title: Pinetop Seven

abstract: Pinetop Seven is an American band from Chicago, Illinois. The group initially revolved around three core members, supplemented by instruments such as double bass, accordion, slide guitar, banjo, and mandolin; more recent recordings have a more fluid lineup and increasingly orchestral textures. The group is a key representative of the Chicago alt country musical scene.

text:
# Pinetop Seven

**Pinetop Seven** is an American band from Chicago, Illinois. The group initially revolved around three core members, supplemented by instruments such as double bass, accordion, slide guitar, banjo, and mandolin; more recent recordings have a more fluid lineup and increasingly orchestral textures. The group is a key representative of the Chicago alt country musical scene.

## History

Bandmembers Darren Richard and Charles Kim first met at Vanderbilt University, and began playing music on the Nashville club scene starting in 1990; in 1994 they moved to Chicago and formed Pinetop Seven. After adding Ryan Hembrey to the lineup in 1995, the band began touring, and eventually landed a record deal with Truckstop Records, who began releasing the band's material in 1997. 1998's *Rigging the Toplights* featured clarinet work from fellow Chicagoan Ken Vandermark. In 2000, Charles Kim left the band, and the group expanded to a larger ensemble featuring more orchestral musical textures, beginning with 2000's *Bringing Home the Last Great Strike*. Their 2005 release *The Night's Bloom* and its subsequent sessions release, *Beneath Confederate Lake*, feature further orchestral exploration, as well as a revamped core of members, featuring original member Richard, trumpeter Nate Walcott, cellist Melissa Bach, bassist Andy Rader, guitarist Mack Hagood, and drummer Ned Folkerth.

Throughout its career, the band has garnered considerable critical acclaim from outlets such as Pitchfork Media, NPR radio, One Times One, The *Orlando Weekly*, Paste Magazine, and others.

A few months after the release of *Beneath Confederate Lake*, Richard enrolled in law school, and the group went on hiatus. As of 2010 Richard was working as a lawyer in the music industry.

## Discography

* *Pinetop Seven* (Truckstop Records, 1997)
* *Rigging the Toplights* (Truckstop/Atavistic Records, 1998)
* *No Breath in the Bellows* EP (Truckstop/Atavistic, 1998)
* *Bringing Home the Last Great Strike* (Atavistic, 2000)
* *Lest We Forget* (2001)
* *The Night's Bloom* (Sky Records/Empyrean Records, 2005)
* *Beneath Confederate Lake* (Sky/Empyrean, 2006)

1. Biography, Allmusic.com
2. Jesse Ashlock,Biography at Epitonic, August 14, 2001. Accessed July 6, 2007.
3. Review of *No Breath in the Bellows*, 9.0/10 rating. Pitchfork Media. Accessed July 6, 2007.
4. Review of *The Night's Bloom*, 8.4/10 rating. Pitchfork Media, October 28, 2005. Accessed July 6, 2007.
5. Review of *Beneath Confederate Lake*, 7.6/10 rating. Pitchfork Media, May 31, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2007
6. Stephen Thompson, A Ghostly Voice That Swoops and Swoons. NPR, April 3, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2007.
7. Audio Review of *Rigging the Toplights*. NPR, December 7, 1998. Accessed July 6, 2007.
8. Review of *The Night's Bloom*, 4.5/5 rating. One Times One, November 19, 2005. Accessed July 6, 2007.
9. Review of *Beneath Confederate Lake*, 4/5 rating. One Times One, July 3, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2007.
10. Review of *The Night's Bloom*, *Orlando Weekly*. Accessed July 6, 2007.
11. Stephen Deusner, Late, But Great. Paste Magazine, feature, October 13, 2005. Accessed July 6, 2007.
12. Former Rocker with Pinetop Seven playing up musical skill set in business law career. *Columbus Business First*, October 11, 2010.

## InfoBox

| Pinetop Seven | |
| --- | --- |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | Alt country
Indie rock |
| Years active | 19942006 |
| Labels | Truckstop Records
Empyrean Records
Atavistic Records |
|  | |
| Members | Darren Richard
Nate Walcott
Melissa Bach
Mack Hagood
Ned Folkerth |
|  | |
| Past members | Charles Kim
Ryan Hembrey |


title: John McCarthy (Australian diplomat)

abstract: John Philip McCarthy is a former Australian diplomat.

text:
# John McCarthy (Australian diplomat)

**John Philip McCarthy** AO (born 29 November 1942) is a former Australian diplomat.

## Biography

Born in Washington, D.C., McCarthy was educated at Downside School, Somerset, in England and studied at Jesus College, Cambridge. He received a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Cambridge University. He was a barrister-at-law and practised in London from 1965 to 1967. He worked with the New York City Law Firm of Shearman & Sterling from 1966 to 1967 and joined the Department of External Affairs in Canberra in 1968.

McCarthy was senior private secretary to the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andrew Peacock, between December 1978 and November 1980. Peacock later succeeded McCarthy as Australian Ambassador to the United States in 1997.

McCarthy served as Australia's representative in the following posts:

He also served in diplomatic posts in Damascus, Baghdad and Vientiane.

McCarthy was appointed an Officer of the Order for Australia (AO) in 1999 for service to the enhancement of Australia's international reputation and to the development of Australian regional policy while serving as Australia's Ambassador to Indonesia in Jakarta.

## Personal

McCarthy has two daughters with ex-wife Zorica McCarthy.

## Honours

## InfoBox

| John McCarthyAO | |
| --- | --- |
| McCarthy in 2013 | |
|  | |
| Ambassador of Australia to Vietnam | |
| **In office**
1981 (1981)–1983 (1983) | |
| Prime Minister |  |
| Preceded by | Philip Knight |
| Succeeded by | Richard Broinowski |
| 14th Ambassador of Australia to Japan | |
| **In office**
11 June 2001 (2001-06-11)  15 July 2004 (2004-07-15) | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Peter Grey |
| Succeeded by | Murray McLean |
| 20th Ambassador of Australia to
the United States | |
| **In office**
5 December 1995  1 February 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Don Russell |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Peacock |
|  | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Philip McCarthy
(1942-11-29) 29 November 1942
Washington, D.C., United States |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Children | Two daughters |
| Parent(s) | Edwin McCarthy and
Marjorie Mary Graham |
| Alma mater | Jesus College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Diplomat, Lawyer, Barrister |
|  | |


title: Piscadera Bay

abstract: Piscadera Bay is a waterway and a neighbourhood in the Netherlands Antilles. It is situated at the western side of Otrobanda, in the southern part of Willemstad, the capital of the southern Caribbean island of Curaçao. It contains a fort of the same name, the Caribbean Marine Biological Institute, and several hotels. It has a small beach, as well as a vacation village and holiday resort, with tennis courts and casinos. Sint Anna Bay is nearby. In the 17th century, maps of Piscadera Bay showed it to be a popular locale for fishing, with over 400 different species noted.

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# Piscadera Bay

**Piscadera Bay** (Dutch: *Piscaderabaai*) is a waterway and a neighbourhood in the Netherlands Antilles. It is situated at the western side of Otrobanda, in the southern part of Willemstad, the capital of the southern Caribbean island of Curaçao. It contains a fort of the same name, the Caribbean Marine Biological Institute, and several hotels. It has a small beach, as well as a vacation village and holiday resort, with tennis courts and casinos. Sint Anna Bay is nearby. In the 17th century, maps of Piscadera Bay showed it to be a popular locale for fishing, with over 400 different species noted.

## History

Three hills (Veerisberg, Evertzberg and the Seru Pretu) dominate the landscape around the bay. In the late 17th century, plantation Veeris owned by Anton Veeris was established around the bay. The plantations Raphaël and Klein Piscadera followed later. Fort Piscadera was constructed in the 1700s, and rebuilt in 1744. After the abolition of slavery in 1863, a village developed based on agriculture and fishery. In November 1930, the village was annexed by Willemstad. In the 1930s, employees of Royal Dutch Shell settled in the village as well as Lebanese businessmen. From the 1960s onwards, luxury holiday resorts developed along the coast.

## Landmarks

### Fort Piscadera

In order to provide protection to Piscadera Bay, a fort was constructed on the cliffs overlooking the bay in 1700s, however it fell into neglect. The fort was restructed in 1744. It was seized by the British army in 1804 for a week in order to bombard Willemstad. This attack was unsuccessful and the invading troops were forced to leave the fort. By the 1950s, it had disappeared in the vegetation, and it was decided to restore the fort. The fort is in a dilapidated state in the precincts of the Curaçao Resort.

### Research

In 1955, the head of the Petroleum Industry in Curaçao proposed funding for setting up of a scientific institution on the Piscadera Bay as it was found to be a perfect location for research, and then plans were prepared to establish the institution. The research station, known as the Caribbean Marine Biological Institute (CARMABI) was soon established at the open end of the bay to conduct research in the field of ecology—fisheries in particular. Renamed Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity Foundation after a merger with National Parks Foundation of the Netherlands Antilles (STINAPA), but still referred to as CARMABI, or CARMABI Foundation, it is "the largest field station in the Southern Caribbean".

### Commercial

One of the notable hotels overlooking Piscadera Bay is the Floris Suite Hotel. It contains 72 suites, each with their own patio. The hotel's open-air restaurant, *Sjalotte*, serves Mediterranean cuisine. The Hilton Curaçao Resort, set in 25 acres (10 ha) gardens, contains 197 rooms and a 5,000 square feet (460 m2) Las Vegas-style casino, with three restaurants, its own brewery, and a dive centre. The luxury five-star four-diamond Marriott Beach Resort and Emerald Casino contains 237 rooms and 10 suites, and like the Hilton contains a casino to attract American tourists. The Marriott also has a dive centre and a water bar serving drinks. Other seaside landmarks are a convention and trade center, as well as the recreational area of Koredor.

## Bibliography

## InfoBox

| Piscadera Bay Piscaderabaai | |
| --- | --- |
| Neighbourhood / Bay | |
| Piscadera Bay and fort | |
| Piscadera BayLocation in Curaçao | |
| Coordinates: 12°07′30″N 68°58′00″W / 12.1249°N 68.9668°W / 12.1249; -68.9668 | |
| State | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Country | Curaçao |
| City | Willemstad |
| Area | |
| Total | 3.62 km2 (1.40 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| Total | 787 |
| Density | 220/km2 (560/sq mi) |


title: John R. Thistlethwaite

abstract: John R. Thistlethwaite Jr. was an American journalist who founded the Daily World of Opelousas, Louisiana on December 24, 1939, the first American small town daily newspaper to use offset and photo-offset printing. Ducote “Duke” Andrepont was the newspaper's cofounder. Photo-offset is a method of offset printing using photomechanical plates. A photographic image is first taken of a "dummy" version of a newspaper, and the image is then transferred to chemically treated plates. The plates transfer the image to a rubber "blanket" which is wrapped around a cylinder of a printing press which then contacts paper to print the newspaper. The first edition of the World was a tabloid style newspaper of thirty-eight pages, and used two colors on its front page. As a tabloid, it had a local focus, a smaller circulation, and its pages were smaller in size than a traditional broadsheet newspaper. As recognition of its contribution to journalism through the groundbreaking use of photo-offset printing in a daily newspaper, a copy of the first edition of the Daily World resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C. Offset printing and photo-offset printing remain the primary means of printing newspapers today.

text:
# John R. Thistlethwaite

**John R. Thistlethwaite Jr.** (July 16, 1918 – April 6, 1996) was an American journalist who founded the *Daily World* of Opelousas, Louisiana on December 24, 1939, the first American small town daily newspaper to use offset and photo-offset printing. Ducote “Duke” Andrepont was the newspaper's cofounder.

