Description.

The new line passes under the passenger and freight tracks of the Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway on the northwestern approach to Mannheim Hauptbahnhof and then runs over a 2,200 m long viaduct that crosses several intersecting roads in the port area. This viaduct is interrupted by two tied-arch bridges, one over a port channel, while the other is the Western Riedbahn bridge ("Riedbahnbrücke West") over the Neckar. Adjoining the viaduct is an almost 2,000 m–long embankment, which is interrupted by a five-span prestressed concrete bridge; it lies partly on the route of the Riedbahn’s approach to the original "Riedbahnhof" (Riedbahn Station) in Mannheim, which had been disused since 1971. It connects with the old Riedbahn (Mannheim–Frankfurt railway) at a level junction in Mannheim-Waldhof station, which was extensively adapted. Three new stations were built on the line to the west of Mannheim: "Mannheim-Hafen", "Mannheim-Neckarstadt" and "Mannheim-Luzenberg". The line follows the route of the "Neckarstadtbahn" (Neckar light railway), which was closed in the 1960s.  Heavy and slow freight trains still use the original (eastern) approach to the Riedbahn.  The line has been built for a top speed of 160 km/h. The maximum gradient is 1.25% (apart from a 1.39% ramp at Mannheim Hauptbahnhof). In cross-section it has been built with a distance between the two tracks of 4.00 m and a formation width of 10.0 m. The line is now operable in the region of Mannheim Hauptbahnhof (to kilometre 1.4) at 60 km/h, increasing on the way to Handelshafen station to 120 km/h and on the rest of the line at 160 km/h. It is equipped with the traditional H/V signalling system and Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung train control system and from kilometre 5 and beyond with the Linienzugbeeinflussung (LZB) in-cab signalling and train protection system.

History.

Background.

In an international treaty contracted in 1843 by the former states of Baden, Hesse and the Free City of Frankfurt, it was agreed that the preferred route of the planned Main-Neckar Railway ("Main-Neckar-Bahn") would end in neither Mannheim nor Heidelberg. Instead the new line would run to Friedrichsfeld, which is between them. The Riedbahn, which was opened later and eventually developed into a direct line from Frankfurt to Mannheim, was apparently designed for through traffic from Frankfurt via Mannheim to the Palatinate rather than for traffic from Frankfurt via Mannheim to Karlsruhe.  The Baden Mainline, the first railway line connecting to Mannheim, came from the southeast, and as a result the main station ("Hauptbahnhof") was built to the southeast of the city centre. This caused a problem of connecting to the Riedbahn, which was opened to Mannheim from the north by the Hessian Ludwig Railway in October 1879. This originally came from Darmstadt, although later a direct connection from Frankfurt was built. The company built its own station, the "Riedbahnhof" (Ried station), on the northern outskirts of Mannheim, north of the current Kurpfalz bridge. This had no connection to the Baden Mainline. Through traffic to Mannheim Hauptbahnhof was not possible until 1880 when a bypass was opened via Käfertal to the Rhine Valley Railway, so that the Riedbahn now reached Mannheim Hauptbahnhof from the southeast. Continuing to Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, however, required locomotives to be unhitched and moved to the back of trains so that they could reverse direction.  Shortly before the First World War and in the mid-1920s it has been proposed that the Riedbahn be rerouted through the port area to reach the Hauptbahnhof.  Before the Second World War the city of Mannheim suggested in an expert opinion that the Riedbahn's approach to Mannheim be rerouted to the west via Lampertheim, Frankenthal and Ludwigshafen. The time advantage from removing the reversal of train would have been lost as a result of the extra 10 km of this route. Both the 1943 B3 program developed just before World War II and the more limited remodeling plans of 1950/51 contained an approach of the Riedbahn from the west to Mannheim Hauptbahnhof. The latter plans envisaged a 9.5 km long new line from Mannheim-Waldhof with a grade-separated junction in the station area. For cost reasons, the project was abandoned gradually in the early 1950s. Finally, after 1953, the city of Mannheim deleted this proposal from its plan.  Direct access from the Riedbahn to the Mannheim node was proposed in a study for the Executive Board of Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) in 1964. The project was resumed in 1970, initially as a regional transport project of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the city of Mannheim. The Board of Directors of Bundesbahn agreed to the proposal in August 1970. A quadruplication of the tracks between Mannheim-Waldhof and Groß-Gerau would have complemented the "Western Entrance to the Riedbahn." This would have connected with the proposed Cologne-Groß–Gerau railway. Neither project was realised.  The reversals (including change of locomotives) in the early 1980s took at least six minutes and required numerous shunting movements; up to 3000 shunting movements were counted at Mannheim Hauptbahnhof each day. These circumstances led to frequent delays. The reversal of the trains required all station tracks to be crossed. The Western Entrance to the Riedbahn project was developed to resolve these problems.

Planning.

The new line was divided into three sections for planning: the approach to the northwestern end of Mannheim Hauptbahnhof (section 1: 0.0 to 0.9 km), the line between km 0.9 and 5.9 (section 2) and the integration into Mannheim-Waldhof station (section 3: 5.9 to 9.5 km).  The first planning approval process was initiated in mid 1971. In 1972 a heads of agreement was signed with the City of Mannheim. The project was later managed as part of the Frankfurt–Mannheim upgraded line ("Ausbaustrecke") project. In March 1977, the Management of DB put the overall project to the Board for consideration and it was adopted in May 1977. The benefit-cost ratio of the overall project was estimated to be 6.73. The City of Mannheim approved the Western Entrance to the Riedbahn project in November 1977. Transport Minister Kurt Gscheidle approved the construction of the 9.1 km long overall project on 7 September 1978. The estimated cost amounted to Deutsche Mark (DM) 230 million in 1975 prices, of which DM 12 million was attributed to regional transport improvements.  Planning was approved for the first section on 25 October 1978. Construction of the first civil engineering structures began in February 1979. The grade-separated entry into Mannheim Hauptbahnhof caused an extensive remodeling of the western approaches to Mannheim Hauptbahnhof, including all bridges. Works on this section did not affect the public.  Between 5 February and 5 March 1979, plans for the (northern) section 3 were developed in the Mannheim town hall. A citizens' initiative against the project had formed. It demanded, among other things, the relocation of the existing and the new railway facilities, the adjacent federal highway and the tram tunnel; the associated costs were calculated by Deutsche Bundesbahn as around DM one billion. The lowering of the railway tracks and a later lowering of the federal highway, which was also demanded, would have improved the poor conditions in the centre of the Waldhof district. DB found that an underground route would be technically feasible but financially unacceptable. The public hearing on this section, which was initially scheduled for 15 January 1980, was postponed to 31 January 1980 at the insistence of the concerned citizens, who criticised the date and type of notification. It finally took place at the end of March 1980. DB again refused the demands of most objectors for an underground route. A common planning approach by the city, state, federal government and Deutsche Bundesbahn eventually emerged in response to the demands of the citizens' initiative. Despite maintaining the above ground route, improvements could be achieved. Among other things, street signage would be changed, pedestrian links would be separated from the railway by noise barriers and the construction of freight facilities would be delayed. DB presented this solution in detail to the public and it was explained and discussed. This compromise was not opposed.  Planning of the (middle) section 2, was finalised on 6 October 1980. Its construction began in mid 1980. With the adoption of the zoning decision for the Mannheim-Waldhof area, the planning approval process was completed in August 1981. A total of 1,037 objections were received against the construction of the line and 17 actions were taken in the administrative court. These 17 individual actions were launched by the citizens' initiative. According to DB information all actions were settled by consensus.  At the end of May 1979, the Mannheim City Council approved the project, after DB had agreed to extensive soundproofing.  In the projections developed for planning in the late 1970s, an annual average of about 35 express trains and 35 local trains as well as 55 to 60 long-distance trains were expected each workday in both directions. While the local trains would serve all three proposed new stations, express trains would only stop at the "Westkreuz" station (km 2.1), which would provide the best link to the urban transport network.

Construction.

