text:
SIR JOHN PERCIVAL VISSING MADSEN FAA (24 March 1879 – 4 October 1969) was an Australian academic, physicist, engineer, mathematician and Army officer. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

This history of JPVM's[8] activities in Australian science & engineering covers the period 1900–1956 during which applications of electricity, X-ray analysis, standardised measurements for production, radio propagation, radar & radio astronomy, nuclear physics & digital computers made tremendous progress in part due to major advances in fundamental research & also the heightened activity due to two world wars. Central to these activities largely carried out at Sydney University, was the Electrical Engineering Department & the CSIRO National Standards Laboratory/ Radiophysics Laboratory (now The Madsen Building [9] in the University grounds.

Madsen's roles encompassed the positions of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Professor & Emeritus Professor from 1909 up to 1956 when he finally retired as Chairman of the Radio Research Board which he founded in 1927. Until 1946 Madsen was the first and only Professor of Electrical Engineering in any Australian University.

1900–1911

Professor Sir John Madsen (1879-1969)[10] graduated from Sydney University with first class honours & University Medals in both Science & Engineering in 1900 & then 1901 when he read physics & mathematics establishing the practice of taking the double degree of BSc & BE & he himself embarking on a lifelong career of applying physics to the foundations of engineering.

In 1901 he was appointed Lecturer in physics & mathematics at the University of Adelaide under W H Bragg with whom he established a close association over many years & this soon led in 1902 to the opportunity to become the first Lecturer in Electrical Engineering at the University. In the latter part of 1902 during a period of leave of absence & at his own expense he proceeded on a tour through England & America to gain information on the most recent methods of instruction in Electrical Engineering adopted by the Universities & Higher technical Colleges & at the same time visiting as many as possible of the most important installations and manufacturing businesses. He found that the general type of course was much the same throughout consisting of groundwork in mathematics, physics & chemistry where courses were over three or four years with the specialisation in Electric Engineering taking place during the latter portion. A thesis dealing with some approved portion of work & written up during the vacations was also required from the student & on completion of the course the recognised practice for these men was to take up employment with a reputable manufacturing firm. Experience gained in this way was most essential as men are put through all the departments after which they stay in the one in which they intend to specialise dealing at that time with the further subdivision of Direct & Continuous current. The equipment for teaching in England was considered sufficient for teaching being of small size & less expensive whereas in America there was a tendency towards using large machines with large currents & high EMFs where the methods of handling are considerably different. In the case of smaller plant more responsibility can be taken by a student & this assists the student in gaining confidence in the handling of experiments. On completion of the degree the graduate was accepted by the IEE as sufficient qualification for their associateship & then it became most essential to obtain experience on the Continent, England or America before taking up a permanent position. From time to time openings in large manufacturing works in America, England & Germany became available for graduates.

[Fishing at Palm Beach with a large jewfish]Commencing in 1905 Sydney University was to appoint its first Lecturer in Electrical Engineering & JPVM[11] applied wishing to get married & be employed back at Sydney University. WHB wrote a very favourable testimonial & concluded that he would be very sorry if it assists JPVM's departure from Adelaide. The Chancellor of the University of Adelaide also expressed great regret at the possibility of JPVM leaving Adelaide & referred to his ability as an able & hard working man of unimpeachable character who had proved himself a successful teacher & Lecturer inspiring his students with his own enthusiasm. E. Kilman Scott from England however was given the appointment for four years & so in fact JPVM did remain in Adelaide for the next four years & in conjunction with his Electrical Engineering duties embarked on a period of fundamental research in physics with WHB.

WHB had greatly improved his skills in giving public lectures & science demonstrations during his time in Adelaide but at the relatively old age of 42 was inspired by Rutherford's work to give a Presidential address to the AAAS meeting to be held in Dunedin in 1904 which set out his research ideas on the ionization of gases. The discovery of X-rays by Rontgen in 1895, radium in 1898 by the Curies & the electron by J J Thomson in 1897 had created fertile ground for research work in physics which WHB then started to devise experiments & at the same time develop theoretical ideas to support his results. In 1905 JPVM joined with WHB in his experiments & then later publishing his own experiments up to 1909, & in particular a paper on the Scattering of Beta Rays of Radium published in England in the Phil Mag. One of the results of great significance from this experiment with thin foils of gold, aluminium, silver & paper was that for the thinnest of foils the beta particles passing through were only scattered once, the implication to Rutherford of this was that within the atom there was a lot of empty space. Rutherford in 1911 published a very famous paper on the Scattering of Alpha & Beta particles & the Structure of the Atom the Rutherford Model as a mini solar system or nuclear atom in which he mentions JPVM's results. JPVM also wrote to Nature on matters arising from his experiments which he considered to be of significance.

In 1909 WHB & family departed Adelaide for England & JPVM returned to Sydney University with his family & in an effort to keep JPVM abreast of research mainly in England & Germany, WHB wrote lengthy letters from Leeds also making arrangements for a new large & very expensive supply of Radium from Braunschweig funded to JPVM by a wealthy tobacco merchant. W H Bragg & J P V Madsen Collaboration & Correspondence. It is not known what further experiment JPVM was working on in Sydney with his new supply of Radium however the results were not as expected & when finished he passed the Radium on to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for medical use. In 1912 W H B published a book “Studies in Radioactivity” in which he gives a full account of JPVM's Beta Scattering apparatus with an Ionization chamber & also his results for Aluminium & Gold foils. In late 1912 WHB also invented his X-ray ionization diffraction spectrometer which also involved the electronic measurement of scattered wave material having passed through crystals which contributed significantly to his receipt, with son Lawrence W L Bragg, of the 1915 Nobel Prize in physics.

1912–1918

In May 1912 in a President's Address to the University of Sydney Engineering Society JPVM[12] set out his ideas on the effective manner in which Engineers should be trained. He believed teaching of engineering was more than just technical matters & to his mind included character, clearness of thought & expression, general knowledge, tastes, discipline & contact with men of vastly different interests. There should be a liberal arrangement of the syllabus by doing away with individual years & place only a minimum limit of four years on the course so that the student can take as long as he pleased with certain essential subjects leaving a certain number as options. He did not believe that the Matriculation test in languages & literature was essential for entrance to an Engineering course. The course of instruction needs to be geared to Australian needs with more emphasis on applications compared to finer points of design. A sound quantitative knowledge of portions of science which directly concern his professional work should be provided. The system of training is to consist of a clear exposition of the fundamental principles of science & then a study of the methods of application of these principles. As soon as the principles are understood in a general way then he must be then shown the practical application-there is a tendency to remember the applications & forget the principles. Such a defect can arise if students are given principles in one course & it is then left for him to deal with applications at a later stage. There is also a need for short graduate courses of 6-10 lectures. The need for an Australian physical Measurements Laboratory such as in Germany, London, Washington & Japan was raised at this time.

In 1914 in his Presidential Address to the Electrical Association of NSW JPVM again raised the need for Australia to participate in international comparisons of physical measurements & pointed to the role in Germany where the Physicalische Reichsansalt had become a very important institution. In conclusion JPVM referred to the loss of service due to the death of George Westinghouse one of the pioneers of the electrical industry.

At the outbreak of WW1 JPVM had been Captain of the Sydney University Rifle club & although he volunteered for active service was retained as the Chief Instructor & Officer Commanding the Commonwealth Engineer Officers Training School at Moore Park & then Roseville. The trainees at the School were all selected men with high engineering qualifications & courses of instruction were adapted to suit the requirements of these men. He was a tiger for physical fitness & maintained a mixture of hard discipline during work periods & at other times a smiling ease & warm friendliness.

Beyond 1914 – The University of Sydney and the Great War[13]

1920–1938

In 1920 JPVM[14] was appointed to the Chair of Electrical Engineering at Sydney University & until 1946 remained the first & only professor of Electrical Engineering in an Australian University. In the Engineering Year Book of 1926 it was noted by students that it was the beginning of Third Year that they met JPVM & his subject of Electrical Engineering & his untiring energy is what really instilled in our minds the true idea of efficient work. His lectures are more effective than any others we get, due probably to his clear & concise idea of the usual pitfalls for young students of electricity & the saving grace of first principles as opposed to details. To him alone, we owe whatever slight conception we have of the importance of filthy lucre & “corsts” in engineering undertakings.