Photo-offset is a method of offset printing using photomechanical plates. A photographic image is first taken of a "dummy" version of a newspaper, and the image is then transferred to chemically treated plates. The plates transfer the image to a rubber "blanket" which is wrapped around a cylinder of a printing press which then contacts paper to print the newspaper. The first edition of the *World* was a tabloid style newspaper of thirty-eight pages, and used two colors on its front page. As a tabloid, it had a local focus, a smaller circulation, and its pages were smaller in size than a traditional broadsheet newspaper.

As recognition of its contribution to journalism through the groundbreaking use of photo-offset printing in a daily newspaper, a copy of the first edition of the *Daily World* resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C. Offset printing and photo-offset printing remain the primary means of printing newspapers today.

## Early life

John R. Thistlethwaite Jr. was born into what would become a family of five children on July 16, 1918, in Washington, Louisiana, to John Richmond Thistlethwaite Sr., and Charlotte Frere Thistlethwaite. Thistlewaite's father died during the depression in 1934. Thistlethwaite attended Tulane University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism in the spring of 1939. During his years at Tulane, he was editor of the Tulane *Jambalaya* university yearbook and on the editorial staff of the school's student newspaper, the *Tulane Hullabaloo*.

After 1941, during World War II, Rigby Owen served as the *World's* editor while Thistlethwaite was a Marine aviator who attained the rank of captain flying the fast and effective F4U Corsair in the South Pacific. In the early years of the war the Corsair was largely deployed with land-based Marine squadrons, but also functioned less frequently as a carrier fighter for the Marines on smaller escort carriers in later years of the war. Thistlethwaite resumed his editor and publisher duties on his return from the war.

## Creation of *Daily World*

Unable to find employment as a journalist during the depression, at the age of twenty-one Thistlethwaite and his friend Ducote Andrepont decided to start their own newspaper in Opelousas, despite the small town already having two newspapers, the weekly *Clarion News*, and semi-weekly *Opeloussas Herald*. Their greatest obstacle was the challenge many newspapers faced from a diminishing circulation due to the effects of the depression.

Both Thistlethwaite and Andrepont first attended technical school and visited other print offices to become familiar with the newspaper industry and the challenges presented by offset printing. Thistlethwaite attended the Technical Trade School at Pressman’s Home, Tenn., and interviewed trade authorities in a number of states to obtain more information about journalism and how he could effectively use photo-offset printing to publish his small town newspaper.

The first edition of the *Daily World* was printed on December 24, 1939 at 226 W. Landry St. in downtown Opelousas. In October 1940, nine months after printing its first edition, *Daily World* printed a statement of ownership listing John Thistlethwaite as the primary publisher of the newspaper and noted eight original primary stock holders from Louisiana. These included their publishing company World News Incorporated, John Thistlethwaite, his Uncle Hugh, his mother Charlotte, and his partner D. Andrepont; the primary mortgagees included Mergenthaler Linotype, the leading system of the era for casting metal type in lines.

## *Daily World* original staff

Ducote Andrepont, the son of an Opelousas publisher, and a journalism major at Louisiana State and the University of Oklahoma, served as advertising manager for the *World* and secretary-treasurer of the newspaper's publisher, World News Company Inc. Thistlethwaite served as President of their publishing company World News.

Jim Fitzgibbons served as the newspaper's original managing editor, supporting the advertising efforts of the paper, and managing the paper's business concerns. Fitzgibbons, of Monahans, Texas, had gained recognition for the sale of his newspaper, the *Monahans Express*, one of the first newspapers in America to use photo-offset printing. It was his experience in this innovative printing method that caused *Daily World* publishers to ask him to join their staff. Burton Grindstaff, of Hugo, Oklahoma, served as the newspaper's first editor, where he managed the news department and wrote a daily comment column. John's mother, Charlotte Frere Dubuisson, served originally as society editor. She was a college graduate, a former Washington teacher, and twenty year resident of Opelousas. Bill Lawless, staff photographer, had studied chemical engineering at Tulane University for two years from 1937-8, an education that would help prepare him for the challenges of the photo offset printing process.

Phil Tubesing, an engraver, had studied at the Chicago School of Printing and Lithography to learn the Photo-Offset process. At the *Daily World*, Tubesing photographed the “dummy” pages of the *World* and made plates so they could be reproduced on a printing press. Andrew Dossman, Jr., the paper's pressman, had also completed a course at the Chicago School of Printing and Lithography, and was responsible for taking the plates from Tubesing and printing the paper. Ralph Hubbard, linotype operator and compositor had twenty five years experience in newspaper work, and specific experience with photo offset printing.

### *Daily World* history

The *Daily World* was sold to Worrel Newspapers Inc. in 1972. The New York Times Company acquired eight daily papers, including the *TimesDaily*, from Worrell in 1982. Gannett Company acquired the *Daily World* from the Times Company in 2000.

## Death and legacy

Thistlethwaite died the morning of Saturday, April 6, 1996, at Opelousas General Hospital, still a resident of Opelousas. Religious services were held at United Methodist Church, Opelousas, on April 9, conducted by the Rev. Ted Standley, and he was buried in the town's Bellevue Memorial Park Cemetery. He was a member of the Boston Club of New Orleans, the board of regent of the Louisiana Universities, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1973, a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Tulane University, a former member of Opelousas City Planning Commission, and a former president of the Louisiana Press Association from 1959-60. He was a recipient of the Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award and the Sertoma Service to Mankind Award.

The *Daily World* continues today and is available online.

## InfoBox

| John Richmond Thistlethwaite Jr. | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Born | (1918-07-16)July 16, 1918
Washington, Louisiana |
| Died | April 6, 1996(1996-04-06) (aged 77)
Opelousas, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | B. A. Tulane University, 1939
Journalism |
| Known for | Founder of the *Daily World*
First daily photo-offset newspaper |
| Spouse | Patricia Ann Norman |
| Children | 5 sons |


title: Rastislav Dej

abstract: Rastislav Dej is a Slovak professional ice hockey player currently playing for HC Vítkovice Ridera in the Czech Extraliga (ELH). Dej has previously played in the Extraliga for HC Karlovy Vary, Motor České Budějovice and Mountfield HK.

text:
# Rastislav Dej

**Rastislav Dej** (born September 12, 1988) is a Slovak professional ice hockey player currently playing for HC Vítkovice Ridera in the Czech Extraliga (ELH).

Dej has previously played in the Extraliga for HC Karlovy Vary, Motor České Budějovice and Mountfield HK.

## InfoBox

| Rastislav Dej | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Born | (1988-09-12) September 12, 1988
Považská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia | | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | | |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | | |
| Position | Forward | | |
| Shoots | Left | | |
| ELH team
Former teams | *HC Vítkovice*
HC Karlovy Vary
Motor České Budějovice
Mountfield HK | | |
| Playing career | 2007present | | |


title: Hưng Khánh Trung A

abstract: Hưng Khánh Trung A is a commune (xã) of Mỏ Cày Bắc District, Bến Tre Province, Vietnam. The commune covers an area of 13.32 km². In 1999 it had a population of 8,760.

text:
# Hưng Khánh Trung A

**Hưng Khánh Trung A** is a commune (xã) of Mỏ Cày Bắc District, Bến Tre Province, Vietnam. The commune covers an area of 13.32 km². In 1999 it had a population of 8,760.

## InfoBox

| Hưng Khánh Trung A Xã Hưng Khánh Trung A | |
| --- | --- |
| Commune and village | |
| Location in Mỏ Cày Bắc District | |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Region | Mekong Delta |
| Province | Bến Tre |
| District | Mỏ Cày Bắc |
| Area | |
| Total | 13.32 km2 (5.14 sq mi) |
| Population (1999) | |
| Total | 8,760 |
| Density | 658/km2 (1,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (UTC + 7) |
| Postal code | 28901 |


title: Gaël Assumani

abstract: Gaël Assumani is a Congolese boxer who crowned champion of the Democratic Republic of Congo lightweight in 2020 and 2021.

text:
# Gaël Assumani

**Gaël Assumani** (born 29 March 1995) is a Congolese boxer who crowned champion of the Democratic Republic of Congo lightweight in 2020 and 2021.

## Biography

Gaël Assumani was born on March 29, 1995, in Nyakunde, located southwest of Bunia, in the territory of Irumu. He becomes Democratic Republic of Congo lightweight champion on November 28, 2020, after his victory against Abass Habamungu from South Kivu and once again, he won this title in the ring in June 2021 in Goma, after five rounds of perfect equality and sanctioned by huge blows on both sides by K.O, against Sylvain Muhindo.

## InfoBox

Gaël Assumani
| Personal information | |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Gaël Assumani |
| Nickname | Nyama Fighter |
| Nationality | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Born | (1995-03-29) March 29, 1995<br>Nyakunde, Orientale Province |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Boxing |
| Weight class | lightweight |


title: Mario Lisson

abstract: Mario Lisson Ortega is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop and current manager of the Wilmington Blue Rocks. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Kansas City Royals on April 1, 2002.

text:
# Mario Lisson

**Mario Lisson Ortega** (born May 31, 1984 in Caracas, Miranda State, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop and current manager of the Wilmington Blue Rocks. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Kansas City Royals on April 1, 2002.

## Professional career

### Kansas City Royals

On April 1, 2002, Lisson signed with the Kansas City Royals organization as an international free agent. He made his professional debut with the rookie ball GCL Royals. Lisson did not play in 2003 and spent the 2004 season with the rookie ball Idaho Falls Chukars, slashing .289/.398/.438 with 8 home runs and 49 RBI. In 2005, he played for the Single-A Burlington Bees, batting .250/.386/.408 in 78 games. He remained in Burlington for the 2006 season, hitting .263/.368/.421 with 13 home runs and 73 RBI in 130 games. Lisson spent the next year with the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks, batting .285/.348/.408 in 126 contests.

On November 20, 2007, Lisson was added to Kansas City's 40-man roster. He spent the 2008 season in Double-A with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, slashing .225/.284/.374 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI. He split the 2009 season between the Triple-A Omaha Royals and Northwest Arkansas, hitting .227/.283/.373 between the two teams. On January 25, 2010, Lisson was designated for assignment by the Royals to clear room on the 40-man roster for Rick Ankiel. He did not play in a game in 2010 and re-signed with the Royals on November 18, 2010, on a new minor league contract. Lisson spent the 2011 season with Northwestern Arkansas, slashing .293/.372/.527 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI. He elected free agency after the season and again re-signed with Kansas City on November 10, on another minor league deal. He again played in Northwest Arkansas for the 2012 season, where he hit .247/.338/.410 in 116 games. On November 2, 2012, Lisson elected free agency.

