Banditry
Banditry is the life and practice of bandits. The New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (NED) defined "bandit" in 1885 as "one who is proscribed or outlawed; hence, a lawless desperate marauder, a brigand: usually applied to members of the organized gangs which infest the mountainous districts of Italy, Sicily, Spain, Greece, Iran, and Turkey". In modern usage the word may become a synonym for "thief", hence the term "one-armed bandit" for gambling machines that can leave the gambler with no money.
Origin of the word
The term bandit (introduced to English via Italian around 1590) originates with the early Germanic legal practice of outlawing criminals, termed *bannan (English ban). The legal term in the Holy Roman Empire was Acht or Reichsacht, translated as "Imperial ban".
History
About 5,000 bandits were executed by Pope Sixtus V in the five years before his death in 1590, but there were reputedly 27,000 more at liberty throughout central Italy.
Marauding was one of the most common peasant reactions to oppression and hardship. The growth of warlord armies in China was also accompanied by a dramatic increase in bandit activity in the republican period; by 1930 the total bandit population was estimated to be 20 million.
Bandit (TV series)
Bandit was a Welsh language music television show on S4C, produced by Boomerang. It included live performances, videos and interviews and was presented by Huw Stephens, Elis James, Sarra Elgan Rhydian Bowen Phillips and Huw Evans. The programme aimed to raise the profile of Welsh-language popular music but also included music from Wales with lyrics in other languages (usually English). The last episode of Bandit was broadcast on 28 December 2011, after a decade of being on the air. The special show was presented by Stephens and Evans.
The Bandit team also used to organise several gigs each year and the show was considered to be S4C's flagship music programme. Their multiple nominations for BAFTA Cymru awards each year demonstrated the programme's appeal. One of their BAFTAs was won for "Best Title Sequence/Best Motion Graphics"; the attention to detail had also been carried over to their website.
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References
Bandit (raccoon)
Bandit (c. 1994 – May 9, 2004) was a raccoon which came to attention after being named "The World's Fattest Raccoon" by The Guinness Book of World Records.
He was born with a thyroid problem which led to his massive weight gain. He was adopted by a dog and raised as one of her puppies, then later taken in by a woman in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. At the time of his death he weighed almost 75 pounds.
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Feint
Feint is a French term that entered English via the discipline of swordsmanship and fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or even none, will. In military tactics and many types of combat, there are two types of feints: feint attacks and feint retreats.
Attacks
A feint attack is designed to draw defensive action towards the point under assault. It is usually used as a diversion to force the enemy to concentrate more manpower in a given area, to weaken the opposing force in another area. Unlike a related diversionary maneuver, the demonstration, a feint involves actual contact with the enemy.
Retreats
A feint retreat is performed by briefly engaging the enemy, then retreating. It is intended to draw the enemy pursuit into a prepared ambush, or to cause disarray. For example, the Battle of Hastings was lost when Saxons pursued the Norman cavalry. This forfeited the advantage of height and the line was broken, providing the opportunity to fight in single handed combat on a neutral vantage point, a battle for which the Saxons were not ready. The Parthian shot is another example of a feint retreat, where mounted Parthian archers would retreat from a battle and then, while still riding, turn their bodies back to shoot at the pursuing enemy.
The Phantom Agony
The Phantom Agony is the first full-length studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. It was released in 2003 by the Dutch label Transmission Records. It is the first album recorded by guitarist Mark Jansen after his departure from the band After Forever. On this album, Mark Jansen continues with the collection of songs that make up "The Embrace That Smothers". The first three parts can be found on Prison of Desire (2000), After Forever's debut album, and the following three parts can be found on The Divine Conspiracy (2007), Epica's third album. These songs deal with the dangers of organized religion.
The album was re-released on 23 March 2013, which coincided with Epica’s 10th anniversary Retrospect show, as a 2-disc expanded edition by Epica’s former record label Transmission Records.
Track listings
Personnel
Singles
The Phantom Agony
"The Phantom Agony" was the first single of the eponymous album. It was released in October 2003.
Track listing
Podcasts:
