question
stringlengths 18
1.2k
| facts
stringlengths 44
500k
| answer
stringlengths 1
147
|
|---|---|---|
Despite not being the capital, which is the largest city by population in Kentucky? | Interesting Facts About Kentucky - State Capital of Kentucky - Kentucky Facts
Interesting Facts
Expand your knowledge of the Bluegrass State with these Kentucky facts
There’s a lot more to Kentucky than most people know. These interesting facts about Kentucky provide insight into the history, traditions and charm of the Bluegrass State.
State Capital of Kentucky
Frankfort became the state capital of Kentucky in 1792 after pledging more manpower toward the construction of a statehouse than any other city. During the Civil War, Frankfort was the only Union capital occupied by Confederate troops.
Frankfort is located astride a double curve in the Kentucky River in the central portion of the state and the Kentucky capital city is known for having one of the most beautiful capitol buildings in the country. Frankfort’s population is slightly less than 30,000.
Symbols & Traditions
Learn interesting facts about Kentucky songs, animals, flowers and the flag.
Economy
Kentucky's Gross State Product (GSP) during the latest reporting cycle was $156 billion. The largest industry groups, based on their contribution to the total state gross product are: manufacturing, services, government, insurance and real estate, retail trade, transportation and public utilities, wholesale trade, construction, mining, farming and agricultural services, forestry, and fisheries.
Agriculture
The agricultural community is strong in the Bluegrass State–Kentucky had 85,000 farms in 2011, according to the Kentucky field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Kentucky farm size averaged 164 acres.
Horses were the leading source of farm income for Kentucky farmers, followed by broilers(chickens), cattle, tobacco, soybeans and corn. Kentucky is home to some of the world's leading thoroughbred farms and thoroughbred auctions as well as prestigious events such as the Kentucky State Fair World Championship Horse Show and the Rolex Three-Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park .
Kentucky still leads the nation in burley tobacco production, even though the federal tobacco price support program was discontinued in 2005. The state is second in the U.S. in total tobacco production and is in the top 20 in corn, soybeans, winter wheat, hay, barley and sorghum.
Kentucky is the leading beef cattle state east of the Mississippi River and is eighth in the nation overall. Kentucky is seventh in broilers and in the top 20 in goats, dairy cows, swine and chickens other than commercial broilers. For more information about Kentucky agriculture, visit the Kentucky Department of Agriculture web site .
Geography
Located in the south central United States along the west side of the Appalachian Mountains, Kentucky ranks 37th in land size, with 39,732 square miles (102,907 square kilometers). The Commonwealth is bordered by seven states: Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois. The Ohio River flows 664 miles (1,068 kilometers) along the northern and western borders of the state. Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain in Harlan County, 4,145 feet (1,264 meters) above sea level; its lowest point, the Mississippi River in Fulton County, 257 feet (78 meters) above sea level. View a map of the regions of Kentucky to see the state’s distinct areas and attractions.
Natural Resources
Kentucky has more miles of running water than any other state except Alaska. The numerous rivers and water impoundments provide 1,100 commercially navigable miles (1,770 kilometers).
Kentucky has 12.7 million acres of commercial forest land - 50% of the state's land area. The main species of trees are white oak, red oak, walnut, yellow poplar, beech, sugar maple, white ash and hickory. Kentucky ranks third among hardwood producing states.
The total value of Kentucky's mineral production in 1999 was $3.8 billion. Principal minerals and by-products produced in order of value are coal, crushed stone, natural gas and petroleum. Kentucky is the nation's third largest coal producer - 152.4 million tons in 1996. For more information, please visit the Energy and Environment Protection Cabinet web site.
Population
In 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Kentucky's population was 4,269,245. The largest cities are listed below:
Louisville-Jefferson County Metro 1,556,429
| Louisville, Kentucky |
Which is the only one of Shakespeare's plays to feature an animal in its title? | SIX THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT: KENTUCKY.
Midwesterner. This cultural burgoo is what it means to be from the Bluegrass State.
#1. Louisville isn't in Kentucky.
There are only three truly urban areas in the state: Louisville, Lexington, and "Northern Kentucky." Northern Kentucky is the common phrase used to describe that part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area which is on the other side of the Ohio River and is accidentally in Kentucky and not Ohio. Despite the infamous "Florence Y'all" water tower, Northern Kentucky is a cultural invasion from Ohio. Northern Kentucky is so much of a de facto colony of Ohio that Cincinnati International Airport is actually across the river and in Covington, Kentucky.
Louisville, the largest city in Kentucky, sits across the Ohio River from Indiana. Much like Northern Kentucky, it is a colony of its northern neighbor. While most of the people living in Northern Kentucky think of themselves as being residents of Cincinnati, people in Louisville continue to think of themselves as Kentuckians. The rest of us ain't buying it. Louisville is a Midwestern city, plain and simple. It looks and feels the same as Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Indianapolis, or any other vanilla variety flyover city you care to name. Politically and legally, Louisville and Northern Kentucky are in Kentucky. They pay taxes to Frankfort, the state capital. Culturally, those people are in the Midwest.
#2. We Don't Talk French So Très Bien.
Kentuckians started giving French names to everything in sight after the Marquis de Lafayette's visit of 1824-25. We've been mangling the pronunciations of these French names ever since. Give us a French word. We will name something after it and find a new and interesting way to pronounce it beyond all Gallic recognition. Lexington sits in the heart of Fayette County, not Lafayette County. No one has been able to explain where the "La" went. Versailles, a small town near Lexington that hosts the Labrot & Graham Distillery ("lab-rot" being another locally-distorted French word), is pronounced "ver sales" instead of "ver-sai." Louisville is neither the Anglicanized "Louis-ville" nor the more French "Lou-ie-ville," but simply "Lou-vull." What we've done to the name "Belcher" requires no comment.
#3. We've Got BLUE People!
Lorenzo Dow Fugate and Eleanor Fugate
Being part Appalachian, Kentuckians are used to inbreeding jokes. However, there is one joke about Kentucky and inbreeding that's funny because it's true: The story of the Blue Fugates of Troublesome Creek. The Fugates were an extended family living in an isolated hollow in Eastern Kentucky ominously named Troublesome Creek. Most members of the family had "hereditary methemoglobinemia." This is an enzyme deficiency that causes a person's blood to run vein blue as opposed to arterial red. Instead of being pink, these people are tinted blue or purple. The condition is based on a recessive gene; the only way to acquire it is if both your parents pass down the love. So what were the odds of clan founder Martin Fugate taking another methemoglobinemia carrier as his wife? He did, and they settled in Troublesome Creek sometime in the mid 19th Century. Cousins marrying cousins was commonplace among isolated Appalachians, so by the time a doctor discovered the Fugates in the 1960s, there were several blue people living in the hills around Hazard.
#4. Kentucky Grows Your Pot!
Only two states in the Union make it into the top five global producers of both indoor and outdoor pot horticulture: Kentucky and California, and California obviously smokes way more weed than it produces. It is well-known among residents of the Bluegrass state that another kind of grass is their leading cash crop, easily beating out tobacco. Hemp grows wild all over the state, even on interstate medians. Hikers in Daniel Boone National Forest who stumble into a clearing full of cannabis need to backtrack out very carefully; pot farms are often sown with mines.
#5. A Baptist Invented Bourbon.
Kentucky is famous for its bourbon whiskey, but even most Kentuckians don't know that bourbon is the invention of a Baptist minister. In Kentucky's late 18th Century frontier days, cash was scarce. Many people conducted business via barter, including supporting their churches. The local minister would receive far more tithes in grain than he could ever eat or resell, so most ran distilleries. In what was then called Bourbon County (and is now Scott County), Baptist minister and notorious cheapskate Elijah Craig was no exception. As the story goes, Craig decided to burn out the inside of the oak barrels he aged his whiskey in so he could get one more use out of them. Turns out people liked the flavor imparted by Craig's charred oak more than the straight, regular-oak aged whiskey, and thus bourbon whiskey was born. The sad irony of all this is that Baptists became teetotalers and Scott County went dry.
While stolidly Baptist Scott County is now dry as a bone, local legend has it that several casks of Elijah Craig's original bourbon were placed inside the columns of the administration building of the equally Baptist Georgetown College. The legend never fails to lure guillible frat boys into trying to crack those columns open about once a decade.
#6. Anyone Can Be a Kentucky Colonel.
For all the jokes about KFC's Colonel Harlan Sanders or the ABA's "Kentucky Colonels," the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels is for real. It is also not very Kentuckian anymore. Once upon a time it was common in the South for the governor to reward political supporters with a glamorous title from an appointment in the State Militia. Local notables were often "majors" or "colonels" who had never and would never lead troops. Kentucky was no exception, but we took the idea a step further. In 1885, Governor William Bradley appointed the first "Honorary" Kentucky Colonel, making the military standing even more tenuous. By the 1930s, it was a formal organization. Inductees are nominated by an existing Colonel, approved by the Governor, and go on the rolls that year as an "Honorary Adviser." There are no requirements that an inductee be either from Kentucky or even be living there at the time of his/her nomination. In addition to well-known Colonel Harlan Sanders, some very non-Kentuckians like Bob Hope, Omar Bradley, Joan Crawford, Pope John Paul II, and Mae West are all Kentucky Colonels.
| i don't know |
Which is the only one of Shakespeare's plays to feature an English town in its title? | Shakespeare's Plays
Shakespeare's Plays
Before the publication of the First Folio in 1623, nineteen of the thirty-seven plays in Shakespeare's canon had appeared in quarto format. With the exception of Othello (1622), all of the quartos were published prior to the date of Shakespeare's retirement from the theatre in about 1611. It is unlikely that Shakespeare was involved directly with the printing of any of his plays, although it should be noted that two of his poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece were almost certainly printed under his direct supervision.
Here you will find the complete text of Shakespeare's plays, based primarily on the First Folio, and a variety of helpful resources, including extensive explanatory notes, character analysis, source information, and articles and book excerpts on a wide range of topics unique to each drama.
Tragedies
The story of Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is madly in love with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
The last of Shakespeare's great political tragedies, chronicling the life of the mighty warrior Caius Marcius Coriolanus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Since its first recorded production, Hamlet has engrossed playgoers, thrilled readers, and challenged actors more so than any other play in the Western canon. No other single work of fiction has produced more commonly used expressions .
Earliest known text: Quarto (1603).
Although there were earlier Elizabethan plays on the subject of Julius Caesar and his turbulent rule, Shakespeare's penetrating study of political life in ancient Rome is the only version to recount the demise of Brutus and the other conspirators.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The story of King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1608).
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most stimulating and popular dramas. Renaissance records of Shakespeare's plays in performance are scarce, but a detailed account of an original production of Macbeth has survived, thanks to Dr. Simon Forman .
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Othello (1604-1605)
Othello, a valiant Moorish general in the service of Venice, falls prey to the devious schemes of his false friend, Iago.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1622).
Celebrated for the radiance of its lyric poetry, Romeo and Juliet was tremendously popular from its first performance. The sweet whispers shared by young Tudor lovers throughout the realm were often referred to as "naught but pure Romeo and Juliet."
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
Written late in Shakespeare's career, Timon of Athens is criticized as an underdeveloped tragedy, likely co-written by George Wilkins or Cyril Tourneur. Read the play and see if you agree.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Titus Andronicus (1593-1594)
A sordid tale of revenge and political turmoil, overflowing with bloodshed and unthinkable brutality. The play was not printed with Shakespeare credited as author during his lifetime, and critics are divided between whether it is the product of another dramatist or simply Shakespeare's first attempt at the genre.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).
Histories
One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, featuring the opportunistic miscreant, Sir John Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).
This is the third play in the second tetralogy of history plays, along with Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, and Henry V.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Henry V is the last in the second tetralogy sequence. King Henry is considered Shakespeare's ideal monarch.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
The first in Shakespeare's trilogy about the War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Part two of Shakespeare's chronicle play. Based on Hall's work, the play contains some historical inaccuracies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).
Part three begins in medias res, with the duke of Suffolk dead and the duke of York being named Henry VI's heir.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1595).
Many believe Henry VIII to be Shakespeare's last play, but others firmly believe that he had little, if anything, to do with its creation.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
In the shadow of Shakespeare�s second tetralogy of history plays lies the neglected masterpiece, King John. Although seldom read or performed today, King John was once one of Shakespeare's most popular histories, praised for its poetic brilliance.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
More so than Shakespeare's earlier history plays, Richard II is notable for its well-rounded characters.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
The devious machinations of the deformed villain, Richard, duke of Gloucester, made this play an Elizabethan favorite.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
Comedies
All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
In 1767, a scholar named Richard Farmer concluded that this play is really the revision of Shakespeare's missing Love's Labour's Won, which was likely written around 1592. It is considered a problem play, due primarily to the character Helena and her ambiguous nature. Is she a virtuous lady or a crafty temptress?
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
As You Like It is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, and the heroine, Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
This is Shakespeare's shortest play, which he based on Menaechmi by Plautus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
This play, modeled after Boccaccio's Decameron, is often classified as a romance. It features the beautiful Imogen, considered by many to be Shakespeare's most admirable female character.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Love's Labour's Lost is a play of witty banter and little plot, written during the early part of Shakespeare's literary career, when his focus was on fancy conceits and the playful nature of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).
Considered a "dark" comedy, Measure for Measure was inspired by Cinthio's Epitia and Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The character of Shylock has raised a debate over whether the play should be condemned as anti-Semitic, and this controversy has overshadowed many other aspects of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
The Merry Wives is unique amongst Shakespeare's plays because it is set in Shakespeare's England. It features the Bard's beloved character, Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1602).
A magical exploration of the mysteries of love, and one of Shakespeare's best-known comedies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
The story of two very different sets of lovers, Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero. The witty banter between Beatrice and Benedick is the highlight of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608-1609)
Portions of Pericles are ripe with imagery and symbolism but the first three acts and scenes v and vi (the notorious brothel scenes) of Act IV are considered inadequate and likely the work of two other dramatists. The play was not included in the First Folio of 1623. In Shakespeare's sources, Pericles is named Apollonius.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).
The Taming of the Shrew revolves around the troubled relationship between Katharina and her suitor, Petruchio, who is determined to mold Katharina into a suitable wife.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Hailed as a stunning climax to the career of England�s favorite dramatist, The Tempest is a play praising the glories of reconciliation and forgiveness. Some believe that Prospero�s final speeches signify Shakespeare�s personal adieu from the stage.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Troilus and Cressida is difficult to categorize because it lacks elements vital to both comedies and tragedies. But, for now, it is classified as a comedy.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).
Shakespeare loved to use the device of mistaken identity, and nowhere does he use this convention more skillfully than in Twelfth Night.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The tale of two friends who travel to Milan and learn about the chaotic world of courting.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Winter's Tale is considered a romantic comedy, but tragic elements are woven throughout the play. We have a first-hand account of a production of the play at the Globe in 1611. It is one of Shakespeare's final plays.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Today's Guess the Play
| The Merry Wives of Windsor |
Which river forms a natural border between New York and New Jersey? | Shakespeare's Plays
Shakespeare's Plays
Before the publication of the First Folio in 1623, nineteen of the thirty-seven plays in Shakespeare's canon had appeared in quarto format. With the exception of Othello (1622), all of the quartos were published prior to the date of Shakespeare's retirement from the theatre in about 1611. It is unlikely that Shakespeare was involved directly with the printing of any of his plays, although it should be noted that two of his poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece were almost certainly printed under his direct supervision.
Here you will find the complete text of Shakespeare's plays, based primarily on the First Folio, and a variety of helpful resources, including extensive explanatory notes, character analysis, source information, and articles and book excerpts on a wide range of topics unique to each drama.
Tragedies
The story of Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is madly in love with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
The last of Shakespeare's great political tragedies, chronicling the life of the mighty warrior Caius Marcius Coriolanus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Since its first recorded production, Hamlet has engrossed playgoers, thrilled readers, and challenged actors more so than any other play in the Western canon. No other single work of fiction has produced more commonly used expressions .
Earliest known text: Quarto (1603).
Although there were earlier Elizabethan plays on the subject of Julius Caesar and his turbulent rule, Shakespeare's penetrating study of political life in ancient Rome is the only version to recount the demise of Brutus and the other conspirators.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The story of King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1608).
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most stimulating and popular dramas. Renaissance records of Shakespeare's plays in performance are scarce, but a detailed account of an original production of Macbeth has survived, thanks to Dr. Simon Forman .
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Othello (1604-1605)
Othello, a valiant Moorish general in the service of Venice, falls prey to the devious schemes of his false friend, Iago.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1622).
Celebrated for the radiance of its lyric poetry, Romeo and Juliet was tremendously popular from its first performance. The sweet whispers shared by young Tudor lovers throughout the realm were often referred to as "naught but pure Romeo and Juliet."
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
Written late in Shakespeare's career, Timon of Athens is criticized as an underdeveloped tragedy, likely co-written by George Wilkins or Cyril Tourneur. Read the play and see if you agree.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Titus Andronicus (1593-1594)
A sordid tale of revenge and political turmoil, overflowing with bloodshed and unthinkable brutality. The play was not printed with Shakespeare credited as author during his lifetime, and critics are divided between whether it is the product of another dramatist or simply Shakespeare's first attempt at the genre.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).
Histories
One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, featuring the opportunistic miscreant, Sir John Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).
This is the third play in the second tetralogy of history plays, along with Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, and Henry V.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Henry V is the last in the second tetralogy sequence. King Henry is considered Shakespeare's ideal monarch.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
The first in Shakespeare's trilogy about the War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Part two of Shakespeare's chronicle play. Based on Hall's work, the play contains some historical inaccuracies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).
Part three begins in medias res, with the duke of Suffolk dead and the duke of York being named Henry VI's heir.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1595).
Many believe Henry VIII to be Shakespeare's last play, but others firmly believe that he had little, if anything, to do with its creation.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
In the shadow of Shakespeare�s second tetralogy of history plays lies the neglected masterpiece, King John. Although seldom read or performed today, King John was once one of Shakespeare's most popular histories, praised for its poetic brilliance.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
More so than Shakespeare's earlier history plays, Richard II is notable for its well-rounded characters.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
The devious machinations of the deformed villain, Richard, duke of Gloucester, made this play an Elizabethan favorite.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
Comedies
All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
In 1767, a scholar named Richard Farmer concluded that this play is really the revision of Shakespeare's missing Love's Labour's Won, which was likely written around 1592. It is considered a problem play, due primarily to the character Helena and her ambiguous nature. Is she a virtuous lady or a crafty temptress?
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
As You Like It is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, and the heroine, Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
This is Shakespeare's shortest play, which he based on Menaechmi by Plautus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
This play, modeled after Boccaccio's Decameron, is often classified as a romance. It features the beautiful Imogen, considered by many to be Shakespeare's most admirable female character.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Love's Labour's Lost is a play of witty banter and little plot, written during the early part of Shakespeare's literary career, when his focus was on fancy conceits and the playful nature of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).
Considered a "dark" comedy, Measure for Measure was inspired by Cinthio's Epitia and Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The character of Shylock has raised a debate over whether the play should be condemned as anti-Semitic, and this controversy has overshadowed many other aspects of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
The Merry Wives is unique amongst Shakespeare's plays because it is set in Shakespeare's England. It features the Bard's beloved character, Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1602).
A magical exploration of the mysteries of love, and one of Shakespeare's best-known comedies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
The story of two very different sets of lovers, Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero. The witty banter between Beatrice and Benedick is the highlight of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608-1609)
Portions of Pericles are ripe with imagery and symbolism but the first three acts and scenes v and vi (the notorious brothel scenes) of Act IV are considered inadequate and likely the work of two other dramatists. The play was not included in the First Folio of 1623. In Shakespeare's sources, Pericles is named Apollonius.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).
The Taming of the Shrew revolves around the troubled relationship between Katharina and her suitor, Petruchio, who is determined to mold Katharina into a suitable wife.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Hailed as a stunning climax to the career of England�s favorite dramatist, The Tempest is a play praising the glories of reconciliation and forgiveness. Some believe that Prospero�s final speeches signify Shakespeare�s personal adieu from the stage.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Troilus and Cressida is difficult to categorize because it lacks elements vital to both comedies and tragedies. But, for now, it is classified as a comedy.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).
Shakespeare loved to use the device of mistaken identity, and nowhere does he use this convention more skillfully than in Twelfth Night.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The tale of two friends who travel to Milan and learn about the chaotic world of courting.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Winter's Tale is considered a romantic comedy, but tragic elements are woven throughout the play. We have a first-hand account of a production of the play at the Globe in 1611. It is one of Shakespeare's final plays.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Today's Guess the Play
| i don't know |
In the TV sit-com 'Red Dwarf', what was the name of the ship's mechanoid who befriended 'Dave Lister'? | Red Dwarf Fan Reviews & Ratings - TV.com
9.0
By blazer666_uk , Dec 06, 2012
It returns...And it has gone back to the old days....Series X is halfway through and I like it. TBH its like nothing has changed, you would never know there has been such a long gap since the last series. Nothing outstanding so far, just good solid Red Dwarf the way you used to remember it. I cant fault the acting as it has remained a constant throughout the whole 10 series. I am so happy DAVE tv channel has revived this British masterpiece.
Just need Hollie back, but I am sure they are saving it for another series.....No Doubt DAVE are banking on Blu-Ray Sales so get buying folks and we can secure series XI XII XIII.......
DO YOU AGREE?
Corny, fun, and homegrown. Oh, it's not supposed to be real, in case you haven't figured it out.
10
By Momsternator , Oct 20, 2012
We've been fans from the beginning. We have watched the characters build...and writers fail. If you were fans that lost hope during the last two or three seasons, come back!! Looks like season 10 has returned more to the classic form that made it such a favorite! If you don't like or understand British humor, don't waste your time - or ours (the fans). If you like to laugh and understand fast, quirky humor, Red Dwarf is the ship to board!
DO YOU AGREE?
The last human in the universe and his friends have a hell of a time!
9.6
By starfox321 , Mar 21, 2011
One of the best Sci Fi comedys on TV. Dave Lister gets put into suspended animation for a while on the mining ship Red Dwarf and wakes up in million years on that ship. Everyoness dead, all thats left is The Kat, a cat thats like a human being, a hologram of Listers dead bunkmate, holy the ships computer. Later on they meet a robot called Kryten and then Listers old girlfriend. It is completly funny and I recommend it to anyone who wants to laugh out loud. They have heaps of fun, meet different aliens and new friends. One of the best shows made...
DO YOU AGREE?
Pete part one and two is the worst hour of television outside of a Big brother marathon.
1.6
By peas_and_corn , Mar 21, 2011
I sit down on the couch to watch Red Dwarf and I am treated to the utter crap that calls itself 'Pete'. You should all know the story line by now, so I will launch straight into why this is the most god-awful hour of television I have seen in a long time.
1- The time wand. Why was the time wand- an admittedly dangerous piece of technology- given to Lister? Not only was it KRYTEN who understood the technology, but if Lister could understand it, then anyone can. However, series 8 Lister jumps from "how do I do a dot-the-dot?" to "let's programme a virus". A stupid plot device.
2- Kryten throwing the time wand to Bob made no sense.
3- Canaries live for nine years?
4- That's some god-awful special effects for a dinosaur. It has been established that T-Rexes had three fingers, as well.
5- How can a dinosaur called PETE lay eggs (with no mate?)
6- The Archie story. This was supposed to be in another story but was transplanted here. It explains why it doesn't actually fit in with the rest of the story. It's good that they didn't go for the alternative ending, where Archie embeds himself in Hollister's rectum. The one they went for was meh anyway.
7- Wow, dinosaurs reach maturity quickly.
8- Kochanski seems to be a device used to make bad women jokes. The way the 'period' joke was played out by Llewellyn made an awful joke almost palatable. However she is just a vagina and a pair of breasts on legs to Doug, who gives her little else but to be stared at in the shower and this bad joke. (yeah I know, different episode, but I hate it nonetheless).
This is a good example of why series 8 is just a shocker. the master tapes should be buried.
DO YOU AGREE?
This is a comedy about Dave Lister, the last last man alive, Rimmer, a hologram, Cat, a highly evolved cat, and Kryten, a mechanoid from another ship, and their adventures through space and its oddities.
9.5
By plumber-man , Mar 12, 2011
This is the greatest comedy show I\'ve seen that is not american. And I\'ve Monty python. The writing, top notch. The plots and episodes, excellent. In fact, there is very little to complain about, except the changes in series 7. I love this show, and I just can\'t say anything more simple. Although I do want to know one thing. Why are the seasons called series? And now, some filler. A b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z. That is all, everyone!
DO YOU AGREE?
7.5
By Gotal_LCP , Feb 10, 2011
Beginning in season 3, however, the show gets a bigger budget, CGI, and the actors even get a couple acting lessons. With the addition of Kryton as a full time cast member, the show really becomes awesome. It's still cheesy and low budget, but at least now they have resources to explore other locations and meet new characters. Think of it something like the classic Doctor Who: a small regular cast, no budget, and very entertaining to a cult audience. This program again shows the wit and talent of the British writers. I love Red Dwarf. The program is witty and funny.
DO YOU AGREE?
Why Red Dwarf is the one of the best shows.
10
By disopate , Feb 10, 2011
A science fiction comedy is a genius idea. This is one of the few shows that has been able to throw everything out the window this makes it a lot easier for the comedy bits. The one thing that might bother you is the continuity of the show never truly adds up but trust me, I personally think it just adds a nice element to the show. One of the main ones is having three different actresses playing one person. If you have never sat down and watched this show trust me it is one of the best out there.
DO YOU AGREE?
Once again the whole thing was cleverly done, with great sfx, cool sets and mattes...
10
By InvasionFanbOy , Apr 13, 2009
I just loved the first episode. The lack of laughter track was weird at first, however, they still hadn't lost it. The new character just shined & it was good to see the skutter telling Rimmer where to go. It was pretty fun and kicks the **** out of star trek. A major positive of the mini-series was the special effects, explained in great detail in the accompanying Making Of show. Very impressive on a par with some of the best stuff on TV and perhaps film at the moment. So, in short, a great effort, entertaining, well performed by all the boys, looked brilliant and highly promising to what can be achieved with a continuation of the series.
DO YOU AGREE?
A great show, and a favourite British export.
8.5
By ippongirl1982 , Dec 02, 2008
OK, it's been 20 years since Red Dwarf started and it's had its low points (3/4 of series 7) and its high points (too many to mention) but this remains a great British show, and there aren't so many of them any more. Loved the world over, even if foreign countries get the remastered versions of series 1-3 rather than the old 80s versions in glorious shades of grey.
The show centres around Dave Lister, the slob to end all slobs and, as it turns out, the whole human race. He lives on board a mining ship and is bossed around by his superior, in length of service at least, Arnold Rimmer who is also his bunkmate. He sneaks a cat on board the ship and is stuck into stasis. While he's frozen Rimmer makes a mistake and releases radiation on the crew, killing everyone except the cat who is sealed in the hold and Lister, who is frozen. Holly, the ship's by now slightly deranged computer, wakes Lister up three million years later when the radiation is at a safe level and his only companions are Holly, a hologram of Rimmer and Cat, who evolved from Lister's original pet.
Sounds rubbish, doesn't it? But it's not. At times poignant and insightful, it's basically the Odd Couple in space but is still close to people's hearts who love it. To those who don't it's that dumb space comedy.
But HAA HAA HAA, they're bringing it back!!! Well, for a couple of specials on a British freeview channel anyway. but that's still pretty good for a show that hasn't been seen for 10 years.
DO YOU AGREE?
If you like British humor, or sarcastic wit in general, this is a must see show.
10
By dancerboy411 , Sep 25, 2008
Red Dwarf first captured me when I was young, watching it on one of the PBS beg-a-thons. It's really a shame but that has pretty much been the only way to see this show in the US unless you buy the DVDs direct on Amazon or something.
If you're a fan of Monty Python, Mr. Bean, Fawlty Towers, or pretty much any sarcastic British humor, you'll love this show.
The three main characters are hilareous, especially in the way that they always pick on each other. There is such a great chemistry between them. The jokes flow well, plots are interesting, and the effects are well done. (Though you can see the influence of an increased budget as the show goes on.)
Watch it. The only downside is that you'll be frustrated there aren't more episodes.
DO YOU AGREE?
Love it total brilliance!!! SSMMMMMMEEEEEE HHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDD
10
By bauldyUFOromeo , Sep 12, 2008
Show about a mining ship which due to a radiation leak has its whole crew wiped out bar Dave Lister who was in a stasus chamber due to having a cat on board and refusing to give it up and a hologram of Arnold J. Rimmer who died in the blast but as he was the person with whom Lister shard the most words with (most of them telling him to bog off) due to the radiation the cat has also went through a change over the years and now takes on a human like form whos life is dedicated to fashion and sleeping. They embark upon a hilarious journey around the galaxy and meet strange new beings and they come across a new crewmate by the name of Kryten who is a service droid ad is forced to do their cleaning , cooking and anything that may be in any way strenuous , parallell universes , backwards planets , alternitive dimensions to just mention a few and as this is set 3 million years in the future Lister is the last human alive , well in this dimension anyway ha ha. Reason i'm writing a small review about this show is , i'm from the UK and with all the shows that are on my favourites list this is the only show from the UK that makes it the rest are from the U.S which says a lot for TV here. Considering this show began in the late 80's the story the whole thing wrapped up in one big bubble of awesomeness is well worth a watch and i'm still waiting to see if the film is ever brought out or if the project that began nealy 10 years ago is a long forgotten dream.
DO YOU AGREE?
This show has got to be one of the funniest shows of its time, as well as interlectual because most of the stories were based on theories that are possibly correct, e.g. Parallel universes / White holes.
9.5
By Gilesy123 , Mar 23, 2008
This show was really funny. Coming up with the line that was in everybodies life at sometime "smeg". It was a popular british TV series which in my opinion ended prematurely. They didn't finish the stories with any clarity of what happened to Lister, Kryten, Cat & Kochanski. We only know Rimmers fate when he was left with Death. There has been talk for many years of a movie to be made by doug naylor and rob grant although they haven't been able to retrieve funding for the film and therefore doesn't look like its going to be happening anytime soon. We can always live in hope that this show one day returns with its star cast so they can be appreciated again as they once where during these 10 years of their life.
DO YOU AGREE?
Tv comedy at it's best
10
By ContinuumVortex , Feb 09, 2008
Where to begin with this show?
Well Lister a down and out human being one of the dreggs of human society enlists on the mining ship Red Dwarf as a technitian 3rd grade below even the menial task robots called scutters. On planet leave he purchases a pet cat which he calls frankenstien.
This unfortunately is against space corps rules and forced to either give up the cat for medical research or go into stasis (a form of suspended animation with a field that cant be penetrated by time is placed on the convicted thus freezing them as a non event mass, efectively not existing in th current time stream, originally used in initial forays to find life on other planets are now used as cells) Finding out that the cat won't be glued back together after being cut up Lister opts for the stasis punishment.
Now in the books he does this because he wants to get back to earth quick and after extensively reading the manuals he finds out that bringing an unquaranteened animal on board will get him this punishment (but dont worry he makes sure the animal has all the innoculations needed).
Only a few minutes after going into stasis the crew are wiped out when a malfunctioning drive plate releases the equivaent radiation of a nuclear bomb. Holly the ships AI with an IQ of 6000 makes the logical assumption to take the radiation hazard ship out of the solar system as quick as possible and seal all unradiated parts of the ship straight away.
It takes 3million years for the radiation to die down to safe levels, where upon lister is set free from stasis and holly tells him all the crew are dead and it's 3 million years in the future.
Not taking this in well Lister goes slightly mad in an attempt to bring him round holly brings Arnold J Rimmer back from the dead as a hologram Lister desipised bunk mate who is finicky, self destructive, and an all time under achiever all this he blames on his parents and brothers.
A Technitian 1st class and also Listers boss, Holly reassure Lister that Arnold is the bst choice to keep him sane when Lister asks him why Rimmer?
On a foray round the ship Lister comes into contact with a pointy toothed humanoid. After a bit of food coaxing Holly after doing tests surmises that the creature is felis sapiens derived from listers cat Frankenstien which unbeknown to Litster was pregnant having kittens in the cargo hold and 3million years of evolution has produced him.
Also effectively the last of his kind the rest of cat kind had a holy war about what the name of their creator was in the end they resolved to fly off in different directions in search of their holy one.
Leaving only 2 cats behind they produced the current cat, who Lister aptly names Kat.
They go on some wild adventures through space and time encounter some genetically engineer life forms, diseases, futuristic ships obtain another crew member in the shap of a 4000 series mechnoid named kryten who is a toilet cleaner, Lister attempts to make Kryten more humanoid by breaking his programming and making him lie, cheat and insult.
This works on occasion but when ever he goes to call Rimmer a smeg head it comes out smeeeeeeeg heeeeeeeeeaaaaad.
In future episodes Listers love of his life Kristine Kochansky a woman he had a 3 month fling with on red dwarf bore going into stasis, is refound when a demension rift brings 2 realities in which Kochansky takes the fall for listers cat and gets put into stasis herself. the tear is severed leaving Krissy on this side.
The continuity of this show was ever changing over the course of its run from small things to big things such as lister having a 3 month fling with krissy being one of the big things.
In retrospect if you like this show and want things cleared up and also a lot of back story to some episodes, i would seriously say read infinity welcomes careful drivers and better than life.
They felsh out the show and to me atleast improve my viewing pleasure as i can think to myself of all the things that happen off camera.
I'm saddened that doug naylor cant get the funding to make the film of this if i ever win the lottery i'm sending half my winnings to him. as i'd love to see this series finished off in movie form.
DO YOU AGREE?
By bcruiser101 , Dec 16, 2007
Red Dwarf is a science-fiction comedy they said would never work.
It's hard to pin point the exact reason that so many people find themselves drawn to a show like Red Dwarf. Its central theme is science fiction, notoriously unpopular with mainstream bbc viewers of the time and to some extent many viewers of today. However, the creators (Rob Grant and Doug Naylor) found the perfect medium between a show that spoke to learned people about theoretical science and the nature of mankind in an isolated environment, and a show that was consistantly funny and appealing to anyone and everyone who chose to watch, and at no point gave the impression that they where ever trying to be pretentious or patronising in their work.
Whether you where familiar with the concepts that outlined any particular show or not, everything that you needed to know was presented in such a way that if you had any questions regarding the science behind the basis of a show, you where never left out of a joke.
This show is probably not the funniest show ever made, or even the most proffessionaly produced, but when it comes down to it, if you put ten complete strangers in a room and locked them up together for 20 years with nothing but a TV and every DVD ever released, Red Dwarf will probably be watched more than any other show and that's just because of the way it makes you feel...relieved that you are not stuck on that ship, with no idea where you are.
The uniqueness of this show is that it revolutionised a genre. Where 'the office' introduced and popularised the "mocumentary", Red Dwarf introduced the "Sci-Fi Sit-Com". The primary difference being, popular examples of "mocumentaries" already existed and were successful, and will no doubt continue to be so, where as, the "Sci-Fi Sit-Com" has never sat comfortably with the mainstream or the cult community untill the advent of Red Dwarf. Ever since it first aired, every attempt at this genre has been compared to Red Dwarf, usually to its detriment, except maybe Futurama. Although, Futurama has a very unique approach to its situations and humour making it difficult to directly compare.
In conclusion, although Red Dwarf may never be the number one comedy, or the number one Sci-Fi, or the number one drama, it will live forever in the hearts of all it has touched as one of their favourite shows, never fading, and never forgotten.
DO YOU AGREE?
A show based 3,000,000 years in the future? How can it not be interesting?!
9.1
By Japanthewoman , Dec 11, 2007
This is why I would stay up late on Saturday nights as a kid. My local public televison channel played this show at midnight and it was worth losing sleep. Plus I always had a lot of fun staying up with my older brother who was the one who got me interested in the show. As I got older I began to understand even more of the jokes and loved it even more. I like to credit this show and Monty Python for my current sense of humor. Gotta love British comedy. Best low budget British science fiction series ever! (Had to put the British part in there since I love MST3K as well =P )
DO YOU AGREE?
9.5
By Vertibrains , Dec 01, 2007
Red Dwarf is an hilarious comedy, written by the 'gestalt entity' Grant Naylor (aka Rob Grant and Doug Naylor).
It features four unlikely characters Lister (a male human), Rimmer (a male hologram), the Cat (Felis sapiens, evolved from the ship's cat) and in later series Kryten (a male android).
They are lost in space three million light-years from Earth, without a woman in sight. The episode 'Kryten' (where the character of the same name is discovered by the crew) initially involved them answering a distress call from a ship with an all female crew. There is a great scene with Lister trying to 'beautify' himself for the ladies, and as Rimmer put it, 'wearing his least smeggiest clothes'.
For me, the real comedy in this series was based on the frustration of a ship full of men trying to cope without any females. The later series, although funny, lost some of that edge, with the introduction of Kochanski to the crew. Still a great comedy though.
My favourite episode was 'Back to Reality' with Duane Dibbley (he also appeared in 'Emohawk: Polymorph 2').
So many funny episodes, this show is not to be missed, especially the series after Kryten joined the crew.
DO YOU AGREE?
Absolutely great and sick sci-fi humor(...or should I say humour?). It is smegging wonderful.
10
By SuperJimi , Nov 29, 2007
The series is the best example of cult british comedies in the USA. I have been an avivd Dwarfer since I was a kid and discovered the show by accident while channel surfering.
if you are a fan of the sureal nature of the "Hitch hiker's guide to the galaxy" or "Doctor Who" you will love this show. It is full of great punchlines and intresting characters. You have the down and out protagonist, Dave Lister whoes follies and good/ bad luck takes the Red Drawf and us on a whacked out ride through space, time and vindaloos. You really have to give this show a chance. It grows on you and infects you mind. and you will be surprised to see many British actors that look very fimilar. Chris Barrie(Rimmer) can be seen in the Lara Croft movies.
My personal favorite episode: Polymorph. I laughed so hard, I cried. It is the episode that got me hooked.
DO YOU AGREE?
My parents own box sets of this show.
8.8
By lincoln_true , Nov 09, 2007
This show is just great. It is really funny and sometimes my friends refer to it without even knowing that they're doing it. "You're dead Dave" is what I often hear and I've tried to tell them where they got it from, but they don't care. My favorite character is the cat man because he just does it so well. he acts just like a cat if it became human. I did not know that it has aired as recently as 1999, but am sad that there are no more episodes because I always want a good story to go on forever.
DO YOU AGREE?
A sci-fi, futuristic comedy, set 3 million years away from earth and Monty Python's Flying Circus. This show chronicles the tales of Dave Lister, the last human being alive, and his futuristic, sci-fi pals. A highly entertaining show!
8.5
By AlexKrycec , Sep 19, 2007
Red Dwarf tackles an interesting concept, where the protagonist is that last human alive. Dave Lister, revived out of suspended animation on the Jupiter Mining Corporation starship Red Dwarf, awakens to find that, although the place is the same, the company is not. Lister is greeted by a hologramatic projection of his deceased roommate, Arnold Rimmer.
Rimmer, a neurotic mess of a man, was resurrected at the behest of Holly, the ships computer with an IQ of 6,000, as a means to keep Lister sane. In addition to these two electronic incarnates, Lister is surprised to meet an evolved cat, named Cat, who can walk and talk just like a human.
Each week, the Red Dwarf crew stumbles upon a mystery, anomaly, or unique life form that merrits investigation. As the series progresses, the Dwarfers annex Kryten, a service mechanoid, and holly gets a few sex changes.
There is one guarantee for watching this show, and that is that you will fall in love with the Red Dwarf crew. Laughs are plenty, and there are wacky adventures galore. This show lacks a true consistency, so don't feel overwhelmed if you don't quite follow at times.
This show would have been given a score of 10, however I feel there are a few issues that forbid it from ranking any higher with me. Firstly, as mentioned above, this show lacks consistency, in both small details and major plot arcs. If you ever follow Red Dwarf, just ask yourself, "What happened to Dave's kids?"
A second reason this show does not rank a 10, is because the writing has taken on a whimsical edge for the last season. Other fans may disagree with me here, but I say there was too much going on compared to earlier seasons. Although laughs are always had, the stories were becoming less entertaining.
In conclusion, if you follow from the beginning, I'm sure you'll enjoy... also it's a British comedy...
DO YOU AGREE?
This is my favourite sitcom of all time! It doesn't get better than this. The last human alive, and he's a curry-eating, socially-inept bum... Class!
9.9
By BethnalGreen , Sep 07, 2007
I love Red Dwarf. For me, it has everything... An interesting background story, fantastic, innovative comedy - it's a laugh a minute. Everywhere I go, people that I don't even know quote classic lines from this series. You just can't get away from it. In that respect, only Blackadder comes close (for Brits anway). The sci-fi touch just adds to it, but that is more of a background. The real genius about the comedy is in the relationship between the main characters... This is a classic series that will last a long, long time. Bring on the movie...! Oh yes, smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast. It's better than life.
DO YOU AGREE?
A great show until "milked" Red Dwarf is let down by series 7
5.0
By TinnieMaster , Sep 06, 2007
Despite good episodes until now series seven displays weak offerings, especially because the mainstay of the series (the great unsung Chris Barrie) is in only half the episodes. "Tikka To Ride" kicks off the seventh season with a time travel tale that takes the boys back to Dallas in 1963. An American series wouldn't touch the tastelessness of the plot developments with a 10-foot-pole. "Stoke Me A Clipper"is Ace Rimmer's swan song - or is it? - as Chris Barrie takes a temporary (except for flashbacks) leave of absence from the show. The pre-credits sequence highlighting Ace's latest exploit is the best part. "Ouraboros", better known as the logo from "Millennium" (as well as Scully's new tattoo if you've seen "The X-Files" lately), reintroduced Kochanski to the series with a whiny actress replacing C.P. Grogan, as well as attempting to give Lister some more backstory. "Duct Soup," done as a budget-saving episode, is probably the most pointless story ever. But Rimmer is back with a vengeance in "Blue" when Kryten goes to extreme lengths to cure Lister of his "fond" memories of his former crewmate. The musical number at the end (including a chorus of singing Rimmers) is a classic, and the highlight of the season. "Beyond a Joke," co-written by Robert Llewellyn, focuses on a crisis for Kryten when a mad symbiot (Don Henderson, slumming here) attacks the crew. An attempt is made to show just how petty Kryten's jealousy of Kochanski is (attempting to thwart a VR visit to "Jane Austin World") but it's a joke that already had run its course several episodes earlier. Finally, a two-part episode ("Epideme" and "Nanarchy") wrap up the season as Dave contracts a fatal - and intelligent - virus which requires severe measures to cure, and the final solution to the missing Red Dwarf is revealed. Norman Lovett makes a welcome return to our monitors, as does the ship itself along with its trademark horn theme, although not before the Cat makes one final very funny observation about their wayward ship. I won't spoil it here but it's a cute sight gag in a series woefully short of quality visual humor. At least Chris Barrie returns in series eight to up the quality of the show.
DO YOU AGREE?
7.0
By da_dunker , May 06, 2007
Although Red Dwarf is over 17 years old now, it's only in the last year or so that I've seen it in-depth. At first I was a little cautious as it was described as a "cult" favourite, which I think is a polite way of saying geek/nerd fest. Fortunately my concerns were unfounded, as it is one of the funniest sitcoms I've ever seen.
The reason for this, in my opinion, is the terrific writing by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor - who also wrote the excellent Spitting Image. Of course, good writing would be useless without good actors delivering the lines, fortunately ever part in Red Dwarf is perfectly cast. Craig Charles (an unknown stand up comic before he was cast) and Chris Barrie (who previously worked with Grant and Naylor on Spitting Image) are both excellent in the lead roles of Dave Lister and Arnold Rimmer respectively. Robert Llwellyn, who plays Kryten, an android, only joined Red Dwarf in season 3, but quickly established himself as a lot of peoples favourite character. My favourite character, however, has to be the Cat, played by Danny John-Jules, mainly for the outlandish outfits he habitually wears.
Unfortunately the series is no longer on T.V. (in fact they haven't made any new ones since 1998), but you can now buy the series on DVD, and I strongly recommend you do (especially for the fantastic extras that are included).
DO YOU AGREE?
A classic british comedy that never fails to make me laugh!
9.8
By Stikky , Apr 26, 2007
This show has been a part of my life since before I can remember. It used to be on the BBC on Sunday nights, we all used to sit around and watch it and I never REALLY found it funny, but my dad did. Considering the show is almost as old as me, its surprising that it has stood the test of time and I still find it funny!
Speaking of the test of time, this show lasted for over 10 years! That's amazing, not many shows last for 10 years, most of the longest running shows at the moment have only been around for 7 or 8 but this one lasted ELEVEN years!! I'll admit, i havent seen season 8 yet but im just waiting for JB Hi-Fi to get the DVD in and i dont anticipate it being any less funny than the previous 7 seasons.
The thing i love the most about the show is the fact that it's so original and funny, no matter what I feel like watching, this show's ALWAYS a good choice! There's a storyline that runs through the whole thing but you can watch one or two episodes by themselves as well. If you're reading this review and wondering if you should watch this show, you should stop worrying and buy yourself the DVDs! :-)
DO YOU AGREE?
Want an example of British humour? Go to Red Dwarf, it rocks!
10
By sugar234 , Apr 20, 2007
Who ever was thinking of seeing the American version of Red Dwarf, don’t bother. Kryten was already on the ship in the pilot episode. I was very annoyed by this simple thing because it means if the series had caught fire, we would have missed out on the American version of the classic episode, when the Dwarfers rescued Kryten. I love Red Dwarf it’s simple and funny, I watch the episodes over and over again and although I don’t laugh out loud anymore (because I could probably recite any episode so they don’t surprise me) I still don’t get tired of this show.
DO YOU AGREE?
| kryton |
Which English inventor, born in London in 1937, is best remembered for inventing the modern clockwork radio? | Red Dwarf / Headscratchers - TV Tropes
Timeline
In Backwards, why the hell does the owner of the pub blame Rimmer and Kryten for the fight that breaks out? They had nothing to do with starting it and Rimmer was cowering under a table throughout the whole thing.
Lister and Cat had a lot to do with starting it, though, and the landlord (not unreasonably) blamed Rimmer and Kryten for them being there.
Despite the entire series being about the crew trying to get back to Earth, whenever they come into possession of something that would allow them to do so - which they do numerous times - they never use it to do so.
Particularly jarring in "Tikka to Ride", when they have a functional time-drive that can take them anywhere at any time, with none of the usual limitations...And they decide to use it to go and look for curry, which they intend to bring back to the ship with them. There's supposedly a deleted scene of them deciding that too much time-travel could make them into their evil future selves, who would then be able to come back and try to kill them again - so why not just use the drive to get back to the period of time on Earth they want to live in, get settled and then destroy the drive?
They don't want to go " home" any more. What's the object of the 'game' in Back to Reality? (And remember that those 'game objectives' have been set by the inner psyches of the crew as those 'objectives' represent their real desires). Cat would not belong on Earth, and he probably wants to find his own species deep down. Rimmer wants to be a captain, which he sort of is on board the ship. What's back home for him? A family that deeply resent his failures? Lister wants to find a way to finish his love story with Kochanski which spans "time, space, death and reality". The Kochanski back home rejected him. He probably realised subconsciously that Kochanski would come back into his life eventually as she did later in Series VII because his future self told him so in Stasis Leak. If he wants her (and he does), he has to stay on Red Dwarf. Kryten is programmed to serve. He has no desire to go home.
I always saw the "return to Earth" thing as being more about the journey than the destination. They're three-million light years away from it, humanity is probably extinct or has evolved unrecognisably since Lister's time, and the chances of them ever returning to anything they might consider 'home' are unbelievably remote when you think about it for more than five seconds. Deep down, the plan to return to Earth is really just to give them a purpose and something to work and live for. Actually returning there means that they have to find something else to live for once they no longer have the journey to occupy them. Besides, they're probably used to their remote lives by that point.
Presumably the Dwarf only carried enough food to feed its crew of 169 (later stated in "Justice" to be 1,169, and 11,169 in the novels) for a couple of years. How on Earth did a population of presumably tens of thousands of cats survive for three million years off it?
Holly notes in series 1 that, even after Lister's time in stasis, there's enough food to last thirty thousand years on board (though they are down to their last After Eight mint).
How come the crew remember the events of "Out of Time" in "Tikka to Ride" when they themselves state that destroying the time drive meant they never happened?
Thanks to the laws of wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff , I think we're supposed to assume that they were restored in time with full memories of the events so that they wouldn't make the same mistake.
Trouble is, the explanation given doesn't really make sense: If time resets to before they discovered the time drive, but they still know where to find it (and do), then what's to stop their future selves from coming back to attack them again? Presumably they didn't just arbitrarily decide to turn evil in the first place, and in "Out of Time", even the knowledge of what they were to become didn't immediately alter the timeline (By them resolving not to become like that), so the fact that they remember what happened shouldn't stop them from making the same mistakes, and showing up again from the future. Alright, alright, I know, it's not supposed to be taken too seriously, so why not just go with the explanation that would have been simplest and made the most sense: That Rimmer managed to destroy the time drive before Starbug exploded, retconning the whole series of events out of existence. I suppose the headscratcher here is why bother to write such a convoluted and nonsensical explanation, just to have a one-shot episode, mostly about JFK, using a Device-of-the-week which is never mentioned again.
Rule of Funny . It's a comedy series. The joke is that the explanation behind how they survived is so temporally complicated that Lister trying to explain it causes video recorders to explode from sheer paradox-triggered confusion. Using a simpler premise would remove that joke. Ergo, the most confusing and nonsensical explanation is the one that's used.
In "Confidence and Paranoia"/" Me 2 ", producing a hologram is so power-intensive that producing a second one requires half the (utterly gigantic) ship's systems being turned off - yet in series 6 Rimmer can apparently be sustained by Starbug, and in series 7 Ace Rimmer doesn't seem to be supported by anything at all.
Ace was probably generated by his own ship.
Why is only the soap turned into powder when Lister and Cat come back through the stasis leak?
Apparently the laws of time travel through a stasis leak means you can only go in; you can't bring anything back with you, which is why Lister and Rimmer got into an arguement over whether they should convince Kochanski or past Rimmer to go into a spare stasis booth.
Why are Rimmer and Lister the lowest ranked crew members on the ship? As Technicians on a ship almost entirely dependent on technology, they should really have been considered more highly than they were— and even then, on a ship long surely there should have been more than just the implied three technicians (Third, Second and First) to take care of repair work, even with the complement of self-repair systems and skutters?
If 'first technician' is a rank, then there could have been dozens of them. I suspect that First Technicians were accorded respect, and kept the life-saving equipment and expensive machinery in a decent state. Lister and Rimmer kept the Vending Machines working.
The books establishes there are different Technician Shifts, A-Shift gets all the important stuff, Z-Shift gets the vending machines. The television series establishes that Rimmer and Lister get all the crap jobs that they can't assign to the robots because the robots have a better union.
Third Technician is stated to be a rank for people with no educational qualifications.
In the books or in the series?
The books. It's more likely that the rank of Technician is roughly equivalent to a Seaman or Mechanician in a present day Navy.
The janitors are called "Third Technicians" the way garbage collectors are called "sanitation engineers".
As others have noted, Technician is a rank / job title on the ship, and technically Rimmer and Lister are Third Technicians. This suggests a hierarchy of different technical classes. I can't remember if this is explicitly spelled out anywhere, but I'd imagine First Technicians are the senior-ranking technicians likely in charge of all the ultra-essential life-or-death technical stuff (navigation, life-support, etc.), Second Technicians are in charge of all the less life-or-death essential but still pretty important stuff (maintaining the mining equipment, fixing the skutters and robots, etc.), which leaves the Third Technicians with all the not-very-important-or-glamourous-but-someone-has-to-do-it shitty jobs, like fixing vending machines.
What happened to the extra hologram ability seen in Me^2?
It showed up again in Holoship when the crew were interviewing potential replacements for Rimmer.
Not really � Rimmer was off the ship at the time, and presumably being projected by the holoship's systems. Plus, they explicitly state that they can't drive more than one hologram at a time a few episodes later, in Quarantine.
But the Holoship was running at full capacity at the time which is why Rimmer had to replace an existing crew member in the first place.
Despite being at full capacity, the Holoship was still able to generate Rimmer's hologram while he was on there, with presumably no replacement of the crew necessary; it might simply be that the ship had provisions for temporary projection or 'sharing' the projection with the home ship, which might also free up sufficient power on the home ship to enable a second hologram to be projected, again at least temporarily. Alternatively, while it might not be using full power to generate all the holograms and can theoretically have more people on board, it simply has a sufficient crew manifest to enable the ship to function within its assigned purpose and doesn't need to take on anyone else, unless they can act as a superior replacement for a pre-existing crew-member.
I always assumed that the holograms were being projected at range by their respective ships. The Holoship hologram that appeared briefly on Starbug I thought was being projected by the Holoship at range, with Rimmer being projected at range by Red Dwarf onto the Holoship. Any interactions between the Dwarf holograms and the Holoship holograms would probably involve interacting with the processors behind the hologram projections, and that seems like something the crew of the Holoship would have done as a formality for a fellow holo. The thing that throws this idea out the window of course is the Season 2 episode explicitly showing Rimmer needing a Hologram cage for projection outside of Red Dwarf, Blue Midget and Starbug (despite having no problems with this in episodes like Tikka to Ride, or that time he and Lister went golfing on the planetoid).
So how come they didn't use it to bring on another hologram? Rimmer's only real complaint about bringing on a different hologram was his (admittedly realistic) fear he might not not get turned back on.
He also didn't want another hologram because it would have been higher-ranked than him, meaning he would lose what little authority he could claim.
Yeah, but wouldn't the whole "Most important Crew member" thing come into play? Even if the mission has changed to "Keep Lister Sane", it'd make more sense to bring on another crew member.
It did. Kryten explicitly states that as a higher-ranking officer, Doctor Langstrom is the priority to keep switched on over Rimmer.
So how come no-one was turned on?
IIRC It's explicitly stated several times, at least in the earlier seasons, that Rimmer's had all the other hologram discs hidden so that the others can't use them to replace him; he's certainly had Kristine Kochanski's hidden, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that he's had the others hidden as well. Doctor Langstrom is not one of the Red Dwarf's crew, meaning Rimmer hasn't been able to hide her disc, meaning it can be recovered and used to replace him.
Maybe the hologram doesn't take twice the power if it's two copies of the same person? Maybe it's the "mind simulation" part that takes power, not the "projecting an image" part.
Can't be. Since both react to different stimuli, and both clearly know who was the first Rimmer, they are different minds. Thereby, it must take the same power to run him.
When they first did it, they had to shut down a bunch of other systems. My reading was that because in later seasons they were doing a lot more (running Starbug, science rooms, etc) that they didn't have the spare power any more.
Perhaps, but then why did none of them bring it up in "Quarantine"? Even if they had to shut down most other rooms and systems for both holograms to run, I imagine it would be preferable to the "Timeshare" option.
My guess is that, given the opportunity of turning Rimmer off to make way for a viable and potentially more useful replacement, none of them had the slightest intention of turning Rimmer back on if they could help it (especially if said viable replacement was a multi-disciplinary genius, compared to whom Rimmer would look even more useless); they just used the 'timeshare' thing as a lame attempt to mollify him when he realized this. He's an annoying, pompous, arrogant, insufferable, smug, egotistical, cowardly, useless dickhead; why would they want to turn him back on if there was a chance they didn't have to? They didn't suggest powering down these rooms because they didn't want to give him that idea, or deny themselves useful facilities (they clearly use the science labs and Starbug a lot more by this point than they did in the earlier seasons when Rimmer created his duplicate) just to facilitate keeping around a person none of them like in the first place and consider to be a largely useless waste of space at the best of times.
The hologram projection suite was hit by a meteorite in season 2. I assume that it was unable to play a second hologram after that.
Also, wouldn't they NEED the science rooms powered if they're bringing aboard a scientist hologram?
According to this logic, we don't need hospitals if we have doctors.
Red Dwarf is long, several hundred decks (a number someone?) and a crew complement that changes size depending on the episode, but never enough to fill anything like that amount of space.
The novels say that there are 2000 decks, and most of them are devoted to cargo, food and water. Cargo is profit, you know.
Mining ship. The vast majority of its internal space was probably given over to ore storage. After all, the habitable portion of a supertanker is minute compared to the size of the vessel itself.
A semi-senile Holly with an IQ of 6000, apparently. The immense lack in crew members didn't really stop him/her from piloting the ship, trying to develop a time drive, or doing anything else that could have put the ship into jeopardy many times.
It was a mining ship. Besides the miners themselves, the vast majority of the crew were there to keep the miners alive (doctors, chefs, etc.) It's entirely possible that, as far as keeping the ship together goes, the other 996 were expendable.
And there would be a lot less maintenance needed now there are only two living beings on board. The mining equipment is now never used, and only a tiny amount of the ship's life support and power capacity is needed.
The novels state that there are more than just two skutters.
"Running a ship" with the life support turned off, engines turned off, straight course set, and inbetween solar systems isn't really doing anything at all. Honestly, Holly might have just put himself on pause for centuries at a time.
It's mentioned in season 6 that Starbug has auto repair systems (with almost magical abilities) Red Dwarf would probably have them too.
When is that mentioned? It's only said that Starbug was "Built to Last".
The episode where Dave must marry one of those alien ape things (Emohawk: Polymorph II). They have to trade for the life-support part of the ship however everything else damaged the ship is capable of repairing.
Rimmer Auto-repair can take care of everything except the oxy-generation unit which is totally kaputski.
Lister So what are you saying? We can take off but we can't breathe?
Cat And we can't repair it?
Rimmer It's a black charred mess; worse than one of Lister's drunken fry-ups.
Not to mention the fact that the crew of 4 must have been around the ship several to keep themselves from going bored and insane. And the scutters help a bit.
Two people per floor? Why do they have to share a room in the first place and where the hell was everyone else? How does it even avoid falling apart with a crew of 4 and a pair of slacking scutters?
The one thing that has always bothered me is why they needed to share a room in the first place. I mean, I know technically it's justified by Rule of Drama and possibly the co-dependent tendencies they each have ( Heterosexual Life-Partners anyone?) But it seems like Holly could do a better job of keeping them both sane by having them in nearby but SEPARATE rooms instead of driving each other crazy in one room. This is not an impossibility, especially since in Me^2 Rimmer actually does move out.
Before the accident it's mostly to give each crewmember some company and social interaction, once the crew is dead it's more than likely that Rimmer doesn't want to move his stuff out (the exception being in ME2 where it's to move in with someone "better") and Lister not wanting to get away from the one person keeping him sane. Of course this is thrown out of the window in series 3 with the move to the officers quarters, but thats probably because Rimmer finally got around to decontaminating them.
Let's not forget that in Me^2, living with himself drives Rimmer more mad than living with Lister ever could.
Routine; they've shared a bunkroom for what seems to have been many months or years before the accident, and just kept up that routine. Also, they probably need the company even if they don't admit it. They're two of the three (later four) last people on the ship, and one of those people is an android who considers himself a servant (i.e. not suitable to share the master's quarters) and the other is a hyper-narcissistic cat who just buggers off and does his own thing whenever he feels like it. They might not like each other, but they're the only two humans around and they'd probably go mad if they deprived themselves of the other person's company.
Lister states in Kryten that driving Rimmer nuts is what keeps him going.
In Quarantine Lister says that being forced to stay together isn't such a big deal as they spend most of their time together anyway, but Cat points out that they all knew they could walk out the door at any time.
Why does everyone seem to think that Rimmer is irredeemable, he has shown that he could be something better.
Do you mean characters in the show, or viewers? If it's characters in the show, well, it's easy to forget someone's positive aspects when their negative aspects are being thrown so annoyingly in your face every day. If you mean viewers, I don't really know. After all, the Rimmer of the first seven seasons essentially did redeem himself by becoming Ace Rimmer. The nanotech recreated one is still a dick, though.
Nano Rimmer isn't so bad, he joins in with the crew's zany schemes and even helps Lister play practical jokes on Ackerman. Ok in the first few eps he's in he's a bit of a dick but as Lister said "it's you like you used to be" he loosens up pretty quickly.
"Could" does not mean "will". Rimmer himself became aware of what he "could" be when he met Ace. Was his response to attempt to become a nicer person? Study harder for his astro-navigation exam? Stop being such a coward? No, he made a bunch of jokes about Ace being gay, and resented the hell out of him for catching a break (even though he didn't). It's a few years before he mans up and takes Ace's place. Replacement Rimmer is no better, as he doesn't even have Rimmer Prime's excuse of being dead.
Rimmer rarely, if ever, actually attempts to redeem himself. He can be a better person, but he rarely bothers to actually make the effort.
Do remember that Ace Rimmer, is, well, The Ace . The usual response to being shown someone who is better than you in every way isn't "Maybe I can become him", it's "Dammit, why can't I do that?" or "Screw Him!".
True, but the point is that having the potential to be a better person doesn't actually make you a better person automatically; you have to put the effort in. And Rimmer, for the most part, doesn't.
As has been noted, Rimmer could be a better person, but for the vast majority of the series, he can't be bothered to make the effort to be one. His acts of a better nature (being concerned when Lister collapses from mutated pnuemonia, blowing up the Time Drive when fighting the Corrupt Future Dwarfers, etc) are very rare and spread fairly widely apart. His acts of being a total asshole, on the other hand, come much more frequently. Even in general interactions, Rimmer is, more often than not, a pain in the ass. However, he's also done stuff like:
Exterminate the entire population of a planet just for the chance to finally live his dreams of being an Armchair General , and then not being in the slightest bit ashamed of doing so because, A: he won (technically), and B: "they were only wax droids". note It was Lister's fault that Rimmer was acting so more irrationally than usual, but that doesn't change things.
Force Kryten to help him hijack first Lister's body and then The Cat's body.
Goading Lister into shooting a Killer Robot when his back was turned (Rimmer considered shooting it in its sleep better).
Taunt his crewmates over the fact that the hologrammatic scientist they went to rescue is actually a raving loony and then leave them to die, uncaring if they get back or not.
Having managed to sneak up behind the psychotic robot menacing them, promptly dives into the escape pod behind her, leaving them all to die as the escape pod causes the derelict ship to start collapsing around them. Keeping in mind, as a hard-light hologram, Rimmer is Nigh Invulnerable and even as a soft-light hologram, being flushed into space would be nothing more than a change in scenery to him.
Rimmer's backstory is in and of itself inherently sympathetically — however, Rimmer, in-universe, beats this into the ground as an excuse for why he is such a pathetic weasel of a man so much that the other Dwarfers are no longer capable of having compassion elicited by that. When you first hear about Rimmer's terrible past and present circumstances, he's a tragic figure. When you hear the same tired excuses repeated time after time, you stop thinking of him as tragic and start thinking of him as a petty little whiner who won't accept he could possibly be at fault for his own actions.
Rimmer probably doesn't even really believe that he CAN be a better person. It's been shown multiple times in the show and the books that, subconciously, he has an incredibly low opinion of himself. He always tries to blame other people as a sort of defense mechanism. He can't accept blame consciously because he always does subconsciously. Every time he's come across another version of or projection of himself or his psyche, it's awful for him. Being around himself is the worst thing he can do.
Rimmer's attempts at "self improvement" center around achievement, not who he is as a person. It's how he's come to view status and his own self-worth. So he's spent his life studying for exams (and cocking it up) and trying to hobnob with the officers (and cocking it up). In his eyes, Ace is successful, accomplished, athletic, and admired for those very reasons. The fact that people might just get along with Ace because he's not a complete git doesn't seem to register at all.
Why did they keep running out of food? Was it just the curry? Shouldn't that have meant, with a crew of over 1000, they only packed enough curry plates for a meal and a half, based on when this troper first recalls them running out? Or about five meals, if Lister had it every meal, every day, and a few late-night snacks?
On Red Dwarf itself, any lacking in food supplies (e.g. After Eight mints, cow's milk) are explained by them all having been eaten by the Cat race over the past 3 million years. On Starbug, it's understandable that they keep running out of food as Starbug is only intended to be a short-range ship-to-surface vessel with only emergency supplies: all the food they have on Starbug is what they can salvage from derelicts.
I don't recall "running out of food" coming up, except in a few cases: when they boarded Starbug in a rush without sufficient time to pack supplies, Season 6 where their corn is eaten by space weevils, and early in Season 7 when the cargo decks of Starbug were flooded and their food supplies were ruined. All of those were in Starbug, which is a pretty small ship. One occurs when they explicitly don't have enough time to load food, and two others involve their food supply getting ruined by an outside factor.
Quote Holly at the beginning of one of the earlier episodes— 'Supplies are plentiful. We have enough food and drink to last 30,000 years. But we are down to the last After Eight mint. And everyone's too polite to take it.' Until they lost the Dwarf supplies were rarely, if ever, an issue, aside from the Dog's Milk debacle.
You're mixing your quotes there, the punchline is 'But we have run out of Shake n' Vac' from sereis 2. The After Eight's gag was from Me^2 in series 1, but back to series one, the opening gag of Balance Of Power is Lister and Rimmer taking an inventory of supplies (the Irradiated Haggis, of course), and that stuff would last a few years at least.
The cats drank almost all of the cow milk. How is that so unbeleivable?
But they left the dog's milk alone because no bugger'll drink it. Makes sense.
It's very much Plot-Induced Stupidity , but what kind of protocol was accelerating the Red Dwarf out of the Solar System after the radiation leak? If Holly had put the ship in a parking orbit called the Jupiter Mining Corporation to decontaminate it, they wouldn't lose a doubtless very expensive ship.
This was Handwaved in the first book, where the radioactive fallout was so unstable that Holly had to drive it as far away from mankind as possible.
Which in turn begs the question as to why just sitting in a nearby uninhabited star system for the next three million years was insufficient.
This is Holly we're talking about; he got increasingly computer-senile and loopy after spending all that time on his own. There's a good chance that once he started speeding up he simply got distracted and eventually forgot to stop once he got going.
Also the novels suggested that Red Dwarf was already over one hundred years old when Lister joined up (It was built during an era of interstellar travel in the previous century , this is why it was equipped with stasis booths) meaning it was an obsolete old junker that was as slow as a lobotomized snail by the standards of its time, the Jupiter Mining Corp probably considered it not worth salvaging.
I'd always assumed that Captain Hollister had given Holly an order along the lines of "Get the ship as far away from Earth as possible" in order to mitigate the damage from the fallout and died before it occurred to him to amend the orders to permit salvage once the ship had reached a safe distance. Holly would have known he could safely stop in the outer solar system, but was presumably hard-wired to follow the Captain's orders until it was safe to let Lister out of stasis so Lister (as the highest-ranking surviving crew member) could countermand the order.
The radiation incident was almost instant. All Rimmer could say in the captain's quarters was "Gazpacho Soup". Not sure how Hollister could give much in the way of orders.
Hollister could have given the order to Holly at a time prior to the accident (to inform him what to do in the event such an accident happened aboard ship).
Again from the novels, Holly started the ship accelerating, then became distracted by how bad "Zero Gee Football - It's a Funny Old game" by Joe Klumpp is. For three million years.
Why does Rimmer have such an urge to pig out in 'Bodyswap', it has been shown that Holly can just make Rimmer feel the sensation of eating anyway (in fact in the first book, Rimmer 2 was eating hologramatic mints) and some episodes have Rimmer exercising , WHY WOULD A HOLOGRAM NEED TO EXERCICE?
Rule of Funny , Force of habit, and, in the episode where Holly gets replaced by Drill Sergeant Nasty , Rule of Cruel.
Perhaps the 'sensation' of eating doesn't compare to the actuality? After all, eating isn't just in the taste of the food, but looking at it, touching it, smelling it; there's a whole range of tactile sensations which contribute, however minutely, to the eating process. Whereas the 'sensation' of eating just seems to be a bit of twitching.
Rimmer can still see as a hologram; and "Kryten" shows he can smell, when he nearly throws up from the stench of Lister's boots. But still, the "sensation" of eating doesn't compare to actually eating.
RE: The 'exercise', that's partly because Rimmer schedules himself a timetable including 'exercise'; presumably it's not something that he has to do, but it's something he timetables for himself as part of a routine. Of course, he just does it for appearances anyway, but in the Drill Sergeant Nasty episode, the replacement just strictly keeps him to it.
Speaking of 'Bodyswap': they had the ability to project a second hologram ('Me^2'), Rimmer had the ability to take on other crewmembers' bodies and voices ('Balance of Power'), for that matter they could have just switched Rimmer off and switched a high-ranking crewmember on temporarily. Why did none of these things occur to them?
Holly says the self-destruct system checks the captain's voice and brain scan. Presumably, holograms don't have brain scans.
At that time, they were dealing with rewired electric circuits. If Lister ordering a chocolate bar and a milkshake started a self-destruct countdown, what could mucking about with the holograms do?
Rimmer is essentially a dead man come back to life — a dead man who's had to watch the living enjoy all the things he used to be able to do, no less. The idea that he might want to savour all the things that a living person would take for granted shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
You know the hologram in the first episode, what happend after the radiation leak?
A dying man collapsed back onto the Eject button, which shot George's disc out of the player. Said man then fell down dead and crushed it on the floor.
