title: Gustave Doré

paragraphs: Paul Gustave Doré (; January 6, 1832 – January 23, 1883) was a French artist, engraver, illustrator and sculptor. Most of Doré's work was wood engraving and steel engraving.

paragraphs: Doré was born in Strasbourg. His first illustrated story was published at the age of fifteen. As a young man, he began work as a literary illustrator in Paris. He was hired to illustrate scenes from books by Rabelais, Balzac, Milton and Dante.

paragraphs: In 1853, Doré was asked to illustrate the works of Lord Byron. British publishers asked him to do more work, including a new illustrated English Bible. Ten years later, he illustrated a French edition of Cervantes's "Don Quixote". His images of the knight and Sancho Panza have influenced later readers, artists, and stage and film directors' ideas of how the two characters looked. Doré also illustrated an edition of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" with larger than usual pages. He was paid 30,000 francs by the publisher Harper & Brothers in 1883.

paragraphs: Doré's English Bible (1866) was a great success, and in 1867 Doré had a major exhibition of his work in London. The Doré Gallery in Covelant Bond Street opened after the show. In 1869, Blanchard Jerrold suggested that they work together to make a complete portrait of London. Jerrold got the idea from "The Microcosm of London" produced by Rudolph Ackermann, William Pyne, and Thomas Rowlandson in 1808. Doré signed a five-year contract with the publishers Grant & Co. He had to stay in London for three months each year. He was paid £10,000 a year for the project.

paragraphs: The completed book, "London: A Pilgrimage," was published in 1872. It had 180 engravings. The book was successful financially and influenced many people. However, many critics at the time disliked it. Some of these critics wrote that Doré paid too much attention to the poverty in parts of London.

paragraphs: His later works included Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", Milton's "Paradise Lost", Tennyson's "The Idylls of the King", "The Works of Thomas Hood", and "The Divine Comedy". His work also appeared in the "Illustrated London News".

paragraphs: He continued to illustrate books until he died in Paris after a short illness in 1883. He is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

paragraphs: Doré made many works of art. This list is very long, but does not include every piece of art that Doré made. It does not include his sculptures and paintings. Also, many journal illustrations are not listed.


title: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009

paragraphs: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is a wrestling video game that was published by THQ. It is available for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii and Xbox 360 systems. The game is also featured as a mobile phone game which can be downloaded. It featured new features like the Inferno match, a newer tag team match, and also four new game modes: Create-a-Finisher, Road to WrestleMania, Career and multiplayer season. The game received positive reviews from video game reviewers. Triple H and Shawn Michaels both as member of D-Generation X are on the cover.

paragraphs: It is part of the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw video game series.


title: Junkyard Dog

paragraphs: Sylvester Ritter (December 13, 1952 – June 2, 1998) was an American professional wrestler who was best known for wrestling with World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring names, Junkyard Dog and JYD for short. He died in Forest, Mississippi on June 2, 1998 after he fell asleep at the wheel of the car he was driving home in and crashed into another car.

paragraphs: Ritter held many championships during his professional wrestling career:


title: Full Dark, No Stars

paragraphs: Full Dark, No Stars (2010) is a book of four novellas that was written by Stephen King. The book was published on November 9, 2010. The four novellas are "1922", "Big Driver", "Fair Extension" and "A Good Marriage".


title: Cell (novel)

paragraphs: Cell (2006) is a novel by Stephen King. The book was published on January 24, 2006. It is about Clayton Riddell, an artist from New England who tries to reunite with his son after a signal is sent out over the global cell phone network which turns every cell phone user into a murderer.


title: Lisey's Story

paragraphs: Lisey's Story (2006) is a novel that was written by Stephen King. The novel was published on October 24, 2006. The novel was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2007.


title: Guéret

paragraphs: Guéret () is a commune of France. It is the prefecture of the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

paragraphs: In 1514, Guéret became the capital of the County of Marche, a medieval French county, approximately corresponding to the modern Creuse department.

paragraphs: In 1790, when the departments were created, Guéret was named as the capital of the Creuse department.

paragraphs: Guéret is in a plateau between the Creuse and the Gartempe rivers, at the foot of two hills: the "Puy de Gaudy", high, and the "Maupuy", high. The "commune" has an area of , and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

paragraphs: The city of Guéret is at about from Bordeaux, at from Toulouse, at from Paris and at from Lyon.

paragraphs: The "communes" that are around Guéret are Saint-Fiel, Sainte-Feyre, Savennes, Saint-Christophe, La Chapelle-Taillefert, Saint-Léger-le-Guérétois and Saint-Sulpice-le-Guérétois.

paragraphs: Guéret has an oceanic climate with relatively hot summers, mild winters and abundant rainfall, Cfb in the Köppen climate classification.

paragraphs: The inhabitants of Guéret are known, in French, as "Guérétois" (women: "Guérétoises").

paragraphs: The "commune" of Guéret has a population, in 2014, of 13,342; its population density is of inhabitants/km.

paragraphs: Guéret forms, together with Saint-Fiel, the urban area of Guéret with a population of 14,157 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Guéret, formed by 32 "communes" with a population of 31,499 inhabitants and an area of .

paragraphs: Guéret is the prefecture of the Creuse department, the capital of the "arrondissement" of Guéret and the administrative centre () of two cantons:

paragraphs: It is part of the intercommunality "Le Grand Guéret" ().


title: Communes of the Creuse department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 260 communes of the Creuse "département" of France.


title: Périgueux

paragraphs: Périgueux () is a commune in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. It is the capital, prefecture, of the Dordogne department.

paragraphs: Périgueux is in the centre of the Dordogne department, in the tourist region named as "Périgord Blanc". The Isle river flows through the city.

paragraphs: The city is at about from Angoulême, from Limoges, from Agen, from Bordeaux and from Cahors.

paragraphs: The "commune" of Périgueux has an area of and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

paragraphs: Périgueux is surrounded by the "communes" Château-l'Évêque, Champcevinel, Trélissac, Boulazac, Notre-Dame-de-Sanilhac, Coulounieix-Chamiers, Marsac-sur-l'Isle and Chancelade.

paragraphs: Périgueux has an oceanic climate with template summers (Köppen climate classification: Cfb).

paragraphs: The inhabitants of Périgueux are known, in French, as "Pétrocoriens" (women: "Pétrocoriennes"). Another name for the inhabitants of Périgueux is "Périgourdins".

paragraphs: With a population of 30,069 (2014), Périgueux has a population density of inhabitants/km.

paragraphs: Evolution of the population in Périgueux

paragraphs: Périgueux forms, together with 8 other "communes", the urban area of Périgueux with a population of 66,895 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Périgueux, formed by 55 "communes" with a population of 102,855 inhabitants (2013) and an area of .

paragraphs: Périgueux is a prefecture of the Dordogne and the capital of the "arrondissement" of Périgueux.

paragraphs: The "commune" is the administrative centre () of two cantons

paragraphs: It is part of the intercommunality "Le Grand Périgueux" ().


title: Communes of the Dordogne department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 557 communes of the Dordogne "département" in France.


title: Évreux

paragraphs: Évreux is a commune. It is found in the Eure department in France.


title: Communes of the Eure department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 675 communes of the Eure "département" in France.


title: Eric Nickulas

paragraphs: Eric Nickulas (born March 25, 1975 in Hyannis, Massachusetts) is a American professional ice hockey right winger who last played for the ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Nickulas has also played a total of 7 seasons in the NHL; 4 with the Boston Bruins, 2 with the St. Louis Blues and 1 with the Chicago Blackhawks. He won the Calder Cup in 1998 while he was apart of the Boston Bruins farm team, the Providence Bruins.


title: Halteres

paragraphs: Halteres are small knobbed structures modified from the hind wings in flies. They vibrate during flight, and help the insect fly better.

paragraphs: The halteres evolved from wings. Ancestral flying insects had two pairs of wings, like dragonflies, hymenoptera and lepidoptera still do. Flies have only the front pair of wings.

paragraphs: Halteres help balancing and improve flight. They help flies to perform their fast aerobatics. In addition to providing rapid feedback to the muscles steering the wings, they also help stabilise the head during flight.

paragraphs: They are flapped rapidly and work as gyroscopes, telling the insect about its body position during flight.

paragraphs: Every vibrating object tends to maintain its plane of vibration, a result of the Coriolis effect. If the body of the insect changes direction in flight or rotates about its axis, the vibrating halteres exert a force on the body. The insect detects this force with sensory organs at the base of the halteres.

paragraphs: The two halteres vibrate in different planes, each forming an angle of about 45 degrees with the long axis of the insect. This increases the information got from the halteres.

paragraphs: In Diptera, the formation of the haltere during metamorphosis is dependent on the homeotic gene "Ultrabithorax" (Ubx). If this gene is experimentally deactivated, the haltere will develop into a fully developed wing. This is an excellent illustration of an important mechanism of evolutionary development; a simple homeotic gene change can result in a radically different phenotype.

paragraphs: The Strepsiptera, small insects parasitic on bees, wasps and cockroaches, also have halteres. We know the evolution was independent because in the Strepsiptera the "forewings" evolved into halteres while, in the Diptera, the "hindwings" changed into halteres. This is a classic case of convergent evolution.

paragraphs: Grimaldi and Engel say halteres have evolved at least seven times in insects, and "in most cases it is known to be associated with improved manoeuvering in flight".


title: Chartres

paragraphs: Chartres is a French commune in the Eure-et-Loir department. About 39,000 people live there.


title: Jethou

paragraphs: Jethou is a small island that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is privately leased, and not open to the public.

paragraphs: It is immediately south of Herm and has an area of approximately 44 acres (18 ha).

paragraphs: It is said that in AD 709 a storm washed away the strip of land which connected the island with Herm.

paragraphs: The island's name contains the "-hou" suffix, which means "a small island".

paragraphs: In 1416, it became part of Henry V of England's estate. It is still a Crown lease, and is owned by the States of Guernsey.

paragraphs: From 1920 to 1923 it was leased by Compton MacKenzie along with Herm and remained part of that estate for years, although it is currently part of a different one.

paragraphs: The British 1957 musical "Free as Air" by Dorothy Reynolds & Julian Slade was set on the fictitious island of 'Terhou', which was based on Jethou.

