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An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position. Commissioned officers are typically the only persons, in a military environment, able to act as the commanding officer (according to the most technical definition of the word) of a military unit.^[1] A superior officer is an officer with a higher rank than another officer, who is a subordinate officer relative to the superior.

Newly commissioned U.S. Navy and Marine Corps officers celebrate their new positions by throwing their Midshipmen covers into the air as part of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2005 graduation and commissioning ceremony.

Non-commissioned officers (NCOs) in positions of authority can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se; the use of the word "command" to describe any use of authority is often unofficial.

Having officers is one requirement for combatant status under the laws of war, though these officers need not have obtained an official commission or warrant. In such case, those persons holding offices of responsibility within the organization are deemed to be the officers, and the presence of these officers connotes a level of organization sufficient to designate a group as being combatant.

Commissioned officers[link]

Commissioned officers generally receive training as leadership and management generalists, in addition to training relating to their specific military occupational specialty or function in the military. Many advanced militaries require university degrees as a prerequisite for commissioning, even from the enlisted ranks. Others, including the Australian Defence Force, the British Armed Forces, Nepal Army, the Pakistani Armed Forces (except the Pakistan Air Force), the Swiss Army, the Singapore Armed Forces, the Israel Defense Forces, Swedish Armed Forces and the New Zealand Defence Force, are different in not requiring a university degree for commissioning, although a significant number of officers in these countries are graduates. In the Israel Defense Forces, a university degree is a requirement for an officer to advance to a Lt. Colonel rank. The IDF often sponsors the studies for its Majors.

United Kingdom[link]

In the United Kingdom, officers are commissioned both directly into the officer corps or from junior ranks as what are known as 'Direct Entry' or DE officers, or commissioned from senior ranks as 'Late Entry' or LE officers. LE officers, whilst holding the same Queen's Commission, generally work in different roles from the DE officers. In the infantry a number of Warrant Officers - Class 1 are commissioned as LE officers.

Commissioning for DE officers occurs after a 1 year course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for regular officers or the Territorial Army Commissioning Course for Territorial Army Officers, or for Royal Navy and Royal Air Force candidates, an equivalent period at either Britannia Royal Naval College or the RAF College Cranwell respectively. Royal Marines Officers receive their training in the Command Wing of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines. The courses consist of not only tactical and combat training, but also leadership, management and international affairs training.

United States[link]

In the U.S. military, officers without a university degree may under certain circumstances be commissioned, but are required to earn one before being promoted to Captain (USA, USMC, USAF) or Lieutenant (USN, USCG) (pay grade O-3). Officers without a degree are usually Officer Candidate School (OCS) graduates from the enlisted ranks and comprise less than 2% of all officers. Officers may also be commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps, which is composed of small training programs at several hundred American universities.^[2] Graduates from the service academies are commissioned immediately upon graduation and comprise around 20% of the Officer Corps. An officer may also be commissioned at a federal or state based OCS. These schools train and commission college graduates and enlisted personnel toward being promoted to Officer ranks.

Another route to becoming a commissioned officer is through direct commission. Credentialed civilian professionals such as scientists, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, clergy, and attorneys are directly commissioned upon entry into the military or another federal uniformed service. However, these direct commission officers normally do not have command authority outside their specific branches (e.g., Medical Corps (United States Army) or Judge Advocate General's Corps).

Such commissioning of civilians was widely used in World War II to bring industrial management expertise (for materiel production) and medical and surgical skills into the U.S. armed forces. William S. Knudsen, with the highest-ranking such commission, is possibly the most famous example.

Commonwealth[link]

In countries whose ranking systems are based upon the models of the British Armed Forces, officers from the rank of Second Lieutenant (Army), Sub-Lieutenant (Navy) or Pilot Officer (Air Force) to the rank of General (Army), Admiral (Navy) or Air Chief Marshal (Air Force) are holders of a commission granted to them by the awarding authority. In Britain and other Commonwealth realms, the awarding authority is the monarch (or a Governor General representing the monarch) as head of state. The head of state often is granted the power to award commissions, or has commissions awarded in his or her name.

