document_title: Doctor Who (series 11)

question_text: when does the next season of doctor who air

text: Doctor Who (series 11)

text: Episodes

text:
Story
Episode
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
UK viewers
(millions) [1]
AI [1]

277
1
TBA
Jamie Childs[2]
TBA
October 2018 (2018-10)[3]
TBD
TBD

text: Casting

text:
We'll cast the role in the traditional way: write the script, then go and find the best person for that part in that script. You couldn't go out and cast an abstract idea...The creative possibilities are endless, but I have a very clear sense of what we're going to do, without even knowing who's going to play the part.

—Chris Chibnall, executive producer, on the approach to casting the newest incarnation of the lead character.[4]

tag: div

text: The series will introduce Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. Her predecessor Peter Capaldi departed from his role as the Twelfth Doctor after the tenth series, having played the role for three series.[5] His final appearance was in the 2017 Christmas special, "Twice Upon a Time".[6] Moffat stated in February 2017 that Chibnall tried to persuade the actor to continue into the eleventh series, but despite this, Capaldi still decided to depart.[7]

text: The search for the actor to portray the Thirteenth Doctor, led by Chibnall, began later in 2017, after he completed work on the third series of the ITV series Broadchurch, for which he is also the head writer and executive producer. Chibnall had the final say on the actor, although the decision also involved Charlotte Moore and Piers Wenger, the director of content and head of drama for the BBC respectively.[8] Media reports and bookmakers speculated as to who would replace Capaldi as the Thirteenth Doctor, with Ben Whishaw and Kris Marshall among the most popular predictions.[9] On 16 July 2017, it was announced after the 2017 Wimbledon Championships men's finals that Whittaker would portray the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor.[5]

text: After Michelle Gomez reprised her role of Missy in the tenth series, she stated in May 2017 that it would be her last series in the role, and she would not be returning for the eleventh series or beyond.[10] After the tenth series concluded, it was confirmed that neither companion from that series would be reprising their roles for the eleventh series; Matt Lucas left his role as Nardole after the finale of the tenth series, and Pearl Mackie stated at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con that she would not return as Bill Potts after the 2017 Christmas special, "Twice Upon a Time".[11][12] Consequently, series 11 will introduce a new set of companions, including Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill as Graham, Ryan, and Yasmin, respectively.[13] Walsh had been a favourite for the role since rumours of his casting began in August 2017.[14][13] Actress Sharon D. Clarke is also set to have a recurring role throughout the series, as Graham's wife.[13][15]

text: On 8 March 2018, Alan Cumming announced that he had been cast as King James I in an episode of the series.[16] On 25 March, comedian Lee Mack stated that he would make a brief appearance in one episode.[17]

text: Production

text: Writing and development

text: In April 2015, Steven Moffat confirmed that Doctor Who would run for at least another five years, extending the show until 2020.[18] It was announced in January 2016 that the tenth series would be Moffat's final series as executive producer and head writer, after seven years as showrunner, for which he will be replaced in the role by Chris Chibnall in 2018.[19] Matt Strevens will serve as executive producer alongside Chibnall, as well as Sam Hoyle.[20][21] With Moffat's departure from the role of head writer, he also stated in February 2017 that he was not planning on continuing as an episodic writer for the eleventh series.[22]

text: The series will consist of 10 episodes, a shorter run compared to the 12 and 13 episodes that have comprised the previous ten series of the revived era. Episodes will run for an average of 50 minutes each, with the premiere running for 65 minutes.[23][24] Jamie Childs is set to direct the first and seventh episode of the series in the opening production block, having directed Whittaker's introduction as the Thirteenth Doctor.[21][2] Sallie Aprahamian will direct the third filming block, consisting of two episodes.[25][26]

text: Murray Gold announced in February 2018 that he would step down as the programme's composer, having served as the musical director since 2005, and that he would not be composing the music for the eleventh series.[27]

text: Filming

text: Pre-production for the eleventh series began in late October 2017.[21] After filming for the series was expected to begin in late 2017,[8][20][23] it officially began in November 2017, for an expected release in October 2018.[28][3] The eleventh series will be shot using Cooke and Angénieux anamorphic lenses for the first time in the series' history, a creative decision made in order to make the show look more cinematic.[29]

text: Production blocks are arranged as follows:

text:
Block
Episode Title
Director
Writer
Producer
Ref(s)

1
Episode 1
Episode 7
Jamie Childs
TBA
Nikki Wilson
[21][2]

2
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA

3
TBA
Sallie Aprahamian
TBA
Alex Mercer
[25][26]

TBA
TBA
Jennifer Perrott
TBA
TBA
[30]

TBA
TBA
Jamie Childs
TBA
TBA
[31]

text: Design changes

text: A new logo was unveiled at the BBC Worldwide showcase on 20 February 2018. This logo was designed by the creative agency Little Hawk, who also created a stylized insignia of the word "who" enclosed in a circle with an intersecting line.[32]


document_title: The Musketeers

question_text: where was the tv series the musketeers filmed

root

text: The Musketeers

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1630s Paris, Athos, Aramis and Porthos are a group of highly trained musketeers commanded by Captain Treville who meet d'Artagnan, a skillful farm boy with hopes of becoming a musketeer. The series follows them as they fight to protect King and country.