paragraphs: On the top is a marker. It is said that in earlier times, pirates were hanged on it with chains, like nearby Crevichon.

paragraphs: From September 1964 until December 1971 the island was occupied by the Faed family consisting of Mr Angus Faed, his wife Susan Faed and their four children, Colin, Erik, Colette and Amanda. Mrs. Susan Faed was the 22nd tenant of Jethou.

paragraphs: It is flanked by two islets, Crevichon to the north and Fauconniere to the south. There is one house on the island and two cottages as well as a large garage where vehicles such as quad bikes and tractors are stored.

paragraphs: It is now leased by Sir Peter Ogden of IT company Computacenter.

paragraphs: Unlike the largely autonomous islands of Sark and Alderney within the Bailiwick, Jethou cannot pass its own laws. It is administered by the States of Guernsey, and elects members to the States of Deliberation as part of the St. Peter Port South electoral district.

paragraphs: At the east of Jethou, puffins can be seen swimming off the rocks.

paragraphs: They also nest there in the east clifftop.


title: Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 403 communes of the Eure-et-Loir "département", in France.


title: Lihou

paragraphs: "Not to be confused with Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve"

paragraphs: Lihou () is a small tidal island (95 vergées; 38½ acres; 15.6 hectares) that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, Channel Islands. It lies off the west coast of Guernsey and is the most westerly point in the Channel Islands. Coordinates: . The island was bought by the States of Guernsey in January 1995. Lihou is connected to Guernsey at low tide by an ancient stone causeway between the island and L'Eree headland. It is part of the Parish of St. Peter's. Lihou's bird and marine life makes it an important conservation area.

paragraphs: Like many other Channel Islands, Lihou's name contains the Norman language suffix ""-hou"" of Old Norse origin.

paragraphs: The island has the ruins of the priory of St. Mary which is believed to have been set up by Benedictine monks in the 12th century. The monks of the priory were not very popular with the local people, who thought they were devil worshippers. This animosity may be due to the monks' insistence on rights of wreck. Until 1415 it was under the control of Mont Saint Michel and then Eton College until the Reformation when it was closed and fell into disrepair.

paragraphs: The house on Lihou was used for target practice by heavy artillery during the German Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. It has now been rebuilt as accommodation for school groups, and is used as an educational resource.

paragraphs: "Vraic" (seaweed) was harvested and dried on frames set up on the beach. A 1927 factory building produced iodine from seaweed. All traces of the industry disappeared during the German Occupation.

paragraphs: The Lihou family name is included in parish records which go back as far as the early 15th century and there are a number of groups who study the ancestry of the Lihou's. More recently a group was set up using the social networking site 'Facebook' which links Lihou's around the world.


title: -hou

paragraphs: -hou is a suffix (part added to the end of a word) found in many Channel Islands and Norman names. It is the Norman language version of the Old Norse "holmr", meaning a small island, and often found anglicised elsewhere as "holm". It can still be found in modern Scandinavian languages, e.g. Stockholm.

paragraphs: The Norman "hommet/houmet" also comes from this suffix.

paragraphs: In Parisian French, the equivalent is "îlot", which is the same as the English "islet".


title: Vergée

paragraphs: A vergée, or vergee, is a unit of area, a quarter of the French acre. Other spellings include vergie and vrégie. It is not an SI unit. The SI unit of area is the square metre.

paragraphs: The term derives from Latin "virga" (rod). Compare French "verge" (yard).

paragraphs: In the Channel Islands, it is a standard measure of land, but the statutory definition differs between the bailiwicks.

paragraphs: In France a vergée was 12,100 square Paris feet (1,276.8 m²). It was 25 (square) perches. The surveying perch measured 22 French feet. the royal perch was 18 French feet.


title: Derby Industrial Museum

paragraphs: Derby Silk Mill, is a museum of industry in Derby, England. The museum is housed in a historic former silk mill which is part of Derwent Valley Mills. Between 1717 and 1721 George Sorocold built Britain’s first mill beside the River Derwent. This mill was built to produce silk threads using machines powered by a water wheel.

paragraphs: John Lombe copied the design for the machines used for spinning large quantities of silk, when he was working within the Italian Silk Industry. This may be the first example of industrial espionage.

paragraphs: Traditionally the spinning wheel had been used for producing small quantities of silk thread at the homes of local spinsters. But these new, large machines were able to produce far greater quantities of silk and came to compete with the Italians. However, these machines required large buildings and a huge power source. An undershot water wheel turned by the mill fleam on the west side of the new Silk Mill drove these large spinning machines.

paragraphs: John Lombe unnaturally died in 1722. It was believed that he was killed with poison by an Italian as the revenge for stealing trade secrets. His half brother, Sir Thomas Lombe Knt., died on 2 June 1739 leaving his estate to his widow and their two daughters.

paragraphs: Dame Elizabeth advertised the lease of the building and machinery in 1739, and the remaining 64 years of the lease were assigned to Richard Wilson junior of Leeds for £2,800.

paragraphs: Richard Wilson stayed in Leeds and took a proportion of the profits. The mill was conducted by William and Samuel Lloyd (both London merchants) and Thomas Bennet as salaried manager.

paragraphs: A description of the mill by William Wilson dating from sometime between 1739 and 1753 is left as follows:

paragraphs: These circular spinning machines (also known as 'throwing machines'), were the most progressive feature of the factory. Also, they used the single source of power (water), and employed many organized workers (200-400, according to recent sources). Due to these total process of production from raw silk to fine quality thread, the Lombes' silk mill is regarded as the first successful use of the factory system in Britain.

paragraphs: The Silk Mill was visited by many tourists. For example, Boswell visited there in September 1777. Not all visitors thought that the mill was in good condition. Torrington commented on the "heat, stinks and noise". In 1835, Fairholt was shocked at unhealthy poor children. Foreign visitors also visited the mill during their trips.

paragraphs: William Hutton was once the employees and he later recalled the long hours, low wages and beatings. Work only stopped in time of extreme dryness or frost, or lack of silk supply. But in August 1748, unofficial holidays were taken during elections and Derby races.

paragraphs: The partnership of Wilson and Lloyd ended in 1753 due to quarrel and legal suits. Lloyd remained in possession of the building and machinery.

paragraphs: In 1765 Thomas Bennet bought the mill from Lloyd subject to a mortgage to the Wilson family but the mill was neglected for years, because other mills in Derby and Cheshire had grown to become competitor, and silk trade itself had declined.

paragraphs: Lamech Swift became the sub-tenant in 1780. He paid £7 to the Corporation and £170 to Thomas Wilson (brother of Richard and William) per year respectively. He conflicted with the Corporation on repairs to dams in 1781, he remained in occupation until the lease expired in 1803.

paragraphs: The Corporation advertised the lease in 1803 to run for 60 years. The advertisement said that the "Italian works" was still used for throwing silk.

paragraphs: In November 1833, labor movements began in Derby which led to the formation of the Grand National Trades Union in February 1834. Several months later, Tolpuddle Martyrs occurred. The Silk Mill was not at the centre of the movements, Taylor (the mill's lessee at this time) was one of the employers who agreed not to employ any worker who was a union member. By the middle of April 1834 Taylor reported that two-thirds of his machinery was working and many of his former workers were applying for reinstatement. According to "The Derby Mercury" some of the former unionists were never able to find next employment in Derby. This event is commemorated by a march organized by the Derby Trades Union Council every year on the weekend before MayDay.

paragraphs: The Taylor family remained in occupation of the mill but in 1865 they ruined and were forced to sell their machinery and lease. "The Derby Mercury" advertised many silk mills for sale that year, and it were obvious that a general depression was hitting the industry. This took place four years before the Cobden Treaty with France which is said to have effectively destroyed the British silk industry.

paragraphs: The long connection with silk production ended in about 1908 when F.W. Hampshire and Company, the Chemists, moved into the buildings to make fly papers and cough medicines. On 5 December 1910 at 5.00 am, fire broke out in the near flour mill of Sowter Bothers and soon the flame spread to the Silk Mill. The mill's east wall fell into the river and the whole building was burnt up. Great efforts were made by the Borough Fire Brigade and the Midland Railway Company who saved the shell of the tower and the outline of the doorways leading into the original five floors. These can still be seen today on the tower staircase. The building was rebuilt at the same height but with three stories instead of five and remains that way today.

paragraphs: During the 1920s the building passed ownership to the Electricity Authority. They used it partly as stores, workshops and a canteen. Hidden from the road by the power station, the mill's existence was largely forgotten by the general public until the power station was removed in 1970. It was then converted into Industrial Museum which Derby had proposed for a long time. The museum opened on 29 November 1974.

paragraphs: Derby City Council closed the museum on 3 April 2011 in order to free funds for the redevelopment of the Silk Mill museum and other museums in the city. The Report of the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods (Item 7 put before the Council Cabinet meeting held on the 26 October 2010) indicated that 8.6 full time jobs would be lost but on the contrary £197,000 would be saved to offset the loss of "Renaissance Programme" funding. No date for the re-opening of the museum is given in the report, although a period of two years has been reported.


title: Auch

paragraphs: Auch (Gascon: "Aush" or "Aux") is a commune in southwestern France, in the region of Occitanie. It is the "prefecture" (capital) of the Gers department. It is also the capital of 3 "cantons": Auch-1, Auch-2 and Auch-3.

paragraphs: Auch is the historical capital of Gascony and the people of this city are known, in French, as "auscitain" (women: "auscitaines").

paragraphs: Auch is an ancient town. The name of "Auch" comes from the people that inhabited the area at the time of the Roman conquest. The name of this tribe was "Ausci", singular "Auscus".

paragraphs: The Romans named the town where that tribe lived as "Augusta Auscorum" (or "Augusta Ausciorum"), which means "Augusta of the Ausci". Eventually, "Augusta" was dropped, and the name changed into modern Gascon "Aush", and modern French "Auch".

paragraphs: Auch is in the southwest of France, in Armagnac (Gascony), in the valley of the Gers river. It extends along the sides of the river that gives its name to the department.

paragraphs: The "commune" is, in straight line, at from the Pyrenees, from the Bay of Biscay, from Bordeaux, from Toulouse and from Pau.

