. The student body grew to exceed 750 adult and high school students (both full-time and part-time). In 1982, the Center was moved under the auspices of the Utah State Office of Education and was renamed the Ogden-Weber Area Vocational Center. The student body grew to over 1,200 students. In 1984, the Center moved its campus to its present-day location, formerly the site of the Utah State Industrial School and Ogden Military Academy, to accommodate the need for more classrooms with a steadily increasing student body. The name was changed to the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology Center in the early 1990s.

The then center celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2001. During that year the Utah State Legislature created the Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT) and identified Ogden-Weber as the regional campus of UCAT serving Weber County. The center was renamed the Ogden–Weber Applied Technology College. In 2017, the Utah State legislature renamed the institution as the Ogden–Weber Technical College. The college is an independent member of the Utah System of Technical Colleges. With an annual enrollment of more than 5,000 students, the college provides technical training in thirty different high-demand programs.

Location

Ogden–Weber Technical College is located in Ogden, Utah, with an extension campus at Business Depot Ogden.

References

External links

Educational institutions established in 1971
Educational institutions established in 2001
Universities and colleges in Weber County, Utah
Buildings and structures in Ogden, Utah
Educational institutions accredited by the Council on Occupational Education
Utah College of Applied Technology Colleges
1971 establishments in Utah


Raymond Zéphirin Mboulou (born 19 March 1956) is a Congolese politician who has served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of the Interior since December 2007. Previously, he was Secretary-General of the Presidency from May 2007 to December 2007.

Political career
A member of the Mbochi ethnic group, Mboulou was born at Mpouya, located in the Plateaux Region of Congo-Brazzaville. He earned a degree from the Center for Financial, Economic and Banking Studies in Paris and became a state inspector in 1982; afterwards he held various other positions in the civil service over the years. In the 1992 parliamentary election and the 1993 parliamentary election, he was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate in Mpouya constituency.

After Denis Sassou Nguesso returned to power in October 1997, Mboulou served as Director-General of the Control of Markets and State Contracts from 1998 to 2002. In the May 2002 parliamentary election, he was again elected to the National Assembly as the candidate of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT) in Mpouya constituency; he won the seat in the first round with 80.15% of the vote. After the election, he was Head of the Cabinet of Aimé Emmanuel Yoka, the Director of the Presidential Cabinet, from 2002 to 2007.

Mboulou was then appointed as Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, with the rank of Minister, on 15 May 2007. In the June–August 2007 parliamentary election, Mboulou was again elected to the National Assembly as the PCT candidate in Mpouya; he won the seat in the first round with 96% of the vote. After the election, he was appointed to the government as Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization on 30 December 2007.

As Minister of Territorial Administration, Mboulou announced the provisional results of the 12 July 2009 presidential election on 15 July 2009. Those results showed incumbent President Denis Sassou Nguesso winning another term with 78.61% of the vote; Mboulou also placed the turnout rate at 66%, although that was strongly contested by the opposition, which had boycotted the election and claimed that the turnout rate was anemic. Following the election, Sassou Nguesso retained Mboulou in the government as Minister of the Interior and Decentralization in a cabinet reshuffle on 15 September 2009.

Mboulou stood again as the PCT candidate for Mpouya constituency in the July–August 2012 parliamentary election; he again won the seat in the first round of voting. Following the second round of voting, he announced the results of the election on 7 August 2012 in his capacity as Minister of the Interior; according to those results, the PCT won a large majority of the seats in the National Assembly. Mboulou was retained in his post as Minister of the Interior and Decentralization in the post-election government named on 25 September 2012.

On 11 September 2014, a day before the beginning of campaigning for the 28 September 2014 local elections, Mboulou called for the campaign to proceed peacefully in a tolerant and respectful atmosphere.

Critics argued that Mboulou, as Minister of the Interior, played a key role in facilitating Sassou Nguesso's re-election in the March 2016 presidential election, restricting the activities of opposition candidates and ordering a communications blackout to prevent destabilization on election day and in the immediate aftermath of the vote. He announced the official results of the election, which showed a first-round victory for Sassou Nguesso, on 24 March 2016. Sassou Nguesso retained Mboulou in his post as Minister of the Interior, Decentralization and Local Development in the government named on 30 April 2016.

In the July 2017 parliamentary election, Mboulou stood unopposed as a candidate in Mpouya, with no other candidates standing in the constituency.

Titles and awards
Mboulou is a Grand Officer of the Congolese Order of Merit.

References

1956 births
Living people
Members of the National Assembly (Republic of the Congo)
Government ministers of the Republic of the Congo
Congolese Party of Labour politicians


The assassination of Ivo Pukanić happened on 23 October 2008 in Zagreb, Croatia, when a remote-detonation car bomb fitted on a motorcycle outside the Nacional newspaper's premises killed the owner of the newspaper, Ivo Pukanić, and Niko Franjić, its marketing manager, and injured two more people. The explosion occurred in the centre of the capital at 18:10 local time (16:10 GMT). Numerous arrests of suspects around the country followed. A subsequent police investigation accused Croatian and Serbian organized crime groups of perpetrating the bombing. Eight people suspected of having connections to organised crime groups were indicted. Six were later convicted over the murders with prison terms ranging from 15 to 40 years.

Details
At 18:10 local time, Pukanić approached his Lexus LS 600h L with Niko Franjić, the Nacional director of marketing. According to first news report, a bomb placed in the trash can next to the car exploded soon after. However, an October 25 special edition of Večernji list dedicated to the bombing put the bomb on a motorcycle parked next to Lexus which then exploded before the two men had a chance to enter the car. Pukanić was instantly killed by the blast while Franjić remained alive for a few more seconds. Two graphic design students from a nearby school were injured by shrapnel. The incident happened on a parking lot in Palmotićeva Street, near Stara Vlaška Street and Josip Lang Square, only two street blocks east of the main Zagreb square, Ban Jelačić Square. Police immediately blocked the traffic around the site of assassination, causing immense traffic jams all over the city center. A man was seen running away from the explosion down Palmotićeva Street. He was described as being in his early thirties, wearing a baseball cap and running with no regard for traffic.

The police have reported finding security camera footage of a possible perpetrator parking the deadly motorcycle. CCTV footage of several suspicious events around the building on the day of the attack, including the footage of the explosion itself, was examined by court and publicly released in March 2010.

Reactions
In a special press conference the Prime Minister of Croatia Ivo Sanader denounced the attack and declared that he would not allow "Croatia to become Beirut," though he declined a proposal for entering a state of emergency. He further stated that, "This is no longer merely a fight against organized crime... this is something all of us in Croatia will rise up against." Mirjana Pukanić, Ivo's estranged wife with whom he was involved with in a very public scandal earlier in the year, was shocked to find out about the assassination.

The editorial board of Nacional reacted by accusing the police of Pukanić's death by failure to provide police protection. They stated that Pukanić's round-the-clock protection by two police officers was lifted on August 1 not by Pukanić's request in his right mind, but under a pressure from the police. Pukanić allegedly received two death threats after the end of the protection and promptly forwarded them to the police, but they failed to act upon them. The redaction also condemned the prosecution office for investigating false accusations against Pukanić instead of concentrating on finding his April assailant. There were only informal speculations as to the motive of the assassin.

The media have called for a special anti-mafia operation similar to the Serbian "Saber" Operation concluded after the assassination of the former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić, which resulted in hundreds of arrests and a substantial decrease of Serbian mafia activities. However, there has been no news so far from the police department as to a possible operation. Such an action was already called for by the Zagreb's influential newspapers after the murder of Ivana Hodak, the daughter of a prominent Zagreb lawyer who was at that time defending a controversial former army general Vladimir Zagorec.

Mesić's testimony

President of Croatia Stjepan Mesić said the attack meant "terrorism has become a fact on the streets of Zagreb." He went on to state Pukanić feared for his life before the accident. According to Mesić's words, Mirjana Pukanić called Mesić to ask Ivo Pukanić to send her some money. Mesić called Ivo and, aside from Mirjana's request, inquired about the police investigation of the April assassination attempt. Pukanić replied that the police have not made much progress since the crime itself, but he added that he was in a great fear for his life. Mesić declared that he was not aware what were the reasons and who were the authors of the threats. He recommended the police to interrogate Mirjana Pukanić, although he did not publicly state what she would be able to say. He also said he would be willing to subject to a police interrogation himself. Mirjana Pukanić was vexed by President Mesić's recommendations and the claim about begging for Ivo Pukanić's money. She stated she has lived in a women's shelter for six months without money, and that she only asked Mesić to speed up the divorce process started by her.

State of emergency
In a special news conference following the assassination, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader at first declined the possibility of introducing a state of emergency. However, the following day Sanader approved the proposal and ordered 250 additional police officers to the city. He called the killing an "assassination" as he vowed to fight Serbian mafia crime that threatens his country's attempt to join the EU. Sanader said the police authority would be widened, trials would be speeded up, and a DNA database for convicted criminals would be created. During the state of emergency, the police would also have the right to confiscate illegally obtained property.

