Polished jasper pebble, one inch (2.5 cm) long

Jasper, a form of chalcedony,^[1] is an opaque,^[2] impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for snuff boxes. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped or banded jasper. Jaspilite is a banded iron formation rock that often has distinctive bands of jasper. Jasper is basically chert which owes its red color to iron(III) inclusions. The specific gravity of jasper is typically 2.5 to 2.9.^[3] The jasper is, along with Heliotrope (bloodstone), one of the traditional birthstones for March. It is also a stone in the Jewish High Priest's breastplate, described in Exodus 28.

Etymology and history[link]

The name means "spotted or speckled stone", and is derived via Old French jaspre (variant of Anglo-Norman jaspe) and Latin iaspidem (nom. iaspis)) from Greek ἴασπις iaspis, (feminine noun)^[4] from a Semitic language (cf. Hebrew יושפה yushphah, Akkadian yashupu).^[5]

Green jasper was used to make bow drills in Mehrgarh between 4th and 5th millennium BC.^[6] Jasper is known to have been a favorite gem in the ancient world; its name can be traced back in Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Assyrian, Greek and Latin.^[7] On Minoan Crete, jasper was carved to produce seals circa 1800 BC, as evidenced by archaeological recoveries at the palace of Knossos.^[8]

Although the term jasper is now restricted to opaque quartz, the ancient iaspis was a stone of considerable translucency. The jasper of antiquity was in many cases distinctly green, for it is often compared with the emerald and other green objects. Jasper is referred to in the Niebelungenlied as being clear and green. Probably the jasper of the ancients included stones which would now be classed as chalcedony, and the emerald-like jasper may have been akin to the modern chrysoprase. The Hebrew word yushphah may have designated a green jasper.^[9] Flinders Petrie suggested that the odem, the first stone on the High Priest's breastplate, was a red jasper, whilst tarshish, the tenth stone, may have been a yellow jasper.^[10]

Types[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Jasper is an opaque rock of virtually any color stemming from the mineral content of the original sediments or ash. Patterns arise during the consolidation process forming flow and depositional patterns in the original silica rich sediment or volcanic ash. Hydrothermal circulation is generally thought to be required in the formation of jasper.^{[citation needed]}

Jasper can be modified by the diffusion of minerals along discontinuities providing the appearance of vegetative growth, i.e., dendritic. The original materials are often fractured and/or distorted, after deposition, into myriad beautiful patterns which are to be later filled with other colorful minerals. Weathering, with time, will create intensely colored superficial rinds.

The classification and naming of jasper presents a challenge.^[11] Terms attributed to various well-defined materials includes the geographic locality where it is found, sometimes quite restricted such as "Bruneau" (a canyon) and "Lahontan" (a lake), rivers and even individual mountains, many are fanciful such as "Forest Fire" or "Rainbow", while others are descriptive such as "Autumn", "Porcelain" or "Dalmatian". A few are designated by the country of origin such as a Brown Egyptian or Red African leaving tremendous latitude as to what is called what.

Picture jaspers exhibit combinations of patterns (such as banding from flow or depositional patterns (from water or wind), dendritic or color variations) resulting in what appear to be scenes or images, on a cut section.^{[12][dead link]} Diffusion from a center produces a distinctive orbicular appearance, i.e., Leopard Skin Jasper, or linear banding from a fracture as seen in Leisegang Jasper. Healed, fragmented rock produces brecciated (broken) jasper. Examples of this can be seen at Llanddwyn Island in Wales.

The term basanite has occasionally been used to refer to a variety of jasper, for example a black flinty or cherty jasper found in several New England states of the USA. Such varieties of jasper are also informally known as Lydian stone or lydite and have been used as touchstones in testing the purity of precious metal alloys.^[13]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jasper

• Carnelian
• Jasperware

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2010)

Alex Christensen
Alex Christensen (to the right)
Background information
Born	(1967-04-07) 7 April 1967 (age 45)
Origin	Hamburg, Germany
Genres	Techno, eurodance
Occupations	Singer, producer

Alex Christensen (born 7 April 1967 in Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg, Germany), Jasper Forks or Alex C. as he is known, is a German dance music composer, producer, and DJ, generally known as the face, and one of the founding members, of U96. Since 2002, he has been collaborating with Yasmin K. also known as Y-ass.

