William Alexander Harris may refer to:
| 1796 | 1798 | Other years in Wales |
| 1797 in Great Britain |
| 1797 in Ireland |
| Other events of 1797 |
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1797 to Wales and its people.
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| City of Cedar Hill, Texas | |
 Cedar Hill water tower |
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| Nickname(s): The Hill Country of Dallas County | |
 Location of Cedar Hill in Dallas County, Texas |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Texas |
| Counties | Dallas, Ellis |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Rob Franke |
| Area | |
| - Total | 35.2 sq mi (91.3 km2) |
| - Land | 35.1 sq mi (91.0 km2) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) 0.26% |
| Elevation | 830 ft (253 m) |
| Population (2008) | |
| - Total | 44,422 |
| - Density | 913.0/sq mi (352.5/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 75104, 75106 |
| Area code(s) | 972 |
| FIPS code | 48-13492 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1332440 |
| Website | http://ci.cedarhill.tx.us/ |
Cedar Hill is a city in Dallas and Ellis Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It lies sixteen miles from downtown Dallas and is adjoined by Joe Pool Lake and Cedar Hill State Park to its west.
Early in its history, Cedar Hill served as the temporary county seat of Dallas County and lay along a branch of the Chisholm Trail. In 1856 a tornado swept through the town killing nine people and destroying most of its buildings. The seat of the county was moved to Dallas not long after.
Cedar Hill is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster.
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Cedar Hill is located at (32.588454, -96.947325). Adjacent cities are: Grand Prairie to the southwest, west, and northwest; Dallas to the north; Duncanville to the north and northeast; DeSoto to the northeast and east; Glenn Heights and Ovilla to the southeast; and Midlothian to the south. Most of the city of Cedar Hill is in Dallas County, but a small southern section of the city spills over into Ellis County.The tiny settlement of Cedar Hill was established about 1848. The town square became the hub of local government, business and social activities. In 1852 the first postmaster was chosen and by the 1850’s several businesses were located in and north of what is now the Downtown Cedar Hill Historic District. They called the area Cedar Hill due to the nearby cedar breaks in the Mountain Creek area. The land they chose was between 860-870 feet above sea level. The altitude blessed the settlers with cooler temperatures than some of the nearby communities. Cedar Hill is located on part of the White Rock Escarpment that runs from Austin to the Red River, which also lies near the old Chisholm Trail.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.2 square miles (91.3 km²), of which, 35.2 square miles (91.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.26%) is water.
Because of its elevation many local radio and TV stations have their antennas located there. It has the highest concentration of such antennas in the country. Pulse-Doppler weather radar equipment for tracking tornadoes are also attached to these steel antennas that reach several thousand feet into the air and whose blinking lights appear like Christmas trees at night.Cedar Hill sits atop the highest point between the Red River and the Golf of Mexico which makes way for Cedar Hill’s trademark TV and radio towers that can be seen from miles around. There are 36 square miles of emerald green cedar trees, rolling hills and a quality of life that is hard to beat. You will find easy access to museums, libraries, higher education, many churches and civic organizations.
Antenna grouping in Cedar Hill
It is sometimes referred to as the “hill country of Dallas” (in comparison to the “hill country” surrounding Austin and San Antonio). The city is full of native, eastern red cedar evergreen trees and stands at an elevation of about 800 feet (240 m) above sea level–the highest point in a straight line from the Red River at the Texas-Oklahoma border to the Gulf Coast.
Cedar Hill was founded by 3 prominent families in 1848. The Penn Family and The Hinze Family are two of those families who decided to settle in the Northern “hills” of Texas in 1848. One prominent family that is still involved with many aspects of the city of Cedar Hill is the Fred Hintze family. Their large farm encompassed what is now the Joe Poole Lake area. The farm was a focal point of the city and is now underwater when Joe Poole Lake was developed. The tiny settlement of Cedar Hill was established about 1848. The town square became the hub of local government, business and social activities. In 1852 the first postmaster was chosen and by the 1850’s several businesses were located in and north of what is now the Downtown Cedar Hill Historic District. They called the area Cedar Hill due to the nearby cedar breaks in the Mountain Creek area. The land they chose was between 860-870 feet above sea level. The altitude blessed the settlers with cooler temperatures than some of the nearby communities. Cedar Hill is located on part of the White Rock Escarpment that runs from Austin to the Red River, which also lies near the old Chisholm Trail.