The announcement of the state of emergency was quickly followed by a release of a facial composite of the man from the crime scene and a large police operation, which resulted in 9 arrests in Zagreb and 20 in Rijeka during its first day. The chief of Croatian police, Vladimir Faber, stated all figures from Croatian underground connected to Pukanić will be interrogated.

Background

The Croatian Journalists' Association has announced that the murder is the first of a journalist in Croatia since the nation's War of Independence. Pukanić has been known as a controversial figure, with close ties to the underworld and to politicians. Croatian media has reported he was a regular guest at all receptions given by president Stjepan Mesić. Pukanić's Nacional was known for uncovering cigarette smuggling schemes involving, among others, a Swiss-based Serbian tycoon Stanko Subotić and the current Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović. Italian Prosecutor Giuseppe Scelsi said that Ivo Pukanić and the murdered Montenegrin journalist Duško Jovanović of Dan, were among the most important witnesses in the investigation and that the Antimafia Commission will now have to archive the case. Another reason for archiving the investigation is the diplomatic immunity of Milo Đukanović.

Pukanić assassination attempt in April 2008
Pukanić, an influential and controversial person in Croatian politics, was already targeted in a murder attempt on April 9, 2008 in western downtown Zagreb, near Franjo Tuđman Square. He was shot at with a silenced pistol at close range. Pukanić crouched as the perpetrator pointed his gun at him and successfully dodged the bullet, which created a hole in the window of a nearby gift shop. The perpetrator's gun subsequently jammed, enabling Pukanić to pull his legally-owned Glock 17 out of his bag. Pukanić fired a warning shot, causing the perpetrator to flee the crime scene. A facial composite of the perpetrator, who was unmasked and wore a dark knitted cap, was publicly released five days after the attack.

The police suspected the attempt to be a warning to Pukanić, intended to discourage him from certain activities. Police protection was assigned to Pukanić immediately following the event. However, it was lifted on August 1, 2008, just over two and a half months before the October 23 bombing, as there were no further threats in the months following the assassination attempt.

Police investigation
The police released information that the possible assassin is Sretko Kalinić, a wanted executioner of the recently dissolved Zemun clan of Serbian mafia, who was in January 2008 sentenced in absentia to 40 years of prison in Serbia for eight assassinations and involvement in numerous other criminal activities including two abductions. His current whereabouts remain unknown, aside from having been spotted in Croatia the week before the bombing. There were reports that he was recently to the incident involved in other murders in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The police have also talked to Mirjana Pukanić, while Nacional editorial board refuted a claim that they planned to accuse her for the assassination. On October 27, Croatian police arrested many former police officers and members of the army in a countrywide action, who were suspected to be capable of producing such professional explosive device that was used in the bombing. On October 29, Croatian police arrested 10 people in direct connection to the murder whom the police official Krunoslav Borovec described as "dangerous members of a criminal milieu."

Serbian mafia
On October 30 police arrested five suspects aligned with the Serbian mobster Sreten "Joca Amsterdam" Jocić for Pukanić's assassination. The suspects were Robert and Luka Matanić, Amir Mafalani, Slobodan "Boban" Đurović and Milenko "Mića" Kuzmanović. Mafalani was arrested in his apartment and the other four were arrested on the Bajakovo border crossing, trying to escape Croatia.

The day before the All Saints Day police filed all points bulletins and subsequently arrested two known Serbian mobsters and criminals, Bojan "Bajone" Gudurić and Željko "Letač" Milovanović. Milovanović is known in Serbia for robbing a post office in Beočin (near Novi Sad, Serbia) in 2005. After the robbery he escaped the police. He was subsequently tracked and arrested in front of a Tuzla hospital. However, Milovanović made another spectacular escape a few days later, while being transported to a medical examination. Bojan Gudurić is known for having committed over 15 armed robberies all over Vojvodina while leading an organized crime group. His most publicized robbery was the robbery of the Ekspres Gas company in Novi Sad, where he and several of his masked accomplices forcibly took money from the company safe by threatening workers and staff by pistols.

Croatian organized crime
Days after the arrest and after a scandal involving Luka Pilipović, the attorney representing Matanić cousins and Mafalani, Robert Matanić offered a testimony to uncover the contractors of the assassination. He testified that Milovanović and Gudurić organized the assassination and that he, his cousin and Mafalani assisted them in preparations for the assassination. Mafalani allegedly obtained an apartment at the intersection of Petrinjska and Jurišićeva streets, a high-traffic location in the vicinity of the crime scene. Matanić was assisted by Velimir "Žvaki" Žak in obtaining several stolen cars and the bomb-fitted motorcycle for Gudurić and Milovanović. Gudurić, a known criminal monitored by the Balkans police forces, used a false name to rent the Jurišićeva Street apartment.

Matanić claimed he was at first unaware of the actual target and that he realized that Pukanić was the victim only a few days after Milovanović mentioned the target to him using Pukanić's nickname "Puki". Matanić also declared he was not present during the assassination, claiming a BMW 7 Series presentation in a car dealership in  as his alibi. Matanić also arranged the escape of Milovanović and Gudurić to Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, only Milovanović's escape was successful, as Gudurić took off a day later and was subsequently caught by the police.

References

External links
 Live footage of the bombing aftermath

2008 crimes in Croatia
2008 murders in Europe
2000s in Zagreb
2000s murders in Croatia
Assassinations in Croatia
Car and truck bombings in Europe
Crime in Zagreb
Filmed assassinations
October 2008 crimes
October 2008 events in Europe
Organized crime events in Croatia
Violent non-state actor incidents in Europe


Allen Harry Levrault (born August 15, 1977) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Marlins. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 13th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft.

Levrault graduated from Westport High School in Westport, Massachusetts in 1995.

In 2002 Levrault played for the Oakland Athletics Triple-A affiliate the Sacramento River Cats.

In 2003, he pitched in 19 games for the World Champions Florida Marlins. He went 1–0 with a 3.86 ERA with 15 walks and 21 strikeouts. He pitched in his final major league game on June 27, 2003.

In , Levrault played for the Seattle Mariners' Double-A affiliate, the San Antonio Missions. He last played in , for the independent Elmira Pioneers and Joliet Jackhammers.

Allen in 2001 was featured in A Player to be Named Later, a documentary about the life of a Triple-A ball player who played for the Milwaukee Brewers affiliate at the time the Indianapolis Indians.

Allen was married on September 5, 2009, to Vanessa Joy Quirk Levrault of Swansea, Massachusetts. They currently reside in Westport, Massachusetts) with their son and daughter.

External links
, or Retrosheet, or  Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)

1977 births
Living people
Águilas del Zulia players
Albuquerque Isotopes players
Baseball players from Massachusetts
Beloit Snappers players
CCRI Knights baseball players
Community College of Rhode Island alumni
El Paso Diablos players
Elmira Pioneers players
Florida Marlins players
Helena Brewers players
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Indianapolis Indians players
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Major League Baseball pitchers
Milwaukee Brewers players
Baseball players from Fall River, Massachusetts
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American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela


American post-grunge band Creed has released four studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP), eighteen singles, one video album, and fifteen music videos. Formed in Tallahassee, Florida in 1994, Creed consists of vocalist Scott Stapp, guitarist and vocalist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips. Signed to Wind-up Records, the band released its debut album My Own Prison in August 1997, which reached number 22 on the US Billboard 200. The album was certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). All four singles from the album reached the top three of the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

The group released its second album Human Clay in September 1999, which topped the US Billboard 200 and sold over 11 million units in the US. The album also topped the Canadian Albums Chart, as well as spawning four Mainstream Rock top-five singles, two of which ("Higher" and "With Arms Wide Open") reached number one. "With Arms Wide Open" also topped the Billboard Hot 100. Creed topped the Billboard 200 again with the release of Weathered in November 2001, which was certified six times platinum by the RIAA. The lead single "My Sacrifice" topped the Mainstream Rock chart and reached number four on the Hot 100, before "One Last Breath" reached the top ten on both charts.

In June 2004, it was announced that Creed had broken up due to tensions between Stapp and the other members, primarily Tremonti. Tremonti, Marshall, and Phillips formed the band Alter Bridge during that year with vocalist Myles Kennedy. In November 2004, Wind-up issued the Greatest Hits compilation, which reached number 15 on the Billboard 200. Five years later, the band reunited for a new album and tour. The album, Full Circle, was released in October 2009 and reached number two on the Billboard 200, supported by Mainstream Rock and Alternative Songs top-ten single "Overcome". In December 2009, the band's live video album Creed Live was released.