In 1926 the Council for Scientific Research- CSIR- was formed by Stanley Bruce the Australian Prime Minister & public submissions were called to consider which areas of research should be followed. JPVM made two submissions on the same day at the hearings in Melbourne, the first dealing with the establishment of an Australian Radio Research Board and then the establishment of a National Standards Laboratory. All the other submissions which were made were for primary industry programmes. The proposal to form the Australian RRB was adopted at this time to be funded by CSIR, the Department of Defence & the PMG & to work on similar lines to the British RRB under Robert Watson Watt. In 1926 many of the techniques of radio propagation were still unknown & the development of long distant communication & broadcasting were still empirical, however in England & America a more fundamental scientific approach was evolving with spectacular results. At this time in Australia problems limiting full use of the medium were assuming importance in Australia. As Chairman of the newly formed RRB JPVM travelled overseas to America where he attended an URSI-International Union of Radio Science conference in Washington & then to Britain & the continent obtaining relevant information on Radio Research & also Standards Laboratories even though that proposal was not to be taken up by CSIR until ten years later. In London JPVM arranged a selection panel consisting of Rutherford, Appleton & Tizard to recommend three staff to be appointed for three year terms to come out to Sydney & Melbourne Universities to follow on from research programmes initiated in England on atmospherics & the ionosphere. Despite the economic stringencies of the Depression the work of the Board in both areas achieved worldwide recognition by 1935 & the valuable contributions made were provided freely. Of particular note was the work of Dr. A L Green who came out from England following work with Appleton on the existence of the E & F regions of the upper atmosphere & carried out a polarizing experiment using the 2BL transmitter in Sydney with his own receiving equipment at Jervis Bay, south of Sydney. In 1930 Green confirmed the prediction of Appleton & J A Ratcliffe that the polarization of the downcoming waves in the southern hemisphere would be right handed when the downcoming waves travelled in the opposite direction to the earth's field. The work on atmospherics using recorders improved on the designs from Watson Watt provided useful information in Victoria, NSW & Queensland on broadcasting conditions encountered but the solution found was based on the quarter wavelength transmitter. In 1935 JPVM delivered an address at the University of Queensland which gave a very thorough summary of the results of the RRB dealing with the Ionosphere & its Influence upon the propagation of radio waves & considered the effects explained by the Magneto-Ionic Theory. One of the first research workers of the RRB was J L Pawsey who undertook a master's degree programme working with George Munro in Melbourne on atmospherics & after completing a PhD in Cambridge under J A Ratcliffe & working with EMI in England returned to Australia at the start of the war to work in Radiophysics on radar & others such as D F Martyn were similarly drawn in to form the nucleus of this vital work. In 1930 Sydney University commenced a course on Electrical Communications whose participants contributed to a growing electronics industry in Sydney.

In 1931 JPVM delivered a lecture to celebrate the life & work of Michael Faraday and the applications of his discovery of electro-magnetic induction. Faraday was one of the greatest experimental scientists working both in the fields of physics & chemistry. In his original notes Faraday describes his " experiments upon the production of electricity from magnetism". These experiments showed that electrical currents were induced in electrically conducting circuits when they were moved relatively to magnetic fields. One of the immediate results of this discovery was the recognition of an effective means of utilising the principle of transformation of energy from mechanical to electrical form. The converse transformation of energy from electrical to mechanical form had been demonstrated by Oersted & Ampere in 1820 & in 1821. Faraday had performed an experiment which showed how this principle could be applied to the production of the electric motor. By accepting Faraday's principles Maxwell, Kelvin & Hertz extended & developed scientific knowledge. Also it should be mentioned that in 1839 French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the principle of the photovoltaic effect involving the conversion of solar energy into electrical energy. At age 19 experimenting in his father's Antoine Becquerel laboratory he created the world's first photovoltaic cell. In this experiment silver chloride was placed in an acidic solution & illuminated while connected to platinum electrodes, generating voltage & current. The pioneers of science prior to this time had largely been involved with advances in astronomy which JPVM's father, Hans Frandsen Madsen had shown an interest in when he delivered a paper to the Royal Society of NSW in 1886 on the hand polishing & silvering of 18 inch glass specula.

In 1937, in no small measure due to the concern of the expansion of Japan in Korea & China, a report of a Secondary Industries Testing Committee of which JPVM was a member led to the setting up of a National Standards Laboratory within CSIR consisting of sections of Metrology, Physics & Electrotechnology. Sydney University agreed to the Laboratory being located in its grounds with JPVM the Chairman of the overseeing Board. The information considered was found by JPVM to be substantially the same as he had obtained ten years before including the facility used by Japan. Construction of the Laboratory did not commence until the latter part of 1939 & followed plans supplied by the National Physical Laboratory NPL Teddington. In 1928 in a paper to the Institution of Engineers JPVM referred to the practical difficulties of deriving from the absolute units of centimetre, gramme & second units such as temperature, Candle-power & electrical units. At this time the wavelength of the red cadmium line was under investigation as a universal reference for length. The expensive auxiliary equipment needed to make comparisons was seen as being far more involved than just procuring standards or their copies. The use of slip gauges or block gauges was to become of great importance to NSL in 1939 when these gauges could not be obtained from England or America & had to be made by NSL. In July 1937 Rutherford wrote to JPVM in part advising that: “My friend Wimperis is, I believe, visiting New Zealand and Australia shortly in connection with the Air Ministry. I hope you will have an opportunity of meeting him. He is a thoroughly sound fellow and a good friend of mine. We have played many a game of golf together”. Harry Wimperis was closely involved with Henry Tizard in 1934 in initiating the British RDF (radar) effort as a means to defeat the expected bomber raids from Germany. Wimperis had been invited by the Australian Government to advise on setting up an Aeronautical industry in Australia as a defence measure & one result was that JPVM arranged for Sydney University to set up a chair in Aeronautical Engineering. In a private conversation with JPVM in Melbourne during this visit Wimperis tacitly acknowledged that Britain was working on a radio based method of detecting aircraft.

1939–1945

Because of the possibility that Britain could be overrun by the Germans in the event of war, Britain decided in January 1939 to share its RDF secrets with Commonwealth Countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand & South Africa). S M Bruce the Australian High Commissioner in London sent a request for an Australian physicist to be sent to gather the available secret information & obtain samples of the equipment. D F Martyn was sent & returned to Australia in July 1939 & JPVM as Chairman of the Radio Research Board drew up a Radiophysics plan for research & production arrangements for submission to the Australian Government.

[The Australian War Memorial Histories of the Australian involvement with radar[15] & standards[16] in WW2 are dealt with comprehensively by David Mellor in the “Role of Science and Industry” series.[17]]

[At Australia House London June 1941 dressed for his knighthood dubbing]In August 1939 at a meeting in Canberra with Prime Minister R G Menzies , David Rivett, JPVM,[18] D F Martyn & senior Defence Staff, approval was given to build a Radiophysics Laboratory (RPL) in the Sydney University grounds as an extension of the NSL building then under construction so as to not draw attention to the nature of the secret work to be undertaken. JPVM was appointed Chairman of the overseeing Radiophysics Advisory Board & was responsible for aligning the requirements of the services with the ideas & developments of the scientific staff. The RPL functioned as a Division of CSIR & its initial staff were appointed based on their previous RRB experience or experience in the fledgling radio industry firms of the previous decade & later as more scientists were needed they came directly from universities if they had high frequency experience.

Professor V Bailey in the Sydney University Physics Department conducted a training programme for junior radar officers who were to serve with the RAAF & RAN. Several hundred officers were trained this way & have affectionately become known as “Bailey Boys”.

Initially it was the Australian Army which showed greatest interest in radar for controlling shore or harbour defence guns whilst the air force was principally interested in airborne ASV radar. The valve requirements for these radars was the key & the VT90 valve producing 1.5 metre wavelength (200 mc/s) was used for pulse generation which provided great economy. The RPL development of aerial duplexing (i.e. the antennae acts both as transmitter & receiver) was based on the invention of a very fast & reliable transmit/receive switch by RPL staff. In England in 1940 the invention of the resonant cavity magnetron by Randall & Boot in the laboratory of Mark Oliphant, at wavelength of 10 cm revolutionised allied radar & was taken to America in August 1940 as part of the Tizard Mission. As an extension of 10 cm developments for Australia, JPVM arranged through R G Casey the new Australian ambassador in Washington for him to establish a scientific liaison officer mainly to keep in contact with rapid developments at the Radiation Laboratory MIT & commercial firms involved such as Bell Labs. In return Australia was to assist US forces in radar matters when required which after commencement of hostilities with Japan became extremely urgent.[19]

In August 1941 F W G White had initiated an air warning programme in Radiophysics. The main developments in Australian radar after Pearl Harbour involved the lightweight principle which was used in the design of the LW/AW (Lightweight Air Warning) set & the GCI (Ground Control Intercept) sets essential for operations in New Guinea & beyond in the SWPA theatre. The sudden fall of [Singapore-radar|Singapore] on 15 February 1942 created an even greater sense of urgency in providing air warning for vital Australian centres. JPVM resigned as Chairman of the RAB in July 1942 as he felt someone with more production experience was required rather than his research background but he attended all Board meetings until the end of the war. When Karl Compton of OSRD visited Australia in 1944 particular mention was made that the Australian Operations Research Group had been set up on JPVM's instigation based on information obtained by him from Patrick Blackett whilst in England. Near the end of the war Australian LW/AW radars in the hands of Macarthur's forces were slated to be used in Operation Olympic which was the plan in development to invade the three valleys of southern Kyushu in Japan. Australian developed Doppler radar would have been very useful in these conditions.