Work began on the full length of the project in 1981. All construction on the line was completed in 1983. As part of the works three new stations (Luzenberg, Neckarstadt, Handelshafen) were built. Waldhof station was completely rebuilt.  As part of the project, a new platform underpass equipped with escalators was built in Mannheim Hauptbahnhof and a new relay interlocking was put into operation in 1982.

Commissioning.

Trial operations began in January 1985. In the spring of 1985, leaflets and films were issued on future operations on the line to help drivers acquire route knowledge.  The new line was inaugurated on 2 June 1985 by German Transport Minister Werner Dollinger.  With the commencement of operations, services were introduced at 20-minute intervals between Lampertheim and Mannheim Hauptbahnhof, operated with push–pull train; 36 to 38 trains ran daily to Schwetzingen or Hockenheim. Simultaneously, regional services on the eastern introduction of the Riedbahn were largely discontinued. A replacement bus service was established between Luzenberg and Käfertal.  With the commissioning of the Western Entrance to the Riedbahn, the journey time was reduced by around ten minutes. In combination with the new Mannheim–Stuttgart line to the south, the journey time between Frankfurt and Stuttgart was shortened by more than an hour.

Operations.

Apart from regional services of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar, the line is now served by three Intercity-Express routes connecting southern Germany with Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Dortmund. French TGV trains running between Frankfurt and Paris and Frankfurt and Marseille use the line.

Costs.

In the preliminary design, the construction costs (without planning costs) was estimated at DM 215 million at 1975 prices. 26 percent of this was for by land acquisition, compensation and preliminary work in Mannheim and another 31 percent was attributed to bridges. 20.5 percent attributed to substructure and superstructure, 3.5 percent for the local stations and 19 percent for railway technical equipment.  The planning cost was DM 260 million at the end of 1981. In mid-1982, the planning cost was DM 280 million (at 1981 prices), of which more than DM 140 million had been spent. Ultimately, the construction cost was DM 300 million. About DM 100 million had been spent by the autumn of 1981.  Almost DM 250 million had been spent by the end of 1984 out of a total of DM 290 million (1985 prices).

The Western Entrance to the Riedbahn ("Westliche Einführung der Riedbahn", WER) is a 9.5 km-long line in the Germany state of Baden-Württemberg, which was opened in 1985. It gives direct access from the Mannheim–Frankfurt railway (known as the "Riedbahn") from the north to the western end of Mannheim Hauptbahnhof, allowing trains to the east and the south (and "vice versa") to continue without reversal.

Die Westliche Einführung der Riedbahn (WER) ist eine 1985 eröffnete, 9,2 km lange Neubaustrecke in Mannheim, die der direkten Einführung der Riedbahn von Norden in den Mannheimer Hauptbahnhof dient, ohne die Stadt östlich zu umfahren.


History.

The name Portishead derives from the "port at the head of the river". It has been called Portshead and Portschute at times in its history and Portesheve in the Domesday Book, and was locally known as Posset.  The town's recorded history dates back to Roman times, although there is also evidence of prehistoric settlement, including polished flint axe heads. There were also Iron Age settlements in the area, of which Cadbury Camp was the largest. Other sites that have been identified include a site that was successively occupied by the Romans, Britons and Danes. There is some evidence that it may have been the western end of the Wansdyke, an early medieval or possibly Roman boundary with a series of defensive linear earthworks extending to the Savernake Forest near Marlborough in Wiltshire.  After the Norman conquest the manor was held by the Bishop of Coutances and later reverted to the crown, after which William II gave it to a merchant from Bristol known as Harding and then to his son Robert Fitzharding who became Lord of Berkeley. The Berkeley family held it for generations until it passed by marriage to the Cokes of Holkham in Norfolk. In the 14th century it belonged to Everard le Frenshe. In 1621 the Bristol Corporation purchased large portions of land in Portishead and revived the Manor Court. The rights of the corporation over the manor was disputed but they held it until 1836 when they sold it for £8,050. The parish of Portishead was part of the Portbury Hundred.  The town was built on the mouth of a small tributary of the Severn Estuary near the mouth of the River Avon. The old pill or jetty provided protection for craft against the Bristol Channel's large tidal range, and iron rings can be seen in the high street at which fishing boats used to moor. Its position meant Portishead was used to guard the "King Road", as the waters around the headland are called. In 1497 it was the departure point for John Cabot on the Matthew. A fort was built on Battery Point, and was used during the English Civil War when the town supported the Royalists, but surrendered to Fairfax in 1645. Guns were also placed at Battery Point during World War II. The King Road was the site of a naval action in 1758 when HMS Antelope captured HMS Belliqueux, one of a French squadron returning from Quebec.  A mill was built on Welhay stream but this was replaced by tidal mills. In the 17th century the City of Bristol bought the manors of North Weston and Portishead for access to the channel and as a place to stay outside of the city and, in the 19th century, as a seaside resort. An outer sea wall was built allowing the local marshes to be drained and increased the land available for farming. The dominant architecture is early Victorian, with some buildings maintaining their original features. The expansion in residential property coincided with the construction of the dock, pier and the rail link to Bristol. The Royal Hotel by the pier was built in a Tudor Gothic style in 1830, to provide accommodation and catering for travellers on the steamers from Bristol, Wales and Ireland.

Governance.

The town is the larger area served by the town council of Portishead. The council is made up of 18 councillors representing six wards: Portishead Central, Portishead Coast, Portishead East, Portishead South & North Weston, Portishead Redcliffe Bay, and Portishead West. It has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The town council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The town council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the village hall or community centre, playing fields and playgrounds, as well as consulting with

Geography.

Physical geography.

Portishead is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary. It lies north east of Clevedon and immediately south west of Avonmouth just across the River Avon, which forms the boundary between Somerset and Bristol. The city of Bristol is to the east and Portishead is approximately west of London. On clear days, Wales can be seen across the Severn Estuary from the town. The Eastwood area has been designated as a local nature reserve. It consists broadleaf woodland on a coastal limestone ridge which leads to Battery Point which had a defensive gun position and Portishead Point Lighthouse is on the promontory. There is also geological interest in the fossils, folds and faults found in the area.

Climate.

Along with the rest of South West England, Portishead has a temperate climate generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is about 10 °C (50 °F) with seasonal and diurnal variations, but the modifying effect of the sea restricts the range to less than that in most other parts of the United Kingdom. January is the coldest month, with mean minimum temperatures between 1 °C (34 °F) and 2 °C (36 °F). July and August are the warmest, with mean daily maxima around 21 °C

Demography.

Portishead had a population of 22,000 in 2016, an increase of over 3,000 since the figure of 17,130 recorded in the 2001 census, with a growth rate of

Economy.

Local employers include the Avon and Somerset Constabulary (which has its headquarters on the western edge of the town), Gordano School, and numerous care homes for the elderly, as well as a retail complex. The Victorian High Street has retained a number of local shops, such as Morgan-Westley, The Outlet,

Landmarks.

Court House Farmhouse dates from the medieval period but was remodelled in the 17th and 19th centuries. The Grade II* listed building is owned by Bristol City Council and in 2010 protests from local residents attempted to stop its sale.  The red brick National Nautical School was built by Edward Gabriel in 1905, at a cost of £30,000. Previously it had been based on the training ship HMS "Formidable" and operated until 1983. It is now part of a private gated community known as Fedden Village.  The remains of a former windmill, built in 1832 but disused since 1846, were rebuilt into a two-storey house and then, in 1908, incorporated into a golf club house. The building has

Transport.

Transport links to Bristol and beyond have been a concern for some residents of the town and a group has been set up to campaign for the reopening of the Portishead to Bristol railway line. The cost has been estimated at £28 million, and feasibility plans are being considered.  The main A369 road - known after the historical name for the area as "The Portbury Hundred", which links the town to the nearby M5 motorway - is prone to congestion, especially during rush hours. Major traffic-flow modifications have caused much controversy because they are widely seen as having caused queuing where none existed before.

Education.