paragraphs: It has an area of and its average altitude is .

paragraphs: Auch is surrounded by the following "communes", all of them part of the arrondissement of Auch: Roquelaure to the north, Preignan and Montaut-les-Créneaux to the northeast, Leboulin and Montégut to the east, Pessan to the southeast, Pavie to the south, Lasséran and Barran to the southwest, Ordan-Larroque and Duran to the west and Castin and Castillon-Massas to the northwest.

paragraphs: The climate of the department is an oceanic climate with template summers, Cfb (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.

paragraphs: The average temperature for the year in Auch is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .

paragraphs: The highest recorded temperature in Auch is , which was recorded in August. The lowest recorded temperature in Auch is , which was recorded in January.

paragraphs: The average amount of precipitation for the year in Auch is . The month with the most precipitation on average is May with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of .

paragraphs: The city of Auch has a population, in 2014, of 21,807; its population density is of inhabitants/km.

paragraphs: Auch is the prefecture of the Cantal department, the capital of the "arrondissement" of Auch and the administrative centre () of three cantons:

paragraphs: It is part of the intercommunality "Le Grand Auch" ().

paragraphs: A city founded by the Romans, Auch had its period of power during the Middle Ages, when it was the capital of the old province of Gascony. The high quality of the limestone is an important component of its monuments and buildings, such as its cathedral.


title: Crevichon

paragraphs: Crevichon is an islet off Herm, immediately to the north of Jethou, in the Channel Islands.

paragraphs: According to Dr S.K. Kellett-Smith, the name "Crevichon" means "island of crabs, crayfish or cranes".

paragraphs: Like many names in the Channel Islands, it is Norman language in origin. A thousand years ago, the water level was ten feet lower (3 m), so there were many more of the animals the island was named after.

paragraphs: The island is about 212 by 168 metres (696 by 551 ft) at its widest. Its area is less than . The distance to Jethou is about 215 metres (705 ft).

paragraphs: A 16th-century drawing of the islet, now in the British Museum, shows Crevichon as apparently a wooded islet.

paragraphs: Prof. John Le Patourel, in "The Building of Castle Cornet" said that in 1566, iron and hammers were taken to "Creavissham", and the island quarried for the castle. The quarry has been used since then, but this has made the island much smaller, and less visible. As a result, a fifteen-foot () marker was built on the top. Crevichon may have provided the granite for the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

paragraphs: It is said that in earlier times, pirates were hanged on it with chains, like nearby Jethou.

paragraphs: Compton Mackenzie, former owner of Herm called Crevichon "Merg" in his book, "Fairy Gold", which is a fictionalised version of the islands.

paragraphs: In 1953, Victor Coysh says that he saw the remains of a German bomber, from the time of the occupation.


title: Communes of the Gard department

paragraphs: This is a list of the 353 communes of the Gard "département", in France.


title: Houmets

paragraphs: ""Houmet" redirects here, for further information on the placename element, please see "-hou""

paragraphs: Les Houmets are to the east of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Their name comes from "hou", a Norman/Guernésiais word meaning islets. They are tidal islands.

paragraphs: Amongst the islets are Houmet Benest/Houmet Benêt, Houmet Paradis and Houmet Hommetol (Omptolle). Although Victor Hugo suggests that they were heavily eroded by quarrying (which was certainly true in the case of Crevichon off Herm), Victor Coysh disagrees saying:

paragraphs: Victor Hugo who wrote about many of the Channel Islands in his books, described Les Houmets, in "The Toilers of the Sea" ("Les Travailleurs de la mer"). Gilliat, the main character lives on Houmet Paradis:

paragraphs: Moreover, this house had some very nasty inhabitants besides Gilliat,

paragraphs: The novel was written in the 1860s and set in the 1820s when the islands were still inhabited.

paragraphs: Houmet Benest/Benêt is about two hundred yards (180 m) from the shore. It is triangular, and 80 × 50 yards (73 × 45 m). There is an 18th century gun battery here, to defend against the French. The German occupation added their own, and the British another after the Germans left. The steamer "Clarrie" sank off Houmet Benêt in 1921, in the Great Roussel. "Heathery Brae" in 1952 tried to salvage it, but ended up being wrecked itself, and there are also the wrecks of "Vixen" (a brig), "Rescue" (a tug) and "Romp" (a cutter) went ashore here. It is covered in grass and brambles.

paragraphs: Houmet Paradis, the fictional Gilliat's home, was originally known as Houmet de l'Eperquerie, as it was used for fish gutting, and drying on stands known as "perques" (perches). It was formerly owned by the Collas family, whose estate at Paradis, gave the islet its new name. In the 1920s, it was used for quarrying, and it was also used for grazing cattle, and has a lot of grass. In 1951 it was sold to James Watson of Newcastle upon Tyne for £500 who placed the island under the stewardship of the National Trust of Guernsey. It remained within the family until 2004 when it was sold at auction by James Watson's grandson (also called James Watson who live on Alderney) to a local consortium to keep the island as a nature reserve.

paragraphs: Hommetol, more commonly called Omptolle by the Ordnance Survey etc., is used for gathering ormer. It is mostly covered in thrift.


title: Phoenix Park

paragraphs: Phoenix Park () is a park in the middle of Dublin, Ireland. It lies about west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. The wall around it is 16 km long. The area within the wall is . It is one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It has large areas of grassland and wide roads with trees on both sides. A herd of wild Fallow deer have lived in the park since the seventeenth century. The English name ("Phoenix") comes from the Irish "fionn uisce" meaning "clear water".

paragraphs: A Royal Hunting Park was created in 1662 by the English Lord Lieutenant of Ireland at the time, Lord Ormonde. The park contained pheasants and wild deer, and a wall was built around the whole area to stop them escaping. The Park originally included more land which was to the south of the River Liffey. But when they started to build the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham in 1680, the Park was made smaller to the size it is today. It was opened to the people of Dublin by Lord Chesterfield in 1745.

paragraphs: Two people were killed in the park on 6 May 1882. This became known as the Phoenix Park Murders.

paragraphs: "Áras an Uachtaráin" is Irish for "the house of the President". The President of Ireland lives here. It was built in 1754. It was first called the Viceregal Lodge, as it was where the English Lord Lieutenant of Ireland lived.

paragraphs: The Chief Secretary's Lodge was the former house of the Chief Secretary for Ireland. It has been the official house of the United States Ambassador to Ireland since 1927.

paragraphs: The oldest building in the park is Ashtown Castle. It is a medieval tower house from the 15th century. It was restored in 1989. It is located beside the Visitor Centre which has information on the 5,500 years of park and area history.

paragraphs: The Magazine Fort in the south east of the Park is the location where Phoenix Lodge was built by Sir Edward Fisher in 1611. In 1734 the house was knocked down when the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset wanted a powder magazine ("a building to store gunpowder") for Dublin. An extra wing was added to the fort in 1801 for troops. The Christmas Raid of 1939 happened here.

paragraphs: Dublin Zoo has more than 600 animals and tropical birds from around the world. It was founded in 1830 and opened to the public on 1 September 1831, which means it is the third oldest zoo in the world. It received animals from the Zoological Society of London. Within a year the zoo housed 123 different kinds of animals.

paragraphs: The Wellington Monument is a tall obelisk. It remembers the victories of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. It is the largest obelisk in Europe and would have been even higher if the public funding had not run out.

paragraphs: The "phoenix monument" is a Corinthian column with a Phoenix bird rising from the ashes at the top. Lord Chesterfield had it made in 1747.

paragraphs: The "Papal Cross" is a large cross that was placed in the park for the visit of Pope John Paul II on 29 September 1979. Over one million people attended an open-air mass in the park at the time. The large white cross is high and is made of steel.

paragraphs: There are 351 plant species in the Park; three of these are rare and protected. The park has kept almost all of its old grasslands and woodlands. It also has rare examples of wetlands. The current 400–450 fallow deer descend from the original herd.

paragraphs: A Birdwatch survey in 2007-8 found 72 species of bird including buzzard, sparrowhawk, kestrel and jay.

paragraphs: The park also has several streams that flow into the River Liffey.

paragraphs: These gardens were created in 1840 as the "Promenade Grounds" ("grounds for talking a walk in"). It has small lakes, a children's playground and a picnic area. The gardens are located close to the Parkgate Street entrance.

paragraphs: The south western corner of the park is known as the Furry Glen. It has a number of short walks around a small lake with birds, plants and wildlife.

paragraphs: The park has sports grounds for football, hurling, soccer, cricket and polo.

paragraphs: Phoenix Cricket Club is located in the park. It was founded in 1830 by John Parnell, the father of Charles Stewart Parnell. It is the oldest cricket club in Ireland. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1970s, it was the most important club in Leinster cricket.

paragraphs: Motor racing first took place in the Phoenix Park in 1903. The Irish Gordon Bennett Race Speed Trials were held on the main straight road for both cars and motorcycles. This was followed in 1929 by the Irish International Grand Prix; the first of three Irish motor racing grands prix.

paragraphs: Racing took place between 1932 until the beginning of World War II in 1939. It was started again after the War in 1949 with a sprint on the "Oldtown" circuit. Over the years seven different circuits have been used, two of which are named after the famous Ferrari World Champion racing driver Mike Hawthorn.

paragraphs: The Great Ireland Run is a 10 km running competition. It has been held every year in April since 2003. It includes races for professional runners and the public. In 2010 over 11,000 people joined in.

paragraphs: A large gardening, food and family event called "Bloom" is organised in the park every year since 2006. It had nearly 90,000 visitors in 2011.

paragraphs: Musical acts like U2, Coldplay, Duran Duran, Robbie Williams, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kanye West have played concerts in the park.

paragraphs: The park plays a big role in James Joyce's novel, "Finnegans Wake".


title: Thylacosmilus

paragraphs: Thylacosmilus is a extinct genus of carnivorous sparassodont. found as fossils in deposits dated from about 10 million to 3 million years ago (late Miocene to late Pliocene epoch) in Argentina, South America.

