Synopsis.

In 18th century Beijing (18 March 1741), Wei Yingluo enters the court of the Qianlong Emperor, Aisin Gioro Hongli, as one of the palace embroiderers to secretly investigate her beloved sister's mysterious death. At first believing the imperial guard Fuca Fuheng to be the prime suspect, Yingluo schemes to approach his sister, the Empress Fuca Rongyin, and succeeds in getting transferred from her embroidery unit to the Empress's Changchun Palace as her maid. Over time, she learns that the Fuca siblings are honest and kindhearted people, innocent of the crime, and develops romantic affections for Fuheng, who is admired by many around the Palace, including Qianlong's Consort Chun who allies herself to Empress Fuca because of her crush on her brother.  Though Yingluo is not noble by birth and is illiterate, the kindhearted Empress Fuca teaches her how to read and write, along with all the proper etiquette and mannerisms for noblewomen at the time. Yingluo also helps Empress Fuca survive a series of maneuvers by her chief rivals, becoming a trusted friend and confidant while never forgetting her own agenda of avenging her sister's murder. In time, Yingluo discovers that the actual murderer is a Consort of the late Emperor Yongzheng and mother of Qianlong's half brother, and hatches a plot to drive the culprit to her untimely death. Empress Fuca, for fear of Qianlong's fury over Yingluo's actions, banishes her to the palace sanitation unit to escape his decree of punishment. There, Yingluo befriends a conniving eunuch, Yuan Chunwang, who is subsequently revealed to be a bastard son of Emperor Yongzheng.  Without Yingluo, Empress Fuca falls victim to the machinations of Noble Consort Gao that puts her in a coma. News reaches Yingluo who secretly visits Empress Fuca's chamber to sit by her mistress's side and care for her. Yingluo's devotion to Empress Fuca convinces Qianlong to relent on his tough stance towards her and allow her to return as maid. Empress Fuca is able to wake from her coma, and becomes pregnant again. She goes through almost life-ending labor to give birth to another son, who is immediately the target of assassination by the duplicitous Consort Chun, devastated for having been rejected by Fuheng. Empress Fuca is driven to suicide when she is not able to save her newborn in a bizarre fire that rose overnight. After Empress Fuca's death, Yingluo is sent to live and guard over her mistress's grave at the Old Summer Palace. She stays there with Yuan Chunwang until one year (1750), during an imperial visit by Qianlong and his consorts to Fuca's grave, Yingluo learns that Consort Chun was responsible for her late mistress's suicide. She decides once again to enter the Forbidden City and exact retribution on the evildoers.  In order to achieve the goal, Yingluo skillfully charms Qianlong, becoming part of his harem, and is bestowed a title, Consort Ling. With meticulous planning, she topples her rivals one after another, including the villainess, now Noble Consort Chun, even insofar as exposing her role in Empress Fuca's death, which leads to her fall in the hands of Yingluo's archrival, the newly named Empress Hoifa-Nara (1751). Yingluo's captivation of Qianlong brings her numerous threats, such as from newcomer Concubine Shun, a beautiful and cunning woman dead set to even the score with Qianlong and Fuheng for having been forced into political marriage in the Forbidden City. Framing Yingluo for attempted assassination, Concubine Shun deftly teams up with Empress Hoifa-Nara to put Yingluo under house arrest and pull strings to starve her nearly to death. Nevertheless, Yingluo is able to reverse her situation, reveal Shun's treachery, and restore Qianlong's affections for her. Having reached stalemate at this point, Yingluo negotiates for a truce with Hoifa-Nara on the condition that they both not harm any children of the palace in spite of the rivalry.  A decade later (1765), however, the nihilistic Yuan Chunwang betrays Yingluo and joins Hoifa-Nara, causing a series of mishaps in the palace that even force the Empress Dowager's hand and break her hold on power. Hongzhou, the Emperor's brother, also plots to sabotage Qianlong's Southern river tour. On a chosen night, a band of rebels suddenly storms onto the royal vessel just as a fire engulfs the Empress Dowager's cabin, prompting Qianlong to charge into the flaming cabin to save his mother, seemingly perishing himself in the process.  The next morning, as Hongzhou gallantly appears to restore order from the overnight coup, Qianlong and the Empress Dowager emerge safely from a secret passageway designed by Fuheng and expose Hongzhou's plan of treachery. After Qianlong sentences Hongzhou to death, Yuan Chunwang gets on his knees in front of the Emperor and claims he is a long-lost son of the Yongzheng Emperor. The Empress Dowager denies this, which drives Yuan Chunwang into madness, leaving others unable to determine whether or not it is to protect Qianlong. At this time, Consort Ling comes out of hiding under the protection of the Emperor's guards, prompting Hoifa-Nara to protest once and for all the Emperor's lavished attention for Yingluo alone. In a fit of rage and jealousy, she cuts off her own hair, a taboo in Manchu tradition analogous to an outcry for divorce, effectively cursing the entire Aisin Gioro clan.  In the end, Empress Hoifa-Nara is permitted to keep her title, but loses all of the Emperor's affections. Wei Yingluo is elevated to the most powerful title: 'Imperial Noble Consort". Remembering Empress Fuca's teachings, she embodies all the qualities of a virtuous consort, and supports the Emperor until death.

Production.

Many of the film props and costumes use as centerpieces exquisitely made articles from traditional Chinese crafts that are dying out with few master-level experts remaining to pass on their skills to the next generation. The acquisition of these skills requires a lifetime commitment to perfect, since they are unsurprisingly labor-intensive, demanding a sharp eye and tireless hands in order to replicate in painstaking detail the exclusive nature of their beauty.

Velvet flowers (ronghua).

The velvet flower headwear used by the main characters was designed based on historical documents or antiques housed in the Palace Museum. Each adornment is created according to the characteristics of individual palace women. Zhao Shuxian, one of the few craftsmen still making velvet flowers, created all the headwear in the show using the art of making velvet flower (ronghua). This technique dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and refers to the creation of not only floral displays, but also animal shapes made by silk on a twisted wire frame.

Jeweled hairpins (tian-tsui).

Worn by the Empress and Consorts as status symbols of opulence, these are hairpins of a particular vibrant blue hue, made from the preserved feathers of the wings and back of the kingfisher bird. The technique resembles cloisonné, and when inlaid with pearls and other gemstones, are especially eye-catching the way a peacock dazzles fanning its tail.  The success of the drama is due in no small part to the contributions of numerous artisans and craftspeople behind the scenes that lend to the authenticity of Qing era fashion and style visible in every frame.

Soundtrack.

The original soundtrack was released as an extended play on July 23, 2018. "Willows of the Palace" by Li Chunai was released independently from the album.  A 70-track studio album titled "The Story of Yanxi Palace TV soundtrack" (延禧攻略 影视剧配乐) was released July 19, 2018, containing the instrumental music of the series composed by Chen Guoliang. The music was recorded in J Productions House, and features flute player: Tan Baoshuo, Violin player: Leslie Ryang, Pipa player: Liu Tuotong, erhu player: Huang Leting, and Li Junzhu as the female voice. A total of 129 pieces were used in the show.

Reception.

The series has generated buzz online for its engaging plot of a "Cinderella" tale with Chinese characteristics. It set the single-day online viewership record in China with a total of 530 million views, and has attracted a cumulative over 13 billion views since August 2018. The drama is the most viewed Chinese language drama of 2018. The drama was also the most Googled show on earth in 2018.  Many viewers praised the story, because unlike the usual amicable heroines, the main character Wei Yingluo fights fire with fire and outmaneuvers her opponents. It also received praise for its well-developed cast of characters and exciting interpretation by the actors; beautiful cinematography and intricate costume design; as well as its accurate portrayal of history and Qing-dynasty settings. Owing to its success, there has been an increased number of visitors to the Palace Museum in Beijing, which is where all the main characters in the show used to live in times gone by.

Controversy.

There was uproar in China after a Vietnamese website managed to acquire episodes not yet shown in China and asked visitors to the website to answer questions confirming their Vietnamese identity before the website loads. "This service is for Vietnamese people only. Please answer the following questions: To which country do the Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) belong? Vietnam, China, Philippines or Japan?". The only correct answer to the question is Vietnam. Copies of the episodes were later removed from the platform.

Story of Yanxi Palace () is a Chinese period drama series created by Yu Zheng. It is an original screenplay written by Zhou Mo, and later developed into a novel by Xiao Lian Mao. Starring Wu Jinyan, Charmaine Sheh, Qin Lan, Nie Yuan, Tan Zhuo and Xu Kai, the series premiered on iQiyi from July 19, 2018 to August 26, 2018. During its run it was streamed more than 15 billion times.

Die Geschichte des Palastes Yanxi (chinesisch: "Yán xǐ gōnglüè") ist ein chinesisches Fernsehdrama, welches von Yu Zheng erstellt wurde und auf dem gleichnamigen Roman von Zhou Mo basiert. Mit Wu Jinyan, Charmaine Sheh, Qin Lan, Nie Yuan und Xu Kai in den Hauptrollen wurde die Serie vom 19. Juli 2018 bis 31. August 2018 auf iQiyi uraufgeführt und in dieser Zeit mehr als 15 Milliarden Mal gestreamt.


Biography.