tag: p

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Tom Burke as Athos
Santiago Cabrera as Aramis
Peter Capaldi as Cardinal Richelieu (series 1)
Howard Charles as Porthos
Alexandra Dowling as Queen Anne
Ryan Gage as King Louis XIII
Tamla Kari as Constance Bonacieux
Maimie McCoy as Milady de Winter
Luke Pasqualino as d'Artagnan
Hugo Speer as Captain Treville
Marc Warren as Comte de Rochefort (series 2)
Matthew McNulty as Lucien Grimaud (series 3)
Rupert Everett as Marquis de Feron (series 3)

tag: ul

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Bohdan Poraj as Bonacieux (series 1–2)
Charlotte Salt as Marguerite (series 2)
Ed Stoppard as Lemay (series 2)
Will Keen as Perales (series 2)
Thalissa Teixeira as Sylvie (series 3)
Matt Stokoe as Captain Marcheaux (series 3)
Andre Flynn as Gaston (series 3)

text: Production[edit]

text: Conception[edit]

text: The BBC had been developing the idea of a new series based on The Three Musketeers since as far back as 2007, when the project was envisaged as a Saturday evening show to run between series of Doctor Who.[8] The eventual production of the series was finally announced in 2012, with Adrian Hodges in charge of the project.[9]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Paris was not considered as a filming location because over the decades, development had detracted from the grittier architecture wanted. Dublin was also considered before settling on the Czech Republic, which suffered little damage during the two world wars. Many historic buildings were intact and privately owned stately homes were rented for filming.

text: Filming for the series took place mainly in Doksany, 30 kilometres north-west of Prague, where a Parisian square, a number of streets and the musketeers garrison were constructed. A disused convent had additional sets constructed including taverns, bedrooms and mortuary.[10]

text: Casting[edit]

text: During filming of the first series Peter Capaldi learned that he had been given the role of the Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who.[11] The show's executive producer Jessica Pope commented that they would have to "recalibrate" plans for a prospective second series, in order to accommodate Capaldi now being unable to reprise his role.[11] Marc Warren joined the cast for the second series.[12] The Musketeers was originally planned to be broadcast in 2013, but was later delayed until 2014.[13]

text: Reception[edit]

text: The Musketeers initially received mixed reviews from critics, but they have become more positive as the series has continued. Jim Shelley, writing for the Daily Mail, heavily criticised the programme, saying "The Musketeers didn't take itself too seriously but was still so bad it bordered on self-parody" and that "the quality of the sub-plots hardly merited its 9pm slot in the schedule rather than (like Merlin or Robin Hood) much earlier, consisting of such clichéd set pieces as a fight following an accusation of cheating during a card game and a randy musketeer being caught in the act and having to dangle out of his lover's bedroom window while his mates watched on chuckling". Overall, he said "The main problem with The Musketeers, apart from the quality of the script, the acting and the predictability of the plot, was that there are only so many ways to make sword fights between men wearing blue leather tunics that entertaining or exciting".[14]

text: However, reviewing the third episode of the drama, Morgan Jeffery, writing for Digital Spy, praised the development of the characters, stating that there was a "real feeling of growth" and that it delivered "something a little more substantial".[15] Den of Geek writer Rob Kemp also gave a positive review, stating that The Musketeers had "won a lot of people over with its fun and adventurous take on this well-loved story", but also wrote that some of the dramatic elements felt "shoe horned and deliberate". Overall, Kemp had hope for the series and praised the change in focus in the third episode, saying that the "time was definitely right to start to explore the characters", before going on to say that the series would have "plenty more opportunities for the Musketeers to hit their more (and hopefully, better) dramatic strides".[16]

text: Upon its premiere on BBC America, Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times gave the drama a positive review, calling the series "not at all bad, just a bit old-fashioned". She also praised the updates made to the series, writing "purists may be dismayed that Mr. Hodges took so many liberties with the original plot, but purists are rarely any fun".[17]

text: Broadcast[edit]

text: Series overview[edit]

text: These are the premiere and finale dates for the show airing on BBC, its origin channel. Series 2 concluded earlier in the U.S., and Series 3 was aired/released before the UK in multiple countries; see the episode tables and broadcast details for these dates.

text:
Series
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired

1
10
19 January 2014 (2014-01-19)
30 March 2014 (2014-03-30)

2
10
2 January 2015 (2015-01-02)
27 March 2015 (2015-03-27)

3
10
28 May 2016 (2016-05-28)
1 August 2016 (2016-08-01)

tag: table

text: International broadcast[edit]

text: Shown on BBC One, the first series of The Musketeers was broadcast weekly at 9pm on Sunday nights starting on 19 January 2014. The programme was the highest rated drama to debut that year. For the second series, it was moved to 9pm on Friday nights and screening began on 2 January 2015. The series premiered in the United States on 22 June 2014 on BBC America.[18] The complete first series was "striped" on 3 August 2014 on the Australian Foxtel Cable TV channel BBC First, the day of that channel's premiere. The series started on 18 September 2014 on 'Box' Sky TV in New Zealand.

text: The third series premiered in Canada on Showcase Canada on 10 April 2016.[6] The full series was made available on Netflix Latin America on 16 April 2016,[19] and on Hulu in the United States on 14 May 2016.[20] The series premiered in the UK on 28 May 2016.[7]

text: Home media release[edit]

text:
Name
No. of
episodes
DVD
Blu-ray

Region 1
Region 2
Region 4
Region A
Region B

Series One
10
26 August 2014[21]
31 March 2014[22]
6 August 2014[23]
26 August 2014[21]
31 March 2014[24]