In Commonwealth nations, Commissioned Officers are given commissioning scrolls (a.k.a. commissioning scripts) signed by the Sovereign or the Governor General acting on the monarch's behalf. Upon receipt, this is an official legal document that binds the mentioned officer to the commitment stated on the scroll.

Non-commissioned members rise from the lowest ranks in most nations. Education standards for non-commissioned members are typically lower than for officers (with the exception of specialised-military and highly-technical trades). Enlisted members only receive leadership training as they are promoted to positions of responsibility, or as a prerequisite for such. In the past (and in some countries today but to a lesser extent) non-commissioned members were almost exclusively conscripts, whereas officers were volunteers.

Non-commissioned officers[link]

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted military member holding a position of some degree of authority who has (usually) obtained it by promotion from within the non-officer ranks. Non-commissioned officers usually receive some leadership training, but their function is to serve as supervisors within their area of trade speciality and, at lower NCO grades, they are not generally considered management specialists. Senior non-commissioned officers serve as advisors and leaders from the duty section level to the highest levels of the military establishment. The duties of an NCO can vary greatly in scope, so that an NCO in one country may hold almost no authority, while others such as the United States and the United Kingdom consider their NCOs to be "the backbone of the military."^[3]

In most maritime forces (navies and coast guards), the NCO ranks are called Petty Officers and Chief Petty Officers, with enlisted ranks prior to attaining NCO/petty officer status typically being called Seaman, or some derivation thereof. In most traditional infantry, marine and air forces, the NCO ranks are known as Sergeants and Corporals, with non-NCO enlisted ranks referred to as Privates and Aircraftmen (or Airmen).

However, some countries use the term commission to describe the promotion of enlisted soldiers. Especially in countries with mandatory military service, NCOs are referred to as professional soldiers, not officers.

Warrant officers[link]

In some branches of many militaries there exists a third grade of officer known as a Warrant Officer. In the military of the United States, Warrant officers are initially appointed by the Secretary of the service and then commissioned by the President of the United States upon promotion to Chief Warrant Officer. In many other countries (as in the armed forces of the Commonwealth nations), a Warrant Officer is a very senior non-commissioned officer whose position has been affirmed by warrant from the bureaucracy directing the force - for example, the position of Regimental Sergeant Major in regiments of the British Army is held by a non-commissioned officer appointed by warrant.

In the US military, a Warrant Officer is a technically focused, single specialty officer - helicopter pilots and IT specialists of the US Army, for example. They are given salutes and they are addressed as Mr, Ms, Mrs, Sir, or Ma'am. There are no Warrant Officers in the U.S. Air Force (the ranks exist, but go permanently and completely unfilled), but each of the other U.S. Armed Forces have Warrant Officers—though each warrant accession program is unique to the individual service's needs. Because Warrant Officers normally have more years in service than regular commissioned officer counterparts, their pay is often slightly more than regular commissioned officers. In the United States military, Commissioned Officers and Commissioned Warrant Officers are the only officers allowed to command units.^{[citation needed]}

Officer ranks and accommodation[link]

Officers in nearly every country of the world are segregated from the enlisted soldiers in many facets of military life. Facilities accommodating needs such as the mess hall, bunks and domiciles, and general recreation are separated between officers and enlisted personnel. This class system, historically correlated to socioeconomic status is focused on discouraging fraternization and encouraging professional and ethical relations between military personnel.^[4]

Traditionally officers are from the landed, ruling or professional classes and are socially treated as gentlemen, in the old fashioned sense of the word. Soldiers on the other hand tend to be recruited from the working class. For example, officers do not routinely perform physical labor; they typically supervise enlisted soldiers/other ranks, either directly or via NCOs. Officers will and do perform physical labour when operationally required to do so, e.g. in combat, however it would be very unusual for an officer to perform physical labour in garrison. This traditional class difference is also reflected in the terminology used to describe officers. For example in recruiting material officers will be described as members of the profession of arms, as opposed to other ranks who will typically be equated to tradesmen, with soldiering (as opposed to officering) described as a trade.