The Unitary Authority of North Somerset provides support for 78 schools, delivering education to approximately 28,000 pupils. Infant and primary schools in Portishead include: High Down Infant and Junior, Portishead Primary, St. Joseph's Catholic Primary, St. Peter's C of E Primary and Trinity Anglican Methodist Primary School. Secondary education is provided by Gordano School. In 1999, the school was awarded Specialist Schools Technology College status (see awards). Gordano School enrolls approximately 1,800 students annually, ages 11–19. The official opening took place on 12 July 1957. The school had cost £146,000 and still needed work to the playing fields. By September of that year, pupil numbers had increased to 500 and councillors were demanding more classrooms. The increase was attributed to the "post-war bulge". In

Religious sites.

The Norman Church of St Peter (shown right) was built in 1320 and rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries in the Perpendicular Gothic style. In 1952 it was made a Grade I listed building. The four-stage tower is a prominent landmark, with set back buttresses and a pierced parapet. The

Sport.

Portishead has a sports and leisure complex, which was partly funded by the National Lottery as well as by funds from the Town Council and North Somerset Council. It houses a large swimming pool, leisure and play pools, indoor bowls, six badminton courts, a gymnasium, a fun room for toddlers, a cafeteria and a licensed bar. Other sporting facilities in the town include open-air tennis courts, a large outdoor swimming-pool opened in 1962 (and renovated in 2009), a boating

Culture.

The Bristol-based trip hop group Portishead took their name from the town, despite describing it as their "dreary home-town". Chaos UK is a punk band that was formed in Portishead in 1979. The town was also the birthplace of leading Scrumpy and Western singer Adge Cutler.  There are various groups and societies in the town, including the Gordano society that is involved in history,

Twinned towns.

In 1989 the town twinned with Den Dungen, a small town of approximately 6,000 inhabitants about from the city of's-Hertogenbosch, capital of the Province of North Brabant in the Netherlands. Den Dungen was a separate municipality until 1996, when it was merged with Sint-Michielsgestel.  In 1992 a further twinning arrangement was made with Schweich, the principal town in a municipality of some 20,000 people, from the Roman city of Trier. This municipality is in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Moselle, about northeast of Trier. Schweich is the seat of the "Verbandsgemeinde" ("collective municipality") Schweich an der Römischen Weinstraße.

Portishead () is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary, close to Bristol - but within the unitary district of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It has a population of around 25,000, with a growth rate considerably in excess of surrounding towns.

Portishead (Somerset) ist eine Stadt mit etwa 25.000 Einwohnern in der Region South West in England, Vereinigtes Königreich. Die Stadt hat einen Fischereihafen und ist in den letzten Jahren stark gewachsen.


Biography.

Zindzi Mandela was born on 23 December 1960 in Soweto to Nelson Mandela and Winnie Mandela. Her father was both a direct descendant of holders of the kingship of the Thembu people and an heir to the chieftaincy of Mvezo. Zindzi's nephew Mandla, descended from Mandela via his first wife Evelyn Mase, currently holds the latter title.  The year of her birth was also the year that the African National Congress (ANC) launched an armed wing. Her parents were wanted by the government. By the time her father was sent to prison Zindzi was 18 months old. During her youth Zindzi was often left in the care of her older sister Zenani Mandela when her mother was sent to prison for months at a time.  In 1977 her mother was banished to the Free State and Zindzi lived with her. Zindzi was not able to complete her education until she was sent to Swaziland. Eventually her mother was allowed to move back to Soweto.  In 1985 her father was offered a conditional release by the South African president, P. W. Botha. Her father's reply could not be delivered by her parents and Zindzi was chosen to read his refusal at a public meeting on 10 February 1985.  She studied law at the University of Cape Town, where she earned a BA in 1985.  Her poetry was published in 1978 in the book "Black as I Am", with photographs by Peter Magubane, and has also appeared in publications including "Somehow We Survive: An Anthology of South African Writing", edited by Sterling Plumpp and "Daughters of Africa", edited by Margaret Busby.

Release of father and First Lady.

When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, immediate talks began between the unbanned political party the ANC, and the ruling government the National Party to dismantle the Apartheid system.  With then ANC president Oliver Tambo's health deteriorating, Mandela was elected as the new ANC president and a candidate for the President of South Africa in the upcoming 1994 general elections.  After Mandela was elected president and his divorce from Winnie in 1996, Zindziswa was chosen to accompany her father to his inauguration and become the stand in First Lady of South Africa until her father remarried in 1998 on his 80th birthday to former Mozambique first lady Graça Machel.

Career.

Mandela-Hlongwane is said to have agreed to arrange a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to coincide with her father's birthday in 2011. The match did not take place and the boxing promoter Duane Moody sued successfully for a US court to order that she pay $4.7m, plus costs, in damages to Moody. Mandela-Hlongwane was expected to appeal.

Ambassadorship.

In 2014 she was reported to be South Africa's ambassador to Denmark. She first arrived in Denmark in June 2015.

Personal life.

Zindzi has been married twice and has four children: Zoleka Mandela, (1980), Zondwa Mandela (1985), Bambatha Mandela (1989) and Zwelabo Mandela (1992). Her first husband was Zwelibanzi Hlongwane. She married her second husband, Molapo Motlhajwa, who was a member of the South African National Defence Force, in March 2013.

Controversies.

Twitter controversy.

In June 2019, while ambassador to Denmark, Mandela's Twitter account sent a series of increasingly strongly worded Tweets, where she discussed "trembling white cowards who are the thieving rapist descendants of Van Riebeck [sic]", and "uninvited visitors who don't want to leave" that caused significant controversy. Mandela-Hlongwane had previously that month expressed her "deep, pure unconditional love and respect" for "CIC" (leader) of the Economic Freedom Fighters(EFF), Julius Malema.  While being investigated by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) for breaching their social media policy, Mandela remained defiant, Tweeting that "I am not accountable to any white man or woman for my personal views. No missus or baas here. Get over yourselves #OurLand". She was ordered by foreign minister Naledi Pandor to "conduct herself as a diplomat" and to adhere to the department's social media policy, and concern about her views was expressed by former president Thabo Mbeki, and her views were described as hate speech by ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang, while her opinions drew support from the EFF and the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Sihle Zikalala. Her Tweets came close to the end of her four-year term as ambassador to Denmark.

Zindziswa Mandela (born 23 December 1960), also known as Zindzi Mandela-Hlongwane, is a South African politician who is currently serving as her country's ambassador to Denmark. The daughter of anti-apartheid activists Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Zindzi is the younger sister of Zenani Mandela and the third of Nelson Mandela's three daughters.

Nobutho Zindziswa Mandela-Hlongwane (* 23. Dezember 1960 in Johannesburg) ist eine südafrikanische Lyrikerin und Politikerin. Sie ist seit 2015 Botschafterin ihres Heimatlandes in Dänemark. Sie trat zudem zwischen 1996 und 1998 offiziell als First Lady Südafrikas auf, nachdem ihr Vater Nelson Mandela geschieden worden war und bevor dieser erneut heiratete.


Plot.

Berry-Berry Willart (Beatty) is a young, handsome hedonistic drifter who has no trouble living off the women of all ages he seduces. When the women become too attached to him, his charm turns sadistic and frequently lands him in jail for battery. Berry-Berry is always on the road far from home, is rarely seen by his drunken father Ralph (Karl Malden), his adoring but controlling and manipulative mother, Annabel (Angela Lansbury), or his sixteen-year-old brother Clinton (Brandon deWilde).  The story follows Clinton, who idolizes Berry-Berry, despite having to bail him out of jail in Florida, and later accompanying Ralph to Western Union to wire bail money when Berry-Berry is arrested a second time for beating up a woman. Remarks by Ralph indicate this isn't the first time he's wired bail money for Berry-Berry.  Clinton is infatuated with Echo O'Brien (Saint), the 31-year-old daughter of a family friend who stays with them when she comes to town for a visit. Though beautiful, Echo has never married, and is getting over the suicide of her troubled long-time boyfriend over a year ago. She is friendly toward the much younger Clinton, referring to him affectionately as "my guy."  But when she meets Berry-Berry, there's an instant mutual attraction between them, and they abruptly leave a family backyard cookout that evening to be alone together.  Berry-Berry asks Clinton for permission to be with Echo, saying that he wants her and she wants him, but acknowledging that Clinton saw her first. He says he'll back off if Clinton doesn't give the okay. Clinton, knowing he has no real chance with Echo, just tells Berry-Berry to treat her nice.  After this, Berry-Berry and Echo are constantly in each other's company.  When they return home after an evening out some time later, Berry-Berry finds out that Echo is pregnant. She tells him that she doesn't expect anything from him; that she took a gamble that someday he would love her, not that he'd marry her, and she lost. As she tells him he's free, he runs out of the house and drives off in the rain, leaving her in tears. Clinton, who had been eavesdropping, witnesses the whole exchange.  Echo decides she must leave the Willarts' house immediately. She assures Clinton, who's concerned about the rain and the late hour, that she loves driving at night. But the Willarts are awakened later by a call from a state trooper, reporting that Echo had driven off the road and been killed in the ensuing crash.  Ralph tells Annabel and Clinton that Echo was too good a driver for her crash to have been an accident, and that Berry-Berry must have had something to do with it. Clinton suddenly throws Berry-Berry's framed portrait to the floor and stomps on it. Annabel pushes him away, picks up the portrait and holds it closely, shrieking that she doesn't care what Berry-Berry's done, she'll love him always.  Clinton sneaks into Berry-Berry's room when his brother is out, and gets the latter's pistol (which Berry-Berry had shown him earlier) and waits behind the curtains for Berry-Berry to return. But he's surprised to see Berry-Berry, when he finally returns, collapse onto the bed, sobbing. Clinton returns the pistol where he found it and leaves, seeing Berry-Berry as someone to be pitied.

Reception.

Critical.

Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" panned the film, describing it as "distasteful and full of cheap situations and dialogue". He found the premise of the movie—that "everyone in the story is madly in love with a disgusting young man who is virtually a cretin"—fatally flawed.  Pauline Kael gave the film faint praise for being "ambitious" and "elaborately staged", but contrary to reviews of the original novel – which had been met upon its release by "widespread critical acclaim" – Kael disliked the story itself. Referring to Clinton, she wrote: "Does "anybody" really grow up the way this boy grows up? He learns the truth, squares his shoulders, and walks out into the bright sunlight, as Alex North's music rises and swells in victory. How many movies have pulled this damned visual homily on us, this synthetic growing-into-a-man, as if it happened all at once and forever?"

Box office.

According to MGM records, the film recorded a loss of $1,048,000.

Home media.

Video.

Warner Home Video released the film on Region 1 DVD as part of its "Archive Collection" on June 22, 2009.

Soundtrack.

Its score had music composed and conducted by Alex North, whose other scores include "Spartacus" (1960) and "Cleopatra" (1963).  North's score was released for the first time on CD in April 2003, on the Film Score Monthly (FSM) label in association with Turner Classic Movies Music, as FSM0606, a limited-release of 3,000, along with North's suite for the film "The Outrage" (1964), directed by Martin Ritt. FSM described North's soundtrack as a "poignant, sweetly jazzy score...full of hushed, haunting textures, with lovely themes drawing the pained connections between the characters, delicately balanced between love and pain".

All Fall Down is a 1962 American drama film, adapted from the novel "All Fall Down" (1960) by James Leo Herlihy, the author of "Midnight Cowboy" (1965). It was directed by John Frankenheimer and produced by John Houseman. The screenplay was adapted from the novel by playwright William Inge and the film starred Eva Marie Saint and Warren Beatty. Upon its release, the film was a minor box-office hit. Together with her performance in Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962), Angela Lansbury (who played a destructively manipulative mother in both films) won the year's National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film was entered in the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.

Mein Bruder, ein Lump ist ein US-amerikanischer Spielfilm aus dem Jahr 1962. Der Film entstand nach dem Roman "Ich und dieser Berryberry" (Originaltitel: "All Fall Down") von James Leo Herlihy.


History.

Ski jumping originated in Norway, and has been practiced since time immemorial, using handmade temporary hills. The first record is credited to Olaf Rye, a soldier who set up a show spectated by his fellow soldiers in 1808, reaching in Eidsberg, Norway. This small hill was probably near Eidsberg church, possibly at the farm Lekum.  Sondre Norheim, credited as the 'father' of modern skiing, made the second official record at in 1868. Tim Ashburn says in his book "The History of Ski Jumping" that Norheim's longest jump on the circular track in Haugli ground in 1868 should have been measured at, but that newspapers in Christiania reported that the length "was a little exaggerated", so the official record is everywhere written as 19.5 m.  The sport quickly spread to Finland, the United States and Canada, where some of the subsequent records were set. Early jumping competitions were only scored by style, and it was seen as disruptive to attempt to jump further. Not until 1901 was a scoring system for distance introduced. With the construction of "Bloudkova Velikanka" in Planica, Yugoslavia, in 1934, the separate discipline of ski flying was introduced, which is essentially an 'extreme' version of ski jumping.  With one exception, all of the world records for distance have been set on five of the world's six ski flying hills, of which five remain in use. In 1936, Josef "Sepp" Bradl was the first to surpass the mark, landing a jump of. The FIS was long opposed to ski flying as a whole, and it has never been included in the Olympic or Nordic World Ski Championships. However, since 1972, the FIS Ski Flying World Championships has been a mainstay event, and ski flying event are also part of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup calendar. The first to officially reach was Toni Nieminen in 1994, by landing a jump of ; at the time, ski jumpers did not receive distance points for the part of the jumps exceeding 191 metres.  The distance of a ski jump is measured from the end of the 'table' (the very tip of the 'inrun' ramp) to halfway between the athletes' feet when they touch ground. To qualify, the jump must be made in a sanctioned competition, or official trial or qualification runs for these, with a system to control the actual length. To win a competition, an athlete needs both distance and style, the latter of which is achieved by attaining a proper Telemark landing; therefore jumpers are not motivated to jump as far as possible, only as far necessary to attain a good landing. Jumps are invalid if the jumper falls, defined as touching the ground with his hands or body before reaching the fall line. However, if an athlete touches the snow with any part of their body after landing, and receives style points greater than 14 from at least three judges, the jump is valid and counts as an official world record.  When ski flying began in the 1930s, jumps were recorded in a traditional Scandinavian measure of length, the Danish alen (1 alen (Denmark) = ). Some older United States and Canadian records were recorded in feet. Now, jump length is measured by the meter. Today, camera technology capably makes the measurements. Before, spectators were stationed downhill, meter by meter, and the raised hand of the nearest observer marked the jumper's landing.

Official world records.

Although International Ski Federation doesn't officially recognize world records.

Invalid world records.

If an athlete touches the ground with their hands, body, or falls before reaching the outrun line, the jump is deemed invalid and thus not listed as a world record. Jumps landed during non-competition training rounds or hill tests are also not recognized as official world records. Distances set by test jumpers ("Vorspringer", or "V-jumpers") during competition rounds are deemed official.

All jumps over 250 metres.

As of 24 March 2019

Most number of jumps over 250 metres.

As of 24 March 2019, including invalid jumps:

Summer world records.

Plastic matting for ski jumping was invented by German athlete Hans Renner. The first ski jumping tests on plastic without any audience were made on 31 October 1954 at Regenbergschanze in Zella-Mehlis, East Germany. The "Wadeberg Jugendschanze" K40 in Oberhof, East Germany, which was built just next to the old Thüringenschanze, officially became the world's first plastic covered ski jumping hill. On 21 November 1954 they organized first ever and at the same time regional competition on plastic at »Wadeberg Jugendschanze K40« in front of 15,000 spectators where Werner Lesser set first two ever plastic/summer world records of 41 and 42 metres (135 & 138 ft). Russian ski jumper Dimitry Vassiliev holds the current summer world record on plastic with 147.5 metres (484 ft) which he set at Russian National Championships on 15 October 2016 in Sochi, Russia.

