John Graunt (24 April 1620 – 18 April 1674) was one of the first demographers, though by profession he was a haberdasher. Born in London, the eldest of seven or eight children of Henry and Mary Graunt. His father was a draper who had moved to London from Hampshire. In February 1641, Graunt married Mary Scott, with whom he had one son (Henry) and three daughters.

Graunt, along with William Petty, developed early human statistical and census methods that later provided a framework for modern demography. He is credited with producing the first life table, giving probabilities of survival to each age. Graunt is also considered as one of the first experts in epidemiology, since his famous book was concerned mostly with public health statistics.

His book Natural and Political Observations Made upon the Bills of Mortality (1662 Old Style or 1663 New Style) used analysis of the mortality rolls in early modern London as Charles II and other officials attempted to create a system to warn of the onset and spread of bubonic plague in the city. Though the system was never truly created, Graunt's work in studying the rolls resulted in the first statistically based estimation of the population of London.

The erudition of the Observations led Graunt to the Royal Society, where he presented his work and was subsequently elected a fellow. Initially, members of the Royal Society wanted nothing to do with Graunt, uncomfortable with the idea of a haberdasher being elected. Fortunately for Graunt, Charles II, who was King Of England at the time, ignored their objections and brought Graunt into the society.

Upon entering into the Royal Society,^{[citation needed]} Graunt decided to convert to Catholicism at a time when Catholics and Protestants were struggling for control of England and Europe. Due to his association with the religion, he was accused of taking part in the Great Fire of London^{[citation needed]} and as a result was dismissed from his employment at a water company.^{[citation needed]} With no financial support, Graunt lived the rest of his life in poverty, dying of jaundice and liver disease at the age of 53.

Tribute to Graunt's pioneering work was paid by Sir Liam Donaldson on the tenth anniversary of the Public Health Observatories.^[1]

Title page of Graunt's Observations on the Bills of Mortality (1662).

References[link]

External links[link]

• John Graunt (1620-1674), Text of the "Observations" and other Graunt materials are available on Western Washington University.

John Joseph Cardiel (born December 14, 1973 in San Jose, California) is a professional skateboarder who grew up in Half Moon Bay and Grass Valley, California^[1][2] and currently resides in Sacramento, California.

He started Anti Hero Skateboards on Deluxe Distribution along with Nick Perry in 1995.

His sponsors are Vans, Anti Hero, Spitfire, Independent Truck Company and Chrome Industries.

Accident[link]

In 2003, at the end of a 4 week road trip from Brisbane to Melbourne in Australia to film the skateboard movie Tent City, John Cardiel lost his footing while running alongside the van and was run over by its trailer.^[3] He injured his spinal cord and wasn't given any chance to ever walk again, but after five months of rehabilitation in the hospital and a few months in a wheel chair he was able to regain the use of his legs.

After a hiatus, he later emerged on two wheels instead of four being featured in the 2008 street fixed gear cycling film "Macaframa" directed by Colin Arlen and Colby Elrick. He attributes his recovery to his cycling, and continues to be an advocate of street fixed gear cycling.

A more recent interview with Cardiel explaining the accident and such can be found here: http://nephewmarcus.blogspot.com/2011/12/john-cardiel-interview.html

Awards[link]

• 1992 - Thrasher Magazine Skater of the Year

References[link]

Frans Hals' depiction of Mark the Evangelist, usually regarded as the same person as John Mark.

John Mark is a character in the New Testament. According to William Lane, an "unbroken tradition" identifies him with Mark the Evangelist.^[1] John Mark is mentioned several times in the Acts of the Apostles. The first mention is in Acts 12:12, when Peter is coming to his mother's house:

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.

John Mark himself appears a bit later in the same chapter, in Acts 12:25, as the travel companion of Saul (Apostle Paul) and Barnabas:

When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

John Mark is mentioned soon after the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15:37-41. Paul (Saul) does not have a too flattering impression of his former associate, arguing over him with Barnabas in Antioch:

Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

This is apparently the same occurrence that was earlier mentioned in Acts 13:13, this time referring to John Mark simply as "John":

From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.

This John had joined their mission in Antioch. Acts 13:4-5 says:

The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

Ultimately John Mark returned to the ministry. This is evidenced by the instruction to Timothy that he should "Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry." 2 Timothy 4:11

John Mark is also usually identified with Mark the cousin of Barnabas.

References[link]

• Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897