Alternatively Holly simply turned him off. He knew that with Lister in hibernation, then he'd have to resurrect someone to keep him sane when he's awoken. Rimmer worked because it wouldn't be too saddening for Lister to have to hang out with one mate he can never really have the sort of fun they used to have and Rimmer could be trusted to motivate Lister to make something of himself.
George went insane after two weeks of wandering around a ship full of corpses. Holly turned him off to put him out of his misery.
Holly replaced him with Rimmer. Apparently, he calculated that being annoyed by Rimmer was the best way to keep Lister sane and mentally active.
His disk could have been damaged/erased in the accident.
Holly probably switched him off soon after the accident. Not much point keeping him switched on when everyone else is dead and the only other person around is frozen in stasis. He wasn't switched back on because George probably didn't know Lister very well so wasn't what Holly considered a suitable match to help keep Lister sane.
In "Back to Reality", they said that Rimmer could not blame his parents for his failures because he shared an upbringing with his younger, more successful half-brother. However, Rimmer already had more successful brothers that he shared an upbringing with (which they mention repeatedly as having been more successful, and the only time its mentioned how they all had mental breakdowns was in a deleted scene). A better line would have been about how Arnold Rimmer, the pathetic boil on the ass of humanity that he was, was even more successful than his alternate self.
There's plenty of implication in the series that Rimmer (Arnold) actually has 'evil parents' who essentially didn't give him the same upbringing as his brothers. ME2 states explicitly that his brothers were sent to the academy but that they 'couldn't afford' to send Arnold.
Then why did Rimmer become suicidal in Back to Reality? He had no memory of his alledged life and the exact same thing could have applied.
Just wild speculation, but perhaps it's because Rimmer was the youngest of four brothers while his counterpart "Billy Doyle" was the elder of two half-brothers?
On that note, if Rimmer is so cowardly, how could anything he saw in his hallucinations make him commit suicide?
Some people think that suicide is selfish and cowardly. I hate those people but I have to admit, "selfish and cowardly" sums up Rimmer pretty well.
But the thing is, people kill themselves because they can't deal with life's problems. It's not life's problems that Rimmer's afraid of, it's death. I would think he'd rather go through almost anything than die.
Suicide and the tendencies that lead to it aren't really about 'bravery' in the sense of overcoming a fear of death, per say; it's more about being reduced to such a low, depressive point that death literally seems like the preferable option when placed opposite continuing on living.
This may be explained by differences in personality. The three elder brothers (and Ace Rimmer, for that matter) were probably motivated enough to succeed despite their upbringing, not because of anything their parents did. Arnold on the other hand kept writing things off as being really his parents' fault, and just coasted through life never taking responsibility for his actions, and never truly bettering himself.
That's not super likely. Ace was forced to fight back because he realized that he was on his own and had all those people and kids on his back about being held back. Rimmer not only had the parents; he was bullied in school, the only person he considered his friend almost killed him on purpose twice, and even the teachers seemed to be disappointed in him, and having to keep struggling with work clearly ahead of him only made that worse. Also, his parents very apparently preferred his brothers. They told him that he was a failure seconds after praising all of his brothers, and his mother said that she would sue the sperm that made him if she could. And to add on to that, the brothers were really awful to him. They put a landmine in his sandpit, used him as a swing, gave a swirlie for so long that he needed CPR, and staked him to the ground and poured jam and ants all over his face. Plus it's been shown in episodes that he doesn't really just brush his failure off as his parents' fault at all; hseais psyche is dominated by self-loathing, blaming his parents is just him trying to cope with it. To demonstrate my point, a quote from the scene in the second book where Rimmer, the toaster, the Cat, and Kryten are suddenly connected psychically: "Simultaneously...Kryten knew what it was like to be Rimmer. He understood what it was like to have had those parents, that childhood, that career, that life. It was impossible to scream, but that's what Kryten was trying to do."
Maybe it's what Kryten didn't mention about Rimmer's situation/hallucination that drove him to despair. The fact that he was on the run from the fascist police with a " murderer, a mass murderer and a man in a bright nylon shirt " certainly dashes any hopes he has of his ultimate ambition of becoming an officer.
The ink isn't just an hallucinogen it's also a depressant, I always assumed it was that that pushed him to try and commit suicide rather than than his hithertoo mild in comparison halucination. He's more of a psychologial screw up than the rest of the crew anyway.
Consider Kryten's exact words; "He shared an upbringing with you [Lister], his richer, more important half-brother." There's two things happening here:
Firstly, there's the obvious level of Rimmer's Freudian Excuse ; the thing he always uses to justify his failings and uselessness is that if he'd had a different life, with different parents, different siblings, and a different upbringing, he'd be a success. The hallucination gave him a different life, with different parents, a different sibling, and a different upbringing. Result? He's still a useless fuck-up, perhaps even more so, and his brother's still more of a success. It's not necessarily the fact that his brother's still more successful than him that causes his despair, it's that he no longer has that excuse to fall back on — the hallucination is telling him that it doesn't matter where he comes from or who his parents are or what his brother does, he's inherently a useless and pathetic loser and he always will be.
As well as that, however, it's not just anyone who's positioned as more successful than him here. It's Lister. He could, as noted above, probably deal with someone else being more successful than him, since he's used to it. Lister, however, is the one person out of everyone who Rimmer's always been able to look down upon. Lister is the one person he's ever had any kind of authority over (albeit by exactly one rung on the totem pole and not-withstanding the fact that Lister doesn't care about the totem pole anyway), and who, by his standards, is even more small, insignificant and pathetic than Rimmer himself is, and who has an even worse life than him. In the world of the hallucination, however, he doesn't even have that any more; even Lister, of all people, is more successful than him in this new world. Worse still, give Lister the same upbringing as Rimmer, and while Rimmer remains a total loser, Lister takes what he's given and makes a success of his life (by Rimmer's standards anyway, and this is his part of the hallucination we're discussing). Thus reenforcing the fact that for all Rimmer's whining, it's not his upbringing or his past that's to blame for the way he is and how his life turned out; it's just him. Not only is Rimmer being confronted with the fact that his Freudian Excuse is utterly worthless, but that Lister — the one person he's ever been able to measure himself against and come out superior to by his standards — is a fundamentally better person than him. Result? Complete despair.
In the episode Timeslides, Lister goes back in time and prevents himself from going on Red Dwarf. But later in the series we see that going on Red Dwarf was what caused him to be born. Wouldn't this cause him to suddenly pop out of existence?
My theory is that he was totally incorrect, and that he got the time wrong, essentially stranding his only son in the past on false pretenses. A better question is why Rimmer's still on Red Dwarf when the others disappear.
Holly explains that, unlike Rimmer, all of the other crew members' existence depended on Lister coming aboard Red Dwarf. Without him, Frankenstein would never have been rescued from Mimas and become the mother of the cat people. Likewise, without Lister, Kryten would never have been convinced to leave the Nova 5. Only Rimmer and Holly were the only things unaffected by the time ripples.
But without Lister Holly wouldn't have needed to resurrect a member of the crew to keep Lister sane, let alone Rimmer. So Rimmer wouldn't exist either as it's dependant on Lister too.
Rimmer would still exist in that there still would have been a person called Arnold J. Rimmer, that Arnold J. Rimmer would still have joined the Space Corps and become a Second Technician on Red Dwarf, and that Rimmer would still have died in the accident that destroyed the ship. None of that would have been affected by the lack of Dave Lister on the ship, whereas the existence of Cat and the presence of Kryten would have been affected. Presumably in this altered timeline Holly would have switched on Rimmer to keep him/herself company instead for whatever reason.
Alternately, the universe that we're seeing in Red Dwarf is Universe Prime, from which all other possible universes after baby Lister is found under the pool table are offshoots. This leads us to some Fridge Brilliance in the Better Than Life novel where Holly says that Lister created the universe. Since Lister's interference with the time stream directly causes the existence of that particular universe, Holly is technically correct.
Also leads to Fridge Brilliance with Lister's claim (in the very episode where we learn he's his own father) that he's "the definitive version" of Dave Lister. And given that the whole point of Kochanski wanting Lister's sperm is that the Lister of her universe can't have kids because he's dead...
Or the Inquisitor of series 5 visits the alternative Lister (as in the one living on Earth, with the millionaire lifestyle paid for by the profits of inventing the tension sheet) and decides that he's abused and waste his life, so consequently deletes him and allows an alternative sperm to exist as David Lister, who ends up being the standard space bum Lister was anyway before he changed the past and became that millionaire, who ends up meeting Kochanski from her alternative universe, they have a baby, they go back in time and plant the baby under the pool table where Lister remembers being found, thus maintaining the circle of life, and the timeline is essentially normal again.
Although as the Inquisitor himself was wiped from existence everything he ever did would have also been undone. So he would have never wiped rich Lister from the universe but that would also mean that Slum Lister would have never destroyed the-OH no I've gone cross eyed!
At the start of Back to Earth, Rimmer mans the sonar (because he's a coward) while the rest go to fight a giant squid. Sounds fine, Rimmer is never going to put his own life in danger, especially when there is some at all legitimate reason not to. However, once the mission starts, Rimmer just blindly ignores the sonar and the crew, nearly getting them all killed. Rimmer is a total smeghead, but a man who kept taking the officers test enough times that his mother thinks he's an admiral cannot be accused of not trying.
Yes he can. The first season firmly established that pretty much every time he cheated—the first episode shows him writing answers on his body, another shows him taking memory pills. If you ask me, ignoring the sonar is out-of-character for a completely different reason: Rimmer may be a goit, but even he wouldn't stand by and do nothing while his friends suffered if there was nothing for him in it.
Yes, but compare his behavior in Back to Earth, Part 1 to the series 1 episode Confidence and Paranoia, where he is visibly panicking that Lister is hurt. He does care about the other Boys from the Dwarf, he just cares about himself more.
In Bt E , when he gets the false (or premature) sonar ping, he freaks out and tells them. When he glances back, and sees them in trouble, he freaks out and does what he can at that point to help. He cares about them, sure, but he's too much of a self-centred twit to actually pay enough attention to keep them *out* of trouble, rather than just stepping up when they do.
He's also seen doing almost exactly the same thing at the beginning of Quarantine, when the crew are radioing him for help and he's pretending like he can't hear them.
It's not like he could have helped them in Quarantine if he'd gone to them he'd just have got the virus. My reasoning for Rimmer's out of character behaviour in Back to Earth is that it's yet another version of Rimmer in that ep. Thus far we've had the original Rimmer who was killed in the accident, original hologram Rimmer who left to become Ace in series 7, nano Rimmer in series 8 and now this new holgram who has memories of nano and original hologram Rimmer. And that's without counting his copies, clones or parallel universe selves.
Also, remember that in the Quarantine example, Rimmer is majorly pissed off with the others (a lot more so than usual) for trying to recruit another hologram despite his unusually, though still not entirely, valid objections about how this would affect him (there was a very real chance [from his point of view, anyway] that he might get permenantly deactivated in favour of the new member). Note how he mocks the other by sarcastically (though they don't know that) repeating their own arguments. Still dickish, even by his standards, but justifaibly so.
They're in danger for their lives and he's mocking them and refusing to offer them any kind of help, however little, out of nothing more than pique. It's only 'justifiable' if you happen to be a majorly petty, self-obsessed and spiteful person.
Which pretty much perfectly describes Arnold Rimmer!
Touche, but just because he would find it justifiable doesn't mean that it actually is in any way justifiable. He's clearly not someone who should be used as a yardstick for acceptable moral conduct, after all.
There's a reason Rimmer had to take the officer's exam so many times; he's a total incompetent. It's been part of his character since day one that if you put him in charge of something, he'll usually find some way to screw it up.
Why is being sent to stasis a punishment? From the prisoner's point of view, it's in one second, out the next. You lose pay, but there's nothing to spend that pay on. Granted it's addressed in the book (with Lister deliberately bringing a cat on board to get sent into stasis), but it still seems an odd punishment.
Maybe it's just standard procedure to prevent criminals from committing more crimes until the ship returns to earth, where they receive their real punishment. Granted it seems a bit extreme in Lister's case, but that's bureacracy for you.
Of course, we later on learn that Red Dwarf had an actual prison complex. Why not send Lister there? Perhaps his crime was not severe enough. Really, being put into stasis seems more like the equivalent of being fired than put in jail. Imagine you have an employee who has just screwed up majorly, but you are stuck with him for the next 18 months. You can't let him keep his job, but if you imprison him you still need to feed and look after him (actual prisoners presumably have their incarceration paid for with tax dollars). Putting him into stasis means that not only does he stop being paid, but you don't need to concern yourself with his well being.
It's a stretch, but remember the nanites rebuilt Red Dwarf as it's designed, not as it was previously seen (glommed on to a hunk of rock). Possibly Red Dwarf's blueprints contained plans for the prison complex, but the ship as it existed prior to season 6 didn't have one. Of course that doesn't explain why it has prisoners...
The prison is classified, it wouldn't stay that way if they threw in any offenders from the crew.
The Prison is also stated to be filled with hardened criminals - rapists, murderers, arsonists - and so jailing him with them would be inappropriate. You don't get thrown in a maximum security prison for jaywalking. Bringing a cat on board, would be a massive breach of ships protocol, rather than a civil crime. When it came to stealing - and then destroying - expensive company property however, that's a full blown offense whether you're in space or on land.
18 months is a long time. All your friends would change, relationships would change, social circles would change. You might go in to stasis with 4 best friends, come out and find that friend 1 slept with friend 3's wife and now they all hate each other, or anything. The stasis itself isn't a punishment, but trying to fit back into your old life afterwards * is* . If you go to prison for 18 months, it's weird adjusting to all the changes in your social circles when you come back out, and that's with visitors giving you constant updates. With stasis, a door closes and you've got 5 best friends, the door opens and 3 of them are dead and the other 2 have left the ship for another company.
Also, I'm pretty sure it's specifically mentioned you receive no wages for the time you were in stasis. That's 18 months without pay, which can put a bit of a dent in your plans if you're saving up for something, like Lister was.
I don't think the punishment is being put in stasis. Having to go into stasis is the by-product of the punishment. The punishment was being fired and turfed off at the next port. Being put in stasis is just to stop Lister consuming ship's resources until then and not having him lose 18 months of his life confined to quarters (the JMC would be too stingy to fork out for a special transport ship to remove one fired third technician) unable to do anything.
But wait... was Lister actually fired? Because for the rest of the series he continues to act like he's still an employee. I mean, sure, he's also the last human left alive so it doesn't really matter, but Rimmer continues to say he outranks him (until Lister takes the chef's exam) and has authority over him, which he wouldn't if Lister was fired. Lister's attitude was always "Smeg off, I don't give a crap" as opposed to "Smeg off, I'm a civilian, you can't tell me what to do".
I don't think he was fired so much as suspended. I'd imagine most people working on Red Dwarf for that length of time *are* saving rather than just working to live - after all, food & accomodation is free. In that case 18 months without pay would be quite a punishment even if you didn't have to hang out in your quarters bored for the whole time.
Novel question, after the Dwarfers escaped Better Than Life, why didn't they use the duality drive like they planned.
Because Holly was "sorta deadish" at the time and the ship wasn't running, and then they had all these other problems to deal with. They simply never had the chance.
Because Lister and Cat had to spend several weeks in traction as their bodies were re-nourished and their muscles rebuilt; they wouldn't have been ready to travel before that. Meanwhile, outside the medi-bay, Rimmer and Kryton have discovered a planet-sized ball of ice is hurtling towards them at considerable speed, and the Dwarf's engines are dead, so they're racing around trying to restart them.
So why not escape in the Nova 5?
Because the Nova 5 didn't have the medical facilities necessary for Lister and The Cat's recovery
If Psirens need to eat brains, what have they been eating for the last three million years.
Maybe they don't need to eat that often?
Maybe they've been eating Gelf brains? Who says it needs to be human brains?
Whoever said they need to eat brains? Maybe they just like the taste.
Why would Holograms need to exercise? Or is it simply a discipline thing?
Presumably holograms simulate humans as much as possible. They are shown to feel hungry, and so presumably they also get weak and/or put on virtual weight if they stop exercising.
For Rimmer? It's probably partly discipline, yeah. Rulebook states that all crewmembers should take a certain amount of exercise, so he takes that amount of exercise. Simulating him getting tired from his simulated exercise is probably for the same reason he gets simulated drunk from simulated drinks... to make him accurate to the person he's simulating. There's also probably some masochism (he doesn't enjoy exercise but does it anyway because he hates himself and wants to make himself unhappy), some snobbery (Lister doesn't exercise, the lazy sod), and other stuff mixed in there.
Since gazpacho is soup by definition, isn't referring to it as "Gazpacho Soup" a little redundant?
It's an understandable mistake to make, especially considering that Rimmer didn't seem to have heard of it before (since he didn't realise it was meant to be served cold).
Why didn't Kryten's planned obsolescence thing activate in the three million years he was on the Nova 5?
The replacement (Hudzen 10) had to arrive first? Although I've noticed that prior to setting in stone a 3rd-millennium date of creation, Rimmer estimated the deaths of the Nova 5 crew at "centuries", and I believe Kryten said Hudzen had been chasing him for "thousands of years".
Being a sound and well-established firm, the last thing Diva Droid wants is for their androids to deactivate a long time before their replacement arrives. The message they send a day ahead of the replacement itself activates the shut-down programme with the new android just a day away.
How the heck can Rimmer still sleep in his old bunk? Holograms aren't supposed to be able to touch anything! It also makes one wonder how they don't just sink right through the bottom of the ship...
The hologram simulation hardware is obviously extremely sophisticated to be able to simulate a human personality in the first place. It's no doubt sophisticated enough to take the structure of the ship's fittings and fixtures into account when computing where the holographic crew member can and can't move... except for when Rule of Funny comes into play and he needs to fall through something solid.
Very carefully.
It's quite simple. He can't manipulate objects. Him getting on his bed doesn't require the bed to move, therefore, he can accomplish it. Similarly, he can sit on a treadmill, but unless it's a holographic treadmill he can't peddle.
There's probably code programmed into the holographic software to enable holograms to simulate interacting with basic fixtures — chairs, beds, etc. It's probably easy enough to simulate with ship-issue beds and chairs (which are all of the same or similar height) and it no doubt helps them adjust to their condition and integrate into 'living' society better if they can simulate common behaviours such as sitting in a chair or lying on a bed rather than just eternally standing up. As not sinking through the floors, it would be a monumental waste of time and the equipment if you could essentially holographically bring someone back from the dead but couldn't program them them to exist within the ship environment; again, the ship's layout is no doubt programmed into them and they are projected in such a fashion to give the appearance that they are standing on the floor, again no doubt to help them and everyone else to adjust to them.
It's stated in the first novel that whenever a hologram appears to be "touching" something (walking on the floor, sitting in a chair, etc) they're actually hovering an extremely tiny distance over it.
It's implied in The End that only a person more vital to the Red Dwarf mission could be sustained as a hologram. How come the ship's Captain wasn't turned on as a hologram instead of a lowly chicken soup machine repairman? Sure, Rimmer's a great character and all, but I hardly think that making sure the vending machines were working properly was a truly vital part of the mission.
Maybe Holly chose a new mission in the three million years; keep the last human alive and sane. For that, he would need company, and Rimmer was the only constant acquaintance of Lister that could be counted on to give structure and discipline to his life (even though he would hate it). Selby, Chen and Petersen would be completely unreliable, and Kochanski would probably drive Lister mad with his own longing.
Plus, in 'Bodyswap', they "couldn't find the Captain's disk". It may have been lost completely.
Holly's over riding mission was to preserve human life. In one episode Kryten explains that Space Corp Directives state that Rimmer could be forced to turn himself off if Lister needed the extra power to survive. Holly is (sort of) capable of piloting the ship on his own, and the scutters are (again, sort of) capable of keeping the ship running, so really all that was left was keeping Lister safe and sane, which Hollister would have been useless for.
Red Dwarf's original mission — a mining trip — would be impossible to fulfil with just one human and one hologram, regardless of who the hologram was. Since nobody could be considered "vital" to an impossible, and therefore abandoned, mission, Holly was free to choose a hologram based on other criteria, such as keeping Lister sane.
How is it that if Lister doesn't go in stasis the cat would need to be killed and experimented on because it could damage the ship, but if he didn't go into stasis it could be left in the cargo hold? Couldn't Lister have stayed out of stasis with the cat in the hold and, if punishment was needed, had a regular punishment?
Lister is being punished because he isn't giving up the location of the cat. They're trying to find the cat in either case, it's just that Red Dwarf has a pretty small crew and the ship is a few dozen cubic miles big. They're gonna be searching for a long time, and if Lister helps them bypass that, they won't stick him into stasis.
There never was an option to keep the cat in the hold, and it wasn't because the cat would damage "the ship" itself. The cat was ALWAYS going to be found and dissected, whether Lister voluntarily gave it up or not, the captain's false reassurances aside. Why? Because of the usual assumption that "all animals are dirty and diseased". While Lister made a point of getting the healthiest, most pure-bred show cat he could find, he KNEW that bringing ANY non-human on board would trigger the "OMG, it's diseased!" panic button (the same button that sees animals quarantined for six months at the British border). Knowing the he would be punished, he deliberately released Frankenstein into the ductwork, knowing the ship was so large and complex, she would be next to impossible to find. Her survival, in the end, depended on her finding her own way down into the bowels of the cargo hold, where the radiation didn't reach.
How come the crew's future selves in Out of Time attack and attempt to kill them? Couldn't they just knock them out and steal what they need from the Time Drive, or even capture them if needed?
They'd probably still have a chance in stopping them from their luxurious lifestyle if left alive, most likely.
The future crew attacked the present crew not with the intention of destroying them, but rather disabling them in order to board and take the time drive. Future crew simply failed to take into account the upgrades they had added to Starbug during the intervening years, and had also forgotten quite how poor a condition Present Starbug was in.
As for knocking them out, the future crew are quite aged and elderly, and have spent much of the years in-between living the fine life (and consequently getting a bit soft) while the present crew, while perhaps not exemplars of human physical perfection, are still younger, fresher, tougher from living the hard life and being in all up better shape; they would probably lose a face-to-face confrontation, but have an advantage in the upgraded Starbug, which is what they're using.
In Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, the amount of supervision given to a nuclear reactor was criminally little. They were counting on a red light to turn on (which it didn't), and three warning blips on a random navigation officer's screen (which he ignored due to a coffee spill). There was absolutely nobody monitoring the cooling system when it stopped functioning, which then allowed the reactor to reach critical mass and leak radiation, killing everyone. While this makes more sense than the original explanation of giving the job to Rimmer (absurd by any definition given his repeated incompetence), it still feels like No OSHA Compliance was stretched to breaking point.
This fits in nicely with the background Running Gag of Red Dwarf, as well as Brit Com overall, that everything in their universe is utterly terrible, the crews are incompetent and the ships are held together with duct tape. It was largely a deliberate reaction to hyper stylised (mostly) US Sci-Fi shows. Nobody ever showed up to work with the sniffles or a Hangover on The Enterprise, which is was arguably the most unrealistic element of a show where people regularly broke light speed and had sex with aliens.
It's also somewhat Truth in Television . The Americans made several successful manned trips to the moon, while the British sent a glorified RC car to Mars ... and it crashed. Typing "Sellafield Breach Of Security" into Google returns almost 300,000 results.
In "SDRAWKCAB", the rules of a contracting universe only seem to apply sometimes. People's consciousnesses seem to progress as they get younger, but their perception of a sequence of events seems to sometimes go one way, sometimes the other. For example, a mugger will jump out and force $50 into your wallet in the street, and even the physical laws of eating and drinking seem to indicate a slow un-digestion of food, leading to it being spit out of your body whole. It seems like in a world like this, a lot of things would be pre-determined based on a current physical state. The main contradiction to this happens in the sequence of events where Rimmer and Kryten are fired for a fight that they haven't had yet. If we are following the logic of timeflow in this scenario, they should have initially been fired for having a fight, had that fight early on in their career, and THEN worked as performers for whatever amount of time they were there, and, lastly, been hired for doing such a good job, leaving them unemployed.
It's possible that people from the normal forwards universe corrupt the time flow of the backwards one just by being there. Kryten is still able to eat an egg and drink a glass of water in the conventional way.
IIRC the sequence of events correctly (in reverse order: Kryten and Rimmer's gig in ruined bar —> Kryten and Rimmer are fired —> Bar Unrumble), it could be that while they were fired for the bar fight, they were still contractually obliged to do the last gig, no doubt with docked or no wages to help cover the damages they had (inadvertently) caused; they seem to be a big draw, and they're there already so the bar owner could probably recoup some losses by selling tickets and getting people in to buy drinks but doesn't want them back after that.
The sequence of the fight itself isn't right either, it begins with Lister getting punched because he and Cat just un-ate someone else's pie but as it was running in reverse, then that's how the fight should have ended.
Just what does a triple fried egg sandwich with chili sauce and chutney taste like?
I'd imagine really awful.
After numerous experiments, For Science! , actually not bad, but it depends on what type of chutney you use. Works best in a roll rather than on bread though.
Honestly, pretty good, but you have to use a chutney that is both hot (as in spicy) and sweet, otherwise it's weird with the eggs, like you're putting jam on them. I've only tried it on grain bread. Lister is right, though: you do have to eat it before the bread dissolves — although I think it has more to do with the heat of the eggs and the chili sauce being wet rather than chemical composition, as is implied in the episode.
It's really nice. I had it on white bread, with mango chutney and chilli sauce.
Where in the world did Red Dwarf get the fuel to continually accelerate away from Earth for 3 million years? Also, how can it be only 3 million years away from Earth in this case? It should take them 3 million years just to stop, never mind actually getting back to Earth.
From this
, as stated in Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers.
That's why the front of the ship is "net-shaped". It's also implied that the captured hydrogen was then burned in a huge internal combustion engine, complete with pistons, which doesn't make much sense. Then again, their space shuttles have gearshifts, so...
Not internal combustion, but nuclear fusion.
There is also a solar panel outside Lister and Rimmer's sleeping quarters. The ship just seems to take in any source of power it can.
When you're actually in space, IIRC you don't need much fuel to accelerate; just enough for the initial kick-start and then let momentum do the rest. You actually need the fuel to slow down so you don't just drift endlessly if memory serves. In three million years, a lot of momentum builds up.
Drifting on your current momentum isn't accelerating. To accelerate, you have to apply force, which in this case, means using the engines. Without that, you'll just coast along at the same velocity because of inertia � you'll keep your current momentum, but you won't "build up" any more momentum without some kind of energy input. The show specifically said at several points that Red Dwarf had been accelerating, not just coasting, away from Earth for three million years.
They address this in the second episode; when Lister is planning on going into stasis for the journey home, he mentions that it's going to take them some insane amount of time just to turn around to head back. As for why they don't acknowledge it further, since they're not in stasis it's probably a bit morale-draining to actually add up how much time it'll actually take them to get back to Earth, so have just settled on rounding it down to 'three million' as a way to help get their heads around it.
In Thanks for the Memory, cat is seen wearing a silver spacesuit. From just about everything else he's worn, why in smeg's name would he wear that?
Because he had to go into space (or at least a place with minimal-to-no atmosphere) in that episode; there's only so stylish you can make a standard space-suit and still have it function effectively.
The real explanation for why he doesn't wear his gold spacesuit from the episode "Kryten" is that "Thanks For the Memory" was actually the second episode recorded while "Kryten" was the fourth: the order was changed when they aired. In-universe there's really no excuse.
Or he simply doesn't want to wear the same outfit twice. Of course in later episodes he's less picky.....
I believe in Kryten he wore the special golden spacesuit since they were going on a ship that they thought had three living young, hot women on board.
Cat does change into unfashionable clothes on occasion, it just takes a lot of insistence and/or urgency.
More of a fandom thing: Can someone explain why some people seem to refer to Holly with only feminine pronouns, or male!Holly with masculine pronouns, female!Holly with femine pronouns, and Holly in general with feminine pronous? I'm used to the male-Holly series, so it's a bit disconcerting for me. It really shouldn't matter, since Holly's technically a sexless being who uses human images for avatars, and I really only think of Holly in masculine terms because "it" is dehumanizing . The only possibilities of which I can think are that the people who do this are more used to female!Holly or fall back on Holly being a typically feminine name. Is there some other reason, from someone more familiar with the later series, or who actually saw the transitional episode(s)?
There was one transitional episode, titled "Dad", and it never was even filmed. The writers scrapped the script because it was unfunny and possibly sexist.
I think it's possibly because Holly was female for a bit longer than s/he was male, at least originally; Norman Lovett was in two series, Hattie Hayridge was in three, and there was a bit of a gap before Lovett returned which just helped to cement Holly being female in people's minds. Also, as noted in the OP Holly's a traditionally female name, so it's just an easy habit to slip into.
Why doesn't the Inquisitor try to interview people at the end of their lives, when they have made all the contributions they can?
Presumably, the Inquisitor knows what will happen then, having survived until the end of time itself.
You question that, when it gets them to judge themselves: A massive egotist would pass with flying colours, but a martyr would fail horribly.
Arguably that's a problem inherent to the Inquisitor's methods regardless of when he interrogates his victims. One could make a case for the fact that the Inquisitor, as a simulant, has nothing but psychopathic contempt for mankind and doesn't care if his arbitrary means of judgement are fair, valid or sane. A timeline expunged of every human being with an inkling of personal doubt or critique, and inhabited solely by self-righteous egocentrics like The Cat sounds like an unwaking nightmare.
Inquisitor might not see this as a problem though. He might see it as the POINT. If a person is satisfied with their own lives, and happy with it, then there's no reason he should change it. No other measure of a 'well lived life' is more valid than seeing if the person themselves is happy. It might not be a nice world when he's finished doing that to everyone, but it's a plausible philosophy.
The Inquisitor at least answers the self-image problem by taking on the properties (memories, personality, etc) of the accused but remaining impartial. When Rimmer tries to defend himself, the Inquisitor instantly knows that Rimmer is lying. When Kryten refuses to defend himself, the Inquisitor brings up his lifetime of good service. The egotist is brought down, while the martyr has to reason against being brought up.
Rimmer however has an acute sense of self loathing and doubt, which is demonstrably his most powerful subconscious personality trait ( Rimmer World ). This is not a temperament shared by all egocentric people (Quite the contrary in fact). Mass Murderers often go to their graves guilelessly.
There's a similar problem with the Mind Probe: What if a sociopathnote Someone with ASP
were to come under the mind probe? They wouldn't feel guilt, so they wouldn't be convicted of anything.
Although the point of the episode is that the Mind Probe is an inherently flawed way of apportioning justice, it seems to be more responsibility rather than just guilt that it picks up on. It it appears to scan and record memories IIRC — Rimmer got convicted despite being smugly convinced that he was going to get through the Probe with flying colours ("I haven't so much as returned a library book late!"), while Lister gets exonerated despite clearly feeling guilty for the delinquent acts the Probe picks up on. The Probe picked up on Rimmer's memories and conviction that he was responsible, not (just) his feelings of guilt — similarly, if dealing with a sociopath, it would presumably pick up on the sociopath's memories of having committed the offence and base it's judgement on that rather than just whether or not the person felt guilty about them.
But wasn't the reason that Lister could go through was that his crimes weren't violent and that he had served his time?
Lister does mention that there were other, similar offences that he wasn't punished for, but presumably in his case it was a combination of the non-violent nature of the offences and Lister's clear signs of remorse for them. Alternatively, the statute of limitations expired on Lister's theft charges (it's been three million years), while murder, intentional or otherwise, may not have a statue of limitations.
Lister has also been in stasis for 3 million years longer than he should have been, it's possible the Justice Computer views this as having served his time for these unknown crimes.
Consider also that in the real world, people convicted of crimes of differing levels of severity are often incarcerated in different facilities (or at least different wings of particular facilities); for example, someone convicted of petty theft is unlikely to find themselves imprisoned in the maximum security solitary confinement death-row wing of San Quentin State Prison. It could be (and likely is) the case that the facility the Justice Computer is monitoring is operating specifically to house people guilty of serious capital crimes such as murder, while those who are guilty of minor offences are outside of the Justice Computer's jurisdiction.
A bigger question is why the justice computer punishes hologram Rimmer for human Rimmer's mistake. Or why no one brings this up.
Despite Rimmmer's not in the first episode about "The real him" being "that pile of the floor there", it's less-or-more established that holograms are equal to the human they replace.
Why is Rimmer afraid of Alfred Hitchcock?
Because Alfred Hitchcock's been dead for three million years. What the hell would he be doing on Red Dwarf?
It's a joke about Alfred Hitchcock's cameos (sometimes in silhouette) in his creepy movies.
For three million years before Lister leaves stasis, Red Dwarf had been accelerating to light speed. It would logically make sense that it would take about as long for it to slow down to a sane velocity. So how are Starbug and Blue Midget, which can easily be outrun by an unbalanced washing machine, able to leave Red Dwarf, hop onto some nearby planet for a spell, and then return? If they tried to land on a planet, the sudden change in kinetic energy would shatter the planet and turn the ship and crew into an expanding cloud of plasma, meaning that the show would have ended at the start of Series II.
Sometime during season one the Dwarf slipped through a space-time anomoly that slowed them down by a shitload. Or perhaps the footage of Starbug and BM are show much slower than they are actually taking place and are also going at lightspeed. It'd make parking a bitch, though.
How come Rimmer didn't try to pass a different exam when Lister tried becoming a chef?
In Rimmer's own head he would only feel like an officer if he passed the engineering exam, as shown when he thought Lister taking the Chef exam would not make him a "real" officer.
He does try! That's what he's doing in the scene where he's trying to answer the question "What does the red spectrum tell us about quasars?" — he's taking the astro-navigation exam, and dictating his answers to the skutters. If his (non-)answer is indicative of his overall performance, we can expect that he failed miserably again.
No. The astro-navigation exam is the same one he keeps taking. Original poster was asking why Rimmer doesn't take inspiration from Lister's plan, by switching to a different exam.
In that case, see point one. Because Rimmer's a pompous and pedantic idiot who simply either couldn't 'lower' himself to take an exam which wouldn't make him a 'proper' officer, or, equally likely, was too stupid and blinkered to even think of it. Either, given what we know of Rimmer, is plausible.
Rimmer pretty much confirms the above in dialogue — "You wanna be a chef? A white-hatted ponce?! That's not a real officer!" — which makes it pretty clear that Rimmer wants to be a 'proper' officer, where Lister just wants to be someone who outranks Rimmer for his current purposes.
Understandably, Rimmer wanted to take an exam that would enable him to comfortably outrank Lister even if Lister passed the chef's exam. We don't know how many exams were available that would do this, as opposed to merely equaling a new chef, so perhaps Rimmer had no choice.
Not all officers are equal. A Chef is probably a Limited Officer or equivalent, he can boss people around in context of performing his duties, but will never do more than Chef and provisioning related activities; having said that, a proper Chef is an important and skilled position in its own right, being in charge of a kitchen crew, menus, and provisioning budgets. Rimmer wants to be on the command track though so he has to take an exam that gives him an unrestricted line officer rating. Lister's goal was to boss Rimmer around, so a limited officer with just enough rank to do that was all he needed. Rimer's (delusional) goal is to be a spaceship Captain, that's a completely different ball game and being a Chef does not advance that.
Several nitpicks from re-watching Ouroboros
In the alternate reality where Lister died and Kochanski was the one put in stasis, why was Lister of all people bought back as a hologram? Holly stated that the reason Rimmer was bought back as a hologram was to keep Lister sane, and because he was the one person he had exchanged the most words with. Surely Holly would have bought back one of Kochanski's friends, or 'Tim' instead of Lister?
In the AU Lister and Kochanski never broke up (by that point the Prime Universe had been retconned so their relationship was a fling that Lister never got over), so it would make sense that Holly would revive her One True Love. Alternatively, in 'our' universe Holly brought Rimmer back as winding him up was the best way to keep Lister sane. It's made pretty explicit that Kochanski enjoys controlling people (or at least seeing them unhappy), so in her universe Lister - a unrepentant slob - would provide her with the optimum amount of "improvement" to inflict to keep her sane.
Keep in mind that AU Lister is, among other things, gay. It's possible that in the AU, he was good friends with Kochanski.
Actually, AU Lister being gay was a lie Kochanski told to help Lister's claustrophobia.
In the primary (and no doubt in the secondary) timeline, Holly is clearly computer senile by that point and not really thinking things through clearly; the 'keep Lister sane' justification is (in the novels at least, although I'm sure it's implied in the TV series somewhere) is on some level a function of Holly's capabilities not being 100% — after all, word-count alone isn't exactly the best factor in determining who is the best person to spend eternity with. In the alternative timeline, he probably had some kind of warped logic for bringing back Kochanski's ex just as he had the same logic for bringing back Lister's loathed bunkmate which he justified under the same excuse. And IIRC the 'gay' story was indeed just a tale Kochanski spun to take Lister's mind off things.
Actually, in the AU in question Lister and Kochanski had still broken up, but no doubt AU Holly used some kind of slightly arbitrary, unreliable or just plain crazy metric to decide on bringing back Lister just as OT Holly used word count to justify reviving Rimmer. Perhaps Lister and Kochanski had longer conversations than Kochanski and Tim. Or perhaps AU Holly is a shipper.
How on earth did Lister work out that he was his own father just from seeing a box with 'Ouroboros' on it? I can understand that he would make a connection with that and the box he was found in, but where did the rest of it come from? And why does no-one question what he's going on about?
Being Genre Savvy for Squick , for one.
He may literally be "Barely Human," and thus his abnormal genetics may have been caused by him being his own father.
Where did AU Lister come from. His parents, I mean.
His parents were also Lister and Kochanski. Folowing "Dimension Jump"'s logic, Lister and AU!Lister were one and the same man until their paths diverged at some point.
If the people who found Lister's box thought it said, "Our Rob or Ros(s)", why wasn't he given one of those names?
Maybe they just didn't like the names.
Because it's reasonable enough to assume the contents of the box belong to "Our Rob or Ross" rather than containing a person called Rob or Ross.
Nope, the pub customer specifically says that whoever left the baby there couldn't even decide on a name. Note that referring to a young member of the family as "our <name>" is pretty common Oop North .
How come The Cat had to bring suits with him when he went into stasis? If they lasted 3 million years one ways, there's no reason that they shouldn't last the other way.
They didn't. Cat made all of his suits himself. (That's a good point, though — surely the fabric would deteriorate.)
When did they say that?
There's surely no way a Cat would wear anything that wasn't perfectly bespoke, and given that any Cat tailors would have left Red Dwarf by that point, he'd have had no choice but to do the job for himself.
Then again, the food that the cat people ate managed to stay fresh enough to be palatable for 3 million years.
Couldn't it be assumed that the food had futuristic advanced canning?
Is there a name for the robot religion?
Probably something like Silicon-Evangelist or Electronism. There's no established name for it really, it could be anything.
It wouldn't really need a name. It's not much of a religion, in the normal sense. To robots, Robot Heaven's a simple fact. And to everyone else it's a nonsense. It's not a belief-system. It's just a belief.
In "Parallel Universe", female Lister said that society in her universe stopped being male-dominated after the men's right movements. Unless this is a different "60s" (which I suppose is possible, given later figures of Lister and Rimmer coming from the 23rd or 22nd century), isn't most of western society on our Earth still mostly male-orientated today, let alone when the episode was written in the eighties?
Quite a lot of people in our universe tend to overlook the still-quite-prominent issues facing women today and wonder why feminists bother, since "they won" back in the sixties; things have gotten better for women, which allows those inclined to not look any further for reasons why there might still be a lot of work to do in this area and just declare everything done. I'd imagine there's similar mindsets in the parallel universe as well.
Plus, people aren't always precise when they pick their words. She said "Not since the sixties" but probably really meant "It started getting a lot better since the sixties."
Why did no one ask the crew from Holoship what happened to Earth?
They might not have known. They've been away from Earth a few million years themselves by that point as well.
They don't care. Kryten does say that holocrews are notoriously arrogant.
So we discover in season 1 that Rimmer is capable of transforming himself into an exact physical duplicate of Kochanski (and presumably anyone else) by simply installing her holodisc. Question: Rimmer's sexual history consists of one woman he essentially raped (she had a concussion and confused him for someone else) and his continuing love affair with a blow up doll. So... why doesn't he, instead of making out with a fake plastic woman, just become Kochanski in private and have multiple private sessions with her body? It's not as if he has any concern for her honour or whatever given that he has already stared down her bra and even if he did there are plenty of other female members of the crew he could duplicate.
He'd need Holly for that, and why he may be (for the most part) without honor, he does have pride. Interaction with anyone else would be unbearable once Holly told them what Rimmer got up to.
Rimmer was only was interested in feeling up Kochanski's breast when he had half transformed from Kochanski into himself, so maybe he isn't really into the body transforming thing.
We also discover, in that very same episode, that Holly gets extremely irritable when he's given stupid, self-indulgent orders to hack one of the few ship systems (holocrew generation) that's already working fine. See his behavior in the matter of Petersen's arm, and Rimmer's repeated concerns about getting his own pelvis back. He's not likely to risk further 'misunderstood orders'.
In season 8's "Pete", why didn't Kryten turn the t-rex back into a bird immediately after he'd made his mistake? And why did he even chuck it to the Bob the Skutter in the first place? It's not like Kryten didn't know how to use the time wand. Granted he may have messed up but he was the most familiar with it and should've tried instead of chucking it. And if he didn't know the code for turning the dinosaur back into a bird, he could have freezed it (like he did with the rest of the Red Dwarf crew) until he figured it out.
You're asking why an neurotic servant robot built to clean out toilets and just recently started dealing with scientific phenomona didn't think straight when he's about to be attacked by a tyranosaurous rex that he just made out of a sparrow with a device he barely understands.
Also in season 8, why wasn't the deceased Kochanski on Red Dwarf revived along with the rest of the crew?
For the same reason they didn't revive a duplicate Lister: because she (or at least a version of her) was already there. Remember that the nanobots who resurrected the crew were created by Holly, and he wouldn't want to unnecessarily make two Kochanskis. Presumably if the original Rimmer was still around he wouldn't have been duplicated either.
Why do they no longer seem to be several million years away from Earth in season 10? Howard Rimmer mentions serving on a still-functioning ship on which the crew were attacked, which doesn't seem possible without a human element.
It doesn't help that Lister still talks about being the last surviving human being.
The only two survivors of that ship were a hologram and a simulant, remember; they could have been drifting and/or in some form of sleep or stand-by mode for a lot longer than they initially thought. The phone-in line was manned by androids, and could have been operating automatically.
Note that they don't have to be 3 million years from Earth on their way back - Holly might've left the Solar System and then cruise slowly to allow radiation to dissipate, then after the turning in Season 1 maintain a far higher speed - not to mention various time jumps and teleports they encountered on their way.
Rimmer's the most senior officer, but didn't Kryten say in...I think it was "White Hole", that a living being outranks a hologram?
Rimmer is generally more inclined to throw his weight around and actually go around bossing people about, so the computer, maintenance units, etc, so the predictive computer simply acted according to what Rimmer's instructions were likely to be by default.
So wait a minute, the first novel detailed how a hologram would be switched off, if they needed to revive someone more important to the mission. So if the captain became a hologram, and thus most important person to the mission, and a living being outranked a hologram, then anyone could outrank the captain?
Well Kryten says that a living human outranks a hologram but Kryten is a service mechanoid, designed to serve man. His programming might say that living humans outrank holograms whereas the Space Corps directives could say otherwise.
IIRC several of the contexts in which "a living person outranks a dead person" comes up tend to be under situations where it's a matter of life and death for the living person. In matters of formal rank things might progress as normal (so a dead captain would be superior over a living technician) but in a circumstance where it was between preserving a living person or obeying the orders of a dead one, keeping the former alive takes precedence.
How exactly is Howard Rimmer a Hard Light hologram when Arnold's hard light drive was a prototype developed by Legion?
Who said it was a prototype. Legion invented the thing millions of years ago back when he had the combined minds of the greatest minds of his era.
Legion created the Hard Light drive. He said so himself. That's still no excuse for Howard to have one. He was left alone on his ship the entire time (he panicked and hid like his brother) so how would he have got out to get one from Legion?
Legion made the thing. Who says he hoarded it? He could have made it, it gets distributed but the Dwarfers never came across a functional one, whereas Howard did. Remember, there is a roughly 3 million year gap between Legion coming online and Lister coming out of stasis.
It's still not even explained whether the hard-light Arnold Rimmer in Red Dwarf X is the hard-light Rimmer that left in Series 7, or the nano Rimmer from Series 8 that became a hologram after he died himself. If it's the latter, he shouldn't be a hard-light either.
Or Red Dwarf X takes place in an alternative universe, than the other seasons, where all holograms are hard-light.
There's clearly a gap of several years between Series 8 and Back To Earth / Series X. Chances are they just found another one in that time.
What about Katalina from Back To Earth? I mean ok, technically she was an hallucination, but she was a hard-light created from Red Dwarf, and the crew didn't seem to bat two eyelids about it, which suggests that Red Dwarf could create hard-light holograms. If that's true, why didn't it before?
There was a 10-year gap between the previous season and Back To Earth. They might have found the schematics for one in those interim years on a derelict that was centuries more advanced than was on the Dwarf, and made more.
Rimmer actually does ask her how that's possible, but she dismisses his question and changes the subject very quickly.
I assumed that Legion and Earth scientists developed Hard Light in parallel to one another, much like Newton and Leibnitz with calculus.
We know that the Dad episode, that would have served as the original Series 3 opener, wasn't finished and aired because the writers deemed it unfunny and sexist (so instead, they bridge the gap between Series 2-3 with a Star Trek like message at the start Series 3 instead), but they could have reordered the Series 2 episodes around to make the transition of Kryten suddenly becoming a regular work better. Instead of having Kryten appearing as a guest star of the Series 2 opening, then absent for the rest of the season from Better than Life-Parallel Universe, they could have placed the Kryten episode as the Series 2 finale, and have Better Than Life as the Series 2 opener. Then with Parallel Universe being the fifth episode instead of the sixth, we can deal with Lister being pregnant, and the inclusion of Hatty Hayridge etc. Then, with the Kryten episode as the sixth of Series 2, it shows Kryten being with the crew in the finale. Then when we go onto Series 3, Kryten is already there. While the Dad episode would still make the Lister's pregnancy storyline being cut short, explained with the Star Trek like message, at least we wouldn't have five episodes after 'Kryten' when the mechanoid was vacant.
Umm, no? I don't think seasons of Red Dwarf are planned that far in advance. They also would never have foreseen Norman's departure to do the Hatty thing. Kryten's popularity would presumably have only been known after transmission of his eponymous episode.
If we could change the episode order around, you've still got it wrong in my opinion. Kryten as the fifth episode, Parallel Universe as the sixth. It still fits the scrolling text at the beginning of Backwards; Kryten was off-screen in the repair shop during Parallel Universe.
Why are some fans complaining that Rimmer's aging in Series X and Back To Earth is wrong because he is a hologram, even though Rimmer's future self is even more aged in Out Of Time?
Well, about that, Word of God says Rimmer's hologram has been coded to age at the same rate Lister does, explaining why he ages for BTE and Out Of Time, but not during the 600 years in Rimmerworld. About the complaints, you got me.
In "Balance of Power", Lister becomes a catering officer. This is never ever ever mentioned again, even though its possible consequences were a huge plot point for that episode. Why?
Holly says in the distress message in the very next episode that Lister was lying about having passed.
Oh? Non-Brit troper here, lucky if one of every four old episodes slips through the cracks.
Lister isn't a character that would intentionally be dishonest if he didn't need to be (as he ranges from either entirely simple minded, to morally courageous). His motivation for implying to Rimmer that he had passed, was because he wanted Rimmer to believe that he was now outranked by him, so that he can have authority over Rimmer (because Rimmer is Lawful Neutral ).
Lister probably came clean very soon after telling Rimmer he'd passed. He just wanted to see the look on Rimmer's face.
Lister laments about how the human race is dead. But they've been back to Earth several times by time travel. Why don't they just stay there?
Because then the show would be over. :P Story wise though, no idea, maybe the Dwarfers have gone space crazy.
In the extended cut of Tikka To Ride, they decide to forego time travel after the disaster they caused in Dallas. Even in the original episode, this is discussed, as they don't want to wind up like their future selves encountered in Out Of Time.
I think that part of it is not just wanting to get back to Earth, but to see if the Human race has survived in the present. Lister wants to reach the current Earth.
Series 7 (and subsequently Series 8) are often regarded as the least successful of the seasons in comparison to Series 1-6, due to them leaning more towards sci fi adventure, or drama-coms than the popular sit-com feel of the earlier shows. So why is it, that the same fans tend to consider and vote Back To Reality (Series 5) as the most popular and favorite Red Dwarf episode? Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic episode, and a great script, but apart from a few laughs on Dwayne Dibbly's appearance, it's not really the epitome of funny. In actual fact, the episode is actually very dramatic, with despair and suicide used as plot points. It's not really a traditional sit-com feel at all, and in many ways quite akin to Series 7. But Back To Reality is loved, and Series 7 is hated? I guess I never really understood that. If being funny and sit-com orientated was what Red Dwarf is supposed to be liked for, why is Back To Reality voted the most favorite episode? I can think of several episodes more conventionally funny throughout than Back To Reality. And if it's the dramatic undertones that give the plotline substance, then does Series 7 really deserve the stick it gets?
Also, I've written this trope out about 4 times now, some one 'non bro' is being highly un-sportsman like, and constantly deleting my input because he doesn't agree with it's realization. Please don't, it's not mature, it's not in good spirit, and it's actually quite rude. If you cannot intelligently justify your point, then that speaks volume over how validated it really is. This is a point about the fandom, I'm trying to address as a headscratcher. If you have something intelligent to say in reply to it,like an answer or a sophisticated critique please comment on it below and add substance to the headscratcher, rather than trying to purge another person's input, just because you don't like seeing one person having the guts to voice it. Thank you. Sorry for sounding angry, but whoever keeps doing this is starting to annoy me.
It's fine chief, don't worry. You should delete that second entry when you're comfortable though, as it should really belong on the forums if you are having trouble with edit etiquette...editquette if you will.
You do make a legitimate point when it comes to Back To Reality, but there is more to it than fans misappropriating their praise. One problems with a lot of season 7's more "scifi drama" oriented storylines is a lack of tact in execution. For example, 7 had scenarios like Lister having to come to terms with being mutilated and losing an arm. It could have been funny if it was some kind of temporary just desert for a cruel slight, like Rimmer being marooned for hundreds of years for abandoning his friends, but the tone of the episode made the comedy tragic and painful for a character we've learned to love, no matter how disgusting he is, and dealing with a very real and upsetting problem that some viewers face every day. Back To Reality on the other hand may deal with subjects such as suicidal depression and the use of videogames as vicarious escapism, but it's all through a speculative fiction lens that never gets too heavy with the true pathos of the suicidal mentality. Also while it might be subjective to say, Back To Reality still provides some really good laughs, such as Rimmer abusing the team as they blubber, the games techinican's banter as the boys wake up, and the chaotic mime sequence as they hallucinate the car chase. Back To Reality hit that perfect medium between suicidal carp and Baudrillardian philosophy.
It may also be because Series VII was the first new Red Dwarf material after a four-year hiatus, the longest gap there had ever been between series: people were expecting something more sitcom-ish and less dramatic, like Series VI had been. And the other changes like Rimmer leaving and needing to replace models with CGI just added to people's resentment, and they haven't gotten over it since. Personally I really like Series VII, but that may be because it was the first Red Dwarf series I saw.
On top of not being written as well (Naylor not being used to writing without Grant), I feel it's because the two seasons are rather different flavours. One is a slightly campy, more sitcomish series that places more ephasis on romantic and gender tension seen in more traditional sitcoms. The other is a rather dark and bleak sci-fi show that uses the monster-of-the-week formula to present hypothetical science fiction scenarios that explore the characters in episodes like Back to Reality, Terrorform, Holoship, Demons & Angels and The Inquisitor (in fact the only episode not to do this is Quarantine). This use of theoretical sci-fi to show what makes the characters tick was lacking in VII and entirely absent in VIII, meaning the plot felt very unimportant to the characters. Gone were the interesting science fiction scenarios like Future Echoes, Backwards or Timeslides, which in the early seasons of Red Dwarf were one of the few positive features of the show. But I did notice that of all the seasons, Seires V is the one that had the least laughs from the audience track, and I find it unessecarily dark in all episodes except Quarantine and Holoship.
This is more about Back To Reality though, and the inconsistency behind the fanbase. People say they loved Back To Reality toying with them, and the plot twists. But look how Back To Earth was received? Not very well. But essentially, it was the same thing. I often feel people just tend to praise Back To Reality for the hell of it, because series 5 is seen of as 'perfect' and they're expected to.
I'm not sure there's really an answer to this one, other than "people have different tastes". Personally, I think that that "Back to Reality" effectively juggles drama, comedy and sci-fi in a way that the others mentioned don't; just because two things do the same thing doesn't mean that one can't do it better than the other.
If we treat Back to Reality as a representative pinnacle of the longest stretch of consistent situation in the entire series, rather than as an individual episode, we may have the answer. Back to Reality, like the preceding 17 episodes, contained four humanoid males and a female computer. Of the four humanoid males, only one was identifiable as Human, the others were distinctly "other" (a ghost, an anthropomorphic feline, and a congenital servant). The dynamic was slightly different in the original 12 episodes (lose the congenital servant and make the computer male), and the subsequent six (lose the computer in the second), but not significantly so. Series VII had a very different feel to it - not only was the writing team different (and the writing quality went down), the effects were done differently, there was no live audience for the cast to react to them reacting whilst recording, and halfway through the dynamic changed drastically. Instead of adding another "other" humanoid male, or changing the gender of an insubstantial Mr. Exposition , the ghost left and was replaced by a female, who was not only "not-other", but was a significant emotional attachment to the pre-existing Human. The very premise of the show was altered in Series VII, and in Series VIII it was almost completely changed. Series VIII brought back the ghost as a Human, and added a plethora of other Humans with which to interact. Add to that a noticeable nose-dive in writing quality, and you have the reason for Series VIII's deep unpopularity, only matched by Back to Earth and closely followed by Series VII.
Right, that would explain series VII and VIII, but what about Back To Earth? The dynamic was the four humanoid' males, Rimmer was a hologram again, Kochanski had returned to her 'lost' status, it contains pretty much the same premise as Back To Reality episode wise, yet... it's unpopular.
Do you not think the fact that "it contains the same premise" may be a major cause for its unpopularity? Back to Earth can be seen as an unnecessary re-hash of Back to Reality (even the title is 75% recycled!). What's more, it's almost three times as long and nowhere near as funny. Had Back to Earth been made in series V, and Back to Reality 17 years later, then perhaps Back to Earth would be held in higher regard. As it stands though, they re-did a classic, and they re-did it poorly. Evoke a masterpiece at your peril, you might say. Emohawk Polymorph II had already proved that re-hashing old plots was the wrong route to go down. Re-hashing the most popular episode was bound to cause trouble. For what it's worth I don't think Back to Earth is all bad. But Steve Mcdonald from Coronation Street really has no place in a show set 3 million years into deep space.
So which Rimmer is the Back to Earth/Series X Rimmer: the one from Series I-VII, or the one from Series VIII? In "The Beginning" he mentions remembering being killed by the original radiation leak (which only happened to the first), yet they also bring up that he dealt with the chameleonic microbes from the Series VIII cliffhanger (which only happened to the second).
It might be both. A hologram is simply a simulation run by the ship's computer. Holly would have the information on the original dead Rimmer, and the resurrected Rimmer. Heck, this might even be a third post-disaster Rimmer. We have original Rimmer hologram who went on to become Ace Rimmer, we have the second Rimmer who was resurrected by the nanites and he either died or was trapped in an alternate reality, and now we have Rimmer III, who has the memories of both the original Rimmer hologram and the resurrected Rimmer.
Apparently, Word of God at Dimension Jump 2013 is that Series X Rimmer is the same as Series I-VII.
So he's the original Rimmer with some of Rimmer VIII's memories loaded into him.
In Back to Reality, why was Lister driving on the left side of the car in the Facist World, when Brits have right-wheeled cars?
In Fascist Britain we drive on the right side of the road. What are you, some kind of leftist sympathiser?
Custom import job?
It is an entirely made-up world within a collective hallucination being partially realised by whatever happens to be lying around and how the characters interact with it. Under those circumstances, the fact that within this psychological construct the cars might have left-wheel drive instead of right isn't entirely implausible.
Lemons. Surely, Kryten or Rimmer are powered by something that's at least 8 volts that could power the return remote.
Just a guess here, but they'd probably need Kryten powered-up in case they made a mistake, and Legion proved that only Rimmer is able to mess with his own hard-light drive. Given the events that lead to his meltdown in, er, Meltdown he's probably wary of trusting Lister and the rest with his exposed light-bee.
In Timeslides, why didn't Lister find a photo of Earth in full frame from around about the time of the radiation accident? If it's in full-frame this eliminates the "can't walk out of the picture" problem.
If you tried to enter a photo of Earth in full frame, wouldn't you materialize outside of Earth's atmosphere and then fall to Earth? The other times, people always entered the "scene" from about where the "camera" was.
Precisely this. Entering a photograph of Earth in orbit would most likely result in him either suffocating to death in the vacuum of space, frying to a crisp as he fell through the atmosphere or being reduced to a splatter as he very rapidly impacted on Earth. Either way, not very helpful.
Why not just don an environmental suit for the descent?
Because environment suits have limited oxygen and don't really help much with the burning-to-a-crisp-in-the-atmosphere or impacting-very-rapidly-with-the-ground problems. Even they have their limitations with regards to what kind of stresses they can be put through.
The episode Camille is focussed around Lister teaching Kryten how to lie, which he is unable to do. However, in the previous episode The Last Day, Kryten saved the day by lying to Hudzen 10 about there being no Silicon Heaven.
Kryten was only lying to save Lister and the others, its possibly that he understands lying as a theory but cannot imagine using it for any other purposes.
I always assumed Kryten can lie to other mechanoids.
I don't think Kryten was lying to Hudzen 10, IIRC he stopped believing in Silicon Heaven during the episode (this is contradicted in later episodes in which he has inexplicably started believing in it again but that's fairly typical for Red Dwarf continuity).
In the episode Out of Time, it is made very clear that the time drive can only travel in time, and not in space. Yet in the next episode, Tikka to Ride, they use the time drive to travel to 1960s Earth.
Near the beginning, the complications with being destroyed by their future selves and then being not-destroyed by their future selves not only enlarge Starbug's cargo bay by a huge amount, they also open up an unstable wormhole in the expanded cargo bay, which they can theoretically manipulate with the time drive. Given the mistakes they make trying to do so, they never use it again.
In Thanks for the Memory, Rimmer tells Lister that he's only ever had sex once, with Yvonne McGruder. But in Marooned, Lister and Rimmer tell each other how they lost their respective virginities.
The novel actually explains this: Rimmer was lying through his teeth during the Marooned scene. The girl and (the car) existed, but he never actually had sex with her. Since Lister actually asked about Rimmer losing his virginity, he'd clearly forgotten the Yvonne McGruder story (past binge drinking, or maybe not thinking clearly due to hunger), and so Rimmer grabbed the opportunity to pretend his sex life had been a little more active than it actually had.
How did Bexley die in the future at the control panel in Future Echoes if he went into a different universe at the end of series 2?
With all the time travel the crew has done, they've probably changed the timeline many enough times that that particular future no longer applies. Or was an alternate future.
In Stasis Leak, how come they don't stay on Red Dwarf to see what happens? Is it because of the inevitability that the future will turn out the same way? Is it because it is a paradox to being the Cat and Kryten into this dimension because they didn't exist 3 million years before? Is it their low rank that means they can't inform people about the possibility of the radiation leak later on? Of course, Rimmer tried unsuccessfully to prevent his past self dying but this was impossible because he thought he was hallucinating and was too self-involved to take the advice.
It's established at the start of Series VIII that Red Dwarf has a prison complex so secret that only the highest-ranking officers know about it. So why are our heroes sent there? Lister endangered the ship at the start of Series I, but was only sent into stasis. To add to that, how come, having been put in this super-secret prison full of hardened criminals, they're able to get out so easily? Escape seems incredibly simple, and Rimmer's even able to get a job serving the Captain. Then there's the Canaries - how secret can you keep the prison when it's launching shuttles all the time? Traffic control at least should be aware of it. Basically, I think the question I'm really asking is, what was Doug Naylor thinking?
Holly states that all the officers knew about it. Apparently, since even chefs (Olaf Petersen's rank was Catering Officer) are commissioned officers, it's likely that the only non-commissioned personnel on board are Lister and Rimmer.
The chefs would have to know about it. Someone's got to ration and prepare food for the prisoners, after all.
How exactly is Lister "the ultimate atheist" anyway? Leaving aside his self identification as a pantheist earlier in the series he hasn't exactly displayed any burning zeal to stamp out religion (he was perfectly willing to humour that dying Cat priest about his faith.) Or even if "ultimate" means 'last' rather than 'best' or 'most' Rimmer is an atheist as well isn't he? (I know he was called "the ultimate atheist" as part of a hallucination but even then it was meant to make some sort of sense right?)
Rimmer is a Seventh Day Advent Hop-ist and a member of the Church of Judas (episodes "The Last Day" and "Lemons"), so we can rule him out there.
Um no, Rimmer's parents are Seventh Day Advent Hop-ists and/or Church of Judas. Rimmer has only ever said that his parents are part of those religions, he never claimed he was a member of them himself. In fact Lister even asks Rimmer directly in Waiting For God whether Rimmer believes in God, and Rimmer flat out said no. Rimmer is an atheist.
Rimmer returns from some kind of uplifting Sunday-morning 'service' in Series III. Granted, he doesn't specify religion or God being involved. Though it's also possible the same retcons that gave us Lister didn't/did date Kochanski and the accident being in the 21st/23rd/22nd century gave us Rimmer doesn't/does believe in God.
Being "the ultimate atheist" doesn't necessarily mean that Lister would have any "burning zeal to stamp out religion". Having strong opinions doesn't mean you need to be an evangelist for them — and it certainly doesn't mean that you have no sense of tact, as in the case you mentioned with the dying Cat priest. And for what it's worth, the description of Lister as "the ultimate atheist" could refer to his character at the beginning of the series, before he became a pantheist as of Series III; remember that after Rimmer says he doesn't believe in God in Series I, Lister replies: "Oh, right, fine, something sensible at last."
The conversation actually goes "Do you believe in God?" "God? What a preposterous thought. I believe in aliens Lister." Then Lister says "Oh right, something sensible at last" sarcastically, because he thinks Rimmer is silly for believing in aliens. And a central theme in Red Dwarf (specifically at the creator's desire) is that there are never any aliens in the show. Just wanted to clear that up.
I honestly don�t know why Red Dwarf fans adore and praise Rimmer as a character. He�s a misogynist (and technically a borderline rapist), and it�s heavily implied (if not outright stated) that he�s a fascist as well. He certainly has a superiority complex. He�s the manifestation of everything unlikeable in a person. In universe, he�s disliked for a reason. In fact, that�s the central theme of his entire character. He�s a smeghead, he�s a git. Chris Barrie himself even says this. You like him, because you like to hate him. But romanticizing him as you call yourself �Rimmer�s girl� or �Arnie�s lass� or similar things like that is extremely problematic. Admire Chris Barrie as an actor, sure (without being creepily obsessed of course), but you�ve got to remember the point of the Rimmer character. He�s supposed to be a smeghead.
Draco in Leather Pants , I guess.
It's probably his backstory and his refusal to give up on his dreams that endears people to him. As he said to The Inquisitor, "Yes, I admit I'm nothing. But from what I started with, nothing is up."
Not to mention both versions of him showed considerable growth. One grew into a reluctant but genuine hero, and the reborn one managed to go into a mirror universe where his life was excellent, and didn't hesitate for a moment to leave it to go help everyone else, even though apparently they all went into the mirror universe after him.
"The Last Day" just doesn't make any sense to me. Kryten is only a few centuries "younger" than Lister and Rimmer, so there's no conceivable reason why his shutdown date would've been set for three million years in the future.
It wasn't. His shutdown date had been and gone several million years before; it just took that long for the message informing him of such to actually reach Kryten. He points out that he won't actually be shut down until his replacement arrives to take over his duties, but Kryten presumably also found himself three million years from Earth before encountering the Red Dwarf crew, otherwise it would have reached him sooner.
I don't understand why Kryten and Kochanski never got along once she joined the group. To me at least, it seemed as if the writers were trying to create another Lister vs. Rimmer dynamic. The only problem being that Kryten's Kochanski related angst seemed to make him more annoying than funny. Not to mention all of his complaints related to her "female" laundry don't add up since he'd been serving the women of the Nova 5 (both alive and dead) for years.
He was afraid she was going to take Lister away from him.
That latter point was specifically addressed in an episode - he erased his knowledge of female stuff when he was rescued, since, with no females on board, he wouldn't have needed it until Alternate Kochanski showed up, so all of that stuff really was new and weird to him.
Can Rimmer swim? There are number of references to him going swimming, and he has his swimming certificates, but the technician in "Back to Reality" claims that Rimmer couldn't swim. Sure, it's all a delusion brought on by the Despair Squid, but shouldn't that have been a tip-off that something's not right?
The guy told them that pantheist Lister was the "ultimate atheist". They thought he was insane. Insane, but also they only person with any information for waht was going on.
The bazookoids are meant to be mining tools. Why would a mining tool have a heatseeking setting?
They're primarily a mining tool, but have a setting that enables them to be used in self-defence if necessary.
So in 'Queeg' Holly responds to critisism to his performance by pretending to be another intelligence who sticks firmly to the rules to teach them to appreciate what they have, but in doing so he's just shown that he can in fact runs things smoothly and without cock ups, so why doesnt he run things better from then on just without also being a nasty drill sergent about it? The crew had every right to be mad at him especially Lister who had nearly been killed by joining the wrong cables and was in fact the only one not criticising him afterwards.
The truth is that Holly has always done a perfectly good job of the day-to-day running of Red Dwarf. He only messes up in extraordinary situations, such as the meteor hitting the ship. He would almost certainly have been rumbled if such a situation had arisen when he was posing as Queeg.
Just what the hell were Ace Rimmer's superiors thinking? They develop a ship with a drive that can move between dimensions, even though they don't seem to have any reason to need it. They then launch their prototype on a mission into the unknown even though they'll never see it again, so all the time and money they put into it is completely wasted. And then they put their best test pilot on the mission so that they'll never see him again, either! Why?
Science isn't about "why", it's about "why not"!
The Backwards novel explains some of this. The scientists do it because there's a brief window where Ace can transmit back from another universe, which is potentially very useful in terms of scientific discovery. Ace does it because it's the mother of all test-missions and he's an action junkie. And the base-commander allows it because his career's basically been fucked over by his superiors for reasons that he doesn't understand and it's his final little "fuck-you" to the higher command before he retires.
:: Indexes ::
| i don't know |
For which newspaper did Winston Churchill work as a correspondent during the Boer war? | Examples of Winston Churchill's work as a war correspondent | The British Newspaper Archive Blog
Examples of Winston Churchill’s work as a war correspondent
Posted on October 13th, 2014 by The British Newspaper Archive
Simon Read is currently using The British Newspaper Archive to research Winston Churchill’s adventures as a war correspondent. He got in touch to show us some examples of Churchill’s journalism.
**************
Hear the name Winston Churchill, and what comes to mind? Most likely, it’s Churchill the war leader with his ever-present cigar, bulldog scowl, and never-surrender spirit. But long before Churchill’s Finest Hour, there was Winston Churchill the young adventurer.
Between 1895 and 1900, Churchill covered wars of empire in Cuba, India’s North-West Frontier, the Sudan, and South Africa as a correspondent for several London newspapers.
Churchill’s journalism and The British Newspaper Archive
I’m currently writing a book on this aspect of Churchill’s life and am putting The British Newspaper Archive to great use.
Churchill’s dispatches are vivid, graphic, and make for compelling reading. Although he published some of his articles in book form, I wanted to rely on his reports as they originally appeared.
There is something to be said for doing research in the comfort of your own home, printing documents the moment you need them, and not having to scroll through endless reels of microfilm. The British Newspaper Archive has been a great treasure trove of information.
Winston Churchill at the Battle of Omdurman
As a war correspondent for the Morning Post in 1898, Churchill was attached to General Kitchener’s army and followed the Anglo-Egyptian re-conquest of the Sudan. At the Battle of Omdurman, Churchill was commissioned with the 21st Lancers and took part in an epic cavalry charge against several thousand enemy Dervish.
We can see exactly how he described it in this report, printed in the Morning Post on 29 September 1898:
Morning Post – Thursday 29 September 1898
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
View the whole newspaper page
Equally vivid is his detailing of the bloody aftermath, which appeared in the Morning Post on 6 October 1898:
Morning Post – Thursday 06 October 1898
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Churchill’s report from the Battle of Spion Kop
In 1899, Churchill was again reporting for the Morning Post, this time from the South African battlefields of the Second Boer War. It was here he made an international name for himself after being captured and then escaping from an enemy Prisoner of War camp.
In January 1900, he was present at the disastrous Battle of Spion Kop. This article was published in the Morning Post on 17 February 1900. It’s yet another example of his gripping journalism:
Morning Post – Saturday 17 February 1900
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
View the whole newspaper page
Churchill’s exploits rival those of Indiana Jones – and The British Newspaper Archive is allowing these early adventures to come to life once more on the page.
