"Bobok" (, Bobok) is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky that first appeared in 1873 in his self-published Diary of a Writer. The story consists largely of a dialogue between recently deceased occupants of graves in a cemetery, most of whom are fully conscious and retain all the features of their living personalities. The dialogue is overheard by a troubled writer who has lain down near the graves.

The title "Bobok" refers to a nonsensical utterance repeatedly made by one of the cemetery's residents, an almost completely decomposed corpse who is otherwise silent. The writer also reports a kind of auditory hallucination of the word prior to his hearing of the dialogue. The sound suggests "little bean" in Russian, but in the context of the story is taken to be synonymous with gibberish.

The philosopher and literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin regarded Bobok as one of the finest works in the literary tradition of Menippean satire, and argues that it encapsulates many of the thematic concerns of Dostoevsky's major novels.

Synopsis

The story begins with a stream of short, self-referring internal polemics with various individuals and points of view by a frustrated writer called Ivan Ivanovich. The apparently disconnected and random nature of his speech suggests some sort of mental disturbance, possibly related to delirium tremens: his very first polemical engagement is with an acquaintance who has asked him if he will ever be sober. He is aware himself that something strange is happening to him: "not voices exactly, but it's as if someone right beside me is saying 'Bobok, bobok, bobok!'"

Ivan Ivanovich goes out in search of distraction and chances upon a funeral. It turns out to be that of a distant relative of his, a collegiate councillor with five unmarried daughters. He joins the procession but is ignored by his relative's family. He observes and contemplates the cemetery—the smell, the newly arrived corpses, the graves, the mourners—some of whom are only pretending to mourn and others who are openly cheerful. When everyone leaves he stays at the cemetery and falls into contemplation. After sitting for a long time, his mind wandering, he lies down on a long stone coffin and is shocked to find that the voices of the recently deceased and buried seem to become audible to him. He listens to their conversation. A variety of individuals, all disembodied continuations of their living personalities, converse and argue with each other. It seems that physical death is not final death and that here, according to the philosopher Platon Nikolaevich, "the remnants of life are concentrated, but only in consciousness" and continue for a time "as if by inertia". Despite their "dead" status, the corpses are not only able to hear each other but to smell each other, a state of affairs that Platon Nikolaevich explains as a stench of the soul meant to bring it to a new state of awareness. Though one or two individuals show a sober and pious attitude to their situation, most of them exhibit a propensity to hold on to, and even reinforce and exaggerate, the moral failings of their earthly personalities. A new arrival called Baron Klinevich suggests that they entertain themselves and each other by revealing all the shameful details of their earthly lives, a proposal that is met with gleeful and almost universal approval. Pandemonium descends, but at this point Ivan Ivanovich suddenly sneezes, and the dead are silent thereafter. Ivan Ivanovich leaves the cemetery distressed that depravity exists even in the grave, "the last moments of consciousness". He feels that despite the desire to lose their sense of shame, the dead have a secret that they carefully conceal from mortal men. He contemplates returning to listen to their stories, and to visit other parts of the cemetery to get a fuller understanding of what is going on. Indeed, to do so would be a matter of conscience, and could even lead to his account being published in The Citizen.

Characters
Ivan Ivanovich, the narrator, is an alienated and cynical writer with a character comparable to that of the underground man in Notes from Underground. His writing style is concise and categorical but simultaneously ambiguous and evasive. He polemicizes with everyone – friends, editors who reject his work, the contemporary public and, after listening to the underground dialogue, with "contemporary corpses".
Lebeziatnikov, an obsequious official with a "soft and saccharine" voice, is the first voice to be heard, discussing a card game played from memory with his superior, General Pervoedov. Throughout the ensuing dialogues Lebeziatnikov acts as a "sepulchral minion" to the General and assumes a kind of explanatory role for others in relation to 'life' in the grave.
General Pervoedov, the owner of the grave directly under the narrator. In contrast to Lebeziatnikov his voice is "weighty and authoritative": it is clear that he wishes to maintain in the grave the dignity and importance that attached to his life on the surface. Lebeziatnikov is more than happy to play along, but others such as Avdotia Ignatievna and Baron Klinevich contemptuously dismiss his pretensions and gleefully insult him.
Avdotia Ignatievna, an irritable high society lady who insults and argues with a number of the others, including a shopkeeper who lies next to her, and the General, who refers to her as a "twittering busybody". She has a great urge to lose her sense of shame and is delighted by Baron Klinevich's suggestion.
A shopkeeper, the only participant in the dialogue who maintains a connection with the faith of the common people, and who therefore accepts death as a sacrament and interprets what is going on as the tribulations of sinful souls after death.
"A whining newcomer", who died unexpectedly after having "complications" and can't accept that he is dead and buried. The narrator remembers seeing him in his coffin with a terrified and repulsive expression on his face.
Baron Klinevich is a recently deceased libertine-nobleman who characterizes himself as a "scoundrel of pseudo-high society". He proposes to the other corpses that for their remaining time they "cast aside all shame" and amuse each other by not lying about themselves. He complains that in his own life he was constantly encountering moral and societal restraints on his predatory nature and that life was synonymous with lying, but that here in death they could spend their short remaining time reveling in "shameless truthfulness".
Privy Councilor Tarasevich, a very high ranking official who died just after it was discovered that he had stolen 400,000 rubles from a government support scheme for widows and orphans. Klinevich suggests that it was those widows and orphans that "warmed his blood" for a life of dissipation, and Tarasevich's subsequent utterances tend to confirm this impression.
Katish Berestova, a 16 year old girl who responds when addressed, but only ever with a lascivious giggle. She has "a cracked, girlish voice, but in that voice one felt something like the prick of a needle." Klinevich, who knew her in life, recommends her to Tarasevich, who reacts with trembling anticipation.
An engineer, newly deceased, who babbles nonsense for a time but becomes coherent and animated when Klinevich proposes the abandonment of shame. As he understands it, the Baron is proposing that they organise life in the grave on "new and rational principles".
Platon Nikolaevich is a deceased philosopher who (according to Lebeziatnikov) explains how the life of the conscious mind and the formerly living personality continues for a short time (usually 2–3 months but sometimes up to 6 months) after death, but now without any associated bodily reality, concentrated somehow only in consciousness.
An almost entirely decomposed corpse who (according to Lebeziatnikov) comes to life every six weeks and mutters "Bobok, Bobok."

Themes
According to Mikhail Bakhtin, thematically Bobok is "almost a microcosm of [Dostoevsky's] entire creative output." Among such themes are: the idea that if there is no God and no immortality of the soul then "everything is permitted"; the related theme of confession as "shameless truth" with no need of repentance; the consideration of the final moments of consciousness, connected to the themes of capital punishment and suicide in other works, for example in The Idiot; the theme of insanity; the theme of sensuality and its apparent inseparability from consciousness in any sphere; the theme of the nihilistic chaos of life and thought when they are cut off from national roots and spiritual faith.

Some of the characters are abbreviated versions of types that appear in the novels. The libertine advocate of shamelessness Klinevich is a concentrated miniature of characters like Svidrigailov from Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Pavlovich from The Brothers Karamazov, and Prince Valkovsky from Humiliated and Insulted. The bitter and ironic narrator (referred to in the subtitle as "a certain person") is a type akin to the Underground Man in Notes From Underground. The dissipated old official who has been found to have embezzled a huge sum of public funds, the self-important General, the sycophantic but knowledgeable junior official, the Engineer with revolutionary inclinations, and the humble shopkeeper who has retained his connection to his people and his faith, are all types that are familiar to readers of Dostoevsky's larger works.

Menippean satire
Almost all the essential characteristics of the ancient genre known as Menippean satire are present in Bobok. The narrator is an outsider, on the threshold between sanity and insanity, whose speech is "internally dialogised and shot through with polemic". In this equivocal style he discusses the relativity of reason and madness, of intelligence and stupidity, and meditates on the themes of astonishment and respect. He describes the funeral and the cemetery in a familiar and profanatory tone, with incongruous, oxymoronic combinations, and the crude naturalism, debasing and bringing-down-to-earth that is characteristic of the carnivalised literary text. The dialogue of the dead is an anacrisis played out in an extraordinary situation—the final life of the conscious mind in the grave—in which the corpses are provoked to fully reveal themselves, free of all the conditions, laws and obligations of ordinary life.

Background

Dostoevsky was prompted to write the story by a journalist's reaction to the first instalments of the Diary of a Writer. At the time, Dostoevsky edited the newspaper-magazine "The Citizen", where the first chapters of the Diary were printed. The liberal newspaper "The Voice" published a response to the Diary written by the journalist L. K. Panyutin (writing under the pseudonym Nil Admirari). Dostoevsky's attention was piqued by one passage in particular: "The Diary of a Writer" reminds one of the famous diary that ends with the exclamation "Still, the Algerian Bey has a bump on his nose!" [Nikolai Gogol's short story "Diary of a Madman"]. It is enough to look at the portrait of the author, currently exhibited at the  Academy of Arts, in which we feel for Mr. Dostoevsky the very “pity” that he so inappropriately mocks in his magazine. This is a portrait of a person exhausted by a serious illness.

The narrator of "Bobok" responds to the journalist at the beginning of the story, among a stream of apparently random polemics:I am not offended, I am a timid man; but, nevertheless, they made me out to be mad. An artist happened to paint a portrait of me: "After all," he says, "you are a writer." So I let him have his way, and he put the portrait on exhibit. And now I read: "Go and look at this sickly, almost insane face." Well, let it be so, but do they have to say it so directly in print? Everything that appears in print should be noble; ideals are necessary, but here ...

The portrait is alluded to again in the closing sentences of "Bobok", as Ivan Ivanovich contemplates publishing an account of his experience: "I will take it to "the Citizen". One of the editors there also had his portrait exhibited." Dostoevsky was not merely concerned with drawing attention to the journalist's tactlessness.  As in Gogol's story, the abrupt, disjointed style of the narration and the qualities of the narrator's experience suggest a man on the brink of madness, although there is an implication that it is related to alcoholism rather than the epilepsy from which Dostoevsky suffered.