Creed broke up again in 2012, with Tremonti commenting in 2014 that there were "no plans" to reconnect with Stapp. The band's second compilation album, With Arms Wide Open: A Retrospective, was released in November 2015.

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

Videos

Video albums

Music videos

Other appearances

Footnotes

References

External links
Creed official website
Creed discography at AllMusic
Creed discography at Discogs
Creed discography at MusicBrainz

Creed
Creed


Heerlen is a railway station located in Heerlen, Netherlands.

History
The station was opened on 1 May 1896 and is located on the Sittard–Herzogenrath railway and the Heerlen–Schin op Geul railway. The station was an important mining station, until the mines closed down.

As part of the Maankwartier ("Moon Quarter") project, construction of an entirely new train station started in December 2012.

Train services

The following train services call at this station:
Express:
Intercity IC 3900: Enkhuizen - Amsterdam – Utrecht – Eindhoven – Heerlen
Sneltrein : Aachen – Heerlen – Maastricht
Local:
Stoptrein : Sittard – Heerlen – Kerkrade
Stoptrein : Maastricht Randwyck – Heerlen

Bus services
The following bus lines serve the bus station north of the railway station:
(services shown here no longer exist or have different line numbers)

 20: Heerlen Station–Heerlen South––Voerendaal–Voerendaal Station––Weustenrade–––Wijnandsrade–Laar–Nuth–Vaesrade–Hoensbroek
 21: Brunssum–Hoensbroek–Heerlen Station–Heerlen Hospital–Heerlen South–Kerkrade Stadion–Simpelveld–Eys–Gulpen
 22: Heerlen Hospital–Heerlen Station–Landgraaf–Ubach
 25: Hoensbroek–Heerlen North–Heerlen Station–Landgraaf–Kerkrade
 26: Kerkrade Bus Station–Haanrade–Eygelshoven Markt–Eygelshoven Station–Landgraaf–Heerlen de Kissel Station–Heerlen Station–Hoensbroek
 28: Kerkrade South–Kerkrade Station–Kerkrade Bus Station–GaiaPark (Zoo)–Kerkrade Stadion–Heerlen East–Heerlen Station–Heerlen North–Brunssum–Schinveld
 29: Kerkrade South–Kerkrade Station–Kerkrade Bus Station–Eygelshoven Markt–Landgraaf–Heerlen Station–Heerlen Molenburg–Kerkrade Stadion
 31: Heerlen Station–Beek (School Service)
 33: Heerlen Station–Landgraaf–Ubach
 36: Heerlen Station–Brunssum–Jabeek–Doenrade–Sittard Station
 37: Heerlen Station–Brunssum–Merkelbeek–Doenrade–Sittard Station
 40: Heerlen Station–Kunrade–Ubachsberg–Elkenrade–Wijlre–Gulpen
 41: Kerkrade Bus Station–GaiaPark (Zoo)–Kerkrade Stadion–Heerlen South–Heerlen Station–Hoensbroek–Amstenrade–Oirsbeek–Doenrade–Sittard Station
 42:
 43: Heerlen Station–Kerkrade Stadion–Simpelveld–Bocholtz–Nijswiller–Lemiers–Vaals
 44: Heerlen Station–Kerkrade Stadion– (Germany)–Richterich–Laurensberg–Aachen–Aachen Hauptbahnhof
 52: Heerlen Station–Kunrade–Voerendaal–Klimmen–Hulsberg–Arensgenhout–Schimmert–Ulestraten–Meerssen Station
 58: Heerlen Station–Nijswiller–Wittem–Gulpen

External links
NS website
Dutch public transport Travel planner

Railway stations in Heerlen
Railway stations opened in 1896
Railway stations on the Heuvellandlijn
Railway stations in the Netherlands opened in the 1890s


The Swabian Rezat (, ) is a 33.3-kilometre-long river in southern Germany (Bavaria). It is the southern, right source river of the Rednitz. It rises in the Franconian Jura hills, near Weißenburg in Bayern. It flows generally north through the towns Weißenburg in Bayern, Ellingen and Pleinfeld. Together with the Franconian Rezat, it forms  the Rednitz in Georgensgmünd.

In its upper course the Rezat is close to the continental water shed between Rhine and Danube. In the 8th century Charlemagne tried to build a canal between Rezat and Altmühl which were only 3 km away from each other. It's not clear if it was finished and used for a short period or not. Its remains can be seen as "Fossa Carolina" or "Karlsgraben" near Treuchtlingen.

Tributaries

The following rivers are tributaries to the river Swabian Rezat (from source to mouth):

Left: Weimersheimer Bach, Mittelbühlgraben, Walkershöfer Weihergraben, Vorderer Troppelgraben, Hinterer Troppelgraben, Banzerbach, Brombach
Right: Felchbach, Ottmarsfelder Graben, Arbach, Iglseebach, Roter Graben

References

Rivers of Bavaria
Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen
Rivers of Germany


Doin' What I Gotta Do is the third album by Doug E. Fresh. It was released May 5, 1992, on Bust It Records, a sub-label of Capitol Records set up by MC Hammer, and was produced by Doug E. Fresh. Compared to his previous two albums, both of which are considered hip-hop classics, Doin’ What I Gotta Do was neither a critical nor a commercial success, peaking at only #47 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The single "Bustin Out (On Funk)" made it to #28 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. It samples the 1979 Rick James single "Bustin’ Out."

Track listing
"D.O.A." – 1:07
"Bustin’ Out (On Funk)" – 4:01
"The Get Fresh Crew" – 4:50
"Back in the Dayz" – 4:48
"If I Was Your Man" – 4:34
"Come in from the Rain" – 5:28
"I Need My Woman Tonight" – 5:00
"Check It Out" – 3:43
"The History" – 2:47
"Imagine Me Just Pumpin' It Up" – 4:01
"You Make Me Wanna Shout" – 4:42
"The Money Grip" – 3:39
"There's Nothing Better" – 4:26
"I Love Myself" – 5:17
"No" – 4:49
"Vida Mia" – 2:26
"Peace to New York" – 3:54

Charts

References

1992 albums
Doug E. Fresh albums
Capitol Records albums
New jack swing albums


The Model 50 was a  touring motorcycle built by Norton between 1933 and 1963. A further Model 50 was briefly produced by Norton parent-company AMC during 1965 and 1966 using a re-badged Matchless.

Designed by Edgar Franks in 1933, the first run was almost identical to the Norton Model 18 except for the bore and stroke.  The single-cylinder engine was 348 cc with pushrod operated overhead valves.

Halted by World War II, production of the Model 50 single restarted in 1956. After 1959 the Model 50 gained the Featherbed frame, Lucas RM15 crank-mounted alternator (upgraded from magneto/dynamo used on 1957-58) coil ignition and improved lighting. In common with other large Nortons, the frame was updated to the 'slimline' version with revised styling in 1961.

When road testing a used example provided by a London dealer in 1964, UK monthly magazine Motorcycle Mechanics reported  top speed with  cruising.

Few survive in original condition as many were converted into 'Tritons' with Triumph engines. Production ended in 1963.

References

Model 50


Emil Rilke (born 19 November 1983) is a Czech former footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for Czech clubs including Teplice, Jablonec 97, SIAD Most, Slovan Liberec, and Ústí nad Labem. Abroad he played for Universitatea Cluj of Romania, German side Hansa Rostock, and Žilina of Slovakia. Rilke was a member of the Czech Republic Under-20 national team which competed in the 2003 U20 FIFA World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Honours
Žilina
Slovak Super Liga: 2009–10
Slovak Super Cup: 2010
Slovan Liberec
Czech First League: 2011–12

References

External links
 Rilke's profile on FIFA.com

 Rilke's profile on MŠK Žilina's Slovak language website

1983 births
Living people
Czech men's footballers
Czech Republic men's youth international footballers
Czech Republic men's under-21 international footballers
Czech expatriate men's footballers
FK Teplice players
FK Jablonec players
FK Baník Most 1909 players
SFC Opava players
MŠK Žilina players
FC Slovan Liberec players
FC Hansa Rostock players
FC Universitatea Cluj players
FK Viagem Ústí nad Labem players
Czech First League players
Slovak First Football League players
Liga I players
Expatriate men's footballers in Slovakia
Czech expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia
Expatriate men's footballers in Romania
Czech expatriate sportspeople in Romania
Sportspeople from Ústí nad Labem
Footballers from the Ústí nad Labem Region
3. Liga players
Men's association football midfielders


Caitlin "Kate" Todd is a fictional character featured in the CBS television drama NCIS portrayed by Sasha Alexander, appearing in 49 episodes of the series. Alexander made her series debut in the pilot "Yankee White", before departing the regular cast in the season two finale "Twilight". Alexander was credited as a guest star for her appearances in the season 3 episodes "Kill Ari (Part I)" and "Kill Ari (Part II)," and appeared uncredited as a voice actor during season 8's "A Man Walks Into a Bar". Subsequently, Alexander has appeared in photographs, flashbacks, archive footage, and CGI footage. Her most recent appearance was through archive footage in "Two Steps Back" (season 15).