Series Two
10
21 April 2015[25]
6 April 2015[26]
15 April 2015[27]
21 April 2015[25]
6 April 2015[28]

Series One & Two
20
N/A
6 April 2015[29]
15 April 2015[30]
N/A
6 April 2015[31]

Series Three
10
11 October 2016[32]
15 August 2016[33]
19 October 2016[34]
11 October 2016[32]
15 August 2016[35]

The Complete Collection
30
N/A
15 August 2016[36]
19 October 2016[37]
N/A
15 August 2016[38]


document_title: Ascension Island

question_text: island in the south atlantic claimed by britain in 1815

text: Ascension Island

text: History[edit]

text: In 1501, the Portuguese navigator Afonso de Albuquerque sighted the island on Ascension Day (which fell on 21 May that year) and named it Ilha da Ascensão after this feast day.[5] Dry and barren, the island had little appeal for passing ships except for collecting fresh meat, and was not claimed for the Portuguese Crown. Mariners could hunt for the numerous seabirds and the enormous female green turtles that laid their eggs on the sandy beaches. The Portuguese also introduced goats as a potential source of meat for future mariners.

text: In February 1701, HMS Roebuck, commanded by William Dampier, sank in the common anchoring spot in Clarence Bay to the northwest of the island. Sixty men survived for two months until they were rescued. Almost certainly, after a few days they found the strong water spring in the high interior of the island, in what is now called Breakneck Valley (there is a much smaller water source, lower on the mountain, which was named Dampier's Drip by people who probably misinterpreted Dampier's story).[6]

text: It is possible that the island was sometimes used[7] as an open prison for criminal mariners, although there is only one documented case of such an exile, a Dutch ship's officer, Leendert Hasenbosch, set ashore at Clarence Bay as a punishment for sodomy in May 1725.[citation needed] British mariners found the Dutchman's tent, belongings and diary in January 1726; the man's remains were not found. His diary was published in translation in London later that same year, under the title Sodomy Punish'd; it can nowadays be read online.[8]

text: Organised settlement of Ascension Island began in 1815, when the British garrisoned it as a precaution after imprisoning Napoleon I on Saint Helena to the southeast.[5] On 22 October the Cruizer class brig-sloops Zenobia and Peruvian claimed the island for His Britannic Majesty King George III. The Royal Navy designated the island as a stone frigate, HMS Ascension, with the classification of "Sloop of War of the smaller class".

text: The location of the island made it a useful stopping-point for ships and communications. The Royal Navy used the island as a victualling station for ships, particularly those of the West Africa Squadron working against the slave trade.[9] A garrison of Royal Marines was based at Ascension from 1823.

text: In 1836 the Beagle voyage visited Ascension. Charles Darwin described it as an arid treeless island, with nothing growing near the coast. Sparse vegetation inland supported "about six hundred sheep, many goats, a few cows & horses", large numbers of guineafowl imported from the Cape Verde islands, rats, mice, and land crabs; he agreed with the saying attributed to the people of St Helena that "We know we live on a rock, but the poor people at Ascension live on a cinder". He noted the care taken to sustain "houses, gardens & fields placed near the summit of the central mountain", and cisterns at roadsides to provide drinking water. The springs were carefully managed, "so that a single drop of water may not be lost: indeed the whole island may be compared to a huge ship kept in first-rate order." In commenting on this, he noted René Primevère Lesson's remark "that the English nation alone would have thought of making the island of Ascension a productive spot; any other people would have held it as a mere fortress in the ocean."[10]

text: In 1843, botanist and explorer Joseph Hooker visited the island. Four years later, Hooker, with much encouragement from Darwin, advised the Royal Navy that with the help of Kew Gardens, they should institute a long-term plan of shipping trees to Ascension. The planted trees would capture more rain and improve the soil, allowing the barren island to become a garden. So, from 1850 and continuing year on year, ships came with an assortment of plants from botanical gardens in Argentina, Europe and South Africa. By the late 1870s Norfolk pines, eucalyptus, bamboo, and banana trees grew in profusion at the highest point of the island, Green Mountain, creating a tropical cloud forest.[11]

text: In 1899, the Eastern Telegraph Company installed the first underwater cable from the island, connecting the UK with its colonies in South Africa.[5] In 1922, letters patent made Ascension a dependency of Saint Helena.[5] The island was managed by the head of the Eastern Telegraph Company on the island until 1964 when the British Government appointed an Administrator to represent the Governor of Saint Helena on Ascension.[5]

text: During World War II, to supply and augment extensive amphibious aircraft antisubmarine patrol operations ongoing from the early days of the war, the United States built an airbase on Ascension Island, known as "Wideawake",[5] after a nearby colony of sooty terns (locally called 'wideawake' birds because of their loud, distinctive constant (day-and-night) cawing chatter.[12] The airbase, which was under construction by the 38th Combat Engineer Battalion of the Army Corps of Engineers, was unexpectedly visited by two British Fairey Swordfish torpedo planes on 15 June 1942.[citation needed] According to one of the pilots, Peter Jinks, the planes were fired upon before being recognised as allies. The Swordfish had to land on the unfinished airstrip, thus becoming the first aircraft to land on Ascension Island proper — which had long served as an ASW base for Catalina (PBY Catalina) flying boats. The event was commemorated with a postage stamp 15 June 1982.

