Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as three of the earliest such organizations were established there. After 175 years as a traditional all-male institution, Union College began enrolling women in 1970; the college offers a liberal arts curriculum across some 21 academic departments, as well as opportunities for interdepartmental majors and self-designed organizing theme majors. In common with most liberal arts colleges, Union offers a wide array of courses in arts, sciences and foreign languages, but, in common with only a few other liberal arts colleges, Union offers ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees in computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering. By the time they graduate, about 60% of Union students will have engaged in some form of international study or study abroad.

Chartered in 1795, Union was one the first non-denominational institutions of higher education in the United States, the second college established in the State of New York. From 1636 to 1769, only nine institutions of higher education were founded on a permanent basis in Colonial America. Most had been founded in association with British religious denominations devoted to the perpetuation of their respective Christian denominations. Union College was to be founded with a broader ecumenical basis. Only Columbia University, had preceded Union in New York. Twenty-five years impetus for another institution grew. Certain that General John Burgoyne's defeat at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 would mean a new nation, nearly 1,000 citizens of northern New York began the first popular demand for higher education in America; as a democratic cultural changes rose and began to become dominant old ways, in particular the old purposes and structure of higher education, were being pushed aside. Schenectady a Mohawk outpost, was a city founded and dominated by the Dutch, with about 4,000 residents, was after Albany and New York City the third largest in the state.

The Dutch Reformed Church, began to show an interest in establishing an academy or college under its control there. In 1778, the Schenectady Dutch Reformed Church invited the Rev. Dirck Romeyn of New Jersey to visit. Returning home, he authored a plan in 1782 for such an institution, was summoned two years to come help found it; the Schenectady Academy was established in 1785 as the city's first organized school. It flourished, reaching an enrollment of about 100 within a year. By at least 1792 it offered a full four-year college course, as well as one of elementary and practical subjects taught to girls. Attempts to charter the Academy as a college with the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York in 1786, 1792, 1793 were rejected on the grounds the school was not yet either academically nor financially qualified; the following year the school reapplied, as "Union College", a name chosen to reflect the resolution that the school should be free of any specific religious affiliation.

The resulting institution was awarded its charter on February 25, 1795 – still celebrated by the College as "Founders' Day". The College's charter provided for the design of an official seal to be used on diplomas and other official business documents and correspondence; the Trustees were authorized to select the "devices and inscription" to be engraved on the seal. A committee of four Trustees was appointed to look into the matter, a seal was approved in November 1796; the original seal and its press have been lost, but it is known that it was nearly identical to the seal in use today. The Union College seal combines modern elements in balanced proportions; the head of the Roman goddess Minerva appears in the center of an oval with an outside star pattern surrounding the whole. Around the central figure are the French words "Sous les lois de Minerve nous devenons tous frères et sœurs"; the motto ended with the French word "frères", but in 2015 the College modified the motto to add the French words "et sœurs".

On a banner just above the central figure are the words "St: of N: York" and on a similar banner below the central figure appear the words: "Union College 1795". The precise origins of the motto and the choice of Minerva as the fundamental element of the College seal are obscure, but two things are certain: like most colleges of the time, Union was rooted in the classical tradition, unlike most colleges, Union chose a modern language rather than Latin for its motto; the resulting tone of the entire seal is thus aware, but distinctly modern in outlook. It is not at all surprising that the original trustees should have chosen Minerva as their herald and representative. Minerva began her mythological career as patroness of the arts and crafts. By the time she was well established as a Roman goddess, the scope of her interests and patronage had broadened to include at least painting, poetry and teaching. Somewhat paradoxically, Minerva was associated with the arts of war—hence her image is that of a female dressed for battle.

Early, Minerva was identified with the Greek goddess Athena, invested with many of that deity's characteristics and iconography. Eventually—certainly by the 18th centur

The People's Voice is an Israeli-Palestinian civil initiative dedicated to advancing the process of achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Co-founders Ami Ayalon, former head of the Shin Bet and Sari Nusseibeh signed the initiative on 27 July 2002, launched it at a press conference held in Tel-Aviv on 25 June 2003. Broad outlines and some details of the initiative were known months in advance and had engendered responses from competing proposals; the key proposals of the initiative are: Two states for two peoples. Borders based upon 1967 lines. Jerusalem will be the capital of two states. Palestinian refugees will return only to the Palestinian state. Palestine will be demilitarized. Upon the full implementation of these principles, all claims on both sides and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict will end. Unlike a number of other proposals, the initiative seeks to resolve the conflict in a single agreement. No phased or interim steps are envisioned; the initiative seeks to affect the political process by petition, seeking the signatures of enough residents of the area on all sides of the conflict to drive the leaders of the various sides to concluding a peace agreement.

