High school.

Sam attended Hitchcock High School in Hitchcock, Texas. He began traveling with the school's varsity football team while in the eighth grade as a water boy. He later became a member of the team, playing defensive end and offensive tackle.  He earned first-team All-District honors as a defensive lineman in all four years of high school, and as an offensive lineman in his junior and senior years. As a senior, Sam drew attention for his strong performance against Michael Brockers in a game against Chávez High School; Brockers, an All-American, had accepted a scholarship to Louisiana State University.  Out of high school, Sam was considered a two-star college football recruit by "Rivals.com". He received scholarship offers from Arizona State University, Colorado State University, and the University of Houston, but he wanted to attend Texas A&M University, and waited for a scholarship offer from it.

College career.

Sam accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Missouri (Mizzou), after he was recruited by Craig Kuligowski, the team's defensive line coach. Kuligowski recruited other players near Hitchcock, which made him familiar with Sam. Sam attended the school from 2009 to 2013. He played for the Tigers, competing in the Big 12 Conference. He redshirted in his first year at Missouri, and recorded 3.5 quarterback sacks, 24 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one interception and one blocked kick as a redshirt freshman. In his sophomore year, Sam intercepted a tipped pass in a game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, which secured a victory to make Mizzou bowl eligible. In 2012, Mizzou transferred to the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Sam registered sacks while starting in nine of the team's games.  As a senior in 2013, Sam recorded 11.5 quarterback sacks and 19 tackles for a loss. He led the SEC in both categories, and tied Missouri's single-season record for sacks. He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week in two consecutive weeks, after recording three sacks apiece in games against the Arkansas State Red Wolves and the Vanderbilt Commodores. After the season, Sam was named the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, with C. J. Mosley of the University of Alabama, and a first-team all-SEC selection.  Sam was named a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Associated Press, "Sporting News", the American Football Coaches Association, and the Football Writers Association of America. He was also named a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Hendricks Award, and the Lombardi Award. Missouri played in the 2014 Cotton Bowl Classic, in which Sam forced a fumble which was returned for a touchdown, securing Missouri's victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  During his college career, Sam accumulated 123 tackles, including 36 for loss, 21 sacks, six forced fumbles and two intercepted passes. He graduated from Missouri in December 2013. He participated in the 2014 Senior Bowl in January 2014; considered too small to play as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL), he played as an outside linebacker. Sam struggled at the new position.

Professional career.

2014 NFL Draft.

Early projections had Sam as a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. His performance in the NFL Scouting Combine in February 2014 was seen as disappointing, which lowered expectations about whether he would be taken in the draft. He was considered to be too small to play defensive end and too slow to play outside linebacker. He showed improvement at a public workout a month later, but his pre-draft rankings ranged from 12th to 25th among defensive ends. At the 2013 draft, 33 defensive ends were selected overall, with 23 taken in the final four rounds.

St. Louis Rams.

The St. Louis Rams drafted Sam in the seventh round, the 249th of 256 players selected in the 2014 draft. He became the first publicly gay player to be drafted into the NFL. In a statement, President Barack Obama said that he "congratulates Michael Sam, the Rams and the NFL for taking an important step forward today in our Nation's journey" and that "[f]rom the playing field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove every day that you should be judged by what you do and not who you are." St. Louis Rams jerseys bearing his name became the second best selling rookie jerseys at the NFL's website behind Cleveland Browns' quarterback (and Heisman Trophy winner) Johnny Manziel. During the period from April 1 through July 17, Sam's jersey ranked sixth in sales among all NFL players.  Sam made his professional debut on August 8, 2014, during the first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints, where he made one tackle in the game on quarterback Ryan Griffin. During the second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, Sam recorded his first professional sack where he sacked Matt Flynn. In preseason game 3 against the Cleveland Browns, Sam sacked Manziel. In four exhibition games, Sam recorded 11 tackles and 3 sacks, including a team-leading 6 tackles in the final game. "I believe he can play in this league", Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. On August 30, St. Louis released Sam as part of a final round of cuts to reduce their roster to the league-mandated 53 players before the start of the regular season. The Rams, who kept nine defensive linemen, chose to retain undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks over Sam. While their statistics were similar, Westbrooks provided the versatility to play all four defensive line positions, while Sam had been playing virtually exclusively as a left defensive end. Of the 41 picks in seventh round in the 2014 draft, only 22 made initial 53-man rosters. Opting to add depth at other positions, St. Louis did not add Sam to their practice squad after he cleared waivers.

Dallas Cowboys.

On September 3, 2014, Sam was added to the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys. On October 21, the Cowboys waived Sam to make room for linebacker Troy Davis.

2015 NFL Veteran Combine.

Sam participated in the first NFL Veteran Combine, running 4.99 seconds in the 40 yard dash.

Montreal Alouettes.

On May 22, 2015, Sam signed a two-year contract with Montreal Alouettes of the CFL, which made him the first openly gay player in the league's history.  On June 12, a day before the Alouettes' first preseason game, Sam was granted permission to leave camp for "personal reasons" to return to home to Texas, and was placed on the suspended list. The specific reason for his departure has never been publicized. On June 26, the team announced Sam had returned to Montreal and would resume practicing with the team on June 30. After sitting out the team's first five games, he made his CFL debut on August 7, 2015, against the Ottawa Redblacks, and became the first publicly gay player to play in a CFL regular season game. He did not record a tackle in the game. Sam missed the next game after the team reported he had a sore back. He left the team the following day, citing concerns with his mental health after a 12-month stretch which he described as "difficult". Montreal again placed him on their suspended list. After leaving Montreal, Sam told radio host Dan Patrick on his show he never wanted to play in the CFL to begin with. "It was a really last call to go to the CFL. I never really wanted to go to the CFL, but I did and I committed to going".

Retirement.

On August 14, 2015, Sam announced, on Twitter, he was stepping away from professional football due to mental health reasons. He currently shares his experiences as an author and motivational speaker.

Personal life.

Sam is the seventh of eight children born to JoAnn and Michael Alan Sam, Sr. His parents separated when he was young. As a child, Sam watched one of his older brothers die from a gunshot wound. Another older brother has been missing since 1998, and his other two brothers are in prison. A sister who was born before him died in infancy. At one point in his childhood, Sam lived in his mother's car. He was once accidentally maced by police who were arresting one of his brothers.  Sam argued with his mother, a Jehovah's Witness, over playing football, as she did not agree with those pursuits. Sam often stayed with friends while in high school; the parents of a classmate gave him a bedroom in their house and had him complete household chores. Sam is the first member of his family to attend college.  In August 2013, Sam took the opportunity of a team introduce-yourself session to inform his Missouri teammates that he was gay, and found them supportive. He avoided talking to the media to avoid addressing rumors of his sexuality. He came out to his father a week before coming out publicly. "The New York Times" wrote that his father, a self-described "old-school... man-and-a-woman type of guy", said "I don't want my grandkids raised in that kind of environment." His father told the "Galveston Daily News" that he was "terribly misquoted", though "The New York Times" maintained that he was quoted "accurately and fairly."  On February 9, 2014, in an interview with Chris Connelly on ESPN's "Outside the Lines", Sam responded to questions about his coming out experience and his status as one of college football's first openly self-acknowledged gay players. At the time, no active NFL player had ever come out publicly. Anonymous NFL executives told "Sports Illustrated" they expected Sam to fall in the draft as a result of his announcement. Those statements caused National Football League Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith to respond that any team official who anonymously downgrades Sam is "gutless". From jail, his brother Josh said, "I'm proud of him for not becoming like me. I still love him, whatever his lifestyle is. He's still my brother and I love him."  The week after his ESPN interview, Sam returned to Missouri with the Tigers football team to accept the 2014 Cotton Bowl championship trophy at a ceremony held at the halftime of a Missouri Tigers basketball game at Mizzou Arena. Anti-gay activist Shirley Phelps-Roper and about 15 other members of the Westboro Baptist Church, an organization widely considered a hate group, protested his appearance. Students organized a counter-protest numbering in the thousands, assembling a "human wall" in front of the protesters.  After being drafted by the Rams, Sam's emotional reaction to his draft was broadcast live on television, during which he kissed his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano. Reported to have been dating Sam for several months, Cammisano is a fellow alum of the University of Missouri and was a member of the school's swim team. In January 2015, Sam and Cammisano announced their engagement. However, the couple ended their relationship in June 2015, although have remained friends.  In April 2016 Sam spoke with LGBTQ advocacy groups at the Missouri State Capitol against a bill that would enable discrimination against LGBTQ people and personally lobbied state legislators.

"Dancing with the Stars".

On February 24, 2015, Sam was announced as one of the celebrities to compete on the 20th season of "Dancing with the Stars". He partnered with professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd. Sam and Murgatroyd were eliminated in the fourth week of competition and finished in tenth place.

Honors and accolades.

Sam won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2014 ESPY Awards. He was named one of "GQ"s Men of the Year, and a finalist for "Sports Illustrated"s Sportsman of the Year.

Michael Alan Sam Jr. (born January 7, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end. Sam played college football for the Missouri Tigers and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played one season for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Michael Alan Sam, Jr (* 7. Januar 1990 in Houston, Texas) ist ein US-amerikanischer Canadian-Football- und American-Football-Spieler der Montreal Alouettes in der Canadian Football League (CFL). Er agiert auf der Position des Defensive Ends. Er spielte College Football von 2009 bis 2013 für die "Missouri Tigers", der University of Missouri. Dort wurde er 2013 zum All-American und Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year ("Verteidiger des Jahres") gewählt.


Biography.

