Duchy of Croatia

# Duchy of Croatia

## Abstract

The Duchy of Croatia (Croatian: Kneževina Hrvatska; also Duchy of the Croats, Croatian: Kneževina Hrvata; Greek: Χρωβατία) was a medieval state that was established by White Croats who migrated into the area of the former Roman province of Dalmatia c. 7th century CE. Throughout its existence the Duchy had several seats – namely, Klis, Solin, Knin, Bijaći and Nin. It comprised the littoral – the coastal part of today's Croatia – except Istria, and included a large part of the mountainous hinterland as well. The Duchy was in the center of competition between the Carolingian Empire and the Byzantine Empire for rule over the area. Croatian rivalry with Venice emerged in the first decades of the 9th century and would continue through the following centuries. Croatia also waged battles with the Bulgarian Empire (founded c. 681; Bulgar-Croatian relations improved greatly afterwards) and with the Arabs; it also sought to extend its control over important coastal cities under the rule of Byzantium. Croatia experienced periods of vassalage to the Franks or to the Byzantines and of de facto independence until 879, when Duke Branimir was recognized as an independent ruler by Pope John VIII. The Duchy was ruled by the Trpimirović and Domagojević dynasties from 845 to 1091. Around 925, during the rule of Tomislav, Croatia became a kingdom.

## Nomenclature

"Dalmatian Croatia" (Dalmatinska Hrvatska) and "Littoral Croatia" (Primorska Hrvatska) are modern appellations amongst historians for the Duchy. The state is sometimes called a principality, i.e. the "Principality of Croatia". The first recorded name for the Duchy was "Land of the Croats" (Latin: regnum Croatorum) in 852. Croatia was not yet a kingdom at the time and the term regnum is used in terms of a country in general. In Byzantine sources the entity was usually called just "Croatia" (Greek: Χρωβατία).

The first known duke, Borna, was named "Duke of Dalmatia" (Latin: Dux Dalmatiae) and later "Duke of Dalmatia and Liburnia" (Latin: Dux Dalmatiae atque Liburniae) in the Annales regni Francorum. The Croatian name is recorded in contemporary charters of Croatian dukes from the second half of the 9th century. Trpimir I was named "Duke of the Croats" (Latin: Dux Chroatorum) in a Latin charter issued in 852, while Branimir was defined as "Duke of the Croats" (Latin: Dux Cruatorvm) on a preserved inscription from Šopot near Benkovac.

## Geography

Within the area of the Roman province of Dalmatia, various tribal groupings, which were called sclaviniae by the Byzantines, were settled along the Adriatic coast. Croatia in the early Middle Ages was an area bounded by the Eastern Adriatic hinterland on one side, then extended to a part of western Herzegovina, western and central Bosnia, then into Lika, Gacka and Krbava, and North-West to Vinodol and Labin in the Croatian Littoral area. Several coastal Dalmatian cities were under the rule of the Byzantines, including Split, Zadar, Kotor and Dubrovnik, as well as islands of Hvar and Krk. To the south Croatia bordered with the land of the Narentines, which stretched from the rivers Cetina to Neretva, and had the islands of Brač, Hvar, Korčula, Mljet, Vis and Lastovo in its possession. In the southern part of Dalmatia, there was Zahumlje (Zachumlia), Travunia and Dioclea (today Montenegro). North of Croatia there was the Duchy of Lower Pannonia. Croatia, as well as other early medieval states, didn't have a permanent capital and Croatian dukes resided in various places on their courts. The first important center of Croatia was Klis near Split, where Duke Trpimir I resided. Other dukes ruled from the towns of Solin, Knin, Biaći and Nin.

## History

### Background

Most of Dalmatia in the 7th century was under the Avar Khaganate, a nomadic confederacy led by the Avars who subjugated surrounding Slavic tribes. In 614 the Avars and Slavs sacked and destroyed the capital of the province of Dalmatia, Salona, and retained direct control of the region for a few decades until they were driven out by the Croats. The earliest recorded Croatian archons, referred to by the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, was father of Porga and Porga himself. After their participation in Samo ’s and of Kubrat 's Bulgarian defeat of the Avars in 632, White Croats were either invited into Dalmatia by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (r. 610–641) and allowed to settle there, or prevailing the Avars after that lengthy war the Croats migrated across the Sava from Pannonia Savia and settled Dalmatia on their own. In either case, a revised Avar alliance retook Pannonia in 677 but only as far as the Sava and Danube. By the early 9th century, Croatia emerged as a political entity with a duke as head of the state, territorially in the basins of the rivers Cetina, Krka and Zrmanja. It was administered in 11 counties (županija). According to De Administrando Imperio, the Croats in Pannonia were subject to the Franks for several years, '' as they had formerly been in their own country '', until they rebelled and defeated the Franks after a seven-year war, but it is not known on which specific war and time span this refers to.

From that point on, they were independent, and demanded to be baptised from the bishop of Rome, and was sent to them to be baptised in the time of Porinos their prince. Their land was divided in eleven zupanias, which are: Hlebiana, Tzenzena, Emota, Pleba, Pesenta, Parathalassia, Brebere, Nona, Tnena, Sidraga, Nina, and their ban has Kribasan, Litzan, Goutzeska.

Although the Christianization of Croats began right after their arrival to Dalmatia, in the early 9th century a part of the Croats were still pagan.

### Frankish vassalage

The Franks gained control of Pannonia and Dalmatia in the 790s and the first decade of the ninth century. In 788 Charlemagne, after conquering Lombardy, turned further east and subjugated Istria. In the 790s, Duke Vojnomir of Pannonia accepted the Frankish overlordship, whose land the Franks placed under the March of Friuli and tried to extend their rule over the Croatians of Dalmatia. In 799, the Franks under the leadership of Eric of Friuli were defeated in the Battle of Trsat in Liburnia. However, from 803 Frankish rule was recognized in most of northern Dalmatia. The Franks also waged wars with the Byzantine Empire until a peace treaty, known as the Pax Nicephori, was signed in 812. By that treaty the Byzantines retained control of the coastal cities and islands in Dalmatia, while acknowledging Frankish rule over Istria and the Dalmatian hinterland. From c. 810 Borna, who resided in Nin, ruled most of northern Dalmatia and was a vassal of the Carolingian Empire. Borna was Duke of the Guduscani, a Croatian tribe that lived along the river Guduča near Bribir in northern Dalmatia, later the center of the Croatian state. His rule was marked by the rebellion of Ljudevit Posavski against the Franks, who defeated Borna in 819 somewhere near the River Kupa and began to ravage Dalmatia, but harsh conditions and constant attacks from Borna's men forced Ljudevit to retreat. In 821 Borna died and was succeeded by his nephew Vladislav.

### Between East and West

The Duchy of Croatia was located between two major powers of the Middle Ages: the Eastern Roman Empire in the East which controlled the Dalmatian cities and islands and aimed to extend their rule over the entire former Roman province of Dalmatia, and the Franks in the West seeking to control the northern and northwestern lands. The Byzantine influence on Croatia was also reflected on the creation of Croatian law and in trade with the Byzantine coastal cities.

In the second quarter of the 9th century the Croats began developing a navy. Along with the Narentines, who were still pagan at the time and occupied the territory of the river Neretva mouth, they were active in the Adriatic Sea and made shipping and traveling in the area hazardous, especially for Venice. Therefore, in 839 the Venetians under Doge Pietro Tradonico attacked the eastern coast of the Adriatic, including Croatia, but during the assault they signed peace with their ruler, princeps Mislav (Latin: principe Muisclavo), who ruled from Klis near Split. The peace treaty was signed at a place named St. Martin. The Doge also attacked Narentine islands, but failed to defeat them and made peace with their leader, who is mentioned as count Drosaico by the chronicler John the Deacon. However, the peace treaty was short-lasting and next year the Venetians were defeated by the Narentines under count Diuditum. Piracy continued in the Adriatic, as well as hostility towards Venice, which is seen from the contract between Emperor Lothair I and Doge Tradonico, in which the Doge committed himself to defend the cities in Italy and Istria from Slavic attacks.

Duke Mislav was succeeded around 845 by Trpimir I, who continued the formal legacy of being the vassal of the Frankish king Lothair I (840–855), although he managed to strengthen his personal rule in Croatia. Arab campaigns thoroughly weakened the Byzantine Empire and Venice, which was used in the advance of the Croatian duke in 846 and 848. In 846, Trpimir successfully attacked the Byzantine coastal cities and their patricius. Between 854 and 860, he successfully defended his land from the Bulgarian invasion under Knyaz Boris I of Bulgaria, somewhere in Northeastern Bosnia, concluding a peace treaty with Boris and exchanging gifts. Constantine Porphyrogenitus mentions the traditional friendship between the Bulgarians and Croatians, who coexisted peacefully up to that time.

In a Latin charter preserved in a rewrite from 1568, dated to 4 March 852 or, according to a newer research, about 840, Trpimir refers to himself as "leader of the Croats with the help of God" (Latin: dux Croatorum iuvatus munere divino); his land, called " Kingdom of the Croats " (Latin: regnum Croatorum), can simply be interpreted as the "Realm of the Croats ", since Trpimir was not a king. The term regnum was also used by other dukes of that time as a sign of their independence. This charter also documents his ownership of the Klis Fortress, from where his rule was centered, and mentions Mislav's donations to the Archbishopric of Split. In the proximity of his court in Klis, in Rižinice, Trpimir built a church and the first Benedictine monastery in Croatia. Trpimir's name is inscribed on a stone fragment from an altar screen of the Rižinice monastery church. He is more expressly remembered as the founder of the House of Trpimirović, a native Croat dynasty that ruled, with interruptions, from 845 until 1091 in Croatia.

In 864 Duke Domagoj, founder of the House of Domagojević, usurped the throne after the death of Trpimir and forced his sons, including Zdeslav, to flee to Constantinople. During the rule of Domagoj piracy was a common practice in the Adriatic. The pirates attacked Christian sailors, including a ship with papal legates returning from the Eighth Catholic Ecumenical Council, thus forcing the Pope to intervene by asking Domagoj to stop piracy, but his efforts were of no avail. Domagoj waged wars with the Arabs, Venetians and Franks. In 871, he helped the Franks, as their vassal, to seize Bari from the Arabs, but later actions of the Franks under the rule of Carloman of Bavaria led to a revolt by Domagoj against the Frankish rule. The revolt succeeded and Frankish overlordship in Dalmatia ended, but was to continue a little longer over Lower Pannonia. Domagoj's rule also saw increased Byzantine influence in the area, especially reflected in the establishment of Theme of Dalmatia. After the death of Domagoj in 876 Zdeslav, who had close ties to Byzantium, returned from exile, usurped the throne from an unnamed son of Domagoj and restored peace with Venice in 878.

### Independent realm

Duke Zdeslav's reign was short and ended in 879 when Branimir of the House of Domagojević killed him and usurped the throne. Branimir was unlike Zdeslav a proponent of Rome and returned the country to the Roman fold. He had regular contacts with Pope John VIII, to whom he sent a letter revealing his intentions to entrust his people and his country to the Apostolic See. The Pope replied to his requests, praising his initiative and in 879 the Duchy under Branimir, now free of Frankish suzerainty, received papal recognition as a state.

The second half of the 9th century marked a significant increase in papal influence in the Southeastern Europe. Pope John VIII complained to Domagoj about the obstinacy of Patriarch Ignatius who denied his jurisdiction over Bulgaria and appointed a new archbishop. The Pope also requested from Dukes Zdeslav and Branimir assistance and protection for his legates who were crossing Croatia on their way to Bulgaria. Although the exact geographical extent of the Duchy is not known, these requests confirm geographical contiguity between Croatia and Bulgaria, which bordered probably somewhere in Bosnia.

Muncimir (also called Mutimir), the youngest son of Trpimir, came to throne after the death of Branimir (c. 892), which marked the return of the House of Trpimirović to power. A Latin charter from Biaći near Trogir dated to 28 September 892 named Muncimir "Duke of the Croats" (Latin: Croatorum dux). During his rule, in the late 9th century the Hungarians crossed the Carpathians and entered the Carpathian Basin. They invaded northern Italy and also defeated Duke Braslav from the Duchy of Pannonia, endangering Croatia.

Muncimir ruled until about 910 when he was succeeded by Tomislav, the last duke and the first king of Croatia. Venetian chronicler John the Deacon wrote that in 912 a Venetian ambassador, returning from Bulgaria, passed through Croatian territory before reaching the land of Zahumlje, which suggests that Croatia at the time also bordered Bulgaria, then under the rule of Simeon I. In Historia Salonitana, a chronicle from the 13th century written by Thomas the Archdeacon from Split, Tomislav was mentioned as Duke of Croatia in 914. According to De Administrando Imperio, Croatia at the time had 100,000 infantrymen and 60,000 horsemen, 80 large ships and 100 smaller vessels, but these numbers are viewed as a clear exaggeration and an overemphasis of the Croatian forces. Croatia also waged battles with the Magyars during the early 10th century. According to the palaeographic analysis of the original manuscript of De Administrando Imperio, assumed number of inhabitants in medieval Croatia estimated between 440,000 and 880,000 people, and military numbers of Franks and Byzantines, the military force was most probably composed of 20,000–100,000 infantrymen, and 3,000–24,000 horsemen organized in 60 allagions.

During the war between the Byzantium and Bulgaria of Simeon I, in about 923, the Byzantines concluded an alliance with Croatia. Prior to that the Bulgarians had several decisive victories against the Byzantines, capturing Adrianople and endangering Constantinople. In 924, Simeon I deposed Zaharija from rule in Serbia, who fled to Croatia. In 926, Simeon's troops invaded Croatia, but were severely defeated in the Battle of the Bosnian Highlands. In 927 Pope John X sent his legates to mediate a peace treaty between Croats and Bulgarians.

During these years Croatia was elevated to the status of a kingdom. It is generally said that Duke Tomislav was crowned king in 925, but this is not certain since it is not known when and where was he crowned, or was he crowned at all. However, Tomislav was the first Croatian ruler whom the Papal chancellery honoured with the title king. Tomislav is mentioned as a king in two preserved documents published in the Historia Salonitana and by the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, where Tomislav's rule was specified at 13 years. In a note preceding the text of the Council conclusions in Split in 925 it is written that Tomislav is the king "in the province of the Croats and in the Dalmatian regions" (in prouintia Croatorum et Dalmatiarum finibus Tamisclao rege). In the 12th canon of the Council conclusions in 925 the ruler of the Croats is called "king" (rex et proceres Chroatorum), while in a letter sent by the Pope John X Tomislav is named "King of the Croats" (Tamisclao, regi Crouatorum). Although there are no inscriptions of Tomislav to confirm the title, later inscriptions and charters confirm that his 10th century successors called themselves "kings".


Clotilde Apponyi

# Clotilde Apponyi

## Abstract

Clotilde "Klotild" Apponyi (née Klothilde Wilhelmine Josepha Gabriele Maria Innocenta von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein; 23 December 1867 – 1 September 1942) was an Austro-Hungarian noblewoman, women's rights activist, politician and a diplomat.

## Early life and ancestry

Countess Klothilde Wilhelmine Josepha Gabriele Maria Innocenta was born as a third daughter and youngest child of the Austrian politician Prince Alexander von Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg and his wife, Countess Alexandrine Aline von Dietrichstein-Proskau-Leslie (1824-1906), second daughter and one of the heiresses of Joseph Franz, Prince of Dietrichstein. By virtue of birth, she was member of the Lotharingian House of Mensdorff-Pouilly and through Saxe-Coburg-Gotha blood was related to the British Royal Family, German Imperial family, Russian Imperial family, as well as to almost all other European Royal families.

## Career

Apponyi was president of the Klotild association for the selling of women's work from 1908, president for the alliance of Hungarian women's associations (MNSz) from 1910, board member of the Catholic protection society for women from 1913, president for the Maria Dorotea association for women teachers from 1930, as well as for numerous other charitable associations. As president of the MNSz, she addressed the Hungarian parliament in favor of women's suffrage in 1912, and supported this reform in public in 1918. After World War I, she, as president of the MNSz, became the spokesperson of the non-socialist women's associations of Hungary in oppose to the leftist MANSz under Cécile Tormay. In 1929, she protested against the suggestion to abolish women's right to run for office, and in 1939, she did the same against the suggestion to ban married women from holding office as civil servants.

During World War I, she was an informal diplomat for the Kingdom of Hungary in Switzerland, and she served as a sub-delegate to the League of Nations in Geneva in 1928-34, and as a delegate for Hungary in 1935-37.

## Personal life

On 1 March 1897 in Vienna, she married Hungarian politician Count Albert Apponyi de Nagy-Aponyi, second child and only son of Count György Apponyi de Nagy-Aponyi and his wife, Countess Júliane Sztáray de Nagymihály et Sztára (1820-1871). Albert was a leading member of the powerful Hungarian Apponyi family. Together, they were the parents of three children, one son and two daughters:

- Count György II Alexander Mária Antal Apponyi de Nagy-Aponyi (1898–1970), a politician, member of the Parliament, journalist, married in 1923 to Princess Margarete Odescalchi and had issue.

- Countess Mária Alexandrina Angela Apponyi de Nagy-Aponyi (1899–1967), who married Prince Karl of Rohan in 1933 and had issue.

- Countess Julianna Maria Georgina Antonia Apponyi de Nagy-Aponyi (1903–1994), who married Count Ferenc Pálffy of Erdöd in 1924 and had issue. They divorced in 1934 and she married Hungarian nobleman Elemér Klobusiczky de Klobusicz et Zetény in 1943, and had issue. They divorced in 1947.

## Death

Countess Clotilde Apponyi died on 1 September 1942, at the age of 74 in Budapest, Hungary. At first, she was buried in Farkasréti Cemetery in Budapest, but later, her grave and a grave of her husband were moved to Éberhárd (today Slovakia), part of the Komárom County, where Apponyi family owned a country estate with a castle.


List of Loganair destinations

# List of Loganair destinations

## Abstract

## Destinations

As of September 2024, Loganair serves the following destinations:


# List of all-time Major League Baseball win–loss records

## Abstract

Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization, which consists of a total of 30 teams—15 teams in the National League (NL) and 15 in the American League (AL). The NL and AL were formed in 1876 and 1901, respectively. Beginning in 1903, the two leagues cooperated but remained legally separate entities until 2000 when they merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball. This list documents all 30 active MLB teams ranked by win–loss percentage as of the 2024 Major League Baseball season. These records do not include results from a team's playing time in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players or while members of any minor league.

The New York Yankees has the highest regular season winning percentage, with.569. The Miami Marlins have the lowest, with.459. The San Francisco Giants have the most overall wins (11,533), while the Arizona Diamondbacks have the fewest (2,080). The Philadelphia Phillies have the most losses, with 11,318, while the Tampa Bay Rays have the fewest, with 2,173. With 22,241 games played, the Chicago Cubs have played more games than any other MLB club. Conversely, Tampa Bay has played the fewest (4,257). San Francisco has recorded the most ties in MLB history, with 163. Tie games do not count toward MLB standings and they have become scarce since the advent of a 2007 rule change assuring that a tie game can occur only if it is the last scheduled matchup between the two teams that season and has no bearing on the postseason.

As of the completion of the 2023 World Series, the Miami Marlins have the highest postseason winning percentage, with.600, while the Minnesota Twins have the lowest, with.379. The New York Yankees have the most postseason wins (244), while the Colorado Rockies have the fewest (10). The Yankees also have the most postseason losses (178), while Colorado has the fewest (14).

## Regular season


Amelia Peláez

# Amelia Peláez

## Abstract

Amelia Peláez del Casal (January 5, 1897 – April 8, 1968) was an important Cuban painter of the Avant-garde generation.

## Biography

Amelia Peláez (born-1897) Yaguajay, Cuba, in the former Cuban province of Las Villas (now Sancti Spíritus Province). She was the fifth born of eleven siblings in a family that was part of the Cuban-Creole middle class. Her father was a doctor, Manuel Pelaez y Laredo, and her mother, Maria del Carmen del Casal y Lastra, stayed at home with her children. Amelia's uncle was Julian del Casal, who was a poet and included her family in Cuba's intellectual circles.

