The Syrian Desert known as the Syrian steppe, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badia, is a region of desert, semi-desert and steppe covering 500,000 square kilometers of the Middle East, including parts of south-eastern Syria, northeastern Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia, western Iraq. It accounts for 85 % of 55 % of Syria. To the south it merges into the Arabian Desert; the land is rocky or gravelly desert pavement, cut with occasional wadis. The desert is bounded by the Orontes Valley and volcanic field of Harrat al-Shamah to the west, by the Euphrates to the east. In the north, the desert gives way to the more fertile areas of grass, the south it runs into the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula; some sources equate the Syrian Desert with the "Hamad Desert", while others limit the name Hamad to the southern central plateau, a few consider the Hamad to be the whole region and the Syrian Desert just the northern part. Several parts of the Syrian Desert have been referred to separately such as the Palmyrene desert around Palmyra, the Homs desert.
The eastern section of the Syrian Desert, that within borders of Iraq, can be referred to as the Western Desert. The name Shamiyah has been used for the Syrian Desert; the name has been translated in the past as Badiyat al-Sham The 700-900m high region in the middle of the desert is the Hamad Plateau, a rather flat, stony semi-desert consisting of limestone bedrock covered with chert gravel. What little rain arrives on the plateau flows into local salt flats; the highest peaks of the Plateau are those of the 1000m+ Khawr um Wual in Saudi Arabia, the 960m high Jebel Aneiza, at the border tripoint between Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Together with the other deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, the Hamad Desert has been described as one of the most arid deserts of the world; some of the climax plants in the Syrian Badia are Salsola vermiculata, Stipa barbata, Artemisia herba-alba and Atriplex leucoclada. This desert ecosystem is under threat from drought, over-grazing and other human activities; some native animals no longer inhabit this area, many plant species have died out, with the grasses that have replaced them being of lower nutritional value to livestock.
The Syrian Desert is the origin of the golden hamster. Storks, cranes, small waders and raptors visit the seasonal lakes. Small rodents are common, as are their predators such as snakes and camel spiders; the large mammals are now no longer to be found. The desert was inhabited by Bedouin tribes, many tribes still remain in the region, their members living in towns and settlements built near oases; some Bedouin still maintain their traditional way of life in the desert. Safaitic inscriptions, proto-Arabic texts written by literate Bedouin, are found throughout the Syrian Desert; these date from the first century BC to the fourth century AD. One of the most important ancient settlements in the Syrian desert is Palmyra; the city's people were a combination of Arameans and Arabs. Another important ancient settlement is the city of Dura-Europos on the Euphrates. A fortress, it was founded by the Seleucid Empire by the name of Dura, which means "Fortress", but was called Europos by the Greeks, as the combination Dura-Europos is a modern invention.
The city prospered for its location on the Euphrates linking Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean, thus playing a huge part in both the commercial and military connections between the two regions. It was, raided by the Sasanian emperor Shapur I in the 250s, most of its citizens fled, under Sasanian rule, the city was subsequently abandoned; the Ottoman Empire authorities set up concentration camps in the Syrian desert as part of the Armenian genocide. The desert was first traversed by motor vehicle in 1919. During the Iraq War, the desert served as a major supply line for the Iraqi resistance, with the Iraq portion of the desert becoming a primary stronghold of the Sunni resistance operating in the Al Anbar Governorate after the Coalition capture of Fallujah during the Second Battle of Fallujah. A series of Coalition military operations were ineffective at removing the resistance presence in the Desert; as the resistance began to gain control of the surrounding areas, coalition spokesmen began to downplay the importance of the Syrian Desert as a center of operations.