The narrator's polemic on the subject of astonishment seems to be aimed at Panyutin’s pseudonym Nil Admirari (nihil admirari, "not to be surprised at anything" – Horace). According to Ivan Ivanovich:It's ridiculous, of course, to be surprized at everything, while being surprized at nothing is much more attractive and for some reason is considered good form. But it is hardly so in reality. In my opinion, being surprised at nothing is much more stupid than to be surprized at everything. And besides, to be surprized at nothing is almost the same as to respect nothing. A stupid person isn't capable of respect.
The cemetery setting and dialogue was in part a satirical response to Panyutin. In 1870, Panyutin published a feuilleton in "The Voice" dedicated to the festivities at the Smolensk cemetery. The main character of the feuilleton also observes the behavior of the crowd in the cemetery, analyzes the "drunken" conversations of the still living people, and then, tired, decides to rest on one of the graves, having previously asked permission from the deceased. The dead man, allowing the weary observer to take a nap on his grave, enters into conversation with him, inquiring about the latest news from the living world.

Subtitle and sequel
"Bobok" was the 6th article to appear in Dostoevsky's Diary, in 1873 – the first year of its publication. Probably prompted by Panyutin's comparison of the Diary of a Writer to Gogol's Diary (Запискам, zapiskam) of a Madman, Dostoevsky gave "Bobok" the subtitle "Notes (Записки, zapiski) of a Certain Person". At the top of the article he wrote:  The 8th article of 1873 is entitled "A Half-Letter from 'A Certain Person' ", which the author of the diary describes as being by "that same 'person', the very one who has already once distinguished himself in The Citizen on the subject of graves." The author of the diary discusses, in an exasperated tone, this "person", who has written him a long and convoluted letter in which he attacks and admonishes all sorts of people, particularly those in publishing, including the letter's addressee. The diary's author agrees to publish the letter, partly in an effort to finally appease and get rid of the "person". He refuses to publish the first half of the letter due to its excessive vitriol, so it begins halfway through, in the middle of a sentence.

References

External links
Bobok by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, full work in English, at One More Library

1873 short stories
Short stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Short stories set in Russia
Short stories about writers


Emilia Mosquito, born January 25, 1982, in Stockholm is a Swedish film director whose short films have made headlines due to their often political and or ideological content. Cage Sickness was awarded for best documentary short at the New York Short 2008 – Expeditions in Film.

During 2009 she was working with artists in Stockholm and New York City in connection with a documentary project, The Main Stream , which was finished in late 2010 and was awarded for best up comer at the Detroit Views 2011 Film Festival. Emilia Mosquito is currently finishing up a degree in law at the University of Stockholm.

Selective filmography
 2007: Cage Sickness
 2008: Take Me Home
 2009: Edgar Allan Poe's Never Bet the Devil Your Head
 2010: The Main Stream

Sources
 Internet Movie Database
  Sveriges Regissörer
 Svensk Filmdatabas

External links

1982 births
Living people
Artists from Stockholm
Swedish women film directors


Op zoek naar Maria (Looking for Maria) is a talent competition program that aired in Belgium on VTM. It premiered on 25 March 2009.
The premise of the series was to find a musical theatre performer to play the role of Maria von Trapp in the 2009  and Roel Vente revival of The Sound of Music at the Efteling Theatre. The show is hosted by Koen Wauters and featured , Linda Lepomme, and Peter de Smet as the judges for the show.

Following a public telephone vote, 27-year-old  was chosen as Maria with 25-year-old Fleur Brusselmans as the runner up and Liv Van Aelst in third place.

A commercial advertising the show, featuring over 200 dancers in it, seemingly spontaneously, to "Do-Re-Mi" in Antwerpen-Centraal railway station, has received over 20,000,000 hits on YouTube.

A similar format of Op zoek naar Maria has been used as well in The Netherlands in 2021 taking an unknown singer and placing the winner in the lead role of Maria for the 2021 performances in The Netherlands. The show is hosted by Frits Sissing and featured Pia Douwes, Jamai Loman, Carline Brouwer and Richard Groenendijk as the judges for the show. It was the fifth Dutch talent show to be produced by AVRO, 10 years after Op zoek naar Evita, Op zoek naar Joseph, Op zoek naar Mary Poppins, Op zoek naar Zorro and Op zoek naar Annie. In the final, on 4 April, Nandi Van Beurden was announced as the winner of the series. This was followed by Op zoek naar Danny & Sandy in late 2022, which was won by Tristan van der Lingen and Danique Graanoogst.

A similar format has been used as well in the United Kingdom in 2006, with the show How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? taking an unknown singer and placing the winner in the lead role for the 2006 performances in the West End. On 16 September 2006, Connie Fisher was announced the winner of this show.

Belgium

Finalists
Eleven contestants made it through the audition rounds and performed during the live shows.

* at the start of the contest

Results summary

Live shows
The live shows saw the finalists eliminated one by one following both individual and group performances. Once eliminated, the leaving contestant ended the program by leading a performance of "Adieu, vaarwel (So Long, Farewell)" from The Sound of Music with the remaining contestants.

Week 1 (April 8, 2009)
Following the first week of the competition, Dorien was the first Maria to be eliminated from the competition. The show performances were:

Group performances:
"How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
"Don't Stop Me Now" (Queen)

Sing-Off

Week 2 (April 15, 2009)
The show performances were:

Group performances:
"How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
"Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (Eurythmics & Aretha Franklin)

Sing-Off

Week 3 (April 22, 2009)
The show performances were:

Group performances:
"My Favorite Things" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
"Get the Party Started" (Pink)

Sing-Off

Week 4 (April 29, 2009)
The show performances were:

Group performances:
"The Sound of Music" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
"Dreamgirls" (from the musical Dreamgirls)

Sing-Off

Week 5 (May 6, 2009)
The show performances were:

Group performances:
"The Lonely Goatherd" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)

Sing-off:
Due to Marian van Klaveren's withdrawal, there was no sing-off that week.

Week 6 (May 13, 2009)
The show performances were:

Group performances:
"I Have Confidence" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
"Do-Re-Mi" (from the musical The Sound of Music) featuring the children, who will play as the Von Trapp children in the upcoming Flemish revival of The Sound of Music
"Cell Block Tango" (from the musical Chicago)

Sing-off:
Elisabeth Herman and Liv van Aelst were in the sing-off, and performed "De roos" by Ann Christy.
Albert Verlinde chose to save Liv and bid farewell to Elisabeth.

Week 7 (May 20, 2009)
In the quarter-final, the seventh Maria to be eliminated was Elke. The show performances were:

Group performances:
"Dingen waar ik zoveel van hou" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
"Don't Rain on My Parade" (from the musical Funny Girl)

Sing-off:
Elke Buyle and Liv van Aelst were in the sing-off, and performed "The Winner Takes It All" from the musical Mamma Mia.
Albert Verlinde chose to save Liv and bid farewell to Elke.

Week 8 (May 27, 2009)
In the semi-final, the eighth and final Maria to be eliminated was Katrien. The show performances were:

Group performances:
"De boer en de boerin" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (from the musical Hair)

Sing-off:
Fleur Brusselmans and Katrien Smets were in the sing-off, and performed "Let It Be " by The Beatles.
Albert Verlinde chose to save Fleur and bid farewell to Katrien.

Week 9 (June 3, 2009)
The show performances were:

Group performances:
Finalists and former Marias: "Kunnen we iets beginnen met Maria (How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?)" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
Deborah and Fleur: "Ik kan heel de wereld aan (I Have Confidence)" (from the musical The Sound of Music)

After being announced as the season winner, Deborah concluded the season with a performance of "De muziek van de hoogste bergen (The Sound of Music)".

Netherlands

Expert panel
An expert panel provided advice to the contestants throughout the series, and provided comments during the live shows. The panel was made up of:
 Pia Douwes, (head judge and musical theatre actress who is very successful in Europe)
 Jamai Loman, (actor and singer)
 Carline Brouwer, (worldwide musical assistant director)
 Richard Groenendijk, (comedian, actor, presenter and lyricist)

Finalists

Live shows
The live shows saw the finalists eliminated one by one following both individual and group performances. Once eliminated, the leaving contestant ended the programme by leading a performance of "Bergen of Dalen" (Climb Every Mountain) from The Sound of Music with the remaining contestants, Unlike the Flemish version of Op zoek naar Maria and the British and Canadian versions of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria, which their elimination song was "So Long, Farewell" (Tot snel, vaarwel) from The Sound of Music. After being announced as the winner, Nandi concluded the show with a performance of "Iets Waar Ik Zielsveel Van Hou" (My Favorite Things).

Jury's favourite Maria

(*) Carline and Pia couldn't make a choice

Elimination chart

Performances
Nandi Van Beurden
 Week 1 - Leven is cabaret (Cabaret)
 Week 2 - Colors of the Wind
 Week 3 - It's Oh So Quiet
 Week 4 - Singin' In The Rain
 Week 5 - Just Give Me a Reason
 Week 6 Song 1 - This Is My Life
 Week 6 Song 2 - Stille liefde
 Week 7 (Final) Song 1 - All That Matters
 Week 7 (Final) Song 2 - Ergens in de sterren (Written in the Stars) (Duet with William Spaaij)
 Week 7 (Final) Song 3 - De muziek van de hoogste bergen (The Sound of Music)
 Week 7 (Final) Song 4 (Winner's song) - Iets Waar Ik Zielsveel Van Hou (My Favorite Things)

Natascha Molly
 Week 1 - Something's Got a Hold on Me
 Week 2 - Make You Feel My Love
 Week 3 - Don't Rain On My Parade
 Week 4 - Denk Aan Mij (Think Of Me)
 Week 5 - River Deep, Mountain High
 Week 6 Song 1 - Heel alleen (On My Own)
 Week 6 Song 2 - Get Happy
 Week 7 (Final) Song 1 - And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
 Week 7 (Final) Song 2 - Meer vraag ik niet van jou (All I Ask of You) (Duet with René van Kooten)
 Week 7 (Final) Song 3 - De muziek van de hoogste bergen (The Sound of Music)

Tessa Sunniva Van Tol
 Week 1 - Always Remember Us This Way
 Week 2 - Mamma Mia
 Week 3 - Huil niet voor mij Argentina (Don't Cry for Me Argentina)
 Week 4 - All Die Jazz (All That Jazz)
 Week 5 - I Feel Pretty
 Week 6 Song 1 - Heel even
 Week 6 Song 2 - Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
 Week 7 (Final) Song 1 - Mijn leven is van mij (I Belong to Me)
 Week 7 (Final) Song 2 - Beauty and the Beast (Duet with Milan van Waardenburg)

