Patrick Richardson (born 27 March 1946) is a writer and author who has been travelling to the most inaccessible parts of the world for fifty years and writing travel articles for the last twenty. He has written for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The Herald, The Sunday Herald, The Independent and The Scotsman.

He has also held several exhibitions of his travel photography, appeared on BBC Radio Four, BBC Radio Two and BBC Radio Scotland, and read at various prestigious literary festivals, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2009 and 2014. Since then he has read at many other festivals and events, including The Royal Scottish Academy, The Royal Scottish Geographical Society and the National Library of Scotland. He continues to travel to distant parts of the world, exploring isolated traditional cultures. He published his first book, Reports From Beyond – A Journey through Life to remote Places, in 2008, which was The Herald’s Paperback of the Week and Wanderlust’s Book of the Month. In 2014 he followed this up with In Search of Landfall – The Odyssey of an Indefatigable Adventurer.

Family background

Richardson was brought up as a Quaker. His grandfather, Henry Marriot Richardson, was a communist and a pacifist who was the first salaried general secretary of the National Union of Journalists from 1918 until 1936, and the president of the International Federation of Journalists from 1930 until 1932. As part of his work, he knew H. G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw and G. K. Chesterton, as well as the press barons Lord Beaverbrook, Lord Northcliffe and Lord Rothermere.

His father was also a journalist until, after 1945, the stigma of being a conscientious objector during the Second World War, when he had to work on a farm in Sussex, put paid to his career and he became the publicity director for a large agricultural company instead.

His mother was an intrepid traveller. In 1920, when she was only five, her father took her on a flight with Sir Alan Cobham, the long-distance aviation pioneer, in his open-air Tiger Moth biplane. In the mid-1930s, she spent six months travelling alone in Mussolini’s Italy. Later she travelled by herself to Russia, Poland and many Greek islands.

Personal life

Richardson was born in Sussex, England. When he was five, the family moved to Edinburgh Scotland where, at primary School, he was taught by Norman McCaig, one of Scotland's most famous poets. He attended secondary school at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh He studied history and politics at Leeds and Edinburgh universities, where he shared a flat with Robin Cook, the future Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001 in Tony Blair’s Labour government. After graduation, he taught English in schools in the East End of London, and spent three years working on and off in Canada on tobacco and fruit harvests, and with the dynamite crew of an oil-pipeline.

In 1973, he moved to Amsterdam, where he lived for eleven years. While starting his writing career, he lived a bohemian life in a garret, supporting himself by washing dishes in the Kosmos, a large east–west cultural centre, and working in the bookshop of the Melkweg, the famous alternative arts centre. During this time he spent three years travelling in South America (where he met Jorge Luis Borges), South-east Asia and Central Africa.

In 1984 he returned to Edinburgh, where he joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Edinburgh Playwrights’ Workshop and the Scottish Writers’ Co-operative. He continues to live in Edinburgh, with Gabriella Moericke, a counsellor and psychotherapist from Göttingen in Germany, who has been his partner since 1992.

Travelling career

Richardson’s first journey abroad was in 1965, when he worked as a volunteer on a kibbutz in Israel which was shelled by Syrian Army just before the Six-Day War. In 1967 he was one of the three drivers on the Edinburgh contingent to the Comex Overland Expedition to India, where he met Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister. The following year he went on a student exchange to Charles University, Prague, where, during the so-called Prague Spring, he met Rudi Dutschke, Europe's most famous revolutionary student. Two months later, Soviet tanks invaded Czechoslovakia.

Following his passion for boat journeys, he has sailed up or down the Amazon, Congo, Irrawaddy, Niger, Nile and Yangtze Rivers, and crossed the Pacific from east to west. He has traversed the Andes, the Himalaya, the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram, the Pamir and the Tian Shan, and has travelled through the Atacama, the Negev, the Rub' al Khali, the Sahara and the Taklimakan.

During his travels he has developed an interest in remote indigenous peoples, such as the Bedouin of the Yemen; the Uyghurs of N.W. China; the Tadjiks of N.W. Pakistan; the Tibetans of Ladakh (India) and western Tibet; the Kazakhs of western Mongolia; and the islanders in the Trobriand Islands (Papua New Guinea), the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Western Samoa and Kiribati.

Journeys

Europe: every country except Albania, Croatia and the Ukraine
Middle East: Israel and Egypt
West Asia: Turkey, Georgia, Iran and the Yemen
Central Asia: Afghanistan, Pakistan (the Karakoram Highway), Nepal 	Everest Base Camp, India, Kashmir and Ladakh
South-east Asia: Thailand, Malaysia and Burma
East Asia: southwest and northwest China (the Silk Road) and Japan
North America: the United States and Canada
Central America: Mexico, Guatemala and Cuba
South America: Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia
West Africa: Mali
North Africa: Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco
Central Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi
East Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zanzibar
Russia: the Trans-Siberian railway and The Golden Ring
Pacific: French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Western Samoa, Kiribati and Easter Island (Chile)

Books

His first book, REPORTS FROM BEYOND – A Journey through Life to remote Places, was published in 2008 by the Ultima Thule Press. In this book, he describes falling through the ice in Lake Baikal in Siberia, being attacked by a pack of dogs in Vanuatu in the Pacific, being trapped on top of a derailed train in the Congolese jungle, climbing sacred Mount Emei in western China, and sailing down the Niger River to Timbuktu in Mali.

His second book,IN SEARCH OF LANDFALL – The Odyssey of an Indefatigable Adventurer, was published in 2014, also by Ultima Thule Press. Using memoir as a vehicle, it is about one man’s search for answers to some of the most important questions we are all faced with: who are we, what are we doing here, and where are we going?

It is also a fascinating portrait of two very different worlds: the author’s childhood in 1950s Edinburgh and his time there at university as a radical student in the late 1960s, and his life in the exhilarating counterculture of Amsterdam during the 1970s and 1980s. As he travels through life and the remotest parts of the globe, he describes both his inner and outer journeys and the extraordinary characters he encounters along the way, including Norman McCaig, Indira Gandhi, Robin Cook, Rudi Dutschke and Jorge Luis Borges.

Loosely structured on Homer’s Odyssey, this book is an almost mythical meditation on childhood, the loss of innocence, love and the passing of time.

References

Reports From Beyond by Patrick Richardson

External links
Patrick Richardson Website
Reports From Beyond Website
In Search of Landfall Website
BBC Excess Baggage Program

1946 births
Living people
English male journalists
English travel writers
British emigrants to the Netherlands
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
English male non-fiction writers


For the Freedom of the Nation () is a 1920 Czechoslovak romantic war drama film directed by Václav Binovec. The film, set during World War I, stars V. Ch. Vladimírov and Suzanne Marwille. Several leading Czech politicians of the period made cameo appearances as themselves in the film, including Karel Kramář. The film premiered on 28 October 1920.

Plot
After the announcement of conscription in 1914, student Jiří Voldán is drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army to fight against Russia. He switches allegiance to the Russians and is wounded in battle. While recovering at a hospital in Kiev he meets the Slovak nurse Maryša, who has fled from the Hungarian authorities, and they fall in love. He recovers and joins the Czechoslovak legions. He fights in Italy and France before being arrested by the Austrians and is sentenced to death, but is freed by friends.

Cast
V. Ch. Vladimírov as Jirí Voldán
Suzanne Marwille as Maryša
Evzen Georgij Jevgenev as 1st Lieutenant Szabo
Marie Ptáková as Jirí's Mother
Václav Vydra as von Bühren
Ladislav H. Struna as Misko
Jan W. Speerger as Miner / Jan Hus
Václav Kubásek as Kubík
Zanka as a Russian commandant
Alois Tichý as a volunteer
Václav Zatíranda as a volunteer
Frantisek Marek as a volunteer
Jaroslav Svára as a volunteer
Karel Votruba as a volunteer
Václav Rapp as a volunteer

Release and reception
The film premiered on October 28, 1920. The author Adolf Branald describes the film as "a patriotic montage about the legionnaires' struggles for freedom", stating that the director was particularly fond of the script and the romance that develops between the characters of Voldán and Maryša. Gian Piero Brunetta cites the film as one of the notable films of the era documenting the Czech experience of World War I, including Rudolf Mesták's Legionář (Legionnaire) (1920), Antonín Vojtěchovský's Jménem jeho Veličenstva  (In the Name of His Majesty) (1928), and Svatopluk Innemann's Plukovník Svec (Colonel Svec) (1930). The film was described as being an "authentic" one. One Czech film history book notes a scene in which several prominent historic Czech figures appear before the soldiers on Christmas Day, including Jan Hus and Jan Žižka. Another publication notes a scene in which a Jewish housekeeper from Halič is crucified.

References

External links

filmovyprehled.cz (in Czech)

1920 romantic drama films
1920 war films
Czech black-and-white films
Czech silent films
Czechoslovak drama films
Czechoslovak black-and-white films
Films directed by Václav Binovec
Silent drama films


Ludmilla Azova is a soprano opera singer who studied at the New York College of Music and has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the National Orchestra Association, and performed the role of Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte with the Bermuda Festival Theatre. Other operatic roles performed in New York include Mimì in La bohème, Madama Butterfly and Marguerite in Faust. In 1966, she appeared as Anna Gomez in a production of Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul at New York City Opera. Azova has also been an active recitalist. In a review, dated October 6, 1969, in The New York Times, Peter G. Davis wrote, "Ludmilla Azova brought a bright, silvery soprano and an abundance of authoritative style to her Russian song recital at Town Hall late yesterday afternoon. Born in Europe of Russian parents, Miss Azova clearly knows where of what she sings ... In addition to the charm and elegance of her interpretations, Miss Azova's well-schooled, even, secure soprano consistently delighted the ear ... She is a beautiful woman, a charming recitalist and a singer of accomplishment."

Recording
Music From The Orthodox Liturgy – Ludmilla Azova (soprano), Tamara Bering (alto), Slavonic Cappella Ensemble, Alexis P. Fekula (conductor). Label: ESP 1065

References

American operatic sopranos
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
New York College of Music alumni
21st-century American women musicians


Life Healthcare Group, formerly Afrox Healthcare, is the second largest private hospital operator in South Africa, with 6,500 beds. It is also the largest black-owned hospital operator in South Africa.

Afrox was traded on the JSE Securities Exchange until it was sold to Business Venture Investments Limited (Bidco), a black empowerment group, in 2005.

It bought Alliance Medical for about 10.4 billion rand, in November 2016.

References

Health care companies of South Africa
Hospital networks


Tu ten kámen (full name:Tu ten kámen aneb Kterak láskou možno v mziku vzplanout třeba k nebožtíku) is a 1923 Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Karl Anton. The movie is considered lost.

Cast
Vlasta Burian as Fridolín
Ferenc Futurista as Egyptologist Rapapides Bulva
Josef Rovenský as Mayor of Zelená Lhota
Josef Šváb-Malostranský as Cheesemonger
Eman Fiala as  Ne'er-do-well / Fake Egyptologist
Karel Lamač as  Drtichlup
Anny Ondra as Aenny (as Anny Ondráková)
Martin Frič as Quartet Singer
Rolf Passer as Miloš
Karel Schleichert as Town Councillor
Frantisek Beranský as Quartet Singer
Jan W. Speerger

References

External links

1923 films
1923 comedy films
Czechoslovak black-and-white films
Czech silent films
Czechoslovak comedy films
1923 lost films
Lost comedy films


Irredeemable is an American comic book series written by Mark Waid, drawn by Peter Krause and Diego Barreto, and  published by Boom! Studios.  The series follows the fall of the world's greatest superhero, the Plutonian, as he begins slaughtering the population of Earth.  His former allies, the superhero group The Paradigm, attempt to find a way to stop his rampage while dealing with their own feelings of betrayal and hopelessness.  Irredeemable #1 premiered in April 2009, and the series ended in May 2012, after thirty-seven issues and one special. Peter Krause was the artist for the first twenty-four issues, after which Diego Barretto took over as artist.  A spin-off, Incorruptible, was released in December 2009, which follows one of the Plutonian's greatest enemies, Max Damage, on his journey to become a superhero in the wake of Plutonian's fall. Waid brought both series to a conclusion in May 2012.

Publication history
Initial pre-publication publicity utilized the tagline "Mark Waid is Evil! Mark Waid is Irredeemable!", which culminated with the release of a limited edition "Mark Waid is Evil" tee-shirt at the 2009 New York Comic Con. On February 23, 2009, Boom! Studios released a trailer, by Craig Kennedy at CK Creative, for the series on YouTube and posted the first 7 pages of the first issue on the company website.

The first issue, which included an afterword by Grant Morrison, featured a cover by John Cassaday, a 1-in-4 variant cover by Barry Kitson, and a 1-in-50 incentive cover signed by Mark Waid with artwork by Jeffrey Spokes. The incentive variants by Spokes for the first 12 issues of the series spelled out "Irredeemable", with one letter being featured on each cover. A silver holofoil edition, limited to 500 copies with a cover stating "Mark Waid is Evil", was released at the 2009 Emerald City Convention. The first issue sold out of Diamond Comics Distribution on the day of release, which caused the publisher to immediately solicit a second printing of the comic. The second printing's cover is a sketch version of Kitson variant and a 1-in-20 incentive reprinting of the Spokes cover, not signed by Waid.

In April 2011, Krause announced that he would be leaving the series to focus on opportunities outside of comics. Krause claimed that he made the decision in February 2011 after finding himself facing stress and deadlines from multiple commitments.  These commitments resulted in art duties for multiple issues of the series being shared between Krause, who drew pages involving the Plutonian, and Diego Barreto, who drew pages relating to the Paradigm.   Starting with Irredeemable #29 in September 2011, Krause officially left the series, being replaced by Diego and his father Eduardo Barreto.

On February 3, 2012, Waid announced that he was bringing both Irredeemable and Incorruptible to an end with issues #37 and #30 respectively in May 2012. Waid stated that he was "stretched thin right now both personally and professionally", and that the cast of Irredeemable were moving naturally towards the series ending he had planned, and so Waid desired to "go out big and grand". Waid did not rule out revisiting the Irredeemable series in the future to explore some of the characters but intimated that this would not be possible for some of them, following the series' end.

Creation and development

Irredeemable is author Mark Waid's third and "most complex" story concerning the "cost of superheroics" or the "path of villainy". Kingdom Come concerned the "ethical price of heroism" and Empire premised the ultimate failure of superheroes, but Irredeemable is "about how the lessons we learn about right and wrong as children can become warped and twisted when challenged by the realities of the adult world." Waid realized that the concept was one he could never properly explore at either DC or Marvel Comics, a "Twilight of the Superheroes"-style story revolving around the premise of "how does a man go from being the world’s greatest superhero to its greatest supervillain?"

Waid's premise stems from the rejection of the idea that, in "superhero comics, pretty much everyone who’s called upon to put on a cape is, at heart, emotionally equipped for the job." He expounds of this by stating that:

The beauty of Superman is that he can deal with that level of adulation without it going to his head, without it warping him, but he's a very special individual. We presume, whenever we write superheroes and we come up with superhero origins, that anybody who gets the powers of a superhero — even if they are like Spider-Man and they've got things they've got to work out that issue and responsibility and power and responsibility — we assume that they eventually have the emotional makeup it takes to overcome these things. Well, what if you gave that level of power to someone who, at heart, didn't have that emotional capability?

Waid further notes that, "by the classic superhero rules," a hero can't concern themselves with what people think of them, but that if "you are so far removed as to not care what people think of you, it takes one less step to not care what people think."

During the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International, Waid stated that he had developed ideas for ending the story but had no end issue planned while sales of the book continued.  During the same event, he added that he did not have any intention of rehabilitating the Plutonian character or redeeming him for his actions, saying "There's no hope for Plutonian...but that said, I never actually said the title Irredeemable refers to Plutonian."

Plot summary

Volume 1 (#1–4)
The Plutonian, a powerful being once thought to be the world's greatest superhero, has now become its greatest supervillain. He has destroyed Sky City—the metropolis he once protected—and murdered millions of people across the globe. The series starts with the Plutonian killing his former ally, the Hornet, and his entire family. The remaining superheroes, the Paradigm—Bette Noir, Scylla, Charybdis (Cary), Volt, Qubit, Gil, and Kaidan—search for the reason behind Plutonian's change by speaking to his former sidekick Samsara, whom Plutonian lobotomized with his heat vision.

Former enemies of Plutonian attempt to work with him, but they immediately betray him when he offers a way to earn his trust, resulting in a self-destruct of the facility in which they are meeting. The resulting explosion kills Scylla and injures Cary, superhero brothers who are observing the villains.

The United Nations offer Plutonian their subservience, hoping to avoid his wrath. The Plutonian takes offense when, after speaking to the Singaporean representative, he realizes that the decision is made out of fear. In response, Plutonian sinks Singapore into the ocean. Meanwhile, Qubit searches for Modeus, the Plutonian's nemesis, using multiple robots designed to look and think like the villain.

Volume 2 (#5–8)
Qubit and the other heroes discover Modeus' location within Plutonian's citadel. Plutonian is alerted to the heroes' hidden location and attacks them. Cary waits to confront Plutonian while the others teleport into his lair. Cary reveals that he is aware that Plutonian,  when he was still a hero, used alien technology recovered from an invasion to buy the silence of a scientist who was a vociferous Plutonian critic due to the latter's tight control of said technology. Plutonian thought the technology was safe and believed the scientist to be sincere in his criticism, but subsequent tampering released a virus that resulted in the deaths of many children. Plutonian tried to conceal his involvement in the event, but when Samsara learned the truth, Plutonian snapped, enraged that no matter what he attempts to do, people are terrified of him.

Plutonian attempts to kill Cary, but Cary reveals that his brother's death has made him significantly more powerful. The rest of the Paradigm returns, having failed to locate Modeus, but they have recovered Plutonian's captive Encanta. The group witness Cary beat Plutonian into submission. Plutonian flees and hides in Samsara's grave.

Volume 3 (#9–12)
Qubit teleports to his base with Encanta, believing she may know how to find Modeus. Encanta details how Modeus had her cast a spell that would put him in the "safest place on Earth". Samsara's restorative powers revive him in his grave to Plutonian's gratitude, but it is revealed that Modeus secretly possesses Samsara's body. Meanwhile, in response to Cary's new power, the US military summons the demon Orian to destroy the heroes entirely. Orian kidnaps Bette to use as bait and learns of her secret past by threatening her husband Gil's life. Bette reveals that she had an affair with Plutonian before his fall, using a magical candle that renders Plutonian mortal to allow them to have sex. Bette stole a piece of the candle wax, but  she did not tell the other Paradigm members about it, fearing that her affair would be exposed. The Paradigm confront Orian, but even Cary is unable to compete with his power. The military captures the team, except for a fleeing Bette, and Cary, who is dragged away by Orian into his own dimension.

Volume 4 (#13–15)
Encanta is teleported from Qubit's lab by a rogue Modeus robot that is revealed to be in possession of Scylla, who is still alive. Cary and Orian return to Earth, agreeing to work together to kill Plutonian. Bette liberates Qubit, Kaidan, and Volt from prison, but she finds that Gil has already escaped. The group teleport to Bette's home to retrieve the wax fragment that she has crafted into a bullet, but Gil has already taken it. Cary, Orian, Gil, and Bette confront Plutonian. While they fight, Modeus/Samsara pushes Volt over a cliff to his death. Bette shoots at Plutonian with the wax bullet, but Qubit uses his portals to redirect the bullet and kill Orian, having correctly surmised that Orian intended to invade Earth after Plutonian's death. Plutonian and Samsara retreat, and the Paradigm shun Qubit for wasting the opportunity to stop Plutonian. It is revealed that Qubit retrieved the wax bullet after it killed Orian.

Volume 5 (#16–19)
At Volt's funeral, Kaidan discovers she can summon the spirits of her fallen comrades. For their alliance with Orian, Cary destroys the controls for the US nuclear arsenal, making them dependent on the Paradigm's power. Elsewhere, Modeus/Samsara offers Plutonian a chance to undo his actions. Kaidan realizes that Scylla is alive when she fails to summon his spirit. Modeus/Samsara and Plutonian travel to Sky City with a magical gem. Plutonian laments that only Modeus could figure out how to use the gem to restore Sky City, and he reminisces about the time he realized that Modeus was in love with him. Plutonian reveals that he is aware of Modeus' possession of Samsara and burns off Samsara's face. Qubit shows Kaidan and Cary a recording made by Hornet prior to his death, detailing a deal he made with the aliens the Vespan when they invaded Earth; the locations of habitable alien worlds in exchange for them leaving Earth alone, but returning to subdue the Plutonian if he ever turned evil. Hornet activated the signal to the Vespan before he was killed. The Vespan arrive and subdue Plutonian with advanced technology. The rogue Modeus robot and Encanta find the injured Modeus/Samsara and transfer Modeus into the robot's body. Plutonian is taken off world, kept passive in an artificial reality where he is still a hero.

Volume 6 (#20–23)
Cary takes credit for Plutonian's defeat and offers amnesty to supervillains that join the Paradigm to help rebuild the Earth. Plutonian is fitted with an exoskeleton to put his unconscious body to work mining on an alien world; the Vespan find they cannot awaken him from his fantasy. Qubit confronts Cary, accusing him of not searching for Scylla out of fear of losing his new power. Cary threatens to tell the world that Qubit spared Plutonian's life. Modeus plots to return Plutonian to Earth. In space, the Vespan realize that they cannot contain the Plutonian, and send him to Gehnom, an insane asylum in the heart of a sun.

On Earth, Cary uses the telepathic villain Burrows to interrogate the villains seeking amnesty to determine if their motives are pure. Qubit has Burrows secretly scan Cary and learns enough to deem him as big a threat as Plutonian. Modeus kidnaps Kaidan to force Qubit into an alliance to recover Plutonian. On Gehnom, Plutonian wakes from his fantasy to find the Auroran, a heroic figure from his dream, is present in the waking world.

Volume 7 (#24–27)
Qubit and Modeus travel to the Vespan homeworld and coerce Plutonian's location from the Vespan ambassador by threatening to disable the portal technology they employ that is based on Qubit's designs. On Gehnom, Plutonian and Auroran work together to escape the asylum, fighting their way through the inmates until they face Mordanse, a bestial alien. They negotiate an alliance with Mordanse to escape, and they are later joined by another alien, Kurne.

On Earth, Cary tricks Burrows into revealing that he has been reading Cary's mind, learning of his increasing instability and anger. On Gehnom, Plutonian's group are joined by the aliens Cutter and Mallus, the latter of whom can punch a person through time. Before they escape, Plutonian confronts Auroran about why he resembles the first person Plutonian ever saved. Auroran is unveiled as a shape-shifting symbiote feeding on Plutonian's dreams. Plutonian kills Auroran and travels with his group to the portal that will lead them from Gehnom. There, they find Qubit and Modeus waiting. Qubit remotely destroys all of his teleportation technology to prevent Plutonian's escape. Plutonian notices a blur and realizes that it is himself from the immediate future, sent back in time by Mallus' power. While Qubit believed he had teleported Plutonian's allies away, the future Plutonian had gathered his allies and traveled through the Gehnom portal to Earth. The present Plutonian fades away and Modeus' robot body falls apart, leaving Qubit and Mallus trapped on Gehnom.

Volume 8 (#28–31)
Witnessing Plutonian's return, the public turn against the Paradigm for promising Earth was safe. Plutonian's group assaults the new Paradigm, but stands aside as their villain recruits attack Cary for bringing them to Plutonian's attention. After peering into Plutonian's mind, Burrows hangs himself. Plutonian leaves, taking some of the villain recruits with him, whom he later kills. Chinese and Japanese representatives meet with the US President to reveal their plan to kill Plutonian, which will result in the death of two billion people. Plutonian locates Bette and brings her into his group.

Elsewhere, Kaidan escapes Modeus' imprisonment, summoning Scylla's spirit to fight his mindless body. Scylla's body is killed during the battle. Kaidan and Scylla's freed spirit find Gil and recruit him to locate Elliott, Scylla and Cary's triplet brother, to stop Cary. Cary meets with Elliott, who has become a priest and abandoned his powers. Bette repeatedly attempts suicide but is saved by the Plutonian. China, Japan, and the US launch their plan, releasing two towering creatures from a hidden facility, causing widespread destruction and billions of deaths. Scylla, Gil, and Kaidan find Elliott with Cary, and Gil kills Cary to transfer his power into Elliott, not knowing that Cary is the source of the power. Once Cary has died, the power is lost.

Cutter confronts Bette and is revealed to be possessed by Modeus. He takes possession of Bette and discards Cutter's body. Elsewhere, the two towering alien creatures confront Plutonian, claiming to be his parents.

Volume 9 (#32–33)
The creatures take Plutonian to the end of time and existence, intending to leave him there. Plutonian asks them to explain how he came to be. The creatures reveal themselves as the Eleos, a race of interdimensional beings that explore and record universes. During their mission to Earth years prior, they find humans to be interesting and sacrifice a part of themselves to create a probe to explore humanity. The probe is inadvertently transformed into an infant human in response to the strong emotions of a mother who had killed her child. He is later raised by Bill Hartigan, the only foster parent who is not afraid of Plutonian's powers and trains him to be a selfless superhero. After learning of his wife's inoperable cancer, Bill and his wife are killed in an accident that Plutonian believes was suicide.

Plutonian reveals that he hates his enemy Max Damage more than anyone because Max saw Plutonian as a child when he lived in the wilderness as the "wolf boy" and inspired his first act of unrestrained anger. The Eleos accept that Plutonian now feels remorse, but  they abandon him at the end of time, refusing to absolve him of his crimes. Qubit and Max Damage teleport to Plutonian and return him to Earth.

Volume 10 (#34–37)

Qubit amplifies Mallus' powers to allow him to rapidly recreate his teleportation technology and escape Gehnom. Returning to find Earth devastated by radiation, and believing humanity will become extinct within three generations, Qubit recruits Max as muscle and seeks out Plutonian. When Qubit offers to make Plutonian even stronger in order to remove the radiation, Max abandons the plan and leaves.

Qubit's efforts to remove the radiation fail. During a conversation about how Modeus helped create the radiation as a child, Plutonian realizes that he has possessed Cutter and flies after Bette, believing Modeus will hurt her. Modeus/Bette sends Kurne after Gil and Kaidan, and captures Mordanse. Plutonian returns, but Modeus uses Bette's gravity manipulation to overpower Plutonian. Modeus uses his power to brutally beat Plutonian when his advances are rejected, but Plutonian finds himself unable to harm Bette's body. Gil leads Kaidan and Scylla to the Garden of Eden. Kaidan and Scylla debate planting the seeds of the Tree of Life, granting immortality to humanity and immunity from the radiation but condemning them to an eternity of torture by Plutonian and preventing Kaidan from summoning the dead. Qubit confronts Modeus/Bette and convinces Plutonian to kill her body, admitting the hypocrisy of his no-killing rule. Modeus transfers himself into Qubit but is left trapped by Qubit's mental safeguards. Qubit uses Modeus' memories to discover how to stop the radiation, and Plutonian retrieves the knowledge of Bette's powers, necessary to stop the radiation. Plutonian confronts Qubit about his promise of redemption after using his time-observing power to discover that Mallus was killed sending Qubit to Earth.

Qubit teleports the magic wax bullet into Plutonian's heart as a final threat, forcing Plutonian to use the last of Bette's gravity warping energy to absorb the deadly radiation by racing around the planet as fast as possible.

The plan succeeds, and the radiation is removed, but the combined energy is too much, and it fatally ravages Plutonian's body. Qubit reveals his true plan to redeem Plutonian: using his portals to transport Plutonian's original essence, as created by the Eleos, into parallel universes to give it a chance to be remade into something good. In one universe, the essence inspires two young boys, implied to be Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, to create the ultimate comic superhero, drawing a character similar in appearance to Superman.

Characters

Central
 The Plutonian A Superman-like supervillain who was the world's first and formerly greatest superhero. His origin is initially unknown even to the Plutonian who provides alternating stories such as being an alien or an orphaned mutant. Issue #32 details how the Plutonian came to be, created by members of an alien race sent to study Earth: the Eleos. Intrigued by the diversity and intensity of human emotions, the aliens crafted a probe using a piece of themselves, to study humans more closely. The probe is drawn to the powerful emotions of a mentally-imbalanced woman seeking redemption after murdering her child. In response the probe is transformed into an infant human. The mother repeatedly fails to reenact her crime on the invulnerable infant and ultimately kills herself—the young Plutonian is placed into foster care. Given the name Dan Anderson, he is repeatedly moved through foster homes by parents fearful of him after discovering his abilities. Bill Hartigan, his final foster parent, accepts Dan's powers and trains him to be a selfless hero. Bill creates the superhero identity of Plutonian (named for Piety, Loyalty, Utility, Truthfulness, and Order) and the civilian identity of Dan Hartigan for him. Bill and his wife die in a car crash after Dan informs him of his wife's terminal cancer; Dan suspects that the accident was actually a suicide. Following Bill's death, Dan becomes the Plutonian, donning a costume bearing a symbol on his chest similar to the design embedded on the front door of one of his foster homes. After the Plutonian confesses to his girlfriend Alana Patel that he and Dan Hartigan are the same person, Alana reveals his secret out of anger that she has been fooled. He also engages in an affair with fellow superhero Bette Noir.

Unable to cope with criticism levied against him by various people including Dr. Seabrook—who criticizes him for withholding seized alien technology—Plutonian provides Seabrook with a sample of the technology. The technology proves fatal and unleashes a virus that kills hundreds of children before it is stopped. Plutonian attempts to conceal his involvement, but his mistake combined with his increasing resentment of humanity culminates when his sidekick Samsara is informed of Plutonian's involvement by Seabrook's colleagues. The Plutonian snaps, lobotomizes Samsara, and destroys his home of Sky City, killing 3.5 million people in thirty minutes. Plutonian maintains an obsession with Bette after their affair: crafting art in her image, dressing his captive sex-slave Encanta in her clothes, and forcing a couple to have sex; the man resembling Plutonian and the woman dressed like Bette.

The Plutonian's powers are not physical but psionic, enabling him to subconsciously manipulate matter on an atomic level: allowing him to heat or freeze the air, see through objects, fly, render himself virtually indestructible, possess super strength and heightened senses, and make opponents more susceptible to damage. Modeus hypothesizes that if the Plutonian is made aware of his true abilities he would be able to alter probability, see through time and reverse entropy, concluding "and that's just if he moves from Kindergarten to grade school." After meeting with his Eleos creators, Plutonian's powers are expanded. He gains a sixth digit on each hand like the Eleos, and learns how to alter his density to become intangible, remotely ignite explosions by manipulating quantum matter, negate inertia to the point he can stop Earth's moon rotating, view an individual's history by using their mind as a focal point to see through time, and to detect raw materials within a planet and draw them to the surface by will.

The Paradigm
A group of superheroes and the Plutonian's former teammates. Established four years before the beginning of the series by the Plutonian, Bette Noir, Qubit, Charybdis, Scylla, Metalman, Hornet, and Kaidan. The surviving members work together to discover a means to stop the Plutonian's rampage.

 Bette Noir A female crime fighter who augments her uncanny aim with customized ammunition for dealing with specific threats. Her bullets are capable of blowing buildings apart. Married to Gilgamos, but has an affair with the Plutonian prior to his fall. As a result of the affair, Bette possesses candle wax capable of rendering the Plutonian a mortal man, used to allow them to consummate their relationship. She attempts to kill the Plutonian with a bullet crafted from the magic wax but fails due to Qubit's interference. Unable to deal with the guilt of allowing millions to die by not acting sooner, she goes into hiding.  Bette is discovered by the Plutonian in Irredeemable #29, living a hedonistic lifestyle while awaiting death. Bette is later possessed by Modeus. In Issue #35, Modeus unlocks Bette's true potential, physics altering gravity singularities. Bette was unaware of her full abilities, using them only to enhance single bullets. By chemically altering Bette's frontal lobe, Modeus gains enough strength to manipulate gravity on a scale capable of overpowering the Plutonian's ability to fly or move. Modeus is able to use her power to open wormholes of limitless range, enabling him to consume entire star systems, granting Bette's body enough power to physically injure and overwhelm the Plutonian. According to Modeus, each blow capable of injuring Plutonian requires the death of a single star system. At Qubit's request, Bette's body is eventually destroyed by Plutonian.
 Charybdis/Survivor/Cary Twin and partner of Scylla. Cary possesses energy manipulation and projection powers, and he is the source of the power that Scylla employs. Following Scylla's apparent death, his share of their power is returned to Cary, who adopts the codename Survivor. With his restored strength, Cary is capable of equaling the Plutonian's power. Cary is jealous of his brother's relationship with Kaidan. Her rejection of Cary's own advances, combined with his increasing responsibilities leading the Paradigm, and power lead to him becoming unstable, causing Kaidan and Qubit to plot against him, fearing he is more dangerous than Plutonian. Issue #30 shows that Cary and Scylla were triplets with their brother Elliott. Cary shared his power equally among his brothers but cannot take it back until their death. Cary is killed by Gil in Issue #31 and all of his and Elliott's power is lost as a result.
 Gilgamos/Gil A two-thousand-year-old, winged warrior married to Bette Noir. Possesses superhuman strength and capable of unsupported flight. In the events surrounding the Paradigm's arrest, Gilgamos lost his wings. While the first was lost in combat against Orian, he tore the second off himself after being incarcerated by the US government, using the bones within to pick the lock of his cell. Following an unsuccessful attempt to kill the Plutonian and the revelation of his wife's infidelity, Gilgamos leaves the team and wanders the Earth alone. Gil returns in Issue #29 when Kaidan and Scylla's ghost bring him out of retirement.

 Kaidan/Keiko Of Japanese ancestry, the women of Kaidan's family can summon powerful spirits of folklore through verbal storytelling to fight on their behalf. Kaidan is initially limited to summoning the spirits of Japanese folklore, but while mourning Volt's death, she begins reminiscing about her lost comrades and unexpectedly summons their ghostly forms. Kaidan and fellow member Scylla are in love, to the chagrin of his brother Cary.

 Qubit Possesses a genius intellect and is capable of mentally rearranging component machinery to form whatever device he imagines, including teleportation technology. Dispassionate and logical, he acts as the voice of reason and conscience for the team, refusing to kill unless necessary. He repeatedly refuses to kill the Plutonian, insisting that he can be redeemed, going so far as to purposely save Plutonian's life.
 Scylla Twin and partner of Cary. He is romantically involved with Kaidan. Scylla possesses the ability to siphon Cary's energy and use it himself, allowing him to generate energy blasts and fly, but in doing so he diminishes Cary's own power. While investigating a gathering of villains attempting to join forces with Plutonian, he is caught in an explosion and seemingly killed. His brain-dead but living body is later shown to be in the possession of Qubit's rogue Modeus robot and later Modeus himself. When Kaidan cannot summon his ghost, she realizes that Scylla is still alive. Scylla returns as a ghost in Issue #29 after Kaidan frees his spirit by killing his body. He later reveals that he and Cary are not twins but triplets. Following the death of his mind, his share of Scylla's power is split evenly between Scylla and their brother Elliott. Scylla willingly returns to the spirit world to save Kaidan from the alien Kurne, promising to return to her.
 Volt An African-American hero empowered by alien energy during the Vespan invasion. He is capable of emitting powerful electrical discharges from his hands, and flight via controlled release of energy from his hands. He loses the ability to fly after the Plutonian tears off his left arm. When Modeus, in the body of Samsara, deems Volt a threat to Qubit's plan to save the Plutonian, he pushes Volt off a cliff to his death.

Recurring
 Cutter A green, female alien. Cutter is a telekinetic self-mutilator whose self-harm is inflicted on others rather than herself. Plutonian takes her as a lover after returning to Earth. Issue #31 reveals that Modeus has taken possession of Cutter at an unspecified point. Modeus transfers himself to Bette Noir before hurling Cutter's body from the top of a building.

 Kurne A muscular, purple alien that Plutonian meets on Genhom. Possesses super strength, invulnerability and several mouths on his back which speak incessantly and utter conflicting messages that only Kurne can hear. He is driven insane by the mouths until Plutonian, able to detect their voices, binds them to prevent them speaking. He joins with Plutonian and accompanies him to Earth. Modeus manipulates Kurne into hunting down the remaining Paradigm members by disguising subliminal messages as commands from his back-mouths. He is left trapped in the spirit world after being dragged there by Scylla's ghost.
 Modeus The Plutonian's nemesis. Modeus possesses a genius intellect and an extreme affinity for technology. Modeus disappears for unknown reasons years before the events depicted in the comic. In Issue #9, it is shown that Modeus had Encanta cast a spell that transformed him into pure information, and Modeus then transported himself into Samsara's gem. Although he resides in Samsara's body he is only able to take control after Plutonian lobotomizes Samsara. In Issue #17, it is revealed that Modeus is in love with Plutonian, but his extreme psychopathy and lack of empathy results in him expressing his feelings by trying to destroy everything else that could divert Plutonian's attention from himself: Sky City, his friends and his loved ones. Plutonian eventually admits that he knows Modeus has possessed Samsara's corpse because he recognizes Modeus' mannerisms. Plutonian maims Modeus-Samsara's face. Encanta transfers his essence from Samsara into Qubit's rogue Modeus robot. He contemplates being transferred into Scylla's body but decides against it in favor of his emotionless robot body. Modeus pursues Plutonian to an intergalactic asylum to rescue him but is left stranded there while Plutonian returns to Earth. At an unknown point he takes possession of Plutonian's alien lover Cutter, and then Bette Noir. Modeus later explains that he possessed Bette to combine the body Plutonian desired with his own spirit he deems worthy of Plutonian. Modeus uses Bette's hidden power, unlocked by Modeus, to rape the Plutonian. After Plutonian destroys Bette's body, Modeus transfers himself into Qubit, but his actions are anticipated and he is left trapped by Qubit's mental safeguards. As a child, Modeus helps create the radiation that causes Plutonian's parents self-imprisonment. He is shown to have also introduced Max Damage to Origin, the man who provided Max with his powers, to create another factor in his plans against Plutonian.
 Mordanse A white, beast-like creature capable of altering its form.  Possesses super-strength, flight, and invulnerability, and can emit sonic blasts from his mouth.  He joins with the Plutonian on Genhom and accompanies him to Earth. Modeus later captures Mordanse in an energy sphere, turning him into a powerful sonic explosive that is expended trying to kill Qubit.
 Orian An extra-dimensional, demonic hunter who has fought the Paradigm in the past and was only defeated because of the Plutonian. He is summoned by the US military to counter the Paradigm and keep them from turning rogue like the Plutonian. He makes an alliance with Survivor to kill Plutonian with Bette's wax candle-coated bullet.  While Orian restrains Plutonian for the shot, Qubit creates tiny portals to redirect the bullet and kill Orian instead, knowing that Orian plans to invade Earth.
 Samsara The Plutonian's former sidekick. Samsara is empowered by a mystical crystal embedded in his forehead that enables him to create simple temporary constructs of mystical energy, and which protects him from "mortal harm," making him virtually immortal. Samsara cannot regrow lost tissue or limbs but the crystal keeps him alive long enough for any wound to close naturally. When Samsara discovers the Plutonian is responsible for an accidental viral outbreak that killed thousands of children, Plutonian, enraged that his closest friend has turned on him, lobotomizes Samsara with his eye beams. Samsara's powers keep him alive, but the damaged brain tissue cannot heal, leaving him brain damaged. Effectively dead, he is buried. He eventually returns, claiming his gem healed his mind, and joins Plutonian. It is revealed that his body has been possessed by Plutonian's nemesis, Modeus, as a means to get close to, and manipulate the former hero. Plutonian admits that he has known about the possession since the start, and disfigures Samsara's face to prevent it eliciting sympathy from him. Modeus later abandons the body after being transferred into a robot facsimile of himself.

Minor
 Burrows A mind-reader and former villain recruited into the new Paradigm after Plutonian's imprisonment.  After Plutonian's return, Burrows reads his mind. Traumatized by what he sees, he hangs himself. It is later shown that it was reading Modeus' mind in Cutter's body that caused his suicide.
 Elliott Cary and Scylla's brother, the third of the triplets. As a teenager he starts a heroic career with his brothers but grows disillusioned with how their actions result in death and tormented victims, becoming a priest instead and ignoring his abilities.  After Scylla's death, a portion of his power fed into Elliott, increasing his own power. After the source of their power, Cary, is killed, Elliott's power is seemingly lost.
 Encanta A magic villain who uses amulets and other paraphernalia to accomplish her spells. She is kidnapped by the Plutonian (who uses her as a sex-slave), and recovered by Qubit to learn the location of Modeus.  Years prior to the Plutonian's rampage, Encanta uses her abilities to transform Modeus, at his request, into pure information, allowing him to possess the body of Samsara.  She is later retrieved from Qubit by Modeus so that she can transfer him into a new body.
 Hornet A former policeman who relies on skill and gadgets to fight crime.  Hornet and his family are murdered by Plutonian at the beginning of the series.  Despite his initial resentment of Plutonian for revealing himself to the world as Hornet was about to make his debut, the two come to be partners, with Hornet considering "Tony" his best friend.  In Irredeemable #18, it is revealed that Hornet had become suspicious of Tony after he mentions Hornet's wife by name; information Hornet had never shared with him.  During an alien invasion years prior to the Plutonian's fall, Hornet makes a secret deal with the aliens, trading them teleportation technology and the locations of various Earth-like worlds in exchange for them not only sparing Earth, but returning to subdue the Plutonian if his fears are realized.  Before he dies, he activates a beacon to summon the aliens.
 Mallus An alien that Plutonian meets on Genhom. He possesses a limited chronokinetic ability to facilitate time travel, sending a person through time by punching them, sending someone back further the harder he hits them. He is left trapped on Genhom with Qubit when Plutonian leaves for Earth. Qubit amplifies Mallus' powers to allow greater control over time, but Mallus is unable to endure the process and dies.
 Max Damage One of Plutonian's main enemies during his heroic career, Max is a supervillain who gains superhuman abilities the longer he remains awake. Plutonian harbors particular hatred for him after the two met as teenagers while Max was still unpowered and Plutonian lived in the wild. As adults, Max reminds Plutonian of that time of which he is ashamed.
 The Eleos A race of towering aliens possessing vast abilities including those of the Plutonian. They explore, record, and safeguard the knowledge of all time across multiple universes. Two of the Eleos who were assigned to explore Earth thirty-five years before the events of Irredeemable are responsible for the creation of the Plutonian, creating a probe to explore the unique emotions of humanity which is ultimately transformed into the supervillain.
 Agent Nine Paradigm member. Mentioned in passing by Qubit as being "off the grid" during the Plutonian's initial rampage.
 Citadel Paradigm member. Killed by the Plutonian's heat vision alongside Metalman.
 Gazer Paradigm member. Possesses telepathic powers capable of extending his "sight and hearing" by linking with the minds of others.
 Inferno Paradigm member.  Real name Martin Reber. A "Wall Street billionaire" turned vigilante; he possesses a reputation as an excellent tactician.  Punched through the head and killed during the Plutonian's initial rampage.
 Metalman Possesses superhuman durability. He is torn in half by the Plutonian while defending a school of children from his initial rampage.

Reception
Initial critical reception for the series was positive, the first issue receiving 3.5 out of 5 stars from Comic Book Resources, complimenting the way the art worked with the story, and 4 out of 5 stars from Major Spoilers. John Hardick of The Express-Times describes the series as "on its way to becoming one of the best books of the year". Stephen Joyce at Comics Bulletin praised the writing, characters and art (in particular the coloring) in the first issue, concluding "This is an amazing book! I cannot stress how much I truly enjoyed it." Although the second issue was less action-packed Joyce still thought it was a "great story" and despite only being two installments in he says "I’m willing to bet that this story becomes a classic once it is completed".

Accolades

Collected editions

Film adaptation
On May 5, 2016, Deadline Hollywood announced that 20th Century Fox was producing a feature film adaptation of the comic book written by Tommy Wirkola and directed by Adam McKay.

On March 17, 2022, it was announced that Netflix will be adapting the comic book into a feature film, combining both Irredeemable and Incorruptible, Jeymes Samuel will direct, Kemp Powers writing, and Jay-Z producing with Wirkola and McKay no longer attached.

Incorruptible

In December 2009, a spin-off titled Incorruptible was released, chronicling the reformation of former supervillain—and one of Plutonian's greatest enemies—Max Damage, into a hero after he witnesses the atrocities committed by Plutonian.  The series finished in June 2012 with issue #30.

See also

Brightburn
Homelander
Omni-Man
Pantheon (Lone Star Press)
Squadron Supreme
Watchmen

References

External links

Comics by Mark Waid
Metafictional comics


Jan Gottfrid Klenberg (22 October 1931 – 28 August 2020) was a Finnish admiral. He was born in Mikkeli. He served as Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces. Klenberg was the first navy officer in that position.

References

External links
 The Finnish Defence Forces: Chiefs of Defence
 Klenberg, Jan at Biografiskt lexikon för Finland (in Swedish)

1931 births
2020 deaths
People from Mikkeli
Chiefs of Staff (Finnish Defence Forces)
Finnish admirals
Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class I


Edward Adam Davis (born June 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Previously, he played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played high school basketball at Benedictine High School in Richmond, Virginia. He is the son of former NBA player Terry Davis. He was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.

High school career
Davis spent his first two years of high school playing basketball at Hanover High School in Mechanicsville, Virginia before transferring to Benedictine High School in Richmond, Virginia. There, he led Benedictine to two state championships while averaging 22 points, 14 rebounds and 7 blocks as a senior. He accompanied future Tar Heel teammates Tyler Zeller and Larry Drew II in the McDonald's All-American Game and was selected to the Jordan Brand All-American Team. He was named Mr. Basketball of Virginia in 2008, which is given to Virginia's best high school basketball player. He also received recognition as the co-player of the year in 2007.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Davis was listed as the No. 4 power forward and the No. 15 player in the nation in 2008.

College career
Davis played in every game during the 2008–09 season, while starting in two of them. He averaged 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 18.8 minutes per game in his first season with the Tar Heels. Davis also led the team with 65 blocks with an average of 1.7 per game. In North Carolina's six wins during the 2009 NCAA tournament, Davis averaged 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds. In the 2009 NCAA championship game, Davis came off the bench to score 11 points and grab a team-high 8 rebounds, helping the Tar Heels to an 89–72 win over Michigan State. Davis was also named to the 2009 All-Freshman Team and was co-recipient of the team's Most Improved Player award.

In April 2009, Davis announced he would return to North Carolina after his freshman year instead of declaring for the NBA draft. In February 2010, he suffered a broken wrist in a loss to Duke, which effectively ended his season. In 2009–10, he played 23 games, averaging 13.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.8 blocks per game. Davis was seen as a projected top three pick in the 2009 NBA draft had he declared .

In April 2010, Davis declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final two years of college eligibility. He signed with sports agent Rob Pelinka.

Professional career

Toronto Raptors (2010–2013)
Davis in the 2009 NBA draft was seen as a projected top three pick . Davis was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 13th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. On July 6, 2010, he signed with the Raptors. After a month with the Raptors, Davis was assigned to the Erie BayHawks. On November 29, 2010, Davis was recalled by the Raptors. On December 1, 2010, he made his NBA debut against the Washington Wizards, recording 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. On April 5, 2011, Davis recorded a career-high 22 points against the New York Knicks.

Memphis Grizzlies (2013–2014)
On January 30, 2013, Davis was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, along with Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye of the Detroit Pistons, in a three team deal that also sent teammate José Calderón to the Pistons, and Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi of the Grizzlies to the Raptors.

On June 30, 2014, the Grizzlies declined the opportunity to tender a qualifying offer to Davis, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Los Angeles Lakers (2014–2015)
On July 23, 2014, Davis signed with the Los Angeles Lakers and played 79 games during the season averaging 8.3 points 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 rebounds with a season high points of 20.

Portland Trail Blazers (2015–2018)
On July 9, 2015, Davis signed a three-year, $20 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. On November 20, 2015, he recorded 17 points and 15 rebounds in a 102–91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. His 15 rebounds included a career-high 10 offensive rebounds, the most for a Blazer since Greg Oden had 10 in December 2009. He also became the first Blazers player to have at least 15 points and 15 rebounds off the bench since Travis Outlaw in 2006.

On March 1, 2017, Davis was ruled out for the rest of the 2016–17 season after requiring arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder to repair an injured labrum.

Brooklyn Nets (2018–2019)
On July 23, 2018, Davis signed with the Brooklyn Nets. Davis only missed one game during the season and he averaged a low 5.8 points and had more rebounds then points with 8.6 rebounds and not even a whole assist with only 0.8 a game his season high points was 17 and his rebounds was only one less with 16 .