### Guerreros de Oaxaca

On March 20, 2013, Lisson signed with the Guerreros de Oaxaca of the Mexican League. In 36 games for Oaxaca, Lisson batted .264/.331/.493 with 8 home runs and 22 RBI.

### Petroleros de Minatitlan

On May 13, 2013, Lisson was traded to the Petroleros de Minatitlan of the Mexican League. He hit .254/.361/.430 in 30 games before being released by the club on June 24, 2013.

On January 7, 2014, Lisson playing for the Magallanes tied a mark in the Venezuelan League with three home runs in a postseason game.

### San Francisco Giants

On December 13, 2013, Lisson signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants organization. He spent the year with the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels, where he was the team's regular third baseman On the year, he batted .266 with 18 home runs and 76 RBI.

### Washington Nationals

On December 12, 2014, Lisson signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals organization. He split the year between the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs and the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, slashing .269/.321/.366 with 6 home runs and 37 RBI. On November 7, 2015, he elected free agency.

### Saraperos Saltillo

On February 19, 2016, Lisson signed with the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League. Lisson batted .278/.398/.474 in 111 games and was a mid-season all-star.

### Washington Nationals (second stint)

On March 18, 2017, Lisson signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals. He split the year between Triple-A Syracuse and Double-A Harrisburg, slashing .191/.278/.348 between the two clubs. On November 6, Lisson elected free agency.

## Coaching career

Lisson was named manager of the GCL Nationals, the rookie ball affiliate of the Washington Nationals, for the 2018 season. Lisson managed the club through the 2019 season. On December 19, 2019, Lisson was named the manager of the Single-A Hagerstown Suns. However, Lisson never managed the club due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 15, 2020, the Nationals announced that Lisson would manage the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals for the 2021 season. Lisson led the team to a 44-76 record in 2021 following an 0-15 start.

In January 2022, The Nationals named Lisson the manager of Single-A Wilmington Blue Rocks for the 2022 season.

## InfoBox

| Mario Lisson | |
| --- | --- |
| Lisson with the Burlington Bees in 2006 | |
| **Infielder** | |
| **Born:**  (1984-05-31) May 31, 1984<br>Caracas, Venezuela | |
| **Bats:** Right**Throws:** Right | |
|  | |


title: Murder of Michael Gilbert

abstract: The murder of Michael Gilbert occurred in 2009 in the United Kingdom. His decapitated body was found in a lake in Arlesey, Bedfordshire. He had for years been kept as a slave and subjected to abuse by the Watt family, six of whom – including James Watt, the ringleader – were jailed for their role in the murder. Gilbert, who had an unstable childhood, was considered a vulnerable and naive man who was easily exploited. After his death, reports were published by Luton Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Board (LSVAB) and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which identified failings by public services involved in Gilbert's case.

text:
# Murder of Michael Gilbert

The **murder of Michael Gilbert** occurred in 2009 in the United Kingdom. His decapitated body was found in a lake in Arlesey, Bedfordshire. He had for years been kept as a slave and subjected to abuse by the Watt family, six of whom – including James Watt, the ringleader – were jailed for their role in the murder. Gilbert, who had an unstable childhood, was considered a vulnerable and naive man who was easily exploited.

After his death, reports were published by Luton Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Board (LSVAB) and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which identified failings by public services involved in Gilbert's case.

## Background

Gilbert was born in 1982 into an unstable home, and spent parts of his childhood in care. He was the third of five children. The family moved frequently. In 1993, his sister accused him of having sexually assaulted her; the result of this sexual assault investigation was inconclusive. In 1997, his mother told police that Gilbert had sexually assaulted a boy. He attended Halyard High School and was bullied at school, and underwent a mastectomy when he was 13. He met Watt in 1998 when they were both living in a children's home. He was also bullied at children's homes and seen as easy to manipulate. By 2000, Gilbert had several criminal convictions and cautions, and had spent time in prison and in a Young Offenders' Institution; Watt was also well known to the police.

## Abuse and death

After leaving the children's home, Gilbert continued to associate with Watt, moving in and out of Watt's various Luton homes until his death. While living with the Watt family, he was frequently beaten and tortured, forced to work as a slave, and had his benefit money taken from him. The abuse, some of which was captured on video, included: being stabbed, hit with a baseball bat, shot at with an air pistol, forced to drink his own urine, and forced to stand in boiling water. He was also forced to sleep chained to his bed to stop him from escaping. When he did escape, the Watt family would use his National Insurance number to find out where he was claiming his benefits so they could bring him back, although there were occasions when he returned of his own volition. Gilbert's sister was Watt's girlfriend and lived with him during the early part of the abuse; she later told the court she had seen Gilbert being attacked and had suffered violence herself.

The Watt family was described by the LSVAB report as a "caricature of the neighbours from hell", and was, according to Julian Sturdy of BBC News, "Luton's most notorious anti-social neighbours." The family, most of whom were unemployed, moved addresses continuously, kept pit-bull-type dogs and giant lizards, and were known for their violence and criminality; by 2001 the police had visited the family 112 times.

On 10 May 2009, Gilbert's decapitated body, with various other parts missing, was found in the Blue Lagoon; the head and the other parts were not found until February 2010. Detectives believe he died overnight between 21 and 22 January 2009. A murder investigation was started and several arrests were made. The pathologist who examined the body found that the aorta had been cut, there were stab wounds on the chest, and internal injuries to the stomach and intestine, but was unsure of the precise cause of death.

## Trial

The trial into the murder began in February 2010. In April, James Watt; his girlfriend, Natasha Oldfield; and Nichola Roberts, the girlfriend of James's brother Richard, were found guilty of Gilbert's murder. Richard Watt; Robert Watt, James's brother; and the mother of the brothers, Jennifer Smith-Dennis, were found guilty of familial homicide. All six were also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. Antonio Watt, the father of the brothers, was acquitted of familial homicide and perverting the course of justice. James Watt received a sentence of 36 years, Oldfield 18, Roberts 15, Richard 6, Robert 8, and Smith-Dennis 10. The judge, John Bevan, considered giving James Watt a whole-life sentence, but did not because he thought he would have regarded it as a "badge of honour". Bevan described the case as a "grotesque story", and said Michael Gilbert had died a "cruel, lonely and violent death".

In May 2011, Richard Watt had his sentence reduced to four years on appeal because he helped to convict the others and to find the other body parts. The appeals of Watt, Oldfield, and Roberts were rejected.

## Aftermath

LSVAB published a Serious Case Review in 2011 which found that the response by police, social workers and medical professionals involved in his case was inadequate. It made eight recommendations for improvement. The report said that Gilbert's childhood led to his being "literally and emotionally abandoned without consistent or predictable guidance".

A report was published by the IPCC in 2011 which found that three police investigations involving Gilbert were flawed.

Following the report by the Luton board, Trevor Holden, chief executive of Luton Borough Council, said "the council and its partners are determined to learn the lessons from this Serious Case Review".

## Notes and references

**Notes**

**References**

1. "The Murder of Adult A (Michael Gilbert)", p. 2.
2. "The Murder of Adult A (Michael Gilbert)", p. 3.
3. "New headless body murder charges | Local News in Luton, Dunstable and Bedfordshire". Luton-dunstable.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
4. "The Murder of Adult A (Michael Gilbert)", p. 4.
5. Kelly, Jon. "Life of abuse from people Michael Gilbert called family". BBC News. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
6. "Michael Gilbert: Missed opportunities in 'slave' case" Archived 29 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
7. "Lagoon victim's sister 'attacked in house'" Archived 29 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
8. "The Murder of Adult A (Michael Gilbert)", p. 14.
9. Sturdy, Julian. "Watt family terrorised neighbours on Luton's estates" Archived 29 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 23 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
10. "The Murder of Adult A (Michael Gilbert)", pp. 4–5.
11. "Three guilty of Arlesey lagoon 'slave' murder" Archived 29 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
12. "More arrests over decapitated man" Archived 18 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
13. "Blue Lagoon pathologist unsure of cause of death". BBC News. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
14. Jones, Sam. "Family jailed for Blue Lagoon murder" Archived 10 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine. *The Guardian*. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
15. "Life terms for Blue Lagoon 'slave' murderers" Archived 17 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
16. "Man involved in Luton slave murder has sentence cut" Archived 29 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
17. "Michael Gilbert: Police lagoon victim probes 'flawed'" Archived 29 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
18. "Video: Important lessons to be learned from Michael Gilbert case". lutontoday.co.uk. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011. Archived 17 July 2011.

## Sources

## Further reading

## InfoBox

| Michael Gilbert | |
| --- | --- |
| Born | 3 September 1982 |
| Died | 21/22 January 2009 (age 26) |
| Cause of death | murder |
| Body discovered | Arlesey, England, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |


title: Gulsvik

abstract: Gulsvik is a village in the municipality of Flå in Buskerud, Norway. It is located in Hallingdal at the north end of Lake Krøderen. The center of the village lies at Gulsvik Rail Station. Bergensbanen railway terminated at Gulsvik Station from 1908 until the line was completed in 1909. With its location at the top of Lake Krøderen, Gulsvik was a key port on the lake. When the ferry over Lake Krøderen was established, Gulsvik became the natural port on the northern side, with accommodations for tourism. Hallingporten is a 65 m long tunnel on Norwegian National Road 7 just north of Gulsvik. The tunnel has a distinctive shape. The reason for this is that the current road tunnel has been added where there was previously a tog tunnel. The Hallingporten upper level is thus the old tog tunnel. There were skirmishes here in April 1940 during the Fighting in Hallingdal. The name Gulsvik is connected to the original farm of Gulsvik. The Gulsvik farm was known from the Middle Ages, when the owners were among the most prominent people in lower Hallingdal. In the late middle ages, the owners of Gulsvik farm were noblemen in allegiance to the king of Norway. The old Gulsvik clan is said to be one of the most widespread families in lower Buskerud, descending from a Birkebeiner soldier in the service of King Sverre. Dating from 1430, the farm became divided, as time passed into upper, middle and lower Gulsvik. This area is called Gulsvik Farthing (Gulsvikfjerdingen) and contains a number of farms. The wider area south of Gulsvik was settled just as early, and the proper name of the area is Southern Flå Municipality, reckoned from the border of Krødsherad up to the end of Lake Krøderen. The Gulsvik Farthing is to the north, close up to Hallingdal gate, an entrance into the valley of Hallingdal.

text:
# Gulsvik

**Gulsvik** is a village in the municipality of Flå in Buskerud, Norway. It is located in Hallingdal at the north end of Lake Krøderen.

The center of the village lies at Gulsvik Rail Station. Bergensbanen railway terminated at Gulsvik Station from 1908 until the line was completed in 1909. With its location at the top of Lake Krøderen, Gulsvik was a key port on the lake. When the ferry over Lake Krøderen was established, Gulsvik became the natural port on the northern side, with accommodations for tourism.

Hallingporten is a 65 m long tunnel on Norwegian National Road 7 (*Riksvei 7*) just north of Gulsvik. The tunnel has a distinctive shape. The reason for this is that the current road tunnel has been added where there was previously a tog tunnel. The Hallingporten upper level is thus the old tog tunnel. There were skirmishes here in April 1940 during the Fighting in Hallingdal.

The name Gulsvik is connected to the original farm of Gulsvik. The Gulsvik farm was known from the Middle Ages, when the owners were among the most prominent people in lower Hallingdal.