**************
Simon Read has published several non-fiction books, including Human Game: Hunting the Great Escape Murderers and The Case That Foiled Fabian: Murder and Witchcraft in Rural England. Visit Simon’s website to find out more.
| The Morning Post |
In which British town is the National Horseracing Museum? | When Winston Churchill was our war correspondent
When Winston Churchill was our war correspondent
Sunday, 05 January 2014 | Pioneer | in Agenda
0
A glimpse of a picturesque and detailed reportage of war correspondent Churchill on his tumultous escape from the Boer war and the predicament of his fellow-soldiers trapped in the clutches of gunfire
In a letter to the Morning Post dated Pretoria, November 19, Mr Winston Spencer Churchill tells the story of his capture. After describing the run of the armoured train to Chieveley and the order telegraphed there for it to return, he says: We proceeded to obey and were about a mile and three-quarters from Frere when on rounding a corner we saw that a hill which cornmanded the line at a distance of 600 yards was occupied by the enemy. So after all there would be a fight, for we could not pass this point otherwise. The four sailors loaded their gun, the soldiers charged their magazines, and the train which was now in the reverse of the order in which it had started, moved slowly towards the hill.
The Boers held their fire until the train reached that part of the track nearest to their position. Standing on a box in the rear armoured truck, I had an excellent view through my glasses. Suddenly three-wheeled things appeared on the crest and within a second a bright flash on light — like a heliograph, but much yellower — opened and shut ten or twelve times.
Two much larger flashes followed and immediately over the rear truck of the train, a huge white ball of smoke sprang into being and tore out into a cone like a comet. Then came the explosions of the near guns and the nearer shell. The iron sides of the truck tanged with a patter of bullets.
There was a crash from the front of the train and half a dozen sharp reports. The Boers had opened fire at us at 600 yards with two large field guns, a Maxim firing small shells in a stream and from riflemen laying oh the ridge. I got down from my box into the cover of the armoured sides of the car without forming any clear thought.
The train leapt forward, ran the gauntlet of the guns, which now filled the air with explosions, swung round the curve of the hill, ran down a steep gradient, and dashed into a huge stone which awaited it on the line at a convenient spot. To those who were on the rear truck there was only a great shock, a tremendous crash and a full stop. What happened to the trucks in front of the engine is more interesting.
The first, which contained the materials and tools of the break-down gang, and the guard who was watching the line, was flung into the air and fell bottom upwards on the embankment. The next, an armoured car crowded with the Durban Light Infantry was carried on twenty yards and thrown over on its side, scattering its occupants in a shower on the ground. The third wedged itself across the track, half on and half off the rails. The rest of the train kept to the metals. The Boer guns, swiftly changing their position, reopened from a distance of 1300 yards before anyone had got out of the state of exclamations. The tapping rifle fire spread along the hill sides until It encircled the wreckage on three sides, and a third field gun came into action from some high ground on the opposite side of the line.
I clambered over the iron shield, and dropping to the ground, ran along the line to the front of the train. As I passed the engine, another shrapnel shell burst immediately, as it seemed, overhead, hurling its contents with a rasping rush through the air. The driver at once sprang out of the cab and ran to the shelter of the overturned trucks. His face was cut open by a splinter, and he complained in bitter futile indignation. He was a civilian.
Yet when this man, who certainly exhibited lively symptoms of terror, was told that if he continued to stay at his post he would be mentioned for distinguished gallantry in action he pulled himself together, wiped the blood off his face, climbed back into the cab of his engine, and thereafter daring the one-sided combat did his duty bravely and faithfully — so strong is the desire for honour and repute in the human breast.
Efforts were now made to clear the line completely of the wrecked trucks so that the engines and the two cars which still remained on the rails might escape. Meanwhile, Captain Haldane endeavoured to keep down the enemy’s artillery fire by the musketry of the Infantry in the rear armoured truck.
The breakdown gang and their tools were scattered to the winds and several had fled along the track of across the fields. Moreover, the enemy’s artillery fire was pitiless, continuous, and distracted. The affair had, however, to be carried through.
The first thing to be done was to detach the truck half off the rails from the one completely so. To do this, the engine had to be moved to slacken the strain on the twisted couplings. The next step was to drag the partly derailed truck backwards along the line until it was clear of the other wreckage and then to throw bodily off the line. This may seem very simple, but the dead weight of the iron truck half on the sleepers was enormous and the engine wheels skidded vainly several times before any hauling power was obtained. At last the truck was drawn sufficiently far back and volunteers were called for to overturn it from the side. It was very evident that these men would be exposed to considerable anger. Twenty were called for and there was an immediate response. But only nine including the major of volunteers, and four or five of the Dublin Fusiliers actually stepped out into the open.
The attempt was nevertheless successful. Safety and success appeared in sight together but disappointment overtook them. The engine was about six inches wider than the tender and the corner of which footplate would not pass the corner of the newly overturned truck. It did not seem safe to push very hard lest the engine should be derailed. So time after time the engine moved back a yard or two and shoved further at the obstruction, and each time it moved a little.
But soon it was evident that complications had set in. The newly derailed truck jammed and the more the engine pushed, the greater became the block. Volunteers were again called on to assist; two of them I think were wounded but did their best. The attempt was a failure. Perseverance however is a virtue. If the trucks only jammed the tighter for the forward pushing, they might be loosened by puffing backwards. But now a new difficulty arose. The coupling chains of the engine would not reach by five or six inches those of the overturned truck. Search was now made for a spare link. By a solitary gleam of good luck one was found. The engine hauled at the wreckage, and before the chains parted, pulled it about a yard backwards.
After this, the despatch tells us that the engine was not without risk and obstruction remained. It was seen that the hind trucks were disconnected and the risk of repassing that obstinate list of wreckage was too great. They must be left, and the engine moved away carrying the wounded and affording moving cover for the others.
Seeing the engine escaping the Boers increased their fire and the troops, hitherto somewhat protected by the iron trucks, began to suffer. The major of volunteers fell shot through the thigh. Here and there, men dropped on the ground, several screamed- and cried for help. About a quarter of the force was very soon killed or wounded. The shells which pursued the retreating scattered them all along the track, order and control vanished.
A private soldier, who was wounded in direct disobedience of the positive orders that no surrender was to be made, took it on himself to wave a pocket handkerchief. The Boers immediately ceased firing, and with equal daring and humanity a dozen horsemen galloped from the hills into the scattered fugitives, and called loudly on them to surrender. Most of the soldiers then halted, gave up their arms, and became prisoners of war. Those further away from horsemen continued to run and were shot or hunted down in twos and threes and some made good their escape.
For my part I found myself on the engine when the obstruction was at last passed and remained there jammed in the cab next to the man with the shattered arm. In this way, I travelled some 500 yards, and passed through the fugitives, noticing particularly a young officer, Lieutenant Frankland, who with a happy, confident smile on his face was endeavouring to rally his men.
My mind retains a momentary impression of the tall figures, full of animated, clad in dark, flapping clothes with slouch, storm-driven hats poising on their rifles hardly a hundred yards away. I turned and ran between the rails of the truck and the only thought I achieved was this, “Boer marksmanship.” Two bullets passed, both within a foot. One on either side.
The earth sprang up beside me, and something touched my hand, but outside the cutting was a tiny depression. I crouched in this, struggling to get my wind. On the other side of the railway, a horseman galloped, shouting to me and waving his hand. He was scarcely forty yards off. With a rifle I could have killed him easily. I knew nothing of white flags and the bullets had made me savage. But I was a Press Correspondent without arms of any kind. There was a wire fence between me and the horseman. Should I continue to fly? I held up my hand and Mr Jorrocks’ foxes, cried “Capivi”. Then I was herded with the other prisoners in a miserable group, an about the same time I noticed that my hand was bleeding, and it began to pour with the rain. Two days before I had written to an officer in high command at home, whose friendship I had the honour to enjoy; “There has been a great deal too much surrendering in this war and I hope people who do so will not be encouraged.” Fate had intervened yet, though her tone was full of irony she seemed to say as I think. Ruskin once said “It matters very little whether your judgments of your people are true or untrue and very much whether they are kind or unkind” and repeating that I will make an end.
In Brief
Lincoln Killed
The Pioneer began its publication on January 1, 1865. Its first world news-story “broke” on April 15, when President Lincoln of the United States of America was assassinated. It announced the news on May 10, in a three-line message which appeared on the front page without headings: “Lincoln has been assassinated and died today. Assassination of Seward was also attempted and he is not expected to live”
Editorial comment on Lincoln’s assassination appeared in the same issue under the heading: The American coup d’état: “The telegraphic wire was never charged with a more astounding or less explicable message than when, on Sunday, it brought the assurance that Mr Lincoln’s life had been taken — Mr Seward’s attempted. For who is the criminal? People answer with confidence, “Some Southern fanatic”. As a would-be assassin does not wait for the vote of a senate, or ask the sanction of the Government, we must fear the answer true. But atrocious as the crime is, it is also what is politically much worse — an atrocious blunder.”
Gandhi assassinated
It was a black-bordered page, black banner and the blackest of news. “The Nation is Fatherless”, announced The Pioneer of January 31, 1948. “The Pioneer”, the report said: “is deeply grieved to announce that the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, is no more. He died at the hands of an assassin on Friday evening at 5.40 at Birla House… Mahatma Gandhi had just climbed the platform and was returning the greetings of the people who had assembled to listen to his prayer address when the assassin, a young Maharashtrian named Nathuram Godse, fired three shots at point-blank range at him. He was immediately removed to Birla House where he died five minutes after...”
Editorially, The Pioneer, wrote: “The weaponless warrior has died at the hands of an assassin... Barely 10 days ago when an unsuccessful attempt was made on his life by some votaries of the cult of bomb, the Mahatma declared firmly that nothing could deflect him from his ideals. Violent death held no terror for him... He faced it unflinchingly with a smile on his lips. Thus had fallen Jesus, thus fell Gandhi.”
The Kipling Aroma
Rudyard Kipling called The Pioneer “India’s greatest and most important paper”. He was so attached to the paper that when he had to finally leave it, Kipling felt deserted and sad. “I felt curiously alone and unsponsored”, wrote he in a booklet titled Something of Myself.
Kipling was introduced to The Pioneer by one of its proprietors Sir George Allen. As a journalist, he was not much of a success. He had little taste for mere routine work and was apt in neglecting tedious assignments that inevitably fell on the shoulders of the junior members.
After the farewell accorded to Kipling by the staff, the manager of the paper told him, “Well, the best of luck, Kipling. But take my tip, try some other carrier. You will never make much of a success with your pen.” Yet the irony is that it is by pen alone that Kipling earned both name and fame and the coveted Nobel Prize for Literature.
Kipling’s approach to journalism was rather unorthodox. He would spend much of his time in the bazaar talking to all and sundry or seek entertainment by talking to the native sepoys. Though The Pioneer got a ‘careless’ journalist, it gave to the world one of the finest men of letters of the century.
| i don't know |
Which historical figure is the subject of Jean Anouilh's play 'L'Alouette'? | The manufacture of mythic figures
The manufacture of mythic figures
|
Feb 07, 2015 | Vote 0 0
The manufacture of mythic figures
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured
The Secret Life of Wonder Woman
The Secret History of Wonder Woman
Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured
by Kathryn Harrison (Doubleday, 382 pages, $34 hardcover)
The Secret History of Wonder Woman
by Jill Lepore (Knopf, 410 pages, $35 hardcover)
The nation of women warriors known as the Amazons were a myth. Nevertheless, their legend has survived from its first appearance in ancient sources all the way down to present times. It seems they fill a niche in the collective unconscious.
Joan of Arc is an example of a real historical figure who stepped into the Amazon role, becoming, in the words of Kathryn Harrison, "a living myth."
During the dark days of the Hundred Years War there had been prophecies that France would be saved by a virgin. Enter Joan, hearing angelic voices that commanded her to drive out the English and restore the rightful king. Unfortunately, that meant Charles VII, a less than mythic figure who mainly saw Joan as a means to an end.
If you think you already know all there is to know about Joan of Arc, you're probably right. Her public career only lasted a couple of years, from raising the siege of Orleans to being captured, tried on trumped up charges, and burned at the stake when she was only 19.
Joan came out of prophecy and was immediately absorbed into legend: a "life transfigured."
Harrison's account underscores this process by choosing to tell Joan's story with the help of the numerous poets, novelists, and dramatists who have taken it up. Mixed in with the standard historical sources are literary and film accounts from Charles Péguy, Bertolt Brecht, George Bernard Shaw, Jean Anouilh, Carl Dreyer and Cecil B. DeMille.
It's an approach that purists might object to, though it helps make the point that there's very little "real" Joan to hold on to, and what was real was not necessarily what was most important.
Less convincing, however, are the constant parallels Harrison makes between Joan's life and that of Jesus.
"More than that of any other Catholic martyr," she writes, "Joan of Arc's career aligns with Christ's." This is a dubious assertion, and Harrison works it too hard. Unfortunately, aside from this, there is nothing in her book that is new, or that adds much to our understanding either of the historical Joan or the legend.
Another woman warrior, this time entirely fictional, is the subject of Jill Lepore's "The Secret History of Wonder Woman." This comic creation hailed from a tribe of Amazons living on Paradise Island, but in real life was the brainchild of a bizarre character named William Moulton Marston.
Lepore's book is really about Marston, who started out as a psychologist (he invented an early version of lie detector test), but had trouble holding a steady job. Writing a comic book was in many ways the end of the line.
He came up with the idea for Wonder Woman as "psychological propaganda" for the new type of woman he thought should rule the world. Yet despite this radical feminist message he lived semi-openly as a bigamist, seems to have had a bondage fetish, and used all the women in his life as a kind of human resource department.
It's hard to understand what these women saw in Marston. At best he was an eccentric, at worst a creep. And when you get down to it, his original Wonder Woman comics were crude delivery vehicles for a heavy-handed political message.
Despite this crudeness, or maybe in part because of it, long after her first appearance in 1941, Wonder Woman is still with us, even surviving a cheesy "boob tube" television series in the late 1970s. You can't keep a good Amazon down.
Lepore does a professional job with the material she's uncovered, and has a big advantage over Kathryn Harrison in that Wonder Woman's curious origins will be an unfamiliar story to most people.
It's interesting to set the two books side by side, however, for what they have to say about the manufacture of such mythic figures. Whatever true or hidden history lies behind them, their legends were made, not born.
Alex Good is a Guelph writer and editor of the literary journal Canadian Notes & Queries.
|
| Joan of Arc |
What was the name of the Minister, portrayed by Paul Eddington, in the sit-com 'Yes, Minister'? | The manufacture of mythic figures
The manufacture of mythic figures
|
Feb 07, 2015 | Vote 0 0
The manufacture of mythic figures
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured
The Secret Life of Wonder Woman
The Secret History of Wonder Woman
Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured
by Kathryn Harrison (Doubleday, 382 pages, $34 hardcover)
The Secret History of Wonder Woman
by Jill Lepore (Knopf, 410 pages, $35 hardcover)
The nation of women warriors known as the Amazons were a myth. Nevertheless, their legend has survived from its first appearance in ancient sources all the way down to present times. It seems they fill a niche in the collective unconscious.
Joan of Arc is an example of a real historical figure who stepped into the Amazon role, becoming, in the words of Kathryn Harrison, "a living myth."
During the dark days of the Hundred Years War there had been prophecies that France would be saved by a virgin. Enter Joan, hearing angelic voices that commanded her to drive out the English and restore the rightful king. Unfortunately, that meant Charles VII, a less than mythic figure who mainly saw Joan as a means to an end.
If you think you already know all there is to know about Joan of Arc, you're probably right. Her public career only lasted a couple of years, from raising the siege of Orleans to being captured, tried on trumped up charges, and burned at the stake when she was only 19.
Joan came out of prophecy and was immediately absorbed into legend: a "life transfigured."
Harrison's account underscores this process by choosing to tell Joan's story with the help of the numerous poets, novelists, and dramatists who have taken it up. Mixed in with the standard historical sources are literary and film accounts from Charles Péguy, Bertolt Brecht, George Bernard Shaw, Jean Anouilh, Carl Dreyer and Cecil B. DeMille.
It's an approach that purists might object to, though it helps make the point that there's very little "real" Joan to hold on to, and what was real was not necessarily what was most important.
Less convincing, however, are the constant parallels Harrison makes between Joan's life and that of Jesus.
"More than that of any other Catholic martyr," she writes, "Joan of Arc's career aligns with Christ's." This is a dubious assertion, and Harrison works it too hard. Unfortunately, aside from this, there is nothing in her book that is new, or that adds much to our understanding either of the historical Joan or the legend.
Another woman warrior, this time entirely fictional, is the subject of Jill Lepore's "The Secret History of Wonder Woman." This comic creation hailed from a tribe of Amazons living on Paradise Island, but in real life was the brainchild of a bizarre character named William Moulton Marston.
Lepore's book is really about Marston, who started out as a psychologist (he invented an early version of lie detector test), but had trouble holding a steady job. Writing a comic book was in many ways the end of the line.
He came up with the idea for Wonder Woman as "psychological propaganda" for the new type of woman he thought should rule the world. Yet despite this radical feminist message he lived semi-openly as a bigamist, seems to have had a bondage fetish, and used all the women in his life as a kind of human resource department.
It's hard to understand what these women saw in Marston. At best he was an eccentric, at worst a creep. And when you get down to it, his original Wonder Woman comics were crude delivery vehicles for a heavy-handed political message.
Despite this crudeness, or maybe in part because of it, long after her first appearance in 1941, Wonder Woman is still with us, even surviving a cheesy "boob tube" television series in the late 1970s. You can't keep a good Amazon down.
Lepore does a professional job with the material she's uncovered, and has a big advantage over Kathryn Harrison in that Wonder Woman's curious origins will be an unfamiliar story to most people.
It's interesting to set the two books side by side, however, for what they have to say about the manufacture of such mythic figures. Whatever true or hidden history lies behind them, their legends were made, not born.
Alex Good is a Guelph writer and editor of the literary journal Canadian Notes & Queries.
|
| i don't know |
What was the name of the Government scientist at the centre of the controversy surrounding the so-called 'dodgy dossier' who was found dead in an Oxfordshire wood in July 2003? | The Death of Dr. David Kelly
Doctor who exposed Blair found murdered
The Death of Dr. David Kelly
David Kelly's Death
Mystery of the helicopter that landed at scene of Dr Kelly's death after his body was found
Death deals devastating blow to Iraq arms hunt
Martin Bright
The Observer
David Kelly was about to lead the British hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and had contacted former UN inspectors as recently as two weeks ago to sound them out about a new mission.
He was acting as the senior British scientific adviser to the Iraq Survey Group, the body set up by the US Government at the end of May to replace the United Nations weapons inspection regime.
One former UN inspector, who worked with Kelly on two missions to Iraq in the Nineties, said he had received an email from the scientist two weeks ago asking him join the survey group mission. Kelly was working directly under Brigadier John Deverell, the British second in command of the survey group.
The unit was set up in May and is led by Major-General Keith Dayton, director of operations for the US Defence Intelligence Agency. With offices in Iraq, near Baghdad airport, and a logistics base in Qatar, the survey group has a staff of around 1,400 people drawn from the US, Britain and Australia.
Former inspectors said the death of the British Government's most senior chemical and biological weapons scientist would be a devastating blow to the survey group.
'Everybody very much deferred to him. Other experts turned to him, he was a leader and people always listened when he spoke,' one former inspector who had worked with Kelly said.
The news that Kelly was to play a central role in the coalition's search for WMD will provoke further questions about the Ministry of Defence's decision to identify him and place him at the centre of a row between Downing Street and the BBC.
His prominence also contradicts briefings from the MoD that the man they believed to be the source of BBC reports that the Government had 'sexed up' its claims about Saddam Hussein's arsenal was a junior figure.
The survey group has already seized thousands of documents, computer records and reports that are believed to have informed the Government's view that some evidence of WMD programmes would be found, if not the weapons themselves.
His death was described as a devastating blow to the search for WMDs by colleagues who had worked with him in Iraq. 'All his knowledge died with him,' a former soldier who worked with him in Iraq said.
A UN nuclear inspector said Kelly was present when he was debriefed by the intelligence services on his return from Iraq. 'He was the boffin who used to sit in the background and ask questions. He was very senior on the weapons team in the Nineties and was very trusted by the MoD.'
Colleagues said they were appalled that such a senior and respected scientist has been treated so disrespectfully by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. 'I found that particularly unpleasant,' one said.
'It was nasty and unprofessional. The people who were doing the interrogation were not fit to sharpen his pencils.'
The work of hunting for weapons of mass destruction after the war was originally carried out by the 75th Exploitation Task Force of the US army.
Despite international demands for the job to be passed to the UN the allies set up the survey group with the aim of combining the work of US, British and Australian intelligence under one roof.
Although the US Government refused to allow the post-war inspections to be run under UN auspices, most of the senior staff are former UN weapons inspectors with many years of experience searching for Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.
Doctor who exposed Blair found murdered
Fri Jul 18 13:29:18 2003
208.152.73.146
Subject: Doctor who exposed Blair found murdered
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 08:53:47 EDT
British Doctor who Told BBC that Blair had Doctored Iraq Dossier
Has Apparently Been Found Murdered
British authorities say they believe a body found this morning in Oxfordshire is that of
Dr. David Kelly, a WMD expert who broke the story of how the Blair dossier on Iraq had
been doctored. How convenient for this apparent murder to have occurred during the very
48 hour period that Tony Blair is well removed from the scene of the crime, eh?
The British government is already defending itself: "The ministry said Dr Kelly had at
no point been threatened with suspension or dismissal for speaking to Mr Gilligan,"
reports the BBC, "'It was made clear to him that he had broken civil service rules by
having unauthorised contact with a journalist, but "that was the end of it", said a
spokesman." Or...was it the end of Dr. Kelly?
Body 'matches' Iraq expert
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3076801.stm
A body matching the description of Dr David Kelly - the weapons expert at the centre of the Iraq dossier row - has been found at a beauty spot close to his home in Oxfordshire.
The government says an independent judicial inquiry will be held into the circumstances of his death if the body is confirmed to be that of the MoD adviser.
The discovery was made at 0920 BST by a member of the police team searching for Dr Kelly in a wooded area at Harrowdown Hill, near Faringdon.
Dr Kelly, 59, had been caught up in a row between the BBC and the government about the use of intelligence reports in the run-up to the war with Iraq.
On Tuesday he told the Foreign Affairs select committee he had spoken to BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan but denied he was the main source for a story about claims that a dossier on Iraq had been "sexed up".
Dr Kelly left his home in Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, at about 1500 BST on Thursday and his family reported him missing at 2345 BST the same day.
The body was found lying on the ground, around five miles from Dr Kelly's home, a police spokeswoman said.
Acting superintendent Dave Purnell said formal identification would take place on Saturday and the case was being treated as an "unexplained death".
"We will be awaiting the results of the post mortem and also waiting while the forensic examination continues at the scene at Harrowdown Hill," he added.
Attention
The government announcement of an inquiry if the body is Dr Kelly's came from the prime minister's plane as he flew for a visit to Tokyo.
"He is not used to the media glare, he is not used to the intense spotlight he has been put under"
Mr Blair's spokesman said: "The prime minister is obviously very distressed for the family.
"If it is Dr Kelly's body, the Ministry of Defence will hold an independent judicial inquiry into the circumstances leading up to his death."
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said Mr Blair should consider cutting short his trip to the Far East.
Robert Jackson, the Conservative MP in whose constituency Dr Kelly lived, said the "responsibility of the BBC should not go unmentioned" in the case.
"The pressure was significantly increased by the fact the BBC refused to make it clear he was not the source," he said.
A BBC spokesman said: "We are shocked and saddened to hear what has happened and we extend our deepest sympathies to Dr Kelly's family and friends.
Shock
"Whilst Dr Kelly's family await the formal identification, it would not be appropriate for us to make any further statement."
Earlier this week, Dr Kelly denied being the BBC's main source for the story claiming Downing Street had "sexed up" the dossier about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
MPs on the Commons foreign affairs committee, which questioned Dr Kelly earlier this week, reacted with shock and disbelief at news of his disappearance.
Huge media attention has been on Dr Kelly since the Ministry of Defence said he had come forward to admit meeting Andrew Gilligan, the BBC correspondent behind the controversial Iraq story.
Mr Gilligan said a source had told him that the dossier on Iraq had been "transformed" by Downing Street.
The BBC correspondent has refused to name his source, but the MoD said Dr Kelly had come forward to say it may have been him.
Sensitive
Government ministers have said they believe he was the source for Mr Gilligan's story.
Supt Purnell said a police family liaison officer is with Dr Kelly's family. The official and wife Janice have three daughters, Sian, 32, and twins Rachel and Ellen, 30.
Ann Lewis, a neighbour of Dr Kelly, told BBC News Online she was "devastated" for his family, especially his children.
She said: "He was a quiet man. He was a man who showed great care and concern for others."
Craig Foster, 36, landlord of the Blue Boar public house in nearby Longworth, said Dr Kelly was "a very well liked gentleman".
Police say Dr Kelly is an avid walker and has good local knowledge of the many footpaths surrounding his home.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "We are aware that Dr David Kelly has gone missing and we are obviously concerned."
Rules
The ministry said Dr Kelly had at no point been threatened with suspension or dismissal for speaking to Mr Gilligan.
It was made clear to him that he had broken civil service rules by having unauthorised contact with a journalist, but "that was the end of it", said a spokesman.
There must be more to this than we had thought. I do not know what that means, I just think there is
John Maples
Foreign affairs committee
Profile: Dr David Kelly
Downing Street says "normal personnel procedures" were followed after Dr Kelly volunteered that he might have been the source of Mr Gilligan's report.
It was made clear to Dr Kelly that his name was likely to become public knowledge because he was one of only a small number of people it could have been about, a spokesman said.
After questioning Dr Kelly earlier this week, the Commons foreign affairs select committee said it was "most unlikely" he was the main source for the BBC story.
And they said Dr Kelly, who has worked as a weapons inspector in Iraq, had been "poorly treated" by the government - a charge strongly rejected by the MoD.
Committee chairman Donald Anderson told the BBC his "heart went out" to Dr Kelly's family as the search for the official went on.
Another member of the committee, Tory John Maples said he was "speechless" after hearing of the discovery of a body.
"If it is (Dr Kelly), it is just awful. What can you say? Nothing," he said.
"There must be more to this than we had thought. I do not know what that means, I just think there is."
Tory MP Richard Ottaway, another committee member, said: "He is not used to the media glare, he is not used to the intense spotlight he has been put under."
The BBC has rejected Mr Anderson's claim that Mr Gilligan was an "unreliable witness" who had changed his story about the Iraq dossier claims when he met the committee in private on Thursday.
=======================
"His wife is reported to have said he was extremely angry about recent events"
watch:
MoD expert 'unused to spotlight'
A profile of Iraq weapons expert Dr David Kelly.
Body found in wood matches UK weapons inspector
Fri Jul 18 12:56:29 2003
208.152.73.146
Body found in wood matches UK weapons inspector
By Gideon Long
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters07-18-072017.asp?reg=MIDEAST
LONGWORTH, England, July 18 British police found a body on Friday matching that of a mild-mannered scientist who disappeared after becoming unwittingly embroiled in a furious political dispute about the Iraq war.
The softly spoken 59-year-old had been thrust into the limelight by a row over whether the British government hyped the threat from Iraq in order to justify joining the U.S.-led war.
The political fallout was almost immediate. Prime Minister Tony Blair's government promised an independent judicial inquiry into events leading up to the death of Dr David Kelly, if it is confirmed.
Blair has refused previous calls for a wider inquiry into the government case for war in Iraq.
Kelly's family reported him missing overnight after he went for a walk in the Oxfordshire countryside on Thursday with no coat and stayed out despite a rainstorm. Police found a body in a wood near his home earlier on Friday.
''We can confirm that the body matches the description of Dr Kelly. The body has not been formally identified,'' a police spokeswoman said.
Kelly, a microbiologist at the Defence Ministry who had worked for U.N. inspectors in Iraq, had been grilled by parliamentarians on Tuesday after admitting he spoke to a reporter for Britain's BBC radio.
The reporter, Andrew Gilligan, said in May a senior intelligence source had told him the government ''sexed up'' data to emphasise the threat from Iraq.
That report sparked parliamentary hearings into how the government made the case for war, forced Blair onto the defensive and pitted government officials against the broadcaster in a heated war of words.
Blair spoke to top officials about the case from aboard a flight to Tokyo from Washington.
''The prime minister is obviously very distressed for the family of Dr Kelly,'' a spokesman said aboard the flight.
If the death is confirmed the defence ministry would hold an independent judicial inquiry, presided over by a judge with access to all government papers, he added.
Kelly's discomfort in the spotlight was evident from his demeanour at the foreign affairs committee hearing.
Speaking so softly he could barely be heard, he admitted he had met Gilligan but denied telling him Blair's communications chief Alastair Campbell had ordered intelligence on suspected Iraqi banned weapons to be hyped.
Kelly appeared shell-shocked when parliamentarians at the hearing described him as ''chaff'' and a government ''fall guy,'' put forward to shield top officials from blame.
Kelly's wife Jane described him as deeply upset by the hearing, family friend Tom Mangold, a television journalist, told ITV News.
''She told me he had been under considerable stress, that he was very very angry about what had happened at the committee..,'' Mangold said.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
----------------------------------------------------------
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000102&sid=ax7JO_mmxKEY&refer=uk
uly 18 (Bloomberg) -- A body has been found today during a hunt for a missing armaments expert named by the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense as a possible source for a report that a dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was ``sexed up,'' police said.
A police helicopter was dispatched to help search for David Kelly, who failed to return to his home in Southmoor, Oxfordshire, northwest of London, yesterday, Thames Valley Police said.
The body of a man matching Kelly's description was found face down in a wooded area near his home at 9:20 a.m. London time, police said. ``The body matches the description in terms of height, age, hair color, that sort of thing,'' police spokeswoman Kate Smith said. The body will be formally identified tomorrow, police said. No information was available on the cause of death.
Kelly, 59, a U.K. government weapons adviser, said he met a BBC journalist a week before a government dossier was published that said Iraq was capable of firing weapons of mass destruction with 45 minutes' notice and was a threat to other countries. He denied he told the journalist there was concern in intelligence circles that the dossier exaggerated Iraq's weapons capability.
Judicial Inquiry
If it is determined that the body is Kelly's, there will be a full, independent judicial inquiry into his death, Godric Smith, a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair, told reporters traveling with him to Tokyo today for the start of an Asian tour. Blair was informed of the body's discovery during the flight.
``This is very distressing news,'' Smith said. ``People should not jump to conclusions.''
If there is an inquiry, Downing Street will cooperate fully by providing materials and witnesses, he said. From the plane, Blair spoke with government defense and legal officials in London about Kelly's disappearance, Smith said.
``The prime minister is obviously very distressed for the family,'' Smith said.
A BBC report on the alleged ``sexing up'' of the dossier caused a rift with the government that has dominated the domestic media agenda. There have been calls by legislators for Blair to resign for ``misleading parliament'' over the reasons for going to war with Iraq. No weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq since a U.S.-led coalition invaded it in March.
The prime minister's Asian tour follows his stopover in Washington yesterday, where he received 17 standing ovations by U.S. lawmakers during a speech in which he defended his support for the war against Iraq.
Publicly Questioned
Kelly was publicly questioned Tuesday over the row by a House of Commons committee. He said he didn't believe he was the main source for the BBC story. He also said he didn't think the intelligence services were unhappy with the dossier.
The BBC has refused to say whether it relied solely on Kelly for the information.
Kelly is a microbiologist and former senior United Nations weapons inspector. He visited Iraq on 37 occasions. Kelly went for a walk at 3 p.m. London time yesterday without wearing a coat on a stormy day. His family called police when he had failed to return home by 11:45 p.m. London time, police said.
The BBC report on the allegations surrounding the government dossier was compiled by journalist Andrew Gilligan.
Donald Anderson, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee that questioned Kelly, said the weapons adviser had been ``poorly treated'' by the Ministry of Defense since telling officials he had met Gilligan. The Ministry of Defense has challenged that accusation.
``He seemed pretty composed,'' Anderson said of Kelly's appearance before the committee. ``I don't feel the grilling was particularly aggressive.''
Some members of parliament have said Kelly was the ``fall guy'' in an episode that was embarrassing for the government.
Pressure
``He did give a hint of the pressure he was under when he said he was unable to get to his house at the moment because of the media intrusion,'' the BBC cited Richard Ottaway, an opposition Conservative member of parliament, as saying. ``He is not used to the media glare. He is not used to the intense spotlight he has been under.''
Ottaway called for an inquiry ``at the highest level'' into the treatment of Kelly. His demand was echoed by Peter Kilfoyle, a member of Blair's Labour Party.
``Dr. Kelly was a reluctant witness,'' said Labour lawmaker Eric Illsley, member of the committee. ``He obviously didn't want to be in the public spotlight.''
Blair Aide Cleared
The Foreign Affairs Select Committee cleared the government's director of communications, Alastair Campbell, of ``sexing up'' the dossier. It said the ``jury was still out'' over case for war in Iraq. Anderson said it was ``most unlikely'' that Kelly was Gilligan's source.
Smith declined to say whether Blair spoke with Campbell after word reached Blair's plane about Kelly's disappearance. Campbell flew back to London from Washington after Blair's visit.
Blair's Downing Street office said Kelly had volunteered the fact that he had met Gilligan and as a result may have been thought of as the source of the information in the BBC report. It was made clear to him his name would be put in the public domain, a U.K. official said.
Kelly had said he ``deeply, deeply disliked'' what had happened to him, and his wife said he was angry about it, the BBC's political editor, Andrew Marr, reported.
Last Updated: July 18, 2003 10:31 EDT
Guardian UK
Sat Jul 19 04:26:12 2003
208.152.73.91
Friday July 18, 2003
July 8
At 5.55pm the government issues a statement saying a Ministry of Defence official has come forward and admitted meeting BBC defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan on May 22. The official said he met Gilligan, whom he had known for "some months", at a central London hotel, and that he had been asked about weapons of mass destruction and Alastair Campbell.
"He says that when Mr Gilligan asked about the role of Alastair Campbell with regard to the 45 minute issue, he made no comment and explained that he was not involved in the process of drawing up the intelligence parts of the dossier," the statement said.
"He made no other comment about Mr Campbell. When Mr Gilligan asked him why the 45 minute point was in the dossier, he says he commented that it was 'probably for impact'. He says he did not see the 45 minute intelligence report on which it was based."
The government says the official is not one of the senior officials involved in drawing up the September dossier, but an expert who has advised ministers on weapons of mass destruction.
The BBC responds, saying the description issued by the government does not match Gilligan's source in important ways - "Mr Gilligan's source does not work in the Ministry of Defence and he has known the source for a number of years, not months," the BBC says in a statement.
July 9
Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, writes to BBC chairman Gavyn Davies asking him to confirm or deny whether Dr David Kelly, a renowned microbiologist and advisor to the Ministry of Defence, was the original source of Gilligan's story. The BBC steadfastly refuses to reveal any information about its source, saying it will not be drawn into a trap.
Tony Blair's spokesman says the approach is "not an assault on journalistic sources, this is not an assault on the BBC, it is not a vendetta". He insists it is a "genuine attempt to get at the truth behind what is one of the most serious allegations you can make against a government".
The BBC responds by saying the story has descended into farce. "The MoD has lost all credibility on this issue. It completely changed its story overnight for spurious reasons, and we intend to draw a line under the matter. We are not going to discuss our source," the corporation says in a statement.
The MoD issues a statement saying it has named the official who has come forward in a letter to the BBC, but not naming the source. However, by the end of the day some lobby journalists have mysteriously learnt of his identity.
When the Times political reporting team contacts the MoD and put Dr Kelly's name to the department, his name is confirmed. By 11.40pm he has been named as Gilligan's source on the Press Association newswire.
Downing Street categorically denies being the source of the leak. In its report on July 10, the Times says Downing Street is "99% convinced" that Dr Kelly is Gilligan's source.
July 15
Dr Kelly is called to give evidence before the foreign affairs select committee. Asked by MPs whether he thinks he is the main source for Gilligan's story he says: "No." He admits meeting Gilligan on three occasions since September 2002, including a meeting on May 22 at the Charing Cross hotel in central London.
Dr Kelly says that while certain aspects of Gilligan's report tallied with their conversation, his account of Campbell's intervention in the September dossier was not "a factual record of my interaction with him". "From the conversations I had with him, I don't know how he could have had the authority to make the statements he is making," Dr Kelly told the committee.
He also admits meeting with Newsnight science correspondent Susan Watts after a talk he had given on November 5 last year, and to speaking to her in several telephone conversations subsequently.
MPs on the committee back Dr Kelly's denial, issuing a statement saying he was "most unlikely" to have been the source behind the "sexed up" dossier claim and criticising the government's treatment of him. The committee says Dr Kelly has been "poorly treated" by the defence minister, and Labour member Andrew Mackinlay says he had been used as a "fall guy".
Donald Anderson, the chairman of the committee, writes to foreign secretary Jack Straw demanding an apology for the way Dr Kelly was treated.
July 16
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith calls on Tony Blair to apologise for the treatment of Dr Kelly. Speaking at prime minister's questions, Mr Blair refuses to apologise and once again calls on the BBC to name Gilligan's source.
"The Ministry of Defence made it clear that of course they don't know who the source is. There's only one body that does - the BBC. All they have to do is say yes or no - why don't they?" asks the prime minister.
July 17
At 3pm Dr Kelly leaves his home at Southmoor, near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, telling his wife he is going for a walk. Although he is accustomed to walking for several hours at a time in the footpaths near his home, he is dressed inappropriately for the wet weather, wearing only a shirt and not taking a coat with him. When he fails to return home by 11.45pm, his family contacts the police.
July 18
Dr Kelly is reported missing by Thames Valley Police. Around 9.20am, police find the body of a male at Harrowdown Hill near to Dr Kelly's home. There are no other reported missing persons in the area, and Dr Kelly is known to have enjoyed walking near the hill, about 45 minutes to an hour from his home.
18.07.2003: Timeline: the Gilligan affair
Kelly: Police are searching for missing scientist.
Police searching for David Kelly, the alleged mole at the centre of the Iraq dossier row, have found the body of a man.
The team of police looking for Dr Kelly throughout the night found a body at 9.20am, nearly 10 hours after Dr Kelly's wife raised the alarm that he was missing.
The body was found on Harrowdown Hill, near Dr Kelly's home at Southmoor in Oxfordshire.
Police said inquiries were continuing at the scene, and could not give any further details about the body.
"The identification of the person has not been established," a police spokesman said.
"The body is a male. We have not ruled anything out. Inquiries are ongoing, people are at the scene now.
"This is a very early stage in the inquiry and we are waiting for further information to be made available."
The spokesman said Dr Kelly's family had been kept abreast of what the police had been doing in relation to the civil servant's disappearance yesterday.
He called for news reporters not to contact the Kelly family and to treat them with respect during what is a "sensitive inquiry".
Dr Kelly went out for a walk yesterday afternoon and has not been seen since.
� To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email [email protected] or phone 020 7239 9857
Ciar Byrne
Friday July 18, 2003
David Kelly, the government adviser named as the possible source for the BBC's report claiming the government "sexed up" a key intelligence dossier on Iraq, has been reported missing by his family.
The 59-year-old went missing from his home in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, at 3pm yesterday afternoon after telling his wife he was going for a walk, according to Thames Valley Police.
His family contacted police when he had failed to return by 11.45pm yesterday, four days after he gave evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into the affair.
"We have launched a major search operation. We are very concerned for his wellbeing and are searching all the possible areas where he may be. His family have said this is completely out of character," a spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police told Sky News.
Dr Kelly, who volunteered to give evidence to the foreign affairs select committee, admitted to MPs last week he had met the BBC defence correspondent, Andrew Gilligan, on three occasions since September 2002.
With two defence ministry police sitting behind him, Dr Kelly confirmed he met Gilligan in a central London hotel on the same day that the reporter said he met his sole source at a central London hotel.
But Dr Kelly said he did not believe he could be the primary source of the report at the centre of a bitter row between the BBC and No 10.
"I believe I am not the main source. From the conversation I had with him I don't see how he could make the authoritative statements he was making from the comments that I made," Dr Kelly said.
Committee members were critical of the government's handling of Dr Kelly, saying he had been the "fall guy" and had been "poorly treated" by the defence minister.
However, the Ministry of Defence has stood by its claims that Dr Kelly was the sole source of the story, pointing to Gilligan's evidence that he had relied on one source and that three other sources mentioned had not discussed the September dossier or had done so only later.
Dr Kelly has been under enormous pressure since he admitted making contact with Gilligan.
He was officially reprimanded for having an "unauthorised" meeting with a journalist, and recently complained that his home was surrounded by journalists.
The chairman of the foreign affairs committee, Donald Anderson, said he was "shocked" by the news of Dr Kelly's disappearance.
"When he appeared before the committee, yes, he was softly spoken, but he seemed to be pretty relaxed and the committee was not at all aggressive or hostile in our questioning of him," he told Sky News.
Dr Kelly was described by police as an avid walker with good local knowledge of the many footpaths surrounding his home, which is near the river Thames.
Police said it was not unusual for him to walk for two or three hours at a time, but unusual for him to do this alone.
Thames Valley Police has scheduled a news conference on Dr Kelly's disappearance for 10.30am this morning.
� To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email [email protected] or phone 020 7239 9857
18.07.2003: Profile: Dr David Kelly
Matthew Tempest, political correspondent
Friday July 18, 2003
It was on July 9 that Dr David Kelly - a former senior UN weapons inspector - broke into the public consciousness, named in the papers as someone who had had an "unauthorised" meeting with the BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan.
According to Dr Kelly's own evidence to the foreign affairs select committee this week he had informed his "line manager" at the MoD himself that he had met Mr Gilligan and could, therefore, at least be perceived to be the source of the Today programme's allegations that the government's dossier was "sexed up".
Dr Kelly, an adviser to the government and an expert in biological warfare, had previously worked at the Porton Down research centre.
A renowned microbiologist he was an adviser to the Foreign Office before moving to the MoD. He spent seven years as an Unscom inspector in the 1990s, visiting Iraq on 37 occasions.
Although he appeared tentative, quietly spoken but calm before MPs, it was in fact his second appearance before the FAC - he also gave evidence last September.
Dr Kelly's surprising identification by the MoD came about when the defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, wrote to the BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, demanding to know whether the official who had come forward was the source of Gilligan's original story which sparked the row.
Mr Hoon gave Mr Davies Dr Kelly's name, asking the corporation to confirm or deny that it was the same person as Gilligan's source.
Tony Blair's spokesman insisted at the time its approach was "not an assault on journalistic sources, this is not an assault on the BBC, it is not a vendetta". He described it as a "genuine attempt to get at the truth behind what is one of the most serious allegations you can make against a government".
How Dr Kelly's identity came into the public domain is unclear.
In his session before the FAC, Dr Kelly was accompanied by two MoD "minders" who sat behind the scientist as he was questioned by the panel of MPs.
That questioning often became aggressive, with Labour MP Andrew Mackinlay, in particular, first assaulting him for refusing to say, without checking his diary, which other journalists he may have met in the month of May.
Later Mr Mackinlay changed tack, dubbing Dr Kelly "chaff" and a fall guy. At all times, Dr Kelly merely retorted that he "accepted the process" of both the MoD's operations, and the FAC inquiry, although, in a comment which received little attention at the time, he said he was unable to check his diary since he was unable to get to his house - presumably due to the media encamping outside.
In his evidence on Tuesday, he also admitted meeting Susan Watts of Newsnight, and having met Mr Gilligan on three occasions. He conceded that he may have met other journalists, none of which were authorised by the MoD, but that he had experience of dealing with journalists in the past.
However, it was unclear from his evidence whether or not he was the main source of Mr Gilligan's evidence. He denied it, although the dates, and some of the topics discussed, fitted Mr Gilligan's story.
Dr Kelly is a former UN weapons inspector and now advises British ministers on weapons of mass destruction an adviser in the proliferation and arms control secretariat.
He came from a background in agricultural science. He was chief science officer at Britain's natural environment research council institute of virology and the head of microbiology at the chemical defence establishment in Porton Down from 1984 to 1992.
Dr Kelly became senior adviser on biological warfare for the UN in Iraq in 1994, holding the post until 1999.
Between 1991 and 1998 he played a key role in inspecting Iraqi weapons after the Gulf war, once saying during a lecture: "When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, little did I realise that Saddam Hussein would dictate the next 10 years of my life."
He also led all the visits and inspections of Russian biological warfare facilities from 1991 to 1994 under the 1992 trilateral agreement between the US, UK and Russia.
In September last year he gave evidence to a Commons committee probing the war on terrorism. He was speaking in his role as chief scientific officer and senior adviser to the proliferation and arms control secretariat of the Ministry of Defence, and the non-proliferation department of the Foreign Office.
When he spoke to the foreign affairs committee this week, it was in very different circumstances - and under a much brighter media spotlight.
18.07.2003: MPs accuse Gilligan of changing story
MPs accuse Gilligan of changing story
Michael White, political editor
The Guardian
MPs investigating the Iraqi weapons controversy last night accused the BBC reporter at the heart of the row of being an "unsatisfactory witness" who no longer claimed that Alastair Campbell had "sexed up" the key intelligence dossier.
Though the claim by the Labour-dominated Commons foreign affairs committee (FAC) was endorsed by a senior Conservative, it was angrily denied by the BBC, which accused the politicians of staging "an exceptionally aggressive and accusatory" ambush.
After interviewing defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan a second time for almost two hours behind closed doors, Labour and Conservative members of the FAC announced that it had been "an unsatisfactory session with an unsatisfactory witness".
The reporter, the MPs said, may have unfairly maligned the No 10 communications director by blaming him for the crucial insertion into the September dossier of a claim that Iraq could have weapons of mass destruction ready within 45 minutes.
"There is a grave danger of unfairness to Mr Campbell as a result," the MPs said after completing a brief formal report to the Commons.
Mr Gilligan immediately took to the airwaves to deny changing his story. "This was an ambush by a hanging jury with only one opposition member [Tory, Sir John Stanley] present for the relevant section of the meeting."
Mark Damazar, the BBC's deputy director of news, who attended the session as a non-participant observer, backed Mr Gilligan. "They started with and barely desisted from an unrelentingly hostile tone," he told the Guardian.
In public and in private the MPs remained equally emphatic and promised to publish the transcript of their evidence within a week.
"Mr Gilligan clearly changed his mind in the course of the evidence, in particular in relation to serious allegations concerning Mr Campbell," said the chairman, Labour's Donald Anderson.
"We just couldn't believe it. In the middle bit he was back-tracking," one Labour MP said later. Another claimed he was "increasingly unconvincing" and "came full circle in two hours". But Mr Damazar said that Mr Gilligan had denied - several times - that he was back-tracking during the cross-examination.
In a bizarre twist, the former Tory minister John Maples, who did not attend yesterday's FAC session, protested on Channel 4 that the meeting was held without proper notice and that he wanted to "dissociate" himself from it.
Mr Maples and Richard Ottaway, another Tory MP absent yesterday, had opposed the recall of Mr Gilligan in the wake of last week's evidence from weapons specialist Dr David Kelly, who defence officials believe was the prime source of the BBC story, though Gilligan and the BBC refuse to either confirm or deny it.
The BBC accused the MPs of bad faith, saying that they had failed to provide the corporation with copies of their own dossier of Mr Gilligan's work over many years and had also failed to provide prior notice of the hearing.
"The committee was determined to find fault with Mr Gilligan's story but did not succeed. Mr Gilligan defended his journalism with vigour, pointing out among other things that many of his source's allegations have now been corroborated by other evidence. We deeply resent the way the committee was used to attack Mr Gilligan's integrity," said a BBC statement.
MPs claimed that at one point Mr Gilligan had said he had tried to convince his source "to come forward and go public, but I failed". Did that mean Dr Kelly was not the source? Mr Gilligan did not answer. The FAC has decided that he could not be, though he did meet Mr Gilligan in a London hotel on May 22, the same day as the vital source.
The prime minister's official spokesman said: "The FAC's statement this evening underlines once again that all the questions are now for the BBC to answer.
"It should answer those questions rather than criticise a parliamentary committee for expressing a view it does not like.
"They are: 1. Do the BBC and its governors still stand by the story in the broadcast on May 29 which was repeated by its defence correspondent in the Mail on Sunday on June 1?
"2. Does the BBC still believe that the government, in particular Alastair Campbell, inserted the 45-minute intelligence into the September dossier against the wishes of the intelligence agencies, knowing it to be false?"
17.07.2003: BBC row with government deepens
Gilligan: 'Absolutely' has backing of BBC bosses
A new and furious row has flared up between the BBC and the government today after Andrew Gilligan, the journalist who claimed Alastair Campbell "sexed up" intelligence on Iraq, was tonight accused of changing his story by MPs.
He was branded an "unsatisfactory witness" by the Commons foreign affairs select committee after giving evidence in a private session today that lasted for more than an hour and a half.
The BBC journalist was invited to give evidence for a second time following the appearance of David Kelly, the Ministry of Defence microbiologist who admitted having an unauthorised meeting with Gilligan before the controversial broadcast which contained the allegations about Mr Campbell.
But Gilligan hit back immediately, accusing the FAC of "deliberately misinterpreting" his evidence.
"I have not changed my story in any way," Mr Gilligan said.
He added: "This was an ambush by a hanging jury, with only one opposition member present for the relevant section of the meeting."
The committee's chairman, Donald Anderson, said: "Mr Gilligan clearly changed his mind in the course of the evidence, in particular in relation to serious allegations concerning Mr Campbell."
He said it was now up to the public to decide who they believed, once a transcript of a private session is made public within the next seven days.
But in an interview with Sky News at 7pm, Gilligan said it was he who had asked for the transcript to be published.
"I defended my journalism with vigour. ..I am really very shocked with the way in which this inquiry has been turned and diverted into the Alastair Campbell witch-hunt against me."
"The committee's inquiry is into whether the government gave accurate information in the run up the Iraq war. It is not into whether Andrew Gilligan's source was right or not, it wasn't into whether Andrew Gilligan is a good journalist or not," he told Sky News.
Asked whether he had full backing of his BBC bosses he said: "Absolutely".
The latest development is a setback for the BBC, which had been hoping to draw a line under the affair.
The corporation has consistently refused to confirm or deny whether Dr Kelly, the MoD scientist, was the single source that inspired the Gilligan story.
Following this afternoon's meeting, the BBC hit back furiously with a statement denying that Gilligan had changed his story in any way and accusing the committee of playing politics.
"Andrew Gilligan has not changed his story. The committee launched a series of personal attacks on Mr Gilligan in an atmosphere which was largely hostile.
"The committee was determined to find fault with Mr Gilligan's story, but did not succeed. Mr Gilligan defended his journalism with vigour, pointing out among other things that many of his source's allegations have now been corroborated by other evidence. We deeply resent the way the committee was used to attack Mr Gilligan's integrity."
16.07.2003: Tory leader attacks government 'deceit'
Campbell: accused of waging a 'personal vendetta' against the BBC's Andrew Gilligan
Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has accused Tony Blair and his communications chief Alastair Campbell of creating a "culture of deceit" with their handling of issues such as the Iraq dossier row with the BBC.
Mr Duncan Smith, speaking at the last prime minister's questions before parliament breaks for the summer, also accused Mr Campbell of conducting a "personal vendetta" against Andrew Gilligan, the BBC journalist whose Iraq dossier story is at the centre of the dispute.
"The prime minister and Alastair Campbell have created a culture of deceit at the heart of government," he said.
Mr Duncan Smith called for Mr Blair to apologise to Dr David Kelly, the Ministry of Defence consultant whom the government claimed may have been the source of Gilligan's story.
The Tory leader's demands follow a similar request by the Labour chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, Donald Anderson, last night.
Following Dr Kelly's appearance before the committee yesterday, Mr Anderson wrote to the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, demanding an apology for the way he was treated.
Dr Kelly told the committee he did not believe he was the story's main source, whom Gilligan has refused to name.
The committee agreed, later issuing a statement saying Dr Kelly was "most unlikely" to have been Gilligan's source.
At prime minister's questions Mr Blair refused to apologise to Dr Kelly and called once again for the BBC to name Gilligan's source.
"The ministry of defence made it clear that of course they don't know who the source is. There's only one body that does - the BBC. All they have to do is say yes or no - why don't they?," said the prime minister.
Since grilling Dr Kelly the committee has written to Gilligan asking him to give evidence about the source for a second time.
The BBC is still considering whether to accede to the committee's demands.
� To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email [email protected] or phone 020 7239 9857
15.07.2003: Mole casts doubt on MoD claims
Campbell: believed to be on the verge of resigning
The former Times journalist tipped to step into Alastair Campbell's shoes when the prime minister's closest aide quits is married to a baroness, sends his son to one of the country's most exclusive public schools and lives in a �750,000 manor house.
Phil Bassett, the head of the No 10 research and information unit, is well versed in controversy, having played a key role in the government's long-running dispute with the fire service.
He is well prepared to step from one of Downing Street's back rooms directly into the media spotlight.
Mr Campbell, the government's director of communications and strategy, is believed to be on the verge of resigning and may leave his post when his wife, Fiona Millar, departs her job as Cherie Blair's adviser later this year.
Mr Campbell decided to hand over the responsibility for the twice-daily lobby correspondent briefings to Tom Kelly and Godric Smith, two civil servants, following the 2001 election when he was branded "the real deputy prime minister".
However, he has never left the spotlight or lost the "chief spin doctor" tag.
If Mr Bassett succeeds Mr Campbell he will inherit one of the most controversial positions in government.
"He is a real back-room man, hardly any of us know him face to face," said one newspaper Westminster correspondent.
"We know very little about him but we won't be surprised if he takes over from Alastair.
"Phil Bassett is one of the inner circle and is trusted by Tony Blair. In that sense he could fill Alastair's shoes, although no one could fill them entirely."
Mr Bassett, a former industrial correspondent at the Times and the Financial Times, joined Downing Street after the 1997 election.
He now shapes the government's strategic media activity and has written many of the newspaper articles Mr Blair has put his name to.
He is married to the foreign office minister and future leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Symons, and divides his time between a country house in Hampshire and a mansion flat overlooking Westminster Cathedral. His son attends the �10,000-a-year public school St Paul's.
With his journalistic knowledge of industry, Mr Bassett has become a critic of the trade unions and has helped shape the government's industrial relations strategy.
Charlie Whelan, a former press secretary to the chancellor, Gordon Brown, accused Mr Bassett of "spoiling for a fight" with the unions and of using the firefighters' pay dispute as a means of teaching other unions a lesson.
Mr Campbell also has a journalistic background, having worked as the political editor of the Daily Mirror.
Another political journalist said: "Phil Bassett is very close to New Labour journalists like [the BBC's] Andrew Marr, is very hard working and is clearly keen on replacing Alastair Campbell."
Following the row over Mr Campbell's role in the publication of the Iraq weapons dossiers, the subsequent clash with the BBC and calls for the resignation of Mr Blair, the appointment of a communications chief could not come at a more contentious and crucial time for the government.
� To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email [email protected] or phone 020 7239 9857
12.07.2003: Speculation grows over Campbell
10.07.2003: MPs will question MoD arms consultant
10.07.2003: Scientist named as BBC contact
09.07.2003: Short attacks 'bully' Campbell
09.07.2003: Hoon names MoD 'mole' in move BBC brands a farce
09.07.2003: BBC rejects deal on naming dossier source
09.07.2003: BBC chairman's letter to Geoff Hoon
08.07.2003: MoD man admits he met Gilligan
Police outside Dr Kelly's house this morning
Tony Blair has promised an independent judicial inquiry if David Kelly has died, journalists travelling with the prime minister on his flight from Washington to Tokyo have said.
His spokesman, Godric Smith, came to the back of the plane less than an hour ago to announce the possible inquiry.
He said a judge would be named this afternoon by the Ministry of Defence.
The development comes as Thames Valley police confirmed the description of the body found near Dr Kelly's home in Oxfordshire matched that of the MoD scientist.
A spokesman confirmed there would be no formal identification until tomorrow.
"We are currently treating this incident as an unexplained death and we will have to wait for the results of the postmortem," he said.
Tony Blair was told of the disappearance of Dr Kelly early this morning and spent much of his flight on the telephone, according to Sky News.
The prime minister's spokesman said he was very concerned for the family of Dr Kelly and promised a public inquiry if his death was confirmed.
"If it is Dr Kelly, there will be a public inquiry, I urge you not to jump to conclusions," said Godric Smith, the prime minister's official spokesman, who is travelling on the plane with Mr Blair.
His comments were reported by the political editor of Sky News, Adam Boulton and by BBC Radio 5.
Alastair Campbell, who usually travels with Mr Blair, is not on the plane - he is on his way back to London.
Mr Smith said he was unable to confirm whether the prime minister has spoken to Mr Campbell but said there was no reason to believe that he had resigned.
"While he understands there will be no formal identification until tomorrow, if it is Dr Kelly the prime minister is obviously very distressed for the family and the Ministry of Defence intends to hold an independent judicial inquiry and there will be an announcement this afternoon as to the name of the judge," Boulton reported.
The MoD said Dr Kelly had at no point been threatened with suspension or dismissal as a result of his admission he had spoken to Gilligan.
It was made clear to Dr Kelly at the time that he had broken civil service rules by having unauthorised contact with a journalist, but "that was the end of it", said a spokesman.
Dr Kelly was given five days to consider his options before the MoD issued its statement on Tuesday July 8 to say an unnamed official had spoken to Gilligan.
And he was given an opportunity to talk through the possible ramifications of going public before the statement was released.
The MoD spokesman said: "He was first interviewed before the weekend and then asked to think about what the options were over the weekend and a decision was taken to say nothing in the meantime.
"He was interviewed again on the Monday and the question of what was the best way forward was talked through with him.
"The contents of the statement were cleared with him before it went out and it was flagged up to him that it was possible his name might get into the public domain at some point and that it was likely the intelligence and security committee and foreign affairs committee would want to take evidence from him."
The spokesman added that the MoD had offered Dr Kelly the use of alternative accommodation to avoid any press attention at his home address.
When he appeared before the committee, Tory MP Sir John Stanley told Dr Kelly he had acted in a "proper and honourable manner" in coming forward to suggest he may have been Gilligan's source but had been "thrown to the wolves" by the Ministry of Defence.
Earlier today a scientist colleague of Dr Kelly said it was because he had so much integrity that he had come forward.
Professor Alistair Hay said the way Dr Kelly had been treated by politicians before the foreign affairs select committee earlier this week was "absolutely inexcusable".
"His whole demeanour during the foreign affairs committee was one of someone who had beaten by the process. I was just so worried by his whole demeanour at the FAC. I just think the pressure is intolerable for someone like him. He is a professional scientist, not somebody who should be a ping pong ball for politicians," Prof Hay told Radio 5 today after police revealed they had found a body near Dr Kelly's home.
Dr Kelly had met Gilligan in the Charing Cross Hotel in central London on May 22, a week before the claim that No 10 had inserted intelligence that Saddam Hussein could launch a chemical or biological weapons strike within 45 minutes was broadcast on the Radio 4 Today programme.
The story has sparked a lengthy and bitter row between the government, the BBC and critics of the war on Iraq.
Dr Kelly told the committee he did not think he could have been the source for the story because Gilligan's account of his conversation with the contact differed from his own version of events.
The foreign affairs committee chairman, Donald Anderson, told Sky News: "On the face of it, this appears to be a human tragedy, if the news is now confirmed, and puts much of the discussion which we have had in a very different and personal perspective."
Later Richard Ottoway, a Tory MP who was on the committee, said he felt the implications of the latest developments were very serious. He said the committee's conclusion that Dr Kelly was unlikely to have been Gilligan's source was flagrantly ignored by No 10, which reacted by saying it was 99% sure Dr Kelly was the BBC reporter's source.
He rejected the idea the committee's questioning of the former weapons inspector had been unduly harsh.
Mr Anderson said there was "no way in which government ministers can be blamed" for the way in which Dr Kelly's name became public.
And he rejected suggestions that the committee should reconvene to consider its position in the light of today's events.
"It is awful, but this is not relevant any more to the work of our committee."
� To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email [email protected] or phone 020 7239 9857
Friday July 18, 2003
July 8
At 5.55pm the government issues a statement saying a Ministry of Defence official has come forward and admitted meeting BBC defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan on May 22. The official said he met Gilligan, whom he had known for "some months", at a central London hotel, and that he had been asked about weapons of mass destruction and Alastair Campbell.
"He says that when Mr Gilligan asked about the role of Alastair Campbell with regard to the 45 minute issue, he made no comment and explained that he was not involved in the process of drawing up the intelligence parts of the dossier," the statement said.
"He made no other comment about Mr Campbell. When Mr Gilligan asked him why the 45 minute point was in the dossier, he says he commented that it was 'probably for impact'. He says he did not see the 45 minute intelligence report on which it was based."
The government says the official is not one of the senior officials involved in drawing up the September dossier, but an expert who has advised ministers on weapons of mass destruction.
The BBC responds, saying the description issued by the government does not match Gilligan's source in important ways - "Mr Gilligan's source does not work in the Ministry of Defence and he has known the source for a number of years, not months," the BBC says in a statement.
July 9
Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, writes to BBC chairman Gavyn Davies asking him to confirm or deny whether Dr David Kelly, a renowned microbiologist and advisor to the Ministry of Defence, was the original source of Gilligan's story. The BBC steadfastly refuses to reveal any information about its source, saying it will not be drawn into a trap.
Tony Blair's spokesman says the approach is "not an assault on journalistic sources, this is not an assault on the BBC, it is not a vendetta". He insists it is a "genuine attempt to get at the truth behind what is one of the most serious allegations you can make against a government".
The BBC responds by saying the story has descended into farce. "The MoD has lost all credibility on this issue. It completely changed its story overnight for spurious reasons, and we intend to draw a line under the matter. We are not going to discuss our source," the corporation says in a statement.
The MoD issues a statement saying it has named the official who has come forward in a letter to the BBC, but not naming the source. However, by the end of the day some lobby journalists have mysteriously learnt of his identity.
When the Times political reporting team contacts the MoD and put Dr Kelly's name to the department, his name is confirmed. By 11.40pm he has been named as Gilligan's source on the Press Association newswire.
Downing Street categorically denies being the source of the leak. In its report on July 10, the Times says Downing Street is "99% convinced" that Dr Kelly is Gilligan's source.
July 15
Dr Kelly is called to give evidence before the foreign affairs select committee. Asked by MPs whether he thinks he is the main source for Gilligan's story he says: "No." He admits meeting Gilligan on three occasions since September 2002, including a meeting on May 22 at the Charing Cross hotel in central London.
Dr Kelly says that while certain aspects of Gilligan's report tallied with their conversation, his account of Campbell's intervention in the September dossier was not "a factual record of my interaction with him". "From the conversations I had with him, I don't know how he could have had the authority to make the statements he is making," Dr Kelly told the committee.
He also admits meeting with Newsnight science correspondent Susan Watts after a talk he had given on November 5 last year, and to speaking to her in several telephone conversations subsequently.
MPs on the committee back Dr Kelly's denial, issuing a statement saying he was "most unlikely" to have been the source behind the "sexed up" dossier claim and criticising the government's treatment of him. The committee says Dr Kelly has been "poorly treated" by the defence minister, and Labour member Andrew Mackinlay says he had been used as a "fall guy".
Donald Anderson, the chairman of the committee, writes to foreign secretary Jack Straw demanding an apology for the way Dr Kelly was treated.
July 16
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith calls on Tony Blair to apologise for the treatment of Dr Kelly. Speaking at prime minister's questions, Mr Blair refuses to apologise and once again calls on the BBC to name Gilligan's source.
"The Ministry of Defence made it clear that of course they don't know who the source is. There's only one body that does - the BBC. All they have to do is say yes or no - why don't they?" asks the prime minister.
July 17
At 3pm Dr Kelly leaves his home at Southmoor, near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, telling his wife he is going for a walk. Although he is accustomed to walking for several hours at a time in the footpaths near his home, he is dressed inappropriately for the wet weather, wearing only a shirt and not taking a coat with him. When he fails to return home by 11.45pm, his family contacts the police.
July 18
Dr Kelly is reported missing by Thames Valley Police. Around 9.20am, police find the body of a male at Harrowdown Hill near to Dr Kelly's home. There are no other reported missing persons in the area, and Dr Kelly is known to have enjoyed walking near the hill, about 45 minutes to an hour from his home.
Reuters
WMD Scientist's Death Rocks British Government
Fri Jul 18 17:28:40 2003
208.152.73.116
WMD Scientist's Death Rocks British Government
Reuters
Friday, July 18, 2003; 1:37 PM
By Gideon Long
LONGWORTH, England (Reuters) - A mild-mannered British scientist was found dead in the woods Friday after being unwittingly dragged into a fierce political dispute about intelligence used to justify war on Iraq.
British police said they had found a body matching that of soft-spoken defense ministry biologist David Kelly, a former U.N. weapons inspector, who had been grilled in parliament over allegations the government hyped intelligence to justify war.
The political fallout was immediate. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who learned about the discovery of the body while flying from Washington to Tokyo, promised an independent judicial inquiry into the death if the body was confirmed to be Kelly's.
But opponents called for Blair to return and face a broader probe into the case he made for war. The shock even sent Britain's pound tumbling half a percent on currency markets as traders weighed the severity of the crisis for Blair.
Kelly's family reported him missing overnight after he went for a walk in the Oxfordshire countryside Thursday with no coat and stayed out despite a rainstorm.
He had denied being the source for BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan, who said in May a senior intelligence source had told him the government had "sexed up" intelligence on Iraq.
That report sparked parliamentary hearings into how the government made the case for war, forced Blair onto the defensive and pitted government officials against the BBC.
News of Kelly's death completely overshadowed Blair's rapturous reception by the U.S. Congress Thursday, although there was no indication the prime minister would turn back from a scheduled week-long trip to Asia.
"The prime minister is obviously very distressed for the family of Dr Kelly," a spokesman said aboard the flight.
Opposition Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith said Blair should return from abroad and any inquiry should cover the entire issue of intelligence used to justify the war.
"If I was the prime minister, I would cut short this visit and return home. There are very many questions that will need to be asked over the coming days," he said.
RELUCTANT WITNESS
Kelly had clearly been reluctant to enter the public debate over Iraq intelligence.
Speaking so softly he could barely be heard, he admitted to parliament's foreign affairs committee he had met Gilligan, but denied telling him that Blair's communications chief Alastair Campbell had ordered intelligence to be hyped.
Kelly appeared shell-shocked when parliamentarians at the hearing described him as "chaff" and a government "fall guy" put forward to shield top officials from blame.
Kelly's wife Jane described Kelly as deeply upset, family friend Tom Mangold, a television journalist, told ITV News.
"She told me he had been under considerable stress, that he was very, very angry about what had happened at the committee, that he wasn't well," Mangold said.
The government said that if Kelly was Gilligan's source, their differing accounts proved the BBC story was wrong. Gilligan, who never named his source, was questioned at a closed-door hearing around the time Kelly vanished Thursday.
(Additional reporting by Peter Graff and Dominic Evans in London, and Katherine Baldwin in Tokyo)
_____________________________________________________________________
"At a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell
Fri Jul 18 15:46:56 2003
208.152.73.146
BBC News
Friday, 18 July, 2003, 13:56 GMT 14:56 UK
The apparent death of Dr David Kelly has put the spotlight back on the BBC 's refusal to name its source for the story that an Iraqi weapons dossier was "sexed up".
The missing weapons expert had been identified by the government as a contact of journalist Andrew Gilligan and the possible source of his reports - a claim questioned by the BBC and Dr Kelly himself.
The plight of Dr Kelly's family continued as Mr Gilligan made a second appearance before a Commons committee, which said journalists should be forced to name sources if speaking under Parliamentary privilege.
It is a demand likely to alarm many journalists, who are expected to honour a long-standing tradition of protecting those who come forward with information.
No case has provoked more interest than that of 'Deep Throat', who tipped off journalists about the Watergate scandal in 1973 and has never been formally identified.
Mr Gilligan's refusal to name his contact is one of many other examples of journalists standing by their sources - with reporters and their employers often finding themselves the subject of expensive legal actions.
'Golden rule'
Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said "whistleblowers" must be protected as they "will not come forward if they think they are going to be grassed up at a later stage".
He called on reporters not to be swayed, arguing that one of the key roles of journalists was to expose wrong doing and bad practice by public institutions and big corporations.
"For that reason it is the golden rule of journalism that we don't betray our sources and are prepared to go to prison to uphold that principle," he told BBC News Online.
"It is not our job to act as information providers for state institutions. They have thousands of people employed to do that work."
'No dilemma'
It is a position backed by Robin Ackroyd, who was ordered by the High Court to say who gave him medical information about Moors murderer Ian Brady, which he used in a story for the Daily Mirror.
Mr Ackroyd, who won an appeal against the decision but still faces an ongoing legal battle, said: "Journalists protect their sources because they have a professional duty of confidence to them.
