Geography.

The river flows through the Pamirs, passing through very mountainous territory that frequently restricts its flow to narrow channels within deep gorges. Some of the largest glaciers in Tajikistan, including the Fedchenko and Abramov glaciers (the former of which is the longest glacier in the world outside of the polar regions), drain into the Vakhsh. Its largest tributaries are the Muksu and the Obihingou; the Vakhsh River proper begins at the confluence of the Obihingou and Surkhob rivers.  After it exits the Pamirs, the Vakhsh passes through the fertile lowlands of southwest Tajikistan. It ends when it flows into the Panj River to form the Amu Darya, at the border of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve, which was the last habitat of the now-extinct Caspian tiger in the former USSR, is located at the confluence of the Vakhsh and the Panj.  The catchment area of the Vakhsh is 39,100 km, of which 31,200 km (79.8%) lies within Tajikistan. The river contributes about 25% of the total flow of the Amu Darya, its parent river. Its average discharge is 538 m/s, with an annual discharge of 20.0 km. However, since the Vakhsh is fed mostly by melting snow and glaciers, these flow rates have great seasonal variability between winter and summer. Measurements at the Nurek Dam indicate that winter flow rates average around 150 m/s, whereas flow rates during the summer months can exceed 1500 m/s – a tenfold increase.

Economic development.

The Vakhsh has been intensively developed for human use. Electricity, aluminum, and cotton are the mainstays of Tajikistan's economy, and the Vakhsh is involved with all three of these sectors. Hydroelectricity provides 91% of the country's electricity as of 2005, and 90% of that total comes from the five completed dams along the Vakhsh, dominated by the world's second tallest dam, the Nurek. The other four dams, downstream of Nurek, are Baipaza, Sangtuda 1, Sangtuda 2 and Golovnaya Dams. (These dams make Tajikistan the highest hydroelectric power producer per capita in the world.) Hydroelectricity powers the aluminum production at the Tajik Aluminum Company in Tursunzoda, a major source of Tajikistan's industrial output and export revenue. As for cotton, Vakhsh water irrigates much of Tajikistan's crop; about 85% of the water taken from the Vakhsh goes toward irrigation.

Soviet era.

The leaders of the Soviet Union stressed the importance of developing the country's under-developed regions, such as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (which was the predecessor to modern-day, independent Tajikistan). Not only did Vladimir Lenin’s ideology identify the decentralization of industry as a way to counter the colonial exploitation of indigenous peoples, but the USSR had strategic aims as well, especially in World War II when industry was evacuated eastward away from the German front. This industrialization would be fueled by exploiting Tajikistan's enormous hydropower potential.  It took until the 1950s, however, for dam construction to begin on the Vakhsh. The Perepadnaya power station, was the first to be commissioned in 1959. It is situated on a canal off the Golovnaya Dam which was commissioned in 1963. The giant Nurek dam was constructed between 1961 and 1980. Baipaza Dam was completed in 1983.  To build transmission lines over the Pamirs would have been prohibitively expensive, so, in order to take advantage of the electricity produced by these dams, the Soviet Union built many industries nearby. The Tajik Aluminum Company plant is a prime example. Other industries established locally were chemical plants, nitrogen fertilizer factories, and cotton gins.  The dams, particularly the reservoirs behind them, were also built with the purpose of providing water for agriculture. The Soviet Union promoted cotton farming in the Vakhsh Valley, as well as vineyards and orchards, and drew water from the Vakhsh for irrigation. The Vakhsh Valley Canal Project, which expanded farmland along the river's lower reaches, predated the dams, having been completed in 1933. In the 1960s, after the reservoirs had been constructed, engineers dug tunnels through the surrounding mountains to irrigate other valleys. Water storage in the reservoirs also helped control the river's flow, so as to provide a more reliable water supply for downstream users in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

After Tajik independence.

Soviet Central Asia had a centrally planned economy in which the different republics supplied resources to each other at different times of the year. During the summer, when river flows were greatest, Tajikistan (located upstream) released water from its reservoirs on the Vakhsh and exported the hydroelectricity to power irrigation pumps downstream, in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, along the Amu Darya. In winter, Tajik dams accumulated water, and the fossil-fuel-rich downstream nations supplied Tajikistan with oil and gas to compensate for forgone hydroelectricity generation.  However, with increasing regional tension post-independence, this system is breaking down, with no conclusive cooperative arrangement yet. Fuel deliveries from downstream nations have been getting less reliable and more expensive, and impoverished Tajikistan cannot adapt by increasing winter hydroelectric generation since this would jeopardize irrigation and electricity exports in the summer. This dependence has caused energy crises in the winters of 2008 and 2009, in which the capital, Dushanbe, lost power and heating. Heightened nationalism and border disputes further complicate the search for a solution to Central Asia's water needs, according to a study conducted by the International Crisis Group.  Tajikistan is therefore pursuing a course of action to increase hydroelectric capacity by building more dams on the Vakhsh, in order to promote economic growth and move towards energy independence. Another four dams are planned or under construction, including the Rogun Dam. The Rogun Dam began construction in Soviet times but remains uncompleted; now Tajikistan has recommenced the project with financial support from the Russian Aluminum Company. If constructed to its full planned height, it will supersede the Nurek as tallest in the world.  However, this project has caused great controversy. Just as energy dependence threatens Tajikistan, so water dependence threatens the downstream nations. For this reason, Uzbekistan is highly critical of the Rogun Dam, claiming that it would “put it [Tajikistan] firmly in control of the river”. The World Bank has responded to these tensions by launching investigations into the social and environmental impacts of the dam.

Environmental problems.

Intensive agriculture in the Vakhsh basin has left the river polluted with fertilizers, pesticides, and salts. Also, chemicals have leached into groundwater from the heavy industries near the Vakhsh's dams, which has in turn contaminated surface water. However, ever since Tajikistan lost their Soviet agricultural subsidies with the breakup of the Soviet Union, farms have not been able to afford as many fertilizers or pesticides as before, thus decreasing levels of pollution in the river. The 2008 financial crisis has further increased poverty, which in turn has further decreased pollution.  Since the waters of the Vakhsh eventually flow into the Aral Sea, pollution in the Vakhsh contributes to eutrophication there.

Climate change impacts.

The Vakhsh is fed by the glaciers of the Pamirs, one of the world's most susceptible regions to climate change. Tajikistan as a whole has experienced a rise in temperatures from between 1.0-1.2 degrees Celsius between 1940 and 2000, and many glaciers that feed the Vakhsh have retreated, including the Fedchenko, which is melting at a rate of 16–20 meters/year. According to Oxfam International, up to 30% of Tajikistan's glaciers could shrink or disappear completely by 2050. The reduction in river flow could lower the Vakhsh's hydropower production, and harm agriculture dependent on its waters for irrigation. Furthermore, if climate change affects precipitation patterns, it could cause more floods, landslides, and other natural disasters in the river valley.

Blockages.

The Vakhsh is located in a seismically active region, and earthquakes, in addition to high groundwater levels (especially during the wet season), cause hundreds of landslides per year. These landslides occasionally block the river and form landslide dams.  Such blockages pose a significant threat to the river's dams and hydroelectric power generation. A large landslide downstream from the Baipaza Dam has blocked the river twice (in 1992 and 2002) ever since this dam opened in 1985. Both blockages were immediately blasted to clear the river channel, since they threatened to raise the water level high enough to flood the dam. Such an event could potentially have serious economic consequences by disrupting power generation, stopping production at the Tajik Aluminum Company, and cutting off supplies of drinking and irrigation water for downstream users. In the worst-case scenario, failure of a landslide dam could cause catastrophic floods.  Recognizing these threats, the Asian Development Bank responded to the landslide of 2002 by granting the government of Tajikistan a low-interest loan to stabilize the valley slopes and mitigate the potential for blockages in the future.

The Vakhsh (River) (, ), also known as the Surkhob (Сурхоб, سرخاب), in north-central Tajikistan, and the Kyzyl-Suu (), in Kyrgyzstan, is a Central Asian river, and one of the main rivers of Tajikistan. It is a tributary of the Amu Darya river.

Wachsch ( bzw. ; auch "Vachs", "Vakhsh" oder "Vachsch") ist ein ca. 375 km langer, rechter bzw. nördlicher Quellfluss des Amudarja in Tadschikistan in Zentralasien.


Mission highlights.

The Soyuz 4 and 5 spacecraft docked on 16 January, the first time two crewed spacecraft had docked (Apollo 9 would do the same in March of the same year). The two craft possessed only a primitive probe (Soyuz 4) and drogue (Soyuz 5) docking assembly. A connecting tunnel for the docking mechanism had not yet been developed, which prevented a simple internal transfer between the craft. This required the two transferring cosmonauts to spacewalk from one vehicle to the other. Aboard Soyuz 5, Yevgeny Khrunov and Aleksei Yeliseyev immediately began preparing for their extra-vehicular activity (EVA). Boris Volynov, who would remain aboard Soyuz 5, filmed them donning their Yastreb space suits.  On their 35th revolution of Earth, the two cosmonauts exited the spacecraft for the second Soviet spacewalk. One of Khrunov's lines became tangled and he accidentally closed the tumbler of his suit ventilator. This distracted Yeliseyev who did not set up the movie camera on the orbital module before exiting the spacecraft. As such, there is no film of the historic EVA, only a poor video transmission.  One hour later, the two were greeted by Shatalov after the repressurisation of the Soyuz 4 orbital module, which also acted as an airlock. Soyuz 4 and 5 separated after 4 hours and 35 minutes docked together. Soyuz 4 re-entered the atmosphere and landed southwest of Karaganda on 17 January 1969.  The mission proved it was possible to perform the activities that would be needed on a Soviet lunar landing. The Soviet plan called for a lone cosmonaut to land on the moon, return to lunar orbit, then make a spacewalk back from the landing craft to the orbiting spacecraft after docking. This was because there was no internal tunnel between the two craft as found on the American Apollo CSM and LM.  The crew were to meet Leonid Brezhnev during a lavish ceremony at the Kremlin, but this was prevented by an attempted assassination of the Soviet leader. A man shot eight times at the motorcade but aimed at the car containing Georgi Beregovoi, Alexei Leonov, Andrian Nikolayev, and Valentina Tereshkova. They were unharmed but Brezhnev's car was forced to speed away past the waiting Soyuz 4/5 crews on the podium.