In the late middle ages, the owners of Gulsvik farm were noblemen in allegiance to the king of Norway. The old Gulsvik clan is said to be one of the most widespread families in lower Buskerud, descending from a Birkebeiner soldier in the service of King Sverre. Dating from 1430, the farm became divided, as time passed into upper, middle and lower Gulsvik (*Gulsvik nordre*, *Gulsvik mellom* and *Gulsvik søndre*).

This area is called Gulsvik Farthing (*Gulsvikfjerdingen*) and contains a number of farms. The wider area south of Gulsvik was settled just as early, and the proper name of the area is Southern Flå Municipality, reckoned from the border of Krødsherad up to the end of Lake Krøderen (*Innsjøen Krøderen*). The Gulsvik Farthing is to the north, close up to Hallingdal gate, an entrance into the valley of Hallingdal.

60°23′N 9°35′E / 60.383°N 9.583°E / 60.383; 9.583


title: Valentine Public School

abstract: The Valentine Public School, at 3rd and Macomb Sts. in Valentine, Nebraska, was built in 1897. It has also been known as Centennial Hall.

text:
# Valentine Public School

The **Valentine Public School**, at 3rd and Macomb Sts. in Valentine, Nebraska, was built in 1897. It has also been known as Centennial Hall.

## History and significance

It was deemed significant for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, in 1984, as being a relatively rare example of a school used for first grade through high school, originally, and for its Queen Anne style "character combined with Romanesque Revival elements".

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

## Present day

It is now operated as a museum, the **Centennial Hall Museum**.

Two other Nebraska schools that combined elementary and high schools and are listed on the National Register are the 1903-built Glenville School and the Steele City School, both in southeastern Nebraska.

## InfoBox

|  | |
| --- | --- |
| Valentine Public School | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
|  | |
|  | |
|  | |
| Location | 3rd and Macomb Sts., Valentine, Nebraska |
| Coordinates | 42°52′31″N 100°32′48″W / 42.87528°N 100.54667°W / 42.87528; -100.54667 |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1897 |
| Built by | Beindorff, Charles F.; Fletcher & Stolze |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 84002454 |
| Added to NRHP | June 14, 1984 |


title: Guide for the Halakhic Minyan

abstract: "Guide for the Halakhic Minyan" is a work published to provide Jewish worship groups, especially Partnership minyans, with halachic sources that support the participation of women in leadership roles in traditional worship services, including the reading from the Sefer Torah, Haftarah, and other special biblical readings, such as the Book of Esther on the Jewish festival of Purim.

text:
# Guide for the Halakhic Minyan

**"Guide for the Halakhic Minyan"** is a work published to provide Jewish worship groups, especially Partnership minyans, with *halachic* (Jewish legal) sources that support the participation of women in leadership roles in traditional worship services, including the reading from the Sefer Torah (Torah scroll), Haftarah (biblical prophetic portions), and other special biblical readings, such as the Book of Esther on the Jewish festival of Purim.

## New lay-led Jewish worship groups

Independent minyan is a type of lay-led Jewish worship and study communities that attempt to combine a commitment to traditional worship and egalitarianism in groups that normally avoid identification with one specific Jewish religious movement. The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) refers to partnership minyan similar groups within the Orthodox Jewish community that attempt to involve women in worship services to the maximum extent possible in terms of traditional Jewish legal decisions, while still identifying with the Modern Orthodox community, within the larger movement of Orthodox Judaism.

The word *minyan*, used in both of terms, comes from the Hebrew word (**מנין**) for the prayer quorum traditionally required for a full Jewish prayer service.

## Background

In 2008, PhD candidates Michal Bar-Asher Siegal and her spouse Elitzur A. Bar-Asher Siegal, who were serving "as halachic consultants" to minyanim in Boston and New Haven, were approached "about formulating a guide for congregations looking to establish egalitarian minyans." They subsequently published the "Guide for the 'Halakhic Minyan.'"

The Bar-Asher Siegals are "Israeli scholars," who, at the time the guide was published, were PhD candidates in the United States. Elitzur A. Bar-Asher Siegal was a PhD candidate in Semitic Philology at Harvard University and lecturer in Semitics at Yale University’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal was in the PhD program in the Judaic Studies program, Ancient Judaism at Yale University, a member of the Talmud department at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a visiting lecturer in the department of Religion at Smith College.

## Limits

Their "Guide to the 'Halakhic Minyan'" lists sources that give some direct support to the participation of women in various parts of the worship service, and also includes suggestions—specifically described as carrying "no halakhic weight" (no legal status)--such as the procedure that might be followed for passing the Torah scroll through the men's and women's seating sections. The guide includes the following disclaimer:

> This guide does not attempt to create a unified practice among different congregations. It means only to present to interested readers the conclusions reached by those who have founded and designed the various congregations. The guide outlines the practices that we have deemed permissible; each congregation should come to its own conclusions according to its reasoning and circumstances.

The guide is meant to help minyanim seeking halakhic justification for expansion of women in leadership roles in different areas of the service and in different ways, whether or not complete egalitarianism, equal roles, is part of the minyan's self-described vision or goals: "While many...minyanim aim to extend participation to women as far as Halacha permits, they are by no means egalitarian - hence the phrase 'halachic minyan' in the title of the guide, and not 'egalitarian minyan.'"

One example of "partnership" which would not be considered "egal" is the suggestion that in minyanim where only men are allowed to "sound" the shofar (ram's horn), women could call out the commands that describe the pattern of sounds called for at that point in the service.

The authors of the guide go on to say that, "We are engaged in a continuous process of study and clarification. Therefore, this guide should not be taken as comprehensive, and no inference should be made from silence.”

## Content

The Guide's introduction includes the following description of three general categories of prayers as they relate to the leadership role of women:

> From the perspective of the halakhic feasibility of women’s leadership, the prayer service may be divided into three categories:
>
> 1. Parts for which there is no reason to forbid women’s leadership. Typically these parts may be left out of the service, or may be led even by a child.
> 2. Parts of the service for which there is reason to think that women’s leadership would be problematic (devarim shebikdusha, sections that involve positive time-bound commandments or in which the leader fulfills the congregation’s obligation, etc.), but for which women’s leadership is in fact explicitly licensed among some (if in certain cases only a minority of) halachic decisors.
>
> 3. Parts where women are apparently barred from fulfilling the congregation’s obligation, though even here halachic solutions can be advanced.

The Guide then attempts to apply these classifications to sections of the service, in the following areas:

## Response

Many readers welcomed the guide, and the Bar-Asher Siegals report that they "have received a constant flow of correspondence" since the Guide's publication. A number of minyanim, like Minyan Urim at Yale, linked the Guide to their websites.

However, there were negative reactions to its publication, as well. For example, in a *Jerusalem Post* op-ed, Alan Haber wrote that the guide is "not a work of halacha" because:

* The guide "utilizes sources selectively and partially, without regard to majority opinion or precedent."
* It sometimes issues rulings "in express contradiction to the conclusion drawn by the authorities they cite as proof."
* It assesses sources "tendentiously", seeking to find sources to justify a pre-determined agenda rather than to neutrally discern the intent of the earlier authorities.
* Its authors are not rabbis, and are seeking to determine by lay decision-making matters on which Rabbinic Judaism defers to rabbis."

Haber wrote that the final point reveals a "fundamental deficiency" of the Guide, because:

More than anything else, Halacha requires submission to the authority of poskim - halachic decisors. One is free to choose a halachic authority who shares one's world view, and there is also room for debate about the exact scope and extent of the posek's authority. But Halacha is a system of law based on commandments; it is not source material for independent decision-making.".

However, this is exactly the position the authors of the Guide seek to refute. Elitzur Bar-Asher Siegal states, “If you have the knowledge, you just don’t need a rabbi.... In fact, what you actually see is we will always be much closer to the text because if you have a mediator they manipulate the text.”

“We say," he continues, "if you look very carefully at the sources ... if you look at them carefully, there’s a lot of opportunity for women to be incorporated or lead those prayer services....The problem is, if you’re dealing with the establishment, that’s much harder to do.”

In terms of the charge sometimes leveled against them that the couple approaches halakhah "with an agenda," both Elitzur and Michal admit that this claim is true, and that they both are in favor of "gender equality." However, in their opinion there is nothing wrong with such a goal, so long as they respect the law:

"The important thing is that we are obligated by halachah and recognise that we can't actively change any existing rules. That does not mean there is anything wrong with searching to find out if there are things that sources allow women to do which they just don't tend to do."  1. "New Guide for the Halachic and Egalitarian, Ynet.news, Oct 2, 2008.
2. "An Orthodox woman can lead the prayers," The Jewish Chronicle Online, Nov 6, 2008.
3. "First Guide for Inclusive Prayer Services is Published", *Jerusalem Post*, Feb 19, 2008.
4. Alan Haber, "Egalitarian minyanim? Not authentic. Not Orthodox", *Jerusalem Post*, February 27, 2008.
5. "No rabbi needed as Jewish group adapts customs," New Haven Register, Sep 29, 2008.

## Further reading

* Eliav Shochetman. *Sinay* 135-136 (2005), pp. 271–336 (Article by Hebrew University Law School professor criticizing Mendel Shapiro's analysis )
* Daniel Sperber, *The Path of Halacha, Women Reading the Torah: A Case of Pesika Policy*, Rubin Mass, Jerusalem, 2007 (Hebrew)
* Kevod Hatzibbur: Towards a Contextualist History of Women's Role in Torah Reading *Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues* \- Number 12, Fall 5767/2006, pp. 261–288
* "Dignity of the Congregation" as a Defense Mechanism: A Halakhic Ruling by Rabbi Joseph Messas *Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues* \- Number 13, Fall 5767/2007, pp. 183–206
* Tova Hartman, *Feminism Encounters Traditional Judaism: Resistance and Accommodation*. Brandeis University Press, 2007. ISBN 1-58465-658-1.


title: Mario Liverani

abstract: Mario Liverani, is an Italian historian and Professor of Ancient Near East History at the University of Rome La Sapienza. He is a member of many institutions, such as the American Oriental Society, Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, and doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Copenhagen and the Autonomous University of Madrid.

text:
# Mario Liverani

**Mario Liverani** (born 10 January 1939 in Rome), is an Italian historian and Professor of Ancient Near East History at the University of Rome La Sapienza. He is a member of many institutions, such as the American Oriental Society, Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, and doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Copenhagen and the Autonomous University of Madrid.

