1.
12th Airborne Command and Control Squadron
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The 12th Airborne Command and Control Squadron is a United States Air Force flying unit, assigned to the 461st Air Control Wing, stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The squadron flies the E-8C Joint STARS, providing airborne battle management, command and control, surveillance, and target acquisition. Combatant Commanders 10 Combat Mission Ready Crews Vision, Airmen who demonstrate the ability, acumen, and the audacity to secure our nations interests Truths, JSTARS, its Airmen, and U. S. The first predecessor of the squadron was activated at Langley Field, Virginia in October 1942 as the 523d Bombardment Squadron, one month later, it was redesignated the 2d Antisubmarine Squadron. The squadron was equipped with a number of different types of bombers. With the 378th, the squadron engaged in patrols off the east coast of the United States. In January 1943, it moved to RAF St Eval, England, from St Eval it began flying antisubmarine patrols around England. Although the squadron remained assigned to the 25th Wing, at St Eval and its mission was to patrol an area of the Atlantic north and west of Morocco. Its antisubmarine activity reached a peak in July, when German U-boats concentrated off the coast of Portugal to intercept Allied convoys bound for the Mediterranean and its actions protected supply lines for forces involved in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. The unit most frequently attacked enemy subs 700 miles off the coast of Spain, in what was termed and this was an area in which the subs surfaced to recharge their batteries. It was also possible to them in this location before they joined up into wolfpacks. The 2d Squadron earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for its contributions in the Battle of the Atlantic against German submarines. The squadron returned to the United States at end of 1943 and was disbanded at Clovis Army Air Field in January 1944, most of the units aircrews became cadres for Boeing B-29 Superfortress unit at Clovis. The 327th Ferrying Squadron, which was activated at Capodichino Air Base, the 327th flew cargo, passengers, and mail to destinations in Italy, Sardinia, Corsica, North Africa, and southern France. It moved to the United States in late September 1945 and was inactivated in October, in the fall of 1966 Operation Ranch Hand expanded its size with the delivery of eleven additional Fairchild UC-123B Provider aircraft that had been authorized earlier in the year. Sixteen days later, the squadron suffered its first loss when an aircraft was shot down in the Iron Triangle, due to crowding at Tan Son Nhut, also Saigons commercial airport, the squadron moved to Bien Hoa Air Base in December. In October 1966, the squadron began flying insecticide missions. These missions focused on killing malaria spreading mosquitos, a single aircraft was dedicated to this mission, since the application rate of insecticide was much lower than that for herbicides and one mission could cover a large area
2.
2013 Shahbag protests
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On that day, the International Crimes Tribunal had sentenced Mollah to life in prison after he was convicted on five of six counts of war crimes. Later demands included banning the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party from politics including election, protesters considered Mollahs sentence too lenient, given his crimes. Bloggers and online activists called for protests at Shahbag. Tens of thousands of people joined the demonstration, which rise to protests across the country. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party initially expressed its support for Jamaat-e-Islami, a political ally, but, the BNP cautiously welcomed the Shahbag protest, while warning the government not to make political mileage from a movement demanding capital punishment for war criminals. During the protests, Ahmed Rajib Haider was killed outside his house, on 1 March, five students of North South University were arrested who confessed involvement in Rajibs killing. On 27 February 2013, the tribunal convicted Delwar Hossain Sayeedi of war crimes, Jamaat followers protested and there were violent clashes with police. About 60 people were killed in the confrontations, most were Jamaat-Shibir activists, in 1971 Bangladesh was the portion of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan known as East Pakistan. In the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, East Pakistan fought West Pakistan for nine months, during this period the Indian Army which provided guerrilla training to Mukti Bahini, joined the war on 3 December 1971 in support of the liberation of East Pakistan. Armed conflict ended on 16 December 1971 through surrender of the Pakistani Armed Forces to India, resulting in the formation of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh as a secular and independent state. Time reported a high-ranking US official as saying, It is the most incredible, estimates are that one to three million people were killed, nearly a quarter of a million women were raped and more than ten million people fled to India to escape persecution. A paramilitary force known as the Razakars was created by the May 1971 Razakar Ordinance promulgated by Tikka Khan, the ordinance stipulated the creation of a volunteer force, trained and equipped by the provincial government. However, it became a term in the Bengali language due to the widespread killings of civilians. The majority of East Pakistanis supported the call to create a free, since 2000, there has been growing demands in Bangladesh for justice related to war crimes committed during the 1971 struggle, the issue was central to the 2008 general election. The Awami League-led, 14-party Grand Alliance included this issue in its election manifesto and its rival, four-party alliance had several leaders alleged to have committed war crimes. The Grand Alliance won the election with a majority, based in part on its promise to prosecute alleged war criminals. On 29 January 2009 the new Parliament unanimously passed a resolution to prosecute war criminals, the government intended to use the 1973 law, the International Crimes Act. The government worked to amend the law, updating it and incorporating in it other nations experience, the amendments provided the legal basis for the trial of individuals and political parties that had committed war crimes during Bangladesh liberation war
3.
