John Holbrook "Jack" Vance was an American mystery and science fiction writer. Though most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance, he wrote several mystery novels under different pen names. Vance won the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1984 and he was a Guest of Honor at the 1992 World Science Fiction Convention in Orlando, Florida; the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America made him its 15th Grand Master in 1997 and the Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted him in 2001, its sixth class of two deceased and two living writers. Among his awards for particular works were: Hugo Awards, in 1963 for The Dragon Masters, in 1967 for The Last Castle, in 2010 for his memoir This is Me, Jack Vance!. He won an Edgar Award for the best first mystery novel in 1961 for The Man in the Cage. While his first publications were stories in science fiction magazines, as he became well known, he published novellas and novels, a number of which were translated into Dutch, Russian and German.

An Integral Edition of all Vance's works was published in 44 volumes and in 2010 a six-volume The Complete Jack Vance was released. A 2009 profile in The New York Times Magazine described Vance as "one of American literature's most distinctive and undervalued voices", he died at his home in Oakland, California on May 26, 2013, aged 96. Vance's grandfather is believed to have arrived in California from Michigan a decade before the Gold Rush and married a San Francisco girl. Early family records were destroyed in the fire following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Vance's early childhood was spent in San Francisco. With the separation of his parents, Vance's mother moved him and his siblings to their maternal grandfather's California ranch near Oakley in the delta of the Sacramento River; this setting formed Vance's love of the outdoors, allowed him time to indulge his passion as an avid reader. With the death of his grandfather, the Vance's family fortune nosedived, Vance was forced to leave junior college and work to support himself, assisting his mother when able.

Vance plied many trades for short stretches: as a bellhop, in a cannery, on a gold dredge, before entering the University of California, Berkeley where, over a six-year period, he studied mining engineering, physics and English. Vance wrote one of his first science fiction stories for an English class assignment, he worked for a while as an electrician in the naval shipyards at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii—for "56 cents an hour". After working on a degaussing crew for a period, he left about a month before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Vance graduated in 1942. Weak eyesight prevented military service, he found a job as a rigger at the Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond and enrolled in an Army Intelligence program to learn Japanese, but washed out. In 1943, he became an able seaman in the Merchant Marine. In years, boating remained his favorite recreation, he worked as a seaman, a rigger, a surveyor, a ceramicist, a carpenter before he established himself as a writer, which did not occur until the 1970s. From his youth, Vance had been fascinated by traditional jazz.

He was an amateur of the cornet and ukulele accompanying himself with a kazoo, was a competent harmonica player. His first published writings were jazz reviews for The Daily Californian, his college paper, music is an element in many of his works. In 1946, Vance married Norma Genevieve Ingold, another Cal student. Vance continued to live in Oakland, in a house he built and extended with his family over the years, including a hand-carved wooden ceiling from Kashmir; the Vances had extensive travels, including one around-the-world voyage, spent several months at a time living in places like Ireland, South Africa, Positano and on a houseboat on Lake Nagin in Kashmir. Vance began trying to become a professional writer in the late 1940s, as part of the San Francisco Renaissance, a movement of experimentation in literature and the arts, his first lucrative sale was one of the early Magnus Ridolph stories to Twentieth Century Fox, who hired him as a screenwriter for the Captain Video television series.

The proceeds supported the Vances for a year's travel in Europe. There are various references to the Bay Area Bohemian life in his work. Science fiction authors Frank Herbert and Poul Anderson were among Vance's closest friends; the three jointly built a houseboat. The Vances and the Herberts lived near Lake Chapala in Mexico together for a period. Although blind since the 1980s, Vance continued to write with the aid of BigEd software, written for him by Kim Kokkonen, his final novel was Lurulu. Although Vance had stated Lurulu would be his final book, he subsequently completed an autobiography, published in July 2009. Vance died on the morning of May 2013 at the age of 96 in his home in the Oakland Hills. Vance's son John Holbrook Vance II described the cause as the complications of old age, saying, "everything just caught up with him." Tributes to Vance were given by various authors, including George R. R. Martin, Michael Moorcock, Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Bear. Steven Gould, president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, described Vance as "one of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers of the 20th century".