## Awards and honors

## Selected works

* *International Relations in the Ancient Near East, 1600-1100 BC.* Studies in Diplomacy. New York: Palgrave, 2001.
* *Myth and Politics in Ancient Near Eastern Historiography*. Written in co-operation with Zainab Bahrani. Studies in Egyptology and the Ancient Near East. London: Equinox, 2004.
* *Israel's History And the History of Israel*. Translated by Chiara Peri and Philip R. Davies. Bible World. London: Equinox, 2005. (original italian edition *Oltre la Bibbia: Storia Antica di Israele.* Roma-Bari: Laterza, 2003).
* *Antico Oriente: Storia, Società, Economia.* Biblioteca Storica Laterza. Rome: Laterza, 2011.
* Liverani, Mario (2006). *Uruk: The First City*. Translated by Bahrani, Zainab; Van De Mieroop, Marc. London: Equinox. ISBN 978-1-84553-191-1. (original italian edition *Uruk: La Prima Città.* Roma-Bari: Laterza, 1998).
* Liverani, Mario (2014). *The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy*. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415679060.
* *Imagining Babylon: The Modern Story of an Ancient City* (Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Records (SANER) Book 11), ISBN 978-1614516026 (original italian edition *Immaginare Babele: Due secoli di studi sulla città orientale antica.* Roma-Bari: Laterza, 2013)

## Selected publications and contributions

* "Karkemiš nei testi di Ugarit". *Rivista degli Studi Orientali*. **35**: 135–146. 1960.
* "Bar-Guš e Bar-Rakib". *Rivista degli Studi Orientali*. **36**: 185–187. 1961.
* "Antecedenti dell'onomastica aramaica antica". *Rivista degli studi orientali*. **32** (1/2): 65–76. 1962.
* ""Antecedenti del diptotismo arabo nei testi accadici di Ugarit". *Rivista degli Studi Orientali*. **38**: 131–160. 1963.
* "Memorandum on the Approach to Historiographic Texts". *Orientalia. Nova Series*. **42**: 178–194. 1973.
* "A Seasonal Pattern for the Amarna Letters". *Lingering over Words: Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Literature in Honor of William L. Moran*. Leiden: Brill. 1990. pp. 337–348.
* "Recenti ricerche sull'agricoltura sumerica". *Studi Storici*. **32** (1): 221–226. 1991.
* "The Medes at Esarhaddon's Court". *Journal of Cuneiform Studies*. **47**: 57–62. 1995. doi:10.2307/1359815. JSTOR 1359815. S2CID 163290816.
* "L'immagine dei fenici nella storiografia occidentale". *Studi Storici*. **39** (1): 5–22. 1998.
* "Nuovi sviluppi nello studio della storia dell'Israele biblico". *Biblica*. **80** (4): 488–505. 1999.
* "I garamanti: Ricerche in corso e nuove prospettive". *Studi Storici*. **42** (3): 769–783. 2001.
* "Guerra santa e guerra giusta nel Vicino Oriente antico (Circa 1600-600 a.C.)". *Studi Storici*. **43** (3): 639–659. 2002.
* "Historical Overview". *A Companion to the Ancient Near East*. Wiley-Blackwell. 2005. pp. 1–19.
* "The King in the Palace". *Orientalia*. **78** (1): 81–91. 2009.
* ""UNTRUTHFUL STELES": PROPAGANDA AND RELIABILITY IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA". *Opening the Tablet Box. Near Eastern Studies in Honor of Benjamin R. Foster*. Leiden: Brill. 2010. pp. 229–244.
* "The Book Of Kings And Ancient Near Eastern Historiography". *The Books of Kings. Sources, Composition, Historiography and Reception*. Leiden: Brill. 2010. pp. 161–184.
* "Late Mesopotamia". *The Oxford History of Historical Writing: Volume 1: Beginnings to AD 600*. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2011. pp. 29–52.
* ""I CONSTRUCTED PALACES THROUGHOUT MY COUNTRY" ESTABLISHING THE ASSYRIAN PROVINCIAL ORDER: THE MOTIF AND ITS VARIANTS". *Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale*. **106**: 181–191. 2012.
* "Literary-Political Motifs in the Assyrian Royal Inscriptions". *Literature as Politics, Politics as Literature: Essays on the Ancient Near East in Honor of Peter Machinist*. Eisenbrauns. 2013. pp. 269–284.


title: The Private's Letter

abstract:
"The Private's Letter" is a South Korean folk song written and composed by Kim Hyun Sung, who was the first to sing the song. Later the song became well known because of Kim Kwang Seok's remake. He performed the song while playing an acoustic guitar and harmonica. Artists who made albums with this song include:
  - Kim Hyun Sung
  - Kim Kwang Seok
  - Jun In Kwon
  - Red Rain

text:
# The Private's Letter

"**The Private's Letter**" (Korean: 이등병의 편지) is a South Korean folk song written and composed by Kim Hyun Sung, who was the first to sing the song. Later the song became well known because of Kim Kwang Seok's remake. He performed the song while playing an acoustic guitar and harmonica.

Artists who made albums with this song include:

* Kim Hyun Sung
* Kim Kwang Seok
* Jun In Kwon
* Red Rain


title: The New Champion

abstract: The New Champion is a 1925 American silent sports action film directed by B. Reeves Eason and starring William Fairbanks, Edith Roberts and Lotus Thompson.

text:
# The New Champion

***The New Champion*** is a 1925 American silent sports action film directed by B. Reeves Eason and starring William Fairbanks, Edith Roberts and Lotus Thompson.

## Cast

## Preservation and status

A complete copy of the film is held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

## Bibliography

* James Robert Parish & Michael R. Pitts. *Film directors: a guide to their American films*. Scarecrow Press, 1974.

## InfoBox

| The New Champion | |
| --- | --- |
| Directed by | B. Reeves Eason |
| Written by | Dorothy Howell |
| Starring | William Fairbanks
Edith Roberts
Lotus Thompson |
| Cinematography | George Meehan |
| Production
company | Perfection Pictures |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date | * September 1, 1925 (1925-09-01) |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent |


abstract:
The finite promise games are a collection of mathematical games developed by American mathematician Harvey Friedman in 2009 which are used to develop a family of fast-growing functions F P L C I, F P C I and F L C I. The greedy clique sequence is a graph theory concept, also developed by Friedman in 2010, which are used to develop fast-growing functions U S G C S, U S G D C S and U S G D C S 2. S M A H represents the theory of ZFC plus, the infinite family of axioms "there exists a strongly k
-Mahlo cardinal for all positive integers k. and S M A H + represents the theory of ZFC plus "for each k, there is a strongly k
-Mahlo cardinal". S R P represents the theory of ZFC plus, for each k, "there is a k
-stationary Ramsey cardinal", and S R P + represents the theory of ZFC plus "for each k, there is a strongly k
-stationary Ramsey cardinal". H U G E represents the theory of ZFC plus, for each k, "there is a k
-huge cardinal", and H U G E + represents the theory of ZFC plus "for each k, there is a strongly k
-huge cardinal".

text:
# Finite promise games and greedy clique sequences

The **finite promise games** are a collection of mathematical games developed by American mathematician Harvey Friedman in 2009 which are used to develop a family of fast-growing functions $FPLCI(k)$, $FPCI(k)$ and $FLCI(k)$. The **greedy clique sequence** is a graph theory concept, also developed by Friedman in 2010, which are used to develop fast-growing functions $USGCS(k)$, $USGDCS(k)$ and $USGDCS\_{2}(k)$.

$\mathsf {SMAH}$ represents the theory of ZFC plus, the infinite family of axioms "there exists a strongly $k$-Mahlo cardinal for all positive integers $k$. and $\mathsf {SMAH^{+}}$ represents the theory of ZFC plus "for each $k$, there is a strongly $k$-Mahlo cardinal". $\mathsf {SRP}$ represents the theory of ZFC plus, for each $k$, "there is a $k$-stationary Ramsey cardinal", and $\mathsf {SRP^{+}}$ represents the theory of ZFC plus "for each $k$, there is a strongly $k$-stationary Ramsey cardinal". $\mathsf {HUGE}$ represents the theory of ZFC plus, for each $k$, "there is a $k$-huge cardinal", and $\mathsf {HUGE^{+}}$ represents the theory of ZFC plus "for each $k$, there is a strongly $k$-huge cardinal".

## Finite promise games

Each of the games is finite, predetermined in length, and has two players (Alice and Bob). At each turn, Alice chooses an integer or a number of integers (an offering) and the Bob has to make one of two kinds of promises restricting his future possible moves. In all games, Bob wins if and only if Bob has kept all of his promises.

### Finite piecewise linear copy/invert games

Here, $\mathbb {Z} $ is the set of integers, and $\mathbb {N} $ is the set of non-negative integers. Here, all letters represent integers. We say that a map $T:\mathbb {N} ^{k}\rightarrow \mathbb {N} $ is *piecewise linear* if $T$ can be defined by various affine functions with integer coefficients on each of finitely many pieces, where each piece is defined by a finite set of linear inequalities with integer coefficients. For some piecewise linear map $T:\mathbb {N} ^{k}\rightarrow \mathbb {N} $, a $T$-inversion of $x$ is some $y\_{1},\ldots ,y\_{k}\<x$ such that $T(y\_{1},\ldots ,y\_{k})=x$. We then define the game $G(T,n,s)$ for nonzero $n,s$.

$G(T,n,s)$ has $n$ rounds, and alternates between Alice and Bob. At every stage of the game, Alice is required to play $x\in \[0,s\]$, called her *offering*, which is either of the form $y+z$ or $w!$, where $y$ and $z$ are integers previously played by Bob. Bob is then required to either:

* Accept $x$, thereby playing $x$ and *promising* that there will be no $T$-inversion of $x$ among the integers ever played by Bob. This promise applies to all past, present and future plays in the game.
* Reject $x$, thereby play a $T$-inversion of $x$ and *promising* that $x$ is never played by Bob.

In RCA0, it can be proven that Bob always has a winning strategy for any given game. The game $G\_{m}(T,n,s)$ is a modified version where Bob is forced to accept all factorial offers by Alice $\>m$. Bob always has a winning strategy for $G\_{m}(T,n,s)$ for sufficiently large $m,s$, although this cannot be proven in any given consistent fragment of $\mathsf {SMAH}$, and only $\mathsf {SMAH^{+}}$. The function $FPLCI(a)$ is the smallest $N$ such that Bob can win $G\_{m}(T,n,s)$ for any $(m,T,n,s)$ such that $m$ and $s$ are greater than or equal to $N$ and all the following values are less than $a$:

* $n$
* $k$ (the domain of $T$ is $\mathbb {N} ^{k}$)
* the number of pieces of $T$
* the absolute values of the coefficients of the inequalities in $T$
* the absolute values of the coefficients of the affine functions in $T$

### Finite polynomial copy/invert games

Let $P:\mathbb {Z} ^{k}\rightarrow Z$ be a polynomial with integer coefficients. A special $P$-inversion at $x$ in $\mathbb {Z} $ consists of $0\<y\_{1},\ldots ,y\_{n}\<{\frac {x}{2}}$ such that $P(y\_{1},\ldots ,y\_{n})=x$. We now define the game $G(P,Q,n,s)$ for nonzero $n,s$, where $P,Q:\mathbb {Z} ^{k}\rightarrow \mathbb {Z} $ are polynomials with integer coefficients. $G(P,Q,n,s)$ consists of $n$ alternating plays by Alice and Bob. At every stage of the game, Alice is required to play $x\in \[-s,s\]$ of the form $P(y)$, $Q(y)$ or $(z!)!$, where $y$ is a $k$-tuple of integers previously played by Bob. Bob is then required to either:

* Accept $x$, thereby playing $x$ and *promising* that there will be no special $P$- or $Q$-inversion of $x$ among the integers ever played by Bob. This promise applies to all past, present and future plays in the game.
* Reject $x$, thereby playing a special $P$- or $Q$-inversion of $x$ and *promising* that $x$ is never played by Bob.