Valerie Curlingford
 Week 1 - Zeg me dat het niet zo
 Week 2 - How Will I Know
 Week 3 - Roar
 Week 4 - Inspiratie
 Week 5 - One Day I'll Fly Away
 Week 6 Song 1 - Tamelijk Voortreffelijk (Practically Perfect)
 Week 6 Song 2 - Your Song

Jolijn Henneman
 Week 1 - Arcade
 Week 2 - Hit The Road Jack
 Week 3 - Kom terug en dans met mij (I Could Have Danced All Night)
 Week 4 - Jolene
 Week 5 - Non, je ne regrette rien
 Week 6 Song 1 - Walking on Sunshine
 Week 6 Song 2 - Dit keer (Maybe This Time)

Anouk Van Laake
 Week 1 - Popular
 Week 2 - Omarm
 Week 3 - Let's Hear It for the Boy
 Week 4 - Somewhere
 Week 5 - Het dorp

Renée De Gruijl
 Week 1 - Somebody to Love
 Week 2 - Hopelessly Devoted To You
 Week 3 - Geef mij nu je angst
 Week 4 - Zeur Niet

Sanne Den Besten
 Week 1 - The Lady Is a Tramp
 Week 2 - Door De Wind
 Week 3 - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Willemijn Maandag
 Week 1 - Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing
 Week 2 - Baby One More Time

Sylvia Boone
 Week 1 - Duurt Te Lang

Opening songs
 Week 1 - Medley (7 Rings/I Hope I Get It/Dream Girls/Maria/Ave Maria)
 Week 2 - You Can't Hurry Love
 Week 3 - One Night Only
 Week 4 - This Is Me
 Week 5 - A Brand New Day
 Week 6 - Fame
 Week 7 (Final) - The Greatest Show

Group songs
 Week 1 - I'm Still Standing
 Week 2 - The Edge of Glory
 Week 3 - Shake It Off
 Week 4 - Moves like Jagger
 Week 5 - New York, New York
 Week 6 - There's No Business Like Show Business
 Week 7 (Final) 1 - I Will Follow Him
 Week 7 (Final) 2 - Nandi & Natascha - De muziek van de hoogste bergen (The Sound of Music)

Group of 3 people songs (Week 5 only)
Nandi, Natascha & Valerie - Love Me Just A Little Bit More
Tessa, Jolijn & Anouk - Candyman

Sing-offs
 Week 1 - Sylvia & Willemijn - Hallelujah
 Week 2 - Willemijn & Anouk - Laat Me
 Week 3 - Sanne & Tessa - Zonder jou
 Week 4 - Valerie & Renée - I Know Him So Well
 Week 5 - Anouk & Valerie - Avond
 Week 6 - Valerie, Jolijn & Tessa - Nog één kans
The Bottom 2 or 3 Marias voted by the public each week had to sing a contrasting song, then Pia Douwes would choose one of them to carry on in the competition.

References

External links
  (Flemish 2009)
  (Dutch 2021)

2009 Belgian television series debuts
2009 Belgian television series endings
2021 Dutch television series debuts
2021 television series endings
2000s TV shows in the Netherlands
Belgian music television shows
Flemish television shows
Singing talent shows
Dutch reality television series
VTM (TV channel) original programming
NPO 1 original programming


Kakol may refer to:
Kakol, India
Kakol, Iran
Kakol, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Kąkol, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland

See also


Kalawa may refer to:

Kalawa people, an ethnic group of Australia
Calau, known in Lower Sorbian as Kalawa, a town in Germany
Kalawa, a subdivision of Makueni County, Kenya
Kaława, a village in Poland

See also
 Kalawa Jazmee Records, a South African record label


The Berkeley Center for New Media (BCNM) is a research, teaching, and public events program at UC Berkeley. Its mission is to critically analyze and help shape developments in new media from cross-disciplinary and global perspectives that emphasize humanities and the public interest. Founded in 2004 by Linda Williams, Ken Goldberg, Greg Niemeyer, Whitney Davis, and Cathy Koshland, the organization seeks to study new media from three disciplinary perspectives, the humanities, the arts, and technology. BCNM awards Designated Emphasis Degrees in New Media and Masters Certificates to graduate students and Undergraduate Certificates to undergraduate students at UC Berkeley.

BCNM's spaces are shared between Sutardja Dai Hall and the Moffitt Undergraduate Library.

The BCNM seeks to highlight and critically examine the opportunities and risks associated with new media, and to consider how they can constructively benefit education, political engagement, privacy, and aesthetic experience.

The BCNM serves as a focal point for unconventional historical and contemporary thinking from a diverse community of over 120 affiliated faculty, advisors, and scholars from over 35 UC Berkeley departments, including architecture, philosophy, film studies, art history, performance studies, music, the schools of engineering, information, journalism, law, and the Berkeley Art Museum.

The BCNM catalyzes research and educates future leaders. The BCNM presents courses, symposia and special events for students, researchers, industry, and the public to seek out, consider, and develop innovative theories of contemporary new media. It offers a special program for UC Berkeley PhD students and has established new cross-disciplinary faculty positions. The BCNM facilitates traditional modes of scholarship, hosts critical dialogues, and encourages unorthodox artworks, designs, and experiments.

Notable faculty
 Nicholas de Monchaux: BCNM Director and Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Design
 Ken Goldberg
 Abigail De Kosnik

Notable alumni
 Trevor Paglen: PhD in Geography - notable space artist

Programs

The Art, Technology, and Culture Colloquium is a forum for presenting new ideas that challenge conventional wisdom about technology and culture. BCNM frequently hosts the ATC Lecture Series. This series, free of charge and open to the public, presents artists, writers, curators, and scholars who consider contemporary issues at the intersection of aesthetic expression, emerging technologies, and cultural history, from a critical perspective.
The History and Theory of New Media lecture series brings to campus leading humanities scholars working on issues of media transition and technological emergence. The series promotes new, interdisciplinary approaches to questions about the uses, meanings, causes, and effects of rapid or dramatic shifts in techno-infrastructure, information management, and forms of mediated expression. Presented by the Berkeley Center for New Media, these events are free and open to the public.
The Commons Conversations: Technology and Public Life in Changing Times series is a discussion series on the impact of new media on our current political and public climate.
Design Futures lecture series has been discontinued

See also
 Howison Lectures
 Tarski Lectures

External links
Official website
Design Futures
UC Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley
2004 establishments in California
Organizations established in 2004
New media
Media studies
University and college lecture series


In a manufacturing environment, a request for waiver (RFW) is a request for authorization to accept an item which, during manufacture or after inspection, is found to depart from specified requirements, but nevertheless is considered suitable for use as is or after repair by an approved method.

In ECSS standard a RFW is defined as "unplanned  departure", as opposite to Request for Deviation (RFD) which is defined as "planned departure", being "departure" defined as the "inability of a product to  meet one of its functional performance or technical requirements". In both cases, no changes are applied to engineering documentation.

In accordance with MIL-HDBK-61A, the term "waiver" is no longer used, because the processing rules for a RFW are identical to those for a deviation, and the terms deviation and waiver were often confused.

A deviation from the contractual performance requirements or approved drawings should be submitted as a RFD. An RFD is a specific written authorization to depart from a particular requirement of an item's approved configuration documentation for a specific number of units or period of time. A deviation does not change configuration documentation.

Deviations are requested by contractors prior to manufacture, during manufacture, or after an item has been submitted for Customer inspection and acceptance. To be tendered for delivery or to be installed in an item to be tendered for delivery, deviant items must be suitable for use.

References

External links
MIL-H MIL-HDBK-61A
ECSS-M-ST-40C

Product management


Kaly is a municipality and village in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants.

Kaly lies approximately  north-west of Brno and  south-east of Prague.

Administrative parts
The village of Zahrada is an administrative part of Kaly.

References

Villages in Brno-Country District


Yarda is a village situated in Tanout Department, Zinder Region, Niger.

References

Zinder Region
Populated places in Niger


is a beat 'em up video game developed by Almanic Corporation and published by Technos Japan for the Super Famicom in 1994 exclusively in Japan. It was the fourth game in the Kunio-kun series released for the Super Famicom.

In 2021, WayForward and Arc System Works developed an English-localized version under the title of River City Girls Zero. It was released for Nintendo Switch on February 14, 2022, and on September 21 for PlayStation platforms, Windows, and Xbox platforms.

Gameplay
Compared with most of the other games in the Kunio-kun series, Kunio-tachi no Banka features a dramatic and serious storyline, with realistically proportioned character designs (in contrast to the usual "super deformed" style) and an emphasis on dialogue between battles. While there are no "stages" in the traditional sense, the game's structure is completely linear and players cannot backtrack into previously-completed areas.

Up to two players can play simultaneously. In lieu of extra lives, the game utilizes a party system in which the player can switch between different characters at any point. While Kunio and Riki are the only characters available at first, their respective girlfriends Misako and Kyoko also become playable as well throughout the course of the game. Each character has his or her own health gauge, but the game will end if the player's current character is defeated, regardless of how much health the others still have left. During a two-player game, if one player is defeated, then he will remain inactive (along with the last character he was using) until the other player either, completes the current scene, or is defeated by the enemy. Continues are unlimited and a passcode feature is available, allowing the player to restart the game at almost any scene. There are two difficulty settings as well, Normal and Easy, but the player can only proceed up to a certain point on Easy before being asked to restart the game on Normal.

The fighting system is similar to the original Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (Renegade) or the Double Dragon series. All characters can punch, kick, jump, block, and attack behind them. Initially, Kunio and Riki can only perform basic moves while wearing their prison clothes. When they switch to their school uniforms, Kunio and Riki get access to more elaborate techniques such as grappling moves and individual special attacks. The fighting styles of the female characters also differ from their male counterparts (Misako and Kyoko cannot perform grab attacks for example, nor can they be grabbed by enemies).

Plot
Kunio and Riki are convicted of a hit and run and the pair are imprisoned in a juvenile correction facility. However, the two claim to be innocent. The next morning, the duo are visited by Kunio's friend Hiroshi, who informs them of a series of suspicious events transpiring in and around Nekketsu High School, including sightings of a boy with a strong resemblance to Kunio. Suspecting that they may have been framed for a crime they didn't commit, Kunio and Riki escape from prison and set out to find the person who framed them and clear their names, aided by their girlfriends Misako and Kyoko.

