Bandera County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U. S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population is 20,485, its county seat is Bandera. The county was formed in 1856 from Uvalde counties; the county and its seat are named for Bandera Pass. Bandera County is part of TX Metropolitan Statistical Area; the county is recognized as the "Cowboy Capital of the World" by the Texas Legislature. 8000 to 4000 BC Earliest human habitation. In the 17th century Native Americans settled including Lipan Apache and Comanche. 1841 or 1843 – Battle of Bandera Pass, John Coffee Hays and a troupe of Texas Rangers defeat a large party of Comanche warriors. 1853 John James and Charles S. DeMontel plan the town of Bandera. A. M. Milstead, Thomas Odem, P. D. Saner, their families camp along the river and begin making cypress shingles. James and Company build a horse-powered sawmill and open a store. 1855 Sixteen Polish families arrive in Bandera to work in DeMontel's sawmill. August Klappenbach opens the first post office.

1856 The legislature marks off Bandera County from portions of Bexar County, the county is formally organized. 1860 Population 399, including 12 slaves. 1880 Sheep and Angora goats become more profitable for Bandera than farming. 1920 Cora and Ed Buck began beginning the tourist trade in Bandera. 1933 Frontier Times Museum opens to the public. 1979 Lost Maples State Natural Area opens to the public. 1982 Eighty-two percent of the land in the county is in ranches. 1984 Hill Country State Natural Area opens to the public. 2000 The Nature Conservancy purchases 1,400 acres of Love Creek Ranch from Baxter and Carol Adams, creating the Love Creek Preserve. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 798 square miles, of which 791 square miles is land and 6.7 square miles is water. Kerr County Kendall County Bexar County Medina County Uvalde County Real County As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 20,485 people living in the county. 92.8% were White, 0.8% Native American, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 3.8% of some other race and 1.8% of two or more races.

16.7 % were Latino. 17.6 % were of 13.7 % English, 10.2 % Irish and 10.1 % American ancestry. As of the census of 2000, there were 17,645 people, 7,010 households, 5,061 families living in the county; the population density was 22 people per square mile. There were 9,503 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile; the racial makeup of the county was 94.02% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 0.90% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.55% from other races, 1.86% from two or more races. 13.51 % of the population were Latino of any race. There were 7,010 households out of which 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.80% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92. In the county, the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 27.60% from 45 to 64, 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older.

The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,013, the median income for a family was $45,906. Males had a median income of $31,733 versus $24,451 for females; the per capita income for the county was $19,635. About 7.70% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over. The following school districts serve Bandera County: Bandera Independent School District Medina Independent School District Northside Independent School District Utopia Independent School District Bandera Lake Medina Shores Lakehills Bandera Falls Medina Pipe Creek Tarpley Vanderpool List of museums in Central Texas National Register of Historic Places listings in Bandera County, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Bandera County Official website Bandera County Chamber of Commerce Bandera County Convention and Visitor Bureau Bandera County, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online Bandera County from the Texas Almanac Bandera County from the TXGenWeb Project Pioneer history of Bandera County: seventy-five years of intrepid history, published 1922, hosted by The Portal to Texas History

Black Out the Sun is the ninth studio album by American metal band Sevendust released on March 26, 2013. Black Out the Sun marks the band's first album in three years. After concluding touring in support of their eighth album, Cold Day Memory, many of the members spent 2012 working on side projects, with guitarist Clint Lowery and drummer Morgan Rose forming Call Me No One and releasing Last Parade. Concurrently, guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vinnie Hornsby formed Projected and released Human. By the end of the year, the members began collective work on Black Out the Sun. Rose stated that the band took the same approach to the album as he and Lowery had with making Last Parade, stating: "For that album we went in with little material, it was exciting and we had a good time doing it... It was fresh. We didn't over think stuff too much. So we kinda sold the rest of the guys on trying to do it that way. We were maybe a little apprehensive going in, but it worked the way we had hoped. We didn't have any songs, but everybody grabbed their station and kind of picked up whatever needed help or work, we were able to bang out it with nothing but riffs.