Li Xuefeng joined the Communist Party of China in 1933 and served in several roles, like propaganda chief or organization chief in the Party committees of Shanxi, Beijing, Hebei and Henan. Hebei and Henan were long under the Zhili Province before being split by the Republic of China in 1928.  In 1947, he was appointed deputy secretary of the "Central Plains Bureau" of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, an office responsible for coordinating military efforts around the Yellow River, and concurrently deputy director of the Central Organization Department. In addition, in 1949 he was secretary of the CPC Henan Committee and political commissar of the Henan Military Region.  After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Li was appointed head of the Organization Department of the Central-South China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, as well as deputy secretary of the Bureau, and concurrently vice-chairman of the Central-South Administrative Council. In 1954 he was elevated to Deputy General Secretary of the Central Committee directly under Deng Xiaoping, and head of the Transports and Communications Department in 1956. He was also a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1954 to 1963.  He was elected a full member of the CPC Central Committee at the Eight National Congress held in 1956. In 1960 he was transferred to the posts of first secretary of the North China Bureau of the Central Committee and first political commissar of the Beijing Military Region.  With the outburst of the Cultural Revolution, Li Xuefeng was seen as one of its early supporters. After Peng Zhen, Mayor of Beijing, was overthrown for opposing Mao Zedong over the course of the Cultural Revolution in May 1966, Li Xuefeng replaced him as first secretary of the CPC Beijing Committee, and in August he was promoted an alternate member of the CPC Politburo. His first acts as Party chief in Beijing were to dismiss the editorial boards of several local newspapers and the CPC committee in the University of Beijing, provisionally replacing it with a "work team" charged with providing political education to the students and pushing them to join the Cultural Revolution movement.  His perceived low support for the Red Guards and Mao's criticism towards the "work teams", thought to be harmful to the Cultural Revolution and the source of the students' inner fighting, led to Li's rapid downfall. In 1967, as both the Beijing Municipal Government and CPC Municipal Committee were reorganized in a Revolutionary Committee, Li was sent to Tianjin away from limelight. He resurfaced in February 1968, when he was appointed chairman of the Revolutionary Committee of Hebei Province; in April 1968, he was confirmed as an alternate member of the Politburo at the Ninth Congress of the CPC.  In 1971, Li's support for Chen Boda during the troublesome Second Plenary Session of the Ninth Central Committee held in Lushan in 1970 led him to be identified as a member of Lin Biao's conspiracy against Mao, who called him one of Lin's "big generals". Thus, he was sent to confinement in Anhui for eight years. The accusation of being part of Chen Boda's "anti-party clique" was confirmed in 1973 at the Party's Tenth Congress.  Li Xuefeng was never expelled from the Party, and, despite his ambivalent attitude during the Cultural Revolution, he was rehabilitated in 1982. In June 1983, he was elected member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a post he had previously held from 1959 to 1965. He was also a member of the Central Advisory Committee.  After having retired from political roles between the late 1980s and early 1990s, Li Xuefeng died in Beijing in 2003, aged 96.

Li Xuefeng (; 19 January 1907 – 15 March 2003) was a Chinese Communist politician. He occupied several prominent regional offices prior to the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. In 1960 he became the first political commissar of the Beijing Military Region. He took over the Beijing party organization as its First Secretary after the purge of Peng Zhen in May 1966, and was sent to take the reins of Hebei's Revolutionary Committee between 1968 and 1971. However, his support for Chen Boda during the 1971 Lushan Conference led him to be branded as a supporter of Lin Biao; he was purged and sent into internal exile in Anhui province for eight years. He was politically rehabilitated in 1982, and went on to serve in several advisory positions in the party.

Li Xuefeng (; * 19. Januar 1907 in Yongji, Yuncheng, Shanxi; † 15. März 2003 in Peking) war ein chinesischer Politiker der Kommunistischen Partei Chinas (KPCh).


Background.

Established in 1992 in Shunde, Guangdong, Country Garden was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on April 20, 2007, making billionaires of five of its shareholders.  Founder Yang Guoqiang built the company from scratch, having previously worked as a farmer and on construction sites. The company now has interests in property development, construction, fitting and decoration, property management and hotel operations in a wide variety of global markets. In 2014, Country Garden was ranked the 6th largest property developer in China by sales revenue.

2005 share transfer.

In 2005, Yang transferred his shares in Country Garden Holdings Company Limited to his daughter, Yang Huiyan. In October 2007, she was declared the richest woman in Asia by "Forbes" magazine, with a net worth of US$16 billion.

International.

Country Garden's first venture outside of China is the Country Garden Danga Bay (CGDB) coastal development in Johor Bahru, Iskandar Malaysia, with a sales figure of US$1.57 billion (MYR5.0 billion) on the day of its official launch. Similarly, its second Malaysian project in Semenyih, Selangor termed Country Garden Diamond City had 70% of its total units for Phase 1 sold in early June 2014.  'Risland Australia', Country Garden's overseas venture in Sydney also garnered strong sales, with 296 apartments at its Ryde Garden development sold within six hours in late June 2014; generating US$169 million (AUD180 million) in the process.

Recent news.

On April 2, 2015, Chinese insurance giant Ping An became the second largest shareholder in Country Garden by acquiring 9.9% of the company for US$800 million.  In Jun 2018, Country Garden halted all projects in China for security inspections following an accident at its construction site in the eastern province of Anhui that killed six people.  In Aug 2018, Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad reportedly said he intends to ban foreigners from buying homes being built by Country Garden in the southern tip of the country.  In February 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sydney office of a 'Country Garden' subsidiary, 'Risland Australia', sourced 82 tonnes of supplies, which were subsequently airlifted to Wuhan. This daigou operation has caused concern in Australia.

Country Garden (; ) is a property development company based in Guangdong, China, owned by Yang Guoqiang's family. In 2018, it is ranked 353rd in Fortune Global 500 List. Country Garden features a market capitalization of over US$29.84 billion as of 2018; with more than 200 high-end township developments throughout China, Malaysia and Australia among its vast international project portfolio.

Country Garden (Chinesisch: 碧桂園; Pinyin: Bìguìyuán) ist eine Immobilienentwicklungsgesellschaft mit Sitz in Foshan in der Provinz Guangdong im Besitz der Familie von Yang Guoqiang (Chinesisch: 杨国强; Pinyin: Yáng Guóqiáng). Im Jahr 2018 belegte es in der Fortune Global 500 Liste der weltgrößten Unternehmen Platz 353. Bis heute hat das Unternehmen Immobilien an über 1.500.000 Hausbesitzer verkauft und beschäftigt weltweit über 124.000 Mitarbeiter. Hauptmarkt des Unternehmens ist die Volksrepublik China. Das Unternehmen ist zudem in Australien und Malaysia aktiv.


Plot.

Lena wants to go to school, so her older brother Peter takes her with him one day. Peter shows her the way to school and explains on which streets Lena should be very careful. Then Lena gets to know the school. She is allowed to sit on the chair of Lisa, who is sick that day and cannot come to school. Lena watches Peter who is calculating and writing. During the break, Lena and Peter play in the playground of the school. When Peter's classmate Pelle says he thinks it's stupid to take small children to school, Pelle and Peter have a fight. Lena is afraid, but does not show it, so she is happy when the school bell rings and the biology class starts. Here Lena is able to contribute something to the lesson, because she realizes that the bird the teacher shows to the students is a chaffinch. Lena also accompanies Peter at breakfast in the dining room, during gymnastics and reading. After all, Pelle doesn't seem to mind small children at school anymore. When Lena and Peter are getting home, Lena is happy to know exactly how Peter's school is like.

Background.

"I Want to Go to School Too" ("Jag vill också gå i skolan") was first published in Sweden in 1951. It was illustrated by Birgitta Nordenskjöld. In 1979 a new Swedish edition with pictures from Ilon Wikland was released. This book was translated into English in 1980. It has been translated into at least 20 different languages.  Astrid Lindgren published two books dealing with the lives of the siblings Peter and Lena. "I Want a Brother or Sister" is the first book followed by the second one "I Want to Go to School Too". In "I Want a Brother or Sister" Peter gets his sister Lena and another brother, Nils, who isn't mentioned in "I Want to Go to School Too".

Analysis.

According to Kretschmann, Behring and Dobrindt Astrid Lindgren describes the experiences of a child coming from a family where reading, writing and speaking is important. Books are available in the family, Lena gets a book from her mother, her questions are answered, she can imitate her brother, her brother explains things to her, and she learns from her family that reading and writing is important and it is worth the effort of learning. Kretschmann, Behring and Dobrindt argue that children like Lena have it more easy at school, than children from families where these things are not present. Often the lessons at school are made for children like Lena, whereas other children are often not included. For these children it is frustrating, to always be confronted with something they do not know or understand. These children develop anxieties, barriers to learning or defensive attitudes.

Reception.

"Publishers Weekly" believes that "I Want to Go to School Too" gives a reassuring answer to the questions young children have when they start school. In addition, the lively, cheerful illustrations by Ilon Wikland are praised.  "Stiftung Lesen" thinks the book is a great present for the Schultüte at the children's first day of school.  According to "Kirkus Reviews" Ilon Wikland's illustrations are more memorable than Astrid Lindgren's text. The colorful illustrations are entertaining and rich in detail.

I Want to Go to School Too (original title: Jag vill också gå i skolan) is a children's book written by Astrid Lindgren. It is about Peter and his sister Lena, who previously appeared in the book "I Want a Brother or Sister".

Ich will auch in die Schule gehen () ist ein Buch von Astrid Lindgren. Es führt die Geschichte der beiden Geschwister Peter und Lena aus dem Buch "Ich will auch Geschwister haben" fort.


Playing career.

Kempe first started skating when he was five years-old on an outdoor rink in his hometown of Kramfors. He represented Ångermanland twice in TV-pucken while playing for Modo Hockey's junior teams in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. During the 2005–06 season, Kempe represented Team Sweden at the 2006 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. That following summer, Kempe was drafted 31st overall in the 2006 CHL Import Draft by the St. John's Fog Devils of the QMJHL. Kempe made the trip to North America and cracked the Fog Devils lineup. He was named an assistant captain during his rookie season.  Kempe finished the season tied for 6th among QMJHL rookies in goals and 11th in points, and was voted "Fastest Skater in the Eastern Division". Kempe was ranked 50th among North American prospects on Central Scouting's final report heading into the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He was chosen in the 5th round, 122nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers.  Kempe returned to his native Sweden after completing two seasons in the QMJHL. He signed with Rögle BK of Elitserien in the off-season and recorded two goals and eight assists in thirty games-played. After receiving limited ice time during the first half of the year he was traded to Mora IK of the second-highest level league in Sweden. He signed a two-year contract with Djurgården on 16 June 2010.  Following the 2016–17 campaign and after three seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with HC Vityaz, Kempe left as a free agent and returned to North America in securing a one-year, two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL) on 16 May 2017.  On 28 May 2018, he signed a one-year contract extension with the Coyotes.  On 5 July 2019, Kempe signed a one-year two-way contract with the Los Angeles Kings, joining brother Adrian. He was assigned to the Ontario Reign for the beginning of the 2019–20 season. Named as an alternate captain for the Reign, Kempe registered 3 goals and 11 points through 16 games in the AHL before he was placed on unconditional waivers by Kings in order for a mutual termination of his contract on 19 November 2019.  As a free agent, Kempe returned for a second stint in Russia and the KHL, agreeing to a two-year contract with reigning Gagarin Cup champions CSKA Moscow on 21 November 2019.

International play.

On 9 May 2019, Kempe was named to make his senior international debut with Sweden at the 2019 World Championships held in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Personal life.

Kempe's younger brother, Adrian, is also a member of the Kings.