In the 1840’s Cedar Hill was appointed the Temporary County Seat of Dallas County until a somewhat controversial second election between the towns of Hords Ridge (Oak Cliff) and Dallas could be held to determine the permanent location of the County Seat. The outcome of the election named Dallas as the County Seat of Dallas County. The election was held before any court proceedings took place in the temporary County Seat. Thus, no county records exist in Cedar Hill.
April 29, 1856 the thriving hilltop settlement of Cedar Hill was all but swept away by a wrathful tornado. It claimed at least nine lives and according to reports demolished all but two buildings. The tornado was so powerful that many articles were found 20 to 30 miles away.
A link with the Chisholm Trail from Corsicana to Fort Worth wandered through Cedar Hill in the 1860’s on its way to connect with the main trail. This path led great herds to the cattle markets. Travelers and Indians, as well as freighters with great loaded wagons drawn by oxen, also used the trail. Cedar Hill also served as a commercial center for surrounding farmers, with direct rail access to Dallas and Houston. In the early 1900s, passenger trains stopped daily on their way between these two major Texas cities.
The Hintze family settlers, the Penn family settlers, and a few other First Families, like the Hintze and Penn families, were instrumental in organizing a festival named the Old Settlers Reunion. This festival is now called the Country Day festival. This festival was started in 1937 by a small group of Cedar Hill citizens as well as the three founding families who came togetheer to renew old friendships. A few years later it came under the supervision of the Cedar Hill Volunteer Fire Dept. As time went on, the event grew and many former citizens of the area returned home for a few short hours each to renew their friendships and tell stories about the changing landscape. In later years it was taken over by the Chamber of Commerce and now is under the supervision of a group of concerned citizens known as The Friends of Country Day, Inc. In early 2000, Country Day on the Hill was incorporated in a need to reinforce the already strong structure of the nonprofit organization. It has grown in the last few years to crowds estimated between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors on the streets of our Historic Downtown Cedar Hill, Texas, and is an annual fall festival event of which Cedar Hill is very proud of. It is sponsored by the Country Day Committee, City of Cedar Hill, generous businesses and private citizens. The annual fair is held on the second Saturday each October
The “Austin chalk” limestone uplift on which most of Cedar Hill is spread is covered with “gumbo”-cleche-clay topsoil from a few inches to many feet. The western edge of the city, primarily the Lake Ridge neighborhood, falls below the limestone uplift on the Eagle Ford shale strata surrounding Joe Pool Lake. Home foundation problems–similar to those in Irving’s Las Colinas neighborhood to the north and built on the same strata–await those who fail to take precautions in building on expansive soil lying over the Eagle Ford formation. As noted in the demographics below (and like some of the cities immediately surrounding it such as Duncanville and DeSoto), the city is significantly diverse compared to other cities around Dallas which tend to be predominantly of one ethnic origin or another. In the last few years, the city has been booming with new construction as urban sprawl spreads south of Dallas.
Joe Pool Lake from the east shore
As of the census of 2000, there were 32,093 people, 10,748 households, and 8,738 families residing in the city. The population density was 913.0 people per square mile (352.5/km²). There were 11,075 housing units at an average density of 315.1/sq mi (121.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.67% White, 33.61% African American, 0.50% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.87% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.91% of the population.