It was from the cuff..." The exception to this was the band's first single, "Decay", which had a riff that originated from the Cold Day Memory sessions, but the band had waited to finish it for Black Out the Sun, in fear they were too burned out to do it justice originally. The album was recorded at Architekt Music Studios in New Jersey. Witherspoon stated that the album's title was chosen due a dream of his, stating, "In the dream, the sun was going away and I was just looking for safety before it happened and not knowing what would happened when it blacked out but just knowing that something was scary. I guess it just seems more like the feeling of the unknown." Connolly described the album's sound as having "a darker vibe", with "still plenty of melody", comparing it more to the band's earlier albums Animosity and Sevendust and that it "is like a greatest-hits record of songs you've never heard before." Lowery described the album's sound as "spontaneous" and said that it "has the spirit of our older records, but it's evolved as well".

The album received critical acclaim on release. Artist Direct gave a positive review, saying "it's like they've transmuted the ferocity of their classic self-titled debut and Animosity into the sharp, succinct songwriting sensibility of Cold Day Memory." Allmusic stated that "Black Out The Sun is such a solidly constructed album that it's hard to fault these guys for doing what they do best and giving the people the kind of skull-crushing hard rock that they're asking for." IMDb reviewed the album, stating, "While the tone of the material on this album is a bit darker and more ominous, it's still every bit as much a Sevendust project. Larry Petro from KNAC gave the album 5 out of 5, stating, "I love it when a band puts out an album, great from start to finish, with no urge to skip a track, that's what Sevendust has done with Black Out The Sun." The Aquarian Weekly reviewer praised the album, saying, "This album shows the group remains dedicated to their craft, excited about making new music and eager to embrace the risks that go with it.

And that's the kind of thing that will keep the fans excited for a good while longer." Dusty Peters from UnRated Magazine wrote, "Black Out the Sun is one of the most complete metal albums, released in quite some time. A fan or not of Sevendust, after listening to Black Out the Sun, you will experience the love that the band has for music and themselves. With over 16 years together and 9 recorded albums to their name, Sevendust has completed their musical journey to the top with Black Out the Sun." The album debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard 200, No. 5 on the Top Rock Albums chart, selling around 27,000 copies in its first week of release

Animal welfare in Egypt is a neglected issue. There are only a few organizations that support the rights and wellbeing of animals. There are a lot of problems concerning animal rights in Egypt. People are not properly educated about it and there are no strict laws against animal cruelty, such cases like drowning puppies, burying kittens alive or banging animals' heads against walls go unnoticed. There are donkeys that are mistreated in the streets of Egypt where they are overworked and abused with whips or sticks and are malnourished. A study has shown that the population of donkeys in Egypt has fluctuated over the span of 30 years from 1966 to 1996. In 1966 the population was 1,162. Alexandria Zoo has been a source of poor animal welfare reports in recent years. Reports of animal abuse, including hitting and tight living quarters, public littering have been in the news. In February 2015, two men entered Alexandria Zoo and beat up hamadryas baboons with sticks as dozens of zoo goers watched and laughed.

Most of the monkeys fled to the top of the enclosure for safety. Several others endured beating by the men as people in the crowd cheered and clapped; the two men spent a considerable amount of time in the monkey enclosure and no security at the zoo intervened. The men left the scene un-apprehended and without suffering any consequences. After the January 25 revolution, tourism in Egypt came to a halt. Because, the only source of income for those who worked at tourist attractions, they were unable to care for their animals and as a result, they were suffering; the Egyptian Society of Animal Friends was able to feed 700 horses, veterinary care was provided and fly masks were distributed. In four days, 526 animals were fed and 1,857 horses and donkeys and 94 camels were tended to using the aid of the Humane Society International. Stray animals like cats and dogs are all around the streets of Egypt. A dedicated animal lover reached out to PETA Asia Pacific in February 2015 and they started a petition called "Urge Egypt to Stop Cruel Cull of Dogs!" where the messages would be sent straight to the governor of Cairo, the governor of Giza and the Minister of Agriculture.