Development and release
Unlike the other Kunio-kun games released for the Super Famicom, Kunio-tachi no Banka was developed by Almanic rather than internally by Technos Japan Corp, although most of the main staff members were former employees of the company. The game was produced by Noriyuki Tomiyama (who worked on the arcade versions of Super Dodge Ball and The Combatribes) and directed by Yoshihisa Kishimoto (creator of Kunio-kun and Double Dragon), while the late Michiya Hirasawa (sound programmer in numerous Technos titles) was the lead programmer and made sound effects. Kazunaka Yamane (who worked on the original Double Dragon and Combatribes) composed the music. The game's scenario and screenplay was written by Hiro Yokokura.

The game's engine and assets would be reused for Super Mad Champ, which was originally planned to be a Kunio-kun bike racing game but was revamped into an original game. Kishimoto wrote a draft for a Kunio-tachi no Banka sequel titled , which was planned for the PlayStation, but was never actually developed.

The scene where Kunio and Riki fall down to a river along with a collapsing bridge, and find a hideout behind a waterfall, was based on an unused bit of level design from Return of Double Dragon.

The game would be the final action game in the Kunio-kun series developed by Technos Japan.

The game was released for the Super Famicom in Japan. In 2015, the company City Connection released the soundtrack to the game via digital distribution.

Reception and legacy

Upon release, Famitsu gave Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka a score of 24 out of 40. Super Console gave it 85/100. Nintendo Life gave it a score of 8 out of 10.

Kunio-tachi no Banka served as inspiration for River City Girls, a spin-off title developed and released by WayForward in September 2019. It stars Kyoko and Misako as the protagonists, and the game's lead composer Megan McDuffee arranged some of the tracks from this game. Kunio-tachi no Banka was later re-released in 2022 under the English-localized title River City Girls Zero, using Limited Run's Carbon Engine, and features dual audio for the new introductory cutscene featuring Kyoko and Misako, as well as the option to use the original translation and the new translation based on River City Girls.

Notes

References

External links

 Instruction manual at Giant Bomb
 Yoshihisa Kishimoto's personal homage

Arc System Works games
1994 video games
Cooperative video games
Givro Corporation games
High school-themed video games
Interquel video games
Kunio-kun
Nintendo Switch games
PlayStation 4 games
PlayStation 5 games
Side-scrolling beat 'em ups
Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
Technōs Japan beat 'em ups
Video game prequels
Video games featuring female protagonists
Video games developed in Japan
Windows games
Xbox One games
Xbox Series X and Series S games
Multiplayer and single-player video games


St. Leon Wind Farm () is Manitoba's first wind farm, in St. Leon, Manitoba, Canada. In the first phase  completed in 2006, 63 wind turbines were erected over a  area, capable of delivering 99 megawatts (MW). In 2011 a further 10 turbines were purchased, expanding the capacity of the project to 120 megawatts.

Wind turbines
Each turbine has three blades made with carbon fiber and balsa wood. Each blade is  long. The nacelle containing the gearbox and generator is mounted on a tubular steel  tower. The assembly of blades, hub, gearbox, and generator, in total weighs around 220 tonnes.  The blades turn at 14 revolutions per minute when the generator is turning at 1200 RPM; the speed increase makes the generator more compact and the overall system more efficient. Each tower has a  concrete foundation which extends between  below grade.  The generators produce AC power at around 600 Volts and 60 Hertz. Each tower has a step-up transformer connecting the turbine by an underground cable to the 35 kV overhead wood pole line collection network.  The collection network connects the turbines to a step-up transformer station, where the voltage is increase to 230 kV and connection is made to the Manitoba Hydro transmission network. Manitoba Hydro has a 25-year power purchase agreement with Algonquin Power Income Fund, which owns and operates the wind farm.

The Danish-built turbines are designed to operate on wind speeds between . In very cold weather,  or lower, the units are shut down. About 90% of the year there is sufficient wind to operate the turbines, although not necessarily at full output.  In recent years the project has generated at a 35-to-40% annual capacity factor, due to its favorable site.

The array is dispersed over  of farmland on the Pembina Escarpment, about  south-west of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the rural municipalities of Lorne and Pembina. About five per cent of the area is covered by access roads and foundation sites, leaving the rest available for crops or cattle grazing. Each of the fifty area landowners is paid for the use of the land occupied by a turbine.

The capital cost of the first phase of the project was around C$200 million. About $30 million was provided by the federal Wind Power Production Incentive. The 2011 expansion cost an additional $30 million; the additional turbines were in operation by the spring of 2012.

See also

St. Joseph Wind Farm
List of wind farms in Canada

References

Wind farms in Manitoba
Economy of Manitoba


Ultra ATX is an  motherboard form factor proposed by Foxconn during CES in January 2008. In principle, it is simply an oversized version of ATX that supports 10 expansion slots, as opposed to the seven slots of ATX, and it requires a full-tower computer case to support the added height of the motherboard. Using the same  reference width of ATX, the Ultra ATX form factor expands its length to .

Purpose
Video cards often trend towards double-slot designs, due to the need for a large heatsink to effectively cool the graphics chipset. As a consequence, the expansion slot below the slot used by the graphics card is effectively blocked and cannot be used. This leaves an ATX quad-graphics system with effectively no expansion slots, as all of the additional slots are blocked by the video cards. The main purpose of Ultra ATX is to overcome this limitation and allow high-end systems to incorporate quad-graphics with additional room for expansion.

Further development

EVGA later introduced its 13.5-inch "X58 Classified 4-Way SLI", which requires an Ultra-ATX sized case to support four "double-slot" graphics cards. Available Ultra-ATX cases include the Thermaltake Xaser VI, LIAN LI PC-P80 and HEC Compucase 98 98R9BB.

References

Motherboard form factors
Foxconn
Computer-related introductions in 2008


Dominique-Amable Coutlée (December 24, 1822 – April 10, 1882) was a merchant, farmer and political figure in Quebec. He represented Soulanges in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1858 to 1861 and in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1867 to 1871 as a Conservative.

He was born in Saint-Joseph-de-Soulanges, Lower Canada, the son of Louis-Pierre Coutlée and Marie-Rose Watier. Coutlée was mayor of Saint-Joseph-de-Soulanges from 1864 to 1871 and lieutenant-colonel in the militia for Soulanges County. In 1844, he married Marie-Henriette Chenier. He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1861 and again in 1871. He died in Montreal at the age of 59.

References

1822 births
1882 deaths
Conservative Party of Quebec MNAs
Mayors of places in Quebec
Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East


The Seventh-day Adventist Church in New Zealand is formally organised as the New Zealand Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (often abbreviated as NZPUC), a sub-entity of the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists. The membership of the Union is 20,943 as of 30 June 2020. The population to membership ratio is 1 Adventist to every 268 people. The headquarters for the Union is in Auckland, New Zealand.

History

Stephen N. Haskell, an Adventist missionary visited New Zealand four months after his first visit. He began marketing The Bible Echo and Signs of the Times (Australia/New Zealand version), two religious papers of the church. His truth was soon accepted by Edward Hare and his wife, who ran the boarding house in which he stayed. His success caused the Seventh-day Adventist church in America to send Arthur G. Daniells, an evangelist and former teacher, to further the work. Daniells' preaching soon paved way for the first Seventh-day Adventist church in New Zealand was opened in Ponsonby (a suburb of Auckland), on 15 October 1887. Daniells later became the world president of the church.

Organisations
The union operates six educational facilities in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands between elementary and secondary school level. Its network of schools educates nearly 2000 students. The church also operates a radio station in Tahiti, six Adventist Book Centres, a nursing home and retirement centre and Sanitarium Health Food Company NZ.

Conferences and missions
 North New Zealand Conference website
 South New Zealand Conference
 French Polynesia Mission website
 Cook Islands Mission
 New Caledonia Mission
 Pitcairn Field Station

See also
 South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists
 Seventh-day Adventist Church
 North New Zealand Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

References

Other resources:
 Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia

 In and Out of the World: Seventh-day Adventists in New Zealand, ed. P. H. Ballis

External links
 New Zealand Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists official website
 New Zealand Beginnings on the official Adventist website
 Adventist Directory New Zealand Pacific Union Conference
 Adventist Statistics for the New Zealand Pacific Union Conference
 Adventist Yearbook entry on the New Zealand Pacific Union Conference

History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Adventism by country
Seventh-day Adventist Church in Oceania


The Women's Team Pursuit was one of the 8 women's events at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, held in Manchester, United Kingdom.
42 cyclists from 14 countries participated in the contest. After the qualification, the fastest two teams advanced to the final and the 3rd and 4th fastest raced for the bronze medal.

The qualification took place on 28 March and the finals were held later the same day.

World record

Qualifying

Finals

References

Women's team pursuit
UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Women's team pursuit


Double Dragon II is a side-scrolling beat-em-up released for the Game Boy in 1991 developed by Technōs Japan. Although it is the second Double Dragon game released for the Game Boy, it is unrelated to the arcade and NES game Double Dragon II: The Revenge. The game is a localization of the 1990 Japanese Game Boy game , which was part of Technōs Japans Kunio-kun series. The graphics, music, and storyline were changed for the English version of the game.

Gameplay
The player takes control of martial artist Billy Lee, who is being hunted down by an organization called the "Scorpions" for murdering one of its members. The objective of the game is to fight off the members of the Scorpions and confront the true culprit, a rival martial artist named Anderson. A second player can now join in anytime via the use of a Game Link Cable, taking control of Billy's brother, Jimmy.

The combat system is simpler compared to previous Double Dragon games, including the first Game Boy game. The player can perform a series of punches or a kick on most enemies, followed by a straight punch or a high kick that knocks the enemy to the floor. Pressing the A and B buttons simultaneously will cause the player to kneel. While kneeling, pressing either button will cause the player to perform an aerial uppercut. Instead of the hair grab from previous games, the player will do a collar grab (similar to Renegade), in which the player can repeatedly punch the opponent in the face or push them to the ground. While standing near a fallen enemy, a jumping knee drop can be performed. Despite the presence of armed enemies, the player cannot disarm them and pick up their weapons like in other games in the series.

The game is composed of three missions, spread across ten stages. The first two missions each consist of four stages that follow a basic structure: the player fights through a street to a boss at the end. This is followed by a subway platform, a fight inside a subway car, and the destination platform, where the player confronts another boss. The final mission, composed of only two stages, starts at the streets again, but this time the player must fight to the entrance of the Scorpions headquarters. Once inside the building, the player fights enemies through a series of floors, including an area where all the previous bosses appear, eventually reaching the top floor where Anderson awaits. The game has three difficulty settings, but the Easy setting only allows the first mission to be played.