Born in Rotterdam, De Haan received his MA in Mathematics from the University of Amsterdam in 1966, and his PhD Mathematics in 1970 under supervision of Johannes Runnenburg for the thesis "On regular variation and sample extremes".  De Haan started his academic career in 1966 as researcher probability and statistics at the Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam. In the year 1971-72 he was Visiting Assistant Professor at Stanford University. In 1977 he was appointed Professor of Probability and Mathematical Statistics at the Erasmus Universiteit, where he stayed until his retirement in 1998. From 1990 to 1992 he was Associate Dean of the School of Economics. From 2008 to 2011 he was part-time Professor of Statistics at the University of Tilburg.  In 1977 he was elected Fellow I.M.S, and he was Guest Professor at the Peking University in 1994. He was awarded a Doctor honoris causa from the Universidade de Lisboa in 2000 and the Medallion lecture at the I.M.S. annual meeting in Gothenburg in 2000.

Work.

Overschrijdingslijnen project.

The "Overschrijdingslijnen" was a research project based on extreme-value analysis, meant to provide new standards for the Dutch sea defenses. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Public Works, starting in 1984 and finished in 1992.  In this joint project people participated from "Rijkswaterstaat", the Dutch government agency overseeing the sea defenses; the Royal Netherlands Meteorological service; and the CWI Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science in Amsterdam.

Neptune.

Neptune was a larger scale but similar project, sponsored by the European Union via the MAST program and in cooperation with BMT Port & Coastal Limited, Delft Hydraulics, Rijkswaterstaat, GKSS-Forschungszentrum Geest-hacht GmbH, University of Lancaster and University of East Anglia. Novel aspects are: firstly the wide-ranging set-up starting from climatological data going down to the water levels and movements near the British and Dutch coasts and secondly the higher-dimensional statistical set-up in the extreme-value analysis (1995-1997). Finished March 1997.

Other projects.

Other projects were initiated, such as:

Publications.

De Haan published multiple books. A selection:

Laurens de Haan (born 15 January 1937) is a Dutch economist and Emeritus Professor of Probability and Mathematical Statistics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, specializing in extreme value theory.

Laurens (Laurentius) Franciscus Maria de Haan (* 15. Januar 1937 in Rotterdam) ist ein niederländischer Mathematischer Statistiker, bekannt für Beiträge zur Extremwerttheorie. Er ist Professor an der Universität Rotterdam.


Contract law.

Duress involves illegitimate threats. The common law long allowed a claim if duress was of a physical nature. So long as a threat is just one of the reasons a person enters an agreement, even if not the main reason, the agreement may be avoided. In "Barton v Armstrong" Mr Armstrong tried to "strong-arm" Mr Barton into paying him a large golden parachute to exit a business by getting his goons to make death threats to Barton's family. Even though Barton was tough, and would have probably done the payout regardless, he could avoid the agreement.  Only late in the 20th century was escape allowed if the threat involved illegitimate economic harm. A threat is always "illegitimate" if it is to do an unlawful act, such as breaking a contract knowing non-payment may push someone out of business. However, threatening to do a lawful act will usually not be illegitimate. In "Pao On v Lau Yiu Long" the Pao family threatened to not complete a share swap deal aimed at purchasing their company's building unless the Lau family agreed to change a guarantee agreement assuring the Paos would receive the rise in the swapped shares' prices when repurchased. The Privy Council advised that the Laus signing the guarantee agreement after the threat of non-completion of the main agreement was only a result of "commercial pressure", not economic duress. Just by observing the Laus' behaviour, and consideration of the situation before signing, there was no coercion amounting to a vitiation of consent. However, contrasting to cases involving business parties, the threat to do a lawful act will probably be duress if used against a vulnerable person.  An obvious case involving "lawful act duress" is blackmail. The blackmailer has to justify, not doing the lawful act they threaten, but against a person highly vulnerable to them, the demand of money.

Criminal law.

This is an exception to the general principle of criminal law that those who choose to break the law are held responsible for the crimes that they commit. The rationale of the exception is that the choice is not wholly voluntary. The Law Commission (1977 at paras 2.44–2.46) recognised the logic that, if the defence was going to be allowed at all, it should be applied to all offences. But this recommendation has not been adopted because it is felt that, in the case of the most serious crimes such as murder, no threat to the defendant, however extreme, should excuse commission of the crime (Elliott; 1989). The defence is also open to abuse. Smith (1994 at p584) commented: ... duress is a unique defence in that it is so much more likely than any other to depend on assertions which are peculiarly difficult for the prosecution to investigate or subsequently to disprove. This approach has been adopted by the judiciary, most notably by the House of Lords in "R v H" [2004] 2 WLR 335:  Defences that the accused has been set up and allegations of duress, which used to at one time to be rare, have multiplied. We wish to alert judges to the need to scrutinise applications for disclosure of details about informants with very great care. The prosecution's difficulty was at one time the greater when the issue of duress had not been raised by the defence until the trial was under way. To counter these problems, the Law Commission (1993 at paras 33–34) recommended that the burden of proof be shifted to the defendant to establish duress on the balance of probabilities. Since then there has been no specific enactment relating to duress but Section 5 of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996, c.25, provides that the defence must serve on the Court and the prosecution the nature of the accused's defence in general terms, and the matters in issue. This would seem to apply to the defence of duress, and in "R v Tyrell and others" 2004 EWCA Crim 3279, there had been a specific, although late, reliance upon the defence.  A rigorous analysis of the doctrine of duress is difficult because it is invariably reliant upon the particular facts in a given case, and there is usually an overlap between duress and the defence of necessity. See, for example, comments by Lord Woolf CJ in "R v Shayler" at Para. 42.

History and reasoning.

Duress as a defence has existed for many centuries and originates in common law—its extension to cover duress by circumstances did not occur until the 1990s, specifically the case of "R v Pommell".  The defence of duress (by threat), according to Lord Bingham in "R v Hasan", "excuses what would otherwise be criminal conduct" rather than justifies it. Bingham draws a distinction here with self-defence regarding between the moral status of the victim: in a case of self-defence, the victim has themselves made an aggressive or criminal act towards the defendant. In a duress case, there is no such relationship of prior aggression. Bingham notes at paragraph 19:

The threat.

The law limits the nature of the threat that has to be placed on a person for them to qualify as being under duress. The threat must be one of death or serious personal injury, either to the defendant or to his immediate family or someone close to him. In "R v Singh", the Court of Appeal held that a threat to expose the defendant's adultery would not be sufficient threat to overbear the will of an ordinary person.  The defendant must have a reasonable and genuinely held fear of death or serious harm, usually in the form of specific threats directed at the defendant, his immediate family or someone for whom he feels responsible. In "R v Graham", the threat was immediately and directly made to the defendant. In the Australian case of "R v Hurley & Murray" escaped criminals compelled H to dispose of two corpses by holding his wife hostage, such that the threats to her "would have been operative during the entire period of his absence" and "his only concern must have been for the safety of the woman".  Following "R v Conway" and "R v Wright", (where the threat related in part to the defendant's boyfriend) the specimen direction of the Judicial Studies Board suggests that the threat must be directed, if not to the defendant or a member of his immediate family, to a person for whose safety the defendant would reasonably regard himself as responsible which, if strictly applied, would be consistent with the rationale of the duress exception.

Causal link.

As seen in "R v Cole" 1994 Crim. LR 582, there must be a direct causal link between these threats and the defendant's decision to break the law. Thus, the defendant's normal inhibitions must be overwhelmed by his or her belief in the efficacy of the threat. Following "R v Safi" (2003) it is held that the defendant need only prove he reasonably and genuinely believed there was a threat, i.e. the test is both subjective and objective in that the defendant's will must actually have been overwhelmed by the threat, and a reasonable person of average courage may also have felt compelled to act the same way under direction.

Immediacy.

The circumstances in which the threats were made must also have offered no reasonable opportunity for evasive action. But, taken together, the questions of causation and immediacy have created a weakness in the limitations placed on the defence. In "R v Hudson and Taylor" 1971 2 QB 202, two young women who had witnessed a serious assault were intimidated and refused to identify the attacker in court. They were charged with perjury but allowed a conditional discharge. The court was prepared to allow leniency because these women lived in a community where physical retaliation for co-operating with the police was routine, and they had no reasonable means, given their age, experience, and lack of physical strength, of avoiding the implementation of the threat. This weakened the requirement that the threat's implementation must be so imminent that the defendant had to decide in that moment whether to break the law, and it has given rise to cases such as "R v Cole" 1994 Crim. LR 582 in which a man robbed several building societies to avoid the threats of a debt collector. Simon Brown LJ. at p583 held that the peril relied on to support the plea of necessity lacked imminence, and the degree of directness and immediacy required of a sufficient nexus between the suggested peril and the offence charged. The one making the threats had not nominated the crimes to be committed by the defendant. He had simply indicated that he wanted the defendant to repay the debt which would not necessarily involve the commission of an offence.

The characteristics of the reasonable person.

In "R v Bowen" [1996] 2 Cr. App. R. 157, the Court of Appeal held person with a low IQ, short of mental impairment or mental defectiveness, was not necessarily less courageous or less able to withstand threats and pressure than an ordinary person. The relevant test (laid down in "R v Graham" 1982 1 AER 801) had two elements:  Stuart-Smith LJ gave comprehensive guidance as to which characteristics might be relevant in the jury's consideration: age, sex, physical disability or recognised mental illness might limit a person's ability to act in self-defence, but the fact that the defendant was more vulnerable, timid or susceptible to threats than a normal person were not characteristics of the reasonable person. Also excluded would be self-induced incapacity due to drunkenness or drug-taking ("R v Flatt" 1996 Crim LR 576).

Duress by circumstances.