S. P. A. R. E has encouraged people via their Facebook page in July 2014 to adopt stray "balady" dogs to save them from being culled. Another ongoing petition has been launched by Occupy For Animals on Change.org in January 2013 to stop the poisoning and shooting of street animals. In March 2015, the Veterinary Directorate of Minya and Suez ruled a mass cull of all the stray dogs. According to El Watan News, they have put down 133 dogs in Minya. In February 2015, a dog in Qaliubeya's governorate - Shubra El-Khayma - was brutally slaughtered by three men after the dog bit one of them, they were threatening to press charges against the owner and came to the deal of killing the dog as an act of redeeming honor and dropping the charges in return. The story went viral after a graphic video of the slaughter on Facebook was posted, sending animal rights activists into a rage; the three men, two of whom are butchers, were arrested days after the incident. The owner, along with the three defendants was sentenced to three years in prison.

A Cairo appeal court reduced the sentence. In 2016, Egyptian poet Fatima Naoot was convicted of "contempt of religion" and sentenced to three years in jail for a 2014 Facebook post criticising animal killing during Eid. In December, 2019 a horrific video clip went viral across social media showing four people torturing a dog in a Tuk-Tuk by striking it with large knives, leaving long deep slashes across the body as the dog yelps in agony and succumbs to death; the incident took place in al-Matareya suburb of Cairo, sparked outrage online. As a result, four people were arrested for torturing and killing the dog; the Animal Care in Egypt organization was founded by Kim Taylor and Julie Wartenberg. It is based in Luxor and provides free veterinary care and education; the Animal Welfare of Luxor is a UK registered charity on the West bank of Luxor that focusses on educating children in proper animal healthcare and treatment. The Donkey Sanctuary is operating from Giza in three mobile clinics; the Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization was formed in 2004 as a non-governmental organization, dedicated to rescuing Mau cats, the descendants of the Ancient Egyptian sacred cat.

The Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals was founded in 2007 as a non-profit organization. The Sharm Action For Animals was founded in 2011 to help and rescue stray animals on the streets of Sharm El-Sheikh; the Society for Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt was founded in 2001 by Amina Abaza. In November 2013, Abaza fought for the rights of animals by proposing a law to prevent animal cruelty; the legislation passed and Article 45 was introduced in the Egyptian Constitution as: "The State shall protect its seas, lakes and natural protectorates. Trespassing, polluting or misusing any of them is prohibited; every citizen is guaranteed the right of enjoying them. The State shall protect and develop the green space in the urban areas. A new legislation is being proposed after a previous one was refused that would stipulate compassion and mercy

The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Basin includes the islands in the Pacific Ocean; the Pacific Rim overlaps with the geologic Pacific Ring of Fire. This is a list of countries that are considered to be a part of the Pacific Rim, since they lie along the Pacific Ocean. Arranging from north to south, west to east in directional order. Oceania Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Palau Kiribati Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Nauru Tuvalu Australia Vanuatu Fiji Samoa Tonga New ZealandOceania British Overseas Territory Pitcairn Islands External territory of Australia Norfolk Island French overseas collectivities New Caledonia Wallis and Futuna French Polynesia Insular Chile Easter Island Realm of New Zealand Tokelau Niue Cook Islands United States insular areas Northern Mariana Islands Guam American Samoa North America Canada United States Mexico Central America Guatemala El Salvador Honduras Nicaragua Costa Rica Panama South America Colombia Ecuador Peru Chile Russia China North Korea South Korea Japan Taiwan Vietnam Cambodia Thailand Malaysia Singapore Timor-Leste Philippines Indonesia Brunei The Pacific is a hotbed of overseas shipping.

The top 10 busiest container ports, with the exception of Dubai's Port of Jebel Ali, are in the Rim nations. They are home to 29 of the world's 50 busiest container shipping ports: Various intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations focus on the Pacific Rim, including APEC, the East-West Center, Sustainable Pacific Rim Cities and the Institute of Asian Research. In addition, the RIMPAC naval exercises are coordinated by United States Pacific Command. Clausen, A. W; the Pacific Asian Countries: A Force For Growth in the Global Economy. Los Angeles: World Affairs Council, 1984. ED 244 852. Cleveland, Harlan; the Future of the Pacific Basin: A Keynote Address. New Zealand: Conference on New Zealand's Prospects in the Pacific Region, 1983. Gibney, Frank B. Ed. Whole Pacific Catalog. Los Angeles, CA: 1981. "The Pacific Basin Alliances and Bases." GREAT DECISIONS 1987. New York: Foreign Policy Association, 1987. ED 283 743. Palin, Michael. Full Circle. BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-37121-8.. A travelogue of a complete journey around the Pacific Rim accompanying the 1997 TV series Full Circle with Michael Palin.