text: The airfield was used by the US military as a stopping point for American aircraft crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the way to theatres of operation in Europe and Africa. American bombers based at Wideawake were engaged in the Laconia incident. After the end of World War II, and American departure, the airbase fell into disuse.

text: The only local military action during World War II occurred on 9 December 1941. At around mid-day, the German submarine U-124 approached Georgetown on the surface with the intention of sinking any ships at anchor or shelling the cable station.[citation needed] Fort Bedford, a two-gun shore battery at Cross Hill, above Georgetown, fired on the submarine. The guns scored no hits but the U-boat submerged and retreated. The battery remains largely intact to this day, together with its guns, BL 5.5 inch Mark I naval guns removed from HMS Hood during a refit in Malta in 1938.

text: With the Space Race and the Cold War, the Americans returned in 1956.[5] Wideawake Airfield expanded in the mid-1960s. The runway, with its strange hump, was extended, widened, and improved to allow its use by large aircraft, and later to act as an emergency runway for the Space Shuttle, although the Shuttle never had to use it.[5] At the time, it was the world's longest airport runway.[12] The United States Air Force used the island as part of its Eastern Range. NASA established a tracking station on the island in 1967, which it operated for more than 20 years before closing it down in 1990.[5] A joint Government Communications Headquarters and National Security Agency signals intercept station was also established on Ascension during the Cold War.[13][14] The island retains a role in space exploration: the European Space Agency now operates an Ariane monitoring facility there.[5] The BBC Atlantic Relay Station was installed in 1966 for short-wave broadcasts to Africa and South America.

text: In 1982 the British task force used Ascension Island as a staging post during the Falklands War. The Royal Air Force deployed a fleet of Vulcan bombers and Victor tankers at the airfield. Vulcans launched the opening shots of the British offensive from Ascension in Operation Black Buck. The RAF also used the base to supply the task force. Because of the increase in air traffic during the war, Wideawake, with up to 400 movements of all types each day, was one of the busiest airfields in the world for a short period.[15] The Royal Navy's fleet stopped at Ascension for refuelling on the way. Following the war, the British retained an increased presence on the island, establishing RAF Ascension Island, and providing a refuelling stop for the regular airlink between RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, and RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands.

text: As of 2004[update], it was reported that the Composite Signals Organisation, an arm of GCHQ, continued to operate a signals interception facility at Cat Hill on Ascension.[16] As of 2007[update] NASA continued to list Ascension Island as a "downrange site" used for range safety instrumentation.[17] In particular, the Post-Detect Telemetry System used to acquire launch vehicle telemetry includes a station on Ascension.[18]

text: In 2008 British diplomats at the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UN CLCS), requested sovereignty over 77,220 square miles (200,000 km2) of submarine territory around the island. This would enable exploration into new reserves of oil, gas and minerals, though none are thought to exist.[19]

text: In 2016, the United States Department of Energy started operating a mobile climate research facility on the island. It is operated by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility (ARM) near the South East Crater, south of the Green Mountain summit. The field campaign requires the mobile facility to be operational for about 17 months, until October 2017.[20]

text: Geography[edit]

text: The main island has an area of approximately 88 km². A volcanic peak rising from only 100 km (62 mi) west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, much of the island is a wasteland of lava flows and cinder cones; no fewer than forty-four distinct dormant craters have been identified.[9]

text: Geology[edit]

text: Ascension is a geologically young formation, the tip of an undersea volcano which rose above the waves only a million years ago. It is associated both with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge plate boundary 80 km to the west and with a hotspot 25–300 km to the south east.[21] Its last eruption may have occurred in the sixteenth century. Due to its short above-water history, its soil consists mostly of clinker.[12]

text: Climate[edit]

text: Ascension has a hot desert climate (BWh, according to the Köppen climate classification). The temperatures at the coast average from 22.7 to 27.8 °C (72.9 to 82.0 °F), and about 5 to 6 °C (9 to 11 °F) cooler at the highest point. Rain showers may occur at any time during the year, but tend to be heavier between June and September. Although the island is in the tropical zone, average annual rainfall is very low. The cause of this might be the relatively low temperature of the ocean water, as the Benguela Current and South Equatorial Current flow northward west of Africa. These currents bring cooling effects around the eastern South Atlantic Ocean. Tropical cyclones also occur only rarely in the South Atlantic Ocean which might be caused by the same phenomenon, and by strong vertical wind shear.[22][23][24]

text:
[hide]Climate data for Georgetown, Ascension Island

Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year

Record high °C (°F)
31.7
(89.1)
31.7
(89.1)
31.7
(89.1)
32.2
(90)
31.7
(89.1)
30.6
(87.1)
30.6
(87.1)
28.9
(84)
28.9
(84)
28.9
(84)
30.0
(86)
30.6
(87.1)
32.2
(90)

Average high °C (°F)
28.3
(82.9)
29.4
(84.9)
30.0
(86)
30.0
(86)
28.9
(84)
27.8
(82)
27.2
(81)
26.1
(79)
26.1
(79)
26.1
(79)
26.7
(80.1)
27.2
(81)
27.8
(82)

Average low °C (°F)
22.8
(73)
23.9
(75)
24.4
(75.9)
24.4
(75.9)
23.9
(75)
22.8
(73)
22.2
(72)
21.1
(70)
21.1
(70)
21.1
(70)
22.2
(72)
22.6
(72.7)
22.7
(72.9)