Demographics in southwest Dallas County have changed substantially since the late 1990s. For decades, south Dallas areas like Oak Cliff were predominantly African American communities and African Americans were the largest minority group in the Dallas area. However, Hispanics became the largest minority for the first time in 2000. As large numbers of Hispanics have moved into poorer, south Dallas areas like Oak Cliff, more affluent African Americans have moved further south into cities like Cedar Hill, Duncanville, DeSoto, Lancaster and to a lesser extent in county-border cities like Ovilla and Red Oak. While the White population has been relatively static, the African American population in Cedar Hill has risen dramatically. Even the demographics of Cedar Hill’s most affluent neighborhood, Lake Ridge (a Master Planned Community), has changed in step with the city as a whole. As of 2007, African Americans outnumber Whites almost five to one in the Cedar Hill Independent School District.
As of 2000 There were 10,748 households out of which 49.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.8% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.7% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the city the population was spread out with 32.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $60,136, and the median income for a family was $63,416. Males had a median income of $41,360 versus $32,207 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,389. About 4.2% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Most of the city is served by the Cedar Hill Independent School District. Some of it is served by Duncanville Independent School District and the Midlothian Independent School District.
The Cedar Hill ISD portion is served by Cedar Hill High School. The Duncanville ISD portion is served by Duncanville High School. The Midlothian ISD portion is served by Midlothian High School. Trinity Christian School - Cedar Hill (affiliated with a local Assemblies of God church) also serves the area.
On December 23, 2006 the 16-0 Cedar Hill High School Longhorn football team won its first state championship, defeating Cypress Falls (of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District) 51-17 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. William Cole, who would eventually sign with Oklahoma State, was the star of the game, rushing for nearly 300 yards (270 m) and 3 touchdowns. Cole earned the Offensive MVP honors, and linebacker Chris spencer brought home the Defensive MVP award.
Northwood University serves as a 4 year post-secondary institution. The school is private and is nestled in the hills and woods on the east side of Joe Pool Lake.
Since the year 2000, the city of Cedar Hill has had a major economic boom in retail. The opening of The Plaza at Cedar Hill, in the fall of the year 2000, began the growth. This 260,000 sq ft (24,000 m2) retail center included a variety of large and small stores including: Old Navy, Pier One, Macaroni Grill, David’s Seafood, Chili’s, Hobby Lobby and Office Max.
Later that year, The Cedar Hill Crossing was built. This large retail area, included anchors like Home Depot, Kohl’s, Staples and Bennigan’s. A few years later in the year 2003, Cedar Village was built. This 70-acre (280,000 m2) retail center is part of a master plan that includes linking a new city hall and historic Main Street district to innovative retail, residential, office and entertainment developments. The Village includes retail frontage along US Hwy 67, restaurants, office space and a stand-alone 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2) J. C. Penney, and an Ultimate Electronics, which was later changed to a 24 Hour Fitness.
A few months later, the Pleasant Run Towne Crossing was built. This retail area giant first opened in 2003 with 409,000 sq ft (38,000 m2) of retail including anchors like SuperTarget, Circuit City, Sports Authority, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Restaurants that have sprouted up on nearby pad sites are Joe’s Crab Shack, Saltgrass Steakhouse and Panera Bread. A couple of years later, Cedar Hill Pointe was built. Cedar Hill Pointe, which opened in 2005, includes Best Buy, Rooms to Go Beds, Wolf Camera and other retail stores.
Cedar Hill is also home of the Boxcar Club, a restaurant and bar that is partially constructed from an old railroad box car. The club hosts many charitable events and has annual crawfish boils and pig roasts. The club is also the starting point for the annual “Dicky Bob’s Frog Run” which had over 200 participants in 2007.
By this time, Cedar Hill was the main site for retail, but there were still many developments being planned. The biggest development is an upscale open-air shopping mall called Uptown Village. The 725,000 sq ft (67,400 m2) shopping center includes three anchoring department stores (Dillard’s, Barnes & Noble, and Dick’s Sporting Goods), 75 additional stores, and six fine-dining restaurants. Some of the stores include Hollister Co., American Eagle Outfitters, Victoria’s Secret, Aéropostale, Finish Line, Foot Locker, Champs Sports and Game Stop. Uptown Village at Cedar Hill opened on March 12, 2008.