The social gulf between officers and "men" is also a psychological enabler that allows the officers to keep the social distance required to lead and command effectively. For example to reduce the incidence of favouritism between troops under their command and to make difficult decisions such as ordering men to their death or sacrificing some men to save others.

See also[link]

• Officer (Disambiguation page)
• Direct Commission Officer
• Exchange officer
• List of comparative military ranks
• Mustang Officer
• Staff Officer
• Roving commission
• STA-21
• Brevet
• Foreign Service Officer

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Military officers

• U.S. DoD Officer Rank Insignia

Look up off in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Off or OFF may refer to:

• OFF! (band), American hardcore punk band
• OFF (acronym for Organization for Fun) pseudonym for German DJ and singer Sven Väth
• Off (album), an album by Ciwan Haco
• OFF!, an insect repellent
• Off side, one half of the cricket field
• Open Font Format
• Owner free filing system, a P2P-network which breaks up files into blocks
• Oil-for-Food Programme, the United Nations arrangement with Iraq from 1995 to 2003
• Our Favorite Family, a nickname for the eponymous family in the animated television series The Simpsons

See also[link]

• Offside

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

John Krasinski
Krasinski in March 2009
Born	John Burke Krasinski (1979-10-20) October 20, 1979 (age 32) Newton, Massachusetts, United States
Alma mater	Brown University
Occupation	Actor, Director
Years active	2000–present
Spouse	Emily Blunt (2010–present)
Parents	Dr. Ronald Krasinski Mary Clare Doyle

John Burke Krasinski (pronounced /krəˈzɪnski/; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office. He also has a film career appearing in several films including Away We Go, Leatherheads, License to Wed, Big Miracle, Something Borrowed, and It's Complicated.

Early life[link]

Krasinski was born in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of a Polish-American father, internist Dr. Ronald Krasinski,^[1] and an Irish-American mother, Mary Clare (née Doyle).^[2] He has two older brothers, Kevin and Paul, and was raised Roman Catholic.^[3]

Before entering college, Krasinski taught English in Costa Rica.^[4] From there, he went to Brown University, studying theatre arts with Lowry Marshall and John Emigh, and graduating in 2001 as a playwright with an honors thesis entitled "Contents Under Pressure".^[5] During his time at Brown, he was a member of the sketch comedy group Out of Bounds. In college, he also helped coach youth basketball at The Gordon School in East Providence, Rhode Island. He then attended the National Theater Institute in Waterford, Connecticut.^[6]

Career[link]

Television and feature films[link]

Besides training at the National Theater Institute, he also studied at The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England and The Actors Center in New York City. After graduating from Brown University, Krasinski went to New York City to pursue acting, appearing in commercials and guest spots on television shows, as well as doing readings of off-Broadway plays while working as a waiter.^[7] He starred in the play What the Eunuch Saw, which was written and directed by a former college classmate.^[8] In 2000, Krasinski was a script intern on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[9][10]

Krasinski filmed the footage of Scranton, Pennsylvania, for The Office, including the clips shown in the opening credits.^[11] Krasinski directed an episode of The Office, titled "Sabre", the fourteenth episode of The Office's sixth season. He has also directed the third episode of the show's eighth season, titled "Lotto".

Krasinski starred as Gideon in A New Wave, released in 2007. He also starred as Brevin in the Gregg Araki film Smiley Face, filmed in 2006. More recently, he had major roles in the films License to Wed, with Mandy Moore and Robin Williams, and Leatherheads with George Clooney and Renee Zellweger. From April to June 2008 he filmed Away We Go, directed by Sam Mendes and co-starring Maya Rudolph.^[12] He appeared with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in the Nancy Meyers romantic comedy It's Complicated, released in late 2009.^[13]

In 2006, Krasinski wrote and directed Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, an adaptation of David Foster Wallace's collection of short stories. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.^[14]

Krasinski's other television credits include Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Without A Trace, Ed,^[15] American Dad!,^[16] and an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. His feature film credits include Kinsey, Duane Hopwood, Jarhead, The Holiday and Shrek the Third. He also had minor roles in For Your Consideration and Dreamgirls.