Casting
Following JAG "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown", the character of Kate was created to replace that of Vivian Blackadder (Robyn Lively), who Donald P. Bellisario felt was "too soft". Alexander credits CBS President Les Moonves with her casting, stating that she "had just finished doing a couple of other series for CBS and he said, 'come do this show'".

Departure
Donald P. Bellisario stated that Alexander departed the series due to a lack of stamina and grueling filming schedule, stating "this was the first time [Sasha] went over a year on a show". Co-star Michael Weatherly noted that he was not informed until February 2005, and only discovered Caitlin would be assassinated when he "saw the special-effects guy attaching a blood pack to [Sasha's] hair". Alexander does not regret leaving the series, "for a million reasons that I’ve never spoken out about … for a million reasons that I can’t". Following Caitlin's death, fans "flooded Internet message boards with angry postings directed at Bellisario", while Bellisario announced that Alexander's replacement would be "a new female lead character [...], quite different from the conservative Agent Todd. A 'European or Australian girl who is very comfortable with her femininity and sexuality'". Chilean actress Cote de Pablo was later cast as Israeli Mossad Officer Ziva David to replace the departed Alexander.

Personal background
Caitlin was born in Indiana, and was the youngest of five children, including three brothers (whom she referred to as "practically psychotic"), and an elder sister (introduced as Rachel Cranston in Season 8 Episode 14 "A Man Walks Into a Bar..."), and was Catholic. She also mentioned having a cousin named Maureen Ingalls.

Prior to joining NCIS, Kate attended college from 1993 to 1994, first studying law, but dropped out after a single year having felt like she had spent "10 years in prison". In 1994, she won a wet T-shirt contest during her Spring Break vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida. Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo used a photograph of this as a source of amusement and possible blackmail in "Conspiracy Theory". Some time after college, she joined the United States Secret Service, and was eventually assigned to the President's security detail aboard Air Force One. Viewing her job as very demanding, she didn't have the time to meet someone outside of work, and started a romantic relationship with the Marine assigned as carrier of the presidential "Nuclear Football", Timothy Kerry, thereby breaking the Secret Service's rules which prohibit relationships between colleagues. Kate first encounters Gibbs' team as a United States Secret Service special agent assigned to the Presidential Protection Detail on Air Force One.

Storylines
During "Yankee White", Kate resigns from the Secret Service before her superiors fire her for disobeying the fraternization rules; NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs recruits Todd almost immediately and assigns her to his team, pairing her with Anthony DiNozzo. She quickly becomes a key member of the Gibbs-led Major Case Response Team (MCRT) based at the NCIS headquarters in Washington, DC. Todd became the team's dedicated profiler and created psychological profiles on the suspects being investigated. She was first taken aback by NCIS' apparent disregard for the rules and protested at times, yet she came to find herself ignoring guidelines in order to obtain key information. In the episode "A Weak Link", for example, she suggests they hack into a classified database. Todd's other skills include counterfeit bill analysis and protection detail, which she acquired during her time as a USSS Agent. Unlike Gibbs, Kate appears to get emotionally attached to victims as seen in the episodes "The Immortals" and "Left For Dead", during which she befriends a Jane Doe (Sherilyn Fenn) suffering memory loss after being buried alive. It is later revealed, however, that the Jane Doe had actually been deceiving Todd all along and she later killed herself and her lover. Similarly, Todd had an opportunity to kill Ari when he broke into the NCIS autopsy lab in "Bête Noire" and shot Gerald in the shoulder, but found she was unable to do so. Gibbs later chastized her for this.

Her attitude contrasted vastly with DiNozzo's behavior, and they routinely argued over matters of privacy and personal boundaries: throughout the first two seasons, Todd was the prime target of DiNozzo's nosing, with the latter sneaking through her purse, cellphone, PDA and desktop computer on a regular basis, which infuriated her to no end. DiNozzo even went through Kate's trash to discover where she'd eaten breakfast much to her chagrin in "Doppelganger". Whereas Todd considered this outrageous and unacceptable, DiNozzo seemingly merely did this for his personal entertainment. Conversely, DiNozzo is also the target of numerous taunts and regular teasing from Todd. It is revealed in "Witness" that Kate had a phobia of going to the dentist but she eventually overcame it thanks to Tony giving her the number of a hypnotist.

A talented sketch artist, she sketches an accurate likeness of a suspect in the episode "Marine Down". During the same episode, it was shown that she had drawn caricatures of the team, some of which showed DiNozzo lusting after a pretty girl, and NCIS forensic scientist Abby Sciuto as a bat. She also drew one of Gibbs as well, but managed to take her drawing pad back from DiNozzo before he revealed it. In season three, when Ziva David joined the team full-time and moved into Todd's cubicle, she presented Gibbs with Todd's sketch pad. There were portraits of each cast member in it, including Gibbs. McGee later finds one of Kate's sketches in his desk during season thirteen.

In addition to being excellent at drawing, Todd, like Abby, was greatly skilled in using a Personal digital assistant or a PDA. Kate's first PDA was destroyed during a practice test at the shooting range at the beginning of Season 1 episode "Marine Down" after Gibbs taped it onto her target to force her to shoot accurately. It had to be discarded as the warranty did not cover damage caused by bullets. She was later seen using a possible replacement in Season 1 episode "Eye Spy" and was always seen with one at various crime scenes, usually giving Gibbs and the team information. Despite being seen writing things with her right hand, Todd was seen operating her computer mouse with her left hand, suggesting that she may be ambidextrous. She also told Gibbs and DiNozzo during "Eye Spy" that despite being right handed, she played golf left handed, yet swung a bat and threw balls using her right hand.

Death
Todd was assassinated during the season two episode "Twilight", after she and the team had successfully cleared a warehouse housing a known terrorist cell. After being officially relieved of the protection detail she had been assigned by Tom Morrow, Kate is shot in the head by sniper and Mossad double-agent Ari Haswari.

In "Kill Ari", it is revealed that he targeted and killed Kate merely because he wanted to cause Gibbs pain (even using a Bravo 51 nicknamed "Kate"). During an imagined discussion with Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the morgue, Todd, who had been shot dead in the previous episode, explained that she had not been able to kill Ari because she had looked into his eyes and that there had been something kind in them. She also expressed regret at not killing Ari when she had the chance because she did not deserve to die. Seeking vengeance, Gibbs began a manhunt for Ari, who is eventually shot by his own half-sister, Mossad officer Ziva David. Kate's funeral is held in Indiana during "Kill Ari (Part II)". She is laid to rest with civilian honors, after she is posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the behest of Gibbs and Director Jennifer Shepherd.

Legacy
Kate has remained a significant part of the NCIS universe in the years following Alexander's final episode ("Kill Ari Part II"). In "Mind Games" (S0303), for example, DiNozzo tells Special agent Timothy McGee to ask Todd whether they have knee pads or not before recalling she is dead, while suspect Kyle Boone uses Todd's death in an attempt to intimidate Gibbs. In "Probie" (S03E10), McGee states that unlike Todd, he had no previous law enforcement experience before enlisting as a NCIS Special Agent, while in "Bait" (S03E18) a teenage student held his classmates hostage inside a classroom by threatening them with a bomb strapped to his chest. Gibbs and his team arrived on scene but were unable to get audio and video of the situation inside the classroom. Gibbs put himself in danger by offering himself as a hostage. While DiNozzo took charge of the team, the boy demanded that his mother be brought to the classroom by sunset, but the team discovered that she had been dead for a year. DiNozzo let Gibbs know by saying to the student that Special Agent Caitlin Todd was looking for his mother. A marine asked how Gibbs would know that the boy's mother was deceased. DiNozzo replied, "Special Agent Todd is dead." In "Hiatus, Part II" (S03E24) When Gibbs loses his memory Ziva reminds Gibbs of Todd's murder and of Ziva killing Ari before taking Gibbs' hand and using it to slap herself on the back of the head.

During season four, Gibbs accidentally called Ziva "Kate" after returning to NCIS following his temporary retirement. Todd is also mentioned briefly by Dr. Mallard in "Aliyah" (S06E25). During "Truth or Consequences" (S07E01), Tony states that the third  member of team Gibbs is deceased, and for the past four years that position has been filled by Ziva David. In "Patriot Down" (S07E23), following the murder of SSA Lara Macy, Tony inquires as to who killed "another female NCIS agent", referencing Kate's passing. Kate's sister, Dr Rachel Cranston, was introduced during "A Man Walks Into a Bar..." (S08E14), in which she was conducting mandatory psychological evaluation of the MCRT. Flashbacks of archive footage, alternate takes and deleted scenes including one from the Season 2 episode, "An Eye for an Eye", are used for illustrating the memories of Gibbs, DiNozzo, Sciuto, Dr. Mallard, McGee and Rachel as they remember their deceased friend and sister. A scene where Rachel sleeps behind Todd's former desk mirrors a similar scene with Todd in "Twilight". At the episode's conclusion, Rachel tearfully mentions that the team have been "better than [Rachel] at letting go", revealing her need for closure. Gibbs then takes her to his basement, showing Rachel where Ziva killed Ari, helping her to find closure. Sasha Alexander recorded voice clips for this episode. Later, in "Nature of the Beast" (S09E01) several references to Kate are made, whilst Rachel Cranston is referred to as "Doctor Kate's sister".