A Non-Muslim Islamic scholar is a scholar of Islam who is not a Muslim. Among the fields of study of the early Orientalists, most of whom were not Muslims, was Islam. Eventually, the term Orientalist was replaced with the more modern Western scholar or Arabist.
Among the characteristic traits of the works of the earliest scholars was the Christian-apologist approach to Islam, most notably in the naming of the first translation of the Qur’an they produced: While this approach was kept by scholars such as Henri Lammens, and is still adopted by contemporary scholars such as Ibn Warraq, other scholars such as Karen Armstrong have taken a more hagiographical approach. In recent times, there have emerged non-Muslim scholars with a higher familiarity for the Shi’a denomination, most notably Wilferd Madelung
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 A six-man game of Heroscape using multiple Master Sets and Expansion Sets. |
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| Players | 2 or more |
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| Age range | 8 and up |
| Setup time | 20+ minutes |
| Playing time | 1-2 hours |
| Random chance | Medium |
| Skills required | Dice rolling, Strategy |
Heroscape is an expandable turn-based miniature wargaming system originally manufactured by Milton Bradley Company, but is now manufactured by Wizards of the Coast, both subsidiaries of Hasbro, Inc.. The game is played using pre-painted miniature figures on a board made from interlocking hexagonal tiles that allow for construction of a large variety of 3D playing boards. The game is often noted and lauded by fans for the relatively high production quality of the game materials, in particular the pre-painted miniature figures as well as its interchangeable and infinitely variable landscape system.
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Heroscape was released in 2004. The game designers are Craig Van Ness, Rob Daviau, and Stephen Baker at Hasbro Games. Hasbro’s subsidiary, Milton Bradley also developed HeroQuest and Battle Masters. Heroscape is designed for 2 to 4 players ages 8 and older, although it can easily be adapted to more players, particularly if more than one master set and expansion sets are used. There are additional expansion sets that can be purchased (see: Master Sets and Expansion Sets, below).
The game comes with two sets of rules. The basic rules allow for simpler games accessible to younger players. The advanced rules are designed for more experienced gamers but are still very simple compared to most wargames. Each figure or group of figures has a card, called an army card, with basic game statistics printed on one side and advanced game information on the other. Advanced game information includes species, class, personality, size, special powers, and the point value of the card.
The master set that is required for play contains enough tiles to build a nearly limitless number of scenarios, but experienced players often combine sets to create larger and more elaborate playing surfaces. The master set includes grass, rock, sand, water and ruins to make the playing surface; various expansions add lava, road, trees, snow, ice, glaciers, swamp, jungle, a castle, a bridge and more.
At its essence, Heroscape is an epic battle between and among characters from multiple cultures, periods, and genres, taking place on a three-dimensional gaming surface of various elevations and terrain types. Although the game manual contains ideas for scenarios, many players combine multiple sets of terrain tiles to create large playing surfaces, and manufacture their own house rules and custom scenarios. The heroes are inspired heavily by popular science fiction and fantasy, as well as the Old West, the Roman Empire, ancient Greece, feudal Japan, the Scottish highlands, the Nordic sagas, American history, medieval Europe, and classic mythology, among others. A single team may consist of heroes from many genres, with dragons, elves, robots, kyries, dinosaurs and wizards fighting alongside (and against) soldiers, vikings, knights, samurai, cowboys, agents, Marvel characters, Romans and more.