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The Chicago Academy for the Arts, founded in 1981, is an independent high school for the performing and visual arts located in the River West neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It was named a National School of Distinction by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Academy offers a co-curricular program: college-preparatory academic classes and professional-level arts training. The school day consists of six academic periods followed by a three-plus hour immersion in one of six arts disciplines: Dance, Media Arts, Musical Theatre and Visual Arts. Students participate in more than 100 productions throughout the course of the school year, including concerts, readings, screenings and exhibitions; the Chicago Academy for the Arts high school was founded in 1981 by a group of artists and business professionals for the purpose of bringing a performing arts high school to Illinois. It is located in the historic school building constructed for St. John Cantius Parish; the Academy students submit portfolios during the admissions process.

Whereby only prospective students demonstrating an aptitude and dedication to their art are admitted. In 2012, The Academy celebrated its 30th anniversary with a series of events, culminating in a gala event at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance at the Millennium Park Terrace. During this year, the school revised its mission statement to more reflect the further development of its educational philosophy which integrates academics and the environment to educate the intellectual artist; the new mission statement reads: The Chicago Academy for the Arts transforms emerging artists through a curriculum and culture which connect intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, creativity to impart skills to lead and collaborate across diverse communities. The atmosphere at the school has been described as nurturing, it was once one of the few high schools to feature a course on existentialism and have workshops taught by guest tutors like Roger Ebert. A majority of graduates continue to higher education and/or professional arts careers.

Throughout the school year, students participate in more than 100 productions, including concerts and recitals, plays, screenings, outreach opportunities, benefits. Arts departments conclude each semester with a one-on-one student assessment and review process that includes self-reflections and goal-setting, portfolio reviews, interviews with faculty; each year, The Academy presents their All-School Showcase, highlighting the year's top work from each arts department. The Academy students submit portfolios during the admissions process. Whereby only prospective students demonstrating an aptitude and dedication to their art are admitted. Admissions is a multi-step process, beginning with the audition in a chosen department. Once applicants advance through the audition, their academic record is reviewed. Students must take the Independent School Entrance Exam prior to enrollment; the Academy offers four opportunities to take the exam at the school. The admissions process concludes with a parent interview.

Lara Flynn Boyle, actress Ali Cobrin, actress Tom Gold, dancer Craig Hall, New York City Ballet Pete Kovachevich guitarist Adam Rifkin, producer Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live Justin Tranter songwriter and musician Jack Peterson, spokesperson Robin Tunney, actress Alex Wurman, composer Nan Woods, actress Chris Westfall, entrepreneur Lalah Hathaway, Grammy Award-winning musician Chicago Academy for the Arts website

The Qahatika were a Native American tribe of the Southwestern United States and lived in the vicinity of present-day Quijotoa, Arizona. According to Edward Sheriff Curtis, the Qahatika belonged to the Pima group of tribes and lived in five villages "in the heart of the desert south of the Gila River", about forty miles from the Pima reservation. A legend said that after the Pima suffered defeat in a war with Apache, the tribe split. One splinter of the tribe, the ancestors of Qahatika, went into the barren desert and settled there in separation from other Pimas; the Qahatika, according to Curtis, managed to find land suitable for growing wheat. Their methode of "dry farming" relied on winter rainfall: the soil near their villages was capable of retaining winter moisture for a whole season, a few winter rains guaranteed a fair crop in summer; the Qahatika seen by Curtis were "almost identical in appearance" to Papago. They developed their own tradition of pottery, their houses were built exclusively of dried giant cactus carcasses.