paragraphs: "Thylacosmilus" was sabre-toothed and was about as large as a modern jaguar. To a remarkable degree, "Thylacosmilus" paralleled the evolution of felid sabre-toothed cats like "Smilodon". Its canine teeth were long and powerfully developed; they were used for stabbing prey. Its killing method was to hold its prey, and make deep bites into the soft tissue driven by powerful neck muscles. The canine teeth were protected by a well-developed flange, or projecting edge, in the chin region of the lower jaw. The canines continued to grow during adult life, which they do not in marsupials or placental mammals.

paragraphs: "Thylacosmilus" died out during the late Pliocene, whereas saber-toothed cats did not get to South America until the middle Pleistocene epoch. As a result, the last appearance of "Thylacosmilus" is separated from the first appearance of "Smilodon" by over one and a half million years.


title: Garda Síochána

paragraphs: The old English language name of the force was the Civic Guard, but this title is no longer used. "Garda Síochána na hÉireann" is usually rendered as the "Guardian of the Peace of Ireland" or the "Guardians of the Peace (of Ireland)".

paragraphs: The full official title of the force is rarely used in speech. It is known, in decreasing order of formality, as ( pronounced ); "the" '; the ' (in the preceding names, ' "guard" is a collective noun, like "police"); the ( ; "guards", plural); or the Guards.

paragraphs: An individual officer is also called a ' (plural '), or, informally, a guard. A police station is called a " station". ' is also the lowest rank within the force, also used as a title (e.g. " John Murphy"), analogous to the British term "constable" or the American "officer" ("deputy/trooper/etc."). "Guard" is the most common form of address used by members of the public speaking to a garda on duty. A female officer was once officially referred to as a ' (; "female guard"; plural '). This term was abolished in 1990, but is still used colloquially in place of the now gender-neutral '.

paragraphs: The force is headed by the Commissioner. Immediately below him are two Deputy Commissioners, one in charge of "Operations" and the other "Strategy and Change Management". The Chief Administrative Officer has responsibility for resource management (personnel, finance, ICT and accommodation) has the same rank as a Deputy Commissioner. There are twelve Assistant Commissioners: one for each of the six geographical Regions, and the remainder dealing with various national support functions. At an equivalent or near-equivalent level to the Assistant Commissioners are the positions of Chief Medical Officer, Executive Director of ICT and Executive Director of Finance.

paragraphs: The six geographical "Assistant Commissioners" command the six "Garda Force Regions", which are currently:

paragraphs: Reporting to the Assistant Commissioners are about 50 Chief Superintendents, about half of whom supervise what are called Divisions. Each Division contains a number of Districts, each commanded by a Superintendent assisted by a team of Inspectors. Each District contains a number of Subdistricts, which are usually commanded by Sergeants.

paragraphs: Usually each Subdistrict contains only one Garda station. A different number of are based at each station depending on its importance. Most of these stations employ the basic rank of Garda, which was referred to as the rank of Guard until 1972. The most junior members of the force are students, whose duties can vary depending on their training progress. They are often have clerical duties, as part of their extra curricular studies.

paragraphs: The Garda organisation also has over 2,500 civilian support staff covering areas such as human resources, occupational health services, finance and procurement, internal audit, IT and telecommunications, accommodation and fleet management, scenes-of-crime support, research and analysis, training and general administration. The figure also includes industrial staff such as traffic wardens, drivers and cleaners. It is ongoing government policy to bring the level of non officer support in the organisation up to international standards - thus enhancing its capacity and expertise in a range of specialist and administrative functions, and releasing more of its police officers for core operational duties.

paragraphs: The Garda Síochána Act 2005 provided for the establishment of a Garda Reserve, consisting of 4,000, to assist the force in performing its functions, and supplement the work of members of the Garda Síochána.

paragraphs: The job of the Garda Reserve is "to be a source of local strength and knowledge". Reservists carry out duties decided by the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. With reduced training, these duties and powers must be operated under the supervision of regular members of the Force, and are also limited from those of regular members.

paragraphs: As of November 2010 there are 850 graduated Garda Reserve, and another 148 in further training, the first batch of 36 Garda Reserves graduated on 15 December 2006 at the Garda College, in Templemore.

paragraphs: Most uniformed members of An Garda Síochána do not usually carry firearms. It is a tradition of the service that standard policing is carried out in both rural and urban areas by uniformed officers equipped only with a wooden truncheon. From March 2007 all new Gardaí have been issued with ASP extendable batons, with existing members trained in time. In addition, the Garda Commissioner announced in October 2008 that all Gardaí are to be issued with Pepper Spray. As of December 2009, all Gardaí have been trained and issued with this Spray.

paragraphs: The force, when originally created, was armed, but the Provisional Government reversed the decision and reconstituted the force as an unarmed police force. This was in contrast to the attitude of the British Dublin Castle administration, which refused appeals from the Royal Irish Constabulary that that force be disarmed. In the words of first Commissioner, Michael Staines, TD:

paragraphs: According to Tom Garvin such a decision gave the new force a cultural ace: "the taboo on killing unarmed men and women who could not reasonably be seen as spies and informers."

paragraphs: Although a mostly unarmed force, certain units of the Gardaí, such as detective units, the regional support units, and the Emergency Response Unit are commissioned to carry firearms. The original stock of Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolvers are being replaced by the Sig Sauer P226 and Walther P99C semi-automatic pistols. Regional Support Units have Heckler & Koch MP7 sub-machine guns in addition to issue pistols and non-lethal weapons such as tasers and pepper spray. They serve as a first response to back up regular Garda officers in critical situations due to a rise of incidents that involve firearm use. In order to be issued with a firearm, or to carry a firearm whilst on duty, a Garda must be in possession of a valid gun card.

paragraphs: Garda patrol cars are mainly white, with yellow and blue fluorescent livery whereas traffic unit vehicles adopt the battenburg pattern. The Garda crest is also present on vehicles. An Garda Síochána also use unmarked patrol cars in their duties and use of such vehicles is increasing becoming a matter of cost rather than the need to hide the vehicles, as the amendments to the exterior of the vehicle such as LED strobes, Tetra aerials and bumper LEDs in particular are extremely visible.

paragraphs: The Civic Guard was formed by the Provisional Government in February 1922 to take over the responsibility of policing the fledgling Irish Free State. It replaced the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and the Irish Republican Police of 1919-1922. In August 1922 the force accompanied Michael Collins when he met the Lord Lieutenant in Dublin Castle.

paragraphs: The Garda Síochána (Temporary Provisions) Act 1923 enacted after the creation of the Irish Free State on 8 August 1923, provided for the creation of "a force of police to be called and known as 'The Garda Síochana'". Under section 22, The Civic Guard were deemed to have been established under and to be governed by the Act. The law therefore renamed the existing force.

paragraphs: During the Civil War of 1922-23, the new Free State set up the Criminal Investigation Department as an armed, plain-clothed counter-insurgency unit. It was disbanded after the end of the war in October 1923 and elements of it were absorbed into the Dublin Metropolitan Police.

paragraphs: In Dublin, policing remained the responsibility of the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP, founded 1836) until it merged with the Garda Síochána in 1925. Since then the Garda has been the only police force in the state now known as the Republic of Ireland, with the exception of the Military Police within the Irish Defence Forces, the Airport Police, and Dublin Port and Dún Laoghaire Harbour police forces.

paragraphs: First established in 1925, the Scott Medal for Bravery is the highest honour for bravery and valour awarded to a member of the Garda Síochána. The first medals were funded by Colonel Walter Scott, an honorary Commissioner of the New York Police Department. The first recipient of the Scott Medal was Pat Malone of St. Luke's Cork City who - as an unarmed Garda - disarmed Tomás Óg Mac Curtain (the son of Tomás Mac Curtain).

paragraphs: To mark the United States link, the American English spelling of "valor" is used on the medal. The Garda Commissioner chooses the recipients of the medal, which is presented by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

paragraphs: In 2000, Anne McCabe - widow of Garda Jerry McCabe, who was killed by armed Provisional IRA bank robbers, accepted the Scott Medal for Bravery that had been awarded posthumously to her husband.

paragraphs: The Irish Republican Police had at least one member killed by the RIC 21 July 1920.

paragraphs: The first Commissioner, Michael Staines, who was a Pro-Treaty member of , held office for only eight months. It was his successors, Eoin O'Duffy and Éamon Broy, who played a central role in the development of the force. O’Duffy was Commissioner in the early years of the force when to many people’s surprise the ability of the force to succeed despite being unarmed was established. O'Duffy later became a short-lived political leader of the quasi-fascist Blueshirts before heading to Spain to fight alongside Francisco Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. Broy had greatly helped the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Anglo-Irish War, while serving with the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP). Broy's fame grew in the 1990s when he featured in the movie "Michael Collins", in which it was misleadingly suggested that he had been murdered by the British during the War of Independence, when in reality he lived for decades and headed the Garda Síochána from 1933 to 1938. Broy was followed by Commissioners Michael Kinnane (1938–52) and Daniel Costigan (1952–65). The first Commissioner to rise from the rank of ordinary Garda was William P. Quinn, who was appointed in February 1965.

paragraphs: One later Commissioner, Edmund Garvey, was sacked by the Fianna Fáil government of Jack Lynch in 1978 after it had lost confidence in him. Garvey won 'unfair dismissal' legal proceedings against the government, which was upheld in the Irish Supreme Court This outcome required the passing of the Garda Síochána Act 1979 to retrospectively validate the actions of Garvey's successor since he had become Commissioner. Garvey's successor, Patrick McLaughlin, was forced to resign along with his deputy in 1983 over his minor involvement in a political scandal. The current Commissioner, since December 2010, is Martin Callinan.

paragraphs: During the Emergency (as World War II was known in Ireland) there were two reserve forces to the Garda, An Taca Síochána and the Local Security Force.

paragraphs: An Taca Síochána had the power of arrest and wore uniform, and were allowed to leave the reserve or sign-up as full members of the Garda at the end of the war before the reserve was disbanded. The reserve was established by the Emergency Powers (Temporary Special Police Force) Order, 1939.

paragraphs: The Local Security Force (LSF) did not have the power of arrest, and part of the reserve was soon absorbed into the Irish Army Reserve under the command of the Irish Army.