"It is not a standpoint we take because we are being difficult or precious."
The freelance journalist said Andrew Gilligan deserved the support of the media and the public and that the Commons committee had been naive to expect him to name names.
He said: "Journalists must stand their ground. And they do stand their ground.
"I have never had one iota of doubt about my own position. I simply have no dilemma.
"I do not reveal confidential sources of information as an overriding matter of conscience."
Bloody Sunday
Last year journalists were also forced to protect their sources under questioning at the Bloody Sunday inquiry into the events of 30 January 1972, when 13 civilians were shot dead by British army soldiers. A 14th person died later.
BBC reporter Peter Taylor refused to reveal several republican, British Army and police sources to the investigation.
Mr Taylor said: "My motivation is simply my wish to preserve my ability to carry out my duties as a journalist and to protect those who have assisted me in the past."
Under cross examination at the inquiry, former Sunday Times reporter Derek Humphry refused to reveal the identities of two republicans.
They were the head of the Bogside IRA and a woman who was reported to be at a hastily arranged meeting of Provisionals when the shootings on Bloody Sunday started.
Cruise Missiles
But journalists are not always able to defend their sources.
Sarah Tisdall famously received a six-month jail sentence in 1983 after the Guardian named her as the source of its story about the arrival of Cruise Missiles in the UK.
She had been a clerk in the office of the Foreign Secretary Michael Heseltine and had passed documents on to the paper.
The paper named her after it was ordered by a court to reveal its contact.
Ms Tisdall ended up spending four months in prison.
Fri Jul 18 14:08:49 2003
202.68.150.4
Friday, July 18, 2003
A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
There is no way; Tony Blair can assuage peoples horror at the death of Dr. Kelly as being a by-product his governments tireless efforts to put a lid on the ongoing scandal ready to explode, now that the bogus intelligence cited by Blair and company has turned out to be a fraud perpetrated on the British public. Dr. Kelly had appeared before the parliamentary enquiry denying that he was the source to alert BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan, about the spin doctoring of intelligence reports to sex up the case to invade Iraq. More than even Bush, Blair fought both a skeptical nation and his own divided party to persist in going to war by declaring the Saddam can deliver his WMD within 45 minutes. At least Bush has the Jewish cabal to take the heat for imposing a self-serving agenda on the willing Bush coterie. The public in Britain should be wondering as to who was blackmailing Blair to take such a politically suicidal course.
In the event this has turned out to be very ugly. And criminal. Nothing will save Blair now, even if he is personally not involved in any way with the death of Dr. Kelly. Blair had gone on a limb to support Americas illegal war and much before Bush will reap the bitter harvest of his own perjuries coming to haunt him, Blair will be lucky, if he can wiggle out of this mess.
GHULAM MUHAMMED, P.O.BOX: 16685, BANDRA WEST, MUMBAI - 400 050
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2003 5:02 AM
Subject: Dr. Kelly: was he assassinated?
The strange death of Dr. Kelly in England raises the possibility that he was assassinated. Many would doubt that there could be an assassination effort involving governments. Here are a couple of recent items on the subject.
In the first, THE PEGASUS FILE: A former CIA deep-cover agent turns whistleblower at great risk. His shocking allegations expose powerful names controlling the international drug trade in very high places, an article by David G. Guyatt appearing in NEXUS Magazine( http://www.nexusmagazine.com/pegfile1.html ), the story of Chip Tatum,a 25 year deep cover CIA agent, contains some information about "Pegasus" the code name for an assassination team that he ran under George H. W. Bush.
The second and third items relate to the Mossad and Israel's assassination capability.
+++++++++++++++
PEGASUS: ASSASSINATION & NEUTRALISATION
Tatum has gone into considerable additional detail regarding the role of Pegasus as he knew it. He believes Pegasus was established during the Eisenhower years as a secret group inside the CIA to spy on that agency on behalf of the President. At some point - believed to be after the assassination of President Kennedy - Pegasus went AWOL from direct US Government control and came under the direction of an international Board of Directors which Tatum alleges now includes George Bush and Henry Kissinger.
The directors of Pegasus meet once a year in secret conclave following G7 meetings. The group has "representation" from a number of intelligence agencies throughout the world. Included are the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) as well as agents from British, Israeli, Turkish and Danish Intelligence plus "others who performed various functions for Pegasus". 7 The mission of Pegasus, Tatum explains, is "to 'align' world leaders and financiers to our [US] policies and standards".
One of Tatum's Pegasus duties included flying "Archer Teams" (four-man hit teams) in his helicopter to their insertion point. 8 He states that Enrique Bermudez was assassinated in 1991 by a Pegasus team, adding he "was shot in the back of the head while walking down the street...from about 150 yards". Bermudez, known as "Commander Three Eight Zero" was the senior Contra leader. Tatum received two broken ribs when he came under small-arms fire during the assassination. 9
Following the Nicaraguan war, Bermudez sought a prominent position in the new government. Spurned by President Chamorro, "Commander 380" tried to pressure George Bush to intercede on his behalf, threatening to expose Bush's role in the cocaine trafficking enterprise. According to Tatum, Bush ordered his disposal.
Another Pegasus assassination was that of General Gustavo (Dr Gus) Alvarez Martinez, the "cooperating" Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief, Honduras. Alvarez was assassinated in 1989, following his demand for a bigger split of the cocaine profits.
Tatum also describes his involvement in the assassination of Amiram Nir, the former Israeli Mossad agent who went under the assumed name of Pat Weber. Nir was scheduled to testify to the Senate subcommittee and it was feared he would reveal the truth. He perished, following the shooting-down of his aircraft with missiles from Tatum's helicopter.
Other "neutralisations" verge on the bizarre. An individual who must remain nameless for a variety of reasons - but whose name is known to this writer - underwent an experience that is both horrific and chilling. Readers are warned that what follows is not at all pleasant. For the sake of ease, I shall call this individual "Mr X" or, simply, "X". 10
Mr X was a leader of one of the largest CIA-backed Contra groups. He recently testified before the US Senate Intelligence Committee. Formerly, X was a senior executive in a South American subsidiary of a leading US soft drinks corporation. During his Senate testimony, he denied any knowledge of CIA involvement in the narcotics trade, adding that condoning such activity would have been foreign to his way of life. Not so, says Tatum. Mr X had been recruited into the CIA by then-Director William Casey, with the assistance of Oliver North.
In 1990, when Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega announced there would be "free elections", X was ecstatic. He began jostling for position and asked President Bush to ensure he be given a prominent position in the new government - in return for his years of toil at the behest of the CIA and the Enterprise. The pressure came in a form that Bush could not ignore. Failure to help his friend would result in X's intimate knowledge of Bush's involvement in the dope trade being made public. His threat left Bush with a sour taste. A Pegasus team was assigned to "neutralise" him in early 1990.
Mr X, Tatum states, "fancied himself a lover of women. Tall, large-breasted blondes were his favourite. It was determined that, if effectively neutralised, [X] could be an asset. Therefore, it was decided that intimidation would be used to control [X]."
They chose to use the drug Scopolamine, which also went by the nickname "Burundanga" or "the Voodoo drug". The drug is extracted from the pods of a flowering shrub that grows in remote regions of South America. In its processed, powdered form, Scopolamine is "void of smell, void of taste". When properly administered "it causes absolute obedience" without this being "observable by others". Importantly, the target will not recall any of the events that occurred during the period they were under the spell of the drug.
In outlining these details, Tatum adds that it is important to administer the drug in the correct dosage, for he has known targets to die from too high a dose. Others have "remained under the influence of Burundanga for up to three weeks". Precise dosage can be achieved by liquid ingestion, the powder being readily soluble. Ingestion via cigarettes is also an optimum method of ingestion. It is fast-acting and takes no more than 20 minutes to work.
Tatum states that X was invited to spend a relaxing weekend at a luxury hotel as a guest of his friend George Bush. His host for the weekend was a trusted 18-year veteran field-intelligence officer. The evening started with cocktails and was followed by a fine meal. "'Nothing but the best' were the orders."
Following the meal, he was ushered into the suite of a "blonde bombshell" supplied by the CIA. Mr X had already ingested a dose of Burundanga during pre-dinner cocktails. X was gallant with the blonde as they both moved into the bedroom where video cameras were already set up in one corner. In short order, the blonde had X standing naked in front of her and began to indulge his desires. All the while, the video cameras whirred. Slowly stripping off, the "blonde" revealed his manhood in all its glory. Mr X was instructed to reciprocate the favour and perform fellatio. He obliged, his intimate activities recorded at 24 frames a second on videotape.
Tatum says the male prostitute was hired from a bar in New York and killed that same evening.
Two weeks later, X - wholly unaware of the events of that evening - was visited in Nicaragua. He was presented with a copy of the video footage, along with instructions. Tatum says that X can never allow that video to be seen: "Not only does it reveal his homosexuality, but it also reveals his bestiality and satanic worship rituals." As frame after frame flicked by, X reportedly wept, forced to watch himself kill his homosexual "lover" and then engage in the most grisly cannabalistic ritual imaginable.
Neutralised, Mr X became a leading member of the Nicaraguan government a few short weeks later. 11
++++++
7 . I wrote this sentence based on information provided to me and also extracted from a long list of Q&As prepared by author Rodney Stich for Tatum's attention (and now in my possession). In reviewing this article for errors and omissions, Tatum stated that "there were no US DEA or ATF agents in Pegasus". This appeared to conflict with an earlier reply to one of Stich's questions which stated, in part, that "DEA was represented. We had DEA agents, ATF agents." Naturally, I wanted this clarified and asked Tatum to explain this quite significant amendment. He replied, advising that "there were joint missions where DEA and ATF agents were used...they were not officially part of Pegasus". Nancy Tatum advises that since Chip Tatum was in prison at the time he answered questions submitted by Stich, the "misunderstanding" was hers.
8 . Tatum adds that he also "flew fixed-wing, multi-engine props and jets...for the various missions" and he was not limited to rotary-wing aircraft.
9 . These injuries occurred during the departure of the "Team", six hours after the assassination itself, when they came under anti-aircraft fire as they flew low-level across the border. Tatum was wearing two Kevlar (lightweight body armour) vests which absorbed the impact of incoming rounds.
10 . Tatum has provided me with the name of this individual, a well-known politician. He also asked that I consider excising this account from the article, for a variety of understandable reasons. I have elected to keep it, as I believe it is both an important and highly significant account.
11 . I phoned and spoke with Ron Lard, an official at the DEA HQ, Virginia, to ask about the properties of Burundanga. He was unable to provide any information. However, through other sources I can confirm that this drug is well known to cause both amnesia and a zombie-like trance in which the target follows all orders. Dr Camilo Uribe, head of Bogot�'s toxicology clinic, says "it's like chemical hypnotism". See Wall Street Journal, 3 July 1995.
Israeli Operatives Will Assassinate People Inside the U.S. and Other Allied Nations :.
Israel is embarking upon a more aggressive approach to the war on terror that will include staging targeted killings [this means assassinations] in the United States and other friendly countries, former Israeli intelligence officials told United Press International.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has forbidden the practice until now, these sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Israeli statements were confirmed by more than a half dozen former and currently serving U.S. foreign policy and intelligence officials in interviews with United Press International.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3081027.stm
The BBC has disclosed that Dr David Kelly was the principal source for its controversial report claiming Downing Street "sexed up" an Iraq weapons dossier.
BBC director of news Richard Sambrook broke the news after speaking to the family of the Iraq weapons expert, who was found dead on Friday.
He said the corporation believed it correctly interpreted and reported the information obtained from Dr Kelly during interviews.
BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan, the author of the report, added that Dr Kelly had not been "misquoted or misrepresented".
Mr Sambrook said the BBC had, until now, owed Dr Kelly a duty of
confidentiality and was "profoundly sorry" that his involvement as the
source for the reports had ended in tragedy.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking as he left Korea for China, said: "I am pleased that the BBC has made this announcement. Whatever the differences, no one wanted this tragedy to happen.
Dr Kelly expressed very similar concerns about Downing Street interpretation of intelligence in the dossier and the unreliability of the 45-minute point to Newsnight.
Andrew Gilligan BBC journalist "I know that everyone, including the BBC, have been shocked by it. The independent Hutton Inquiry has been set up, it will establish the facts.
"In the meantime our attitude should be one of respect and restraint, no recrimination, with the Kelly family uppermost in our minds at this time."
Earlier Mr Blair said he would accept responsibility for all the actions of government ministers and officials, but ruled out recalling Parliament.
Police confirmed on Saturday Dr Kelly, a senior Ministry of Defence adviser, had bled to death from a cut to his wrist. 'Not source'
In an e-mail reportedly sent to a New York Times journalist hours before his death, Dr Kelly had apparently warned of "many dark actors playing games". The Sunday Times says Dr Kelly told one of its reporters that he felt betrayed by the leaking of his name by the Ministry of Defence and was under "intolerable" pressure by being placed at the centre of the weapons row.
In the end the government is my responsibility and I can assure you the judge will be able to get to what facts, what people, what papers he wants Tony Blair Prime minister
Last week Dr Kelly had told MPs he had spoken to Mr Gilligan, but said he did not believe he was the main source for a story about claims that a dossier on Iraq had been "sexed up" to boost public support for military action.
He told the MPs: "From the conversation I had I don't see how he could make the authoritative statement he was making from the comments I made." According to television journalist Tom Mangold, a friend, Dr Kelly believed he was the source for about 60% of Mr Gilligan's report. Responsibility The government has set up an independent judicial inquiry, led by Lord Hutton, into the circumstances surrounding Dr Kelly's death. Both Mr Blair and the BBC have said they will cooperate fully.
The BBC statement prompted Dr Kelly's local MP, Tory Robert Jackson, to call for the resignation of the BBC chairman Gavyn Davies.
Ex-Labour minister Glenda Jackson has called for Tony Blair to quit, saying the blame for Dr Kelly's death lay with Downing Street, which, she said, used a battle with the BBC to divert attention from the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has called for Parliament to be recalled and for a broadening of the inquiry to investigate the government's handling of intelligence on Iraq.
But the prime minister told Sky News' Sunday With Adam Boulton programme that a recall of Parliament would "generate more heat than light" and that Dr Kelly's family should be allowed time to grieve.
Mr Blair said he would take responsibility for the actions of officials such as his communications director Alastair Campbell: "In the end the government is my responsibility and I can assure you the judge will be able to get to what facts, what people, what papers he wants." He added: "At the present time this is far more something to do with the personal tragedy of Dr Kelly and I think that's actually what should be uppermost in our minds and has been in mine."
Asked if he had the appetite to go on as prime minister, Mr Blair replied: "Absolutely." Obsession Dr Kelly's family said he was a "loving, private and dignified" man and appealed for time to grieve.
His body was discovered in woodland near his Oxfordshire home on Friday morning, with a knife and a packet of painkillers close by.
Events over recent weeks made David's life intolerable and all of those involved should reflect long and hard on this fact
Kelly family statement Richard Butler, former chief UN weapons inspector, said it appeared the British, American and Australian governments had "pumped up" the threat in the run-up to war.
Mr Butler told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend that Dr Kelly, a friend and colleague, was a "good man... of probity and integrity".
"It follows logically from that, if he thought that things were being pumped up, he would have objected to it."
Dr Kelly is survived by his wife, Janice, and three daughters Sian, 32, and 30-year-old twins Rachel and Ellen.
Story from BBC NEWS:
For liberty in our lifetimes.
by ANY means necessary.
"And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been
like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an
arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say
goodbye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for
example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city,
people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling in terror at every
bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had
understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the
downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers,
or whatever else was at hand. The Organs would very quickly have suffered a
shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's
thirst; the cursed machine would have ground to a halt!"
The Gulag Archipelago,
| David Kelly |
Addison's Disease is a rare chronic disorder brought about by the failure of which glands? | Citizens For Legitimate Government
Blackwater Guards Tied to Covert Raids by the C.I.A. 11 Dec 2009
Private security guards
Mercenaries from Blackwater Worldwide participated in some of the C.I.A.�s most sensitive activities -- clandestine raids with agency officers against people suspected of being insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan and the transporting of detainees, according to former company employees and intelligence officials. The raids against suspects occurred on an almost nightly basis during the height of the Iraqi insurgency between 2004 and 2006, with Blackwater personnel playing central roles in what company insiders called "snatch and grab" operations, the former employees and current and former intelligence officers said.
Mission accomplished! Big Oil Jumps for Licenses in Iraq 10 Dec 2009 Foreign oil executives are flocking to Iraq as it prepares to open some of its untapped oil assets to Western oil companies... Iraq's second oil-licensing round, to be held Friday and Saturday, has elicited substantial interest from Big Oil. The most tempting prizes are the Majnoon and West Qurna-Phase 2 fields, each of which contains more than 12 billion barrels of proven reserves. The fields have been in the majors' sights for decades.
Seven killed in Baghdad bomb attacks 11 Dec 2009 Iraqi officials say attacks in and around Baghdad have taken the lives of seven people, including three police officers and two soldiers. A car bomb rocked the town of Yusufiyah, 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of the capital at around 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Friday, leaving six people killed, AFP quoted an Interior Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another US soldier loses life in Iraq 11 Dec 2009 The United States military says another American soldier has lost his life due to non-combat injuries in conflict-stricken Iraq. "A Multi-National Division-Baghdad soldier died Dec. 10, of non-combat related injuries," according to a US military statement issued on Thursday.
Israeli vandals attack West Bank mosque 11 Dec 2009 Israeli extremists have attacked a mosque in the occupied West Bank, vandalizing the property and desecrating the holy book of Islam, the Qur'an. Suspected hardline Israeli settlers stormed the holy site in the northern West Bank village of Yasuf at night, set fire to the mosque's library and sprayed hate messages on the building.
Islamabad says bin Laden not in Pakistan 11 Dec 2009 Pakistan has rejected reports claiming the al-Qaeda leadership is "definitely" hiding in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. "Even US leaders have lately accepted that we do not know about the whereabouts of al-Qaeda leadership and we have seen statements to this effect," Pakistan's Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said on Thursday.
Pakistan to Deport U.S. Terror Suspects After Inquiry 11 Dec 2009 Pakistan will accept U.S. requests to deport six Muslim Americans arrested this week on suspicion of seeking training as jihadist guerrillas, after an inquiry into the case, a provincial minister said. "It�s quite clear that the next step for these men is to be deported to their home country, America, but we will do so only after a full investigation is complete," Punjab province Home Minister Rana Sanaullah said today in a telephone interview from Lahore, the provincial capital.
Five Put on Leave Over Internet Posting 10 Dec 2009 Five employees of the Transportation Security Administration have been placed on administrative leave since the discovery that sensitive guidelines about airport passenger screening had been posted on the Internet. The assistant secretary of homeland security, David Heyman, told senators that the employees had been taken off duty until a full investigation is completed.
Private Contractor Posted Secret TSA Screening Manual Online 09 Dec 2009 ...Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that her department is conducting a review to determine how the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) air passenger screening manual ended up online. Napolitano also confirmed that a private contractor had posted the manual online. The most sensitive parts of the Standard Operating Procedures manual were redacted in a way that computer-savvy individuals easily overcame, revealing sample CIA, Congressional and law enforcement credentials, and that only 20 percent of checked bags at airports are to be hand searched for explosives.
Indiana City Threatens $2500 Fines for Challenging Traffic Tickets --Lawyer sues traffic and parking courts in Indianapolis, Indiana over threatened $2500 penalty for contesting a ticket in court. 09 Dec 2009 Motorists who receive minor parking or traffic tickets in Indianapolis, Indiana are being threatened with fines of up to $2500 if they attempt to take the ticket to court. A local attorney with the firm Roberts and Bishop was so outraged by what he saw in Marion County traffic court that he filed a class action suit yesterday seeking to have the practice banned as unconstitutional.
Batch of H1N1 Vaccine Pulled Due to Severe Allergic Reactions 10 Dec 2009 Health officials across Canada are being asked to hold back a batch of [deadly] swine flu vaccine that appears to be causing higher rates of severe allergic reactions. The vaccine's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, is asking governments to stop using vaccine doses from one particular lot shipment issued in late October.
House Votes to Tighten Regulation of Wall Street 12 Dec 2009 The House on Friday approved a Democratic plan to significantly tighten federal regulation of Wall Street and the financial sector, advancing a far-reaching Congressional response to the financial crisis still reverberating through the economy. After three days of floor debate, the House voted 223 to 202 to approve the measure. It creates a new agency to oversee consumer lending, establishes new rules for transactions that contributed to the meltdown, and seeks to reduce the threat that one or two huge companies on the verge of collapse could bring down the economy.
Treasury Pay Czar Limits Pay At Automakers, Banks --Other Payouts Delayed 11 Dec 2009 The Obama administration's pay czar is limiting the cash compensation for executives at companies that received the largest taxpayer bailouts to $500,000. The 25th through the 100th top earners at Citigroup, GMAC, American International Group and General Motors also must take more than half their compensation in stock, and at least half must be delayed for three or more years, said Kenneth Feinberg, the Treasury Department's Special Master for Executive Compensation.
Americans Want Government to Spend for Jobs, Send Bill to Rich 10 Dec 2009 Americans want their government to create jobs through spending on public works, investments in alternative energy or skills training for the jobless. They also want the deficit to come down. And most are ready to hand the bill to the wealthy. A Bloomberg National Poll conducted Dec. 3-7 shows two-thirds of Americans favor taxing the rich to reduce the deficit.
Max Baucus gave girlfriend $14K raise 11 Dec 2009 Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, gave a nearly $14,000 pay raise to a female staffer in 2008, at the time he was becoming romantically involved with her, and later that year took her on a taxpayer-funded trip to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, though foreign policy was not her specialty.
Impeachment drama over, Jenny Sanford files for divorce 11 Dec 2009 First Lady Jenny Sanford issued a statement this morning saying she is filing for divorce from Gov. Mark Sanford. In a two-page filing made this morning in Charleston County family court, Jenny Sanford asked for a divorce on grounds of adultery. The news comes the same week as Gov. Sanford (R) was censured but spared impeachment by a House subcommittee investigating allegations that Sanford misused campaign money, and state planes and other assets.
Text of divorce statements from SC first lady, gov 11 Dec 2009 Here is the text of a statement released Friday by South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford on filing for divorce from Gov. Mark Sanford months after he publicly confessed an affair with an Argentine woman.
Copenhagen climate summit in disarray after 'Danish text' leak --Developing countries react furiously to leaked draft agreement that would hand more power to rich nations, sideline the UN's negotiating role and abandon the Kyoto protocol 08 Dec 2009 The UN Copenhagen climate talks are in disarray today after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents that show world leaders will next week be asked to sign an agreement that hands more power to rich countries and sidelines the UN's role in all future climate change negotiations. The document is also being interpreted by developing countries as setting unequal limits on per capita carbon emissions for developed and developing countries in 2050; meaning that people in rich countries would be permitted to emit nearly twice as much under the proposals.
Ocean acidification rates pose disaster for marine life, major study shows --Report launched from leading marine scientists at Copenhagen summit shows seas absorbing dangerous levels of CO2 10 Dec 2009 The world's oceans are becoming acidic at a faster rate than at any time in the last 55m years, threatening disaster for marine life and food supplies across the globe, delegates at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen have been warned. A report by more than 100 of Europe's leading marine scientists, released at the climate talks this morning, states that the seas are absorbing dangerous levels of carbon dioxide as a direct result of human activity.
Mercury in Arctic food affects polar bears 09 Dec 2009 U.S. and New Zealand-led researchers say environmental threats such as mercury pollution, as well as global warming, are threatening polar bears' existence. New research led by biogeochemists Joel Blum of the University of Michigan and Travis Horton of the University of Canterbury, located in Christchurch, New Zealand, focused on assessing the effects of mercury deposition and climate change on polar bears.
Polar Bears Can't Wait -- Take Action Now --Two-thirds of all polar bears -- including all bears in Alaska -- will be extinct by 2050 if current trends continue. (Center for Biological Diversity) 11 Dec 2009 In response to extensive political and legal pressure from the Center for Biological Diversity, the Obama administration has finally proposed designating more than 200,000 square miles of Arctic coastline and sea ice as critical habitat for the polar bear. But despite the proposal, earlier this month the Interior Department gave the go-ahead for Shell Oil to begin drilling three exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea, a move that opens the door for offshore oil and gas production in the Arctic. The administration is seeking comments on its proposed critical habitat now. Please tell the Obama administration that the proposed critical habitat is essential to the survival of polar bears and must be protected. [Polar bears are getting hammered -- global warming, pea-brained sociopaths who want to shoot them (Sarah Palin, etc.) mercury and pesticides n their food, and noise pollution. Save the polar bear .]
*****
John Prescott expresses doubt over British support for Iraq invasion --We all know George Bush is crap, former deputy prime minister tells New Statesman 09 Dec 2009 John Prescott has become the latest senior Labour politician to voice open doubts about his own support for Tony Blair's decision in 2003 to place British military forces behind the American-led invasion of Iraq. In a wide-ranging interview with the New Statesman magazine the former deputy prime minister asks himself: " I do wonder, looking back now, having the privilege of discussing with Tony about all this, how did I go along [with it]?" Listening to some of Blair's video-conferences with George Bush was, he admits, a hair-raising experience. "Bush is crap, you know it, I know it, the party knows it," he tells the magazine.
127 dead as bombers aim for heart of government --Five devices including three suicide bombs bring carnage to Baghdad ministries on the day national 'elections' are announced 09 Dec 2009 Car bombers yesterday killed as many as 127 people in Baghdad in a series of attacks that left the city's streets strewn with the wreckage of burning vehicles and the charred bodies of the dead. The five bombs, including three that were detonated by suicide bombers, exploded in succession across the Iraqi capital over the course of an hour yesterday morning, targeting a mosque, a market, a government ministry, an educational college and a court. Some 425 people were wounded.
Iraq to auction vast oilfields despite bombs 08 Dec 2009 The threat of bombs and violence will compete with the lure of some of the world's most promising oilfields when oil majors fly into Baghdad this week to bid in Iraq's second auction of contracts since the U.S. invasion. The risks, nearly seven years after U.S. forces toppled Saddam Hussein, were on display on Tuesday when a series of car bombs killed 112 people in the capital, rattling the windows of the Oil Ministry where the Dec. 11-12 auction will be held.
Baghdad's security chief sacked over bombings 09 Dec 2009 Baghdad's security chief has been sacked over a series of massive bombings in the city which killed over 120 people. Prime Minister "Nouri al-Maliki, as the commander in chief of the armed forces, ordered the removal of Lieutenant General Abboud Qanbar from his post" on Wednesday, a statement by the Premier's Office said.
US to punish anti-American TV in ME 09 Dec 2009 The US House of Representatives has adopted a bill asking the country's president to report agitation resulting to anti-American violence on media outlets. The measure was passed in a decisive 395-3 vote on Tuesday. US Lawmakers claim some Middle Eastern television networks repeatedly publish or broadcast violence against the United States and Americans. The bill reads that such incitement poses danger to American soldiers and civilians in the region and at home, adding that they must be stopped. It also calls for punitive measures for networks deemed to be fueling terror. [Too bad there's no 'punitive measures' for those (i.e., Blackwater) actually *carrying out* the terrror.]
Iran pinpoints five sites for new nuclear plants 09 Dec 2009 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that Iran has finalized sites for five of the 10 new nuclear enrichment plants it seeks to build to expand its nuclear program. The president, quoted by the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), said on Wednesday that five other sites are being studied for the remaining plants.
Petraeus: Wait until December 2010 to gauge U.S. success in Afghanistan 09 Dec 2009 Coalition forces can attain "success" [keeping opium and gas pipelines flowing, overfunding Blackwater and KBR] in Afghanistan, but U.S. officials should wait until December 2010 before they can measure the progress of the troop surge, a top U.S. commander told a Senate committee Wednesday. Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, predicted the surge will be met by an increase in violence in spring 2010 and a rise in "security incidents" in the summer.
Cheney: KSM Trial in NYC Will Make Him 'a Hero in Certain Circles' 08 Dec 2009 The outspoken former vice president [sic] predicts in an interview with Fox News�s Sean Hannity that trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City will make the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks "as important or more important than Osama bin Laden." "He�ll be able to go in whenever he�s up on the stand and proselytize, if you will, millions of people out there around the world including some of his radical Muslim friends and generate a whole new generation of terrorists," Cheney tells Hannity, according to highlights of the interview released by Fox News.
Accused 9/11 plotters may face NY "Guantanamo" 09 Dec 2009 If the men accused of plotting the September 11 attacks wonder what conditions they might face when they are moved to New York from Guantanamo Bay for trial, they can expect solitary confinement, 23-hour-a-day lockdowns, constant video surveillance and almost no visitors. U.S. That has been the experience in New York of one American student, Syed Fahad Hashmi, accused of minor acts of aiding al Qaeda. Those conditions have drawn criticism from human rights advocates who protest outside the Manhattan jail where Hashmi has spent 2-1/2 years in solitary confinement awaiting trial.
Five U.S. men arrested in Pakistan, says embassy 09 Dec 2009 Five American men were arrested in Pakistan this week and are being investigated for alleged links to extremist groups, the Pakistani embassy in Washington said on Wednesday. The five men, students in their 20s from northern Virginia, were picked up from Sargodha in Punjab province in Pakistan on Tuesday, said embassy spokesman Imran Gardezi. He did not give further details on the circumstances of their arrest, their names or where they were being held. "The reasons for their visit to Pakistan are being investigated," said Gardezi. "They are being investigated for alleged links to extremist groups."
Five missing Americans probed for terror links 09 Dec 2009 Five young Americans captured in Pakistan are under investigation for possible links to terrorism after their families found a disturbing farewell video the missing men left behind showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended. Frantic relatives and worried FBI agents have been searching for the five men for more than a week, since their disappearance in late November.
F.B.I. Sets New Review of Shootings at Ft. Hood --F.B.I. reviewer would coordinate his work with DoD investigation and criminal prosecution in the case 09 Dec 2009 The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday named a former director, William H. Webster, to conduct an independent review of the bureau�s handling of information about the Army major charged with murder in the Fort Hood shootings. The F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III, has asked Mr. Webster to examine how the bureau dealt with information about Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan before the Nov. 5 shootings in which he is accused of killing 13 people.
U.S. to investigate leak of airport security manual 09 Dec 2009 Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has sought disciplinary action against people responsible for posting online a manual of security measures at U.S. airports, and has called for a probe into the leak. U.S. The 93-page Transportation Security Administration document was posted on a federal procurement website last spring and included procedures and technical details for screening operations, metal detectors and explosives detection systems at U.S. airports.
TSA officials put on leave over airport security breach 09 Dec 2009 US transport officials have been placed on administrative leave after details of security procedures at US airports were mistakenly posted online. Assistant Homeland Security secretary David Heyman said a full investigation of the incident was under way. The existence of the document, which detailed security screening procedures, was revealed on Sunday by a blog.
Big Pharma inside the WHO: confidential analysis of unreleased WHO Expert Working Group draft reports 09 Dec 2009 This is a confidential pharmaceutical industry trade association dossier about the WHO Expert Working Group (EWG) on R&D Financing. The compilation of documents shows the influence of "Big Pharma" on the policy making decisions of the WHO, the UN body safeguarding public health. These confidential documents were obtained by the drug industry before their public release to WHO member states (scheduled to be released May 2010).
Family: Clarksville woman sick after H1N1 vaccine 09 Dec 2009 (TN) A Clarksville woman is recovering at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Stallworth Rehabilitation Center from Guillain-Barre syndrome, an illness she says is connected to taking the H1N1 vaccination. A suspected connection between the H1N1 vaccine and GBS was evaluated by the Institute of Medicine in 2003. The institute reviewed the 1976 national campaign to administer the H1N1 vaccine, also known as swine flu vaccine.
U.S. interest in seasonal flu shots may be waning --Only a third of U.S. adults have had shot - survey 09 Dec 2009 Americans are getting [deadly] seasonal flu shots at about the same rate as last year despite heightened awareness of the risks of influenza inspired by the swine flu pandemic, a survey released on Wednesday showed. As of the middle of November, about 32 percent of all U.S. adults and 37 percent of adults who are recommended to get a flu shot against seasonal flu had gotten one.
Roche's Tamiflu Not Proven to Cut Flu Complications, Study Says 09 Dec 2009 Roche Holding AG�s antiviral drug Tamiflu may not prevent complications from influenza in healthy adults, according to a review by an independent research group that reversed its previous findings that the medicine warded off pneumonia and other deadly conditions linked to the disease... The report raises questions about how drugs are reviewed, approved and distributed, Fiona Godlee, the British journal�s editor in chief, wrote in an editorial. The studies originally used to establish the benefits of Tamiflu were written by Roche employees and paid consultants, under-reported serious side effects and failed to clearly identify all the authors, she wrote.
House Panel to Subpoena White House Gate-Crashers 09 Dec 2009 Congress decided to subpoena the White House gate-crashers to testify about how they got into a state dinner without an invitation. Lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee voted Wednesday to authorize issuance of subpoenas to compel the attention-hungry couple to answer questions about the Nov. 24 incident. Tareq and Michaele Salahi have said they will invoke their Fifth Amendment rights to refuse to answer questions.
Geithner Extends $700 Billion TARP Bailout Program Until October 2010 Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress that the Obama administration is extending the $700 billion financial[Wall Street]-rescue program until next October, saying the U.S. must hold on to the money in case of new financial shocks. In a letter to congressional leaders, Geithner said the administration doesn�t expect to deploy more than $550 billion of the funds.
Exodus of the bankers 09 Dec 2009 The president of Britain's second largest bank has issued a veiled threat that the country's elite financiers could join a mass exodus from the City of London if the Government pushes ahead with a bonus supertax today. The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, is widely expected to use his pre-Budget report to introduce a one-off windfall tax on banking bonuses to help assuage public anger over six- and seven-figure pay-outs just months after the Government's multibillion-pound bailout of the banks. Bob Diamond, the president of Barclays and head of investment bank Barclays Capital, said businesses and individuals could desert the City if new taxes were imposed. [OMG! Good riddance, a**holes! Actually, people should issue a 'veiled threat' if they *stay!*]
More Easy Money for Wall Street By William Greider 08 Dec 2009 The sale pitch for financial-reform legislation pending in the House claims it would put an stop to "too big to fail" bailouts for the leading banks. The reality is the opposite. The federal government would instead be granted unlimited authority to spend whatever it takes to prop up the big boys when they get in trouble. Only in the next crisis, Congress won't have to be asked for the money. The financial rescues will be funded by the secretive Federal Reserve, not the Treasury, with money the Fed itself creates.
Gag me with a chainsaw! Obama still hopes for bipartisan support on jobs 09 Dec 2009 Despite Republican opposition on Capitol Hill, President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he's still hoping for bipartisan support for his efforts to use financial bailout money to help small businesses and bring down double-digit unemployment. "I am absolutely committed to working with anybody who is willing to do the job to make sure we rebuild our economy," Obama [the conciliating sycophant] said after emerging from a White House meeting with a group of Republican and Democratic congressional leaders.
Senate may drop public option --Private-sector alternative 09 Dec 2009 DemocRATic Senate negotiators struck a tentative agreement Tuesday night to drop the government-run insurance plan from their overhaul of the
health
insurance-care system, hoping to remove a last major roadblock preventing the bill from moving to a final vote in the chamber. Under the deal, the government plan preferred by liberals would be replaced with a program that would create several national insurance policies administered by private companies but negotiated by the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees health policies for federal workers.
Old-hen meat fed to pets and schoolkids 09 Dec 2009 "Spent-hen" meat is tough, stringy and far less appealing than the more tender meat of broiler chickens. But that didn't stop the government from using the National School Lunch Program as an outlet for egg producers struggling to find a market for 100 million egg-laying hens culled each year. From 2001 though the first half of 2009 [Thanks, Bush!], USA TODAY found, the government spent more than $145 million on spent-hen meat for schools -- a total of more than 77 million pounds served in chicken patties and salads.
Danish police raid Copenhagen climate campaigners' rooms --Police detain 200 activists at their Copenhagen accommodation and seize items they claim could be used for acts of civil disobedience 09 Dec 2009 Danish police last night raided a climate campaigners' accommodation centre in Copenhagen, detaining 200 activists and seizing items which they claimed could be used for acts of civil disobedience. About 200 police arrived at the shelter on Ragnhild Street, in the N�rrebro district of Copenhagen, at 2.30am. They locked activists into the building for two hours, and searched some of the nearby properties. Campaigners say they took away various items including a power drill, an angle grinder, and some wooden props.
Climate policy experts respond to outcry over Danish text 09 Dec 2009 Behind the raw passions that only a sketchy leaked document can unleash, what impact does this have on the negotiations, and the prospects for a deal? The chair of a conference is supposed to help countries explore areas of compromise, to help them strike a deal. Indications are that the Danish government has taken several shots at this - that the leaked document is one of several Danish proposals, albeit from the prime minister's office.
Copenhagen Summit: wealthy nations accused of 'carbon colonialism' 09 Dec 2009 Britain and its partners at the Copenhagen climate summit were accused of 21st century "carbon colonialism" today over a draft agreement that developing nations say would discriminate against them. The so-called "Danish text" was leaked yesterday and prompted an angry reaction from the G77 bloc of developing nations, which warned that its members would not sign an "inequitable" deal when the conference ends with a summit of world leaders next Friday.
Copenhagen: Leaked draft deal widens rift between rich and poor nations --Climate talks are in disarray barely days into the summit, putting at risk international unity to fight global warming 09 Dec 2009 Three hours after the " Danish text " had been leaked to the Guardian, Lumumba Di-Aping, the Sudanese chairman of the group of 132 developing countries known as G77 plus China, spelt out exactly why the poor countries he represents were so incensed. "The text robs developing countries of their just and equitable and fair share of the atmospheric space. It tries to treat rich and poor countries as equal," said the diplomat. The text is a draft proposal for the final political agreement that should be signed by national leaders including Barack Obama and Gordon Brown at the end of the Copenhagen summit on 18 December. It was prepared in secret by a group of individuals known as "the circle of commitment" but understood to include the US and Denmark.
Copenhagen climate change conference: world 'has 10 years to reverse trends' 09 Dec 2009 The world has just ten years to bring greenhouse gas emissions under control before the damage they cause become irreversible, the Met Office has warned. Should nations fail to tackle the issue, giant mirrors in space, artificial trees and other so called "geo-engineering solutions" will be the only way to prevent disastrous overheating of the planet, the researchers warned. More than 190 countries are gathered in Copenhagen for UN climate change talks aimed at keeping global temperature rise below 3.6F (2C).
Transcript: NBC's Mitchell interviews Al Gore --Gore talks climate change, jobs in an interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell 09 Dec 2009 GORE: Well, the scientific community has worked very intensively for 20 years within this international process, and they now say the evidence is unequivocal. A hundred and fifty years ago this year was the discovery that CO-2 traps heat. That is a -- a principle in physics. It's not a question of debate. It's like gravity; it exists.
*****
Was Iraqi cabbie the source of the dodgy dossier? MP's report claims 'intelligence' on Saddam's WMDs came from back of a taxi 09 Dec 2009 The Iraq inquiry will probe in secret claims that an Iraqi taxi driver who peddled false gossip was one of Britain's top spies before the war. Inquiry chairman Sir John Chilcot said the Daily Mail's revelation yesterday that the cabbie may have been the source of claims that Saddam Hussein could fire chemical weapons at British targets in 45 minutes was 'relevant to' his work. But he refused to quiz Sir John Scarlett about the claims, made in a report by Tory MP Adam Holloway, on grounds of national security. Instead the Chilcot Inquiry will hold further hearings on the issue in private in the new year. Senior intelligence officials have told the MP that the cabbie falsely claimed Saddam Hussein had acquired long-range missiles after listening to Iraqi commanders chatting in his taxi two years before the invasion. The driver, who worked near Iraq's border with Jordan, was allegedly the 'sub-source' of a senior Iraqi military officer who told MI6 that Saddam had battlefield chemical weapons ready to deploy at 45 minutes' notice.
UK believed Iraq weapons were dismantled 08 Dec 2009 British intelligence believed Iraq had dismantled its chemical and biological weapons in the run-up to the 2003 invasion but said it was possible they could be reassembled. John Scarlett, who headed Britain's Joint Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday that a report issued March 7, 2003 said "Iraq had no missiles which could reach Israel and none which could carry germ or biological weapons."
$10 million is smuggled out of Afghanistan daily, official says --The culprits are drug cartels and corrupt officials and businesses, Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal says. U.S. and Afghan officials believe much of the cash is going to the Taliban. 07 Dec 2009 An estimated $10 million a day is smuggled out of Afghanistan, most of it through Kabul's international airport, rather than through secret routes over the mountains or across the desert, the country's finance minister said Sunday. The amount of corruption, both by public officials and officials of private companies, makes him embarrassed to acknowledge while traveling that he is an Afghan, Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal said. Much of the hot cash ends up funding the Taliban insurgency, U.S. and Afghan officials said.
US drone strike kills three in N Waziristan 08 Dec 2009 Missiles fired from a US drone have killed three people and left three others wounded in a village in the lawless tribal district in Pakistan's northwest. Security and intelligence officials said the early morning attack hit Aspalga village, some 12 kilometers (seven miles) southeast of Miranshah in North Waziristan tribal district.
US raid kills 12 civilians in east Afghanistan 08 Dec 2009 More than a dozen people have been killed in a nighttime raid by US forces on a civilian house in Afghanistan's eastern province of Laghman, witnesses say. The attack took place on Monday night when US soldiers stormed a house at Armal locality in the provincial capital Mehtar Lam, witnesses told Press TV correspondent.
Blackwater is a busy little bee! 118 killed, 197 injured in Baghdad blasts 08 Dec 2009 At least 118 people have been killed and 197 others sustained injuries as multiple bomb-rigged cars exploded in quick succession ripped through Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Three bomb-rigged cars exploded in quick succession on Tuesday, striking the Labor Ministry, a court complex and the new site of Iraq's Finance Ministry whose previous building was destroyed in an August blast.
Parliament 'misled over rendition of militants captured in Iraq' 07 Dec 2009 The government has been accused of misleading parliament over the rendition of two alleged [Pakistani] militants captured in Iraq and then turned over to the Americans to be secretly sent to Bagram in Afghanistan. One of the men has allegedly gone mad and is being treated for mental problems, according to the legal charity, Reprieve. The Ministry of Defence has refused to identify the two men, saying to do so would be a breach the Data Protection Act.
Court rebuffs Guantanamo prisoner review 07 Dec 2009 The U.S. Supreme Court Monday refused to take charge of the case of a Guantanamo prisoner still held after apparently being cleared for release. Without comment, the justices refused a request by Abdul Hamid al-Ghizzawi that they issue an original habeas writ -- take original jurisdiction -- in his case and force a federal judge to rule on his ongoing confinement, despite his apparent status, SCOTUSBLOG.com reported. Al-Ghizzawi is a prisoner at the detention facility at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Law School Study Finds Evidence of Cover-Up After Three Alleged Suicides At Guantanamo In 2006 By Scott Horton 07 Dec 2009 On the night of June 9-10 in 2006, three prisoners held at the Guant�namo prison's Camp Delta died under mysterious circumstances. Military authorities responded by quickly ordering media representatives off the island and blocking lawyers from meeting with their clients. The first official military statements declared the deaths not just suicides -- but actually went so far as to describe them as acts of "asymmetrical warfare" against the United States. Now a 58-page study prepared by law faculty and students at Seton Hall University in New Jersey starkly challenges the Pentagon's claims. It notes serious and unresolved contradictions within a Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) report -- which was publicly released only in fragmentary form, two years after the fact -- and declares the military's internal investigation an obvious cover-up. [Too bad NCIS agents Gibbs and DiNozzo weren't assigned to the case: They'd have produced a more realistic report. --LRP]
Two US Navy petty officers face abuse charges 08 Dec 2009 Two US Navy SEALs accused of mistreating a suspect in the March 2004 killing of Blackwater contractors have appeared before a military court. Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas appeared before a military court in Norfolk, Virginia on Tuesday... The men allegedly attacked Ahmed Hashim Abed, who was accused of planning the ambush in which four Blackwater contractors were killed in Fallujah, Iraq in March 2004.
Israel razed 14 homes in Jerusalem Al-Quds in Nov. 08 Dec 2009 Israel demolished 14 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem Al-Quds last month as part of Tel Aviv's Judaization campaign targeting the holy city. According to the Land Research Center, the Jerusalem Al-Quds Municipality demolished 14 Palestinian homes in the city in November.
Chavez prepares Venezuela for 'US-provoked war' 08 Dec 2009 President Hugo Chavez says Venezuela must be ready to defend itself against what he called the US and Colombia's gearing up for initiating a military conflict. Chavez who accused Washington and Bogota of planning to stage war against his country announced that thousands of Russian missiles and rocket launchers were being received by Venezuela as the country is preparing for a possible military conflict. "They are preparing a war against us," Chavez was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. "Preparing is one of the best ways to neutralize it."
Army mentoring deals bypass ethics law 08 Dec 2009 The Army used a loophole in federal ethics law to award lucrative contracts to two recently retired generals, departing from its standard practice for hiring senior advisers, according to public records and interviews. During the past two years, the Army wanted to bring back two former generals, John Vines and Dan McNeill, to advise commanders as part of its "senior mentor" program. But the service's program is run by a defense contractor, Northrop Grumman, and federal ethics law prohibits newly retired senior employees from representing a company before their former agency for one year.
Feds say they will use unmanned Predator aircraft drones to hunt ocean smugglers 07 Dec 2009 U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Monday took delivery of its first Predator aircraft drone to scan U.S. waters for smugglers. The Predator B is expected to begin testing in early 2010 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida and be used in the Caribbean to combat drug trafficking. The plane has an enhanced radar system compared to the Predator B that has been used to 'combat' drug smuggling and movement of illegal immigrants on land borders for four years.
Massive TSA Security Breach As Agency Gives Away Its Secrets --Online Posting Reveals a "How To" for Terrorists to Get Through Airport Security 08 Dec 2009 In a massive security breach, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) inadvertently posted online its airport screening procedures manual, including some of the most closely guarded secrets regarding special rules for diplomats and CIA and law enforcement officers. The most sensitive parts of the 93-page Standard Operating Procedures manual were apparently redacted in a way that computer savvy individuals easily overcame. The document shows sample CIA , Congressional and law enforcement credentials which experts say would make it easy for terrorists to duplicate.
Yahoo Issues Takedown Notice for Spying Price List By Kim Zetter 04 Dec 2009 Shortly after Threat Level reported this week that Yahoo had blocked the FOIA release of its law enforcement and intelligence price list, someone provided a copy of the company�s spying guide to the whistleblower site Cryptome. The 17-page guide describes Yahoo�s data retention policies and the surveillance capabilities it can provide law enforcement, with a pricing list for these services. ...[I]t appears to be Yahoo�s lawyers alone who have issued a DMCA takedown notice to Cryptome demanding the document be removed.
Man Chucks Tomatoes at Sarah Palin at MOA --The man misses and hits an officer instead [!] 07 Dec 2009 A man was arrested for throwing tomatoes at Sarah Palin during her book signing on Monday at the Mall of America. Jeremy Olson, 33, allegedly threw two tomatoes from the second balcony, however did not come close to hitting Palin.
Democrats Reach Deal to Drop Public Option --Alternatives to Public Option Discussed 08 Dec 2009 After days of secret talks, Senate DemocRATs tentatively agreed Tuesday night to drop a government-run insurance option from
sweeping health care legislation
a corporaterrorist giveaway, several officials said, a concession to party moderates whose votes are critical to passage of President Barack Obama's top domestic priority. Majority Leader Harry Reid refused to provide any details at a mid-evening news conference where he told reporters a "broad agreement" had been reached between liberals and moderates on the controversial issue.
Senate Rejects Tougher Abortion Restrictions 08 Dec 2009 The Senate on Tuesday rejected an effort by abortion opponents to tighten restrictions in the
health care overhaul bill
corporaterrorist giveaway on taxpayer dollars for the procedure, but it was unlikely to be the last word on the divisive issue. By a vote of 54-45, the Senate sidetracked an amendment by Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah that would ban any insurance plan getting taxpayer dollars from offering abortion coverage. The restrictions mirrored provisions in the House-passed health care bill.
Flu pandemic could be mildest on record 08 Dec 2009 With the second wave of H1N1 infections having crested in the United States, leading epidemiologists are predicting that the pandemic could end up ranking as the mildest since modern medicine began documenting influenza outbreaks. Experts warn that the flu is notoriously unpredictable, but several recent analyses, including one released late Monday, indicate that the death toll is likely to be far lower than the number of fatalities caused by past pandemics.
Corporate employers got scarce flu vaccine 07 Dec 2009 When the swine flu vaccine was most scarce, health officials gave thousands of doses to corporate clinics at Walt Disney World, Toyota, defense contractors, oil companies and cruise lines, according to a USA TODAY review of vaccine distribution data from three states. USA TODAY examined how state health departments distributed H1N1 vaccine after public outcry last month over Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs receiving doses while doctors and hospitals encountered shortages. The data show other companies got the vaccine in October and early November. [On the upside, maybe the defense contractors and Goldman Suchs executives received Baxter's batch.]
Millions in U.S. Drinking Dirty Water, Records Show 08 Dec 2009 More than 20 percent of the nation�s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data. That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents. But since 2004 [under Bush], the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage.
Offshore oil drilling gets go-ahead in Alaska's Arctic 07 Dec 2009 The Interior Department today gave the go-ahead for Shell Oil to begin drilling three exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea, a move that opens the door for production in a new region of the Arctic. The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service signed off on a plan that allows Shell to drill up to three exploration wells during the July-to-October open-water drilling season. The Bush regime's five-year plan for oil and gas exploration off the U.S. coast is under review by the Obama administration. [There's as much chance of Obomba overturning Bush regime policy as a cat with a long tail in a room filled with rockers.]
Hudson Bay jail upgraded for wayward polar bears 07 Dec 2009 Manitoba is spending more money to upgrade a polar bear jail in Churchill. Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie says the province is spending $105,000 to improve the jail�s walls and main entrance. The compound is used to house wayward polar bears that get too close to the town or return to the community after being scared away.
*****
U.S. leaves millions' worth of gear in Iraq --Pentagon eases rules 07 Dec 2009 Even as the U.S. military scrambles to support a troop surge in Afghanistan, it is donating passenger vehicles, generators and other equipment worth tens of millions of dollars to the Iraqi government. Under new authority granted by the Pentagon, U.S. commanders in Iraq may now donate to the Iraqis up to $30 million worth of equipment from each facility they leave , up from the $2 million cap established when the guidelines were first set in 2005. The new cap applies at scores of posts that the U.S. military is expected to leave in coming months as it scales back its presence from about 280 facilities to six large bases and a few small ones by the end of next summer.
'We're going to be in the region for a long time.' No Firm Plans for a U.S. Exit in Afghanistan 07 Dec 2009 The Obama administration sent a forceful public message Sunday that American military forces could remain in Afghanistan for a long time... In television interviews, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other top administration officials said that any troop pullout beginning in July 2011 would be slow and that the Americans would only then be starting to transfer security responsibilities to Afghan forces under Mr. Obama�s new plan. "We have strategic interests [opium and gas pipelines] in South Asia that should not be measured in terms of finite times," said Gen. James L. Jones, the president�s national security adviser, speaking on CNN�s "State of the Union." "We�re going to be in the region for a long time."
Pentagon urges 16,000 troops to start surge 07 Dec 2009 The Pentagon says about 16,000 U.S. troops will go into Afghanistan in the first wave of the new surge approved by President Barack Obama. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman announced Monday that about 1,500 Marines from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina will leave for Afghanistan later this month. Military sources have said the first troops are expected to arrive by Christmas.
'Taliban' bombs fan Pakistan distrust of US --The US embassy issued statements denying reports of a Blackwater presence. 06 Dec 2009 Clawing at debris after a massive bomb pulverised a busy market in Pakistan's northwest capital Peshawar on October 28, Umar Hayat could find no trace of his eldest son, 11-year-old Mohsin. "Soon after burying my brother, I came back to the bomb site. I found my son's body at midnight. The next day, in the afternoon, we found my nephew's body," Hayat told AFP. But rather than feeling disgust at Taliban fighters blamed for an attack that killed 125 people, Hayat holds the United States responsible, reflecting a deep-seated distrust felt throughout Pakistan. "I appeal to America, please leave us be. Please stop this game, this war on terror. Osama (bin Laden) is just a smokescreen to attack Muslims," Hayat said. "Stop it. How many more lives will you take in revenge for the World Trade Centre? Do you want to destroy the whole of Pakistan?" ..."What did my father do? Why did somebody do this to us?" said Rashid Javed, who lost his father and two cousins on October 28. "I think America, Israel and India are involved. The Taliban can't do this -- they used to target only police and army men." [See: The Obusha AfPak Money Pit .]
Pakistan huge blast rocks Peshawar 07 Dec 2009 At least five people have been killed and 49 others wounded in a blast outside a court building in Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar. The explosion occurred Monday following recent attacks in Peshawar that lies on the edge of Pakistan's tribal belt. Senior police official Mohammad Karim Khan confirmed the casualties to AFP. The cause of the blast [Blackwater?] was yet to be determined, Khan added. Earlier on Saturday, an explosion in Peshawar left four people dead.
US National Security Adviser: 'Clock is Ticking' on Iran --The U.S. national security adviser says Washington is still open to nuclear negotiations with Iran, but the picture is not a "good one." 06 Dec 2009 The U.S. national security adviser says Washington is still open to nuclear negotiations with Iran, but the picture is not a "good one." Jim Jones said Sunday the "clock is ticking" toward the end of the year, when President Barack Obama plans to review U.S. diplomatic efforts with Iran. Senior U.S. officials have proposed pursuing new sanctions at the U.N. Security Council if Iran does not cooperate with the international community on its nuclear program. [Why is it the US (and Israel) can impose 'ticking clocks' on other countries (usually those with lots of oil)? Maybe another nation will declare a 'ticking clock' on the US.]
US sounds fresh warning to Iran again 07 Dec 2009 While the Western powers have been pressuring Iran to accept a US-backed proposal over Iran's nuclear fuel supply, the White House says it is still open to nuclear negotiations with Tehran but the time is running out. US National Security Advisor Jim Jones said on Sunday that the White House is "still open to nuclear talks" with Tehran, but "the clock is ticking" towards the end of the year.
Senior officer urged Blair to delay Iraq invasion 07 Dec 2009 A senior British officer today described how he urged Tony Blair to delay the invasion of Iraq two days before the start of the conflict because preparations for dealing with the aftermath were not in place. Major General Tim Cross - who was attached to the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (Orha) set up by the US to manage the aftermath - told the official inquiry into the conflict that the preparations were "woefully thin".
It's OK to waterboard, but: MoD 'did not want to breach privacy of detainee' 07 Dec 2009 The Government misled MPs over Britain's role in the rendition of two men arrested by the UK and then imprisoned by the Americans for five years in Afghanistan, it is claimed today. Ministers are also accused of conspiring in the men�s unlawful imprisonment by refusing to disclose their identities and providing false information about the allegations against them. The Ministry of Defence wrote to the law charity Reprieve, saying that the two terror suspects captured by British forces in Iraq in 2004 could not be identified because it would be a breach of their rights under the Data Protection Act. [!?!] But a six-month investigation by Reprieve has identified one of the men, a Pakistani, and found evidence of his unlawful detention and possible torture.
Gordon Brown snubbed by soldiers' 'curtain' protest 06 Dec 2009 Gordon Brown was snubbed by badly injured Afghan veterans when they closed curtains round their beds during a hospital visit and refused to speak to him. More than half the soldiers being treated at the Selly Oak hospital ward in Birmingham either asked for the curtains to be closed or deliberately avoided the prime minister, according to several of those present.
8 journalists in Arroyo ally massacre buried 04 Dec 2009 A funeral procession for eight journalists among 57 people massacred in the Philippines' worst political violence was showered with flowers Friday, as security forces confiscated an entire armory from a powerful clan suspected in the carnage. Thirty journalists and their staff -- the highest number of reporters slain in a single attack anywhere in the world -- were killed in an ambush Nov. 23 together with the family and supporters of a candidate contesting the Ampatuan clan's iron-fisted control of impoverished Maguindanao province. The Ampatuan clan, notorious for running a large private army, has been allied with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who
received crucial votes from the region during
stole the 2004 elections.
Dr David Kelly: doctors start legal action for new inquest --Six senior doctors have begun legal action to force a new inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly, the scientist who died days after being exposed as the source of a controversial BBC story on the Iraq war. 05 Dec 2009 The action is being taken because six doctors are convinced that the original verdict of suicide is unsafe and should be overturned. Some suspect that Dr Kelly was murdered shortly after it was revealed that he was the source of a BBC story which alleged that evidence against Iraq had been "sexed up" by the Government in order to justify the 2003 invasion. The body of Dr Kelly, who was a UN weapons inspector, was found more than six years ago in woods near his Oxfordshire home after he went out for a walk.
Brussels gives CIA the power to search UK bank records 06 Dec 2009 The CIA is to be given broad access to the bank records of millions of Britons under a European Union plan to fight terrorism. The Brussels agreement, which will come into force in two months� time, requires the 27 EU member states to grant requests for banking information made by the United States under its terrorist finance tracking programme. In a little noticed information note released last week, the EU said it had agreed that Europeans would be compelled to release the information to the CIA "as a matter of urgency". Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said: "This looks like yet another example of lopsided post-9/11 compromise and of the ease with which temporary emergency measures are foisted on us permanently."
Chicago man charged over Mumbai terror attacks 08 Dec 2009 A Chicago man already accused of plotting to kill employees of a Danish newspaper was today charged with taking part in the planning of the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said. David Coleman Headley conducted extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years preceding the attack on India's largest city that killed about 170 people, the DoJ said in a statement. Mr Headley, 49, was charged with six counts of conspiracy to bomb public places in India, to murder and maim persons in India and Denmark, to provide material support to foreign terrorist plots, and to provide material support to Pakistani-based terror organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was also charged on six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India.
U.S. sees homegrown Muslim extremism as rising threat --This may have been the most dangerous year since 9/11, anti-terrorism experts say. 07 Dec 2009 The Obama administration, grappling with a spate of recent Islamic terrorism cases on U.S. soil, has concluded that the country confronts a rising threat from homegrown extremism. Anti-terrorism officials and experts see signs of accelerated radicalization among American Muslims, driven by
a wave of English-language online propaganda
Blackwater and reflected in aspiring fighters' trips to hot spots such as Pakistan and Somalia... "You are seeing the full spectrum of the threats you face in terrorism," former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said. "Radicalization is clearly happening in the U.S.," said Mitchell Silber, director of analysis for the Intelligence Division of the New York Police Department.
Subway airflow tests to prepare T for possible terror attacks 05 Dec 2009 A team of researchers convened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began a series of tests today at 20 MBTA stations to determine how airborne contaminants would spread in a terrorist attack on Boston's subway system. Boston is the second subway system in the country chosen for the testing by Homeland Security. Testing was already done on the subway in Washington DC.
The Secrets of 9/11 (truTV Network) Jesse Ventura, takes on America's most controversial Conspiracy Theory: The attacks of Sept 11th, 2001... Many believe airplanes alone could not cause the Twin Towers to tumble. Does the discovery of thermite residue in the debris point to explosives being used to bring down the buildings? Why wasn't that fact ever mentioned in the official report? The FBI claims the flight recorders from Ground Zero were never found, but one recovery worker tells Jesse a very different tale. Might those missing black boxes hold evidence that 9/11 was an inside job? Ventura is digging deep, talking to witnesses no one has heard from, storming Hangar 17 (where 9/11 evidence is stored) and asking the U.S. government questions few have dared to ask and almost no one is willing to investigate.
Secret Service counts 91 breaches --2003 report has been used as training tool 07 Dec 2009 Long before a pair of gate-crashers penetrated a White House state dinner, the Secret Service had detailed for its internal use a lengthy list of security breaches dating to the Carter administration -- including significant failures in the agency's protection of the president. A summary of a secret 2003 report obtained by The Washington Post, along with descriptions of more recent incidents by federal homeland security officials, [reveals individuals] identified by the Secret Service as defeating its checkpoints at least 91 times since 1980.
US High Court Questions Constitutionality of Accounting Board -- Sarbanes-Oxley was lawmakers' response to accounting scandals at Enron Corp. and Worldcom. 07 Dec 2009 Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared willing Monday to question the constitutionality of how the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley accounting law handles appointments to an independent overseer. Free-enterprise groups and a Nevada accounting firm sued to stop the Securities and Exchange Commission from naming members of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which was set up by Congress to oversee public company accountants.
At Scalia's urging, high court to take up corruption law --Law key to prosecution of Abramoff, Enron executives 07 Dec 2009 The Supreme Court this week will consider whether to apply the brakes to what [rightwing] critics have called a vague and limitless law that has proved essential to federal prosecutors going after corrupt politicians and greedy corporate executives. The court has taken the unusual step of accepting three cases that raise challenges to a federal anti-fraud provision that has been key to the prosecutions of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Illinois governor George Ryan (R) and executives involved in the collapse of Enron. The flexible standard has been part of the law for more than 20 years, but lately it has been subject to... criticism, not the least of which has come from Justice Antonin Scalia.
Goldman Sachs bankers on course for $19bn pay and bonuses --Remuneration after bumper year looks set to spark controversy 06 Dec 2009 Goldman Sachs will ignite a storm of controversy in the new year when it reveals that its bankers are on course to collect pay and bonuses worth $19bn (�11.4bn), despite 2009 being the worst year for the US economy in 30 years. The news comes as banks in Britain find themselves in the firing line after it emerged that 5,000 bankers stand to collect more than �1m each, sparking criticism from ministers who accused financiers of being out of touch as millions are thrown out of work amid recession. [See: Britain faces return to Victorian levels of poverty 30 Nov 2009.]
Ad Jabs at Lieberman Over 'Public Option' 07 Dec 2009 A liberal advocacy group is broadcasting a new television ad accusing Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of
Connecticut
Israel, of ignoring his constituents� needs by opposing the creation of a new government-run health insurance plan -- the so-called public option. Mr. Lieberman has voiced staunch opposition to the public option, which many Democrats support and is included in both the health care legislation passed last month by the House and the bill now being debated on the Senate floor.
Meeting on Climate Opens With Calls for Urgent Action 08 Dec 2009 A much-anticipated global meeting of nearly 200 nations -- all seeking what has so far been elusive common ground on the issue of climate change -- began here on Monday with an impassioned airing of what leaders here called the political and moral imperatives at hand. "The clock has ticked down to zero," said the United Nations� climate chief, Yvo de Boer. "After two years of negotiation, the time has come to deliver."
Climate e-mails were hijacked 'to sabotage summit' 07 Dec 2009 UN officials have likened the theft of e-mails from university climate researchers to the Watergate scandal, after claiming computer hackers were probably paid by people intent on undermining the Copenhagen summit. Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, a vice-chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said that the theft from the University of East Anglia�s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) was not the work of amateur climate sceptics, but was a sophisticated and well-funded attempt to destroy public confidence in the science of man-made climate change. He said the fact that the e-mails were first uploaded to a sceptic website from a computer in Russia was an indication that the culprit was paid.
Polar bear protection appeal rejected 05 Dec 2009 A federal appeals court has rejected a claim from environmental groups that regulations covering oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea lacked proper protection for polar bears and walrus. The regulations, issued in 2006, allow the federal Fish and Wildlife Service to issue annual permits that give exploration some elbow room regarding potential impact to bear and walrus habitat.
Polar Bears Poisoned by Pesticide Pollution: Lawsuit Filed Against EPA to Protect Arctic From Pesticide Contamination 03 Dec 2009 Today the Center for Biological Diversity filed suit in Seattle against the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to consider impacts to the polar bear and its Arctic habitat from toxic contamination caused by pesticide use in the United States. The EPA did not respond to the Center�s notification of intent to sue for these failures, sent in June of this year. Pesticides approved by EPA for use in the United States are known to be transported long-distance via various atmospheric, oceanic, and biotic pathways to the Arctic.
*****
Pakistan legal plea to search US embassy for Blackwater weapons, explosives --Interior secretary issued notice in Blackwater plea 05 Dec 2009 Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Khawaja Muhammad Sharif served notice on the Interior secretary for not replying to a petition against the alleged activities of Blackwater in the federal capital... The CJ also called a detailed report from the Foreign Ministry on a plea to order the search of the US Embassy to recover illegal weapons. The counsel also said that the Sihala Police Training Centre commandant had also complained that explosives were being heaped in the centre and he was not allowed to visit the sites. Seeking search of the US embassy, Barrister Zafarullah [the petitioner�s counsel] said the day Blackwater had stepped into Pakistan, terror acts and suicide attacks had been scaled up. The counsel also alleged that in the US embassy illegal arms and ammunition were being stored, which were being used for "sabotage acts" in the country.
At least 40 killed in Pakistan attack --Blasts erupt at mosque Latest in string of assaults in garrison city 05 Dec 2009 At least 40 people were killed and scores were injured Friday when a pair of 'suicide bombers' [Blackwater?] stormed a crowded mosque in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, joined by assailants who hurled grenades and sprayed gunfire among the worshipers. Police and soldiers sealed the area and launched a major search after the attack, but the remaining assailants were still at large as of early evening. At least 64 people were injured, officials said.
Several killed in Pakistan blast 05 Dec 2009 At least three people are reported to have been killed in an explosion in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. Officials initially said the blast, near a KFC restaurant, was caused by a bomb, but later reports suggested it was an accidental explosion. The explosion came a day after 35 people were killed in a militant attack on a mosque near the Pakistani army's headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Erik Prince, head of US security firm Blackwater, 'was CIA operative' 05 Dec 2009 In private, Erik Prince [as founder of the Blackwater security company] was a CIA operative, with his own file as a "vetted asset" at the agency�s headquarters, and a mission to build "a unilateral, unattributable capability" to hunt down and kill al-Qaeda militants for the US Government wherever they could be found... Mr Prince, aside from his work in Iraq, set up America�s closest forward operating base to the Pakistani border in Afghanistan, and helped to train a CIA assassination team that hunted an alleged senior al-Qaeda financier in Germany, and included A. Q. Khan, a Pakistani nuclear scientist, on its list of targets, according to Vanity Fair magazine.
Obama 'to expand drone strikes' in Pakistan --The unpopular strikes were initiated under the George W Bush administration in 2006. 04 Dec 2009 The administration of the Nobel peace laureate, President Barack Obama, has authorized an expansion of drone attacks on Pakistan's troubled tribal regions, a new report says. The New York Times report also says US and Pakistani officials are discussing the possibility of CIA operated drone strikes in Pakistan's Baluchistan province for the first time.
At least 7,000 fresh NATO troops to bolster war 04 Dec 2009 NATO allies will bolster the American troop surge in Afghanistan by sending at least 7,000 soldiers of their own, officials said Friday in pledges that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described as crucial to turning the tide in the stalemated war. The promised increase came as U.S. Marines and Afghan troops launched the first offensive since President Barack Obama announced a 30,000-troop American increase.
Neo-Cons Get Warm and Fuzzy Over "War President" By Eli Clifton 04 Dec 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama's plan for a 30,000-troop surge and a troop withdrawal timeline beginning in 18 months has caught criticism from both Democrat and Republican lawmakers. But a small group of hawkish foreign policy experts - who have lobbied the White House since August to escalate U.S. involvement in Afghanistan - are christening Obama the new "War President".
Iraq war inquiry sees fingers pointed at US 04 Dec 2009 The Iraq inquiry has produced another week of compelling evidence. We are beginning to understand how and why Iraq ended up in such a parlous state after the 2003 invasion. A number of witnesses have pointed a finger of blame at the United States for the chaos that ensued. Sir David Manning, Tony Blair's former foreign policy adviser, set the tone with a withering attack on the Americans for their post-war planning.
Ex-Iraq ambassador gets Bush post at A&M 04 Dec 2009 A career diplomat who most recently served as ambassador to Iraq was named Friday to lead the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University... As ambassador and now, Ryan Crocker [of sh*t] has argued that the U.S. must remain in place for the long haul. "I am reasonably positive about developments in Iraq, but this ... will require our engagement for years," he said.
Iran says it needs 20 uranium enrichment sites 04 Dec 2009 The Atomic Energy Organization (AEO) of Iran says the country needs 20 enrichment sites to fulfill its total electricity demand. "We are in need of 20 thousands megawatts that means 20 [times the amount the] Natanz [facility can produce]," Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali-Akbar Salehi said in an exclusive interview with Press TV on Friday.
'Viva Palestina' will head to Gaza 04 Dec 2009 An international aid convoy is scheduled to take humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip from London, marking the first year anniversary of Israel's three week war against Gazans. The Viva Palestina convoy of 250 vehicles will deliver medical, humanitarian and educational aid to Palestinians who are suffering a long-running Israeli blockade on their territory since Hamas took control of the region in June 2007.
Americans say US should mind own business: Poll 04 Dec 2009 A new poll suggests that nearly half of Americans think that Washington should "mind its own business internationally" and step out of other countries' affairs. The poll released on December 3, was conducted by the Pew Research Center for the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a policy group whose members have dominated US foreign policy since World War II. The finding marks the first time in four decades that such a large number of Americans oppose US foreign policies.