Music career[link]

Christensen started in 1991 as a music producer and DJ, and had his first success in 1992 as U96 with a techno version of Das Boot. In several countries this song was the first techno song to obtain a number one position. Since 2002 Christensen also works under the name Alex C. and frequently collaborates with Yasmin K. whom he met as a judge on the second season of Popstars.

As a producer and/or composer Christensen worked for big artists as Right Said Fred, Tom Jones, *NSYNC, Rollergirl, Marianne Rosenberg, Sarah Brightman, and ATC.

Christensen represented Germany at the Final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow together with Oscar Loya, performing the song "Miss Kiss Kiss Bang" finishing in 20th place.^[1]

Alex Christensen's song "Doktorspiele" which featured additional vocals from Yass, won the 2008 Eurodanceweb Contest, which were determined by points assigned by a professional jury of disc jockeys, journalists, music producers, webmasters, radio speakers from all over the World.^[2]

Personal life[link]

Alex Christensen is married to Nicole Safft. They have a son.

Biggest hit[link]

In 2007, Christensen released the song "Du hast den schönsten Arsch der Welt" ("You have the most beautiful ass in the world") in co-operation with Y-ass. It sampled The Soundlovers' "Run Away". This song marked an international breakthrough for Christensen. Because the song got high ratings in several foreign dance charts, it was re-released in several other languages. In some countries the melody was adjusted to fit the taste of the local inhabitants. Some of these versions are:

• Alex C ft. Y-Ass - "Du hast den schönsten Arsch der Welt" (German - Original) ( English translation )
• Trasero - "Lekkerste Kont Van Het Land" (Dutch)
• Alex C ft. Y-ass - "Sweetest Ass In The World" (English)
• Alex C ft. Y-ass - "Tienes El Culo Más Bello Del Mundo" (Spanish)
• Alex C ft. Y-ass - "Tu As Le Plus Beau Cul Du Monde" (French)
• Mr.Vee & Michaela - "Máš Nejhezčí Zadek Na Světě" (Czech)
• Släm - Sul On Kõige Kaunim Kann (Estonian)

Jasper Forks (2010-present)[link]

In early 2010, Alex Christensen adopted the name Jasper Forks to mark a move away from the dance productions he had previously been associated with. He began producing tech piano house, and his first single “River Flows In You” made it to the top 10 of the airplay charts all across Europe. The song "River Flows In You" is composed by Korean pianist Yiruma. The follow up single “Alone” was released in January 2011.^[3]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles as Alex C.[link]

Singles as Alex Swings Oscar Sings![link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Dan Mangan
Background information
Birth name	Daniel Mangan
Born	(1983-04-28) April 28, 1983 (age 29) Smithers, British Columbia, Canada
Origin	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Indie rock, folk, singer-songwriter[1]
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Arts & Crafts, FUM, ABC/Warner
Website	www.danmanganmusic.com

Daniel Mangan (born April 28, 1983) is a Canadian indie folk-rock singer-songwriter.

Early life[link]

Mangan was born in Smithers, British Columbia. His family moved often, residing in both the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, but primarily in his current home town of Vancouver. Raised in a household where instruments were always available, music became an obvious pastime for Mangan and his two siblings. He was influenced by his parents' record collection, especially the music of Nick Drake and The Beatles.^[1] At sixteen, Mangan started a band called Basement Suite with some fellow classmates and played gigs at local community centres.

Recording career[link]

Dan Mangan performing at the 2009 Vancouver Folk Festival.

In 2003, at 20 years old, Mangan completed his first set of recordings: an EP of simply recorded acoustic songs called All at Once. Five hundred copies were pressed and sold or given away throughout the Vancouver area while Mangan was attending the University of British Columbia, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta.^[2] With a bank loan and a small community of musicians who would offer cheap or free sessions, Mangan recorded Postcards & Daydreaming in the summer of 2005 with local British ex-pat Daniel Elmes and good friend Simon Kelly. Mangan released the album independently at first, selling the album online and at live shows. In July 2007, Vancouver-based independent record label File Under: Music picked up the LP and re-released the album with new artwork and an extra track, "Ash Babe". The following March, the record was released in Australia by ABC/Warner.