Mario Kempe (born 19 September 1988) is a Swedish professional ice hockey right winger currently a playing under contract with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Michael Mario Kempe (* 19. September 1988 in Kramfors) ist ein schwedischer Eishockeyspieler, der seit November 2019 beim HK ZSKA Moskau aus der Kontinentalen Hockey-Liga unter Vertrag steht.


Prelude.

After taking Bonn on May 15, Marlborough now wanted to conquer Ostend, Antwerp, or force the French to an open battle. He ordered the Dutch general, Coehoorn, to march to Ostend and lay siege to it. Dutch general Van Sparre would march south west of Antwerp, Dutch general Obdam would march south from Bergen op Zoom, and Marlborough himself would march on Lier. Obdam had to send several of his battalions to join Coehoorn. Obdam's depleted force marched on 28 June from Bergen op Zoom to Antwerp. It arrived the next day at Ekeren, seven kilometres north of Antwerp, just south of Dutch held fort Lillo (top left of map).  After hearing about this, Villeroi sent a detachment force-marching from Diest to support the troops already around Antwerp to pounce on Obdam's force, before it could dig in or be reinforced.

The battle.

Early in the morning of 30 June French dragoons marched from Merksem and Ekeren in the direction of Kapellen to cut off the escape route near Hoevenen for the Dutch to return to Breda and Bergen-op-Zoom. The Marquis of Bedmar and his Spanish troops were positioned near Wilmarsdonk. This ensured that the Dutch forces were surrounded on all sides by a force outnumbering them four to one.  Soon Dutch reconnaissance discovered the French dragoons and Obdam immediately sent his cavalry to Hoevenen, but it was too late, the village was packed with French troops. An attempt to conquer neighboring Muisbroek also failed. Then the French attacked, and Obdam tried to take Oorderen, an attack which was briefly successful before the French retook the village.  The fighting went on for the entire day. The engagement was long and bloody. Dutch drill and independently and quick thinking lower commanders made up for their lack in numbers. Towards the end, many units were out of ammunition, and several Dutch units continued to fight with fixed bayonets only. By eight o'clock there was no more sign of Obdam, and Slangenburg decided to attack Oorderen to force a breakthrough to safety. Friesheim sent his men wading through the water, appearing where the French had not expected them to. Here too the fighting was long and hard, but the attack was a success: the encirclement was broken and the Dutch troops could retire under cover of the night to fort Lillo.

Aftermath.

The battle was undecided, but both sides claimed victory. The French because they ended up occupying the battlefield, the Dutch because they had forced the French from the battlefield, allowing the outnumbered Dutch to retire to safety. It may be considered an operational victory for the Two Crowns, because it stopped the Dutch move along the Scheldt. And it may be considered a tactical victory for the Dutch, because they managed to save 8,000 troops instead of losing 10,000.  Boufflers was blamed for letting a perfect chance slip through his fingers. Obdam had panicked in the afternoon and had managed to get through the enemy line with a handful of riders by throwing away their green field signs and orange sashes so everyone around thought them to be French. His behaviour was not forgiven by the Dutch military, and his military career was destroyed. Slangenburg, for his part, was acclaimed as a Dutch hero. He was also furious at Marlborough, who had been outmanoeuvered by the French and had not come to the aid of the Dutch.  The Dutch took one gun, 2 sets of dragoon drums and at least 17 banners (several other had been reused as scarfs before they could be collected). The French and Spaniards lost at least 2,800 men: over 1,200 killed, 1,200 wounded and several hundred missing. The Dutch lost over 2,400 men: around 700 killed, 1,000 wounded and 700 taken prisoner or missing.  Exact Dutch losses: 2,423 combatants out of 10,629 (23%), of which 2,049 were infantry (553 killed, 862 wounded, 634 prisoner or missing, or 27% of the infantry) and 374 cavalry (162 killed, 152 wounded, 60 prisoner or missing, or 12% of the cavalry; and 376 horses: 279 killed, 58 wounded and 39 missing, or 13% of the horses). Losses from the train were 17 men, 22 wagons and 30 horses (7 men wounded, the others missing).

Modern location.

A large part of the battlefield, including the villages of Oorderen, Wilmarsdonk and Lillo, has disappeared under the Port of Antwerp expansion in the 1960s.

The Battle of Ekeren, which took place on 30 June 1703, was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The French surrounded the much smaller Dutch force, which however managed to beat it back, break out and retire to safety. The battle had no strategic effect whatsoever.

Die Schlacht von Ekeren am 30. Juni 1703 war eine Schlacht im Spanischen Erbfolgekrieg. Die französischen Streitkräfte umschlossen eine niederländische Abteilung, die nur knapp der kompletten Vernichtung entgehen konnte. Durch diese Schlacht wurden die Hoffnungen auf einen entscheidenden Sieg der Alliierten noch im Jahr 1703 endgültig zerstört.


Accessory.

In the same as the launch of the Cassette Vision, Epoch released a Light Gun to go with the Big Sport 12 games. The cartridge contains a collection of 12 games, including 4 that required the use of the light gun. The gun connects to the console via the AUX connector. This is the only accessory available for the Cassette Vision and therefore the only peripheral that use the AUX connection. This connector was later removed when Epoch released the Cassette Vision Jr, a trim down version of the Cassette Vision, making the Gun incompatible with that version of the console.

Technical specifications.

Cassette Vision's controllers are integrated into the body.  Epoch decided to capitalize on the NEC uPD77xx chipset as they had already used to develop games on this platform (TV Baseball, TV Vader). To achieve this, Epoch decided to put the CPU directly in the cartridge while the shell of the console would only contain the power supply, the controls and the video and sound output. Having the ROM, the RAM and the CPU in one chip, Epoch/NEC were able to create a chip that would support 48 bits instruction which was way faster than systems using a separate ROM at the time. Using 8-bit ROM though a BUS would have divided the speed by 4. Although having only the ROM on the cartridge would have reduced their cost drastically, it would have greatly increased the cost of the console itself, incur more R&D cost and delay the release of the console.

The is a home video game console made by Epoch Co. and released in Japan on July 30, 1981. There is also a redesigned model called the Cassette Vision Jr.

Das Cassette Vision (jap.: カセットビジョン, Hepburn: Kasetto Bijon) ist eine stationäre Spielkonsole der zweiten Generation, welche am 30. Juli 1981 von dem japanischen Konsolenhersteller Epoch-sha ausschließlich in Japan zu einem Preis von 13.500 Yen veröffentlicht wurde. Es erschienen insgesamt elf Spiele. Mit dem Cassette Vision Jr. erschien später im selben Jahr eine Hardware-Revision. Die Produktion des Systems wurde 1984 mit Erscheinen der Nachfolgerkonsole Super Cassette Vision eingestellt. Das Epoch Cassette Vision wurde insgesamt rund 400.000 Mal verkauft und beherrschte damit ca. 70 % des gesamten japanischen Spielkonsolenmarktes.


Manufacture.

The techniques used are typical of contemporary Islamic glass, with the enamel decoration applied to a pre-fired plain body, and the whole then fired for a second time. The coloured decoration may include Qur'anic verses, especially the first part of the "Ayat an-Nur" or "Verse of Light" (24:35, see below), inscriptions and heraldic emblems recording the donor, as well as purely decorative motifs. By the 15th century production of all types of fine glass was in steep decline, a sign of which is that in 1569 the Ottoman Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmed Pacha ordered 600 plain lamps of Venetian glass, perhaps to be decorated elsewhere.  The Ottomans also made lamps of similar form in Iznik pottery, and Shah Abbas I of Persia gave plain silver lamps to hang by the tomb of Shaykh Safi at Ardabil; Persian miniatures show other examples from the 16th century in gold or brass and silver. Such opaque materials were much less effective as lighting, but the purpose of the lamp was symbolic as well as practical, related to the "Verse of Light". Mosque lamps are often shown in profile at the head of a prayer rug for the same reason. The decoration of the lamps often includes either the name or the symbol from Islamic heraldry of the donor, who usually gave a group of lamps. Other types of lighting in mosques were large metal lamp stands, like very wide candlesticks, which were also used in secular buildings. These could be very intricately decorated.

Later types.

The elaborate decorated types were mostly succeeded by plain glass oil lamps with a simple rim at the top, by which they were attached to (typically) a circular metal bar. Often these hang in tiers. Mosques today typically retain the hanging circular fittings, but use electric lights and glass shades of various sorts, not essentially different from other glass lampshades used in lighting other buildings.

Collecting.

In 2000, three 14th-century Mamluk mosque lamps in pristine condition from the collection of Bethsabée de Rothschild sold at Christie's in London for £1,763,750 (US$2,582K), £993,750 (US$1,455K) and £641,750 (US$937K). In the second half of the 19th century, a number of forgeries, or expensive glass ornaments in the style of Mamluk lamps were produced in France and Italy.

The Verse of Light.

Qur'an 24:35:

Mosque lamps of enamelled glass, often with gilding, survive in considerable numbers from the Islamic art of the Middle Ages, especially the 13th and 14th centuries, with Cairo in Egypt and Aleppo and Damascus in Syria the most important centres of production. They are oil lamps, usually with a large round bulbous body rising to a narrower waist, above which the top section is flared. There is usually a foot so they can be placed on a surface, but they were normally used suspended by chains that went through a number of loops on the outside of the body. They were used to light mosques and other buildings in mosque complexes, in large spaces in groups hanging from a circular metal frame. The circular frames continue to be used in many mosques today, but with plain or frosted glass lamps for electric lighting.

Eine Moscheeampel ist eine stehende oder von der Decke abgehängte Leuchte aus Glas oder Keramik zur künstlichen Beleuchtung einer Moschee.


United Nations Security Council Resolution 674

Details.

The resolution firstly demanded that Iraqi forces cease and desist from taking foreign nationals hostage, as well as the mistreatment of Kuwaiti nationals, in violation of decisions of the Council, the Fourth Geneva Convention and international law, inviting states to collect information of violations against them and making this information available to the Council. It also demanded Iraq fulfill its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Consular Relations, after the diplomatic missions of some countries were entered by Iraqi forces, and requested Iraq to allow foreign nationals and diplomatic officials to leave. The Council further requested Iraq to rescind its removal of diplomatic immunity and the closure of embassies in occupied Kuwait.  Regarding humanitarian issues, Resolution 674 asserted that Iraq should ensure access to food, water and basic services to the civilian population of Kuwait, as well as to foreign nationals and diplomatic staff. The Council reminded Iraq that it is liable for any loss, damage or injury following the invasion concerning Kuwait and third states, and those of their nationals and corporations. At the same, the resolution asked Member States to collect information on relevant claims for restitution and compensation.  Noting that the Council will be seized of the matter until Kuwait achieves its independence again, the Council requested the Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, "using his good offices", to continue to undertake diplomatic efforts in order to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis, reporting back on developments.  Resolution 674 was the tenth resolution adopted on the conflict, threatening "further measures" if necessary. It was the most comprehensive resolution on the conflict regarding humanitarian issues, and was adopted by 13 votes to none, with two abstentions from Cuba and Yemen.