Accordion
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Accordions are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type, colloquially referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist, the concertina and bandoneón are related, the harmonium and American reed organ are in the same family. The instrument is played by compressing or expanding the bellows while pressing buttons or keys, causing pallets to open and these vibrate to produce sound inside the body. Valves on opposing reeds of each note are used to make the instruments reeds sound louder without air leaking from each reed block. The performer normally plays the melody on buttons or keys on the manual. The accordion is widely spread across the world, nevertheless, in Europe and North America, some popular music acts also make use of the instrument. Additionally, the accordion is used in cajun, zydeco, jazz music. The piano accordion is the official city instrument of San Francisco, the oldest name for this group of instruments is harmonika, from the Greek harmonikos, meaning harmonic, musical. Today, native versions of the accordion are more common. These names refer to the type of accordion patented by Cyrill Demian, accordions have many configurations and types. Similar to a bow, the production of sound in an accordion is in direct proportion to the motion of the player. The bellows is located between the right- and left-hand manuals, and is made from pleated layers of cloth and cardboard, with added leather and metal. It is used to pressure and vacuum, driving air across the internal reeds and producing sound by their vibration. These boxes house reed chambers for the right- and left-hand manuals, each side has grilles in order to facilitate the transmission of air in and out of the instrument, and to allow the sound to better project. The grille for the manual is usually larger and is often shaped for decorative purposes. The right-hand manual is used for playing the melody and the left-hand manual for playing the accompaniment. The manual mechanism of the instrument either enables the air flow, or disables it, the different types have varying components. All instruments have reed ranks of some format, the most typical accordion is the piano accordion, which is used for many musical genres
4.
2-XL
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2-XL, is an educational toy robot that was marketed from 1978-1981 by the Mego Toy Corporation. The toy was then re-introduced by Tiger Electronics in the 1990s, 2XL was the first smart-toy in that it exhibited rudimentary intelligence, memory, game play, and responsiveness. It was infused with a personality that kept kids concentrating and challenged as they played and interacted with the robot and this made learning fun through use of jokes, funny sayings, and verbal reinforcements. During its time in the marketplace, and even to this day, 2XL is heralded as an important step in the development of toys and in particular. Two-decades after 2-XL was discontinued for manufacture, it is remembered by millions of fans. 2-XL was considered one of the top 10 toys ever developed by Playthings Magazine because it could educate, 2-XL was considered the first smart-toy and exhibited rudimentary intelligence, memory, game play, and responsiveness. Dubbed the Toy with a Personality, 2-XL could respond verbally to the user depending upon which input or answer buttons were chosen. 2XL during its run was one of the most popular toys in terms of revenue and was dubbed the Talking Robot with a mind of its own. The toys voice was done by inventor Michael Freeman and it was a great way to make learning cool and fun. 2-XL was first introduced in 1978 by the Mego Toy company and it was brought back in 1992 by Tiger Electronics a division of the Mattel Corporation. Mego Corporation, a publicly traded US based toy company based in New York City was introduced the 2-XL toy to the public in 1978, the toy was sold in different countries and and the tapes were translated in seven foreign languages. Games were also developed for the toy, in 1981, the toys popularity waned, and it was later discontinued. Mego Corporation, that was known for its production of dolls and classic action figures in the 70s was seen as an innovator combining toys. The toys name literally meant To Excel, the toy was voice capable, was able to tell stories and sing using its special 8-track tapes. The toys tapes asked multiple choice questions based type of tape chosen according to its subject and this was operated by pushing a YES/NO button that changed the tracking of the tape. It was crude, but reportedly innovative use of the technology that was present in that era, in 1992, 2-XL was re-introduced by Tiger Electronics, a toy company based in Vernon Hills, Illinois. The toy was changed into a modern design, and new programmed toy cartridges were also introduced. The voice for this version was done by Freeman as well, the robot was a popular educational toy whose success anticipated the dominant influence of technology in education today
5.
Adas Israel Congregation (Washington, D.C.)