EVA details.

The docking mission had EVA objectives similar to those planned for Apollo 9. Soyuz 4 launched first, and was the active vehicle in the docking with Soyuz 5. The news agency TASS stated that: "there was a mutual mechanical coupling of the ships... and their electrical circuits were connected. Thus, the world's first experimental cosmic station with four compartments for the crew was assembled and began functioning." The mission rehearsed elements of the Soviet piloted lunar mission plan. Moscow TV carried the cosmonauts' EVA preparations live. Khrunov and Yeliseyev put on their Yastreb ("hawk") suits in the Soyuz 5 orbital module with aid from Commander Boris Volynov.  Yastreb suit design commenced in 1965, shortly after Alexei Leonov's difficult EVA. Leonov served as a consultant for the design process, which was completed during 1966. Suit fabrication and testing occurred in 1967, but the fatal Soyuz 1 accident in April of that year and docking difficulties on the joint Soyuz 2-Soyuz 3 mission delayed its use in space until Soyuz 4-Soyuz 5.  To prevent the suit ballooning, the Yastreb suit featured a pulley-and-cable articulation system. Wide metal rings around the gray nylon canvas undersuit's upper arms served as anchors for the upper body articulation system. The Yastreb had a regenerative life support system in a rectangular white metal box placed on the chest and abdomen to facilitate movement through the Soyuz's hatchways.  Volynov checked out Khrunov and Yeliseyev's life support and communications systems before returning to the descent module, sealing the hatch, and depressurizing the orbital module. Khrunov went out first, transferring to the Soyuz 4 orbital module while the docked spacecraft were over South America, out of radio contact with the Soviet Union. Yeliseyev transferred while the spacecraft were over the Soviet Union. They closed the Soyuz 4 orbital module hatch behind them, then Soyuz 4 Commander Vladimir Shatalov repressurised the orbital module and entered to help Khrunov and Yeliseyev get out of their suits. The spacewalkers delivered newspapers, letters, and telegrams printed after Shatalov lifted off to help prove that the transfer took place.

Soyuz 4 (,, "Union 4") was launched on 14 January 1969, carrying cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov on his first flight. The aim of the mission was to dock with Soyuz 5, transfer two crew members from that spacecraft, and return to Earth. The previous three Soyuz flights were also docking attempts but all had failed for various reasons.

Sojus 4 ist die Missionsbezeichnung für den am 14. Januar 1969 gestarteten Flug eines sowjetischen Sojus-Raumschiffs. Es war der dritte bemannte Flug eines Sojus-Raumschiffs und der zwölfte Flug im sowjetischen Sojusprogramm.


Overview.

Many international visitors also go to national parks in Tanzania, to the Indian Ocean coast, to islands such as Zanzibar, and to Lake Victoria, reflected in the routes of connecting flights. Despite its small size, the airport can handle aircraft as large as Boeing 747s and Antonov 124s. The airport served 665,147 passengers in 2012, a 3.7 percent increase over 2011. The airport served 802,731 passengers in 2014, of whom 45 percent were international, 38 percent domestic, and 17 percent transit.  On 19 February 2014, the governments of Tanzania and the Netherlands signed a grant arrangement to rehabilitate the airport, including its aprons, taxiways, and terminal building. The total cost of the project is expected to be €35.5 million, with €15.0 million funded by the Netherlands and the remainder by Tanzania. The already completed design phase was financed entirely by the Dutch government. In November 2015, renovations began at the airport, aimed at doubling its capacity from the current 600,000 passengers to 1.2 million annually. The renovation work is being done by BAM International, at a cost of US$39.7 million. Renovations are expected to last until May 2017. BAM International is a subsidiary of the Royal BAM Group in the Netherlands.

History.

Kilimanjaro Airport opened on 2 December 1971 and cost US$13 million to build. The construction was financed by a long term loan from the Italian government. In 1998, it became the first international airport in Africa to be privatised and is operated by the Kilimanjaro Airport Development Company. The airport facilitates the tourism industry for visitors travelling to Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti National Park, and elsewhere. The airport bills itself as the "Gateway to Africa's Wildlife Heritage".

Airlines and destinations.

The following 15 airlines maintain regular, scheduled passenger and cargo service to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport.  Notes:

Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) is an international airport in northern Tanzania that serves the cities of Arusha and Moshi. The airport handled 802,731 passengers in 2014 and mainly serves regional flights as well as a few long-haul services due to its importance as a leisure destination.

Der Flughafen Kilimandscharo International (englisch: Kilimanjaro International Airport, IATA: JRO, ICAO: HTKJ) ist ein Flughafen in Tansania. Er befindet sich südwestlich des Kilimandscharo-Massivs.


History.

Initial creation.

Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung spent nine months creating the Furby (in addition to nine months spent designing the toy). After two attempts at licensing the concept, they invited fellow toy and game inventor Richard C. Levy to join their efforts to sell Furby. Levy brought Furby to Tiger Electronics and Tiger's Roger Shiffman bought the rights to it. Furby's first public appearance was at the American International Toy Fair in 1998. Furbies originally retailed for about US$35, and upon release, they sold very well. Catapulting demand during the 1998 Christmas period drove the resale price over $100, and sometimes as high as several hundred dollars. Furbies were sold for over $300 in newspapers and in auctions. Nicknames were given to the different aesthetic varieties, and sellers assigned rarity values to them.  The significant aftermarket demand (and price) for the toy resulted in cases of fraud in which customers paid for Furbies that were never delivered. Parental battles, arguments, and fights increased rapidly as supplies dwindled, and when retail supplies ran out, parents turned to the Internet, where Furbies could be purchased for two, three, or more multiples of their retail price. During one 12-month period, a total of 27 million Furby toys were sold.

2005 revival.

2005 saw the reintroduction of Furby with the release of the new Emoto-Tronic Furby.

2012 revival.

On April 12, 2012, it was announced that Hasbro would be making a new line of Furbies. The new line was released in September 2012. As of December 2012 there were sixteen colors: Teal, white, black, purple, tangerine-tango, yellow, aqua, navy blue, plum, pink, pink/teal, orange/blue, black/pink, blue/yellow, teal/purple, and gray/teal. Furbies were one of the eleven toys named the top toys for Christmas 2013 by the Toy Retailers Association at the DreamToys Convention where they unveil their predictions for the most popular holiday toys annually.

Types.

Classic Furbies.

The main reason for their popularity was because of apparent "intelligence", reflected in their ability to develop language skills.  Furbies can communicate with one another via an infrared port located between their eyes. Furbies start out speaking entirely "Furbish", a language with short words, simple syllables, and various other sounds. They are programmed, however, to speak less and less Furbish and more and more English as they "grow".  There was a common misconception that they repeated words that were said around them. This belief most likely stemmed from the fact that it is possible to have the Furby say certain pre-programmed words or phrases more often by petting it whenever it said these words. As a result of this myth, several intelligence agencies banned them from their offices.  A simple electric motor and a system of cams and gears close the Furby's eyes and mouth, raise its ears, and lift it off the ground in a "faux" display of mobility.  The originals are popular with many hackers as they can be dissected and made to do interesting things. In particular, their advanced audio capabilities and various sensory interfaces make them popular with the circuit bending community.

Other Furbies.

Furby Babies.

In 1999, the Furby Babies line was introduced. Furby Babies are smaller than the original, have higher voices, and cannot dance, but they switch to speaking English more quickly. They also have an extended vocabulary and different "Easter eggs" and "games" built into them. Furby Babies come in 24 different colors. All have white eyelashes and one of six different eyecolors.

Furby Friends.

Novel Furbies were also released, including an interactive Furby-style "Gizmo", from the film "Gremlins", a Furby-styke "Interactive Yoda" based on the Star Wars character, and a Furby-style "Interactive E.T." from the movie of the same name. Another "friend of Furby", called "Shelby", is similar to Furby, but looks like a clam, has vast improvements in memory, and has a different personality; it was released in 2001 and can communicate with the original Furbies and Furby Babies. They also have sensors that can sense loud sounds, can sense being upside down (they say things like "Shiver me timbers" and "Walk the plank" when left upside-down for an extended period of time), and they laugh when "tickled" (their antennae – or "tennies", as they like to call them). They also purr when "petted". They can be fed by sticking a finger in their mouth. Similarly, Shelbies do not have their own names, unlike the classic Furbies. Shelbies are also capable of knowing if it is talking to a Furby or another Shelby, saying phrases such as "Where's Furby?"—though they cannot differentiate between a Furby and a Furby Baby—they just assume it is a Furby. In addition to English, Shelbies also know some Furbish words and also have their own unique language called "Shelbish".

Emoto-Tronic Furbies.

This Furby was released in August 2005. Larger than the previous version, the new Furbies have been upgraded with a more emotional face and a voice recognition system, enabling them to communicate with humans. Unlike the Furbies originally released, just one order is necessary to make them'sleep', and they have an on/off switch. They can communicate with other Emoto-tronic Furbies, though to a lesser extent than the communication between original Furbies, and they cannot themselves communicate with the original Furbies nor Funky Furbies. They also lack light sensors and basic motion sensors and do not respond to loud sounds as the originals do. These Furbies, according to the story they come packed with, are from Furby Island.

Emoto-Tronic Furby Babies.