There have been an increasing number of cases pleading duress arising from the general pressure of circumstances, whether arising directly from human action or not. To that extent, this subset of duress seeks to borrow some of the language of necessity. In "R v Conway" (1988) 3 AER 1025, the Court of Appeal dealt with a charge of reckless driving where the defendant had fled from police officers. His passenger had recently been attacked by a man with a shotgun, and screamed at the defendant to "drive off" when he saw the plain-clothed officers running toward the car. The court held that to establish "duress of circumstances", it was necessary for him to drive as he did believing it necessary to avoid death or serious bodily injury to himself or another person. As evidence, the accused must be able to point to an "objective danger" or at least satisfy the requirement of reasonable belief. As a gloss, Woolf LJ. noted that  In "R v Martin" (1989) 1 AER 652 the defendant who drove while disqualified claimed that it was necessary for him to drive his son to work, because he feared that his mentally ill wife might commit suicide if her son did not arrive at work on time. Simon Brown J. defined the defence as pressure on the accused's will arising either from the wrongful threats or violence of another, or from other objective dangers threatening the accused or others. The requirements were that  Thus, in "DPP v Bell" (1992) Crim LR 176 the accused successfully pleaded duress of circumstances to driving with excess alcohol because, following an incident in a pub which caused him to fear for his physical safety, he escaped in his car, only driving a short distance to safety and then abandoning the criminal activity as soon as reasonably possible. While in "R v Baker and Wilkins" (1997) Crim LR 497 (CA) a child's mother and another broke down the door to the father's house to recover the child from his possession. The action was being taken to defend the child so three defences were raised:  The danger must be such that the accused cannot reasonably, taking into account any of his or her relevant characteristics, be expected to act otherwise. In "R v Pommell" (1995) 2 Cr. App. R. 607 the defendant was charged with possession of an illegal firearm, a sub-machine gun, which he claimed to have taken from another person in order to prevent that other from using it and to hand it to the police. There was some doubt as to how long the weapon had been in his possession, which resulted in his conviction because the jury decided that he had not acted as soon as was reasonable in the circumstances. "R v Abdul Hussain and others" (1999) Crim LR 570 considered the requirement that the threat be imminent and operative even though its execution is not immediate. The defendants hijacked a plane in order to escape death at the hands of the Iraqi authorities. The court held that the defence was available as long as the crime was a reasonable and proportionate response to an imminent peril of death or serious injury. The threat need not be immediate, only imminent.

Gang membership.

The most recent cases have involved situations where the defendant  In "R v Hasan" [2005] UKHL 22 the defendant was the driver for a group that organised prostitution and had connections with a second organisation of violent drug dealers. He was charged with burglary in circumstances where he and his family had been threatened, and he had been accompanied to the scene of the crime by an armed man. In the earlier case of "R v Fitzpatrick" (1977) NI 20, involving the IRA, Lowry LCJ, said at p 33:  In cases involving less serious criminality, "R v Sharp" (1987) QB 853 involved a gang of robbers, while "R v Shepherd" (1987) 86 Cr. App R 47 involved a group of shoplifters, the court held:  Thus, if the defendant knows what the group does and that some violent people are involved, he or she cannot rely on the violence threatened as duress. But in "R v Baker and Ward" (1999) 2 Cr. App. R. 335 this was slightly modified at p344: "What a defendant has to be aware of is the risk that the group might try to coerce him into committing criminal offences of the type for which he is being tried by the use of violence or threats of violence." (On whether this is a subjective or objective test, see Ashworth: 2003.) The Lords in "Hasan" clearly stated at para 37:

Exceptions.

Duress is no defence to murder, attempted murder, or, seemingly, treason involving the death of the sovereign. In general, courts do not accept a defence of duress when harm done by the defendant is greater than the court's perception of the harm threatened. This is a test of proportionality. In "Howe" (1987) AC 417 the court held that the jury should consider:  Howe was a member of a gang that tortured and strangled a man. On a second occasion, Howe strangled the victim. He claimed to have acted out of fear for one Murray who, through threatened and actual violence, had gained control of the group. Previously, in "Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland v Lynch" (1975) AC 653, the Lords had held by a majority that duress was available to an accomplice. On this occasion, the Lords held that one of the relevant public policies underpinning the criminal law must be to protect innocent lives and to set a standard of behaviour which ordinary men and women are expected to observe if they are to avoid criminal responsibility. In cases where the choice is between the threat of death or serious injury and deliberately taking an innocent life, a reasonable man might reflect that one innocent human life is at least as valuable as his own or that of his loved one. In such a case a man cannot claim that he is choosing the lesser of two evils. Rather he is adopting the understandable but morally dubious principle that the end justifies the means. Similarly, "R v Gotts" (1992) 2 AC 412 held that duress is not a defence to attempted murder.

Mental health.

The courts have held that the duress must come from an extraneous source, rather than internal thought processes. The case of "R v Rodger & Rose" [1998] 1 Cr App R 143 involved two prison inmates who had escaped. They sought to utilise the defence of duress of circumstances on the grounds that they were compelled to escape after becoming depressed whilst in prison, and fearing that unless they escaped they would become suicidal. The court decided that as a matter of public policy, the source of the duress must be from an external source and not from the internal thought processes associated with mental illness.  This decision may well have been reached to prevent such an absurdity from passing into law however as in "Shayler" [2002] 2 WLR 754 (House of Lords); Lord Woolf remarked in obiter that the defence should be extended to include acts designed to protect a person's mental, as well as physical health, from serious injury.

Duress in English law is a complete common law defence, operating in favour of those who commit crimes because they are forced or compelled to do so by the circumstances, or the threats of another. The doctrine arises not only in criminal law but also in civil law, where it is relevant to contract law and trusts law.

Als duress ( ‚Zwang‘) bezeichnet man im Strafrecht von England und Wales eine "defence" (Verteidigungseinrede). Sie ist nicht gesetzlich geregelt, sondern existiert nur als "common law." Sie existiert in zwei Formen: als "duress by threats" und "duress by circumstance." "Duress by threats" liegt als klassische "duress"-Einrede vor, wenn der Täter bei Begehung der Tat unter der Eindruck einer Drohung mit dem Tod oder einer schweren Körperverletzung "(death or serious bodily harm)" gehandelt hat. Da das englische Recht nach herrschender Meinung Notstand, also die Rettung eines überwiegenden Interesses durch Aufopferung eines anderen als necessity nicht als "defence" zulässt, hat sich seit den 1980ern neben der "duress"-Einrede auch "duress by circumstance" als "defence" etabliert: Hierbei entschließt sich der Täter selbst aufgrund äußerer Umstände zu einer strafbaren Handlung.


Career.

Starr began his professional acting career early in the 1990s with a small part in "Shortland Street" and guest roles in "" and "".  In 2001, Starr was cast in "Mercy Peak" as Todd Van der Velter, one of the no-good, white trash Van der Velter brothers. It was a guest role that he had throughout the show’s three seasons. He also received a role as the brother of long running character Waverley Wilson in the soap opera "Shortland Street". He appeared for several weeks as part of the write out of the Minnie Crozier character. Starr did not like the fast pace of the show and thought his performances suffered because of it.  Since then, Starr's television credits have included a core cast role in kids' series "Hard Out" and guest roles in "P.E.T. Detectives" and "Street Legal" as well as a brief stint in "Serial Killers", the comedy series that was penned by "Outrageous Fortune" co-creator James Griffin.  Playing twins Van and Jethro West won Starr the 2007 Air New Zealand Screen Award for Performance by an Actor, the award for Best Actor at the Qantas Television Awards and Best Actor at the Asian TV Awards in the same year. Readers of the TV Guide also voted Starr Best Actor in the 2007 TV Guide Best on the Box People’s Choice Awards. In 2005, he was named Best Actor at the inaugural Qantas Television Awards for his role in "Outrageous Fortune".  During the production of the first series of "Outrageous Fortune", Starr also juggled filming for Toa Fraser's debut feature, "No. 2" which was released in New Zealand in early 2006. Starr’s other film credits include Roger Donaldson’s "The World's Fastest Indian", the US comedy feature "Without a Paddle" and Brad McGann's feature film "In My Father's Den". Between series two and three of "Outrageous Fortune", Starr worked on a collaborative short film with some friends.  Starr appeared on stage in the second edition of "Sex with Strangers" (2005). In 2004, Starr performed in two theatre productions: "Closer" at Auckland's Silo Theatre and "Sex with Strangers" directed by Colin Mitchell at the Herald Theatre.  Between filming "Outrageous Fortune" seasons five and six, Starr starred in feature film "After the Waterfall" and the telefeature "Spies and Lies".  In 2011, Starr joined the cast of the Australian police drama "Rush", playing Senior Sergeant Charlie Lewis. He will also have a role in the second series of "Lowdown".  From 2013 - 2016, Starr starred in the television series, "Banshee", his first role on U.S. television. He played an unnamed ex-con who, after 15 years in prison, assumes the identity of Lucas Hood, becoming the new Sheriff of Banshee. Trying to reconnect with his former lover, Anastasia, both learn that he "has become a distant (violent) version of the man he once was". The show's fourth and final season began in April 2016. Also in 2016, Starr portrayed main character Garrett Hawthorne on the CBS crime/mystery series "American Gothic".  In January 2018, it was announced that Starr was cast as The Homelander in "The Boys", Amazon Studios adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic book of the same name. The series was released in July 2019 and renewed for a second season.

Antony Starr (born 25 October 1975) is a New Zealand actor best known for his dual role as twins Jethro and Van West in New Zealand's hit comedy/drama "Outrageous Fortune" and Billy Newwood in "Without a Paddle". He was the series lead, Lucas Hood, in the four season run of "Banshee". Starr is part of the main cast of Amazon Prime Video’s original series "The Boys", which is based on the comic book series of the same name, playing the superhero Homelander.

Antony Starr (* 25. Oktober 1975) ist ein neuseeländischer Schauspieler. In seiner Heimat ist er vor allem durch seine Doppelrolle in der Fernsehserie "Outrageous Fortune" bekannt. Von 2013 bis 2016 spielte Starr die Hauptrolle in "Banshee – Small Town. Big Secrets.", die auf dem Sender Cinemax lief.


Plot.

