Stow-on-the-Wold is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, on top an 800-foot hill at the junction of main roads through the Cotswolds, including the Fosse Way, of Roman origin. The town was founded by Norman lords to take advantage of trade on the roads converging there. Fairs have been held by royal charter since 1330. Today's population is about 2000. Stow-on-the-Wold called Stow St. Edward or Edwardstow after the town's patron saint Edward Edward the Martyr, is said to have originated as an Iron Age fort on this defensive position on a hill. Indeed, there are many sites of similar forts in the area, Stone Age and Bronze Age burial mounds are common throughout the area, it is that Maugersbury was the primary settlement of the parish before Stow was built as a marketplace on the hilltop nearer to the crossroads, to take advantage of passing trade. The small settlement was controlled by abbots from the local abbey, when the first weekly market was set up in 1107 by Henry I, he decreed that the proceeds go to Evesham Abbey.

On 21 March 1646 the last battle of the first phase of the English Civil War took place one mile north of Stow on the Wold. After initial royalist success, the superiority of the parliamentary forces overwhelmed and routed the royalist forces. Fleeing the field, the royalists fought a running fight back into the streets of Stow where the final action took place, culminating in surrender in the market square. In birth order: Clement Barksdale and poet, was Rector of Stow-on-the-Wold from 1660 to 1687. Edmund Chilmead, writer and musician, was born in the town. George Wilkinson, was the architect of Stow-on-the-Wold Workhouse in 1836. George Pepall, county cricketer, was born in the town. Harry Ferguson and inventor of the Ferguson tractor, died in the town. Frederic Bartlett, experimental psychologist and academic, was born in the town. John Howland, county cricketer, was born in the town. John Entwistle, musician and bass guitarist of the Who, bought Quarwood in Stow-on-the-Wold in 1978, his funeral was held at St Edward's Church.

David Loder, racehorse trainer, was born in the town. The town belongs to the Stow electoral ward; this covers the parishes of Stow and Swell. In 2010 these parishes had a total population of 2,594. Stow-on-the-Wold has an active Parish Council with 10 members. Stow-on-the-Wold is represented on Cotswold District Council by the Liberal Democrat Councillor Dilys Neill, elected in the 2019 local elections; the Stow Division is represented on Gloucestershire County Council by the Conservative Councillor Nigel Moor. In 1330, Edward III set up an annual 7-day market to be held in August. In 1476, Edward IV replaced that with two 5-day fairs, two days before and two days after the feast of St Philip and St James in May, in October on the feast of St Edward the Confessor; the aim of these annual charter fairs was to establish Stow as a place to trade, to remedy the unpredictable passing trade. These fairs were located in the square, still the town centre; as the fairs grew in fame and importance the town grew more prosperous.

Traders who once only dealt in livestock, now dealt in many handmade goods, the wool trade always stayed a large part of the trade Reportedly, 20,000 sheep changed hands at one 19th century fair. Many alleyways known as "tures" run between the buildings of Stow into the market square; as the wool trade declined, people began to trade in horses, these would be sold at every fair. This practice still continues today, although the fair has been moved from the Square, is held in the large field towards the village of Maugersbury every May and October, it is still a popular fair, with the roads around Stow being blocked for many hours on the day. There has been controversy surrounding Stow Fair; the large number of visitors and traders has attracted more vendors not dealing in horses. Local businesses used to profit from the increased custom, but in recent years most pubs and shops close for 2 or 3 miles around due to the threat of theft or vandalism. Stow played a role in the English Civil War. A number of fights took place around the area, the local church of St Edward being damaged in one such skirmish.

On 21 March 1646, the Royalists, commanded by Sir Jacob Astley, were defeated at the Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold, with hundreds of prisoners being confined for some time in St. Edwards. Given its exposed spot on the top of Stow Hill, the town is referred to with the couplet "Stow on the Wold, where the winds blow cold". "Stowe-on-the-Wold, Where the wind blows cold. Where horses young and old are sold, Where farmers come to spend their gold. Where men are fools and women are bold and many a wicked tale is told. High on the freezing Cotswold." Etc. Stow-on-the-Wold was prominently featured in the eleventh episode of series 6 of Top Gear, when Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the Ford F-Series there, he chose to film it there because it is a typical village in the English countryside, as Jeremy compares it to the American countryside in the episode. Several roads link Stow to the surrounding villages; the Fosse Way, which runs from Exeter to Lincoln. From 1881 until 1962, Stow was served by Stow-on-the-Wold railway station, on the Great Western Railway's Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway.