United Nations Security Council resolution 674, adopted on 29 October 1990, after recalling resolutions 660 (1990), 661 (1990), 662 (1990), 664 (1990), 665 (1990), 666 (1990), 667 (1990) and 670 (1990) on the topic of Iraq, the Council condemned the continuing situation in occupied Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion on 2 August 1990, reaffirming the goal of the international community of maintaining international peace and security.

Die Resolution 674 des UN-Sicherheitsrates ist eine Resolution, die der Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen in seiner 2951. Sitzung am 29. Oktober 1990 einstimmig beschloss. Unter Hinweis auf die Resolutionen 660 (1990), 661 (1990), 662 (1990), 664 (1990), 665 (1990), 666 (1990), 667 (1990) und 670 (1990) zum Thema Irak verurteilt der Rat die anhaltende Situation im besetzten Kuwait nach der irakischen Invasion vom 2. August 1990 und bekräftigt das Ziel der internationalen Gemeinschaft, den internationalen Frieden und die internationale Sicherheit zu wahren.


Biography.

Alongside Paul Collins (later of The Beat) and Peter Case (later of The Plimsouls), Lee formed the seminal, yet short-lived Los Angeles power pop trio The Nerves. Lee played guitar for the group - favouring a thin, unembellished, almost rhythmic playing style - along with composing and singing most of the group's songs. The band, originally based in San Francisco, made the move to Los Angeles in 1976, and began putting on a series of self-promoted and self-financed concerts, providing a focal gathering point for many members of L.A.'s nascent punk scene, as well as giving many of L.A.'s early punk bands their initial shows (The Weirdos, The Screamers and The Dils, among others). This 'Do It Yourself' aesthetic (although not usually associated with music extant pre-punk) was also reflected in The Nerves' self-financed and self-released 1976 EP - the four songs from which (two of them Lee compositions) all receiving attention, if not mainstream recognition, amongst punk and power-pop circles. Though in hindsight influential, this self-contained recording and gigging strategy most likely placed undue stress upon the relationship between the three band members. The Nerves' existence, always tenuous, finally disintegrated in the aftermath of another self-financed venture - this time a cross-country tour in the summer of 1977, with the band covering almost twenty-five thousand miles in a single 1969 Ford LTD Wagon and playing with such notables as The Ramones, The Diodes and Mink DeVille. Though the press surrounding the band was nearly always positive and newer material sounded strong, it was not enough to hold the band together. The Nerves finally tore apart in 1978, less than a year before Blondie would turn one of Jack Lee and The Nerves' songs into a new wave classic and bonafide chart hit.  "Hanging on the Telephone", Lee's most famous and enduring composition, originally the lead track on The Nerves' lone 1976 EP, found its way to the ears of the members of Blondie during the recording sessions for what would become the group's widely successful third album, "Parallel Lines". The original song was written in 1973 while Lee was living in San Francisco and references the contentious relationship with his future mother-in-law. The song was originally recorded in 1975 at the Different Fur studio in San Francisco with local musicians and later the song exploded as the lead-off track on "Parallel Lines", going on to become a UK Top Five hit. Lee's signature song remains a popular cover choice of bands today (most recently revived by indie singer/songwriter Cat Power), even if most groups are unfamiliar with any version predating Blondie and also contributed a further number to "Parallel Lines", entitled "Will Anything Happen?", as well as the song "You Are My Lover" for Suzi Quatro, which appeared on her album "Suzi...and Other Four Letter Words" (like most of Suzi Quatro's records, the album was produced by Mike Chapman, who also produced Blondie's "Parallel Lines" in the same year).  Ann P Munday Senior Vice President and General Manager of Rare Blue Music signed Jack Lee to a publishing contract and later sent three songs to British singer Paul Young in 1983, all of which Paul Young recorded and released on the album No Parlez, which sold more than three million copies worldwide.  Following "Parallel Lines"' success, Lee slowly put together and released a solo album entitled "Jack Lee's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1" in 1981, which featured re-worked recordings of Nerves songs, as well as new material. However, with the exception of this LP, and a self-titled album released in 1985, little since has been heard from Lee, who seemed content to largely withdraw from the commercial music world. Nevertheless, the strength of Jack Lee's songwriting and interest surrounding his first group remained fervent, so much so that in 2001, Spain's Penniman Records re-released The Nerves' EP as a deluxe 25th Anniversary ten-inch record with extra demo and live material culled from their whirlwind 1977 tour. In 2008 Alive Records released Nerves compilation "One Way Ticket", which includes the Jack Lee solo track "It's Hot Outside."  Jack Lee's group, Jack Lee Inferno, made an appearance on April 1, 2007 at The Radio Heartbeat Powerpop Festival in Brooklyn, New York.

Jack Lee (born March 25, 1952) is an American songwriter and musician best known for composing the song "Hanging on the Telephone", which was covered by the new wave band Blondie, and the song "Come Back and Stay", covered by the singer Paul Young.

Jack Lee (* 25. März 1952) ist ein US-amerikanischer Songwriter und Musiker, der vor allem durch die Komposition des Titels "Hanging on the Telephone", der von der New-Wave-Band Blondie gecovert wurde, sowie des Hits "Come Back and Stay", gecovert von Paul Young, bekannt wurde.


Apparitions.

The young people who claimed to have seen the apparitions were Fernande (15), Gilberte (13), and Albert (11), children of Hector and Marie-Louise Perpète Voisin. Hector Voisin was a railway clerk. With them were Andrée (14) and Gilberte (9) Degeimbre, daughters of Degeimbre, a farmer's widow.  On the evening of 29 November 1932, four of the children walked to a school conducted by the Sisters of Christian Doctrine to meet Gilberte Voisin and walk home with her. When they reached the school, Albert pointed out a lady dressed in a long white robe, near a railroad viaduct just past the school. The other children reported seeing her as well. Over the next several weeks, they saw the lady thirty-two more times, generally in the garden of the convent-school. The final apparition was on 3 January 1933. The children reported that the lady requested that a chapel be built at the site and stated that "I am the Immaculate Virgin". She also desired for pilgrims to come to the site and asked the children (and everyone) to "pray, pray, pray" and, in one of the last visions, revealed her "Golden Heart".  In the final vision, the Lady reportedly asked one of the children, Fernande, "Do you love My Son?" and she replied, "Yes". She then asked her "Do you love Me?" and Fernande again answered, "Yes". The Lady then stated, "Then sacrifice yourself for me" and bade them farewell before the child could reply.

Ecclesiastical review.

In 1935, the Bishop of Namur, Thomas-Louis Heylen, appointed an Episcopal Commission to investigate the events. The work continued under his successor, Bishop André-Marie Charue. On 2 February 1943, he published a decree authorizing public devotions to "Our Lady of Beauraing".  The final approbation for the Marian apparition was granted in 1949 with the permission of the Holy Office.  In 1949 in Lowell, Massachusetts, the Pro Maria Committee was founded by Joseph Debergh, O.M.I. to disseminate the story of Our Lady's thirty-three appearances in Beauraing. The committee created an archive of photographs of the history and activities relating to the apparitions, now housed at The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute.  After the apparitions, the five children all grew up, married, and lived quiet lives with their families. Pope John Paul II visited Beauraing on 18 May 1985.

Our Lady of Beauraing (also known as the Virgin of the Golden Heart) is the title of 33 Marian apparitions reported in Beauraing, Belgium, between November 1932 and January 1933 by five children whose ages ranged between 9 and 15. For several years after the apparitions, pilgrims flocked to the small town of Beauraing, province of Namur (Belgium), and many cures were claimed. She is celebrated under this title on 29 November.

Das Heiligtum von Beauraing ist eine römisch-katholische Wallfahrtsstätte in Beauraing in der Wallonie, Belgien. Am Ort der mehrfachen Marienerscheinungen in den Jahren 1932 und 1933 wurde im Bistum Namur eine Kapelle und eine auf sie ausgerichtete Oberkirche "Basilique Notre-Dame au Cœur d’Or" errichtet.


Plot synopsis.

US Specialist Andrew Briggman becomes conflicted with his morals when his platoon, under his superior, Sergeant Deeks, participate in murdering civilians in Afghanistan, and when he contemplates reporting to the authorities, he realizes how much danger he is in as the platoon become increasingly violent and Deeks begins to suspect his loyalties.

Production.

In October 2016, it was announced Nat Wolff and Alexander Skarsgård had joined the cast of the film, with Dan Krauss directing from a screenplay he wrote. Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will serve as producers on the film under their Temple Hill Entertainment banner. In September 2017, Rob Morrow joined the cast of the film. In November 2017, it was announced Adam Long, Jonathan Whitesell and Brian Marc joined the cast of the film.

Release.

In November 2018, A24 acquired distribution rights to the film. It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 27, 2019. It was released on October 25, 2019.

Reception.

Box office.

, "The Kill Team" has grossed $372,282 worldwide.

Critical response.

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 70% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 6.79/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Flawed yet viscerally effective, "The Kill Team" interrogates battlefield morality with a hard-hitting intensity further amplified by a talented cast." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

The Kill Team is a 2019 American war film written and directed by Dan Krauss; a fictionalized adaptation of the events explored by an earlier documentary of the same name. It stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nat Wolff, Rob Morrow, Adam Long, Jonathan Whitesell, Brian Marc, Osy Ikhile, and Anna Francolini.

The Kill Team ist ein Kriegsdrama von Dan Krauss. Der Film feierte am 27. April 2019 beim Tribeca Film Festival seine Premiere. Der Film handelt von einem US-amerikanischen Soldaten, dessen Einheit während des Afghanistan-Krieges Kriegsverbrechen an der Zivilbevölkerung begeht, sowie seinem immer verzweifelteren Versuch, mit dieser Situation umzugehen. Die Handlung basiert auf den Kill-Team-Morden in Afghanistan.