paragraphs: Since 1989, the Garda has been part of United Nations peace-keeping forces. Its first mission was when a 50 strong force was sent to Namibia. Since then the force has acted in Angola, Cambodia, Cyprus, Mozambique, South Africa and the former Yugoslavia. The force's first fatality abroad was Garda Sergeant Paul M. Reid, who was fatally injured while on duty with the United Nations UNPROFOR at "Sniper's Alley" in Sarajevo on 18 May 1995.

paragraphs: Members of the Garda also serve in the Embassies of Ireland in London, The Hague, Madrid and Paris. Members are also seconded to Europol in The Hague, Holland and Interpol in Lyon, France. There are also many members working directly for UN and European agencies such as the War Crimes Tribunal.

paragraphs: Garda officers also co-operate with members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to combat cross-border crime. They have also accompanied politicians from the Republic, such as the President on visits to Northern Ireland.

paragraphs: Under an agreement with the British Government and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Garda and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland are allowed to inspect the Sellafield nuclear facility in Cumbria, England.

paragraphs: Like every police force in the world the Gardaí have had many complaints against them including allegations of discourtesy, harassment and perjury (lying to a court). A total of 1,173 complaints were made by the public against the Gardaí in 2005, while over 2000 complaints were made in 2009.

paragraphs: Some incidents involving the Garda have attracted wide scale attention—such as those that led to the Morris and Barr Tribunals—and have resulted in broad reform initiatives. Other reports suggest that people who frequent gay and lesbian establishments feel that the Gardaí are not doing enough to tackle reported homophobic crime in Ireland. In 2007 there was also some debate when a potential Sikh applicant of the Garda Reserve requested that he be allowed wear a turban in place of a standard uniform cap - Ultimately the provision was not made as it was stated that the force had the same uniform requirements for all members.

paragraphs: The Kerry Babies case was one of the first public inquiries into mishandling of a Garda investigation. Later, in the 1980s, the Ferns Report (an inquiry into allegations of clerical sexual abuse) described as "wholly inadequate" the handling of one of eight formal complaints made to Wexford gardaí, but noted that the remaining formal complaints were handled in an "effective, professional and sensitive" manner.

paragraphs: The Gardaí were also criticised in the Murphy Report in relation to the handing over of the case of Fr. Edmondus (a pseudonym) to Archbishop McQuaid by Commissioner Costigan. Some very senior Gardaí were criticised for regarding priests as being outside their remit in 1960. On November 26, 2009, then Commissioner Fachtna Murphy apologised for the failure of An Garda Siochána to protect victims of child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. He said that inappropriate relationships and contacts between gardaí and the Dublin Archdiocese had taken place at a time of undue or misguided deference to religious authorities and that these were incompatible with any investigation. On 27 November 2009 he announced that a senior investigator would examine the findings in the report.

paragraphs: The Gardaí were criticised by the commission of investigation into the Dean Lyons case for their handling of the investigation into the Grangegorman killings. In his report, George Birmingham said that the Gardaí had used leading questions in their interviews with Lyons, and had failed to act on a suspicion that Lyons' confession was unreliable. For a period, the gardaí involved in the case failed to act on the knowledge that another man, Mark Nash, had confessed to the crime. They were also criticised for failing to keep adequate records of their interviews with Lyons.

paragraphs: In the 1990s and early 2000s there were a series of allegations, including suggestions of corrupt and dishonest policing in County Donegal. This became the subject of a judicial inquiry: the Morris Tribunal. The tribunal found that some gardaí based in County Donegal had invented a Provisional IRA informer, made bombs and claimed credit for locating them, and attempted to frame Raphoe publican Frank McBrearty Junior for murder– the latter case involving a €1.5m settlement with the State. In a report to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the Morris Tribunal expressed grave concern about "organised insubordination" within the force that "proper discipline has been lost from Garda", suggesting that a few mischief-makers abused their positions within the Garda and used the disciplinary process to damage the force. The tribunal also expressed concern that recruits were brought into an undisciplined culture that had the potential to do great damage in the longer term, and warned that a "terrible and costly" waste of talent would occur if the situation continued. These scandals damaged the reputation and standing of the force in County Donegal.

paragraphs: On 20 April 2000, members of the Emergency Response Unit shot dead, from behind, 27-year-old John Carthy at the end of a 25-hour siege as he left his home in Abbeylara, County Longford with a loaded shotgun in his hands. There were allegations made of inappropriate handling of the situation and of the overuse of armed force by the Gardaí. This led to a Garda inquiry, and later a Tribunal of Inquiry chaired by Mr Justice Robert Barr. This inquiry was established on 1 July 2002, and the hearing of evidence was completed on 7 December 2004. The final report was expected within six months, but publication of the report was delayed until 20 July 2006. The official findings of the tribunal were that Sgt Michael Jackson made 14 mistakes in his role as negotiator during the siege, and that he failed to make real efforts to achieve resolution during the armed stand-off. It further stated however that Sgt Jackson was limited by lack of experience and resources ("psychologists, solicitors, dogs"). The tribunal recommended that there be an urgent review of Garda command structures, and that the ERU be with stun guns and other non-lethal options, including "non-compliant firearms support police dogs".

paragraphs: The Barr tribunal also recommended a formal working arrangement between Gardaí and State psychologists, and improvements in Garda training (especially for the ERU in siege situations, including those with mental illness as a factor). This included a recommendation that local Garda superintendents undergo refresher training for one week every year as scene commanders and a similar refresher course for ERU officers of the rank of inspector or superintendent. Garda Commissioner Conroy, in a letter to the family of John Carthy, stated that the force was 'truly apologetic' for his death. Former Superintendent Joe Shelley, whose failure to interview John Carthy was cited in the Barr Tribunal Report as "extraordinary", and who was also severely criticised in the Report of the Morris Tribunal into the controversial death of Richie Barron, was awarded a top-up bonus of €110,000 when he took early retirement in July 2005. Mr Justice Morris described Shelley's probe as ""prejudiced, tendentious, utterly negligent in the highest degree"".

paragraphs: One of the first charges of serious misconduct against the force came from the handling of the Sallins Train Robbery in 1976. This case eventually led to a serious miscarriage of justice and accusations that a "Heavy Gang" within the force intimidated and tortured accused. This eventually led to a Presidential pardon for one of the accused.

paragraphs: In 2004, an RTÉ "Prime Time" documentary accused elements within the Garda of abusing their powers by physically assaulting people arrested. A retired Circuit Court judge (W. A. Murphy) suggested that some members of the force had committed perjury in criminal trials before him but later stated that he was misquoted, while a Minister of State (Dick Roche, a junior government minister) accused Gardaí in one instance of "torture". The Garda Commissioner accused the television programme of lacking balance.

paragraphs: The Prime Time documentary followed footage published by the Independent Media Centre Ireland showing scuffles between Gardaí and Reclaim the Streets demonstrators. One Garda in this footage was later convicted of common assault, which is a summary matter, while several other Gardaí were acquitted.

paragraphs: The family of Eddie Fullerton, a Buncrana Sinn Féin councillor killed in his home by members of the Ulster Defence Association in 1991, have criticised the Gardaí's handling of the investigation and in 2005 they started a campaign for an inquiry.

paragraphs: The Smithwick Tribunal is also investigating allegations of collusion following the deaths of two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers killed by the Provisional IRA as they returned from a meeting with the Gardaí in the Republic of Ireland following a recommendation from the Cory Collusion Inquiry.

paragraphs: Protests at the proposed Royal Dutch Shell Corrib gas refinery in Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo have seen a large Garda operation at its construction sites with up to 200 Gardaí involved, making it the single biggest policing operation in the country at times. By September 2008, the cost of the operation was €10 Million and is estimated to have cost €13.5 Million by the end of January 2009. This is comparable to the €20 Million budgeted for Operation Anvil, targeting organised crime, criminal gangs and their associates. A section of road used by the protesters has been dubbed "the Golden Mile" by Gardaí because of the overtime opportunities. Complaints have been made about the Garda handling of the protests and several TDs, including former Green Party leader Trevor Sargent have criticised the Garda's handling of the situation.

paragraphs: Partly as a result of some of the above incidents, the Garda Síochána has undergone a number of reforms in recent years. The Morris Tribunal in particular recommended major changes to the way the force's management, discipline, promotion and accountability arrangements. Many of these recommendations were enacted by the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

paragraphs: Mr Justice Morris also said that the code of discipline was extremely complex and, at times, "cynically manipulated" to promote indiscipline across the force. Judicial reviews, for example, were cited as a means for delaying disciplinary action.

paragraphs: The fall-out form the Morris Tribunal was considerable. While fifteen members of the force were sacked between 2001 and 2006, and a further 42 resigned instead of being dismissed, Commissioner Conroy said that he was limited in what he could do to deal with members whose misbehaviour is cited in public inquiries.

paragraphs: With strong support from opposition parties, and reflecting widespread political consensus, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform responded to many of these issues by announcing a new draft code of discipline on 17 August 2006. The new streamlined code introduced new procedures to enable the Commissioner to summarily dismiss a Garda alleged to have brought the force into disrepute, abandoned duties, compromised the security of the State or unjustifiably infringed the rights of other persons.

paragraphs: In addition, a four-member "non officer management advisory team" was appointed in August 2006 to advise on implementing change options and addressing management and leadership challenges facing the Gardaí. The advisers were also mandated to promote the ideas of performance management, succession planning, recruitment of non officers with specialist expertise, and improved training. The advisory team included Senator Maurice Hayes, Emer Daly (former director of strategic planning and risk management at Axa Insurance), Maurice Keane (former group chief executive at Bank of Ireland), Michael Flahive (Assistant Secretary at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform) and Dr Michael Mulreany (assistant director general at the Institute of Public Administration).

paragraphs: Clerical and administrative support has been greatly increased in recent times. In the two-year period from December 2006 to December 2008 whole-time equivalent civilian staffing levels were increased by over 60%, from under 1,300 to approximately 2,100, in furtherance of official policies to release more desk-bound Gardaí for operational duties and to bring the level of general support in line with international norms. A new tier of middle and senior non officer management has also been introduced in a range of administrative and technical/professional support areas. A Chief Administrative Officer at Deputy Commissioner level was appointed in October 2007 to oversee many of these key support functions.