By September 2006 the resistance had gained control of all of the Anbar Governorate and had moved most of their forces and leaders further east to resistance-controlled cities near the Euphrates river. With low rainfall and poor quality soils, today the region is principally used as rangeland for livestock. Bedouin herdsmen, many of whom are still nomadic, graze about twelve million sheep and goats here, as well as a smaller number of camels; the International Fund for Agricultural Development aims to alleviate rural poverty, in 1995, in cooperation
Major-general John Mitchell was a British soldier and author. John Mitchell was born 11 June 1785 in Stirlingshire, his father was a member of the diplomatic service who served as consul-general for Norway, engaged on missions to the court of Stockholm and Copenhagen. In 1797 Mitchell went to Berlin with his father, despatched on a mission to the court of the new king, Frederick William III, he was placed at the Ritter academy at Lüneburg. In 1801 he was sent to a mathematical school in London, on 9 July 1803 was commissioned as ensign in the 57th regiment. On 5 Dec. 1804 he was promoted to a lieutenancy in the 1st Royals, went with the 1st battalion of his regiment to the West Indies. On 1 October 1807 he was promoted captain in the 1st Royals. In 1809 he joined the 3rd battalion of his regiment at Walcheren, was present at the Siege of Flushing, he served with the same battalion in the Peninsula from 1810 to 1812, was present at the battles of Busaco and Fuentes d'Onoro in the action of Sabugal, in those of the retreat of Massena.
He accompanied the 4th battalion on the expedition under Major-general Gibbs to Stralsund in 1813, but served on the staff as a deputy assistant quartermaster-general. He served in a similar capacity in the campaign of 1814 in Holland and Flanders, with the head-quarters of the army of occupation in Paris, his knowledge of languages made him of use to Wellington in correspondence and negotiations with the allied powers. He was promoted major on 19 July 1821, placed on the unattached half-pay list on 1 June 1826, his father died in Edinburgh on 17 October the same year. Mitchell did not return to military duty, but devoted himself to literature, passing a considerable portion of each year on the continent up to 1848, after which he spent the remainder of his life with his sisters in Edinburgh. In 1833-1834 he contributed a series of articles to Fraser's Magazine, under the name of'Bombardino,' or'Captain Orlando Sabretache.' In 1837 he published an account of the life of Albrecht von Wallenstein.
Between 1841 and 1855 he contributed to the United Service Journal, in 1841-1842 he wrote seven letters to The Times dealing with defects in the British army. In 1845 he published'The Fall of Napoleon,' and soon after received a diamond brooch from King Augustus of Hanover for his work, he received a complimentary letter from Robert Peel. In 1846 he contributed to Fraser's Magazine a series of articles on Napoleon's early campaigns, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel unattached on 10 Jan. 1837, colonel 11 Nov. 1851, major-general on 31 Aug. 1855. He died in Edinburgh on 9 July 1859, was buried in the family vault in the Canongate churchyard; the life of Wallenstein, duke of Friedland. London: James Fraser. 1837. Thoughts on tactics and military organization: with an enquiry into the power and position of Russia. London: Longman, Brown and Longmans. 1838. The Art of Conversation, with Remarks on Fashion and Address. London: G. W. Nickisson. 1842. The Fall of Napoleon: An Historical Memoir. London: G. W. Nickisson.
1845. Schmitz, Leonhard, ed.. Biographies of Eminent Soldiers of the Last Four Centuries:. Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood and Sons
Nonodake Station is an East Japan Railway Company railway station located in the town of Wakuya, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Nonodake Station is served by the Kesennuma Line, is located 6.2 rail kilometers from the terminus of the line at Maeyachi Station. Nonodake Station has one ground-level side platform serving a single bi-directional track; the station is unattended. Nonodake Station opened on 24 October 1968; the station was absorbed into the JR East network upon the privatization of the Japan National Railways on 1 April 1987. In fiscal 2015, the station was used by an average of 7 passengers daily. Former Kitakami River List of Railway Stations in Japan Official website "JR気仙沼線 【前面展望 ９】 陸前豊里⇒前谷地". YouTube.com. Retrieved 2011-04-26. Video of a train trip from Rikuzen-Toyosato Station to Maeyachi Station in 2009, passing Nonodake Station at around 03:35 minutes and Wabuchi Station at around 05:48 minutes, without stopping
Two Lions known as The Disgruntled, is an outdoor bronze group sculpture of two lions situated in Fælledparken in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The sculpture is situated in an area of Fælledparken known as Den Franske Plads, it depicts one male and one female. The male lion stands up; the sculpture was created by Lauritz Jensen in 1905 and a bronze cast of the sculpture was subsequently presented to the City of Copenhagen by the Victor Freund Grant. Jensen wanted the sculpture placed at Langelinie and a location in Søndermarken was considered but it was installed in the garden complex at present-day Israels Plads; the sculpture was moved to a new location outside the entrance to Fælledparken on Østerbrogade. Another reason for the move was fear that a tail might break or bend, or that it might suffer other damage, since local use tended to use it for "gymnastic exercises". In 1915 it was proposed to protect it at its new location by installing a surrounding rough iron fence; the sculpture was moved to a small mound a little further to the west when the site was redesigned in 2010.