Utah Jazz (2019–2020)
On July 20, 2019, Davis signed with the Utah Jazz. On November 2, 2019, the Utah Jazz announced that Davis suffered from a fractured left fibula during a seasons game vs. the Sacramento Kings and was expected to be sidelined for about four weeks.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2020–2021)
On November 23, 2020, Davis was traded to the New York Knicks, and on November 24 he was traded once again, this time to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2021–2022)
On October 13, 2021, Davis signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mets de Guaynabo (2023)
On February 4, 2023, Davis signed with Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He was released by the team on April 10.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Toronto
| 65 || 17 || 24.6 || .576 ||  || .555 || 7.1 || .6 || .6 || 1.0 || 7.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Toronto
| style="background:#cfecec;"| 66* || 9 || 23.2 || .513 || .000 || .670 || 6.6 || .9 || .6 || 1.0 || 6.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Toronto
| 45 || 24|| 24.2 || .549 ||  || .647 || 6.7 || 1.2 || .6 || .8 || 9.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Memphis
| 36 || 4 || 15.1 || .517 ||  || .569 || 4.4 || .2 || .4 || 1.3 || 5.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Memphis
| 63 || 4 || 15.2 || .534 ||  || .528 || 4.1 || .4 || .3 || .7 || 5.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers
| 79 || 24 || 23.3 || .601 ||  || .487 || 7.6 || 1.2 || .6 || 1.2 || 8.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 81 || 0 || 20.8 || .611 ||  || .559 || 7.4 || 1.1 || .7 || .9 || 6.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 46 || 12 || 17.2 || .528 ||  || .617 || 5.3 || .6 || .3 || .5 || 4.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 78 || 0 || 18.9 || .582 || .000 || .667 || 7.4 || .5 || .4 || .7 || 5.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn
| 81 || 1 || 17.9 || .616 || .000 || .617 || 8.6 || .8 || .4 || .4 || 5.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Utah
| 28 || 1 || 10.8 || .478 ||  || .500 || 3.8 || .4 || .4 || .3 || 1.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Minnesota
| 23 || 7 || 13.0 || .432 ||  || .833 || 5.0 || .9 || .6 || .6 || 2.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland
| 31 || 3 || 6.5 || .688 ||  || .429 || 2.1 || .2 || .1 || .3 || .9
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 722 || 106 || 19.1 || .567 || .000 || .583 || 6.4 || .7 || .5 || .8 || 5.9

Playoffs

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2013
| style="text-align:left;"|Memphis
| 8 || 0 || 6.0 || .417 ||  || .750 || 1.4 || .0 || .0 || .1 || 1.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2014
| style="text-align:left;"|Memphis
| 7 || 0 || 3.6 || .300 ||  || .000 || 2.1 || .0 || .1 || .4 || .9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2016
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 11 || 0 || 18.6 || .525 || .000 || .576 || 6.8 || 1.3 || .2 || .6 || 5.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2018
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 4 || 0 || 17.8 || .500 ||  || .250 || 8.0 || .0 || .0 || .3 || 2.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2019
| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn
| 3 || 0 || 13.7 || .700 ||  || 1.000 || 6.3 || .7 || .0 || .3 || 5.3
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 33 || 0 || 11.8 || .500 || .000 || .568 || 4.6 || .5 || .1 || .4 || 3.2

College

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2008–09
| style="text-align:left;"|North Carolina
| 38 || 2 || 18.8 || .518 ||  || .573 || 6.6 || .6 || .4 || 1.7 || 6.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"|North Carolina
| 23 || 23 || 27.9 || .578 ||  || .659 || 9.6 || 1.0 || .4 || 2.8 || 13.4
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 61 || 25 || 22.2 || .548 ||  || .623 || 7.7 || .7 || .4 || 2.1 || 9.2

Personal life
Davis is the son of Angela Jones and Terry Davis.

See also

References

External links

1989 births
Living people
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American sportspeople
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Canada
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Richmond, Virginia
Basketball players from Washington, D.C.
Brooklyn Nets players
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Erie BayHawks (2008–2017) players
Los Angeles Lakers players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Memphis Grizzlies players
Minnesota Timberwolves players
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Portland Trail Blazers players
Power forwards (basketball)
Toronto Raptors draft picks
Toronto Raptors players
Utah Jazz players
Mets de Guaynabo basketball players


"Dream Big" is a song by American recording artist Jazmine Sullivan. It was written by Missy Elliott, Cainon Lamb, Taurian Osbourne, and Sullivan for her debut studio album Fearless (2008), while production was helmed by Elliott and Lamb. The dance-pop-heavy track prominently features a sample of Daft Punk's song "Veridis Quo" from the album Discovery (2001).

"Dream Big" was made available on UK iTunes and 7 Digital as an EP on February 9, 2009. It was later made available for airplay on UK radio stations on April 5, 2009. and then received an official single digital release on April 6, 2009.

Background and reception
"Dream Big" prominently features a sample of Daft Punk's song "Veridis Quo" from the album Discovery. The song is about a girl dreaming to be a big star; it's about taking opportunities when they come to you and being ready to go when the time comes. The song is produced by Missy Elliott, Jazmine's mentor who provides vocals in the intro using a line typically reserved for Missy's own songs. Overall the song was said 'to be a very unexpected sound from Jazmine', in comparison with the previous seven tracks on the album. Namely the synthy, upbeat and techno sound it has to it.
The different approach to the club-friendly song is what's said to give it an edge as well as an extra benefit for its airplay success. Dream Big appeared on major UK music critic, Popjustice's website as 'Song of the Day' and was described as an excellent track and something to watch out for.

Jazmine describes her inspiration behind the song:
"My journey was not an easy one. There were people telling me I wasn't what the industry wanted. So I had to persevere and stay determined to live my dream. I wrote this song to encourage people all over the world to dream big despite the road blocks."

Billboard reviewed the song:
"Dream Big", a swallow-you-whole-four-four thumper, is an ambitious motivational anthem. Missy Elliott nicks nearly all of its drive and dramatics from Daft Punk's "Veridis Quo".

Epinions reviewed the song:
Missy calls out in the intro using a line typically reserved for her own songs (if that's not a sign of faith in one's work, I don't know what is). It's an out and out Euro techno club track, complete with a clever cache of synth lines via Daft Punk's "Veridis Quo" and an assortment of gimmicky techno sounds that just don't sound gimmicky; Jazmine just understands that her credibility is in her authenticity and she doesn't miss the slightest detail. The song itself is about taking opportunities when they come to you, about being ready to go when the time comes. The fact that she manages to take on a genre seemingly foreign to her talents in such a convincing manner is a testament to what happens when you dream big.

Release and reception
Jazmine performed "Dream Big" on popular French television show "Le Grand Journal" as part of her international 2009 promotion of her first album, "Fearless".
She also performed it along with several of her album tracks for UK BBC Radio 1's Trevor Nelson in April, 2009. On April 18, 2009 the single peaked at #164 on the UK Singles Chart after a surge of steady download sales during that week.

"Dream Big" peaked at #6 on the Turkish Singles Chart issued March 30, 2009, making it Jazmine's first hit single outside the U.S. The track then went on to make waves on European airplay charts in countries such as Greece and Russia.

Music video
In March 2009, the music video for "Dream Big" premiered. It features Jazmine sitting behind a table and writing down her plans to get her dream. Basically mirroring the song by chronicling Jazmine's journey from songwriter to singer. Her handwriting reads as letters on the book appear on screen matching with the song lyrics. Then the video moves onto capturing her in studio, crafting songs and then performing on stage in front of an audience. The video received generally favourable reviews by fans. It was viewed as her best yet by some and 'cheap' by others. Being produced by Syndrome, who also produced Jazmine's previous video for Lions, Tigers & Bears, the two were closely compared and the animation theme was criticized to not show the real Jazmine, the Jazmine that fans know and love.

Formats and track listings

UK Digital bundle
 "Dream Big" (Album Version) — 3:35
 "Dream Big" (Ghettopop Remix) — 3:49
 "Dream Big" (Monk & Prof Club Remix) — 4:15
 "Dream Big" (StoneBridge Remix) — 6:45

UK digital single
 "Dream Big" (Radio Edit) — 2:33

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

A&R: Trevor Jerdeau
Management: Rebel One, Pam Sullivan
Mixing: Manny Marroquin, Christian Plat

Production Missy Elliott, Cainon Lamb
Recording: Missy Elliott, Paul J. Falcone, Scott Berger-Felder
Vocal assistance: Missy Elliott

Charts

Release history

References

Jazmine Sullivan songs
Songs written by Jazmine Sullivan
2009 singles
Songs written by Missy Elliott
2009 songs
Songs written by Thomas Bangalter
Songs written by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
J Records singles
Songs written by Cainon Lamb


The VfB Helmbrechts is a German association football club from the city of Helmbrechts, Bavaria.

The club's most notable era was when it was playing in the 2nd Oberliga Süd, then the second tier of the German football league system, from 1955 to 1963.

History

1921 to 1945
The club was formed on 3 March 1921, and played its first game of football one month later. VfB did not have a proper ground until 1924 and competitive matches were rare in the early years. It won the local C-Klasse championship that year and earned promotion to the B-Klasse. The following season, the B-Klasse championship could be won and the VfB moved up to the A-Klasse.

After a number of attempts, Helmbrechts won the A-Klasse championship in 1931 and earned promotion to the tier-two Kreisliga, where it played against well-known local sides like SpVgg Weiden and FC Bayern Hof.

With the rise of the Nazis to power, league football in Germany was restructured in 1933. In Bavaria, the Gauliga Bayern was introduced with the Bezirksligas as the leagues below. Helmbrechts earned promotion to this league in 1934. In this league, the club performed well, earning upper table finishes until 1939. With the outbreak of the Second World War, VfB ceased to compete in league football.

1945 to 1998
The club restarted its football life in the local third division in 1946, earning a championship there and promotion to the tier-two Landesliga Bayern. After one season there, it had to step down once more. The club failed in promotion round in 1951, to return to what had now become the Amateurliga Bayern but, in 1953, the expansion of the league to two regional divisions allowed the club to return.

As a new club in the Amateurliga Nordbayern, VfB took out the championship straight away in 1954–55, also winning the Bavarian championship when beating southern champions FC Penzberg, and earned the right to compete for promotion to the 2nd Oberliga Süd. In a group with Borussia Fulda and Amicitia Viernheim, it won promotion finishing first, moving up alongside FC Penzberg, SpVgg Neu-Isenburg and VfR Heilbronn.