paragraphs: In accordance with Section 115 of the Garda Síochána Act, the Garda Síochána Inspectorate consists of three members who are appointed by the Irish Government. The job of the Inspectorate, is to:

paragraphs: The first Chief Inspector (since July 2006), is former Commissioner of Boston Police, Kathleen O'Toole. She reports directly to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

paragraphs: From 2006 to 2009, O'Toole was supported by two other inspectors, Robert Olsen and Gwen M. Boniface. Olsen was Chief of Police for 8 years of the Minneapolis Police Department. Boniface is a former Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, and was one of 3 female police commissioners in Canada when appointed in May 1998. She suggested that rank and file Gardaí were not equipped to perform their duties or protect themselves properly. She also suggested that routine arming may become a reality but dismissed the suggestion that this was currently being considered.

paragraphs: Over 2000 complaints were made against the organization in 2009. The Garda Commissioner referred over 100 incidents where the conduct of a garda resulted in death or serious injury to the Ombudsman for investigation. Also newly instrumented, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (usually called the Garda Ombudsman or GSOC) replaces the earlier system of complaints (the Garda Síochána Complaints Board).

paragraphs: When it became fully operational on 9 May 2007, the Commission was allowed to:

paragraphs: The Members of the Garda Ombudsman Commission are: Dermot Gallagher (Chairman; former Secretary General at the Department of Foreign Affairs), Carmel Foley (former Director of Consumer Affairs), and Conor Brady (former Editor of The Irish Times and author of a book on the history of the Gardaí). The Commission's first Chairman was Kevin Haugh (a High Court Judge) who died in early 2009, shortly before his term of office was to conclude.

paragraphs: The Garda Public Attitudes Survey 2008 found that 81% of respondents were satisfied with the Gardaí, although 72% believed the service needed improvement. 91% agreed that their local Gardaí were approachable.

paragraphs: The survey also found that 8% of people believed a Garda has acted unacceptably towards them; this rate was highest in Dublin South Central at 14%, lowest in Mayo at 2%. The most common complaint was of Gardaí being disrespectful or impolite.

paragraphs: The Garda Band is a public relations branch of the Garda Síochána, and was formed shortly after the foundation of the force. It gave its first public performance on Dún Laoghaire Pier on Easter Monday, 1923. The first Bandmaster was Superintendent D.J. Delaney and he formed a céilí and pipe band within the Garda Band. In 1938, the Dublin Metropolitan Garda Band (based at Kevin Street) and the Garda Band joined and were based at the Garda Headquarters in Phoenix Park.

paragraphs: The band was disbanded in 1965. However to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Garda Síochána it was reformed in 1972.

paragraphs: Besides providing music for official Garda functions (such as Graduation Ceremonies at the Garda College) the band has a community orientated programme each year performing at schools, festivals and sporting events. It has a long association with Lansdowne Road for Rugby union and Soccer Internationals, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin and the Rose of Tralee Festival.

paragraphs: In 1964 the band toured America and Canada under Superintendent J. Moloney, and has also travelled to international events and represented the country at police festivals and concerts in Switzerland, Germany and Northern Ireland.


title: Châteauroux

paragraphs: Châteauroux is a commune in the Indre department in the center of France.


title: Communes of the Hérault department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 343 communes of the Hérault "département", in France.


title: Communes of the Indre department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 247 communes of the Indre "département", in France.


title: Compromise of 1877

paragraphs: The Compromise of 1877 was an unwritten agreement after the American Civil War between leaders of the Democrats, who mostly ruled the South, and the Republicans, who mostly ruled the North. The Democrats agreed to settle the Presidential election of 1876 by allowing Rutherford B. Hayes to become President and not their own candidate, Samuel J. Tilden.

paragraphs: The Republicans promised to remove the Army from the occupied territory of the South, thus ending the Reconstruction era. The Democrats promised they would maintain African American rights.

paragraphs: The government stopped trying to fix Southern society and stopped helping the African Americans and Republicans there. Additional details are unclear, because it was an unwritten agreement.


title: Keys to the City (song)

paragraphs: "Keys to the City'" is a 2007 industrial metal song by the American industrial metal band Ministry & Co Conspirators. The song was made for the

paragraphs: Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL and the Wirtz family who is the owner of the Blackhawks. The money that was collected from the iTunes downloads was donated to Blackhawks Charities. It was the final song that Ministry did before the band was retired in 2008. The song was featured in the EA Sports video game NHL 10.


title: Credo Reference

paragraphs: Credo Reference is a company that offers subscription-based online reference content. It provides full-text online versions of more than 700 published reference works from over 70 publishers, including general and subject dictionaries and encyclopedias.

paragraphs: The company began in 1999 and has offices in Oxford, England, and Boston, Massachusetts. It changed its name from Xrefer in 2007.

paragraphs: Subscriptions are available to academic, government, public and company libraries. Access to Credo Reference is free to users if their library is a subscriber. Librarians can select which titles they wish to subscribe to within Credo General Reference. They can manage the selection during their subscription period by swapping titles in and out.

paragraphs: Between 2000 and 2003, Xrefer offered a free site supported by advertising, and was one of Wikipedia's main competitors as a free content encyclopedia. When the dot com bust caused Internet advertising revenues to collapse, Xrefer launched a premium subscription variant, called "Xreferplus". On 17 June 2003, the free service stopped.


title: Coober Pedy, South Australia

paragraphs: Coober Pedy is a small town in South Australia. It is famous for the opals which have been mined there since 1915. The town was first settled after opals were first discovered. The town is about half way between Adelaide and Alice Springs, on the Stuart Highway. The highway was named after the explorer John McDouall Stuart, who was the first Europen person to see the area in 1858.

paragraphs: The area around Coober Pedy is very dry, treeless flat desert. It has a hot desert climate (BWh in the Koeppen climate classification). The town has about 1700 people, many of whom live in underground houses to keep out of the heat. The name comes from two Aboriginal words which mean "white men in holes in the ground."


title: George Balabushka

paragraphs: George Balabushka (December 9, 1912 – December 5, 1975) was a Russian-born American billiards (pool) cue maker. He may have been the most important cue stick maker. He is sometimes called "the Stradivarius of cuemakers". His full name or last name alone is often used to refer to a cue stick made by him. He arrived in the U.S. in 1942. He worked at different carpentry and toy and furniture making jobs. He loved playing pool and bought a pool room with a business partner in 1959. Then he started making cues as gifts for friends. This soon became a business when others wanted to buy them.

paragraphs: Balabushka made about 1,200 handcrafted cues during his 16 year career from 1959 to his death in 1975. His cues are highly valued collectors items. They appeared in Martin Scorsese's 1986 film, "The Color of Money". Original Balabushka cues may sell for tens of thousands of dollars at auction.

paragraphs: George Balabushka was born in Russia on December 9, 1912 and immigrated to the United States in 1924 at 12 years of age. His family, parents Anton and Natalie and younger sister Mary, settled in New York City. Although originally named Gregori, according to Balabushka he was given a new first name, George, by emigration officials when he was processed through Ellis Island.

paragraphs: Balabushka's first job was as a wooden toy designer and maker at the Educational Equipment Company. in Manhattan, The company made building blocks for nurseries and schools. Later, he built children's furniture for the Playtime Woodworking Company in Greenwich Village. While working, Balabushka lost his middle finger to a band saw. Using a wooden mold, he made himself a replacement plastic finger. It was very realistic so that even his friends did not realize his loss until long after the incident. As Balabushka's carpentry skills improved he began building accordions and other detailed carpentry pieces on his own time.

paragraphs: Balabushka worked hard on playing ability and fine craftsmanship in his cues. He created new methods of cue construction, cue finishes and cue design. Most Balabushka cues look simple. Many of his construction techniques have become standard in the industry.

paragraphs: George Balabushka died in 1975 at the age of 62. He was named the first member the American Cuemakers Association Hall of Fame in February, 1993. In 2004, he entered the Meritorious Service category of the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame.


title: Ballad

paragraphs: A ballad is a form of verse. It is often a story set to music. Ballads were popular in British and Irish poetry and music until the 19th century from the late medieval period. It was also used in Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many ballads were written and sold as single sheet broadsides. Poets and composers from the 18th century used this form. In this way, they produced lyrical ballads. In the later 19th century, ballads were slow form of popular love song. The term is now often used as synonymous with any love song, particularly the pop or rock "power ballad".

paragraphs: Power ballad is a name given to love songs that were predictably included in heavy metal albums in the 1980s.

paragraphs: The power ballad was usually slower in tempo and much less aggressive in lyrics than the other music on the album. The songs were often made in a hope of scoring a Top Forty hit, and were particularly associated with bands in the hard metal genre. Examples include Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive".


title: Le Puy-en-Velay

paragraphs: Le Puy-en-Velay is a commune. It is found in the Haute-Loire department in the south of France.


title: Lons-le-Saunier

paragraphs: Lons-le-Saunier is a spa town in France. It is the prefecture of the Jura department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.


title: Communes of the Jura department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 544 communes of the Jura "département", in France.

paragraphs: Tancua was included in Morbier on January 1, 2007.


title: Communes of the Landes department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 331 communes of the Landes "département", in France.


title: Communes of the Loir-et-Cher department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 291 communes of the Loir-et-Cher "département", in France.


title: Communes of the Haute-Loire department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 260 communes of the Haute-Loire "département", in France.


title: Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department

paragraphs: The following is a list of the 221 communes of the Loire-Atlantique department, in France.


title: River Liffey

paragraphs: The Liffey ("An Life" in Irish) is a river in Ireland. It flows through the centre of Dublin. The river supplies much of Dublin's water. Major rivers that flow into the Liffey are the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac.

paragraphs: The river was called "An Ruirthech", meaning "fast (or strong) runner" before it was called Liffey. The word "Liphe" (or "Life") was the name of the plain ("flat area of land") through which the river flowed but was later used to name the river itself. It was also known as the Anna Liffey, possibly because of the Irish for "River Liffey" - "Abhainn na Life" which sounds like "Anna Liffey" in English.

paragraphs: The Liffey starts with a lot of small streams in the Liffey Head Bog between Kippure and Tonduff in the Wicklow mountains. It flows for around through counties Wicklow, Kildare and Dublin. It flows into the Irish Sea at the mid-point of Dublin Bay. Most of its length is in Kildare.

