Nine-man football is a type of American football played by high schools that are too small to play the usual eleven-man game.
The size of the playing field is often smaller in nine-man football than in eleven-man. Some states opt for a smaller, 80 yards long by 40 yards wide field (which is also used in eight-man and six-man); other states keep the field of play at 100 yards long while reducing the width to 40 yards or play on a full-sized playing field. In games played on 80-yard fields, kickoffs take place from the 20 yard line rather than from the 35 yard line.
A similar nine-man modification of Canadian football is played on 100-yard fields by small schools in the province of Saskatchewan and has been proposed, but not yet adopted, in Alberta.
The rules require that the offense align 4 players in the backfield and 5 on the line of scrimmage. A standard I formation has a quarterback, a fullback, a tailback and five linemen. Usually the outside linemen are a tight end and a wide receiver, but it varies by formation. The fourth player in the offensive backfield often plays as an additional wide receiver or tight end.
A common defensive formation is the 4-3-2, with four defensive linemen, three linebackers, and two defensive backs.
The games are frequently high-scoring because the number of players is reduced by more than the size of the field; thus fast players usually find more open space to run within the field of play.
In France, most competitions are played nine-man : games and leagues involving 19 year old players or younger, division 3 (Le Casque d'Argent) and regional leagues. Blocking under the belt is strictly forbidden under nine-man french rules, but the field size remain the same as in eleven-man football.

Political parties Elections
The Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) was a political party registered in the United Kingdom in 1999 with the cannabis leaf image as its emblem. In common with Cannabis political parties in other countries, the party's aims are not exclusively about the consumption of cannabis. The party highlights also the way prohibition of cannabis cultivation tends to prevent or severely restrict cultivation for a variety of purely non-drug purposes, as well as questioning the value of distinctions between recreational and therapeutic use of cannabis-based drugs.
The Party voted to de-register at a Conference held in Norwich on November 11, 2006, and to continue to campaign as pressure group.
In Cannabis: legalise and utilise (2000) the LCA declared its beliefs as follows:

The use of cannabis ought to be a matter of choice and not of law
The prohibition of cannabis is against the public interest
The prohibition of cannabis contravenes Human Rights
The prohibition of cannabis inhibits the use of a beneficial resource
The legalisation of cannabis is a very important step that should be taken to benefit the people and the environment Cannabis: legalise and utilise
In 1992 the Campaign to Legalise Cannabis International was formed in Norwich to fight politically for the legalisation of cannabis worldwide and, under the name Legalise Cannabis Alliance, this organisation was registered as a political party in the United Kingdom in March 1999. Registration occurred after Howard Marks had stood as a legalise cannabis candidate in four different constituencies of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in the 1997 general election: Norwich North, Norwich South, Southampton Test and Neath. In the same general election Buster Nolan described himself as the New Millennium, New Way, Legalise Cannabis candidate in Braintree.
The first official LCA candidate in a House of Commons election was Colin Paisley in the November 1999 byelection in Kensington and Chelsea. He took 141 (0.7%) of the votes. The second was Derrick Large in the May 2000 Romsey byelection. He took 417 (1.1%) of the votes.
In the June 2001 general election the LCA had candidates in 13 constituencies. Their best result was in Workington, where John Peacock took 1040 (2.5%) of the votes cast.
In January 2004 cannabis prohibition in the UK was relaxed. Cannabis had been a class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: it became a class C substance. Many people saw this change as virtual 'decriminalisation'
In the May 2005 general election the LCA contested 21 constituencies. This was 8 more than in the 2001 general election, but included only 6 that had been contested in that previous election. In all these 6 constituencies the LCA suffered a fall in its share of the vote, and the average share across 21 constituencies was well down from that across the previous 13. Their best results were in Orkney and Shetland, Worthing East and Shoreham and Leigh. In Orkney and Shetland, Paul Cruickshank took 1.8% of the votes. Thomas Hampson in Leigh and Chris Baldwin in Worthing East and Shoreham both took 1.5% of the votes.
The party has also contested various local government elections.
Alun Buffry is the key figure in the party's organisation to date. According to the Electoral Commission's register of political parties, he is the leader and nominating officer, whilst Hugh Stuart Robertson is treasury.
CHANGES in 2006
At a party conference held in Norwich on November 11, 2006, the motion to de-register and to continue campaigning as a pressure group, was passed.
This followed the announcement that Nominating Officer Alun Buffry was to resign the post.
A new Nominating Officer. Esteban Otton, was elected - the post to be renamed Campaign Coordinator.