Heroscape requires players to construct the three-dimensional playing surface for the game. Scenarios that come in the game, in master set and some large expansions, include detailed instructions for board setups, but many players enjoy designing their own. There are also separate expansions such as Volcarren Wasteland containing lava and lava rock surface tiles along with obsidian guards, Thaelenk Tundra containing ice, snow and glacier surface tiles plus the dzu-teh (yeti-like creatures armed with stone clubs) miniature, and Road to the Forgotten Forest containing roads, bridge and tree surface tiles and a dumutef guard. Ticalla Jungle based on jungle and tree surface tiles with fylorg spiders was supposed to be available in early 2008, but was delayed during the transition of making Heroscape a Wizards of the Coast product instead of a Hasbro product. It was instead released on June 13, 2008. A Desert based expansion, with desert tiles and repainted glaciers, was rumored to be released but it was canceled due to the fans rejecting the idea.
Two new master sets were released in 2007. One called The Swarm of the Marro was released on August 2007, and the Marvelscape Master Set called The Conflict Begins which was released on July 2007 and contains five heroes and five villains from the Marvel Comics universe. The Marvel edition is fully compatible with the regular Heroscape figures.
Each player selects one or more “units,” where a unit may be a unique and distinct hero, or an entire squad of generic figures. “Army cards” that explain the various attributes and special abilities are packaged with each unit. There are four types of units in the game: Unique Hero, Common Hero, Unique Squad and Common Squad. Hero cards are associated with a single figure and squad cards are associated with a set of two or more figures. A given player may only have one of a unique unit, be it hero or squad, in his army, but there is no limit on how many copies of a common unit may be selected.
All basic game scenarios and some advanced game scenarios specify the units for each player. Most advanced game scenarios allow players to choose units based on the points values printed on the army card. Depending on the scenario, players may be required to place their team in a specific location, or they may randomly select where each player begins.
The flow of play in Heroscape is broken up into rounds and turns. The terms are often used interchangeably in board games, but there is a key distinction in Heroscape with each round including 3 turns for each player.
At the beginning of the round, each player must place order markers on his/her armies. Order markers determine which armies will be used during that round and what order they will be utilized. These markers indicate the turn in which each unit will be activated, but the numbers are hidden from the table. A fourth “dummy” marker may also be placed to add some ambiguity as to which units one will be activating. The same unit may be activated multiple times in a single round by placing multiple order markers on it.
After order markers have been placed, each player rolls a twenty-sided initiative die. The highest roller takes the first turn and play passes to the left.
Syvarris and Theracus command the high ground in a snowy forest atop the mountains.
The player with the highest initiative roll begins his first turn by revealing which unit contains his first order marker. A turn usually consists of moving and then attacking. For squads, each figure in the squad is moved before any may attack. The number of hexes that each figure may move is listed on its card. Typical movement amounts range from 4 to 8 and normally moving one hex costs one point movement. Certain types of terrain are dangerous (e.g. lava), impassable (e.g. glaciers), slow you down (e.g. snow) or speed you up (e.g. roads). Moving up, but not down, in elevation also costs additional movement points. Some figures’ special abilities, such as flying, may also affect movement.
After movement has been completed, each surviving figure in the unit may attack any figure within its range and line of sight. Melee units are those with a range of one, and ranged units typically have a range of four or more.
The number of dice rolled for offense is listed on the army card, but may be improved by various bonuses, including terrain bonuses, elevation bonuses, or special abilities. The attack dice contain skulls on three surfaces (in 1st edition) giving a 50% chance at scoring a hit for each die. The defender likewise calculates how many defense dice he may roll, based on his unit’s natural defense value and any other bonuses (terrain, elevation, special abilities, etc). The defense dice contain only two shields, giving a statistical advantage to the attacker. In the second edition the defense and attack dice are combined into one, with three chances for attack, two chances for defense, and one chance for a blank roll.
If the defender rolls a number of shields equal to or higher than the number of skulls rolled by the attacker, nothing happens. If the number is lower, the defender receives a number of wound markers equal to the difference. Once a unit receives a number of wound markers equal to its total life points, it is destroyed and removed from the playing surface immediately. Heroes usually have multiple life points; squads always have one life point per figure in the squad. In the basic rules version of the game the wound marker system is not used, and each unit simply has one life point; hero units usually have exaggerated defense to compensate.