In 1917, her family moved to Havana, to the La Víbora district, and this gave her the opportunity to enter the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes "San Alejandro" at the rather late age of 20 years (students at this academy usually start at 12–13 years of age). She was among Leopoldo Romañach 's favorite students. In 1924 she graduated from San Alejandro, and exhibited her paintings for the first time, along with another Cuban female painter, María Pepa Lamarque, at the Association of Painters and Sculptors in Havana. Receiving a small government grant, she travelled to New York City in the summer of 1924 and began six months of study at the Art Students' League. In 1927, after being awarded a larger grant, she began studying in France, while paying short visits to Spain, Italy, and other countries.

## Student life in Paris

Pelaez moved to Paris, accompanied by Cuban writer Lydia Cabrera, after she received a grant from the government in order to pursue art. Both took painting and art history courses at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. She also took drawing and art history courses at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the École du Louvre. In 1931 Pelaez enrolled, along with Cabrera, in Fernand Léger 's Academie Contemporaine. She then began studying with Russian painter Alexandra Exter, whose friendship and classes in color theory and design were an important influence.

Galerie Zak hosted a solo-exhibition of her paintings in 1933, where she exhibited thirty-eight works. In that same year, she participated in the eleventh Salon des Tuileries and “was also included in an exhibition of illustrated manuscripts by the calligrapher Guido at the Galerie Myrbor”, in which she illustrated Sept Poemes of Leon Paul Fargue. In her years in Paris, her work was highly praised by French critics.

## Life in Havana

In 1934, following a showing at the Salon des Independants, Pelaez returned to live in her mother’s colonial-style house in Cuba. The Cuba Pelaez returned to was in a state of economic uncertainty and political unrest. Beginning in the late 1920s, Cuba was searching for a new art that would reflect the national identity. In response, Pelaez departed from earlier vanguard strategies and turned to new approaches that involved depictions of Afro-Cuban and guajiro (peasant) subjects, while representing them in the adoption of European modernism. According to Ingrid Williams Elliot, Pelaez’s vibrant colors as well as thick lines are derived from Spanish-colonial architecture “integrating domestic objects with architectural decorations”. Peláez uses "Baroque ornamentation in her use of domestic colonial interiors to engage and merge multiple histories and assorted styles -- past and present -- to arrive at a contemporary Cuban idiom.”

In 1935, Pelaez had a solo exhibition at a women’s club in Havana called the Lyceum, which helped gain exposure of her new modernist Cuban style.

During this time, in the mid-thirties, Peláez was experimenting with "patterns, shapes and geometric relationships of tablecloths and fruit dishes, laying the groundwork for the geometric constructions and rhythmic patterns that have been associated with her architectural ornamentation in her work in the forties”, it also shows her awareness of Cubism. Her signature still life paintings were praised for the use of native fruits and flora referencing her Cuban roots.

In 1935-1936, Pelaez focused much of her paintings and drawings to the use of ink and pencil. The treatment of these drawings differs than her previous oil works, by distorting and exaggerating the figure with "sinuous line and light shading" that reference Cubism and European Modernism.

Peláez received a prize in the National Exposition of Painters and Sculptors in 1938, and collaborated on several art magazines in Cuba, such as Orígenes, Nadie Parecía, and Espuela de Plata. In 1950 she opened a workshop at San Antonio de los Baños, a small city near Havana, where she dedicated herself, until 1962, to her favourite pastime of pottery. She sent her paintings to the São Paulo Art Biennial in 1951 and 1957, and participated in 1952's Venice Biennale. In 1958 she was a guest of honour and jury member at the First Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking in Mexico City, although she pulled out of the raucous and controversial jury discussions based on what she reported to be “an openly Communist bias in the decisions.” Aside from painting and pottery, she dedicated time to murals, located mainly at different schools in Cuba. Her most important works of this type are a ceramic mural at the Tribunal de Cuentas in Havana (1953) and the facade of the Habana Hilton hotel (1957). She had a hard time selling her paintings as a living artists—she and her paintings, later named Amelias, achieved fame much later in life.

Peláez died in Havana in 1968.

## Estrada Palma 261

Amelia lived in her mother's house, which was a mix between a neoclassical design and a more traditional Cuban Creole architectural style house, for the rest of her years after her return to Havana, Cuba. Her house was a main source of inspiration after returning to a reclusive domestic lifestyle. The house was built in 1912, filled with colonial furniture of the baroque style. The house contained marble, crystal, wood, and ceramics in its interior. Amelia would also hang her paintings as decor.

## Exhibitions

- 1924 Amelia Pelaez y Maria Pepa Lamarque, Asociacion de Pintores y Escultores, Havana

- 1933 Amelia Pelaez Del Casal, Galerie Zak, Paris

- 1935 Amelia Pelaez Del Casal, Lyceum, Havana

- 1941 Amelia Pelaez, Norte Gallery, New York

- 1943 Amelia Pelaez: Retrospectiva, Institucion Hispano—Cubana de Cultura, Havana

- 1956 Amelia Pelaez, Nuestro Tiempo, Havana

- 1957 Amelia Pelaez, Lyceum, Havana

- 1959 Pintura de Amelia Pelaez, Instituto Municipal de Cultura, Marianao, Havana

- 1960 Amelia Pelaez, Pintura y Ceramida 1920–1960 Lyceum Havana, Cuba

- 1964 Oleos y Temperas de Amelia Pelaez, Galeria de la Habana, Havana

- 1967 Dibujos de Amelia Pelaez, Museo de Arte Moderno Bogota. Amelia Pelaez; Goaches y Ceramicas, Lyceum, Havana

- 1968 Amelia Pelaez: Exposicion Retrospectiva, Museo Nacional, Havana

- 1977 Amelia Pelaez, Metropolitan Museum & Art Center, Miami

- 1979 La Gran Pintora Cubana Amelia Pelaez, Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City

- 1980 Amelia Pelaez, Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogota

- 1987 Amelia Pelaez, Nineteenth Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paolo

- 1988 Amelia Pelaez; A Retrospective, Cuban Museum of Arts & Culture, Miami

- 2013 Amelia Peláez: The Craft of Modernity, Pérez Art Museum Miami

## Collections (selection)

The works of Peláez are held in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana, the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.


Victor Froholdt

# Victor Froholdt

## Abstract

Victor Mow Froholdt (born 25 February 2006) is a Danish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Danish Superliga club F.C. Copenhagen.

## Club career

### FC Copenhagen

Froholdt started his football career in Vallensbæk IF, and in 2018 moved to F.C. Copenhagen at the age of 12. Here he worked his way up through the club's youth academy, and in January 2023 was rewarded for his good performance with a contract until the end of 2025.

Froholdt made his debut for Copenhagen's first team on September 27, 2023 in a Danish Cup match against IF Lyseng, where he was substituted in the 57th minute in Copenhagen's 9-0 victory. Froholdt scored on his debut to make it 8-0 in the 90th minute. He made his Danish Superliga debut on November 5, 2023 in a 4-2 win over Randers FC, where he was substituted in the 88th minute and scored for the final score 4-2. He finished his debut season with 8 appearances for Copenhagen's first team.

On July 23, 2024, 18-year-old Froholdt was rewarded with a new contract until the summer of 2028 and was also promoted to the first team squad. In September 2024, Froholdt also got a new back number when he went from number 47 to number 17.


The Big Easy (film)

# The Big Easy (film)

## Abstract

The Big Easy is a 1986 American neo-noir romantic thriller film directed by Jim McBride and written by Daniel Petrie Jr. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, and Ned Beatty. The film was both set and shot on location in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The film was later adapted for a television series for two seasons on the USA Network (1996–1997).

## Plot

New Orleans police lieutenant Remy McSwain investigates the murder of a local mobster, leading police to suspect a war between two crime families. Anne Osborne, a state district attorney, arrives to investigate alleged police corruption. After seeing firsthand some unorthodox practices by Remy, Anne accuses him of being on the take. He argues that she lacks an understanding of how the system works in New Orleans for police.

Despite Anne's suspicious and apprehensive feelings towards Remy, they form a romantic relationship. When Remy is allegedly caught accepting a payoff in an Internal Affairs sting, a furious Anne has to prosecute him. With Remy's fellow officers' assistance, crucial evidence is destroyed or suppressed; the charges are dropped, at which point Anne, is in a conflict of loyalties over her personal feelings for Remy and her duty to uphold the law.

It is later revealed that Jack Kellom, Remy's boss, who is his mother's fiancé, and detectives De Soto and Dodge are behind the spate of murders to cover their involvement in heroin smuggling from a boat yard. Kellom goes to the boat and is confronted by De Soto and Dodge. Kellom suggests getting rid of the drugs, but De Soto shoots Kellom. Remy and Anne arrive and are confronted by De Soto and Dodge, and a shootout ensues, resulting in De Soto being shot by a fatally wounded Kellom. Remy shoots Dodge with a flare gun, starting a fire and with Anne barely escape before the boat explodes. The final scene shows Remy carrying Anne into her apartment, then the two dancing; it appears they were just married.

## Cast

- Dennis Quaid as Detective Lieutenant Remy McSwain

- Ellen Barkin as A.D.A. Anne Osborne

- Ned Beatty as Captain Jack Kellom

- John Goodman as Detective Sergeant Andre DeSoto

- Lisa Jane Persky as Detective McCabe

- Ebbe Roe Smith as Detective Ed Dodge

- Tom O'Brien as Bobby McSwain

- Charles Ludlam as Lamar Parmentel

- Grace Zabriskie as Mama

- Marc Lawrence as Vinnie "The Cannon" DiMotti

- Solomon Burke as Daddy Mention

- Gailard Sartain as Chef Paul

- Jim Garrison as Judge Jim Garrison

- Bob Kearney as Detective Sergeant Kearney

## Production

Filming took 50 days and the lead actors rehearsed three weeks before the start of principal photography.

The original title of the script was "Windy City", and was set in Chicago. The title was briefly changed to "Nothing But The Truth".

Well-known New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison makes a cameo appearance as a judge. Garrison became known for his Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories and his own investigation into JFK's murder from New Orleans in the 1960s.

### City of New Orleans

The city of New Orleans and its atmospherics function as a protagonist in the film. This is evident from the beginning of the film: The opening is an aerial shot of the New Orleans bayou and the cajun band BeauSoleil plays "Zydeco Gris Gris" on the soundtrack (title sequence).

