The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is an institution engaged in basic and applied research in bioengineering and nanomedicine, with experts working on tissue regeneration, biomechanics, molecular dynamics, biomimetics, drug delivery, organs ‘on-a-chip’, cell migration, stem cells, artificial olfaction and microbial biotechnology. The institute was created by the Government of Catalonia, the University of Barcelona and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in December 2005 and is located at the Barcelona Science Park (Parc Científic de Barcelona – PCB). The director of the institute is Prof. Josep Samitier, who took over from founding director Josep A. Planell i Estany in 2013. In 2014 IBEC was named a "Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence" by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.<PIC> The institute aims to pursue interdisciplinary research in bioengineering and nanomedicine which is combined with specific transfer targets to produce new applied technologies in the health sciences. It fosters collaborations with local organisations and international research institutes, provides high-level training to staff and students, promotes innovation and technology transfer, and engages the public through outreach and educational activities. IBEC's ultimate objective is to translate research results to the clinic to improve health and quality of life. Most administrative and scientific divisions of IBEC Barcelona are located at the Barcelona Science Park (Parc Científic de Barcelona – PCB). The Park also hosts the research centers of several biotech and pharmaceutical companies, as well as technical services and technology platforms. The institute also has two groups located at the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge (Bellvitge University Hospital – HUB). Some of the institute's group leaders are also affiliated to the University of Barcelona or the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.  The scientific and technological research at the institute is grouped into three core application areas: Bioengineering for Regenerative Therapies, Bioengineering for Future Medicine and Bioengineering for Active Ageing.
Bioengineering for Regenerative Therapies: Molecular dynamics at the interface of cells and biomaterials; the biophysical mechanisms underlying migration at the level of cells and tissues; biomimetic systems for cell-based assays; endogenous tissue programs for organ regeneration; developmental neurobiology and regeneration; and biomaterials for regenerative therapies.
Bioengineering for Future Medicine: Nanotechnology for new biomedical systems and devices; nanoscopy for nanomedicine; nanoscale tools to study biological systems, including optopharmacology; nanomedicine-based systems for malaria; cellular and molecular mechanobiology; label-free biological characterization methods and electronic biosensors; micro- and nanorobots.
Bioengineering for Active Ageing: Developmental neurobiology and regeneration; biomaterials for regenerative therapies; signal and information processing for sensing systems; antimicrobial therapies; and biomedical signal processing and interpretation. There are 23 individual research groups within IBEC, investigating a range of topics falling into one or more of the above research areas. Principal investigators or group leaders are listed in italics:
Nanoscopy for nanomedicine Dr. Lorenzo Albertazzi
Molecular Bionics Prof. Giuseppe Battaglia
Protein phase transitions in health and disease Dr. Benedetta Bolognesi
Sythetic Morphogenisis Dr. Vito Conte
Biomaterials for regenerative therapies Dr. Elisabeth Engel
Nanomalaria Dr. Xavier Fernàndez-Busquets
Nanoscale bioelectrical characterization Dr. Gabriel Gomila
Nanoprobes and nanoswitches Prof. Pau Gorostiza
Biomedical signal processing and interpretation Prof. Raimon Jané Campos
Molecular imaging for precision medicine group Dr. Irene Marco-Rius
Signal and information processing for sensing systems Dr. Santiago Marco
Biomimetic systems for cell engineering group Dr. Elena Martínez Fraiz
Pluripotency for organ regeneration group Dr. Nuria Montserrat
Targeted therapeutics and nanodevices group Prof. Silvia Muro
Cellular and respiratory biomechanics group Prof. Daniel Navajas
Biosensors for bioengineering Dr. Javier Ramón Azcón
Molecular and cellular neurobiotechnology José Antonio Del Río Fernández
Cellular and molecular mechanobiology Dr. Pere Roca Cusachs
Nanobioengineering Prof. Josep Samitier
Smart nano-bio-devices Prof. Samuel Sánchez Ordóñez
Bacterial infections: antimicrobial therapies Dr. Eduart Torrents
Integrative cell and tissue dynamics Prof. Xavier Trepat
Synthetic, Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive Systems (SPECS) Prof. Paul Verschure IBEC manages a Nanotechnology Platform which offers services in nanofabrication, nanomanipulation and nanocharacterization to its own scientists and to academic and industrial researchers from outside. The platform has 150m² of class 10,000 cleanroom space and laboratories offering equipment for the fabrication and characterization of micro- and nanodevices and structures. In 2015 IBEC became the first institution in the south of Europe to acquire a 3D bioprinter that is suitable for industrial manufacture according to GMP guidelines.  IBEC's board of trustees is composed of members of the founding institutions. It is responsible for overseeing research activities and the institutional strategy, approving the operating funds and ensuring that annual goals are met. Its president is the Minister for Health of the Government of Catalonia. An International Scientific Committee (ISC) composed of scientists from the fields covered by IBEC's research plays a key role in providing strategic guidance and assessing the research directions taken.
The current ISC is made up of the following members: Samuel I. Stupp (president), Northwestern University, Chicago; Bernat Soria, Centro Andaluz de Biología Molecular (CABIMER), Seville; Jocelyne Troccaz, Université Joseph Fourier-CNRS, Grenoble; Molly Stevens, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London; Krishna Persaud, University of Manchester; Lim Chwee Teck, National University of Singapore; Roger Kamm, MIT; Günter Fuhr, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Germany; Charles J. Dorman, Trinity College Dublin; and Sergio Cerutti, Polytechnic University of Milan. IBEC receives most of its core funding from the Government of Catalonia through the Department of Health and the Department of Economy and Knowledge.
Further funds are provided through competitive grants obtained from the European Union under FP7 Horizon 2020 and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, among others.
IBEC's researchers also receive financial support from the University of Barcelona or the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA),  AXA and several other sources.


Blount County is a county located in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,134. Its county seat is Oneonta.
Blount County is a moist county. In the November 6, 2012 elections, a countywide ballot initiative to allow alcohol sales was narrowly defeated, but Blountsville, Cleveland and Oneonta have allowed for the sale of alcohol since 2013.
Blount County has been dubbed the "Covered Bridge Capital of Alabama" since it has more historic covered bridges standing within a single county than any other in the state - with earlier covered bridges known of. This county celebrates the Covered Bridge Festival every autumn in Oneonta to commemorate its three remaining covered bridges.<PIC> Blount County was created by the Alabama Territorial Legislature on February 6, 1818, formed from land ceded to the federal government by the Creek Nation on August 9, 1814. This county was named for Governor Willie Blount of Tennessee, who provided assistance to settlers in Alabama during the Creek War. This county lies in the northeastern quadrant of the state, which is sometimes known as the mineral region of Alabama. Blount County is bordered by Cullman, Marshall, Etowah, Jefferson, Walker, and St. Clair Counties. This county is drained by the Locust and Mulberry Forks of the Black Warrior River. Blount County covers 650 square miles (1,700 km²). The Warrior coal field is located in Blount County.
Caleb Fryley and John Jones established Bear Meat Cabin in 1816. Its post office was opened in 1821, and the settlement was incorporated as Blountsville on December 13, 1827. In 1889, an election resulted in the county seat being transferred to Oneonta, Alabama. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 651 square miles (1,690 km²), of which 645 square miles (1,670 km²) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km²) (0.9%) is water. Marshall County – northeast
Etowah County – east
St. Clair County – southeast
Walker County – southwest
Jefferson County – south
Cullman County – northwest  Interstate 65
 U.S. Highway 31
 U.S. Highway 231
 U.S. Highway 278
 State Route 67
 State Route 75
 State Route 79
 State Route 132
 State Route 160 CSX Transportation, formerly the Louisville and Nashville Railroad  As of the 2020 United States census, there were 59,134 people, 20,847 households, and 14,874 families residing in the county. As of the census of 2010, there were 57,322 people, 16,175 households, and 16,175 families residing in the county. The population density was 88.79 people per square mile. There were 23,887 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 92.6% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.1% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 8.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 16,175 family households, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25% were non-families. Alternative households included: 22.2% of households were made up of those living alone and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.72.
Blount County's population spread was as follows: 25.40% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,241, and the median income for a family was $41,573. Males had a median income of $31,455 versus $22,459 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,325. About 8.60% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 17.40% of those age 65 or over.  Oneonta (county seat)
Warrior (Partly in Jefferson County) Allgood
Altoona (partly in Etowah County)
Blountsville
Cleveland
County Line (partly in Jefferson County)
Garden City (partly in Cullman County)
Hayden
Highland Lake
Locust Fork
Nectar
Rosa
Snead
Susan Moore
Trafford (partly in Jefferson County) Remlap
Smoke Rise Bangor
Blount Springs
Bright Star
Brooksville
Hopewell
Little Warrior
Mount High
Sky Ball
Summit Blount County is a stronghold for Republicans. Since 2004, it has voted for the Republican presidential nominee with at least eighty percent of the vote every time. It was Hubert Humphrey's weakest county in the nation in 1968 with only 3.64 percent of the vote. Blount County is home to an abundance of outdoor activities, such as Rickwood Caverns State Park and the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River that are used by canoeists and kayakers. The county is also home to the picturesque covered bridges mentioned below: the Swann Covered Bridge, the Horton Mill Covered Bridge, and the Easley Covered Bridge. As of summer 2009, all three bridges were closed due to safety concerns at the recommendation of the Alabama Department of Transportation. Restorations were completed from 2011 through 2013 and they are once again open.