Ski jumping is a winter sport in which athletes compete on distance and style in a jump from a ski jumping hill. The sport has traditionally focused on a combination of style and distance, and it was therefore early seen as unimportant in many milieus to have the longest jump. The International Ski Federation (Fédération Internationale de Ski; FIS) has largely been opposed to the inflation in hill sizes and setting of distance records, and no world records have been set at Olympic, World Championship, Holmenkollen Ski Festival or Four Hills Tournament events, as these have never been among the largest hills in the world.

Dieser Artikel behandelt die Entwicklung des Skisprung- bzw. Skiflugweltrekords. Das erste offizielle Skifliegen wurde 1950 am Kulm in Tauplitz veranstaltet und von der FIS als Sonderdisziplin des Skispringens anerkannt. Vorher gab es nur das „normale“ Skispringen.


Personal life.

Jones currently lives in Carlsbad, California. She is a graduate from the University of Wollongong with a Diploma of Teaching in Primary Education in 1990. She has a twin sister, Gabrielle Jones.

Athletic career.

Jones started competing in triathlons in 1990. In 1992 and 1993 she won the ITU Triathlon World Championships. In 1996, she won the inaugural XTERRA Triathlon World Championships. Jones would go on to further expand her triathlon résumé by winning the ITU Triathlon World Cup in 1998 and 1999. At the 2000 Summer Olympics Jones took the silver medal in the inaugural triathlon event with a total time of 2:00:42.55, only two seconds behind gold medalist Brigitte McMahon. Her split times were 19:43.88 for the swim, 1:05:32.90 for the cycling and 0:35:25.77 for the run.  After recently expanding into Iron distance competition, Jones took second place in the 2005 Ironman World Championship, losing the lead during the run to Natascha Badmann. This was only the second time that she competed in an iron distance triathlon. Later she won the 2006 Ironman Arizona Triathlon, finishing with a time of 9:12:53, and the Ironman Triathlon in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 9:18:31. With this victory, Jones became the first Australian woman to win a World Ironman Championship and it made her the second Australian in history to win the event, behind 1994 Men's World Champion, Greg Welch.  In May 2015, it was confirmed that Jones would be Australian paratriathlete Katie Kelly's new guide in the lead up to the 2016 Summer Paralympics. With Jones, she won the World Paratriathlon Event held in Yokohama, Japan on 16 May 2015. Kelly with guide Jones won their first World Championship title after a come-from-behind victory at the 2015 World Championships Final in Chicago. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Jones was the guide for Kelly when they won the gold medal in the Women's PT5 event.  Jones reflects on her medal win with Kelly stating: "This is so much better because when I think of everything KK (Katie Kelly) has been through and to be able of doing everything she’s done in such short amount of time,” she said. “To me this is the best thing that I’ve ever done.” Jones expresses further explaining "Disability doesn't define you, it's what you do with it that does" She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2017.

Michellie Yvonne Jones ( ; born 6 September 1969) is an Australian triathlete. She has won two ITU Triathlon World Championships, an Olympic silver medal, and the 2006 Ironman World Championship. She won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics as a guide for Katie Kelly, when paratriathlon made its debut at the Paralympics.

Michellie Yvonne Jones AM (* 6. September 1969 in Fairfield) ist eine australische Triathletin. Sie ist zweifache Weltmeisterin auf der Kurzdistanz, Weltmeisterin im Cross-Triathlon, Silbermedaillengewinnerin bei den Olympischen Spielen 2000 in Sydney und Goldmedaillengewinnerin bei den Paralympischen Spielen (2016).


History.

Sweden.

In Sweden, professional home staging, known as homestyling, became popular after 2000. Professional home stagers claim homestyling yields around 10% higher pricing compared to just cleaning the home.

UK.

In Britain, home staging is sometimes referred to as property presentation or property styling. The techniques were televised by home stylist Ann Maurice in the show "House Doctor" on Five for six years. and popularized the alternate description "house doctoring." Her follow-up show is named "House Doctor: Inside And Out".

U.S..

The New York Times described the seller's situation as "... not always happily, in the company of unfamiliar sofas... tables..." while some of what they own is placed in temporary storage. However, U.S. research states that home staging can reduce a listing's time on the market by one third to half, and could fetch as much as 6% to 20% more than an empty home or a home not properly staged. The pricing is not just for a one time dollar amount; high-end fees can be "$3,000 a month" (part of which is for renting replacement furniture).  The practice of home staging has long elicited strong reactions. Agents and professional stagers point to examples like the Sarro-Waite apartment, and say staging can usually help a home sell faster, and for a higher price, offering a larger return on the investment. There is criticism on the fact that buyers will have to pay more for nothing, the furnitures aren't part of the sales.  One 2018 professional view is that it's five years past simple decluttering and some light painting. Home staging services have sizable inventories of alternative chairs, current accessories and even pillows, blankets and towels. A decade prior, the simple view was that sellers believed in paid-for-staging, since it raised property values by reducing the home's perceived flaws. More recent changes now include depersonalizing, improving overall condition and even landscaping. For vacant homes, "prop" or "staging" furniture is used to create a living space where the buyer can imagine themselves living and also better understand the sizes of rooms.  Prices for initial consultation and monthly follow-up fees vary by region and by the size of the property (including number of rooms).

Home staging is the preparation of a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money. Staging techniques focus on improving a property's appeal by insuring it is a welcoming, attractive product that any buyer can see himself/herself living in and, thus, desire to purchase.

Home Staging wird das professionelle Adaptieren von Räumen einer Wohnung oder kompletten Immobilien zur Verkaufsförderung genannt. Diese Adaption umfasst den gezielten Einsatz von Möbeln, Farbe, Licht, Wand- und Fußbodengestaltung. Gebäude, die mit Home Staging für den Verkauf vorbereitet werden, werden in Anlehnung an die Schaffung von Illusionen in der Filmwirtschaft auch Set genannt.


Early life and acting.

Aladag was born as Feodora Schenk in 1972; She later married fellow director Züli Aladağ. She began her film career as an actress, completing her training in London and Vienna from 1990-1995. While studying acting she also completed a masters in Psychology and Journalism, continuing on to receive her Doctorate of Philosophy in 2000.  She acted in numerous film and television productions while attending master-classes and directing seminars at the European Film Academy and the German Film and Television Academy. During this time she also maintained a career as a successful scriptwriter and commercial film director; directing various spots for Amnesty International and writing scripts for the German television series Tatort.

"When We Leave".

Aladag's directorial debut "When We Leave" had its world premiere at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival in 2010, where it won the Europa Cinema Label Award. It went on to win the World Narrative Feature Competition at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, as well as the German Film Prize for Best Actress for Sibel Kekilli, and the for Best Film in Bronze.  The film's festival run included several international film festivals, where it won some "best of" and audience awards at festivals like the São Paulo International Film Festival, the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival and the Angers European First Film Festival in France.  "When We Leave" was selected as the German entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, but didn't make the final shortlist.

"Inbetween Worlds".

In June 2013, Independent Artists wrapped their new feature film "Inbetween Worlds", which was secretly filmed on location in the region of Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz in Afghanistan. "Inbetween Worlds" had its premiere at the competition section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival in 2014 and was nominated for the German Directors Award Metropolis and the VGF Producers Newcomers Award in 2014.

Independent Artists Filmproduction.

In 2005 Aladag founded Independent Artists Filmproduktion. Based in Berlin, Germany, Independent Artists was the production company behind "When We Leave" and "Inbetween Worlds", as well as Aladag's upcoming projects.

Feo Aladag is an Austrian film director, screenwriter, producer, and actress best known for her film "When We Leave", which won the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.

Feo Aladag (eigentlich "Feodora Aladağ", geb. "Feodora Schenk"; * 13. Januar 1972 in Wien; wirkte auch unter ihrem Geburtsnamen "Schenk") ist eine österreichische Schauspielerin, Regisseurin und Drehbuchautorin.