In Heilongjiang Province, 1999, the dismembered parts of a human body appear in shipments of coal in different cities. Detective Zhang Zili (Liao Fan) is assigned to investigate. The dead man is identified as a coal worker named Liang Zhijun, according to an identification badge next to some of the remains. Zhang and his partners (including Wang) go to interview a potential suspect and his brother. The suspect kills two of Zhang's partners before being shot by Zhang. Zhang is then shot by the suspect's brother. Zhang survives. Wang and Zhang return the ashes of Liang to his widow Wu (Gwei Lun-mei), an employee at Rong Rong Laundry. Wu buries the ashes at the base of a tree just outside Rong Rong Laundry.  By 2004, Zhang has quit the police force and become a drunken security guard, having been traumatized by the prior events. During a chance encounter with Wang, Zhang learns that two additional murders have happened with the same "modus operandi". The common thread is that both of these men had dated Wu at some point. Both men were wearing ice skates when they were killed. Zhang feels intrigued and begins to investigate. He becomes a frequent customer of Rong Rong Laundry and tries to follow Wu at night, but she easily detects him. One day, the owner of the store, Rong Rong (Wang Jingchun), explains to Zhang that he employs Wu out of sympathy, even though she does not do her job properly. In fact, five years before, Wu had damaged a highly expensive jacket, although a few days later the jacket's owner stopped complaining and disappeared.  Zhang tries to make friends with Wu, and eventually invites her to go ice-skating together at an outdoor rink. Wang is secretly following the pair when he notices that a truck driver is also following them. He follows the truck driver, but while arresting him, the truck driver kills him using the blades of a pair of ice-skates as a weapon. The murder of his former partner makes Zhang even more determined. He follows up on a license plate number written down on a pad of paper (presumedly by Wang). While on the bus Zhang is followed by a man with a pair of skates. He goes into a restaurant and notices the man following him. He loses the man at a dance hall. The next day he follows the truck and sees the man dispose of paper wrapped bags from an overpass onto passing coal trains. He then follows the man to the same outdoor ice skating rink. To test his new theory of the case Zhang asks for Liang Zhijun to be paged (the 1st murder victim from 1999). The man Zhang was following reacts by immediately leaving the rink.  The police confronts Wu regarding the murders. She insists on speaking to Zhang. She tells him that Liang is alive and had killed someone during a robbery. She tells Zhang that Liang switched identities with the man and that Liang is alive and following her since 1999 and killing any man with whom she is involved.  Zhang gets Wu to help the police catch Liang. She reveals his location and arranges to meet with him. They meet and decide sometime later to go out to buy cigarettes. Liang notices the police and runs. Liang is armed with a gun, the police give chase and eventually kill Liang.  The police ask Wu for the ashes from 1999. She says that she threw the ashes in a river, which makes Zhang suspicious (he saw her bury the ashes under a tree outside the laundry). He returns to Rong Rong and offers the owner a sum of money to purchase the damaged jacket that the customer abandoned. After a search for the jacket's owner, Zhang arrives at the Daylight Fireworks Club (The name of the club is the Chinese title of the film). He meets the owner of the club and asks if she recognizes the jacket. She says that her husband owned a similar jacket. She also says that he went with another woman and she has not seen him since. Zhang asks the owner whether she would recognize the woman her husband left with and she adamantly says yes. She offers Zhang any sum for the woman's whereabouts while entering her bathtub, fully clothed. Zhang says he is only here to deliver the jacket.  Zhang goes back to Rong Rong to invite Wu out to a performance at an amusement park. The pair meet the next evening on a Ferris wheel. Zhang asks Wu to look over to the city. The neon lighting of Daylight Fireworks Club is visible. Zhang asks her what she sees and she admits seeing the club. Zhang wants Wu to tell him the truth before the police finds out. Wu instead kisses Zhang and they end up having (awkward) sex while still on the Ferris wheel.  Police then question Wu and confronts her with the jacket. Wu admits she killed the owner of the jacket. When she could not afford to pay the value of the jacket, the owner of the jacket forced her into an ongoing sexual relationship with him. To make this stop Wu killed the owner of the jacket. Wu said Liang was not involved and he sacrificed everything for her and became a living dead person. She admits betraying Liang.  Zhang returns to his former life. Wu is arrested and is walked through the scene where the murder took place by the police. When she is transported from the scene fireworks starts going off everywhere. The fireworks are shot from a rooftop nearby. The daylight fireworks is an allusion to the Daylight Fireworks Club (and the title of the film). The film ends as police and firefighters scale the building to stop the person responsible for the fireworks.  Note: this plot synopsis is of the uncensored version released outside China. Some of the above-mentioned scenes (such as the sex scene on the Ferris wheel, and the final shot of the police and firefighters scaling the building) are not shown in the Chinese version (which is 3m 40s shorter).

Production.

The project started from Diao Yinan's idea to film a detective story. Diao spent eight years in total to write the screenplay; the final version that was filmed was the third draft. The film was then laid out into a detective film noir.  Liao Fan gained 44 pounds of weight to play the film's protagonist of an alcoholic and suspended police officer.

Name.

The film's English title "Black Coal, Thin Ice" is different from its Chinese title "Bai Ri Yan Huo", which translates literally as "Daylight Fireworks". Diao Yinan came across this phrase from a friend of his. Diao further clarified the meaning of "daylight fireworks" as a state of sentiment or a state of condition. For him, the Chinese and English names together helped to construct the difference between reality and fantasy. In an interview he explained, "Coal and ice both belong to the realm of reality, but fireworks in daylight is something fantastic; they are the two sides of the same coin." The English name refers to the two visual clues in the film: coal as "where the body parts were found" and ice as "where the murder was committed". He further explained, "when the two are combined, the reality of this murder is constructed... while daytime fireworks is a fantasy, it is what we use to coat ourselves from the cruel side of this real world."

Reception.

Box office.

"Black Coal, Thin Ice" grossed US$16.8 million worldwide.

Critical response.

The film was shown in competition at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, won the Golden Bear prize for Diao. The film's leading actor Liao Fan also won the Silver Bear for Best Actor. The film received critical praise at the Berlin Film Festival, but audience reaction was more divided.  On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 95% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score 75 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Black Coal, Thin Ice () is a 2014 Chinese thriller film written and directed by Diao Yinan, and produced by Vivian Qu. The film won the Golden Bear award at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.

Feuerwerk am helllichten Tage (Originaltitel:, englischer Titel "Black Coal, Thin Ice") ist ein chinesischer Thriller aus dem Jahr 2014. Es ist der dritte Spielfilm von Regisseur Diao Yinan. Der Film gewann den Goldenen Bären der 64. Internationalen Filmfestspiele von Berlin und startete am 24. Juli 2014 in den deutschen Kinos.


Story.

Menzoberranzan, an underground city populated by the Drow, had been introduced in the game materials two years earlier in December 1992 in a three-book box set called "Menzoberranzan: The Famed City of the Drow" by Ed Greenwood, R. A. Salvatore, and Douglas Niles. The game also features Drizzt Do'Urden as one of the main characters.

Gameplay.

The game has elements of "" (3d world and real-time action) and its game concept is somewhat similar to Westwood's "Eye of the Beholder" series. The player initially creates two player characters (PCs) and can acquire non-player character (NPC) allies later in the game.

Release.

"Menzoberranzan" was published in 1994 by Strategic Simulations.  The game was later included in the 1996 compilation set, the "AD&D Masterpiece Collection".  On August 20, 2015, game distributor GOG.com released the PC version of the game along with several other Gold Box titles.

Critical reception.

In "Computer Gaming World", Scorpia wrote, "Overall, "Menzoberranzan" is a disappointment. It has some nice features, but nice features must be supported by a strong story. Sadly, what could have been a superior entry in the CRPG field comes off as just another hack-n-slash product". Andrew Wright of "PC Zone" considered it "a case of dumb dungeoneering stylishly put together", and stated that it "tries to be "Ultima Underworld" and fails miserably." He offered praise to its graphics and interface.  A reviewer for "Next Generation" gave the game 3 out of 5 stars, remarking that the high-resolution graphics have a "painting-like quality" and that the gameplay is authentic to the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" franchise. T. Liam McDonald of "PC Gamer US" called "Menzoberranzan" the best "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" game ever released, and praised its graphics and story. However, he complained that it is "combat oriented in early levels and takes its sweet time getting to the narrative elements."  In "Electronic Entertainment", Al Giovetti summarized the game as "high-quality role-playing meets fast-paced first-person exploration and spectacular real-time combat", and he believed that it was "a sure bet to please role players." Ian Cole from the Quandaryland website awarded the game 3.5 stars out 5. He was critical of the slowness of the game compared to "Ravenloft" and that "too many places were empty — just nothing". He praises that this was not a typical hack and slash game with a lot of character's statistics and puzzle solving. John Terra of "Computer Shopper" said the game "stands out" and called it a "must-have".  According to Allen Rausch of GameSpy, "without a great plot and exciting monsters that truly utilized its spectacular setting, "Menzoberranzan" ended up being less impressive than it was in players' imaginations".  "Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games" said "the last TSR-licensed game SSI published is the infamously wretched (and hard to spell) "Menzoberranzan", which appeared in 1994 for DOS. [...] [It] had all the ingredients necessary for a hit. [...] Nevertheless, gamers quickly complained about the endless number of boring battles that drag out the game and ruin its pacing".

Menzoberranzan is a 1994 role-playing video game created by Strategic Simulations (SSI) and DreamForge Intertainment. "Menzoberranzan" uses the same game engine as SSI's previous game, "" (1994), and is set in the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Menzoberranzan ist ein 1994 für MS-DOS veröffentlichtes Computer-Rollenspiel auf Basis des Advanced-Dungeons-&-Dragons-Regelwerk, entwickelt von DreamForge Intertainment im Auftrag von SSI. Das in der Kampagnenwelt der Vergessenen Reiche angesiedelte Spiel ist das zweite von drei Spielen, das auf Dreamforges Spiel-Engine für "" basiert. Das Spiel wurde für FM Towns und PC-98 portiert.