During "Life Before His Eyes" (S09E14), an alternate-universe version of Kate is shown in which she was never killed by Ari, is still an NCIS agent, and is married to DiNozzo with a baby girl named Kelly. Her desk is adorned with photographs of her and her husband, whilst her survival means Ziva is still a foreign national. In "Psych Out" (S09E16), Kate is mentioned when her sister returns to NCIS, and in "You Better Watch Out" (S10E10), it is revealed Tony named his goldfish after Kate. The goldfish is featured prominently until season thirteen's "Family First", and plays a significant role in "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" (S11E01), when DiNozzo has a conversation with Kate regarding Ziva's absence.

In "Gut Check" (S11E09), Abby states that Bishop is an excellent artist, but she's not "Kate good." She later tells Bishop the story of Kate's death in order to prepare her for the news of the death of her own partner. In "House Rules" (S12E10), when McGee is explaining Gibbs' rules, scenes featuring Kate were prominent, and in "Check" (S12E11), Diane Sterling is assassinated in a manner that mirrors Kate's death in order to cause Gibbs significant pain. Kate's "ghost" overlooks Dorneget's funeral procession alongside Shepard, Cassidy, Pacci, Franks, and Dorneget himself in "The Lost Boys" (S12E23). During "Scope" (S13E18), a caricature of McGee drawn by Kate is featured, while when Kate's partner DiNozzo resigns from NCIS in "Family First" (S13E24), a photograph of the two of them is seen among his personal possessions. Kate's Agency ID Photograph and her badge are shown on a memorial wall as Gibbs mourns Ziva.

Relationships

Leroy Jethro Gibbs
Although they conflicted heavily upon their first meeting in "Yankee White", Todd had a great relationship with Gibbs. Gibbs immediately saw her potential as a special agent and hired her right after she resigned from the Secret Service. Despite difficult beginnings during which Todd resented Gibbs' harshness and rude manners (such as hanging up on her), she had a lot of respect for Gibbs and worked well with him. He was her mentor and believed that she was a great agent; in "Sub Rosa", Gibbs brought Todd with him aboard a U.S. Navy  attack submarine even though women are considered "problematic" aboard submarines; in order to bring Todd with him, Gibbs didn't hesitate to argue with Norfolk's sub squadron commander.

Keeping with his tendency to know "everything about everyone", Gibbs knew what the tattoo Todd had on her back represented and was apparently the first to identify Dr. Rachel Cranston as Todd's sister in "A Man Walks Into a Bar...".

Confronted with Todd's death, a shocked and vengeful Gibbs found himself overwhelmed with guilt and, like the rest of the protagonists, began having visions of her. His first visions of Todd blamed him for her death and angrily demanded to know why she was killed instead of him, even suggesting that Gibbs should commit suicide. After he avenged her death by having Ari killed, however, he had another vision of her at her funeral in which she seemed to have forgiven him, smiling and jokingly telling him "You're late for my funeral, Gibbs".

Anthony DiNozzo
Todd's relationship with her co-worker Tony DiNozzo could be referred to as a love-hate relationship as they had arguments usually in various levels of maturity. The two constantly competed, both during training and investigations. Todd was often critical of DiNozzo's behaviour, especially concerning his attitude towards women and his disrespect for personal boundaries; indeed, DiNozzo routinely went through Todd's purse, cellphone, PDA and desktop computer, uncovering personal information such as her dates' identities. In one episode, DiNozzo snuck unbeknownst to her into the bathroom while she was having a shower in order to brush his teeth, which infuriated her when she noticed him; however, it was not uncommon for DiNozzo to be teased and taunted by Todd, especially after DiNozzo kissed a female suspect who was, unbeknownst to him, a transsexual; their bickering got so bad in the episode "Pop Life" that they sought counseling from Dr. Mallard.

Despite her dislike of Tony's habit of trespassing her privacy, they get along at work, with Tony frequently explaining military slang to her. They also "gang up" against McGee when he first joined the team by letting him do some of the more mundane jobs. In the Season 2 episode "Forced Entry" they tricked McGee into drinking Gibbs' coffee, which is a well-known taboo. On many occasions, DiNozzo was shown being considerate, kind, and even borderline romantic to Todd. He bought her flowers as a peace offering after annoying her in the episode "Vanished". He showed concern for her several times, including at the end of episodes "Left For Dead", when she realized she had been played by a victim, and "Bête Noire", when she was held hostage by Ari. In the episode "The Bone Yard", DiNozzo was almost possessive of Todd when McGee posed the idea of pretending to be Todd's lover to get into a paternity clinic to photograph evidence for Sciuto, saying he would do it instead of McGee; later in the same episode, he told Todd he thought they made a good couple, to which she replied "Maybe for The Jerry Springer Show". In the episode "Black Water", he went close to jealousy when Todd accepted a date offered by the victim's brother. During the events of "My Other Left Foot", DiNozzo was obsessed by the idea of Todd having a tattoo and asked to know where during the whole episode. In extras seen on the Season 2 DVD Box Set, the producers stated it was intended for there to be a relationship between these two characters. When DiNozzo was posing as a criminal in "Chained", Todd showed much concern for his safety. In the episode "SWAK", after Todd was found to be uninfected, she continued to stay with DiNozzo, lying to him about her condition even though she knew that the risk of infection was still imminent. As he was apparently about to die, Todd was devastated and started crying; DiNozzo eventually survived, much to her relief.

Standing with Gibbs and Todd when she was killed, DiNozzo was especially shocked and her death would have a serious impact on him, which along with other events made him "grow up" during the following seasons. As shown in the episodes "Kill Ari" I & II, DiNozzo struggled with sorrow, culminating in a scene in which he and McGee mourn over Todd's dead body in Dr. Mallard's autopsy room. He finally came to terms with her death after her funeral.

After Todd's death, like the other characters, DiNozzo also had a vision of her postmortem. Typical to DiNozzo's chauvinistic personality, Todd appeared in the Catholic schoolgirl uniform that he had been asking about in the episode "Bikini Wax". After telling him that she always knew what he was thinking, she realized that she was wearing the uniform and quickly berated him, saying "Tony, I just died, and you're having a sexual fantasy?" to which he replied, "Can't help it. Sometimes I used to picture you naked" and she responded by screaming in shock seconds before Ziva David was introduced for the first time. This "sexual fantasy" was portrayed after DiNozzo offered to go back out in the pouring rain and find the bullet that killed Todd and became upset when McGee improved the answer he had told to Gibbs. In the Season 8 episode "A Man Walks Into a Bar...", Todd's sister Rachel suggests to DiNozzo that Todd was "hard on [him] because she knew what [he] was really capable of".

In the 200th episode, "Life Before His Eyes", one of several alternate reality scenarios featured Kate surviving, marrying DiNozzo, and having a child with him.

Donald "Ducky" Mallard
In "Yankee White", Dr. Mallard was the first NCIS member who got along with Todd. The two liked each other very much and genuinely cared for each other, as seen in several episodes including "Reveille" and "The Meat Puzzle".

In the latter, Gibbs assigned Todd as Mallard's protection detail when his life was threatened by a criminal. As he does with other team members, Ducky would usually call Todd by her full name, Caitlin just like her future murderer, Ari Haswari did.

Todd's death was a severe blow to Mallard, who wouldn't let anyone else perform the autopsy on her dead body. Before he started, however, he had a vision of the body speaking to him, declaring she felt she didn't deserve to die. In the Season 8 episode "A Man Walks Into a Bar...",  Mallard has a flashback to this vision while speaking to Dr. Rachel Cranston.

Abby Sciuto
As with Dr. Mallard, Todd and Sciuto got along very well pretty fast, ultimately becoming close friends. They would often make plans together, such as spending the weekend together at a spa.

Also, as seen during "A Weak Link", Abby was seen talking to Kate and asking for advice about her relationship with McGee after he had confessed to Abby that he liked her, leaving her unsure of how to respond to the comment.

Naturally, she was one of the most deeply affected by Todd's death, but regained composure after being cheered up by a post-mortem, goth vision of Todd. She later played a jazz music record at Todd's funeral, as part of her own New Orleans heritage. Nevertheless, she remained affected long after the funeral, and was initially at odds with the newly recruited Ziva David, both because she took Todd's place and because of her affiliation with Todd's murderer Ari Haswari. Some time later, however, they mended fences, becoming best friends.