Record low °C (°F)
18.9
(66)
20.0
(68)
21.1
(70)
20.6
(69.1)
19.4
(66.9)
19.4
(66.9)
19.4
(66.9)
18.3
(64.9)
17.2
(63)
18.3
(64.9)
17.8
(64)
17.8
(64)
17.2
(63)

Average precipitation mm (inches)
8
(0.31)
10
(0.39)
38
(1.5)
30
(1.18)
10
(0.39)
15
(0.59)
13
(0.51)
10
(0.39)
10
(0.39)
13
(0.51)
8
(0.31)
8
(0.31)
173
(6.78)

Average precipitation days (≥ 0.3 mm)
7
5
7
8
6
8
7
8
10
12
8
8
94

Average relative humidity (%)
74
73
73
73
70
69
69
70
73
73
72
73
71.8

Mean monthly sunshine hours
229
224
276
267
264
260
239
217
165
161
159
198
2,659

Source #1: Deutscher Wetterdienst[25]

Source #2: Danish Meteorological Institute[26]

text: Ecology[edit]

text: Flora[edit]

text: The endemic flora includes plants like Pteris adscensionis, Asplenium ascensionis, Euphorbia origanoides as well as the extinct species Oldenlandia adscensionis, Sporobolus durus and Dryopteris ascensionis. Anogramma ascensionis (Ascension Island parsley fern) was thought to have become extinct due to habitat loss, until four plants were found on the island in 2010. Over 60 specimens were then successfully cultivated.[27] Portuguese explorers released goats in the 1500s which ate many species to extinction. The later introduction of rabbits, sheep, rats and donkeys, and over 200 imported species further marginalised the original flora.[28]

text: By 1843 the island was barren with few plants. However, due to the introduction of species by the British, Ascension Island's Green Mountain is now one of the few large-scale planned forests, and is gradually growing with each year. Its highest point is at 859 m.[9] Non-indigenous plants teem there, and the crown of Green Mountain is a lush halo of bamboo. Flanking one side is a large stand of tall Norfolk pine, trees planted by British mariners, which were to have been used as replacement masts for sailing ships. In June 2005 the first National Park on Ascension Island, the Green Mountain National Park, was opened.

text: Prosopis juliflora, a type of mesquite known as Mexican thorn, was introduced by BBC engineers to bind the dry top soil when they arrived in 1966 to construct a shortwave relay station. It has thrived on the barren lava of the island - an estimated 38,000 bushes existed by 2016. Its spread has been destructive to other species, and current encroachment on the edges of beaches threatens those that use this space, such as the green turtle. Its hardy taproots can extend to 30 meters deep. Local authorities are considering means of controlling or eradicating it.[12][29]

text: Fauna[edit]

text: A variety of mammals have been introduced: donkeys, sheep, cats and rats among others. Reptiles consist of two species of lizards. Endemic insect species include the minute, wingless Psocopteran Troglotroctes ashmolearum, that has been found in caves and between lava blocks.[30] In summer, flies are known to be a problem.

text: The largest native land animal is the land crab Johngarthia lagostoma (formerly Gecarcinus lagostoma).[31] Offshore, there is a variety of open-ocean fish, including sharks, wahoo, tuna, bonito, barracuda, marlin, blackfish and sailfish. The protected green turtle is perhaps the most notable of the endemic fauna, coming ashore to lay their eggs on the beaches from November to May. Turtles were regularly harvested until 1930, when the practice was banned. By 1970 the turtle population had begun to rebound.[12] From the 1970s, when records began, to 2014, green turtle nesting increased by 500 percent, resulting in some 24,000 nests being laid on the island's main beaches each year.[32]

text: On land are found such non-native birds such as canaries, francolins, mynas, sparrows, and waxbills. Sooty terns or "wideawake birds" nest in great seashore lava "fairs". Other seabirds include some types of boobies, petrels and tropicbirds (named boatswain (pronounced BO-sun) birds by the inhabitants of the island), white tern, brown noddy, black noddy and Ascension frigatebird. The Ascension crake became extinct around the beginning of the nineteenth century.[29]

text: Off the east coast of Ascension is the islet of Boatswain Bird Island. It is a haven for sea birds providing refuge from the rats, cats and people that came to Ascension Island from Europe and Africa. Following a successful campaign headed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the main island was in 2006 declared free of feral cats, and sea birds are now once again nesting on Ascension Island.[33]

text: Important bird area[edit]

text: Ascension Island, including fourteen inshore stacks and marine habitat extending out for three nautical miles from the coastline, has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International as a breeding site for seabirds. Birds for which the IBA is significant include red-billed tropicbirds, Ascension frigatebirds (an endemic breeder), sooty terns and black noddies.[34] The island was formerly home to the endemic Ascension crake, but the species has been extinct since the early nineteenth century.

text: Marine reserve[edit]

text: In January 2016 the UK Government announced that an area around Ascension Island was to become a huge marine reserve, to protect its varied and unique ecosystem, including some of the largest marlin in the world, large populations of green turtle, and the island's own species of frigate bird. With an area of 234,291 square kilometres (90,460 sq mi), slightly more than half of the reserve will be closed to fishing while the remainder will be policed thanks to a grant from the Louis Bacon Foundation. The reserve should be ready for formal designation by 2017.[35]

text: Politics[edit]

text: Ascension forms part of a British overseas territory together with Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha.[9] Executive authority is vested in Elizabeth II,[9] who is represented by the Governor of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. As the Governor resides in Jamestown, Saint Helena, an Administrator is appointed to represent the Governor on Ascension Island.