Rogers, Theodore S. and Robert L. Snakenber. "Language Studies in the Schools: A Pacific Prospect." EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVES 21: 12–15. Wedemeyer, Dan J. and Anthony J. Pennings, Eds. Telecommunications—Asia, Pacific: PTC 86. "Evolution of the Digital Pacific." Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Pacific Telecommunications Council: Honolulu, Hawaii, 1986. ED 272 147. West and Thomas Jackson; the Pacific Rim and the Bottom Line. Bloomington, Indiana, 1987. Phillips, Douglas A. and Steven C. Levi; the Pacific Rim Region: Emerging Giant. Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1988. ISBN 0-89490-191-5

The Willow Creek/Southwest 185th Avenue Transit Center is a light rail station and transit center on the MAX Blue Line in Hillsboro, United States. Located near the intersection of Baseline Road and 185th Avenue on the eastern edge of the city, it is the twelfth stop westbound on TriMet's Westside MAX, in the Portland metropolitan area. From 2006 to 2007, the station saw nearly 950,000 passengers. Opened in 1998, the station was conceived as the western terminus of the Westside MAX, but the line was extended further west into Hillsboro, due to population growth occurring at the time the line was being planned. Artwork at the stop represents a reading motif, as a library was planned for the station, but never built. Willow Creek is near the Oregon National Primate Research Center and the rest of the Oregon Health & Science University's West Campus in the Tanasbourne neighborhood. Planning for a light rail system on Portland's west side started in 1979, with a groundbreaking coming in 1993 on the Westside MAX project.

The line was to terminate at Willow Creek/185th, but lobbying by Hillsboro mayor Shirley Huffman and others secured funding to extend the line to downtown. So, at the time that Westside MAX construction started, this station was planned to the line's outer terminus opening in September 1997, with the 6-mile section between 185th Avenue and Hillsboro opening later. However, construction of the 12-mile Downtown Portland-to-185th Avenue section fell behind schedule, due to delays in constructing the Robertson Tunnel through the West Hills, in 1995 TriMet postponed the opening by one year, to September 1998. Under the new schedule, Willow Creek Transit Center would no longer be the line's terminus, because the delay enabled the Hillsboro extension to "catch up" with the original segment and open at the same time. Plans for the station called for the construction of a branch of the Hillsboro Public Library at the stop. Due to cost overruns when building the Robertson Tunnel, the library was canceled and a Books by Rail program was added to the Hillsboro Central station.

TriMet canceled plans for security cameras at the station. The park-and-ride lot opened on March 3, 1997, served by two bus lines, because it was ready for use. Having been built under the original project timeline that called for the station to open September 1997, Willow Creek park-and-ride ended up being completed far in advance of the start of MAX service and related bus-service expansion, after the latter were delayed to 1998. On September 12, 1998, Willow Creek Transit Center opened along with the rest of the Westside MAX line; the park-and-ride lot was filled to 67% capacity on average within a few months of the MAX line's opening. In 1999, library officials proposed moving the Books by Rail program to the busier Willow Creek station, but the move did not occur and the program was canceled due to reduced library funds and a failed library funding levy. By December 1999, Willow Creek was the second-busiest station in terms of boardings on the Hillsboro portion, averaging 2,313 per day.

The park-and-ride lot was the fifth busiest on the MAX system by March 2000. A woman at Willow Creek was hit by MAX train in November 2000. A nearly 400-unit apartment complex was built adjacent to the station in 2003. In 2005, a stabbing occurred at the stop, in 2007 a rider forced off the MAX by TriMet attempted to assault someone at the neighboring apartment complex. Of the 16 MAX stations on the west side, Willow Creek had the third-highest number of boardings for the 2006–2007 fiscal year, with an estimated 947,000, the most calls for police assistance with 971. In 2008, TriMet secured a grant from the Transportation Security Administration to allow the transit agency to add security cameras to the station. Portland Community College began construction of a training center at the station in 2008, with the $25 million facility opened in 2009. TriMet had planned to build a third track in 2009 at the station in order to allow the extension of the Red Line to Willow Creek using federal stimulus funds, but canceled the project due to projected costs.