In the episode "Marine Down", it was revealed that Todd had drawn several caricatures of her teammates, including one of Sciuto as a vampire bat. Todd started to apologize, saying that there was nothing mean in the drawing, only to be interrupted by an overjoyed Sciuto who asked if she could hang it up on her lab's wall. When Kate died, Abby used the drawing as a reminder about her best friend Kate. She would later stare at it while crying in the aftermath of Todd's death in "Kill Ari (Part I)".

Timothy McGee
When McGee was introduced in "Sub Rosa", Todd protested at DiNozzo's apparent abuse of authority when he ordered McGee to stay on a crime scene until someone else can come to relieve him. Todd and McGee were partnered for a very short time during the episode "UnSEALed", during which he came to her help when she was tied up by a former Navy SEAL.

Throughout Season 2, DiNozzo and Todd would sometimes gang up on McGee to tease him, but Todd generally disapproved of DiNozzo's pranks and hazing of McGee. After the murder of a witness under McGee's watch, Todd was the first to try to comfort him.

After Todd's death, like the grief-stricken rest of the team, McGee had to cope with the loss of a friend, and like DiNozzo would fantasize about her. Later, McGee is shown mourning with DiNozzo over Todd's dead body.

References

External links

 Official NCIS homepage at CBS
 Website – NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack

 "NCIS" at Yahoo! TV
 The real-life NCIS

Female characters in television
NCIS (TV series) characters
Fictional Secret Service personnel
Television characters introduced in 2003
Fictional Naval Criminal Investigative Service personnel
Fictional murdered people
Fictional Christians


Amos Marcus Gailliard Jr. (September 26, 1928 – April 8, 2014) was the son of famed musician and trombone player,  Amos Gailliard. As a member of the United States military, he rose from the rank of private to brigadier general.

Personal life
The youngest of three children born to Anna Govan and Amos Gailliard, Sr in New York City. Amos Gailliard, Jr. fondly referred to as "Junnie" by his two sisters, Julia and Jessie (deceased). In his post college years, would marry Barbara Jean Miles of Harlem, NY and adopted three children Michael Dallum (Michael Stephen Gailliard) and then later Cathy Evans (Donna Lynn Gailliard) and finally, Donna Marie Wilson (Tracey Michelle Gailliard-Williams). He would also serve as the President of the Zeta Zeta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha in 1984. In the late 1960s, according to How East New York Became a Ghetto, he was a program manager for Model Cities East New York.  He would work as a Project Manager for IBM.

Military career
In 1951, he graduated from South Carolina State University and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.  He was listed in Historically Black Colleges and Universities: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia due to his military career. He would rise to the rank of Master Sgt before becoming an officer.

Brigadier General Amos M. Gailliard Jr. served on active duty during the Korean War in the United States Army and as a Major transferred into the National Guard in the State of New York.  He was commander of the 14th Group, New York Guard which was upgraded to brigade status under his leadership and provided support operations at the TWA flight 800 disaster recovery site. As a Col he would serve in HHC, Army Division, Civil Affairs as part of the 14th GRP (LI).  In August 1995, he was promoted to brigadier general in the New York Guard.

On February 28, 2005, he was awarded a Distinguished Alumnus award from Dr. Andrew Hugine Jr. the President of South Carolina State University.  On October 2, 2008, he presented the Order of Saint Maurice to LTC. John W. Peterkin.  Amos died on April 8, 2014. He was honored by the 77th Infantry Division at the Fort Totten Chapel upon his death in 2014.

References

External links
General Amos M. Gailliard Jr. awarded the Distinguished Alumnus award
Teaching The Leaders Of Tomorrow

1928 births
2014 deaths
South Carolina State University alumni
United States Army personnel of the Korean War
African-American United States Army personnel
United States Army officers
New York National Guard personnel
People from Nassau County, New York
Recipients of the Order of Saint Maurice
21st-century African-American people
African Americans in the Korean War


Jaakko Antti Mattila (born 30 July 1976) is a Finnish abstract painter.

Mattila was born in Oulu, and graduated from The Surrey Institute of Art & Design University College in 2001. Since then his works have been displayed in Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy and France and he has made public works.

Mattila is interested in the fundamental elements that create our sense, or illusion, of the world. Nature is his biggest single inspiration. He is also interested in the constructive principles of the universe such as infinity, smallness, greatness and time. Among his paintings he has made sculptures, installations and art furniture. Mattila currently lives and works in Finland.

He is a member of the Finnish Painters Union, Oulu Artist Organisation and artist group CollectEast.

Public works
Pallautuneet-sculpture, traffic signs, steel, polyurethane paint, Nallikari Camping, Hietasaari, Oulu, 2005
 Mural (with Petri Yrjölä), Club 45 Special, Oulu, 2006
A Detail of the Cosmos (45 remix), acrylic, Club 45 Special, Oulu, 2007

Literature
 Jaakko Mattila: Teoksia 2003-2008, Kalevaprint, 2008,

References

External links
Jaakko Mattila website
Oulu Art Museum: Pallautuneet
Suomen Kuvataiteilijat -verkkomatrikkeli: Jaakko Mattila
Saatchi Gallery: Jaakko Mattila
Helsingin taiteilijaseura: Jaakko Mattila
Jaakko Mattila at MySpace

1976 births
Contemporary painters
Finnish installation artists
20th-century Finnish painters
21st-century Finnish painters
21st-century male artists
Living people
People from Oulu
Finnish male painters
20th-century Finnish male artists


Abyssinia Creek is a small meander in The Pilbara, Western Australia. It flows through the Tambourah mining district from the Tambourah Creek.

References
 Abyssinia Creek in the Gazetteer of Australia
Watercourses of Western Australia


Josselin Ouanna (born 14 April 1986) is a retired French tennis player.

Biography
Born in Tours and Guadeloupean origin, he was quickly spotted and integrates INSEP with her friends of "blackteam" Gaël Monfils (of Caribbean origin) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (of Congolese origin). He was coached by Jérôme Potier of CNE Roland Garros. Several injuries have slowed his progress between 2005 and 2007.

After a blank year in 2015, he announced his retirement from professional tennis.

Career
In 2004, Ouanna was the runner-up in the Australian Open Boys' Singles. He was defeated by his doubles partner and compatriot Frenchman Gaël Monfils handily. Soon afterwards, he took part his first Challenger tournament in Cherbourg and reached the quarterfinals. In September of the same year, he won his first professional tournament.

In 2007, he reached the quarterfinals at Tunica and Freudenstadt tournaments. He won two Futures tournaments in France in this year.

In 2008, he reached the quarterfinals of four Challenger tournaments early in the season. He played his first Roland Garros as a lucky loser, but lost to Argentina's Juan Martín del Potro in straight sets in the first round. He then lost twice in the quarterfinals of French Challenger tournaments, before winning the Rennes Challenger tournament against Adrian Mannarino. Josselin Ouanna made himself known at the Lyon tournament, where he defeated World #46 Ivan Ljubičić, then Nicolás Lapentti before losing to Gilles Simon. This performance qualifies him for the first Masters France. However, he was eliminated in the pool stage against Julien Benneteau, Gilles Simon and Marc Gicquel.

In April 2009, he won the Challenger tournament in Saint-Brieuc against Adrian Mannarino in three sets.

Ouanna was awarded a wild card for the 2009 French Open, granting him a second Grand Slam appearance. He went through the first round by eliminating the Spaniard Marcel Granollers in five sets. In the second round, he beat one of his childhood heroes, 20th seed and former World #1 Marat Safin, who was playing his last French Open, in five sets. This victory, his first against a Top 30, made him known to the public. Ouanna then lost in the third round to Fernando González in three sets.

At the 2009 US Open, he lost to González once again, this time in the second round. After the tournament, he entered the Top 100 for the first time.

At the 2010 French Open, he beat Łukasz Kubot in the first round before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round.

In 2012, he won the Challenger tournaments of Cherbourg and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and climbed back up 256 places in the ATP rankings throughout the year, reaching 120th place at the end of the year.

After Nicolas Mahut forfeited his spot for the tournament, Ouanna retrieved a wild-card to take part to the 2013 Australian Open. He lost to Alejandro Falla in the first round, in straight sets.

ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals

Singles: 19 (9–10)

Doubles: 13 (7–6)

Singles performance timeline

Junior Grand Slam finals

Boys' singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

References

External links

1986 births
Living people
French male tennis players
French people of Guadeloupean descent
Sportspeople from Suresnes
Black French sportspeople
Sportspeople from Tours, France


The Domestic Twenty20 formerly known as and Stanbic Bank Twenty20 and the Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 is the domestic Twenty20 cricket competition in Zimbabwe. It was formed in 2007 and maintained by Zimbabwe Cricket.