Edward Sheriff Curtis. The North American Indian. Volume 2 - The Pima; the Papago. The Oahatika; the Mohave. The Yuma; the Maricopa. The Walapai; the Havasupai. The Apache-Mohave, or Yavapai.. Volume 2

This is a list of senior officers of the British Army. See Commander in Chief of the Forces, Chief of the General Staff, Chief of the Imperial General Staff. John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough 1707–1711 James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde 1711–1714 John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough 1714–1717 office vacant 1717–1744 Prince William, Duke of Cumberland 1744–1757 office vacant 1757–1799 Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany 1799–1809 See article on Commander-in-Chief of the Forces See article on Chief of the General Staff See article on Chief of the General Staff See article on Chief of the General Staff The Vice Chiefs were as follows: Lieutenant-General Sir John Dill April 1940 – 27 May 1940 Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Haining 27 May 1940 – 19 May 1941 Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Pownall 19 May 1941 – 5 December 1941 Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Nye 5 December 1941 – 1945 Lieutenant-General Sir Frank Simpson 1946–1948 Lieutenant-General Sir Gerald Templer 1948–1950 Lieutenant-General Sir Nevil Brownjohn 1950–1952 Lieutenant-General Sir Harold Redman 1952–1955 Lieutenant-General Sir William Oliver 1955–1957 Lieutenant-General Sir William Stratton 1957–1960 Lieutenant-General Sir William Pike 1960–1963 Lieutenant-General Sir Geoffrey Baker 1963–1966 Lieutenant-General Sir Desmond Fitzpatrick 1966–1968 Lieutenant-General Sir Victor FitzGeorge-Balfour 1968–1970 Lieutenant-General Sir Cecil Blacker 1970–1973 Lieutenant-General Sir David Fraser 1973–1975 Lieutenant-General Sir William Scotter 1975–1978 Lieutenant-General Sir John Stanier 1978–1980 Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Morony 1980–1983 Lieutenant-General Sir James Glover 1983–1985 See article on Deputy Chief of the General Staff See article on Assistant Chief of the General Staff See article on Adjutant-General to the Forces.

See article on Quartermaster-General to the Forces See article on Master-General of the Ordnance See article on Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces See article on Deputy Commander Field Army See article on Commander Regional Forces List of field marshals of the British Army List of British Army full generals List of British generals and brigadiers Footnotes Other informationRegiments website

Andronicus of Olynthus was a Macedonian nobleman and general in the 4th century BCE. This Andronicus is the same as the son of Agerrhus mentioned by Arrian and Diodorus Siculus: that is, the same Andronicus who accompanied Alexander the Great on his expedition in Asia, was the father of Proteas of Macedon and husband to Lanike. If this is indeed the same Andronicus, he would be the father of two sons, whose names are lost to us now, who died at Miletus in 334; this conflation is unclear and this Andronicus may have been distinct from another Andronicus of Macedon. In 330, Andronicus was sent by Alexander to take command of 1500 Greek mercenaries who had served under Darius III before the latter's death. Andronicus was sent against the rebellious Persian satrap Satibarzanes, along with Artabazos and Erigyius. Andronicus was one of the four generals appointed by Antigonus I Monophthalmus to form the military council of Antigonus' son, the young Demetrius I of Macedon, in 314, he commanded the right wing of the army of Demetrius at the Battle of Gaza in 312, after the loss of the battle, the subsequent retreat of Demetrius, was left in command of the city of Tyre.