Biography.

Hilmar Moore was a cattleman and a fifth-generation Texan, the grandson of Texas Secretary of State John M. Moore. Moore's father John Moore, Jr. served also as Mayor of Richmond. Moore served in World War II. Moore was married to Evalyn Wendt Moore, who succeeded him as mayor.

Mayor of Richmond.

Moore was first elected as the Mayor of Richmond in 1949 and remained in office until his death in 2012, making him "probably the longest-serving elected official in the US," according to a 2008 BBC News report, though even as late as 2012 Richmond only described him as the longest serving Mayor in Texas, and the second in the US.  In the segregated '50s and '60s, Moore persuaded restaurants in Richmond to integrate.  He was honored with a life-size statue at City Hall in October 2008.  Moore's father, John Jr., served as a two-term Mayor of Richmond and a two-term judge in Fort Bend County, Texas. Hilmar's grandfather, John Sr., was a United States Congressman and Secretary of State of Texas.

Chair of Texas Department of Human Resources.

Moore was appointed to the Department of Human Resources by Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe. During his term, Moore stated to the press that he believed people on welfare should be sterilized, though this was a "personal opinion and [he] did not intend to seek a state sterilization policy".

Death.

Moore died on December 4, 2012. A memorial service was held on December 10. His widow, Evalyn W. Moore, was appointed to serve out the remainder of his term, and was still mayor of Richmond as of 2019.

Hilmar Guenther Moore (July 28, 1920 – December 4, 2012) was an American rancher and long-time Mayor of Richmond, Texas.

Hilmar Guenther Moore (* 28. Juli 1920 in San Antonio, Texas; † 4. Dezember 2012 in Richmond, Texas) war ein US-amerikanischer Landwirt und der am längsten amtierende Bürgermeister der Vereinigten Staaten.


History.

It was established in 1842 following a parliamentary decision from 1836. Originally located in the Royal Palace, Oslo, it got its own museum building in 1882, designed by Heinrich Ernst and Adolf Schirmer. Former names of the museum include "Den norske stats sentralmuseum for billedkunst" and from 1903 to 1920 "Statens Kunstmuseum". Directors include Jens Thiis (1908–1941), Sigurd Willoch (1946–1973), Knut Berg (1975–1995), Tone Skedsmo (1995–2000) and Anniken Thue (2001–2003).  That the gallery had erroneously been labeled as technically unfit for paintings was reported in 2013. (A previous study—about the museums—"tåleevne") had never concluded about the fitness level, and Norway's parliament had been misinformed about conclusions that in reality did not exist. )  In 2016 the price for admission doubled overnight.

Collection.

The Gallery includes pieces by sculptor Julius Middelthun, painters Johan Christian Claussen Dahl, Erik Werenskiold and Christian Krohg as well as works by Edvard Munch including "The Scream" and one version of his "Madonna".  The museum also has old master European paintings by painters such as El Greco, Lucas Cranach the Elder ("Golden Age"), Gaulli ("Sacrifice of Noah"), Orazio Gentileschi, Artemisia Gentileschi, Andrea Locatelli ("Bachannal Scene"), Pieter Elinga ("Letter Carrier"), Ferdinand Bol, Daniel De Blieck ("Church Interior"), Jacob van der Ulft ("Seaport"), Cornelis Bisschop ("Seamstress") and Jan van Goyen. There are also 19th and 20th Century International paintings by Armand Guillaumin, Carl Sohn, Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet ("Rainy Day, Etretat"), Paul Cézanne, and Pablo Picasso. There are also Norwegian paintings by Adolph Tidemand, Hans Gude, Harriet Backer, and Lars Jorde.

Architecture.

The museum collection will be moved to a new building, opening in 2020 and gathering all sections of the National Gallery, except architecture. The architect of the new building, which will be located on the harbor front, and part of the Fjordbyen development, is the German firm Kleihues + Kleihues ().

The National Gallery (Norwegian: Nasjonalgalleriet) is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design.

Die Nationalgalerie Oslo () in Oslo ist die größte Kunstsammlung Norwegens. Sie besitzt Werke vom berühmten norwegischen Maler Edvard Munch, aber auch von ausländischen Künstlern wie Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet und Henri Matisse.


Orbit and classification.

orbits the Sun at a distance of 39.1–44.3 AU once every 269 years and 1 month (98,276 days; semi-major axis of 41.68 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.06 and an inclination of 23° with respect to the ecliptic.  As a cubewano, also known as classical Kuiper belt object, it is located in between the resonant plutino and twotino populations and has a low-eccentricity orbit. With an inclination above 8°, it belongs to the "stirred" hot population rather than to the cold population with low inclinations. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation in July 2011 at Haleakala Observatory.

Numbering and naming.

This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 25 September 2018, together with hundreds of other centaurs, trans-Neptunian and near-Earth objects (see catalog entries from to ). This object received the number in the minor planet catalog (). As of 2018, it has not been named.

Physical characteristics.

According to the American astronomer Michael Brown, measures 343 kilometers in diameter based on an assumed albedo of 0.08. On his website, Brown lists this object as a "possible" dwarf planet (200–400 km), which is the category with the lowest certainty in his 5-class taxonomic system. Similarly, Johnston's archive estimates a diameter 336 kilometers using an albedo of 0.09.  As of 2018, no spectroscopic or photometric observations have been made. The body's spectral type, color indices,rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.

, provisional designation, is a classical trans-Neptunian object and dwarf planet candidate from the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately in diameter. The cubewano belongs to the hot population. It was discovered on 26 July 2011, by astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, United States.

(523674) 2013 MA ist ein großes transneptunisches Objekt im Kuipergürtel, das bahndynamisch als erweitertes Scattered Disk Object (DO) oder als Cubewano (CKBO) eingestuft wird. Aufgrund seiner Größe gehört der Asteroid möglicherweise zu den Zwergplanetenkandidaten.


Club career.

Livingston.

McNulty attended Portobello High School and played for the youth teams of Hutchison Vale, Celtic and Hibernian. After being released by Hibernian, he felt he "wasn't going to make it in football" and "it was over". He signed for second-tier Livingston aged 16, but the club were immediately demoted to the bottom level of Scottish league football for financial reasons, albeit this drop to a lower level gave him opportunities in senior football earlier than would otherwise have been expected. He made a goalscoring debut at on 31 October 2009 after coming on as a late substitute in a 3–0 away win over Montrose, and made nine appearances in his debut season in the first team (Livingston were promoted as champions), while a prolific goalscoring record at under-19 level earned him a new three-year contract in February 2010. The following season in the Second Division, he made only five league appearances in an campaign interrupted by injury, although the club were promoted again.  2011–12 saw McNulty emerge as Livingston's top goalscorer as they returned to the First Division, netting 16 goals in all competitions. His form saw him attract the attention of clubs south of the border such as Sheffield United and Derby County. He extended his stay with Livingston on 25 July 2013 by signing a new two-year contract. His final campaign with the "Lions" was his most productive, with 17 league goals from 35 appearances.

Sheffield United.

On 19 May 2014, McNulty joined Sheffield United on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee which would become effective on 1 July 2014. The transfer fee was believed to be between £95,000 and £125,000. McNulty scored his first competitive goal for the "Blades" in a 2–1 League Cup first round win over Mansfield Town on 13 August 2014. In November 2014, he was ruled out after sustaining a facial injury after an altercation in a night club in Edinburgh, with United manager Nigel Clough claiming that McNulty was the "innocent party". On 16 December 2014, McNulty scored the only goal in a 1–0 home victory over Southampton to send United to the semi-finals of the League Cup.  On 6 November 2015, McNulty joined Portsmouth on a short-term loan deal. On 7 November he made his debut in the first round FA Cup game against Macclesfield Town, with Portsmouth winning 2–1. On 24 November 2015, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 win against York City. On 4 January 2016, his loan at Portsmouth was extended until the end of the season after scoring six goals in 11 appearances.  On 31 August 2016, McNulty joined Bradford City on a season-long loan deal. He was recalled by Sheffield United on 2 January 2017.

Coventry City.

On 18 May 2017, McNulty agreed to join League Two side Coventry City on a two-year deal. He scored his first goal for the club in his second appearance in a 2–0 win against Grimsby Town. On 12 May 2018, in the home leg of the promotion play-off semi-finals against Notts County, McNulty scored his 100th career goal – a controversial penalty – to make the scoreline 1–1 going into the away leg at Meadow Lane, where he scored again in Coventry's 4–1 win, sending them to the final on 28 May. McNulty was named man-of-the-match in the final, a 3–1 win over Exeter City which saw the "Sky Blues" promoted to back to League One.

Reading.

On 6 July 2018, Reading announced the signing of McNulty to a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made only six starts for the "Royals" during the first half of the 2018–19 season, and was loaned to Hibernian on 31 January 2019, returning to the club a decade after being released by them as a teenager. He scored his first goal for Hibs on 9 February, in a 3–1 win against Raith Rovers.  McNulty moved on loan to Sunderland for the 2019–20 season. He scored his first goal for Sunderland in an EFL Cup tie against Accrington Stanley on 13 August 2019. His loan with Sunderland was cut short on 31 January 2020, and McNulty was then sent on loan to Hibernian for a second time. Following the formal conclusion of the truncated 2019/20 season, McNulty returned to his parent club in May 2020.

International career.

McNulty received his first call-up to the Scotland squad in March 2019. He made his debut for Scotland coming on as a substitute for James Forrest in a 3–0 defeat to Kazakhstan in a Euro 2020 qualifier.

Honours.

Coventry City

Marc Graeme McNulty (born 14 September 1992) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Reading.

Marc McNulty (* 14. September 1992 in Edinburgh oder Livingston) ist ein schottischer Fußballspieler, der beim FC Reading unter Vertrag steht.


Biography.

Maud was the daughter of Waltheof, the Anglo-Saxon Earl of Huntingdon and Northampton, and his Norman wife Judith of Lens. Her father was the last of the major Anglo-Saxon earls to remain powerful after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and the son of Siward, Earl of Northumbria. Her mother was the niece of William the Conqueror, which makes Maud his grand-niece. Through her ancestors the Counts of Boulogne, she was also a descendant of Alfred the Great and Charles the Bald and a cousin of Godfrey of Bouillon.  She was married to Simon de Senlis (or St Liz) in about 1090. Earlier, William had tried to get Maud's mother, Judith, to marry Simon. He received the honour of Huntingdon (whose lands stretched across much of eastern England) probably in right of his wife from William Rufus before the end of the year 1090.  She had three known children by him:  Her first husband died some time after 1111 and Maud next married David, the brother-in-law of Henry I of England, in 1113. Through the marriage, David gained control over his wife's vast estates in England, in addition to his own lands in Cumbria and Strathclyde. They had four children (two sons and two daughters):  In 1124, David became King of Scots. Maud's two sons by different fathers, Simon and Henry, would later vie for the Earldom of Huntingdon.  She died in 1130 or 1131 and was buried at Scone Abbey in Perthshire, but she appears in a charter of dubious origin dated 1147.