On 21 August 1945 shortly after the end of WW2, JPVM was elected Chairman of the Australian National Research Council & a special subcommittee of five physicists including JPVM was formed to prepare recommendations to the Australian Government on the practical engineering applications that needed solution since the principle of liberation of atomic energy had now been discovered. Six recommendations were advised to Prime Minister J B Chifley on December 3, 1945 the first of which was that the Australian Government should convey to the British Government the desire that Australia should play an appropriate part in plans which may be developed by the British Government for further research in nuclear physics. A recommendation was made to secure control of uranium and thorium[20] deposits & promote active search for new deposits & also that accredited physicists be sent from Australia to England to obtain necessary information or invite a senior member of the British Scientific team to visit Australia & advise the Commonwealth Government. J B Chifley replied in a letter of February 14, 1946 advising that the Government had already received substantially similar recommendations from CSIR & that action had been taken on the first two recommendations & that in due course a satisfactory programme concerning development of nuclear energy for industrial purposes in Australia would be developed.

1946–1956

[A group photo in 1950 at Sydney University of the Australian Organising committee preparatory to the URSI conference in 1952]The Royal Society organised a three-week Empire Scientific Conference to be held in June–July 1946 with conferences in London, Oxford & Cambridge. Two further weeks were then arranged for more official government decision making. The delegates to the Royal Society Conference included UK (38), Canada (15), Australia (9), India (14), New Zealand (4), South Africa (7), West Indies (4), Southern Rhodesia (5) as well as Eire & East Africa. The 9 Australian delegates were led by David Rivett FRS of CSIR. & included JPVM[21] who did not deliver any papers but did propose that a Secretariat be formed which would prepare the ground for the first meeting of a Commonwealth Standards body. The Conference was opened by H M The King on Monday June 17 at 11.00 am at the Beveridge Hall of the Senate House, University of London. The UK delegates, mainly FRS, included E Appleton, P M S Blackett, J Chadwick, Lord Cherwell , J D Cockcroft, C Darwin,& Henry Tizard.

Before the war ended Radiophysics in CSIR & the RRB were initiating programmes dealing with the upper atmosphere & operational RAAF radar stations were at times in their routines making recorded observations of atmospheric anomalies. J L Pawsey commenced work on radio astronomy & at the cessation of hostilities a vast supply of surplus radar equipment became available for use in this area.

In 1946 Trevor Pearcey-Csiropedia who had emigrated from Britain in late 1945 & joined Radiophysics started on a design of a stored programme digital computer & its construction in 1947–48 was financed in part at least by the recommendation of JPVM. In August 1951 a Conference on Automatic Computing Machines was held at Sydney University chaired by the now Emeritus Professor Sir John Madsen at which Douglas Hartree from England delivered papers in conjunction with David Myers from Sydney University on Analogue Computing & Trevor Pearcey on CSIR Mk1.& this was one of the first in the world to be displayed this way. The 1951 Conference is regarded as the start of a separate computing profession in Australia & the papers Proceedings of the Conference whilst mainly technical, form the basis of work for decades to follow. A summary of the main discussions indicate by JPVM that up to this point computing had been considered to be a sub discipline of mathematics.

In recognition of the outstanding Australian radio work done in the previous 25 years as acknowledged by E Appleton the President of URSI the Xth General Assembly was held at Sydney University in August 1952. In 1950 the Australian National Research Council requested that the next URSI General Assembly be held in Australia & thus became the first of any scientific unions to hold a meeting outside of Europe & America . Due to the distance of Australia from the northern hemisphere the Australian Government & some local companies subsidised airfares of some important delegates so that they could attend rather than come by boat. JPVM was Chairman of the Australian Organising Committee & was also elected President of the Xth Assembly. Of particular interest to Australia were papers presented to the Radio Astronomy Commission dealing with the 21 cm hydrogen line including work by W N Christiansen & J L Pawsey with the use of his principle of interferometry.

In 1956 there was great concern in the West that Russia had taken a significant lead in scientific training of its engineers following the detonation of its hydrogen bomb soviet atomic bomb project & the soon to follow Sputnik 1. To address the situation in Australia JPVM published a paper through Sydney University setting out recommendations for manpower requirements in the scientific era touching greatly on his own experience of the previous 50 years of promoting engineering with science. In the post war period to the end of the twentieth century there was a significant change in emerging technology policies moving from a mainly government sponsored “supply” side environment to a business orientated “demand” side market."

[1]  first published in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, (MUP), 1986

[2] John Percival Vissing Madsen, sydney.edu.au

[3] John Percival Vissing Madsen, Kt, DSc, FAA, Australian Academy of Science

[4]  originally published in Records of the Australian Academy of Science, vol.2, no.1, 1970.

[5] John Percival Vissing Madsen 1879–1969, Brightsparcs, unimelb.edu.au, originally published in Records of the Australian Academy of Science, vol 2, no 1, Nov 1970.

[6] Madsen, John Percival Vaissing, (Sir) (1879–1969), Trove

[7]  _Chairman of the Radio Research Board_

[8] Biographical entry from Encyclopedia of Australian Science http://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000614b.htm

[9] Madsen Building listed as a heritage place at NSW Government Office Environment and Heritage website http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=4726029

[10] Australian Academy of Science Biographical Memoirs of Deceased Fellows http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/aasmemoirs/madsen.htm

[11]

[12]

[13] http://beyond1914.sydney.edu.au/profile/5220/john-percival-vissing-madsen Beyond 1914 is an extensive, searchable database of biographies and archival information about members of the University of Sydney community involved in the First World War.

[14]

[15] Chapter 19 - Radar from Second World War Official Histories https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1417472

[16] Chapter 7 - Standards and Standardisation from Second World War Official Histories https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1417702

[17] The Role of Science and industry by D.P. Mellor from National Library of Australia http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/10079476?q&versionId=32000080

[18]

[19] Macarthur’s Anglo – Australian radar http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/37020.html

[20] “Thorium in Australia” research paper from Parliament of Australia website http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/RP0708/08rp11

[21]

title: John Madsen (physicist)

question: When was Sir John Percival Vissing Madsen born?

answer: 24 March 1879.

question: What did John Madsen do?

answer: He was an academic, physicist, engineer, mathematician and Army officer.

question: What nationality did John Madsen hold?

answer: Austrailian.

question: What positions did Madsen hold?

answer: Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Professor & Emeritus Professor.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Sir John Percival Vissing Madsen, an Australian physicist and lecturer at universities in the early 20th century.


split: train

text:
Spring Branch Independent School District board of trustees will hold the second of two public hearings about the budget for the 2015-16 school year at an upcoming board meeting, after which there will be a vote to adopt the budget.

The proposed budget includes an average 3 percent pay increase for all 4,623 employees, not including substitutes or temporary employees, pays about $700,000 for the addition of 13 prekindergarten aides, keeps the property-tax rate steady but comes up almost $10 million short on revenues.

Under the preliminary budget, expenditures total $286.5 million, of which almost $247 million will go toward payroll. The pay increase will cost $5.7 million.

Another $39 million will go toward contracted services, while $307,011 will cover the debt service and $215,100 will be used for capital expenses.

Overall, expenditures are up by $8.4 million on the current year. Other additional expenses include the establishment of teacher fellowships and the expansion of the SKY Program to high school.

The fellowships are designed to provide professional development and attract teachers to the district to support the T-2-4 plan, an ambitious goal to double the number of students within a five-year period completing two or four-year college, technical training or a stint in the military.

Launched in 2012, the SKY Partnership is an initiative between SBISD, Kipp Houston Public Schools and YES Prep Public Schools to expand opportunities for middle and high school students. KIPP Courage was established at Landrum Middle School, and Yes Prep Northbrook was established at Northbrook Middle School. Those students can now continue at the new program at Northbrook High School starting in August.

Total revenues stand at $276.5 million. Some $277.4 million will come from property taxes, $14 million will come from the state and $21.5 million from other sources.

However, $36.3 million will go back to the state under the state's funding system, which district administrators have called unsustainable.

State funding for Spring Branch has decreased over recent years as property-tax revenues have increased, and this year is no exception.

The total taxable value in Spring Branch ISD is estimated to be $27,567,771,496 for next school year. That compares to last year's $24,354,576,875.

Though property-tax revenues are projected to jump by 13.2 percent, according to the Harris County Appraisal District, the state will take a bigger cut under what is called recapture. Recapture comes into play if the wealth per student goes above a certain threshold.

Karen Wilson, associate superintendent for finance, said the taxable values are particularly high this year.

"But they don't go up forever," she said. "They go in cycles."

To close the budget deficit, Wilson said the district will dip into the fund balance, funds set aside for cash-flow purposes and unexpected expenditures. However, she said as the 2015-16 school year progresses, the deficit should come down.

The ending fund balance under the preliminary budget is projected to be around $44 million.

The property tax rate will remain at $1.3945 per $100 valuation, $1.09 of which is for maintenance and operations and .3045 for debt service.

The first public hearing about the budget was held May 18. No one commented.

The second budget hearing and board meeting is at 6:30 p.m. June 22 at the Wayne F. Schaper, Sr. Leadership Center, 955 Campbell Road.

The board is expected to adopt the tax rate in September. Visit www.springbranch.com for details.

question: What is the average percent increase proposed in the new budget?

answer: A 3 per cent increase

question: What is the name of the school district?

answer: Spring Branch Independent School District

question: How much are expenditures up by?

answer: $8.4 million

question: How much money will cover the debt services?

answer: $307, 011

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The increased budget at Spring Branch Independent School District is discussed and what the expenditures will be there is explained.


text:
		Thinking about her makes him want to split his head open. The image of her, undecidedly staring at him, after he confessed his feelings, just won’t leave his head. He tosses and turns, unable to sleep. The sweat beads in his palms and forehead causing the sheets to become balmy, making them even more comfortable.  As he tries to pull on his short wiry hair, the moment plays in his mind over and over.