The producers used well-known locations such as Tipitina's, Antoine's, Blaine Kern's warehouse full of Mardi Gras parade floats, and a French Quarter strip joint, to flesh out the mood of the film.

## Reception

### Box-office

The film had a limited opening on August 21, 1987, and grossed $353,259. It widened a week where its gross was $3,626,031 from 1,138 screens and the total receipts for the run were $17,685,307. In its widest release the film was featured in 1,219 theaters. The motion picture was in circulation five weeks.

### Critical response

Roger Ebert, film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, lauded the film, and wrote, " The Big Easy is one of the richest American films of the year. It also happens to be a great thriller. I say 'happens,' because I believe the plot of this movie is only an excuse for its real strength: the creation of a group of characters so interesting, so complicated and so original they make a lot of other movie people look like paint-by-number characters."

Sheila Benson, writing for the Los Angeles Times, wrote, "Screenwriter Daniel Petrie Jr. sets up the conflict, and director Jim McBride fleshes it out with devastating, sexy assurance..."

Film critic Vincent Canby was a bit tougher on the film, and wrote, "Remy and Anne are made for each other, or would have been if The Big Easy were the sophisticated comedy it could have been... was directed by Jim McBride who one day is going to come up with a commercial movie that works all the way through, and not just in patches."

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 89% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The critics consensus reads, "Loaded with atmosphere and drenched in the sizzling chemistry between Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin, The Big Easy remains one of the strongest—and steamiest—thrillers of the 1980s." On Metacritic — which assigns a weighted mean score — the film has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

The film is praised for the accuracy of Quaid's Cajun accent, which he meticulously researched in preparation for the role. However, residents of the New Orleans area were not so pleased, referring to it as "cringe-inducing."

### Accolades

#### Wins

- 1987: Cognac Festival du Film Policier, Cognac, France: Grand Prix

- 1987: Valladolid International Film Festival: Best Actor, Dennis Quaid

- 1988: Independent Spirit Awards: Best Male Lead Dennis Quaid

- 1988: Sant Jordi Awards: Best Foreign Actress, Ellen Barkin

- 1988: Anthony Award: Best Movie

#### Nominations

- 1988: Independent Spirit Awards: Best Director, Jim McBride; Best Feature, Stephen J. Friedman

- 1988: Casting Society of America: Artios Award; Best Casting for Feature Film, Drama, Lynn Stalmaster and David Rubin

- 1988: Edgar Allan Poe Awards: Edgar; Best Motion Picture, Daniel Petrie Jr.

## Distribution

The film was first shown in 1986 at various film festivals including the Cognac Festival du Film Policier, the Davao City Film Festival in the Philippines, the Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain, and the Sundance Film Festival before being picked up for distribution. According to Robert Redford, founder of Sundance, The Big Easy was the first film sold at the festival. Redford tells of dragging David Puttnam, then the head of Columbia Pictures, to see the film. After the screening, Puttnam decided to pick up the movie for distribution. The Big Easy was released as The Big Crackdown in the Philippines by Season Films and Jemah Films on November 5, 1988.

### Home media

The Big Easy was first released on VHS in 1988 by HBO Video. On February 2, 1999, a video and DVD of the film were released on the Trimark label as part of the label's "Gold Reel Collection." In 2004, it was re-released on DVD by Cinema Club.

## Television adaptation

The film inspired its television series, which premiered on the USA Cable Network August 11, 1996. Tony Crane played McSwain and Susan Walters played Anne Osbourne. There were approximately 35 episodes broadcast over two seasons. Although Daniel Petrie Jr. (who wrote the screenplay to the original film) was credited as an executive producer of the series, Petrie has stated that he was "not at all" involved in the series, receiving only "a credit and money".

## Soundtrack

With the action taking place in New Orleans, and the main protagonist's Cajun family background (Remy McSwain), the producers of the film used cajun, zydeco, R&B, and gospel music in the soundtrack. The film's director, Jim McBride, was highly involved in the selection of music, ensuring it was authentic to Cajun culture. An uncredited contributor to the soundtrack was musician David Byrne, who helped McBride locate some of the local artists.

An original motion picture soundtrack album was assembled by label executive Danny Holloway and released in 1987 on the Island label. The album contains twelve tracks including " Tipitina ", played by New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair (1974 re-recording from his album Rock 'n' Roll Gumbo in the substantially remixed version produced for its 1985 CD reissue), the New Orleans anthem " Iko Iko," by The Dixie Cups, and a ballad, "Closer to You," written and performed by actor Dennis Quaid who also performs the song in the film. Other performers on the album include Terrance Simien, BeauSoleil, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dewey Balfa, Aaron Neville and The Neville Brothers.


Sun Day

# Sun Day

## Abstract

Sun Day (May 3, 1978) was designated by United States President Jimmy Carter, specifically devoted to advocacy for solar power, following a joint resolution by Congress, H.J.Res. 715 becoming Pub. L. Tooltip Public Law (United States) 95–253. It was modeled on the highly successful Earth Day of April 22, 1970. It was the idea of Denis Hayes, who also coordinated Earth Day in 1970. The date became an international event in 1994.

## Commemorations

While President Carter flew to Denver to visit a solar power research institute, others gathered in Cadillac Mountain in Maine where the sun's rays allegedly first touch the United States (although not at that time of the year). A crowd gathered at UN Plaza in New York City to listen to speeches by people such as Robert Redford, who reminded them that the sun "can't be embargoed by any foreign nation". At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, environmental activist Barry Commoner opined to a group of 500 people that solar power was an issue as pivotal as slavery and that "if Mr. Carter and Energy Secretary Schlesinger won't talk about solar energy, it's time that we did," and that solar power was the "one solution to the economic problems of the United States." Other events on the National Mall included a Marathon, speeches by Senators Ted Kennedy and Ralph Nader, and a concert with Jackson Browne. In DC, the event was so popular that it resulted in a single day ridership record for Metrorail of 197,201, breaking the record set a month earlier; the record only lasted for 5 weeks, when it was broken by the Washington Bullets NBA Championship victory parade.

Events were planned in twenty-two countries around the world.


List of generation IV Pokémon

# List of generation IV Pokémon

## Abstract

The fourth generation (generation IV) of the Pokémon franchise features 107 fictional species of creatures introduced to the core video game series in the 2006 Nintendo DS games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Some Pokémon in this generation were introduced in games and animated adaptations of the franchise before Diamond and Pearl, such as Bonsly, Mime Jr., and Munchlax, which were recurring characters in the Pokémon anime series in 2005 and 2006.

The following list details the 107 Pokémon of generation IV in order of their National Pokédex number. The first Pokémon, Turtwig, is number 387 and the last, Arceus, is number 493. Alternate forms that result in type changes are included for convenience. Mega Evolutions and regional forms are included on the pages for the generation in which they were introduced.

## Design and development

Pokémon are a species of fictional creatures created for the Pokémon media franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video games Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy, which were later released in North America as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998. In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items. Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon. A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.


The Foords Hotel

# The Foords Hotel

## Abstract

The Foords Hotel is a historic public house in Filey, a town in North Yorkshire, in England.

The building was constructed in about 1815, to serve early visitors to the seaside resort. It was initially named the "New Inn", but was later renamed after Thomas and Mary Foord, who ran the pub. During the 19th century, it occasionally also served as the town's coroners' court. The pub has a long association with the town's fishing industry, and the last two cobles are laid up around the back of the building. The pub also operates as a bed and breakfast. The building has been grade II listed since 1960.

The pub is built of whitewashed brick on a stone plinth, with stone dressings, a modillion eaves cornice and a slate roof. There are three storeys, three bays and a rear wing. The central doorway has attached Doric fluted columns, an entablature and a cornice, above which is a two-storey canted bay window. In the ground floor are tripartite windows, and above are sash windows, those in the middle floor with wedge lintels and keystones.


Handforth

# Handforth

## Abstract

Handforth is a town and civil parish in Cheshire, England, 9 miles (14 km) south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2021 census was 9,784. In the 1960s and 1970s, two overspill housing estates, Spath Lane in Handforth, and Colshaw Farm nearby in Wilmslow, were built to re-house people from inner city Manchester. It lies between Wilmslow, Heald Green, Stanley Green and Styal and forms part of the Greater Manchester Built-up Area.

## History

Handforth, township and hamlet with ry. sta., Cheadle par., E. Cheshire, 5 miles SW. of Stockport, 1311 ac., pop. 736; P.O., T.O.

Handforth's original name was Handforth-cum-Bosden, having resided in the parish of Cheadle in some of its earliest mentions. The name "Handforth" is believed to originate from the Saxon name for a crossing on the River Dean, "Hanna's Ford ". The first mention of Handforth is found in a charter dated between 1233 and 1236 CE, with a later mention found in a deed of transfer between Lord Edmund Phitoun and Henry de Honeford, dated to 1291. The settlement is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, though it may have, at that time, been recorded as a component part of the parish of Cheadle.

During the Crusades, Handforth acquired its own Coat of Arms, displaying the Honford Star emblem of Henry de Honeford, a member of the local nobility. The town was referred to as "Honford" in John Speede 's map of the area in 1611, also named after the de Honford family.

The oldest building in Handforth is Handforth Hall, a typical Tudor -styled black and white timber building built by Sir Urian Brereton in 1562, also originally named "Honford Hall" after the de Honfords. Sir Urian Brereton, the escheator of Cheshire and one of the privy grooms to King Henry VIII, died at Handforth Hall on 19 March 1577, and is thought to be buried in one of the chapels of St Mary's Church, Cheadle. In the church's south chapel, two recumbent effigies depicted in alabaster are thought to represent members of the Hondford family; Sir John, who died in 1461, and his son, also named John. A third, depicted in sandstone, represents Sir Thomas Brereton, who died in 1673. The most famous resident of Handforth is Sir Urian's great-grandson, the Parliamentary General Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet, who fought in the English Civil War.

During the First World War, an internment camp was set up in Handforth, for both civilian and military prisoners. The site, converted from a disused print works built in 1910 and requisitioned by the War Office in 1914, was designed to hold no more than 3,000 men, and was opened on 6 November 1914 with the arrival of 500 prisoners. From May 1915, following the aftermath of a number of Anti-German riots which swept a number of cities in England, the camp's civilian population increased, following decisions to intern 'enemy aliens', with a number of men sent to Handforth from Liverpool. The camp was inspected by an attaché to the American Embassy in London on 1 April 1916, at which a time there were 2,713 prisoners living in the camp.