Let $P,Q:\mathbb {Z} ^{k}\rightarrow \mathbb {Z} $ be polynomials with integer coefficients. In RCA0, it can be proven that Bob always has a winning strategy for any given game. If $m,s$ are sufficiently large then Bob wins $G\_{m}(P,Q,n,s)$, which is $G(P,Q,n,s)$ where Bob is forced to accept all double factorials $\>m$ offered by Alice. However, once again, this cannot be proven in any given consistent fragment of $\mathsf {SMAH}$, and only $\mathsf {SMAH^{+}}$. The function $FPCI(a)$ is the smallest $N$ such that Bob can win $G\_{m}(P,Q,n,s)$ for any $(m,P,Q,n,s)$ such that $m$ and $s$ are greater than or equal to $N$ and all the following values are less than $a$:

* $n$
* $k$ (the domain of the polynomials is $\mathbb {Z} ^{k}$)
* the degrees of $P$ and $Q$
* the absolute values of the coefficients of $P$ and $Q$

### Finite linear copy/invert games

We say that $x,y\in \mathbb {N} ^{k}$ are *additively equivalent* if and only if $\sum \_{q=1}^{i}x\_{q}=\sum \_{q=1}^{j}x\_{q}\implies \sum \_{q=1}^{i}y\_{q}=\sum \_{q=1}^{j}y\_{q}$. For nonzero integers $p,n,s$ and $v\_{1},\ldots ,v\_{p}\in \mathbb {N} ^{k}$, we define the game $G(v\_{1},\ldots ,v\_{p};n,s)$ which consists of $n$ alternating rounds between Alice and Bob. At every stage of the game, Alice is required to play an integer $x\in \[0,s\]$ of the form $y+z$ or $w!$, where $y,z$ are integers previously played by Bob. Bob is then required to either:

* Accept $x$, thereby playing $x$ and *promising* that $x$ cannot be written as $\sum \_{q=1}^{k}y\_{q}$, where $(y\_{1},\ldots ,y\_{k})$ is additively equivalent to some $v\_{j}$, and $y\_{1},\ldots ,y\_{k}$ are integers played by Bob at various times.
* Reject $x$, thereby playing $y\_{1},\ldots ,y\_{k}$, where $x=\sum \_{q=1}^{k}y\_{q}$ and $(y\_{1},\ldots ,y\_{k})$ is additively equivalent to some $v\_{j}$, and *promises* that $x$ is never played by Bob.

Let $v\_{1},\ldots ,v\_{p}\in \mathbb {N} ^{k}$. In RCA0, it can be proven that Bob always has a winning strategy for any given game. Let $v\_{1},\ldots ,v\_{p}\in \mathbb {N} ^{k}$. If $m$ is sufficiently large, then Bob wins $G\_{m}(v\_{1},\ldots ,v\_{p};n,s)$, where Bob accepts all factorials $\>m$ offered by Alice. However, once again, this cannot be proven in any given consistent fragment of $\mathsf {SMAH}$, and only $\mathsf {SMAH^{+}}$. The function $FLCI(a)$ is the smallest $N$ such that Bob can win $G\_{m}(v\_{1},\ldots ,v\_{p};n,s)$ for any $(m,v\_{1},\ldots ,v\_{p};n,s)$ such that $m$ is greater than or equal to $N$, $n,s$ are positive and all the following values are less than $a$:

* $k$
* $p$
* the number of components of each vector in $v$

### Functions

As shown by Friedman, the three functions $FPLCI(a)$, $FPCI(a)$ and $FLCI(a)$ are extremely fast-growing, eventually dominating any functions provably recursive in any consistent fragment of $\mathsf {SMAH}$ (one of these is ZFC), but they are computable and provably total in $\mathsf {SMAH^{+}}$.

## Greedy clique sequences

$\mathbb {Q} ^{\*}$ denotes the set of all tuples of rational numbers. We use subscripts to denote indexes into tuples (starting at 1) and angle brackets to denote concatenation of tuples, e.g. $\langle (0,1),(2,3)\rangle =(0,1,2,3)$. Given $a\in \mathbb {Q} ^{\*}$, we define the *upper shift* of $a$, denoted $\textrm {us}(a)$ to be the result of adding 1 to all its nonnegative components. Given $a,b\in \mathbb {Q} ^{\*}$, we say that $a\preceq b\iff {\textrm {max}(a)\leq {\textrm {max}(b)}}$ and $a\prec b\iff {\textrm {max}(a)\<{\textrm {max}(b)}}$. $a,b\in \mathbb {Q} ^{\*}$ are called *order equivalent* if and only if they have the same length and for all $i,j$, $a\_{i}\<a\_{j}$ iff $b\_{i}\<b\_{j}$. A set $E\subseteq \mathbb {Q} ^{\*}$ is *order invariant* iff for all order equivalent $x$ and $y$, $x\in E\iff y\in E$.

Let $H$ be a graph with vertices in $\mathbb {Q} ^{\*}$. Let $E$ be the set defined as follows: for every edge $(x,y)$ in $H$, their concatenation $\langle x,y\rangle $ is in $E$. Then if $E$ is order invariant, we say that $H$ is order invariant. When $H$ is order invariant, $H$ has infinite edges. We are given $k\in \mathbb {N} $, $S\subseteq \mathbb {Q} ^{\*}$, and a simple graph $G$ (or a digraph in the case of upper shift greedy down clique sequences) with vertices in $S$. We define a sequence $x$ as a nonempty tuple $(x\_{1},\ldots ,x\_{n})$ where $x\_{i}\in S$. This is not a tuple but rather a tuple of tuples. When $S=\mathbb {Q} ^{k}$, $x$ is said to be an *upper shift greedy clique sequence* in $\mathbb {Q} ^{k}$ if it satisfies the following:

* $x\_{1}$ consists only of zeroes.
* Let $m$ be an integer such that $2\leq 2m\leq k-1$, or a positive integer if we allow infinite sequences. $Y=\langle x\_{1},\ldots ,x\_{2m-1}\rangle $ and let $y=(Y\_{m},\ldots ,Y\_{m+k-1})$. Then, $x\_{2m}\preceq y$, $(y,x\_{2m})$ is not an edge of $G$, and $x\_{2m+1}={\textrm {us}(x\_{2m})}$.
* $\\{x\_{2},\ldots ,x\_{n}\\}$ is a clique in $G$, i.e. $G$ contains as an edge every pair of vertices in $\\{x\_{2},\ldots ,x\_{n}\\}$.

When $S=\mathbb {Q} ^{k}$, $x$ is said to be an *upper shift down greedy clique sequence* in $\mathbb {Q} ^{k}$ if it satisfies the following:

* $x\_{1}$ consists only of zeroes.
* Let $m$ be an integer such that $2\leq 2m\leq k-1$, or a positive integer if we allow infinite sequences. $Y=\langle x\_{1},\ldots ,x\_{2m-1}\rangle $ and let $y=(Y\_{m},\ldots ,Y\_{m+k-1})$. Then, $x\_{2m}=y$ or $x\_{2m}\prec y$ and $(y,x\_{2m})$ is not an edge of $G$; and $x\_{2m+1}={\textrm {us}(x\_{2m})}$.
* $\\{x\_{2},\ldots ,x\_{n}\\}$ is a down clique in $G$, i.e. for all $f,g\in \\{x\_{2},\ldots ,x\_{n}\\}$ and $g\prec f$, $(f,g)$ is an edge of $G$.

When $S=\mathbb {Q} ^{k}\cup \mathbb {Q} ^{k+1}$, $x$ is said to be an *extreme* *upper shift down greedy clique sequence* in $\mathbb {Q} ^{k}\cup \mathbb {Q} ^{k+1}$ if it satisfies the following:

* $x\_{1}$ consists only of zeroes.
* Let $m$ be an integer such that $2\leq 2m\leq k-1$, or a positive integer if we allow infinite sequences. $Y=\langle x\_{1},\ldots ,x\_{2m-1}\rangle $ and let $y=(Y\_{m},\ldots ,Y\_{m+k-1})$. Then, $x\_{2m}=y$ or $x\_{2m}\prec y$ and $(y,x\_{2m})$ is not an edge of $G$; and $x\_{2m+1}={\textrm {us}(x\_{2m})}$.
* If $x\_{2m}\in \[0,k\]^{k}$, then $x\_{2m+1}=(k+{\frac {1}{2},{\textrm {us}(x\_{2m}))}}$.
* If $x\_{2m}\in \mathbb {Q} ^{k}\smallsetminus \[0,k\]^{k}$, then $x\_{2m+1}={\textrm {us}(x\_{2m})}$.
* If $x\_{2m}=(k+{\frac {1}{2},z)}$ and $x\_{2m}\in \mathbb {Q} ^{k+1}$, then $x\_{2m+1}={\textrm {us}^{-1}(z)}$
* $\\{x\_{2},\ldots ,x\_{n}\\}$ is a down clique in $G$

The thread of $x$ is a subsequence $(u\_{1},\ldots ,u\_{r})\in \[1,n\]$ defined inductively like so:

* $u\_{1}=1$
* $u\_{i+1}={\textrm {max}(j\in \[u\_{i},2^{u\_{1}\]:x\_{j}\prec x\_{i})}}$

Given a thread $u$, we say that is *open* if $2^{u\_{r}\leq n}$. Using this Harvey Friedman defined three very powerful functions:

* $USGCS(k)$ is the smallest $N$ such that every simple, order invariant graph $G$ has an upper shift greedy clique sequence in $\mathbb {Q} ^{k}$ of length at most $N$ with an open thread.
* $USGDCS(k)$ is the smallest $N$ such that every order invariant digraph $G$ has an upper shift greedy down clique sequence in $\mathbb {Q} ^{k}$ of length at most $N$ with an open thread.
* $USGDCS\_{2}(k)$ is the smallest $N$ such that every order invariant digraph $G$ has an extreme upper shift greedy down clique sequence in $\mathbb {Q} ^{k}\cup \mathbb {Q} ^{k+1}$ of length at most $N$ with an open thread.

$USGCS$ and $USGDCS$ eventually dominate all functions provably recursive in $\mathsf {SRP}$, but are themselves provably recursive in $\mathsf {SRP^{+}}$. $USGDCS\_{2}$ eventually dominates all functions provably recursive in $\mathsf {HUGE}$, but is itself provably total in $\mathsf {HUGE^{+}}$.

* Friedman, Harvey (2009-09-02). "Finite Promise Games". *New York University*. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
* Friedman, Harvey (2009-12-30). "Upper Shift Greedy Clique Sequences and Large Cardinals 1". *New York University*. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
* Friedman, Harvey (2010-01-01). "Terrifically and Extremely Long Finite Sequences". *New York University*. Retrieved 2021-10-02.


title: The Punisher: War Zone (2008 series)

abstract: The Punisher: War Zone Vol. 2, is the second volume in the Punisher: War Zone series is a comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics about the vigilante The Punisher. The series was written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Steve Dillon. Dillon also drew all of the covers to the series. The series is a follow-up to Ennis and Dillon's previous limited series work and marked the end of Ennis's eight-year-long run with the character.

text:
# The Punisher: War Zone (2008 series)

***The Punisher: War Zone*** ***Vol. 2***, is the second volume in the ***Punisher: War Zone*** series is a comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics about the vigilante The Punisher. The series was written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Steve Dillon. Dillon also drew all of the covers to the series. The series is a follow-up to Ennis and Dillon's previous limited series work and marked the end of Ennis's eight-year-long run with the character.