Willow Creek is located just northwest of the intersection of Baseline Road and Southwest 185th Avenue. The station includes a park-and-ride lot along with lockers for bicycles. With 595 parking spaces, the parking lot is the second biggest park-and-ride on the MAX line after the Sunset Transit Center; as with all MAX stations, it is Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and has ticket vending machines on the island-type platform. Willow Creek has a concessions stand next to the bus plaza; the station serves the east Hillsboro and west Beaverton areas, is located about 1 mile north of Aloha. This includes Oregon Health & Science University's West Campus in the Tanasbourne neighborhood of Hillsboro, including the Oregon National Primate Research Center; the transit center is served by TriMet bus lines 52, 59 and 88. Midibuses of Columbia County's CC Rider transit service stop there on weekdays, providing direct service to Scappoose and St. Helens. Landscaping at the station included trees that bloom, which TriMet traditionally shuns in favor of non-blooming tree species due to higher maintenance costs of the blooming trees.

These were replaced by non-blooming trees during construction of the PCC building in 2008. The station was designed by architectural firm OTAK of Lake Oswego. Artwork at the transit center includes large, Victorian themed chairs and tables that have literary names etched into them; these represent reading rooms that were to complement the planned library. The reading theme continues with embedded-tile word puzzles in the floor of the platform; these puzzles include names of

Keith Francis Arnold Beal is an English painter, sound engineer, recording engineer and producer and composer, author. Born on 22 December 1933 in Chalfont St. Peter, Beal grew up in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. After the Second World War, he was sent to Sweden in 1948 to gain strength, staying there for the better part of a year, his formative years were spent in NW London, where he went to school, in Hamstead, where he explored his interest in painting, instigated in childhood by his painter father. In 1955 Beal spent a year in Paris. On returning to England he found quick success, having an exhibition in a gallery in Bond Street and selling out on the day. Beal has remained interested in painting throughout his life. Don Quixote by Cervantes has been a recurring inspiration for his paintings. Beal worked as a sound engineer and technician for the BBC, as well as commercial television, freelance in the film business from 1956 to 1973. Beal studied at the London School of Economics, gaining a BSc degree in Economics in 1971.

He studied at Sussex University, gaining an MA in Music and the Sonic Arts in 2013 On his fortieth birthday in 1973, he acquired a saxophone, won a bet that he could learn to play it within a year. In 1974, he co-founded a record label specialising in jazz and modern classical music, he worked as a recording engineer and editor, but became a producer leading the company as managing director. In his time at Ogun, Beal recorded and/or produced some 50 records by such artists as Trevor Watts, Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath, Elton Dean,Harry Becket, John Surman and Keith Tippett. After leaving Ogun in 1980 Beal concentrated on playing the saxophone, he toured extensively with Trevor Watts Moiré Music, an avant garde jazz ensemble, playing at most of the European Jazz Festivals between 1982 and 1986. Since 1987 Beal has divided his time between England and the Netherlands. Focusing on jazz, both as a performer and composer, he has moved towards modern classical composition. Early works include pieces for tuba quartet and saxophone quartet, but he became more confident and productive, writing 6 symphonies and 4 concertos, recording his Second Symphony in Kiev with the Kiev Modern Symphony Orchestra in 2001, writing a clarinet concerto to be performed by Alan Hacker.

He went on to compose two operas, the first of which, was written on the 400th anniversary of the publication of Don Quixote by Cervantes, on which the libretto is based, the second "Merlin " with a libretto based on a compilation of Merlin and Nimue myths. He has composed three ballets. In 2011 and 2012, Beal published two autobiographical novels, entitled Counterpoint in Three Parts: Reflexions on the Life and Loves of a Musician' based on the experiences of a touring musician', Cadmium Red', based on painting and politics in Paris of the 1950s' The following is an as yet incomplete overview of Beal's major compositions. Keith Beal's personal website – work in progress