History
Please see LCA in UK Parliament elections for details of performance in other elections.

Craig Brown (born May 23, 1957, Hayes, Middlesex) is a British artist, critic, satirist and writer probably best known for his work in Private Eye.
He was educated at Eton and Bristol University and then became a freelance journalist in London, contributing to The Tatler, The Spectator, The Times Literary Supplement, Literary Review, the Evening Standard (as a regular columnist), The Times (notably as parliamentary sketchwriter; these columns were compiled into a book called A Life Inside) and The Sunday Times (as TV and restaurant critic). He later continued his restaurant column in The Sunday Telegraph and has contributed a weekly book review to The Mail on Sunday.
He created the characters of Bel Littlejohn, an ultra-trendy liberal, in The Guardian, and Wallace Arnold, an extremely reactionary conservative, in The Independent on Sunday. In 2001, he took over Auberon Waugh's "Way of the World" in The Daily Telegraph following Waugh's death. However, he is probably best known for his Diary in the fortnightly satirical magazine Private Eye, in which he adopts the persona of a celebrity or other public figure. His targets have included the Queen, Jackie Collins, Bill Clinton, Martin Amis, and the publicist Max Clifford. A typical (and famous) reference, characteristically combining viciousness and honesty in the Diary came in the purported entry for Mary Archer, married to convicted perjurer Jeffrey Archer, "I am the chairman of the Ethics Committee at Addenbrookes hospital, and well used to coming down hard on those who lie incompetently." Another typical Eye Diary mocks Martin Amis' pretensions - "Why pray, is it necessary to point out at this post-millennial juncture that Iosif Stalin is no mate of this 52-year-old novelist?" Why, indeed?".
Brown also writes comedy shows such as Norman Ormal for TV (in which he appeared as a returning officer), and his radio show This Is Craig Brown was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004. It featured comics Rory Bremner and Harry Enfield and other media personalities.
He has appeared on television as a critic on BBC2's Late Review as well as in documentaries such a Russell Davies's life of Ronald Searle.
His book 1966 and All That takes its title, and some other elements, from 1066 and All That. A BBC Radio 4 adaptation followed in September 2006, in similar vein to This Is Craig Brown. The Tony Years is a comic overview of the years of Tony Blair's government, published in paperback by Ebury Press in June 2007.

The Edinburgh and Dalkieth Railway received the royal assent on 26 May 1826 as a horse-drawn tramway to the Scotch gauge, of 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm), to link various coal mines to the south east of Edinburgh.

Formation

The main line
The Leith branch was partially opened in March 1835 and fully brought into use in July 1838.

Leith branch
To be added

Dalkeith branch
To be added

Expansion

Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway at Duddingston Junction
North British Railway at Niddrie South Junction
Edinburgh, Loanhead and Roslin Railway at Millerhill
Edinburgh and Hawick Railway (including Marquis of Lothian's waggonway) at Dalhousie Connections to other Lines
Further information is provided in the article Innocent Railway
The line acquired the name Innocent Railway because of its safety record, despite carrying up to 400,000 passengers per year, no-one was ever killed.

Future

Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, USN (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was a pioneering American polar explorer and famous aviator.
Richard Evelyn Byrd was born into one of Virginia's First Families in Winchester, Virginia. His parents were Richard Evelyn Byrd and Eleanor Bolling Flood. A descendant of William Byrd II of Westover Plantation (founder of Richmond, Virginia), his brother was Harry Flood Byrd who became a Governor of Virginia and U.S. Senator. He has no relationship to West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd.
Richard E. Byrd attended the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia before financial circumstances inspired his enrollment and graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1912. He learned to fly in World War I during his tour with the United States Navy. He developed a passion for flight, and pioneered many techniques for navigating airplanes over the open ocean including drift indicators and bubble sextants. His expertise in this area resulted in his appointment to plan the flight path for the U.S. Navy's 1919 transatlantic crossing. Of the three flying boats that attempted it, only Albert Read's aircraft the NC-4 completed the trip; becoming the first ever transatlantic flight.