In 2012 the sculpture was moved to its current location close to Serridslevvej in Fælledparken
The 2007 Swiss Open Super Series is the fourth tournament of the 2007 BWF Super Series in badminton. It was held in Basel, from March 12 to March 18, 2007. Lin Dan Chen Jin Lee Chong Wei Peter Gade Bao Chunlai Chen Yu Kenneth Jonassen Muhd Hafiz B Hashim * = retired Zhang Ning Wang Chen Xu Huaiwen Zhu Lin Lu Lan Yao Jie Pi Hongyan Petya Nedeltcheva Fu Haifeng / Cai Yun Jens Eriksen / Martin Lundgaard Hansen Jung Jae-sung / Lee Yong-dae Choong Tan Fook / Lee Wan Wah Candra Wijaya / Tony Gunawan Lee Jae-jin / Hwang Ji-man Koo Kien Keat / Tan Boon Heong Anthony Clark / Robert Blair Gao Ling / Huang Sui Zhang Yawen / Wei Yili Chien Yu Chin / Cheng Wen-Hsing Wong Pei Tty / Chin Eei Hui Zhao Tingting / Yang Wei Jiang Yanmei / Li Yujia Gail Emms / Donna Kellogg Lee Kyung-won / Lee Hyo-jung Nova Widianto / Lilyana Natsir Xie Zhongbo / Zhang Yawen Thomas Laybourn / Kamilla Rytter Juhl Nathan Robertson / Gail Emms Anthony Clark / Donna Kellogg Robert Mateusiak / Nadiezda Kostiuczyk Hendri Kurniawan Saputra / Li Yujia Lee Yong-dae / Lee Hyo-jung Official website Tournamentsoftware.com: 2007 Swiss open Super Series
Jeff Fuller is a NASCAR driver. Before joining NASCAR's major leagues, Fuller won the 1992 Winston Modified Tour championship, driving for Sheba Racing; the Massachusetts native has 31 wins on the Modified Tour and was named the series' most popular drivers for three consecutive seasons. Fuller made his Busch Series career in 1992. Driving the #20 First Ade Oldsmobile for Dick Moroso, Fuller started 27th and finished 26th, twenty-nine laps down. Three years in 1995, after a run in the Whelen Modified Series, Fuller moved to the Busch Series to compete Rookie of the Year, his team would be the #47 Sunoco Chevy owned by ST Motorsports. His sole top-5 was a fourth in the fall race at Charlotte, he added on five other top-10s. His best start in the season was only a pair of tenths at New Rockingham, he finished in the top-30 in all but one race and only recorded five DNFs. This enabled him to finish tenth in points in just his first season in Busch Series, earning him Rookie of the Year honors. Missing two races relegated Fuller back to 17th in points in 1996.