At the height of the camp's operations, the interned population of the camp was greater than that of the village of Handforth itself; later in the war, when German soldiers captured from the front lines began to arrive, the local population started to take a greater interest in the camp, and would watch the new arrivals, with crowds gathering at the nearby railway station. The Manchester Evening News reported on 17 March 1915: "Great excitement prevailed at Handforth and Wilmslow today when it became generally known that about 600 German prisoners taken during heavy fighting in the North of France were expected to arrive for internment at the concentration camp."

During the Second World War, Handforth, along with Cheadle Hulme, became home to large parts of RAF Handforth, a maintenance unit classed as a universal stores depot, with the official Royal Air Force name 'RAF Handforth No 61 M.U. (Maintenance unit)'. The depot, which covered large areas of land in both Handforth and neighbouring Cheadle Hulme, opened in 1939 and closed in 1959. The depot's stores spanned every single item required by the RAF in wartime, from utensils and everyday tools to aircraft engines. The site was served by a large, internal railway system, which left the Manchester to Crewe mainline near Handforth railway station; the site of the exchange sidings and junction is now found on the modern-day Epsom Avenue. The depot also featured its own shunting locomotives, which were stored in an engine shed that stood at the Wilmslow bound exit slip road for the Handforth Dean shopping centre. The only surviving buildings of RAF Handforth are the government pay offices, now found on Dairyhouse Lane; these buildings, used as the headquarters of the depot, have survived in Ministry of Defence use to this day.

In January 2017, government plans were announced to build a garden village on the eastern margin of Handforth village, to include 2,000 houses with facilities including a nursery and care home.

### Administrative history

Handforth-cum-Bosden was part of the Stockport Registration District between 1837 and 1877, until it was divided onto the separate parishes of Handforth and Bosden. Handforth continued to be part of the Stockport Registration District from 1877 to 1936, when it was then incorporated into the parishes of Wilmslow and Cheadle and Gatley. The parish of Bosden was abolished in 1900, and incorporated into the parish of Hazel Grove and Bramhall.

Handforth, along with other towns such as Whitworth, Poynton and Alderley Edge, successfully objected to being part of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester when it was formed in 1974, as a result of plans laid out in the Local Government Act 1972. From 1974 until the changes in local government, which occurred in 2009, Handforth was administered by both the Macclesfield Borough Council and the Cheshire County Council. On 1 April 2009, it became part of the Cheshire East unitary authority.

## Geography

Handforth borders Heald Green to the north and Wilmslow to the south, between the Cheshire Plain and the Pennines. The area lies near the River Dean, a tributary of the River Bollin that flows north–west and eventually joins the River Mersey near Lymm. The local geology is mostly glacial clay, as well as glacial sands and gravel.

The majority of buildings in the area are houses dating to the 20th and 21st centuries, with a small number of buildings - such as that of Handforth Hall - dating to before this time.

### Climate

Handforth experiences a temperate maritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters.

## Physical geography

The eastern half of Cheshire, in which Handforth is located, is Upper Triassic Mercia Mudstone laid down with large salt deposits, which were mined for hundreds of years around Northwich. Separating this area from Lower Triassic Sherwood Sandstone to the west is a prominent sandstone ridge known as the Mid Cheshire Ridge. A 55-kilometre (34 mi) footpath, the Sandstone Trail, follows this ridge from Frodsham to Whitchurch, passing Delamere Forest, Beeston Castle and earlier Iron Age forts.

The highest point in Cheshire is Shining Tor on the Derbyshire/Cheshire border between Macclesfield and Buxton, at 559 metres (1,834 ft) above sea level. Before county boundary alterations in 1974, the county top was Black Hill (582 m (1,909 ft)) near Crowden, in the far east of the historic county on the border with the West Riding of Yorkshire. Black Hill is now the highest point in West Yorkshire.

## Governance

Handforth is in Cheshire East, a unitary authority area with borough status in the county of Cheshire, and the constituency of Tatton, a strongly Conservative seat represented by Esther McVey. It is the third most affluent constituency in the UK outside of Kensington and Cities of London and Westminster. Before Brexit in 2020, it was also represented in the European Parliament as part of the North West England constituency.

Handforth Parish Council was formed in May 2011; it consists of seven councillors, representing three wards. The parish council gained attention in February 2021, after a heated Zoom meeting of its Planning and Environment Committee went viral. This event spawned a number of memes and mainstream media coverage. After gaining online traction on the evening of 4 February, attendee Jackie Weaver's name was the highest trending topic on Twitter in the United Kingdom that night and the following day.

In August 2021 the parish Council declared Handforth as a town and the council changed its name to Handforth Town Council Stating two reasons 1) to differentiate the parish council from that of the local Parochial Church Council that administer the affairs of the Church of England's mission and ministry in the town. And; 2) because ""The distinction between a 'village' and a 'town' is based on settlement form rather than population size. Where property forms part of a village, there need only be another 35 dwellings within 800 metres to justify using the name "Village". Where a dwelling forms part of a town there must be at least 500 other dwellings within 800 metres to justify using the name "Town". There were approximately 3100 dwellings and a population of 6266 at the 2011 census"

## Demography

### Population

The historic population of Handforth was 650 in 1851, and 911 in 1901. According to the United Kingdom Census 2021, the population of the Handforth Ward was 9,784. This compares to the United Kingdom Census 2011, where the Handforth Ward has a population of 9,139 people. This is an increase from the data in the 2001 Census, when the Handforth Ward had a population of 8,014 people. The gender composition of Handforth is made up of 50.8% (4,640) females and 49.2% (4,499) males.

### Ethnicity

According to the 2011 Census, ethnic white groups (British, Irish, other) account for 91.6% (8,375) of the population, against 96.8% in the previous 2001 census, with 8.4% (764 people) being in ethnic groups other than white.

Of the 8.4% (764 people) in non-white ethnic groups:

- 21.6% (165) belonged to mixed ethnic groups

- 56.4% (431) were Asian or Asian British

- 11.9% (91) belonged to other ethnic groups

- 10.1% (77) were Black or Black British

### Religion

According to the 2011 Census, a breakdown of the religious groups and denominations in Handforth showed a majority (79.2% in 2001, 63.5% in 2011) Christian population, with the second-largest recorded group being people with no religion (12.8% in 2001, rising to 24.5% in 2011), followed by Handforth's Muslim population (1% in 2001, rising to 2.7% in 2011):

- Christian - 79.2% (6,345 people), 2001; 63.5% (5,805 people), 2011

- No religion - 12.8% (1,026 people), 2001; 24.5% (2,244 people), 2011

- Religion not stated - 5.9% (473 people), 2001; 6.8% (621 people), 2011

- Muslim - 1% (82 people), 2001; 2.7% (250 people), 2011

- Hindu - 0.4% (31 people), 2001; 0.9% (78 people), 2011

- Jewish - 0.3% (27 people), 2001; 0.4% (36 people), 2011

- Buddhist - 0.2% (12 people), 2001; 0.3% (28 people), 2011

- Sikh - 0.1% (8 people), 2001; 0.5% (43 people), 2011

- Other religions - 0.1% (10 people), 2001; 0.4% (34 people), 2011

#### Places of worship

There are three churches in Handforth:

- Methodist St Mary's Methodist Church was built in 1872, though Methodism was present in the Handforth and Wilmslow area long before this. It is recorded that John Wesley preached at nearby Finney Green on 1 September 1748.

- St Mary's Methodist Church was built in 1872, though Methodism was present in the Handforth and Wilmslow area long before this. It is recorded that John Wesley preached at nearby Finney Green on 1 September 1748.

- Roman Catholic St Benedict's Roman Catholic Church is part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury, and was officially opened by the Bishop of Shrewsbury on 29 November 1968. The church is noted for its connection to Ambrose Barlow, an English Benedictine monk whose mother was born at Handforth Hall.

- St Benedict's Roman Catholic Church is part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury, and was officially opened by the Bishop of Shrewsbury on 29 November 1968. The church is noted for its connection to Ambrose Barlow, an English Benedictine monk whose mother was born at Handforth Hall.

- Anglican St Chad's Church of England, part of the Diocese of Chester, is an Anglican church based in Handforth. During the 19th century, a chapel of ease was built in Handforth, then part of the parish of Cheadle. The chapel was consecrated in 1837 as a chapel to St Mary's Church, Cheadle, becoming the parish church for Handforth and part of Cheadle in 1877. Due to the growth of the population of Handforth in the late 19th century, the chapel went through extensive redevelopment and expansion, and the new building - known as St Chad's Church - was consecrated by Francis Jayne, Bishop of Chester on St Chad 's day, 2 March, in 1899.

- St Chad's Church of England, part of the Diocese of Chester, is an Anglican church based in Handforth. During the 19th century, a chapel of ease was built in Handforth, then part of the parish of Cheadle. The chapel was consecrated in 1837 as a chapel to St Mary's Church, Cheadle, becoming the parish church for Handforth and part of Cheadle in 1877. Due to the growth of the population of Handforth in the late 19th century, the chapel went through extensive redevelopment and expansion, and the new building - known as St Chad's Church - was consecrated by Francis Jayne, Bishop of Chester on St Chad 's day, 2 March, in 1899.

## Transport

Handforth railway station is situated on the Crewe to Manchester line, a spur off the West Coast Main Line. Regular services are operated by Northern Trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe, via Levenshulme, Stockport, Cheadle Hulme and Wilmslow.

The A34 by-pass is situated to the east and the main thoroughfare is Wilmslow Road (B5358).

Manchester Airport lies just 3.5 mi (5.6 km) to the north-west, though Handforth lies away from the airport's approach and departure routes; it therefore suffers only slightly from aircraft noise.

Bus 42C, operated by Stagecoach Manchester, runs between Handforth Dean and Manchester city centre, via Cheadle and East Didsbury.

## Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter.

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Manchester, Heart North West, Smooth North West, XS Manchester, Capital Manchester and Lancashire, Greatest Hits Radio Manchester & The North West, Silk Radio and Canalside Radio, a community-based station.