Design.

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-664" had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of, a pressure hull length of, a beam of, a height of, and a draught of. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert GU 343/38–8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to.  The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of. When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at. "U-664" was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history.

The boat's career began with training at 8th U-boat Flotilla on 17 June 1942, followed by active service on 1 November 1942 as part of the 9th Flotilla for the remainder of her service.  In five patrols she sank three merchant ships, for a total of.

First Patrol.

On her first day of active service she was attacked by a US Catalina. The depth charge attack was so effective that she had to return to base in France.

Convoy ONS 167.

Outward bound from Biscay on her second patrol, "U-664" made a chance sighting of the slow convoy and radioed its position to base. Karl Dönitz ordered Graef to shadow the convoy while other boats were rounded up to form Wolfpack "Sturmbock". However the boats were well scattered and failed to make contact with the convoy, so on the night of 21 February 1943, Graef became impatient with waiting and decided to attack alone.  With one spread of torpedoes, Graef sank the American steamer "Rosario" and the Panamanian tanker "H H Rogers".

Wolfpacks.

U-664 took part in eight wolfpacks, namely

Fate.

On 8 August 1943 "U-664" fired three torpedoes at the escort carrier in a surprise attack, before USS "Card" was able to respond and forced her to dive. The following day, on 9 August 1943, "USS Card" got her revenge. "U-664" was sunk in the North Atlantic in position, by depth charges from USN Grumman Avenger aircraft launched from the carrier. Seven crew members were killed or drowned; 44 others were rescued by "USS Borie" after seven hours in the water.

German submarine "U-664" was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" for service during World War II. She was laid down on 11 July 1941 by Howaldtswerke, Hamburg as yard number 813, launched on 28 April 1942 and commissioned on 17 June 1942 under "Oberleutnant zur See" Adolf Graef.

U 664 war ein U-Boot vom Typ VII C. Es wurde von der Kriegsmarine während des Zweiten Weltkrieges im U-Boot-Krieg eingesetzt. Auf seinen fünf Unternehmungen konnte es drei Schiffe mit 19.325 BRT versenken, wobei 79 Menschen starben. Am 9. August 1943 wurde es im Atlantik versenkt, wobei 7 Mann ums Leben kamen und 44 in US-amerikanische Kriegsgefangenschaft gerieten.


History.

The seed of the book sprint was sown in London in 2005. Wireless network expert Tomas Krag recognized the need for a single, authoritative, online, freely licensed book on the topic of developing wireless internet infrastructure in Africa and other developing countries that could be translated into multiple languages, but he was unwilling to write the book himself using traditional methods. This "book sprint" took several months, however, both in preparation and in post-sprint editing.  Web artist and FLOSS Manuals founder Adam Hyde turned the rough idea of a book sprint into a systematic method, defining and refining the process in the course of many book sprints, and turning the book sprint into a time-boxed event of at most a single week. After learning from Tomas Krag about his initial "book sprint" effort, Hyde recognized the potential of the method, especially for producing Free/Libre/Open Source Software help manuals and handbooks. Hyde facilitated a five-day book sprint in 2008 that produced a how-to book about bypassing Internet censorship as well as a prototype of a collaborative writing platform designed with the book sprint in mind. Since then, book sprints have been held on a wide range of topics, including art, education, governance, science, and software.  Book sprints now generally emphasize that participants should not prepare before the sprint and should not continue work after the sprint, that one or more trained and experienced facilitators must be present who do not take part in the writing of the book, and that book sprints are an appropriate method for any topic. According to Hyde, book sprints are best when run by a trained facilitator and using the right kind of collaborative writing software. However, others have used variants of the process to produce books, e.g., "Creative Sprint", which spread work over 7 weeks, beginning and ending with face to face sprints.  In 2013-4 "BookSprints for ICT Research" produced a detailed study of Book Sprints, additionally producing five books at book sprints over the course of the study.

Process.

In a book sprint, between five and fifteen experts sit together in the same space. Apart from an idea for the topic there are no requirements or contents prepared beforehand. Central to the process is the facilitator who guides the contributors through the process to develop a book in maximum five days. The resulting book is published by the end of the five days through print on demand as well as in different e-book formats. In general, the books are distributed freely, and the main resources are not generated from sales but through sponsors or crowdfunding platforms, for example.

A book sprint is a method of creating a book collaboratively in a short period of time, usually three to five days. Book sprints make use of unconference techniques to ensure that a group of content experts under the guidance of one or more facilitators can not only write but publish a book at the end of the sprint period.

Ein Book Sprint ist eine Methode zum gemeinschaftlichen Verfassen von Büchern. Der Begriff erinnert an die Programmiersprints in der agilen Softwareentwicklung. Im Kern handelt es sich um eine Art Unkonferenz. Die Teilnehmer halten jedoch keine Vorträge, sondern schreiben über ihr Spezialgebiet. Kollaborativ werden somit Bücher im Schnellverfahren erstellt – innerhalb weniger Tage vom Konzept übers Schreiben bis zur Auslieferung.


History.

Ringgold was founded in 1846 and incorporated as a city in 1847. It was named after Samuel Ringgold, a hero of the Battle of Palo Alto in the Mexican–American War.  Ringgold is where "The General" locomotive stopped during the Great Locomotive Chase on April 12, 1862. Ringgold is also home to the historic Ringgold Depot, which still contains bullet marks from the Civil War.  The Battle of Ringgold Gap took place on November 27, 1863. Confederate Major General Patrick Cleburne with 4,100 men used the mountain pass known as the Ringgold Gap to stall the advance of Union Major General Joseph Hooker and his troops. Hooker's troops were over 12,000 strong. It was a Confederate victory because it allowed Confederate artillery and wagon trains to move safely through the Ringgold Gap unharmed while inflicting high Union casualties.  On March 14, 2002, a sudden heavy fog played havoc with morning traffic and contributed to one of the worst traffic pileups in history; 125 vehicles crashed on Interstate 75 North and four people died.

Tornado.

On April 27, 2011, an EF4 tornado touched down in Ringgold and Catoosa County, leaving a path of destruction. The tornado killed twenty people along a path across Catoosa County and over the state line in Hamilton and Bradley counties. Eight died in Ringgold, including an entire family of four, and at least thirty others were injured. Many homes, businesses, and schools were damaged or destroyed.

Geography.

Ringgold is located near the center of Catoosa County at (34.917170, -85.115698). U.S. Routes 41 and 76 pass through the center of town as Nashville Street, leading northwest to downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, and southeast to Dalton, Georgia. Interstate 75 passes through the southern part of the city with access from 348; the highway leads northwest to Chattanooga and southeast to Atlanta.  According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, or 0.11%, is water.

Topography.

Ringgold is situated in the Valley and Ridge geologic province of the Appalachian Mountains, characterized by long north-northeasterly trending ridges separated by valleys. The topography was formed by the erosion of alternating layers of hard and soft sedimentary rock that were folded and faulted during the building of the Appalachians. Taylor Ridge runs through Ringgold; a gap in the ridge is located just east of the city center, with the part of the ridge running to the south called Taylors Ridge and to the north called White Oak Mountain. South Chickamauga Creek, a tributary of the Tennessee River, runs through Ringgold.

Climate.

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ringgold has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics.

At the 2000 census, there were 2,422 people, 1,033 households and 644 families residing in the city. The population density was 617.0 per square mile (237.9/km2). There were 1,116 housing units at an average density of 284.3 per square mile (109.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.33% White, 6.32% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.58% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.82% of the population.  There were 1,033 households of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.85.  23.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.  The median household income was $26,834 and the median family income was $35,132. Males had a median income of $26,943 compared with $21,074 for females. The per capita income was $15,612. About 14.5% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education.

Catoosa County School District.

The Catoosa County School District educates students from pre-school to grade twelve. In the district, there are ten elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools. The district has 606 full-time teachers and over 9,809 students.  Denia Reese is the Superintendent of Schools.

Ringgold is a city in Catoosa County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 3,580 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Catoosa County. It is part of the Chattanooga, Tennessee–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Ringgold ist eine Stadt und Verwaltungssitz im Catoosa County im US-Bundesstaat Georgia mit knapp 4.000 Einwohnern. In dem Ort etwa 20 Kilometer südöstlich von Chattanooga befindet sich die Dragster-Rennstrecke "Brainerd Optimist Dragstrip".


Amateur career.

High school.

Corliss Williamson played basketball at Russellville High School, where he achieved numerous accolades. He was a three-time all-conference and all-state selection, and was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. Prior to his senior year, Williamson held his own against future teammate Chris Webber in an AAU championship game, getting 37 points to Webber's 38 points. As a senior Williamson averaged twenty-eight points and nine rebounds per game, and led his team to the King Cotton Classic championship. In the title game, Russellville defeated a team led by Jason Kidd, with Williamson blocking a potential game-winner by Kidd at the buzzer. Williamson was named tournament MVP, but gave his medal to his teammate, Marcus Thompson, at the award podium. Williamson closed out his high school career with a selection to play in the 1992 McDonald's All-American Game. He came in second in scoring to game MVP Othella Harrington, with fourteen points, and also had ten rebounds. His #34 jersey has been retired by Russellville High and hangs on the wall of the school's arena, along with his McDonald's All-American jersey.

College.