Regional differences
The Japanese version, Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun: Bangai Rantō Hen, was released on December 7, 1990. The Japanese version features completely different graphics (drawn in a style similar to Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, the Japanese version of River City Ransom), music, some plot from Double Dragon II, and characters (with Kunio and Riki being replaced by Billy and Jimmy in the export versions). While the play mechanics, level designs, and overall structure of the game are relatively unchanged, the Stage 8 boss (originally a sumo wrestler, a big muscle wrestler) was a given different attack patterns to better suit his new design as a ninja and a police.

Before Acclaim bought the publishing rights to the game and retooled it as Double Dragon II along with the European version, American Technos Inc. had plans to localize it as a sequel to the original Renegade titled The Renegades for US version and Double Dragon II for EU version. This earlier version had a similar plot to the released game, in which the protagonist (named McClain in this version) is framed for a murder  only in the US version.

References

External links

 Double Dragon II at GameFAQs

1990 video games
Acclaim Entertainment games
Double Dragon
Game Boy games
Kunio-kun
Side-scrolling beat 'em ups
Side-scrolling video games
Technōs Japan beat 'em ups
Video games about siblings
Video games developed in Japan
Virtual Console games
Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS


The Western Cape Education Department (abbreviated WCED) is the department of the Government of the Western Cape responsible for primary and secondary education within the Western Cape province of South Africa. The political leader of the department is the Provincial Minister of Education;  this is Donald Grant.

History
During the apartheid era, education in South Africa was segregated according to race, with different government departments administering schools for the different races. What is now the Western Cape was at that time part of the Cape Province, and schools for white students were run by the Education Department of the Cape Provincial Administration. Schools for coloured students were run by the House of Representatives Education Department, while schools for black students were run by the Department of Education and Training. Some integration of these schools had occurred during the last years of apartheid, but the administrations remained divided.

On 27 April 1994, the date of the 1994 general election, the Interim Constitution of South Africa came into effect, abolishing the old provinces and establishing the nine new provinces. The new Western Cape Education Department inherited those schools of the previous departments that were located within the Western Cape.

Structure
The administrative head of the department, subordinate to the Minister, is the Superintendent-General of Education (also known as the Head of Education);  this is Penny Vinjevold.

In the 2010/11 financial year the department had 40,181 employees and a budget of R11,845,691,000. It is responsible for all primary and secondary education in the province, including the provision of government schools, Further Education and Training colleges and Adult Basic Education, and the oversight of independent schools.

The Western Cape is divided into eight education districts; four are "rural" districts which correspond to one or more district municipalities, while the other four are "urban" or "Metro" districts within the City of Cape Town. The districts are:
 Metro Central
 Metro East
 Metro North
 Metro South
 Cape Winelands
 Eden & Central Karoo
 Overberg
 West Coast
The districts are responsible for the management of education, with policy and planning being handled by the head office. Each district is also divided into a number of "circuits", which provide advice, support, and specialised facilities to a smaller collection of schools.

The department also supervises the six Further Education and Training colleges in the province. These are:
 College of Cape Town
 False Bay College
 Northlink College
 West Coast College
 Boland College
 South Cape College

References

External links
 Western Cape Education Department Online
 Western Cape Government

Education
Western Cape
Ministries established in 1994
Education in the Western Cape


2006 Zurich Open was a Tier I women's tennis event on the 2006 WTA Tour.

Finals

Singles

 Maria Sharapova defeated  Daniela Hantuchová, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3

Doubles

 Cara Black /  Rennae Stubbs defeated  Liezel Huber /  Katarina Srebotnik, 7–5, 7–5

External links
Official website
WTA draws

Zurich Open
Zurich Open
2006 in Swiss tennis
2006 in Swiss women's sport


The 2005 Zurich Open was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 22nd edition of the event known as the Zurich Open, and was part of the Tier I Series of the 2002 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hallenstadion in Zürich, Switzerland, from 17 October through 23 October 2002. First-seeded Lindsay Davenport won the singles title.

Finals

Singles

 Lindsay Davenport defeated  Patty Schnyder, 7–6(7–5), 6–3

Doubles

 Cara Black /  Rennae Stubbs defeated  Daniela Hantuchová /  Ai Sugiyama, 6–7(6–8), 7–6(7–4), 6–3

External links
 Official website
 WTA draws

Zurich Open
Zurich Open
2005 in Swiss tennis
2005 in Swiss women's sport


Ramón Castroviejo Briones (1904–1987) was a Spanish and American eye surgeon remembered for his achievements in corneal transplantation.

Biography
Born in Logroño, Spain he received his medical education at the University of Madrid. He graduated in 1927 and worked at the Chicago Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital and the Mayo Clinic before, in 1931, he came to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. He became the director of Ophthalmology at St. Vincent's Hospital before he opened his own hospital when he bought the Hammond House. After his retirement he moved to Madrid where he died.

Achievements
While not being the first to successfully graft human cornea, he improved the technique of the operation in the 1930s and 1940s, prompting the worldwide adoption of corneal transplantation as a standard way to deal with severe corneal pathology. His keratoplasty technique remained standard until more efficient suture materials became available.

Castroviejo designed the Castroviejo needle holder, an instrument used in eye, dental and other forms of microsurgery.

See also
 Vladimir Filatov - a Soviet contemporary of Castroviejo that was also a pioneer in corneal transplantation.

Books, articles by Castroviejo
 Atlas of Keratectomy and Keratoplasty. Ramon Castroviejo. 446 pages. Published by W.B. SAUNDERS COMPANY in 1966.

References

External links
 Cornea Society - previously known as Castroviejo Cornea Society.
 Curriculum Vitae at the Madrid University website
 The 10 most influential ophthalmologists in the 20th century, squintmaster.com

1904 births
1987 deaths
Spanish ophthalmologists
Spanish emigrants to the United States
American military doctors
New York University faculty


The term box breaker pertains to the mobile phone industry; where there are companies or individuals that exploit the networks' use of discounts on handsets to create their own profitable business.

Business model
Mobile phone networks fundamentally have three different ways to connect customers to the network, each of which needs a SIM-card that locks the user to the network, and provides for a mobile phone number to be associated with a handset: contract, prepaid, or SIM-only.  Contract customers are committed to a minimum monthly payment for perhaps 18 months, and generally get their choice of any telephone handset.  Prepaid customers have a more limited choice of handsets, also tied to the operator, but they can stop being a customer whenever they like.  SIM-only customers simply buy a SIM card and put it into a handset that they already own, and again can leave whenever they like.

There has been a huge growth in the prepaid business in the last few years, and the prepaid handset business has become particularly competitive, with the handsets sold through every kind of outlet, including supermarkets and online.  The increase in competition has driven prices of handsets down.  For example, one could buy a GSM handset over the counter for $20 in the United States.

Mobile phone operators sell their own branded version of prepaid handsets, bundled with a SIM-card.  The handsets are priced at a discount to make them more attractive.  The assumption is that a customer will buy the handset, and then activate with the SIM-card in the pack, which will eventually lead to the operator making money via top-ups on the phone.  Box breakers subvert this by buying the phones, and unlocking the phone (SIM lock) so that it can be used with any SIM-card, i.e. on any network.  Unlocked phones command higher resale prices, so can then be sold on at a profit, and can even be used by contract customers.  Additionally, online marketplaces (like eBay) enable box breakers to operate internationally and exploit fluctuations in currencies and price differences between countries.

Historically, box breakers have been procuring a large number of handsets directly from handset retailers stores that eventually suffer revenue losses from box-breaker practices.  While chains like O2 and Carphone Warehouse have clamped-down on sales to box-breakers, there are many other outlets, including catalogue stores and supermarkets that have not addressed this phenomenon.

Mobile phone handsets that are in high demand - especially models that are region-exclusive - are prime targets of box breakers.  Handsets can be bought as prepaid, unlocked, and then shipped to the target market for a profit.  This grey-market activity is a problem both for handset vendors and for network operators.

References

Mobile telecommunications


The Korean Committee of Space Technology (KCST; , Hanja: 朝鮮宇宙空間技術委員會) was the agency of the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) responsible for the country's space program. The agency was terminated and succeeded by the National Aerospace Development Administration in 2013 after the Law on Space Development was passed in the 7th session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly.

History
Very little information on it is publicly available. It is known to have been founded sometime in the 1980s, and most likely is connected to the Artillery Guidance Bureau of the Korean People's Army.

Operations
The KCST was responsible for all operations concerning space exploration and construction of satellites. On 12 March 2009, North Korea signed the Outer Space Treaty and the Registration Convention, after a previous declaration of preparations for a new satellite launch.

Facilities

The KCST operated the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground and Sohae Satellite Launching Station rocket launching sites, Baekdusan-1 and Unha (Baekdusan-2) launchers, Kwangmyŏngsŏng satellites.

South Korea and the United States accused North Korea of using these facilities and the rockets as a cover for a military ballistic missile testing program.

 Sohae Satellite Launching Station built from the 2000s to 2010s with a launch pad completed in 2011.
 Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground built from the 2000s to 2010s with a launch pad completed in 2011.

Projects
The DPRK twice announced that it had launched satellites: Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 on 31 August 1998 and Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 on 5 April 2009. The US and South Korea predicted that the launches would in actuality be military ballistic missile tests, but later confirmed that they had followed orbital launch trajectories.

In 2009, the DPRK announced more ambitious future space projects including its own crewed space flights and development of a crewed partially reusable launch vehicle. Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 was launched on 13 April 2012 and ended in failure shortly after launch. A follow-up attempt the following December, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 entered polar orbit as confirmed by various countries.

Launch history
This is a list of satellites launched.

See also

 List of government space agencies
 List of space agencies
 National Aerospace Development Administration

References

Space agencies
Space program of North Korea


An ESD simulator, also known as an ESD gun, is a handheld unit used to test the immunity of devices to electrostatic discharge (ESD). These simulators are used in special electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) laboratories. ESD pulses are fast, high-voltage pulses created when two objects with different electrical charges come into close proximity or contact. Recreating them in a test environment helps to verify that the device under test is immune to static electricity discharges.

ESD testing is necessary to receive a CE mark, and for most suppliers of components for motor vehicles as part of required electromagnetic compatibility testing.  It is often useful to automate these tests to eliminate the human factor.