		He remembered how he committed to it as if he was going over a cliff. Yet, as he struggled to walk to her, the ground felt thick, like drying concrete. It was  balmy summer day and it made her curly dirty blonde hair shimmer. He could see even the kinks and the broken strands as light danced off of them. Yet, his mind was so focused that he couldn’t remember what she was talking about.  When she noticed him, he could feel his entire body became heavy, even though it was trembling.

		But he had come too far. Like staring down a ski run that seems impossible, he knew the only way to go was forward, and he choked the words out,

		“I like you. I think your beautiful. Please go to prom with me.”

		“...
...
ok?
...”

Yet he could see the look of terror and discomfort in her face. Her friends’ faces bursted, and they could not contain their giggles. He didn’t remember how much time had passed, but next minute or two were of awkward silence. She was too surprised and taken back to respond, and he swallowed every word he could muster to the bottom of his stomach. The bell rang and she scampered away, giggling and gossiping with her friends. Her wonderful shimmering hair becoming brown as she went inside, and disappeared in the crowd.

		Later that day he would be told that she already had a date. Furthermore, he would learn that everyone had known what had happened. Tomorrow would come and he’d be the laughing stock of the school. But it didn’t matter, his heart had been ripped out. Even now, as he tosses and turns...crunches and stretches...over and over, he still feels the not in his stomach it. Trying to calm himself, he counts his breaths, letting his body become still and his eyelids heavy.

		But to no avail. In a fit of frustration, he tears off his sheets. He wants to take his mind off of the real world. He wants to escape. And he boots up his favorite video game--figuring that slashing skull pirates and traversing dungeons will make him forget. He plays for hours on end, not noticing the time that is passing, or worrying about waking up late. Finally he slays the giant spider and defeats the dungeon.

		As he is returning the magic crystals to the princess he notices her hair also shimmers in the sun. Yet it is perfect, long, and silky. Not a strand is broken or kinked. She has a radiance that can be felt for miles. Even when bowing, his face to the ground as he presents the magic crystals, he can feel it. Still she is fair and humble when she addresses him.

		“Arise my hero. You have fought valiantly, saved my people several times, yet we nay know the land you come from.”

		She bends over, lightly grabs his cheeks, and kisses his forehead. However, she notices something this time.

		“ Yet today, oh brave one, something is troubling you. Is it not.”

		He knows she can see inside his heart. It is not surprising, her being a royalty, and magical.

		“ Well...yeah there is. But I don’t think you’d understand.”

		She smiles warmly, still holding his cheek.

		“ Please indulge me. I cannot repay the great debt my kingdom owes you but, if I can heal the scars in your heart, it might come close.”

		He grasps her hands and returns them to her and stares out to the kingdom. 15 minutes have passed and the sun is now setting. The entire sky is filled with orange clouds. Soon it becomes night time and a the stars, mere single pixels, flicker in the sky.

		He sighs, “ There is a girl, actually just like you. In fact, even though she isn’t perfect, she is more beautiful. Today, I told her just that fact.”

		“Oh well then she must have jumped into your arms.Many a lady long for you to sweep them off their feet.”

		“Actually she didn’t say anything….she probably thinks I’m a dork.”

		“.....may I take your pardon….a dork?”

		“She doesn’t feel the same way about me, ok. I’m nothing to her.”

		“ Oh hero. Be thine under a spell? Everyone in this kingdom knows you are as noble as they come. And we are lucky to have you.”

		He shakes his head and tosses discards his sword. It lands perfectly straight in the ground as it always does, before blinking and appearing once again in his scabbard.

		“ But you don’t understand ...Here I might be a hero, but I’m reall just a normal teenager. There is nothing special about me.”

		“Again you speak lies!”

		“I’m telling the truth...this isn’t even real. You’re not real!”

		“ I hear it not, nor do I accept, oh destined one. I implore you, please heed my words.”

		He merely stares at her. Too exhausted to respond.

		“While we know of your bravery and your heroism. It is not for this reason that you are loved. We see the kindness and generosity in your heart. I see it, even now. And I don’t need magic. If this other princess is blind to your soul, than she is not fair.”

		She embraces him.

                        “ You are a good person and more than deserving of affection that is as real as you say I am not.”

 		Those words echo in his head that morning. And, although he is haunted by her face her words give him strength. Everyone at school has probably heard of what happened yesterday. He sees them sneak stares and hide their laughter, but he is more than  aware. Walking through the hallways, he feels naked and exposed. It is if a thousand eyes watch and scrutinize his every step.

	Then he sees her. And he freezes. And time stops. But he starts it back up again. He pushes, shoves, and inches is way toward her. And even though people are taking out their cell phones and crowding around them, he doesn’t care. At this moment, when every fiber in his body fights him, with only his will to push him forward, he wonders if this is what bravery really is. He sits next to her and without hesitation ….

		“You know. I meant everything I said, and the offer still stands.”

		He can hear the murmurs and the beeps of videos being recorded.

		She lifts her head, letting her curls fall down her face and wisp her freckles, and grabs his hand.

		“ I’m sorry  I can’t.”

		….while smiling….

“ But we can still talk… oh hero….”

{\*~~~~*/}

title: The princess

question: Write a ~0 sentence summary.


text:
THE SPRIG OF THYME, THE SEEDS OF LOVE, MAIDEN’S LAMENT, GARNERS GAY, LET NO MAN STEAL YOUR THYME or RUE (Roud #3) is a traditional British and Irish folk ballad that uses botanical and other symbolism to warn young people of the dangers in taking false lovers. The song was first documented in 1689[1] and the many variants go by a large number of titles.

History

_The Seeds of Love_, sung by the gardener John England, was the first folksong legendary folklorist Cecil Sharp ever collected while he was staying with Charles Marson, vicar of Hambridge, Somerset, England, in 1903[2]. Maud Karpeles wrote about this occasion in her 1967 autobiography:

  _Cecil Sharp was sitting in the vicarage garden talking to Charles Marson and to Mattie Kay, who was likewise staying at Hambridge, when he heard John England quietly singing to himself as he mowed the vicarage lawn. Cecil Sharp whipped out his notebook and took down the tune; and then persuaded John to give him the words. He immediately harmonised the song; and that same evening it was sung at a choir supper by Mattie Kay, Cecil Sharp accompanying. The audience was delighted; as one said, it was the first time that the song had been put into evening dress._[3]

Synopsis

In one version of _Maiden’s Lament_,[4] the narrator tells her audience to keep their gardens fair and not to let anyone steal their thyme. Once, she had a sprig of thyme but a gardener’s son came with a red rose, a blue violet and some bitter rue. He stole the thyme and left only rue, with its “running root”, growing in its place. Her parents were angry but she will cut the head off the rose and plant a willow for all to see. There is many a “dark and cloudy morn brings forth a pleasant day” and “there are fine boats sailing here”.

In a version of _Let No Man Steal Your Thyme_,[5] she wishes she were in her lover’s arms but she tells false men not to give her cause to complain about the grass underfoot being “trodden down” – in time, it will rise again.

In some versions of _Garners Gay_,[6] the narrator plucks up all rue and plants a sturdy oak in its place with the hope that it will grow strong and remain as true as the stars do to the sky.

Other plants are mentioned in other versions.

Commentary

The representative symbolism is as follows:[7]

-   “Thyme” – virginity and, to an extent, time.
-   “Red Rose” – romantic love, lust or “wanton passion”
-   “Violet” – modesty
-   “Willow” – sorrow and despair
-   “Rue” – regret
-   “Oak” – strength, loyalty

Recordings

-   Jean Redpath recorded “Rue” on her 1962 Prestige album “Skipping Barefoot Through the Heather”.
-   Anne Briggs recorded a version of _Let No Man Steal Your Thyme_ (1963), which is included on _A Collection_
-   Kathy and Carol recorded _A Sprig of Thyme_ for their 1965 album _Kathy and Carol_ (Elektra EKL-289).
-   Pentangle recorded “Let No Man Steal Your Thyme” on their 1968 debut _The Pentangle_.
-   Shelagh McDonald recorded “Let No Man Steal Your Thyme” on _Album_ (1970); the song was re-released on 2005's _Let No Man Steal Your Thyme_.
-   Foster and Allen recorded _A Bunch of Thyme_ as a single in 1979 and released an album of the same name in 1980.
-   Roberts and Barrand recorded “Garners Gay” on their 1983 _Live at Holstein's!_
-   Jim Moray performed _Seeds Of Love_ on his 2003 album _Sweet England_
-   Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker recorded “Let No Man Steal Your Thyme” on their 2014 album Nothing Can Bring Back The Hour.
-   Carey Mulligan and Michael Sheen performed a version of _Let No Man Steal Your Thyme_ in the 2015 film adaptation of _Far From The Madding Crowd_.
-   Cassie and Maggie MacDonald recorded “Let No Man Steal Your Thyme” on their 2016 recording “The Willow Collection”.