Krasinski played the role of Ethan in a film adaptation of the novel Something Borrowed. He also signed on to star with Drew Barrymore in Big Miracle.^[17] Krasinski will also play the lead in an indie movie called Nobody Walks.^[18] He will appear in and also serve as executive producer alongside Aaron Sorkin on an HBO miniseries about the Chateau Marmont Hotel.^[19] Krasinski co-wrote Promised Land with Matt Damon and will also appear in the film, set to begin production in April 2012.^[20][21]

Other work[link]

Beginning in March 2006, Krasinski narrated a series of commercials for Ask.com.^{[citation needed]} He has also narrated commercials for Apple TV, Verizon Wireless, Allstate Insurance, Esurance,^[22] BlackBerry Storm,^[23] My Coke Rewards,^[24] and Carnival Cruise Lines,^[25] and has appeared in print advertisements for Gap.^[26]

In April 2011, he starred in a New Era/Major League Baseball ad campaign with Alec Baldwin, playing off the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.^[27]

Personal life[link]

This section requires expansion.

Krasinski's first stage experience was starring as Daddy Warbucks in a 6th-grade school production of Annie. His next role was in a satirical play written and cast by his Office co-star B.J. Novak when they were high school seniors. The two graduated from Newton South High School in 1997.^[28][29]

He received publicity for donating money to a prospective college student from San Francisco through the organization ScholarMatch.^[30]

In November 2008, Krasinski began dating British actress Emily Blunt, although, despite reports to the contrary, they were not set up by Emily's friend Anne Hathaway^[31] The couple married on July 10, 2010, in Italy with the accompaniment of celebrity friends George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stanley Tucci, David Schwimmer, and Meryl Streep. ^[32]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Krasinski at the 2008 Emmy Awards

Television[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Krasinski

• John Krasinski at the Internet Movie Database
• John Krasinski interview for License to Wed and The Office at TheCinemaSource.com
• John Krasinski Interview at AMCtv.com

Alex Burnett
While with the Fort Myers Miracle in 2008
Minnesota Twins – No. 31
Pitcher
Born: (1987-07-26) July 26, 1987 (age 24) Westminster, California
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 8, 2010 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics (through May 20, 2012)
Win–loss record	5-7
Earned run average	4.87
Strikeouts	80
WHIP	1.45
Teams
Minnesota Twins (2010-present)

Alex James Burnett (born July 26, 1987 in Westminster, California) is a right-handed relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is six feet tall and weighs 215 lbs., and was signed in the 12th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.

Minor league career[link]

In 2007, Burnett was selected to Midwest League All-Star Game while playing with the Twins' low A affiliate, the Beloit Snappers. He ended the season with a 3.02 earned run average, which was fifth best in the league.

Burnett compiled a 5 - 2 record with a 3.36 ERA over 14 appearances (12 starts) in the first half of the 2008 season—helping his team capture the Florida State League first-half West Division title.^[1] Scout.com called him one of the best right-handed pitchers in the Twins' organization.^[2]

On August 21, 2008, in only six innings, Burnett struck out a career best ten Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Miracle's 8-1 win at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland. Burnett, Carlos Gutierrez and Anthony Slama combined on a new season-high 17 strikeouts on the night.^[3]

His best pitching performance of the season, however, may have been his last. With the Miracle already leading their first round play off series against the Dunedin Blue Jays 1-0, Burnett pitched six innings of shutout ball, giving up only two hits against the second half division winners. The Miracle went on to win the game 3-1 to advance to the second round of the play offs for the first time since 1995.

MLB career[link]

He was converted to a reliever in 2009, and combined to go 3-3 with a 1.85 ERA, thirteen saves and 78 strikeouts in 78 innings for Fort Myers and the Twins' double A affiliate, the New Britain Rock Cats. He made the Twins out of Spring training 2010 without having ever played at the triple-A level.^[4] Burnett made his major league debut on April 8, 2010, retiring all three batters he faced in a 10-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.^[5]

On April 15, 2010, the Twins sent Burnett to their triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said the move was partly so Burnett could get more regular playing time.^[6] He was recalled to the Twins just two days later, when they placed reliever Jose Mijares on the disabled list.^[7] Burnett continued to pitch regularly for the Twins, and remained on the roster when Mijares was reactivated.