The town is served by the local newspapers, The Wilmslow Express and Knutsford Guardian.

## Economy

Handforth Dean is a retail park that houses shops such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer Outfit and Boots the Chemist, and is situated by the A34 bypass. Pets at Home has its headquarters in Handforth.

## Public services

### Health

Handforth Health Centre, purpose-built in 1975, was purchased from the Health Authority by the GPs in 1992 and completely refurbished.

### Schools

Handforth is served by three primary schools: Handforth Grange (formerly Wilmslow Grange, 1951–2019), Dean Oaks Primary and St Benedict's RC Primary.

### Police

Handforth is served by Cheshire Constabulary, with the closest branch being based in Wilmslow.

### Fire

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is the fire service that caters for Handforth, with the nearest fire station being located in Wilmslow.

## Sport

Handforth Hall Tennis Club, founded in 1850, has three hard courts. The Men's team competes in Division 9 of the Slazenger North East Cheshire Lawn Tennis League, whilst the Ladies' team competes in Division 7. The club also features tennis coaching, and the small pavilion hosts table tennis, carpet bowling and auction bridge.

## Notable people

Military and political

- Sir Urian Brereton (1505–1577), Groom of the Privy Chamber to King Henry VIII

- Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet (1604–1661), Parliamentarian commander

Creative arts

- Dr Lucy Harrison (1989-) Composer and sound designer specialising in interactive sound and music

Science

- John Shipley Rowlinson (1926–2018), scientist and historian of science.

## Facilities

### Parks

Meriton Road Park, opened in 1935, covers an area of 3.4 hectares (8.4 acres) and is situated to the rear of the Paddock Shopping Centre. Until the mid-1980s, the park was the site for the Handforth Gala. Current attractions in the park include a multi-sport court, tennis courts and a miniature railway, which is operated by the Handforth Model Engineering Society.

Stanley Hall Park is situated between the Spath Lane Estate and the railway line from Handforth to Cheadle Hulme. The park was donated by Manchester City Council in the early 1960s. The park is owned and maintained by Cheshire East Council's environmental partner Ansa, and has an active 'friends of the park' group. Facilities include the Swingtime play areas and Multi-Use Games Area donated by Spath Lane Residents Association, and a 52-seat all-inclusive picnic area with space for 15 wheelchairs or buggies and a concrete skatepark installed by the Friends of Stanley Hall Park in 2015–16.


The Book of Gabrielle

# The Book of Gabrielle

## Abstract

The Book of Gabrielle is a 2016 comedy-drama film directed and starring by Lisa Gornick. The film also stars Anna Koval and Allan Corduner.

## Plot

Book illustrator Gabrielle is writing an illustrated guidebook on sex called How To Do It. At a book signing, she meets Saul, an established heterosexual male writer. She both loves and hates his work which has seeped into her secular Jewish life from childhood. The more Gabrielle tells him about her book the more he wants to know about her life, the relationship with her younger girlfriend, Olivia, and her determination to "stop using my penis in sex". As her book takes form, their friendship is tested as is Gabrielle's relationship with Olivia. The film muses on how we write, how we draw, and what influences us.

## Cast

- Lisa Gornick: Gabrielle

- Anna Koval: Olivia

- Allan Corduner: Saul

- Joni Kamen: Fiona

- Juha Sorola: Aki

- Ruth Lass: Jessica

## Production

The film is part of a multi-platform production, consisting of a live drawing show, a book and a web series that follows the eponymous Gabrielle through her process of writing the aforementioned book while contemplating her relationship with younger girlfriend. Gornick drew and wrote the book, How to do it, the subject book of the film, a sex how-to guide. Her reasoning for including the various platforms was her desire for fluidity in exploring the ideas in the film, which these platforms provide to varying degrees, unlike the film format.

## Reception

In Adil F Hussain's review of the film, he notes that true to form, Gornick directs films that make the audience consider the questions and themes raised in the work; in this case, sexuality and gender. He commended the "brilliantly executed performances that keep you engaged and peak your curiosity". In LGBTQ Arts Review, Dan Ramsden critiqued the film for the "stakes" not being high enough, and yet applauded it overall for its normative portrayal of both lesbian sex and relationships, feeling that "there is a tendency in most films for lesbian romances or erotic topics to either be coming-of-age stories, or hyper-erotic. This was done through natural characters and dialogue rather than soft-core porn which made it feel a lot more identifiable."

## Awards

- Jury Award for Best Feature, Bologna Lesbian Film Festival, Some Prefer Cake, 2017

- Audience Award for Best Feature, Bologna Lesbian Film Festival, Some Prefer Cake, 2017


The Boogey Man

# The Boogey Man

## Abstract

The Boogey Man is a 1980 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Ulli Lommel, and starring Suzanna Love, John Carradine, and Ron James. The film's title refers to the long-held superstition of boogeymen beings, and its plot concerns two siblings who are targeted by the ghost of their mother's deceased boyfriend which has been freed from a mirror.

Released theatrically in November 1980 by the independent distributor the Jerry Gross Organization, it received mixed to negative critical reviews, with criticism mainly regarding the heavy similarities from earlier horror films such as Halloween, The Exorcist, and The Amityville Horror. The film was followed by two sequels: Boogeyman II and Return of the Boogeyman.

## Plot

Young siblings Willy and Lacey watch their mother and her boyfriend kissing in her bedroom. When their mother notices them, she has her boyfriend tie Willy to his headboard before sending Lacey to her room. Lacey frees Willy from his bed and Willy enters their room and repeatedly stabs his mother's boyfriend with a chef knife in front of a large mirror.

Twenty years later, Lacey, now an adult, is married with a young son and lives with her aunt and uncle on a farm. Willy also lives with them, but has been mute since the night he killed his mother's boyfriend. One night over dinner, Lacey finds a letter in the mail from her mother, who claims to be on her deathbed and wishes to see them one last time, but Willy burns the letter.

Lacey suffers from nightmares, and has a particularly frightening dream where she is dragged, tied to a bed and almost stabbed by an unseen entity. Her husband, Jake, takes her to a psychiatrist to help her confront her fears, and decides to go visit the house she grew up in. They arrive not knowing who is actually living there and meet two teenage girls and their younger brother. Their parents, the homeowners, have apparently just placed the home for sale and then gone out of town. The daughter thinks Lacey and Jake have been sent by the real estate company to view the house. Jake and Lacey pretend they want to buy the house so they can look around. At the house, Lacey sees a reflection of her mother's deceased boyfriend coming towards her in a mirror inside the bedroom where he died, and smashes the mirror in a panic with a chair. Her husband takes the broken mirror with him in an attempt to repair it, but a piece is left behind which later glows red. Shortly after, the teenage girls and their brother are all violently killed by an unseen force; the vengeful spirit of the deceased lover has been released from the mirror.

Willy similarly has disturbing visions involving mirrors, which cause him to paint all the mirrors in the house black. Later, pieces of a broken mirror in a bag at his feet cause a pitchfork to levitate and nearly impale him. A shard from the broken mirror becomes stuck to Lacey's son's shoe and is left on the ground where the light refracts across a lake where a group of teenagers are partying by an abandoned house. A couple are soon impaled by a skewer as they are kissing in their car, while another couple drives off and leaves them. Soon after, Lacey flees to get in the house, only to see that her shirt supernaturally starts to tear apart. This also leads her to discover her aunt and uncle dead in the barn.

Later, Lacey's husband brings in the family priest to investigate the mirror, only to see that when the priest's hand touches the mirror, it suddenly turns red. A piece of the mirror floats across the room and becomes lodged over Lacey's eye, letting the ghost possess her body. Controlling Lacey's body, the ghost nearly kills her husband and attacks the priest. Before he dies, the priest removes the shard from Lacey's eye, releasing her from the ghost's control, and throws it into the kitchen sink, where it bursts into flames as it touches the water. The remainder of the mirror is then thrown into a well, where the same thing happens, as an explosion releases the trapped souls and destroys the mirror once and for all.

The film ends with Lacey, her brother, and Kevin visiting the graveyard. After they leave, the final shard of the mirror on the ground, which had gotten stuck to her son's shoe, glows red.

## Cast

- Suzanna Love as Lacey

- Ron James as Jake

- John Carradine as Dr. Warren

- Nicholas Love as Willy

- Raymond Boyden as Kevin

- Ernest Meier III as Peter

## Analysis

Though the film has been noted as stylistically imitating John Carpenter 's Halloween (1978), critic Jeff Franzen notes that the film possess a subtext that is filled with "multi-layered references to Lommel's childhood and fears, much of which lingers long after you forget about the gimmicky gore". Franzen asserts that one of the film's central themes is "that people conspire to hide the truth, although to one or more characters the truth is obvious".

## Production

### Concept

" Frankenstein 's castle is so far removed from our everyday experiences that it's easy to say, 'Oh yeah, well, that's a horror movie'. In The Boogeyman and The Tenderness of Wolves, I thought it's much more interesting to use familiar settings, like a living room or a bedroom".

–Lommel on the film's setting

The film also uses several apparent pieces of folklore and superstition regarding mirrors. As well as the belief that it is bad luck to break a mirror, the film also discusses the belief that breaking a mirror releases everything the mirror has ever "seen"; further, placing the pieces of a broken mirror into a bag and burying it will counteract the bad luck from breaking the mirror. Additionally, there is the belief that a mirror in a room where someone has died will show the dead person looking back over the shoulder of anyone looking into the mirror. All this was used in the Mexican translation of the film title, released as "El espejo asesino" ("the killer mirror").

Stylistically, Lommel stated that he wanted to make a "movie about outrageous killings set in an average-looking environment with ordinary actors. First establish things an audience can identify with, then inject the horror into a normal environment".

### Filming

Filming took place on location in the Waldorf, Maryland area, with additional photography occurring in Los Angeles, California.

## Release

### Box office

The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by The Jerry Gross Organization with screenings beginning on November 14, 1980. It was released in the UK by Miracle Films in 1981 under the title The Bogey Man as a double bill with the 1978 Canadian film Blackout.

The film grossed approximately $25 million, though little of its significant income went to the filmmakers and performers, as the Jerry Gross Company, the film's distributor, was in the midst of bankruptcy at the time of its release.