North Pole flight, 1926
Byrd was one of several aviators who attempted to win the Orteig Prize in 1927 for making the first nonstop flight between the United States and France. Once again Byrd named Floyd Bennett as his chief pilot, with support from Bernt Balchen, Bert Acosta, and George Noville. During a practice takeoff with Bennett alone at the controls, the Fokker Trimotor airplane, America, crashed, severely injuring Bennett. As the plane was being repaired, Charles Lindbergh won the prize. But Byrd continued with his quest, naming Balchen to replace Bennett as chief pilot. Byrd, Balchen, Acosta, and Noville flew from Roosevelt Field East Garden City, New York on June 29, 1927. Arriving over France, cloud cover prevented a landing in Paris; they returned to the coast of Normandy, crash-landing without injury on July 1, 1927 .

First Antarctic expedition, 1928-1930
Byrd undertook four more expeditions to Antarctica from 1933–35, 1939–40, 1946–47 and 1955–56.
As a senior officer in the U.S. Navy, Byrd, performed national defense service during World War II (1941-45), mostly as a consultant to the U.S.N. high commanders.
On his second expedition, in 1934, Byrd spent five winter months alone operating a meteorological station, Advance Base, from which he narrowly escaped with his life after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from a poorly-ventilated stove. Unusual radio transmissions from Byrd finally began to alarm the men at the base camp, who then attempted to go to Advance Base. The first two trips were failures due to darkness, snow, and mechanical troubles. Finally, Dr. Thomas Poulter, E.J. Demas, and Amory Waite arrived at advanced base, where they found Byrd in poor physical health. The men remained at advanced base until October 12 when an airplane from the base camp picked up Dr. Poulter and Byrd. The rest of the men returned to base camp with the tractor. In late 1938, Byrd visited Hamburg and was invited to participate in the 1938/1939 German "Neuschwabenland" Antarctic Expedition, but declined.
Byrd's third expedition was his first one on which he had the official backing of the U.S. government. The project included extensive studies of geology, biology, meteorology and exploration. Within a few months, in March 1940, Byrd was recalled to active duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. The expedition continued in Antarctica without him. From 1942 to 1945 he headed important missions to the Pacific, including surveys of remote islands for airfields. On one assignment he visited the fighting front in Europe. He was repeatedly cited for meritorious service and was present at the Japanese surrender.
The fourth culminating expedition, Operation Highjump, was the largest Antarctic expedition to date. Conspiracy theorists specializing in alleged Aryan or Nazi activities in Antarctica have extensively speculated about this mission. In 1946, US Navy Secretary James Forrestal assembled a huge amphibious naval force for an Antarctic Expedition expected to last six to eight months. Besides the flagship Mount Olympus and the aircraft carrier Philippine Sea, there were thirteen US Navy support ships, six helicopters, six flying boats, two seaplane tenders and fifteen other aircraft. The total number of personnel involved was over 4,000. The armada arrived in the Ross Sea on 31 December 1946, and made aerial explorations of an area half the size of the United States, recording ten new mountain ranges. The major area covered was the eastern coastline of Antarctica from 150 degrees east to the Greenwich meridian. The expedition was terminated abruptly at the end of February 1947, six months early, the entire remaining armada returning immediately to the United States. A number of mysterious incidents occurred involving aircraft, but the early termination of the mission was never explained.
A report in the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio of Santiago on 5 March 1947 sheds some possible light onto the strategic importance of polar reconnaissance. The article by Lee van Atta entitled "Admiral Richard E Byrd refers to the Strategic Importance of the Poles" had been sent from "On Board Mount Olympus on the High Seas". It is often misquoted in translation by occult enthusiasts, the usual interpolations in the text being of "flying objects" having the ability "to fly from pole to pole at incredible speeds", but a better translation is:
"Admiral Byrd declared today that it was imperative for the United States to initiate defence measures against the possible invasion of the country by hostile aircraft operating from the polar regions. The Admiral stated, "I don't want to frighten anyone unduly but it is a bitter reality that in the case of a new war the continental United States will be attacked by aircraft flying in from one or both poles." As regards the recently terminated expedition, Byrd said that the most important result of the observations and discoveries made is the current potential effect which they will have on the security of the United States."
For six months of the year, the Antarctic is in permanent darkness. It is then the coldest place on Earth, with temperatures 60 degrees below zero. It was reported in 1956 that to build permanent ice runways it would require nuclear reactors at the South Pole to enable sufficient quantities of snow to be melted. "The reason that US armed forces installed the South Pole station is simply that they alone have the ships, the planes, the manpower and the know-how to overcome the problems posed by the grim climate," explained Paul Siple, Scientific Leader, IGY South Pole Station, in a National Geographic magazine article (CXII - No.1, July 1957).
Admiral Byrd remained out of the public eye for several years until commanding Operation Deep Freeze, which established permanent Antarctic bases at McMurdo Sound, the Bay of Whales and the South Pole in 1955, accompanied by Andrew Van Mincey, for whom Mincey Glacier is named. However, once again he only stayed in Antarctica for a few months, leaving the rest of the operation behind. In January 1956 he made a survey flight with Dr Paul Siple, scouting conditions at 90 degrees South a year before the scheduled installation of the International Geophysical Year Station there.