Various abilities by specific units may modify these rules to some degree (e.g., the samurai may counterattack and inflict damage while defending), but this move/attack/defense flow is typical of a turn.
Once the player has finished all of his attacks, play passes to the left, and that player then reveals his first order marker and takes his turn. Play continues in this manner until the final player has completed his first turn, and then play resumes with the first player, who reveals his second order marker and takes a turn with that unit. This process is repeated for the third order marker, and then the round is completed. Sometimes a player will lose a turn if the unit he had placed an order marker on was destroyed on a previous player’s turn.
The conditions for victory vary with some scenarios involving quest-like goals and others simply being the last player with any surviving units. Time limits, round limits, and points for first to or holding certain locations are all common. In tournament settings, there is often a “Fractional Scoring” system used when time expires. The player with the most points at the end of the time limits wins.
There are six Valkyrie Generals on the world of Valhalla (the planet where Heroscape takes place):
Main article: List of Heroscape supplements
A Master Set is required to play the game. The first master set is titled Rise of the Valkyrie. This set contains 30 pre-painted miniature figure warriors (all unique but a mixture of hero and squad), cards with the stats of the different warrior figures, a large amount of interlocking hex-based tile terrain, and the rule booklets, which include battlefield plans and scenarios for both basic and advanced games.
There are three versions of the Rise of the Valkyrie set available. The first edition is sought by some collectors mainly because it has sparkly translucent blue water tiles rather than the solid blue ones in later runs of the first edition, and all runs of the second edition. The first edition came with two sets of six-sided dice: a set of red “attack” dice and blue “defense” dice. The second edition edition combine these into a set of unified dice that are rolled for both attack and defense. The second edition is more common and also has slightly different packaging and a revised rulebook.
Multiple set purchases are common among devoted players, as the Master Set is the only way to obtain significant numbers of terrain tiles, which are generally used to build bigger battlefields.
A themed master set (labeled on the Box as Game Set “The Conflict Begins”) has been based on the Marvel Comics license Hasbro has acquired from 2007. Marvel Legends Heroscape includes 10 unique figures (Captain America, Red Skull, Silver Surfer, Thanos, Hulk, Abomination, Spider-Man, Venom, Iron Man, & Dr. Doom) and urban style terrain, and is currently available in stores. Booster packs (not available yet as of February 2009) will include The Sandman, The Human Torch, Beast, Bullseye, Doctor Octopus, Punisher, Black Panther, Super Skrull, Invisible Woman, and The Thing.
A second Master set, Swarm of the Marro, was released in Fall of 2007. It was revealed at Toyfair 07. Most of the figures included are from the Marro, which are an alien race designed for the game. Two remakes of figures from the Rise of the Valkyrie master set (Raelin, and Sgt. Drake Alexander) and several other heroes are also included. Swarm of the Marro also features a “hive” which can rebirth fallen Marro figures and a new “swamp” terrain tile type.
Expansion sets have been released regularly since the game debuted. The most common expansion set releases consist of four different booster packs, each containing 3 - 8 figures. At least one pack in each series contains unique heroes and/or squads, while the other two or three contain two common squads or one common squad and one common hero, the exception being Wave 5, which did not contain a Expansion Pack with only unique heroes. Most sets contain extra terrain hexes, and Wave 1 packs contain special power glyphs that grant bonuses in-game. These booster pack expansions are sometimes referred to as the wave expansions, as opposed to the expansions which come in larger boxes (Large Hero or Terrain). There are 8 waves of expansions so far, with the ninth wave scheduled for mid-Summer.