### Critical response

Critical reception for The Boogey Man has been mixed to negative. As of August 2023, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 17% of 6 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.1/10.

Garry Arnold from The Washington Post wrote in his review on the film: " The Boogey Man achieves a certain vicious distinction by putting the occasional spectacular kink in an otherwise motley fabric". Ron Cowan of The Statesman Journal criticized the film for boasting "little originality in storyline or style, relying instead on the sheer energy and determination it brings to bloodletting". Bruce Bailey of the Montreal Gazette wrote: "This film is so sick, it ought to be hospitalized – permanently. The Boogey Man mixes a bit of sex with standard shock devices, primordial fears and Freudian jealousies. It blends them into something which is tawdry, rather than a good old-fashioned spine-tingler".

Film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film a favorable 3 out of 4 stars: "German art film actor-director Lommel lends unconventional angle to this combination of The Exorcist and Halloween. Effects are quite colorful, if somewhat hokey".

### Home media

The film was released on VHS in the United States by Wizard Video in 1981. The film has been released on DVD twice in North America: The first release was in 1999 by Anchor Bay Entertainment alongside Lommel's The Devonsville Terror (1983). It was subsequently re-released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2005 alongside Lommel's Return of the Boogeyman (1994). In July 2023, Vinegar Syndrome released a 4K UHD Blu-ray edition of the film.

In the United Kingdom, The Boogey Man was placed on the DPP list in 1984, but was later re-released on the Vipco label in 1992 in a cut form. An uncut version of the film was released in 2000. 88 Films released a Blu-ray edition in the United Kingdom in 2015.

## Sequels

Boogeyman II was filmed in 1981, but unreleased until 1983. Directed by Bruce Starr and an uncredited Ulli Lommel, it was written by Starr, Lommel and the original film's star, Suzanna Love, although the writing goes uncredited in the film. In Boogeyman 2, Lacey is approached by a group of Hollywood phonies to make a movie based on her experiences. Lacey travels to Hollywood, to the home of a film director (played by Ulli Lommel himself), where she brings along the last surviving haunted mirror shard from the end of the first movie as proof to her horrifying experiences. One by one, the phonies are killed by the mirror spirit who possesses the body of the director's manservant. Boogeyman 2 is padded with many flashback sequences from the first film.

Return of the Boogeyman (or Boogeyman 3) was released on May 5, 1994, and is largely constructed around numerous flashbacks to The Boogeyman as well.

In 2016, Hollywood Action House began developing Boogeyman Chronicles, a series of eight 45-min. episodes. The series started with the first episode airing on Halloween 2018 worldwide. It is inspired by Ulli Lommel's 1980 cult hit The Boogey Man. The new storyline was developed after test audiences in the US and Europe saw various cuts of a series of plot-possibilities and characters entitled Boogeyman: Reincarnation. The writing team headed by Colin McCracken is currently working on episodes 2 - 8 with the plan to create a total of up to 64 episodes. Lommel has indicated that, even though he directed episode 1, most of the remaining episodes will be directed by a series of young directors from the US, Europe and Asia. Starring in episode 1 are Skylar Radzion, Laurence R. Harvey, Andreea Boyer and Tristan Risk. It was produced by Frank Dragun, Ulli Lommel and David Bond.

## Sources


The Foords Hotel


Path quality analysis

# Path quality analysis

## Abstract

Path quality analysis: In a communications path, an analysis that (a) includes the overall evaluation of the component quality measures, the individual link quality measures, and the aggregate path quality measures, and (b) is performed by evaluating communications parameters, such as bit error ratio, signal-plus-noise-plus-distortion to noise-plus-distortion ratio, and spectral distortion.


1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexachloropropane

# 1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexachloropropane

## Abstract

1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexachloropropane is a compound of chlorine, hydrogen, and carbon, with chemical formula C Cl H, specifically Cl C−CH −CCl. Its molecule can be described as that of propane with chlorine atoms substituted for the six hydrogen atoms on the extremal carbons. This molecule, as well as 1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoropropane are essential in catalyzing the highly thermodynamically unfavorable Cormas Grisius electrophilic benzene addition reaction.

## History and properties

There are 29 chlorinated derivatives of propane (four of them being hexachloropropanes, with the formula C Cl H). This was the last one of them to be synthesized—by A. W. Davis and A. M. Whaley —in 1950.

1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexachloropropane is a liquid that boils at 206 °C. Its boiling point is significantly higher than expected based on estimations from various molecular parameters.

## Production

The original synthesis by Davis and Whaley obtained the compound by reacting 1,1,3,3-tetrachloropropane and/or 1,1,1,3-tetrachloropropane with chlorine at 80-100 °C, through 1,1,1,3,3-pentachloropropane as an intermediate step.

The compound can be produced quantitatively also by reacting carbon tetrachloride CCl and 1,1-dichloroethene Cl C=CH at 80-150 °C, with a copper -based catalyst, such as copper(I) chloride or copper(II) chloride, and possibly an amine as co-catalyst. The same process can generate higher chlorinated alkanes of the form H C−(CH −CCl) Cl.

## Applications

The compound has been considered as an intermediate in the manufacture of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane, through reaction with hydrogen fluoride.

## Safety

A 2001 study found that the compound had significant effects on rat fetuses when inhaled at 25 ppm. The LD (injection, rats) was found to be 827 mg / kg.


Dragiša Cvetković

# Dragiša Cvetković

## Abstract

Dragiša Cvetković (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгиша Цветковић; 15 January 1893 – 18 February 1969) was a Yugoslav politician active in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He served as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1939 to 1941. He developed the federalization of Yugoslavia through the creation of the Banovina of Croatia via the Cvetković–Maček Agreement with Croat leader Vladko Maček. He signed the Yugoslav accession to the Tripartite Pact on 25 March 1941. Two days later, on 27 March, a group of officers carried out a military coup, and arrested Dragiša Cvetković and other ministers. German authorities arrested him on two occasions and took him to Banjica concentration camp. He fled on 4 September 1944 for Bulgaria. He spent the rest of his life in Paris.

On 25 September 2009, the regional court in Cvetković's hometown of Niš rehabilitated him from charges laid against him by the Yugoslav government in 1945.


CCDC47

# CCDC47

## Abstract

Coiled-coil domain 47 (CCDC47) is a gene located on human chromosome 17, specifically locus 17q23.3 which encodes for the protein PAT complex subunit CCDC47. The protein itself contains coiled-coil domains, the SEEEED superfamily, a domain of unknown function (DUF1682) and a transmembrane domain. The function of the protein is unknown, but it has been proposed that CCDC47 is involved in calcium ion homeostasis and the endoplasmic reticulum overload response.

## Gene

The CCDC47 gene itself is located on the minus strand of human chromosome 17 and contains 13 exon splice sites and 14 distinct introns. After removal of exons, the gene is 3445 base pairs in length. No evidence for micro RNA or pseudogenes has been found. The gene does not have various isoforms, only transcript variant 1X exists.

## Protein

### Structure

The protein encoded by CCDC47 is 483 amino acids in length and contains both a signal peptide and transmembrane domain. It is rich in negatively charged amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid giving it an acidic isoelectric point of 4.56. The protein is also rich in methionine. In total, it weighs 55.9 kDal which is conserved through various orthologs. CCDC47 also contains the SEEEED superfamily and domain of unknown function 1682 (DUF1682). The SEEEED superfamily is a short, low complexity region which is composed mainly of serine. The family routinely lies on the clathrin adaptor complex 3 beta-1 subunit proteins. The exact function of DUF 1682 is unclear but one member of the family has been described as an adipocyte-specific protein.

There are two predicted disulfide bonds in the structure of CCDC47 at cysteines 209 to 214 and cysteines 215 to 283, respectively. The C-terminal portion of the protein is highly charged and its secondary structure is predicted to be that of an alpha helix region. This region also contains coiled coil domains which are structural motifs in which 2-7 alpha helices are coiled together and are subsequently involved in biological expression. These domains typically follow the pattern HxxHCxC where H is a hydrophobic amino acid, C is a charged amino acid and x is any amino acid. Many amino acid sequences following this pattern are seen in the C-terminal region of CCDC47 where the highest conservation through orthologs is represented.

### Regulation and translation

CCDC47 is regulated by the promoter GXP43413. The promoter is 819 base pairs in length and is highly conserved in mammals. Conserved binding sites in mammals which are located on this promoter include nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), PAR bZIP family and Sp4 Transcription Factor. NRF1 encodes a protein which homodimerizes and activates expression of key metabolic genes. CREB binds to cAMP response elements thereby increasing or decreasing the transcription of downstream genes while PAR bZIP family is involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms. In regards to the mRNA, translation begins at base pair 337 and ends at 1728. There is a strong stem loop located in the 5' UTR from bases 289-318 which likely is involved in regulation of the mRNA due to its close proximity to the start codon.

### Cellular distribution

The final protein is thought to be translated from the endoplasmic reticulum into the cytoplasm of the cell. The protein is anchored in the membrane of the ER at the transmembrane domain located from amino acid 137 to 165. The portion of the protein which extends into the cytosol is predicted to be highly phosphorylated as the protein's phosphorylation sites are conserved into the bony fish orthologs. Research has shown that CCDC47 is expressed in the response to an ER overload making this close proximity to the ER important.

### Post translational modification

In addition to the high levels of phosphorylation seen in CCDC47, three sulfation sites are predicted and conserved in mammals, reptiles and birds but not in fish, amphibians or invertebrates. Five potential sumoylation sites are also seen and conserved back to the bony fish. There is no glycosylation of the protein as it is not predicted to extend into the extracellular space.

## Expression

Microarray tissue expression patterns from GEO were analyzed and showed that CCDC47 appears to be an ubiquitously expressed at moderate levels in many different human tissues. Although the protein is ubiquitously expressed, the highest levels of expression are seen in neuronal tissues such as the superior cervical ganglion, brain amygdala and ciliary ganglion. Elevated expression is also seen in the thyroid and CD34+ cells.

## Homology

CCDC47 has no known paralogs through text based queries, BLAST and BLAT. The gene has many orthologs extending back to invertebrates such as C. elegans and is highly conserved in mammals with a percent identity greater than 95%. CCDC47 has been sequenced in a wide taxonomy of organisms including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, bony fish and invertebrates. Percent identity of human CCDC47 to a specific ortholog declines with increasing years of divergence, as expected. Homologous genes of CCDC47 are also present in mosquitos, mushrooms, arabidopsis and Asian rice. These homologs contain the same DUF1682 which is found in CCDC47.