In 2006, a new version of Furby Baby was released, with the most notable features being the new look and a more "babyish" appearance in contrast to the Emoto-Tronic Furby adult. They also have considerably fewer features than the "adult" Furby, with a very limited vocabulary and a lower level of interactivity. Another notable feature of the 2006 Emoto-Tronic Baby Furby is the movable "legs" which unfurl when a Furby Baby is awake. Although they were a European exclusive, they were sold in the US via the Hasbro Toy Shop website.

Emoto-Tronic Funky Furbies.

The Funky Furbies were released in August 2006 outside the United States. They are limited to three color combinations (pink and yellow; purple and green; blue and purple), they can sing three new songs and dance. They can be taught dance routines and remember them.

2012 Furbies.

A new Furby was released in the fall of 2012. It has more expressive LCD eyes, a wider range of motions, its own iOS and Android app, and the ability to adapt its personality in reaction to user behavior. The on-off switch is replaced with a reset button; the Furby turns itself off after one minute of inactivity.

Furby Party Rockers.

A series of toys called Furby Party Rockers was released in addition to the 2012 Furbies.  Those feature pre-programmed personalities that differ between the various models.  Instead of the screens that the full-size Furbies feature, their eyes are made out of transparent plastic with a backing that has a static pattern printed.  The eyes have an LED backlight and the printed image is stereoscopic so that it changes depending on the viewing angle. The Party Rockers don't have any moving parts.

Furby Boom.

In summer of 2013, about a year after the 2012 Furby came out, a new Furby was released with new different colors and new Personalities. It has a brand-new iOS and Android app, called Furby BOOM!, with many new features.

Furblings (toy version).

In June 2014, a toy version of the Furblings from the Furby BOOM! app was released along with a Golden limited time one. It can communicate with Furby Booms, and can be used with the app too.

Furby Boom Crystal.

The release for Christmas 2014 is called the Furby Boom Crystal series, with a redesign of the ears, face and feet and new bright neon fur. The iOS and Android apps have also been redesigned.

Furby Boom Crystal Furblings.

In early 2015, a toy version of the Furby Boom Crystal Furblings from the app was released. Like the other Furblings, it can communicate with Furby Boom Crystals, and be used with the app.

Furbacca.

In June 2015, a Furby that resembles Chewbacca from Star Wars was released. It is similar to the Furby Boom because it can hatch Furblings with the same app and more. It is known as the Wookie Furby and the new Furby Friend.

Furby Connect.

In 2016 another new Furby with more expressive eyes and movements was released, along with an app containing a whole world of Furblings for it to interact with. The Furby Connect has a translucent plastic joystick on its head which lights up different colors when toggled and is used to control games played with Furblings in the app. Unlike the 2012 Furby and Furby Boom, the Furby Connect does not change personalities. However it can sing songs that it "learns" from the app.

Technology.

The original Furby source code was written in assembly language for the 6502 microprocessor.  The first Furby model was based around a 6502-style Sunplus SPC81A microcontroller, which had 80 KiB of ROM and 128 bytes of RAM. Its core differed from the original 6502 in the lack of the Y index register. The TSP50C04 chip from Texas Instruments, implementing the LPC codec, was used for voice synthesis.

Security concerns.

On January 13, 1999, it was reported the National Security Agency of the United States banned Furbies from entering NSA's property due to concerns that they may be used to record and repeat classified information, advising those that see any on NSA property to "contact their Staff Security Officer for guidance."  Roger Shiffman, the owner of Tiger Electronics, stated that "Furby has absolutely no ability to do any recording whatsoever," and that he would have gladly told the NSA this if he was asked by anyone from the spy agency. Additionally, Dave Hampton demonstrated that Furby's microphone can't record any sound at all, and can only hear a single monotonous beep if a loud sound is produced around Furby, and no words or waveforms can be made out at all. He too was never questioned by the NSA. The ban was eventually withdrawn.  Security researchers discovered that the microphone on a Furby Connect can be remotely activated and used to record voice through a Bluetooth connection.

Furbish-English phrases.

"Furbish" is the Furbies' language, with simple syllables, short words, and various sounds. A newly- purchased Furby starts out speaking entirely in Furbish. Over time, the Furby gradually replaces Furbish words and phrases with English.  The voice commands the 2005 Furbies respond to include:  Furbies may say these Furbish words:

Film adaptation.

Bob Weinstein announced in November 2016 that a Furby film adaptation is to be produced by The Weinstein Company. The film was written by Daniel Persitz and Devon Kliger, and will contain both live action and computer-animated characters. In regards to the film's narrative, Hasbro executive Stephen Davis stated that "we think that this can resonate as a four-quadrant film. It can’t just be a 90-minute commercial." TWC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 19, 2018. On May 1, 2018, Lantern Capital emerged as the winner of the studio's bankruptcy auction. On July 16, 2018, it was announced that The Weinstein Company has shut down and its assets were sold to the newly-created Lantern Entertainment. It's unclear whether Lantern Entertainment will take over producing the project.

Furby is an American electronic robotic toy that was originally released in 1998 by Tiger Electronics. It resembles a hamster or owllike creature and went through a period of being a "must-have" toy following its holiday season launch, with continual sales until 2000. Over 40 million Furbies were sold during the three years of its original production, with 1.8 million sold in 1998, and 14 million in 1999. Its speaking capabilities were translated into 24 languages.

Furby (abgeleitet von ) ist ein elektronisches Spielzeug, das von dem Unternehmen Tiger Electronics erfunden wurde und seit 1998 weltweit durch das Unternehmen Hasbro vertrieben wird. Im Aussehen ähnelt es einer Mischung aus einer Maus, einer Katze und einer Eule oder Fledermaus.


Career.

Pre-Liverpool.

Born in Drogheda, County Louth, Staunton was an accomplished all-round sportsman. He lived in Dundalk, County Louth, and attended the De La Salle College in the town. As well as playing soccer for his home club of Dundalk, he played Gaelic football, appearing for Louth's U-16 team and winning a Louth Senior Championship medal with Clan na Gael. He also played for his local team St. Dominic's at underage level.

Liverpool.

Staunton was spotted by Liverpool playing in Ireland for his home club of Dundalk as a 17-year-old and was signed on 2 September 1986 by manager Kenny Dalglish for a fee of £20,000.  He spent the first two seasons in the reserves and even went on loan to Bradford City for eight games during the 1987–88 season as cover for the injured Karl Goddard. He made his Liverpool debut on 17 September 1988 in the 1–1 league draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. As a result of his impressive performance he remained in the side for the rest of the season, despite him being vastly inexperienced compared to the players around him who were defending a League championship title won the year before. Following on from his impressive debut he scored his first goal three days later on 20 September; however, his 80th-minute strike wasn't enough to prevent Arsenal winning the Centenary Trophy semi-final 2–1.  An injury to captain Alan Hansen meant that regular left back Gary Ablett had to be shifted across to the centre of defence. Staunton was therefore given his chance and proved an impressive and consistent performer in a team of strong players, playing his part as Liverpool challenged for the title again.  In the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 96 fans at the FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989, Staunton was among the players who comforted bereaved families and attended many of the funerals. He also put in an outstanding performance when the fateful FA Cup semi-final was rescheduled a month later, with Liverpool beating Nottingham Forest 3–1.  Staunton played in the FA Cup Final at Wembley – he was substituted at the start of the extra-time period – as Liverpool defeated Merseyside rivals Everton 3–2. However, the season ended with disappointment when Liverpool lost the League title in a decider against Arsenal at Anfield. The Gunners needed to win by two clear goals and were 1–0 up with just seconds remaining. With virtually the last kick of the season Michael Thomas broke through the centre of the Reds defence to score thus stopping Liverpool gaining a second league and FA Cup double – something which no English club had yet achieved.  The following year, Staunton was a frequent presence again as Liverpool reclaimed the League title. His first goals for Liverpool came in remarkable fashion on 4 October 1989 when he came on as a substitute in a League Cup tie against Wigan Athletic and scored a hat-trick. The following season he scored twice more; against Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup and Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup. However 1990-91 was his final season with Liverpool before being astutely signed up by Aston Villa on 7 August 1991 for £1.1 million. New manager Graeme Souness was accused of misjudging the player's abilities, though the ruling for European ties possibly had a bearing, with Staunton being classed as a foreigner, of which no team was allowed to field more than four; the Bosman ruling (which included the abolishment of quotas for EU citizens on teams in member countries) was not passed until 1995.

Aston Villa.

Staunton made a good impression on the Villa fans by marking his debut on 17 August with a goal in the 3–2 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. He soon became a regular in Villa's defence, alongside the likes of the legendary Villan Paul McGrath, as they finished seventh during the 1991–92 season. The following year he played an important role in the club's push for the title in the first Premier League season. Villa, in the end, lost out to Manchester United and had to settle for second place.  The following season, he won a League Cup winners medal when he helped a wounded Villa gain revenge on Manchester United by beating them 3–1 (denying them a domestic treble). The League Cup medal completed his domestic medal set. In the 1994–95 season, despite the club's managerial problems, he had a fine season and regularly captained the side. The 1995–96 season was a mixed one for Staunton. He won another League Cup medal, this time as a non-playing substitute in the excellent 3–0 victory over Leeds United, but his playing time was limited due to a number of injuries.  Over the next two seasons he was once again a regular in defence, playing his part in Villa's run to the UEFA Cup quarter finals in 1996–97. He also scored from a corner during his time at Villa. Meanwhile, in the league, he helped a transitional Villa team to a fifth-place finish in 1996–97 and seventh in 1997–98.

Return to Anfield.

With his contract set to expire at Villa, he gained a surprise move back to Liverpool on 3 July 1998 when joint managers Roy Evans and Gérard Houllier signed him on a free transfer. On 27 September 1999, during the Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield, Staunton played the last 15 minutes of the game in goal after Sander Westerveld had been sent off for fighting with Francis Jeffers after Liverpool had used all three substitutes. He scored once in his second spell at Liverpool, his goal coming in a League Cup tie against Hull City in September 1999.  His second spell on Merseyside lasted two years before he was told he could leave on a free transfer. After a brief loan spell at Crystal Palace, where he made six league appearances and scored once against Tranmere Rovers, he was recalled to Anfield to appear in his 148th and last game for the Reds: it came on 23 November 2000 in the 2–2 draw with Greek side Olympiakos in the UEFA Cup.