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Adas Israel, located in the Cleveland Park neighborhood, is the largest Conservative synagogue in Washington, D. C. President Ulysses S. Grant attended the dedication of its first building in 1876—the first time a sitting United States President had attended a synagogue service. The original structure is the oldest surviving building in Washington, D. C. These men and women sought a service more akin to the one they remembered from Europe. For several years, they met in rented rooms and struggled to raise funds to build their own synagogue, for the Jewish community, Adas Israel was a center of traditional worship. Its constitution affirmed the Orthodox religious practices to which members were committed, prayers were read in Hebrew, with the exception of the prayer for the government, which could be recited in English after being read in Hebrew. As time went on, however, services began to change from the original forms, for example, English was introduced into the services, at first to translate prayers. In the late 1920s, Adas Israel affiliated with the Conservative movement, initially, Adas Israel followed Orthodox tradition with separate seating for men and women, but discontinued the practice in 1951. Today, Adas Israel “aspires to perpetuate Judaism, to enrich the lives of our members to celebrate Conservative Judaism at its creative best, the congregation also provides many different means of being involved with Judaism. On Shabbat, as many as seven different services are held and these include traditional services, havurah, an egalitarian minyan, potlucks for young professionals, and the Ruach Minyan. Adas Israel has played an important role in the capital from its founding. President Ulysses S. Grant and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Thomas White Ferry and this was the first time a sitting U. S. president had attended a synagogue service. Local newspapers frequently reported on synagogue services and other communal events, bar mitzvahs, weddings, the High Holidays, Purim plays, and Passover celebrations all occasioned public notice. When President William McKinley was shot and killed by an assassin in Buffalo in 1901, in 1963 Adas Israel was the first synagogue to be addressed by civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. President Lyndon Johnson attended a Thanksgiving Day service following the assassination of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy and this interfaith service included a sermon by Rabbi Stanley Rabinowitz. That night, Johnson paraphrased Rabinowitz’s words in a nationally-televised address, following Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination in 1995, Vice President Al Gore and members of the Cabinet and Supreme Court attended a memorial service at Adas Israel. The synagogue stood at the corner of 6th and G Streets, NW, in the heart of the residential and commercial center. An influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Russia swelled the congregation’s numbers, the congregation continued in the original synagogue until 1908, when a new building at Sixth and I Streets, NW, was dedicated
6.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
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After nearly 100 years as the American Dietetic Association, the organization officially changed its name to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2012. The Academy has faced controversy regarding corporate influence related to its relationship with the industry and funding from corporate groups such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Mars. It is now headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the original mission of the Academy was in part to help make maximal use of Americas food resources during wartime. In its first year, the Academy attracted 58 members and it remained a small organization, remaining under the 1,000 member mark until the 1930s. As the groups scope expanded, so did its membership numbers, between the 1930s and 1960s, membership skyrocketed to more than 60,000. Growth trajectory has since stabilized, and the Academy marked its 70, since its founding in 1917, the Academy has gained members in every decade. An authorized seal for the organization was adopted by the Executive Board, around the main design is a shaft of wheat, representing bread, the staff of life, and stylized acanthus leaves, representing growth and life. Over the design is a cornucopia, representing an abundant food supply, beneath the design is the motto, Quam Plurimis Prodesse. Around the edge is the name of the organization and the date of its written in Roman numerals. The seal is still in use on Registration Status Certificates for both registered dietitians and dietetic technicians, registered, as well as on the gold Member Pin. In 1973, the Academy created “National Nutrition Week. ”The theme the first year was Invest in Yourself. Buy Nutrition. ”The association also sponsors “National Nutrition Month” in March in the U. S. In 2015, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics had disclosed net assets of $48 million and it took in $11. 3M in annual membership dues, and an additional $7. 4M in registration and examination fees. In 2015, it took in $35.2 million in revenue on expenses of $38. 4M for a loss of $3. 4M. After accounting for return on investments, the Academy posted a deficit of $544,722 for the 2015 fiscal year. In the same year, they received $1.1 million in sponsorships from companies like General Mills, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo via donations, joint initiatives. The Academy has offices both in Chicago and Washington DC, in 1966, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics established the Foundation as a 501 public charity. According to its statement, the Foundation is the “only charitable organization devoted exclusively to promoting good nutrition. ”Its mission is to advance public health. Its executive director, Mary Beth Whalen, is paid $215,000 per year and these figures earned the Foundation a 60. 95/70 score by CharityNavigator. com
7.