Structure.

The descending thoracic aorta is part of the aorta, which has different parts named according to their structure or location. The descending thoracic aorta is a continuation of the descending aorta and becomes the abdominal aorta when it passes through the diaphragm. The initial part of the aorta, the ascending aorta, rises out of the left ventricle, from which it is separated by the aortic valve. The two coronary arteries of the heart arise from the aortic root, just above the cusps of the aortic valve. The aorta then arches back over the right pulmonary artery. Three vessels come out of the aortic arch: the brachiocephalic artery, the left common carotid artery, and the left subclavian artery. These vessels supply blood to the head, neck, thorax and upper limbs.  Behind the descending thoracic aorta is the vertebral column and the hemiazygos vein. To the right is the azygos veins and thoracic duct, and to the left is the left pleura and lung. In front of the descending thoracic aorta lies the root of the left lung, the pericardium, the esophagus, and the diaphragm.  The esophagus, which is covered by a nerve plexus lies to the right of the descending thoracic aorta. Lower, the esophagus passes in front of the aorta, and ultimately is situated on the left.

Function.

The aorta is an artery that conveys oxygenated blood from the heart to other parts of the body. It is one of the largest arteries in the body. The aorta gives off several paired branches as it descends. In descending order, these include the  Note: The posterior intercostal arteries are branches that originate throughout the length of the posterior aspect of the descending thoracic aorta.

The descending thoracic aorta is a part of the aorta located in the thorax. It is the third and last part of the thoracic aorta and is a continuation of the aortic arch. It is located within the posterior mediastinal cavity. The descending thoracic aorta begins at the lower border of the fourth thoracic vertebra and ends in front of the lower border of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, at the aortic hiatus in the diaphragm where it becomes the abdominal aorta.

Die Aorta thoracica („Brustaorta“) ist ein Abschnitt der Hauptschlagader (Aorta) bei Säugetieren. Sie ist die direkte Fortsetzung des Aortenbogens und zieht im Mediastinum in Richtung Zwerchfell. Dort tritt sie durch den Aortenschlitz ("Hiatus aorticus") und wird dann als Bauchaorta (Aorta abdominalis) bezeichnet.


Plot.

With Galleria away at Cambridge, Chanel (Adrienne Bailon), Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan), and Aqua (Kiely Williams) are left as a trio and are cast in the lavish new Bollywood movie ""Namaste Bombay"". The Cheetah Girls travel across the globe to India. There, they meet Rahim (Rupak Ginn), the man cast as the lead, whom they realize is attractive, yet somewhat clumsy. After meeting the movie's choreographer, Gita (Deepti Daryanani), a dance battle erupts between themselves and Gita with her backup dancers. They subsequently discover that the musical's director, Vikram "Vik" (Michael Steger), must choose only one Cheetah for the role as the budget is only enough for one star.  When it becomes apparent that they must travel home, they are upset, until realizing they may each try out for the lead. Though they all make a promise to be fair in the competition, situations arise in which each member becomes jealous of the others' specific talents. Chanel befriends Vik, Dorinda befriends Rahim, and Aqua befriends a boy she has been in contact with since before leaving America, Amar (Kunal Sharma). Each girl is led to believe the producer of the film, Khamal (Roshan Seth), Vik's uncle, will choose her after the audition. Chanel is told because she is the better singer, she will receive the role, while Dorinda is promised the role as she is the best dancer, while Aqua is convinced the coveted role will be hers as she is the best actress. The three Cheetahs audition against one another with Chanel being awarded the role, which she later refuses realizing, as do the other Cheetahs, that friendship and unity are more important than furthering their individual or group careers.  After refusing the role, they set to convince Khamal to award Gita as the lead, to which he reluctantly agrees, ending in a scene from ""Namaste Bombay"" in which the Cheetahs sing and dance the titular song, "One World".

Production.

Disney Channel announced the film with the plot involving the Cheetah Girls going to India to star in a Bollywood production. Like "The Cheetah Girls 2", it was filmed on location in a foreign country. In an interview, Bailon stated the movie would film for a three-month period, in India, and that she had been doing research for the film. She also stated that "all of the original cast will be back". However, Raven-Symoné later confirmed that she would not return for this film due to "catfights" and "territorial issues" behind the scenes of the second film.  Filming happened in Udaipur, India during early 2008. Like "High School Musical 2", Disney featured a "play your part" role, where viewers and fans could choose elements of the film.

Soundtrack.

The soundtrack was released on August 19, 2008. The soundtrack, which has been released in several versions, contains elements of both hip hop and Indian music.

Promotion.

New segments of The Road to The Cheetah Girls: One World air Fridays, giving information and sneak peeks of the film.  And also to promote the soundtrack, 2 segments of The Cheetah Girls: One World playback premiered on Disney Channel to give information about the Indian sound of music in the soundtrack.

Reception.

The movie premiered to over 6.2 million viewers, and reached 7 million viewers in its final half hour. This still failed to meet the ratings of the first two and was the series' lowest-rated premiere. In the UK, its premiere night scored 412,000 on Disney Channel UK, making it #1 of the week, and received 182,000 on Disney Channel UK +1, also #1 on that channel for the week, totalling 594,000.

DVD and Blu-ray.

The "Extended Music Edition" DVD and Blu-ray Disc of The Cheetah Girls: One World, was released on December 16, 2008 in the United States. It includes an exclusive music sequence titled "Feels Like Love", as well as a downloadable exclusive remixed version of "Feels Like Love". It also featured a "Rock-Along" mode, "Cheetah Spots", and an alternate version of the movie with pop-up fun facts and music videos. The Region 2 DVD was released on March 16, 2009.

The Cheetah Girls: One World (also known as The Cheetah Girls 3 or The Cheetah Girls 3: One World) is a 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie which premiered on Disney Channel on August 22, 2008. It is the third and final film of "The Cheetah Girls" film trilogy, and the only film without the participation of Raven-Symoné.

Cheetah Girls – One World ist ein US-amerikanischer Fernsehfilm. Bei dem Disney Channel Original Movie handelt es sich um die Fortsetzung der Filme "Cheetah Girls" und "Cheetah Girls 2".


History.

Umm Salal were formed in 1979 under the name "Al-Tadamun Club" and entered into the Qatari Second Division along with five other clubs. After the dissolution of two other clubs in the second division, Al Tadamun was also dissolved. The club was reformed in 1996, with Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Thani heading the club. It won the Qatari 2nd Division in their second season after reformation, in addition to lifting the league trophy two more times in 2000 and 2006.  In 2004, the club's name, "Al Tadamun Club", was changed to "Umm Salal" by decision of the Qatar Olympic Committee.  They won promotion to the Qatar Stars League in the 2006–07 season. They enjoyed league success, finishing third in consecutive seasons. In 2008, they qualified for the AFC Champions League 2009 after defeating Al Gharafa 4–1 on penalties in the Emir Cup final. They were knocked out of the ACL in the semi-finals, which was the furthest any Qatari club had ever advanced at that time.  The team's nickname, "Barzan's Falcons", is a reference to the Barzan Tower, which the Umm Salal Mohammed Fort houses. The tower became renowned for being used during Ramadan to ensure the holy month was observed at the correct time.

Asian record.

AFC Champions League

Stadium.

Built in 1996 in Umm Salal Ali, the Umm Salal Stadium covers 34,500 m2 and features two football pitches, locker rooms and an administrative office. However, due to its insufficient capacity and facilities, the club uses Thani bin Jassim Stadium as its homegrounds.

Managerial history.

"As of December 2013."

Umm Salal Sport Club () is a Qatari professional association football team playing at the first level Qatar Stars League. It is based in Umm Salal. It used to be known as Al-Tadamun Sport Club. It is best known for being the first Qatari club to make it to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.

Umm-Salal Sport Club () ist ein Sportverein aus Umm Salal in Katar. Die Herren-Fußballmannschaft spielt in der Qatar Stars League, der höchsten nationalen Fußballliga. Die Heimspiele werden im Thani bin Jassim Stadion ausgetragen.