Nikolai Aleksandrovich Uglanov (Russian: Никола́й Алекса́ндрович Угла́нов; December 5, 1886– May 31, 1937) was a Russian Bolshevik politician and Soviet statesman who played an important role in the government of the Soviet Union as a Communist Party leader in the city of Moscow during the 1920s. Uglanov was closely associated with the so-called "Right Deviation" associated with Soviet party leader Nikolai Bukharin and he fell from his leadership position during the mass collectivization campaign of 1929. Uglanov was arrested in the summer of 1936 and was executed the following spring during the secret police terror of 1937–38.<PIC>  Nikolai Aleksandrovich Uglanov was born 5 December 1886 to an ethnic Russian peasant family in the village of Feodoritskoye in Yaroslavl Governorate, located approximately 250 kilometers (160 mi) northeast of Moscow. His father Aleksander Uglanov supplemented the family income by working seasonally in the city of St. Petersburg and at the age of 12 Nikolai followed him there, working as an apprentice metal worker. Nikolai moved between jobs with some regularity and often returned home to Yaroslavl in between jobs.
Uglanov was introduced to radical ideas at an early age, beginning his participation in the revolutionary movement in 1903, distributing illegal literature and storing sensitive documents for underground activists. Uglanov joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party himself in 1907. As a young party activist Uglanov contributed material to the Bolshevik party paper Pravda as a worker-correspondent.
Uglanov was arrested for the first time by the Okhrana early in the summer of 1914 but he was subsequently released from captivity and inducted into the Army and sent to the front lines to fight for the Tsarist regime in World War I. In November 1914 Uglanov was severely wounded and was returned to Petrograd (St. Petersburg), where he recovered and resumed his secret revolutionary activity. During the Russian revolution Uglanov was a member of the Petrograd Soviet.
Uglanov became a functionary in the Soviet trade union movement and was selected as the head of the Petrograd Guberniia council of trade unions in 1919.'
In February 1921 Uglanov succeeded Sergey Zorin as secretary of the Petrograd guberniia committee of the Russian Communist Party [RKP(b)]. In this capacity he played a role in the suppression of the Kronstadt uprising, activity for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. He was also made a candidate member of the governing Central Committee of the Communist Party in that year.
Uglanov was sent to the city of Nizhny Novgorod in 1922 where he was made the head of the regional party organization. In 1923 he would be elevated to a full member of the Central Committee of the RKP(b). He would remain as head of the Nizhny Novgorod organization until the summer of 1924.
In August 1924 Uglanov was called to Moscow, where he was made the second secretary of the Communist Party in the city. He was promoted to first secretary that same October.
20 August 1924 – November 27, 1928, First Secretary of the Moscow Communist Party
August 1924 - replaced Isaak Zelensky on the Secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee
1 January 1926 elected candidate member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
29 November 1928 — 1 July 1930, People's Commissar for Labour
In 1930 he became associated with Martemyan Ryutin, whose name was given to the Ryutin Platform. Ryutin was Secretary of the Krasnaya Presnya district Party committee in Moscow. Uglanov was expelled from the Party along with Ryutin in autumn 1932 in what is known as the Ryutin Affair.
He was arrested on 23 August 1936, sentenced to death on 31 May 1937 and shot the same day.


Immanuel (Hebrew: עִמָּנוּאֵל, romanized: 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: Emmanuel, Imanu'el; and Emmanouël or Εμμανουήλ in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the House of David.
The Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:22–23) interprets this as a prophecy of the birth of the Messiah and the fulfillment of Scripture in the person of Jesus. Immanuel "God (El) with us" is one of the "symbolic names" used by Isaiah, alongside Shearjashub, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, or Pele-joez-el-gibbor-abi-ad-sar-shalom.
It has no particular meaning in  Jewish messianism.
By contrast, the name based on its use in Isaiah 7:14 has come to be read as a prophecy of the Christ in Christian theology following  Matthew 1:23, where Immanuel (Ἐμμανουὴλ) is translated as  μεθ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός (KJV: "God with us").<PIC>  The setting is the Syro-Ephraimite War, 735-734 BCE, which saw the Kingdom of Judah pitted against two northern neighbors, the kingdoms of Israel (called Ephraim in the prophecy) and Syria (also known as Aram or Aram-Damascus or Syria-Damascus). Isaiah 7:1–2 tells how the kings of Ephraim and Syria attack Jerusalem when Ahaz refuses to join them in their anti-Assyrian alliance. Ahaz wishes to ask Assyria for help, but Isaiah, at God's command, takes his son Shear-jashub (a symbolic name meaning "a remnant shall return") and assures Ahaz that the two enemy kings will not succeed (Isaiah 7:3–9). Isaiah tells Ahaz of the apparent sign by which he will know that this is a true prophecy: a young woman will give birth to a child whom she will name Immanuel (another symbolic name, meaning "God with us"), and the lands of the "two kings you dread" will be laid waste before the child is old enough to "reject the wrong and choose the right" (Isaiah 7:13–16).
Isaiah 7:17 follows with a further prophecy that at some unspecified future date God will call up Assyria against Judah: "The Lord will cause to come upon you and your people and your ancestral house such days as have not been seen since Ephraim broke away from Judah—the king of Assyria" (verse 7:17). Verses 7:18–25 describe the desolation that will result: "In that day a man will save alive a young cow and two sheep…in that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines…will be turned over to thorns and briars" (verses 7:21–23). Isaiah 8:1–15 continues the previous chapter: the prophet tells of the birth of another child, his own son named Maher-shalal-hash-baz (a third symbolic name), then predicts that after Ephraim and Syria are destroyed the Assyrians will come like a river in flood to "cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel" (Isaiah 8:8).
A fourth, even longer, prophetic "name", is found in Isaiah 9:6 with "Pele-joez-el-gibbor-abi-ad-sar-shalom". This is generally translated fully in English Bible versions such as "his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (KJV). Isaiah 7:1–8:15, is on the surface set in the time of king Ahaz, and a prophecy concerning the two kings whom Ahaz dreads, namely Pekah and Rezin. The defeat and death of both these kings at the hands of the Assyrians is dated around 732 BCE, placing the birth of the Immanuel child late in the reign of Ahaz.
Scholars generally date the written version of these events from the reign of Ahaz's son Hezekiah some thirty years later, the purpose being to persuade Hezekiah not to join with other kings who intended to rebel against their joint overlord, Assyria. Isaiah points to the dreadful consequences that followed for Judah's northern neighbours, the kingdom of Israel and Aram-Damascus (Syria) when they rebelled in the days of Ahaz and brought the Assyrians down on themselves. In the event, Hezekiah ignored Isaiah and joined the rebels, and the prophet's warning came true: the Assyrians ravaged Judah and Hezekiah barely escaped with his throne. A century later, in the time of Josiah, the prophecy was revised to present Ahaz as the faithless king who rejected God's promise of protection for Jerusalem and the house of David, with the result that God brought Assyria to devastate the land until a new and faithful king (presumably Josiah) would arise.
Isaiah 7–8 mentions three children with symbolic names: Shear-jashub, meaning "a remnant shall return"; Immanuel, "God is with us"; and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, "the spoil speeds, the prey hastens". Isaiah 8:18 informs the reader that Isaiah and his children are signs ("Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion"). The meaning of these name-signs is not clear: Shear-jashub has been variously interpreted to mean that only a remnant of Ephraim and Syria will survive the Assyrian invasion, or that a remnant of Judah will repent and turn to God, while in Isaiah 10:20–23 it seems to mean that a remnant of Israel will return to the Davidic monarchy. Maher-shalal-hash-baz is more clearly related to the expected destruction of Ephraim and Syria. As for Immanuel, "God is with us", Isaiah might mean simply that any young pregnant woman in 734 BCE would be able to name her child "God is with us" by the time he is born; but if a specific child is meant, then it might be a son of Ahaz, possibly his successor Hezekiah (which is the traditional Jewish understanding); or, since the other symbolic children are Isaiah's, Immanuel might be the prophet's own son. However this may be, the significance of the sign changes, from Isaiah 7, where Immanuel symbolises the hope of imminent defeat for Syria and Ephraim, to Isaiah 8:8, where Immanuel is addressed as the people whose land is about to be overrun by the Assyrians. The Gospel of Matthew cites the prophecy of the sign of Immanuel from Isaiah, using a Greek translation rather than the original Hebrew. Matthew begins with a genealogy of Jesus from Abraham through David to Joseph, with Jesus as "the son of David", (Matthew 1:1) a member of the "house of David" (Isaiah 7:12) to whom the sign of Immanuel was given. Matthew 1:16 indicates that Jesus is not Joseph's natural son, and Matthew never refers to Joseph as Jesus's father. Verses 1:18–25 turn to Mary, the future mother of Jesus, betrothed (engaged) to Joseph, but "found with child of the Holy Ghost" before she and Joseph "came together". (v.18) Joseph was about to break the engagement, but an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him of the child's divine origin, and Matthew 1:22–23 declares how this was the fulfillment of Scripture:
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
The gospel of Matthew was written by an author who believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, "God with us". At first, titles such as "Messiah" and "son of God" had described Jesus's future nature at the "deutera parousia", the Second Coming; but very soon he came to be recognised as having become the Son of God at the resurrection; then, in Mark, he becomes known as Son of God at his baptism; and finally Matthew and Luke add infancy narratives in which Jesus is the Son of God from the very beginning, long before being conceived of a virgin mother without a human father.