paragraphs: The Liffey has a lot of tributaries ("rivers that flow into it"). Its major tributaries include the King's River, River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac.

paragraphs: The Liffey does not have any natural lakes, and has only a few islands. There are a few areas with rapids, mostly as the river comes close to Dublin city.

paragraphs: There are dams built for three hydroelectric power stations along the river, at Poulaphouca, Golden Falls and Leixlip. A large reservoir is built at Poulaphouca.

paragraphs: Towns along the river include Ballymore Eustace, Athgarvan, Kilcullen, Newbridge, Caragh, Clane, Celbridge, Leixlip and Lucan before the river reaches the city of Dublin as it approaches its mouth.

paragraphs: The River Liffey in Dublin city was used for many centuries for trade. The Vikings already used the river, and it was used until recent times. It is connected to the River Shannon via the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal. This connects Dublin to the west of Ireland by water.

paragraphs: Around 60% of the Liffey's flow is used for drinking water, and to supply industry. Much of this makes its way back into the river after it is cleaned in wastewater treatment plants. A popular myth is that Liffey water is used to make Guinness beer, but this is not true. Guinness uses water piped from the Wicklow mountains.

paragraphs: The "Lady Patricia" and "Miranda Guinness" were cargo ships that were used to export Guinness from the St. James's Gate Brewery. They were well-known sight on the Liffey up to the 1990s.

paragraphs: In recent years, the only regular traffic on the river within the city is a boat which runs guided tours along the River Liffey through Dublin City centre. Downstream of the East-Link bridge, the river is still mainly used for commercial and ferry traffic.

paragraphs: The river is used by private, university and Garda rowing clubs in Chapelizod. The Liffey Descent canoeing event covers a course from Straffan to Islandbridge. That race has been held every year since 1960. The Liffey Swim takes place every year in late August or early September between Watling Bridge and The Custom House.

paragraphs: The earliest stone bridge over the Liffey was the Bridge of Dublin. It was built by the Dominicans in 1428. It survived well into the 18th century. It replaced an earlier wooden bridge (Dubhghalls Bridge) on the same site. Island Bridge was added in 1577.

paragraphs: When Dublin became important for business in the 17th century, 4 new bridges were added between 1670 and 1684. They were Barrack, or Bloody Bridge, (what is now Rory O'More Bridge), Essex Bridge (Grattan Bridge), Ormond Bridge (O'Donovan Rossa Bridge) and Arran Bridge.

paragraphs: The oldest bridge still standing is the Mellows Bridge. It was built in 1764 after the Arran Bridge (which was there before) was destroyed by floods in 1763.

paragraphs: The first iron bridge was the elegant Ha'penny Bridge built in 1816. The newest bridge is the Samuel Beckett Bridge opened in December 2009. It is a suspension bridge, it can move to allow river traffic to pass.

paragraphs: The river divides the Northside from the Southside of Dublin. It has a lot of bridges, mostly open for vehicular traffic ("cars, trucks, buses etc."). Large bridges are the West-Link Bridge on the M50 motorway, the Seán Heuston Bridge and O'Connell Bridge.

paragraphs: There are 3 foot bridges in the city: the Millennium Bridge, the Seán O'Casey Bridge and the Ha'penny Bridge.

paragraphs: Bridges outside of Dublin include the Liffey Bridge at Celbridge, "The Bridge at 16" (a 19th century pedestrian suspension bridge), and the Leinster Aqueduct - which takes the Grand Canal over the Liffey at Caragh.

paragraphs: From Joyce to Radiohead, the Liffey is often mentioned in literature and song:


title: The Sin of Madelon Claudet

paragraphs: The Sin of Madelon Claudet is a 1931 American drama movie. The screenplay was adapted from the play "The Lullaby" by Edward Knoblock. It tells the story of a woman who was put in jail for the crime she did not commit and later had to turn to theft and prostitution to support her son.

paragraphs: In 1932 Helen Hayes won an Academy Award for her leading role in it and was named a Favorite Actress at the first Venice Film Festival.


title: Fallow deer

paragraphs: The fallow deer (Dama dama) is a type of deer from the family Cervidae. The animal originally lived in Eurasia, though it has been brought it to other parts of the world, such as Australia.

paragraphs: The male is called a "buck", the female is a "doe", and the young a "fawn". They live for about 12–16 years. All of the fallow deer have white spots on their backs, and black tips at the ends of their tails. Only bucks have antlers, which are wide and shaped like a shovel.

paragraphs: They are grazing animals. They like to live in an area that is mixed woodland and open grassland. They try to stay together in groups of up to 150.

paragraphs: They do have a lot of different coloured coats ("hair"). There are four main colours: "common", "menil", "melanistic" and "white".

paragraphs: The common coat is a brown coat with white spots that are best seen in the summer. In the winter the coat is much darker. The white coat is lightest colored, almost white. The common and menil coat are darker. The melanistic coat is very dark, sometimes even black.

paragraphs: One noted historical herd of fallow deer is kept in the Ottenby Preserve in Öland, Sweden. Karl X Gustav built a drystone wall of four kilometres long around a royal fallow deer herd in the mid 17th century. The herd still exists as of 2006.

paragraphs: Another herd lives in Phoenix Park in Ireland. 400-450 fallow deer descend from the original herd introduced in the 1660s.


title: MacDonnell Ranges

paragraphs: The MacDonnell Ranges are a long narrow range of mountains in the Northern Territory of Australia. They run in an almost straight line from east to west for hundreds of kilometres, on either side of Alice Springs. The Western MacDonnell Ranges have some spectacular gaps right through the range. Some of these such as Simpsons Gap, and Standley Chasm are major tourist attractions. The Heavitree Gap allows road and rail access to Alice Springs right through the mountains. They were named by the explorer John McDouall Stuart after Sir Richard MacDonnell, the Governor of South Australia.

paragraphs: The ranges are protected by the West MacDonnell National Park There is a long walking trail along the ranges called the Larapinta Trail.

paragraphs: The Arrente people, the indigenous Australian people who live in the area, believe the mountains were once giant caterpillars, called "Yerrenye".


title: James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde

paragraphs: James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688) was an Anglo-Irish ("from English and Irish family") politician and soldier. From 1641 to 1647, he was the leader in the fight against the Irish Catholic Confederation. From 1649 to 1650 he was top commander of the Royalist forces fighting against Oliver Cromwell who wanted to invade Ireland. In the 1650s he lived in exile in Europe with Charles II of England. When Charles II was put back on the British throne during the restoration in 1660, Ormonde became very important in English and Irish politics.

paragraphs: The Butlers of Ormonde were an Old English dynasty. They had been very important people the southeast of Ireland since the Middle Ages. His father was Thomas Butler, Viscount Thurles. Thurles is a place in County Tipperary. James was the oldest son.

paragraphs: His father died in 1619, when he was 9 years old. He became "Viscount Thurles". His mother took him to England where his grandfather (Walter Butler, 11th Earl of Ormond) made him go to a Catholic school. James I was King at the time. James I was a Protestant, and wanted to make sure that James would also be a Protestant. This would give him power in Ireland once James Butler went back to Thurles. James I placed James Butler under the care of archbishop George Abbot. When he was fifteen he went to live with his grandfather at Drury-lane."

paragraphs: It became very important in his life that he was a Protestant. Almost all his relatives were Catholics. This made his family not like him very much. They had land and possessions taken from them, and they were not treated fairly because they were Catholics. This did not happen to James.

paragraphs: In December 1629, he married Lady Elizabeth Preston. In 1634, on the death of his grandfather, he became Earl of Ormonde.

paragraphs: In 1633 Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford became head of government in Ireland. He liked Ormonde. He wrote to Charles I saying that Ormonde was "young, but take it from me, a very staid head". Ormonde became Wentworth's friend and supporter.

paragraphs: Wentworth planned to take land from the Catholics in Ireland. He did this to get money for the British king. He also wanted to break the political power of the Irish Catholic gentry. Ormonde supported this plan.

paragraphs: The plans made his relatives very angry, and many of them opposed Wentworth. This led to armed rebellion. The opposition to Wentworth helped an impeachment of the Earl by the English Parliament. He was executed in May, 1641.

paragraphs: When the Irish Rebellion of 1641 started, Ormonde was in command of government troops based in Dublin. Most of the country was taken by the Catholic rebels, who included Ormonde's Butler relatives. Rebel leader Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount Mountgarret, was Ormonde's cousin. In spring 1642 Mountgarret and Ormonde were the commanders of the two sides at the battle of Kilrush, with Ormonde's side winning.

paragraphs: In spring 1642 the Irish Catholics formed their own government, the Catholic Confederation. The capital was Kilkenny. They started to organise their own troops. Also in early 1642 the king sent in troops from England and Scotland to help with the fight. The Irish Confederate War had started.

paragraphs: Ormonde cleared the area around Dublin of Confederate forces. He got control of the area historically known as the Pale. In March 1643 Ormonde brought his troops to New Ross. This was deep in the territory of the Catholic Confederation. He won a small victory there (Battle of New Ross) before returning to Dublin.

paragraphs: However, Ormonde was in a very difficult situation. The Confederates held two thirds of the island. The English Civil War had started in September 1642. This meant that there were not going to be more troops from England to help him. The King had even asked to send back the troops he had sent before.

paragraphs: Isolated in Dublin, Ormonde agreed to a ceasefire ("to stop fighting") with the Catholics, which began in September 1643. The greater part of Ireland was given up into the hands of the Catholic Confederation. This left only districts in the north, the Dublin Pale, round Cork City, and certain smallish garrisons in the possession of Protestant commanders. This truce was strongly opposed by the Lords Justices and the Protestant community in general in Ireland.

paragraphs: In November 1643 the king appointed Ormonde as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. This was the highest post in the Irish government. Ormonde was told to stop the king's Parliamentarian enemies being helped from Ireland. He also had to deliver more troops to fight for the Royalist side in England. He was also given the king's authority to make peace with the Catholic Confederation. They could then allow their troops to fight against the Parliamentarians.