text: As a result of changes in the constitutional arrangements for Ascension Island, the first Island Council of seven members was elected, and took office on 1 November 2002. This Council was dissolved by order of the Governor of Saint Helena on 24 October 2005, and a new election was held on 16 November 2005. 697 electors chose among ten candidates contesting the seven seats.[36]

text: Six of the seven members resigned in January 2007 in the belief that they were "assisting to legitimise a democracy that doesn't really exist on Ascension Island".[37] The preceding quote and its citation does not exist, at least not at October 2017, but the following citation [38] of the councillors suggests the issue was over taxation/representation & it was 5 of 6 who resigned, and that it was not a boycott. The counter-argument being in essence that as the island has no indigenous population whatsoever, therefore it is an unusual political position. Consequently, a general election was called, but by the close of nominations, there were only two candidates. The election was abandoned, and the governor suspended the Island Council for 12 months. It was stated that an election would take place in April 2008 but following consultations this was extended to October.[39] With eight nominations the elections were duly held and seven candidates were elected to form a new Island Council, which was sworn in on 28 October 2008[40] .[41]

text: Ascension Island has its own local system of law, much of which is based on the laws of Saint Helena and some parts of English law with modifications.[9] The Island Council advises on new or revised laws. Where local legislation does not exist, Saint Helena law may be used where appropriate and suitable for local adaptation, or specific Ascension Island law is enacted. Employment legislation is a mixture of contract law and the Workmen's Protection Ordinance, which guarantees a contract, and obliges employers to provide free accommodation, medical cover, food (or a food allowance), and travel.

text: The Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 was made by HM the Queen and the Privy Council on 8 July and came into operation in September 2009.[9] The new constitution replaced the 1988 version and among other changes limited the Governor's powers, included a Bill of Rights, established independence of the judiciary and the public service, and designated the Governor of St Helena as, concurrently, the Governor for Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It ended the "dependency" status of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha on Saint Helena that had been in place, for administrative convenience, since 1922.[42]

text: Demographics[edit]

text: In the February 2016 census, 806 people were recorded living on Ascension Island, 556 from Saint Helena (nicknamed the "Saints"[43]) and 250 people of other nationalities.[1] RAF Ascension Island is made up of 17 staff. There has never been an indigenous population on the island.[44]

text: There are five settlements:

text:
Georgetown (the main civilian settlement and capital of the island)
Two Boats (a civilian village, with its school)
Cat Hill (the United States' main base on the island)
Traveller's Hill (Royal Air Force base)
Wideawake Airfield (with the Royal Air Force station).

text: Additionally, there are some cottages on Green Mountain, occasionally occupied by visitors, and the Residency, the official residence of the Administrator.

text: To enter Ascension Island, individuals need the Administrator's written permission. There is no permanent residence. A contract of employment is a requirement to stay on the island,[43] though short term visits by tourists are possible with prior approval. The British government has confirmed that there is no "right of abode" on Ascension Island.[45] As the local newspaper The Islander reported at the time,[46][47] it was raised by some former Council members and 4 expatriate employees that whilst it was agreed there was no right of abode, the authorities had previously indicated it would consider changing the law to allow the rights of abode and property purchase, but decided not to do so[48].

text: Society and culture[edit]

text: There are Scouting and Guiding groups on Saint Helena and Ascension Island. Scouting was established on Ascension Island in November 1973,[49] having been established on St Helena island in 1912.

text: Two Boats School is the only school on the island and provides education to all resident children aged 3–16.

text: Economy[edit]

text: The main economic activity on the island is centred on the military bases at Wideawake Airfield, and the BBC World Service's Atlantic Relay station. The Ministry of Defence estate and facilities are managed by the infrastructure support provider Interserve Defence. Serco runs the airport services and Sodexo provides catering and domestic facilities. A former feature of Ascension was a 70,000 tonne tanker permanently moored offshore that was operated by Maersk as a bulk fuel facility. In December 2002, this was replaced by an on-shore Petroleum Supply Depot under military management, with fuel still being delivered by a chartered tanker, the Maersk Rapier, which operates on an MOD resupply contract for both Ascension and the Falkland Islands every two months. Fuel for the island is transferred via a floating hose, which is connected to the on-shore depot at the island's pier head and to the ship at anchor.

text: The main export items are Ascension Island postage stamps, first issued in 1922, and, since 2010, commemorative coins (which are legal tender but non-circulating) and commercial fishing licences for long-line tuna fishing vessels operating to ICCAT quotas.

text: A secondary export is the international internet domain code .ac, which small UK educational colleges and science museums are favouring due to its similarity to .ac.uk, the domain code reserved for well-established UK educational institutions. In December 2013, Pirate Bay (one of the most well-known file piracy websites in the world) moved to .ac following the seizure of their .sx website.

text: Tourism and related industries[edit]

text: Until 2002, tourism was virtually non-existent because of the inaccessibility of the island to transport, the absence of guest accommodation and the need for a sponsor. Limited air travel has, however, been made available in recent years to the public by the RAF, and the Georgetown Obsidian Hotel and a number of guest cottages have been opened. All visitors are required to obtain an entry permit before travelling. Sport fishing is the main attraction for many of the visitors. The island also boasts what is sometimes called the worst golf course in the world.[50]

text: Communications[edit]

text: The island hosts many communications and relay stations, exploiting its mid-Atlantic position. Both the BBC and Cable & Wireless Worldwide (owned by Vodafone since 2012[51]) have communications posts there. The European Space Agency (ESA) also has a tracking station on the island that tracks the Ariane 5 and the Soyuz rockets shortly after their launch from Kourou in French Guiana.