Doctors' bid to open David Kelly inquest 05 Dec 2009 Six doctors are to take legal action in a bid to reopen the inquest in to weapons inspector Dr David Kelly. The scientist, 59, was found dead in woods near his Oxfordshire home in July 2003, after being named as the source that claimed the Government had "sexed up" a dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. An inquiry by Lord Hutton concluded Dr Kelly, a Ministry of Defence advisor, had died from cuts to his wrist and an overdose of powerful painkillers. But a group of six doctors want the case re-examined, claiming there is insufficient evidence to prove he committed suicide.
Homeland Security to study dispersion of biological weapons in Boston subway [Let's hope the maggots don't go live, as they did on 9/11.] 04 Dec 2009 The U.S. Homeland Security Department has announced that it will release harmless gases and dye tracers into Boston's subway system next week to study the circulation of airborne contaminants through public transit networks in the event of a biological or chemical attack. The planned study, which will examine how both smoke and airborne toxins move throughout the transit system, is expected to assist experts in developing future chemical-agent monitoring while also providing guidance for future improvements in air-purification systems, evacuation plans and emergency-response protocols for transportation systems.
Police told: stop this abuse of terror law --Urgent warning issued to all English forces after Independent revelations of photographers suffering harassment 05 Dec 2009 Police forces across the country have been warned to stop using anti-terror laws to question and search innocent photographers after The Independent forced senior officers to admit that the controversial legislation is being widely misused. The strongly worded warning was circulated by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) last night. In an email sent to the chief constables of England and Wales's 43 police forces, officers were advised that Section 44 powers should not be used unnecessarily against photographers.
Revision of Va. Tech shooting report corrects timeline 04 Dec 2009 Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine is releasing a revised version of the investigative report on the mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007. The addendum released Friday corrects the timeline of events on the morning of April 16, when [Manchurian-style] shooter Seung Hui Cho began the rampage that resulted in the deaths of 32 students and teachers and the injuries of several others.
Revised Va. Tech Report Shows Response Gaps --The president's office, two academic buildings were also shut down 'well before' general alert 04 Dec 2009 Some Virginia Tech officials warned their own families and the president's office was locked down well before a campus-wide alert was issued in the 2007 slayings of 32 people, according to a revised state report that details new fumbles in the response to the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. At least two officials with a crisis response team called their family members after the first shootings at a dorm and about 90 minutes before the all-campus alert was issued at 9:26 a.m. The president's office was locked down at 8:52 a.m. and two academic buildings were also shut down before the general alert. The revisions... also added details about troubling behavior by Seung-Hui Cho and includes information from his mental-health records.
Warning over second child swine-flu jab --High fever, drowsiness and loss of appetite are side-effects, say regulators 05 Dec 2009 Children having their second dose of the swine flu jab may develop a high fever, European regulators have warned. Parents and doctors are being urged to keep watch on a child's temperature after research found they were more likely to suffer a fever above 38C (100F) after the second dose compared with after the first. Children were also more likely to suffer soreness at the site of injection as well as drowsiness, irritability and loss of appetite after the second dose. Experts at the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) said the "findings were unexpected, as they were not seen with the mock-up vaccine".
Schools to get masks, gloves to help prevent spread of flu --Millions of them, purchased with federal grants, will be distributed throughout California for use by ill students and the nurses who examine them. 04 Dec 2009 Millions of protective masks and gloves will be distributed to schools throughout California to prevent the spread of swine and seasonal flu, state and county officials announced Friday. Purchased with federal grants, the 23 million masks and gloves will be used by ill students as well as the nurses who examine them.
Aide: Baucus Named Girlfriend For Fed Post --Senator Was in Relationship With Woman He Nominated for U.S. Attorney Post; She Later Withdrew From Consideration 05 Dec 2009 Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus was romantically involved with a former staffer when he recommended her earlier this year to become the next U.S. attorney for Montana, a spokesman said. The Montana Democrat and his former state office director Melodee Hanes began their relationship in the summer of 2008 after Baucus separated from his wife, Ty Matsdorf told The Associated Press late Friday.
As Obama opens jobs summit, he faces limited options for growth --Many ideas that would greatly increase deficit are likely to be rejected 03 Dec 2009 Creating jobs is a political and economic imperative for President Obama, who is holding a high-profile jobs summit Thursday that aides hope will demonstrate his concern for the plight of everyday Americans. Obama has summoned 130 corporate executives, economists, small-business owners and union leaders to the White House to sound out ideas for accelerating job growth during the worst labor market in a generation.
US economy remains devastated despite improved jobs figures By Andre Damon 05 Dec 2009 The US economy lost fewer jobs in November than in any other month since the recession [Bush Depression] began, according to the latest jobs report from the Labor Department. But overall economic conditions continue to worsen for the majority of the population, with wages falling and no return to normal job conditions in sight... The last time the US economy added jobs was in December 2007. About 100,000 jobs need to be added per month to keep up with new entrants into the labor force.
Environmental group sues EPA on polar bear pesticides --Suit links pesticides to damaging bioaccumulation in Arctic 03 Dec 2009 An environmental group announced today that it is suing the Environmental Protection Agency for "failing to consider" the affect of pesticides on polar bears and their Arctic habitat. The Center for Biological Diversity filed the suit in Seattle on Thursday, Dec. 3. "The pesticide crisis is a silent killer that threatens not only polar bears but the entire Arctic ecosystem," said staff attorney Rebecca Noblin in a statement.
Melting polar bear ice sculptures to raise climate awareness 04 Dec 2009 A polar bear sculpted out of an 11-tonne block of ice will be unveiled in Copenhagen Saturday, then left to melt to raise awareness about global warming during the UN climate summit, organisers said. The life-size sculpture will feature a polar bear skeleton made of bronze inside the ice. "A pool of water and a polar bear's skeleton is going to be all that remains at Kongens Nytorv in the heart of the city -- a reminder of the challenges we face concerning our climate," the organisers said in a statement.
*****
Gates: 'No deadlines' on troop withdrawal --Afghanistan drawdown could take 2 to 3 years, defense secretary says 04 Dec 2009 The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, scheduled to begin in July 2011, will "probably" take two or three years, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday, although he added that "there are no deadlines in terms of when our troops will all be out." The Pentagon, meanwhile, quietly acknowledged slippage on the front end of the 30,000-troop deployment that President Obama authorized for the first half of 2010. [There is no deadline on when the troops will be out, but hopefully there *will* be one on when this Administration is out. And that will be November 2012. We need an actual progressive to run for president in 2012. --LRP]
Obama's speech on Afghanistan: A compendium of lies By Alex Lantier 03 Dec 2009 In his December 1 speech at West Point announcing the deployment of 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan, President Barack Obama attempted to justify a major escalation of a deeply unpopular war on the basis of lies and distortions. That he had to resort to such falsifications reflects both the reactionary character of his policy and the fact that it is being imposed in violation of the popular will. To justify the escalation, Obama recycled the Bush administration�s myths about the "war on terror." He cynically presented the US as an altruistic power, forced into a global war for democracy by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. As he sought to frame US imperialist policy within the template of the "war on terror," however, his speech descended into utter incoherence. ['His speech descended into utter incoherence.' It began there. Then, it descended into deeper strata of incoherence.]
Hillary Clinton expects Nato Afghanistan troop pledges 04 Dec 2009 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she is confident Nato countries will pledge extra troops to help efforts in Afghanistan. "The response has been positive," Mrs Clinton said as she headed to Brussels, where she is joining Nato talks. Nato officials said on Thursday that more than 20 countries plan to send more troops following a US decision to deploy an extra 30,000 in Afghanistan. But several European nations have been reluctant to commit more forces.
C.I.A. Is Expanding Drone Assaults Inside Pakistan [So is Blackwater.] 04 Dec 2009 The White House has authorized an expansion of the C.I.A.�s [killer] drone program in Pakistan�s tribal areas, officials said this week, to parallel the president�s decision, announced Tuesday, to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. American officials are talking with Pakistan about the possibility of striking in Baluchistan for the first time... The drone program has enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress and was escalated by the Obama administration in January. More C.I.A. drone attacks have been conducted under President Obama than under President [sic] George W. Bush. The political consensus in support of the drone program, its antiseptic, high-tech appeal and its secrecy have obscured just how radical it is. For the first time in history, a civilian intelligence agency is using robots to carry out a military mission, selecting people for killing in a country where the United States is not officially at war.
Blackwater founder says he aided secret programs --CIA asset Erik Prince carried out secret missions as recently as two months ago 03 Dec 2009 The founder of Blackwater Worldwide acknowledged in an interview published Wednesday that he had helped the CIA with secret programs targeting top al-Qaeda leaders, a role he says was intended to give the agency "unattributable capability" in sensitive missions. Erik Prince, owner of the military contractor now known as Xe Services, told Vanity Fair magazine that he performed numerous "very risky missions" for the spy agency, some of which were improperly exposed in leaks to the news media. The magazine... said the former Navy SEAL had served a dual role for the CIA as both a contractor and an "asset," or spy, who carried out secret missions as recently as two months ago, when the Obama administration terminated his contract.
'It was designed to make punishment inevitable.' Military tribunals quietly resume at Guantanamo Bay 04 Dec 2009 Military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, which President Obama suspended amid much fanfare immediately after taking office, quietly resumed this week with new signs of the legal complexities of the cases and the challenges for prosecutors. The military court had to grapple with determining where a defendant, Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi -- and by extension other
detainees
prisoners -- stand under the new military commissions law enacted in October to provide more due process for detainees. Under the old system, Qosi and other detainees were called "unlawful enemy combatants," but the new law refers to them as "alien unprivileged enemy belligerents," a moniker that military prosecutors said is more in line with the Geneva Conventions. [During the Bush regime, detainees were called "unlawful enemy combatants." Under Obama, the law refers to them as "alien unprivileged enemy belligerents." See? that's change we can believe in!]
Gitmo judge denies request to expand case 03 Dec 2009 A judge in Guantanamo Bay's war crimes court has denied a request by military prosecutors to expand their case against a Sudanese
detainee
prisoner accused of being a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden. Prosecutors wanted more specifications to be added to charges of conspiracy and providing support for terrorism against Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, who was one of the first prisoners brought to Guantanamo in 2002.
Hoon 'banned armed forces from preparing for Iraq war' --Ministers wanted public kept in dark over likelihood of invasion, Lord Boyce says 04 Dec 2009 Geoff Hoon held back military preparations for the Iraq invasion when he was Defence Secretary, because he wanted to keep the plans secret from the public, his armed forces chief has revealed. Admiral Lord Boyce, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, said that he was blocked from ordering equipment and mobilising troops for several months in the run-up to the Iraq war. Instead, he was limited to top secret "high-level" planning within the Ministry of Defence, meaning he was left with "some very short timelines" in which to prepare troops for the invasion.
US 'did not believe Britain would refuse to send forces to Iraq' --Former defence chief tells Iraq inquiry that US generals believed Britain would commit troops even if there were no attempts to solve the crisis through the UN 03 Dec 2009 The US believed that Britain would take an active part in the Iraq war even if there were no attempts to solve the crisis through the UN, the inquiry into the conflict heard today. During the first evidence so far from senior military and defence ministry figures, Admiral Lord Boyce, the chief of the defence staff from 2001 to 2003, told the inquiry panel that US generals and America's then-defence secretary [war criminal], Donald Rumsfeld, seemingly refused to countenance the possibility that Britain would not commit troops.
Clare Short's post Iraq war staff 'told to do nothing' 03 Dec 2009 UK development experts were told to sit in their tents and "not do anything" in the aftermath of the Iraq war, former defence chief Lord Boyce has claimed. He told the Iraq inquiry soldiers did much of the reconstruction, with the international development department "particularly unco-operative". They were not sure the Iraqis "were poor enough to deserve aid", he said. International Development Secretary Clare Short quit in protest at the lack of UN involvement in Iraq.
Iraq violence kills eight, including senior anti-terror cop 03 Dec 2009 Attacks in Iraq on Thursday killed eight people, including a senior anti-terror officer who led a key fightback against 'Al-Qaeda' in his province, police said. Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed al-Fahel, the head of the Saleheddin province anti-terror squad, and at least three of his bodyguards were among five people killed by a suicide bomber in Tikrit.
U.S. falls short in bid to gain support for Israel's settlement freeze 12 Dec 2009 The United States fell short in its efforts to gain a declaration of international support for Israel's temporary settlement construction freeze. The Americans were hoping that its partners in the Quartet - Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - would agree to such a declaration, but Moscow expressed a series of reservations and foiled Washington's effort.
Homeland Security chief warns of threat from al-Qaeda sympathizers in U.S. 03 Dec 2009 Al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] followers are inside the United States and would like to attack targets here and in other countries, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday night. The secretary's comments... came one day after President
Bush
Obama, in announcing his decision to send 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, warned that extremists have been "sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit more acts of terror." "Home-based terrorism is here. And like violent extremism abroad, it will be part of the threat picture that we must now confront," Napolitano, addressing the American Israel Friendship League in New York, said. "Individuals sympathetic to al-Qaeda and its affiliates, as well as those inspired by the group's ideology, are present in the U.S., and would like to attack the homeland or plot overseas attacks."
U.S. likely to miss cargo deadline --Napolitano says officials will seek more time for screening systems 03 Dec 2009 The Department of Homeland Security is likely to miss a 2012 deadline to screen all cargo entering the United States by ship unless Congress devotes enormous new resources to the assignment, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told senators Wednesday. Concerns were raised after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that a nuclear device or other weapon of mass destruction could be smuggled into the country by sea. In response, Congress ordered that all cargo be screened before being placed on U.S.-bound ships.
Yahoo, Verizon: Our Spy Capabilities Would 'Shock', 'Confuse' Consumers By Kim Zetter 01 Dec 2009 Want to know how much phone companies and internet service providers charge to funnel your private communications or records to U.S. law enforcement and spy agencies? That�s the question muckraker and Indiana University graduate student Christopher Soghoian asked all agencies within the Department of Justice, under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed a few months ago. But before the agencies could provide the data, Verizon and Yahoo intervened and filed an objection on grounds that, among other things, they would be ridiculed and publicly shamed were their surveillance price sheets made public. Yahoo writes in its 12-page objection letter , that if its pricing information were disclosed to Soghoian, he would use it "to 'shame' Yahoo! and other companies -- and to 'shock' their customers."
Secret Service agents could be fired for White House breach --3 agents placed on administrative leave 03 Dec 2009 Secret Service chief Mark Sullivan told a Congressional committee Thursday morning that the agents who admitted Tareq and Michaele Salahi through a White House checkpoint at last week's state dinner have been placed on administrative leave and could lose their jobs. Sullivan's testimony came during a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee, at which he took full responsibility for the security failure. He said the agents face a range of disciplinary actions, including the possibility of being fired.
Nearly 800 in California hospitalized with H1N1 flu --It's the largest one-week total since flu cases began escalating this fall, state officials say. 04 Dec 2009 Nearly 800 people in California were hospitalized with the H1N1 flu last week, the largest one-week number of hospitalizations since flu cases began escalating this fall, state officials said Thursday. The number indicates that H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, continues to be widespread throughout California and remains a significant threat to public health. Health experts have said there could be a second wave of cases in the coming months.
Third inmate dies of swine flu in Calif prisons 03 Dec 2009 Health officials say a central California inmate who died last week was the prison system's third death from swine flu. The first two inmates died in mid-November at prisons in central and Southern California. The third inmate died Nov. 27. The receiver in charge of prison medical care says tests show the H1N1 virus killed all three inmates.
Palin: Obama birth certificate 'a fair question' 03 Dec 2009 Speaking to the conservative talker Rusty Humphries today, Sarah Palin left the door open to speculation about President Obama's birth certificate. "Would you make the birth certificate an issue if you ran?" she was asked. "I think the public rightfully is still making it an issue. I don't have a problem with that. I don't know if I would have to bother to make it an issue, because I think that members of the electorate still want answers," she replied. "Do you think it's a fair question to be looking at?" Humphries persisted. "I think it's a fair question, just like I think past association and past voting records -- all of that is fair game," Palin said.
GOP Senator blocks TSA confirmation over union dispute 03 Dec 2009 The nation's 50,000 airport baggage screeners - upgraded to "federal transportation officers" under the Bush administration - could get another title under the Obama administration: Union members. But not without a fight. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-Nuts-South Carolina, is blocking the confirmation of Erroll Southers to head the Transportation Security Administration, saying Southers would permit screeners to seek full union representation, a move DeMint says would weaken the effectiveness of the agency.
Watchdog Group Says Ties to Health Insurance Companies Make Sen. Joe Lieberman An 'Insurance Puppet' --Online advertising campaign in Connecticut and Washington, D.C. asks if health insurers are pulling the strings 02 Dec 2009 Public Campaign Action Fund, a national campaign finance watchdog group, named Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-
Conn.
Israel) its second "Insurance Puppet" in an online advertising campaign targeting Connecticut and Washington, D.C. "Senator Lieberman has received $448,066 in campaign contributions from the health insurance industry during his time in Washington," said David Donnelly, Public Campaign Action Fund's national campaigns director. "With so much money from the industry filling his campaign coffers, it's not surprising that Lieberman has spent the last year parroting any and all insurance industry talking points he could find."
�850bn: official cost of the bank bailout (and still RBS is demanding another �1.5bn in bonuses) 04 Dec 2009 Government support for Britain's banks has reached a staggering �850bn and the eventual cost to taxpayers will not be known for years, the public spending watchdog says today. The National Audit Office (NAO) revealed that �107m will be paid to City advisers called in to work on the rescue because the Treasury was too "stretched" to cope with the sudden financial crisis which broke in the autumn of last year. [See: Britain faces return to Victorian levels of poverty 30 Nov 2009.]
Bernanke defends Fed's leadership before Senate 03 Dec 2009 Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday defended his record at the helm of the U.S. central bank before a skeptical Senate that is considering stripping the institution of its regulatory powers. At a hearing on his nomination for a second term as Fed chief, Bernanke admitted to some lapses in oversight but said maintaining hands-on expertise on bank supervision was crucial to the Fed's role as a custodian of financial stability. [I was hoping for a treason trial.]
Obama tells business leaders they are key to job growth 03 Dec 2009 President Obama kicked off a much-anticipated jobs summit Thursday, telling 130 business leaders and others summoned to the White House for the afternoon-long session that private business, not government, holds the key to future job growth. "Ultimately, true economic recovery is only going to come from the private sector," Obama said. Obama is hosting the forum amid increasing calls from lawmakers of his own party to develop a plan to combat the nation's highest unemployment rate in 26 years.
House votes to keep current estate tax rate 04 Dec 2009 The House approved a measure Thursday that would make the current estate tax rate permanent, setting it at 45 percent for individual estates worth more than $3.5 million. The bill passed 225 to 200, with 26 Democrats joining all Republicans present in voting no. If Congress does not act, the estate tax will disappear in 2010, then return in 2011 under the higher rates -- 55 percent and a $1 million exemption -- that existed before President [sic] George W. Bush took office.
Judge ends Enron shareholder lawsuit against banks 03 Dec 2009 Exactly eight years after Enron Corp filed for bankruptcy protection, a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by investors against banks they accused of helping the energy company commit fraud. U.S. Wednesday's dismissal by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon in Houston federal court came after Enron investors had already obtained $7.2 billion of settlements, a record for U.S. class-action litigation according to Cornerstone Research.
Copenhagen targets not tough enough, says Al Gore 04 Dec 2009 Even if a deal is reached at the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen next week it will only be the first step towards the far more radical cuts that are needed in global carbon emissions, Al Gore, the former US Vice-President, told The Times last night. Mr Gore said that to avoid the worst ravages of climate change world leaders would have to come together again to set more drastic reductions than those now planned.
Copenhagen climate change talks must fail, says top scientist --World's leading climate change expert says summit talks so flawed that deal would be a disaster 02 Dec 2009 The scientist who convinced the world to take notice of the looming danger of global warming says it would be better for the planet and for future generations if next week's Copenhagen climate change summit ended in collapse. In an interview with the Guardian, James Hansen, the world's pre-eminent climate scientist, said any agreement likely to emerge from the negotiations would be so deeply flawed that it would be better to start again from scratch. "I would rather it not happen if people accept that as being the right track because it's a disaster track," said Hansen, who heads the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.
*****
President Obama's Secret: Only 100 al Qaeda Now in Afghanistan --With New Surge, One Thousand U.S. Soldiers and $300 Million for Every One al Qaeda Fighter 02 Dec 2009 As he justified sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan at a cost of $30 billion a year, President Barack Obama's description Tuesday of the al Qaeda "cancer" in that country left out one key fact: U.S. intelligence officials have concluded there are only about 100 al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] fighters in the entire country. A senior U.S. intelligence official told ABCNews.com the approximate estimate of 100 al Qaeda members left in Afghanistan reflects the conclusion of American intelligence agencies and the Defense Department. The relatively small number was part of the intelligence passed on to the White House as President Obama conducted his deliberations. [The *real* cancer is Blackwater and KBR.]
Taliban vow to resist US surge in Afghanistan 02 Dec 2009 The Taliban vows to boost attacks against the US forces in Afghanistan, following Barack Obama's pledge to deploy thousands more troops to the war-torn country. Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahamdi said in a statement on Wednesday that such moves would "provoke stronger resistance." "Obama will witness lots of coffins heading to America from Afghanistan," AFP quoted Ahamdi as saying. The statement also emphasized that the Americans would face the same fate as the Soviet troops when they retreated in defeat in the 1980s. "This is a colonizing strategy which is securing the colonizing interests of American investors, and it shows that America has dirty plans not only for Afghanistan but for the region," the statement read. [You know you're in trouble when... you realize that the Taliban makes much more sense than the US Government. --LRP]
Out-Bushing Bush: US to increase troops in Afghanistan by 40% 02 Dec 2009 The US president has decided to raise the number of American troops in Afghanistan by some 40 percent, a move that would see Washington deploy another 30,000 soldiers. In a live televised speech at the US Military Academy at West Point, New York on Tuesday, Barack Obama said the troops would be deployed in the first part of 2010. "As commander in chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan," he told the cadets.
President Obama orders 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in major escalation of war 02 Dec 2009 President Barack Obama has ordered a major but temporary escalation of the war in Afghanistan, sending an additional 30,000 US troops within six months while pledging to a sceptical American public that he would begin bringing forces home in July 2011... The troop buildup will begin almost immediately, with 9,000 US marines expected to be in place by Christmas in Helmand for an offensive alongside British forces against Taliban strongholds, according to officials on both sides of the Atlantic.
NATO pledges 5,000 more troops to Afghanistan 02 Dec 2009 NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the alliance will send at least 5,000 more troops to fight militancy in Afghanistan. On Wednesday, Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels that the NATO member states were ready to throw their support behind US President Barack Obama's new Afghan strategy.
Canada's area of Afghan operations expands 02 Dec 2009 A river runs through it. So do the Taliban. And the rough, dust-blown Arghandab district north of Kandahar city now belongs to Canada. It's a gift from NATO, which has extended Ottawa's area of operations and put it in military command of some 1,600 U.S. and Afghan troops. The forces, already in the country, will have Canada at the helm in the new year and may be reinforced by another contingent.
Rudd to send more police and aid workers 02 Dec 2009 Australia will send more police trainers and aid workers to Afghanistan to help with civilian reconstruction, a core pillar of Barack Obama's new military strategy. Kevin Rudd, who met the President in Washington on Monday, ruled out sending more troops and did not give a number of police and aid workers.
Hoyer Says Bush Officials 'Turned Tail' in Afghanistan 01 Dec 2009 As President Barack Obama prepared to deliver a major speech on Afghanistan, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) lashed out at the Bush regime�s handling of the country, accusing Bush officials of prematurely abandoning the effort there. "Frankly, they turned tail," Hoyer told reporters. "That�s pretty tough language, but I get angry when I hear Vice President [sic] Cheney talking about a job that they started but didn�t finish, and was worse in 2008 in December than it was six years previous, with a resurgent Taliban and a resurgent al Qaeda and a very difficult situation in Pakistan."
Guantanamo Detainee Seeks Dismissal of Charges, Cites Torture 01 Dec 2009 Lawyers for the first detainee from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to face prosecution in the U.S. asked a federal judge on Tuesday to dismiss the criminal charges against him, saying his lengthy detention overseas and the use of interrogation techniques "amounting to torture" violated his constitutional rights. In a motion Tuesday, lawyers for Ahmed Ghailani said the U.S. government made a "conscious and deliberate" decision to house him for two years at secret Central Intelligence Agency "black sites" and subject him to so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" in an effort to make him an intelligence asset, rather than bring him to the U.S. in a timely manner to face trial.
Officials: Iraq likely to postpone election 02 Dec 2009 Iraq's scheduled January 'elections' may be postponed by more than a month because of a dispute over an election law, officials said Wednesday, a delay that could threaten the planned U.S. withdrawal of combat troops. It is unclear what a long delay would mean for the United States, which is scheduled to end combat missions in August. Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who heads a small bloc in parliament, said a preliminary proposal from various political factions calls for moving the election to Feb. 27, but it also could be further pushed to March 1.
US military: airstrike kills 1 in northeast Iraq 02 Dec 2009 The U.S. military says an American airstrike killed one gunman after a joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol was attacked northeast of Baghdad. The military says five gunmen attacked the patrol Wednesday as it was searching a building in the town of Sadiyah in the volatile Diyala province.
US Dept of Defense - Iraqi Police Arrest 8 Terror Suspects 02 Dec 2009 Iraqi police arrested eight terrorism suspects today... military officials in Iraq reported. A Salahuddin provincial police unit and U.S. advisors searched two buildings in a rural area north of Baghdad for a suspected al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] in Iraq member coordinating suicide bombings in the region. Based on preliminary questioning and evidence discovered, police arrested four criminal suspects. In a separate operation near Sadiyah, northwest of Baghdad, Iraqi police arrested four suspected al-Qaida in Iraq members.
Iraq sees alarming rise in cancers, deformed babies --The use of depleted uranium in U.S. and coalition weaponry in the 1991 war and the 2003 Iraq invasion is well documented. 01 Dec 2009 ...The spotlight is on a stealth killer likely to stalk Iraqis for years to come. Incidences of cancer, deformed babies and other health problems have risen sharply, Iraqi officials say, and many suspect contamination from weapons used in years of war and accompanying unchecked pollution [depleted uranium] as a cause. "We have seen new kinds of cancer that were not recorded in Iraq before war in 2003 [when the US arrived], types of fibrous (soft tissue) cancer and bone cancer. These refer clearly to radiation as a cause," said Jawad al-Ali, an oncologist in Iraq's second city of Basra.
'In terms of size and potential, the Basra region remains one of the most attractive areas of future growth for the international oil industry.' Oil Companies Look to the Future in Iraq 01 Dec 2009 More than six and a half years after the United States-led invasion here that many believed was about oil, the major oil companies are finally gaining access to Iraq�s petroleum reserves. The companies seem to have calculated that it is worth their while to accept deals with limited profit opportunities now, in order to cash in on more lucrative development deals in the future, oil industry analysts say. [Why is Iraq's (real) insurgency allowing this corporaterrorism to continue? In Afghanistan, the US wants the opium and gas pipelines. In Iraq, it's all about the oil.]
Blackwater founder cutting ties with company 02 Dec 2009 The man who built Blackwater USA into one of the world's most
respected and
reviled defense contractors will no longer be involved in the company's operations. A spokeswoman for the company, now called Xe, said Wednesday that Erik Prince will relinquish involvement in its day-to-day operations and give up some of his ownership rights. Prince had appointed a new president and chief operating officer in a management shake-up earlier this year.
Erik, Prince Of Spies: CIA Targeted Al Q in Germany Without Telling Germany by Marc Ambinder 02 Dec 2009 In a new Vanity Fair article , Blackwater CEO Erik Prince... offers details on the targeted assassination program that CIA Director Leon Panetta terminated earlier this year... According to Prince, the Blackwater team traveled to Germany, surveilled Al Qaeda financier Mamoun Darkazanli, and prepared to assassinate him. The CIA did not inform its own station chief that the team was in the country, and they did not inform the host country. What Prince describes is a serious violation of NATO intelligence sharing arrangements -- and certainly provides an example of why the CIA's association with Blackwater became so controversial within the agency... As recently as two months ago, Prince and a team were overseeing intelligence missions in one of the Axis of Evil countries -- Iran, probably -- from a location inside the United States.
Iran releases five British yachtsmen 02 Dec 2009 Iran has released five British nationals who were detained by Iranian naval forces after their yacht strayed into southern Persian Gulf waters. "Five Britons, who have been detained after their illegal entrance into the waters of the Islamic Republic near Siri island, were freed a few hours ago," Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday.
Minot Missile wing now in Global Strike Command 02 Dec 2009 The men and women of the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base became part of Air Force Global Strike Command Tuesday. Global Strike Command is the Air Force's newest major command and will oversee all of its nuclear forces. The nuclear-capable assets the intercontinental ballistic missiles of Air Force Space Command come under Global Strike Command as of Tuesday.
High court makes "historic" terrorism evidence ruling --The decision is another judicial defeat for ministers over security measures, beefed up after the September 11 attacks. 01 Dec 2009 London's High Court ruled against the British government on Tuesday over the use of secret evidence to deny terrorism suspects bail in what campaigners called an "historic" judgement. The government expressed disappointment at the "unhelpful" verdict, handed down over the case brought by two men suspected of terrorism-related activities... The court ruled that a person could not be denied bail solely on the basis of secret evidence.
Feds 'Pinged' Sprint GPS Data 8 Million Times Over a Year By Kim Zitter 01 Dec 2009 Sprint Nextel provided law enforcement agencies with customer location data more than 8 million times between September 2008 and October 2009, according to a company manager who disclosed the statistic at a non-public interception and wiretapping conference in October. The manager also revealed the existence of a previously undisclosed web portal that Sprint provides law enforcement to conduct automated "pings" to track users. Through the website, authorized agents can type in a mobile phone number and obtain global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the phone.
Heads up! HHS lunatics want billion$ for US pharmaterrorists to make new vaccines using dog cells and genetically engineered E.Coli. U.S. health-threat response to be reviewed 02 Dec 2009 Citing the balky swine flu vaccination campaign and other shortcomings in the nation's medical defenses, a top Obama administration official has announced a major review of the government's efforts to develop new
protections against
pandemics, bioterrorism and other health threats. "Today, we face a wider range of public health threats than ever before in our history," Sebelius said. "It could be [Fort Detrick] anthrax delivered in an envelope. It could be a [Blackwater] dirty bomb set off in a subway car. It could be a new [Baxter] strain of flu that our bodies have no immunity to." [See: Baxter working on vaccine to stop swine flu, though admitted sending live pandemic flu viruses to subcontractor By Lori Price 26 Apr 2009. See: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004.]
New US vaccine production techniques: Genetically modified insect cells, E. coli, caterpillar ovaries 24 Nov 2009 Spurred by $487 million in federal funding, a sprawling new vaccine factory is opening in North Carolina Tuesday that will produce shots using dog cells instead of chicken eggs. A Connecticut biotech company has also applied to sell a vaccine employing a radically different approach involving a genetically engineered virus infecting insect cells... Baxter International won approval last month to sell an H1N1 vaccine in Europe that uses a decades-old line of African green monkey kidney cells, and it is working on a vaccine for the United States. Protein Sciences of Meriden, Conn., has applied to the FDA for approval to sell a vaccine made by genetically engineering flu genes into a worm virus, which then infects cells from caterpillar ovaries to produce the necessary proteins to make vaccine. VaxInnate of Cranbury, N.J., for example, produced an experimental H1N1 vaccine using genetically engineered E.coli bacteria, and Vical of San Diego just won a $1.25 million contract from the Navy to develop an H1N1 vaccine that involves injecting DNA sequences from the virus directly into people.
The reality behind the swine flu conspiracy By Irina Galushko 26 Nov 2009 ...[T]he WHO may find itself coughing up explanations, as more and more scientists and health researchers, and even journalists, are starting to question the organization�s motives behind raising the alert so quickly. According to the Danish Daily Information newspaper , the WHO and pharmaceutical companies are suffering from the profit bug. Or, to put it simply, the chief health care organization in the world has teamed up with the drug makers to create a phantom monster -- and to rake in cash by selling a remedy for it.
Conn. AG probes flu drug prices 01 Dec 2009 Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has begun asking major pharmacies for details about their Tamiflu pricing policies as part of an investigation into complaints of erratic and excessive prices for the flu drug. Blumenthal has asked CVS Caremark Corporation, Rite Aid Corporation and Walgreen Co., for immediate information, including details about their current prices and prices pre-dating the current H1N1 flu pandemic and ensuing Tamiflu shortage.
Fort Hood Suspect Faces 32 More Charges --Charges Added to 13 Counts of Attempted Premediated Murder Already Filed Against Hasan 02 Dec 2009 The Army has charged the Fort Hood shooting suspect with 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. These charges are added to the 13 premeditated murder charges filed against Maj. Nidal Hasan in the wake of the Nov. 5 shooting massacre at Fort Hood. The Army said the attempted murder charges filed Tuesday were related to the 30 soldiers and two civilian police officers injured in the shooting at a soldier processing center on the central Texas post.
Seattle police shoot man suspected of killing police officers --Suspect shot and killed days after four officers died in execution-style ambush 01 Dec 2009 A lone policeman on routine patrol today shot and killed an accused child rapist at the centre of a huge manhunt after the murder of four other police officers in a Seattle-area cafe. Maurice Clemmons, 37, managed to elude the police for two days as law enforcement officials laid siege to an empty house and trawled the Seattle area. He was eventually confronted by an officer patrolling a working-class district of the city who spotted a stolen car in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
$24 million settlement reached over disabled parking permits --Texas settles class action lawsuit filed against Department of Transportation 02 Dec 2009 The State of Texas will pay $24 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed against the Department of Transportation more than a dozen years ago claiming that the $5 fee the state charged for disabled parking placards violated federal law. The settlement represents one of the largest -- if not the largest -- single checks the state has written to settle a legal claim, according to the comptroller's office.
Britain faces return to Victorian levels of poverty 30 Nov 2009 Labour's strategy for tackling poverty has reached the end of the road and Britain risks a return to Victorian levels of inequality, according to a major two-year study seen by The Independent.
FDIC: Quarter of U.S. households have limited or no access to banks 02 Dec 2009 One-quarter of American households -- about 60 million people -- have limited or no access to banks or other traditional financial services, with low-income and black families among the hardest hit, according to a government report released Wednesday. The report [a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. survey] found that nearly 22 percent of black households and 71 percent of families earning less than $30,000 do not use banks.
New York state lawmakers vote against gay marriage 02 Dec 2009 New York state lawmakers voted against legalizing gay marriage on Wednesday, dashing hopes of gay rights activists that it would become the sixth U.S. state to allow same-sex couples to wed. The New York state senate voted down the legislation 38 votes to 24. Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat who supports gay marriage, had said he would sign the bill into law if it were passed.
America's Hottest Species: New Report Highlights America's 10 Most Global-warming Endangered Species as Decision-makers Gather in Copenhagen 01 Dec 2009 America�s top 10 endangered wildlife, birds, fish, and plants affected by global warming are highlighted in a new report released today by the Endangered Species Coalition. The report, America's Hottest Species , demonstrates ways that our changing climate is increasing the risk of extinction for 11 species on the brink of disappearing forever. "Global warming is like a bulldozer shoving species, already on the brink of extinction, perilously closer to the edge of existence," said Leda Huta, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition.
Quick action! Help Polar Bears Protect their Home--Support Critical Habitat (NWF) 02 Dec 2009 The federal government just proposed designating more than 200,000 square miles of sea, ice and land as critical polar bear habitat. This could give polar bears a fighting chance against the global warming that's pushing this iconic species towards extinction. But, the U.S. Department of the Interior may allow more oil and gas drilling to occur in the same area, disturbing the habitats that polar bears need to raise their young, and increasing the risks of devastating oil spills. Send the message to the Department of the Interior to make sure they keep their commitment to protect polar bears!
*****
CLG: A Tiger Woods-free zone --By Lori Price 01 Dec 2009 Instead of covering, oh, I don't know... the Chilcot Inquiry or the Af/Pak troop/KBR/Blackwater surge, we're talking about a busted window on the SUV of this corporate butt-kisser. That and the two bimbos who wormed their way into a White House dinner because a moron in the Secret Service wants to send the world a message that you can *get* to President Obama. Now, imagine if the sinewy blonde was an overweight male Muslim. My God! The guy would already be on death row. I can just see the lower-thirds on Faux News: 'Muslim Terrorist Inches From Obama at White House Dinner.'
Barack Obama to order 34,000 troops to Afghanistan 01 Dec 2009 President Obama will announce today the deployment of an extra 34,000 American troops to Afghanistan, according to sources briefed since the President issued new orders to his military commanders. The figure, reported last night by The Washington Post, was close to previous estimates and will take the total US troop strength in Afghanistan to more than 100,000.
British troops in Afghanistan to increase to over 10,000 --Gordon Brown announces extra 500 soldiers to be deployed next month 30 Nov 2009 Gordon Brown announced today that Britain's total military effort in Afghanistan is to increase to over 10,000 troops. In a detailed Commons statement, the prime minister confirmed that all the conditions had been met to allow an extra 500 troops to be deployed in December - taking the force level to 9,500. But he also disclosed that when special forces were included, the "total military effort" in Afghanistan would be in excess of 10,000 troops.
US urges France to send more troops to Afghanistan 01 Dec 2009 The US has asked France to send an additional 1,500 troops to join the coalition forces in Afghanistan as Washington is expected to send at least 30,000 more reinforcements. On Monday, The daily Le Monde published a report on its website, saying US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the request on Thursday in a telephone call to French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.
Body of US soldier found after 27 days in NW Afghanistan 30 Nov 2009 The body of a U.S. soldier who along with his colleague went missing in Badghis province northwest of Afghanistan early this month was found after 27 days, a private television channel Tolo broadcast Monday. "The body of American soldier was found after 27 days from a river in Badghis province," the television said.
Chilcot inquiry hears Bush began Iraq war drumbeat three days after 9/11 --Blair foreign policy adviser David Manning says US president [sic] talked up possible links between Saddam and al-Qaida 30 Nov 2009 George Bush tried to make a connection between Iraq and 'al-Qaida' in a conversation with Tony Blair three days after the 9/11 attacks, according to Blair's foreign policy adviser of the time. Sir David Manning told the official inquiry into the war that Bush, speaking to Blair by phone on 14 September 2001, "said that he thought there might be evidence that there was some connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida."The prime minister's response to this was that the evidence would have to be very compelling indeed to justify taking any action against Iraq," Manning said. Blair followed up the conversation with a letter stressing the need to focus on the situation in Afghanistan, where the attacks originated. But by the time Blair went to visit Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, in April 2002 the British were "very conscious that Iraq would be on the agenda", Manning said.
Iraq inquiry: Blair told Bush he was willing to join, 11 months before war --Adviser tells of crucial moment at Texas ranch --Chilcot panel attacked for failure to press questions 30 Nov 2009 Tony Blair made it clear to George Bush at a meeting in Texas 11 months before the Iraq invasion that he would be prepared to join the US in toppling Saddam Hussein, the inquiry into the war was told today. The prime minister repeatedly told the US president that British policy was to back United Nations attempts to seek Iraq's disarmament, Sir David Manning, his foreign policy adviser, told the inquiry. However, Blair was "absolutely prepared to say he was willing to contemplate regime change if [UN-backed measures] did not work", Manning said. If it proved impossible to pursue the UN route, then Blair would be "willing to use force", Manning emphasised.
Rep. Hinchey: Bush Purposely Let Bin Laden Escape to Justify Iraq War 30 Nov 2009 Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) claimed on MSNBC this afternoon that the Bush administration purposely let Osama bin Laden get away in 2001 so they could use al-Qaeda as an excuse to invade Iraq. "Look what happened with regard to our invasion into Afghanistan, how we apparently intentionally let bin Laden get away. How we intentionally did not follow the Taliban and al-Qaeda as they were escaping," Hinchey said. "That was done by the previous administration because they knew very well that if they would capture al-Qaeda, there would be no justification for an invasion in Iraq." When host David Shuster pushed back, Hinchey stood by his claim. "There's no question that the leader of the military operations of the U.S. called back our military. Called them back from going after the head of al-Qaeda," he said. "I don't think [the theory] will strike a lot of people as crazy. I think it'll strike a lot of people as accurate," Hinchey said. "That's exactly what happened."
Terrorist attacks claim more lives in Iraq 01 Dec 2009 At least two people have been reported killed and twelve others injured in separate terrorist attacks across violence-ridden Iraq. In the first incident, eleven persons -- including five policemen and six civilians -- were injured Monday evening when two thermal bombs exploded at the crowded artists' syndicate in Kirkuk's al-Hawijah district.
Soldier in suit over KBR chemical is dead --Guard commander said exposure to carcinogen in Iraq caused his cancer 01 Dec 2009 A funeral is set today for a retired Indiana National Guard commander who testified in October that exposure to a lethal carcinogen in Iraq caused his cancer. Lt. Col. James C. Gentry, of Williams, Ind., died of lung cancer Wednesday. Gentry, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, last spring joined a federal lawsuit filed in December 2008. It accuses Texas-based KBR and several related companies of concealing the risks faced by 136 Indiana National Guard soldiers potentially exposed to a cancer-causing agent, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Supreme Court Overturns Decision on Detainee Photos 01 Dec 2009 The Supreme Court on Monday set aside a lower court�s order that called for the release of photographs of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan being
abused
tortured by American military personnel. The high court told the lower court to re-examine the issue. The justices sent the case back to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in Manhattan, which ruled in 2008 that the pictures should be released to the public. But at the request of the Obama administration, the Second Circuit later postponed its own order, setting the stage for the administration to take the case [Department of Defense v. A.C.L.U., No. 09-160] to the Supreme Court.
Israel constructs 25 new units in West Bank 01 Dec 2009 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has okayed the construction of 25 new housing units in the West Bank settlement of Keidar despite international calls to the contrary. During a phone conversation with Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday, Netanyahu instructed Barak to stop preventing the construction of the new units in the West Bank, claiming the units do not fall under the cabinet's decision to halt settlement construction activities for 10 months.
Iran threatens 'serious' measures against captured British sailors 01 Dec 2009 Iran has threatened to take "serious" measures against five detained British sailors if it finds they had "evil intentions" when they strayed into the country's coastal waters. A close aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the five, who were sailing from Bahrain to Dubai to take part in a race, would be put through the due legal process. "Judiciary will decide about the five," Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie, the president's head of staff, told the Iranian news agency Fars. "Naturally our measures will be hard and serious if we find out they had evil intentions."
Iran confirms detaining British nationals 01 Dec 2009 Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has confirmed that it has detained several British nationals in the Persian Gulf waters. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement on Monday that five British nationals were detained on November 25 in the Persian Gulf after their yacht reportedly trespassed on Iranian waters. He said the yacht was en route from Bahrain to Dubai when Iranian forces arrested the Britons.
U.S. won't sign anti-land mine treaty 25 Nov 2009 A review of U.S. land mine policy has not produced changes needed to join an international effort to ban the weapons, a State Department spokesman says. Ian Kelly told reporters Tuesday that the Obama administration examined the U.S. policy on land mines and that they will remain in place, CNN reported.
Honduran vote held amid repression, mass abstention By Bill Van Auken 01 Dec 2009 Sunday�s national elections in Honduras were marked by systematic repression against opponents of the country�s coup regime and reports of record abstention. Nonetheless, the Obama administration in Washington hailed the results as a "very important step forward for Honduras" and a "legitimate way out" of the crisis that began with the military overthrow of the country�s elected President Manuel Zelaya on June 28. The election was held just a day after the coup�s five-month mark, with Zelaya still trapped in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, where he sought refuge two months ago after staging a clandestine return to Honduras.
Pirates Hijack Oil Super Tanker Headed for U.S. [Insert eye-roll here.] 30 Nov 2009 Somali pirates seized a tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States in the increasingly dangerous waters off East Africa, an official said Monday, an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat to the region. The Greek-owned Maran Centaurus was hijacked Sunday about 800 miles off the coast of Somalia, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. Harbour said there were 28 crew members on board the 300,000-ton ship. [LOL! Blackwater will soon be trolling for a big Obusha contract to 'keep our oil safe' from those 'increasingly dangerous' East African waters. --LRP]
Agencies reporting to White House on Ft. Hood --Review expected to cite data sharing, limits on reporting threats 01 Dec 2009 A preliminary review of the federal government's handling of intelligence before the shooting at Fort Hood is on its way to the White House, and sources said they expect the final result to address the limits of the Pentagon's ability to monitor potential threats within the armed forces and information sharing by the FBI. The deadline for various agencies involved in the case to submit reports to Obama homeland security and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan fell Monday, but administration officials said it would be a week or more before they offer recommendations for changes in the wake of the attack.
Report: FBI paid blogger accused of threatening judges in Chicago 30 Nov 2009 A New Jersey blogger about to stand trial on charges he made death threats against three federal judges in Chicago apparently was paid by the FBI in its battle against domestic terrorism, according to a published report. The Record of Bergen County reported Sunday that Hal Turner received thousands of dollars from the FBI to report on neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups and was sent undercover to Brazil. Turner also claims the FBI coached him to make racist, anti-Semitic and other threatening statements on his radio show, but the newspaper also found many federal officials were concerned that his audience might follow up on his violence rhetoric.
Police killed in 'ambush' outside US Air Force base --Perimeter security tightened at McChord AFB 30 Nov 2009 Four police officers were shot dead in a cold-blooded ambush at a coffee shop on the edge of a US Air Force base in America�s Pacific Northwest on Sunday. The four uniformed officers were gunned down while working on their laptop computers as they prepared for work around 8:30am local time. They were all wearing bullet-proof vests and their marked patrol cars were parked outside. The shooting took place at the Forza coffee shop, just across the street from the McChord Air Force Base outside Tacoma, Washington state. The killings immediately stirred fears of a repeat of the shooting spree that killed 13 people at the US Army base at Fort Hood, Texas on November 5. A spokesman at McChord Air Force Base said, however, that its 4,100 personnel had not been "locked down," although perimeter security had been tightened.
Man sought in deadly ambush had prison sentence commuted 30 Nov 2009 The man wanted for questioning in the fatal shooting of four police officers at a coffee shop had his 95-year prison sentence commuted by then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, authorities said late Sunday. The sheriff's office in Pierce County, where the ambush occurred Sunday morning, have not identified Maurice Clemmons as a suspect, but said it is looking for him as part of its investigation. Arkansas officials told the sheriff's office that Clemmons is the same person who received clemency from Huckabee in 2001, said sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer. Huckabee, a Republican presidential candidate in 2008, is considering a run for president in 2012. [Isn't it amazing? In one hour, the whole GOP path just magically cleared for Sarah Palin. --LRP]
Salahis sought gala access through a Pentagon door --Couple asked Defense official for entree to state dinner via e-mail 01 Dec 2009 E-mails turned over to the Secret Service show that Tareq and Michaele Salahi had sought a top Defense Department official's help to gain access to last week's White House state dinner. People familiar with the inquiry into how the Salahis were able to attend Tuesday's gala, even though they weren't on the official guest list, said the Salahis exchanged e-mails with Michele S. Jones, special assistant to the secretary of defense and the Pentagon-based liaison to the White House.
Secret Service Agents Interview Intruders 30 Nov 2009 As part of a broadening inquiry into presidential security, Secret Service agents have interviewed the Virginia couple who sneaked into a White House state dinner last week, a senior federal official involved in the investigation said Sunday. The interviews, which took place Friday and Saturday, were conducted in a neutral location, neither the home of the couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, nor the Secret Service�s downtown offices, the official said.
EU approves data-sharing SWIFT agreement with US authorities --European Union countries have agreed on a deal that would allow the United States continued access to European citizens' financial transaction data for anti-terror investigations. 30 Nov 2009 Germany, Austria, Greece and Hungary abstained from the vote on Monday, allowing the controversial measure to pass. It allows American justice authorities to access data from SWIFT - the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, a cooperative of banks and other financial institutions that facilitates trillions of dollars in daily international transactions. Its members include almost 8,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries.
Bank of England made secret �62 billion loans to bankrupt banks 30 Nov 2009 Bank of England governor Mervyn King has revealed for the first time that in October 2008 the Bank had lent Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) �62 billion. These loans, issued at the height of the international banking crisis, were to prevent the collapse of not only the two banks but the entire banking sector.
Sabotage suspected in Indian nuclear plant radiation leak 30 Nov 2009 Workers at a nuclear plant in southern India have fallen ill after radioactive heavy water contaminated their drinking water. An unspecified number of workers at the Kaiga plant, in the southern state of Karnataka, have been advised to visit doctors for excessive exposure to radiation since November 25. The plant director said on Sunday that the incident appears to be an act of sabotage rather than caused by an accidental leak.
Reid 'confident' Senate will pass health care bill 30 Nov 2009 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he is "confident" the Senate will pass a
health care bill
corporaterrorist giveaway, but it will take extra work on weekends in December to get it done. "The health care debate is historic. It's the most important thing any of us here has ever been involved in," Reid told USA TODAY in an interview Monday.
U.S. finds pandemic H1N1 virus in turkey flock 30 Nov 2009 The pandemic H1N1 flu virus was confirmed in a flock of breeder turkeys in Virginia -- the first U.S. case involving turkeys, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Monday. USDA said infections of turkeys have been reported in Canada and Chile. "This is the first detection of 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza in turkeys in the United States," said a USDA spokesperson.
Dogs diagnosed with swine flu in China: report 29 Nov 2009 Two dogs in Beijing have tested positive for swine flu in the second case of animals catching the disease in China along with pigs in the northeast, Chinese media said Sunday. The A(H1N1) virus detected in the dogs was 99 percent identical to the one circulating in humans, the state-run Beijing Times reported, quoting China's agriculture ministry.
Mega barf alert! Two-thirds of broiler chickens contaminated: group 30 Nov 2009 Two-thirds of 382 fresh broiler chickens purchased from grocers by a U.S. consumer group were contaminated with one or both of the bacteria that cause most cases of food-borne illness, the group said on Monday. The Consumers Union said the figure was an improvement from the 80 percent found in tests in 2007 but "still far too high." It urged the government to issue stricter food-safety rules.
*****
Iraq Inquiry bombshell: Secret letter to reveal new Blair war lies 29 Nov 2009 An explosive secret letter that exposes how Tony Blair lied over the legality of the Iraq War can be revealed. The Chilcot Inquiry into the war will interrogate the former Prime Minister over the devastating 'smoking gun' memo, which warned him in the starkest terms the war was illegal. The Mail on Sunday can disclose that Attorney General Lord Goldsmith wrote the letter to Mr Blair in July 2002 - a full eight months before the war - telling him that deposing Saddam Hussein was a blatant breach of international law. It was intended to make Mr Blair call off the invasion, but he ignored it. Instead, a panicking Mr Blair issued instructions to gag Lord Goldsmith, banned him from attending Cabinet meetings and ordered a cover-up to stop the public finding out. He even concealed the bombshell information from his own Cabinet, fearing it would spark an anti-war revolt. The only people he told were a handful of cronies who were sworn to secrecy.
Lord Goldsmith 'warned Tony Blair Iraq war could be illegal' in 2002 --Tony Blair was warned by his Attorney General eight months before the invasion of Iraq that war would be illegal, it has emerged. 29 Nov 2009 In a personal letter to the Prime Minister in July 2002, Lord Goldsmith said that he did not believe military action to depose Saddam Hussein could be justified in international law. The letter, which has been passed to Chilcot Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the 2003 invasion, angered Downing Street and led to the Government�s chief law officer being sidelined, it was claimed.
Illegitimate president, illegitimate war: Iraq inquiry: war 'not legitimate', Sir Jeremy Greenstock tells inquiry 27 Nov 2009 The Iraq war was not "legitimate" because Britain and the US failed to win international support for the 2003 invasion, Sir Jeremy Greenstock has told the official inquiry into the war. Sir Jeremy, who was Britain�s ambassador to the United Nations between 1998 and 2003, believed the war was legal under the terms of successive UN resolutions, but did not have "democratic backing", he told the Iraq Inquiry. He favoured delaying the invasion until October 2003 to give weapons inspectors more time to establish whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. But the determination of the US to invade Iraq in March 2003 was "much too strong" for Britain to influence, he said.
Ba'ath supporters launch TV Channel 29 Nov 2009 A group of the banned Iraqi Ba'ath Party's supporters have launched a TV station to broadcast the life story and speeches of Iraq's former president Saddam Hussein. The founders of Al-Arabi TV station claimed that the station had been launched to thwart what he termed as attempts to tarnish the image of Ba'ath Party leaders, including Saddam Hussein and others who were in prison with him, Aljazeera television reported Saturday. According to the report, the TV station was to be named Saddam Hussein originally but its name was changed due to political pressure.
US taxpayers fund Afghan stimulus: Afghan security forces get 40% pay hike 29 Nov 2009 Afghanistan yesterday increased the pay of police and soldiers by nearly 40 per cent as Western countries aimed to increase the size and quality of Afghan security forces so their own troops can go home. Interior Minister Hanif Atmar said monthly salaries would increase by $45 to about $165 for a new recruit. At present, there are about 95,000 Afghan soldiers and 93,000 police � a fraction of the number needed to 'fight' the Taleban. Afghanistan depends on funds from the US and other Western countries for large budgetary expenses, such as military and police salaries. [If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.]
Up to 9,000 Marines set to start deployment to Afghanistan --Troops will double size of U.S. force in southern province of Helmand 29 Nov 2009 Days after President Obama outlines his new war strategy in a speech Tuesday, as many as 9,000 Marines will begin final preparations to deploy to southern Afghanistan and renew an assault on a Taliban stronghold that slowed this year amid a troop shortage and political pressure from the Afghan government, senior U.S. officials said. The extra Marines will be the first to move into the country as part of Obama's escalation of
the
Bush's eight-year-old war.
Scientists in scramble to devise groin protector for soldiers 29 Nov 2009 British scientists are urgently trying to find a way of protecting the most sensitive part of soldiers� anatomy from Taliban bombs. The body armour used by US soldiers has a groin protection plate, but the Osprey armour issued to UK troops in Afghanistan does not protect the area, a shortcoming that is causing great concern. Doctors at the field hospital in Camp Bastion in Helmand province are seeing 60% more cases of serious injuries to the groin -- including complete loss of genitalia -- among UK troops than among US forces.
Pakistan must step up action against al Qaeda-Brown 29 Nov 2009 British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called on Pakistan to take tougher action against 'al Qaeda' and step up its efforts to track down the group's leader Osama bin Laden. Brown said the efforts of British and coalition forces in Afghanistan to tackle the Taliban insurgency needed to be matched by more effective action by the Pakistan government and forces on their side of the border.
U.S. had Osama Bin Laden in their grasp but failed to strike, says Senate report 29 Nov 2009 Osama bin Laden was cornered by American troops in the Afghan mountains in 2001 but U.S. leaders did not deploy enough troops to kill or capture him, according to a U.S. report. A Senate Foreign Relations Committee study to be released tomorrow will reveal the military failings in the bid to capture the terrorist mastermind behind [used by the Bush regime for] the attacks on the World Trade Center in America on September 11, 2001. And its says the failure to kill or capture the al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] leader has had massive consequences that has left the American people 'vulnerable' to terrorism. The report blames U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and U.S. military commander General Tommy Franks for the blunder.
Rumsfeld decision allowed Bin Laden to escape: Senate report 29 Nov 2009 Osama bin Laden was "within the grasp" of US forces in late 2001 but escaped because then-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld rejected calls for reinforcements, a US Senate report says. Dated for release Monday, the hard-hitting study comes as President Barack Obama prepares to announce a major escalation of the Afghan conflict, now in its ninth year, with the expected deployment of some 34,000 more US troops.
9/11: Pentagon Aircraft Hijack Impossible --Flight Deck Door Closed For Entire Flight ( PilotsFor911Truth ) Newly decoded data provided by an independent researcher and computer programmer from Australia exposes alarming evidence that the reported hijacking aboard American Airlines Flight 77 was impossible to have existed. A data parameter labeled "FLT DECK DOOR", cross checks with previously decoded data obtained by Pilots For 9/11 Truth from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) through the Freedom of Information Act.
Teenagers report US abuse in Afghanistan jail --Human rights workers have reported similar abuses at Bagram jail in the past. 28 Nov 2009 US reports about alleged abuses in the secretive Bagram jail in Afghanistan, have angered human rights workers. A report in The Washington Post published Saturday has quoted two Afghan teenagers who said they were beaten by interrogators while being held at the Bagram air base jail this year. They also say they suffered sleep deprivation and sexual humiliation.
Afghan teenagers allege beatings, sleep deprivation at U.S. black site 28 Nov 2009 Two Afghan teenagers held in U.S. detention north of Kabul this year said they were beaten by American guards, photographed naked, deprived of sleep and held in solitary confinement in concrete cells for at least two weeks while undergoing daily interrogation about their alleged links to the Taliban. The accounts could not be independently substantiated. But in successive, on-the-record interviews, the teenagers presented a detailed, consistent portrait suggesting that the abusive treatment of suspected insurgents has in some cases continued under the Obama administration, despite steps that President Obama has said would put an end to the
harsh interrogation practices
torture authorized by the Bush regime after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The two teenagers -- Issa Mohammad, 17, and Abdul Rashid, who said he is younger than 16 -- said in interviews this week that they were punched and slapped in the face by their captors during their time at Bagram air base, where they were held in individual cells. Rashid said his interrogator forced him to look at pornography alongside a photograph of his mother.
Switzerland votes "yes" to minaret ban 29 Nov 2009 Far-right Swiss politicians [terrorists] rejoice after the majority of voters supported a referendum proposing a ban on the building of minarets in Switzerland. A clear majority of 57.5 percent of the population and 22 out of 26 cantons (provinces) favored the ban on construction of the symbolic towers -- a distinct architectural feature of Islamic mosques from which Muslims are called to prayer. Far-right politicians pushing for the ban in the past few months have portrayed the minaret as a 'symbol of radicalism,' but the government officially opposed the ban over concerns that it would harm Switzerland's image.
Iran gives go-ahead to build 10 new nuclear plants --Government orders work to begin on five sites, with locations for a further five to be found 29 Nov 2009 Iran today sent a defiant signal to the international community by announcing plans to build 10 uranium enrichment plants days after it was condemned by the UN for concealing activities that are feared may be designed to produce an atomic bomb. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government said the plants would be the same size as the main enrichment complex at Natanz, central Iran, and work would begin within two months.
US warns Iran against ten new enrichment plants 29 Nov 2009 Hours after Iran's announcement of building ten new enrichment plants, the United States warns the Islamic Republic against the decision. After a cabinet meeting on Sunday, the Iranian government tasked the country's Atomic Energy Organization (AEO) with building ten more nuclear enrichment sites. Meanwhile a State Department spokesman reacted to the announcement, accusing Iran of breaking international laws if it carries out its new nuclear plan.
Venezuela to Open Embassy In Palestine --Chavez: Venezuela is Palestine and Palestine is Venezuela 28 Nov 2009 Popular Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced on Friday his country would open an embassy in Palestine and upgrade ties to ambassadorial level... Reuters reported. 'We have decided to designate an ambassador and open an embassy in Palestine,' Chavez told reporters after a meeting with Mahmoud Abbas. 'We now have a charge d'affaires; we will name an ambassador in coming days as part of accords to boost our bilateral relations,' he said. Venezuela also provided scholarship for 20 Palestinians to study medicine in Venezuela.
Israel may start importing books published in enemy states 29 Nov 2009 Books translated in "hostile countries" will soon be allowed to be sold in Israel, after the Ministerial Committee for Legislation decided on Sunday to support a bill overturning a World War II-era law aimed at blocking information from enemy states. This will allow the Arabic translations of best-selling children's books like "Harry Potter" and "Pinocchio," as well as Arabic versions of prominent Israeli authors, to be sold here.
New Minot AFB commanders vow perfection 29 Nov 2009 The sign over the main gate at Minot Air Force Base brags, ''Only the Best Come North.'' It's been a questionable claim over the past two years at the North Dakota base following a rash of nuclear-related mistakes that spurred no mushroom clouds but embarrassed the military and cost several officers their positions. The new base commander said the foul-ups - including a cross-country flight from Minot of a B-52 bomber mistakenly armed with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles - stemmed from lax attitudes in maintaining the arsenal there. ''We had a compliance problem,'' Col. Douglas Cox told The Associated Press in an interview last week at the base. [Yeah, like Cheney trying to strike Chicago with a 'missing' Minot nuke.]
Secrecy we can believe in: Release of secret reports delayed --Spy agencies foil Obama plan for transparency 29 Nov 2009 President Obama will maintain a lid of secrecy on millions of pages of military and intelligence documents that were scheduled to be declassified by the end of the year, according to administration officials. The missed deadline spells trouble for the White House�s promises to introduce an era of government openness, say advocates, who believe that releasing historical information enforces a key check on government behavior.
4 Police Officers Shot Dead Near McChord Air Force Base 29 Nov 2009 Four police officers were shot dead in a targeted ambush at a Lakewood, Wash., state coffee house, a sheriff's official said Sunday. The attack occurred at Forza Coffee Co., east of McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, Wash., about 35 miles south of Seattle. Officers are now searching for one male suspect who opened fire in the shop before fleeing on foot [?], q13Fox.com reported. Police have not yet ruled out an accomplice.
US police 'shot dead in ambush' in Washington state --US police said officers were 'targeted' 29 Nov 2009 Four police officers have been shot dead in an ambush at a coffee shop in Washington State, police say. Officials said at least one gunman walked into a coffee shop in Parkland, near the McChord Air Force Base, and opened fire. A sheriff's spokesman said the officers had been targeted and it was not believed to have been a robbery. Other customers were in the coffee shop at the time but no-one else was injured in the attack.
Updates from Parkland-area crime shooting scene 29 Nov 2009 Noon (PST) Update: Reporter Mike Archbold reports there are roughly 75 marked and unmarked police cars at the scene. The Pierce County Search and Rescue have arrived on the scene. The suspect came into the coffee shop and opened fire. The slain officers were wearing bulletproof vests. Rebecca Radcliffe, manager of the Subway Shop on the corner of 112th and Steele streets, said four officers would often come in on Sunday and stay two to three hours.
The newest of the deadly vaccines - designed to be a "COMBO" for viral strains that don't even exist yet?!?!?!?! Now THAT'S quite a feat of modern medicine, considering how utterly ridiculous and impossible this idea is�.. H1N1, H2N2, H3N2, and H5N1 Combo DNA Influenza Vaccine Ready to roll out. By Alex 29 Nov 2009 Pardon my French, folks, but this is total bulls**t. These manufacturers are now packaging and advertising a vaccine that aims to protect against ALL the contributing donors to future variant recombinant strains based on these original donors, which were all part of the original viral bioweapon design . I can see right away the first thing they will go after is the new D225G strain and claim that because the D225G contains donor DNA from any or all of the four source strains, this new vaccine will then be effective against any substrain based on the four sources H1N1, H2N2, H3N2, and H5N1.
U.S. Will Push Mortgage Firms to Reduce More Loan Payments 29 Nov 2009 The Obama administration on Monday plans to announce a campaign to pressure mortgage companies to reduce payments for many more troubled homeowners, as evidence mounts that a $75 billion taxpayer-financed effort aimed at stemming foreclosures is foundering. "The banks are not doing a good enough job," Michael S. Barr, Treasury�s assistant secretary for financial institutions, said in an interview Friday. "Some of the firms ought to be embarrassed, and they will be." [Not doing a good enough job?' They've been ****ing us, six ways to Sunday.]
Food Stamp Use Soars Across U.S., and Stigma Fades 29 Nov 2009 With food stamp use at record highs and climbing every month, a program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme now helps feed one in eight Americans and one in four children. It has grown so rapidly in places so diverse that it is becoming nearly as ordinary as the groceries it buys. More than 36 million people use inconspicuous plastic cards for staples like milk, bread and cheese, swiping them at counters in blighted cities and in suburbs pocked with foreclosure signs.
Canadian researcher says arctic ice is thinning 27 Nov 2009 The permanent Arctic sea ice that is home to the world's polar bears and usually survives the summer has all but disappeared, a Canadian researcher said Friday. University of Manitoba Arctic researcher David Barber said experts around the world believed the ice was recovering because satellite images showed it expanding, but the thick, multiyear frozen sheets have been replaced by thin ice that cannot support the weight of a polar bear.
Warming will 'wipe out billions' 29 Nov 2009 Most of the world's population will be wiped out if political leaders fail to agree a method of stopping current rates of global warming, one of the UK's most senior climate scientists has warned. Professor Kevin Anderson, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, believes only around 10 per cent of the planet's population - around half a billion people - will survive if global temperatures rise by 4C.
ExxonMobil shills rejoice: Climate change data dumped 29 Nov 2009 Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have admitted throwing away much of the raw temperature data on which their predictions of global warming are based. It means that other academics are not able to check basic calculations said to show a long-term rise in temperature over the past 150 years. The UEA�s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) was forced to reveal the loss following requests for the data under Freedom of Information legislation.
*****
| i don't know |
In the American sit-com 'Two And A Half Men', which actor plays the newly introduced character 'Walden Schmidt'? | "Two and a Half Men" Reviews & Ratings - IMDb
IMDb
trailers and videos full cast and crew trivia official sites memorable quotes
Overview
0 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
God will not approve of this show
from United States
14 October 2016
I absolutely find everyone in this show annoying and offensive. There are real guys out there like Charlie. And the fact they make humor out of stuff like this when you actually know someone who has bad morals and alcohol habits in real life its actually pretty sad. Charlies brother Allan on the other hand may be strait edge but he acts Gay. The house maid in the show is an anti emotion who wouldn't react to your death. Jake is probably the only character in this show that I find funny without being inappropriate. Not to mention I notice the profanity in this show is a little extreme. Shows like this should only be allowed to be watched on YouTube and not be put on TV. I made other reviews to other shows that I feel have similar humor that I don't find very humorous anymore they're just more inappropriate now days. I honestly enjoy the family shows better than the dirty comedian stuff they make out there.
Was the above review useful to you?
good series, truly.
23 September 2016
As funny as funny stuff gets.
If you wanna laugh, this is the series to go, and Charlie Sheen is the man for it.
And his brother, Alan, is also up to the mark. But after Sheen's departure, the movie lost quite some of its cutting-d\edge indeed. You know the drill- the nonchalant, flamboyant and well-to-do bachelor, right? Well this is the classic scene, but anyhow, not a letdown, ever. Tremendous acting, by accomplished actors. Like I said, and I don't like repeating things, but IMDb won't let me publish a review if it has less than 10 line, which can be a real pain in the neck sometimes, I'm telling you, this series is easily up there amidst the likes of Seinfeld and the others. Totally recommend.
Was the above review useful to you?
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
I don't get it!
from Norway
14 July 2016
I have seen this show on TV for yeeeears now and i laugh just about never. I mean when is it funny? I cant see it.
I work night shifts now a days. Where i mostly just sit on my ass watching TV (its not a cozy work place, trust me) On one channel there is every day 4 episodes of the big bang theory, which is funny. But than comes 4 episodes of two and a half men. Its just not funny, it feels so fakish. People are crying about Charlie Sheen not being on the show any more, but common, it was not funny with him eighter.
The only thing making me watch this show, is the average story. Its not great, but it can be viewed.
Was the above review useful to you?
0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
I'm talking about "Two and a half men" not the desperate remakes
4 June 2016
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Two and a half men (from season 1 to season 8) is the best sitcom i've ever seen in my whole life، the big differences between the characters is what made this show extremely hilarious! the jokes are crazy the cast are PERFECT there is not much of romance، drama or lousiness but only pure comedy which happens to be this show's category! i've seen other works for Chuck Lorre like "The big bang theory" and even him probably know that this show is no good and has nothing to do with comedy. The guy have messed up one of the greatest sitcoms in the world، so thank you Chuck! since charlie sheen left the show it became "Three boring men" with so much in common between the characters the show bored me to death. and after Jake was gone they realized the importance of having a new charlie in the show so they brought a girl who's supposed to be charlie's daughter! but is it Two and a half men again? no it's not! so at the last season they decided to bring a child to the crew that replaces Jake but it didn't work out either! but still every time i think of giving it a rate lower than 10 i remember the first 8 seasons and realize it's a huge mistake not to give it a 10/10 rating. RIP Two and a half men.
Was the above review useful to you?
Good show.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
big spoiler from season 9
I like the show. It is very funny, but the story is not that good. Charlie Sheen, playing Charlie Harper is definitely the best character in the show. Walden Schmidt is cool too, though, but it's just not the same. I like the fact that Alan Harper just stays in the beach house in Malibu. Both, Charlie Harper and Walden Schmidt have issues. Charlie Harper is a pig. Walden Schmidt is a baby. I love Berta, because she is so lazy, but still loved by Charlie Harper, Walden Schmidt, Jake Harper and Alan Harper. I like how Angus Jones, playing Jake Harper plays his character so well, even though he is so young at the beginning.
Was the above review useful to you?