Return to Villa Park.

On 7 December 2000 he did another about-turn and re-joined Aston Villa on another free transfer. He played in 14 of the club's remaining league fixtures and then featured regularly for a further two seasons. He scored once in his second spell at Villa, his goal coming in the Intertoto Cup against FC Zurich.

Coventry City.

Staunton continued to play club football, plying his trade with Coventry City, moving there on 15 August 2003 on another free transfer. He made his début on 16 August 2003 in the 0–0 league draw with Walsall at Highfield Road. He remained with the Sky Blues until the summer of 2005, clocking up 75 appearances.

Walsall.

Staunton decided not to renew his contract once it had expired, and instead joined Black Country club Walsall on 2 August 2005. He played just 10 times for the Bescot club and also held the post of assistant coach until 16 January 2006, when he was appointed manager of the Republic of Ireland senior international side. He was captain of the Walsall side that defeated Blackpool 2–0 on New Year's Eve 2005, in what was his final game as a professional footballer at the end of a 20-year career.

International career.

Staunton made his debut for the Republic of Ireland in the 4–0 friendly win over Tunisia. He went to Italy with Jack Charlton's squad as the Republic of Ireland competed in their first ever FIFA World Cup finals. Staunton, the youngest member of the squad, played in every match at left back (though by now at club level he had also proved his usefulness as a central defender or midfield player) as the Republic of Ireland progressed to the quarter finals, when they were beaten by the host nation.  He also represented the Republic of Ireland at FIFA World Cup 1994 in the United States. Again, he played in each game as the Republic of Ireland succumbed in the second round to the Netherlands.  The Republic of Ireland failed to qualify for both Euro 96 in England and the 1998 World Cup in France, though Staunton was still selected regularly for the team.  The Republic of Ireland qualified for the 2002 World Cup held in Japan and South Korea following a playoff against Iran. Staunton captained the Irish team in the second leg in Tehran. Coach Mick McCarthy, who had been Staunton's captain at the country's first World Cup 12 years earlier, selected him for the squad and named him captain following the departure of Roy Keane from the squad.  Again, Staunton played in every Republic of Ireland game of the tournament, with the 1–1 group match draw against Germany on 5 June proving to be a very special and historic occasion as he became the first Irishman to make 100 appearances for his country. Together with Gary Breen, he formed an impressive central defensive partnership in front of Shay Given. Staunton was the first footballer to have reached a century of caps for the Republic of Ireland national team, and as of the end of Ireland's qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup he was still the joint record holder with former teammates Shay Given and Kevin Kilbane, though both players (along with Robbie Keane) have since emulated Staunton's appearance record.  Ireland's competition ended once more in the second round when they lost agonizingly to Spain in a penalty shoot-out after the game had finished 1–1. Staunton announced his retirement from international football immediately afterwards after setting a national record of 102 appearances. He is the only player to have played in every single one of Ireland's 13 World Cup finals games.  On two occasions he scored directly from corner-kicks. The first of which came in a 2–0 victory over Portugal on 7 June 1992, during a US Cup game in Boston and the second came in a 3–0 defeat of Northern Ireland on 31 March 1993 during a World Cup qualifier in Dublin.

Managerial career.

National team.

Following the Republic of Ireland's failure to reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the tenure of manager Brian Kerr came to an end. A three-man Football Association of Ireland (FAI) subcommittee spearheaded by its former treasurer John Delaney was formed with the remit of appointing a capable successor to Kerr. Delaney assured the Irish public that a "world class" management team would be appointed to oversee Ireland's qualification campaign for the 2008 European Championship. After an initial flurry of rumours linking names of the calibre of Alex Ferguson, Terry Venables and Bobby Robson with the post, Staunton was released from his player/assistant manager role for Walsall on 12 January 2006 and was officially named as Kerr's replacement the following day, with former England manager Sir Bobby Robson supporting him in the role of International Consultant and with former Aston Villa teammate Kevin MacDonald as coach. Staunton was something of a shock appointment given the names that had been circulated and his own limited coaching and managerial experience.  His international management career enjoyed a dream start, something Staunton called "a bit of a fairytale", when he led Ireland to an impressive 3–0 victory over Sweden on 1 March 2006 with Damien Duff, Robbie Keane (captaining the Republic of Ireland for the first time) and Liam Miller getting onto the score sheet. The victory over Sweden was followed by two friendly defeats, the first a disappointing 1–0 loss against Chile on 23 May 2006 and then a 4–0 thrashing by Holland at Lansdowne Road, Ireland's worst home reverse in 40 years.  Prior to the Holland game, Staunton was confronted and threatened by a man outside the team hotel on Monday 14 August with a gun that turned out to be an imitation Uzi machine gun. The 31-year-old assailant was arrested at a nearby beach and released by police the following day. No physical harm was caused but the event was a public relations disaster for both Staunton and the FAI (this was not the first time an assailant had attacked members of the squad at that particular hotel). Shortly after this incident further embarrassment was caused by the revelation that the FAI had sent news of Ireland midfielder Andy Reid's recall to the national side to the player's former club Tottenham despite the fact that he was now a Charlton player.  It was against this backdrop that Staunton oversaw his first competitive match in charge as Republic of Ireland manager; a 1–0 defeat against Germany in Stuttgart, Ireland losing despite a battling performance. Staunton himself was sent off by the referee for kicking a water bottle onto the pitch in frustration during the second half. Worse was swiftly to follow. On 7 October 2006, in their second UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier, Ireland suffered a demoralising 5–2 defeat by lowly Cyprus in Nicosia. Staunton was watching from the stands, having been given a touchline ban for his sending-off in Germany. The defeat by Cyprus heaped additional pressure on the already beleaguered Staunton, who even at this early stage of his leadership was already facing calls for his resignation, ahead of Ireland's next game which was at home to the Czech Republic on 11 October. The FAI, when pressed on the matter, refused to deny that a poor result would result in the manager's immediate dismissal. An improved performance against the Czechs resulted in a 1–1 draw, a result that eased the pressure on Staunton to some extent.  Staunton was seen to be emotional after the 5–0 victory over San Marino; it was to be the last match to be played on the old Lansdowne Road pitch. In the return fixture, a poor performance ensured the team needed a goal from Stephen Ireland four minutes into injury time to secure the three points with a final score of 2–1. Coming so close to dropping points against a team ranked 195th in the world at the time of the match immediately sparked further calls for the manager's resignation.  Ireland returned to form with two successive 1–0 home victories over Wales and Slovakia which brought them close to contention for second place in Group D of the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying groups. Such was the surprise that greeted the results that RTÉ presenter Bill O'Herlihy concluded the coverage of the Slovakia game with the comment, "Ireland are now in contention for qualification for Euro 2008. Who would have thought it?" The upswing in form continued on 22 August 2007 with a 4–0 win in a non-competitive match against Denmark in Aarhus. Staunton was delighted with the results and headed into the next set of fixtures with Ireland placed third in the qualifying group.  The victories, however, proved to be something of a false dawn as, over the space of five days in September, an injury-hit Ireland dropped five points from two games and saw their qualifying campaign effectively come to an end. Leading 2–1 away to Slovakia the team would emerge with just one point after an injury-time strike from Marek Cech cancelled their advantage. Staunton was disappointed by the performance but four days later, on 12 September, a 1–0 defeat to the Czech Republic in Prague crippled the qualifying campaign. A 0–0 draw with Germany on 13 October at Croke Park and a 1–1 draw at home to Cyprus in the same stadium four days later (during which a chorus of boos greeted the final whistle) secured qualification for both Germany and the Czech Republic. Ireland would not be competing in the 2008 European Championship.  Amid the fans' dissatisfaction, many pundits commented that Staunton was now effectively on borrowed time and the FAI announced that an emergency meeting was to be called to discuss Staunton's position on 23 October. Prior to this, John Delaney gave an interview to RTÉ where he refused to publicly back the beleaguered manager and attempted to extricate himself from any responsibility for his role in Staunton's initial appointment. Staunton, for his part, refused to resign and publicly stated that he intended to see out the remainder of his four-year contract.  On the evening of 23 October 2007, after initially indicating to reporters that the FAI meeting would take place in Dublin's Crown Plaza Hotel, where two executive rooms had been hired for use by the FAI, it emerged that Staunton had met the FAI in secret in the Radisson Hotel at Dublin airport where he made his case to be retained in the job. The FAI subsequently met in private discussion for six hours after which it was confirmed that Staunton's turbulent 21-month reign as international manager had come to an end. He was replaced by Don Givens who temporarily took charge of the national team until Giovanni Trapattoni's appointment as manager.

Leeds United.

On 4 February 2008, Staunton joined up with recently appointed Leeds United manager Gary McAllister for a training session, with a view to becoming McAllister's assistant manager at the club. He was given the post later that day. In his first month at Leeds, the club did not win a game, until a 1–0 victory on 1 March against Swindon Town. When McAllister was sacked by Leeds United in December 2008 after five consecutive defeats, Staunton also left the club.

Darlington.

Staunton was appointed as a scout at Wolverhampton Wanderers under manager Mick McCarthy. In May 2009, it was reported that he had applied for the then vacant manager's seat at Port Vale. On 5 October 2009, he was announced as Darlington manager, to take over officially two days later following a Football League Trophy game against his previous club Leeds United. His contract was initially to take him to the end of the season, with Kevin Richardson appointed as his assistant manager. Staunton lost his first game in charge, 2–0 to Dagenham & Redbridge. On 21 March 2010, with Darlington bottom of the league and facing relegation to the Football Conference, Staunton was sacked as the Darlington manager. He had won just four games from his 23 league matches in charge, although his sacking was also put down to a record low crowd for a league game at the Darlington Arena of 1,463 against Barnet in Staunton's final match in charge.