Teams

Former teams
  Northerns
  Easterns
  Southerns
  Westerns
  Centrals
  Desert Vipers (Namibia national cricket team)

Tournament history

2006–07 season
 Winner: Southerns
 Runner-up: Easterns
 Official Website: Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 2006/07 on BRMTaylor.com
 Dates: 30 March 2007 – 1 April 2007
The inaugural edition of the Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 series was held in early 2007, however the scorecards were never made available, so for the players that participated in this tournament, their statistics would not have been officially recorded.

Many of the countries top cricketers were not able to take part in the tournament as they were competing in the ICC World Cup in the West Indies, however many of the second tier players such as Timycen Maruma – who had played in Zimbabwe's only official Twenty20 to date, against the Eagles in South Africa – and Blessing Mahwire did take part.

The tournament took place in the eastern border city of Mutare.

2007–08 season
 Winner: Easterns
 Runner-up: Westerns
 Dates: 19 March 2008 – 21 March 2008
 Official Website: Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 2007/08 at ESPNCricinfo
 Main Article: 2007–08 Metropolitan Bank Twenty20

The 2008 season was held between 19 and 21 March 2008. The tournament kicked off the provincial domestic season, and featured all of the countries top cricketers. Easterns were the dominant team of the tournament, and there was some concern that Zimbabwe Cricket had placed the countries top players, such as Hamilton Masakadza, Prosper Utseya, Stuart Matsikenyeri and Timycen Maruma, in this team to show there is depth outside of the urban centres. However, Northerns province, who featured Brendan Taylor, Elton Chigumbura, Ray Price, Tatenda Taibu and Graeme Cremer, were arguably a stronger side, and they didn't make it to the finals, suggesting perhaps that the claims were unfounded.

The tournament featured several names from the past, such as fast bowler Ian Nicolson (Southerns), batsman Malcolm Waller (Centrals) and bowler Brian Vitori (Southerns). However, there were several noticeable missing faces, such as Khawaluni Ntuil, the Westerns fast bowler, Freedom Takarusenga, the Westerns all-rounder, and Kyle Jarvis, the under 19's fast bowler who was unlucky to miss out on a place in the Northerns squad.

The three-day tournament was held in Harare, with matches being shared between Harare Sports Club and the Country Club (Zimbabwe Cricket Academy). The first 2 days saw four matches being played, two in the morning with one at each venue, and two in the afternoon with one at each venue again. The final day had a regular morning routine, but instead of the typical two afternoon matches, it was just the final match at Harare Sports Club.

Easterns maintained their increasing stranglehold in domestic cricket with a 7-run win over Westerns at Harare Sports Club, Harare. Eastern's total of 142/9 was almost entirely down to Hamilton Masakadza's 57-ball 82 not out, and the partnership with his younger brother Shingirai Masakadza, was the only partnership of note. Westerns were on course when Keith Dabengwa (42) and Greg Strydom (38) were adding 62 for the third wicket but Prosper Utseya then put the brakes on the innings and the last five wickets fell for 27 runs. Easterns now had won all the major tournaments: The Logan Cup, The Faithwear Cup, and the Metropolitan Bank Twenty20. Unsurprisingly, Hamilton Masakadza was named the Man of the Match and the Man of the Tournament.

After the tournament, Steven Price wrote on Cricinfo from Harare that the poor standards of cricket had blighted Zimbabwe's Twenty20 domestic competition.

2008–09 season
 Champions: Westerns
 Runners-up: Northerns
 Dates: 13 May 2009 – 16 May 2009
 Official Website: Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 2009 on ESPNCricinfo
After two disappointing Logan Cup and Faithwear campaigns, Westerns came to life in the Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 tournament for 2008–09. This season all of the matches were played in Bulawayo, split between Queens Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club. The home ground advantage worked in Westerns favour – they won the title in a gripping four run win over Northerns in the final.

Mark Vermeulen was the player of the tournament, and playing in all seven matches he was comfortably the leading run scorer. His 108 for Westerns against Centrals was the highest of the series. Elton Chigumbura, the Northerns captain, was the only other century maker, his average boosting 103 not out also came against Centrals.

The big name bowlers didn't make an impact in this tournament. The biggest name of all – Ray Price – did not play a single match. The domestic fast bowlers were the most successful, with Trevor Garwe leading the way with 13 wickets at 9.15. Njabulo Ncube and Michael Chinouya took 10 wickets each. For economy rate, leg spinner Graeme Cremer was in a league of his own. His 6 wickets came at 21.16, but he conceded just 4.53 runs per over. Nobody else conceded under 5 an over, Prosper Utseya was the second most economical with an average of 5.52 runs coming from his overs.

It was widely agreed that Bulawayo did a fine job hosting the tournament. The crowd came alive and ran onto the field when Westerns completed their victory in the final. As a result of this and ZC's plan to take cricket to other parts of the country, Bulawayo was named host for the entire Bangladesh tour of Zimbabwe in August 2009.

Northerns and Westerns won through to the final of Zimbabwe's domestic Twenty20 competition. The two teams only won three of their six matches but finished well clear of third-placed Centrals; Easterns, who only last week won the Logan Cup, finished bottom of the pile.

Westerns, who finished bottom in the Logan Cup without a win, had Mark Vermeulen to thank for their reversal of fortune. Returning after a troubled few years when it seemed he would never play at a representative level again, he was by a long margin the leading run-scorer, with 289 runs at 48.16.

He also scored one of only two hundreds – 108 in a remarkable tied game against Centrals – with the other coming from Northerns' Elton Chigumbura.

In the final, Western's victory was largely possible due to the efforts of spinner Mbekezeli Mabuza who took enthralling figures of 5/14. After Westerns had been bowled out for 116 mostly by Trevor Garwe (who was also the leading wicket-taker in this tournament) who took 4–23, Mbekezeli, along with Njabulo Ncube (who provided the key strike) dismantled the Northerns batting line-up to bring victory to their team by four runs. The cricket-starved Bulawayo fans, who had cheered Westerns the whole afternoon, ran onto the field to congratulate their players. Westerns walked away with a trophy and $1000 in cash. Vermeulen, who scored a century and a half century picked up the tournament's best batsman award and got another accolade for the most sixes – 15. Garwe and Mpofu shared the best bowler award.

2009–10 season
 Winner: Mountaineers
 Runners-up: Mashonaland Eagles
 Official Website: 2009/10 Stanbic Bank 20 Series on ESPNCricinfo
 Main Article: 2009–10 Stanbic Bank 20 Series
The tournament was renamed as the Stanbic Bank 20 Series. Stanbic Bank (Uganda) Limited was the new sponsors. This was after the reorganization of Zimbabwean cricket and as a result, new franchises started taking part in the competition. They are Mashonaland Eagles (formerly Northerns), Southern Rocks (formerly Southerns), Mountaineers (formerly Easterns), Matabeleland Tuskers (formerly Westerns), and Mid West Rhinos (formerly Centrals). In addition, the Desert Vipers also participated as a sixth team. Craig Williams captained the side.

Mountaineers was easily the strongest team in the tournament final, but they were quite shaky in the group stage. Among the 5 matches they played, they won 3 and lost 2. Stronger than them was Mashonaland Eagles, who had finished first in the pool. Particularly effective against them was Eagle's bowler Ray Price who downed them by 82 runs at Harare taking remarkable figures of 5/12 in just 17 deliveries finishing off the game by the stumping of Natsai Mushangwe.

Mountaineers, however, brought their "A" game to the final. They put their disaster of the previous morning by beating their heavily favored opponents by a massive nine wickets. After bowling out their vaunted opponents for just 105 with Greg Smith taking 3/11 and Prosper Utseya 3/24, they cruised to the target as renowned internationals and former schoolmates Hamilton Masakadza (64*) and Tatenda Taibu (37*) took their team to the inaugural Stanbic Bank 20 Series title.

Despite all this, perhaps the most mind-blowing was Desert Vipers's performance. Coming into the tournament from the minnow cricketing nation of Namibia, nobody had much expectations on Namibia. However, they exceeded all expectations to finish third first in the group stage, then defeating the much more vaunted Matabeleland Tuskers (who won the tournament just a season back in 2008–09 as Westerns) by 31 runs. After the Vipers were restricted to 126/7 (despite Raymond van Schoor scoring 46), with Christopher Mpofu taking 2/26, Tuskers were bowled out for 91 (Tawanda Mupariwa's 31 proved to be the highest score of the innings), with Louis Klazinga taking 2/13 and Dirk Viljoen 2/14.

There was also another record set during the final. The final at Harare Sports Club between the Mountaineers and Eagles attracted an audience of 7500, which is the biggest attendance ever for a domestic match in living memory. As a result, Zimbabwe Cricket officially expressed its delight at the record turn-outs.