This article describes transportation in the U.S. state of South Dakota.<PIC> South Dakota has a total of 83,609 miles (134,556 km) of highways, roads, and streets, along with 679 miles (1,093 km) of interstate highways. South Dakota and Montana are the only states sharing a land border which is not traversed by a paved road. Two major interstates pass through South Dakota: Interstate 90, which runs east and west; and Interstate 29, running north and south in the eastern portion of the state. Also located in the state are the shorter interstates 190, a spur into central Rapid City, and 229, a loop around eastern and southern Sioux Falls.
The length of South Dakota's portion of I-29 is 252 miles (406 km). Larger cities served by the route include Watertown, Brookings, Sioux Falls, and Vermillion. The I-29 corridor features generally higher rates of population and economic growth than areas in eastern South Dakota that are further from the interstate.
I-90 runs through the state for a distance of 413 miles (665 km), crossing the Missouri River near Chamberlain. Major cities along the route include Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Rapid City, Sturgis and Spearfish. I-90, being a major route between western national parks and large cities to the east, brings many out-of-state travelers through South Dakota, thus helping to boost the tourism and hospitality industries. A number of tourist attractions are located along the route, including the Corn Palace in Mitchell and Wall Drug in Wall. Several major U.S. highways pass through the state. U.S. routes 12, 14, 16, 18, and 212 travel east and west, while U.S. routes 81, 83, 85 and 281 run north and south.
South Dakota Highway 100 is a planned limited access road in Sioux Falls. Originally known as the Eastern Corridor, the highway will wrap around the eastern and southern sections of the city, running from Exit 402 on Interstate 90 in the north and intersecting with Interstate 29 near Tea. Planning for the 17-mile (27 km) route began in 1995. South Dakota contains two National Scenic Byways. The Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway is located in the Black Hills, while the Native American Scenic Byway runs along the Missouri River in the north-central part of the state. Other scenic byways include the Badlands Loop Scenic Byway, the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, and the Wildlife Loop Road Scenic Byway. Railroads have played an important role in South Dakota transportation since the late-19th century. Historically, the Milwaukee Road and the Chicago & North Western were the state's largest railroads, and the Milwaukee's east-west transcontinental line traversed the northern tier of the state. Some 4,420 miles (7,110 km) of railroad track were built in South Dakota during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but only 1,839 miles (2,960 km) are active. BNSF Railway is currently the largest railroad in South Dakota, primarily operating former Milwaukee Road trackage; the  Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern is the state's other major carrier, mostly operating former Chicago & North Western trackage. Rail transportation in the state is confined only to freight, however, as South Dakota is one of the few states without any Amtrak service.
Most of the traffic was freight, but the main lines also offered passenger service. After the European immigrants settled down, there never were many people moving about inside the state. Profits were slim. Automobiles and buses were much more popular, but there was an upsurge in train use during World War II when gasoline was scarce. All passenger service was ended in the state by 1970. South Dakota's largest commercial airports in terms of passenger traffic are the Sioux Falls Regional Airport and Rapid City Regional Airport. Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, and Allegiant Airlines, as well as commuter airlines using the brand affiliation with major airlines serve the two largest airports. Several other cities in the state also have commercial air service, some of which is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. Public transit played a large role in the development of cities in South Dakota. There were seven cities with a streetcar system in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however, all of these were discontinued over time. Today, only three fixed route public transit systems exist in the state, those being in Sioux Falls, Rapid City and on the Yankton Reservation. The speed limit in South Dakota  is 80 miles  per hour (129 km/h) on rural interstates, regardless of vehicle type and time of day, and 65 mph (105 km/h) on urban interstates and other highways, or up to 70 mph (113 km/h) on multilane, divided non-interstate roadways.
South Dakota license plates are numbered with the first digit referring to the county of origin. Counties 1–9 are ranked by 1950 population, and counties 10–64 are numbered alphabetically.
Studded tires are permitted to be used from October 1 to April 30, except on school buses and fire vehicles which are permitted year round.


Marc Tasman (born 1971) is an American Intermedia artist who works in a variety of media, including interactive art, performance art, video art, and photography. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in the Department of Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies. A native Louisvillian, Tasman demonstrated his interest and engagement with new media art, culture, and technology from a young age. In 1984, when Tasman was 12 years old he won a computer programming contest sponsored by the Louisville Free Public Library. Local news featured him in a story about a computer whiz.  Tasman received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art and Photography in 1995 from the Allen R. Hite Art Institute at the University of Louisville  where he achieved the Winthrop Allen Award for outstanding graduating B.F.A. Candidate. In 2000 he received his Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Ohio State University in the Department of Art, also winning the competitive Edith Fergus Gilmore materials grant and scholarship in subsequent years. In 1992 Tasman earned a certificate in Italian language and Art history of the Italian Renaissance at the Università per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy. Tasman's work often combines documentary photography with elements of performance art  and public  interventions. Tasman is most well known for his time-lapse photography piece completed in 2009. Here he made a Polaroid instant film self-portrait every day for ten years and one day—3,654 consecutive days beginning on July 24, 1999. He decided to continue this practice for 10 years because of the significance of a decade and the common practice in popular media of reflecting on the passing of decades. Tasman admits he chose Polaroid film for its ease of use and lack of photographic processing to attain an image. However, there were other challenges in creating the work, especially in archiving the material body of self-portraits, such as remembering to write the dates on the back, to make sure that stacks of photos were not knocked over or disarrayed, the cost of the film, and the expense of digitizing thousands of photographs. Tasman discussed with Mark Metcalf how the medium also seemed fitting to when dealing with conceptual issues of memory and storytelling. After concluding the ten years and one day period, and having digitally scanned the images, Tasman created a video from all of these Polaroids. Dick Gordon, host of the radio program, The Story with Dick Gordon, on American Public Media suggested that Tasman's project that began in 1999, illuminates the dramatic transformation that imaging technology and it social uses have undergone. "The funny thing is that the idea of a widely shared YouTube video was something that Marc could not even have conceived of—the technology wasn't there."
Art and architecture critic Mary Louise Schumacher for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wrote that Tasman's choice of the medium of Polaroid, "seems eerily prescient,"  amidst the ubiquity of digital self-portraiture involved with social media, given that Polaroid stopped manufacturing film in 2009. In her review of the 2010 Wisconsin Triennial at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, the museum's twelfth survey of artists living and working in the state, where Tasman created a 40 foot wide by 16 foot high installation of nearly 5000 Polaroids, Schumacher described a "striking poignancy" that this work takes on when she learned that Tasman's maternal great-grandparents were killed during World War II and that no photographs of them survived. "Is he searching for the faces of lost relatives in the wall-filling installation of himself? Is the sheer endurance of his project a statement of survival?"  Art critic Katie Vaughn wrote that "one feels almost stunned thinking about the time commitment involved in such a project—and a similar feeling is evoked seeing the photographs en masse." Independent curator Joan Backes suggests that Tasman's piece "represents a kind of dedication necessary for all artists, which is also a most distinguishing and inspiring characteristic of this work." This work is also featured in and on the cover of the book Reframing Photography: Theory and Practice, published in 2010 by Routledge.<PIC> Tasman's interventionist projects are frequently playful and political.
After having several political yard signs stolen in the late summer of 2004, Tasman covered his remaining sign with oil and thorns, devised a crude motion sensitive sonic alarm, set up an infrared camcorder at his front door and recorded the nighttime scene. Tasman constructed a website, as this was before the advent of YouTube, where he posted the video clips of "the would-be thieves and their often humorous reactions" to being caught in the booby trap. As the trap proved to be a successful deterrent, local television and radio news broadcasts dubbed him the Video Vigilante. In 2007, his video which compiled eight failed attempts to steal the signs, "Who is Stealing My Signs?" was selected for the Ann Arbor Film Festival's competition program. In 2006 Tasman was awarded a Mary Nohl Fellowship, and for the subsequent year's show at the Institute of Visual Arts (Inova) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Fall 2007)  he produced exhibition called, "Proposal for A New American Flag: Representing a new constellation."  Tasman's didactic exhibition which included videos, posters, maps, letters to government officials, and hundreds of the new American flags ranging in scale from 4 inches (which were free to the public) to 9 feet, traveled in Wisconsin to Fond du Lac where it was on view through the Spring of 2008 at the UW-Visual Art Gallery.
Tasman proposed redesigning the American flag by increasing the constellation of stars from 50 to 99, 9 rows up and 11 rows across, a symbolic representation of 9/11, the September 11 attacks. The 19 stripes of the flag, or 9 plus 10, represent the pre-attack naivete of September the tenth.
Art critic Aisha Motlani wrote that Tasman's was "the most thought-provoking piece" in the Milwaukee group show and that his "video montage of 99 flags hoisted above commercial institutions throughout the city against the sonic backdrop of vehicular and human traffic (an interesting alternative to the national anthem) offers commentary not just on the pervasive spread of consumerism under the tenets of a national identity, but also on the way the American flag has become somewhat denigrated to the level of a common and faded prop."
Essayist Sarah Kanouse wrote in the show's catalog that Tasman's new flag "makes visible in iconic form the beliefs that justify profound changes in far more significant pillars of our democracy: those civil liberties established in the bill of rights and human rights standards set by international law...Tasman offers it as an opportunity to reconsider the complex relationship between the nation, its symbols, and its future." Originating in 1999, the Chocolate Messiah, Choc Latai Tzvi, or Choco for short, is both a character based performance art piece and net art that interweaves public spectacle with altered news images that reflect upon Orientalism by implicating the phenomenon of media bias seen in images used to illustrate news stories about conflict in the Middle East or Eastern world. The Chocolate Messiah was inspired by Shabbetai Tzvi, a 17th-century Jewish mystic who declared himself the messiah, gained thousands of followers, was arrested in Constantinople, and converted to Islam to escape death. While the public performances are both absurd in nature  as Tasman's character strips down to red briefs, has women pour melted chocolate on him, and hands out Hershey's Kisses, witnesses call the act, "highly spiritual."
In a characteristic photomontage on the Chocolate Messiah's web site, "he stands beatifically amidst Buddhist monks, while dripping with blood-like chocolate syrup. 'Choco is Coming,' is written prophetically across the sky in clouds." Other images show a chocolate covered Choco lying face down in a bed belonging to a shocked and aghast looking Yasir Arafat.
Vincent Brook was struck, at a 2004 conference where Tasman presented a paper on the Chocolate Messiah work, by the lack of reference in general to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, noting that "this was all the artist-panelists wanted to talk about afterward, and with a level of passion that highlighted how much the conflict meant to them, and how deeply it disturbed them--too deeply, perhaps to allow it to enter their work.
The character Choco, however, in these "Chocolo-Spiritual Exercise" performances, expresses hopes that '"simple acts of giving chocolate, symbolic gestures of love and kindness, will inspire all humanity to love one another and live in peace." As a documentary photographer Tasman's work became noteworthy as part of the media coverage of the 2011 Wisconsin protests and the ensuing recall elections of various elected officials in the state. Mainstream and alternative publications in the U.S. used Tasman's Creative Commons licensed images and videos including The Huffington Post, Mother Jones, The Drudge Report, BuzzFeed, and Clarion  to illustrate articles about this series of demonstrations and political actions in Wisconsin. Matt Stopera in an article for BuzzFeed compiling photographs of "The 100 Best Protest Signs At The Wisconsin Capitol," included Tasman's images from the February 16, 2011, ranking the image "Protesters at the end of the day," number two on this list.
Michael Shaw, writing for Bag News and The Huffington Post used Tasman's photo, "Firefighters led the protest into the State Capitol" to corroborate claims that images taken from archival video footage of protests in February 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin, used in a 2012 Super Bowl commercial, Halftime in America were digitally manipulated to remove the pro-union, pro-public education messages on the picket signs.