Depictions in fiction.

Maud of Huntingdon appears as a character in Elizabeth Chadwick's novel "The Winter Mantle" (2003), as well as Alan Moore's novel "Voice of the Fire" (1995) and Nigel Tranter's novel "David the Prince" (1980).

Maud or Matilda (1074 – 1130/31) was the queen consort of King David I of Scotland. She was the great-niece of William the Conqueror and the granddaughter of Earl Siward.

Maud of Huntingdon (* wohl 1071/74; † zwischen 30. April 1130 und 22. April 1131) war eine bedeutende englische Erbin, aus eigenem Recht Countess of Huntingdon, sowie Royal Consort des schottischen Königs David I.


Early life.

Yolanda Yvonne Montes Farrington, was born in Spokane, Washington, United States, on January 3, 1932. Her father, Elmer Sven Móntes, descended from a Spanish father and a Swedish mother. Her mother, Edna Pearl Farrington, of English father and French mother. Her maternal grandmother, Molly (Maeva), was from Tahiti. As a child, she danced for the International Ballet of San Francisco, California as part of a Tahitian Revue.  In 1947, she moved to Mexico and was hired as a dancer by Américo Mancini, a theater impresario. She also appeared in the famous Cabaret Tívoli in Mexico City. Her stage name, "Tongolele", came after mixing African and Tahitian words.

Career.

Her career was sheltered by theatrical success in the main theaters and cabarets of Mexico City. "Tongolele" boosted the success of the "Exoticas", a group of vedettes that caused sensation in Mexico in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Although other vedettes that became popular at the time (like "Kalantán" and Su Muy Key) appeared, none reached the levels of popularity of "Tongolele". Yolanda was baptized by Mexican journalist Carlos Estrada Lang as "The Queen of Tahitian Dances", as each night she congregated a wide male audience who adored her perfect silhouette and feline movements that marked an era in Mexico.  She made her film debut in 1948 in the film "Nocturne of Love", starring the actress Miroslava Stern. In 1948, she starred in the film "¡Han matado a "Tongolele"!", directed by Roberto Gavaldón. The plot was developed in the theater Folies Bergère of Mexico City. At another level of the plot, several envious people attempted to assassinate her. The film premiered on September 30, 1948.  As a guest, she starred in "El rey del barrio" (1949) and "Kill Me Because I'm Dying!" (1951) and the musical "Música de siempre" (1956).  In 1966, she returned to the cinema and appeared in the terror film "The Panther Women". In 1968 she was the film "El crepusculo de un dios", directed and carried out by Emilio Fernández.  In 1971, "Tongolele" played in the Mexican-American co-production "Isle of the Snake People". In the film, "Tongolele" she appeared alongside the American actor Boris Karloff. The plot of the film was located on a small island in the middle of the ocean where some beautiful young women are transformed into blue-faced man-eating zombies. "Tongolele" played the role of "Kalea", the dancer with the snake. In the mid-1960s, CBS recorded a disc titled "Tongolele sings for you" which included 10 songs.  With the rise of Mexico City's nightlife in the 1970s and the rise of the vedettes, "Tongolele" resumed her career in nightclubs and movies, as well as appearing on television shows. In 1984 she debuted in telenovelas in a special performance in the melodrama "La pasión de Isabela".  In 2001 she reappears in Mexican television in the telenovela "Salomé".  Between 2011 and 2013, Tongolele participated in the musical stage play "Perfume of Gardenia'.'  In 2012, the vedette returned to the cinema with a brief appearance in the film "El fantástico mundo de Juan Orol".

Personal life.

In 1956, she married Cuban Joaquin Gonzalez in New York City, who accompanied her until his death. In 1976, Joaquín suffered cardiac problems and he was given a pacemaker. On December 22, 1996 he died. With him, Tongolele had two children in 1950, Ruben and Ricardo (twins).

Yolanda Yvonne Montes Farrington (born January 3, 1932 in Spokane, Washington, United States), better known by her stage-name Tongolele, is a Mexican vedette and actress of American origin.

Yolanda Montes ("Yolanda Yvonne Montes Farrington"; * 3. Januar 1932 in Spokane) ist eine US-amerikanische Tänzerin, Schauspielerin und Sängerin, die unter dem Bühnennamen Tongolele bekannt wurde.


Plot.

Marko lives in Macedonia, at that time Yugoslavia. He has a little white pig, which runs away on market day. His mother explains to Marko and his brother Petor that they should look for the pig. Finally, they find it and play with it for a while. Then it is Petor turn to take care of the pig. However, the pig runs away again. Petor is not able to find it again. While searching for the pig, the boys are distracted by a wedding and other events, such as finding a secret cave. When Petor and Marko finally arrive home after a long day, the pig is already there. It has gone back there on its own.

Overview.

Marko lives in Yugoslavia is the seventh of a total of 15 books from the series Children's Everywhere. The book has been translated into many different languages, including English and German. In 1962, the book was first published in Sweden by Rabén & Sjögren. "Marko Lives in Yugoslavia" is one of the few books in the series that has not been published in Israel, where the books were very successful. The reason for this was that in the story was about a pig, that is embraced in the photos by Marko, which is considered in Judaism as not kosher.  During her eleven-year correspondence with Louise Hartung, which was published the book "Jag har också levat!" Astrid Lindgren wrote about the book. She explained that Anna Rikwin and the Yugoslav Legation wanted to take photos in Dalmatia. On September 27, 1960 Lindgren traveled to Yugoslavia, where she first made holidays with Louise Hartung, before she met up with Anna Riwkin on October 4, 1960 to create the photo book. First, the photo book should take place in Lovran, later Riwkin decided to relocate it to Macedonia, as this still has something of the "original Balkan". When Lindgren left Macedonia, however, Riwkin had barely begun with the book.  After completing the series, Lindgren explained that while working with Riwkin-Brick was nice, she did not like the books, especially "Marko Lives in Yugoslavi"a. She was not dissatisfied with the photos of Riwkin-Brick, but rather with her own performance as a writer.

Marko Lives in Yugoslavia (original title: "Marko bor i Jugoslavien") is the title of a book by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, with the photos of Anna Riwkin-Brick. In 1962 the book was published by Rabén & Sjögren.

Marko in Jugoslawien, auch Marko (Originaltitel: "Marko bor i Jugoslavien") ist der Titel eines Buches der schwedischen Schriftstellerin Astrid Lindgren, mit den Fotos von Anna Riwkin-Brick. 1962 erschien das Buch bei Rabén & Sjögren. Noch im selben Jahr brachte der Oetinger Verlag das Buch auch in Deutschland heraus.


Biography.

Early life.

Born in Toplița to Gheorghe and Domnița Cristea, a peasant family, he studied at the Saxon Evangelical Gymnasium of Bistrița (1879–1883), at the Greek-Catholic Lyceum of Năsăud (1883–1887), at the Orthodox Seminary of Sibiu (1887–1890), after which he became a teacher and principal at the Romanian Orthodox school of Orăștie (1890–1891).  Cristea then studied philosophy and modern philology at the University of Budapest (1891–1895), where he was awarded a doctorate in 1895 – with a dissertation about the life and works of Mihai Eminescu (given in Hungarian).  Returning to Transylvania, he was a secretary (between 1895 and 1902), then a counselor (1902–1909) at the Archbishopric of Sibiu. It was then that he was ordained deacon in 1900 and archdeacon in 1901. Cristea became a monk at the Hodoș Bodrog Monastery, Arad County in 1902, taking the monastic name of Miron. He climbed the monastery hierarchy, becoming an archmonk in 1903 and a protosingel in 1908.  In 1908, following the death of bishop Nicolae Popea, the election of the bishop of Caransebeş led to a dispute between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Imperial authorities, when, twice in a row, the elected bishops were not recognized by emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, at the recommendation of the Hungarian government. Cristea was the third choice, being chosen on 21 November 1910, and obtaining the recognition from the authorities; he became an archbishop in 1919.  During World War I, as Romania joined the war on the Allies' side, Cristea signed on 1 September 1916, a public letter to the parishioners printed at Oradea by the Orthodox Bishopric of Transylvania. The letter called to arms all believers against "Romania the new enemy which sinfully covets to ruin the borders, coming to conquer Transylvania". Towards the end of World War I, on 18 October 1918, the Central National Romanian Central Council was formed, an organization which fought for the union of Transylvania and Romania. On 21 November, Cristea, as archbishop of Caransebeș joined the organization and recognized it as the only ruling body of the Romanian nation in Transylvania. On 1 December, he was (with Vasile Goldiș, Iuliu Hossu, and Alexandru Vaida-Voevod) a member of Austro-Hungarian Romanian delegation that called for the unification of Romania and Transylvania.  On 28 May 1919, the King and government of Romania went to the grave of Michael the Brave in Câmpia Turzii and Bishop Cristea lead the religious service of commemoration and held a nationalist speech in which he drew a parallel between King Ferdinand I and Michael the Brave and recommended the King to not stop at Turda, but continuing all the way to the Tisa River.

Metropolitan-Primate and Patriarch.