text: Ascension has one local radio station and one relayed from St. Helena. It also receives broadcasts from the British Forces Broadcasting Service and television services for the US military.[9]

text: Ascension Island has the international calling code +247 and, from 1 June 2015 has 5 digit numbers (the old 4-digit number prefixed by the digit “6”).[52]

text: The island provided a base for a NASA communications dish during the space race in the mid-twentieth century.[12] The island was chosen due to its central location in the Atlantic. Sites were chosen due to their proximity to orbital paths – generally along the Equator.

text: Banking and currency[edit]

text: The Bank of St. Helena has a branch on the island; it holds an account with the UK's Lloyds Bank for the purposes of conducting money transfers with the rest of the world.[53] The currency on Ascension Island is the Saint Helena pound. Tristan da Cunha however uses the pound sterling rather than the Saint Helena pound. The coins of the Saint Helena pound specify that they are for use on both Saint Helena and Ascension Island, but with no mention of Tristan da Cunha. For more information on currency in the wider region, see Pound sterling in the South Atlantic and the Antarctic.

text: Transport[edit]

text: In 2003 the British and US governments signed the Wideawake agreement designed to allow a limited number of non-scheduled civilian aircraft to land on Ascension Island, under responsibility of the British government.[54][55]

text: Poor runway conditions at RAF Ascension Island led in April 2017 to the cancellation of twice-weekly flights from there to the UK (RAF Brize Norton) and to the Falkland Islands (RAF Mount Pleasant).

text: An Airbus A330 aircraft operated by AirTanker Services on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) carried out those flights, called the South Atlantic Air Bridge, although a limited number of commercial passenger tickets were available. Those flights now travel via Cape Verde.[56]

text: The RMS St. Helena ship is for now the only available option for civilians to travel to and from the island.[57] The vessel calls approximately once a month and links the island with St Helena and Cape Town.

text: While A330s are for now unable to land at the airport, the United States military continues to maintain a weekly flight between the island and Patrick Air Force Base in Florida for the use of its personnel only, while the (MV Ascension) supply ship regularly services US facilities.

text: A C17 for the UK's MoD lands there at Ascension once a month for its own personnel.[56]

text: There is no taxi service on the island and most visitors requiring transport hire a car. There are around 40 kilometres (25 mi) of roads on the island, all hard-surfaced.[9] Some of the surfacing used surplus tarmac from construction of the airstrip.[43] Traffic drives on the left.[43]


document_title: Bdellium

question_text: what is the meaning of bdellium in the bible

text: Bdellium

text: Composition[edit]

text: Bdellium consists of a water-soluble gum, a resin and an essential oil. The essential oil of Commiphora africana contains predominantly α-thujene, α- and β-pinene, and p-cymene.[1]

text: Uses[edit]

text: Bdellium is used in perfumery, as incense and in traditional medicine.[2] It is an adulterant of the more costly myrrh.

text: Name[edit]

text: Middle English, from Latin, from Greek βδέλλιον.

text: Commiphora africana resin is also known as African bdellium.[1]

text: History[edit]

text: Theophrastus is perhaps the first classical author to mention bdellium, if the report that came back from his informant in Alexander's expedition refers to Commiphora wightii: "In the region called Aria there is a thorn tree which produces a tear of resin, resembling myrrh in appearance and odour. It liquifies when the sun shines upon it."[3]

text: Plautus in his play Curculio refers to it. Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History (12:36), describes the best bdellium coming from Bactria (identified as Commiphora wightii[a]) as a "tree black in colour, and the size of the olive tree; its leaf resembles that of the oak and its fruit the wild fig", as well as bdellium coming from Nubia (identified as Commiphora africana). However, his descriptions[b] seem to cover a range of strongly perfumed resins. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, of the 2nd century CE, reports that bdella are exported from the port of Barbarice at the mouth of the Indus.[4] The Bactrian variety is known among Arabs as mokul.[5]

text: The bdellium referred to by Dioscorides as "the bdellium imported from Petra" (De Materia Medica, 1:80) is probably the resin of Hyphaene thebaica, a species of palm. The Arabs call it "Jewish bdellium."[5]

text: Bdellium is the common English translation in the Bible (Genesis 2:12; Numbers 11:7) for Hebrew bedolach. In both passages the Septuagint understands it as the name of some precious stone, as does Rashi, who interprets it as "a precious stone, crystal", and Saadiah Gaon, as "pearls". The Midrash gives two opinions. According to one, it is a precious stone, and according to the other the reference is to "the bedolaḥ of perfumers". In Genesis the Midrash decides in favor of the first interpretation because there it is associated with gold and onyx.[5] In Numbers, the reference to bdellium is in the context of the manna eaten by the Israelites in the wilderness, which is said to have "the color of bdellium" (Numbers 11:7).