Aniceto Arce Ruiz de Mendoza (15 April 1824, Tarija – 14 August 1906) was a Bolivian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd President of Bolivia from 1888 to1892. He also served as the 4th Vice President of Bolivia from 1880 to 1881. The Aniceto Arce Province is named after him. Arce was a native of Tarija but was educated as a lawyer and resided most of his life in Sucre, where he became one of the country's foremost silver-mining tycoons. A supporter of Linares and Constitutionalist government, he later served in Congress during the 1870s until the time of the Daza dictatorship. Unlike other capable leaders of his day, Arce did not enlist to serve when the War of the Pacific developed in 1879. Indeed, his became one of the most accommodationist voices in the political spectrum, perhaps as a result of his extensive business connections to Chile, where he sold much of his silver, invested his profits, and sought financing for his projects. His position was that the Litoral was, for various lamentable reasons, largely indefensible. Thus, the country should cut its losses and seek an alliance with Chile rather than with Peru. Despite this minority position, what rang more clearly in the ears of most Bolivians was Arce's steadfast call for the establishment of a conservative democratic order, with the primacy of law, regular elections, and rule by enlightened pro-business elites such as himself. To this end, he founded the Conservative Party, participated as one of the principals in the 1880 Congress that toppled Hilarión Daza, and had a role in the drafting of the country's new Constitution. Moreover, he agreed to become Narciso Campero's vice-president for the crucial, nation-building 1880-84 period.<PIC> Early on, however, vice-president Arce's pro-Chile stance clashed with those of the patriotic President and retired General, who favored rearmament and a sustained diplomatic offensive against Chile, perhaps leading to a mediation of the conflict and if not, to a reinsertions of Bolivian troops in Peru's aid. Arce, as explained, favored a "realistic" policy of recognition that Bolivia had indeed lost its access to the Pacific, and that the best that could be done was to reach a modus vivendi with Santiago (which had the upper hand), even if this meant abandoning the hitherto sacrosanct alliance with Lima. President Campero took this to be a sign of treason and in 1881 expelled Arce, his own vice-president until then, to exile.
Eventually, Arce's name was cleared and he was allowed to return to the country. He promptly entered his name as Conservative Party candidate in the May 1884 Presidential elections, the first under the new charter and since 1873. Arce was widely expected to win too, but very narrowly lost to the "dark-horse" candidate Gregorio Pacheco, a man even wealthier than Arce and the country's chief philanthropist, who ran on a platform of apolitical "efficient administration." Being privileged silver miners from the South who shared a conservative, pro-business philosophy, the 2 reached an understanding, with Pacheco agreeing to become president in exchange for making Arce his vice-president and pledging himself to support the Conservative party candidate in the 1884 elections. As had been agreed upon, President Pacheco supported Arce in the 1888 elections. It is thus that Arce, the Conservative Party caudillo, at long last became president in August 1888, at the age of 64. Even more so than Pacheco, Arce ruled repressively, but also consolidated many advances, including the completion of the first intra-Bolivian railway (leading from the Chilean border to Oruro) and the electrification of a number of Bolivian cities. He also promulgated a modern new set of banking and investment laws. Unabashedly pro-capitalist, devoted to practically unrestricted free entrepreneurship in the English tradition, and pro-insertion into the international economy under the aegis of foreign investment, he faced many pro-Liberal rebellions but somehow managed to hold on to power by the force of his assertive personality. He completed his term and in 1892 passed the baton to another Conservative, his understudy and vice-president Mariano Baptista.
Aniceto Arce at that point ostensibly retired from politics (he was 68 years old), although he served as an unofficial but very important adviser to the Conservative Presidents Baptista (1882–86) and Fernandez-Alonso (1896–99). He was forcefully returned to the political limelight at the turn of the century when he suffered political prosecution at the hands of the hated Liberal Party, which had at long last seized power in the so-called Civil War of 1899. Surprisingly, the elderly Arce was nonetheless allowed to present himself as candidate for president in the 1904 elections, presumably because he was 80 years old, unpopular, and therefore quite beatable. Finding the party he founded demoralized, vilified, and acephalous, the combative Arce accepted the difficult challenge of running against the officially supported, popular Liberal candidate Ismael Montes. He was trounced, losing by a wide margin—the largest in Bolivian electoral history up to that point. The former president then returned to retirement in his vast rural estate, where he died 2 years later in 1906, at the age of 82. He is best remembered for his assertive temperament and firm stance in favor of a civilian democratic (although oligarchic) order and for having laid the foundation for the functioning of a modern party system in the country.


Daniel Nearing (born December 21, 1961) is a Chicago, Illinois-based director, screenwriter, and independent filmmaker.
Hogtown, his "period-less" American film, has been called "the most original film made in Chicago about Chicago to date" and named one of the 10 Best Films of 2016 by Ben Kenigsberg, who reviewed the film for The New York Times. Nearing was named the inaugural Filmmaker in Residence for the City of Chicago (Chicago Film Office, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events) and Chicagoan of the Year for Film (2016–17) by the Chicago Tribune
His earlier breakthrough film, the micro-budget production Chicago Heights (2010) garnered rave reviews, especially among fans of the original source material, Sherwood Anderson's influential collection of short stories, Winesburg, Ohio, a book long thought impossible to be adapted as a film. Noted film critic Roger Ebert included Chicago Heights in his list of the Top Art Films of 2010.
Nearing's storytelling style tends to be more circular than linear. He views plot as a veneer that ties together the more important, character-centered aspects of any story. Nearing is known for building sequences of vignettes and using powerful imagery to focus on the isolation and humility of human life.  He works primarily in black and white, with moments of what he refers to as "ecstatic color" and with heavily shadowed, "idiosyncratic" shot compositions. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune says that "Nearing's chosen way of telling a story is poetic, elliptical and sometimes unhelpfully indirect, but if he chooses, this Canadian-born, Chicago-based filmmaker could very well become a significant and lasting talent." Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times says Nearing "is not the most accessible filmmaker, but with his new feature and his previous one, he has carved out an original and boldly unfashionable niche."<PIC> Nearing studied for his MA in modern and contemporary literature at the University of Toronto, and went on to earn an MFA in film from Toronto's York University, and served as producer resident at the Canadian Film Centre. He has studied under Northrop Frye (Anatomy of Criticism) and Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient).
He began his film career as a documentary filmmaker, making narrative-driven documentaries for both Canadian and U.S. outlets such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Discovery Networks, The Sports Network and Bravo. His subjects have included juvenile homicide, the longest bridge in the world over ice-forming waters, Russians playing in the National Hockey League, and the stagecraft of some of the world's finest writers. He shifted his focus to dramatic projects and founded 9:23 Films in 2008, feeling that documentary filmmaking "does not allow such direct access to deeper truths."
After several attempts at a faithful adaptation of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, with collaborator Rudy Thauberger, the script and its production finally clicked when Nearing decided to set the rural period piece in a contemporary city. Chicago Heights was shot for just $1,000 in 2009. Chicago Heights premiered in competition at the Busan International Film Festival and was named Best Film in a Fine Arts Discipline at the Berlin Black Film Festival.
In 2011 Nearing adapted Rudy Thauberger's Goalie, a widely anthologized Canadian short story about hockey and obsession.  The film had its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival in Fall 2011.
Nearing followed those projects up with his original script Hogtown, a murder mystery set against the backdrop of the 1919 Chicago race riots. This film reveals the collective influence the works Sherwood Anderson, EL Doctorow and Michael Ondaatje have had on Nearing's work. Hogtown was filmed on location in Illinois, Indiana, Ontario and Paris.  The film stars Herman Wilkins, Diandra Lyle, McKenzie Chinn, Pete Giovagnoli, Dianne Bischoff, Alexander Sharon and Marco Garcia. The film made its US debut at Chicago's Gene Siskel Film Center. Bill Stamets of The Chicago Sun-Times has called it "the most original film made in Chicago about Chicago to date."
Nearing is presently (2021) finalizing Sister Carrie, a romantic drama set in Chicago, Montréal and Paris in 1919. The film hybridizes multiple literary sources: Theodore Dreiser's Chicago novel of the same name (1900), Alexandre Dumas' (Fils) "La Dame aux Camélias" (1848), Abbé Prévost's "Manon Lescaut" (1731), and Sherwood Anderson's "Brothers" (1921).  The film features Eve Rydberg as Carrie and internationally known ballet performer Fabrice Calmels as Armand Duval.  Sister Carrie (Writer-Director-Producer, in post-production 2021)
Hogtown (Writer-Director-Producer, 2016)
Chicago Heights (Director, co-writer - 2010; reissued as The Last Soul on a Summer Night in 2012) Literary Olympics (Writer-Director-Producer, Bravo, 1999)
Bomb Tech (Writer - The Discovery Channel, 1998)
Giant's Playground (Writer-Director, The Discovery Channel, 1997)
Soviet Reunion: The Russian Red Wings (Writer-Director-Producer, TSN - The Sports Network, 1996)
Frayne: Portrait of the Sportswriter Laureate (Writer-Director-Producer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1995)
The Big Train (Writer-Director-Producer, TSN - The Sports Network, 1994)
When Children Kill (Writer-Director-Producer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1992) Nobody Knows (Writer-Director, 2010)
Goalie (Director, 2011)
Patrimony (Writer-Director, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1993) Hogtown - One of the 10 Best Films of 2016 - Ben Kenigsberg
Hogtown - Critics' Pick - The New York Times
Hogtown - Best Picture - 2015 Los Angeles Black Film Festival
Hogtown - Independent Film Playoff Winner - 2015 Los Angeles "Big House" Festival Consortium
Hogtown - Best Feature Film - 2015 Black International Film Festival
Hogtown - Best Film in a Fine Arts Discipline - 30th Black International Cinema Berlin
Hogtown - Best Film Made in Chicago, 2015 - The Chicago Reader
Chicago Heights (a.k.a. The Last Soul on a Summer Night) selected Best Art Films of 2010 by Roger Ebert
Chicago Heights - Best Film in a Fine Arts Discipline - 25th Berlin International Cinema Berlin "'Hogtown' is the most original film made in Chicago about Chicago to date. Writer-director Daniel Nearing evokes race and writers in a mesmerizing tone poem, a follow-up to his lyrically crafted 'Chicago Heights' ... an outstanding whodunit about a detective investigating the disappearance of a movie theater millionaire in 1919 Chicago. Audacious styling mixes chiaroscuro lighting and onscreen verse... Ernest Hemingway, Sherwood Anderson, Jack Dempsey ... [are] in supporting roles for an epic tragedy of race."– Bill Stamets, The Chicago Sun-Times
"Shot for the most part in shimmering black and white, 'Hogtown' ... unfolds in loosely connected vignettes, with a mix of narrators and narrative tenses; it can feel as if you're leafing through a collection of poems ... But the film also tries to excavate a time and place, evoking the lives of the city's immigrant and marginalized residents and its 1919 race riots as well as its snowfalls, speakeasies and slaughterhouses ... 'Hogtown' plays like a find from a forgotten archive." Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times
"Last year we created the category Best Chicago Story in hope that it would become a perennial, and that every year we could single out the locally produced short or feature that best captured the life of the city. This year we didn't even need that category, because the best Chicago story was also the best locally produced drama, period." - J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader
"Hogtown expands into a multilayered, multicultural tapestry of a city and a century ... Though made on a minuscule budget, the film is epic in its scope and ravishingly photographed (mostly in luminous black-and-white), designed, and scored." – Marty Rubin, The Gene Siskel Film Center
"Chicago's mysterious, sometimes painful beauty is revealed ... "Hogtown" is what it is. It captures nooks and crannies and the underside of the elevated train tracks with a true artist's eye. And there's a brief montage of gorgeously photogenic fire escapes, seen in all weather, scored beautifully by composer Paul Bhasin, that's better than the entirety of the last few features I've seen, period." - Michael Phillips, the Chicago Tribune
"Roger Ebert ... named [the filmmakers'] previous work, Chicago Heights, one of the best art films of 2010. Hogtown is a remarkably daring piece of work conceptually ... [crafting] a narrative around the 1919 race riots ... in a way that makes the entire experience feel like a dream." – Brian Tallerico, rogerebert.com
"A beautiful book has inspired this beautiful film." Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times
"This stunning adaptation of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio ... is an aesthetic and political knockout… both profoundly affecting on its own right and as a beau ideal of detournement." Monica Westin, Flavorpill
"poetic and haunting" – Sergio Mims, Shadow and Act: On Media of the African Diaspora
"a gorgeously photographed, beautifully scored tour de force." – Marty Rubin, The Gene Siskel Film Center