There are three distinct test models for electrostatic discharge: human-body, machine, and charged-devices models. The human-body model emulates the action of a human body discharging static electricity, the machine model simulates static discharge from a machine, and the charged-device model simulates the charging and discharging events that occur in production processes and equipment.

Many ESD guns have interchangeable modules containing different discharge Networks or RC Modules (Specific resistance and capacitance values) to simulate different discharges. These modules typically slide into the handle of the pistol portion of the ESD simulator, much like loading some handguns. They change the characteristics of the waveshape discharged from the pistol and are called out in general standards like IEC 61000-4-2, SAE J113 and industry specific standards like ISO 10605. Resistance is referred to in ohms (Ω), capacitance is referred to in picofarad (pF or "puff"). The most commonly used discharge network is for IEC 61000-4-2 and ISO 10605, expressed as 150pF/330Ω. There are over 50 combinations of resistance and capacitance depending on the standards and the applicable electronics.

Test standards
Standards that require ESD testing include:
 ISO 10605
 Ford EMC
 ISO/EN 61000-4-2 needed for the CE mark
IEC 61000-4-2
ISO TR10605
MIL-STD-883
MIL-STD-1512
GR-78-CORE
RTCA/DO 160

References

Hardware testing
Electronic engineering
Electromagnetic compatibility

de:ESD-Simulationsmodelle


New York State Route 283 (NY 283) was an east–west state highway located within Tioga County in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It ran along the south bank of the Susquehanna River from an intersection with NY 282 in the village of Nichols to a junction with NY 17 (now NY 96 and NY 434) in the village of Owego. The route was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York as a Pennsylvania–Owego route. NY 283 was truncated to Nichols in 1949 and eliminated entirely in 1970. Its former routing is now mostly maintained by Tioga County as part of several county routes.

Route description
NY 283 began at an intersection with NY 282 in the village of Nichols, located on the southern bank of the Susquehanna River in south-central Tioga County. The route headed to the east as East River Drive, crossing over Wappasening Creek as it left the village limits. From here, the route took on a more northeasterly course, following the east side of a deep, rural valley surrounding the Susquehanna River. About  from Nichols, the highway entered the small hamlet of Lounsberry, located just south of NY 283's junction with Stanton Hill Road (County Route 54 or CR 54). NY 283 continued northeast from the community, closely following the riverbank and the south edge of the encompassing valley to the village of Owego. The route served a mostly undeveloped area of the village before ending at a junction with NY 17 across the river from Owego's central business district.

History

NY 283 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, extending from the Pennsylvania state line southwest of the village of Nichols to NY 17 in the village of Owego. The route also served the village of Nichols, through which it overlapped with NY 282. Although it was signed as a state route, the parts of NY 283 that did not overlap NY 282 were initially locally maintained. On January 1, 1949, NY 283 was truncated to begin at the east end of its overlap with NY 282 in Nichols. The remaining route from Nichols to Owego was split into two segments in the late 1960s as part of the Southern Tier Expressway's construction. About  west of Owego, NY 283 ran along a narrow  strip of land between the Susquehanna River to the north and a steep hill to the south. This section of NY 283 was abandoned to allow the linear strip to be used for the expressway's right of way. As a result, the NY 283 designation was removed on January 1, 1970.

As part of a 1966 agreement, most of NY 283's former routing is now maintained by Tioga County as part of several county routes. From the Pennsylvania state line to NY 282 in Nichols, old NY 283 is CR 4. After a brief state-maintained stretch as part of NY 282, the former routing of NY 283 continues as CR 6 to a dead end where the road was dismantled for the Southern Tier Expressway. The old route resumes about  to the east as a town-maintained section of East River Drive, which feeds into CR 25 at its east end. CR 25 picks up what was once NY 283 and follows it into the village of Owego, connecting to NY 17 exit 64. At this point, the road becomes state-maintained again as part of NY 96, which uses old NY 283 to reach NY 434 and the Susquehanna River bridge leading to the center of the village.

Major intersections

See also

List of county routes in Tioga County, New York

Notes

References

283 1930
Transportation in Tioga County, New York


UH-232 ((+)-UH232) is a drug which acts as a subtype selective mixed agonist-antagonist for dopamine receptors, acting as a weak partial agonist at the D3 subtype, and an antagonist at D2Sh autoreceptors on dopaminergic nerve terminals. This causes dopamine release in the brain and has a stimulant effect, as well as blocking the behavioural effects of cocaine. It may also serve as a 5-HT2A receptor agonist, based on animal studies.
It was investigated in clinical trials for the treatment of schizophrenia, but unexpectedly caused symptoms to become worse.

(+)-AJ76
The N-monopropyl derivative (+)-AJ76 is an active metabolite of UH-232 and has practically identical effects.

See also
 7-OH-DPAT
 Amisulpride
 RDS-127
 PNU-99,194
 Rotigotine
 UH-301

References

2-Aminotetralins
Stimulants
Phenol ethers
Dopamine antagonists
Dopamine agonists


Clarence Hamilton (December 29, 1833 – January 14, 1894) was a merchant and political figure in Quebec. He represented Bonaventure in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1867 to 1871 as a Liberal.

He was born in New Carlisle, Lower Canada, the son of John Robinson Hamilton and Eliza Racey, and was educated at Quebec City. He owned a fishing operation at Longue-Pointe near Mingan and was also involved in the export of fish. Hamilton married Jane Wiley. He was defeated by Théodore Robitaille when he ran for reelection in 1871. Hamilton died at Longue-Pointe at the age of 60 and was buried in New Carlisle.

References

1833 births
1894 deaths
Quebec Liberal Party MNAs


The Centennial Wind Power Facility is a wind farm built by SaskPower with a nameplate capacity of 150 MW. It is located in the hills roughly  east of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The wind farm was the first in Canada to have a capacity of at least 100 MW upon completion in 2006.

The wind farm was built in two phases: first 75 and then 100 Senvion 2-megawatt wind turbines. The 150 megawatt wind farm has 83 Vestas V80 turbines, with a total rotor diameter of 80 metres and blade length of 39 metres, and can produce enough electricity for about 69,000 Saskatchewan homes.

See also

 List of generating stations in Saskatchewan
 List of wind farms in Canada

References

Coulee No. 136, Saskatchewan
Wind farms in Saskatchewan
SaskPower


The House of Delegates () was a body in the Tricameral Parliament of South Africa which existed from 1984 to 1994. It was reserved for Indian South Africans. The body was elected twice; in 1984 and 1989.  It was the second time in South Africa's history that Indians had ever had any sort of representation at the national level, the first being the South African Indian Council. It was originally to be called the Chamber of Deputies.

The debating chamber of the House of Delegates located in Marks Building, a new building that was located across the road from Houses of Parliament, Cape Town.  The executive arm of the House of Delegates was a Ministers' Council, led by a Chairman.
The civil service that dealt with Indian "own affairs" (including education, health and welfare, local government, housing and agriculture) was called Administration: House of Delegates, and was based in Durban.

Elections

Electoral turnouts for elections to the House of Delegates were poor.

Election results:

Leadership

The following served as Chairman of the Minister's Council of the House of Delegates:

Amichand Rajbansi (September 1984 – 31 December 1988)
Kassipershad Ramduth (1 January – 21 March 1989, acting)
Jayaram Narainsamy Reddy (21 March 1989 – February 1993)
Bhadra Ranchod (February 1993 – March 1994)

References

 SOUTH AFRICA: parliamentary elections House of Delegates, 1989

Defunct national legislatures
Defunct organisations based in South Africa
Apartheid government
Organisations associated with apartheid
1984 establishments in South Africa
1994 disestablishments in South Africa
Indian diaspora in South Africa


Guo Yan (, born June 24, 1982, in Beijing, China) is a Chinese table tennis player. Two-time winner of World Cup in 2006 and 2010. In February 2011, she ranked 2nd in the ITTF world ranking.

Career records
Singles (as of February 3, 2011)
World Championships: runner-up (2005); SF (2007)
World Cup: winner (2006, 10); runner-up (2005)
Pro Tour winner (4): Croatian, Swedish Open 2001; Korea Open 2003; English Open 2009. Runner-up (15): China (Hainan) Open 2001; Polish Open 2002; China (Guangzhou), Japan Open 2003; German Open 2004; Japan Open 2005; Japan Open 2006; Japan, China (Nanjing), Austria, Swedish Open 2007; Qatar, Korea, Singapore Open 2008; English Open 2011
Pro Tour Grand Finals appearances: 7. Record: winner (2008, 09); SF (2001, 02, 03, 07).
Asian Championships: SF (2007)
Asian Cup: 1st (2005, 2011)

Women's doubles
World Championships: runner-up (2009); SF (2005)
Pro Tour winner (7): Korea Open 2002; China (Harbin) Open 2005; Slovenian, China (Shenzhen), French Open 2007; Kuwait Open 2010; English Open 2011 Runner-up (8): Swedish Open 2001; China (Guangzhou), Japan Open 2003; Greek, German Open 2004; Kuwait Open 2007; English, Polish Open 2009
Asian Games: SF (2002)

Mixed doubles
World Championships: SF (2005)
Asian Games: winner (2010)
Asian Championships: SF (2003)

Team
World Championships: 1st (2006, 08); 2nd (2010)
World Team Cup: 1st (2010)
Asian Games: 1st (2006, 10); 2nd (2002)
Asian Championships: 1st (2003, 2007)

References

External links
Career profile of Guo Yan - Table Tennis Master

1982 births
Living people
Chinese female table tennis players
Asian Games medalists in table tennis
Table tennis players from Beijing
Table tennis players at the 2002 Asian Games
Table tennis players at the 2006 Asian Games
Table tennis players at the 2010 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games
Asian Games gold medalists for China
Asian Games silver medalists for China
Asian Games bronze medalists for China
World Table Tennis Championships medalists


(pronounced as "Tales of Versus") is a crossover fighting game featuring various characters across  the Tales video game series. It was developed by Matrix Software and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Portable on August 6, 2009 in Japan. It was not localized for release in any other regions.