In March 2009, File Under: Music released another short-play recording called Roboteering EP, containing songs from Mangan's forthcoming album Nice, Nice, Very Nice.^[3] The album was recorded in Toronto at Green Door Studios with producer John Critchley, and featured an assortment of other Canadian artists such as Veda Hille, Justin Rutledge, Mark Berube, Hannah Georgas and members of Said The Whale, Major Maker, and Elliott Brood. Five months later, Nice, Nice, Very Nice was released in Canada. After years of steady touring, and with his second full-length release, Mangan was starting to get noticed across his home country. The first two singles from his second full-length, "Robots" and "Road Regrets" earned airplay on local Vancouver radio stations, as well as on satellite radio stations such as The Verge and CBC Radio 3. The album name was inspired by a line from American novelist Kurt Vonnegut's book Cat's Cradle, while musically Nice, Nice, Very Nice has been compared to Chad VanGaalen and Bon Iver.

Mangan performing in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in October 2009.

In September 2009, Mangan was awarded "Artist of the Year" at the Verge Music Awards.^[4] In 2010, Nice, Nice, Very Nice was licensed and released by Toronto based independent record label Arts & Crafts in Europe and the United States, garnering a larger international presence for Mangan's music. In September 2010, the album was shortlisted by a jury of 200 Canadian journalists, music critics and media personnel for the Polaris Music Prize, which seeks to award the "best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label". Other shortlisted nominees included Karkwa (winner of the prize), Broken Social Scene, Caribou, Owen Pallett, The Besnard Lakes, Tegan and Sara, Shad, The Sadies and Radio Radio.

Mangan and his band have been recording with Vancouver based producer/engineer Colin Stewart, working toward a third full-length album.^[5] On May 28, 2011, Mangan officially announced the title of the new album as being Oh Fortune to his audience at the Sasquatch! Music Festival. He has been playing several songs from the forthcoming album live, including the title track, "Post-War Blues" and "Rows of Houses", which was inspired by the film Stand By Me.^[6] The album was released on September 27 in North America.

At the 2012 Juno Awards, Mangan was awarded New Artist of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year for Oh Fortune, and was also nominated for Songwriter of the Year for "About as Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help at All", "Post-War Blues" and "Oh Fortune" and Video of the Year for the music video for "Rows of Houses", directed by Jon Busby.^[7]

Touring[link]

After years of touring solo internationally, Mangan now generally tours with a band composed of a collection of musicians from Vancouver and Toronto, including guitarist Gord Grdina (Gord Grdina Trio), drummer Kenton Loewen (The Crackling), bassists John Walsh (Brasstronaut) and Colin Cowan (Analog Bell Service), and brass players Shaun Brodie (The Hidden Cameras), Bryden Baird (Feist), and JP Carter (Fond of Tigers). Mangan has also toured with Australian musicians Cameron Potts and Lee Carey, playing lead guitar and drums respectively, both from the Sydney band Dead Letter Chorus. Aidan Knight also has appeared as Mangan's guitarist in the past.

The band often plays in Canada, USA, Europe and Australia, and has shared stages with a wide array of artists such as The Walkmen, Japandroids, Broken Social Scene, Holy Fuck, Julian Casablancas, Timber Timbre, Sarah Harmer, The Broken Family Band, Elliott Brood, The Acorn, Patrick Watson, Jenn Grant, Brett Dennen, Mother Mother, Geoff Berner, Great Lake Swimmers, Basia Bulat, Veda Hille, Hannah Georgas, Charlie Parr and Hey Rosetta!.^[8]

Mangan has been invited to perform at many international music festivals including:

• UK: Glastonbury (2010 "John Peel Stage", 2011 "Other Stage"), End of the Road Festival (2011)
• Australia: Woodford Folk Festival (2010), East Coast Blues and Roots (2008), and Peats Ridge (2009, 2010)
• Canada: Halifax Pop Explosion (2009), Vancouver Folk Music Festival (2009), Dawson City Music Festival (2010), Calgary Folk Festival (2010), Mariposa Folk Festival (2010), Winnipeg Folk Festival (2011), Regina Folk Festival (2011), Home County Folk Festival (2011), Hillside Festival (2011), Halifax Pop Explosion (2011)
• USA: Sasquatch! Festival (2011), Rocky Mt. Folks Festival (2011)
• Germany: Reeperbahnfestival (2010), Orange Blossom Special (2011), Haldern Pop (2011)

Discography[link]

EPs[link]

LPs[link]

See also[link]

• Music of Canada
• Canadian rock
• List of Canadian musicians

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dan Mangan

• Official website
• Dan Mangan on Myspace

Dick Jaspers

Born	(1965-07-23) 23 July 1965 (age 46) Sint Willebrord
Sport country	Netherlands
Professional	1986

Medal record
Competitor for  Netherlands
Men's Three-cushion billiards
World Games
Silver	2001 Akita	Individual
Silver	2005 Duisburg	Individual
Gold	2009 Kaohsiung	Individual

Dick Jaspers (born 23 July 1965) is a Dutch professional carom billiards player who specializes in the three-cushion event.

Early life[link]

This section requires expansion.

Jaspers started playing billiards when he was three years old in the pub his parents ran in his home town. Between 1974 and 1980 he participated in the Dutch Youth Championships before making the move to the senior level. In this period he got lessons from Andre Gulickx and Tony Schrauwen

Professional career[link]

Jaspers became a professional billiard player in 1986 after seeing Raymond Ceulemans and Nobuaki Kobayashi on live television during their World Cup final in Valkenburg. Jaspers won two silver medals in the Dutch Championships 1986. In 1987 and 1989 he won the National Championship, and participated three times at the European Youth Championship. He won the gold medal on all of those occasions.

Jaspers started playing in the West German division of the Billiards World Cup Association (BWA) which managed professional Grand-Prix tournaments. Jaspers won several of these tournaments and was later suspended by the European Billiards Association for five years for his participation. Several other world-class players received the same suspension. The Union Mondiale de Billard supported this decision and Jaspers and the other players were prohibited from participating in European and World Championships for five years. Following the suspension the players remained members of the BWA and played all their tournaments with them, which resulted in a long-term suspension. In 1989 and 1992 Jaspers became European Champion at the European Nation Championships, and in 1991 and 1992 he won the Finale Coupe d'Europe events. In 1998 the associations and their players came together to resolve their differences. From then on the players were able to play at the ECs and WCs again. Jaspers won the BWA World Three-cushion Championship in 1997^[1] and 1999, and received the Golden KNBB Pin in December 1999.

In October 2000, Jaspers dominated the UMB World Three-cushion Championship. Earlier that year he was honored by the BWA.^{[clarification needed]} He was not able to defend his title the following year, but he won the Silver Medal at the 2001 World Games in Akita, Japan.

In Göynük, Turkey, he won the 2003 European Championships and he became UMB World Champion for the second time in 2004 when he overclassed his Greek opponent Filipos Kasidokostas in the final (15-9, 15-0, 15-5). The event was held in Jaspers' home country in Rotterdam. Jaspers would win that event again five years later by defeating Torbjörn Blomdahl.

In 2005, Jaspers won three Silver Medals (World Games, World Nations Championships and Euro Billiards). On 3 September 2006 Jaspers won his 13th Dutch National Championship event.

Japspers defeated Blomdahl again to win the 2009 AGIPI Billiard Masters. A prize of €20,550 was awarded to him.

Titles[link]

• 1997 BWA World Three-cushion Champion
• 1999 BWA World Three-cushion Champion
• 2000 UMB World Three-cushion Champion
• 2003 CEB European Three-cushion Champion
• 2004 UMB World Three-cushion Champion
• 2008 CEB European Three-cushion Champion
• 2008 World Cup
• 2009 UMB/CEB AGIPI Masters
• 2010 CEB European Three-cushion Champion
• 2010 UMB/CEB AGIPI Masters
• 2010 World Cup
• 2011 CEB European Three-cushion Champion
• 2011 UMB World Three-cushion Champion