Because of his collaboration with the German occupation troops, the Metropolitan-Primate Conon Arămescu-Donici was forced to resign on 1 December 1919 and on 31 December 1919, Cristea was chosen by the Great Electoral College as the first Metropolitan-Primate of Greater Romania with 435 votes out of 447. The Romanian Orthodox Church was elevated to a patriarchate in 1925. On 1 November 1925, after a Synod was held, Cristea was named Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church.  As Metropolitan-Primate and later Patriarch, Cristea continued the tradition of his predecessors to support whatever government was in power. The church acted as an agency of the state, for instance, in 1920, Cristea asked the clergymen to aid the state financially by encouraging the faithful to buy government bonds. Cristea's discourse incorporated nationalist and statist elements, arguing that Orthodox religion was integral to the Romanian soul, and he argued that the church's values include "patriotism" and "obedience to [civil] authorities" alongside "faith and morality".  Cristea introduced reforms such as the Gregorian calendar to the church, including, briefly, the celebration of Pascha (Easter) on the same date as the Roman Catholic Church. This was opposed by various groups of traditionalists and Old Calendarists, especially in Moldavia, where Metropolitan Gurie Grosu of Bessarabia refused to accept the orders given by the Patriarchate. In 1927, he was chosen by Ionel Brătianu to be one of the three regents of King Michael I of Romania, alongside Prince Nicholas of Romania and Gheorghe Buzdugan.  Cristea's involvement in politics was, however, controversial, being criticised by journalists at "Epoca" newspaper, who accused him of trying to play the role of Rasputin and being a member of the palace camarilla. This resulted in the issue being confiscated by the police and their offices being vandalized by hooligans, allegedly incited by the government.  A dispute arose with philosopher Nae Ionescu after Ionescu attacked Cristea for hypocrisy in newspaper articles following a lavish dinner with Cristea during the Nativity Fast at which they were served turkey. In retaliation, Cristea requested that the iconographer Belizarie paint Ionescu's face on a devil in the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest's Apocalypse-themed mural.  In 1929, because of a serious illness (identified as leucocythemia by his medics), Cristea retired for several months to a country house in Dragoslavele, Muscel County, but despite the bleak predictions about his health state, he was soon able to return to Bucharest.  On 6 July 1930, Carol II returned to Romania to assume power. On 7 July, Miron Cristea and Constantin Sărățeanu resigned from the regency and the following day, the Parliament revoked the 1926 law which gave the throne to Mihai, Carol becoming King again.  Cristea kept his loyalty to King Carol II throughout his rule. In March 1937, as the King attempted to suppress the influence of the fascist movement known as the Iron Guard, Cristea responded to the request sent by the Tătărescu government on limiting the relationship between the clergy and the Iron Guard. Cristea invoked a Holy Synod which banned clergy from joining the Legion and disallowed political demonstrations and symbols in the churches.

Prime Minister of Romania.

In a bid for political unity against the Iron Guard, which was gaining popularity, in 1938, Carol dismissed the government of Prime Minister Octavian Goga and seized emergency powers. He suspended the constitution, suspended all political activity, and ruled by decree. Cristea was named Prime Minister on 11 February 1938. He headed a government that included seven former prime ministers and members of all major parties except for Codreanu's Iron Guard and Goga's Lăncieri, which had violently clashed. "Time" magazine described him as a "puppet Premier" of Carol II, whereas historian Joseph Rothschild considered that it was Cristea's vice-prime-minister, Armand Călinescu, who held the power in the Cristea government.  In his inaugural speech, Cristea denounced liberal pluralism, arguing that "the monster with 29 electoral heads was destroyed" (referring to the 29 political parties which were to be banned) and claiming that the king shall bring salvation.  The new government stopped the antisemitic violence that was unleashed under Goga's rule, but the antisemitic legislation in place was not altered, as Nichifor Crainic's racist, fascist ideology fit comfortably with the social views and political theology of the Romanian Orthodox Church.  At Carol's direction, Cristea's government declared state of siege, which allowed among other things, searches without warrant and the military appropriation of privately held guns. He also imposed harsh press censorship and restored the death penalty. However, Cristea promised prosperity through some constitutional and social reforms, which were to include the "organized emigration of Jewish surplus population", that is, expulsion of all Jews who came to Romania during or after World War I. However, it eased the anti-Semitic restrictions imposed by the Goga government.  The external politics of the Cristea government were based on seeking an alliance with the United Kingdom and France, away from the friendship with the Berlin-Rome Axis supported by the Goga government. Cristea also visited Poland, with which Romania had an alliance and with which it tried to create a neutral block between Nazi Germany and the USSR.  Among the policies Cristea introduced during his rule as Prime Minister was a crackdown on the Protestant minority, by disallowing religious service to small congregations with less than 100 heads of families, basically banning the services in around 1500 small chapels belonging to various non-Orthodox Christian denominations. Despite worldwide protests from the Baptists, the ban was only lifted after Cristea's death by his successor, the National Renaissance Front's Armand Călinescu.  On 20 February, a new constitution was announced, which organized Romania as a "corporatist state" similar to the one of Fascist Italy, with a parliament made up of representatives of the guilds of farmers, workers and intellectuals. Four days later, on 24 February, the constitution was approved, with 99.87% of votes for, through a plebiscite, described by a contemporary article in "The Manchester Guardian" as a "farse" for its lack of vote secrecy and the lack of information given to rural voters.  Upon the approval of the new constitution, Cristea's government resigned on 30 March. He formed a new government later that day. The new government banned all political parties, their activity being only suspended before that.  In March 1938, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, the leader of the Iron Guard, attacked in a letter the politicians who supported Carol II, including Prime Minister Cristea and members of his government. Codreanu was arrested for slander against Nicolae Iorga and killed "while attempting to escape".  By the end of 1938, Carol II introduced even more Fascist-inspired elements. In December 1938, the National Renaissance Front was formed as the only legally permitted party. On 1 January 1939; Cristea's government visited the Royal Palace wearing uniforms. When they met Carol, Cristea and the ministers greeted him with the Fascist salute.

Deteriorating health and death.

His health deteriorated in January 1939, suffering from two heart attacks, which prompted his doctors to recommend him to stay in a warmer place for a few months, in order to avoid the harsher Romanian winter. In response, on 1 February 1939, Călinescu took over most of Cristea's powers, while Cristea remained nominally the Prime Minister at the King's insistence.  On 24 February 1939, Cristea arrived in Cannes, France, but contracted pneumonia while waiting for his niece in the Nice railway station. He stayed in Cannes for treatment, but died two weeks later, on 6 March, of bronchopneumonia complicated by heart disease.  His body was sent by train to Bucharest, the funeral train stopping in all stations in Romania to permit believers to pay their last respects and say prayers before the body. On 7 March, a state of national mourning was ordered and all festivities were canceled. A week later, on 14 March, funeral services were held in Bucharest, Cristea being buried in the Patriarchal Cathedral.

Political positions and policies.

Cristea's political positions were nationalistic, seeing for Romania external threats from both the east, in the form of communism and the Soviet Union and from the capitalist and modernist west.

Toward other Christian denominations.

As he became the head of the Orthodox Church in Greater Romania, a multiethnic and multireligious state, Cristea feared that the ethnic minorities, as well as Romanians belonging to non-Orthodox creeds such as the Greek-Catholicism and the Jews would challenge the privileged status which the Orthodox Church had in pre-World War I Romania.  Nevertheless, Cristea attempted an ecumenical close-up with the Anglican Church, by visiting Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1936.  Cristea strongly opposed the idea of a Concordat with the Vatican and the Romanian Orthodox Church issued a statement against it saying that "the treaty subordinates the interests of the country and the sovereignty of the state to a foreign power". The Romanian Senate ratified it anyway on 26 May 1929, and Cristea, as a member of the regency, was forced to sign it. This has led again to discussions about the incompatibility between his two posts and there were discussions on whether Cristea would have resigned rather than sign the Concordat.  After Cristea introduced reforms such as switching to the Gregorian calendar, the Old Calendar Romanian Orthodox Church, led by Glicherie Tănase seceded many parishes from the Orthodox Church and by 1936 they had built more than 40 churches. However, after 1935, the Romanian government began to suppress any opposition to the Orthodox Church and the churches were razed and some of the activists the imprisoned, while a number of clerics, including hieromonk Pambo and five monks from the Old Calendarist Cucova Monastery, were beaten to death. Protests against the authorities' actions were met with repression by police and the leader of Old Calendarists, Tănase, was accused of being an instigator and sentenced to death.  In 1937, William Temple, the Archbishop of York, sent a letter to Cristea in which he questioned religious freedom in Romania, referring especially to the treatment of the Baptists. Cristea denied such claims and responded in a long document in which he said Temple was misled by the "perverse propaganda" and the "false mystification" of the Magyars, as well as the "ferocious and barbaric proselytism of the Pope". He further added, referring to neo-Protestants, that Romania should not allow to be "undermined by foreigners dressed in innocent pseudo-religious garb".

Toward the Jews.

Early during his tenure as Patriarch, Cristea supported tolerance towards the Jewish people. For instance, in 1928, he made an appeal towards the Romanian students to observe the Golden Rule and he expressed regrets for attacks and profanations of synagogues.  In the 1930s, as the Fascist Iron Guard rose in popularity, initially, Cristea's position towards them was of acceptance, especially since their program included loyalty to Orthodoxism. Many Orthodox priests were attracted by the movement and it was common that their banners were blessed in churches.  In 1937, Cristea realized that the Iron Guard was decreasing the loyalty of both the Orthodox Christians and the lower-ranked clergy to the church hierarchy and began to oppose the Guard, while adopting their anti-semitic and xenophobic rhetoric: he supported the revocation of the Romanian citizenship for Jewish people and their deportation, the Jews being in his opinion the major obstacle in "assuring preponderant rights to ethnic Romanians".  On 18 August 1937, he issued a statement which called the Romanian nation "to fight the Jewish parasites" who spread "epidemics of corruption" throughout Romania and that the Romanians have "a national and patriotic duty" to protect themselves against the Jews:  In 1938, during a meeting with Wilhelm Fabricius, the German ambassador, Cristea praised the anti-semitic policy conducted by Nazi Germany and supporting such a policy in Romania, and the British Ambassador wrote in his report to London that "Nothing would induce him [i.e., Cristea] to talk about anything but the Jewish problem."

Legacy.

His birthplace home in Toplița is currently a museum dedicated to his life. Each year, on Cristea's birthday, the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate organizes the "Miron Cristea Days", dedicated to the first patriarch of the Church and which feature various cultural activities.  In July 2010, the National Bank of Romania minted a commemorative coin bearing Cristea's image as a part of a collectors' series of five coins showing the Patriarchs of All Romania. In response, Radu Ioanid, international archives director at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, called for the coin be withdrawn. On 20 August, the National Bank of Romania announced that it would not withdraw the Cristea coin.  Patriarch Miron was awarded Order of Karađorđe's Star by Serbia.

Miron Cristea (; monastic name of Elie Cristea ; 20 July 1868 – 6 March 1939) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian cleric and politician.

Miron Cristea bzw. "Christea" (* 18. Juli bzw. 20. Juli 1868 in Toplița, Siebenbürgen, Österreich-Ungarn; † 6. März 1939 in Bukarest, Rumänien bzw. Cannes, Frankreich), eigentlich "Ilie" bzw. "Elie" "Gheorghe" "Cristea", war ein rumänischer Patriarch und Politiker.