paragraphs: The Old native Irish and Catholic Irish of English descent ("the Old English") had their own government in Confederate Ireland. They would support King Charles I of England if he would allow them freedom to be Catholics, and give them self-government. On the other side, any deals he made with Catholic Confederates meant that his support among English and Scottish Protestants in Ireland would become less.

paragraphs: On August 25, 1645, Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester, acting on behalf of King Charles, signed a treaty ("peace agreement") in Kilkenny with the Irish Catholic Confederates. He did not talk about this with the Irish Protestant community. Irish Protestants were strongly against this, and Charles was forced to undo the treaty almost immediately. He was afraid that almost all Irish Protestant would give support to the other side in the English Civil War.

paragraphs: On March 28, 1646, Ormonde, on behalf of the king, signed another treaty with the Confederates. This one gave them religious and other rights. However, the Confederates' General Assembly ("their government") in Kilkenny did not like the deal. This was in part because of what the pope's ambassador (nuncio) Giovanni Battista Rinuccini said. He did not want the Catholics to compromise. The Confederates arrested those among them who had signed the treaty with Ormonde.

paragraphs: Ormonde then judged that he could not keep the Confederates out of Dublin. He asked for help from English Long Parliament and signed an agreement with them on June 19, 1647. At the beginning of August Ormonde handed over Dublin, together with 3000 royalist troops under his command, to the Parliamentarian commander Michael Jones. He had arrived from England with 5000 Parliamentarian troops. Ormonde in turn sailed to England. He said about his surrender that he "preferred English rebels to Irish ones."

paragraphs: The royalist and parliamentarian troops were fighting on different sides in the English Civil War. But in Ireland, they fought together against the Catholic Confederates. The combined troops won a major battle against the Confederates soon afterward near Dublin (Battle of Dungan's Hill).

paragraphs: In March 1648 he joined the queen and the Prince of Wales in Paris. In September he went back to Ireland. He was going to try to get the Irish Confederates and the Irish Protestants to support the king now that the pope's nuncio was gone.

paragraphs: The Irish Confederates wanted to make a compromise now. Their battle against the English Parliamentarian forces was not going well. On 17 January 1649 Ormonde signed a peace with the rebels which said that they could practice their religion freely.

paragraphs: After Charles I was executed in 1649, he stated Ireland's support for Charles II. Ormonde was put in command of the Irish Confederates' armies and also the English Royalist troops who had come to Ireland. Almost all of Ireland was under his control before August 1649. Yet Ormonde was not able to stop the conquest of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell in 1649-50.

paragraphs: Most of the English and Protestant Royalist troops left Ormonde's side and went to fight for Cromwell in May 1650. The Irish Catholic troops were the only ones left under his command. They did not trust him. Ormonde was made to leave his command in late 1650. He returned to France later that year. In Cromwell's Act of Settlement 1652, all of Ormonde's lands in Ireland were taken from him.

paragraphs: Ormonde was great friends with Charles II and the queen mother in Paris. He went to Aix and Cologne with Charles when he had to leave France. He played an active part in the secret planning of the Restoration ("the plan to put Charles II back on the throne of England.").

paragraphs: After Charles II became king, Ormonde got a lot of different responsibilities and titles from the king. He was made

paragraphs: He also got back his lands in Ireland. On 4 November 1661 he became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland again. He did not like it when Charles II stopped importing cattle from Ireland. In return, he stopped importing cattle from Scotland.

paragraphs: In March 1669, Ormonde was removed from the government of Ireland. He did not mind. He made sure that his sons and others that listened to him stayed in their posts. He was chosen as Chancellor of the University of Oxford on 4 August 1669.

paragraphs: In 1670 an attempt was made to kill the duke by an adventurer named Thomas Blood. Ormonde was attacked by Blood and his helpers while driving up St James's Street on the night of 6 December 1670. He was pulled out of his carriage, and taken on horseback along Piccadilly. They wanted to hang him at Tyburn. Ormonde managed to escape.

paragraphs: In 1677 the king decided that he would become the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland once again.

paragraphs: On his arrival in Ireland he set up a tax system, and reorganised the army. After the Popish Plot (1678) in England, Ormonde at once took action that would make Roman Catholics powerless. There were far more Catholics than Protestants in the country (15 Catholics for every 1 Protestant). In 1682 he went back to London at the request of the King, who he supported. The last thing he did as lord lieutenant was to declare Irish support for James II of England after the death of Charles II.

paragraphs: Ormonde lived in retirement at Cornbury in Oxfordshire. Ormonde died on 21 July 1688 at Kingston Lacy, Dorset. Ormonde was buried in Westminster Abbey on 1 August 1688.


title: Macbeth (opera)

paragraphs: Macbeth is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi. It is based on Shakespeare’s play with the same name. The opera is normally in Italian, though there is also a French version that's almost never used anymore. The libretto (the words) was written by Francesco Maria Piave with some extra additions by Andrea Maffei.

paragraphs: Verdi wrote several works based on Shakespeare plays. "Macbeth" was the first of these. It was composed in 1847, at a time when he was composing a lot of operas. In those days Italian operas were always about a love story, but "Macbeth" was unusual because there was no love story. Instead, it is a story about wanting power, even if means murder. The opera helped to make him very famous, and it has remained one of his most popular operas.

paragraphs: Andrea Maffei, a poet and friend of Verdi, suggested to him that "Macbeth" would be a good story to make into an opera. Verdi did not read Shakespeare’s original work until after he had composed the opera. The words were written for him by Piave who based the libretto on an Italian translation. Verdi loved the story, he thought it was “one of the greatest creations of man”. The opera is very similar to the story told by Shakespeare, but Verdi uses a large chorus of witches instead of just three. The last act ends with the refugees coming together on the English border, and, in the revised version, ends with a chorus of bards celebrating their victory over the cruel tyrant.

paragraphs: The 1847 version was performed a great deal all over Italy. Then, in 1865, Verdi made several changes to the opera in a revised version. It was to be performed in Paris, and in France people expected to have ballet music in operas. Verdi wrote some music for the dancers, and took the opportunity to make other changes as well. Verdi worked in Italian, and had it translated into French for the performance there, but people don't use the French translation. They instead use all his changes for the French version, but keep the Italian text.

paragraphs: After 1865 it was not performed very often. Verdi was very disappointed about this because he was particularly proud of this opera. He had worked closely with Piave. It was Verdi who gave Piave the outline of the story he wanted him to write. Verdi concentrated on three main characters: Lady Macbeth, Macbeth and the Witches. It was not until around the time of World War II that it became very popular again.

paragraphs: In the prelude (the music of the opening) we hear music that comes later in the sleep-walking scene. The chorus of Witches prophesy the future. A messenger arrives to say that Macbeth has been given the title and estates of Cawdor. Macbeth and Banquo, his general, think about the witches’ prophecy. Half of the prophecy has just come true (the other half being that Macbeth will become king, and that the kings that come after him will be Banquo’s heirs). The witches dance and sing at the end of this scene.

paragraphs: Lady Macbeth reads a letter from her husband in which he tells her about the prophecy the witches had made. She decides to make sure that Macbeth really does become king. She decides that she must persuade her husband to murder Duncano (Duncan, King of Scotland). Macbeth sees a dagger in front of him. He takes it and murders Duncano (who never sings in the opera). Then he is horrified at what he has done. His wife is disgusted that her husband feels terrible about the murder. She takes the dagger and completes the crime, then smears Duncano’s blood on the guards who are asleep. Banquo and Macduff, a Scottish nobleman, arrive, Macduff discovers the crime, and all the characters sing a chorus asking God to punish the murderer(s).

paragraphs: Macbeth is now king. He is worried about the prophecy that Banco’s heirs will become king. He and his wife decide that Banco and his son must be murdered.

paragraphs: A gang of murderers are waiting for Banco. He is caught, but his son Fleanzio manages to escape.

paragraphs: Macbeth receives the guests and Lady Macbeth sings a brindisi (drinking song) which is quite similar to the famous one in "La Traviata". Macbeth is told that Banco has been murdered, but when he goes back to the table he finds Banco’s ghost sitting in his place. He shouts and raves at the ghost. The other people cannot see the ghost and think that Macbeth has gone mad. The feast ends quickly.

paragraphs: The witches are sitting round a cauldron in a dark cave. They sing, and then dance a ballet which was written for the 1865 version. The music sounds like magic. Macbeth enters and wants the witches to tell him his future. They conjure up three apparitions for him. The first one tells him to beware of Macduff. The second tells him that he cannot be harmed by a man 'born of woman'. The third one says that he cannot be conquered till Birnam Wood marches against him.

paragraphs: Macbeth is then shown the ghost of Banco and his descendants, eight future Kings of Scotland. This shows that the witches prophecy from the beginning of the opera must indeed come true. Macbeth collapses. When he recovers and tells his wife what he saw, she is even more determined to kill Banco’s son and all his family.

paragraphs: "Scene 1: Near the border between England and Scotland"

paragraphs: Scottish refugees stand near the English border and sing a song about how Macbeth, the tyrant, is oppressing his people.

paragraphs: Malcolm, Banco’s son, tells his soldiers to cut branches from trees in Birnam Wood and carry them as they attack Macbeth's army. They want to free Scotland from tyranny.

paragraphs: A doctor and a servant watch the Queen as she walks in her sleep, wringing her hands trying to clean them of blood.

paragraphs: Macbeth has heard that an army is coming towards him. He is told that the Queen is dead, but he does not seem to mind. He gets his army together. Banco’s army march against him with their tree branches. The prophecy has come true: Birnam Wood has marched up against him. Macduff fights Macbeth and kills him. He tells Macbeth that he was not "born of woman" but "ripped" from his mother's womb. The fight continues. Macduff kills Macbeth. Macduff's men call out that Macduff is the new King. All the soldiers and the women sing a hymn to victory.


title: G20 developing nations

paragraphs: The G20 (Group of 20, also variously G21, G22 and G20+) is a bloc of developing nations established on 20 August 2003. Distinct and separate from the G-20 major economies, the group emerged at the 5th Ministerial WTO conference, held in Cancún, Mexico, from 10 September to 14 September 2003. The G-20 accounts for 60% of the world's population, 70% of its farmers and 26% of world’s agricultural exports. In 2008 the group had 23 members.