Active cable
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Active cables are copper cables for data transmission that use a silicon chip to boost the performance of the cable. Without a chip, a cable is considered a passive cable, passive cables are liable to degrade the data they carry, due to such channel impairments as attenuation, crosstalk and group velocity distortion. In active cables, one or several semiconductor chips are embedded in the cable to compensate for some or all of these impairments and this active boosting allows cables to be more compact, thinner, longer and transmit data faster than their passive equivalents. Today, active cables are used to connect consumer devices such as cameras, gaming consoles and HDTVs, the active component in active cables is a semiconductor device which acts to boost the quality of the data signal. The most common technology used is equalization and de-skew, both forms of filtering and amplification which is applied to the signal before it leaves the connector at the end of the cable, consumer electronics trends are leaning towards miniaturization and connectivity. Because active cables are more compact and portable than passive cables, they are ideal for use with such as smartphones, HDTVs, gaming consoles. DisplayPort is the latest consumer electronics standard that has enabled support for active cables by allocating power supply pins inside the connector, active DisplayPort cables enable ultra-thin and long-reach interconnects which are particularly valuable for the use with the miniature Mini DisplayPort form-factor. Because active cables can facilitate thin cable gauges, a bend radius results. Active cable adoption in data centers has been growing steadily, for example, as of 2010, half of SFP+ interconnect volume is in active cables. The advent of QSFP interconnects for 40 Gigabit Ethernet and InfiniBand is driving the adoption of active cables in this form-factor as well. Digital alternatives to using analog equalizers and impedance matching circuits to improve cable performance also exist, active cables typically cost 5 to 10 times more than their passive counterparts. Some active cables are only produced by a manufacturer. Low cable cost and high availability is desirable because cables are often inadvertently lost or damaged and this extra IC must be powered separately, when in a passive cable design, the signal processing can be integrated onto a single chip
8.
Aeronautics Defense Systems
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Aeronautics Ltd. is an Israeli company specializing in the manufacturing of Unmanned Aerial Systems in the Mini, Tactical and MALE UAS categories. Since its establishment in 1997, the products have been sold to over 45 defense, military. Its headquarters are in Yavne, Israel, aeronautics’ senior management is made up of leading figures from Israel’s defense, financial and political sectors. The Companys CEO is Amos Mathan, who served as the CEO of Soltam Systems. The Chairman of the Board Is Eitan Ben Eliyahu, a retired Major General in the Israel Defense Forces who was the Commander of the Israeli Air Force. The company was founded by Zvika Nave, Moshe Caspi and Avi Leumi in 1997 as a start-up called NETS Integrated Avionics Systems. Since its inception, Aeronautics focused on developing low cost, miniature Unmanned Aerial Systems, in 2007, Internet entrepreneur Avi Shaked acquired 33% of the companys share for $20 million. In 2009, Viola Private Equity partners, a group founded by investor Shlomo Dovrat, in 2012, Aeronautics Orbiter 2 was selected by Finland’s Defence Ministry, the deal included 55 UAS. The acquisition aimed at giving the nation’s armed forces new surveillance, target acquisition, Commtact Ltd, develops a variety of microwave data link communications solutions – Transmitters, Receivers and Antenna Systems in a wide spectrum of frequencies band. RT Ltd, a company that designs and manufactures the SkyStar family of aerostats, for use in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, CONTROP Precision Technologies Ltd, a developer and manufacturer of electro-optical and precision motion control systems, acquired in 2012. Aeronautics holds 50% of Controp jointly with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Zanzottera SRL, an Italian company, acquired in 2004, which is dedicated to the design, development and production of piston engines for the propulsion of small and medium-sized UAVs. Dominator MALE UAS The Dominator UAS is a twin-engine medium-altitude long endurance UAS based on the Diamond DA-42 aircraft, the 1800 kg Dominator can stay airborne for 24 hours and carry a payload of 415 kg. Introduced in 2011, Dominator serves 2 military undisclosed customers and it is as well involved in a civil UAS program in Canada operated in cooperation by Aeronautics and CAE. Aerostar Tactical UAS Aerostar Tactical UAS was introduced in 2001 and operated since by some 15 customers worldwide, the 230 kg Aerostar can stay airborne for 12 hours, operate at the range of 250 km, and carry 50 kg of payloads. Orbiter 3 STUAS The Orbiter 3 Small Tactical UAS is a powered, field deployed UAS designed for military. Operated by 3 personnel, Orbiter 3 is launched from a vehicle mounted launcher and lands using a parachute, weighing up to 30 kg, Orbiter 3 can fly for 7 hours up to the range of 100 km. It carries a multi sensor camera with day and night channels, due to its special structure and quiet electrical motor the Orbiter has a very low electromagnetic and aquatic signature, which makes it difficult to detect in the field of battle. Orbiter 3 is operated by 6 international military customers, Orbiter Mini UAS The Orbiter Mini UAS is a compact and lightweight electrically powered system, operated by 2 soldiers