Awards, decorations, honors
Laurence McKinley Gould

Paula Danziger (August 18, 1944 – July 8, 2004) was a U.S. children's author. She lived in New York City.
Danziger, who said she knew in the second grade that she wanted to be a writer, wrote more than 30 books, including her 1974 debut The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Remember Me to Harold Square, The Divorce Express and Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice? She was also the author of the Amber Brown and Matthew Martin series.
She was a graduate of Montclair State University, earning a bachelor's and master's there before becoming a substitute teacher. After being injured in an automobile accident, she began writing. Most of her books are considered Young Adult (YA) books, although some of the Amber Brown books were aimed at younger readers.
She has collaborated with Ann M. Martin twice, with P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More.
She frequently gave lectures and speeches, wearing elaborate costumes and calling herself a children's Dame Edna Everage. She is quoted as saying that her alternative career choice would have been as a stand-up comedian.
In the United Kingdom, she was best known for presenting a regular item about children's literature on the BBC's Saturday morning show Going Live.
Danziger suffered a heart attack on June 8, 2004, and died from complications a month later, at the age of 59. At the time of her death, many of her books had been published in 53 countries and in 14 languages.

For Children

Amber Brown is Not a Crayon (1994)
You Can't Eat Your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown (1995)
Amber Brown Goes Fourth (1995)
Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit (1996)
Forever Amber Brown (1996)
Amber Brown Sees Red (1997)
Amber Brown is Feeling Blue (1998)
I, Amber Brown (1999)
Amber Brown is Green with Envy (2003) Amber Brown books

What a Trip, Amber Brown (2001)
It's Justin Time, Amber Brown (2001)
Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown (2002)
Orange You Glad It's Halloween, Amber Brown? (2002)
It's a Fair Day, Amber Brown (2002)
Second Grade Rules, Amber Brown (July 22, 2004) A is for Amber series

Matthew Martin books

P.S. Longer Letter Later (with Ann M. Martin) (1998)
Snail Mail No More (with Ann M. Martin) (2000) Tara*Starr and Elizabeth books

The Divorce Express (1982)
It's an Aardvark-Eat-Turtle World (1985) Rosie and Phoebe books

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit (1974)
There's a Bat in Bunk Five (1980) Kendra Kaye books

The Pistachio Prescription (1978)
Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice? (1979)
This Place Has No Atmosphere (1986)
United Tates of America (2002)

The Islamic Bank of Britain plc (LSE: IBB) is a commercial bank in the United Kingdom, established in August 2004 to offer Sharia compliant financial service products to British Muslims. The bank has 8 branches in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester. It is the first British bank to offer services aimed specifically at Muslims

History
Unlike conventional banking, the Islamic Bank of Britain uses an alternative business model. It is based on Islamic Banking and since Islamic law does not allow the charging of interest, there comes increasing controversy for Muslims to hold bank accounts or mortgages with conventional UK banks. Hence, the Islamic Bank of Britain was created with this mindset.
Although in recent years, this has begun to change; with many UK banks seeing the potential to offer specifically tailored services for Muslim customers. However, The Islamic Bank of Britain is the first UK bank in its single corporate entity to offer an entirely Sharia'a compliant banking, unlike the larger banking conglomerates such as HSBC which offers Sharia'a compliancy, but also utilises a different business model for its conventional banking system.