Williamson played at the University of Arkansas from 1992 to 1995. In the 1992–93 season, Williamson led Arkansas to a 22–9 record and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament, losing to the eventual national champion, the North Carolina Tar Heels. Williamson averaged 14.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.  In the 1993-94 season, Williamson was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament while leading the Razorbacks to a 31–3 record and their only championship under coach Richardson by defeating the Duke Blue Devils, 76-72, in the title game. Williamson led the team into the championship game in 1995 as well, but Arkansas lost to UCLA, finishing 32–7.  In three seasons at Arkansas, Williamson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 1993, and was 1st Team All-SEC in 1993, 1994, and 1995. He was also named the SEC Player of the Year for the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons, and was named 2nd Team All-American for both years as well. In addition to the 1994 NCAA National Championship, Williamson also led the Razorbacks to the SEC West Division title all three seasons, and the SEC regular season championship in 1994. Williamson finished his career at Arkansas with 1,728 points, which ranks 8th all-time in school history. Williamson was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. His jersey (#34) is one of only two that have ever been retired by the University of Arkansas, along with Sidney Moncrief (#32). He is considered one of the five greatest players in school history.

NBA career.

Williamson declared for the NBA Draft following his junior season, and was selected by the Sacramento Kings as a lottery pick (13th overall) in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft. His best career year was in the 1997–98 season when he played 79 games and averaged 17.7 points per game for the Kings, finishing second to Alan Henderson for the NBA Most Improved Player Award. After Sacramento traded him prior to the 2000–01 season to the Toronto Raptors (in exchange for Doug Christie), for whom he played 42 games, Williamson was traded to the Detroit Pistons, along with Kornel David, Tyrone Corbin, and a 2005 first-round draft choice in a package for Jerome Williams and Eric Montross. In the 2001–02 season he was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year and eventually was a member of the Pistons' 2003–04 NBA Championship team. Although coming off the bench, Williamson served a pivotal role in the Detroit offense. His coaches often looked to him in the low post when the Pistons needed a basket, where his unique skill set made him a difficult matchup as he was too powerful for small forwards to guard and too quick for power forwards. After being traded by the Pistons along with an undisclosed amount of cash to the Philadelphia 76ers for Derrick Coleman and Amal McCaskill on August 8, 2004, he was again traded back to the Kings along with Brian Skinner and Kenny Thomas for power forward Chris Webber on February 22, 2005.  Williamson has the distinction of being one of the few professional basketball players to win championships at three different levels, AAU, the NCAA with Arkansas, and the NBA with Detroit.

Coaching Career.

Williamson announced his retirement in September 2007 to become an assistant coach at Arkansas Baptist College. He worked as a volunteer coach during his three years at Arkansas Baptist, succeeding Charles Ripley as the head coach for his final season at the school.  On March 12, 2010, Williamson was announced as the men's head basketball coach at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas. Promising to play an exciting style of play similar to his former head coach Nolan Richardson, Williamson's teams improved gradually each season, but still never won more than half of their games.  On August 2, 2013, Williamson left Central Arkansas to become an assistant for the Sacramento Kings.  On June 29, 2016, it was announced that Williamson had left the Kings to take an assistant coaching position with the Orlando Magic under new head coach Frank Vogel. Vogel previously was an assistant coach to Williamson back when he played under the 76ers. However, after Frank Vogel was fired in 2018, Williamson would be fired as well.  On May 22, 2018, it was announced that Williamson would be hired by the Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach under new head coach Igor Kokoškov. Williamson was previously connected to Igor by playing under him back when Kokoškov was an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons during the 2003–04 championship season. However, when Kokoškov was fired after his only season as head coach for the Suns, Williamson would also be fired alongside the rest of the team's coaching staff that season.

Corliss Mondari Williamson (born December 4, 1973) is an American basketball coach and former basketball player who played for four teams during his 12-year NBA career. He last served as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. His nickname is "Big Nasty", a moniker he received from his AAU coach when he was 13. Williamson was a dominating power forward in college, but an undersized power forward in the NBA and mostly played at the small forward position.

Corliss Mondari Williamson (* 4. Dezember 1973 in Russellville, Arkansas) ist ein ehemaliger US-amerikanischer Basketballspieler und heutiger Trainer. 2002 wurde Williamson zum NBA Sixth Man of the Year ausgezeichnet.


History.

The Kurdish nationalist struggle first emerged in the late 19th century when a unified movement demanded the establishment of a Kurdish state. Revolts occurred sporadically, but only decades after the Ottoman centralist policies of the 19th century began did the first modern Kurdish nationalist movement emerge with an uprising led by a Kurdish landowner and head of the powerful Shemdinan family, Sheikh Ubeydullah. In 1880 Ubeydullah demanded political autonomy or outright independence for Kurds and the recognition of a Kurdistan state without interference from Turkish or Persian authorities. The uprising against Qajar Persia and the Ottoman Empire was ultimately suppressed by the Ottomans, and Ubeydullah, along with other notables, was exiled to Istanbul. The Kurdish nationalist movement that emerged following World War I (1914-1918) and the 1922 end of the Ottoman Empire largely reacted to the changes taking place in mainstream Turkey, primarily the radical secularization (which the strongly Muslim Kurds abhorred), centralization of authority (which threatened the power of local chieftains and Kurdish autonomy), and rampant Turk ethnonationalism in the new Turkish Republic (which obviously threatened to marginalize Kurds). Western powers (particularly the United Kingdom) fighting the Turks promised the Kurds that they would act as guarantors for Kurdish freedom, a promise they subsequently broke. One particular organization, the Kürdistan Teali Cemiyeti (Society for the Advancement of Kurdistan, or SAK) was central to the forging of a distinct Kurdish identity. It took advantage of period of political liberalization in during the Second Constitutional Era (1908–1920) of Turkey to transform a renewed interest in Kurdish culture and language into a political nationalist movement based on ethnicity. Around the start of the 20th century Russian anthropologists encouraged this emphasis on Kurds as a distinct ethnicity, suggesting that the Kurds were a European race (compared to the Asiatic Turks) based on physical characteristics and on the Kurdish language (which forms part of the Indo-European language-group). While these researchers had ulterior political motives (to sow dissent in the Ottoman Empire) their findings were embraced and still accepted today by many. During the relatively open government of the 1950s, Kurds gained political office and started working within the framework of the Turkish Republic to further their interests but this move towards integration was halted with the 1960 Turkish coup d'état. The 1970s saw an evolution in Kurdish nationalism as Marxist political thought influenced a new generation of Kurdish nationalists opposed to the local feudal authorities who had been a traditional source of opposition to authority, eventually they would form the militant separatist Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan (PKK), or Kurdistan Workers Party in English.

Ottoman Empire.

Under the millet system, Kurds' primary form of identification was religious with Sunni Islam being the top in the hierarchy (millet-i hakimiye). While the Ottoman Empire embarked on a modernization and centralization campaign known as the Tanzimat (1829–1879), Kurdish regions retained much of their autonomy and tribal chiefs their power. The Sublime Porte made little attempt to alter the traditional power structure of "segmented, agrarian Kurdish societies" – agha, sheikh, and tribal chief. Because of the Kurds' geographical position at the southern and eastern fringe of the empire and the mountainous topography of their territory, in addition to the limited transportation and communication system, agents of the state had little access to Kurdish provinces and were forced to make informal agreements with tribal chiefs. This bolstered the Kurds' authority and autonomy; for instance, the Ottoman qadi and mufti as a result did not have jurisdiction over religious law in most Kurd regions. In 1908, the Young Turks come to power asserting a radical form of Turkish ethnic identity and closed Ottoman associations and non-Turkish schools. They launched a campaign of political oppression and resettlement against ethnic minorities – Kurds, Laz people, and Armenians, but in the wartime context they could not afford to antagonize ethnic minorities too much. At the end of World War I, Kurds still had the legal right to conduct their affairs in Kurdish, celebrate unique traditions, and identify themselves as a distinct ethnic group. The Treaty of Sèvres signed in 1920 "suggested" an independent Kurdish and Armenian state but after the establishment of the Turkish Republic by a Turk ethnonationalist government which balked at the treaty, the 1923 Lausanne Treaty was signed which made no mention of the Kurds. The once politically unified Ottoman Kurdistan was then divided into the different administrative and political systems in Iraq, Turkey and Syria.

Turkey.

By the enforcement of laws such as Article 57 of the Turkish Constitution of 1982 which outlaws "any activity harmful to national unity and territorial integrity of the Turkish Republic", Kurdish civic rights can be constrained within the context of a Constitution guaranteeing equality without acknowledging them as a distinct group. Equal citizenship rights were enshrined in Turkey's 1920 Provisional Constitution. Article 8 asserted that the country was composed of both Turks and Kurds but under the law they would be treated as common citizens. However, the 1923 formation of the Republic of Turkey marked the beginning of continuing period of reduced civic rights for Kurds. The Caliphate was abolished a year later as well as all public expressions and institutions of Kurdish identity. Kurdish madrasas, newspapers, religious fraternal organizations, and associations were shut down.  To give an example of the early republican government's attitude towards the citizenship rights of Kurds, Law No. 1850 was introduced after popular revolts, giving after-the-fact legal sanction to civilians and military personnel who killed Kurds during the revolt.  Kurdish regions were placed under martial law and the use of the Kurdish language, dress, folklore, and names prohibited. It was this continued repression that led to reemergence of Kurdish nationalism in the 1960s and 1970s. During this period the primary goal of the movement was to resolve its grievances with the Turkish government through legitimate channels. These attempts were heavily suppressed. Civic rights were temporarily improved with the Turkish Constitution of 1961 which allowed freedom of expression, the press, and association for Kurds. The 1964 Political Parties Act criminalized Kurdish political parties and the acknowledgment of the existence of different languages and races in Turkey. The 1972 Law of Association further restricted rights to association and political organization.  The failure to address the Kurdish grievances throughout the 1960s and 1970s led to alternate avenues of resolution. In 1984 the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) started a guerrilla insurgency against the Turkish Republic. The PKKs insurgency continued to be a violent insurgency until the lasting ceasefire in 1999. Throughout this period there was a significant loss of life in addition to many social and political changes.  In 1991, Law 2932 was repealed and the Kurdish language was allowed for informal speech and music but not for political or education purposes or in the mass media. The same year a new Anti-Terror bill was passed which defined terrorism as "any kind of action with the aim of changing characteristics of the Republic" essentially criminalizing Kurdish political activism and many basic forms of expression. In 2004 laws were further liberalized allowing Kurdish-language broadcasts and other restrictions, including the giving of Kurdish names to infants have been removed.