He refused to surrender the city to Ptolemy I Soter, in response to Ptolemy's requests sent Ptolemy insulting and contemptuous messages. Andronicus lost the city due to a popular insurrection of its inhabitants as the city's provisions ran low during the long siege. Ptolemy captured Andronicus, but spared his life, treating him as a friend, despite Andronicus having treated him with such insolence, turning the general from a stubborn enemy into a partisan, he may have ended his career as one of Ptolemy's philoi. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: William. "Andronicus". In Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 1. P. 176

Access to public information and freedom of information refer to the right to access information held by public bodies known as "right to know". Access to public information is considered of fundamental importance for the effective functioning of democratic systems, as it enhances governments' and public officials' accountability, boosting people participation and allowing their informed participation into public life; the fundamental premise of the right to access public information is that the information held by governmental institutions is in principle public and may be concealed only on the basis of legitimate reasons which should be detailed in the law. Freedom of Information in Georgia is regulated by chapter 3 of the General Administrative code of Georgia, in force since 1999. Despite the fact that the ensuring legal framework on freedom of information contains sound provisions, in view of the existing international standards and practices, as well as existing practices in Georgia, the act is considered outdated In 2013 the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Anti-Corruption Network noted that Georgia's FOI provisions would benefit from a comprehensive and wide revisions.

In recent years, Georgian civil society organisations have advocated for improvements of the law, the Government took obligation to elaborate a new law on freedom of information. The adoption of a new Freedom of Information law is one of the Georgian Government's commitments in the framework of its annual action plan for the implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia signed in 2014; the existing law states that all public information is open except for the cases established by the law and the information covered by privacy rights or commercial secret. In Georgia, anyone is entitled to request public information; the applicants do not have to specify the reasons for their request. An applicant has the option to be allowed to view the original of the information required or to ask for a copy. Requests for information should be made including via electronic means. Fees for the provision of public information are expressly prohibited by the law, except for covering the actual costs for producing copies.

Public institutions are obliged to provide the requested information or not than within 10 working days of the application. Applicants must be notified of the refusal to disclose information and must be given, within 3 days of the refusal, a written explanation of the reason for denial and with information on the appeals procedures. In the appeal procedures, aiming at challenging the denial decision of a public institution, the burden of the proof lies with the public institutions; the Georgian law establishes that public bodies have to proactively publish information, without the need of sending a request, according to the rules set forth in secondary legislation, namely in the amendment made to the General Administrative Code of Georgia in 2012 on proactive disclosure and electronic request of public information. Public institutions are obliged to report annually to Parliament, the President and the Prime Minister on their compliance with access to information law and provide updated statistics and data.

One of the most important novelties of the draft elaborated by civil society and experts is the establishment of the office of the Information Commissioner, a new institution with the mandate of monitoring the application of the law, revealing cases of misconduct and taking action to protect the right to public information. This would address one of the major gaps in existing legislation, i.e. the lack of a designed central body with the power to oversee the compliance of public institutions with existing regulations. Another shortcoming of the current legal framework concerns the lack of a sanctions system in cases of non-compliance; the exceptions for non-disclosure are ambiguous and not defined in the law which does not cover state-owned enterprises. The shortcomings of the law have resulted in an uneven application of the right to access to information in practice. In this process, the judiciary has not proven to be an effective means of dealing with the refusals of some public institutions to push them to disclose the required information.

Access to information law is poorly enforced in Georgia and its application remains a problem. A local NGO, the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, has conducted a comprehensive analysis assessing the implementation of the law and the compliance of public institutions to it, carrying out a series of large-scale FOI tests between 2010-2015; the IDFI study shows that in the period monitored, 24% of the request filed by the organisation remained unanswered. A complete answer was received in 64% of cases and an incomplete one in 10%, while the refusal to provide the information required occurred in 2% of the cases. In terms of annual evaluation, the overall response rate was the worst in 2010-11, while it improved in 2012-13 - as a result of the 2012 parliamentary elections - but started to deteriorate again in 2014. Over time, the rate of provision of the requested information within the deadline established by the law improved ranging from 22% of 2010 to 75% of 2015; the assessment found out great variations between public agencies with regard to their compliance with the law: for instance, some ministers recorded a 100% response rate, others provided a complete answer in less than 50% of the cases, while the lowest score concerned the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development with a mere 10% in the rating.

Access to public information in Europe Freedom of information Freedom of information laws by country Transparency of media ownership in Europe Media of Georgia Transp