Due to the way these expansions extend the game experience, some have referred to Heroscape as a collectible miniatures game (CMG) and compared it to games like Mage Knight and Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game. However, the designers of Heroscape have stressed repeatedly that the game is not collectible per se, because purchasers can see exactly what they are getting with every pack they buy. Also, Heroscape expansions are not intended to go permanently out of print, although frequent stock shortages and lapses in the availability of certain sets have made them difficult enough to obtain that sellers can often demand a premium price. This differs from the marketing tactic of CMG’s, which rely on the purchaser not knowing what they have until they’ve already purchased and opened the package, and limited availability to drive their sales.
Heroscape spawned much fan-generated content and material, including custom terrain, like jungles made out of aquarium plants, battle boards, ruins, buildings, and sci-fi terrain. Also created are custom figures, which permit fans to include elements from their favorite films or stories.
| Flick of the Switch | |||||
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| Studio album by AC/DC | |||||
| Released | 15 August 1983 | ||||
| Recorded | April 1983 | ||||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | ||||
| Length | 37:02 | ||||
| Label | Albert | ||||
| Producer | Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson, Cliff Williams, Phil Rudd | ||||
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Flick of the Switch is the ninth album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, recorded shortly after their European Tour at the beginning of 1983. The album was originally released in the United States on 15 August 1983. The album was self-produced by AC/DC and reached #4 in UK and #15 in the US. Though considered a disappointment when released, the album has been certified platinum by the RIAA.
After problems with rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, drummer Phil Rudd was fired midway through the recording sessions, although he had completed his drum parts. Session drummer B.J. Wilson was drafted in to help complete the recording, but his contributions were eventually not used. Rudd was eventually replaced by future Dio drummer Simon Wright. Wright appeared in the videos for “Flick of the Switch” and “Nervous Shakedown”. He was also on the tour for the album, and noted in the pro-shot video recordings of that tour. Rudd returned to the band in 1994.
The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.
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All songs written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Brian Johnson.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of St. George’s in Grenada (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Georgii) is a diocese of the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese encompasses the entirety of the British dependency of Grenada, including the islands of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Castries and a member of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
The diocese of St. Georges in Grenada was erected in 20 February 1956 from the Archdiocese of Port of Spain.
| The Death of Achilles | |
 Recent Russian language edition |
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| Author | Boris Akunin |
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| Original title | ?????? ???????? |
| Translator | Andrew Bromfield |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
| Series | Erast Fandorin |
| Genre(s) | Historical, Mystery, Novel |
| Publisher | Zakharov (Russia), Random House (U.S.) |
| Publication date | 1998 (Russia), 2005 (U.S.) |
| Media type | print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-7538-2097-8 |
| Preceded by | Murder on the Leviathan |
| Followed by | Special Assignments |
The Death of Achilles (Russian: ?????? ????????) is the fourth novel in the Erast Fandorin series by Boris Akunin. Its subtitle is ???????? ? ??????? ?????? (”a detective novel about a murderer-for-hire”). It was originally published in Russian in 1998; the English translation was released in 2006.
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The White General Mikhail Skobelev during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878.
Moscow, 1882. When Fandorin returns from Japan with his manservant Masa, he enters the service of Moscow governor Prince Dolgoruki. Later that day, the White General Mikhail Sobolev, nicknamed the Russian Achilles and an old friend of Fandorin’s, is found dead in the same hotel. Officially, he died of a heart attack, but Fandorin becomes suspicious when he talks with the body guards of the general. Fandorin had befriended these cossacks when he rooted out a Turkish spy during the siege of Pleven (see The Turkish Gambit). But the same cossacks now treat him with hostility.
Fandorin finds out the reason for their hostility as he discovers that the general had not really died in the hotel, but was moved there from the apartment of his mistress. Found dead in a compromising situation, the cossacks tried to prevent a scandal and protect the reputation of the general. But Fandorin looks even deeper and finds out that a large sum of money is missing. He learns that Sobolev is trying to raise funds to begin a political campaign, and Fandorin begins to suspect foul play. He finds that the general has been poisoned in a very clever manner, and the killer anticipated the cover up, which would ensure his safe getaway. Fandorin further discovers that the plot leads up to the highest levels of the Tsar’s government, and that he himself is now viewed as an enemy of the state for his efforts to catch the killer.