Iraq.

British Mandate after World War I.

After World War I Iraq came under a British mandate. Many Kurds did try to establish an independent Kurdish state, declaring the Kingdom of Kurdistan. To avoid unrest, the British granted the northern Kurdish region considerable autonomy and recognized their nationalist claims. They even tried to institutionalize Kurdish ethnic identity in the 1921 Provisional Iraqi Constitution which stated that Iraq was composed of two ethnic groups with equal rights, Arabs and Kurds, and enshrined the equal legal status of the Kurdish language with Arabic. The mandate government divided the country into two separate regions, one Arab, one Kurdish in administrative policy and practice. Two policies emerged regarding Kurds in Iraq: one for non-tribal urban dwellers and one for rural tribal population meant to discourage urban migration. The government institutionalized advantages for rural Kurds – tribes had special legal jurisdiction, tax benefits, and informally guaranteed seats in parliament. In addition, they were exempt from two of the strongest facets of the modern state; they had their own schools and were outside the jurisdiction of national courts. This privileged position lasted into the 1950s. Kurdish rights were further entrenched in 1932 by the Local Languages Law, a condition of the League of Nations (undoubtedly under British influence) being that to join, Iraq had to enact constitutional protection for the Kurds. Political rights were fairly open in the interwar years as continued British internal interference and a series of weak government prevented any one movement from dominating national politics prevented the creation of a formal exclusionary citizenship. However, later the central governments nation-building strategy centered around a secular conception of national identity based upon a sentiment of Iraqi unity (al-wadha al-iraqiyya) with the government dominated by Sunni Arabists. Within this new framework, as non-Arabs, the Kurds would experience unwelcome changes in status.

After World War II.

The 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s demonstrated a pattern. The new Arabist leader would assert his belief in the Kurds as distinct and equal ethnic group in Iraq with political rights. For instance, the Constitution of 1960 claims "Kurds and Arabs are partners within this nation. The Constitution guarantees their rights within the framework of the Iraqi republic". Once successful at consolidating their power they would repress Kurdish political rights, militarize Kurdish regions, ban nationalist political parties, destroy Kurdish villages, and forcibly impose resettlement (especially in petroleum-rich areas). As a result, from late 1961 onwards there was near constant strife in Iraqi Kurdistan. A major development was made when the Iraqi government and Kurdish leaders signed the 1970 Peace Agreement. It promised Kurdish self-rule, recognition of the bi-national character of Iraq, political representation in the central government, extensive official language rights, the freedom of association and organization, and several other concessions aimed at restoring full civic rights to the Kurdish population. It was to come into effect within four years. In 1974 the weaker Law of Autonomy in the Area of Kurdistan was actually implemented with much weaker citizenship protections and conflict soon resumed. The 1980s, especially during the Iran–Iraq War, were a particularly low point for Kurdish rights within Iraq. Approximately 500,000 Kurdish civilians were sent to detention camps in southern and eastern Iraq and the Iraqi armed forces razed villages and hamlets in and near the battle area. It is also during this time that the Iraqi military used chemical weapons on Kurdish towns.

After the Gulf War.

After the Gulf War an autonomous "safe haven" was established in Northern Iraq under UN with U.S. Air Force and British Royal Air Force air protection. Under the democratically elected Kurdistan Region, citizens experienced civic rights never previously enjoyed. Student unions, NGOs, and women's organizations emerged as forces in a new civic society and institutionalized tolerance for the region's own ethnic, religious, and language minorities, e.g., the Iraqi Turkmen. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the downfall of Saddam Hussein, the Kurdish population has found itself drawn back into Iraq with promises of autonomy and citizenship based on a federal, ethnically inclusive model with strong minority rights and guarantees against discrimination. Coming after the 2005 Kurdistan Region independence referendum voted 98.98% in favor of independence, the new Iraqi Constitution adopted in 2005 grants governmental autonomy to the Kurdistan Region, establishes Kurdish as an official language alongside Arabic, acknowledges the national rights of the Kurdish people, and promises equality of citizens regardless of race or religion. Kurdish military forced helped defeat ISIL during the Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) and gained territory, including Kirkuk and surrounding oil fields. The 2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum took place on September 25, with 92.73% voting in favor of independence. This triggered a military operation in which the Iraqi government retook control of Kirkuk and surrounding areas, and forced the KRG to annul the referendum.

Syria.

After the failed revolution of Sheikh Said, thousands of Kurds fled their homes in southeastern Turkey to Syria, where they settled and were granted citizenship by the French mandate authorities.  Under the French Mandate of Syria, the Kurds enjoyed considerable rights as the French mandate authority encourage minority independence movements as part of a divide and rule strategy and recruited a large Kurdish segment for its local armed forces. The repression of Kurdish civic rights escalated with the short-lived unification of Syria and Egypt as the United Arab Republic in 1958, partly in response to more vocal Kurdish demands for democracy, recognition as an ethnic group, and complaints that the state police and military academies were closed to Kurds. 120 000 Kurds (40% of the Syrian Kurd population) were stripped of their citizenship in the 1962 Census when the government claimed they were, in fact, Turks and Iraqis illegally residing in the country. Stripped of their nationality however, these now stateless Kurds still found themselves subject to its obligations through conscription in the military. The Kurdish language and cultural expressions were banned, a state that continues today. In 1962 the Government announced its "Arab Belt" plan (later renamed "plan for establishment of model state farms") which would have forcibly expelled the Kurdish population from a 350 km long, 10 to 15 km deep strip of land along Syria's northeast border and replaced them with Arab settlers but was never fully implemented. There was no change in policy under the new Ba’athist regime post-1963. It refused to implement its program of land reforms that was benefiting Arab peasants where Kurds would predominantly benefit until 1971. From the 1970s on there was a relaxation of official treatment of Kurds but the late 1980s saw renewed widespread denial of Syrian citizenship status to domestic Kurds especially in refusing national identity documents such as passports. Since the Syrian Civil War, Syrian government forces have abandoned many Kurdish-populated areas, leaving the Kurds to fill the power vacuum and govern these areas autonomously.  Many Kurds consider the Kurdish-majority regions of northern and northeastern Syria to be 'Western Kurdistan' (Kurdish: "Rojavaye Kurdistane") and seek political autonomy within Syria (akin to Iraqi Kurdistan in Iraq) or outright independence as part of Kurdistan.

Iran.

The similarity between Kurdish and Persian language and culture compared to the Turks and Arabs, the more equal population balance between the ethnic majority Persians and ethnic minorities like the Kurds has resulted in a somewhat different citizenship experience for Iranian Kurds, as such most seek autonomy rather than independence.

Under the Qajar Empire.

Iranian group identification and social order was based on religious identification with Islam, specifically Shia Islam, the dominant sect. While the majority of Kurds are Sunni, in Iran they were roughly evenly split between Sunnis, Shias, and Shia splinter groups like the Sufis. Because of this preoccupation with religion over ethnicity, in practice Kurds were treated as part of the majority and enjoyed extensive citizenship rights. Unlike the Ottoman Empire, this social order was maintained while the imperial system declined and modern Iranian identity was forged by a reform movement in the late 19th century to the benefit of Kurds.  Under this regime, Sunni and Shia Kurds held a privileged position as Muslims. Unlike the other minorities, Christian Armenians, Jews, Zoroastrians and others, they had the right to work in food production and buy crown land. They also benefited from the tuyal land tenure system which favoured Muslims. This advantage allowed Kurds to establish strong control over food production and land. The notable absence of ethnic restrictions on holding government office allowed Kurdish tribal leaders and notables to purchase office and establish a strong Kurdish presence in Iranian politics without having to culturally assimilate or deny ethnicity. This political presence was bolstered because the Qajars appointed many tribal chiefs to government positions in exchange for internal security assurances. Within this system many Kurds reached prominent military, political, and diplomatic positions. Exceptional in Iran during the 19th century and early 20th was that the nationalist reform movement did not develop a radical, exclusionary, ethnic-based conception of nationality but developed an Iranian identity that did not define itself as ethnically Persian.

Constitutional monarchy.

The existing beneficial social framework changed with the establishment of a constitutional monarchy by Reza Shah in 1925. Similar to other states, he tried to nation-build by creating an exclusionary nationality based on a secular, ethnically Persian Iranian identity and repress the cultural expressions and equal status of ethnic minorities. These minorities, including the Kurds were coerced into accepting Persian culture and many were arrested for speaking the Kurdish language. However, Kurds were afforded a special position in the official state ethnic-based nationalism because of their cultural similarity to the Persians and their non-Arab ethnicity. Also, the distribution of seats in the Majlis (parliament) was based on religion, not ethnicity, the Kurds were able to exercise greater political power than non-Muslim minorities like the Armenians and Jews. The state's system of military conscription and centralized education served to integrate urban Kurdish populations but the majority remained rural. After World War II with the Soviet withdrawal from Kurdish regions (where they had encouraged autonomous Kurdish government as the Mahabad Republic), the Shah banned some Kurdish political parties, expressions of cultural identity ended the open political party system and ruled by firman. In 1958 there was a marked liberalization which allowed the activities of Kurdish cultural organizations and student associations but still limited political parties. Unlike other countries the Kurds were free to publish cultural and historical information in their own language. However, with massive investment and military aid from the western world, in the 1950s and 1960s Iran became a police state which clamped down on many civil rights.

Post-Revolutionary Iran.