Gameplay
The game takes the basic fighting engine from the main series of Tales video games, which is called the "Linear Motion Battle System", and uses it in a crossover fighting video game in the vein of Dissidia Final Fantasy and Super Smash Bros.. Characters are able to carry out normal attacks as well as "Artes", special techniques which have been utilized in almost every Tales game. Items appear on the playing field that also affect gameplay; food such as sushi may offer a temporary stat boost, while others, like a boomerang-blade, may offer a temporary means of attack.  Battles can feature up to a total of four characters at a time, with an emphasis on two on two battles, although "free for all and one vs. two battles do occur as well. Stages are interactive with different stages having different effects, such as rays of light or rolling barrels that cause damage, or disappearing and reappearing platforms for characters to jump on.

Customization also plays a large role in the game as well. Upon winning battles, characters gain experience in the form of "grade points", which are used to upgrade statistics. Grade points may be distributed and redistributed in between battles, to statistics such as health points, attack power, or defense. Additionally, grade points can be used to equip skills and abilities as well, such as a "dash" move that increases general speed, or a move that increases jumping height.  Like games in the main series, characters are also able to customize their equipment, although it doesn't change the character's physical appearance.

Story mode

The game features a number of different game modes. The main part of the game, the "Story Mode", is where the bulk of the gameplay occurs and where the game's overall plot unfolds. In game, it is referred to as the "Yggdrasill Mode", named after the "World Tree" that the game's story is centered around. This mode focuses entirely on two on two battles, where the player chooses a preset duo, some from the same game, like Lloyd Irving and Colette Brunel of Tales of Symphonia, some being random pairings, such as Farah Oersted of Tales of Eternia pairing with Yuri Lowell of Tales of Vesperia. In the game, the player directs the characters around a World Map with preset paths and destinations, not allowing for exploration beyond the straight line. Different events occur when the character stops on different icon amongst the paths; typically leading to either story sequences, required battles, or optional side-quests.  Finishing the game with certain character sets, or playing through the course of the game and making certain choices, unlocks further sets of characters to play through the game.

Other modes
There are multiple other aspect of the games beyond the "Story Mode". The game's "Arcade Mode" simplifies things down to simply continuous fights against computer-controlled opponents in a preset order, where as the "Survival Mode" plays similarly, but entails advancing for as long as possible against increasingly stronger opponents. The game also has a "Special Battle Mode", where special challenges, scenarios, or restrictions are set up for the player to do in order to win the battle. For example, a winning condition for a battle may be to use certain characters, being the first to attack, or being restricted from using certain moves. A general "Training Mode" also exists, where the player can practice moves against a dummy opponent.

A wireless "Multiplayer Mode" is also available, for up to four players to battle amongst each other. "Grade Points" earned from performance in multiplayer battles can be used in the "Story Mode" as well. In addition to the specific "Multiplayer Mode", a number of the other modes can be played with a second player in a cooperative manner as well.

Beyond the various different fighting modes, the game also has other areas, such as a specific "Customization Mode" that is just for setting up characters for battle, and an "Item Library", where unlocked content, such as music, movies, or collectable cards can be viewed.

Tales of Wallbreaker
Tales of VS. also contains a detailed mini-game, Tales of Wallbreaker, separate from the typical fighting that takes place in the rest of the main game. This part of the game opts to use a completely different graphical style than the rest of the game, modeled after traditional 2D sprite-based graphics similar to the first few Tales games. The gameplay still revolves around fighting on a 2D plane, but the goal is no longer based on draining the other character's health. Instead there are two walls, one behind each character, and the object is to attack the other character into the wall enough times to make it shatter. The mini-game contains twenty one characters, including thirteen exclusive characters that cannot be played as in the main game. While largely a stand-alone game, characters for Tales of Wallbreaker can be unlocked due to actions that take place in the "Story Mode" of the main game.

Story
Unlike many cross-over scenarios, where characters from one world are transplanted into another, in Tales of VS. all of the characters from different games come together into a new, original world, called Dailantia. The world is largely drained of resources, with only four countries left, all needing the remaining resources. The four countries consist of the Holy Kingdom of Hazel, the Knight States of Fleswelg, the New Imperial Nation Niddshogg, and the Free States Alliance of Dyne. The "World Tree", the source of the world's energy (called "mana" in-game), only releases a "Great Seed" of energy  every couple of years, which leads to the Nations fighting amongst themselves for ownership of it.

Instead of falling back on war, the nations come up with a diplomatic competition to decide who gets the resources. The countries would have representatives that would travel the land to collect special flags, and the country that collects all of the flags would be given the rights to the "Great Seed". The "representatives" are characters of the past games in the Tales series, and the fights between the representatives to obtain the flags make up the game's battles.

Characters
Tales of VS. features a total of 35 characters from 13 previous Tales games. Character interactions and relationships are handled in a similar way to how it is handled in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 crossover fighting video games; character's share their same general characteristics and relationships from their prior games, but technically have slightly different backstories. For instance, Lloyd is still Colette's guardian in Tales of VS., as he was in his original game Tales of Symphonia, but their overall goal and country they live in differs from their hometown and "World Regeneration Project" featured in their original game.

When more than one of the same character is being used in the same battle, the characters wear the same costumes but in different colors.

Main game

Tales of Wallbreaker
Additionally, there are some characters that are only playable in the Tales of Wallbreaker minigame.

Development and release
Tales of VS. was released on August 6, 2009 in Japan. While the game's name was trademarked in North America, and even had trailers with some English voiceovers and English text, it was never announced or released for any region outside Japan. Shortly before and after the game's Japanese release, a series of videos of the game, titled "Director's Corner" videos, were released, showcasing aspects of the game by the developers. The theme song accompanying the opening scene is "Be Your Wings", sung by Girl Next Door, and was released on August 5, 2009.

The game came packaged with a code for free DLC for the PlayStation 3 version of Tales of Vesperia, which unlocked new skits, and pre-ordering the game resulted in further DLC that unlocked new costumes in Tales of Vesperia based on Tales of the Abyss. Additionally, Tales of Vesperia contained a DLC code for Tales of VS., to unlock a special fight that unlocks special, otherwise unobtainable equipment.

A radically different game under the title  of Tales of VS. was also released for mobile phones. Players would be able to use a login ID and password to send and receive data from the PSP version of the game. Through this players can view status, equipment or even get bonus items. In the mobile version, players are also able to make their own characters, and change their Guild, Job, Title and Accessories. Contrary to the action-based fighting in the PSP release, the mobile version utilizes a turn-based system known as "Command Battle" in which each character has four commands: Attack, Defend, Use Skill or Counter. Each battle lasts 10 turns.

Reception
Reception for the game has been mixed. Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu released a generally positive review for the game in their August 2009 issue giving the game a 8/8/8/8 a total of 32 of 40. Famitsu praised the gameplay and controls, stating "The controls are simple...but the gameplay system is remarkably deep. It's pretty basic as a multiplayer game, but I get the impression that the charms of the series are well-represented." Siliconera was also positive with the game, praising the crossover character interactions and different game modes, stating that it was "generally fun to play". Excessive load times between battles and occasional odd camera views were noted as faults of the game.

PlayStation LifeStyle was less enthusiastic regarding the game, giving it a 4/10 and stating, "Tales fans might have some reason to import this interesting spinoff, and the ones who can understand some Japanese would get a few smiles out of the story mode, but without the appeal of fanservice, we’re left with a fighting game that gets boring quickly."

Initial sales of the game in Japan were high, with 133,000 copies sold in its first week, and just short of another 35,000 in its second week.

References

External links
 Official Tales of VS. website

2009 video games
Japan-exclusive video games
PlayStation Portable games
PlayStation Portable-only games
Platform fighters
Graces, Tales of
Crossover fighting games
Matrix Software games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games scored by Go Shiina
Video games scored by Motoi Sakuraba


Nicholas Charles Strutt (8 October 1946 – 29 September 2009), was a British country and folk musician.  He was particularly noted for his mandolin playing, and worked and recorded with a number of well-known musicians of his time.

Strutt first played banjo at the age of 15 and then mastered guitar, autoharp, mandolin and bass. In 1965 he relocated to Leeds and graduated from Leeds University in 1970. Between 1966 and 1969 he played in a duo with Roger Knowles which featured regularly on radio, including the BBC's Country Meets Folk, where they sometimes played with Brian Golbey and Pete Stanley as a four-piece unit. Strutt and Knowles played as support for Hank Snow and Willie Nelson on UK appearances, before their influences saw them turn more to seminal country rock. In 1970 Strutt turned fully professional, and between 1969 and 1971 he and Knowles played with Natchez Trace. In 1972, they parted amicably with Knowles opting for more traditional music and Strutt favouring the contemporary. He had already joined Bob Pegg and Carole Pegg in the folk rock band Mr. Fox, and, after this highly rated but commercially unsuccessful unit's demise, recorded two duo albums with Bob Pegg. When folk rock waned, Strutt returned to country music, playing regularly around the northern country club scene.

In the late 1970s, he worked on production and played as a session musician for the now defunct Look label. Here he worked with many artists, especially with Mel Hague but also produced albums for folk singer Alex Campbell and country star Tommy Collins. In the early 1980s, he turned more to old-time music again and often worked and recorded with Brian Golbey. He commented that "with the advent of New Country, line dancing and blander performances, our picking and grinning style was regarded as a novelty." During the mid-1980s, Strutt played part-time with various units, including a swing quartet, but returned full-time in 1990. He began teaching guitar, mandolin and bass and appeared regularly with Hague's band. He also played old-time music at regular venues with banjoist Tim Howard of the Muldoon Brothers. In 1994, he began working with a trio called Finnegan's Wake.

Strutt acknowledged the influence of Bill Monroe and John Duffey but confessed: "I was never any good at stealing licks accurately, so I made up my own; copying any instrument I liked be it trumpet, dobro, clarinet or trombone." He used to run jam sessions in Leeds, which often featured 20 musicians on numerous different instruments.

In 2003, Strutt made a temporary home for himself in the Shoulder Of Mutton in Castleford. This temporary home lasted three years, where he was much loved for playing his music in the pub. Nick Strutt made many friends within the area and decided to form a band which they called 'Steal Away'.
The band consisted of:
Nick Strutt on mandolin (backing vocals)
Stevie Mac on guitar (lead vocalist)
Graham Hall on fiddle
Steve Parker on bass guitar (backing vocals)

Three years later, Strutt moved down to Caistor and Hemsby.

Nick Strutt died on 29 September 2009 at his home in Great Yarmouth, from liver failure. He had spent a large portion of his life in Leeds, marrying Sue and having three children as well as attending university.  His funeral took place in Leeds on Friday 16 October and was arranged by Sue and his three children Wezley, Bradley and Holly. The funeral service was held at St John's church in Wortley followed by cremation at Lawnswood.