The nearest railway st

The National Defence College, Kenya, is a training facility for senior commanders in the Military of Kenya, including the army, air force and special forces. Training is availed to senior Kenyan civil servants and senior military officers from African countries and other continents; the college is located in Karen, a suburb of Kenya's capital of Nairobi 19 kilometres, by road, west of Nairobi's central business district. The coordinates of NDCK are:1°18'10.0"S, 36°42'00.0"E. The college was established in 1992, to train senior Kenyan military officers in National Security Studies. Due to limited available training openings and the high cost of training in foreign military academies, the Government of Kenya established the NDCK. For the next five years, a panel of high-ranking military officers set up the college and structured the courses offered. In 1997, the college admitted its first class, has graduated a class every year starting in 1998; the annual intake as at November 2014, is 40 participants.

Beginning in 2002, the college, in collaboration with the University of Nairobi, awards the Diploma, Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in International Studies. The most popular course is the one year National Security Course, that lasts 45 weeks of study, with two breaks, each of 2 to 3 weeks duration. Other courses leading to the award of Diploma, BA and MA degrees in conjunction with Nairobi University, are offered; the notable alumni of National Defence College, Kenya include the following: Brigadier Samuel Kavuma - Commander of the UPDF Contingent in Somalia, as part of the African Union Mission to Somalia. He was in the class of July 2012 to June 2013. Major General Levi Karuhanga - Chairman of the UPDF General Court Martial, he was in the class of July 2006 to June 2007. General Haji Abubaker Jeje Odongo - Current State Minister for Defence in Uganda, he was in the class of July 2007 to June 2008. Brigadier Innocent Oula - Current Chief of Personnel and Administration in the Uganda People's Defence Force.

He was in the class of July 2012 to June 2013. Official Website of NDCK

Q'ursha is a legendary dog from Georgian mythology. Although he appears in a number of different stories, he is best known as the loyal companion of the culture hero Amirani, his name means a common Georgian name for dogs. He was said to be born of either a raven or an eagle, is sometimes depicted as having eagle's wings as a result. Apart from his wings, Q'ursha was sometimes described with other special features: colossal paws, "lips of gold, eyes as big as sieves", he was attributed supernatural abilities such as a thunderous bark, a leap "as big as a great field" and an infallible ability to track prey. Q'ursha was the subject of the popular Georgian folk song "O my Kursha!", which dates back to at least the 18th century. The Georgian poet Davit Guramishvili, born in 1705, wrote of a desire to hear it again, in a poem describing his youth. There are at least twenty-seven documented versions of the song. Amirani, as a national Georgian hero, is the most prominent mythological figure associated with Q'ursha.

As the son of the mountain goddess Dali and a mortal hunter, he was a demigod of enormous strength. He traveled the earth challenging "demons and dragons alike," until he decides that there are no worthy opponents left for him and issues a challenge to God himself. God chains him to a pole inside a mountain for his defiance, his faithful hound Q'ursha is trapped along with him. Q'ursha licks Amirani's chains weakening them more and more until Amirani is able to escape. However, every year they would be renewed; the hunter Betkil was another man. Unlike Amirani, Betkil was a mortal; the goddess Dali took him as her lover, but when he betrayed her trust by sleeping with a mortal woman, she lured him to the top of a mountain in revenge. He becomes trapped there with Q'ursha. In some versions of the story, Betkil sends Q'ursha for help, Q'ursha returns with villagers; the villagers throw ropes. In other versions of the Betkil story, Q'ursha insists that the starving Betkil eat him. Betkil kills Q'ursha and prepares a fire with his bow and arrows, but in the end, cannot bring himself to eat the dog.

Some sources refer to Q'ursha as a companion of Dali, but he is more associated with hunters