[1] _Let No Man Steal Your Thyme_

[2]

[3]

[4] _Maiden’s Lament_

[5]

[6] _Come All You Garners Gay_

[7] _Language of Flowers_

title: The Sprig of Thyme

question: What does the article say about the ballad The Seeds of Love?

answer: The Seeds of Love is a traditional British and Irish folk ballad that uses botanical and other symbolism to warn young people of the dangers of taking false lovers. It was the first folksong folklorist Cecil Sharp ever collected in 1903. The song was first documented in 1689.

question: What is the meaning of the metaphorical ballad 'Maiden’s Lament'?

answer: The ballad tells the audience to keep their gardens fair and not to let anyone steal their thyme. Once, a gardener’s son came with a red rose, a blue violet, and some bitter rue. He stole the thyme and left only rue. That means that the gardener's son took her virginity and left her and that she regrets it.

question: What does the article say about Cecil Sharp's education?


text:
Hearing the robbery, the helicopter pilot realised his friend, Thomas van Straubenzee, was in trouble and quickly drove to the crime scene in Battersea, south west London.

When he could not find Mr van Straubenzee he searched for him until his "intuition" took him to the local police station where his friend was reporting the mugging, it has been reported.

Mr van Straubenzee's BlackBerry mobile phone was taken during the street attack which happened on November 30 and a suspect was later arrested and bailed.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police are investigating an allegation of personal robbery which occurred at approximately 8.30pm on Wednesday, November 30 in Albert Bridge Road, SW11.

"A mobile phone was taken during the robbery. This allegation was taken seriously, as are all allegations of robbery.

"A man was arrested on Thursday, December 1 on suspicion of robbery and bailed to return in January 2012 pending further enquiries.

"Police from Wandsworth are investigating. The property has been recovered. (There were) no reports of any injuries.''

The 27-year-old Prince had reportedly given a witness statement to police.

A Clarence House spokesman said: "Prince Harry joined a friend at a police station in South London after his friend had reported a robbery.

"By the time Prince Harry arrived to be with his friend, the police investigation into the incident had already begun.

"The investigation is ongoing, so we cannot comment further."

Prince Harry recently returned from America where he was undertaking the final phases of his Apache helicopter training.

Mr van Straubenzee, who is also close friends with Prince William, first met Prince Harry at Ludgrove Prep School.

Mr van Straubenzee, also known as "Van", accompanied the Prince on his first official tour to New Zealand.

The princes are patrons of a memorial fund dedicated to Mr van Straubenzee's brother Henry, who was killed in a car crash in 2002.

question: Who

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Prince Harry realized his friend, Thomas van Straubenzee, was in trouble when he heard the news of the robbery on the radio live. He claimed that after searching for his friend, his intuition took him to the police station, where van Straubenzee was issuing a police report. He stated his phone had been stolen during the personal robbery which occurred at 8:30pm on November 30th on Albert Bridge Road. Police from Wandsworth said they were investigating. Prince Harry and van Straubenzee had met during their prep school years, during which the latter was also friends with Prince William, Harry's older brother.


text:
Lieutenant Colonel MUHAMMAD ABU ALI (August 15, 1980 – November 4, 2016) was Nigerian Army officer who Commanded the Army's 272 Tank Battalion. He was killed in an ambush by Boko Haram in Fatori, Borno State.[1]

Early life and education

Ali graduated from Command Secondary School, Jos Plateau State Nigeria, in 1997 and was admitted to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1998 as a member of the 50th Regular Course. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant into the Nigerian Army Armour Corps in September 2003.[2] His father is Brig-Gen Abu Ali, now the Etsu of Bassa-Nge Kingdom in Kogi State.[3]

Career

He participated in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), United Missions in Darfur (UNMO), and received an accelerated promotion from the rank of Major to Lieutenant Colonel, receiving a gallantry award by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai in September 2015.[4]

Chief of Army Staff award for exceptional bravery

Ali received the Chief of Army Staff award in Gamboru for exceptional bravery from Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai on September 9, 2015 for his role in the fight against Boko Haram.[5]

Death

Lt Col Abu Ali along with 6 other soldiers were ambushed and killed by Boko Haram on November 4, 2016. He was buried on November 7, 2016 at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja.[6]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: Muhammad Abu Ali

question: Who was Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali?

answer: a Nigerian Army officer who Commanded the Army's 272 Tank Battalion

question: How did Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali die?

answer: He was killed in a Boko Haram ambush on November 4, 2016

question: What does UNMO stand for?

answer: United Missions in Darfur

question: What does UNMIL stand for?

answer: United Missions in Liberia

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali was a Nigerian Army officer who Commanded the Army's 272 Tank Battalion. He was killed in a Boko Haram ambush on November 4, 2016.


text:
The 2016–17 BLNO is the 17th season of the Basketball League of Norway since its establishment.

Centrum Tigers won its second league after beating Gimle in the single-game final.

Format

The ten participating teams first played the regular season, that consisted in a round-robin schedule containing three rounds with every team playing each opponent at least once home and once away for a total of 27 matches.

At the end of the regular season, the top eight teams qualified for the playoffs. Quarterfinals and semifinals were played with a best-of-three format and the final is played as a single game.[1]

Regular season

{{#invoke:Sports table|main|style=WL |update=complete |source=BLNO |for_against_style=points |result1=QF |result2=QF |result3=QF |result4=QF |result5=QF |result6=QF |result7=QF |result8=QF |result10=R

|team1 =KON|win_KON=23|loss_KON=4 |pf_KON=2413|pa_KON=1982|name_KON=Kongsberg Miners |team2 =BAE|win_BAE=21|loss_BAE=6 |pf_BAE=2481|pa_BAE=2147|name_BAE=Bærum |team3 =GIM|win_GIM=17|loss_GIM=10|pf_GIM=2309|pa_GIM=2130|name_GIM=Gimle |team4 =FRO|win_FRO=17|loss_FRO=10|pf_FRO=2157|pa_FRO=2020|name_FRO=Frøya |team5 =CEN|win_CEN=16|loss_CEN=11|pf_CEN=2282|pa_CEN=2058|name_CEN=Centrum Tigers |team6 =ASK|win_ASK=13|loss_ASK=14|pf_ASK=2126|pa_ASK=2212|name_ASK=Asker Aliens |team7 =NID|win_NID=12|loss_NID=15|pf_NID=2063|pa_NID=2168|name_NID=Nidaros Jets |team8 =TRO|win_TRO=9 |loss_TRO=18|pf_TRO=1829|pa_TRO=2028|name_TRO=Tromsø Storm |team9 =AMM|win_AMM=5 |loss_AMM=22|pf_AMM=1858|pa_AMM=2303|name_AMM=Ammerud |team10=PER|win_PER=2 |loss_PER=25|pf_PER=1855|pa_PER=2325|name_PER=Persbråten

|res_col_header=QR |col_QF=green1 |text_QF=Qualification to playoffs |col_R=red1 |text_R=Relegated }}

Playoffs

Teams better qualified in the regular season played games 2 and 3, if necessary, at home. Only in the semifinal between Kongsberg Miners and Centrum Tigers, the format of 1–1–1 was used. {{#invoke:RoundN|main|columns=3|boldwinner=high|score-boxes=3|score-width=30 ||KONGSBERG MINERS|76|74| |Tromsø Storm|61|57|

||Frøya|68|73| |CENTRUM TIGERS|94|75|

||BÆRUM|96|102| |Nidaros Jets|82|94|

||GIMLE|93|90| |Asker Aliens|69|61| ||Kongsberg Miners|60|84| |CENTRUM TIGERS|86|86|

||Bærum|91|87| |GIMLE|101|91| ||CENTRUM TIGERS|87|| |Gimle|74|| | }}

[1]

title: 2016–17 BLNO season

question: What is the BLNO?

answer: BLNO is the Norwegian Basketball League.

question: Who won the league in the 2016-17 BLNO season?

answer: Centrum Tigers won it after beating Gimle in the single-game final.

question: How many matches do each team play in a single season?

answer: 27 matches, both home and away.

question: How many teams qualify for the playoffs at the end of the regular season?

answer: Eight teams.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The BLNO is the Norwegian Basketball League. Its teams play 27 games each season. Eight teams qualify for the playoffs at the end of the regular season. In the 2016-17 season, Centrum Tigers won the league after beating Gimle in the single-game final.


text:
The 2017 HONDURAN CUP was the 12th edition of the Honduran Cup and the third as COPA PRESIDENTE.[1] The cup is a creation of the Honduran government funded by money allocated to national security fund. Its purpose is to support the growth of sport to detract the youth from vices and to promote national tourism for rural towns.

The cup was contested by 64 teams from the top 3 divisions of the country. There were a total of 10 teams from Liga Nacional (1st division), 27 from Liga de Ascenso (2nd division) and 27 from Liga Mayor (3rd division). Unlike the previous tournament which covered two calendar years, this edition was played in 2017 only.

Juticalpa were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Deportes Savio.

The final was held at Estadio Juan Ramón Brevé Vargas in Juticalpa, Olancho.[2] C.D. Marathón as winners, qualified to the 2017 Honduran Supercup.