The killer is Achimas Welde, a hired assassin, who has only failed three times in his career. One of those times was his assignment to kill Fandorin, when he just managed to kill Fandorin’s wife, as Fandorin himself was chasing him (see The Winter Queen). The second half of the novel is told from Achimas’ point of view and recounts his life story, up to the plot to kill Sobolev and the investigation. By chance, Achimas discovers that the man who hired him to kill Sobolev was Grand Duke Kirill Alexandrovich, the younger brother of Tsar Alexander III. In the concluding chapters of the novel, Fandorin kills Achimas, and prepares to flee Moscow (believing himself to be a target of the plotters), but Prince Dolgurukoi’s assistant meets him at the train station and tells him that everything has been covered up and he can continue in the service of the state.
The Death of Achilles is unusual in the sense that the story is told twice; halfway through, the point of view switches from Fandorin to his antagonist, and the latter’s life history is told. When the two stories reach the same time, they merge in two final, concluding chapters. This is highly reminiscent of some of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novels, such as A Study in Scarlet and The Valley of Fear. The first half of The Death of Achilles is also the first Fandorin story since The Winter Queen to be told from Fandorin’s point of view.
The earlier career of the assassin Achimas Welde includes a confrontation with a rival assassin nicknamed “The Jackal”, who intended to assassinate the King of Italy. This is a clear reference to the well-known thriller “The Day of the Jackal”, where an assassin of the same nickname comes close to assassinating De Gaulle. Welde’s career also includes an episode touching on a Belgian paedophile serial killer, reminiscent of the real-life such affair in Beligum a century later than the time in which the book is set.
The novel features a cameo appearance by Sister Pelagia, heroine of her own series of three Akunin mystery novels, demonstrating that the Fandorin and Pelagia books occur in the same fictional universe.
The figure of general Sobolev was based upon the White General Mikhail Skobelev. Skobelev died suddenly of a heart attack in 1882 under the circumstances similar to such as described in the novel (during a meeting with a prostitute). The press reports regarding his demise was heavily censored which gave rise to many conspiracy theories, some implicating the Tsar Alexander III himself.
The governor of Moscow, Prince Dolgoruki, is based on Prince Vladimir Andreevich Dolgoroukov, the Governor General of Moscow in 1865- 1891. Grand Duke Kirill Alexandrovich, the Tsar’s brother, apparently is a fictionalized version of Alexander III’s real younger brother, Vladimir Alexandrovich.
As the title of the novel suggests, The Death of Achilles alludes to one of the main characters of the Iliad. However, the allusion is more complex than just the mere reference to general Sobolev’s nickname, the Russian Achilles. In fact, the “true” Achilles referred to in the title is the killer, Achimas Welde. The second part of the novel, which recounts the expert assassin’s life story, is a cleverly disguised retelling of the Iliad and other Greek myths relating to the life of Achilles. Some clues are scattered within the novel for the informed reader to decipher, such as the following:
The novel’s title, therefore, has a double meaning. The real death of Achilles it refers to occurs not at the beginning but in the end of the book. Sobolev’s role in the novel, in spite of his nickname, is that of Hector, Achilles’ victim. A funeral speech delivered by the Grand Duke midway through the novel, in which he directly compares Sobolev to Hector, offers a more direct clue. This is one of the more complex and broad allusions to famous works of literature which are quite numerous in all Akunin’s novels.
The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) was a British Army corps formed in 1965 from the transport (land, water and air) and movement control elements of the Royal Army Service Corps and the Royal Engineers. In 1993 the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed by the amalgamation of The RCT, RAOC, RPC, ACC and Postal and Courier elements of the RE and the Royal Corps of Transport ceased to exist.
Royal Corps of Transport landing craft, the RCL Arezzo
Trades in the RCT included:
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