text: In China, bdellium, known as an hsi hsiang or "Parthian aromatic", was among the varieties of incense that reached China either along the Silk Route from Central Asia, or by sea. Later an hsi hsiang was applied to an East Indian substitute, gum benzoin from Sumatra.[6]

text: Bdellium was an ingredient in the prescriptions of ancient physicians from Galen to Paul of Aegina, and in the Greater Kuphi.[7]

text: Isidore of Seville reports in his Etymologiae (XVII.viii.6) that bdellium comes from trees in India and Arabia, the Arabian variety being better as it is smooth, whitish and smells good; the Indian variety is a dirty black.[8]

text: Footnotes[edit]

text:
Jump up ^ The identification was to Commiphora roxburghii, a taxonomic synonym of C. wightii.
Jump up ^ "Next to Ariane is Bactriane, which produces the most esteemed kind of bdellium. The tree is of a black colour and of the size of an olive-tree. Its leaf resembles that of the oak, and its fruit that of the wild fig-tree. Bdellium itself is of the nature of a gum. Some call it brochon, others malacha, others again maldacon, but when it is black and rolled into a little ball it is known as hadrabolon. This substance ought to be transparent like wax, odoriferous, unctuous when crumbled, and bitter to the taste but without being at all acid. When used in sacred rites it is steeped in wine to increase its fragrance. It grows in Arabia and India as well as in Media and Babylon. Some persons call the bdellium which is brought to us by way of Media, peratic. It is more brittle than the other kinds, harder in the crust, and more bitter to the taste; the Indian kind is, on the other hand, moister and gummy, and is adulterated by means of the almond nut. The various other kinds are corrupted with the bark of scordastum, the tree of this name producing a gum which resembles bdellium. The adulterations of perfumes, let it be said once for all, are detected by their smell, by their colour, weight, taste, and by the action of fire. The Bactrian bdellium is dry and shining, and has numerous white spots, like finger-nails in shape. Besides, it should be of a certain weight than which it ought to be neither heavier nor lighter. The price of bdellium when quite pure is three denarii per pound." (Pliny the Elder, Natural History 12.19).

tag: ol


document_title: Bud, Not Buddy

question_text: where does bud travel in bud not buddy

question_tokens: where does bud travel in bud not buddy

text: Bud, Not Buddy

text:
Bud, Not Buddy

Front cover of Bud, Not Buddy.

Author
Christopher Paul Curtis

Country
United States

Language
English

Genre
Adult humor, Multicultural fiction, Historical fiction

Publisher
Delacorte Books for Adult Readers

Publication date

1999

Media type
Print (hardback & paperback)

Pages
245 pages

ISBN
0-385-32306-9

OCLC
40744296

LC Class
PZ7.C94137 Bu 1999

text: Bud, Not Buddy is a children's novel written by Christopher Paul Curtis, published in 1999. The book received the 2000 Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature. Christopher Paul Curtis was also recognized with the 2000 Coretta Scott King Award, an award given to outstanding African-American authors. Bud, Not Buddy was also recognized with the William Allen White Children's Book Award for grades 6-8. [1][2][3]

text: Bud Caldwell is a ten-year-old orphan, living in Flint, Michigan, in 1936. Since the death of his mother four years earlier, Bud has been living in an orphanage and had short stints in several foster homes. The few items he has left of his mother include a blanket, a bag of rocks, a photograph of his mother as a child, and flyers that show Herman E. Calloway and his jazz band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression.

text: Plot[edit]

text: The story opens with Bud being placed with a new foster family, the Amoses. Bud soon meets Todd Amos, their 12-year-old son, who teases him mercilessly and calls him Buddy. After a fight with Todd, Bud is forced to spend the night in the garden shed. In the shed, he mistakes a hornet nest for a vampire bat and hits the nest with a rake. This upsets the hornets and Bud gets stung. During his adrenaline rush, he breaks through the window of the shed.

text: After escaping the shed, Bud takes revenge on Todd by making him wet his bed by putting Todd's hand in warm water. He escapes and sleeps under a Christmas tree for the night. His friend Bugs wakes him up so they can go to the West.

text: Bud runs away with Bugs. They try to hop on a train, but Bud fails to make it and is left behind. Bud starts walking to go to Grand Rapids, Michigan. On the way, he meets Lefty Lewis, who gives him a ride in his car to Grand Rapids to find his father, as he calls him, Herman E. Calloway. He stays with Lefty for a short while, then leaves to find his father.

text: Bud later discovers that Herman E. Calloway is his grandfather when he meets the band. The band treats Bud with kindness, but Herman treats Bud with great animosity. Bud delivers the news that Bud's mom, Angela, is dead. This brings great grief to Herman.

text: The story ends with Bud receiving a horn from the band, and Bud thinks he will have a bright future. It also ends with Bud finding out that the dead girl's room that he sleeps in was his mother's room.

text: Stage adaptation[edit]

text: Bud, Not Buddy was adapted for the stage by Reginald Andre Jackson[4] for Black History Month, in Fremont, California. The production premiered in 2006 at the Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center. It has been produced several times, including at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Main Street Theatre in Houston, the University of Michigan-Flint and Children's Theatre of Charlotte Jackson's adaptation was published by Dramatic Publishing in 2009. It won the Distinguished Play Award (Adaptation) from The American Alliance for Theatre and Education in 2010.[4]

text: Children's literature portal

text:
Awards

Preceded by
Holes
Newbery Medal recipient
2000
Succeeded by
A Year Down Yonder

Preceded by
Heaven
Coretta Scott King Author Award
2000
Succeeded by
Miracle's Boys

Preceded by
Holes
Winner of the
William Allen White Children's Book Award
Grades 6–8
2002
Succeeded by
Dovey Coe