Sunderland.

Staunton was then handed a job as a scout at Sunderland on 22 August 2011. However, he was relieved of his role in 2013.

Honours.

Honours.

Liverpool  Aston Villa

Stephen Staunton (born 19 January 1969) is an Irish association football manager and former professional footballer who played as a defender. He earned 102 caps for the Republic of Ireland national football team, captained his team to the knock-out stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and earned his place in the FIFA Century Club.

Stephen „Steve“ Staunton (* 19. Januar 1969 in Drogheda) ist ein ehemaliger irischer Fußballspieler und derzeitiger -trainer. Zumeist auf der Position des linken Außenverteidigers eingesetzt, war er für seine Engagements im englischen Fußball für den FC Liverpool und Aston Villa bekannt. Größte Erfolge waren zunächst mit Liverpool der Gewinn des FA Cups 1989 und der englischen Meisterschaft im Jahr darauf. In den 1990ern war er Teil der Mannschaft von Aston Villa, die 1994 und 1996 jeweils den Ligapokal gewann. Dazu absolvierte er 102 Länderspiele für die irische Nationalmannschaft, bestritt in den Jahren 1990, 1994 und 2002 drei WM-Endrundenturniere und trainierte die Elf zwischen 2006 und 2007.


Early life.

Hahn studied at the University of Vienna and began his political career in the youth organisation of the Austrian People's Party (JVP), where he was chairman of the Vienna group from 1980 to 1985. In the 1980s, Hahn drafted the first European manifesto of the ÖVP's youth wing, where he was deputy leader. He adopted a decidedly pro-European position at a time when many within the party had doubts about Austria's accession to the EU.

Doctoral thesis.

Hahn graduated with a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Vienna in 1987. In May 2007 media scholar Stefan Weber accused Hahn of copying numerous pages of his PhD thesis from other books without citing them correctly. The suspected plagiarism was not confirmed by an expert committee from the University of Zurich that looked into the matter. Other academics contested this evaluation. The University of Vienna looked into the matter but decided not to start an examination procedure, saying that Hahn never presented "other people's intellectual property" as his own. Renewed allegation of plagiarism emerged in February 2011, when Austrian Green MP Peter Pilz commissioned Stefan Weber to re-assess Hahn's PhD thesis. End of May 2011, the expert group published its findings, listing 76 cases of plagiarism, which together account for at least 17.2% of Hahn's 254-page doctoral thesis. Hahn denied the charges and claimed they were "politically motivated, hardly surprising and not relevant." In April 2011, the University of Vienna asked the Austrian Agency for Research Integrity to examine Hahn's doctoral thesis. In November 2011, the university released a statement saying that in the university's opinion, Hahn's doctoral thesis wasn't plagiarism. The university's vice-chancellor added that "today, such a dissertation would not be accepted". The agency based its verdict on reports by three external experts. Neither the Agency for Research Integrity nor the University of Vienna would reveal the identities of the external experts.

Years from 1987 to 2007.

From 1987 to 1989 Hahn worked as Secretary General of the Austrian Managers Association, and was active in the Austrian Federal Youth Council (ÖBJR) and the General Secretariat of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). In 1992 Hahn became Secretary of the Austrian People's Party in Vienna and, in 1996, he became a member of the Vienna regional council, where he seated till 2003. In the same years (1997–2003) he served as a member of the supervisory board at Novomatic, an online gaming and casino management system firm, of which he was appointed CEO in 2003.  From 2003 to 2007 Hahn was a member of the Vienna regional government (without portfolio). Since 2004 Hahn has been Chairman of the Austrian People's Party in Vienna and, as such, was the party frontrunner in the October 2005 regional elections in which an increase in votes for the ÖVP (and a slight loss in votes for the FPÖ) made the ÖVP the second strongest party in the regional parliament, with 18 seats.

Activities for Novomatic.

From 1997 onwards, Hahn was member of the executive board of Novomatic. In 2003, he became the CEO. Novomatic is an international gambling company, founded by the billionaire Johann Graf in 1980. There are several controversies about the company (Novomatic subsidiary G. Matica in Italy; gambling in Poland investigations by the Romanian National Anticorruption Directorate)

Minister of Science and Research.

Johannes Hahn was sworn in as Minister of Science and Research on 11 January 2007, as part of the Austrian Federal Government under Alfred Gusenbauer, then from 2 December 2008 as part of the First Faymann government.  Amongst other things, in his work Hahn has placed a particular focus on improving public relations for people and institutions working in and around the fields of science and research. Numerous campaigns, events and projects have promoted “Children's University” projects, the "Sparkling Science" programme, the "Visibility Measures" to raise public awareness of the work done by women scientists, the Forte Coaching Programme, the “Long Night of Research”, as well as various awards, such as the Wittgenstein Prize. Hahn's aim has been to bring more researchers into the public eye as, for example, he publicly called upon the Austrian Academy of Sciences to "come out of their ivory tower".  During Hahn's term of office, all graduates of degree programmes at "Fachhochschulen" were given equal status to their university graduate counterparts in the civil service and all students enrolled in "Fachhochschule" study programmes have been recognised as full members of the Austrian Students' Association (ÖH) since December 2007. In April 2008, Hahn announced the first ever budget increase (average of 13.7 per cent more per university place) in the history of Austrian "Fachhochschulen".  One of Hahn's aims has been to raise public awareness of the great number of successful women in science and research in Austria by means of the so-called "Visibility Measures" which were launched in 2008. This included media training, a film script competition on the topic of women scientists, the fForte Coaching Programme as well as the appointment of women scientists to management positions  In co-operation with Austrian booksellers, Hahn launched an initiative in autumn 2007 to select the best scientific book of the year. In 2008 Hahn created the "Award of Excellence" for the best doctoral theses in Austria, as a way of recognising the work of young scientists and making the public more aware of their activities. Each of them received 2,500 euro in prize money. Nominations for these awards were made by the vice-chancellors of Austrian universities. Hahn has also continued the tradition of awarding the Wittgenstein Prize, a science prize with the highest money value in Austria (1.5 million euro), which attracts a great deal of media attention and is tied to research activities in the following six years. The "Long Night of Research" was re-introduced under Minister Hahn after an interval of several years as an important way to communicate enthusiasm for and information about research and to provide a platform on which researchers can show to the wider public their work and their commitment.  With Hahn as Minister of Science Austria finally become, on 1 July 2008, the 14th member of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), which astronomers had been calling for Austria to join for over thirty years. Hahn himself stated that joining ESO had been one of the most significant political decisions in the field of research for 20 years, from which not only astronomers but also physicists, mathematicians, software specialists and high-tech companies would benefit. At the beginning of 2009, contracts had been formulated that will benefit Austrian scientists to the total amount of 5 million euro, leading to a boom in the field of Austrian astronomy.  Hahn also announced in May 2009, during a parliamentary sub-committee debate on the Austrian science and research budget for 2009 and 2010, that he wanted to end Austria's 50-year membership of CERN as of 2010 because the costs were too high (up to 70 per cent of the total Austrian resources available for membership of research associations go for the 16 million euro annual CERN membership fee). Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann publicly spoke out against a withdrawal from CERN. An actual withdrawal would have also required a decision of the National Council.  In addition to support for applied and economically oriented research in the field of climate research, Hahn has called for more resources for basic and adaptation research in Austria, which should be independent of financial interests and thus be sustainable.  During Hahn's term of office, student grants were increased in 2007 by 12 per cent (maximum monthly grant 679 euro). In 2008 the limit on the amount that anyone receiving a student grant could earn in addition to their grant was raised to 8000 euro; the parental income level was raised by 20 per cent; study grants for students with children were increased (i.e. by raising age limits and a supplementary payment of 720 euro for each child); there were improvements for disabled students, as well as mobility grants  a complete course of study abroad was financed for the first time. In 2009 there was an increase of 33 per cent in performance-related grants (i.e. a further 2 million euro, or 2,800 more grants).  Following uncertainty regarding the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) budget in spring 2009, in autumn of the same year Hahn proposed introducing legislation on research financing that would regulate by law the budget for state expenditure on research until 2020. Public expenditure on research and development would increase by 2.5 million to 5 million per year by 2020, thus building confidence and developing and consolidating Austria as a research location. Hahn particularly emphasised the importance of making a combined effort on all fronts, including the integration of educational policy, since education and training constitute the main pre-requisites of a competitive research location.