Schedule and format

The first round started on 21 January. Unlike the previous editions, no third place match was played and the quarterfinals were single matches instead of two-legged ties.[3]

  Round           Date                   Fixtures   Clubs
  --------------- ---------------------- ---------- --------- -------
  First leg       Second leg
  Round of 64     21–22 January          32         64 → 32
  Round of 32     22 February, 7 March   16         32 → 16
  Round of 16     22 March               8          16 → 8
  Quarterfinals   26, 29 March           8          8 → 4
  Semifinals      5 April                19 April   4
  Final           13 May                 1          2 → 1

Round of 64

Round of 32

Round of 16

All round of 16 matches were originally scheduled for 15 March 2017, but were rescheduled to 22 March due to a lack of funding.[4]

Quarterfinals

Unlike previous editions of this tournament, the quarter-finals consisted of single matches instead of two-legged ties.[5]

Semifinals

First legs

Second legs

Final

[1] Tiempo.hn – ¡Tercera Edición de la Copa Presidente, ya tiene fecha de arranque! – 21 December 2016

[2]

[3] DiarioMas.hn – http://www.diariomas.hn/2017/01/05/honduras-ya-conoce-los-cruces-la-copa-presidente-2017/ – 5 January 2016

[4]

[5]

title: 2017 Honduran Cup

question: What is the Honduran Cup created for?

answer: It is created by the Honduran government and funded by money allocated to national security fund.

question: What is the purpose of the Honduran Cup?

answer: The purpose of the cup is to support the growth of sport to detract the youth from vices and to promote national tourism for rural towns.

question: How many teams was the Honduran Cup contested by?

answer: The Honduran Cup was contested by 64 teams from the top 3 divisions of the country.

question: What was different from the previous editions of the Honduran Cup in 2017?

answer: In this round, there was no third place match and the quarterfinals were single matches instead of two-legged ties.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The significance of the Honduran Cup was described and the results of the 2017 Honduran Cup were discussed.


text:
DEULIG FILM or DEUTSCHE LICHTBILD-GESELLSCHAFT was a German film production and distribution company. It was established in 1916 by the German business tycoon and media mogul Alfred Hugenberg. The company's foundation, during the First World War, was intended to promote Germany's military cause but it also supported the commercial interests of several major industrial companies who backed the enterprise.[1]

The company developed a reputation for the production of short propaganda films and kulturfilms but also released feature films. In response to the company's success several rival industrial firms in alliance with the Deutsche Bank founded their own film company UFA in 1917, which in the decade that followed became Germany largest film enterprise.

In 1927 when Hugenberg launched a successful takeover bid for UFA, the two companies merged. Duelig continued to release newsreels but was otherwise swallowed into the larger UFA conglomerate.

[1] Petley p.30-31

title: Deulig Film

question: Name a film produced by Deulig Film.

answer: No film names are listed.

question: When was Deulig Film founded?

answer: 1916

question: Who was Alfred Hugenberg?

answer: A German business tycoon and media mogul. He was also the founder of Deulig Film.

question: Describe Deulig Film's relationship with the Deutsche Bank.

answer: Due to the success of Deulig Film, several rival firms allied with the Deutsche Bank to found their own competing company, UFA.

question: Summarize the events of 1927.

answer: In 1927, Hugenberg succeeded in a takeover bid for UFA. Deulig Film and UFA then merged.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Deulig Film was a German film production company founded in 1916 by Alfred Hugenberg. The company produced short propoganda films, kulturfilms, and feature films. In 1927, they merged with UFA, a rival company.


text:
The first feminist superhero arrived way back in 1940 when Wonder Woman left her all-female island to join future super friends Batman and Superman to complete DC Comics' holy trinity.

The Amazonian princess will soon be flying her invisible plane into another glass ceiling as she lands the first female-led film of the current superhero blockbuster boom. (Yes, we forgot about "Elektra" and "Catwoman" in the early-2000s. Haven't you?)

But while sexism remains a villain to be defeated on the big screen, that's no longer the case on the comic book pages that birthed all this in the first place. Superhero diversity has been increasing by leaps, bounds and Nazi-punches over the past few years.

[]

Back in 2010, Marvel had no ongoing female-led comics. Zero. But that soon changed as the publisher diversified its roster, which included solo books for new and old superheroes, all-female Avengers and X-Men books and female versions of Wolverine, Thor and Hawkeye.

According to Bleeding Cool's "Gendercrunching" series, as of January 2017 26.8 per cent of Marvel series were female-led while DC Comics was lower at 18.5 per cent, though that number was a record-high for the company — and then there's the world of indie comics.

So we've put together a list of incredible, amazing and uncanny comic books for kids (yes, this includes boys) featuring female leads, and increasingly female artists and writers as well.

(Oh, and if you have teens, might we also recommend the Archie horror comic _Chilling Adventures of Sabrina_, the '80s-set indie comic _Paper Girls_, cinematic spy comic _Black Widow_, and _All-New Wolverine_, featuring the grown-up girl from the recent "Logan" film.)

[]

AMERICA

Marvel's newest female solo book hit comic shops in March, conveniently timed for women's history month. Though the original Miss America character debuted in 1944, this honourific-free reboot stars America Chavez, a queer Latina from women-only dimension the Utopian Parallel, and is written by queer Latina, Gabby Rivera.

She can fly, has super strength and speed, is invulnerable and can punch portals in the multiverse to travel between realities. The star-spangled superhero also punches out Hitler in the first issue, attends Sonia Sotomayor University and boasts a cover homage to Beyoncé's "Formation" video.

[]

MS. MARVEL

One of comics' most popular new characters is Kamala Khan, a charming Muslim teen shapeshifter from New Jersey. _Ms. Marvel_ resembles early Spider-Man except instead of being a bullied nerd living with a widowed aunt, Kamala has to deal with being Muslim in America and the expectations of her devout Pakistani-American parents.

The critically-acclaimed comic created by Muslim female writer G. Willow Wilson has won multiple awards and the character's image has even adorned anti-Islamophobia protest signs.

[]

MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR

The delightfully named comic book's delightful lead, the backpack-adorned inventor Lunella Lafayette, is also Marvel's smartest superhero despite being only nine years old. Devil Dinosaur, a Jack Kirby creation from the 1970s, is literally a bright-red T-Rex and the pair's adventures are great fun for younger readers, as is Natacha Bustos' adorable art style.

In later issues, Lunella also teams up with fellow black girl genius, Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart.

[]

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN

Speaking of Riri, the teen genius from Chicago who built her own Iron Man suit in her dorm has recently taken over for Tony Stark in the latest volume of the _Invincible Iron Man_ comic.

She was created by Brian Michael Bendis who told Time that "when you have a young woman come up to you at a signing and say how happy she is to be represented in his universe, you know you're moving in the right direction."

[]

AMULET

In Kazu Kibuishi's best-selling graphic novel series, 12-year-old Emily Hayes discovers the titular magical amulet and enters a steampunk-meets-Tolkien fantasy world where she must save her mom, defeat an evil elf king and stop a war with the help of her little brother, a rebel prince, a fox soldier and a pink robot bunny.

The engrossing tale gets increasingly epic but be warned, only seven of the nine books have been released since it began in 2008.

[]

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL

If you think superheroes are too self-serious, you don't know Squirrel Girl. Meet Doreen Green who boasts the proportional strength and speed of a squirrel, and a puffy tail to boot. But this _Unbeatable_ new series is about her studying computer science at university while fighting crime on the side with her squirrel sidekick Tippy-Top.

The mood is silly comedy so it's great for younger kids while the Marvel inside jokes will add appeal for older readers and parental geeks. Also artist Erica Henderson draws Doreen like a human-shaped human, which is unfortunately rare in comics.

[]

SPIDER-WOMAN

Though around since 1978, the latest _Spider-Woman_ series breaks new ground by beginning with Jessica Drew very, very pregnant. The now-former Avenger gives birth a few issues in and has to balance single motherhood with her new, slightly safer job as a private investigator.

The book's basic premise is, as one Marvel exec told People magazine, "Aren't mothers the real super heroes?"

[]

DC SUPERHERO GIRLS

This series reimagines DC characters as teens attending Super Hero High with students ranging from well-known Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Batgirl to the more obscure Bumblebee, Katana and Cheetah to everyone's favourite semi-villainous BFFs, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

The female-focused franchise has by now become a full-blown pre-teen phenomenon with action figures, Lego sets, books and a cartoon as well as the graphic novels.

[]

THE MIGHTY THOR

Remember Thor's girlfriend Jane Foster from the movies? Well, in the comics Foster is _the_ Thor, having assumed Norse godhood after the blond original became unworthy and could no longer wield the magical hammer Mjolnir.

While the Goddess of Thunder is as powerful as her male predecessor, that's only with the hammer in hand. When she reverts to her human persona, Foster finds herself fighting a much different battle with breast cancer.

[]

LUMBERJANES

This award-winning indie comic from an all-female creative team began as a limited series but its instant popularity and acclaim soon extended the run indefinitely. The comedic and action-packed series revolves around the titular girls Mal, Ripley, Molly, April, and Jo — best friends and bunkmates who attend Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types, a summer camp plagued by monsters and assorted supernatural hijinks.