Opium (record label)

# Opium (record label)

## Abstract

Opium is an American record label and rap collective that was founded in 2019 by American rapper Playboi Carti. The label, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, currently holds four acts all of whom are natives to the city; rappers Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely, and the duo Homixide Gang. The label is also affiliated with a variety of producers including KP Beatz, F1lthy, and Art Dealer, who all worked extensively on Playboi Carti's second studio album, Whole Lotta Red.

Opium artists usually feature a dark rap sound and aesthetic that is built upon the Atlanta rage rap scene and is influenced by the 70s and 80s punk rock era. The niche style of its artists strays away from mainstream trap rappers and has garnered its own cultlike fanbase.

## History

In July 2022, Ken Carson, who signed to Opium in 2020, released his second studio album X, which debuted at number 115 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and number 50 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In August 2022, Destroy Lonely, who signed to Opium in 2021, released his fifth mixtape No Stylist, which debuted at number 91 on the US Billboard 200 and number 57 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In October 2022, Ken Carson released deluxe edition to X, titled Xtended, containing 5 additional tracks. In November 2022, Destroy Lonely released a deluxe edition to No Stylist, titled NS+ (Ultra), containing several new tracks.

In May 2023, Destroy Lonely released his debut studio album If Looks Could Kill, which was supported by the lead single of the same name, released on March 3, 2023, after the unreleased snippet became viral on TikTok. The single debuted at number 30 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. If Looks Could Kill received mostly positive reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, earning 29,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, becoming Lonely's highest-charting album. In July 2023, Playboi Carti announced the dates for a global tour called "Antagonist Tour", alongside Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Homixide Gang. Later in September 2023, the U.S. leg of the tour was rescheduled to early 2024.

In September 2023, Destroy Lonely released the deluxe edition of If Looks Could Kill, subtitled Director's Cut, containing all tracks from every edition (including vinyl, CD and digital versions). In October 2023, Ken Carson released his third studio album A Great Chaos, which debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, earning 49,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, and becoming Carson's first US top 20 album. The album was supported by the release of one single: " I Need U ", which released on Valentine's Day. On May 31, 2024, Homixide Gang released their third studio album I5u5we5, being the duo’s first release under Interscope Records. On July 5, 2024, Ken Carson released the deluxe version of A Great Chaos, containing 7 new additional tracks; one of the being the single, " Overseas ".

## Discography

Seven studio albums and two mixtapes have been released through the label.

### Albums


Hurricane Francine (2024)

# Hurricane Francine (2024)

## Abstract

Hurricane Francine was a moderately strong tropical cyclone that brought extensive flooding to parts of the Gulf Coast of the United States, especially Louisiana, and Tamaulipas in September 2024. The sixth named storm and fourth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, its formation brought the end to a significant quiet period in tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic. Originating from a tropical wave that was initially spotted in the central Atlantic by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in late August, the disturbance that eventually became Francine began gradually organizing on September 7 as it exited the Yucatan Peninsula and entered the Bay of Campeche. The disturbance consolidated further and was designated by the NHC as Potential Tropical Cyclone Six on September 8. The next day, it was upgraded to tropical storm status and was named Francine by the NHC.

## Meteorological history

On August 26, the NHC noted that a low-pressure area could form in the Central Tropical Atlantic. Two days later, they began tracking a tropical wave producing disorganized showers. Initially, showers from the wave were a bit more concentrated along its axis, becoming more organized by August 31. However, an unfavorable environment for development caused the wave to become disorganized. Several days later, on September 7, the wave crossed into the Bay of Campeche, becoming a low-pressure area the next day. As a result, a few hours later, it was designated Potential Tropical Cyclone Six at 21:00 UTC on September 8. Higher wind gusts in the system were enhanced by a barrier jet near the Sierra Madre Oriental. Early the next day, the disturbance intensified into Tropical Storm Francine. The nascent storm slowly moved northwest over the next day close to the Mexico–United States border before beginning to move more to the northeast due to a ridge of high pressure over the state of Florida. Steady intensification ensued, with Francine becoming a hurricane at 03:00 UTC September 11.

Beginning to accelerate northeast towards the Gulf Coast of the United States, an eyewall began developing, even as wind shear began to increase and environmental conditions worsened. Despite this, a ragged eye developed on satellite imagery later that morning, leading to a peak intensity as a Category 2 hurricane. At its peak, the storm recorded maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 972 mb (28.7 inHg) at 21:00 UTC. Shortly thereafter, at 22:00 UTC, Francine made landfall in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, still maintaining Category 2 strength. Rapid weakening began after the hurricane made landfall, and at 03:00 UTC on September 12, Francine weakened into a tropical storm. The system further weakened overland, becoming a tropical depression then a post-tropical cyclone.

## Preparations

### Mexico

Tropical storm watches were issued from Barra del Tordo to the mouth of the Rio Grande. Other parts of Northeast Mexico were placed under tropical storm warning. Tamaulipas shut down schools in Matamoros, San Fernando, and Valle Hermoso.

### United States

ExxonMobil and Shell canceled operations in the Gulf of Mexico and evacuated their employees. Amtrak modified and/or suspended service to New Orleans from September 11–16.

#### Texas

South Texas was placed under a tropical storm warning as Francine approached. Galveston County raised their emergency management facility's level to two. Governor Greg Abbott mobilized water rescue teams.

#### Louisiana

Hurricane warnings were issued from Sabine Pass to Morgan City. Louisiana was placed under a state of emergency by the governor. The governor also sent 2,300 guardsmen of the Louisiana National Guard to parishes that were likely to be affected. Several school districts in Louisiana closed in preparation for Francine. Mandatory evacuations were issued for Grand Isle, Lafitte, and Barataria. Lafourche, Terrebonne, and Washington Parishes issued curfews. St. Mary and Terrebonne Parishes raised their floodgates. Iberia Parish and Baton Rouge distributed sandbags.

Louis Armstrong International Airport canceled all flights. Five USPS locations were shut down. Port Fourchon, a major supplier of offshore oil producers, and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port were closed.

#### Elsewhere

The coast of Mississippi and Alabama was placed under a tropical storm warning. Governor of Mississippi Tate Reeves issued a declaration of a state of emergency. Jackson, Mississippi, set up a shelter in the police training academy. Several schools in the state were closed for Francine. In Memphis, Tennessee, a trial adjourned early due to the threat of inclement weather.

## Impact

### Mexico

Several areas in Matamoros flooded from 200 millimetres (7.9 in) of rain; aid from the Mexican Government was requested as a result. Water pumps were set up across the city in response. Plans DN-III and Tamaulipas were initiated to provide aid to areas affected by Francine.

### United States

Exports out to the Gulf of Mexico were disrupted as a result of Francine. Reductions in production caused crude oil national prices to jump by 2% on September 11.

#### Texas

By September 9, Port O'Connor was experiencing flooding conditions. Rainfall in the state peaked at 7.44 in (189 mm) in Brownsville.

#### Louisiana

Francine made landfall near Southern Louisiana in Terrebonne Parish with sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h) at 22:00 UTC on September 11. A tornado warning was issued for Plaquemines Parish. Around 450,000 people suffered from power outages, most of which were caused by fallen debris, and around 500 people took refuge in emergency shelters. Francine's winds downed numerous trees and power lines, which resulted in blocked roads. Numerous streets sustained flooding as a result of heavy rainfall. The flash flooding resulted in several flash flood emergency alerts being issued. Several rivers crested in Saint Tammany Parish. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted numerous water rescues northwest of Thibodaux after rising flood waters surrounded multiple housing units, and all residents, including many small children, were safely evacuated. Other water rescues were also carried out in other parts of the Thibodaux area as well as the Kraemer area. A 39-year-old man rescued another man, who had water up to his head, from a sinking truck below an overpass in New Orleans by smashing the truck's back window with a hammer and pulling him out through it and cutting his hand in the process. Two people were injured: a Louisiana State Police officer who was struck by a falling tree while removing downed trees on Interstate 10, and a woman in Ascension Parish who was also hit and pinned by a fallen tree.

The federal government approved a FEMA declaration.

#### Mississippi

Strong winds swept through the Mississippi Coast before sunrise on September 12. The Jackson County Office of Emergency Services reported minor damage across the county, including power outages, downed trees, and flooded streets. As Francine moved further north, it was downgraded to a tropical depression, bringing heavy rainfall to Jackson and central Mississippi. South Mississippi faced significant flooding and related issues during the storm's passage. Other areas of the state also experienced downed trees and power lines. During the morning of September 12, 60,000 customers experienced power outages in Mississippi. Around 500 people were in state shelters.

#### Elsewhere

There were 39,000 reported power outages in Alabama. Trees and power lines were also downed in the western portion of the state. In Danville, rainfall accumulated to 11.11 in (282 mm).


# Trump International Golf Club (West Palm Beach)

## Abstract

Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach is a private 27-hole golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was designed by Jim Fazio, who was given a budget of over US$40 million, and was opened in 1999. This venue was Donald Trump 's first golf course property.

The Championship course measures 7,326 yards, and has a par 72 layout that has hosted championships for the LPGA. In addition, the golf course has a nine-hole course. The clubhouse can host weddings and other social or business events. A three-tiered driving range is available.

The regular initiation fee for membership was reported to be US$150,000 in 2011, and the annual fee US$25,000. The senior director of instruction for Trump Golf Properties, Gary Wiren, is based out of this resort.

## Shooting

On September 15, 2024, a shooting was reported at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The shooting occurred before 2 p.m. EDT, while Donald Trump was golfing at the club. The club's golf course was locked down shortly after, and no injuries were reported. A person of interest was detained while he was driving a vehicle, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. He was driving from Palm Beach County to Martin County northbound on Interstate 95. Federal investigators shut down the highway at Mile Marker 110.

The United States Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office are investigating the shooting. The shooter's intent is unknown right now, but the FBI is investigating the incident as an attempted assassination. Officials believe the suspect intended to shoot Trump. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the incident. The White House said in a statement: "The president and vice president have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing. They are relieved to know that he is safe."