In November 2009 Hahn was nominated by the Austrian Federal Government to succeed Benita Ferrero-Waldner as member of the European Commission from Austria. Reportedly, while the ÖVP's first choice for Commissioner would have been Wilhelm Molterer, this was vetoed by chancellor Werner Faymann, opening the road for Hahn. Faymann later confirmed him in 2014  President Barroso appointed Hahn as European Commissioner for Regional Policy. Hahn's appointment to the European Commission meant that he had to resign his position as chairman of the Austrian People's Party in Vienna, as commissioners of Barroso Commission II are not allowed to hold political office nationally, although party membership is permitted.  He was twice appointed Acting Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship in Viviane Reding's stead, from 19 April 2014 – 25 May 2014 while she was on electoral campaign leave for the 2014 elections to the European Parliament and from 1 July 2014 – 16 July 2014 after she took up her seat.  During his term as European Commissioner for Regional Policy (February 2010 – November 2014) Hahn implemented an ambitious and comprehensive reform of EU Regional Policy, linking it closer with EU economic governance and macro-economic conditions; introducing clearly defined conditions; and establishing a better evaluation system. Based on the new regulation, European regions have developed so called smart specialisation strategies to identify their particular strengths and potentials as the basis for investments. The adoption of smart specialisation strategy was an ex-ante conditionality for the approval of regional programs for the period 2014–2020. Despite cuts in the overall EU budget, Hahn succeeded to keep the high level of financial support for strategic investments in the new period (2014–2020): Funding for regional and cohesion policy in 2014–2020 amounts to 351,8 billion Euro. Taking into account the national contribution of member states, and the leverage effect of financial instruments, the overall impact of investments is likely to be about 600 billion Euro. Parts of the reform were already implemented in the last year of the Barroso term. Thanks to increased flexibility, allowing reprogramming of structural funds, the reformed Cohesion Policy paid also an important role in overcoming coping with the economic crisis. Measures in this context were e.g. reallocation of unused funds for education, training and employment as well as for providing urgently needed liquidity for enterprises. The reform, endorsed by the Council and European Parliament with overwhelming majority and strongly supported also by stakeholders and the Committee of the Regions, established Hahn's reputation as a "forward looking, bold reformer".  Despite cuts in the overall EU budget, Hahn succeeded to keep the high level of financial support for strategic investments in the new period (2014–2020): Funding for regional and cohesion policy in 2014–2020 amounts to 351,8 bn EUR. The reform, endorsed by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament with overwhelming majority and strongly supported also by stakeholders and the Committee of the Regions, established Hahn's reputation as a "forward looking, bold reformer". More detailed information on the fundamental reform of Regional Policy can be found here: Cohesion Policy Reform in 10 points The Reform of Cohesion Policy

European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations.

In the Juncker Commission, Hahn was nominated to oversee the Union's enlargement and neighbourhood policies, now managed by a single Directorate-General of the European Commission, DG NEAR.  In his new portfolio, Commissioner Hahn launched, together with High Representative Federica Mogherini, a comprehensive reform of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), as mandated by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.  As Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood, Hahn oversaw the Union's response to the Syrian and Libyan civil wars and the war in Ukraine. He also oversaw, together with his colleagues, the EU's emergency response to the refugee crisis along the Balkan route, and managed the relations with Turkey before and after the failed 2016 coup, including in terms of assistance to the Syrian refugees based on the EU-Turkey deal.  On 24 November 2016 Johannes Hahn signed the agreement on financing the European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine.  When European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Creţu stepped down from the European Commission to take up her seat in the European Parliament following the 2019 elections, the Commission's President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker announced that her portfolio would be transferred to Hahn. Shortly after, Austria's interim Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein announced her government's intention to put forward Hahn for a third term as the country's representative in the European Commission.

Personal life.

At 22, he was diagnosed with cancer and until 1999, he had three relapses.  He is a separated father of one son, born in 1988. His current partner is Susanne Riess.

Johannes Hahn (born 2 December 1957) is an Austrian politician who has served as European Commissioner for Budget and Administration since 1 December 2019.

Johannes Hahn (* 2. Dezember 1957 in Wien) ist ein österreichischer Politiker der ÖVP und seit 1. Dezember 2019 EU-Kommissar für Haushalt und Verwaltung in der Kommission von der Leyen. Bereits von November 2014 bis November 2019 war er EU-Kommissar für Europäische Nachbarschaftspolitik und Erweiterungsverhandlungen in der Kommission Juncker und seit 10. Februar 2010 EU-Kommissar für Regionalpolitik in der Kommission Barroso II. Vom 11. Jänner 2007 bis 26. Jänner 2010 war er österreichischer Bundesminister für Wissenschaft und Forschung.


Biography.

Russian years.

She was born 1797 in Halle, to Ludwig Heinrich von Jakob, political writer and professor of philosophy. In 1806 or 1807, she accompanied her father's appointment to the University of Charkow, Russia (now Kharkoff, in the Ukraine), where he served three (five?) years, during which she commenced the study of Slavic languages. She was deprived of formal education, though she had access to the university library at this time. In 1810 or 1811 her father was called to a position in St. Petersburg to aid in the revision of the criminal code, and during this time she was even further denied instructions, though she read voraciously (""unendlich viel""), especially books on history. According to Voigt, none of the poetry she wrote in her St. Petersburg years were published during her lifetime, and most of it was probably destroyed, though poems such as ""Sehnsucht"" ('Nostalgia') from 1813 did appear in print.

Repatriation to Germany.

In 1816, the family moved back to Halle. Though she continued to write poetry and short stories, she was reluctant to publish them publicly in her own name. She translated Walter Scott's "Old Mortality" and "The Black Dwarf", which she published under the pseudonym "Ernst Berthold" (Halle, 1822), but this she purportedly did so for a little "pin-money" and "against her own inclination". In 1822 she submitted a series of literary criticisms, which were self-denigratingly signed ""ein "".  Talvj was the "pen name" she invented, an anagram formed from the initials of her maiden name ("née" Therese Albertine Louise von Jacob) which she would use to sign her works thereafter, beginning with "Psyche" (1825), a collection of three short stories.

Serbian language and Goethe.

Her interest in the Serbian language was triggered by reading Jakob Grimm's criticism of the Serbian folk songs, and she delved into its study to obliterate her sorrow following the loss of a sister in 1823. With her background in the Russian language, she soon mastered the language, initiating work on translating Serbian folk songs. Learning Goethe had struck up interest in such Serbian songs, she "despite an almost overpowering timidity" ventured to write to him about her project, accompanied by sample drafts of songs she completed. After receiving from Goethe much encouragement through correspondence and meetings in person, her translation "Volkslieder der Serben" ('Folk songs of the Serbs') appeared in 1826. Goethe glowingly recommended her creation in "Kunst und Altertum", and compared her efforts which were in popularly accessible language favorably against Grimm's strict literal translations. And the work became the lasting hallmark of her reputation for posterity.

Marriage and coming to America.

In August 1828, she married the American theologian Edward Robinson. She had suffered the losses of both her mother and her father in and around this time, and it was an agonizing step for her to leave Germany. The couple remained in Europe another two years, sojourning in several countries.  In 1830 they reached the United States, settling in Andover, Massachusetts where awaited his professorship at the Andover Seminary. There will be no published literary output from her for some four years. But shortly upon arrival in America, she began the study of the languages of Native American Indians, which later culminated in a translated handbook. She worked in her personal capacity as a bridge between German and American culture, and assisted her husband's work in introducing German theology and thought through the press Biblical Repository, which her husband established 1831.  They moved to Boston in 1833, and she found herself in the intellectual circles around Karl Follen. The following year, she resumed her literary activity in her own right, first translating into German John Pickering's "Indian Languages of North America" printed in "Encyclopedia Americana" (1830–1831), which appeared as "Über die Indianischen Sprachen Amerikas" (1834). Pickering's work proposed a standard orthography for phonetically transcribing Native American words to remedy the fact that scholars from different nationalities adopted inconsistent romanization schemes. This system was based on the German pronunciation model. The same year, she wrote "Historical View of the Slavic Languages" published by her husband's Biblical Repository (Andover, 1834), It was later reissued in expanded book form as "Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic Nations, with a Sketch of their Popular Poetry" (New York and London, 1850).  In 1836, she anonymously submitted "Popular Poetry of the Teutonic Nations," to the "North American Review" (). The piece included a number of translated poems from Scandinavian languages, later included in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ed., "The Poets and Poetry of Europe" (1847). Her article was later published as a book in German, entitled "Charakteristik der Volkslieder germanischen Nationen mit einer Uebersicht der Lieder aussereuropäischer Völkerschaften" ('[Attempt at an Historical] Characterization of the Popular Songs of the German Nations, with a Review of the Songs of the Extra-European Races') (1840).

Germany 1837-1840.

1837, she left her Bostonian circle of friends, and made her home in New York, where her husband obtained position at the seminary. However they were immediately bound for Europe on Edward's investigatory assignment, and during 1837–1840 she would reside in her native Germany, while Edward was engaged in his mission in Palestine.  During this period came her book asserting proof that Ossianic poems were forgeries by the discoverer James Macpherson; it appeared under the title "Die Unächtheit der Lieder Ossian's und des Macphersonschen Ossian's insbesondere" or 'The spuriousness of Ossian's songs' (Leipzig, 1840).

New York 1840-1863.

The literati who frequented their New York home were George Bancroft, William Cullen Bryant, Bayard Taylor, and Frederick Law Olmsted. She also struck up friendship with Washington Irving starting in 1846.  Other works in the German language were: "Aus der Geschichte der ersten Ansiedelungen in den Vereinigten Staaten" (Extracts from the history of the first settlement of the United States; 1845), "Die Colonisation von Neu England" (The colonization of New England; 1847), imperfectly translated into English by William Hazlitt, Jr., Three tales originally published in German were translated into English by her daughter, appearing under the titles of "Heloise, or the Unrevealed Secret" (New York, 1850), "Life's Discipline: a Tale of the Annals of Hungary" (1851), and "The Exiles" (1853). Of her fiction, "Exiles" (orig. "Die Auswanderer" 1852) received the most critical acclaim and sold the most copies, and was republished as "Woodhill, or the Ways of Providence" (1856).

Later years.

After the death of her husband in 1863, she returned to her native Germany and resided in Hamburg, where her son, Edward, was American consul. Her last work was published in the United States under the title of "Fifteen Years, a Picture from the Last Century" (New York, 1870). A collection of her tales, "Gesammelte Novellen", with her biography by her daughter, was published in Leipzig (2 volumes, 1874).

Therese Albertine Luise von Jakob Robinson (26 January 1797 – 13 April 1870) was a German-American author, linguist and translator, and second wife of biblical scholar Edward Robinson. She published under the pseudonym Talvj, an acronym derived from the initials of her birth name.

Therese Albertine Luise von Jacob, verheiratete Robinson (* 26. Januar 1797 in Halle (Saale); † 13. April 1870 in Hamburg) war eine deutsche Schriftstellerin, Volksliedforscherin und Slawistin. Unter den Pseudonymen Talvj und Ernst Berthold veröffentlichte sie belletristische und wissenschaftliche Werke in englischer und deutscher Sprache. Bekannt wurde sie als Herausgeberin und Übersetzerin der "Volkslieder der Serben" in zwei Bänden (1825–1826).