A number of former players and overseas players were contracted by the franchises specifically for the tournament. Anthony Ireland and Ian Harvey appeared for the Southern Rocks, Dougie Marillier for Mash Eagles, Andy Blignaut for Matabeleland Tuskers, Greg Smith for the Mountaineers and Darren Stevens and Ollie Rayner for Kwekwe's MidWest Rhinos. So successful was this edition that a second edition was staged in November that same year.

2010–11 season
 Champions: Mashonaland Eagles
 Runners-up: Mid West Rhinos
 Official Website: 2010/11 Stanbic Bank 20 Series at ESPNCricinfo
 Main Article: 2010–11 Stanbic Bank 20 Series
The tournament was staged in November 2010 following the success of the previous tournament in February. This edition of the tournament started with a bang. In a bid to win the tournament, Southern Rocks signed both former West Indian legend Brian Lara (who holds the record for the highest ever Test cricket score of 400*), and a former English deadly fast bowler named Ryan Sidebottom. This not only raised the standard of cricket played in the tournament, but increased its profile to the rest of the cricketing world. A number of other players were also attracted in the tournament, for example, Netherlands and Essex all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate, Nick Compton, Liam Dawson, Andrew Hall, Paul Horton, and Lou Vincent. Grant Flower also made his comeback to playing competitive matches in Zimbabwe, as captain of Mashonaland Eagles.

Lara's presence was immense, and he scored a half-century on his Twenty20 debut, top-scoring with 65 for the Rocks and then scored a further 34 runs from 2 innings before he left, citing "commitments elsewhere". The Rocks eventually finished third due to brilliant performances by their young opener Sikandar Raza, who was turning into a T20 specialist. Eventual champions Mashonaland Eagles was the strongest by finishing at the top of the pool. The previous year's champions, Mountaineers finished bottom of the lot, thus getting out of contention for the title.

In the 1st Semi-Final, eventual champions Eagles held their nerves to secure a place in the Stanbic Bank 20 Final. After bowling out opponents Matabeleland Tuskers for 70, they themselves were in a position of being bowled out for lower than that, as the last-wicket pair of Ray Price and Douglas Hondo coming in with six still required, and hit the winning runs. The Eagles bowlers had done their job by skittling Tuskers for 70, but it soon became clear the chase wasn't going to be easy. Keegan Meth and Chris Mpofu took two wickets apiece as the Eagles fell to 11 for 4 in the fifth over and between them their eight overs cost 18 runs. Ryan ten Doeschate held the innings together with 26 off 47 balls – more 50-over than 20-over pace – but when he fell 13 and Greg Lamb followed for a duck it was a nerve-jangling conclusion. In the other semi-final, Lou Vincent and Vusi Sibanda combined in a commanding partnership of 139 in 16 overs to guide Mid West Rhinos into the final with an eight-wicket victory against Southern Rocks. The third-wicket pair ensured the early loss of both openers didn't become a major problem as they knocked off the 152-run target with ease. Sibanda cracked five sixes in his 60 while Vincent cleared the ropes twice as he hit an unbeaten 75 off 55 balls. Tatenda Taibu, the Rocks captain, enabled his team to post a decent total with a controlled 57 as the rest of the top order failed to shine. Wickets fell steadily with Brendan Taylor's part-time offspin proving particularly effective as he claimed 2 for 17 in four overs. Steve Tikolo provided some late impetus with a brisk 27, but in the end the total wasn't anywhere near being a challenge.

In the third-place playoff, the Tuskers defeated the Rocks by a massive nine-wickets with Charles Coventry leading the way with 67* off 40 balls, and shared a 126-run partnership with Paul Horton who scored a half-century (56*) of his own. Victory was achieved with 10 balls spare.

In the final between Mash Eagles and Mid West Rhinos, Eagles sneaked through a thrilling contest by 1 run to become the second Stanbic Bank 20 Series Champion. Captain Grant Flower although he did not contribute to the runs as he was on the non-strikers end when the 20 overs were completed, on 0 not out, he led his team admirably to the field. Andrew Hall showed his all-round value with a 17-ball 39, which brought about the total. When Lou Vincent and captain Vusi Sibanda was in control of the Rhinos's run-chase and the result seemingly sealed, the experienced Flower who had long county stints with Essex County Cricket Club brought his spinners, Greg Lamb and Ray Price, and that brought about immediate results. Rhinos collapsed into a 1-run defeat. A quality crowd had come to see the match, and they had got exhilarating cricket.

And an unforgettable finish was made in an already memorable tournament when after the innings break in the final, Grant Flower was taken in a guard of honor as he left the field. As Flower later recalled it was a great way to finish off his career, and it had been a great tournament, with a great standard of cricket.

2011–12 season
 Champions: Mountaineers
 Runners-up: Mashonaland Eagles
 Official Website: Stanbic Bank 20 Series 2011/12
 Main Article: 2011–12 Stanbic Bank 20 Series
Zimbabwe Cricket was bullish ahead of the tournament, saying that it would face minimal monetary losses in the hosting of its Twenty20 tournament; ZC managing director Ozias Bvute saying "We will be very close to breaking even this year and we are not too far from making it a sustainable and profitable tournament,"

Mountaineers were crowned as the new champions, and with two titles became the most successful team in the history of the competition. International players Ryan ten Doeschate, Lou Vincent, Paul Horton, Liam Dawson and Andrew Hall were retained from the previous season. International players Chris Gayle (Matabeleland Tuskers), Dirk Nannes (Mountaineers), and Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait (Mid West Rhinos) were all signed for the tournament as well as other overseas players such as Peter Trego, Rory Hamilton-Brown, and Phil Mustard, with a total of 16 foreign players participating in the tournament.

The tournament kicked off on 25 November 2011 and saw both Njabulo Ncube and Natsai Mushangwe star as Mountaineers and Matabeleland Tuskers defeated Mid West Rhinos and Mashonaland Eagles respectively.

At the halfway stage, it seemed that Tuskers were the most dominant team and their strong side consisting international players unbalancing the tournament. However, the tournament changed when Mid West Rhinos defeated Matabeleland Tuskers, despite Chris Gayle scoring a rapid-fire century for the Tuskers. The Rhinos built on Brendan Taylor's unbeaten innings of 75 as they won by seven wickets. Southern Rocks had a forgettable tournament, finishing bottom of the pool, and thus not proceeding to the next stage. Mashonaland Eagles staged a comeback after losing all their initial matches they made it through to the playoff final by defeating Mid West Rhinos by 53 runs, against Matabeleland Tuskers. There they defeated the Tuskers by 23 runs (Duckworth–Lewis method) despite Chris Gayle's half-century, and another by Steven Trenchard, as they already had compiled a massive 207/7 thanks to Ryan ten Doeschate's 121* of 58.

Matabeleland had been consigned to the playoff final after they were earlier defeated by eventual champions Mountaineers at the 1st Semi. That was made possible by captain Hamilton Masakadza's 80*.

In the tournament final, the bowlers led Mountaineers to a remarkable victory. After Eagles restricted them to 142/6 (Phil Mustard 56), it seemed that Eagles would win the game (considering that they scored 207 in their playoff final match against the Tuskers), but Shingirai Masakadza took 3/21 in a remarkable spell to see out the Eagles for just 115 and secure victory by 27 runs. He received support from former captain Prosper Utseya, former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Harris, and international star Dirk Nannes.

2012–13 season
For the 2012–13 season, ZC has announced that in addition to the five local franchises, an additional four school teams will take part, which will add to the rivalry and competition. The two primary schools will be Ruwazi Primary School will face off against fellow opponents, Chipembere Primary School, while the two high schools will be Churchill High School and St. Georges. It will be a historic occasion as for the first time, youngsters can take center stage at a national event in the country and in a tournament which witnessed a record turnout in the final of the 2009–10 Stanbic Bank 20 Series. ZC announced this in a media release.

2017–18 season
For the 2017–18 season, The competition was scheduled to start in April 2018 and would have included a new team, the Rising Stars, along with the existing four teams. Two foreign teams were also expected to be included in the competition. Originally the T20 tournament was scheduled to open the Zimbabwean 2017–18 domestic calendar in September 2017, but it was moved back to April as it clashed with other T20 competitions being held.

Tournament results

See also
 Zimbabwe national cricket team
 Zimbabwe Cricket
 2007–08 Metropolitan Bank Twenty20
 2009–10 Stanbic Bank 20 Series
 2010–11 Stanbic Bank 20 Series
 2011–12 Stanbic Bank 20 Series

External links
 Stanbic Bank Pro20
 Stanbic Bank 20 Series Zimbabwe

References

Professional sports leagues in Zimbabwe
Recurring sporting events established in 2007
Twenty20 cricket leagues
Zimbabwean domestic cricket competitions
2007 establishments in Zimbabwe
Professional cricket leagues