Petr Vaníček (born 1935 in Sušice, Czechoslovakia, today in Czech Republic) is a Czech Canadian geodesist and theoretical geophysicist who has made important breakthroughs in theory of spectral analysis and geoid computation.<PIC>  One of Vaníček's main contributions of general relevance is least-squares spectral analysis, also called the Vaníček method, a frequency spectrum computation method published in 1969 and 1971. The method is based on a least-squares fit of sinusoids to the data samples, and mitigates the drawbacks of applying Fourier analysis for analyzing long incomplete data records such as most natural datasets. Unlike with Fourier analysis, data need not be equally spaced to use Vaníček analysis.
His discoveries in theoretical geophysics, the "precise geoid solution" in particular, enable millimetre-to-centimetre accuracy in geoid computation, an-order-of-magnitude improvement from previous solutions. Vaníček initiated the establishing of the Canadian Geophysical Union in 1974, and served as the Union's president between 1987 and 1989.
He was the first chairperson of the United Nations committee for Geodetic Aspects of the Law of the Sea (GALOS), founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) in 1989.
This and other activities led to creation of the technical supplement to the Law of the Sea, TALOS (Manual on Technical Aspects of the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea) in 1982, which is on a regular re-issuing schedule by the UN. The Geodetic Commentary to the TALOS Manual, largely prepared by Vaníček and published by the International Hydrographic Organization in 1996, was incorporated into the Manual.
The book Geodesy: The Concepts, by Vaníček and Krakiwsky, now translated into several languages, is a standard text for both undergraduate and graduate courses in geodesy worldwide.
Vaníček also served as editor-in-chief and peer-reviewer for several scientific journals as well as on numerous scientific boards and committees.  Petr Vaníček is a fellow of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, of the American Geophysical Union, and of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU). He was the first Canadian awarded the Senior Distinguished Scientist Fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and was a Senior Visiting Scientist with the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
Over the course of his career, he taught or performed research at universities and labs across six continents, including the Royal Institute of Technology and the USGS. Petr Vaníček was awarded the J. Tuzo Wilson Medal in 1996, the highest recognition by the Canadian Geophysical Union, for his outstanding contributions to Canadian geophysics. Since he was born into a typical bourgeois family, Petr Vaníček's wife and children requested to leave Communist Czechoslovakia during the brief but liberal times of Prague Spring. They were granted exit visa just before the Soviet invasion of 1968. The family reunited in England where he was staying on a 1967 Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Liverpool. Together, they immigrated to Canada in 1969. He has one daughter and two sons.
He retired as Professor Emeritus in 2002, after more than thirty years of teaching at the University of Toronto and the University of New Brunswick. He lives in Fredericton, Canada.


Rent-to-own, also known as rental purchase or rent-to-buy, is a type of legally documented transaction under which tangible property, such as furniture, consumer electronics, motor vehicles, home appliances, real property, and engagement rings, is leased in exchange for a weekly or monthly payment, with the option to purchase at some point during the agreement.
A rent-to-own transaction differs from a traditional lease, in that the lessee can purchase the leased item at any time during the agreement (in a traditional lease the lessee has no such right), and from a hire purchase/installment plan, in that the lessee can terminate the agreement by simply returning the property (in a hire purchase the buyer has a limited time, if any, to cancel the agreement).
The usage of rent-to-own transactions began in the United Kingdom and Europe, and first appeared in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. While rent-to-own terminology is most commonly associated with consumer goods transactions, the term is sometimes used in connection with real estate transactions.<PIC>  The concept of rent-to-own transactions first emerged in the United Kingdom and continental European countries under the hire purchase model. One of the first rent-to-own retail stores established in the U.K. was Lotus Radio, which began operating as a radio rental business in 1933. Within the United States, the practice of retail-based rent-to-own businesses began to develop in the 1950s and 1960s. Individuals cited as key figures in the history of the rent-to-own transaction and application as a business model include Charles Loudermilk, Sr., who in 1955 began renting out Army surplus chairs and later founded Aaron Rents, and J. Ernest Talley, who started Mr. T’s Rental in Wichita, Kansas in 1963, and later helped establish Rent-A-Center.
In response to a growing desire to share information, develop uniform practices and procedures, and cultivate a positive public image within the growing rent-to-own industry in the United States, rent-to-own dealers established a trade association, the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO), in 1980. APRO began with approximately 40 original member companies and elected an initial board of 16. Today the association has approximately 350 member companies representing approximately 10,400 stores in all 50 states, Mexico and Canada. Rent-to-own serves 4.8 million customers at any given time in the year. Rent-to-own agreements are based on a weekly or monthly rental term. In the structure of this type of transaction, the consumer (lessee) – at the end of each week or month – can choose either to renew the lease on a weekly or monthly basis by making renewal payments, or to terminate the agreement with no further obligation by returning the tangible property. Though not obligated to do so, the consumer can choose to continue making interval payments on the merchandise for a pre-specified period of time, at which point they would own the good outright. An alternative purchase option is commonly provisioned for, allowing the consumer to pay off the remaining balance on the agreement at any point in time in order to obtain permanent ownership.
According to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) survey on the rent-to-own industry in the United States conducted in 2000, consumers reported that they chose to engage in rent-to-own transactions for a variety of reasons, including: "the lack of a credit check", "the ability to obtain merchandise they otherwise could not", and, "the convenience and flexibility of the transaction". The most common reason cited for dissatisfaction within the survey was high prices. In addition, some survey respondents reported poor treatment by employees in connection with late rental payments, problems with repair services, and hidden or added costs.
The cost incurred by consumers in rent-to-own transactions has been the subject of long-term debate and differing opinion. Historically, consumer advocates, some U.S. state attorneys general and some academic researchers have expressed concern that consumers entering into rent-to-own agreements may be unaware of the potentially high long-term costs of rent-to-own in comparison to traditional installment or layaway plans. Often mentioned alongside most critiques is the question of whether prices paid for services of this type are adequate for lower-income individuals who can least afford additional financial outlays. At the same time, other academic researchers and representatives of industry associations have contended that rent-to-own transactions are not comparable to traditional methods of purchasing or financing consumer goods, in that they include services such as delivery, assembly, service and repair, all of which are factored into the higher assessed value and corresponding price charged. Also frequently noted by proponents of the unique nature of rent-to-own transactions is the point that they are not obligations to purchase, since the agreement can be terminated by the lessee at any point in time with the return of the property. The legal controversy surrounding rent-to-own transactions has centered primarily on the question of whether the transaction should be treated as a lease or a credit sale. The industry has contended that the transaction is a lease; while consumer advocacy groups have advocated for the transaction to be treated as a credit sale. As of 2011, forty-seven U.S. states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia have passed laws characterizing the transaction as a lease. Of the five U.S. state supreme courts that have addressed the question, three (Massachusetts, Arkansas and Maine) concluded that the transaction was a lease. New Jersey and Minnesota concluded it was a credit sale based upon those states’ credit laws. A federal district court in Wisconsin also found the transaction to be a credit sale under Wisconsin state law.
As of 2011, no U.S. federal consumer protection law specifically addresses rent-to-own transactions, but through litigation, efforts have been made in attempt to bring rent-to-own agreements under the definition of "credit sale" in the Truth in Lending Act. However, courts have not, as of 2011, ruled in favor of making this change at a federal level. In 2006, the United States Department of Defense labeled rent-to-own a predatory lending practice, defining it as an, "unfair or abusive loan or credit sale transaction or collection practice", along with payday loans, title loans, refund anticipation loans and other similar practices. In 2007, the United States Government Accountability Office raised concerns with the methodology and structure of this research. Later in the same year, the Department of Defense ultimately concluded that rent-to-own was not a form of credit and excluded it from its regulation on predatory lending practices. Consumer advocates and plaintiffs testifying in legal proceedings have at times alleged that rent-to-own stores routinely repossess merchandise when a consumer is close to acquiring ownership. At the time of a 2000 FTC survey, individuals who engaged in rent-to-own transactions reported a "low incidence of late-term repossessions", which the FTC suggested might be due to the reinstatement rights mandated in most states, as these rights allow consumers to reinstate this type of contract after repossession. While rent-to-own transactions are most commonly conducted for purchasing consumer goods at a retail store, this term also describes a specialized real estate agreement. The rent-to-own housing option is typically exercised more often during housing market downturns, such as the late 2000s (decade) financial crisis. Because the most recent housing market downturn was accompanied by protective regulatory scrutiny of lending practices and consumer credit agencies, acquiring a loan has become more difficult for Subprime borrowers. Some have opined that residential home rental may become the new normal, whereas proponents of rent-to-own real estate agreements argue otherwise. Tenant/buyers who have imperfect credit scores are typically drawn to rent-to-own properties since the lease terms allow them to live in the home while they take the steps necessary to fix their credit and secure a mortgage. Most lease purchase agreements allow them to lock in a market rate when they sign the contract. People with poor credit find the leasing period a crucial opportunity to repair their financial profile to secure a loan. A common complaint tenant/buyers have with rent-to-own agreements, however, stems from their inability to secure a loan in time to purchase the property, whether due to insufficient downpayment or credit, at which point they are left to restructure the agreement or forced to walk away. In a rent-to-own transaction, the tenant lives on the real property and pay towards purchasing the property at a fixed price within a specific period of time, usually one to three years. As part of the contract, the renter may be required to make a nonrefundable deposit  often included as part of a down payment at the end of the lease term. In addition to monthly rent, often an additional amount called a rent credit is paid into an escrow account during the lease period. This amount is added to the deposit and used as part of the down payment at the end of the lease term. This pushes the rent above the market rate but helps build savings for purchase if the buy option is taken. At the end of the lease term, the tenant is offered right of first refusal to purchase the property at the agreed upon sale price, or walk away and forfeit the deposit. If the tenant is unable or unwilling to exercise the option to buy, the owner is then free to rent or sell the property to another buyer, or to restructure the contract. Because rent-to-own real estate contracts are flexible open-source documents, there is room for scammers to take advantage of unprepared tenants.