History.

Origins.

Line 4, opened in 1908, was the last line of the original concession of the Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris and the first to cross the Seine underground (Line 5—now Line 6 at this point—crossed the river on the Passy bridge, later renamed the Pont de Bir-Hakeim in 1906). The route was the subject of lengthy discussions that delayed the start of construction of the tunnel. It was originally planned as a straight line under the Rue du Louvre, under the Seine in line with the street, under the Institut de France, along the Rue de Rennes and then the Boulevard Raspail to the Porte d'Orleans.  But as a result of the delay in beginning the extension of the Rue de Rennes as part of Haussmann's plan to the Seine—which was never carried out—and the outcry from the academics who refused categorically to agree to the line passing under the Institut de France, the route was eventually changed to cross further east through the Place du Châtelet and the Île de la Cité. The new route also has more coherence as a north-south route following the main traffic flows. A second modification of the route was also made: it was decided to make a temporary deviation via the major station of Gare Montparnasse to avoid a further delay in opening the line, which was eagerly awaited. This was made necessary by the delay in building the new Boulevard Raspail between Rue de Rennes and Boulevard du Montparnasse. Once the Boulevard Raspail was completed, it was planned to take the shorter route and bypass the Gare Montparnasse. To the south of the Vavin station the tunnel provides for the final route along the Boulevard Raspail. But the value in serving three major mainline stations by the line later led to the abandonment of this proposal.

A spectacular construction site.

In 1905 construction was started by the company of Léon Chagnaud—a former mason from Creuse (a department with a tradition of supplying building workers in France)—and line 4 became the first to cross the Seine underground. The method used for crossing under the river is that of metal caissons, twenty to forty meters in length mounted on the banks and sunken vertically in the river bed. The ends of the caissons were blocked and they were towed to their location before being ballasted with water and sunk in the riverbed. A chamber filled with pressurised air was built at the lower level of these caissons so that workers could excavate under the caissons. Each caisson gradually sank to its final position as the ground below it was removed. The northern stream of the Seine required three caissons, the southern stream two caissons.  The crossing of the Seine also involved the freezing of saturated ground between the station of Saint-Michel and the Seine, under the line of the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans (now RER line C) in 1908 and 1909. The installation of two refrigeration plants allowed the movement of brine cooled to −25 °C in dozens of tubes to stabilize the ground.  The northern section was the first completed: it was opened on 21 April 1908 from Porte de Clignancourt to Châtelet. The southern section was opened 30 on October 1909 from Porte d'Orleans to Raspail. The two sections were connected on 9 January 1910. However, the line was closed to traffic a few days later in January 1910, when the level of the Seine broke its banks during the worst flood of the century. On the morning of 24 January 1910, a significant inflow of water at the Seine crossing interrupted services between Châtelet and Vavin, although services were restored later in the day. But the inflow increased and services were again halted in the afternoon. On 26 January Châtelet station and the crossing under the river was completely flooded and slowly rose in the tunnel. On the night of 27 and 28 January, flooding reached Réaumur – Sébastopol and eventually Gare de l'Est: The line at its minimum was reduced to operating between Clignancourt and Gare du Nord and between Vavin and Porte d'Orleans. The fall in the level of flooding during February allowed a gradual resumption of operations, but full service was not restored to 6 April after repair of extensive damage caused to the infrastructure.  During the politically turbulent 1930s, Line 4 had its own drama: on 27 July 1934, a package left in a carriage was carried into the office of its chief supervisor, located on the platform of Montparnasse. The package exploded, killing the chief supervisor and another officer and wounding four passengers. The assassins were never found.  During World War II the most violent bombing Paris suffered was on the night of 20 and 21 April 1944 when the rail freight yard of la Chapelle and the main truck workshop at Rue Championnet were hit. The roof of the Simplon station was hit by a bomb and it collapsed on the tracks and platforms. After repairs the line was brought back into service a few days later.

The rubber tyre metro and the deviation of the line.

The RATP was satisfied by experimentation with rubber tyres on Line 11 beginning in 1956. It therefore decided to equip lines 1 and 4 for rubber-tyre operations, which can increase line capacity by providing better acceleration and decelerations as a result of a much superior grip.  In the early 1960s these two lines were the two busiest on the network, with loads of 140% of capacity during the evening peak. However, as this change alone was insufficient to overcome this saturation, the length of stations was lengthened from 75 to 90 metres, allowing the lengthening of train from five to six carriages. This work was carried out very quickly and, as early as October 1965, trains of six carriages traversed the line. On 3 October 1966, the first train composed of MP 59 electric multiple units operated on the line. The Line 4 trains were identical to those on Line 1, being composed of four motor and two trailers per train. The line’s MP 59 fleet included 556 carriages, comprising 376 powered carriages and 180 trailers. On 17 July 1967, the last steel-wheeled train left the line to strengthen the service of other with a hundred cars built before 1914 scrapped. In February 1971, line 4 was the second network after line 11 to be equipped with semi-automatic operation, with a system known as "Grecque" (“Greek”). This allowed trains once started by the driver to run automatically and stop at the next station.  Since its opening the only change of the route of the line took place in early October 1977 with the deviation of the line with the relocation of the station at Les Halles. During the excavation of the enormous Les Halles complex the station of Les Halles was relocated about ten metres further east to allow a shorter connection to Châtelet – Les Halles RER station. For this, three hundred and thirty meters of tunnel were built to join the old route. The changeover took place on three consecutive nights from 10 pm on Friday, 30 September 1977 to the beginning of services on Monday, 3 October. On the first night, the new track 2 was connected, on the second night, the new track 1 was built and on the last night it was connected.  On 6 August 2005 at 4:42 pm, a fire on a train at Simplon due to the malfunction of a circuit breaker caused the evacuation of two MP 59 trains with 19 people mildly affected. The fire was extinguished by fire fighters at around 6:00 pm.

Extension to Montrouge and the MP 89.

Until 2013, Line 4 was one of a few lines (the others being semi-circular lines 2 and 6, as well as Line 14) that had never been extended beyond the "gates" of Paris. During the 1920s, a preliminary extension towards la Vache-Noire was planned but never carried out. Since that time, no other extension plan was brought up. In 2008, nearly a century after its opening, construction of a one-station extension towards Mairie de Montrouge began. The new station officially opened to passengers on March 23, 2013, allowing one to travel from Montrouge to Clignancourt in 30 minutes. Mairie de Montrouge is a traditional two-tracked station.  In addition to the Montrouge extension, there has recently been a much-needed refresh in rolling stock for Line 4, as the MP 59 trainsets were reaching the end of their useful lives. The automation of Line 1 and purchasing of new automated rolling stock (the MP 05) allowed the RATP to replace the MP 59 with the MP 89CC rolling stock from Line 1. Testing of the MP 89 during overnight hours took place in 2010, with the first train (#01) to be transferred to Line 4 in April, 2011 and enter service on May 23, 2011. A second train (#44) entered service on September 10, 2011. The first MP 59 train that was retired was #6049, which was pulled from service in April, 2011.  As the MP 05 rolling stock began to debut on Line 1, the pace of transferring the MP 89CC stock from Line 1 to Line 4 increased to roughly 3 trains per month. Since January, 2012, the RATP kept this rate of transfer (increasing the rate to 4 trains during November and December) despite only being able to remove 2 MP 59 trainsets from service each month. During the course of 2011, the following trains were transferred from Line 1 to Line 4: #s 14, 20, 29, 30, 31, 34, 38, and 40. Train #s 03 through 25, 27 through 42, 43, 44, 48, 49, 51, and 52 were transferred during the course of 2012. #45 was transferred on January 3, 2013, marking the 47th train to be moved to Line 4. Between February and March 2013, #s 02, 46, 47, and 50 were transferred. The final MP 89CC train was be #26. The last MP 59 train to be pulled from service was #6021, which was withdrawn on December 21, 2012. Though many MP 59 trains operated on Line 4 for roughly 45 years, those trains that were brought over from Line 1 during the late 1990s have circulated throughout the Metro for about 50 years.

Future.

Southern Extension towards Bagneux.

After the opening of Mairie de Montrouge, Line 4 will be extended further south by two stations: Barbara at the frontier between Montrouge and Bagneux (in Montrouge) and Bagneux - Lucie Aubrac. In October, 2011, the STIF announced that construction of the Bagneux extension will begin in 2014, with opening expected in 2019. Barbara will also have a traditional two-track configuration, while Bagneux - Lucie Aubrac will have a three-track/dual platform configuration by which many terminating stations possess. Bagneux - Lucie Aubrac will also allow connection to the Red Line (now known as Line 15) of the Grand Paris Express network.

Northern Extension towards Saint-Ouen.

An extension to the north to the "docks" of Saint-Ouen (an urban redevelopment project next to the Seine) via Mairie de Saint-Ouen (where Line 4 would connect to Line 13's St. Denis branch and the future northern extension of Line 14) was planned for phase 1 (2007–2013) of the "Schéma directeur de la région Île-de-France" ("Master Plan for the Île-de-France region", "SDRIF"), which was adopted by resolution of the Regional Council of Ile-de-France on 25 September 2008. However no detailed studies have been carried out nor finance set aside for it.

Automation.

The line is being converted to an automated system (like Line 1), with completion initially expected by 2019. The initial plans were to begin conversion some time after the completion of the Line 1 conversion, but due to high costs those plans were put on hold "(From )". On April 2, 2013, the RATP confirmed that Line 4 would be fully automated, but stopped short of giving a timeline of the conversion. In January 2016, Siemens was awarded a €70 million contract to fully automate Line 4. A mix of passenger and driverless trains will commence in 2020 and the line will be fully driverless by 2022.  Although rolling stock for the automated line has not yet been confirmed, it is highly speculated that Line 4 will initially see a mix of MP 89CA and MP 05 stock from Line 14 running alongside new MP 14 railcars.