Summary.

The Mahakam River is the largest river in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, with a catchment area of approximately 77,100 km. The catchment lies between 2 ̊N to 1 ̊S latitude and 113 ̊E to 118 ̊E longitude. The river originates in Cemaru from where it flows south-eastwards, meeting the River Kedang Pahu at the city of Muara Pahu. From there, the river flows eastward through the Mahakam lakes region, which is a flat tropical lowland area surrounded by peat land. Thirty shallow lakes are situated in this area, which are connected to the Mahakam through small channels. Downstream of the connection with the Semayang and Melintang lakes, the Mahakam meets three other main tributaries - the rivers Belayan, Kedang Kepala, and Kedang Rantau - and flows south-eastwards through the Mahakam delta distributaries, to the Makassar Strait.

Geology.

Kalimantan, where the Mahakam lies, is part of the Sunda Continental Plate. The large island has mountain ranges between Indonesia and Malaysia. As described by van Bemmelen (1949), River Mahakam rises in Cemaru (1,681 m) in the centre of Kalimantan, from there it cuts through the pre-tertiary axis of the island east of the Batuayan (1,652 m) and then reaches the tertiary basin of Kutai. Its middle course traverses a lowland plain with many marshy lakes. This intermontane depression is separated from the neighboring basin, the Barito depression, by a broad hilly tract of less than altitude. After this region, the Mahakam cuts through the Samarinda anticlinorium and reaches its alluvial delta, which spreads like a broad fan over the shelf-sea, with a base of and a radius of about.  Upstream of Long Iram (upstream part of Mahakam river basin) the river is flowing in tertiary rocks (Voss, 1983). Between Long Iram and Muara Kaman (middle Mahakam area) the river is flowing in quaternary alluvium, while in the downstream area between Muara Kaman and the coast including the Mahakam delta, tertiary rocks are again present. The presence of the large delta is explained by the formation and rejuvenation of the hilly region near Samarinda.

Climate.

The Mahakam catchment is around the equator. According to Köppen climate classification, this area belongs to type Af (tropical rainforest) that has a minimum temperature ≥18 °C and precipitation of the driest month in normal year ≥60 mm Transfer of mass and energy in the tropical zone occurred through general air circulation known as the Hadley cell. According to Seidel et al. (2008) the precipitation pattern in this area is largely determined by this large-scale atmospheric wind patterns, which is observable in several ways throughout the atmosphere. This circulation carries moisture into the air, generating rainfall in equatorial regions, whereas at the edges of the tropical belt are drier. Within this circulation, evaporation occurs intensively around the equator on the centre of low pressure called the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), characterized by accumulation of cloud in the area. The ITCZ moves following the pseudo-motion of the sun within 23.5°N and 23.5°S zone, therefore its position always changes according to this motion.  The ITCZ drives the Indo-Australian monsoon phenomena which influence the regional climate including the Mahakam catchment. In December, January, February (winter in Northern Hemisphere) the concentration of high pressure in Asia and low pressure in Australia make the west wind blows in Indonesia (west monsoon). In June, July, August concentration of low pressure in Asia (summer in Northern Hemisphere) and concentration of high pressure in Australia make the east wind blows in Indonesia (east monsoon). Due to the global air circulation and the regional climate mentioned above, the Mahakam catchment which is located around the equator has a bimodal rainfall pattern with two peaks of rainfall, which are generally occurred in December and May. This is because the ITCZ passed through the equator twice a year, from the Northern Hemisphere in September and from the Southern Hemisphere in March.

Lakes.

There are about 76 lakes spread in the Mahakam river basin and about 30 lakes are located in the middle Mahakam area including the three main lakes (Lake Jempang 15,000 Ha; Lake Semayang 13,000 Ha; Lake Melintang 11,000 Ha). The lakes levels are seasonally fluctuated from 0.5 m – 1 m during dry period to seven meters during rainy season. The Mahakam lakes and surrounding wetlands act as water storage as well as a trap of sediment contained in the water flowing into the lakes which are now known to become shallower, presumably as a result of an imbalance between sediment input and slow subsidence.  Fishing is the primary source of livelihood in the Mahakam lakes area, most of the people around the lakes are fishermen. The middle Mahakam lake area is an area of intensive fishing activity with a productivity of 25,000 to 35,000 metric tons per year since 1970.

Delta.

The Mahakam delta is a mixed fluvial-tidal dominated delta. The delta covers about 1800 km, consisting of mangrove areas near the shore, Nypa swamps in the central areas, and lowland forest near the apex, corresponding to the first bifurcation, however, recent fishery development in this area has converted a vast area of mangrove into shrimp ponds (tambak). The delta has three main distributaries system directed Northeast, Southeast and South. The area between distributaries consists of a series of tidal channels generally unconnected to the main distributaries. The distributary channels are narrow and rectilinear with the depth ranging from 8 to 15 m and distributary channel bifurcations appear every 10 to 15 km.  This lower Mahakam area is the second most productive hydrocarbon basin of Indonesia which contains around 3 billion barrels of oil and 30 Tcf of gas reserves. Field geological investigations in this area was started in 1888 and in 1897 exploration drilling discovered oil at shallow depth of 46 m on the Louise structure. Production started in 1898 followed by expansion of exploration to the entire Mahakam.

Ecology.

Mahakam and its floodplain is an ecologically important region. A total of 147 indigenous freshwater fish species had been identified from the Mahakam. The Mahakam hosts the freshwater dolphin Irrawaddy dolphin ("Orcaella brevirostris"; called Pesut by local people) a critically endangered species, which is included on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Appendix I. The Mahakam river basin is also an important breeding and resting place for 298 bird species, among them 70 protected and five endemic species: Borneo dusky mannikin ("Lonchura fuscans"), Borneo whistler ("Pachycephala hypoxantha"), Bornean peacock-pheasant ("Polyplectron schleiermacheri"), Bornean blue-flycatcher ("Cyornis superbus") and Bornean bristlehead ("Pityriasis gymnocephala").  A research cluster (): "Upsetting the balance in the Mahakam Delta: past, present and future impacts of sea level rise, climate change, upstream controls and human intervention on sediment and mangrove dynamics" extensively carry out research on the Mahakam. The cluster's objective is to study the impact of external forcing factors such as sea-level rise, climate change, upstream sediment, as well as human interference on past, present and future development of the Mahakam delta in different time scales.

Pollution.

Logging and mining activities have contributed to the "alarming rate" of pollution of East Kalimantan's Mahakam River. Tests of water pollutants showed levels increased sharply between 2009 and 2011. Despite the growing pollution, it is claimed that "the water is basically still safe for consumption."  Unsafe concentrations of heavy metals have been observed in Mahakam fish. A 2015 study found lead concentrations in excess of 1000 times safe levels along with unsafe levels of copper, zinc, and cadmium.

Bridges.

Bridges include the 400 m Mahakam Bridge and the 710 m Kutai Kartanegara Bridge. The latter collapsed on 2011-11-26, it took 3 years of planning and one and half years more to rebuild new bridge on the same spot. The new Kutai Kertanegara Bridge now open for public since 2015-12-08 after opening ceremony held by local regent.

Social aspect.

The River Mahakam is an economic resource for fishermen and farmers, and as freshwater source, as a waterway since ancient time until today. It is in this river basin where the Kutai kingdom evolved. The Kutai history is divided into two periods, Kutai Martadipura (around 350-400) and Kutai Kartanegara period (around 1300). Kutai Martadipura, a Hindu kingdom founded by Mulawarman at Muara Kaman, is regarded as the oldest kingdom in Indonesia. Kutai Kartanegara was founded by settlers from Java at Kutai Lama near the mouth of Mahakam. In around 1565, Islam was extensively spread in Kartanegara by two Moslem preachers from Java, Tunggang Parangan and Ri Bandang.  The Dayaks are the indigenous people inhabiting Kalimantan beside the Kutais and the Banjars. Since the 1970s transmigration of people to East Kalimantan was organised by the Indonesian government especially in areas near River Mahakam. Transmigration aims to migrate people from overpopulated Java, Bali, and Madura islands to stimulate greater agricultural productivity in outer islands. By 1973, almost 26% of the land under cultivation in East Kalimantan was being worked by transmigrants.