Román Golobart Benet (born 21 March 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Cypriot club Nea Salamis Famagusta FC as a central defender.  Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, 17-year-old Golobart signed for Wigan Athletic from RCD Espanyol on 7 August 2009 as new manager Roberto Martínez identified him as a future talent. Despite appearances in pre-season friendlies and on the substitutes bench, he failed to play a competitive match in his first two seasons at the club, and in August 2011 was loaned to Scottish Premier League side Inverness Caledonian Thistle for six months. He made his debut the following day at Pittodrie against Aberdeen, but was unaccustomed to the pace of Scottish football and made two significant errors during the 1–2 away loss.
Golobart scored his first goal for Inverness on 24 December 2011, also against Aberdeen but now in a 2–1 home win. Shortly before the game he had expressed a desire to extend his loan spell, which eventually befell under manager Terry Butcher, with the pair having previously been engaged in a heated discussion during training, and he made his last appearance for the club in a 1–0 away victory over St Mirren, also winning the Young Player of the Year award.
On 31 August 2012, Golobart joined Tranmere Rovers on a one-month loan deal. He made his debut a day later in a 4–0 win against Colchester United, but failed to play again for his new team following Ash Taylor's early return from injury.
Golobart played his first match for Wigan on 5 January 2013, in the third round of the FA Cup against Bournemouth. He made his Premier League debut for the Latics that same month, starting at Stoke City in a 2–2 draw. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Golobart turned down a new deal with Wigan and signed a three-year contract with 1. FC Köln. He made his debut in the 2. Bundesliga on 20 July 2013, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against Dynamo Dresden.
In February 2015, Golobart was loaned to FC Erzgebirge Aue also in the German second division for the remainder of the campaign.<PIC> On 21 August 2015, Golobart returned to his homeland, signing a one-year deal with the option of a second at third-tier club Racing de Ferrol, contributing two goals from 36 appearances as they reached the play-offs. The following 23 July, he transferred to fellow league team Real Murcia.
After the latter's defeat to Valencia CF Mestalla in the playoffs, Golobart joined Elche CF in June 2017. In November, his club warned him over controversial online comments relating to the political unrest in his native region. The following January, having rescinded his contract at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, he moved to Mérida AD also from division three. Golobart represented Spain at under-17 level. His first cap came in a 1–1 draw with England. Golobart's father, Joan, was also a footballer. He also represented Espanyol, but at senior level.
Golobart shared his birthdate with fellow Espanyol youth graduate Jordi Amat. As of 8 December 2013 Wigan Athletic
FA Cup: 2012–13


Meg-John Barker (born 23 June 1974) is a writer, writing mentor, creative consultant, speaker, and independent scholar. They have written a number of anti self-help books on the topics of relationships, sex, and gender, as well as the graphic non-fiction books, Queer: A Graphic History and Gender: A Graphic Guide, and the book The Psychology of Sex. They are the writer of the relationships book and blog Rewriting the Rules, and they have a podcast with sex educator Justin Hancock.
Barker is a full-time writer, as well as being a writing mentor, creative consultant, speaker, and independent scholar. Barker holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Nottingham, and worked for two decades as an academic psychologist at the Open University in the United Kingdom, and as a psychotherapist specialising in sex, gender, and relationships.
Barker has written and/or edited some of the first academic collections on open non-monogamy, bisexuality, non-binary gender and BDSM. They were editor of the journal Psychology & Sexuality from 2010 to 2017, and lead author of The Bisexuality Report and the BACP document on Gender, Sexual, and Relationship Diversity.
Barker's pronouns are singular they/them.<PIC> Barker was born in Hull, England, on 23 June 1974, grew up in Bradford,  and  holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Nottingham. After teaching at  a number of higher education institutions Barker settled at the Open University in 2008, having also qualified with an MA in Psychotherapy from the University of Sheffield and trained at the major NHS sexual and relationship clinic at Guy's Hospital for several years. Barker's   main area of expertise is human sexuality, gender and romantic relationships, with a focus on the experiences of people in sexual, gender and relationship communities located outside the mainstream – particularly polyamorous, kink, non-binary and bisexual communities. Theoretically their work draws on social constructionism, existentialism and Buddhist philosophy. Barker, with co-author Darren Langdridge, has published two edited collections on sadomasochism and on non-monogamy,  and a recent book for mental health professionals (co-authored with Christina Richards). Barker founded the journal of Psychology & Sexuality together with Langdridge in 2010, and they co-edited it until 2017. Barker co-organized the Critical Sexology series from 2006 to 2018, and BiReCon (a biennial research conference which takes place prior to the annual BiCon event). Barker coined the phrase ‘anti self-help’ to describe self-help materials which locate the struggles that people have in their wider societal structures and cultural messages rather than in them as individuals. Barker's anti self-help books aim to help people to navigate their relationship with wider sociocultural understandings, rather than viewing themselves as a problem that needs fixing. They have produced books applying this approach to relationships, sex (with Justin Hancock), and gender (with Alex Iantaffi), as well as producing graphic-novel style non-fiction books and zines on queer, mindfulness and other topics, and a podcast on sex and relationships. Barker has a background in psychotherapy, and led production on the Open University module Counselling: Exploring Fear and Sadness. They are trained in existential psychotherapy and mindfulness with books on the latter developing the approaches of social mindfulness and mindful sex and relationship therapy (MSRT). Their practice now takes the form of peer-to-peer consulting and mentoring with writers, practitioners, activists, and organizers, with a focus on relationships with self, others, and the wider world. Barker's activism in the area of LGBT&Q rights has been recognized by placement in the top 40 of The Independent on Sunday newspaper's Pink List, and Rainbow List.  Barker was one of the founder members of BiUK, the organization for bisexual research and activism. This group wrote the international guidelines for academics studying bisexuality (published in Journal of Bisexuality) and produced The Bisexuality Report which informs UK policy and practice regarding bisexuality based on the evidence regarding biphobia, bisexual invisibility, and mental health In 2013, Barker took home an Erotic Award in the academic category for the book Rewriting the Rules, as reported in Times Higher Education. Their current activism focuses on trans and non-binary communities.  Barker, M. (2003) Introductory Psychology: History, Themes and Perspectives. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. ISBN 978-1903337172
Richards, C & Barker, M. (2013) Sexuality and Gender for Counsellors, Psychologists and Health Professionals: A Practical Guide. London: Sage. ISBN 978-0857028433
Barker, M. (2013) Mindfulness in Counselling & Psychotherapy: Practising Mindfully Across Approaches and Issues. London: Sage. ISBN 978-1446211113
Barker, M.-J. & Gabb, J. (2016) The Secrets of Enduring Love: How to Make Relationships Last. London: Penguin RandomHouse. ISBN 978-1785040238
Barker, M.-J. & Scheele, J. (2016) Queer: A Graphic History. London: Icon Books. ISBN 978-1785780714
Barker, M.-J. & Hancock, J. (2017) Enjoy Sex (How, When and If You Want To): A Practical and Inclusive Guide. London: Icon Books. ISBN 978-1785780806
Iantaffi, A. & Barker, M.-J. (2017) How to Understand Your Gender: A Practical Guide for Exploring Who You Are. London: Jessica Kingsley. ISBN 978-1785927461
Barker, M.-J. (2018) Rewriting the Rules: An Anti Self-help Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships. Second edition. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1138043596
Barker, M.-J. (2018) The Psychology of Sex. London: Routledge ISBN 978-1138676497
Barker, M.-J., Gill, R. & Harvey, L. (2018) Mediated Intimacy: Sex Advice in Media Culture. London: Polity. ISBN 978-1509509126
Barker, M.-J. & Iantaffi, A. (2019) Life Isn't Binary: On Being Both, Beyond, and In-Between. London: Jessica Kingsley. ISBN 978-1785924798
Barker, M.-J. & Scheele, J. (2019) Gender: A Graphic Guide. London: Icon Books. ISBN 978-1785784521 Langdridge, D. & Barker M. (2007) Safe, Sane and Consensual: Contemporary Perspectives on Sadomasochism, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0230517745
Barker, M., Vossler, A. & Langdridge, D. (Eds.) (2010) Understanding Counselling and Psychotherapy. London: Sage. ISBN 978-1849204767
Langdridge, D. & Barker M. (Eds.) (2010) Understanding Non-monogamies. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415800556
Brotto, L. & Barker, M. (Eds.) (2014) Mindfulness in Sexual and Relationship Therapy. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0415736961
Richards, C. & Barker, M. (Eds.) (2015) The Palgrave Handbook of the Psychology of Sexuality & Gender. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1137345882
Vossler, A., Havard, C., Pike, G. Barker, M.-J. & Raabe, B. (Eds.) (2017) Mad or Bad? A Critical Approach to Counselling and Forensic Psychology. London: Sage. ISBN 978-1473963528
Richards, C., Bouman, W. & Barker, M.-J. (Eds.) (2018) Genderqueer and Non-Binary Genders. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1473963528 Barker, M., Richards, C., Jones, R., Bowes-Catton, H., & Plowman, T. (2012). The Bisexuality Report: Bisexual Inclusion in LGBT equality and diversity. Milton Keynes: The Open University, Centre for Citizenship, Identity and Governance. ISBN 978-0415517638
Shaw, L., Butler, C. Langdridge, D., Gibson, S., Barker, M., Lenihan, P., Nair R., & Richards, C. (2012). Guidelines for psychologists working therapeutically with sexual and gender minority clients. Leicester: British Psychological Society.
Attwood, F., Bale, C. & Barker, M. (Eds.) (2013). The Sexualization Report. Funded by The Wellcome Trust.
Barker, M-J. (2017). BACP Good Practice in Action Fact Sheet 095: Gender, Sexual, and Relationship Diversity (GSRD). London: British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy. Barker, M. (2005). This is my partner, and this is my... partner's partner: Constructing a polyamorous identity in a monogamous world.Journal of Constructivist Psychology 18: 75–88.
Ritchie, A. & Barker, M. (2006). ‘There aren’t words for what we do or how we feel so we have to make them up’: Constructing polyamorous languages in a culture of compulsory monogamy. Sexualities 9: 584–601.
Barker, M. (2007). Heteronormativity and the exclusion of bisexuality in psychology. In V. Clarke & E. Peel (Eds.) Out in Psychology: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer Perspectives. pp. 95–117. Chichester: Wiley
Barker, M. & Langdridge, D. (2010). Whatever happened to non-monogamies? Critical reflections on recent research and theory. Sexualities 13: 748–772. Psychology & Sexuality. Taylor & Francis ISSN 1941-9899