Rolling Stock.

Over the years, Line 4 has seen the following rolling stock.  "(From )"

Workshops.

Until March, 2013; light maintenance of the MP 89CC rolling stock of Line 4 was handled within the station of Porte d'Orléans (CDT). Platform 2 of the station (in the direction of Porte de Clignancourt contains inspection pits, which allow routine light maintenance work and troubleshooting of the first level. Both Porte d'Orléans and Porte de Clignancourt also contain loop tracks where trains can be stored overnight (although many trains are stored within the main tunnels due to a lack of a sufficient garage). This protocol changed when a new garage located south of the new station Mairie de Montrouge opened. Track 3 of station Porte d'Orléans will eventually be dismantled and covered over to make way for a new access point into the station.  Second level maintenance is handled at the Saint-Ouen shops, located just to the north of the Porte de Clignancourt terminus (and its northern loops). The facility extends over an area of 34,000 sq meters and opened in 1908. The shops have been renovated and expanded over the years, including a recent extension to house MP 89CC trainsets that are undergoing routine maintenance (AMT).  In addition to maintaining the MP 89CC trainsets, the Saint-Quen shops also handles heavy maintenance and overhaul of the MF 77 steel-wheel stock trains for lines 7, 8 and 13, as well as numerous auxiliary/service trains. The shop is also specialized in the review of electronic equipment of all network hardware. As of 2007, 60 officers are assigned to train maintenance and 220 to the maintenance of equipment.  All heavy maintenance work for the MP 89CC trainsets are handled in the workshops of Fontenay, located just east of the Chateau de Vincennes terminus of Line 1.  "(From )"  "(From )"

Tourism.

Metro line 4 passes near several places of interest and therefore often crowded :

Reception.

According to Facebook group New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens, M4 is considered "chaotic good" on the "Dungeons & Dragons" ("D&D") alignment system.

Line 4 () is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system. Situated mostly within the boundaries of the City of Paris, it connects Porte de Clignancourt in the north and Mairie de Montrouge in the south, travelling across the heart of the city. Prior to 2013, when the southern terminus was changed from Porte d'Orléans to Mairie de Montrouge, the line was sometimes referred to as the Clignancourt – Orléans Line. At in length, it connects to all of the lines of the Métro apart from the 3bis and 7bis branch lines, as well as all of the RER express lines. Further, it is the second-busiest Métro line after Line 1, carrying over 154 million passengers in 2004.

Die Linie 4 der Pariser Métro ist mit etwa 740.000 täglichen Fahrgästen (2013) die meistfrequentierte des gesamten Pariser Métro-Netzes. Sie verbindet die Stationen "Porte de Clignancourt" im Norden der Stadt und "Mairie de Montrouge" im südlichen Vorort Montrouge. Dabei verlässt diese Linie erst seit der Verlängerung im März 2013 das Pariser Stadtgebiet. Sie bietet Umsteigemöglichkeiten an alle Metro- (außer 3 und 7) und RER-Linien.


Early life and rise as a cleric.

Strossmayer was born in Osijek to a Croatian family. His great-grandfather was an ethnic German immigrant from Styria who had married a Croatian woman. He finished a gymnasium in Osijek, graduated theology at the Catholic seminary in Đakovo, and earned a PhD in philosophy at a high seminary in Budapest, at the age of 20.  In 1838 he worked as a vicar in Petrovaradin, before moving to Vienna in 1840 to the Augustineum and the University of Vienna, where he received another doctorate in philosophy and Canon law in 1842. In 1847 he was made the Habsburg palace chaplain (a position he would hold until 1859), and named one of the rectors of the Augustineum.  On 18 November 1849 he was made the bishop of Bosnia and Syrmia with seat in Đakovo. The proclamation was made by emperor Franz Joseph and at the proposal of Croatian ban Josip Jelačić. Pope Pius IX confirmed the imperial decree on 20 May 1850. He was made a bishop on 8 September 1850, and officially instated in Đakovo on 29 September the same year. Upon installment as bishop, he declared his motto to be "Everything for the faith and the homeland". Strossmayer inherited a wealthy diocese: it had 70,000 acres (280 km2) of mixed forests, pastures, arable land and vineyards, with developed cattle and horse breeding facilities, and it generated a yearly income of 150,000 to 300,000 forints.

Croatian politics.

In 1860 he became the leader of the People's Party and remained at its head until 1873. He had previously befriended Ján Kollár in Pest and worked with Czech politicians František Palacký and František Rieger on their common ideals of cultural and political association of the Slavic peoples. He strove to obtain more rights for the Slavs within the Monarchy. He advocated federalization, merging of the kingdoms of Dalmatia and Croatia, as well as the introduction of Croatian language into public administration and schools.  In 1861, Strossmayer made an influential speech in front of the Croatian Parliament regarding the relations of Croatia and Hungary, where he stated federalization as a goal, and advocated the merging of Međimurje and Rijeka with Croatia. In 1866, the Parliament elected him the president of the Croatian "regnikolar" deputation ("regnikolarna", that which represents the people of the kingdom), a committee that was to negotiate terms of statehood with Hungary, but which failed to successfully make a deal. Instead, the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement of 1868 was passed which was less favorably inclined towards the Croatian cause — and which Strossmayer protested with respect to decreased autonomy in the areas of budget and finances.  In 1872 the Parliament formed another "regnikolar" deputation for the revision of the Settlement, and Strossmayer was its member, but they again failed in their task. This made Strossmayer retire from active political life and from the leadership of the People's Party. He later sided with the Independent People's Party which was in the opposition and which protested the rule of ban Khuen Hedervary (1883–1903), and insisted on the merger of all Croatian lands under the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1888 he retired from public politics after the Emperor had rebuked him for favoring the Russians and opposing the Hungarians.

Cultural policy.

Strossmayer was instrumental in the founding of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1866, as well as the re-establishment of the University of Zagreb in 1874. He initiated the building of the Academy Palace (completed in 1880) and set up The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters (1884) in Zagreb.  Strossmayer aided the creation of the printing house in Cetinje, helped found the "Matica slovenska" and actively supported "Matica srpska", the national culture societies of the Slovenes and the Serbs, respectively. In 1861 he had the book "Bulgarian Folk Songs" by the Miladinov Brothers from Macedonia printed in Zagreb. He also had several Glagolitic missals printed in the spirit of restoring the Slavonic liturgy that connected the two Christian religions of the South Slavs, and revering the work of saints Cyril and Methodius.

Catholic diplomacy.

Strossmayer supported the union of all south Slavic peoples, and promoted religious unification through the use of the Slavonic rite both in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. He served as the papal nuncio for Serbia and visited that country seven times between 1852 and 1886, and he also helped establish the concordat between the Holy See and the state of Montenegro in 1866.  In 1869 and 1870 he attended the First Vatican Council in Rome. He made his mark as one of the vocal opponents of the unlimited power of the Pope as well as the doctrine of papal infallibility. He made a three-hour speech, completely in Latin, deemed heretical by many at the time, and left the Council therewith. He later yielded on the issue of infallibility, and he also headed the Slavic deputations to Rome in 1881 and 1888 which succeeded in convincing Pope Leo XIII to allow the south Slavs of Croatia and Dalmatia to retain Slavonic in the Roman Rite liturgy as well as in the Byzantine Rite.

Personal life.

Since the early days of his episcopate, he was a close friend of Franjo Rački, the most renowned Croatian historian of his time. When the Academy was founded in 1867, Strossmayer was named chief sponsor, and Rački its President. In 1894, when Rački died, Strossmayer wrote: "I lost my dearest friend... I lost a part of myself... the good half of everything I have created was his thought, his credit and his glory." Their friendship was well documented in a series of four books containing their letters, compiled by historian Ferdo Šišić.  Josip Juraj Strossmayer died in Đakovo at the age of 90.

Legacy.

Strossmayer continuously used the money obtained from his diocese to fund the building of schools, galleries and churches, notably the ornamental Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in Đakovo whose building he oversaw between 1866 and 1882, and which he dedicated to the "glory of God, unity of the churches, concord and love of his people". The cathedral of Đakovo was the most grandiose object built by Strossmayer during his 55 years as a bishop: he also opened the printing house in Đakovo, the boys' seminary in Osijek, supported the main theological seminary and the arrival of nuns in Đakovo to help the female youth and caritative efforts, established new parishes throughout the diocese, organized missions for the laity, and finally wrote hundreds if not thousands of pastoral letters sent to the diocese as well as to other parts of Croatia, and elsewhere.  Strossmayer is credited with monetary and organizational support for a wide variety of public works in Croatia: schools, gymnasiums, public libraries, helping the poor in remote areas, even building roads, and donating building material for St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.  The university of the city of Osijek is named after him, and a large statue of Strossmayer is located in the park that the Academy building overlooks. The city of Đakovo built him a memorial museum in 1991. One of the main streets in Sarajevo carries his name. A monument in the Sofia district of Ilinden commemorates Strossmayer's contribution to Bulgarian culture. Also, an in Prague is named after him.  Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović dedicated a booklet entitled "Religion and Nationality in Serbia" to Strossmayer: “to the memory of the great Croatian patriot Bishop Strossmayer on the centenary of his birth (1815–1915)".

Josip Juraj Strossmayer (; ; 4 February 1815 – 8 April 1905) was a Croatian politician, Roman Catholic bishop, and benefactor.

Josip Juraj Strossmayer (auch "Joseph Georg Strossmayer" und "Josip Juraj Štrosmajer") (* 4. Februar 1815 in Osijek; † 8. April 1905 in Đakovo) war Bischof und katholischer Theologe sowie ein einflussreicher kroatischer Politiker in der Österreich-Ungarischen Monarchie.