A Legend that will be Remembered
Author: Nigel Robinson
16 February 2016
As one of the most controversial sit-coms ever created Two and a Half Men ran for 12 years between 2003 and 2015. It was one of TV's biggest sit-coms, always high in the ratings and, especially in it's later years, causing a stir in the world of show-biz.
First of all though, Two and a Half Men used a lot of humour that was very much in the viewers face and not afraid to be undisciplined. This led to a lot of people describing the show as misogynistic and creepy, but the diverse mix of personalities in the cast make for a lot of very fun scenes and great comedy.
There's plenty of tone shifts throughout the series, in the early series (series 1-3 but Series 1 in particular) there's a sense of warmth in the family dynamic and a real sense of friendship between the actors which shines out of the screen.
However around the Series 4 mark, things get a little darker. The writing between the characters becomes a little more hostile. It's never to the point of evil but there's something darker in the tone.
Then Series 7 become a lot darker where the hostility between the characters appears to turn into hate in certain episodes and they can't seem to go a scene without insulting each other. The writing also becomes darker at this point and can even alienate me at points, and I've loved this show for years.
Then, along with the cast change in Series 9, everything became a little warmer, with a new dynamic and a new friendship between the cast.
The quality of the series always held up and no matter what episode you picked, you were guaranteed a laugh, and you're guaranteed to see the great characters shine out of the screen, then along came Series 9, and everything fell apart.
Ashton Kutcher just isn't a good enough actor to carry a show like this, and the character of Walden is so thin and uninteresting that there's nothing for the writers to work with and the humour falls flat.
This is a problem carried over from the later Sheen years, where characters are there but not really interesting and don't get involved enough with the humour of the episode. Walden just embodies this problem because no matter what the episode is, NO-ONE CARES!
Alan turns into a complete victim in this series, and becomes double the loser he was in the previous series. Also the new beach house design is revolting. It's so awkwardly modern, there's ipads on the walls, ornaments in the shape of '@' signs, cushions that look like keyboard buttons, it's so awkward and nasty to look at.
Jake is the same but he vanishes in Series 10 and doesn't return until the series finale, in which he is replaced by Jenny, Charlie's long-lost illegitimate lesbian daughter, who is almost exactly like Charlie except, she's a woman, and she was obviously only brought in to bring some of that classic Charlie humour back to the series. Does it work? No!
All the other characters are pathetic, and the characters we all know and love from the Sheen years disappear from the series, whatever happened to Evelyn, Judith, Herb, Rose, Berta, Gorden, they all seen to either disappear completely, or gradually leave the series.
I did try not to make this a complete rant on the final four years of Two and a Half Men, but they were so awful I couldn't resist. There's so much I haven't covered but I haven't got the word space so I'll sum up.
Two and a Half Men will be remembered for years to come, people will remember it because it was the reason the Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly and Mom were all made, three hugely successful sit-coms under the control of Chuck Lorre.
Even though the final four years were not of high quality, I will miss this show. It made me laugh for 8 years and gave me something to rant about for another 4. It's still a great show that has already left it's mark on American TV, and even though I live in the UK, you could feel the ripples of the show even here. Charlie Sheen's meltdown and dismissal was all over the place here, and ratings for the show are still high for repeats. It will be remembered all over the world, and will be missed for a long time!
Was the above review useful to you?
I dig this show
from Thailand
7 February 2016
This is what I watch when I want to de-stress. It's a simple straight forward funny sitcom. Charlie Sheen is perfectly cast as the lovable rascal, Charlie Harper. I suspect the TV show may have actually been written for him.
It's basically just an updated version of The Odd Couple; Charlie is the womanizing drunken slob, while Alan is the fastidious Mama's boy that is perennially shocked by his older brothers's sordid lifestyle.
The straight man and the foil.
It's a simple formula that works as well here as it has ever done - Martin and Lewis, Randall and Klugman, Lemmon and Matthau. The supporting players this time around are uniformly excellent. A Tony Award winning Housekeeper, A cute kid, a harem load of some very hot Women, more alcohol to drown a paddock and an embittered salaciously saucy controlling Mother and you have one of the greatest ever TV shows.
Was the above review useful to you?
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Charlie Pristine versus Ashton Butcher
23 December 2015
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Charlie Pristine made the show. Ashton Kutcher butchered the show. I say Pristine instead of Sheen because Charlie's pristine talent of making comedy happen is there. I say Butcher instead of Kutcher is because of Ashton's butchering of comedic scenes were and are there. Chuck Lorre presents himself as a person putting money before ratings of a show. I.M.D'b. displays 7.1/10 as a rating for Two and a Half Men now. Truthfully, this show had a substantially higher rating than that whenever Mr. Sheen was seen. Also, Lorre's other show, The Big Bang Theory, was formerly funny to me as well because it is really not showing enough of the nerd world or humor for me. Just the one-sided nerd world that is profitable for the show is what it is. Otherwise, the Charlie Sheen version of Two and a Half Men and the seasons before Season 8 of The Big Bang Theory were/are what I would only watch. Chuck Lorre needs to re-prioritize if T. & A.H.M. is to succeed in heightening its rating here.
Was the above review useful to you?
2 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
It got all ruined after Charlie got fired
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
F*ck the producers and actors who dissed Charlie Sheen in these series.
He made it awesome and the last two episodes just ruined everything.
All a can say is Charlie getting fired is the worst thing to happen to the series.
I liked Ashton Kutscher until he tried to Diss Dharlie and all went terribly wrong.
F*ck You very much
By submitting this review you are agreeing to the terms laid out in our Copyright Statement. Your submission must be your own original work. Your review will normally be posted on the site within 2-3 business days. Reviews that do not meet the guidelines will not be posted. Please write in English only. HTML or boards mark-up is not supported though paragraph breaks will be inserted if you leave a blank line between paragraph.
Was the above review useful to you?
1 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
I Love You Plz Comeback
from India
18 August 2015
I loved this show. This show was the best on the television for i don't know a decade why do all good things have to end?? i think the time of this series has not came yet there is still a lot more to explore a lot more story line to tell and more of all you could not have been able to ask for a better cast ASTON KUTCHER JOHN CRYER CHARLIE SHEEN(you get my point) and the most brilliant comic producer director television ha ever seen CHUCK LORRE. I think there is still enough steam left to take the series forward for another 10 years plz make it HAPPEN!!! CHUCK LORRE CHARLIE SHEEN now behave like good kids make up and give our show BACK!!!
Was the above review useful to you?
Page 1 of 29:
| Ashton Kutcher |
The 'Serpents Mouth' is a stretch of water separating Trinidad from which country? | Ashton Kutcher set to make Two And A Half Men return as he 'signs up for new season' | Daily Mail Online
Ashton Kutcher set to make Two And A Half Men return as he 'signs up for new season'
comments
Ashton Kutcher is set to return for a new series of Two and a Half Men.
The 34-year-old actor - who replaced Charlie Sheen after he was sacked from the show - has reportedly signed a new one-year deal which will see him reprise his role as lonely millionaire Walden Schmidt, with co-stars Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones also returning.
Ashton will remain on $700,000 per episode but he and his co-stars have been promised a signing on bonus, according to Deadline.
Making a comeback: Ashton Kutcher is set to return to make another season of Two And A Half Men
It is unclear is the new season - the show's 10th - will be its last.
Earlier this year Ashton revealed he would be happy to return for a new series.
He said: 'I'm having a lot of fun doing the show, working with these guys and would be interested in coming back.
'The deal that we structured for the show is kind of a test deal, "Can we get the show up? Can we get it going?"
'The show is outperforming the numbers from before I was here, and so I think people are responding to it, and, for me having a show that people like and people want more of, that'll dictate my decision.'
Out with the old: Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen on the hit U.S. comedy, seen here with co-star Jon Cryer
The first episode of Two and a Half Men in which Ashton appeared set a ratings record for the show, drawing in some 27.7 million viewers - more than double the number who watched the first episode of season eight in 2010.
Ashton has previously admitted landing the role felt like 'winning the lottery'.
He said: 'I've never probably in my 13 years in show business received more phone calls and emails from people congratulating me on this job.
'You'd almost think I won the lottery or something, which I kind of did. I've got the best job in showbusiness, and I am ecstatic about that.'
| i don't know |
The author John Buchan, who wrote 'The Thirty Nine Steps', was Governor-General of which commonwealth country? | John Buchan (Author of The 39 Steps)
edit data
John Buchan (1st Baron Tweedsmuir) was a Scottish novelist and public servant who combined a successful career as an author of thrillers, historical novels, histories and biographies with a parallel career in public life. At the time of his death he was Governor-General of Canada.
Buchan was educated at Glasgow and Oxford Universities. After a brief career in law he went to South Africa in 1902 where he contributed to the reconstruction of the country following the Boer War. His love for South Africa is a recurring theme in his fiction.
On returning to Britain, Buchan built a successful career in publishing with Nelsons and Reuters. During the first world war, he was Director of Information in the British government. He wrote a twenty-four v John Buchan (1st Baron Tweedsmuir) was a Scottish novelist and public servant who combined a successful career as an author of thrillers, historical novels, histories and biographies with a parallel career in public life. At the time of his death he was Governor-General of Canada.
Buchan was educated at Glasgow and Oxford Universities. After a brief career in law he went to South Africa in 1902 where he contributed to the reconstruction of the country following the Boer War. His love for South Africa is a recurring theme in his fiction.
On returning to Britain, Buchan built a successful career in publishing with Nelsons and Reuters. During the first world war, he was Director of Information in the British government. He wrote a twenty-four volume history of the war, which was later abridged.
Alongside his busy public life, Buchan wrote superb action novels, including the spy-catching adventures of Richard Hannay, whose exploits are described in The Thirty-Nine Steps, Greenmantle, Mr. Standfast, The Three Hostages, and The Island of Sheep.
Apart from Hannay, Buchan created two other leading characters in Dickson McCunn, the shrewd retired grocer who appears in Huntingtower, Castle Gay, and The House of the Four Winds; and the lawyer Sir Edward Leithen, who features in the The Power-House, John Macnab, The Dancing Floor, The Gap in the Curtain and Sick Heart River.
From 1927 to 1935 Buchan was Conservative M.P. for the Scottish Universities, and in 1935, on his appointment as Governor-General to Canada, he was made a peer, taking the title Baron Tweedsmuir. During these years he was still productive as a writer, and published notable historical biographies, such as Montrose, Sir Walter Scott, and Cromwell.
When he died in Montreal in 1940, the world lost a fine statesman and story-teller.
The John Buchan Society was founded in 1979 to encourage continuing interest in his life, works and legacy. Visit the website ( http://www.johnbuchansociety.co.uk ) and follow the Society on Twitter ( www.twitter.com/johnbuchansoc ) and Facebook ( www.facebook.com/johnbuchansociety ).
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Buchan and Encyclopeadia Britannica
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. ...more
| Canada |
The Japanese capital of Tokyo is located in which of the five regions of Honshu? This region gives its name to an earthquake of 1923. | John Buchan
Richard Hannay (5)
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, was a British novelist and Unionist politician who, between 1935 and 1940, served as the Governor General of Canada. He was born and primarily educated in Scotland, and further schooled in England, obtaining a degree in Literae Humaniores, and befriending a number of influential future writers while studying at the University of Oxford. After a brief career in law, Buchan began writing and his political and diplomatic career, serving as a private secretary to the colonial administrator of various colonies in South Africa, and eventually wrote propaganda for the British war effort following the outbreak of the First World War. Once back in civilian life, Buchan was elected the Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities, but spent most of his time on his writing career. He is the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps and other adventure fiction. – Wikipedia
Available eBooks
| i don't know |
What was the name of the school attended by 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'? | School Hard | Buffyverse Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
Synopsis
Spike's first visit to Sunnydale.
Buffy has found herself and Sheila Martini in Principal Snyder 's office. He has decided that the two girls will prepare the school lounge for parent-teacher night on Thursday telling them that whoever does the better job will not be expelled. He also notes that doing a good job may affect what he tells their parents towards the positive. Sheila's continued unconcern puts even more pressure on Buffy, who already has a tough time balancing slaying with a social life. Joyce warns Buffy later that if she gets a bad report then she won't be allowed to spend time with her friends.
That night, a new vampire by the name of Spike arrives in Sunnydale (making a grand entrance by knocking down the 'Welcome to...' sign). In the abandoned factory that is now their lair, the Anointed One has called together the few remaining members of the Order of Aurelius . With the Master dead and all hope of resurrecting him gone, they are now discussing who will serve alongside the Anointed One. As the following Saturday is the Night of Saint Vigeous when a vampire's power is at its peak, it is agreed that whoever kills the Slayer will take the Master's place. As one vampire boasts of his prowess, Spike saunters in and puts him in his place. Spike then offers to kill Buffy for the Anointed One, revealing that he's already killed two Slayers. Suddenly Drusilla , Spike's paramour who has psychic abilities and is more than a little insane, arrives and begins to babble about what Buffy is doing and begs Spike to kill her. The Anointed One agrees to let Spike try.
While the Scoobies are busy preparing for Parents' Night, Giles and Jenny Calendar show up to inform Buffy that Saturday will be the Night of Saint Vigeous, named after the leader of a vampire crusade, and that during that night the natural abilities of vampires will be enhanced. Buffy is unimpressed.
Buffy tries to combine school and social life by studying French at the Bronze . Spike is there, too, and sends one of the Anointed One's minions to attack someone, then prompts Buffy to fight and slay the vampire while Spike watches. Spike then steps out of the shadows and tells her that he will kill her on Saturday. He later bumps into Sheila, who is enthralled by his bad boy charm.
Giles does not recognize Spike from Buffy's description. Angel walks in on the meeting and tells them that Spike is a large problem, and then leaves. Later, Giles finds a reference to Spike as "William the Bloody", and discovers that he has indeed killed two Slayers already and that the "Spike" moniker came from his custom of torturing his victims with railroad spikes.
Spike and Drusilla settle into their new home, with Drusilla unpacking her collection of dolls. It soon emerges that Drusilla is ill following an altercation with an angry mob in Prague. Spike is hopeful that being so close to the Hellmouth will heal her and encourages her to eat something, indicating the bound Sheila. Drusilla warns Spike that the Anointed One and his followers don't trust him, then sends him up to the surface to feed as she feasts on Sheila.
Miss Edith.
On Thursday night, the Scoobies are making weapons in the library while Buffy is preparing the buffet. Despite Buffy's best efforts to keep her mother from meeting any teachers or Principal Snyder, Joyce eventually meets the Principal, and then she sternly orders Buffy home just as Spike and the other vampires crash through the window, too impatient to wait for Saturday. In the ensuing fight, Buffy leads the adults to safety in the science room while Xander , Giles, and Ms. Calendar barricade themselves in the library. Willow and Cordelia hide in a utility closet. Xander is sent out to get Angel. Buffy takes command of the incredulous adults, telling them to stay put as she climbs through the air ducts to reach the library and her weapons.
Xander returns to the school with Angel, who pretends to be his former evil self. Though Spike first welcomes Angel as a long-lost friend, he sees through the ruse and Xander and Angel are forced to flee. Xander hears Spike call Angel his "sire" and "Yoda."
Buffy and Spike finally meet in the hall, and Buffy is almost bested when her mother shows up and hits Spike over the head with the flat of a fire axe . With the curse "Women!" he retreats. Joyce tells Buffy that she doesn't care about what Snyder said and is proud to have a daughter who knows how to take care of herself and others in a crisis.
Snyder tells the police chief to say that the trouble was caused by a gang on PCP . When the chief wonders if people will believe it, Snyder asks if he'd rather tell the truth. Meanwhile, not knowing the vampires are long gone, Willow and Cordelia are still hiding out in the utility closet where Cordelia prays to God to be rescued (while Willow is desperate to be rescued from Cordelia's company).
Spike returns to the factory and meets with Drusilla, telling her that he's never encountered a Slayer with friends or family but still promises to kill her soon. He then approaches the Anointed One who demands penance for attacking too early. After starting to go through the motions, Spike decides that he won't reduce himself to grovelling for forgiveness from a kid and instead throws the boy in a cage and pulls it into the sun, killing him. From now on, he says, there will be less ritual and more fun in Sunnydale.
Continuity
This episode is the first appearance of Spike, who will figure heavily both in this series and the final season of Angel . The episode also marks the first appearance of Drusilla, who was also a constant threat and influence in both series.
Spike pronounces Angel's vampire name "AN-ge-lus" (similar to the pronunciation of the city of Los Angeles ); throughout the remainder of the series, the pronunciation "an-GE-lus" is more often used.
Spike calls Angel his sire , an intentional misdirection to make fans believe that Angel was the vampire who sired him. When Spike uses sire he also mentions "Yoda", indicating that he thought of Angel as his mentor - the father-figure who taught him after he became a vampire. In interviews, Joss Whedon has stated that a "sire" can mean any vampire ancestor. So Spike can consider Drusilla, Angel, Darla, and the Master to all be his sires, even though he was sired by Dru.
In this episode Spike seems quite happy to see Angel, although they have had a very rocky relationship even when Angel had no soul. This animosity will remain through both the Buffy and Angel series.
This episode establishes that Principal Snyder and the police are aware that there are supernatural happenings in Sunnydale. This foreshadows the development of Mayor Richard Wilkins as the "big bad" of season 3.
At the end of the episode, Spike complains about "A Slayer with family and friends." Buffy's rejection of the typical "lone wolf" style of Slaying will come up frequently in the series, usually in the context of people questioning her competence.
This is the first episode to reveal that Buffy's mother's name is Joyce .
Spike tells Buffy that the last Slayer he killed begged for her life. The last Slayer Spike killed was Nikki Wood. In the episode " Fool for Love " we see Spike murder her, but we do not witness the exchange as the story unfolds, only through the Spike of the 1970s addressing Buffy in the present, and as such could be missing Nikki's pleas. Later in the Angel episode " Damage " we hear from deranged Slayer Dana that Nikki's plea was "Please, I have to get home to my son Robin".
Despite, or because of, Joyce's attack on him in this episode, Spike later has a deep respect for Joyce Summers, developing somewhat of a friendship with her.
Joyce and Snyder meet for the first time in this episode, developing their mutual disdain into Season 3.
Spike's rather dramatic arrival in Sunnydale (running over the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign) is later recreated in " Lovers Walk ", the only difference him being drunk.
This episode marks the first time a vampire , The Anointed One, is killed by immolation in sunlight, though it occurs off screen. It will occur on screen for the first time in " Becoming, Part One ".
The yo-yo Xander pulls out of Buffy's purse (while looking for a stake) is the same one she was playing with in the beginning of " Some Assembly Required ".
In this episode we have Cordelia joining the other characters making stakes in the library without any specific backstory as to why she is there, marking her as a full Scooby for the first time.
A possible clue as to Willow's future character development is found in the final scene where she and Cordelia are 'in the closet' together.
This episode established that Spike killed two Slayers, an exception among vampires. Later, Drusilla will achieve this status by killing Kendra and Marianne .
When Sheila asks Buffy if she really burnt down a building one time, Buffy replies "Not exactly one time", referencing the previous episode where Buffy was involved in the burning down of an abandoned science building.
Body Count
The Anointed One , caged and exposed to the sunlight outside the Factory by Spike
Behind the Scenes
Production
Show creators have stated in interviews included on the DVDs that Spike kills The Anointed One in this episode because Andrew J. Ferchland, who plays The Anointed One, had grown significantly over the summer hiatus, which contradicted the established doctrine that vampires do not age. Because of Ferchland's growth spurt, he remains seated for most of his scenes in season two.
When Buffy first encounters the Big Ugly outside the Bronze, she tells Xander to go get a stake. The script reads "Xander races to the table. Opens Buffy's purse, claws through lipstick, make-up, hair brush, a tampon! XANDER - Ahhh! He drops it like a hot tampon, finally finds a stake, runs."
Broadcast
"School Hard" had an audience of 3.4 million households.
Deleted Scenes
Buffy: "That was my next guess."
Pop Culture References
Willow is wearing a Scooby-Doo shirt at the PTA night.
The title and some plot elements of this episode are reminiscent of the action film Die Hard .
Giles comments that the name Spike is "a little unorthodox " for a vampire, to which Buffy replies: "maybe he's Reform ."
Spike calls Angel an " Uncle Tom ," a term that refers to a black person who is overly submissive towards a white person.
The death of the Anointed bears a resemblance to the death of Claudia, who was also a child vampire, in Interview with the Vampire .
Spike mentioned Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back , referenced in the dialogue: "You were my sire, man! You were my... Yoda!"
Woodstock, which Spike attended, was a musical festival held in a farmer's field in Woodstock, NY, the weekend of August 15–17, 1969. Featuring such acts as Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar, and the Grateful Dead, the event immediately came to symbolize the bohemian atmosphere and hippie culture of the free-love late 1960s.
Goofs, Bloopers & Continuity Errors
When Cordelia is talking to Buffy the position in which her arms are change significantly throughout the scene.
International Titles
Finnish: Kovaa Koulua (Tough School)
Brazilian Portuguese: A Escola da Pesada (The school of tough)
German: Elternabend mit Hindernissen (Parent-Teacher Conference with obstacles)
Music
This episode is included in The Slayer Collection: Spike DVD.
Quotes
Buffy - (learning French with Willow) "La vache… doit me… touche… de la… jeudi. (looks at Willow) Was it wrong? Should I use the plural?"
Willow - "No. But you said 'The cow should touch me from Thursday'."
Buffy - "Maybe that's what I was feeling."
Willow - "And you said it wrong."
Buffy - "Oh, je stink."
Joyce - "So, what do you think your teachers are gonna tell me about you?"
Buffy - "Well, I think they'll all agree that I always bring a pen to class, ready to absorb the knowledge."
Joyce - "And, uh, this absorption rate? How is it reflected in your homework and test scores?"
Buffy - "What can you really tell about a person from a test score?"
Joyce - "Whether or not she's ever going out with her friends again."
Spike - "If every vampire who said he was at the Crucifixion was actually there, it would've been like Woodstock."
Giles - "For three nights, the unholy ones scourge themselves into a fury, um, culminating in a savage attack on the Night of St. Vigeous."
Xander - "Does anybody remember when Saturday night meant date night?"
Cordelia - "You sure don't."
Cordelia - "My guess? Tenth high school reunion, you'll still be grounded."
Spike - (after coming two days early) "What can I say? I couldn't wait."
Cordelia - "And if you get me out of this, I swear I'll never be mean to anyone ever again. Unless they really deserve it or if it's that time of the month, in which case I don't think you or anyone else can hold me responsible..."
Willow - (bored to death) "Ask for some aspirin."
Cordelia - "And can you please send some asp- Hey."
Buffy - "So, what did you and Principal Snyder talk about, anyway?"
Joyce - "Principal Snyder said you were a troublemaker." (Buffy looks down in shame) "And I could care less." (Buffy looks back up) "I have a daughter who can take care of herself; who's brave and resourceful and thinks of others in a crisis. No matter who you hang out with or what dumb teenage stuff you think you need to do, I'm gonna sleep better knowing all that."
Buffy - "About how long 'til this wears off and you start ragging on me again?"
Joyce - "Oh, at least a week and a half."
Buffy - "Very cool!"
Xander - "So, when you gave him my neck to chew on, why didn't you clock him before he had a chance to clock you?"
Angel - "I told you. I couldn't make the first move. I had to see if he was buying it or not."
Xander - "A-and if he bit me, what then?"
Angel - "We would've known he bought it."
Spike - "A Slayer with family and friends. That sure as hell wasn't in the brochure."
Spike - "From now on, there's going to be a little less ritual and a little more fun around here!"
References
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Golden, Christopher, and Nancy Holder. The Watcher's Guide, Vol. 1. New York: Pocket Books, 1998.
| Sunnydale |
What is the name of the legendary sea monster, with a name meaning 'Octopus', that was said to have dwelled off the coasts of Norway and Iceland? | Buffy Is Sweet, 16 and Slaying Vampires - The New York Times
The New York Times
Television |Buffy Is Sweet, 16 and Slaying Vampires
Search
Buffy Is Sweet, 16 and Slaying Vampires
By JUSTINE ELIAS
Continue reading the main story
DON'T mess with Buffy. The perky, preternaturally wise high school girl may seem like a pushover at first, but she's a uniquely talented 16-year-old. As she sheds her girlish interests and assumes the job of protecting her hometown, Buffy Summers becomes a heroine who'd make both Joseph Campbell and Judy Blume proud. When the going gets rough, she starts kick boxing and staking vampires through the heart.
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer,'' which made its debut on the WB network last month, is a continuation of the 1992 horror-comedy film of the same name. The cinematic Buffy (Kristy Swanson) was a wealthy Los Angeles girl who reluctantly quit the cheerleading squad to vanquish an army of bloodsucking monsters at her high school prom. The series stars 20-year-old Sarah Michelle Gellar, who remains cheerful and fierce throughout, whether she's pummeling a teen-age witch, singing ''Macho Man'' before cheerleader tryouts or staring off into space during biology class. As the series opened, Miss Gellar's Buffy was expelled from her posh city school for starting fights (with vampires) and wrecking the gymnasium during a prom night melee (they started it). Now enrolled at suburban Sunnydale High School, she would prefer to keep a low profile. But she must resume her slayer training when she realizes that her new hometown sits atop a locus of evil called Hellmouth.
Joss Whedon, who wrote the film's screenplay and serves as the series' creator and executive producer, says he aimed to create a weekly action thriller laced with comedy.
''We're not doing a spoof,'' says Mr. Whedon. ''It's larger than life, but we are very much involved with these characters.'' Buffy's rough transition into a new high school reflects the experience of the character's 30-year-old creator, a New Yorker who transferred to a British boarding school during his senior year. ''I started quoting Monty Python routines, and they accepted me,'' he says. ''I plan to grow out of my high school nerd phase by the time I hit my early 40's.''
Continue reading the main story
After receiving a degree in literature from Wesleyan College, Mr. Whedon moved to Los Angeles and started pitching original scripts. ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer,'' written when he was in his early 20's, was his first produced screenplay, so he didn't have much control over the results. The light, satirical tone of the movie, directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, didn't jibe with his original idea. Where the movie emphasized Buffy's shallow concerns -- she was obsessed with being popular and running the school's social scene -- the series allows its heroine to befriend her high school's most eccentric characters. Adolescent snobbery is left to the show's comic foil, Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), who sneers at one un-chic classmate, ''I see you've discovered the softer side of Sears.''
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story
''Buffy could have become just like Cordelia if she hadn't been the slayer,'' Mr. Whedon says. ''She's an outsider, and she gravitates toward outsiders in her new school.'' The gregarious, confident heroine befriends a shy computer hacker named Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and a would-be Don Juan (Nicholas Brendon) who suffers from a tragic hairstyle and a premature sense of his own attractiveness to girls. Buffy's mentor in vampire-slaying is the school's British librarian, played by Anthony Stewart Head, the actor who stars in a series of Taster's Choice coffee advertisements. Another subplot involves Buffy's fascination with a mysterious young man named Angel who seems to have been expelled from the vampire clan for being too gorgeous.
Miss Gellar, a show business veteran who started making stage appearances and television commercials when she was 5, says she isn't a particular fan of gory horror movies. ''To me, the scariest elements of horror films are the things that could really happen,'' she says. ''And what is more scary than high school?''
In coming episodes, Buffy will battle more than just vampires: robots run amok, a ventriloquist's dummy comes to life, the mean kids are possessed by hyenas and a sexy substitute teacher turns out to be a praying mantis.
''There's stuff everyone can relate to,'' she says. ''A teen-age girl feels so invisible that she becomes invisible, and a former cheerleader would literally destroy people to get back on the team.''
Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box.
Invalid email address. Please re-enter.
You must select a newsletter to subscribe to.
Sign Up
Privacy Policy
Recent vampire tales have emphasized the genre's sexual undertones, but Mr. Whedon says that interpretation wasn't appropriate for a youth-oriented television series. None of the main characters, including the adult librarian, are sexually active, though their curiosity and fear heightens every foray into danger.
''We had to invent new slang when the boys start talking about the substitute teacher,'' said Mr. Whedon. ''It kind of points out that they don't know exactly what they are talking about.''
Mr. Whedon's talent for creating strong female characters was a crucial factor in having the show accepted by the WB network, which was looking to attract young viewers. After the modest success of the ''Buffy'' film, Mr. Whedon was hired to rewrite the scripts for ''Speed,'' ''Twister,'' and the forthcoming ''Alien 4: Resurrection,'' all big-budget action films with self-reliant female leads.
''Buffy may grouse about it, but she has heroic instincts. I seem to be the guy for strong action women,'' he says. ''A lot of writers are just terrible when it comes to writing female characters. They forget that they are people.'' (Mr. Whedon's most successful script, however, was for the animated film ''Toy Story,'' which earned him an Academy Award nomination.)
For Miss Gellar, the role is a chance to try something new. She won an Emmy award for her work on ''All My Children,'' in which she played Susan Lucci's hell-raising daughter.
''I seduced my stepfather, and when he wouldn't sleep with me, I slept with the stable boy, cried rape and my mother stabbled him with a letter opener,'' she recalls. ''Then I went to jail for perjury, burned my parents' divorce papers and locked up my little sister. I think that was all in the first week.''
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story
Though Miss Gellar, a native of Manhattan, was a show-business kid who attended a private school for young performers, she says she is familiar with all the travails of adolescence. ''What I like about the show is that it reminds you it's O.K. to be different,'' she said. ''What people think isn't necessarily true. If people walk away with half of that, we've done our job.''
| i don't know |
The name of which legendary race of warrior-women that supposedly lived in Asia Minor means 'without breasts'? | Amazon - definition of Amazon by The Free Dictionary
Amazon - definition of Amazon by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Amazon
(ăm′ə-zŏn′, -zən)
n.
1. A member of a legendary nation of women warriors reputed to have lived in ancient Scythia.
2. often amazon A tall, aggressive, strong-willed woman.
3. often amazon Any of various predominantly green parrots of the genus Amazona, native to Central and South America and sometimes kept as pets.
[Middle English, from Latin Amāzōn, from Greek Amazōn, probably of Iranian origin.]
Word History: In classical legend, the Amazons were a tribe of warrior women. Their name is supposedly derived from Greek a-mazos, "without a breast," because according to the legend they cut off their right breasts so as to be better able to shoot with a bow and arrow. This folk etymology, like most folk etymologies, is incorrect, but the Amazons of legend are not so completely different from the historical Amazons, who were also warriors. The historical Amazons were Scythians, an Iranian people renowned for their cavalry. The first Greeks to come into contact with the Iranians were the Ionians, who lived on the coast of Asia Minor and were constantly threatened by the Persians, the most important of the Iranian peoples. Amazōn is the Ionian Greek form of the Iranian word ha-mazan, "fighting together." The regular Greek form would be hamazōn, but because the Ionians dropped their aitches like Cockneys, hamazōn became amazōn, the form taken into the other Greek dialects.
amazon
(ˈæməzən)
n
(Animals) any of various tropical American parrots of the genus Amazona, such as A. farinosa (green amazon), having a short tail and mainly green plumage
Amazon
(ˈæməzən)
n
1. (Classical Myth & Legend) Greek myth one of a race of women warriors of Scythia near the Black Sea
2. (Non-European Myth & Legend) one of a legendary tribe of female warriors of South America
3. (often not capital) any tall, strong, or aggressive woman
[C14: via Latin from Greek Amazōn, of uncertain origin]
Amazonian adj
(ˈæməzən)
n
(Placename) a river in South America, rising in the Peruvian Andes and flowing east through N Brazil to the Atlantic: in volume, the largest river in the world; navigable for 3700 km (2300 miles). Length: over 6440 km (4000 miles). Area of basin: over 5 827 500 sq km (2 250 000 sq miles)
Am•a•zon
(ˈæm əˌzɒn, -zən)
n.
1. a river in N South America, flowing E from the Peruvian Andes through N Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean: the largest river in the world in volume of water carried. 3900 mi. (6280 km) long.
2. (in legends of the ancient Greeks) a member of a nation of female warriors.
3. (often l.c.) a tall, powerful, forceful woman.
[< Latin Amazōn < Greek Amazṓn, of obscure orig.]
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Amazons |
The films 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' and 'Double Indemnity' were both based on novels written by which author of hardboiled school of American crime fiction? | The Ruthless Women Warriors of the Amazon
Follow Us
The Ruthless Women Warriors of the Amazon
The Amazon are believed to be an ancient society of female warriors in Greek mythology. The women of this tribe were known for their courage and their fighting prowess. In this article we will learn about Amazonian women and try to find out if their myths have any basis in fact.
Advertisement
The term Amazon is believed to have come from the Greek terms a- and mazos, which meant without breast. This has come from ancient Greek literature, which stated that the women warriors of the Amazon would cut and cauterize their right breast to make it easier while wielding weapons, such as a bow or javelin. Although there is no clear evidence as to whether the amazonian actually cut their breasts in ancient art, most depictions show the women with one breast covered by armor or clothes, leaving the answer ambiguous. Another alternative of comes from the Iranian terms ha-mazan, which means 'to make war'.
Origins
According to myth, the Amazonians were an all-female society of fierce warriors who supposedly lived in the area north of the Black Sea somewhere in modern Turkey, about 700 years before the fifth century BC. It is commonly thought that these women created an independent kingdom with many flourishing townships under the leadership of queen Hippolyta. Later the tribe is said to have moved to a place known as Themiscyra along the river Terme in northern Turkey. They have been mentioned by Homer and Herodotus in their writings, where male characters have boasted of defeating and killing amazon warriors, without the act seeming cowardly, indicating how much respect was given to these great women fighters.
The Amazon society was described as stringently matriarchal. Males were of no use other than for mating purposes and as slaves, doing work that was traditionally performed by women. The limbs of the men were amputated so that they could not rebel and escape. Male babies were either given away at birth to neighboring tribes or killed. From an early age Amazonian women were trained in the arts of war. Apparently the right breast of the young Amazon girl was cauterized by her mother so that she would be deft with the various weapons of war. According to Greek art, the Amazonian women modeled themselves after the goddess Artemis and wore thin long shirts and close fitting trousers and high caps. Also the Amazon women have often been depicted as wearing only one earring. As, warriors, the Amazon women mostly ate meat, and bread was a rare item on their diet along with other vegetables and fruits, either farmed or raided from other tribes that existed close by.
Archaeological Evidence of the Amazon Women
Although the writings of Herodotus, Homer and other Greeks were the only reference to the Amazon tribe for a very long time, the debate whether the Amazonian people existed intensified when Jeannine Davis-Kimball, the head archaeologist of a site in Kazakhstan, unearthed burial sites in the 1990s which supported the existence of women warriors. Women and girls were found buried with weapons. The curved leg bones of one woman attest to a life spent on horseback, which according to Davis-Kimball is evidence of women's participation in activities that were traditionally meant only for males in Greece. An arrowhead within the body of another woman which was apparently the cause of death, is seen as direct evidence of women's participation in battle. In recent years more such sites have been found, which show that the amazon way of life was not uncommon, and held great influence over this part of the world in the past.
There is a growing body of evidence that the Amazonian women were as real as the civilizations who wrote of them. They are believed to have governed large areas of Europe, Asia Minor, and Africa. Cities named Amazonium were established on Pontus and the Island of Patmos and numerous ancient cities in Europe, Asia Minor. The islands of the Aegean Sea, including Smyrma and Ephesus, claimed to have been founded by these women. A number of these cities stamped coins commemorating their Amazon founders and built statues and temples in their honor. This fact that the Amazon women were indeed real has been corroborated by historian Jessica Salmonson. According to her these women warriors belonged to different matriarchal societies, one of which was a clan of Libyan women warriors who originated on Tritonia, an island off the African coast. Even Herodotus wrote of the Libyan Amazon military power that was in prominence in the late sixth century BC.
Myths
Greek mythology describes the Amazonian women as descendants of the god of war, Ares, and the sea nymph, Harmonia. They worshiped Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and exactly where their territory was, has always been disputed. Herodotus believed they may have occupied the sweeping steppes of Southern Russia. Other stories claim they lived in Thrace or along the lower Caucasus Mountains in northern Albania. The Thermodon River, in Asia Minor, known today as the coast of Turkey, seems to be the most frequently mentioned territory of the Amazonian women. Stories of beautiful and bloodthirsty female warrior women thundering across arid battlefields have been told, re-told and speculated over for thousands of years by many cultures. Greek myths are filled with tales of the Amazonian women warriors and their exploits, love affairs, and battles.
The Greeks, Romans and other early civilizations wrote about or depicted these warriors in their art. The name Amazon has survived through the ages as a generic term for women warriors. However until recently most of the historians who accepted these same ancient authors and artists as credible sources for information on other aspects of their society dismissed their descriptions of the Amazon women warrior as myth.
Stories abound about different Amazon queens who displayed great valor in battle. An influential healer in Uganda known as Muhumusa claimed that the spirit of the Amazon queen Nyabinghi, resided inside her. Known as "the hidden queen", she defeated the English colonists and rescued her people from a life of abject slavery. Ya Asantewa, an Ashanti queen of Ghana typified the spirit of the woman of the Amazon when she said "If you the men of Ashanti will not go forward, then we will. We the women will. I shall call upon you my fellow women. We will fight the white men. We will fight until the last of us falls in the battlefield."
Anish Chandy
| i don't know |
What name is given to the chord of strong fibrous tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone? | What is Fibrous Connective Tissue? (with pictures)
What is Fibrous Connective Tissue?
Last Modified Date: 27 December 2016
Copyright Protected:
You won't believe these 10 facts about people
Fibrous connective tissue, sometimes referred to as FCT, is tissue made up of high-strength, slightly stretchy fibers. These fibers consist mainly of collagen, water, and complex strands of carbohydrates called polysaccharides. They provide support and shock absorption to surrounding organs and bones. As the cells and fibers in this tissue are so densely packed together, they are sometimes simply referred to as dense connective tissues.
Connective tissue is one of the four main kinds of tissue within the body and is found throughout to hold other tissues and organs together. The non-living portion of these tissues, such as that found in fibrous connective tissue, is known collectively as matrix. Damage to this tissue or degenerative diseases may cause a loss of support, grinding bones, inflammation , and pain.
There are many kinds of connective tissue in the body, and many of these tissues contain the fibrous strands of the protein collagen, which adds strength. Some examples of connective tissue include the inner layers of skin, tendons, and ligaments , as well as cartilage, bone, fat tissue and even blood. Some of these tissues, such as blood, contain living cells that are grouped together and carry nutrients throughout the body. Fibrous connective tissue, however, does not contain any living cells, as its main function is support and structure throughout the body.
Cartilage is the most commonly known form of fibrous connective tissue. It is composed of collagen fibers that are packed very densely into a rubbery substance called chondrin. Cartilage provides both flexible support and cushioning for parts of the body such as the nose. The tissue can also be found between joints such as the knees to prevent the connecting bones from grinding together during movement.
Fibrous connective tissue also forms very strong, elastic structures called ligaments and tendons. Tendons attach skeletal muscles to the bone, and ligaments connect bones to other bones at the joints. Ligaments are more elastic than tendons, as they need to allow flexibility and a full range of motion, while tendons need to hold the muscles closely to the bone without much elasticity.
Arthritis is one common disease which can affect connective tissue. Limited mobility in joints, inflammation, and pain are common effects of this disorder, and it is generally treated through medication. Other damage to the tissue can occur through aging or accidents. Patient suffering from chronic or recurring joint pain should see a health care professional to assess the possibility of tissue damage.
Ad
| Tendon |
Which once popular ballroom dance was named in 1914 after the comedian and vaudeville actor who invented it? | Chapter 6: Bones and Skeletal Tissues
Chapter 6: Bones and Skeletal Tissues
Skeletal Cartilages
Basic Structure, Types, and Locations
Skeletal cartilages are made from cartilage, surrounded by a layer of dense irregular connective tissue called the perichondrium.
Hyaline cartilage is the most abundant skeletal cartilage, and includes the articular, costal, respiratory, and nasal cartilages.
Elastic cartilages are more flexible than hyaline, and are located only in the external ear and the epiglottis of the larynx.
Fibrocartilage is located in areas that must withstand a great deal of pressure or stretch, such as the cartilages of the knee and the intervertebral discs.
Growth of Cartilage
Appositional growth results in outward expansion due to the production of cartilage matrix on the outside of the tissue.
Interstitial growth results in expansion from within the cartilage matrix due to division of lacunae-bound chondrocytes and secretion of matrix.
Classification of Bones
There are two main divisions of the bones of the skeleton: the axial skeleton, consisting of the skull, vertebral column, and rib cage; and the appendicular skeleton, consisting of the bones of the upper and lower limbs, and the girdles that attach them to the axial skeleton.
Shape
Long bones are longer than they are wide, have a definite shaft and two ends, and consist of all limb bones except patellas, carpals, and tarsals.
Short bones are somewhat cube-shaped and include the carpals and tarsals.
Flat bones are thin, flattened, often curved bones that include most skull bones, the sternum, scapulae, and ribs.
Irregular bones have complicated shapes that do not fit in any other class, such as the vertebrae and coxae.
Functions of Bones
Bones support the body and cradle the soft organs, protect vital organs, allow movement, store minerals such as calcium and phosphate, and house hematopoietic tissue in specific marrow cavities.
Bone Structure
Gross Anatomy
Bone markings are projections, depressions, and openings found on the surface of bones that function as sites of muscle, ligament, and tendon attachment, as joint surfaces, and as openings for the passage of blood vessels and nerves.
Bone Textures: Compact and Spongy Bone
All bone has a dense outer layer consisting of compact bone that appears smooth and solid.
Internal to compact bone is spongy bone, which consists of honeycomb, needle-like, or flat pieces, called trabeculae.
Structure of a Typical Long Bone
Long bones have a tubular bone shaft, consisting of a bone collar surrounding a hollow medullary cavity, which is filled with yellow bone marrow in adults.
Epiphyses are at the ends of the bone, and consist of internal spongy bone covered by an outer layer of compact bone.
The epiphyseal line is located between the epiphyses and diaphysis, and is a remnant of the epiphyseal plate.
The external surface of the bone is covered by the periosteum.
The internal surface of the bone is lined by a connective tissue membrane called the endosteum.
Structure of Short, Flat, and Irregular Bones
Short, flat, and irregular bones consist of thin plates of periosteum-covered compact bone on the outside, and endosteum-covered spongy bone inside, which houses bone marrow between the trabeculae.
Location of Hematopoietic Tissue in Bones
Hematopoietic tissue of bones, red bone marrow, is located within the trabecular cavities of the spongy bone in flat bones, and in the epiphyses of long bones.
Red bone marrow is found in all flat bones, epiphyses, and medullary cavities of infants, but in adults, distribution is restricted to flat bones and the proximal epiphyses of the humerus and femur.
Microscopic Anatomy of Bone
The structural unit of compact bone is the osteon, or Haversian system, which consists of concentric tubes of bone matrix (the lamellae) surrounding a central Haversian canal that serves as a passageway for blood vessels and nerves.
Perforating, or Volkmann’s, canals lie at right angles to the long axis of the bone, and connect the blood and nerve supply of the periosteum to that of the central canals and medullary cavity.
Osteocytes occupy lacunae at the junctions of the lamellae, and are connected to each other and the central canal via a series of hair-like channels, canaliculi.
Circumferential lamellae are located just beneath the periosteum, extending around the entire circumference of the bone, while interstitial lamellae lie between intact osteons, filling the spaces in between.
Spongy bone lacks osteons but has trabeculae that align along lines of stress, which contain irregular lamellae.
Chemical Composition of Bone
Organic components of bone include cells (osteoblasts, osteocytes, and osteoclasts) and osteoid (ground substance and collagen fibers), which contribute to the flexibility and tensile strength of bone.
Inorganic components make up 65% of bone by mass, and consist of hydroxyapatite, a mineral salt that is largely calcium phosphate, which accounts for the hardness and compression resistance of bone.
Bone Development
Formation of the Bony Skeleton
Intramembranous ossification forms membrane bone from fibrous connective tissue membranes, and results in the cranial bones and clavicles.
In endochondral ossification bone tissue replaces hyaline cartilage, forming all bones below the skull except for the clavicles.
Initially, osteoblasts secrete osteoid, creating a bone collar around the diaphysis of the hyaline cartilage model.
Cartilage in the center of the diaphysis calcifies and deteriorates, forming cavities.
The periosteal bud invades the internal cavities and spongy bone forms around the remaining fragments of hyaline cartilage.
The diaphysis elongates as the cartilage in the epiphyses continues to lengthen and a medullary cavity forms through the action of osteoclasts within the center of the diaphysis.
The epiphyses ossify shortly after birth through the development of secondary ossification centers.
Postnatal Bone Growth
Growth in length of long bones occurs at the ossification zone through the rapid division of the upper cells in the columns of chondrocytes, calcification and deterioration of cartilage at the bottom of the columns, and subsequent replacement by bone tissue.
Growth in width, or thickness, occurs through appositional growth due to deposition of bone matrix by osteoblasts beneath the periosteum.
Hormonal Regulation of Bone Growth
During infancy and childhood, the most important stimulus of epiphyseal plate activity is growth hormone from the anterior pituitary, whose effects are modulated by thyroid hormone.
At puberty, testosterone and estrogen promote a growth spurt, but ultimately induct the closure of the epiphyseal plate.
Bone Homeostasis: Remodeling and Repair
Bone Remodeling
In adult skeletons, bone remodeling is balanced bone deposit and removal, bone deposit occurs at a greater rate when bone is injured, and bone resorption allows minerals of degraded bone matrix to move into the blood.
Control of Remodeling
The hormonal mechanism is mostly used to maintain blood calcium homeostasis, and balances activity of parathyroid hormone and calcitonin.
In response to mechanical stress and gravity, bone grows or remodels in ways that allow it to withstand the stresses it experiences.
Bone Repair
Fractures are breaks in bones, and are classified by: the position of the bone ends after fracture, completeness of break, orientation of the break relative to the long axis of the bone, and whether the bone ends penetrate the skin.
Repair of fractures involves four major stages: hematoma formation, fibrocartilaginous callus formation, bony callus formation, and remodeling of the bony callus.
Osteomalacia and Rickets
Osteomalacia includes a number of disorders in adults in which the bone is inadequately mineralized.
Rickets is inadequate mineralization of bones in children caused by insufficient calcium or vitamin D deficiency.
Osteoporosis refers to a group of disorders in which the rate of bone resorption exceeds the rate of formation (pp. 193-195, Fig. 6.14).
Bones have normal bone matrix, but bone mass is reduced and the bones become more porous and lighter increasing the likelihood of fractures.
Older women are especially vulnerable to osteoporosis, due to the decline in estrogen after menopause.
Other factors that contribute to osteoporosis include a petite body form, insufficient exercise or immobility, a diet poor in calcium and vitamin D, abnormal vitamin D receptors, smoking, and certain hormone-related conditions.
Paget’s disease is characterized by excessive bone deposition and resorption, with the resulting bone abnormally high in spongy bonIt is a localized condition that results in deformation of the affected bone.
Developmental Aspects of Bones: Timing of Events
The skeleton derives from embryonic mesenchymal cells, with ossification occurring at precise times. Most long bones have obvious primary ossification centers by 12 weeks gestation.
At birth, most bones are well ossified, except for the epiphyses, which form secondary ossification centers.
Throughout childhood, bone growth exceeds bone resorption; in young adults, these processes are in balance; in old age, resorption exceeds formation.
Clinical Advances in Bone Repair
Electrical stimulation - increases healing by (??) inhibiting PTH stimulation of osteoclasts or stimulating production of growth factors that affect osteblasts.
Ultrasound - reduces healing time of broken arm bones and shinbones by 35-35%; seems to stimulate callus formation by cartilage cells.
Free vascular fibular graft - grafts normal blood vessels along with pieces of fibula to replace missing or severely damaged bone; problem in kids because they end up with a "limb length discrepancy", however, for knee replacement candidates the self-extending endoprosthesis (Figure 16) seems to help.
Vascular endothelial growth factor - stimulates growth of blood vessels, formation of osteoblasts and bone proteins at sites of repair.
Nanobiotechnology - synthetic fibers mimic collagen fibers and stimulate mineral deposits, may speed healing.
Bone substitutes - used like putty, derived from cadaver bone or synthetics. Coral coated with bone morphogenic protein avoids problems of HIV, HBV, or inflammation. Artificial bone - TCP, a ceramic is easily shaped and biodegradable but not very strong; Norian SRS is a bone cement made from calcium phosphate, can be injected as a paste and hardens to be more compressible than spongy bone but can't replace compact bone because it can't resist twisting and flexing (good for epiphysis but not diaphysis).
Self-extending Endoprosthesis
| i don't know |
Several associates of which gangster were killed by Al Capone's gang in the 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre' in 1929? | The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
THE ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE
February 14th,1929.
(M.Gomes collection)
Seven men are killed in a garage on the North side of Chicago. Ordered by Al Capone, who is conveniently away in Miami at the time. Planned by McGurn and members of the Circus gang, imported hired killers are sent in the Moran warehouse to kill George "Bugs"Moran. Moran is a rival and thorn in Capone's side. Moran and his gang have posession of the lucreative Northside booze business and other rackets. The crews awaiting at the Circus Cafe are called in from this rooming house tipster to begin their fake raid.Once they arrive there is no turning back. Moran is nowhere to be found.The hired killers sent in to kill Moran mess up the hit by thinking that Moran is in the garage. One of the lookouts across the street had mistakingly taken one of the men entering the garage as Moran. Being late, Moran wasn't there and he had spotted the fake police cars on his way to the garage and mistook it for a raid. He doubled back and disappeared with his henchman. Inside the garage, the killers lined up the Moran men consisting of 5 Moran gangsters, one mechanic and an optometrist who gets a kick out of hanging around gangsters. A dog tied to a truck howls madly. The killers level their weapons consisting of two thompsons, one with a 20 round clip, and one with a 50 round drum. The killers know that the drum has a tendancy to jam on occaision, so just in case they make sure the 20 round clip is used to kill flawlessly. A shotgun is also part of the arsenal.
(M.Gomes collection)
70 spent shells hit the floor and two shotgun casings follow. All seven men are shot to pieces.The killers crazily have killed everyone inside.They leave the building pretending to be arrested by putting the guns in the back of their fellow gang members. They leave the scene.Two women, Jeanette Landesman and Mrs. Alphonse Morin, hear the machine gun clatter. One of them sends a roomer to go and investigate. He goes in and comes right out face completely white. He tells them to call the police.The police arrive and find six dead men and one near death crawling to the door.
Frank Gusenberg miraculously survives the massacre and lives for 3 hours with 14 slugs in his body.
He refuses to mention anything about the massacre even though he knows he will die.
Originally believed as only one car of killers at the scene, it is now noted that two fake police cars seemed to be part of the massacre. One in the alley, who's occupants leave their car and enter the garage at 2122 North Clark as a truck enters the two panel doors at the rear of the Moran warehouse. The Occupants keep the Moran men lined up and walk to the front of the office to let in the other car load of killers dressed as cops and civilians.Two cars are indeed later found burnt and cut up in an effort to destroy them. Both have police gongs and one is found to contain a notebook belonging to Al Weinshank killed in the garage. One was a 1926 Peerless found in Maywood and the other a 1927 Cadillac touring car that was found in a fire at 1723 North Wood street.The fire was caused by a gang member trying to cut up the vehicle with an acetelyne torch. He did not realize that the car contained a canister that had a reserve of gasoline in the engine. Detectives search hospitals for anyone that may have burned himself in the hours that followed.
First carload of killers arrive at the back of 2122 North Clark and obtain access to the garage. Once inside they line up the Moran gang and relieve them of their weapons.One of the fake cops then goes to the front and lets in the other set of non uniformed killers to unleash their hail of .45 bullets into the Northside boys.
(Photo courtesy of author Mr. Bill Helmer)
Front of 2122 North Clark Street.
(Photo Mr. Jeff Maycroft)
Front window at 2122 North Clark had the following sign;
S-M-C-Cartage - Co
On the door the windows have the following;
SMC Cartage co
Diagram showing how massacre might have happened.
(M.Gomes collection)
10:30 am at 2122North Clark street
The Cadillac touring car is found not far from the Circus gang Cafe owned and run by St. Louis gangster Claude Maddox (John Moore aka Screwy) and Tony "Tough Tony" Capezio. This is a Capone satellite gang that has produced the likes of Jack McGurn.
The next door address of the Circus cafe is given as residence to the owner of the garage for rental. In total about 14 men are used in the Massacre killing crew. Most ,will in turn, be themselves killed. Witnesses such as the two women are threatened to death, the Coroner is also threatened.Lots of compelling evidence ,but no one is ever brought to trial for these seven murders called the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
"All done, now let's get the hell outta here!"
Crowds gather in front as police arrives.
(Photo: Jeff Maycroft)
(M. Gomes collection)
Sgt. Thomas J. Loftus
Loftus knew the Gusenbergs real well. Detective Clarence J. Sweeney erroneously puts himself in the massacre story, claiming he was at Frank Gusenberg's bedside. As the years go by, Sweeney keeps the myth going and adds to the story, involving himself more and more. What really happened was Loftus arrived first at the scene and questioned Frank Gusenberg who was still alive in the garage.
Loftus asked "Do you know me Frank?"
Frank replied "Yes, you are Tom Loftus."
Loftus then asks 'Who did it or what happened?"
Frank replies "I won't talk."
The officer then replies "You are in bad shape."
Frank says "For God's sake get me to a hospital."
Loftus tells Frank "Pete is here too."
He said "Yes."
Loftus asks Frank if they were lined up against the wall, to this Frank answers again 'I won't talk.'
Once transferred to Alexian Brothers Hospital, Loftus asks Gusenberg another time and he refuses to talk. Before Gusenberg dies, the Sgt. asked Frank if three of the men wore police uniforms.
To this Frank answers "Yes"' and then dies.
The erroneous statements later weaved into the story were that Gusenberg said 'I ain't no copper' and ' Nobody shot me'
Sweeney claimed to be at Frank's bedside, yet Loftus detailed Officer James Mikes to be near Gusenberg at all times with no mention of Sweeney ever being there.
Calvin Goddard's evidence from the crime scene. Here are the complete amount of spent .45 caliber shells that were picked up.
14 envelopes with 5 shelss each total 70. Goddard had figured out through forensics that 20 bullets came out of one Thompson and 50 came out of the other.
One drum and one stick mag. Many had exaggerated the massacre with hundreds and thousands of bullets. In reality only seventy .45 acp rounds were fired along with two shotgun blasts.
(Neal Trickel collection)
Close up of spent shell picked up at the scene.
(Neal Trickel collection)
One of the photographers gets his head in the macabre scene
(Photo taken by Mr. Anthony Berardi of The Chicago American)
Another view, notice one of the Gusenberg's handgun at extreme right front corner of photo
(John Binder Collection)
Close up of Frank Gusenberg's .38
(Photo courtesy of author Mr. Bill Helmer)
Photo courtesy of Mr. Bill Helmer
Bodies being removed under the watchful eye of Dr. Herman Bundesen (Glasses).
(Photo courtesy of Mr. Bill Helmer)
Photo of Clark street taken 13 days after massacre. Arrow on the left shows garage where massacre took place. Arrow to the right shows look out building.
(Mario Gomes collection)
A Chicago doctor for many years, Herman Bundesen led the investigation into the St. Valentine's day massacre crime.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Herman Bundesen and the Coroner's Jury watch as the massacre is re-enacted at 2122 North Clark street.
Executive Vice President of Palmolive Peet Burt A. Massee. Coroner's jury foreman. He helped finance the investigation.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Final edition for February 14,1929.
(Mario Gomes collection).
Chicago Herald Examiner February 15,1929.
Photo page of Chicago Herald Examiner February 15,1929.
(Mario Gomes Collection)
Several versions were printed during the day and evening .
Chicago Daily News Feb.14th,1929.
Coroners inquest by Herman Bundesen along with ballistics expert Calvin Goddard seated at left.
(M.Gomes collection)
Swearing in of coroner's Jury with massacre bodies laid out on makeshift tables.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Bullets removed from bodies.
(The John Binder collection)
Another view of same picture with Peter Gusenberg (Massacre Victim) and unidentified fellow next to him not part of massacre.
(M.Gomes)
Ballistics expert Calvin Goddard with coroner Herman Bundesen.
Mr.Goddard identifies the bullets removed from the massacre bodies as those coming from Thompsons found in Fred"Killer"Burke's posession.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Spent shells recently fired from Massacre Thompson 2347.
(Special thanks to Mr. Chuck Schauer for these)
(Mario Gomes collection)
Peter Von Frantzius (right) underworld gun supplier through sporting goods store that he owns is being questioned by Coroner Herman Bundesen.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Machine gun seller Frank V. Thompson being interviewed at the massacre inquest. Thompson had sold quite a few Thompsons to various gangsters.
Thompson will later take his own life.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Vincent Daniels (Danielski) in the hot seat. He too sold Thompsons to various gangsters such as Jack McGurn and Frank Gusenburg.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Thought partly to blame for the massacre was the northside gangsters constant stealing of
Capone's booze by the name of Old Log Cabin made in Montreal,Canada.
Moran's men would sometimes hijack it enroute from Detroit to Chicago.
(Mario Gomes collection)
| Bugs Moran |
Which word refers to a secondary school in German and a sports hall in English? | St. Valentines Day Massacre
St. Valentines Day Massacre
Updated February 29, 2016.
What Was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre?
Around 10:30 a.m. on St. Valentine's Day, February 14, 1929, seven members of Bugs Moran's gang were gunned down in cold blood in a garage in Chicago. The massacre, orchestrated by Al Capone , shocked the nation by its brutality.
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre remains the most notorious gangster killing of the Prohibition era. The massacre not only made Al Capone a national celebrity, it also brought Capone the unwanted attention of the federal government.
The Dead: Frank Gusenberg, Pete Gusenberg, John May, Albert Weinshank, James Clark, Adam Heyer, and Dr. Reinhart Schwimmer
Rival Gangs: Capone vs. Moran
During the Prohibition era, gangsters ruled many of the large cities, becoming rich from owning speakeasies, breweries, brothels, and gambling joints. These gangsters would carve up a city between rival gangs, bribe local officials, and become local celebrities.
By the late 1920s, Chicago was split between two rival gangs: one led by Al Capone and the other by George "Bugs" Moran .
continue reading below our video
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Capone and Moran vied for power, prestige, and money; plus, both tried for years to kill each other.
In early 1929, Al Capone was living in Miami with his family (to escape Chicago's brutal winter) when his associate Jack "Machine Gun" McGurn visited him. McGurn, who had recently survived an assassination attempt ordered by Moran, wanted to discuss the ongoing problem of Moran's gang.
In an attempt to eliminate the Moran gang entirely, Capone agreed to fund an assassination attempt and McGurn was placed in charge of organizing it.
The Plan
McGurn planned carefully. He located the Moran gang's headquarters, which was in a large garage behind the offices of S.M.C. Cartage Company at 2122 North Clark Street. He selected gunmen from outside the Chicago area, to ensure that if there were any survivors, they would not be able to recognize the killers as part of Capone's gang.
McGurn hired lookouts and set them up in an apartment near the garage. Also essential to the plan, McGurn acquired a stolen police car and two police uniforms.
Setting Up Moran
With the plan organized and the killers hired, it was time to set the trap. McGurn instructed a local booze hijacker to contact Moran on February 13.
The hijacker was to tell Moran that he had obtained a shipment of Old Log Cabin whiskey (i.e. very good liquor) that he was willing to sell at the very reasonable price of $57 per case. Moran quickly agreed and told the hijacker to meet him at the garage at 10:30 the following morning.
The Ruse Worked
On the morning of February 14, 1929, the lookouts (Harry and Phil Keywell) were watching carefully as the Moran gang assembled at the garage. Around 10:30 a.m., the lookouts recognized a man heading to the garage as Bugs Moran. The lookouts told the gunmen, who then climbed into the stolen police car.
When the stolen police car reached the garage, the four gunmen ( Fred "Killer" Burke , John Scalise, Albert Anselmi, and Joseph Lolordo) jumped out. (Some reports say there were five gunmen.)
Two of the gunmen were dressed in police uniforms. When the gunmen rushed into the garage, the seven men inside saw the uniforms and thought it was a routine police raid.
Continuing to believe the gunmen to be police officers, all seven men peacefully did as they were told. They lined up, faced the wall, and allowed the gunmen to remove their weapons.
Opened Fire With Machine Guns
The gunmen then opened fire, using two Tommy guns , a sawed-off shotgun, and a .45. The killing was fast and bloody. Each of the seven victims received at least 15 bullets, mostly in the head and torso.
The gunmen then left the garage. As they exited, neighbors who had heard the rat-tat-tat of the submachine gun, looked out their windows and saw two (or three, depending on reports) policemen walking behind two men dressed in civilian clothes with their hands up.
The neighbors assumed that the police had staged a raid and were arresting two men. After the massacre was discovered, many continued to believe for several weeks that the police were responsible.
Moran Escaped Harm
Six of the victims died in the garage; Frank Gusenberg was taken to a hospital but died three hours later, refusing to name who was responsible.
Though the plan had been carefully crafted, one major problem occurred. The man that the lookouts had identified as Moran was really Albert Weinshank.
Bugs Moran, the main target for the assassination, was arriving a couple minutes late to the 10:30 a.m. meeting when he noticed a police car outside the garage. Thinking it was a police raid, Moran stayed away from the building, unknowingly saving his life.
The Blonde Alibi
The massacre that took seven lives that St. Valentine's Day in 1929 made newspaper headlines across the country. The country was shocked at the brutality of the killings. Police tried desperately to determine who was responsible.
Al Capone had an air-tight alibi because he had been called in for questioning by the Dade County solicitor in Miami during the time of the massacre.
Machine Gun McGurn had what became called a "blonde alibi" -- he had been at a hotel with his blonde girlfriend from 9 p.m. on February 13 through 3 p.m. on February 14.
Fred Burke (one of the gunmen) was arrested by police in March 1931 but was charged with the December 1929 murder of a police officer and sentenced to life in prison for that crime.
The Aftermath of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
This was one of the first major crimes that the science of ballistics was used; however no one was ever tried or convicted for the murders of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
Though the police never had enough evidence to convict Al Capone, the public knew he was responsible. In addition to making Capone a national celebrity, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre brought Capone to the attention of the federal government. Ultimately, Capone was arrested for tax evasion in 1931 and sent to Alcatraz.
With Capone in jail, Machine Gun McGurn was left exposed. On February 15, 1936, nearly seven years to the day of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, McGurn was gunned down at a bowling alley.
Bugs Moran was quite shaken from the entire incident. He stayed in Chicago until the end of Prohibition and then was arrested in 1946 for some small-time bank robberies. He died in prison from lung cancer.
| i don't know |
What collective name is given to creatures with segmented bodies, such as insects, arachnids and crustaceans? | Differences Between Crustaceans & Insects | Sciencing
Differences Between Crustaceans & Insects
By Steve Johnson
Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
Along with arachnids, crustaceans and insects belong to the same group---arthropods. Sharing distinctive physical characteristics, such as absence of backbone, hard exoskeletons, jointed legs and segmented bodies, arthropods are easily distinguished from other animal groups. Although the arachnids are easily differentiated from other arthropods, the distinctions between crustaceans and insects are present, but a bit trickier to spot at times.
Body Parts
Differing mostly in their body parts, insects, such as ants, flies, wasps and dragonflies, have tri-segmented bodies consisting of the head, thorax and abdomen; crustaceans, such as crabs, lobsters, shrimps and crayfish, have only two body segments --- the head and thorax. These two segments fuse together into a cephalothorax and an abdomen. Insects have three pairs of legs attached to their thoracic region. Crustaceans have more than three pairs of legs --- usually five pairs in most species; however, this is highly variable as many species have more pairs.
Habitat and Related Adaptation
Insects are found in almost all ecosystems on Earth, with the rarity being oceans. While some species, such as coconut crabs, sand hoppers, woodlice and pill bugs dwell on land, crustaceans are generally found in water --- and usually oceanic --- regions. Adapting to their habitat, many insect species evolved wings --- two pairs for most and one pair for others. A tracheal system is also present for breathing. Crustaceans, on the other hand, breathe using gill-like mechanisms.
Other Differences
Insects typically have a pair of antennae. Most crustaceans do not have antennae, but those that do, will have two pairs. Insects usually have mandibles for tearing food and helping in its digestion. Crustaceans have chelicerae, or claws, at the end of their first set of legs to do this same thing.
Insects Are Evolved Crustaceans
Emphasizing more similarities than differences between insects and crustaceans, insects are closely related to crustaceans and often considered a land-dwelling version of them. Given common characteristics, such as the shedding of an exoskeleton and hatching from eggs, the accepted theory regarding differences between insects and crustaceans lay in genetic evolution. Some of the changes --- specifically the changes in segmentation --- are closely related to changes in Hox genes.
References
| Arthropod |
In which country was the mobile phone company Nokia founded? | Crustaceans
Crustaceans
The major groups of Crustaceans
Woodlouse or slater
a land-living crustacean
Crustaceans (make up a very large group of the Arthropods which include the crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, barnacles brine shrimp, copepods, ostracods and mantis shrimp. Crustaceans are found in a wide range of habitats - most are free-living freshwater or marine animals, but some are terrestrial (e.g. woodlice), some are parasitic (e.g. fish lice) and some do not move (e.g. barnacles).
There are over 50,000 known species of crustaceans divided into a number of major groups - the Branchiopods, the Maxillopods, the Ostracods and the Malacostraca. The Malacostraca are further divided into five groups - decapods (e.g. crabs, lobsters and shrimp), stomatopods (mantis shrimp), euphausiids (krill), amphipods (e.g. sandhoppers) and isopods (land-based) crustaceans.
Crustaceans are invertebrates with a hard exoskeleton (carapace), a segmented body that is bilaterally symmetrical, more than four pairs of jointed appendages ("legs") and an open circulatory system (the "blood" does not flow in a closed loop). They also have eyes usually on stalks, a primitive ventral nerve cord and "brain" (ganglia near the antennae), a digestive system which is a straight tube for grinding food and a pair of digestive glands. Gills are used for respiration and they have a pair of green glands to excrete wastes (found near the base of the antennae).
Features of Arthropoda
Swimmerets
Larva of a crab
Most Crustaceans are either male or female and reproduce sexually. A small number, including barnacles, are hermaphrodites. In other species, viable eggs are produced by a female without needing to be fertilised by a male.
In many decapods, the first one or two pairs of swimmerets are specialised for sperm transfer by the males and the females hold the eggs until they hatch into free-swimming larvae. In many species the fertilised eggs are just released into the water or attached to objects in the water.
The larvae metamorphose through a number of stages before they become adults.
Most Crustaceans are motile (able to move about independently) and can be herbivores, carnivores or detritvores. Some are parasites and live attached to their hosts (e.g. fish lice).
Diversity in Crustaceans Marine crustaceans have a very wide range of predators from mammals like sea otters and seals, other crustaceans, molluscs (e.g. octopuses), sea birds, fish and humans. They protect themselves by a variety of methods - their hard exoskeletons, their chelipeds, camouflage and rapid escape (burrowing or swimming away).
Their sizes range from the Japanese spider crab with a leg span of 4.3 m to the smallest, a parasite of copepods, which is only 0.1 mm long.
As a crustacean grows, its exoskeleton does not, so the animal must moult its old exoskeleton in order to house its expanding body. To prepare for moulting, the tissue layer under the exoskeleton detaches and secretes a new exoskeleton below the hard outer one. When the new exoskeleton is completely formed, the old exoskeleton splits along weak points and the animal pulls out, leaving its old exoskeleton intact except for the split. After a moult the animal must wait and often hide until the new exoskeleton hardens.
A crab with its discarded, smaller exoskeleton on the right
| i don't know |
Which Pakistani cricketer married the English socialite Jemima Goldsmith in 1995? | Jemima Khan - Zimbio
Jemima Khan
By Staff Account on
Actor Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan have announced they have ended their relationship of 3 years. They say that the split-up was mutually agreed. Read Full Story
Overview
Jemima Marcelle Khan (née Goldsmith; born 30 January 1974) is an English socialite, who has worked as a charity fundraiser and contributing writer for British newspapers and magazines. Khan first gained notice in the United Kingdom as a young heiress, the daughter of Lady Annabel and James Goldsmith. She converted to Islam and married the... more
Jemima Marcelle Khan (née Goldsmith; born 30 January 1974) is an English socialite, who has worked as a charity fundraiser and contributing writer for British newspapers and magazines. Khan first gained notice in the United Kingdom as a young heiress, the daughter of Lady Annabel and James Goldsmith. She converted to Islam and married the retired Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan in 1995, with whom she had two sons, before the couple divorced in 2004. For the next three years, from 2004 to 2007, Khan gained worldwide media attention for her romantic relationship with British film star Hugh Grant.
Featured Stories
| Imran Khan |
In 1997, which American politician became the first woman to hold the post of Secretary of State? | Pakistan's Imran Khan to divorce after just 10 months
Pakistan's Imran Khan to divorce after just 10 months
Pin it
Share
Imran Khan married Reham Khan, a former BBC weather host and a divorced mother of three, in January this year (AFP Photo/)
More
Pakistani opposition leader and former playboy cricketer Imran Khan is to divorce for a second time, ending his marriage to a TV journalist just ten months after they wed.
Imran Khan, 62, married 42-year-old Reham Khan, a former BBC weather host and a divorced mother of three, in January this year in a simple ceremony at his Islamabad home.