## Plot

The plot of the series concerns Ma Gnucci who was believed to have been killed when Frank Castle (The Punisher) fed her to a polar bear but it seems instead that she survived and has to spend her life as a paraplegic without arms or legs. She sets out to use her family to get revenge on Castle.

## Reception

The series holds an average rating of 7.6 by 20 professional critics on the review aggregation website Comic Book Roundup.

The series marked a return to a humorous portrayal of the character of the Punisher, something which Ennis had not done for some time due to working under the Marvel Max line which focused more on serious stories.

## Prints

### Issues

| No. | Title | Cover date | Comic Book Roundup rating | Estimated sales (North America) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| #1 | The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci, Part One | February 2009 | **7.0** by four critics. | **36,420**, ranked 67th first month |
| #2 | The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci, Part Two: Some People Just Refuse to Stay Dead | February 2009 | **7.8** by four critics. | **29,738**, ranked 86th first month |
| #3 | The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci, Part Three: So Evil, Hell Spat Her Back Out Again | February 2009 | **8.0** by two critics. | **28,420**, ranked 89th first month |
| #4 | The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci, Part Four: We're Going to Need a Bigger Bodybag | February 2009 | **7.5** by three critics. | **27,345**, ranked 92nd first month |
| #5 | The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci, Part Five: Just Keep Her Away from Polar Bears | February 2009 | **7.3** by four critics. | **26,053**, ranked 69th first month |
| #6 | The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci, Part Six: Give Em' Hell Frank! | March 2009 | **7.8** by three critics. | **25,378**, ranked 73rd first month |

### Collected editions

| Title | Format | Material collected | Pages | Publication date | ISBN | Estimated sales
(North America)
\[Trades\] | Rated |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| *Punisher: War Zone: The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci*
(two versions, regular and direct market) | Hardcover | *Punisher: War Zone* (2009) #1-6 | 144 | April 15, 2009 | 978-0-7851-3822-8 | **2,392**, ranked 35th first month | PAL |
| *Punisher: War Zone: The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci* | Trade paperback | *Punisher: War Zone* (2009) #1-6 | 144 | August 26, 2009 | 0785132600
978-0785132608 | **2,237**, ranked 31st first month | PAL |

## InfoBox

| *The Punisher: War Zone* | |
| --- | --- |
| Issue six cover by Steve Dillon | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Weekly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Publication date | 2008 |
| No. of issues | 6 |
| Main character(s) | Punisher |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Garth Ennis |
| Written by | Garth Ennis |
| Artist(s) | Steve Dillon |
| Penciller(s) | Steve Dillon |
| Inker(s) | Steve Dillon |
| Letterer(s) | Cory Petit |
| Colorist(s) | Matthew 'Matt' Hollingsworth |
| Editor(s) | Axel Alonso
Mark D. Beazley
John Denning
Sebastian Girner
Jennifer Grünwald
Daniel Ketchum
Cory Levine
Joe Quesada
Alex Starbuck
Jeff Youngquist |


title: The Punisher: No Mercy

abstract: The Punisher: No Mercy is a first-person shooter video game that was released on July 2, 2009, on the PSN Store. The game was pulled from PSN as of 2011 due to licensing expiring between Marvel and Zen Studios, although Marvel continued working with Zen Studios on Marvel Pinball.

text:
# The Punisher: No Mercy

***The Punisher: No Mercy*** is a first-person shooter video game that was released on July 2, 2009, on the PSN Store. The game was pulled from PSN as of 2011 due to licensing expiring between Marvel and Zen Studios, although Marvel continued working with Zen Studios on *Marvel Pinball*.

## Gameplay

The game is an arena based first person shooter, with four arenas available at launch including New York, Docks and Factories. The player is able to carry three weapons at a time to convey a sense of realism. The story mode consists of four matches played on different maps with different game types. Before playing, players are required to select a mode which will advantage the player. The game includes local multiplayer and online play, which contains deathmatch, one vs many and co-op. The player is not able to drive vehicles. There is a total of eight playable characters, each with their own unique abilities. The single-player game mode includes story scenes featuring original artwork by Mike Deodato.

## Plot

Acting on a tip provided by his ally Budianski, the Punisher stakes out the New York City docks, where Barracuda and Bushwacker are overseeing the importation of goods smuggled out of Symkaria. The Punisher attacks the villains, and receives unexpected backup from Silver Sable, who flees once all of the criminals, save Barracuda, have been killed. The wounded Barracuda admits to working for Jigsaw, and is then shot in the head by the dead Bushwacker's malfunctioning bio-gun.

Following a clue left by Jigsaw, the Punisher is led to Finn Cooley, who injects him with a Symkarian drug. The Punisher breaks Cooley's neck, and is confronted by a mob of homeless people (hired, drugged, and armed by Jigsaw) who he hallucinates are past enemies and allies, such as Microchip and Jenny Cesare. The Punisher massacres the vagrants, and is snapped back to reality by Silver Sable, who leaves him to continue his mission on his own, while mentioning that she is "meeting up with some friends tonight".

The Punisher locates Jigsaw's lair, which is full of Jigsaw doubles. The Punisher slaughters the impostors, and is subdued by the real Jigsaw. As Jigsaw taunts and prepares to kill the Punisher, the building is rocked by an explosion, which distracts Jigsaw, giving the Punisher the chance to stab him in the head. The source of the blast is revealed to be Silver Sable, who orders the Punisher to surrender while holding him at gunpoint with a S.H.I.E.L.D. team that includes Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Outlaw, and Black Widow. The game ends as the screen flashes, "To Be Continued..."

## Characters

Playable   Non-Playable

## Reception

The game holds an aggregated rating of 47 out of 100 at Metacritic, and 49.19% at GameRankings.

*GameSpot* gave the game a score of 4.5 out of 10, criticizing its short length and difficulty of unlocking. *IGN* gave it 4.2 out of 10, concluding, "The Punisher: No Mercy is a pretty bad game all around. (...) There's just not really anything to like here, unfortunately". *PlayStation Official Magazine UK*, however, gave the game 7 out of 10, stating, "it's definitely playable, and a respectable value at a penny under seven quid". The game's highest rating came from The Sixth Axis, which gave the game a score of 8/10, concluding "its replay value is extremely high, and although you’ll unlikely play it for huge stretches of time a couple of rounds with a few friends is incredibly entertaining".

## InfoBox

| The Punisher: No Mercy | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Developer(s) | Zen Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Series | *The Punisher* |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Release | July 2, 2009 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |


title: Fiqre Crockwell

abstract: Fiqre Salassie Crockwell was a Bermudian cricketer who represented the national team at One Day International level on two occasions, in April 2009. He was an opening batsman. Crockwell's ODI appearances, along with three other matches which had List A but not ODI status, were all during Bermuda's unsuccessful 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier campaign in South Africa. Crockwell's top score of 45 came in one of the ODIs, a match against Kenya. Crockwell's sporting relatives include FIFA-certified referee Carlyle McNeil Eugene Crockwell and footballer Mikkail Kristopher Crockwell. On 20 June 2016, Crockwell was found dead in the Pembroke parish area of Bermuda. He was found fatally wounded shortly before 3 am.

text:
# Fiqre Crockwell

**Fiqre Salassie Crockwell** (8 July 1985 – 20 June 2016) was a Bermudian cricketer who represented the national team at One Day International level on two occasions, in April 2009. He was an opening batsman.

Crockwell's ODI appearances, along with three other matches which had List A but not ODI status, were all during Bermuda's unsuccessful 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier campaign in South Africa. Crockwell's top score of 45 came in one of the ODIs, a match against Kenya.

Crockwell's sporting relatives include FIFA-certified referee Carlyle McNeil Eugene Crockwell and footballer Mikkail Kristopher Crockwell.

On 20 June 2016, Crockwell was found dead in the Pembroke parish area of Bermuda. He was found fatally wounded shortly before 3 am.

## InfoBox

Fiqre Crockwell
| Personal information | |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Fiqre Salassie Crockwell |
| Born | (1985-07-08)8 July 1985
Bermuda |
| Died | 20 June 2016(2016-06-20) (aged 30)
Pembroke Parish, Bermuda |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Role | Wicket-keeper |
| Career statistics | |
| Competition ODI FC LA T20  Matches 2 3 15 5  Runs scored 68 45 237 142  Batting average 34.00 7.50 15.80 28.40  100s/50s 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0  Top score 45 17 45 47  Balls bowled  42 48   Wickets  0 0   Bowling average      5 wickets in innings      10 wickets in match      Best bowling      Catches/stumpings / 1/ 8/ 4/ | |
|  | |
| Source: CricketArchive, 31 October 2009 | |


title: Marie and Emile Taquet

abstract:
Marie Taquet (1898–1989) and Emile Taquet (1893–1971) were a husband and wife team who saved Jewish children from The Holocaust. She was born in Luxembourg in 1898; they married around 1918. They ran a residence for children in Belgium, and hid significant numbers of Jewish children among the general population of the school. One source describes the residence as a school for the children of Belgian military families, and her husband as a Belgian Army officer. That account says that he was the school's administrator, and she the headmistress.("Rescuers" repeats these facts.) It says that the Gestapo visited. It calls the school "Reine Elizabeth Castle", and places it in Jamoigne, Belgium. Another source describes the residence as a home for disabled children, which does not preclude it from being a home/ school for the children of Belgium officer's children. This source calls it the Queen Elisabeth Home, and says it was in the Chateau du Faing, in the village of Jamoigne-sur-Semois. The castle was said to belong to the Sisters of Charity of Besançon. In "Rescuers", with an interview with Mrs Taquet, 1988, the school is described as "the Castle of Jamoigne, a school for boys whose fathers were in the military." It also says "at least 80 Jewish boys regard her as the woman to whom they own their lives". A resource for teachers on the University of South Florida's site says that the couple protected 80 Jewish boys. Mrs Taquet died in September 1989, having been in a nursing home outside Brussels just before that. The story of their brave actions was the subject of the 1998 TV drama "Rescuers: Stories of Courage", the Marie Taquet episode.. It starred Linda Hamiltonas Marie Taquet, Alfred Molina as her husband. It was directed by Lynne Littman. One source gives her name as Maria Taquet-Martens. Recollections of one of the children saved by the Taquets:
I was four when {my brother and I} left home.... We remember it as a good time.... My most vivid memory is of Madame Taquet kissing each of us goodnight every night... the good boys and the bad. When {upon liberation} my father came to pick me up, I did not recognize him. I said "Hello, Monsieur"...
The castle stayed open until June 1946 because many of the parents of the Jewish children did not return.

text:
# Marie and Emile Taquet

**Marie Taquet** (18981989) and **Emile Taquet** (18931971) were a husband and wife team who saved Jewish children from The Holocaust. She was born in Luxembourg in 1898; they married around 1918. (This would make her in her forties during World War II.)