The Mahakam River (Indonesian: "Sungai Mahakam") is a river in Kalimantan, Indonesia. It flows 980 km from the district of Long Apari in the highlands of Borneo, to its mouth at the Makassar Strait.

Der Mahakam ist der längste Fluss der indonesischen Provinz Kalimantan Timur in Ost-Borneo. Er erreicht eine Länge von 960 Kilometer, von denen 523 Kilometer schiffbar sind und mündet nahe der Stadt Samarinda in die Straße von Makassar. Besonders die in einer geologischen Vertiefung liegende mittlere Mahakam-Region mit einer Fläche von etwa 8100 Quadratkilometern gilt als besonders reich an verschiedenen Tierarten. Hier liegen etwa dreißig kleinere Seen und die drei großen Seen Jempang, Melingtang und Semayang. Größere Nebenflüsse sind Belayan, Kedang Kepala und Kedang Rantau.


The name.

The origins of the name are obscure and may never be known with certainty. "Silent Unseen" probably related to how some soldiers seemingly disappeared from their line units overnight to volunteer for special operations service, and also describes those "who appear silently where they are least expected, play havoc with the enemy and disappear whence they came, unnoticed, unseen."  The Silent Unseen were trained initially in Scotland in preparation for missions for the Polish underground in occupied Poland, such as building-clearance and bridge-demolition. In 1944, training was also carried out in Brindisi, Italy, which had by then fallen to the Allies.  Initially the name was informal and was used mainly by soldiers who volunteered to parachute into Poland. However, from September 1941 the name became official and was used in all documents. It was applied both to the secret Polish Headquarters training unit created to provide agents with necessary knowledge, money and equipment, as well as to agents who were transported to Poland and other German-occupied countries.

History.

On 30 December 1939 Captain Jan Górski, a Polish Army officer who had escaped to France after the invasion of Poland, drew up a report for the Polish Chief of Staff. Górski proposed creating a secret unit to maintain contact with the underground "ZWZ", using a group of well-trained envoys. After his report was ignored, Górski resubmitted it several times. Finally the commander of the Polish Air Force, General Zając, replied that, while creation of such a unit would be a good move, the Polish Air Force had no means of transport and no training facilities for such a unit.  Górski and his colleague Maciej Kalenkiewicz continued studying the possibility of paratroops and special forces. After the capitulation of France, they managed to reach the United Kingdom. They studied documents on German paratroops and drafted a plan to create in exile a Polish airborne force to be used in covert support operations. The force was to be employed solely in aid of a future uprising in occupied Poland. Their plan was never adopted, but on 20 September 1940 the Polish commander-in-chief, General Władysław Sikorski, ordered the creation of Section III of the Commander-in-Chief's Staff ("Oddział III Sztabu Naczelnego Wodza"). Section III's purpose was contingency planning for covert operations in Poland, air delivery of arms and supplies, and training of paratroops.

Training.

Soon after, the General Staff's Section III began recruiting volunteers. Those selected left their erstwhile units in secret, silently and at night – hence, the perhaps at first facetious name, "Cichociemni" ("Silent Unseen"). Of 2,413 candidates, only 605 managed to complete the training and pass all the tests; of those, 579 qualified for airlift.  The volunteers included 1 general, 112 staff officers, 894 officers, 592 non-commissioned officers (NCOs), 771 privates, 15 women, and 28 civilian emissaries of the Polish Government in Exile. The training established by the General Staff's Section VI ("Oddział VI Sztabu Naczelnego Wodza") and the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) comprised five courses:  During the first phase of training, all the volunteers were taught to use every kind of weapon (British, Polish, German, Russian and Italian weapons) and mines. In additional courses, the soldiers were trained in basic covert operations, topography, cryptography, and sharpshooting. They were also taught details of life in occupied Poland, from German-imposed laws to current fashions in occupied Warsaw. The fourth course included all kinds of covert operations, jujitsu, and shooting at invisible targets. The briefing course included learning a new, false identity. All soldiers who passed the training were sworn in as members of the Home Army.

Air bridges.

The first air-bridge operation took place on 16 February 1941. The Allied air commands carried out 483 air-bridge operations altogether, losing 68 planes to crashes and enemy fire. Apart from the Silent Unseen themselves, some 630 tons of war materiel were delivered in special containers. In addition, agents delivered the following sums of money to the Home Army:  Through 27 December 1944, 316 soldiers and 28 emissaries successfully parachuted into Poland. Additionally, 17 agents were dropped into Albania, France, Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia. An unknown number of Poles (including the best known, Krystyna Skarbek) were also parachuted into France by the British Special Operations Executive to start an underground movement among the half-million-strong Polish minority.  Though the Silent Unseen were organized in collaboration with SOE, it was largely independent. The Polish section of SOE was the only one which freely chose its own men and operated its own radio communications with an occupied country. Also, the identities of the Polish agents were known only to the Polish General Staff. Those transported to Poland included soldiers of all grades. The oldest was 54 years old, the youngest was 20. As a rule, all volunteers were promoted one rank at the moment of their jump.

The fight.

In Poland the Silent Unseen were assigned mostly to special units of the "ZWZ" and Home Army. Most of them joined "Wachlarz", "Związek Odwetu" and "KeDyw". Many became important staff officers of the Polish Secret Army and took part in Operation Tempest and uprisings in Wilno, Lwów and Warsaw.  The Silent Unseen assumed various duties in German-occupied Europe. Some 37 worked in intelligence, 50 were radio operators and emissaries, 24 were staff officers, 22 were airmen and airdrop coordinators, 11 were instructors of armored forces and instructors in anti-tank warfare at secret military schools, 3 were trained in forging documents, 169 were trained in covert operations and partisan warfare, and 28 were emissaries of the Polish government.

Famous Silent Unseen.

The most notable Silent Unseen included:

Losses.

Of 344 men transported to Poland, 112 were killed in action:  Of 91 Silent Unseen who took part in the Warsaw Uprising, 18 were killed in action.

Postwar.

The first book on the Silent Unseen was published in England in 1954. The Polish edition, "Drogi cichociemnych: opowiadania zebrane i opracowane przez koło spadochroniarzy Armii Krajowej", was published by Veritas; and an English edition, "The Unseen and Silent: Adventures from the Underground Movement, Narrated by Paratroops of the Polish Home Army", was published by Sheed and Ward.  The Polish edition was republished in England several times, last in 1973. A miniature version of "Drogi cichociemnych" was published in two volumes in communist Poland in 1985 by "Kurs".  General Stefan Bałuk's memoir, "Byłem Cichociemnym" ("I was a Cichociemny"), was published in 2008. He was 94 years old when it first appeared in bookstores. In 2009 it was translated into English as "Silent and Unseen: I was a WW II Special Ops Commando".  On 4 August 1995, the Polish special-forces unit "GROM" adopted the name and traditions of the "Cichociemni".  Polish TV has produced a series, "Czas honoru" (Time of Honour), about the Silent Unseen.

Cichociemni (; the "Silent Unseen") were elite special-operations paratroopers of the Polish Army in exile, created in Great Britain during World War II to operate in occupied Poland ("Cichociemni Spadochroniarze Armii Krajowej").

Cichociemni (polnisch für "die leisen Dunklen") waren Fallschirmagenten der polnischen Exilstreitkräfte, die während des Zweiten Weltkriegs im besetzten Polen operierten. Das Ziel der Einheiten war es, gegen die deutschen Besatzer Widerstand zu leisten sowie die Organisation und Ausbildung des polnischen Widerstands. Außerdem waren sie eine wichtige Verbindung der polnischen Exilregierung in London zum polnischen Untergrundstaat.