In the same weekend at Bristol, Fuller won his first career pole, won his first career race and his wife Liz gave birth to a child. Fuller only managed 3 other top-10s in 1996, he made one of his starts in a Michael Ritch-owned car, driving the #02 ECU Pirates at Rockingham to a 38th-place finish. To top off this great year, Fuller had a daughter named Tiffany Fuller, he had daughter Shannon and son Jeffrey Jr.. That same year, Fuller won a race in a one-off start at Thompson Speedway in what was the Busch North Series. Fuller's team continued to struggle in early 1997. Fuller managed only two top-10s in his first fifteen races, Fuller was released from the #47 after running eighteenth in points. Fuller missed the next two races, but signed on to become the driver for the #45 Hunters Specialties Chevy for Mike Laughlin, earning finishes of 7th at Gateway and 9th at Bristol. However, Fuller was replaced for the last race by Greg Sacks, but drove the #5 Alka-Seltzer Chevy for Terry Labonte. After finishing 14th, he cemented a 21st-place finish in points.
In 1998, Fuller only made. Most of the season was with the #89 Allerest Chevy owned by Meredith Ruark, his best finish with them was 25th at Charlotte. Overall, Fuller's best finish of 1998 was with Laughlin's racing team at Pikes Peak, where he finished eleventh. Fuller paired with Joe Gibbs Racing in 1998, he drove their #42 Carolina Turkey Pontiac at Charlotte to a fifteenth-place finish. Fuller's other top-20 finish in 1998 was for Bill Elliott at Miami, where he finished fifteenth as well. In 1999, Fuller made 27 of the season's 32 races, but did not record a single top-10. Fuller ran the first twenty-two races with Ruark's team, earning a best finish of 12th at Pikes Peak and IRP. While with the team, he had a vicious accident a Dover when he spun and slammed into the pit road wall hard twice and breaking it after contact with Phil Parsons. Fuller made four starts for Joe Gibbs again, driving the #42 Circuit City Pontiac to a best of 12th at Darlington. Fuller added on one more start with Lyndon Amick's team.
He finished 33rd at Memphis Motorsports Park. Fuller's best start in 1999 was 5th at Pikes Peak, he finished 22nd in points; when Fuller went to Winston Cup racing, he only made one 2000 start. It was for Moy Racing, where he started 43rd on the field at Bristol, but came back to a 21st-place finish. Fuller only made one start in 2001, as well. Driving for NEMCO Motorsports, he started 40th at California and finished 42nd after only completing five laps. Fuller made two more starts for NEMCO in 2002, running at Talladega. However, despite a 5th-place start at Daytona, he finished 42nd there and 40th at Talladega due to large multi car crashes. Fuller made, he split his time between NEMCO and Stanton Barrett's team. His best finishes on the year were a 15th at Bristol for 18th at Nashville for Barrett, he had a 24th-place run at Daytona for Bost Motorsports. He only finished 3 races that year. In 2004, he ran the most races in a season of his career since 1999 for NEMCO Motorsports, his best finish was 35th at Nazareth, as he did not finish a race that year.
He caused controversy during the season as he completed more than a handful of laps before pulling out of the race. In 2005, Fuller started off the year driving two races for NEMCO, but he was replaced by Kim Crosby, whose team bought the #7 NEMCO ride. Fuller replaced Crosby in the year, driving the #7 Big Boar Customs Chevy for GIC-Mixon Motorsports for the remainder of the year. Fuller qualified for fifteen races with the team, his best finishes were at Dover, where he finished 24th in the fall and 25th in the spring. After Memphis, where Fuller finished 42nd, the team folded due to lack of funding, leaving Fuller without a ride. Fuller returned to the Busch Series in 2006 at the June Nashville race, he was signed to drive the #34 GlowBuoy Chevrolet for Frank Cicci Racing where he started 38th and finishing 27th. During the 2007, 2008, 2009 Nationwide Series Seasons, Fuller drove in a few races for NEMCO Motorsports and Stanton Barrett. Fuller planned to drive the #97 Chevrolet in the 2010 Nationwide Season opener at Daytona for NEMCO Motorsports, but he withdrew though he would have made the race, after qualifying was cancelled due to rain.
Fuller was one of five drivers to be paid by John Menard and team owner Jack Roush to drop out so John's son Paul could c