Burnett earned his first major league win on June 5, 2010, over the Oakland A's.^[8]

On July 19, the Twins optioned Burnett to Rochester and recalled pitcher Anthony Slama. He remained in Rochester until he was recalled on September 3, earning a win in his first appearance back in the majors.^[9]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Selah Sue
Background information
Birth name	Sanne Putseys
Born	(1989-05-03) 3 May 1989 (age 23)
Origin	Leefdaal, Belgium
Genres	Reggae, soul
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Guitar, Vocals
Website	www.selahsue.com

Selah Sue (born Sanne Putseys,^[1] 3 May 1989) is a Belgian musician and songwriter.

Her debut album, Selah Sue (2011) was a major success, selling over 400.000 copies in Europe^[2], 200.000 in France alone. Today, she has chart success with the hit singles 'Raggamuffin', 'Crazy Vibes' and 'This World'.

In 2011, Selah Sue won an European Border Breakers Award (EBBA).^[3] In January 2012 during the EBBA award ceremony she was presented with the EBBA Public Choice Award.^[4]

Background[link]

Sanne Putseys was born in Leuven,^[1] but originates from the nearby Belgian town Leefdaal. At the age of fifteen, Sanne Putseys learned to play the acoustic guitar and started to write her own songs as well. When she was seventeen a Belgian producer asked her to sing some demo's of his songs, after which Universal offered her a contract. She refused, because she wanted to sing her own songs. At the same time she performed as the youngest and only female artist at the open-song contest Open Mic-avond at Het Depot in Leuven. Organizer and singer Milow (born Jonathan Vandenbroeck) had noticed her talents and asked her to perform in his supporting programme. Initially, Sanne Putseys managed to work out her musical career path while studying psychology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. According to her, studying psychology helped her to understand more about human emotions, which also is something that she has to deal with in her musical activities. Eventually, she continued doing warm-up performances in collaboration with artists such as Jamie Lidell in London and Paris. Furthermore, she played with the Belgian band Novastar at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.^[5]

Her first EP was released in 2008, under the title Black Part Love.^[6] It contains five songs

Selah Sue in concert

From September 2008 until August 2009, Selah Sue received some curricular guidance from the Belgian musical theater Ancienne Belgique. The programme, in which she was involved there, has been set up to support promising artists who aren't associated with any record company or other kinds of managing assistance.

Selah Sue often covers songs of Erykah Badu and The Zutons, but she does appear to assemble a whole range of her own songs. Two of her well-known songs are "Mommy" and "Black part love", both of which are carried out acoustically. She says to be influenced by artists such as Lauryn Hill, M.I.A. and Erykah Badu.

In 2009, Selah Sue attended the stages of the North Sea Jazz Festival and that of the Lowlands.^[7] Additionally, she regularly appears on TV shows such as De Wereld Draait Door on Dutch television and several other Flemish TV shows.^[8]

In 2010, she played most of the biggest festivals in Belgium, including Les Nuits Botanique, Les Ardentes, Dour, Lokerse Feesten, Couleur Café and Pukkelpop. But also outside her native country in big festivals such as Lowlands (Netherlands), Les Eurockéennes de Belfort (France) and Sziget Festival (Hungary). On November 8, 2010 she played a support appearance for Prince on his Sportpaleis concert.^[9] She then went on a mostly sold out headlining show in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, presenting her forthcoming debut album.

On March 4, 2011, Selah Sue released her eponymous debut album, called Selah Sue. The album has peaked to number 1 on the Belgium Albums Chart, it has also charted in the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.^[10]

Besides several hits singles, such as 'This World' and 'Crazy Vibes', the album also contains a duet with Cee Lo Green, called "Please".^[11]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Extended plays[link]

• 2008: Black Part Love
• 2010: Raggamuffin

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Selah Sue

• Official website
• Myspace (English)