Its first four seasons in the second division proved a tough time for the VfB, living under permanent relegation threat. In 1956, only one point saved the club; the other years were not as desperate. In 1959, 12,000 spectators turn up to see the local derby against Bayern Hof, a 3–2 victory for Helmbrechts. The 1959–60 season saw the best performance by the club in its eight 2nd Oberliga years. At the winter break, it led the league, but in the end it fell two points short of Jahn Regensburg in second place and finished fourth. This season remained a unique experience for the club, the following one saw only a mid-table finish. In 1961–62, it escaped relegation by two points once more.

Changes to the German league system in 1963, the introduction of the Fußball-Bundesliga and the Regionalligas below meant, VfB would have had to finish ninth or better to retain its second division status. This mark was missed by two points in eleventh place and the club had to return to the now single-division again Amateurliga Bayern.

Upon return to the Amateurliga, Helmbrechts had a good first year, finishing fourth. The second season wasn't quite as good with only a seventh place and from then on the club resided in the lower half of the table. By 1971, after six difficult years, VfB suffered relegation to the tier-four Landesliga Bayern-Nord.

In the Landesliga, Helmbrechts slowly worked its way up, finishing fourth in 1972, third in 1973 and second in 1971, but only the league champion was eligible for promotion at that time. After this, results dropped off but the club remained an upper table side in this league, finally winning a championship and promotion back to what was now the Oberliga Bayern in 1979.

Back in Bavarias highest league, 6,300 spectators saw the derby against Bayern Hof, a 1–1 draw. VfB experienced a couple of good Oberliga years with a sixth place in 1982 the highlight but in 1983, the club was relegated back to the Landesliga once more. After a third place in 1984, four second places followed in a row from 1985 to 1988 but the team failed each of those four years in the promotion round. The club terminated this unique achievement by winning the league in 1988–89 and earning direct promotion.

VfB lasted for only two seasons in the Bayernliga before having to return to the Landesliga in 1991. After a disappointing eight place in 1992, 1993 saw another Landesliga title and promotion. The club remained in the Oberliga Bayern for the next four seasons without being able to break through to the upper half of the table. The 1996–97 season became the club's last in the upper reaches of Bavarian amateur football. Financially troubled, the club finished last in the league, 23 points clear of a non-relegation rank. VfB decided at the end of the season, not to take up its spot in the Landesliga for the next season but instead to play in the A-Klasse (VIII) where its reserve side played in 1996–97.

Insolvency
In 1998, the VfB had to declare insolvency but a new VfB Helmbrechts club was immediately formed, adopting the 98 to its name in reference to its rebirth.

The club made a quick on-the-field recovery, earning promotion to the Bezirksliga Oberfranken Ost (VII) in 2000. After a number of average seasons in this league, it took out the championship in 2004 and earned promotion to the Bezirksoberliga Oberfranken. From this league, after initially achieving good results, the club was relegated again in 2008.

In 2008–09, the club played in the tier-eight Bezirksliga Oberfranken Ost, suffering another relegation, now to the Kreisliga. At this level, in 2009–10, the club was yet again relegated, now to the tier-ten Kreisklasse Frankenwald. After two seasons the club started to make a recovery, winning a league championship in 2012 and being promoted back to the Kreisliga from where it dropped back to the Kreisklasse in 2014. After a Kreisklasse championship in 2015–16 the club returned to the Kreisliga.

Honours

League
 Amateurliga Nordbayern (III)
 Champions: 1955
 Kreisklasse Oberfranken (III)
 Champions: 1934
 Landesliga Bayern-Nord (IV)
 Champions: (3) 1979, 1989, 1993
 Runners-up: (5) 1974, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
 2nd Amateurliga Oberfranken Ost (IV)
 Champions: (2) 1951, 1953
 A-Klasse (III)
 Champions: 1931
 B-Klasse (IV)
 Champions: 1925
 C-Klasse (V)
 Champions: 1924
 Bezirksliga Oberfranken Ost (VII)
 Champions: 2004
 Kreisklasse Frankenwald
 Champions: 2012
 Kreisklasse Hof-West
 Champions: 2016

Recent seasons
The recent season-by-season performance of the club:

With the introduction of the Bezirksoberligas in 1988 as the new fifth tier, below the Landesligas, all leagues below dropped one tier. With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier. With the establishment of the Regionalliga Bayern as the new fourth tier in Bavaria in 2012 the Bayernliga was split into a northern and a southern division, the number of Landesligas expanded from three to five and the Bezirksoberligas abolished. All leagues from the Bezirksligas onwards were elevated one tier.

References

Sources
Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897–1988  History of Southern German football in tables, author: Ludolf Hyll

External links
 Official team site
 VfB Helmbrechts profile at Weltfussball.de
 Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German domestic league tables

Football clubs in Germany
Football clubs in Bavaria
Association football clubs established in 1921
Football in Upper Franconia
1921 establishments in Germany


Tommy Thumb's Song Book is the earliest known collection of British nursery rhymes, printed in 1744. No original copy has survived, but its content has been recovered from later reprints. It contained many rhymes that are still well known.

Publication
The book was advertised in the London Evening Post for 17–22 March 1744, with the full title: Tommy Thumb's Song Book for all little Masters and Misses; to be sung to them by their Nurses 'till they can sing themselves. By Nurse Lovechild. To which is added, a Letter from a Lady on Nursing; it was published by Mary Cooper of London.

No copy has survived, but a book of exactly the same title was published in 1788 by Isaiah Thomas of Worcester, Massachusetts, who normally reprinted English books in the form he found them. A few weeks after the first publication, Mrs Cooper produced a sequel, Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book Voll. [sic] II, of which copies are extant.

Contents
The 1788 edition begins with a letter to Nurse Lovechild, thanking her for bringing up the author's children and for the 'laudable design' of compiling a collection of songs 'fit for the capacities of infants ... by which they are often lull'd to Rest, when cross, and in great pain.' It also asks her not to frighten the children by singing too loud or by telling the names of various Bogies, nor to injure them by swinging them by the arms.

It then moves to a section of illustrations of animals, with the representative sounds they make, which instructions for the reader to show the child the pictures and to make the sounds: 'by which means the child, in a short time, will be able to do the same.'

The final section is a series of nursery rhymes with the titles:

The Features
Baby on the Tree Top
Patty Cake
Penny a day
London Bells
London Bridge
Tom Thumb and Nurse
Robin and Bobbin

Notes

External links

 Tommy Thumb's Song Book For All Little Masters and Misses (1815 reprint at Archive.org)

1744 poetry books
1740s children's books
1740s in London
18th-century British children's literature
British books
Collections of nursery rhymes
British nursery rhymes
British children's books


Arvesta, formerly known as Aveve is a Belgian company group which is active in agriculture and horticulture.

The Aveve group is a market leader in providing goods and services, such as cattle fodder, to the agricultural sector, but also runs the largest chain of garden centres for individuals in Belgium. It is a subsidiary of the Boerenbond (Roman Catholic Farmers Organisation). The Aveve group nowadays consists of two holding companies, namely Aveve NV and Cobelal NV. Aveve groups the companies which deal with distribution, cattle fodder, agriculture and horticulture. Cobelal NV produces products for the feeding industry, and machines for agriculture and horticulture.

History
The origins of Aveve date back to the foundation of the Roman Catholic Boerenbond in 1890. At the end of the nineteenth century European agriculture was in a crisis and as a response the Boerenbond was founded on 20 July 1890 by John F Mellaerts, Joris Helleputte and Frans Schollaert. It was a farmers' organization and was based on the cooperative model of Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen.

At the end of the 1890s a new organisation was created to group the commercial activities of the Boerenbond. The AVV (Aan- en Verkoopvennootschap or E: Buy and Sell Society) was founded as an independent organisation on 19 January 1901 by notary Roberti de Winghe te Leuven in Leuven. De Boerenbond was the main shareholder and management was provided by members of the Farmers organization.

During 2018, Aveve changed its name to Arvesta, but the 250 retail stores owned by the company retained the Aveve name.

References

 Leen Van Molle, Ieder voor allen. De Belgische Boerenbond 1890-1990, Universitaire Pers Leuven, 1990
 Astrid Hulhoven, AVEVE (1891-).
 B. Woestenborghs, Van aankoopafdeling tot klantenkring. Geschiedenis van de coöperatieve klantenstructuur in AVEVE, Leuven, 1994.
 B. Woestenborghs B. and R. Bijnens, Van A.V.V. tot Groep AVEVE. Geschiedenis van de bedrijfseconomische activiteiten van AVEVE, Leuven, 2000.

External links

 Aveve in ODIS – Online Database for Intermediary Structures
 Archives of Aveve in ODIS – Online Database for Intermediary Structures

Companies based in Flemish Brabant


Dullāh Bhādera () is a village, a mauza and Union Council of Bahawalnagar District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Chishtian Tehsil. It was established by Pahakar Khan Bhadera three centuries ago, when the clan migrated from Sheher Farid to settle on their own lands. Originally it was called 'Bhadera,' but later in 1890s when the village was given status of a mauza, it was renamed as Dullah Bhadera, after Abdullah Khan Bhadera. It is a few kilometers from the bank of river Sutlej. The village has a hospital (Basic Health Unit) and a middle school each for boys and girls. It is mainly inhabited by Bhadera Joiyas, a Rajput tribe, but serveral other tribes live in the village as well.

References

Populated places in Bahawalnagar District


Jaakko Valtanen (born 9 February 1925) is a Finnish general. He is the former Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces from 1983 to 1990. He was the last Finnish Chief of Defence to have served in the Continuation War. He has been the first guest to greet the President of Finland in the annual Independence Day Receptions since 2016.

References

External links
The Finnish Defence Forces: Chiefs of Defence

1925 births
Living people
People from Hämeenlinna
Chiefs of Staff (Finnish Defence Forces)
Finnish generals
Finnish military personnel of World War II


Egypt–Japan relations (, ) are foreign relations between Egypt and Japan. Such relations are described by the Egyptian ambassador to Japan as a "very strong friendship", with embassies mutually established. At present, the two nations maintain a cordial relationship with strong economic and trade relations.