The People's Voice website reported on 26 January 2004, 156,000 Israelis and 100,000 Palestinians having signed the initiative. In late 2007 the website went off-line; the Hebrew part went back on-line in 2008, on 11 October 2008 reported 251,000 Israelis and 160,000 Palestinians having signed. Geneva Accord Paris Peace Conference, 1919 Faisal–Weizmann Agreement 1949 Armistice Agreements Camp David Accords Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty Madrid Conference of 1991 Oslo Accords Israel–Jordan peace treaty Camp David 2000 Summit Israeli–Palestinian peace process Projects working for peace among Israelis and Arabs List of Middle East peace proposals International law and the Arab–Israeli conflict Statement of Principles – Signed by Ami Ayalon & Sari Nusseibeh on July 27, 2002 ReliefWeb The Ayalon – Nusseibeh "Peoples' Voice" – a critical reading, Gush Shalom, 16 March 2003

Neurofunk is a dark subgenre of drum and bass which emerged between 1997 and 1998 in London, England as a progression of techstep. It was further developed by juxtaposed elements of darker and harder forms of funk with multiple influences ranging from techno and jazz, distinguished by consecutive stabs over the bassline. Neurofunk is closely related to Techstep, but the primary characteristic that distinguishes the two genres is Neurofunk has more emphasis on flowing complex rhythms using processed and enhanced sampled breakbeats/percussion and expressive, distorted and modulated bass sounds overlaid with rich layered soundscapes and percussive stab sounds. Neurofunk, as described by Musicmap creator Kwinten Crauwels, "sounds like the natural soundtrack of the brain: neurological chemicals flowing and rushing, creating both obscure and delicate emotions." The first sounds of neurofunk emerged from techstep within the larger musical genre of drum and bass and jungle during the late nineties.

Techstep garnered a name for itself during the mid-nineties when rave was dying out, amassed popularity quickly. Neurofunk's early evolution – when diverging from techstep – can be heard on Ed Rush and Optical's Funktion single for V Recordings in 1997 and on their first album Wormhole for Virus Recordings in 1998; the first mention of the term was in the book Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture by Simon Reynolds. This is where the English music critic coined the name as a result of his personal perception of stylistic shifts in techstep – backbeats replacing breakbeats, funk harmonies replacing industrial timbres and lack of emphasis on the drop – by referring to them as, " is the fun-free culmination of jungle's strategy of cultural resistance: the eroticization of anxiety". Prominent artists include Ed Rush, Matrix, Bad Company, Cause 4 Concern, Future Prophecies, Black Sun Empire, DLR, Hive, Noisia, Phace & Misanthrop, Silent Witness & Break, State Of Mind, The Upbeats, Mindscape and The Clamps

Muskogee County is a county located in the U. S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 70,990; the county seat is Muskogee. The county and city were named for the Muscogee Nation; the official spelling of the name was changed to Muskogee by the post office in 1900. Muskogee County is part of the Muskogee, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area, included in the Tulsa-Muskogee-Bartlesville Combined Statistical Area. According to archaeological studies, prehistoric people lived in this area as long ago as the Paleo-Indian period. However, archaeologists have made more extensive studies of those people known as the Mound Builders who lived here during the Caddoan Stage. One of the first Europeans to come to this area was Jean Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe, he was a French explorer and trader who discovered a Wichita village in 1719. By the end of the 18th century the Wichita had been driven away by the more warlike Osage, who used this as their hunting ground. Auguste Pierre Chouteau and other fur traders had established a settlement at the Three Forks.

Early in the 19th Century and Choctaw hunting parties made incursions that caused frequent conflict with the Osage. In 1824, the U. S. Army established Fort Gibson on the Grand River to dampen the conflict; the town of Fort Gibson that grew up just outside the fort claims to be the oldest town in Oklahoma. At the start of the U. S. Civil War, Confederate troops of the Cherokee and Creek Home Guards built Fort Davis, across the Arkansas River from Fort Gibson. Federal troops attacked and destroyed Fort Davis in 1862, driving the Confederates from this area, although a few skirmishes occurred in the war at Bayou Menard Skirmish, several at Webbers Falls, the Creek Agency Skirmish; the county was formed at statehood with land from the Muskogee District of the Creek Nation and the Canadian and Illinois Districts of the Cherokee Nation. A post office named Muscogee had been established January 17, 1872; the official spelling of the name was changed to Muskogee on July 19, 1900. After the Civil War, the Five Civilized Tribes, which included the Creeks, agreed to new treaties with the federal government.