[]

PATSY WALKER, A.K.A. HELLCAT!

This all-ages comic stars Patsy Walker, a character first introduced in 1944 who also appears on the very adult Netflix series "Jessica Jones." Dubbing herself Hellcat, Patsy's "powers include butt-kicking and butt-punching, which she learned on the moon, and more!"

Helmed by Marvel's only all-female creative team and inspired by both romance comics and Saturday morning cartoons, the soon-to-be ending series begins with Patsy laid off as an investigator for She-Hulk's law firm. Naturally, she starts a temp agency for other unemployed superheroes.

[]

ZITA THE SPACEGIRL

This sci-fi graphic novel trilogy began as a webcomic about an Earth girl, aliens, and robots before taking off as a print bestseller back in 2010. The story begins with young Zita going to a distant, monster-populated planet to rescue her best friend from a doomsday cult before taking unexpected turns. Get on board now before the upcoming animated film sends Zita's popularity into outer space.

[]

CAPTAIN MARVEL

Carol Danvers started out as the original Ms. Marvel in the 1970s. Over the years she evolved into one of Marvel's most powerful superheroes, and will soon be helming the studio's first female-led film in 2019. She became Captain Marvel in Kelly Sue DeConnick's 2012 series that established her more prominent presence and the newest volume, by "Agent Carter" showrunners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, has her leading Alpha Flight and protecting Earth from extra-terrestrial threats.

This series ended last fall but the character returned a few months later with a new creative team led by bestselling YA novelist Margaret Stohl and a new title: _Mighty Captain Marvel._

[]

SUPERGIRL

DC Comics has been rebooting their universe, which means that this new _Supergirl_ comic starts fresh for new readers, and seems especially aimed at attracting fans of the hit CW show.

In this series, Kara Zor-El is only 16 and brand-new to the planet, so the comic explores her immigrant experience and lives up her classic motto: "Hope, help, and compassion for all."

[]

GOLDIE VANCE

This 1960s-set girl detective comic by writer Hope Larson and artist Brittney Williams builds on the work of Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars to tell the tale of Marigold "Goldie" Vance, a 16-year-old sleuth who lives with her divorced dad in a Florida resort he manages while her mom works downtown as a live mermaid (which, by the way, is a real job in Florida). When not in school, Vance spends her time solving mysteries for her mentor, the hotel's in-house detective.

ALSO ON HUFFPOST

[]

6 Unconventional Superheroes Who Have Broken Comic Book Stereotypes

question: How many female led comics did Marvel have in 2010?

answer: Zero.

question: How many female led Marvel comics existed as of January 2017?

answer: 26.8%.

question: How many female led DC comics existed as of January 2017?

answer: 18.5%

question: When did the first feminist superhero appear?

answer: In 1940.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses the gender gap between male and female superheroes and gives a list of new female superheroes: Miss America, Ms. Marvel, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Invincible Iron Man, Amulet, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Spider-Woman, DC Superhero Girls, The Mighty Thor, Lumberjanes, Patsy Walker, Zita the Spacegirl, Captain Marvel, Supergirl and Goldie Vance.


text:
The office was dull and dreary, as if someone unleashed a sort of gloomy gas that slowly leaked through the vents until it nestled snugly inside everyone’s despondent figures. The walls around him composed of hard unforgiving concrete, and the only real noise was the dull beeping of the printer going off in the background. People walked around slowly, unwittingly wearing scowls, most likely wondering thoughts of how it could have come to this.

The short big bellied man in front of him continued to speak, but the words seemed to drown in the helplessness that surrounded them. The stale air permeated his lungs spreading the depressing disease that infected the entire office.  Dead.  That seemed to be the only way to describe his thoughts on everything around him, dead.  The walls; dead.  The people; dead.  The company; dead.  There was no real life here.

He answered the fat man’s questions with what he wanted to hear, triumphs of jobs past, heroic actions that conquered once complex tasks, grandiose words that invoked intelligence and admiration.  He was a storyteller and his life was an adventure with experiences and accomplishments that this company wanted, no, that this company needed.   The fat man seemed oblivious to the cries of hopelessness around him, unaware of the lifeless eyes that looked across the table at him.  A faint “you’ll fit right in” only made his heart drop further into the complacency that imprisoned everyone else around him.  It was a feeling he knew well.  He was handed some papers as he walked out, contracts that would bind him to this soulless entity for as long as it could in an attempt to squeeze whatever life it could from him before spitting him right back out.

What others might have thought was the American Dream looked to him to be more of a drawn out nightmare. It was about that time when he realized that this was not where he wanted to be, not now, not ever.  He dreamed of something more, something that had meaning, something that could change the way the world works.

The sad fact of it was he was going to sign those papers.  He was going to join the mindless uninspired workplace chatter.  He was going to join in the mind numbing meetings, the onslaught of paperwork and the endless barrage of emails.  He found himself wondering how it came to this, and soon realized that he was indeed, going to fit right in.

title: Corporate Imprisonment (414 words)

question: Will the narrator take the new job?

question: What did he think about the environment at his new office?

answer: That is was dull and dead.

question: Will he fit in?

answer: He thinks yes.

question: Was this what the narrator wanted?

answer: No.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator walks into his new workplace. He realizes the atmosphere there is hopeless and lifeless. He thinks this is not what he wants but he signs the employment contract anyway.


text:
PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886 is confirmed as running at 30FPS, and Ready At Dawn’s Dana Jan has attempted to explain why this has to be the case.

[The_order_1886]

It follows confirmation that The Order: 1886 has been delayed into 2015.

Before we dive into Jan’s comments, I have to point out that I’ve seen The Order: 1886 running at 30FPS behind closed doors and frame-rate or otherwise, it looked visually superb. Judge for yourself through the cut.

Now, speaking with Kotaku, Jan said of frame-rates, “60 fps is really responsive and really cool. I enjoy playing games in 60 fps. But one thing that really changes is the aesthetic of the game in 60 fps.

“We’re going for this filmic look, so one thing that we knew immediately was films run at 24 fps. We’re gonna run at 30 because 24 fps does not feel good to play. So there’s one concession in terms of making it aesthetically pleasing, because it just has to feel good to play.”

Intention aside, Jan noted that there is so much tech running under The Order: 1886’s hood that getting the game to run at a solid 60FPS would have sacrificed a lot of those technical elements.

He added, “Then, on top of it, I don’t know of any other games that are gonna look like our game in real-time with no pre-rendered movies, with all the stuff that’s going on lighting-wise, and run at 60. I think that’s probably the thing that most people underestimate is [that] to make a game look like this—the way that they’re lit, the number of directional lights that we have… We don’t have a game where you’re just outside in sunlight, so there’s one light.

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“We have candles flickering, fires, then characters have lights on them. So [to make] all those lights [work] with this fidelity means, I think, until the end of this system most people won’t have any clue how to make that run 60 and look like this.”

“That was something where we kind of said, ‘What was important to us?’ We’re visual creatures. when we see things, that’s kind of our first senses. I think immediately we look at this game, one of the things that’s exciting to me, it feels next-gen.

“It’s one of the first things that I go, ok, I think this is helping define what next-gen really means. Getting a new system and actually booting up and saying something that is like, ‘I’m blown away by what I’m seeing.’ There’s almost nothing that you can take away from that.”

What do you think? Are you happy to settle for 30FPS if there’s more visual trickery and content on-screen, or are you only interested in constant 60FPS experiences these days? let us know below.

Via CVG.

question: What is VG247?

answer: A gaming publication.

question: Why is 60 frames per second seen as so important?

answer: The gaming community wants a high fidelity image.

question: Why does The Order: 1886 not run in 60fps?

answer: It wouldn't look right, it's attempting to look like a movie that runs at 24fps, and there are tons of directional lights throughout the game that would otherwise need to be pre rendered.

question: What consoles is The Order on?

answer: It's a PS4 exclusive

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: PS4 exclusive, The Order: 1886, is being postponed into 2015. It reportedly runs at 30FPS, a disappointment to many gamers and critics alike. However, developers assert that they're going for a cinematic aesthetic. Furthermore, the game runs with tons of directional lighting, something that would be nearly impossible to render at 60FPS. Long story short, the game looks incredible. Whether the frames per second is a deal breaker will be up to you.


text:
Wrote this 4 years ago or so, it's something I really enjoy re-reading.