History

Relations between two countries are traceable as far back as the nineteenth century. However, modern relations were established in 1922, when Japan recognised Egypt's independence. On February 26, 1945 the Egyptian government declared war on the Japanese Empire as part of the Allied war effort. The Egyptian government was signatory to the Peace Treaty of San Francisco in 1951, and diplomatic relations were reestablished in 1952. Since then, there has been a history of a cordial relationship, with several visits by senior diplomats and, most notably, visits by respective heads of state — in 1995, Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama visited Egypt and former President Mubarak of Egypt has visited Japan on several occasions 1983, 1995, and 1999. This habit of visitation is maintained up to present day, with the current president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi having visited Japan three times between the years of 2016 and 2020.

Between 1998 and 2002, Japan loaned, granted and provided more than $3.5 billion to Egypt. In 2002, bilateral trade between Egypt and Japan exceeded $1 billion; giving ambulances, a bridge and the visitor centre at the Valley of the Kings.

As of October 2009, 1051 Japanese citizens reside in Egypt. 90,000 Japanese visited Egypt in 2009 and 3,500 Egyptians visited Japan in 2007.

Diplomacy
Japan considers Egypt a key player in the Middle East and, as such, sees Egypt as a vital part of its diplomacy in the region. The two heads of government have been known to support each other on issues pertaining to the peace process in the Middle East.

The two countries maintain a "Joint Committee" dedicated to exploring developments in areas of mutual interest to the two countries.

References

External links
 Embassy of Egypt in Japan
 Embassy of Japan in Egypt


Claude Jeancolas (1949 – 10 February 2016) was a French writer, art historian and journalist. He is best known for his work on Arthur Rimbaud.

Life
His entire childhood and adolescence was spent in Nancy, in the east of France. At the age of 16 he left for Paris with his Baccalaureate diploma in his pocket. There he continued his studies in a preparatory class for the "grandes écoles". He entered the École Supérieure de Commerce of Paris (ESCP). He also has a degree from the Business School of the University of Texas where he continued his studies. He wrote his thesis on management of the American press. He was also a visiting scholar in various American universities including UCLA, Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco State University, the School of Journalism in Columbia Missouri, and Columbia University in New York... As of this time his time was divided between the press and writing. He died on 17 February 2016.

Journalism career
He began his career as the head of the financial analysis department of the weekly magazine Entreprise; he then created two management journals: Enseignement et gestion and the Revue Française de Gestion. After that he took over the head of the avant-garde monthly Mode international. Several years later he edited the magazines Collections, Décoration, and Mariages. He moved to Votre Beauté, a magazine that François Mitterrand edited at the beginning of his career. He later joined the Hachette Group, which is now the Lagardère Group, as international editor of Elle (four editions created worldwide) and Elle Décoration (14 editions created worldwide). He also created Cousteau Junior and Max. He was until 2012 the director of Marie Claire maison and Marie Claire travel magazines in Milan.

Art historian career
This interest for art came to be in 1969 after his meeting with the sculptor Edmond Moirignot, with whom he became a friend, later his guardian, and now the executor of his will. He published an important monograph on the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux in 1987. Intensive studies on the history of sculpture and French drawing followed. More recently he published two books on the Nabis and the Fauves, that is, those schools or movements that catapulted art into modernism at the turn of the century.

Rimbaud
This is how Raphaël Sorin presented him in l'Express when his Dictionnaire Rimbaud came out in 1991. A late calling though; after quoting a quotation of Arthur to his professor Izambard in an editorial in Max—the magazine that he directed at the time, he received so much mail that he decided to go into more depth on the subject. He continues to do so—publishing his findings on a regular basis. His vision of Rimbaud is far from the usual clichés of the damned poet. According to him, the poet is too intelligent (the best in his class) to be incoherent. His poems always have a meaning, are coherent, and have a mission. Rimbaud is determined and wilful.  He completely gives himself over to poetry because he is certain that it can be life changing. Une Saison en enfer, which is a quest for salvation, is also a written essay of a new bible for modern times. The poetry is thus a means and not an end, a tool, at the service of a very spiritual and humanist ideal. So, when he finds himself persuaded of its inefficiency—it being much slower than he had hoped—he discards it and moves on to something else. The vision of Claude Jeancolas is very human, and his Rimbaud, with his dreams, doubts, anger, lassitude and failures is brought closer to the reader, which explains the success of this biography with the general public. He has also redeemed his well criticised mother, Vitalie Rimbaud, in a biography that shows the intense love that attached this mother to her preferred child; and conversely, the necessity of this mother for Rimbaud to be able to become the man that we know.

Bibliography
Main publications :
1985
 Moirignot. Éditions du St Gothard. Paris
1987
 Carpeaux peintre et sculpteur. Edita. Lausanne
1991
 La Sculpture italienne du XXe siècle. Éditions Van Wilder. Paris
 Les Voyages de Rimbaud. Balland. Paris
 Le Dictionnaire Rimbaud. Balland. Paris
1993
 La Sculpture française. Fabbri. Milan
1995
 Le Dessin en France de la renaissance au XXe siècle. Rizzoli. Milan.
1996
 L'œuvre intégrale manuscrite de Rimbaud. Textuel. Paris
1997
 Le Don du père. Flammarion. Paris
 Les Lettres manuscrites de Rimbaud. Textuel. Paris
1998
 Lettres et poèmes de Rimbaud. L'auberge verte. Paris
 Une saison en enfer de Rimbaud. Hachette. Paris
 Passion Rimbaud. Textuel. Paris
1999
 Poésies de Rimbaud. Éditions mille et une nuits. Paris
 Rimbaud, la biographie. Flammarion. Paris
 Venise et ses peintres. Une histoire intime. Éditions Van Wilder. Paris
 L'Afrique de Rimbaud. Textuel. Paris
2000
 Rimbaud, l'œuvre. Textuel. Paris
2002
 La Peinture des Nabis. Éditions fvw. Paris
2004
 Vitalie Rimbaud, pour l'amour d'un fils. biographie. Flammarion
 Rimbaud après Rimbaud, anthologie. Textuel. Paris
2005
 Rimbaud, l'œuvre, la vie. Éditions France Loisirs
2006
 Les Fauves, couleurs et lumières. Éditions FVW. Paris
 Moirignot, la vie, l'œuvre, le catalogue raisonné. Éditions FVW. Paris
2007
 Le regard bleu d'Arthur Rimbaud. Éditions FVW. Paris
2008 in collaboration
 Fierté de fer with Joël Alessandra et Idriss Youssouf Elmi. Éditions Paquet. Genève
 L'aube du monde with Thibaut et Pascal Villecroix, Amina Saïd Chiré - FVW. Paris
2008
 Le Retour à Tadjoura – l'Afrique secrète de Jean-François Deniau – FVW. Paris
Many of those were translated in German, Korean, Japanese and English.

References

1949 births
French journalists
Writers from Nancy, France
2016 deaths
French male non-fiction writers


Jasminum officinale, known as the common jasmine or simply jasmine, is a species of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native to the Caucasus and parts of Asia, also widely naturalized.

It is also known as summer jasmine, poet's jasmine, white jasmine, true jasmine or jessamine, and is particularly valued by gardeners throughout the temperate world for the intense fragrance of its flowers in summer. It is also the National flower of Pakistan.

Description
Jasminum officinale is a vigorous, twining deciduous climber with sharply pointed pinnate leaves and clusters of starry, pure white flowers in summer, which are the source of its heady scent. The leaf has 5 to 9 leaflets.

Etymology
The Latin specific epithet officinale means "useful".

Distribution
It is found in the Caucasus, northern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Himalayas, Tajikistan, India, Nepal and western China (Guizhou, Sichuan, Xizang (Tibet), Yunnan). The species is also widely cultivated in many places, and is reportedly naturalized in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Algeria, Florida and the West Indies.

Chemical composition
J. officinale has been found to contain alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, glycosides, emodine, leucoanthocyanins, steroids, anthocyanins, phlobatinins, essential oil and saponins.

Garden history
Jasminum officinale is so ancient in cultivation that its country of origin, though somewhere in Central Asia, is not certain. H.L. Li, The Garden Flowers of China,  notes that in the third century CE, jasmines identifiable as J. officinale and J. sambac were recorded among "foreign" plants in Chinese texts, and that in ninth-century Chinese texts J. officinale was said to come from Byzantium. Its Chinese name, Yeh-hsi-ming is a version of the Persian and Arabic name.

Its entry into European gardens was most likely through the Arab-Norman culture of Sicily, but, as the garden historian John Harvey has said, "surprisingly little is known, historically or archaeologically, of the cultural life of pre-Norman Sicily". In the mid-14th century the Florentine author Boccaccio in his Decameron describes a walled garden in which "the sides of the alleys were all, as it were, walled in with roses white and red and jasmine; insomuch that there was no part of the garden but one might walk there not merely in the morning but at high noon in grateful shade." Jasmine water also features in the story of Salabaetto in the Decameron. Jasminum officinale, "of the household office" where perfumes were distilled, was so thoroughly naturalized that Linnaeus thought it was native to Switzerland. As a garden plant in London it features in William Turner's Names of Herbes, 1548.

Double forms, here as among many flowers, were treasured in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Cultivars
Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, often with variegated foliage. The cultivar 'Argenteovariegatum', with cream-white variegation on the leaves, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Aromatherapy

The essential oil of Jasminum officinale is used in aromatherapy. Jasmine absolute has a heavy, sweet scent valued by perfumers. The flowers release their perfume at dusk, so flowers are picked at night and a tiny amount of oil is obtained from each blossom by solvent extraction. The result is an expensive oil which can be used in low concentrations.

Safety
Jasmine is "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) as a food ingredient by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

It is unknown whether jasmine consumption affects breastmilk, as the safety and efficacy of jasmine in nursing mothers or infants has not been adequately studied. Drinking small amounts of jasmine tea likely are not harmful during nursing.

Allergic reactions to jasmine may occur.

References

officinale
Flora of Western Asia
Flora of the Indian subcontinent
Flora of Tajikistan
Flora of Tibet
Flora of Guizhou
Flora of Sichuan
Flora of Yunnan
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
National symbols of Pakistan
Dermatologic drugs
Medicinal plants of Asia
Garden plants of Asia