They ran a residence for children in Belgium, and hid significant numbers of Jewish children among the general population of the school.

One source describes the residence as a school for the children of Belgian military families, and her husband as a Belgian Army officer. That account says that he was the school's administrator, and she the headmistress.("Rescuers" repeats these facts.) It says that the Gestapo visited. It calls the school "Reine Elizabeth Castle" (Reine meaning "Queen"), and places it in Jamoigne, Belgium.

Another source describes the residence as a home for disabled children, which does not preclude it from being a home/ school for the children of Belgium officer's children. This source calls it the Queen Elisabeth Home, and says it was in the Chateau du Faing, in the village of Jamoigne-sur-Semois. The castle was said to belong to the Sisters of Charity of Besançon. In "Rescuers", with an interview with Mrs Taquet, 1988, the school is described as "the Castle of Jamoigne, a school for boys whose fathers were in the military." It also says "at least 80 Jewish boys regard her as the woman to whom they own their lives".

A resource for teachers on the University of South Florida's site says that the couple protected 80 Jewish boys.

Mrs Taquet died in September 1989, having been in a nursing home outside Brussels just before that.

The story of their brave actions was the subject of the 1998 TV drama "Rescuers: Stories of Courage", the Marie Taquet episode. (There were six episodes in the series). It starred Linda Hamilton (of "Terminator" fame)as Marie Taquet, Alfred Molina as her husband. It was directed by Lynne Littman. One source gives her name as Maria Taquet-Martens.

Recollections of one of the children saved by the Taquets:

> I was four when {my brother and I} left home.... We remember it as a good time.... My most vivid memory is of Madame Taquet kissing each of us goodnight every night... the good boys and the bad. When {upon liberation} my father came to pick me up, I did not recognize him. I said "Hello, Monsieur"...

The castle stayed open until June 1946 because many of the parents of the Jewish children did not return.


title: Marie d'Albret, Countess of Rethel

abstract: Marie d'Albret, Countess of Rethel, Countess of Nevers was the suo jure Countess of Rethel, a title which she inherited at the age of nine upon the death of her mother, Charlotte of Nevers, Sovereign Countess of Rethel, on 23 August 1500. She was the wife of Charles II of Cleves, Count of Nevers.

text:
# Marie d'Albret, Countess of Rethel

**Marie d'Albret, Countess of Rethel**, Countess of Nevers (25 March 1491 – 27 October 1549) was the suo jure Countess of Rethel, a title which she inherited at the age of nine upon the death of her mother, Charlotte of Nevers, Sovereign Countess of Rethel, on 23 August 1500. She was the wife of Charles II of Cleves, Count of Nevers.

## Family

Marie was born in the Chateau de Cuffy, France on 25 March 1491, the eldest child of Jean d'Albret, Sire of Orval, Governor of Champagne, and Charlotte of Nevers, Countess of Rethel. She had two younger sisters, Charlotte d'Albret, wife of Odet de Foix, Count of Comminges; and Hélène d'Albret (16 July 1495- 28 October 1519). She had two illegitimate half-siblings, Jacques d'Albret, Bishop of Nevers, and Françoise d'Albret, Abbess of Notre Dame de Nevers.

Her paternal grandparents were Arnaud Amanieu d'Albret, Sire d'Orval (died 1463) and Isabelle de La Tour d'Auvergne (died 8 September 1488), daughter of Bertrand V de La Tour, Count of Auvergne and Boulogne and Jacquette du Peschin. Her maternal grandparents were John II, Count of Nevers, Count of Rethel and Pauline de Bosse-Bretagne. Marie's paternal great-great-grandfather was Charles d'Albret, Constable of France, who was killed while commanding the French troops at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Marie became the sovereign Countess of Rethel at the age of nine upon the death of her mother, Charlotte, at the Chateau de Meillan-en-Berry, who had herself held the *suo jure* title.

## Marriage

On 25 January 1504, Marie married Charles II of Cleves, Count of Nevers (died 17 August 1521), the son of Engelbert, Count of Nevers and Charlotte of Bourbon-Vendôme. Upon her marriage she became the Countess of Nevers. Together Charles and Marie had:

Marie became a widow in 1521. In 1539, she took the title of Duchess of Nevers, although in point of fact, her son Francis was the *suo jure* duke.

On 27 October 1549 Marie died at the Hotel de Nevers in Paris at the age of fifty-eight. Her son Francis succeeded her as Count of Rethel.

## Sources

* Boltanski, Ariane (2006). *Les ducs de Nevers et l'État royal: genèse d'un compromis (ca 1550 - ca 1600)* (in French). Librairie Droz.

## InfoBox

| Marie d'Albret | |
| --- | --- |
| suo jure **Countess of Rethel**
**Countess of Nevers**
**Duchess of Nevers** | |
| Coat-of-arms of Marie d'Albret | |
| Born | 25 March 1491
Chateau de Cuffy, Cher, France |
| Died | 27 October 1549 (aged 58)
Hotel de Nevers, Paris, France |
| Noble family | Albret |
| Spouse(s) | Charles II of Cleves, Count of Nevers |
| Issue | Francis I of Cleves, 1st Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel (2 September 1516- 13 February 1561) |
| Father | Jean d'Albret, Sire of Orval |
| Mother | Charlotte of Nevers, Countess of Rethel |


title: The Ravine of Death

abstract: The Ravine of Death or Cage of Death is a 1923 German silent thriller film directed by Luciano Albertini, Albert-Francis Bertoni and Max Obal. It starred Albertini, Lya De Putti and Hermann Picha.

text:
# The Ravine of Death

***The Ravine of Death*** or ***Cage of Death*** (German:***Die Schlucht des Todes***) is a 1923 German silent thriller film directed by Luciano Albertini, Albert-Francis Bertoni and Max Obal. It starred Albertini, Lya De Putti and Hermann Picha.

## Cast

## Bibliography

* Bock, Hans-Michael & Bergfelder, Tim. *The Concise CineGraph. Encyclopedia of German Cinema*. Berghahn Books, 2009.

## InfoBox

| The Ravine of Death | |
| --- | --- |
| Directed by |  |
| Written by | * Luciano Albertini * Albert-Francis Bertoni |
| Produced by | Luciano Albertini |
| Starring |  |
| Cinematography |  |
| Production<br>company | Albertini-Film |
| Distributed by | Phoebus Film |
| Release date | * 11 May 1923 (1923-05-11) |
| Country | Germany |
| Languages |  |


title: The Ramshorn

abstract: The Ramshorn, is a deconsecrated church building located on Ingram Street in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is home to SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages and the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), both centres within the University of Strathclyde. The building is owned by the University, which bought the church in 1983 and used it as a theatre and performance space from 1992 until 2011. The former church building sits within the Ramshorn Cemetery, one of Glasgow's oldest burial grounds.

text:
# The Ramshorn

**The Ramshorn** (formerly **St David's Parish Church**), is a deconsecrated church building located on Ingram Street in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is home to SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages and the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), both centres within the University of Strathclyde. The building is owned by the University, which bought the church in 1983 and used it as a theatre and performance space from 1992 until 2011.

The former church building sits within the Ramshorn Cemetery, one of Glasgow's oldest burial grounds.

## Architectural significance

The Ramshorn was originally built as St David's Parish Church in 1824, replacing a church that had stood on the site since 1720. Now a category A listed building, it was designed by English architect Thomas Rickman in the Gothic Revival style. This was the only Scottish church he designed.

Many of the stained-glass windows in the building are the work of W and J J Kier of Glasgow. They depict stories from the Old and New Testament.

## Historical significance

Known popularly as the Ramshorn Kirk, the church was in a wealthy and sought after area of Glasgow at the time. As such you will find many prominent Glaswegians buried in the surrounding Ramshorn Cemetery, including industrialist David Dale, and tobacco merchants Andrew Buchanan and John Glassford.

Pierre Emile L'Angelier is also buried in the graveyard. He is the victim in the 1857 Madeleine Smith murder case.

The exterior of the building features a plaque to Sir John A MacDonald, the first prime minister of Canada, who was born in the parish. You will also find plaques to Professor John Anderson, natural philosopher and founder of the institution that would become the University of Strathclyde, and his grandfather John Anderson, who was minister at the Ramshorn Church.

## Current use

In 1982, the church's dwindling congregation merged with that of the nearby Barony Church on Castle Street. The University of Strathclyde bought the church in 1983 and commissioned Page/Park Architects to convert it into a theatre and performing arts space. It operated as a theatre and performance space from 1992 to 2011.

In May 2018, plans were submitted by the University of Strathclyde to Glasgow City Council to renovate the former theatre into offices and an exhibition area. The Ramshorn reopened in September 2019 as the home of SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages and the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), based within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Strathclyde.

55°51′35″N 4°14′42″W / 55.85969°N 4.2451°W / 55.85969; -4.2451

## InfoBox

The Ramshorn
| The Ramshorn viewed from Ingram Street | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Address | 98 Ingram Street, G1 1EX
Glasgow
Scotland |
| Owner | University of Strathclyde |
| Designation | University Department |
| Current use | SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages and the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools (CISS) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1824 |
| Rebuilt | 2019 |
| Architect | Thomas Rickman |
| Website | |
| scilt.org.uk | |


title: The Ranch, Minnesota

abstract: The Ranch is a census-designated place in La Garde Township, Mahnomen County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14 as of the 2020 census.

text:
# The Ranch, Minnesota

**The Ranch** is a census-designated place in La Garde Township, Mahnomen County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14 as of the 2020 census.

## Geography

The Ranch is in eastern Mahnomen County, in the northeast part of La Garde Township. Its northern border is the township line with Beaulieu Township. Minnesota State Highway 200 follows the township line, leading west 13 miles (21 km) to Mahnomen, the county seat, and east 7 miles (11 km) to Roy Lake.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, The Ranch has an area of 0.31 square miles (0.80 km2), all land.

## Demographics

Historical population
| Census | Pop. | Note |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2010 | 9 |  |  |
| 2020 | 14 |  | 55.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census | | | |

## InfoBox

| The Ranch, Minnesota | |
| --- | --- |
| Census-designated place | |
| The RanchThe Ranch | |
| Coordinates: 47°19′11″N 95°41′43″W / 47.31972°N 95.69528°W / 47.31972; -95.69528 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Mahnomen |
| Township | La Garde |
| Area | |
| Total | 0.31 sq mi (0.80 km2) |
| Land | 0.31 sq mi (0.80 km2) |
| Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,444 ft (440 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| Total | 14 |
| Density | 45.16/sq mi (17.46/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code | 56557 (Mahnomen) |
| Area code | 218 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2583781 |
| FIPS code | 27-64547 |


abstract: The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum is the regimental museum of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. It is an independent museum located inside the Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery, located in St Faith's Street in Maidstone, England. The museum displays four of the six Victoria Crosses won by members of the regiment.

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# The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum

**The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum** is the regimental museum of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. It is an independent museum located inside the Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery, located in St Faith's Street in Maidstone, England. The museum displays four of the six Victoria Crosses won by members of the regiment (those of John Pennington Harman, John Coleman, Charles Lumley, and Thomas James Harris).

51°16′N 0°31′E / 51.27°N 0.52°E / 51.27; 0.52