After the Iranian Revolution, some Kurdish groups (chiefly the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan) allied with Iranian leftist and communist groups against Ayatollah Khomeini's government. The Kurdish rebellion for autonomy in 1979 was forcibly suppressed by Tehran, with thousands of Kurdish rebels and civilians killed as a result.  The new theocratic government developed a new exclusionary conception of nationalism based on very conservative Shia Islam. Once Khomeini consolidated power he expelled Sunni Kurds from government office, placed restrictions on freedom of expression, and militarized Kurdish regions as part of the war with Iraq. Still compared to other countries Kurds were still allowed limited publications, to celebrate holidays, wear traditional dress, and use Kurdish (except as a language of instruction). Significant improvements were made in 1997 whereby the government allowed a profusion of Kurdish language in media, although some of these publications were later restricted.

PJAK insurrection.

The Iranian government has been facing a low-level guerrilla warfare against the ethnic secessionist Kurdish guerrilla group Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) since 2004. PJAK is closely affiliated with the Kurdish militant group Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) operating against Turkey.

Kurdish population.

Accurate population figures for the Kurds are hard to establish for several reasons: several countries in the region do not break out Kurdish population in their censuses; competing political agendas seek to either maximize or minimize the size of the Kurdish population; different counting methods may include or exclude groups such as Zazas; both Iraq and Syria have suffered war and civil disturbance in recent years; and high population growth among Kurdish communities means that figures become outdated quickly.  The figures below are the best recent estimates available from apparently independent sources.

Kurdish nationalism (Kurdish: "Kurdayetî", کوردایەتی) holds that the Kurdish people are deserving of a sovereign nation that would be partitioned out of areas in Turkey, northern Iraq, and Syria based on the promised nation of Kurdistan under the Treaty of Sèvres.

Kurdayetî, auf Deutsch in etwa „Kurdismus“, ist ein vor allem im Irak verwendeter Begriff für kurdisches Nationalbewusstsein. Er bedeutet im weitesten Sinne, dass Kurdistan auf eine lange Besiedlungsgeschichte zurückblickt, Kurden eine Nation sind und sie deshalb das Recht auf politische Selbstbestimmung haben.


Career.

Born in Mirano, Venice, in 1952, Maurizio Milan graduated in Civil Engineering from the University of Padua in 1977 and started his career designing concrete and steel prefabricated structures. In 1982, he founded “Favero&Milan” engineering firm which he left in 2013 to set up “Milan Ingegneria S.r.l.”, within which he is continuing to perform his professional activity. His experience ranges from concept design to final work delivery to the client, along with structural engineering, site supervision and Economic and Environmental Management. He has taken part in the design of numerous projects both in Italy and abroad in collaboration with world-famous architects, completing over one thousand works to the day. From 2002 to 2008 he was professor in the Structural Engineering Master’s Programme at the Polytechnic University of Milan. Since 2007, he has been teaching Structural Design at the IUAV University in Venice and, since 2013, he has been tutoring the six young architects of Senator Renzo Piano’s G124 working group, who will be involved in the transformation of Italian suburbs. He is part of the "Casa Italia" project initiated by Prime Minister of Italy Paolo Gentiloni on April 8, 2017, with the aim of determining the criteria for the prevention and safeguarding of Italian building and infrastructure heritage during natural disasters with particular regard to earthquakes.

Working philosophy.

The common thread in all Maurizio Milan’s work can be summarised in a motto: “Complex problems need simple solutions”. His work has always been characterised by research and experimentation in a constant attempt to offer structural solutions which are both coherent with the architectural design of a project and rigorous from the point of view of safety and functionality. Despite his vocation as a structural engineer, Maurizio Milan has dedicated his career to interpreting the intimate connection between the architectural and structural design, the functional distribution of spaces and the economic sustainability of every project he has been involved in.

Maurizio Milan (born 21 July 1952) is an Italian engineer. He works in collaboration with world-famous architects such as Von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, Arata Isozaki, Rem Koolhaas, Herzog & de Meuron, Michele De Lucchi, Matteo Thun, Bolles+Wilson, Mario Cucinella. A long-time consultant of Renzo Piano, he has taken part in numerous projects of the Italian architect.

Maurizio Milan (* 21. Juli 1952 in Mirano) ist ein italienischer Ingenieur. Er arbeitete mit den Architekten Meinhard von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, Arata Isozaki, Rem Koolhaas, Herzog & De Meuron, Michele De Lucchi, Matteo Thun, Bolles+Wilson, Mario Cucinella. Er ist Berater von Renzo Piano, und ist an der Realisierung von Projekten des italienischen Architekten beteiligt.


Plot.

Born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, the young future-emperor was adopted by his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, after demonstrating promising wit and skill. After his great-uncle's assassination, Augustus (at this time known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus) took vengeance upon Caesar's murderers, and through tactical political moves, became one of Rome's three “Triumvirs" alongside Marc Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. After defeating the other two triumvirs, and obtaining sole power over the Roman State, Augustus (known as "Imperator" Caesar Divi Filius), began taking measures to secure and increase his power. As a result, Augustus gave orders to exterminate Cleopatra's teenaged son, allegedly commenting, "too many Caesars is no good thing." (As it was the common belief that her son was of Julius Caesar's bloodline.) In light of such orders, Cleopatra and Marc Antony—lovers at the time—committed suicide.  The later part of the novel focuses more on Augustus' rule. It details his official renaming by the Roman Senate ("augustus": one to be revered), his contention with and banishment of his daughter, Julia, for her various extramarital affairs, and closes with a final note from (the fictional) Augustus himself.

Major themes.

The major theme "Augustus" addresses is the ability of circumstances to change the personality and behavior of a person. The conditions that surrounded Augustus' rise to power plagued Ancient Rome with violence and contention, which led to Augustus working hard to implement a time of peace and cooperation in Rome, commonly referred to as the Pax Romana or the Pax Augusta. Other themes Williams writes on in his novel include coming of age and the difference between restraint and resignation.

Background.

"Augustus" is the last work Williams published before his death in 1994. Though "Augustus" garnered little public recognition while Williams was alive, the critical reception of the work was generally positive. "Augustus" is different from Williams' other works in that it is his only piece in which the main character is not named William. In addition, it is his first novel that takes place outside of the United States.

Critical reception.

"Augustus" was received with general positivity from critics across the country. "Augustus" garnered so much critical respect that it won the National Book Award in 1973. Williams and "Augustus" shared the 1973 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction with John Barth and "Chimera", the first time the award was split. Critics such as Harold Augenbraum discuss the split award in their work, saying that this was the first time the fiction award was split and also discussing that the 1973 National Book Awards allowed many categories to split the awards.  Both the "Los Angeles Review of Books" and the "New York Review of Books" offered positive criticism, particularly about the fusion of biography and fiction. Reviewer Daniel Mendelsohn of the "New York Review of Books" wrote that "the life of the first emperor is an ideal vehicle for a historical novel: Augustus is a figure about whom we know at once a great deal and very little, and hence invites both description and invention".  Critics overwhelmingly praised the narrative of "Augustus" while critiquing the lack of time speaking Williams gives the title character. Overall, most critics praised Williams for forgoing his own personal voice to relay characters that are historical with personalities Williams imagines for himself and his audience.

Augustus is an epistolary, historical fiction by John Williams published by Viking Press in 1972. It tells the story of Augustus, emperor of Rome, from his youth through old age. The book is divided into two parts, the beginning chronicling his rise to power, the latter describing his rule thereafter, and the familial problems faced choosing a successor. Williams and "Augustus" shared the 1973 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction with John Barth and "Chimera", the first time the award was split, and the only of Williams' four novels to receive significant acclaim within his lifetime.

Augustus ist ein historischer Roman des amerikanischen Autors John Williams. Thema des Briefromans ist der Aufstieg des jungen Octavius zum Augustus, dem ersten Kaiser des römischen Reichs.


Airlines and destinations.

Air Greenland operates government contract flights to villages in the Disko Bay area. These mostly cargo flights are not featured in the timetable, although they can be pre-booked. Departure times for these flights as specified during booking are by definition approximate, with the settlement service optimized on the fly depending on local demand for a given day. Settlement flights in the Disko Bay and Aasiaat archipelago areas are operated only during winter and spring. During summer and autumn, communication between settlements is by sea only, serviced by Diskoline.

Airport expansion.

The purpose of Ilulissat Airport has been debated in Greenland for decades; there has been pressure for runway extension from the local tourist industry and municipal authorities. An expansion considering constructing a new airport in Ilulissat is in progress. The expansion of the airport will feature a runway to let the airport receive direct international airliner flights from mainland Europe and the Americas. It will be located just north of the present airport The airport will then (together with Nuuk Airport which will also be expanded) join or even replace Kangerlussuaq Airport as a primary hub, effectively becoming an international gateway to western and northwestern Greenland. There is a general debate on extending or replacing most airports in Greenland, since most are ill located former air bases, or very short.

Accidents and incidents.

On 29 January 2014, a De Havilland DHC-8 operated by Air Greenland (Flight 3205) suffered substantial damage in a landing accident. On landing, the left main gear collapsed and the plane skidded down a slope and came to a rest near the perimeter fence. This caused three injuries, not serious, and aircraft scrapped. The cause was a pilot error in difficult wind conditions.

Ilulissat Airport (, ); () is a minor international airport serving Ilulissat, Greenland, the entire Disko Bay Region, the North and West Greenland. It is the 59th largest airport in the Nordic countries with 83,000 passengers in 2012 and is the second airport built in Greenland for civilian travel partially funded by the EU (former EC) Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund. It is the third-busiest airport in Greenland, and by far one of the busiest for international travel in Greenland.

Der Flughafen Ilulissat (IATA: JAV, ICAO: BGJN) befindet sich am Ufer der Diskobucht, 4,3 km nördlich von Ilulissat, einer Siedlung in der Gemeinde Avannaata im westlichen Grönland. Der Flughafen wurde 1983 gebaut, um den alten Heliport zu ersetzen.