Among other provisions, they ceded their western lands back to the government and allowed rights of way to railroads. The Missouri and Texas Railway built a line into Indian Territory, near the Three Forks. Although railroad officials intended to build a depot at the site of Fort Davis, the terrain proved unsuitable, so they relocated the depot, which they named Muscogee, farther south, they began the town of Oktaha 11 miles farther south, in the same year. Other railroads followed, such as the Kansas and Arkansas Valley Railway, the Midland Valley Railroad, the Ozark and Cherokee Central Railway, the Shawnee and Missouri Coal and Railway, the Muskogee Union Railway, the MOG. In 1874, the federal government consolidated all of the Five Civilized Tribes agencies into one Union Agency, located just west of Muscogee. In 1889, a federal district court was created in Muscogee. In 1894, the Dawes Commission established its headquarters there. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 840 square miles, of which 810 square miles is land and 29 square miles is water.

The western part of the county is prairie grassland, while the eastern part rises into the Cookson Hills, on the western edge of the Ozark Mountains. The Arkansas and Grand rivers all converge in the county, causing that area to be called "Three Forks." Webbers Falls Lake on the Arkansas River covers part of the county. Wagoner County Cherokee County Sequoyah County Haskell County McIntosh County Okmulgee County Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge The county seat of the County is Muskogee, Oklahoma. All elected; as of the 2010 United States Census, there were 70,990 people living in the county. 59.8% were White, 17.5% Native American, 11.3% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 2.6% of some other race and 8.2% of two or more races. 5.2 % were Latino. 16.7 % were of 8.2 % German and 7.3 % Irish ancestry. As of the census of 2000, there were 69,451 people, 26,458 households, 18,467 families living in the county; the population density was 33/km². There were 29,575 housing units at an average density of 14/km².

The racial makeup of the county was 63.73% White, 13.16% Black or African American, 14.88% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.19% other races, 6.43% from two or more races. 2.67 % of the population were Latino of any race. There were 26,458 households, of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.80% were married couples living together, 13.30% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.20% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51, the average family size was 3.03. The age distribution of the population was 25.90% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, 15.30% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.90 males. The median income of households in the cou

Monongalia County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia. The courthouse was erected in 1784 with the current structure built in 1891; this Romanesque style building consists of a two-story building with a basement, five-story clock tower and a three-story South tower. The building measures at 99’ by 83’ by 99’ by 76’ with the first story at fifteen feet high and the second story at twenty-two feet high; the distinctive central clock tower has a pyramidal roof, four doomed buttresses, stone molds over the four clocks and tower windows, arcade belfry, quatrefoil design with the building date. The original northern facade was covered by an addition built in 1925 with another addition built in 1975. Connected to the courthouse is a two-story Italianate style jailhouse built in 1881, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It is located in the Downtown Morgantown Historic District, listed in 1996; the Monongalia County Courthouse, located at 243 High Street, predates the town of Morgantown, West Virginia by one year.

The Romanesque building is the fourth courthouse built on the same site and serves as the headquarters of the county government. The first two buildings were frame structures with the first being built in 1784 costing $250 and the second in 1796 after a fire destroyed the building; the frame structure building was succeeded by a two-story brick building completed in 1802. The courthouse was replaced by another two-story brick building in 1848 costing $6,500. In 1851 a wooden statue of Patrick Henry was placed on top of the courthouse in honor of his governance of the state of Virginia in 1776 when the county of Monongalia was created; this statue is standing in the turret of the present courthouse. In 1884 the courthouse was declared dangerous; the County Court began making plans for a new building and in 1887 James P Bailey, an architect from Pittsburgh, Pa, was hired for $25.00 to design a new courthouse. There was much opposition from the townspeople which resulted in two failed proposed bond issues for a new courthouse.

On September 13, 1890, county officials removed the records from the courthouse at midnight and began demolition on the building. The townspeople sought a couth injunction to stop further work but the court officials had all left town and no local lawyer would represent them. On June 20, 1891, West Virginia Day, the cornerstone of the Victorian Romanesque style brick and stone building was laid; the structure was built by George W. L. Mayers building contracting firm for the price of $53,478; the building was finished that year. In 1976 the courthouse was renovated and an annex was added on at the cost of $1.5 million. This is the current state. Up until 1881, the courtyard was the site of the public whipping post and pillories. Today the courtyard is used for public meetings, street fairs, political rallies, markets. Monongalia County Commission website

Kaizo Hayashi is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut with To Sleep, he is best known for his neo-noir Maiku Hama trilogy, The Most Terrible Time in My Life, Stairway to the Distant Past and The Trap. In addition to film, Hayashi served as creative director on the 2000 Konami video game 7 Blades for the PlayStation 2. and was director for two episodes of Power Rangers: Time Force. To Sleep so as to Dream Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis Tokyo: The Last War Circus Boys Zipang Figaro Story The Most Terrible Time in My Life Stairway to the Distant Past The Trap The Breath Cat's Eye Kaizo Hayashi on IMDb Kaizo Hayashi at the Japanese Movie Database