Facilities.

The observatory's facilities include the Nanshan Radio Telescope (see List of radio telescopes#Asia), located in Gangou Township, Ürümqi County (). The 25 m, telescope site in Nanshan of XAO is one of the important stations of Very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI). As a crucial research base for pulsar, centimeter wave molecular line and active galactic nuclei research, Nanshan station is also involved and plays an important role in China's Lunar Exploration Program.  Plans also exist for the construction of a large, fully steerable single-dish radio telescope (diameter 110 m), which is called Qitai Radio Telescope, or QTT for short. The chosen site for the facility is in Banjiegou Town, Qitai County. Upon completion, the sensitivity of 110 m antenna is about 20 times more than a 25 m telescope.  On July 15, 2012, the groundbreaking ceremony took place at Banjiegou for the Xinjiang Qitai Astronomical and Science Education Base, which is presumably the facility that will house the telescope.

Programs.

XAO has held a wide range of interesting public science popularization since it was set up. Popular science in XAO comprises Star Party for the public, Field Trip for students, Astronomers Get into Campus, free camps for children who live in remote poverty-stricken areas, Open House Day and so on. The results of spreading public science depend not only on our ability but also on our willingness to give.  International collaboration is an important channel for XAO to promote the development of astronomy, astrophysics and other related fields of science. So far, XAO has already established friendly relationship with America, Australia, Netherland, Japan, Germany, England, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Besides, has also established a good partnership with domestic scientific research institutions as well as universities.  XAO has more than 100 staff, including 87 scientific and technical personnel, 19 management personnel, also hired 2 foreign professor emeritus and experts from well known universities and research institutions as our guest professors.

Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO; ) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was known as Ürümqi Astronomical Observatory before it was renamed in January 2011.

Das Astronomische Observatorium Xinjiang (,, "XAO") in Ürümqi, Wissenschaft 1-Straße 150, ist eine astronomische Forschungseinrichtung der Chinesischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, die 1957 als „Satellitenbeobachtungs-Station Ürümqi der Chinesischen Akademie der Wissenschaften“ (中国科学院乌鲁木齐人造卫星观测站) gegründet wurde. Direktorin des Observatoriums ist seit Februar 2005 Wang Na (王娜, *1965).


Early life and education.

Born in Ipswich, Suffolk, the son of Dorothy Margaret () and John Ramsay Wall, Wall was educated at Whitgift School and Selwyn College, Cambridge.

Military career.

Wall graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in April 1974 with his commission being confirmed in December 1974, with effect from 9 March the same year. After a short period of military duties, Wall studied engineering at University of Cambridge, before joining airborne forces and going on to serve with the Royal Engineers in Belize and Rhodesia. Wall was promoted to captain on 9 September 1980 and to major on 30 September 1987.  He was appointed Chief of Staff of the 5th Airborne Brigade in 1988, before commanding 9 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers from 1990. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1992, he was appointed Commanding Officer of 32 Engineer Regiment in Germany in 1994, and appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1994 Birthday Honours. He was deployed to the Former Republic of Yugoslavia in Spring 1996, promoted to colonel on 30 June and awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in November. He was then promoted to brigadier on 31 December 1998 with seniority from 30 June 1998, before assuming command of 24 Airmobile Brigade in 1999. Wall was responsible for converting the formation into 16 Air Assault Brigade later that year.

High command.

In 2001, Wall became Chief of Joint Force Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters Northwood, and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 New Year Honours. Wall went on to serve as Chief of Staff of the National Contingent HQ in Qatar, overseeing UK operations in Iraq, from January 2003. In May 2003, Wall assumed the appointment of General Officer Commanding 1st Armoured Division with the substantive rank of major general, in which capacity he was responsible for security in Basra in Iraq. In 2005, he became Deputy Chief of Joint Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters Northwood and, on 1 August 2007, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) and promoted to lieutenant general. Appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2009 Birthday Honours, Wall succeeded General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue as Chief Royal Engineer on 10 May 2009 before taking up the post of Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces and receiving promotion to the substantive rank of general on 17 July 2009. He was also appointed the aide-de-camp general to Queen Elizabeth II on 30 October 2009. On 6 January 2010, Wall gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry in which he claimed that troops were vulnerable in their base at Basra Palace and in May 2010, Wall was listed amongst the top 172 government servants that earn more than the Prime Minister, with a salary of £160–165,000, excluding his non-contributory final salary pension. Then on 29 July 2010, Wall was named as the next Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army. On 15 September 2010 Wall took over the post from General Sir David Richards who became Chief of the Defence Staff in late October 2010.  On 24 June 2011, it was reported that Wall, who had publicly questioned Prime Minister David Cameron's handling of the conflict in Afghanistan, would – in a major defence reorganisation that would also affect the other service chiefs – lose his position on the Defence Board, the highest non-ministerial Ministry of Defence committee, which makes decision on all aspects of military policy. The changes took effect on 1 November 2011.  Amidst ministerial, media and political pressure from both sides of the House, Wall told an army magazine in April 2014 that lifting the ban on women serving in combat units was “something we need to be considering seriously”. It came to light that, under European law, the policy of preventing female soldiers from applying for certain jobs in the army was to be reviewed by 2018, and that the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Norway and Israel all allowed women to serve in combat units. "The Times" had reported that his main motivation for changing this rule was showing potential female recruits that the army was an equal opportunities employer: Wall was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 2002, and Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Royal Engineers in November 2003. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 2013 Birthday Honours. From April 2012 until August 2016 Wall served as the Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas.  Since leaving the army, Wall co-founded and is Chief Executive of a leadership and change consultancy, Amicus Limited.

Personal life.

In 1980 Wall married Fiona Anne Simpson; they have two sons. He lists his interests as sports.

General Sir Peter Anthony Wall, (born 10 July 1955) is a retired British Army officer who served as the Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, until September 2014. Wall had previously been the Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces from August 2009 to September 2010. He succeeded General Sir David Richards as Chief of the General Staff in September 2010, the latter going on a month later to be Chief of the Defence Staff.

Sir Peter Anthony Wall, GCB, CBE (* 10. Juli 1955 in Ipswich, Suffolk) ist ein ehemaliger Offizier der British Army, der zuletzt als General zwischen 2010 und 2014 Chef des Generalstabes der British Army war.


Symptoms.

The symptoms and signs associated with convergence insufficiency are related to prolonged, visually demanding, near-centered tasks. They may include, but are not limited to, diplopia (double vision), asthenopia (eye strain), transient blurred vision, difficulty sustaining near-visual function, abnormal fatigue, headache, and abnormal postural adaptation, among others. In some cases, difficulty with making eye contact have been noted as a complaint amongst sufferers. Note that some Internet resources confuse convergence and divergence dysfunction, reversing them.

Diagnosis.

Diagnosis of convergence insufficiency is made by an eye care professional skilled in binocular vision dysfunctions, such as an orthoptist to rule out any organic disease. Convergence insufficiency characterized by one or more of the following diagnostic findings: Patient symptoms, High exophoria at near, reduced accommodative convergence/accommodation ratio, receded near point of convergence, low fusional vergence ranges and/or facility. Some patients with convergence insufficiency have concurrent accommodative insufficiency—accommodative amplitudes should therefore also be measured in symptomatic patients.

Treatment.

Convergence insufficiency may be treated with convergence exercises prescribed by an eyecare specialist trained in orthoptics or binocular vision anomalies (see: Vision Therapy). Some cases of convergence insufficiency are successfully managed by prescription of eyeglasses, sometimes with therapeutic prisms.  Pencil push-ups therapy is performed at home. Patient brings a pencil slowly to within 2–3 cm of the eye just above the nose about 15 minutes per day 5 times per week. Patients should record the closest distance that they could maintain fusion (keep the pencil from going double as long as possible) after each 5 minutes of therapy. Computer software may be used at home or in an orthoptists/vision therapists office to treat convergence insufficiency. A weekly 60-minute in-office therapy visit may be prescribed. This is generally accompanied with additional in home therapy.  In 2005, the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT) published two randomized clinical studies. The first, published in Archives of Ophthalmology demonstrated that computer exercises when combined with office based vision therapy/orthoptics were more effective than "pencil pushups" or computer exercises alone for convergency insufficiency in 9- to 18-year-old children. The second found similar results for adults 19 to 30 years of age. In a bibliographic review of 2010, the CITT confirmed their view that office-based accommodative/vergence therapy is the most effective treatment of convergence insufficiency, and that substituting it in entirety or in part with other eye training approaches such as home-based therapy may offer advantages in cost but not in outcome. A later study of 2012 confirmed that orthoptic exercises led to longstanding improvements of the asthenopic symptoms of convergence sufficiency both in adults and in children. A 2011 Cochrane Review reaffirmed that office-based therapy is more effective than home-based therapy, though the evidence of effectiveness is a lot stronger for children than for the adult population.  Both positive fusional vergence (PFV) and negative fusional vergence (NFV) can be trained, and vergence training should normally include both. Surgical correction options are also available, but the decision to proceed with surgery should be made with caution as convergence insufficiency generally does not improve with surgery. Bilateral medial rectus resection is the preferred type of surgery. However, the patient should be warned about the possibility of uncrossed diplopia at distance fixation after surgery. This typically resolves within 1–3 months postoperatively. The exophoria at near often recurs after several years, although most patients remain asymptomatic.

Prevalence.

Among fifth and sixth grade children convergence insufficiency is 13%. In studies that used standardized definitions of Convergence insufficiency, investigators have reported a prevalence of 4.2% to 6% in school and clinic settings. The standard definition of Convergence insufficiency is exophoria greater at near than at distance, a receded near point of convergence, and reduced convergence amplitudes at near.

Convergence insufficiency is a sensory and neuromuscular anomaly of the binocular vision system, characterized by a reduced ability of the eyes to turn towards each other, or sustain convergence.

Konvergenzinsuffizienz ist eine Störung des beidäugigen Sehens, gekennzeichnet durch eine verringerte Fähigkeit der Augen, sich aufeinander zuzudrehen oder eine eingenommene Konvergenzstellung beschwerdefrei aufrechtzuerhalten. Die Ursachen für eine Konvergenzschwäche können vielfältig sein und reichen von senso-motorischen Störungen der Fusion bis zu neurogen bedingten Läsionen (Augenmuskellähmungen).