Recordings
 Bob Pegg and Nick Strutt (Transatlantic, 1973)
 The Shipbuilder (with Bob Pegg) (Transatlantic, 1974)
 Brian Golbey & Nick Strutt Last Train South  (Waterfront, 19??)

External links
Bob Pegg's website
Nick Strutt in "Lives Remembered", Daily Telegraph, 7 October 2009

References
 The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music - Colin Larkin (Editor) - Publisher: Virgin Books (21 May 1998) -

1946 births
2009 deaths
Alumni of the University of Leeds
British folk singers
British country singers
British multi-instrumentalists
Deaths from liver failure
Musicians from Great Yarmouth
Transatlantic Records artists


Shibumi is a novel published in 1979, written in English by Trevanian, a pseudonym of Rodney William Whitaker.

Shibumi is set in the 1970s and details the struggle between the "Mother Company", a conspiracy of energy companies that secretly controls much of the western world, and a highly skilled assassin, Nicholaï Hel.

Plot

Nicholai Hel is an assassin, born in Shanghai in 1925 and raised in a cosmopolitan fashion by his mother, a deposed member of the Russian aristocracy. A general in the Japanese Imperial Army was billeted in Nicholai's mother's mansion. Under this General Kishikawa, Hel is introduced to the concept of shibumi and the game Go, eventually being sent to Japan, where he trains under a famous master of the game and becomes 'culturally Japanese'. The master of this school discovers Nicholai's ability to mentally escape from reality and come back rested and refreshed (mystic transport). When Japan surrenders in 1945, Hel, after long months of hunger, finds (thanks to his knowledge of many languages) a job as an interpreter in the US Occupation Army and becomes a decoder agent in United States Intelligence.

Hel learns that Kishikawa is being held as a prisoner of war by the Russians and faces an ignominious show trial for war crimes. After visiting the General in captivity, he realises that he has provided the Russians a way to hurt the man he respects so much, having confirmed to the Soviet operative in charge of the prosecution the emotional attachment the General has to Hel.

Hel decides that the only way to show his gratitude and love for the man whom he has come to view as his father is to offer the general a way out of his captivity, one that avoids the public indignity of the public trial. Upon his next visit, Hel, speaking in veiled terms, offers to kill the general. After some resistance the general realises the sincerity of the offer and accepts.

Using his skills in the art of the "Naked/Kill", a martial discipline that trains in the use of ordinary items as instruments of death, Hel kills the general and is turned over to the American occupation force. Hel is then tortured by the Americans and held in solitary confinement without trial, Hel being a citizen of no country. In prison, his physical and mental discipline, along with studying the Basque language from some old books abandoned by a missionary, help him to retain his sanity, although, due to intense anger and hatred, he is no longer able to fully escape mentally and reach his state of peaceful ecstasy. He even develops, in his solitude, a "proximity sense" through which he is aware of any being drawing near (along with its amicable or hostile intentions), and which also allows him to find his way in complete darkness.

After three years, Hel is recruited out of his cell by the US Intelligence Service. It is in desperate need of an agent able to cause severe discord between Russia and China. It needs someone who has nothing to lose, who has European features, and who can speak fluent Chinese and Russian. Hel succeeds in his mission, taking for payment the names and locations of those who tortured him, and goes on to become one of the highest-paid and most skillful assassins in the world.

The novel begins with Hel who is retired in his late fifties in a small castle overlooking a village of the Haute-Soule, in the mountainous Northern Basque Country. He is an honorary member of the local Basque population, and his best friend among them is Beñat Le Cagot, a truculent Basque nationalist and bard, with whom he shares an immense love for freedom and an addiction to spelunking. Hel thinks he is now allowed to enjoy life in a shibumi way (mingling discreet epicureanism with fatalism and detachment). He slowly improves his Japanese garden, enjoys restrictive gastronomy, and practices highly esoteric sex with his concubine.

Hel's shibumi existence is interrupted by the arrival of the niece of a man who saved Hel's life many years ago, herself the only survivor of a Jewish commando unit that took up arms to terminate the last of the Black September terrorists, the rest of the small unit having been gunned down in an Italian airport by CIA agents. She begs Hel to help her finish her mission and eliminate the terrorists, and gain revenge on the Mother Company.

Use of Basque and Japanese
The main character Nicholai Hel speaks several languages due to his heritage and place of birth, and over the course of the book studies two additional languages: Japanese and Basque. These last two feature prominently in the book. Most of the Japanese in the book centers around the game of Go, which Hel formally studies, and which is used as a metaphor in several points throughout the book. The novel itself is broken down into six books, each of which is named from Japanese Go vocabulary. In the table of contents the author provides his own translation of these six terms, as follows:

Fuseki: The opening stage of a game when the entire board is taken into account.

Sabaki: An attempt to dispose of a troublesome situation in a quick and flexible way.

Seki: A neutral situation in which neither side has the advantage. A "Mexican standoff".

Uttegae: A sacrifice play, a gambit.

Shichō: A running attack.

Tsuru no Sugomori: "The confinement of the cranes to their nest," a graceful maneuver in which the enemy stones are captured.

All of these terms except "fuseki" also arise in the book itself, specifically during a conversation Hel has with his foster father General Kishikawa shortly before the General's death. Having their definitions in the table of contents aids the reader in understanding while Hel and the General are deliberately using these words metaphorically in order to prevent themselves from being understood by other characters. Other Go terms appear over the course of that conversation, some of which are defined for the reader's ease but others are not.

Some months after this conversation, Hel is in prison where he begins studying Basque as a way to keep his mind occupied. Much of the plot of the book will later take place in the Basque region of France, so Basque terminology and maxims feature heavily. Nearly all of the Basque words and phrases found in Shibumi can also be found word for word in Philippe Veyrin's 1949 French-language history of the Basque people, Les Basques de Labourd, de Soule et de Basse-Navarre: Leur histoire et leurs traditions and its 2011 English translation by Andrew Brown. Basque words often have several definitions and multiple accepted spellings, but those found in Shibumi always mirror those found in Veyrin.

Prequel
Don Winslow published Satori in 2011, a novel based on Shibumi and set as a prequel. Out of respect for the original author Trevanian (Whitaker's pen name), Winslow sent the first 100 pages of the draft to Whitaker's daughter and executor for approval. The book explores Hel's early adulthood.

Film adaptation
In August 2021, it was reported that a film adaptation of the novel is in development at Warner Bros. The project will be produced by Chad Stahelski's 87Eleven Entertainment, with partners Alex Young and Jason Spitz joining him as producers. One year later, in August 2022, it was announced that Chad Stahelski will also direct the project with Matthew Orton being hired to write the screenplay.

References

1979 American novels
English-language novels
American thriller novels
Works published under a pseudonym
Novels about Go


Kristenn Einarsson (born 16 June 1950) is an Icelandic-Norwegian publisher.

He was born in Reykjavík, and graduated in economics in 1974. He became the chief executive of Den norske Bokklubben in 1991, and chief executive of Kunnskapsforlaget in 2007. He retired in 2010, but returned in 2012 as managing director of the Norwegian Publishers' Association. He was the chairman of the board of Kunnskapsforlaget from 2000 to 2007, in the Norwegian Film Fund from 2001 to 2007 and the Norwegian Film Institute from 2008.

References

1950 births
Living people
Kristenn Einarsson
Norwegian book publishers (people)
Kristenn Einarsson


Praxède Larue (September 2, 1823 – November 29, 1902) was a physician and political figure in Quebec. He represented Portneuf in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1867 to 1878 as a Conservative.

He was born François-Xavier-Praxède in Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly, Lower Canada, the son of Martin-Damase Larue and Marie-des-Anges Lefebvre. Larue was the grandson of François-Xavier Larue who served in the Lower Canada assembly. He was educated at the Petit Séminaire de Québec, studied medicine, was licensed to practise in 1844 and set up practice at Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures. In 1859, he married Henriette Couture. Larue served as president of the Hygiene Council for Quebec and was founder and president of the Colonization Society for Portneuf County. He was also a founding member of the Société Canadienne d’Études Littéraires et Scientifiques. In 1885, he was named to the Legislative Council of Quebec for La Salle division and served until 1896. He died at Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures at the age of 70.

His cousin Vildebon-Winceslas Larue succeeded him as a member of the Legislative Council.

References

1823 births
1902 deaths
Conservative Party of Quebec MNAs
Conservative Party of Quebec MLCs


Klopot is a Slavic toponym that may refer to:

Klopot, Podgorica, Montenegro
Kłopot, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland
Kłopot, Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland

Slavic toponyms
Serbo-Croatian place names


In the men's singles final, David Nalbandian defeated Nikolay Davydenko with a score of 6–3, 6–4.

Seeds

Draw

Finals

Top half

Bottom half

External links
 Men's Singles draw
 Men's Qualifying draw

2006 Estoril Open


Gayle Tierney is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Council since November 2006, representing Western Victoria Region.

Tierney was the minister for training and skills from November 2016, the minister for higher education from November 2018, and the minister for agriculture from June 2022. She was also the minister for corrections between 2016 and 2018.

Early life
Tierney studied politics and Asian studies at Flinders University, before entering the trade union movement.

Notably, she was the first woman to become state secretary of the traditionally male-dominated Vehicle Division of the Automotive, Metals and Engineering Union (now part of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union), having in that role from 1993 to 2006, and was its federal president from 2000 to 2006.

Political career
Tierney entered politics at the 2006 state election.

She has held various positions including shadow parliamentary secretary for employment from 2012 to 2014 and cabinet secretary in 2016.

On 9 November 2016, Tierney was appointed as minister for corrections and minister for training and skills following the resignation of Steve Herbert.

Following the 2018 Victorian state election, she was re-appointed as minister for training and skills and appointed minister of higher education.

In 2020, Tierney was appointed deputy leader of the government in the Legislative Council. In June 2022, she was additionally appointed as minister for agriculture.

Tierney is a member of the Labor Left faction of the Labor Party.

Personal life
Tierney is married and has an adult son.

References

Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
Members of the Victorian Legislative Council
Labor Left politicians
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Flinders University alumni
21st-century Australian politicians
Women members of the Victorian Legislative Council
21st-century Australian women politicians
Ministers for Agriculture (Victoria)
Ministers for Higher Education (Victoria)
Ministers for Training and Skills (Victoria)
Ministers for Corrections (Victoria)