 Once I traveled to the Great Summit in order that I may consult the Wise Man of the Mountain. The journey was long and treacherous, but, I knew His thoughts would be  well worth the hardships. When I arrived, a man of great age stood in front of me, his face pounded with knowledge, for he was truly ancient and wise. We exchanged cordial greetings and for a short time, I sat and only watched him in awe of His vastness. Soon we began to talk and converse, and as we exchanged ideas and thoughts, I learned a great many things; Truths that would boggle even the most vivid imagination, answers to questions that have not yet been asked and answers to ancient unsolved problems. As we continued, I realized that He had wisdom and knowledge that one would expect only a God could have. We sat for days on end. Morning turned to evening, evening to night and night to morning. Six days of learning, sharing and relating ideas with the Wise Man passed by. But on the sixth night our conversation turned to what was to be our final topic; religion and religious beliefs. He continued to bat the wisdom of ages at me, and I continued to learn and analyze what He told me. Morning was quickly upon us, and I knew that my time was done. I must leave now or stay forever for the Man of Wisdom lived by a strict law. I rose and began to bid him farewell when He smiled at me and stated what I knew He had been thinking since I arrived. He looked at me with an air of confidence and a twinkle in his eye as though He knew exactly how I would reply. He shook His head and, "Yes, you do believe in God." To this I shook my head and calmly pronounced, "No, not as has been taught to us over the ages." This seemed to startle the Wise Man and with a puzzled look he replied, "You have stated that all men must believe in something to exist at peace with themselves. This is true, and by the manner with which you present yourself to me, I know that you are at peace with yourself. Yet you don't believe in God as he has been taught to you through the ages? Tell me then, young man, what do you believe in?" To his puzzled response, I simply answered, "Old Man, you are truly wise, but n all of your wisdom, you have lost the simple meaning of life. I, dear sir, believe in MAN." The Wise Man was taken back, for he thought He knew all that was knowable, and I have given him a strange answer. His face grimaced with confusion, but, within seconds His years if experience and His knowledge of the past seemed to take over, and once again He began to think, search, reach into Himself for the answer, as He had done in the years gone by. Suddenly, He found what he was looking for. In a deep, dark corner hidden from view He found the answer. His face calmed and a smile came across his lips and He said, "Young man, you are truly the Wise Man for you are right!" We gave an exchange of knowing glances and He nodded to me as I left the summit. I heard Him say ever so softly, "Believe in Man". I have never seen the Wise Man since then, but I still feel His presence guarding me, and He, mine guarding him.

title: New Post: Journey to the Summit

question: What can you infer about the theme of this passage?

answer: The theme of this passage can be religious, focusing on more older deeper sentiments of religion.

question: What can you take away about how the narrator felt about his time with the Wise Man of the Mountain?

answer: The narrator felt enlightened and felt 'His' presence guarding him after the consultation with the Wise Man of the Mountain.


text:
Could it be that the most peaceful place is the one that’s far away?

I've been gazing for quite a moment now at a wall hanging between ledges from our rooftop not too distant from me.  I've been gazing upon it because I saw something – I saw something beautiful.

I saw the afternoon’s warm natural color bathing its radiant light to the walls cream painted color. I saw the mystic cloud dances its shapeless form around the fluorescent blue sky behind it. I saw nature; simple and beautiful nature.

The more I looked at it, I asked the question.

The more I looked at it, I made a thought: I could die right now.

It became quite sardonic as I dwell more into my own thoughts to think such relationship between natural beauty and wishful death.

I dwell deeper.

As I dwell, I became scared.

Is this vivid beauty imitating the crawling sensation of death?

Then I blinked.

I stopped staring. I've been away from myself too long.I stood up from my seat, grabbed my notebook and pen, and walked away towards the rooftop’s door, away from what I saw, away from that deathly beautiful scenery.

As I walked back to my floor, my heart pumped furiously as if it pumps for the first time. I started breathing hard and heavily.But the weird thing is I do not sense fear haunting me. I did not feel scared, not anymore, not at all.

I was feeling alive.

I felt being reborn.

title: The Most Peaceful Place

question: How does the wall affect the narrator?

answer: It makes them consider the beauty of life, and its fleeting nature as death could come at any minute.


text:
For months I had been laying on the hallway floor, evaporating my self.  The cup of liquid self sat waiting with the rest of it as I pushed forward.  My childhood was already diced and minced and chopped up, in a baggie in the freezer all these years.  One by one I pulled ideas out of my head and crushed them in my hand, catching all the pulp and juice in a wide earthenware bowl.  Beliefs came next, thin flimsy things snapped without real effort, I set them aside in a small dish.  Wrangling my feelings for a week had been a task, but they were tied up and waiting in a freezer bag on the counter.  I didn't want to take them out again, so I just started smashing them as a whole inside the bag and was careful not to let any leak out.  My creative projects pleaded with me from their corner, but each page was carefully shredded and each sculpture ground into powder.  I mixed all the paints together.  My old stuffed puppy knew what I was doing.  He was watching me without his eyes, which had fallen off over twenty years ago.  When I reached for him, he lifted his arms up and unflinchingly went under my knife.  Nearly empty, I cut open my chest and took out my heart.  It beat as I looked at it, it beat as I cut it up, and the pieces lay beating there on their plate.  Finally I coughed and coughed until all of my genetics was piled up in a heap before me.

A dish at a time, a bowl at a time, I poured all of the ingredients into a mill.  They were ground together until a mash was formed.  I put the mash into a clear container, which I sealed and have been watching.  I don't know if I did it right.

title: I should have read the whole recipe before I started.

question: What is the narrator doing?

answer: Unclear

question: Is the narrator harming themselves?

answer: Unclear

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is following a recipe composed of parts of themselves. After, they pour all of the ingredients into a mill which grinds them together into a mash. They watch the mash, unsure if the recipe was done correctly.


text:
KAMA-FM (104.9 FM, _“104.9 y 93.3 Latino Mix”_) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Deer Park, Texas, and serving the Greater Houston radio market. It is owned by the Uforia Audio Network, a subsidiary of Univision, and it airs a Spanish-language CHR/Top 40 radio format. Programming is simulcast on 93.3 KQBU-FM Port Arthur.

KAMA-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 10,500 watts and is a Class C2 FM station (equivalent to 50,000 watts at 500 feet). The transmitter is located on the historic 1948 KNUZ tower, along with sister station 102.9 KLTN, at 315 N. Ennis Street in the East End. The studios and offices are located in the Univision building in Uptown Houston, on the Southwest Freeway (U.S. Highway 59).

History

KFRD-FM and KPTY

Originally, the station was licensed to Rosenberg, Texas. It signed on the air on January 7, 1969, as KFRD-FM, the sister station to AM 980 KFRD. KFRD-AM-FM simulcast a country music format.

Since being owned by Univision, and its predecessor Tichenor Broadcasting, 104.9 has switched formats many times. It was once in simulcast with 93.3 KQBU-FM Port Arthur as both Spanish Adult Contemporary “K-Love” and Regional Mexican “Estereo Latino”. After it broke off the simulcast with 93.3, 104.9 became an English language station once again, as “The House Party, 104.9” featuring a Rhythmic Contemporary format targeting second and third generation Hispanics. Once the 104.9 facility was moved from Missouri City, Texas, to Deer Park, it simply rebranded as “Party 104.9”.

The 104.9 facility has moved its city of license (COL) on 2 separate occasions. Having originated in Rosenberg, it then was moved to the Wells Fargo Bank Building in downtown Houston, and relicensed to Missouri City. After a few years, Univision moved 104.9 once again, as well as increased power of the station to 10,500 watts. This time, 104.9 relocated its transmitter to the historic East End of downtown Houston's Ennis Street tower, which has historically housed both Univision co-owned 102.9 KLTN, as well as the original sister to 102.9, 1230 KNUZ (now KCOH). With the change to physical location at the Ennis tower, KAMA also changed COL again to its current Deer Park license. 104.9 also gained a simulcast partner as 105.3, licensed to Crystal Beach, Texas, became Party as well. Univision applied for and was granted a similar call sign to 104.9's KPTY, with 105.3 becoming KPTI during the simulcast and remaining with those call letters until it took over KPTY after the end of the Party format on 93.3.

“Amor” and “Tu Musica”

On December 4, 2007, the station dropped the Rhythmic Contemporary “Party” format and became “Amor”, a Latin pop format aimed at adults. The rhythmic “Party” format and the KPTY call sign were moved to 93.3 FM in Port Arthur, Texas, replacing Regional Mexican KQBU-FM. 104.9 remained in simulcast with 105.3 KPTI Winnie (now KXXF) until 105.3 was sold to Excel Media. “Amor” competed with 101.1 KLOL and 107.9 KQQK in the Regional Mexican format.

In January 2008, Univision rebranded KAMA-FM from “Amor 104.9” to “104.9 Tu Musica”.

“Latino Mix”

On September 28, 2014, KAMA rebranded as “104.9 Latino Mix”. The new branding focuses more on Spanish rhythmic music, such as Reggaeton, as well as Bachata.

On December 1, 2017, sister station 93.3 KQBU-FM left its Regional Mexican format to simulcast with KAMA-FM. This gives KAMA-FM a strong signal to the Houston market, as well as serving the Golden Triangle, including Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange.[1]

Callsign history

-   KFRD
-   KMIA – May 10, 1990
-   KMPQ-FM – April 10, 1993
-   KLTO – June 3, 1995
-   KOVA – January 8, 1998
-   KPTY – November 19, 2001
-   KAMA – December 3, 2007

Image:Party1049 Logo.png|Logo 2006-2007

[1] KQBU Houston Flips to Latino Mix Simulcast Radioinsight – December 1, 2017

title: KAMA-FM

question: What is a sister station?

answer: A radio station operated by the same company.

question: Describe the radio station's demographic.

answer: Presumably it targets the Latin Spanish-speaking population.