"We have decided to part ways and file for divorce," Reham Khan said in a brief statement on her Twitter account Friday.
Imran Khan tweeted that it was a "painful time" and that he has "the greatest respect for Reham's moral character & her passion to work for & help the underprivileged".
Naeem ul Haque, Imran Khan's spokesman told AFP the decision to divorce was mutual.
"It's a painful and personal matter, so I won't be able to comment more or state any reason for it," he said.
Loved by millions across the cricket-obsessed nation for winning Pakistan its only World Cup in 1992, Khan's sporting prowess and rugged good looks also brought him international celebrity in a country lacking glamour.
He was considered his country's most eligible man until he suddenly announced his plans to marry shortly after launching a movement to topple the government in August 2014, which he called off in December after a Taliban attack on a school that killed 150 people.
Reham Khan, host of a local TV talk show, was widely criticised after she appeared at public meetings of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party, with opponents accusing her of seeking to boost her own profile through her husband's fame.
She found particularly harsh reception in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, governed by PTI.
She also sparked controversy after it emerged that she had not actually attended a college where she claimed to be a student on her website.
There had been reports Imran Khan's family was unhappy with his choice of bride.
Imran Khan is the father of two sons from his previous marriage to British socialite Jemima Khan (nee Goldsmith).
Born in 1952 in Lahore into a comfortable family with origins in the Pashtun northwest, he was educated at Aitchison College, the Eton of Pakistan, boarding school in England, and then Oxford University.
He became one of the world's greatest ever all-rounders -- a fearsome fast bowler and dangerous batsman -- whose finest hour came at the 1992 World Cup, where at the age of 39 he led an inexperienced team to the title.
Off the pitch, he had a string of socialite girlfriends and frequented exclusive nightclubs in London until he married Jemima Goldsmith, the daughter of the French-British tycoon James, in 1995.
She converted to Islam and the couple moved in with his family in Lahore.
They divorced in 2004, allegedly over the difficulties Jemima faced in Pakistan, where she was hounded for her family's Jewish ancestry, and his obsession with politics.
Reblog
| i don't know |
'Vorsprung Durch Technik' is a slogan used to promote which car manufacturer? | Audi wins seven-year battle over 'Vorsprung durch Technik' trademark | Media | The Guardian
Audi wins seven-year battle over 'Vorsprung durch Technik' trademark
Car company triumphs in European Court of Justice following long fight and numerous appeals
Audi's 'Vorsprung Durch Technik' slogan, which made its way into common parlance. Photograph: Audi
Friday 22 January 2010 12.43 EST
First published on Friday 22 January 2010 12.43 EST
Close
This article is 6 years old
Almost 30 years after advertising doyen Sir John Hegarty spotted the line "Vorsprung durch Technik" at an Audi factory and made it a globally recognised ad slogan, the car manufacturer has won a long legal battle to take full control of it as a trademark.
Hegarty spotted the slogan in 1982, the year he co-founded ad agency BBH, on a visit to Germany to establish how to sell Audi's cars to UK drivers.
Despite scepticism that using a German slogan that roughly translates as "advancement through technology" would work, Hegarty went with his gut feeling and the strapline is now one of the most famous and long-running in advertising.
After a seven-year legal battle Audi has won the right to extend the slogan's trademark protection to include clothes and games, following a ruling by the European Court of Justice yesterday. Vorsprung durch Technik joins the likes of Kit Kat's "Have a Break" strapline, which secured the same status as trademark back in 2003. Vorsprung durch Technik has been registered for use specifically with vehicles and vehicle parts since 2001.
"While in the past it was difficult to register such marks as they were typically seen as mere advertising puff, the courts are now recognising that such marks fulfil both an advertising and trademark function, distinctive and synonymous with a particular brand," said Fiona McBride, a trademark attorney at law firm Withers & Rogers.
Audi has been trying since 2003 to register the slogan as a trademark but had been rebuffed numerous times, initially on the grounds that it "lacked distinctive character". A series of appeals followed, finally ending at the European Court of Justice in 2008.
"This ruling indicates that the ECJ is willing to look favourably on slogan registrations in the future, and there should be no greater burden of proof on the brand owner to show their mark is distinctive than would apply when registering a typical word mark," said McBride.
Vorsprung durch Technik has managed to worm its way into popular culture, having cropped up in Only Fools in Horses in the 1980s, when Del Boy comforts a German girl about to give birth, and in songs by U2 and Blur. It also featured as a punchline in a joke in Guy Ritchie's film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.
• If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".
| Audi |
Taking the role of the baritone, what is the name of the professional bird catcher in Mozart's opera 'The Magic Flute'? | Vorsprung durch Technik > Audi New Zealand
Audi History
Vorsprung durch Technik
The extensive range of Audi and NSU models covering a wide variety of engines and drive concepts prompted the coining of a new advertising slogan in 1971, and one that has effectively been the company's mission statement ever since: "Vorsprung durch Technik".
In the spirit of these new guiding principles, the first-generation Audi 80 (B1 series) was launched in 1972, with a glittering array of new technical features such as a new series of OHC engines and self-stabilising steering roll radius. By the time production of this first generation ceased, more than a million cars had been built.
1974 saw the appointment of Ferdinand Piëch as Ludwig Kraus' successor, initially as Head of Technical Development. During the "Piëch era" Audi was transformed into a highly innovative car manufacturer. This period also witnessed the gradual raising of the Audi brand's positioning. The five-cylinder engine (1976), turbocharging (1979) and quattro four-wheel drive (1980) are eloquent testimonies to the success of this policy.
The company underwent a change of name from Audi NSU Auto Union AG to AUDI AG in 1985, so that since then the company and the products it builds have shared the same name. The company's headquarters were moved back to Ingolstadt. Audi's subsequent progress has been marked by a sensational range of technical innovations: fully galvanised bodies, the most aerodynamic volume-built saloon of its time, the extensive use of turbocharged petrol engines, the development of economical direct-injection diesel engines, the aluminium body, the first hybrid vehicles, direct petrol injection and the manufacture of luxury-class cars with eight and twelve-cylinder engines are just some of the many mileposts that document the emergence of the Audi brand as a manufacturer of premium cars.
| i don't know |
Deriving from the Italian for 'trouser leg', what name is given to a folded pizza? | Calzone - definition of calzone by The Free Dictionary
Calzone - definition of calzone by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/calzone
(kăl-zō′nē, -zōn′, käl-sō′nĕ)
n.
A baked or fried Italian turnover of pizza dough filled with vegetables, meat, or cheese.
[Italian, pant leg, calzone, from calza, sock, from Vulgar Latin *calcea, from Latin calceus, shoe; see calceolate.]
calzone
(kælˈtsəʊnɪ)
n
(Cookery) a dish of Italian origin consisting of pizza dough folded over a filling of cheese and tomatoes, herbs, ham, etc
[C20: Italian, literally: trouser leg, from calzoni trousers]
cal•zo•ne
| Calzone |
In the human body, bile is secreted by the liver and stored in which organ? | Culinary Dictionary - C, Whats Cooking America
Culinary Dictionary
Linda’s Culinary Dictionary – C
A Dictionary of Cooking, Food, and Beverage Terms
An outstanding and large culinary dictionary and glossary that includes the definitions and history of cooking, food, and beverage terms.
Please click on a letter below to alphabetically search the many food and cooking terms:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U-Y Z
cabbage – There are over 70 varieties of cabbage. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kohlrabi, collards, kale, turnips, and many more are all a member of the cabbage family. These plants are all known botanically as members of the species Brassica oleracea, and they native to the Mediterranean region of Europe
History: According to horticultural historians, barbarians were eating the juicy, slightly bulbous leaves of wild cabbage in Asia long before the dawn of recorded history. The Greeks revered the cabbage for its many medicinal properties. Cato, an ancient Roman statesman, circa 200 BCE, advised people to eat plenty of raw cabbage seasoned with vinegar before a banquet at which one plans to “drink deep.” Even the ancient Egyptians advised starting the meal with raw cabbage, including cabbage seeds, to keep one sober. It is an historical fact that the laborers who built the Great Wall in China were fed sauerkraut to prevent scurvy and other debilitating diseases that come from eating only rice. Europeans were devouring stewed cabbage during the cold winter months because it was one of the few staples available when the ground produced little else.
cabernet sauvignon (cab-air-nay so-veen-yawn) – One of the finest of red wines. It is associated with the Bordeaux region in France but the grapes are now grown worldwide.
caciocavallo cheese (kah-choh-kuh-VAH-loh) – This cheese is said to date back to the 14th century, and believed by some to have originally been made from mare’s milk. Today, Caciocavallo cheese is made from cow’s milk, though its cryptic name literally means “horse cheese” – the Sicilian word “cacio” sharing the same root as casein while “cavallo” means horse. (There’s a theory that the cheese owes its name to the manner in which two bulbs were attached by a string and suspended from a beam “a cavallo” as though astride a horse.) It takes at least eight months to age Caciocavallo cheese properly, achieving a sharper flavor in about two years. Caciocavallo is a good complement to stronger wines, and widely used for grating over pasta. It is a favorite of Sicilian chefs for use with pasta. It Is usually shaped as a large wheel. “Caciovacchino” was a similar product made in times past.
Caesar Salad (SEE-zer) – The salad consists of greens (classically romaine lettuce) with a garlic vinaigrette dressing. The Caesar salad was once voted by the International Society of Epicures in Paris as the “greatest recipe to originate from the Americas in fifty years.”
History: For a detailed history of the Caesar Salad, check out History of Salads and Salad Dressings
cafe noir – French for black coffee (coffee without cream or milk).
caffe (kah-FEH) – It is the Italian term for “coffee.” In Italy, the term caffe usually refers to a small cup of espresso coffee.
Cajun cuisine (KAY-juhn kwee-ZEEN) – Cajun food is essentially the poor cousin to Creole. Today it tends to be spicier and more robust than Creole, utilizing regionally available resources and less of the foods gained through trade. Some popular Cajun dishes include pork based sausages such as andouille and boudin; various jambalayas and gumbos; coush-coush (a creamed corn dish) and etouffee. The true art of Louisiana seasonings is in the unique blend of herbs and spices that serve to enhance the flavor of vegetables, seafood, meats, poultry and wild game, along with a “Cajun” cook that knows how to blend these spices.
History: Learn about the history and recipes of Cajun Cuisine.
cake – Cakes are made from various combinations of refined flour, some form of shortening, sweetening, eggs, milk, leavening agent, and flavoring. There are literally thousands of cakes recipes (some are bread-like and some rich and elaborate) and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure. Baking utensils and directions have been so perfected and simplified that even the amateur cook may easily become and expert baker. There are five basic types of cake, depending on the substance used for leavening.
History: For a detailed History of Cakes .
cake flour – Cake flour is very finely ground soft wheat used to make tender, fine-textured cakes. It is bleached with chlorine gas, which, besides whitening the flour, also makes it slightly acidic. This acidity makes cakes set faster and have a finer texture.
calamari (kah-lah-MAH-ree) – Calamari are squid. This cephalopod has a long body with swimming fins at the rear, two tentacles, and eight arms. Calamari takes their name from the Latin word “calamus,” which refers to the inky liquid excreted by the squid and used in pastas and sauces.
Calas – Calas are fried balls of rice and dough that are eaten covered with powdered sugar, not unlike rice-filled beignets.
History: It is said that long ago, on cold mornings in New Orleans, women would walk the streets of the French Quarter selling these warm fried cakes for breakfast. “Calas! Calas, Tout Chaud!” as the Creole women used to shout when they sold them in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
California Roll – A California roll is a slender mat-rolled sushi roll containing crab, avocado, and cucumber. Today, in California and Hawaii, sushi reigns supreme, and the most popular sushi today are the California Rolls. Most people in Japan have never heard of the California Roll. Learn how to make California Rolls – American-Style Sushi Rolls .
History: During the 1970s in the early stage of the sushi boom in California, most people did not like the thought of raw fish and nori, so a smart unknown California chef created the now famous California Roll. Most people in Japan have never heard of the California Roll.
calzone (kahl-ZOH-nay) – An Italian word meaning “a trouser leg.” It is a pizza crust rolled out and topped with all the ingredients of a normal pizza except tomato, then folded over to a half-moon or crescent-shaped turnover. The tomato sauce is sprinkled on top and it then goes into the oven. It is lightly drizzled with olive oil upon its emergence.
Camembert cheese (KAM-uhm-behr) – (French) Soft and ripened (tastes much like Brie cheese), but more pointed in flavor and richer in texture. It is made from 100% cow’s milk. The most widely marketed of all French cheeses. It is used for dessert and snacks.
History: Marie Fontaine at Camembert in Orne, France first made Camembert cheese in 1791. It is said that Napoleon was served this cheese (which was as yet unnamed) and he then named it Camembert.
Canadian bacon – It is a lean, boneless pork loin roast that is smoked. Called back bacon in Canada, Canadian bacon is precooked and can be fried, baked, or added to casseroles or salads.
canape (KAN-uh-pay) – A French term that consists of bite-size bits of savory food spread on edible bases (toasted or untoasted bread) and garnished or decorated. They are served as snacks (appetizers) at cocktail and buffet parties.
candlenut – Candlenut is the name of a tropical nut used in Malaysian cuisine. It derives its peculiar name from the fact that the oil of the nut is also used to make candles. Candlenuts are available only roasted, whole, or in pieces, because raw they are highly toxic. The function of the candlenut in satays or curries is to flavor and thicken.
candy bar –
History: At the 1893 Columbian Exposition, a World’s Fair held in Chicago, chocolate-making machinery made in Dresden, Germany, was displayed. Milton S. Hershey, who had made his fortune in caramels, saw the potential for chocolate and installed chocolate machinery in his factory in Lancaster, and produced his first chocolate bars in 1894. Other Americans began mixing in other ingredients to make up new candy bars throughout the end of the 1890’s and the early 1900’s.
It was World War I that really brought attention to the candy bar. The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps commissioned various American chocolate manufacturers to provide 20 to 40 pound blocks of chocolate to be shipped to quartermaster bases. The blocks were chopped up into smaller pieces and distributed to dough boys in Europe. Eventually the task of making smaller pieces was turned back to the manufacturers. As a result, from that time on and through the 1920s, candy bar manufacturers became established throughout the United States, and as many as 40,000 different candy bars appeared on the scene. The Twenties became the decade that among other things was the high point of the candy bar industry.
The original candy bar industry had its start on the eastern seaboard in such cities as Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. The industry soon spread to the Midwest, because shipping and raw materials such as sugar, corn syrup, and milk were easily available. Chicago became the seat of the candy bar industry and is even today an important base.
candy cane –
History: The symbol of the shepherds’ crook is an ancient one, representing the humble shepherds who were the first to worship the newborn Christ. Its counterpart is our candy cane (so old as a symbol that we have nearly forgotten its humble origin). In 1670, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral handed out sugar sticks among his young singers to keep them quiet during the long Living Creche ceremony. In honor of the occasion, he had the candies bent into shepherds’ crooks. In 1847, a German-Swedish immigrant named August Imgard of Wooster, Ohio, decorated a small blue spruce with paper ornaments and candy canes.
It was not until the turn of the century that the red and white stripes and peppermint flavors became the norm. The body of the cane is white, representing the life that is pure. The broad red stripe is symbolic of the Lord’s sacrifice for man. In the 1920s, Bob McCormack began making candy canes as special Christmas treats for his children, friends and local shopkeepers in Albany, Georgia. It was a laborious process – pulling, twisting, cutting and bending the candy by hand. It could only be done on a local scale. In the 1950s, Bob’s brother-in-law, Gregory Keller, a Catholic priest, invented a machine to automate candy cane production. Packaging innovations by the younger McCormack made it possible to transport the delicate canes on a scale that transformed Bobs Candies, Inc. into the largest producer of candy canes in the world.
Although modern technology has made candy canes accessible and plentiful, they have not lost their purity and simplicity as a traditional holiday food and symbol of the humble roots of Christianity.
candy thermometer – A large glass mercury thermometer that measures temperatures from about 40 degrees F. to 400 degrees F. A frame or clip allows it to stand or hang in a pan during cooking. Learn more about Candy Thermometer & Candy Temperatures .
cannellini bean (kan-eh-LEE-nee) – A large white Italian kidney bean that’s great in soups and stews.
cannoli/cannola (cah-KNOW-lee) – (cannola = singular, cannoli = multiple) – They are sometimes called “Turkish hats.” The cannoli is perhaps the best-known Sicilian pastry and is part of Sicily’s ancient tradition of pastry and dessert making. It is made by stuffing cylinders of fried dough (wafer shells) with a mixture of ricotta or custard, candied fruit, chocolate, and other ingredients. Originally, the pastry was flavored with wine, and in Sicily this is still done. They are traditionally prepared for festivities at Carnival time (though nowadays they are to be found all year round).
History: Sicilian cooking is a living history text; the island has been home to Greeks, Romans, Normans, Bourbons, and Arabs over the centuries. Each wave of military conquerors has helped shaped the Sicilian table. According to legend, it is said that cannoli have been invented in the 9th century by the women of a harem in the city of Caltanissetta, Sicily, which got its name from the Arab, Kalt el Nissa, meaning “city or castle of women.” It later became known as a carnival dessert, the “scepter of the Carnival King,” but it is now consumed throughout the year. During carnival time, people gave cannoli to all their friends.
canola oil – Canola’s history goes back to the rapeseed plant, but canola and rapeseed are not the same. Because canola and rapeseed have different chemical compositions, the names cannot be used interchangeably. Canola is an oilseed crop, which is grown primarily in regions of Western Canada, with some acreage being planted in Ontario and the Pacific Northwest, north central, and southeast United States.
History: Historically, rapeseed was grown for its oil, which was used for lubricants and not for human consumption. Canola was derived from rapeseed in the early 1970’s and has a different chemical composition. Canola was originally a trademark that was registered in 1978 in Canada, but is now considered a generic term.
cantaloupe (KAN-tuh-lohp) – A variety of muskmelon. It is found in many shapes and sizes. Because of trade usage, cantaloupe has become the name commonly applied to muskmelons grown in the U.S.
History: It is named after the castle of Cantaloupe in the province of Ancona, Italy.
capellini (ka-pel-LEE-nee) – In Italian, capellini means, “thin hair.” This is one of the very thin varieties of flat spaghetti. Also called angel hair pasta.
capers (KAY-per) – Capers are the unopened green flower buds of the Capparis Spinosa, a wild and cultivated bush grown mainly in the Mediterranean countries, notably southern France, Italy, and Algeria. They are now also grown in California. They range in size from that of a tiny peppercorn (the petite variety from southern France and considered the finest) to some as large as the tip of your little finger (from Italy). They generally come in brine but can also be found salted and sold in bulk. Either way, rinse before using to flush away as much salt as possible. Learn more about Capers .
non-pareil capers – These are the French words, which literally mean “without equal.” In relation to capers, they refer to the small pickled capers, which originate from Provence, France. Because they are considered “the best” this variety is named “non-pareil.”
capon (KAY-pahn) – A 6 to 8 pound castrated male chicken (an unsexed rooster). More richly flavored than regular chicken and with a denser texture.
History: It was under a Roman prohibition that the capon was created. The law prohibited eating any fowl except a hen, and this bird was not to be fattened. A surgeon, looking for a way around this law, transformed a rooster into a capon by the now old and well-known surgical trick. Neither hen nor rooster, the capon was a huge success. It was perfectly safe to eat him because he was “within the law.”
caponate (kah-poh-NAH-tah) – A Sicilian vegetable dish made of various ingredients, but usually includes cooked eggplant, celery, capers, anchovies, chile peppers, olives, tomatoes, vinegar, and onions.
History: Sailors’ taverns in Sicily were called “caupone,” where the dish was usually made and served with sea biscuits. The dish seems to have gotten its name from this word suggesting the kind of robust food served at a tavern or inn.
cappuccino – Coffee made by topping espresso with the creamy foam from steamed milk. A small amount of the steamed milk is also added to the cup. The foam’s surface is sometimes dusted with sweetened cocoa powder, nutmeg or cinnamon.
Caprese (kah-PREH-seh) – In the style of Capri. such a sauce is usually made from lightly cooked tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and mozzarella, to use on pastas, meats, fish, or salads. Check out this very easy-to-make Caprese salad: Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Plate .
capsicum (KAP-sih-kuhm) – All peppers are members of the genus Capsicum, and the family Solanaceae, which include tomatoes and eggplant. The name Capsicum comes from the Greek word “kapto” which means, “to bite.” There are 26 species of peppers categorized at present; however there is much discussion and argument involved. Most of these are only found in the wild. Also known as Bell Pepper.
caramel (KAR-uh-mul or KAR-uh-mel) – Also called “burnt sugar.” A flavoring made by melting white sugar in a heavy skillet until it colors. It must be stirred constantly over a very low heat to prevent burning.
caramelize (KAR-uh-mul-lze, KAR-uh-mel-lze or KAHR-mul-lze) –
(1) To heat sugar until it liquefies and becomes a clear caramel syrup ranging in color from golden to dark brown.
(2) Heating of meats or vegetables until the natural sugars in them break down and turn light brown (such as caramelizing onions). Sugar will begin to caramelize at 320 degrees F. Generally it occurs between 320 and 360 degrees F.
caramelized sugar – To heat sugar to its melting point, at which time it liquefies into a clear caramel syrup. The new flavor it attains works nicely in desserts. Learn how to Caramelizing Sugar (Photo Tutorial).
caraway seed – They are the fruit of the “carum carvi” a biennial plant, which grows in northern and central Europe and Asia, and have been cultivated in England and America for its seeds. They are available whole; if desired, grind or pound before using.Caraway seeds can become bitter during long cooking. When preparing soups and stews, add the crushed or whole seeds only 15 minutes before you take the pot off the stove.
History: Caraway seeds have been used as a spice for about 5,000 years; there is evidence of its culinary use in the Stone Age.
carbonara – Carbonara in Italian means “charcoal” or “coal,” and “alla carbonara” means “in the manner of the coal miners.” In Italy, the names of dishes generally tell us where or with whom they originated: dishes called Bolognese come from Bologna, alla Romana from Rome, Neapolitan from Naples; anything marinara is prepared in the manner of sailors, puttanesca is favored by hookers, and carbonara comes to us from the charcoal makers or wood cutters. A classic Roman dish is Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Most of the ingredients for Spaghetti alla Carbonara could easily be carried by charcoal makers traveling to the forests of the Abruzzi to get wood, and the rest could be bought or “found” along the way.
The town now called Aquilonia, was originally named Carbonara during the Samnite and Roman period. Carbonara most likely derived its name from the principal activity of coal mining in the nearby woods. Carbonara was destroyed by the barbarians and rebuilt on its ruins by the Longobard in the 6th century.
(1) There are several ideas that one hears from time to time. It is thought that a coal miner’s wife first cooked pasta this way that probably cooked over a coal or charcoal cooking fire, and it was popular among coal miners’ families before it spread to the general public.
(2) Another story suggests that the abundant black pepper in Pasta alla Carbonara symbolized the charcoal that inevitably fell from the artisan onto the plate. The other, that the pepper simply camouflaged the flecks of charcoal on the plate.
(3) Carbonara Americana was invented as a way to use bacon and eggs bought on the black market from American service personnel during the Second World War. After World War II when the GI’s tasted the original Spaghetti alla Carbonara, they “Americanized” it in the mess halls by tossing in peas, mushrooms, and using American bacon that the Army shipped over.
carbohydrates – Carbohydrates are a group of organic compounds that contain carbon in combination with the same proportion of hydrogen and oxygen (as in water). All starches and sugars are carbohydrates. The body receives a large amount of heat and energy from carbohydrate foods. The body changes all carbohydrates into simple sugar and the surplus is stored in the body as fat (and in the liver as glycogen). A large excess of sugar is normally eliminated by the kidneys. The usual “sweet tooth” of people is the result of body hunger for carbohydrates. Children require more carbohydrates than adults because they must satisfy the needs of growing bodies.
cardoon (karh-DOON) – The cardoon is a vegetable that is very popular in France, Italy, and Spain. It resembles a large bunch of wide flat celery and is silvery-gray in color. Once the tough outer ribs are removed, cardoon can be boiled, braised, or baked. Cardoon tastes like a cross between an artichoke, celery, and salsify and its season is from midwinter to early spring.
carob (KEHR-uhb) – The long, leathery pods from the tropical carob tree contain a sweet, edible pulp (which can be eaten fresh) and a few hard, inedible seeds. After drying, the pulp is roasted and ground into a powder. It is used to flavor baked goods and candies. Both fresh and dried carob pods, as well as carob powder, may be found in health food and specialty food stores. Because carob is sweet and taste vaguely of chocolate, it is often used as a chocolate substitute.
Carpaccio (karh-PAH-chee-oh) – Carpaccio is a classic Italian dish of paper-thin slices of raw beef, served with salt, pepper, and olive oil. The term also means very thin slices of meat, fish, and/or vegetables.
History: Giuseppe Cipriani, owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy, invented Carpaccio in 1950s. The dish was named for the 15th century painter Vittore Carpaccio (1450-1526) who was noted for his use of red and black, with some shades of brown in his paintings.
There are two theories on why Cipriani invented this dish. They are: (1) Cipriani had to come up with a brand new dish for a large banquet to be held in his restaurant in honor of Carpaccio and inauguration of the exhibition of the artist’s work; (2) A Venetian countess, who was a regular at Harry’s Bar, was forced to go on a very strict diet by her doctor and ordered to forgo all cooked meat. Giuseppe Cipriani made for her a dish of thinly sliced raw beef filet. Because the red of the meat reminded Cipriani of the color often used by the Venetian painter, Carpaccio, he named the dish in his honor.
carrot – Carrots are a member of the parsley family and are the roots of the plant. Other root crops are celeriac, parsnip, beets, potatoes, and turnips. Carrots are always in season and can be found with their curly green tops, pre-trimmed for easy use, cut into sticks for use as snacks, or in packages of miniature varieties perfect for school lunches.
History: Carrots were in common use during the times of ancient Rome and Greece. They are native to Afghanistan, and early varieties were black, red, and purple and not the familiar orange. It was in Belgium that the carrots was refined and bred to the orange rood in the 1500s. In 1776, Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations refers to them as a crop that changed “cultivation from the spade to the plough.”
Carry-Over Cooking or Residual Heat – Have you ever noticed that the internal temperature of foods (such as meats, fish, vegetables, pasta, and eggs) continues to rise after removing it from your stove, grill, or oven? This is called “Carry-Over Cooking.”
Your meats, fish, vegetables, pasta, and even eggs will continue to cook after being removed from the heat source. Understanding how this works and using it carefully can greatly improve the quality of your foods you cook.
Definition: Carry-over cooking is caused by residual heat transferring from the hotter exterior of the meat to the cooler center. As a general rule, the larger and thicker the cut of meat, and the higher the cooking temperature, the more residual heat will be in the meat, and the more the internal temperature will rise during resting due to carry-over cooking. This means the meat must be removed from the heat at an internal temperature lower than your desired final internal temperature, allowing the residual heat to finish the cooking.
When cooking meats and fish, use a thermometer to check your meat’s temperature, and remove it from the heat when it’s 5 to 10 degrees away from where you want it to be when you eat it. When cooking vegetables and eggs, remove from heat source just before you think it is about done.
Cashew nut – The cashew is native to American and no is also grown in India and East Africa. The nut hangs below the branch much like an apple.
Cassata (kas-ata) – There are two theories on where cassata derives it name from; (1) A term in Arabic, “quas at,” meaning the round bowl in which this sweet was originally made. (2) Other sources say that the word derives from the Latin word caseus (cheese) which would clearly refer to the ricotta cheese, one of the main ingredients needed for making cassata. Cassata is a spectacular Sicilian dessert of ricotta, candied fruit, pistachios, sugar, chocolate, liqueur soaked sponge cake and green pistachio icing.
History: Cassata was perfected by a group of nuns in the convents in Palermo, where such great quantities were made at Easter time that in 1575, the diocesan was compelled to prohibit production for fear that the nuns might neglect their religious duties during Holy Week.
Cassatella – A miniature versions of cassata, perfectly domed and frosted white with a cherry on top, is said to recall St Agata, the patron saint of Catania, who was martyred by being rolled in hot coals and having her breasts cut off. Catanians, with their intense emotional inner life and love of melodramatic gesture, are proud of their little cakes. The rationale is that if you eat the body of Christ in communion, why not the breasts of a saint.
casserole (kasa-rol) – The word casserole is derived from the Old French word casse and the Latin word cattia meaning a “frying pan or saucepan.” As often happens in history, the name of the cooking utensil was used for the dish name. (1) A casserole is an ovenproof or flameproof dish or pan that has a tight lid. It is used to cook meat and vegetables slowly. (2) A casserole is also a stew or ragout consisting of meat and vegetables, which are put in a casserole dish at the same time and cooked by stewing.
cassoulet (kas-soo-LAY) – A cassoulet (which was first made in Languedoc in the southwest of France) is a casserole, which consists of different kinds of meat (usually five different kinds), one of which should be pork and another a bird (such as goose, duck, or chicken). The dish also includes white haricot beans, sausage, and garlic. It is covered while cooking and cooked very slowly.
ghivetch – The word derives from the Turkish word “guvec” which means a “cooking pot.” It is a casserole of vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes, beans, squash, onions, cauliflower, peppers, etc.), which is simmered in a bouillon.
cassolette (kaso-let) – (1) Cassolette means a small dish for food sufficient for one person (a one-portion dish), which is usually made from earthenware. (2) It can also mean a very small case made from fried bread, pastry, egg, and breadcrumbs that are filled with a savory mixture (these are served as snacks or appetizers).
catfish – A mostly freshwater fish with long, cat-like whiskers (like feelers) around the mouth. Most catfish are farmed. The U.S. leads all other nations in the consumption of catfish. It is particularly popular in the southern and central states. Catfish have skin that is similar to that of an eel, which is thick, slippery, and strong. A ll catfish should be skinned before cooking. The most common and easiest method to skin a catfish is to nail the head of the dead fish to a board, hold on to its tail, and pull the skin off with pliers.
There are 2,000 species of catfish, whose name (probably due to the “whiskers”) first appeared in print in 1612. North America has 28 species of catfish, over a dozen of which are eaten. The most popular edible catfish are the channel catfish, the white catfish, and blue catfish. Of all the catfish grown in the United States, eighty percent comes from Mississippi, where more than 102,000 acres are devoted to catfish farms. Learn more about Catfish .
caviar/caviare (KA-vee-ahr) – Caviar is from the Persian word “khav-yar” meaning “cake of strength,” because it was thought that caviar had restorative powers and the power to give one long life. Caviar is from the salted roe (eggs) of several species of sturgeon (it was originally prepared in China from carp eggs). The carp is really a goldfish and is the only fish besides the sturgeon that has gray colored eggs. Up until 1966, any fish roe that could be colored black was called caviar. Then the Food and Drug Administration defined the product, limiting it to sturgeon eggs. It takes up to twenty years for the female sturgeon fish to mature before it produces eggs (called berries).
Serving caviar begins with buying. The most important think to look for is that each berry is whole, uncrushed, and well coated with its own glistening fat. The best caviar is generally eaten as is, au natural, on a piece of freshly made thin toast, with or without butter (though the caviar itself should be fat enough not to require butter). It can also be sprinkled lightly with some finely chopped hard-cooked egg, and onions or chives.
Beluga (buh-LOO-guhl) -The Russian name for a sturgeon found in the Black and Caspian Seas (they can grow up to 2,000 pounds). It is the largest of the sturgeon family and is considered the finest caviar. The eggs are light to dark gray in color.
lumpfish roe – The lumpfish is found mainly in Scandinavian waters, but also in Chesapeake Bay and off the coasts of Greenland and Iceland. It is widely used as a garnish for soups and canap instead of “real” caviar. Available in small jars, the red or black roe can be found at most supermarkets for a very reasonable price. It is usually pasteurized and vacuum packed.
Malossol (MAHL-oh-sahl) -The Russian for “little salt” or “lightly salted.” Only eggs in prime condition are prepared and labeled t his way (caviar prepared “malosol” are considered fresh).
Oscietre – This is spelled many ways, including “ossetra”, “oestrova”, and ” osietr”. This is the second largest species of sturgeon and is the Russian name for the Caspian Sea sturgeon roe that is dark brown to golden in color with large granules and a delicate skin.
salmon roe – The eggs of the Atlantic Salmon. They are large and bright red and they are excellent for garnishing dishes.
Sevruga – The smallest eggs of a sturgeon with a fine dark gray (almost black) color. It is considered of lower quality than the Beluga and Osetra caviar.
Tobiko – The Japanese name for a flying fish roe. They have very small red eggs with a crunchy texture
History: The American caviar industry got started when Henry Schacht, a German immigrant, opened a business catching sturgeon on the Delaware River. He treated his caviar with German salt and exported a great deal of it to Europe. At around the same time, sturgeon was fished from the Columbia River on the west coast, also supplying caviar. American caviar was so plentiful that it was given away at bars for the same reason modern bars give away peanuts – to make patrons thirsty.
The sturgeon is a prehistoric dish; fossil remains dating from that time have been found on the Baltic coast and elsewhere. Around 2400 B.C., the ancient Egyptian and Phoenician coastal dwellers knew how to salt and pickle fish and eggs, to last them in times of war, famine, or on long sea voyages. There are some bas-reliefs at the Necropolis near the Sakkara Pyramid that show fisherman catching all kinds of fish, gutting them and removing the eggs.
In the Middle Ages. shoals of sturgeon were to be found in the Thames, Seine, Po, and Ebro rivers and the upper stretches of the Danube. At this time, sovereigns of many countries (including Russia, China, Denmark, France, and England) had claimed the rights to sturgeon. Fisherman had to offer the catch to the sovereign.
In Russia and Hungary, the sections of rivers considered suitable for fishing the great sturgeon (the Beluga as we know it) were the subject of special royal grants. Under the czar’s benevolence, the Cossacks of the Dnieper, the Don, and the Ural were allowed to fish for one two-week period twice a year (in the spring and fall). Apart from he Cossacks and their families, the banks of the rivers were crowded with rich dealers from Moscow, Leningrad, and parts of Europe. The fresh fish were sold to the highest bidder, who then had the fish killed, prepared the caviar on the spot, and then packed it in barrels filled with ice to be transported. The Cossacks continued to have the right to sturgeon fishing until the Russian Revolution in 1917.
To learn more about Caviar, check out Linda Stradley’s web page on Caviar .
cayenne pepper (kiy-ann) – The cayenne is one of the most widely used peppers in the world. The cayenne is about 3 to 5 times hotter than the jalapeno, and when ripe, has it’s own distinct, slightly fruity flavor. Heat range is 6-7.
ceci bean (CHEH-chee) – See garbanzo bean.
celeriac (seh-LER-ay-ak) – Also known as celery knob, celery root, celeri-rave, and turnip-rooted celery. Though known by many names, celeriac or celery root is easily identified where specialty vegetables or root crops (such as turnips and parsnips) are found. A member of the celery family, celery root is a brown-to-beige-colored, rough, gnarled looking vegetable. It hints of celery with an earthy pungency (its aroma is a sure indicator of its membership in the celery family). It is in season from late fall through early spring. Look for as smooth a surface as you can find to aid in peeling. A one-pound weight is preferred. It should be firm with no indication of a soft or spongy center.
celery – Celery is ordinarily marketed as the whole stalk, which contains the outer branches and leaves. Sometimes the outer branches are removed and the hearts are sold in bunches.
History: The ancient Chinese credited celery with medicinal qualities and used it as a blood purifier. The Romans like to use it to decorate coffins at funerals. The Romans also felt that wearing crowns of celery helped to ward of headaches after a lot of drinking and partying.
celery salt – Celery salt is a mixture of fine white salt and ground celery seeds.
celery seed – Celery seeds are the fruit of a plant related to the parsley family and are not to be confused with the plant we recognize and serve as a vegetable. They are now grown extensively in France, Holland, India, and the United States. Celery seeds are tiny and brown in color. They taste strongly of the vegetable and are aromatic and slightly bitter. They are sometimes used where celery itself would not be appropriate.
cellophane or glass noodles – Also known as bean thread noodles, these are made from mung bean flour. They are usually softened by soaking in hot water for 10 -15 minutes before cooking with other ingredients.
ceviche, seviche, cebiche – Often spelled serviche or cebiche, depending on which part of South America it comes from, is seafood prepared in a centuries old method of cooking by contact with the acidic juice of citrus juice instead of heat. It can be eaten as a first course or main dish, depending on what is served with it. The preparation and consumption of ceviche is practically a religion in parts of Mexico, Central, and South America, and it seems as though there are as many varieties of ceviche as people who eat it. Latin American flavors first found a place on Florida menus with South Florida’s “New World Cuisine” in the late 1980’s. This cuisine comes from the diverse cooking styles and tropical ingredients of the Caribbean, Latin America, Central, and South America.
History: For a detailed history, check out Ceviche, Seviche, Cebiche .
Chablis (shah-blee) – A white wine that is made from chardonnay grapes.
chafing dish – The chafing dish is a metal pan, with a water basin, which is heated by an alcohol lamp and used for cooking at the table.
Chai tea (chi tee) – Chai is the word used for tea in many parts of the world. It is a fragrant milk tea that is growing more popular in the U.S. The tea originated in India, where those in the cooler regions add spices to their tea (not only for flavoring but to induce heat in the body). It is a centuries-old beverage, which has played an important role in many cultures. It is generally made up of rich black tea, milk, a combination of various spices, and a sweetener. The spices used vary from region to region. The most common are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. It ca n be served following a meal or anytime. Though some Americans serve Chai tea chilled or even iced, Bengal custom is to serve Chai tea hot. Check out Linda’s recipe for Chai Tea – Masala Chai – Spiced Milk Tea .
chakalaka – A very hot and spicy South African cooked vegetable relish/sauce/salad (in some ways it is like a Mexican salsa) that usually includes tomatoes, garlic, chile peppers, grated carrots, and grated cabbage with beans or diced cauliflower. Preparing chakalaka is very much an individual thing, and depends on what you have available. A traditional dish with the black community that is now popular in the urban areas as well as a side dish at barbecues.
chalazae (kuh-LAY-zee) – Ropey strands of egg white which anchor the yolk in place in the center of the thick white. They are neither imperfections nor beginning embryos. The more prominent the chalazae, the fresher the egg. Chalazae do not interfere with the cooking or beating of the white and need not be removed, although some cooks like to strain them from stirred custard.
champagne (sham-pain) – Champagne is a sparkling wine. Only wines produced in Champagne, France can legally be called champagne. Otherwise it is called sparkling wine. It is considered the most glamorous of all wines (the name has become synonymous with expensive living).
History: Champagne was once called devil wine (vin diable). Not because of what it did to people, but for what it did to its casks. The wine would “blow out the barrels” in the monasteries when warm weather got fermentation well under way.
champignon (sham-pee-NYOHN) – French word for an edible mushroom.
History: In Greece, around 400 B.C. Hippocrates makes mention of the delicacy of mushrooms that were consumed by the wealthy. The mushroom was thought to possess divine and magical powers. The first written reference to eating mushrooms is the death of a mother and her three children from mushroom poisoning in about 450 B.C. In ancient Rome, the easiest way to get rid of an enemy was to invite him to a disguised mushroom meal using the deadly mushroom from the Borgia family.
chanterelle mushrooms (shan-tuh-REHL) – These trumpet-shaped mushrooms flourish in the wilderness areas of the Pacific Northwest and a few places on the east coast. The European and Asian varieties are usually about the size of a thumb. But on the west coast, Chanterelles can be larger than a foot wide and heavier than two pounds. They smell a bit like apricots, have a mild, nutty flavor, and a chewy texture.
chapon (shad-PONH) – A small piece from end of French loaf, a slice, or a cube of bread that has been rubbed over with a clove of garlic, first dipped in salt. Placed in bottom of salad bowl before arranging salad. A chapon is often used in vegetable salads and gives an agreeable additional flavor.
chardonnay (shar-doe-nay) – Is considered the world’s most popular dry white wine. Chardonnay has become almost synonymous in the mass market with a generic “glass of white wine.”
charlotte (SHAR-lot) – Charlotte is a corruption of the Old English word “charlyt” meaning a “dish of custard.” (1) One meaning of a charlotte is a round mold used to make a charlotte dessert. (2) The other meaning is the molded dessert that is composed of a filling surrounded by ladyfingers or bread.
Apple Charlotte – It is a golden-crusted dessert made by baking a thick apple compote in a mold lined with buttered bread.
History: Named after Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) of England. Wife of George III. It is said that she was an enthusiastic supporter of apple growers. Check out Linda’s History of Charlotte Russe.
Charlotte Russe – A cake is which the mold is lined with sponge fingers and custard replaces the apples. It is served cold with cream.
History: It is said to have been invented by the French chef Marie Antoine Careme (1784-1833), who named it in honor of his Russian employer Czar Alexander.
Charlotte Malakoff – It has a lining of ladyfingers and a center filling of a souffle mixture of cream, butter, sugar, a liqueur, chopped almonds, and whipped cream. It is decorated with strawberries.
cold charlottes – They are made in a ladyfinger-lined mold and filled with a Bavarian cream. For frozen charlottes, a frozen soufflor mousse replaces the Bavarian cream.
Chasseur Sauce – Chasseur is French for hunter. It is a hunter-style brown sauce consisting of mushrooms, shallots, and white wine (sometimes tomatoes and parsley). It is most often served with game and other meats.
History: For a detailed history of Chasseur Sauce, check out Linda Stradley’s History of Sauces .
chaud-froid – A French word that mean “hot-cold.” A sauce that is prepared hot but served cold as part of a buffet display. It is usually used as a decorative coating for meats, poultry, and/or seafood. Classically made from bechamel, cream, or aspic.
chat/chaat/chatt – The word literally means, “to lick” in Hindu. Chaat belongs to the traditional Hindu cuisine. In India, chaat refers to both a spice blend and a cold, spicy salad-like appetizer or snack that uses the spice blend. It can be made with chopped vegetables or fruits, or both. Indian Chaat is usually vegetarian.
Chat is considered a “street-corner food” in India. Today there isn’t a town in India where one would not find some form of Chaat. It is tasty, pungent and really spicy, traditionally eaten from roadside stalls in banana leaves or even newspaper. Different regions of India have their different chats. A supplier of chaat is called a “chaatwallah.”
chateaubriand (sha-toh-bree-AHN) – It is a recipe, not a cut of meat. The choice (center section or eye) of the beef tenderloin is generally broiled or grilled and served with a sauce. There is generally sufficient meat for two people and traditionally the fillet is cut at the table.
History: It was invented by the chef Montmireil for his employer Francois Rene Visconte de Chateaubriand (1768-1848), French author and statesman (he was said to be an excellent eater but just a fair author). He gave the name to the thickest band best cut from the heavy end of a beef tenderloin. Most state that it was originally served with Berrnaise sauce, but some say the sauce was made with reduced white wine, shallots, demi-glace, butter and lemon juice. It is agreed that the steak was served with chateau potatoes (small olive shaped pieces of potato sauteed until browned).
chaurice (shor-REEC) – This is a Creole pork sausage that is a local favorite in Louisiana. The term is similar to the Spanish “chorizo.”
History: It is an old local favorite dating back to the 19th Century, but isn’t as easy to find as it once was. It would seem to have come to Louisiana with the Spanish, where it was adapted to local custom and ingredients.
chayote (chi-OH-tay) – The chayote is a pear-shaped member of the gourd family. Also called vegetable pear, mirliton (southern United States), choko (Australia and New Zealand). Several varieties of chayote exist, but the commonly available one has thick apple-green skin and generally weighs 1/2 to 1 pound. Thr crisp flesh is mild in flavor, falling somewhere between cucumber and summer squash.
It is prominent in the cuisine of Mexico, and today is a mainstay in the cuisines of all of South and Central America, as well as the West Indies, Africa, India, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand. In the United States, it’s grown in the Southwest, in Louisiana and in Florida. Though the chayote can be prepared many ways, it is always cooked, never eaten raw (even if used in salad). Its thick skin is edible, but many cooks prefer to remove it (it can be chewy unless used in a long cooking preparation). The large seed is also edible (many of the vegetable’s proponents insisting that the seed is the best part).
History: The chayote is native to Mexico where it was cultivated centuries ago by the Aztecs and the Mayas.
cheddar cheese – Cheddar, the most widely imitated cheese in the world. Mature English Farmhouse Cheddar is aged over nine months. Cheddar cheese stands by itself at the end of the meal, as a companion to well-aged Burgundy. It is also marvelous shredded over salads, melted over omelets, served with fruit pies and cobblers, or nibbled with crusty rye bread and a hearty beer.
History: It was first made in southwestern England near the Village of Cheddar in Somerset County.
cheese – Cheese is a food made from the curds of milk pressed together to form a solid. Through the centuries, cheese has been made from the milk of any milk-producing animal, from the ass to the zebra. Today it is most commonly made from milk of cows, goats, or sheep, with a small fraction from water buffaloes. The differences in cheeses come from the way the curds are drained, cut, flavored, pressed, the bacteria involved, the type and length of curing in caves, cellars, or under refrigeration, and a host of other subtle to severe variations. Generally cheese is grouped into four categories:
soft cheese – These include the fresh, unripened cheeses such as cottage, cream, farmer, or pot cheese that need only a starter, perhaps buttermilk, and a few hours before they’re ready to eat. More complex soft cheeses include quickly ripened brie and camembert, as well as those made with added cream, known as double-cremes and triple-cremes; all have thin, white edible rinds with creamy to runny interiors and are ready to eat within a few days or weeks.
semi-soft cheese – With this group are cheeses ripened three ways: bacteria- or yeast-ripened mildly flavored cheeses such as Italian fontina and Danish havarti. Also included are blue-veined cheeses such as gorgonzola, Roquefort, and English Stilton that are ripened by the presence of “penicillium” molds.
firm cheese – Originally termed “farmhouse cheese” but now mostly made in factories, these cheeses are formed into wheels or blocks, usually with a wax coating to seal out molds and external bacteria. This category includes cheddar, Edam, Gouda, Swiss cheese, Jarlsberg, etc. hese are generally aged a few weeks to more than a year.
hard cheese – These are the carefully aged cheeses with grainy textures that are primarily intended for grating. These include Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano. The aging process takes form one year to over seven years.
History: Archaeologists have discovered that as far back as 6000 BC cheese had been made from cow’s and goat’s milk and stored in tall jars. Egyptian tomb murals of 2000 BC show butter and cheese being made, and other murals which show milk being stored in skin bags suspended from poles demonstrate a knowledge of dairy husbandry at that time.
It is likely that nomadic tribes of Central Asia found animal skin bags a useful way to carry milk on animal backs when on the move. Fermentation of the milk sugars would cause the milk to curdle and the swaying motion would break up the curd to provide a refreshing whey drink. The curds would then be removed, drained and lightly salted to provide a tasty and nourishing high protein food, i.e. a welcome supplement to meat protein. The earliest type was a form of sour milk, which came into being when it was discovered that domesticated animals could be milked. According to legend, cheese was discovered 4,000 years ago when an Arabian merchant journeyed across the desert carrying a supply of milk in a pouch made of a sheep’s stomach. The rennet in the lining of the pouch, combined with the heat of the sun, caused the milk to separate into curd and whey. That night he drank the whey and ate the cheese, and thus, so the story goes, cheese was born.
The ancient Sumerians knew cheese four thousand years before the birth of Christ. The ancient Greeks credited Aristaeus, a son of Apollo and Cyrene, with its discovery; it is mentioned in the Old Testament. In the Roman era cheese really came into its own. Cheese making was done with skill and knowledge and reached a high standard. By this time the ripening process had been developed and it was known that various treatments and conditions under storage resulted in different flavors and characteristics. Cheese making, thus, gradually evolved from two main streams. The first was the liquid fermented milks such as yogurt, koumiss and kefir. The second through allowing the milk to acidify to form curds and whey. Whey could then be drained either through perforated earthenware bowls or through woven reed baskets or similar material.
The art of cheese making traveled from Asia to Europe and flourished. When the Pilgrims voyaged to America (in 1620), they made sure the Mayflower was stocked with cheese. In 1801, an enterprising cheese maker delivered a mammoth 1,235-pound wheel of cheese to Thomas Jefferson. Intrigued citizens dubbed it the “big cheese,” coining the phrase, which has since come to describe someone of importance. Cheese making quickly grew in the New World, but remained a local farm industry until 1851. In that year, the Jesse Williams in Oneida County, New York built the first United States cheese factory. As the U.S. population increased, so did the appetite for cheese. The industry moved westward, centering on the rich farmlands of Wisconsin, where the American cheese industry really took off. Most Wisconsin farmers believed their survival was tied to cheese. They opened their first cheese factory, Limburger, in 1868.
cheese curds – Cheese curds, a uniquely Wisconsin delicacy, are formed as a by-product of the cheese making process. They are little “nubs” of cheese, which if very fresh, squeak when you bite down on them. Unlike aged cheese, curds lose their desirable qualities if refrigerated or if not eaten within a few days. The squeak disappears and they turn dry and salty. Every restaurant or bar in Wisconsin seems to serve them, as they are listed on most appetizer sections of restaurant menus in the state. Learn more about Cheese Curds .
cheesecake – Now days there are hundreds of different cheesecake recipes. The ingredients are what make one cheesecake different from another. The most essential ingredient in any cheesecake is cheese (the most commonly used are cream cheese, Neufchatel, cottage cheese, and ricotta.)
History: For a detailed history of Cheesecakes, check out History of Cakes .
Chef Titles:
Executive Chef: The term literally means “the chief” in French. Every kitchen has a chef or executive chef who is responsible for the operations of the entire kitchen. (A commonly misused term in English, not every cook is a chef.)
Sous-Chef: This position means “the under chief” in French. This is person is second in command and takes responsibility for the kitchen operations if the chef is absent.
Chef de Partie: Also known as a “station chef” or “line cook”, is in charge of a particular area of production. In large kitchens, each station chef might have several cooks and/or assistants. In most kitchens however, the station chef is the only worker in that department. Line cooks are often divided into a hierarchy of their own, starting with “First Cook”, then “Second Cook”, and so on as needed. The Chef de Partie is in charge of any of the following kitchen positions:
Sauce chef or saucier: The person responsible for sauteed items and many different sauces. Traditionally, it is the third person in command. This is usually the highest position of all the stations:
Boulanger: The bread cook
Fish cook or poissonier: The fish cook – all fish and shellfish items and their sauces
Friturier: The deep fry cook
Grillardin: The grill cook
Pantry chef or Garde Manager: The person who prepares cold savory items Boucher
Pastry chef or patissier: Is responsible for cold foods, including salads and dressings, cold hors d’oeuvres, and buffet items.
Potager: The soup and often stock cook
Roast cook or rotisseur: Prepares roasted and braised meats and their gravies, and broils meats and other items to order. A large kitchen may have a separate broiler cook or grillardin (gree-ar-dan) to handle the broiled items. The broiler cook may also prepare deep-fried meats and fish.
The Butcher Commis: The common cook under one of the Chef de Partie. This level of cook comprises the bulk of the kitchen staff
Tournant (or chef de tournant): The Relief cook. This term describes the cook in the kitchen who provides help to all the different cooks rather than having a specific job.
Vegetable cook or entremetier: Prepares vegetables, soups, starches, and eggs. Large kitchens may divide these duties among the vegetable cook, the fry cook, and the soup cook.
chenin blanc (shay-naN blaN) – A widely produced white wine. It is often used as a blending wine in generic blends and jug wine.
cherimoya (chehr-uh-MOY-ah) – The heart-shaped cherimoya is sometimes referred to as a custard apple, which describes its appearance and texture. The taste, however, is uniquely its own. Cherimoya combines the flavors of pineapple, mango, banana, and papaya into a slightly fermented flavor of the tropics. They are available November through April with the largest supply in February and March. Ripe cherimoyas are dull brownish-green in color and give to pressure when gently squeezed. Eat within a day or two. If fruit is pale green and firm, store at room temperature until slightly soft and then refrigerate, carefully wrapped individually in paper towels, for up to 4 days. Peel fruit with a sharp knife and cut into cubes, discarding the dark black seeds. Add to fruit salads or puree and incorporate into a mousse, custard, or pie filling.
Cherries Jubilee – It is a dessert that consists of cherries flamed table side with sugar and Kirsch (cherry brandy) spooned over vanilla ice cream.
History: Cherries Jubilee was created by Chef Auguste Escoffier (1847-1935) in honor of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebration. There seems to be some conflict as if it was her 1887 Golden Jubilee or her 1897 Diamond Jubilee. Then, as now, the British public delighted in every detail of the Royal Family’s life and everyone know that cherries were the queen’s favorite fruit. The whole nation celebrated at her Golden Jubilee in 1887. The original dish did not call for ice cream at all. Sweet cherries poached in simple syrup that was slightly thickened, were poured into fireproof dishes, and then warmed brandy was added and set on flame at the moment of serving.
cherry – There are now 250 different kinds, which vary in color, size, and taste. There are two main groups of cherries, sweet and sour.
sweet cherry – It is the larger of the two types and they are firm, heart-shaped sweet cherries. The most popular varieties range from the dark red to the black Bing, to the golden red-blushed Royal Ann. Some varieties are Bing cherry, Rainier cherry, Lambert cherry, and Van cherry.
sour cherries or tart cherries – To learn more about Sour, Tart, or “Pie” Cherries .
History: Sweet cherries date back to the Stone Age in Asia Minor. They were dispersed throughout prehistoric Europe and brought to America by ship with early settlers in 1629. Cherries are named after the Turkish town of Cerasus (now called Giresun). Cherry stones found in the ancient lake dwellings in Switzerland attest to the prehistoric growth of this fruit. The early Romans cultivated several varieties of cherries.
Modern day cherry production in the Northwest began in 1847, when Henderson Lewelling transported nursery stock by ox cart from Iowa to Western Oregon and established orchards. The Bing variety was developed on the Lewelling farm in 1875 from seeds and was named for one of his Chinese workmen. The Lambert started as a cross on the same farm. The Rainier originated from the crossing of the Bing cherry and the Van cherry by Dr. Harold W. Fogle at the Washington State University Research Station in Prosser, Washington.
cherry pepper – Also called cherry bombs. They are very thick fleshed and about the size and shape of a small red ripe tomato. They also pack a considerable punch. Heat range is 4 to 6.
chervil (CHER-vuhl) – Chervil is a mild-flavored herb and a member of the parsley family. It has dark green curly leaves that have parsley-like flavor with overtones of anise. Chervil is generally used fresh rather than dried, although it is available in dried form. Though most chervil is cultivated for its leaves alone, the root is edible and was, in fact, enjoyed by early Greeks and Romans. It is one of the main classic ingredients in Fines Herbes (along with chives, parsley and tarragon), a finely chopped herb mixture that should be added to cooked foods shortly before serving because their delicate flavor can be diminished when boiled.
Chess Pie – Chess pies are a Southern specialty that has a simple filling of eggs, sugar, butter, and a small amount of flour. Some recipes include cornmeal and others are made with vinegar. Flavorings, such as vanilla, lemon juice, or chocolate are also added to vary the basic recipe.
History: Check out History of Pies for a detailed history of Chess Pie.
chestnut – Known as castagne in Italy. There are many varieties of chestnuts and the trees are common throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. Chestnuts can be roasted, boiled, pureed, preserved, and candied. Choose unblemished shells that show no sign of drying.
chestnut flour – Chestnut flour is used primarily in Italian and Hungarian cake and pastry making. The chestnut flour used in Italian cakes and pancakes is made from pulverized raw chestnuts, whereas in Hungary it is made from dried chestnuts.
chevre cheese (SHEHV-ruh) – Chevre is the French word for goat and for the fresh goat’s milk cheese. Goat cheeses are not usually aged, so they are fresh and creamy looking with a fairly mild, salty flavor. They are French in origin. This cheese can be molded into any shape. They come plain or coated with herbs and pepper. Used for relishes, appetizers, sauces, and compliments any cheese board.
chewing gum – When Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the Mexican leader of the Alamo attack, was in exile on Staten Island, N.Y, in 1869, he brought with him a large lump of chicle, the elastic sap of the sapodilla tree, which Mayan Indians had been chewing for centuries. He hoped that Thomas Adams, an inventor, could refine the chicle for a rubber substitute. Adams experimented with the stuff, but it remained lifeless. By chance, he saw a little girl buying paraffin a “pretty poor gum” at a drug store. Adams asked the druggist if he would be willing to try a new kind of gum. He said yes. Adams rushed home, soaked and kneaded the chicle into small grayish balls. The druggist sold all of them the next day. With $55, Adams went into business making Adams New York Gum #1 and set the world to chewing and snapping!
chianti (ki-AHN-tee) – A classic dry red wine of Tuscany. Often called “pizza wine” as it is often served in wicker-wrapped bottles.
Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza – Chicago deep-dish pizza is different from the regular thin crust pizza as it has a thicker crust with more ingredients topping it. It is almost like a casserole on bread crust.
History: The origin of this style of pizza is credited to Ike Sewell, who in 1943 created the dish at his bar and grill named Pizzeria Uno. The pizza was so popular that he had to open more pizza restaurants to handle the crowds. Deep-dish pizza may be one of Chicago’s most important contributions to 20th century culture. There are more than 2,000 pizzerias serving this much beloved deep-dish pizza there.
For history of the following Chicken Dishes, Check out Linda Stradley’s History of Poultry Dishes .
Chicken A’ La King – This is a rich chicken dish that uses lots of cream with pimentos and sherry. It is served either on hot buttered toast, pastry shells, or in a nest of noodles.
Chicken Booyah – A super “stick to your ribs” soup-stew made with chicken. While chicken soup is universal and variations of this dish can be found in many cultures world wide, northeastern Wisconsin is the only place in the world where Chicken Booyah is found. It is a favorite at the many festivals, church picnics, bazaars, and any other large gathering in the northeast part of Wisconsin. Restaurants have their own special recipe. Booyah is lovingly called “Belgian Penicillin.” It is believed that the word “Booyah” comes from the word “bouillon.”
Chicken Cacciatora – Cacciatore means “hunter’s style.” See cacciatore. This dish developed in central Italy and has many variations. It is considered a country-style dish in which chicken pieces are simmered together with tomatoes and mushrooms. The dish originated in the Renaissance period (1450-1600) when the only people who could afford to enjoy poultry and the sport of hunting were the well to do, This dish developed in central Italy and has many variations.
Chicken Divan – A chicken casserole dish with broccoli and mornay or hollandaise sauce.
Chicken-Fried Steak – It is also known as Country-Fried Steak and affectionately called “CFS” by Texans. There is no chicken in Chicken-Fried Steak. It is tenderized round steak (a cheap and tough piece of beef) made like fried chicken with a milk gravy made from the drippings left in the pan. Although not official, the dish is considered the state dish of Texas. According to a Texas Restaurant Associate, it is estimated that 800,000 orders of Chicken-Fried Steak are served in Texas every day, not counting any prepared at home.
Every city, town, and village in Texas takes prides in their CFS. Some, admittedly, are better than others. Texans have a unique way of rating restaurants that serve CFS. The restaurants are rated by the number of pickup trucks that is parked out in front. Never stop at a one pickup place, as the steak will have been frozen and factory breaded. A two and three pickup restaurant is not much better. A four and five pickup place is a must stop restaurants, as the CFS will be fresh and tender with good sopping gravy.
Chicken Kiev (kee-EHV) – Also called Tsiplenokovo Po-Kievski. A boned and flattened chicken breast that is then rolled around a chilled piece of herbed butter. It is then breaded and fried. This poultry dish is also called “Chicken Supreme.”
Chicken Marengo – Originally made with crayfish and chicken. Today, the crayfish is usually left out. Chicken Marengo today is chicken cut into pieces, browned in oil, and then cooked slowly with peeled tomatoes, crushed garlic, parsley, white wine and cognac, seasoned with crushed pepper and served with fried eggs on the side (with or without crayfish, also on the side) and toast or croutons, doubling as Dunand’s army bread.
Chicken Rochambeau – This Louisiana Creole dish is half a chicken (breast, leg, thigh), which is boned and not skinned. It is grilled, then served as a layered dish – first a slice of baked ham, then the brown Rochambeau sauce (chicken stock and brown sugar), then the chicken is covered with a Bernaise sauce. Antoine’s restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana is famous for this chicken dish.
chickpea (chik-peez) – See garbanzo bean.
chicory (chick-ory) – An herb of which the roots are dried, ground, and roasted. It is now used to flavor coffee (there is a popular belief that chicory smoothes out coffee).
History: For thousands of years, these plants have been cultivated and used in home remedies and a drug of choice for royalty. Queen Elizabeth I of England took chicory broth. In the U.S., chicory is so common on roadsides that it is hard to realize that is not native. Thomas Jefferson had some planted at Monticello in 1774 with the seeds probably coming from Italy. He used it as a ground cover in his fields, as cattle fodder, and as “a tolerable salad for the table.”
chiffon cake – It is the first really new development in cake making in many years. It uses vegetable oil in place of conventional shortening.
History: For history of Chiffon Cake, check out History of Cakes .
chiffonade (shihf-uh-NAHD) – (1) This is a French word, which comes from the word “chiffon” which means, “rag”. In culinary terms, a chiffonade describes a way of cutting herbs and lettuces into thin strips or shreds, which look a bit like rags. (2) Chiffonade is also a dish consisting of a mixture of green vegetables (such as spinach, lettuce, and sorrel) which are shredded or cut finely into ribbons (sometimes melted butter is added). It is used to form a bed for a dish such as egg mayonnaise or as a garnish for soups.
chile, chilie, chili pepper – Chile peppers are all members of the capsicum family. There are more than 200 varieties available today. They vary in length from 1/2-inch to 12 inches long with the shortest and smallest peppers being the hottest. Always take caution when handling them (wear rubber gloves when seeding a fresh one). Colors range from yellow to green to red to black. The best antidote for a “chile burn” in the mouth is sugar or hard candy. The heat of chiles comes from a compound called capsaicin. It is located in the “ribs” of the chile. Seeds do contain some heat, but not at the same intensity as the ribs. Chiles are called peppers, but are not related to black pepper. Botanically, they are berries and horticulturally, they are fruits. When fresh, we use them as vegetables. When dried, we use them as spices. Scoville unit is the thermometer of the chile business. Established by Wilbur Scoville, these are the units of heat of a chile’s burn. A habanero is considered 100 times hotter than a jalapeno! Units rank from 0 to 300,000. To learn more about these peppers, check out the web page on Chile Peppers .
Chiles Relleno – A Mexican and Southwest dish of stuffed chile peppers.
chili – Chili is the stew-like soup made entirely with meat, chiles or chili powder (or both) and according to what region of the country that you live in, it can also include beans. Will Rogers called chili “bowl of blessedness.”
History: For a very detailed history of Chili, check out History and Legends of Chili .
chimichanga (chim-me-CHAN-gaz) – A burrito prepared with your choice of meat, vegetables, and spices that are rolled up to form a large spring roll, either deep fried or grilled deep-fried, and served on a bed of lettuce with cheese and mild sauce. The chimichanga or “chimi” is the quintessential Tucson, Arizona food item, which has achieved a cult status in that city. The residents of Tucson take their “chimis” very seriously and would prefer to pay more money so as not to be served a smaller one with fewer ingredients. They love the large, gigantic ones. Every restaurant and Mom and Pop eatery has his or her own version of this favorite dish.
History: Culinary historians argue about exactly where in Tucson chimichangas were invented. Several restaurants claim the bragging rights of being the first to serve one. The strongest claim comes from Tucson’s El Charro Cake, the oldest Mexican restaurant in Tucson. Family legend says that, Monica Flin, who started the restaurant in 1922, cussed in the kitchen when a burrito flipped into the deep fryer. As young nieces and nephews were in the kitchen with her, she hanged the swear word to chimichanga, the Spanish equivalent of “thingamagig.”
Chinese gooseberry – It is now called kiwi fruit and it is a native of China.
History: It was introduced into New Zealand in 1906 and has been commercially cultivated there ever since. Since Chinese gooseberry is a rather unenchanting name, they decided to rename the fruit “kiwi.” This name not only identifies New Zealand but also describes the tiny New Zealand Kiwi bird.
Chinese parsley – See cilantro.
chipotle chile (chih-POHT-lay) – A chipotle pepper is simply a smoked jalapeno pepper. These chilies are usually a dull tan to coffee color and measure approximately 2 to 4 inches in length and about an inch wide. It is sold either dried or canned with adobo sauce. Most of the natural heat of the jalapeno is retained in the process.Chipotle peppers are very hot, and they can easily over power dishes and recipes. Chipotles are available dried whole, powdered, pickled, and canned in Adobo sauce.
chitterlings/chitlins (CHIHT-lingz) – Chitterlings are the middle section or small intestines of animals (hot intestines or guts). Chitterlings are the more formal name, but most people call them chitlins. Some people turn up their noses at the mention of chitlins, as they are a food that you either love or hate. Others leave the house while they are cooking, driven away by their earthly odor. The volume sold for New Year’s dinners, with Christmas and Thanksgiving not far behind, attests to chitlins’ popularity in the United States. Learn more about Chitterlings/Chitlins and also a recipe.
History: In colonial slave days of the sold South of the United States, December was the time when the hogs were slaughtered. The hams and all the better cuts went to the plantation owners, while the leftovers or garbage (chitterlings) were given to the slaves. Because of the West African traditional of cooking all edible part of plants and animals, these foods helped the slaves survive in the United States.
Animal innards have long been treasured foods around the world Scotland has their national dish of haggis (sheep’s stomach stuffed with animal’s minced heart, liver, and lungs); Throughout Europe, tripe (cow or ox stomach) is popular, and French chefs in upscale restaurants serve dishes based on cow’s brains and kidneys.
chives – Chives are a member of the onion family. They are used to delicately flavor soups, salads, dips, cheeses, eggs, sauces, and dressings. They make an eye-catching garnish when sprinkled on top of a favorite recipe. Their lavender flowers are an attractive and tasty addition to salads. Chives are almost always used fresh or added to hot foods at the last minute so they retain their flavor.
History: Chives have been respected for their culinary versatility for more than 3000 years. In Ancient China, raw chives were prescribed to control internal bleeding. But when chives made their way to Europe, herbalists had a different opinion. They warned that eating the herb raw would induce evil vapors in the brain. Despite the admonishments, chives became everyday sights in European households; bunches of them were hung in houses to ward off evil spirits. Gypsies used chives for their fortune-telling rituals and also hung them from the ceiling to drive away diseases and evil spirits.
chocolate (CHAWK-lit or CHAWK-uh-lit; CHAHK-lit or CHAHK-uh-lit) – A delicate tree, cacao, it is only grown in rain forests in the tropics, usually on large plantations, where it must be protected from wind and intense sunlight. The cacao bean is harvested twice a year.
bittersweet chocolate – Still dark, but a little sweeter than unsweetened. Bittersweet has become the sophisticated choice of chefs.
converture – A term generally used to describe high-quality chocolate used by professional bakers in confectionery and baked products. It has more cocoa butter than regular chocolate. It’s specially formulated for dipping and coating things like truffles.
milk chocolate or sweet chocolate – Candy bar chocolate. Chocolate to which whole and/or skim milk powder has been added. Rarely used in cooking because the protein in the added milk solids interferes with the texture of the baked products.
semisweet chocolate – Slightly sweetened during processing and most often used in frostings, sauces, fillings, and mousses. They are interchangeable in most recipes. The favorite of most home bakers.
German chocolate – Dark, but sweeter than semisweet. German chocolate is the predecessor to bittersweet. It has no connection to Germany; a man named German developed it.
unsweetened chocolate – It is also called baking chocolate or plain chocolate. This is the most common type used in baking and is the only true baking chocolate.
white chocolate – According to the FDA, “white chocolate” cannot legally be called chocolate because it contains no cocoa powder, a component of chocolate. True chocolate contains pulverized roasted cocoa bean, consisting of cocoa butter and cocoa solids. White chocolate contains no cocoa solids and thus technically is white confectionery coating. Beware–some white confectionery coatings don’t even contain cocoa butter. Even in “real” white chocolate the chocolate flavor is subtle at best, being to real chocolate what white soul is to soul.
History: Aztec Indian legend held that cacao seeds had been brought from Paradise and that wisdom and power came from eating the fruit of the cacao tree. Because of a spelling error, probably by English traders long ago, the cacao beans became know as the cocoa beans. The Spanish general, Hernando Cortes, landed in Mexico in 1519. The Aztecs believed he was the reincarnation of one of their lost gods. They honored him by serving him an unusual drink, presented in a cup of pure gold. This unusual drink was called chocolatl by the Aztecs. During his conquest of Mexico, Cortez found the Aztec Indians using cocoa beans in the preparation of the royal drink of the realm, “chocolatl,” meaning warm liquid. In 1519, Emperor Montezuma, who reportedly drank 50 or more portions daily, served chocolate to his Spanish guests in great golden goblets, treating it like a food for the gods. Montezuma’s chocolate was very bitter, and the Spaniards did not find it to their taste. To make the concoction more agreeable to Europeans, Cortez and his countrymen conceived the idea of sweetening it with cane sugar. While they took chocolate back to Spain, the idea found favor and the drink underwent several more changes with newly discovered spices, such as cinnamon and vanilla. Ultimately, someone decided the drink would taste better if served hot. This sweet drink became fashionable and soon there were chocolate houses in all the capitals of Europe.