Brigadier William Edward Cremor, CBE, ED (12 December 1897 – 11 April 1962) was an Australian Army officer and school teacher. He served during the First and Second World Wars, commanding a number of artillery units.<PIC> Cremor was born on 12 December 1897 at Sandringham in Melbourne to railway porter William Edward Cremor and Jane, née Phelan. His early education took place at Footscray State School up to 1911 when he began at St. Joseph's CBC North Melbourne, later St. Joseph's College Melbourne. During his first year there he achieved Dux of class and in subsequent years earned distinctions in Algebra, French and History. Early in 1914 he completed his examination to become a clerk in the Victorian Public Service and in 1915 was transferred to the Commonwealth Department of Trade and Customs. On 11 December 1917 Cremor enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and served briefly in France in late 1918 with the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade. He was discharged from the AIF on 8 November 1919 and obtained a commission in the Militia in November 1920. He studied at the University of Melbourne, from which he would eventually receive a Bachelor of Arts in 1945. In 1923 Cremor began working as an English teacher at Footscray Technical School, and in 1927 became secretary of the Victorian Teachers' Union, rising to president in 1930. He resigned from the union in 1934 and was appointed secretary of the Victorian Dried Fruits Board. He continued serving with the Militia and was promoted lieutenant colonel on 1 May 1936, with command of the 10th Field Brigade of the Royal Australian Artillery. In October 1939 Cremor rejoined the AIF and commanded the 2/2nd Field Artillery Regiment in the Middle East from April 1940. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1941 for his service in the Western Desert Campaign.  His regiment served in Greece and Crete from March to May 1941.  During the latter stages of the Battle of Crete, Cremor was placed in command of an amalgamation of units, including his own, which was designated Cremor Force.  His command was effectively fighting as infantry. Following the battle, he and his men embarked for Egypt.  He returned to Australia in August 1942, where he was given command of the 3rd Division's artillery units and promoted temporary brigadier. He contested the seat of Fawkner at the 1943 federal election as an independent candidate, advocating a unified army. He would win 22% of the vote.
Cremor then served in the South West Pacific Area as commander of the Royal Australian Artillery, I Corps from October 1943 to May 1944, followed by a six-month period in command of the Royal Australian Artillery, New Guinea Force.  He then held the equivalent post in II Corps from October 1944 to April 1945. On 12 April he was transferred to the Reserve of Officers and appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services in the South-West Pacific. In 1945 Cremor became the University of Melbourne's guidance officer for ex-service students, and wrote a regular column in The Argus. In 1949 he was appointed to the Teachers' Tribunal as government representative, and he edited the history of his regiment, Action Front, in 1961.
Cremor died at Heidelberg in 1962 and was cremated.


David Kudrave (born March 10, 1966 in Los Angeles), is an American former open wheel racing driver.  He raced in the 1993 CART season, with 8 career starts.  His best finish came in his first race, the Valvoline 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.  Kudrave also raced in the 1996 and 1996-1997 Indy Racing League seasons, with 3 starts.  Coincidentally, his best IRL finish was in 10th position in the 1996 Dura Lube 200, also at PIR. Currently, David is out of racing and is in the real estate brokerage business in Southern California.<PIC> Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Kudrave and his father would annually journey from their family home to the now defunct Ontario Motor Speedway where they would watch racing legends like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, and others compete. He has described this experience by saying "Those drivers were thrill-seekers and I knew then that I wanted to get into it." This led Kudrave to begin racing at just 12 years old. He attended the Jim Russell British School of Motor Racing at 15 years old, lying about his age in order to be eligible for the program, but still beating the older attendees in most of the races that he participated in. He began competing in a racing series sponsored by Russell after finishing the program and then moved up to the Formula Ford Circuit, a class generally regarded as the most competitive amateur open-wheel class in the nation. Kudrave also attended the University of Southern California, majoring in Economics. In 1985, Kudrave officially became a professional open-wheel race car driver by moving up to the Super Vee Series, which features cars with 200 horsepower engines. Just one year after he entered the series, he finished the season in sixth place. In 1987 he won three races, one pole position, and led for more laps and miles than any other competitor. He finished the series in second, just 20 points behind series champion Scott Atchinson. His worst race finish that year was fourth place, and he was voted the series "Most Improved Driver". That year Kudrave was publicly praised by then Formula One driver Dan Gurney, who said "He's talented, no doubt about it."  Kudrave made his CART debut in 1993, racing for the Euromotorsport team. His first start was in the Valvoline 200 in Phoenix Arizona. Throughout his first season he had 7 starts, with his best finish in eighth place. He finished the season with 6 points. With growing tension and criticism of the CART Series, the 1994 season was plagued by rumors that the series was going to fall apart. Kudrave did not start in any races that year, but would return to racing the following year in the newly-formed Indy Racing League (now called the IndyCar Series).  Kudrave's return to racing with Tempero-Giuffre Racing started in the Indy 200 at the Walt Disney World Speedway, where he finished in twentieth. This was then followed by a tenth-place finish in Phoenix. In the third round of the season, he was set to race in the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, before a complication within his team prevented him from being able to participate in the race. After the third round, Kudrave would not start another race until the following season. He finished the season with 80 points, ranked 19th overall. Kudrave participated in just one race in the 1996-1997 Season in the Indy 225, which took place at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He finished the race in 17th place, giving him 18 points for the season. At the end of the season he was ranked 47th overall. The 1996-1997 Indy Racing League Season would be his final season of his racing career.  (key)


The Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory is a historic astronomical observatory on DeSellum Avenue in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  It was established in 1899 as part of a system of six International Latitude Observatories to precisely measure the wobble of the Earth's rotating axis.  The observatory building and adjacent monuments were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 as a testament to international scientific cooperation.  The observatory was taken out of service in 1982 after automation eliminated the need for human observations; the property is now owned by the city.<PIC> The Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory was one of six observatories — and one of the four original observatories built by 1899 — tracking the degree of "wobble" occurring on the earth's north-south axis and resultant variation of latitude.  The Observatory — along with observatories in Cincinnati, Ohio; Ukiah, California; Mizusawa, Japan; Charjui in Russian Turkestan; and Carloforte, Sardina, Italy — performed in concert to carry out a coordinated program of star observation designed to investigate and calculate the degree of earth "wobble" or latitude variation.
On the grounds of the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory stands a plaque that reads:
This small framed structure played a key role in the scientific investigation of the Earth's rotation. In 1898, the International Geodetic Association established a network of observatories to measure the wobble of the planet on its axis by plotting the locations of specific stars.  This hilltop in Gaithersburg was chosen together with sites in California, Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union. All five lay along the same latitude (39° 8' N).  The American Stations were supervised by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.  The observatory's roof was designed to part in the middle on two sets of tracks to expose the reflecting telescope inside to the night sky.  Its slatted exterior walls stabilize the inside air to limit the effects of the temperatures on the accuracy of the telescope. The building's white paint minimizes heat retention that creates air turbulence around the telescope at night, distorting the stars.  Knowledge gained from the observations recorded here nightly until 1982 assisted scientists in the study of the Earth's geophysical make-up and aided spacecraft orbiting the planet and navigating the universe.
A second portion of the observatory was constructed to house the Photographic Zenith Tube.  The observers used the Photographic Zenith Tube to capture picture data using the Zenith telescope as a guide of alignment and star track.  However, nothing now remains of this addition to the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory. The Gaithersburg observatory was established as part of the International Polar Motion Service in 1899. The Gaithersburg observatory was built by Edwin Smith, chief of the Instrument Division of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, who had conducted similar measurements as a volunteer in 1891-92 from his home in Rockville, Maryland. During its operation twelve groups of stars were studied in the program, each group containing six pairs of stars. Each night, the station observed two of the star groups along a preset schedule and later compared the data against the measurements taken by the five sister stations. The station operated on this schedule until 1915, when it was temporarily closed as a result of economy measures. Operations resumed in 1932 and continued until 1982 when advances in computer technology and satellite observations rendered it obsolete, although data collected by the observatory over the years still has use to scientists, and has been applied to studies of polar motion, the physical properties of the Earth, climatology and satellite tracking and navigation. The Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory stands on the north side of DeSellum Avenue, just north of the Gaithersburg High School campus.  The building measures 13 feet (4.0 m) square with a small gable-roofed louvered entrance porch on the west side. There is a small shed-roofed addition on the east side.  The structure rests on a mortar and fieldstone foundation. Each gable features a decorative wood five-pointed star. A metal ventilator is mounted over each half-section's roof, topped with similar metal star. A system of metal-capped wood rails allows the building to be pulled apart in the middle using ropes and pulleys. The halves operate independently. The structure is double-walled, with an inner frame of 4×4s sheathed with tongue-and-groove boards, separated by 9 inches (23 cm) from the outer, louvered wall, also framed with 4×4s.
On the interior, a double floor surrounds a pyramidal concrete pier that supported the observing instruments. A 1½ story brick caretaker's house, built in 1947, is located 70 feet (21 m) to the south; it is excluded from the landmark designation.
The site was extensively surveyed and documented to support its mission. The Meridian Mark Pier, about 200 feet (61 m) to the south, was used to align the zenith telescope. Five Coast and Geodetic Survey monuments are on the property. The RM-1 monument has been used by NOAA for testing associated with the Global Positioning Satellite system.


Ilana Raviv-Oppenheim (born 1945) is a multidisciplinary artist. Her work spans a variety
of media including painting, drawing, etching, tapestry, and ceramic sculpture.<PIC> She was born in Tel Aviv in 1945 to
Itzhak and Fanya Oppenheim. The painter Moritz Daniel Oppenheim was her great-great-grand uncle. Ilana grew up in Israel.
From 1980 to 1990, she lived with her family in the
art capital of the world, New York, in order to study, renew herself, and
broaden her artistic vision. During her stay, from 1980 to 1984 she studied at the
Art Students League of New York. Among her teachers were [[Roberto
Delamonica]], Bruce Dorfman, and the American master Knox Martin.
Ilana Raviv has exhibited in various museums and
galleries of Israel, the US, Europe, and the Far East. Recently Ilana has
exhibited her works alongside the best known of artists, including Knox Martin,
Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, Rosenquist, Chuck Close, Marisol  The great mother figure from Greek mythology is among
the chief topics in her work, as are other characters from the Bible, from
history, and from literature. Her works are built from a variety of flat
designs, contrasts, and shapes, which create different versions and dimensions
of reality.
Raviv describes her works as "a metaphor which creates
and shapes an artificial life on canvas".
In 2008 she received the title of Tel Aviv–Jaffa "Woman
of the Year", representing the arts.
Her work is represented in private collections and in
various museums and galleries around the world. A solo exhibition consisting of
50 pictures by Ilana was presented at the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg between October 2007 and
January 2008, and another solo exhibition of 100 pictures was presented at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art. In both museums, she was the first native Israeli
to exhibit.
The world of Ilana Raviv, an Israeli artist from the American school of painting, is presented to the Russian viewer for the
first time. As we identify and describe her world in Russian, we may well compare it with the dramatic and expressive works of the so-called avant-garde Amazons, the apocalyptic figures of Natalia Goncharova, the card cycle of Olga Rozanova ...
— Lubov Shakirova, curator at the State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg
Here in these halls, we see pictures by Ilana Raviv that recall the work of the greatest 20th-century artists. Not only Matisse and Picasso but also Albert Marquet or Raoul Dufy, the wonderdul French Fauvist painters. Similar simplicity, terseness, and wealth of energy in every spot also characterize Ilana Raviv’s excellent work. From that perspective, in my opinion, Ilana is a true successor to the outstanding artists of the 20th century.
— Dr. Andrei Tolstoy, head of the research department at the Museum of Modern Art, Moscow, and corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts
Besides the Russian museum exhibits, there is a Holocaust-themed
painting that has figured for many years in the permanent collection of the  Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. In this painting Ilana exposes
the monstrous aspect of the topic more than she trains a direct view on its
consequences. The painting shows the Ten Commandments consumed by flame, with
an emphasis on "Thou shalt not murder." The struggle to survive is expressed
only in the mixture of colors.
Her painting A Tabernacle of
Peace – Homage to Zachariah" (acrylic on canvas, 2.12 meters by 10) opened
Israel's 40th anniversary celebrations in New York at the world's largest
sukkah. Later it was displayed for eight years in the main entrance hall of the
Jerusalem International Convention Center. Raviv is married and the mother of three. In
the course of her life she has displayed her creations at many exhibits,
including a pro bono exhibit to benefit Seeds Of Peace, which aims to
connect Arab and Jewish youth.


Benjamin Ivan Jelen (born 8 July 1979) is a Scottish-born American former singer-songwriter who plays the piano, violin, and guitar. He has lived in Scotland, England, Texas, New Jersey and New York. His career has been characterized by near-stardom, with his debut album, Give It All Away peaking at No. 113 on the Billboard 200 list. As of 2011, he is on indefinite hiatus from his solo career and is working with a new band, along with former Deuce Project member Josh McMillan known as Under The Elephant.<PIC> Jelen attended high school in San Antonio, Texas briefly, as a freshman at Northside Health Careers High School.  He completed high school at Princeton High School in Princeton, New Jersey and graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in biology. After that, he moved to New York City to work as a producer and sound engineer at a local recording studio.  Jelen was discovered by Joseph Janus of Fearless Management, who originally wanted to sign him as a model. Instead, Jelen handed him a demo, and shortly thereafter, he was signed to a label and released his debut album Give It All Away in May 2004, promoted by appearances on TRL, AOL Breakers and Rock the Vote. The album also debuted at No. 13 on the Top Internet Albums chart, No. 120 on the Billboard Comprehensive Albums chart and No. 113 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States, making it eligible for the Top Heatseekers chart, a chart of artists who have never entered the top 100 of the Billboard 200. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Top Heatseekers chart.
Debut single "Come On" was a hit, reaching the MTV top 20. It also debuted at No. 58 on the Hot Singles Sales chart. Apart from "Give It All Away" being included as a B-side to the "Come On" single, no other track from the album was released as a single. Following his debut album, Jelen left Maverick Records and independently released the EP Rejected through Fearless Management Records in 2005. He wrote and recorded a song for a compilation album for Tori Amos' RAINN organization and joined the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Wildlife Works. Jelen also appeared on the compilation album Breaking for the Holidays in 2006 with his self-produced cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" through Breaking Records. Jelen performed at the 2007 South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and music festival in Austin, Texas, in a lineup that also included Taylor Hicks, Amy Winehouse, Tom Morello, Mika, Martina Topley Bird, The Fratellis, Bloc Party, Paolo Nutini, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Mogwai and Spoon.
Jelen's second full-length album, Ex-Sensitive, was released on 17 July 2007. The album, formerly titled East and Pulse, was produced by Linda Perry and mixed by Bill Bottrell. Jelen has placed his solo career on hold to focus on a new group Under The Elephant.  The band consists of Jelen, Josh McMillan, Lisa McMillan, Tina Mathieu and James Darwin "Jimmy" Stull. The group is, as of 1 March 2010, unsigned. Jelen met model Fern Palmer in a New York City night club on 6 January 2004. The couple married on 28 June 2009 in a private garden wedding in Palmer's hometown of Cleveland, Georgia. Jelen and Palmer have one child together, a daughter named Tallulah Rose Jelen born in 2013. As of April 23, 2019, the couple is separated.
In November 2018, Jelen completed a Ph.D program in Environmental Science at Rutgers University, successfully defending his dissertation titled, "The Evolution of Microbial Electron Transfer on Earth." Jelen's music has been featured on the TV shows One Tree Hill, Smallville and Las Vegas, and was used to promote the Academy Award-nominated Finding Neverland starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.  "Come On" also features in the film Love Wrecked with Amanda Bynes and in 2007, the instrumental version of "Come On" was featured trailers for The Bucket List. His song, "Where Do We Go" also appeared in the film Fired Up. In 2013, Jelen's single "Come On" was used in promotions for the film Monsters University.
Jelen, a graduate of Princeton High School, also guest starred on the Princeton-set television show House as a doctor applying for a fellowship in the episode "Kids".  Give It All Away (2004) No. 113 US
Rejected (2005)
Ex-Sensitive (2007)
Wreckage (EP) (2008) Sessions@AOL (2004) "Come On/Give It All Away" (2004) (#58 U.S. Hot Singles Sales)
"Where Do We Go" (2007)
"Wreckage" (2008) "Come On" on the compilation "CG Vibes: Music That Gives Back", available for five months in 2004 and supplied free with The Corrs' Borrowed Heaven, Toby Lightman's Little Things, Brandy's Afrodisiac and his own Give It All Away
"Truth" on the compilation "For the Next X: A Benefit CD for RAINN" (2004)
"Talking About A Revolution" (cover of Tracy Chapman's song of the same name) on the Russell Simmons/Babyface compilation Wake Up Everybody (2004)
"Forever in Our Hearts" (playing keyboards and violin), a single for tsunami relief (2005)
"River" (cover of the Joni Mitchell song of the same name) on the compilation Breaking for the Holidays (2006)
"Woman" (cover of John Lennon's song of the same name) on Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur (2007)