Swiss chocolatier, Daniel Pieter, invented milk chocolate in 1876. Today, the finest chocolate is still made in Switzerland, and the consumption of milk chocolate far out-weights that of plain chocolate. Chocolate was introduced to the United States in 1765 when John Hanan brought cocoa beans from the West Indies into Dorchester, Massachusetts, to refine them with the help of Dr. James Baker. The first chocolate factory in the country was established there in 1780. It was America’s first chocolate mill where they made a blend of quality chocolate called BAKER’S chocolate.
chocolate chips –
History: In 1939, Nestle created the convenient, ready-to-use chocolate pieces, introducing chocolate chips. In the 1940s, Mrs. Wakefield sold all legal rights to the use of the Toll House trademark to Nestle. In 1983, the Nestle Company lost its exclusive rights to the trademark in federal court. Toll house is now a descriptive term for a cookie. See chocolate chip cookie.
chocolate chip cookie – Today the chocolate chip cookie remains a favorite choice among cookie connoisseurs. The term “toll house” has become a part of the American language.
History: For the history of Chocolate Chip Cookies, check out History of Cookies .
cholent (CHUH-lent) – Cholent is traditional Jewish cuisine served on the Sabbath. Whether the hamin of Sephardic communities, the cholent of Ashkenazic ones, or a fusion of the two, it is still favored by many for Shabbat, particularly on a cold winter day.
History: It was born of Orthodox Jewish observance of the Sabbath, when fires could not be kindled. Instead, families would either leave a real low oven going at home or take their pots to the village baker and let the food cook overnight. Some contend that every slow-cooking dish made with beans derives from this Jewish technique. There is no doubt that, in Hungary, it evolved into shalet, one of the national dishes, while the Pilgrims, after spending time with Sephardic Jews in Holland, adopted it prior to sailing to the New World. The substitutions they later had to make for some ingredients resulted in Boston baked beans. The origin of cholent is likely in the pre-Inquisition Sephardic kitchen. From there, it probably traveled to Alsace, where it is believed to have been called chault-lent, Old French for hot and slow. When it was then brought to Germany and Eastern Europe, it took on the basic composition, which characterizes it today.
chop – To cut food into irregular pieces. The size is specified if it is critical to the outcome of the recipe.
Chop Suey – Chop Suey is the English pronunciation of the Cantonese words tsap seui (tsa-sui in Mandarin), which means, “mixed pieces.” It is a Chinese-American dish consisting of bits of meat or chicken, bean sprouts, onions, mushrooms, etc., cooked in its own juices and served with rice. Most Chinese are not fond of Chop Suey as it is mainly popular with non Chinese-Americans. According to the Chinese-Americans, its presence on a restaurant’s menu is often times a harbinger of bad food to come . It is only served in Chinese restaurants that cater to American customers.
History: An American dish that Chinese immigrants in the 1860s, who were untrained as cooks, created out of meat and vegetables fried together in their own juices and served over rice. In the 1860s, a pattern of discrimination emerged that prevented the Chinese from working their own gold mining claims, causing them to take work as laborers and cooks for the Transcontinental Railway. It was this Chinese influence that gave us the totally American Chop Suey, as these dishes were created to feed the workers with what food was on hand. Constrained by the lack of Asian vegetables, and trying to produce a Chinese dish palatable to Westerners, the cook stir-fried whatever vegetables were handy, thus Chop Suey is a mixture of odds and ends of large pieces of vegetables and meat. After World War II, Chop Suey became as American as apple pie to the non-Chinese population.
chopsticks – Eating utensils, about eight inches long, rectangular at the top and tapered at the eating ends. Today, chopsticks are used in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, as well as China, making them the world’s second-most popular method of conveying food to mouth, the most popular being the fingers. Chopsticks are never made of metal because metal may react with the acids found in food and taint its taste. Usually made out of wood, some of the more fancy ones are intricately carved out of bone or ivory. Bamboo is used also.
History: It is not known when chopsticks first began to be used, although it is fairly certain that they were invented in China, where they have been traced back at least as far as the 3rd century BC. Knives, with all their associations with war and death, were not brought to the dinner table, as they were in the West.
Chinese chopsticks – In China, chopsticks are usually made of bamboo or other wood. Chinese chopsticks were once referred to as chu, meaning, “help in eating.” Today, they are called k’uai-tzu, meaning “something fast.” This phrase is said to have originated among boatmen, who renamed the utensils, originally called chu, which means, “help,” because the word sounded so much like their word for a slow or becalmed ship. This struck them as particularly inappropriate for such an efficient eating tool. The word with which we are all familiar came into being during the 19th century, when traders into Pidgin English translated Chinese words. The word chop means fast, as in the phrase “chop chop!”
Japanese chopsticks – The Japanese word for chopsticks, hashi, means “bridge.” Unlike Chinese chopsticks, which are squared-off and blunt at the end, the Japanese utensils are rounded and tapered to a point. It has been suggested that this is in order to facilitate the removal of bones from fish, which makes up a great part of the Japanese diet.
chorizo (CHORE-ee-so) – A highly seasoned Mexican sausage that is made with ground pork and hot peppers. It is sold fresh or dried and usually encased in narrow casings, but also sold in bulk in some markets. Mexican chorizo is made with fresh pork, while the Spanish version uses smoked pork.
Chorley cake – Chorley cakes are a British pastry made with dried fruit similar to the cakes and buns common in Banbury, Eccles, Coventry, and Clifton. A typical recipe consists of a pie crust (like pastry cut into small rounds) filled with a mixture of dried currants, peel, brown sugar, butter, and spices such as nutmeg. The pastry is folded, and then rolled out until the fruit begins to show through. They are baked, then eaten fresh with butter, or kept for several days.
History: It is believed that they were developed to take on trips during medieval times. Each city claimed its own version, differing in spices, fruits, and the use of rum.
choux pastry (shoo) – Choux derives from the French work “chou” which means “cabbage.” It was used to describe layered pastry, as the layers were thought to resemble the leaves of cabbage. It is a kind of pastry made from smooth dough consisting of flour, water, salt, butter, eggs, and sometimes sugar. This pastry is used for cream puffs, eclairs, beignets, and other dishes requiring a puff pastry.
chow – An American slang term for food. The named is credited to American servicemen for have to stand in line and wait for their food. The word is thought to be from the Chinese word “ch’ao” meaning “to fry or cook” during 1850s when Chinese laborers worked on the Pacific railroads.
chowhound – A person who enjoys eating and live to eat.
chow line – A line of people waiting for food, as in a cafeteria.
chowder (chowda) – Chowder comes from the French word “cauldron,” meaning a cooking kettle. Vegetables or fish stewed in a cauldron thus became know as chowder in English speaking nations (a corruption of the name of the pot or kettle in which they were cooked).
History: For a detailed history of Chowder, check out History of Chowder, Clam Chowder/Fish Chowder .
Chow Mein – A Chinese-American dish consisting of stewed vegetables and meat with fried noodles. It comes from the Mandarin Chinese words ch’ao mien meaning “fried noodles.” It is thought that this Chinese dish was brought to America by the Chinese laborers and cooks for the Transcontinental Railway in the 1850s.
chutney (CHUHT-nee) – The word comes from the Hindustani word chatni, which means “a hot, spicy condiment.” Originally this word referred to a sweet and spicy preserve of fruit, vinegar, sugar, and spices that was used exclusively in Indian cooking. American chutneys are less spicy and very sweet. They are used more as jams or preserves. However, with the advent of “fusion cuisine” and with all culinary terms bandied about rather loosely these days, a chutney can be just about any topping or accompaniment, somewhat sweet, usually made with fruit and used the way we do salsas.
History: Chutney became an accepted part of the British culinary scene after the British who lived in India brought it back.
cider – Cider is fermented apple juice that is made by pressing the juice from fruit. Although apples are the most common fruit from which cider is made, pears and sweet cherries are often pressed for cider as well. It can be drunk straight or diluted with water.
hard cider – Hard cider is a fermented beverage prepared from the juice of apples. The fermentation continues until the sugar is transformed into alcohol.
commercial grade cider – Apple juice or cider is usually more refined than ordinary cider. They remove the yeasts and develop to produce hard cider. They are destroyed by a low temperature method without affecting the vitamin content. Apple juice is also put through very fine filters. Of course, they usually add preservatives.
fresh or sweet cider – The liquid is fresh cider as long as it remains in its natural state and is not sweetened, preserved, clarified, or otherwise altered. In sweet cider, fermentation is not permitted at all.
History: Hard cider made from ripe apples usually contains from 4% to 8% alcohol. Hard cider was a staple of life in the U.S. from the earliest colonial times until the mid-19th century temperance campaigns that resulted in the destruction of thousands of acres of apple orchards. By the turn of the century, hard cider had all but disappeared from the national diet.
cilantro (SEE-lan-trow) – Cilantro is the Spanish word for coriander leaves. It is also sometimes called Chinese or Mexican parsley. Technically, coriander refers to the entire plant. It is a member of the carrot family. Chopped fresh leaves are widely used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking, where they are combined with chiles and added to salsas, guacamoles, and seasoned rice dishes. Most people either love it or hate it. Taste experts are not sure why, but for some people the smell of fresh coriander is fetid and the taste soapy. In other words, while most people love coriander, for some people, coriander just does not taste good. When purchasing, look for leaves that are tender, aromatic, and very green. If it has no aroma, it will have no flavor. Avoid wilted bunches with yellowing leaves.
cinnamon (SIH-nuh-muhn) – It is the aromatic inner bark of the “cinnamonum zeylanicum”, a native tree in Ceylon.
History: Cinnamon was considered one of the spices that started world exploration. This common spice was once the cause of much intrigue and bloodshed among traders and growers. The Arabs first introduced it on the world market, but kept the source secrets. They invented fantastic tales of bloodthirsty monsters that roamed the cinnamon country. It was once considered a gift fit for a monarch. In ancient times, it was thought to inspire love, and a love portion was concocted from it. When the Dutch were in control of the world spice market, they burned cinnamon when its price went too low to suit them.
Cincinnati Chili – The main differences between Cincinnati and Texas chili is that the Cincinnati Chili calls for some sweet spices and the way you start cooking the meat. The sauce has a thinner consistency that is more like a topping and is mixed with an unusual and secret blend of spices that includes cinnamon, chocolate, or cocoa, allspice, and Worcestershire sauce. Cincinnati Chili is truly the unofficial food of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, and is the most chili-crazed city in the United States. Cincinnati prides itself on being a true chili capital with over 180 chili parlors.
If you choose “the works,” you are eating what they call “Five-Way Chili.” Make sure to pile on the toppings – that is what sets it apart from any other chili dish. To test a restaurant for authenticity, ask for a Four-Way. If they ask you whether you want the bean or onion option, you have a fake Cincinnati Chili as Four-Way comes with onions.
History: This chili is unique to the Cincinnati area and was created in 1922 by a Macedonian immigrant, Tom Kiradjieff. He settled in Cincinnati with his brother, John, and opened a small Greek restaurant, called the Empress, only to do a lousy business because nobody there at the time knew anything about Greek food. He then created a chili made with Middle Eastern spices, which could be served in a variety of ways. His “five-way” was a concoction of a mound of spaghetti topped with chili, chopped onion, kidney beans, shredded yellow cheese and served with oyster crackers and a side order of hot dogs topped with more shredded cheese.
Check out two different recipes and methods of making Cincinnati Chili: Cincinnati Chili – Version 1- Cincinnati Chili – Version 2
Cioppino (chuh-PEE-noh) – It is a fish stew that is considered San Francisco’s signature dish. It is a descendant of the various regional fish soups and stews of Italian cooking. The best way to make Cioppino, is as you like it. It can by prepared with as many as a dozen kinds of fish and shellfish. It all depends on what the day’s catch is like and what your own personal choice is. The origin of the word is something of a mystery and many historians believe that it is Italian-American for “chip in.” It is also believed that the name comes form a Genoese fish stew called cioppin. Check out Linda’s favorite San Francisco Cioppino recipe.
History: This fish stew first became popular on the docks of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf in the 1930s. It is thought to be the result of Italian fishermen adding something from their day’s catch to the communal stew kettle on the wharf. After World War II, Cioppino migrated to the East Coast.
citron (SIHT-ron) – (1) Citron is a semi-tropical citrus fruit like a lemon, but larger and less acidic. It grows as an irregular, open-headed shrub or small tree with large, light green leaves. The flowers are purple on the outside and are followed by large, oblong or ellipsoid fruits. The peel is very thick and is rough and yellow on the outside and white inside. They were originally grown in Europe out of interest for its fragrant fruits, but later, the white pulp was used raw, being served as a salad or with fish. A method of candying the peel was developed and candied peel is now the main Citron product. This plant is never eaten raw but is harvested for usage of its peel. The plant is soaked in a brine solution to extract the oil, which is used in liqueurs. The peel is then candied. This product is used in many baking dishes and desserts.
History: This was the first Citrus fruit that was introduced to Europe by the armies of Alexander the Great about 300 BC. It found a suitable home in the Mediterranean region where it has been cultivated from that time to the present. Southern Italy, the island of Corsica and some Greek islands grow nearly all the Citrons.
(2) Citron (see-TRAWN) – Citron is also the French word for “lemon.”
citronella (sih-truh-NEHL-uh) – It is also known as lemongrass. It is a stiff tropical grass that resembles a large fibrous green onion. It is an essential herb in southeast Asian cooking. It adds a lemony flavor to dishes.
citrus fruits – Citrus fruits are native to the southern and southeastern mainland of Asia and the bordering Malayan islands. Their flowers smell sweet and they have five petals that are white and some kinds have purple staining the outer surfaces. The fruits are spherical or egg-shaped and have 8-14 juicy sections containing large, white or greenish seed leaves (cotyledons). These trees are cultivated in orchards or groves and in gardens where the climate and soil are suitable and as greenhouse plants. Florida and California produce an abundant supply of Citrus fruits. Citrus trees require a minimum winter temperature of 45-50 degrees.
History: Citrus fruits are native to Southern China and Southeast Asia where they have been cultivated for approximately 4,000 years. In fact, the oldest Oriental literature includes stories about these fruits. The citron was carried to the Middle East sometime between 400 and 600 BC. Arab traders in Asia carried lemons, limes, and oranges to eastern Africa and the Middle East between AD 100 and 700. During the Arab occupation of Spain, citrus fruits arrived in southern Europe. From Europe they were carried to the New World by Christopher Columbus and Portuguese and Spanish explorers and were well known in Florida and Brazil by the 16th century. Superior varieties from Southeast Asia also arrived in Europe with the Portuguese traders in the 16th century.
clams – All clams are mollusks that live in the sediments of bays, estuaries, or the ocean floor. Clams are sold in the shell or shucked. There are three major types of clams.
soft-shell clams – Known as steamers, manninoses, or squirts. T hey have brittle shells that break easily.
hard-shell clams – Known as quahog, littleneck, cherrystone, and hard clam.
surf clams – These make up the bulk of the commercial catch. They are used for preparing chowders, clam sauces, and fried clam strips.
clarified butter – Clarified butter is butter, which has been slowly heated up in order to separate the white milk solids (which burn at high heat) from the butterfat. The milk solids (which sink to the bottom of the pan) are discarded and the pure butterfat (clarified butter), which remains, is saved for frying and sautng. Chefs clarify butter because it has a higher smoking point and they can then fry or saute in it without it burning. Learn how to make Clarified Butter .
clarify – To clear a liquid of all solid particles using a special cooking process.(1) To clarify butter means to melt it and pour off the clear top layer from the milky residue at the bottom of the pan. The resulting clear liquid can be used at a higher cooking temperature and will not go rancid as quickly as unclarified butter. (2) To clarify stock, egg whites and/or eggshells are commonly added and simmered for about 15 minutes. The egg whites attract and trap particles from the liquid. After cooling, strain the mixture through a cloth-lined sieve to remove residue.(3) To clarify rendered fat, add hot water and boil for about 15 minutes. The mixture should then be strained through several layers of cheesecloth and chilled. The resulting layer of fat should be completely clear of residue.
clotted cream – Traditionally served with tea and scones in England. It is a 55% minimum milk fat product made by heating unpasturized milk to about 82 degrees C, holding them at this temperature for about an hour and then skimming off the yellow wrinkled cream crust that forms (until the cream separates and floats to the surface). It is also known as Devonshire cream. It will last up to four days if refrigerated in a tightly-sealed container.
cloves – The name clove is derived from the Latin word clavus meaning “nail.” Cloves are the fried flower buds of the clove tree belonging to the evergreen family.
History: Trade between the Ternate (clove island) and China goes back at least 2500 years. In China, cloves were used for cooking and also to cover bad breath and body odor, any one having an audience with the emperor had to chew cloves to prevent any undesired smell. This spice was jealously fought over by the early growers and traders. They were grown in the Molucca islands for many centuries and then later in Zanaibar. After a cyclone had destroyed the Zanaibar crops, a number of barrels of cloves reached New York that had been stored for 100 years. The cloves were in perfect condition.
Club Sandwich – It is a sandwich with cooked chicken breast and bacon, along with juicy ripe tomatoes and crisp lettuce layered between two or three slices of toasted bread with mayonnaise.
History: For the history of the Club Sandwich, check out History and Legends of Sandwiches .
coagulation – The curdling or clumping of protein (usually eggs) due to the application of heat or acid (such as lemon juice or vinegar) in sauces and custards. In normal environments, the proteins in the egg yolk will begin to coagulate at 160 degrees F. A sauce or custard can be thickened, called coagulation, by adding egg and heating.
coat – To cover food completely with a glaze, aspic, mayonnaise, sauce, or icing.
Cobb Salad – Typically a Cobb Salad consists of chopped chicken or turkey, bacon, hard cooked eggs, tomatoes, avocado, cheddar cheese, and lettuce. It is served with crumbled blue cheese and vinaigrette dressing. The original recipe for Cobb salad included avocado, celery, tomato, chives, watercress, hard-boiled eggs, chicken, bacon, and Roquefort cheese.
History: For the history of the Cobb Salad, check out History of Salads and Salad Dressings .
cobbler – (1) An iced drink made of wine or liqueur, sugar, and citrus fruit. Served in a Collins or highball glass garnished with fruit.
(2)- Cobblers are an American deep-dish fruit dessert or pie with a thick crust (usually a biscuit crust) and a fruit filling (such as peaches, apples, berries). Some versions are enclosed in the crust, while others have a drop-biscuit or crumb topping. These desserts have been and are still called by various names such as cobbler, tart, pie, torte, pandowdy, grunt, slump, buckles, crisp, croustade, upside-down cakes, bird’s nest pudding or crow’s nest pudding. They are all simple variations of cobblers, and they are all based on seasonal fruits and berries. Whatever fresh ingredients are readily at hand. They are all homemade and simple to make and rely more on taste than fancy pastry preparation. Early settlers were very good at improvising. When they first arrived, they bought their favorite recipes with the. Not finding their favorite ingredients, they used whatever was available. That’s how all these traditional American dishes came about with such unusual names.
History: Check out History of Cookies .
cooking spray – Aerosol cans sold in grocery stores containing vegetable or olive oil, which can be sprayed in a fine mist. This spray is used for “oiling” cooking pans so food does not stick. One of the benefits of using cooking spray is that fewer calories are added than if the pan is coated in oil.
copha – Copha is a solid fat that is derived from the coconut. It is used primarily in recipes where it is melted and combined with other ingredients and left to set.
coppa – A hard dry sausage of Italian origin that is prepared by combining meat from the most marbled part of pork necks and shoulders. It is served thinly sliced for antipasto or on sandwiches or pizza.
coquille ((kok-eeya) – It is French for a shell (of a snail, oyster, or other shellfish).
Coquille St. Jacques (kok-eeya sa zhak) – Coquille is the French word for “shell.” Translated, the name means “Shell of St. James.” Coquilles St. Jacques are scallops cooked in white wine with a little salt, peppercorn, parsley, bay leaf, chopped shallots, and water. A sauce of fish stock, butter, flour, milk, egg yolks, and cream accompanies them.
History: In the 12th century, the scallop was around the necks, worn on the robes, and on the hats of pilgrims traveling to the Spanish shrine of St. James the Apostle (St. Jacques in French) in Campostello, Spain. Galicians who would accept passing pilgrims into their homes also hung scallop shells over their doors. The shrine of St James ranked with Rome and the Holy Land as a destination for pilgrims. Pilgrimages were undertaken as a penance for grievous sins such as murder or adultery, to seek help with health problems, or simply as an act of worship. The scallop symbol identified them as harmless pilgrims and allowed them to move unmolested through wars and civil unrest.
cordials – A sweet alcoholic beverage made from an infusion of flavoring ingredients and a spirit. Today cordials are usually served at room temperature in small glasses.
History: The history of cordials (also called liqueurs) goes all the way back to the 1200s in Europe, when every sort of spice, fruit, flower, and leaves were distilled or infused in alcohol in an attempt to discover cures for diseases, the secret of eternal youth, or a magic portion to turn base metals into gold. Alchemists and monks in monasteries produced these elixirs behind closed doors and guarded the recipes. A single drink might call for over 100 different ingredients (many of which are familiar today). In France, in the 1700s, the character of cordials changed. Their medicinal properties were forgotten and they began to be consumed for pure pleasure following a meal. They were named digestif, a drink to aid digestion. A new cordial was often created to commemorate a victory or other happy occasion. Lighter, sweeter, and more brightly colored than earlier cordials, they were first cousins to the cordials we enjoy today.
cordon bleu (kor-dohn-BLUH) – It is French for “blue ribbon” or “cord.” (1) The term is now used to mean “an exceptional cook.” By the eighteenth century, the term Cordon-bleu was applied to anyone who excelled in a particular field. The term became chiefly associated with fine cooks. (2) There is a cooking school in Paris, established in 1895, called the Cordon Bleu. The “Grand Diplome” of the Cordon Bleu Cooking School is the highest credential a chef can have. It is considered to be one of the greatest references a chef can have. (3) The term is also applied to outstanding foods prepared to a very high standard, such as a chicken or veal dish stuffed with cheese and ham.
History: There is more than one story on the history of the term.
Some claim this association arose after Louis XV bragged to his mistress, Madame du Barry, that only man made great chefs. The lady believed otherwise and invited the king to a small meal prepared by her cuisinie. It was a great success and the king exclaimed, “Who is the new man you have cooking for you? He is as good as any cook in the royal household.” “It’s a woman cook Your Majesty,” Madame du Barry replied, “and I think you should honor her with nothing less than the Cordon-Blue.”
A cooking school, called Cordon Bleu, run by Madame de Maintenon, the second wife of Louis XIV, where each young girl, upon her graduation, wore a blue ribbon a an emblem of her culinary accomplishment and expertise.
It derives from the sixteenth-century French knight’s order, Ordre du Saint Esprit the most exclusive in France, whose members – royalty included – were called Cordon-bleus after the broad blue ribbons they wore. Nothing was too good for a Cordon-bleu, and the dinners that accompanied their ceremonious meetings were legendary.
Courgette – is the French word for zucchini squash. This name is used throughout Europe.
coriander (CORE-ee-an-der) – Coriander is related to the parsley family and native to the Mediterranean and the Orient. It represents a seeds, a leaf, and a powder used in cooking. Coriander, the leaf, is also known as cilantro and Chinese parsley. The flavors of the seeds and the leaves bear no resemblance to each other. The tiny (1/8-inch), yellow-tan seeds are lightly ridged. They are mildly fragrant and have an aromatic flavor akin to a combination of lemon, sage, and, caraway. Whole coriander seeds are used in pickling and for special drinks, such as mulled wine. Ground coriander seed is also called cumin.
corn – ( 1) The word “corn” is sometimes used to denote grains in general. Corn was the term used for whatever grain was the primary crop in a given place. Therefore, corn in one area might be barley, while in another area it might be wheat. (2) In the U.S., it applies to “maize” or “Indian corn” which was used for food by the earliest natives of the Western Hemisphere. Corn had an important part in early tribal ceremonies and celebrations.
corned beef – A beef brisket (a fibrous, tough muscle located in the belly between the animal’s front legs) is considered the meat of choice, though a bottom round can also be used. The meat was preserved in brine using a salt so coarse that it was the size of corn kernels. The traditional corning mix also used saltpeter and spices. Thus, the term “to corn” was coined, and it refers to the process of making the brine for preserving the meat for several weeks.
History: Corned beef is of British origin. Corning was a preservation method much used by their military. It was also found well suited to the rigors of colonial life, as few communities had butchers. Although the word “corn” is now used as a verb, it originally was a noun, describing small grains and other, particles. Corned beef was heavily salted and spiced with ingredients in particulate form. Corned beef was originally made with a cut known as “silverside” (part of the round).
corn oil – It is made from the germ of the corn kernel. Corn oil is almost tasteless and is excellent for cooking because it can withstand high temperatures without smoking. It is high in polyunsaturated fat and is used to make margarine, salad dressings, and mayonnaise.
cornmeal – In Italy, it is known as polenta. Made from ground corn, fresh ground cornmeal is excellent flour for baking. It is similar to semolina in texture. Tortillas and cornbread are two of the most common cornmeal based foods. Cornmeal is versatile enough to be used in both sweet and savory dishes.
steel-ground cornmeal – The husk and germ have been almost completely removed from the corn’s hull. Because of this, it can be stored almost indefinitely in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
stone- or water-ground cornmeal – This cornmeal retains some of the corn’s hull and germ. Because of the fat in the germ, it is more perishable, Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four months.
corn salad – It is a salad green (not actually corn), having small, white to pale bluish flowers and edible young leaves. Mache leaves are tender, velvety green with either a mild or sweet, nutty flavor. It is also sometimes called mache, field salad, field lettuce, feldsalat, lamb’s tongue, and lamb’s lettuce. It is considered a gourmet green and usually is expensive and hard to find. This plant grows wild in Europe and is used as a forage crop for sheep. It is a pest in wheat and cornfields. Chefs, who love these early spring greens, desire it. Mache is very perishable, so use immediately. Cook it like spinach, or use it in fruit and vegetable dishes.
cornstarch – A white, dense, powdery thickener that is finer than flour. It is extracted from the starch (endosperm) of the wheat of corn. It must be dissolved in a cold liquid before it is added to a hot mixture or it will lump. It results in a glazy opaque finish.
corn syrup – Also know as syrup glucose. It is produced when starch granules from corn are processed with acids or enzymes. It varies in color from clear white to amber. It is not as sweet as cane sugar and is used a lot in candy making. Baked goods made with corn syrup retain their moisture and stay fresh longer.
light corn syrup – It has been clarified to remove all color and cloudiness.
dark corn syrup – The more strongly flavored dark corn syrup is a mixture of corn syrup and refiners’ syrup.
cottage cheese – Cottage cheese, as we know, is a soft, lumpy cheese, made from drained and pressed milk curds. It is a soft, uncured cheese made from skim milk or from reconstituted concentrated skim milk or nonfat dry milk solids. If the cheese contains 4% or more of fat, it is called creamed cottage cheese. It has also been known, at various times in various places, in various name such as pot cheese, smearcase, bonnyclabber, farmer cheese, sour-milk cheese, and curd cheese.
History: For centuries the standard type of cheese was cottage cheese, made by souring milk. The technique of using rennet (a substance taken from the stomach lining of calves) to hard cheese first appeared in Switzerland around the 15th century. Since such cheese could be stored for lengthy periods, it soon became part of the basic food of travelers.
The Gaelic term bonnyclabber (bainne clabhair), clabber cheese or clabbered milk dates back to at least 1631, while the name “cottage cheese” only shows up in 1850 or so. In the early part of the 19th century, the name for such cheese was “pot cheese,” which is pretty much synonymous with cottage cheese today. By the 1820s, the German communities of American used the term “smear case” from Schmierkase. Other names are “farmer cheese,” “sour-milk cheese,” and “curd cheese.”
cotton candy – Also known as candy flosh, spun sugar, and sugar cotton wool. A fluffy confection that is made from long spun sugar threads. Traditionally made by melting sugar and flossine together in a centrifuge. These resulting strands become long thread that collect on the sides of the centrifuge.
History: The inventor of cotton candy is uncertain, as there are two claimants. (1) The city of New Orleans claims that Josef Delarose Lascauz, a dentist, was the inventor of cotton candy and the cotton candy machine and that it was first introduced at the 1830 World’s Fair. (2) Thomas Patton received a patent for the cotton candy machine in 1900 and that cotton candy first appeared in 1900 at the Ringling Bros. Circus.
cottonseed oil – A clear yellow oil with almost no taste. It is produced from the seeds of the cotton plant and it is primarily used for commercial margarine and salad dressings.
coulis (koo-LEE) – (1) A French culinary term. It is a type of a sauce, usually a thick one, which derives its body (either entirely or in part), from pureed fruits or vegetables. A sauce of cooked down tomatoes can be a tomato coulis as can a puree of strained blackberries. (2) Today coulis also denotes some thick soups made with crayfish, lobster, prawns, and other crustaceans, the word being employed where bisque has formerly been used.
History: In old English cookbooks, the word cullis is found but this has fallen into disuse and coulis has taken its place.At one time, coulis were sauces and also the juices, which flowed from roasting meat. Some cooks called liquid purees coulis, but only those prepared with chicken, game, fish, crustaceans, and some vegetables.
Country Captain Chicken – A curried chicken dish. The chicken is browned and then stewed in a sauce of tomatoes, onion, garlic, and curry powder. At the end, golden raisins are added. The dish is served over rice sprinkled with toasted almonds. As with all chicken recipes in the South, Country Captain Chicken varies with the cook. Some recipes call for a long cooking time and other use quick-cooking chicken breasts. One thing is always certain about this dish; it is perfumed and slightly spiced with curry.
History: For history of the following Country Captain Chicken, Check out Linda Stradley’s History of Poultry Dishes .
court bouillon (koor- bwee-YAWN) – It is a French term that means, “short broth.” It is used in place of water when boiling various types of food (mostly used for poaching fish or as a base for fish soups). The broth is made of wine, water, herbs, and spices. It usually is also flavored with onions, celery, carrots and cloves.
couscous (KOOS-koos) – It is a French term that comes from the Arabic word kuskus, which in turn evolved from another Arabic word, kaskas, meaning “to pound, to make small.” It is the national dish of Morocco. There are a number of recipes for couscous, which vary from one part of the world to another. It basically is a dish consisting of tiny pellets of crushed durum wheat or rice and salted water. The large-grain couscous has grains about the size of peppercorns, while regular couscous is very similar to Cream of Wheat in size. It has been a staple food in all the Middle East countries and North Africa from the earliest times . It is an Arab dish that was adopted from the Chinese method of steaming rice or other cereal grains over cooking meat.
couscousier – This is the traditional pot in which couscous is cooked. It looks like an enormous double boiler with a deep bottom and a perforated top in which the couscous grain is steamed over an aromatic spicy stew.
cover charge – A fee levied by restaurante “to cover” the cost of tablecloths, napkins, cutlery, glasses, etc. It has also become the custom for nightclubs, which offer entertainment as well as food and drink, to levy a cover charge of these professional services.
crab boil – It is a phrase that describes a mixture of dried herbs and spices that are added to water in which crab, shrimp, or lobster is cooked (it’s strong, pungent and spicy). They come either in a flow-through packet, in dry powdered form, or as a liquid concentrate. The blend is sold packaged in supermarkets or specialty stores. Crab boil includes some or all of the following: whole allspice, bay leaves, hot chiles, cloves, ginger, mustard seeds, and peppercorns.
Crab Louie Salad – This famous west coast salad is also called “King of Salads,” and is sometimes written as Crab Louis Salad. Today there are as many versions of this famous salad as there are cooks.
History: For history of Crab Louie Salad, check out Linda Stradley’s History of Salads and Salad Dressings .
cracklin, cracklings – Also called gratons or grattons by the Cajuns. Cracklings are bits of roasted or deep-fried pork skins. You can make your own, or you may be able to find them at small Mom and Pop grocery stores.
History: During slavery, after the slave-owner had rendered his pork fat, the skin was given to the servants. They would then deep-fry this skin and eat then plain or stirred into cornbread batter, and baked delicious cracklin’ bread.
cranberry – (Vaccinium macrocarpon) As cranberries bounce when they’re ripe, they are also called bounceberries. Also since their blossom resembles the neck of a sand hill crane, thus another name, “crane-berries.” Gradually, this word became “cranberry,” the name we use today. These berries, blueberries and Concord grapes are North America’s only true native fruits. They are grown in huge, sandy bogs on low, trailing vines across northern North America. Cranberries are usually harvested in September and October. Although, they can be hand-scooped (dry-harvested), most are mechanically harvested while the bogs are flooded.
History: The cranberry helped sustain Americans for hundreds of years. Native Americans used cranberries in a variety of foods. They also used it as a medicine to treat arrow wounds and as a dye for rugs and blankets. Ripe berries were mixed with fat and meat to make pemmican. Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to use cranberries. The Pilgrims considered cranberries such a delicacy that in 1677 the Plymouth colonists sent 10 barrels of them to King Charles II. The tart fruit did not impress him.
Cultivation of the cranberry began around 1810. Captain Henry Hall (a veteran of the Revolutionary War), of Dennis, Massachusetts, made an accidental discovery that led to their commercial cultivation. He noticed that the wild cranberries in his bogs grew better when sand blew over them. Captain Hall began transplanting his cranberry vines, fencing them in, and spreading sand on them himself.
crawfish (craw-fish) – Sometimes it is also spelled crayfish but the word is always pronounced crawfish. Crawfish resemble tiny lobsters, but are also know in the South as mudbugs because they live in the mud of freshwater bayous. They are more tender than lobster, more delicate than shrimp, and has a unique flavor all its own. These delicious crustaceans are now raised commercially and are an important Louisiana industry. Louisiana is famous for its Cajun cuisine of which crawfish is a traditional element.
History: The local Indians are credited with harvesting and consuming crawfish even before the Cajuns arrived. They would bait reeds with venison, stock them in the water, and then pick up the reeds with the crawfish attached to the bait. By using this method, the Indians would catch bushels of crawfish for their consumption. By the 1930s, nets were substituted, and by the 1950s, the crawfish trap was used. Crawfish have become synonymous with the hardy pioneers that settled there after being forced to leave their homes in Nova Scotia, but up until 40 years ago crawfish were used mainly as bait; it took too much effort to remove the meat from the tiny crustacean.
crawfish boil – A traditional event or party where friends and family gather to feast on pounds of steaming, boiled crawfish that are highly seasoned with a secret blend of Cajun spices, and served with boiled skin-on potatoes, whole onions, and corn-on-the-cob. In the Spring, whole families will go out fishing on the bayous or crawfish farms in an age-old tradition that thrives to this day. Boiling crawfish is an art and every cook seems to have their own recipe and opinions about what should and should not go into the pot.
History: Learn more about the Crawfish Boils and also how to have your own Crawfish Boil.
cream – (1) To work one or more foods until smooth and creamy with a spoon or spatula, rubbing the food against the sides of the mixing bowl until of the consistency of cream. See creaming. (2) A rich filling for cakes, eclairs, cream puffs, flans, or fancy tarts. It is somewhat similar to custard filling. (3) The rich, fatty, aggregation of oil globules found in milk. Learn more about the different types of Cream .
half and half cream – It is a blending of heavy cream and milk and has about 12% butterfat, 7% milk solids, and 51% water.
heavy cream – Also called whipping cream. It contains about 40% butterfat, 5% milk solids, and over 50% water.
light cream – It contains about 20% butterfat and 7% milk solids; the rest is water.
sour cream – This is cream that has been processed commercially so as to be soured under ideal conditions. It contains about 20% butterfat, 7% milk solids, and the remainder is water.
cream cheese – It is a soft, white, smooth, cheese that melts quickly and should not be frozen. It is similar to unripe Neufchatel cheese but has a higher fat content. It is one of the most popular soft cheeses in the United States.
creaming – Creaming incorporates air into the butter, margarine, or vegetable shortening to give the cake a light, fine-grained texture. When creaming butter and sugar together, beat sugar gradually into room temperature butter to be sure it is absorbed. If you use an electric mixer to cream, use medium speed. Excessive speed can damage the air bubbles and melt the butter, resulting in a loss of volume and a cake that’s too dense.
cream of tartar – Cream of tartar or tartaric acid is a natural component of grapes. Utilizing leftover particles from wine production creates this fine white powder. Crystalline acid deposits form on the inside walls of wine barrels and these deposits are purified and tartaric acid is pulverized into a fine powder. It is also added to baking soda to create baking powder.
cream puff – A very light, delicate, hollow pastry puff made from choux pastry. It is usually filled with a sweetened whipped cream or custard. Sometimes they are filled with savory fillings (such as chicken salad). See pate a choux.
cream sauce – See bechamel sauce.
creme (krehm) – It is the French word for “cream.” (1) It refers to a puree of vegetables. (2) Refers to custard like (such as caramel custard) pudding. (3) It also is the cream-like foam on top of a well-made espresso. (4) A term used to distinguish those liqueurs, usually French that have an unusual amount of sweetness.
creme anglaise (krehm ahn-GLEHZ) – Anglaise means “English.” It is French custard, which can be served either, or cold. Also called cream inglese.
crema catalana – The Spanish name for creme brulee. See creme brulee.
creme brulee (krem broo-LAY) – It is simple custard of nothing more than cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla that is topped with a caramelized topping.
History: The origins of this custard are very much in contention, with the English, Spanish, and French all staking claim . (1) The Spanish have taken credit for this dessert as Crema Catalana since the 18th century. (2) The English claim it originated in the 1860s at Trinity College, Cambridge. It is said that it was born when an English chef accidentally burned custard he had sprinkled with sugar. The chef then passed it off as an original creation calling it burnt cream. It is also called Trinity Cream and Cambridge Burnt Cream.
Around the end of the 19th century, the French translation came into vogue. It is thought that Thomas Jefferson, who loved the dish, may have influenced the dish to be called creme brulee. The theory is that Jefferson always referred to this dish by its French name and before long, American and English people were doing the same. Whatever its origins, creme brulee came to the U.S. sometime in the 19th century in New Orleans. It wasn’t until the 1980s that creme brulee gained popularity after being introduced by Chef Alain Sailhac of New York’s Le Cirque restaurant.
creme chantilly – It is lightly whipped cream, which has been sweetened with sugar and flavored with vanilla. It is used with many cakes and meringues.
History: This cream is named after the city of Chantilly in France was the heavy cream was first produced at a dairy there.
creme de cacao – It is a dark, chocolate flavored liqueur created by soaking parts of the cocoa plant in spirit-laced sugar syrup.
creme de Menthe – It is the most popular of liqueurs and it tastes of fresh mint. It comes in green and white colors. It is commonly served after dinner.
creme fraiche (krem FRESH) – It is a matured, thickened cream that has a slightly tangy, nutty flavor and velvety rich texture. The thickness can range from that of commercial sour cream to almost as solid as room temperature margarine. In France, the cream is unpasteurized and therefore contains the bacteria necessary to thicken it naturally. In America, where all commercial cream is pasteurized, the fermenting agents necessary can be obtained by adding buttermilk or sour cream. To make creme fraiche, combine 1 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature from 8 to 24 hours, or until very thick. Stir well before covering and refrigerate up to 10 days. It is an ideal addition for sauces or soups because it can be boiled without curdling. It is also delicious spooned over fresh fruit or other desserts such as warm cobblers or puddings.
Creole cuisine (CREE-ol) – (1) The word originally described people of mixed French and Spanish blood who migrated from Europe or were born in southeast Louisiana. (2) It is also a local term used in the New Orleans area meaning the finest regionally raised products (such as Creole garlic, Creole tomatoes, etc). (3) Today the term has expanded and now embraces a type of cuisine. Creole cuisine uses more spices than Cajun cuisine and is considered more sophisticated and complex. Cajun cooking is “city cooking.” New Orleans, the capital of Creole cuisine, had established a culinary reputation by early 19th century.
History: The Creoles were the European born aristocrats, wooed by the Spanish to establish New Orleans in the 1690’s. Second born sons, who could not own land or titles in their native countries, were offered the opportunity to live and prosper in their family traditions here in the New World. They brought with them not only their wealth and education, but also their chefs and cooks. With these chefs came the knowledge of the grand cuisines of Europe. The influences of classical and regional French, Spanish, German and Italian cooking are readily apparent in Creole cuisine. The terminologies, precepts, sauces, and major dishes carried over, some with more evolution than others, and provided a solid base or foundation for Creole cooking.
Creole cooking is based upon French stews and soups, and is influenced by Spanish, African, Native American, and other Anglo Southern groups. The Spanish brought into the cuisine the use of cooked onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic. African chefs brought with them the skill of spices and introduced okra. Native foodstuffs, such as crawfish, shrimp, oysters, crabs, and pecans found their way into both Cajun and Creole cuisine. From the Choctaw Indians came the use of file, a powdered herb from sassafras leaves, to thicken gumbo. One factor typically overlooked in the development of Creole-style cooking was that it was food prepared for affluent whites by their black slaves and servants. So often the emergence of a new dish was the result of creative chefs intermingling their cooking experience and heritage with the tastes of their employers.
crepe (krayp) – Crepe is French for “pancake” is derived from creper meaning “to crisp.” It is used in referring to the final filled culinary creation and also the “pancake” made from batter. Though the French word has been adopted in the U.S. the crepe is by no means exclusively French. Almost every nationality developed its own version. This culinary delight is almost as old as civilization itself and through the years has been perfected in humble kitchens of the world. A crepe is made from batter comprising beaten eggs, flour, melted butter, a pinch of salt, and a liquid (such as water, milk, or even beer). The batter is poured into a frying pan containing hot oil or butter and fried on both sides until fairly crisp.
Crepes Suzettes (krayps soo-ZEHT) – Probably the most famous crepe dish in the world. In a restaurant, a crepe suzette is often prepared in a chafing dish in full view of the guests. They are served hot with a sauce of sugar, orange juice, and liqueur (usually Grand Marnier). Brandy is poured over the crepes and then lit.
History: Check out History of Crepes Suzette .
crimp – (1) To seal a double crusted pie by pinching the edges together. ( 2) To gash a freshly caught fish on both sides of the body at intervals of about one and one-half inches. The fish is then plunged into ice-cold water for about one hour. This is done to keep the flesh firm and to retain the original flavor.
crisp -(1) To make crisp by immersing in cold water or refrigerating. This is used particularly with greens. (2) To crisp foods by heating in the oven. (3) A crisp is fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of butter, sugar, flour and, sometimes, nuts. Other crisp toppings include oatmeal, buttered breadcrumbs, cookie crumbs, graham cracker crumbs, and cake crumbs.
croissant (kruh-SAHNT) – Croissant is the French word for “crescent-shaped.” Originally the croissant was made from rich bread dough but is now usually made with dough similar to puff pastry. Layers of dough are separated by butter creating a flaky, moist, richly flavored pastry. They can also be served stuffed.
History: It originated in 1686, in Budapest, when the attacking Turks were defeated thanks to the bakers (during their night baking, detected the enemy’s approach and gave the alarm in time). The bakers were granted the privilege of making a special pastry, which they shaped into crescents like the crescent moon on the Turkish flag. They called them “gipfel”. When Marie Antoinette became the Queen of Louis XVI, she brought the recipe with her to France. The French bakers enriched the dough and developed the process of refrigerating the dough after each butter application and of folding and refolding the dough.
croquembouche (kroh-kum-boosh) – (French) The word can also be written croque-en-bouche. It derives from the French word croquer meaning to “munch or crunch” or “crisp-in-the-mouth.” The term applies to foods that are glazed with sugar. A croquembouche consists of balls of baked choux pastry (called profiteroles and cream puffs) stacked in a pyramid (cone shape). The pastry is covered with spun caramelized sugar. It is considered the traditional French “wedding cake” and when featured as a wedding centerpiece, it is known as a “piece monte.” It also plays an important role at French baptisms, christenings, and other French gatherings.
History: French Chef Antonin Careme (1783-1833) is created with popularizing croquemboche. He was known for the eatable architectural structures he created from the choux pastry puffs.
croquette (kro-ket) – Croquette is derived from the French word “croquer” meaning to “crunch or munch.” Ette is a suffix meaning “small.” It literally means “a small crunchy morsel.” Croquettes come in various shapes such as balls, pear-shaped, and barrel-shaped. They are made from a wide variety of ingredients, such as minced meat, fish or poultry, mashed potatoes, rice, tapioca, and semolina. The main ingredient is bound with egg yolk or a mixture of butter, egg, flour, and milk. It is fried in hot oil until golden brown and crispy.
crochette – This is the Italian croquette. Its main ingredients are bound with a bechamel sauce.
crostini (kroh-STEE-nee) – Crostini means “little toasts” in Italian. Technically, the appetizer is named after the toast that makes up its base. T hey are small slices of bread, usually brushed with olive oil or butter, then toasted. They are then topped with a variety of savory toppings. They are the Italian version of canape. A long thin loaf (such as a baguette bread) will work well. Slice it on a diagonal into half-inch slices. The topping should be spread about a quarter-inch thick. In addition to bread, you can also use polenta squares, cut to the same size and fried for a few minutes, or until crisp and golden, in hot oil.
croute (KROOT) – In French the word means “crust.” (1) It is the French culinary name for round or oval pieces of stale bread fried in butter (or any other fat). They are used as a foundation upon which all manner of fish, meat, and vegetables preparations are served either as hors d’ oeuvres, canap,e or for garnishings. (2) Also the name of thin slices of stale crusty bread, toasted or not, which are added to some soups at the time of serving.
crouton (KROO-tawn) – The French culinary name for a small piece of bread (usually cube or dice shaped), which has been browned by toasting, baking, or frying. Croutons are used as a garnish or an accompaniment for everything from soup to salads.
crown roast – A crown roast is made from either lamb or pork. It is made from the rib chops, using enough ribs (two racks or parts of two), to make a handsome crown. After it is cooked, the tips of the bone are often covered with paper frills.
crumpet (KRUHM-pit) – Crumpets are British griddlecakes. A cross between a pancake and an American-style English muffin, the crumpet is a soft yeast-raised bread that is poured into special rings about the size of a small pancake (flat discs about three inches across and an inch or so deep), then baked on a stovetop. They are similar to an English muffin (one side is smooth, the other full of tiny holes) but flatter. You don’t slice a crumpet and it is best toasted. Some, especially in the north of England, call crumpets muffins, while others, particularly in the Midlands call them pikelets (a much thinner and bigger version of a crumpet).
History: British history relates to them as teacakes. Crumpets have been known for several centuries, though the origin of the name is obscure. There are records as far back as the 14th century where they are called a crompid cake. Crompid means “curved up” or “bent into a curve”, which is what usually happens to thin cakes baked on a griddle; the word may be linked to crumb, crimp and other words from a common Germanic origin. In the 1930s, the word crumpet became British English slang for a woman regarded as an object of sexual desire.
crustacean (krust-ashan) – Crustacean derives from the Latin word “crusta” meaning “crust, shell, or hard surface.” “Cean” is the Latin suffix indicating “belonging to.” The word came to mean a class of animals, mainly sea animals, with hard shells (edible shellfish with shells, such as crabs, crawfish, lobster, langoustine, mussels, scallops, scampi, and shrimp).
cube – Cut into small, straight-sided cubes. The size is specified if it is critical to the recipe. Larger cubes are often called chunks.
| i don't know |
What was the name of the Greek shipping tycoon, sometimes known as 'The Golden Greek', who built the first supertankers capable of transporting large quantities of oil? | Stavros Spyros Niarxos, I (1909 - 1996) - Genealogy
Stavros Spyros Niarxos, I
Share your family tree and photos with the people you know and love
Build your family tree online
Share photos and videos
in Saint Moritz, Maloja District, Grisons, Switzerland
Immediate Family:
July 3 1909 - Athens, Greece
Death:
Apr 18 1996 - Saint Moritz, Maloja District, Grisons, Switzerland
Ex-wife:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stavros_Niarchos
Stavros Spyros Niarchos (Greek: Σταύρος Σπύρος Νιάρχος; 3 July 1909 – 16 April 1996) was a Greek shipping tycoon, sometimes known as "The Golden Greek." In 1952, Stavros Niarchos built the first supertankers capable of transporting large quantities of oil, and subsequently earned millions of dollars as global demand for his ships increased.
Early life
He was born in Athens, son of Spyros Niarchos and his wife, Eugenia Coumandaros. His parents were naturalized Americans and had owned a department store in Buffalo, New York before returning to Greece, three months prior to his birth. He studied law at the University of Athens, after which he went to work in the Coumandaros family's grain business. During this period, he became involved in shipping by convincing his relatives that greater profits could be achieved if the firm owned the ships involved.
Shipping successes
He was a naval officer in World War II, during which time part of the trade fleet he had built with his uncle was destroyed. He used about two million dollars in insurance money to build a new fleet, and he was the owner of the yacht Atlantis ii and the island Spetsopoula.
Stavros Niarchos founded Niarchos Ltd., an international shipping company that at one time operated more than 80 tankers worldwide. In 1952, he built the first supertankers capable of transporting large quantities of oil. His shipping rival, Aristotle Onassis, did the same in 1952. In 1956 the Suez Canal Crisis considerably increased the demand for the type of large tonnage ships that Niarchos owned. Business flourished and he became a billionaire.
Marriages
Niarchos's five marriages produced two daughters: Maria and Elena; and three sons: Philippos, also known as Philippe, Spyros, and the late Konstantin.
His first marriage, in 1930, to Helen Sporides, a daughter of Admiral Constantine Sporides, lasted one year.
His second marriage was to Melpomene Capparis in 1939, whom he divorced in 1947.
His third wife was Eugenia Livanos, a daughter of shipping magnate Stavros G. Livanos. They married in 1947 and divorced in 1965; she died in 1970 at the age of 44, after an overdose of barbiturates. During this marriage he had an affair with Pamela Churchill (later Pamela Harriman).
His fourth wife was American automotive heiress and socialite Charlotte Ford (a daughter of Henry Ford II), in Mexico. Their daughter Elena Anne Ford was born six months later. The marriage ended in divorce the following year (1967), whereupon Niarchos returned to his former wife, Eugenia. No remarriage was necessary, since the couple's 1965 Mexican divorce was not recognized in Greece.
In 1971, Niarchos married his wife Eugenia's sister, Athina, Marchioness of Blandford, who had been the first wife of Aristotle Onassis. She died of an overdose in 1974.
From the late 1970s until his death, he was linked to Princess Firyal of Jordan. He was also said to be linked to Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy.
By his third and fifth wife Eugenia Livanos, whom he never divorced under Greek law, he had one daughter and three sons:
Maria Isabella Niarchos, a breeder of thoroughbreds. Married to Stephane Gouaze. Mother of two children: Athur Gouaze and Mia Gouaze
Philippos, also known as Philippe Niarchos, art collector. Married in 1984 to his third wife Victoria Guinness (b. 1960), who is the younger daughter of Patrick Benjamin Guinness (son of Thomas "Loel" Guinness and his first wife, Joan, later wife of Prince Aly Khan and finally Viscountess Camrose) and Baroness Dolores von Fürstenberg-Herdringen. They had four children together: Stavros Niarchos Jr. (b. 1985), Eugenie Niarchos (b. 1986), Theodorakis Niarchos (b. 1991), Electra Niarchos (b. 1995)
Spyros (b. 1955) married 1987 (divorced 1999) the Hon. Daphne Guinness (b. 1967), daughter of Jonathan Guinness, 3rd Baron Moyne by his second wife Suzanne Lisney, and had issue three children: Nicolas Stavros Niarchos (b. 1989), Alexis Spyros Niarchos (b. 1991) and Ines Niarchos (b. 1995). Spyros is a good friend of Prince Ernst August of Hanover, and was best man at his wedding to Princess Caroline of Monaco.
Konstantin, or Constantine Niarchos (1962–1999); married firstly 1987 (divorced) Princess Alessandra Borghese, no issue; married secondly the Brazilian artist Silvia Martin, no issue. He was the first Greek to scale Mt. Everest. At his death of a massive cocaine overdose in 1999, The Independent (UK) reported he had been left one billion dollars as his share of his late father's estate.
By his fourth wife Charlotte Ford,
Elena Ford (b. 1966) married firstly 1991 (divorced) to Stanley Jozef Olender, married secondly 1996 Joseph Daniel Rippolone (divorced), with issue.
Thoroughbred horse racing
Stavros Niarchos began investing in thoroughbred horse racing in the early 1970s when he put together a highly successful stable of racehorses that competed in France and the United Kingdom. He eventually acquired the Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard horse breeding farm in Neuvy-au-Houlme, France and Oak Tree Farm in Lexington, Kentucky where in 1984 he bred his most successful horse, Miesque. Niarchos was the leading owner in France twice (1983, 1984) and topped the breeders' list three times (1989, 1993, 1994).
After his death in 1996, his daughter Maria Niarchos-Gouazé took charge of the racing operations. She continued to build on his success, and in 2004 her colt Bago won France's most important race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and in 2005 her filly Divine Proportions won the Prix de Diane Hermes winning 9 out of her 10 races until her racing career finished with a serious tendon injury.
Stavros Niarchos died in 1996, in Zurich. He is buried in the family tomb in Lausanne.
Stavros Spyros Niarxos, I's Timeline
1909
| Stavros Niarchos |
In the Book of Genesis, what is described as 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high? | Stavros Niarchos Speaking Fee & Booking Agent Contact
Fee Range: Call for Booking Fee
Travels From: Available Upon Request
Available For: Corporate Appearances, Speaking Engagements, Autograph Signings, Endorsements, Meet & Greets and Keynote Speeches
Stavros Niarchos Booking Agent Information
Contact Celebrity Talent Promotions now at 1-888-752-3532 to book Stavros Niarchos for a guest appearance, motivational keynote speech, grand opening, autograph signing, product announcement, employee gathering, endorsement or speaking engagement. Our booking agents work on your behalf to get your organization the best price for your desired celebrity.
Booking agents at Celebrity Talent Promotions can assist with booking speakers such as Stavros Niarchos for speaking engagements or appearances. Our agents have years of experience booking Business Speakers and can provide availability, fees and all costs associated with hiring Stavros Niarchos for your next corporate event. If your company is interested in finding out booking fees and availability for Stavros Niarchos call us at 1.888.752.3532.
Stavros Niarchos Biography
Stavros Spyros Niarchos (Greek: Σταύρος Σπύρος Νιάρχος; 3 July 1909 “ 16 April 1996) was a Greek shipping tycoon, sometimes known as The Golden Greek. In 1952, Stavros Niarchos built the first ...
>>Read More
Stavros Spyros Niarchos (Greek: Σταύρος Σπύρος Νιάρχος; 3 July 1909 “ 16 April 1996) was a Greek shipping tycoon, sometimes known as The Golden Greek. In 1952, Stavros Niarchos built the first supertankers capable of transporting large quantities of oil, and subsequently earned millions of dollars as global demand for his ships increased.
He was born in Athens, son of Spyros Niarchos and his wife, Eugenia Coumandaros. His parents were naturalized Americans and had owned a department store in Buffalo, New York before returning to Greece, three months prior to his birth. He studied law at the University of Athens, after which he went to work in the Coumandaros familys grain business. During this period, he became involved in shipping by convincing his relatives that greater profits could be achieved if the firm owned the ships involved.
Business Speakers such as a Stavros Niarchos have been taking the stage and entertaining crowds for decades. The booking agents at Celebrity Talent Promotions can assist with Stavros Niarchos speaking engagements or appearances. We have years of experience in booking Business Speakers for keynote speeches and autograph signings. Hiring a Business Speaker like Stavros Niarchos is not a hard process. Our agents can provide availability, fees and all costs associated in bringing out a successful Business Speakers to your next corporate event. We can find Stavros Niarchos’s agent to make this booking happen. A Stavros Niarchos appearance will add energy to your upcoming event and reward employees, customers and clients. Most likely, fans and corporations can find Stavros Niarchos‘s official website, charity involvement, Twitter account, representation, publicist and management info at http://www.celebritytalentpromotions.com. If your company is interested in finding out booking fees and availability for hiring a speaker, celebrity or Stavros Niarchos for an appearance, autograph signing, endorsement or speaking engagement, call us at 1.888.752.3532 or fill out the booking form below
Stavros Niarchos Speaking Videos
Disclaimer:
Some parts of the celebrities' biography may be used from Wikipedia, used under the GNU Free Documentation License. CelebrityTalentPromotions.com acts only as an celebrity broker for corporate functions, private events and speaking engagements, and does not claim or represent itself as Stavros Niarchos's agent, speakers bureau, manager, publicist, assistant, PR firm or management company. Celebrity Talent Promotions is a Celebrity booking agency representing organizations seeking to hire motivational speakers, athletes, celebrities and corporate entertainment for private corporate events, celebrity endorsements, personal celebrity appearances, spokes person campaigns and speaking engagements. Stavros Niarchos's booking and appearance fees, costs and prices on this website are estimates and only act as a guideline. Booking fees are determined by several factors, including location of event, the celebrities schedule, desired duties, supply and demand and other market factors. Bios on this site are for informational purposes
Check Availability
| i don't know |
Which heavy metal band did guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine found in 1983 after being expelled from 'Metallica'? | Megadeth | Megadeth | Fandom powered by Wikia
Edit
Two months after lead guitarist Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica due to drinking, drug use, violent behavior and personality conflicts with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich , Mustaine and bassist Dave Ellefson formed Megadeth in Los Angeles. Mustaine later said, "After getting fired from Metallica, all I remember is that I wanted blood. Theirs. I wanted to be faster and heavier than them."
According to Mustaine, the name "Megadeth represents the annihilation of power. We spell the name phonetically because the meaning to us is the same as you get out of the dictionary; it's hypothetical body count after a nuclear fallout. It's a million deaths, and we want to leave our audience shell-shocked wherever we go." [1] Fueled by the desire for revenge, [2] Mustaine elevated the intensity of Megadeth's music, speeding up existing songs such as " Mechanix ," which Metallica 's new line-up adapted into the slower paced " The Four Horsemen ." After unsuccessfully searching for a vocalist for nearly six months, Mustaine decided to handle lead vocal duties himself, while also serving as the band's primary lyricist, main songwriter, and co-lead and rhythm guitarist.
Early in 1984 Megadeth recorded a three song demo, the so-called 1984 Demo, featuring Mustaine, Ellefson, and Rausch, which contained early versions of "Last Rites/Loved to Death," ( Template:Audio ) "Skull Beneath the Skin" and "Mechanix." Kerry King (of Slayer fame), covered a handful of live dates while the band sought a permanent replacement. [3] After just a few shows in 1984, Lee Rausch was replaced by fusion drummer Gar Samuelson . [4] On the strength of their three song demo, Megadeth signed with the New York based independent label Combat Records , and in December added second guitarist Chris Poland , a friend of Gar's from the fusion scene. Template:Citation needed
Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985–1986)
Edit
Early in 1985, the band was given $8,000 by Combat Records to record and produce their debut album. [5] However, after spending half of the album's budget on drugs, alcohol, and food the band was forced to fire their original producer and produce the album themselves. [5] Despite the resulting poor production, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! , released in May 1985, was a well-received effort that blended elements of thrash , and speed metal . [6] [7]
The album features the first of many cover songs performed by Megadeth; a speed metal version of Nancy Sinatra 's classic " These Boots Are Made for Walkin' " ( Template:Audio ), with lyrics altered by Mustaine. The song sparked controversy in later years when the song's original author, Lee Hazlewood , deemed Mustaine's changes to be "vile and offensive" [5] and demanded that the song be removed from the album. Under threat of legal action, the song was removed from all pressings released after 1995. In 2002, however, the album was re-released with a partial version of the song, though with the altered lyrics censored by a "beep." In the Killing Is My Business... deluxe edition liner notes, Mustaine is strongly critical of Hazlewood, and notes he received royalties for almost 10 years before objecting to the altered version. [8]
In the summer of 1985, the group toured the United States and Canada for the first time, supporting Killing Is My Business... with Exciter . During the tour, new guitarist Chris Poland abruptly left the band, and was replaced by touring guitarist Mike Albert. [4] Poland later rejoined Megadeth in October 1985 however, shortly before they began work on their second album with Combat Records .
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? (1986–1987)
Edit
Originally completed in March 1986, Megadeth's second album again suffered from Combat Records small recording budget, and the band was initially unhappy with the final mixed product. Frustrated by the small independent label's financial insufficiencies, Megadeth signed to major label Capitol Records , who also bought the rights to the new album. Capitol hired producer Paul Lani to remix the recordings, and in November 1986, more than a year after recording began, Capitol released Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? . [4] The album marked Megadeth's commercial and critical breakthrough, [9] eventually selling more than a million copies in the US alone. Template:Citation needed
Considered to be a landmark thrash metal album, Allmusic cited Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? as "One of the most influential metal albums of its decade, and certainly one of the few truly definitive thrash albums." [10] The album's title track "Peace Sells" ( Template:Audio ) was chosen to be the band's first music video, receiving regular airplay on MTV 's Headbangers Ball . "Peace Sells" ranked #11 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs [11] and the opening bass line was used for years as the theme for MTV News . Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? was the first Megadeth album to feature art by Ed Repka , who redesigned the band's mascot Vic Rattlehead to the current standard, and designed much of the band's artwork in later years. Template:Citation needed
In February 1987 Megadeth was added as the opening band on Alice Cooper 's Constrictor tour, followed by a brief tour supporting Mercyful Fate in the US. Cooper, alarmed by the band's drug habits, summoned them to his bus one night to warn against constant excessive drug use. [12] In March of that year, Megadeth began their first world tour as a headlining act in the United Kingdom, which featured support bands Overkill and Necros . [4]
After years of problems stemming from substance abuse , both Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland were fired from Megadeth in July 1987, following the final show of the tour in Hawaii. Mustaine claimed that Samuelson had become too much to handle when intoxicated, and even had replacement drummer Chuck Behler flown out for the last few dates of the tour, fearing that Samuelson would not be able to finish with the band's commitments. [13] Mustaine claimed that Poland had sold band equipment to fund his increasing drug habit, detailed in the song " Liar ," which is also dedicated to Poland. Samuelson later died in July 1999 due to liver failure, while Poland managed to overcome his addiction. Poland was initially replaced by Jay Reynolds of Malice , but as the band began work on their next album, Reynolds was replaced by his own guitar teacher Jeff Young , who joined Megadeth six weeks into the recording of their third album. [13]
So Far, So Good... So What! (1987–1989)
Edit
With a major label recording budget, and producer Paul Lani behind the desk, Megadeth spent five months recording their third album, So Far, So Good... So What! The recording process was again plagued with problems from the beginning, due in part to Mustaine's ongoing battle with addiction. Mustaine later said: "The production (of So Far, So Good...) was horrible, mostly due to substances and the priorities we had or didn't have at the time." [14] Mustaine also clashed with Lani, beginning with Lani's insistence that the drums be recorded separate from the cymbals (an unheard of process for rock drummers). [15] During the mixing process, Mustaine and Lani had a falling out, and Lani was replaced by producer Michael Wagener , who remixed the album. [14]
In January 1988 Megadeth released So Far, So Good... So What! , and while the album was eventually certified platinum in the US, it was initially panned by critics, with Allmusic complaining that the album "lacked conceptual unity and musical bite", and that it "wants to sound threatening but mostly comes off as forced and somewhat juvenile". [16] So Far, So Good... featured the song " In My Darkest Hour ," ( Template:Audio ) with music written by Mustaine as a tribute to fallen Metallica bassist Cliff Burton . The song remains a fan favorite, and has been performed at nearly every Megadeth show since. So Far, So Good... also featured a cover version of the Sex Pistols ' " Anarchy in the UK ", with lyrics altered by Mustaine (who later admitted to hearing them wrong). [15]
In June 1988, Megadeth appeared in Penelope Spheeris ' documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years , which chronicled the Los Angeles heavy metal scene of the late 1980s, mostly focusing on glam metal . The video for In My Darkest Hour was filmed by Spheeris (who also directed the "Wake Up Dead" and "Anarchy in the UK" videos), and appears in the final scene of the movie. In Megadeth's 1991 Rusted Pieces VHS, Mustaine recalls the movie as a disappointment, which aligned Megadeth with "a bunch of shit bands". [17]
Megadeth began their world tour in support of So Far, So Good... opening for Dio in Europe in February 1988, later joining Iron Maiden 's 7th Tour of a 7th Tour summer tour in the US. Noticing problems developing with drummer Chuck Behler , Mustaine brought drummer Nick Menza in to act as Behler's drum technician . As with Gar Samuelson before him, Menza was to be ready to take over for Behler in the event that he could not continue with the tour. [18]
In August 1988, Megadeth appeared at the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donnington in the UK, alongside Kiss , Iron Maiden , Helloween , Guns N' Roses , and David Lee Roth , performing to an audience of more than 100,000 people. The band was soon added to the "Monsters of Rock" European tour, but dropped out after the first show due to Dave Ellefson's drug problems. Shortly after that appearance, Mustaine fired both Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young , and canceled their scheduled 1988 Australian tour. "On the road, things escalated from a small border skirmish into a full-on raging war," he later recalled, "I think a lot of us were inconsistent (on the 1988 tour) because of the guy we were waiting for after the show." [19]
In July 1989, Nick Menza was hired to replace Behler on the drums. Unable to find a suitable lead guitarist in time, Megadeth recorded a cover version of Alice Cooper 's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" ( Template:Audio ) as a three piece band. The version later appeared on the soundtrack to the 1989 Wes Craven horror movie Shocker . While the band was holding auditions for the new lead guitarist in the summer of 1989, Mustaine was arrested for driving while intoxicated and possession of narcotics, having crashed into a parked vehicle occupied by an off-duty police officer. He entered court-ordered rehab soon after, and got sober for the first time in ten years. [4]
Rust in Peace (1990–1991)
Edit
Following Mustaine's new found sobriety, Megadeth began a lengthy search for a new lead guitarist. Lee Altus of Heathen was among those who auditioned, as was Eric Meyer of Dark Angel fame. Meyer had been invited to join the band following Chris Poland's departure, but had declined in order to remain in Dark Angel.
Dimebag Darrell Abbott of then-obscure Pantera also auditioned, and was initially offered the spot. Darrell, however, would not join without his brother, Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott , and, having already hired Nick Menza, the band was forced to turn Darrell down. [20] In 1987, a 16-year-old Jeff Loomis (of Sanctuary , and later Nevermore ) auditioned. Afterwards, Mustaine complimented Loomis on his playing, but rejected him because of his age. [21] Loomis later saw Cacophony with Marty Friedman and Jason Becker on tour, and told Friedman, who had just released his first solo effort, Dragon's Kiss in 1988, of the experience. Friedman eventually auditioned for the spot, but was initially rejected by Mustaine for having multicolored hair. However, after undergoing what Mustaine called "Rock School 101", Friedman officially joined Megadeth in February 1990. [22]
A revitalized Megadeth entered Rumbo Studios in March 1990 with co-producer Mike Clink to begin work on what would become their most critically acclaimed album to date, Rust In Peace . For the first time in their career, the band worked sober in the studio, alleviating many of the problems faced recording previous albums. Clink was also the first producer to successfully produce a Megadeth album from start to finish, without being fired. [23]
Released worldwide on September 24, 1990, Rust in Peace was a hit with fans and critics alike, debuting at #23 on the Billboard Top 200 in the US, and #8 in the UK. [24] The album showcased a much tighter sound, with Mustaine's writing style adopting a rhythmically complex progressive edge, prompting Allmusic to cite Rust in Peace as "Megadeth's strongest musical effort". [25] The album featured the singles " Holy Wars... The Punishment Due ", ( Template:Audio ) and " Hangar 18 ", ( Template:Audio ) both of which received music videos, and remain live staples. Rust in Peace went on to sell more than a million copies in the US, and received Grammy nominations in 1991 and 1992 for Best Metal Performance . [26]
In September 1990, Megadeth joined Slayer , Testament and Suicidal Tendencies for the European "Clash of the Titans" tour , and in October, they were added as the opening band on Judas Priest 's Painkiller tour, culminating with a performance to 140,000 people in January 1991 at Rock in Rio 2 festival in Brazil. Template:Citation needed Following the success of the European tour, a "Clash of the Titans" US tour began in May 1991, featuring Megadeth, Slayer , Anthrax and opener Alice in Chains . Template:Citation needed In July, Megadeth's "Go to Hell" ( Template:Audio ) was featured on the Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack, and shortly after "Breakpoint" was featured on the Super Mario Bros soundtrack. In 1991, Megadeth also released their first home video , Rusted Pieces , which contained six of the band's music videos , along with a video interview with the band.
Countdown to Extinction (1992–1993)
Edit
In January 1992, Megadeth entered Enterprise Studios in Burbank, California with co-producer Max Norman . Norman, who had mixed Rust in Peace , would be integral in Megadeth's resulting musical makeover, pushing for shorter, less complicated, and more radio-friendly songs. [27] The band spent four months in the studio with Norman, writing and recording what would become Megadeth's most commercially successful effort, Countdown to Extinction . The album was the first to feature writing contributions from each band member, and was even named by drummer Nick Menza . [28]
On July 14, 1992, Capitol Records released Countdown to Extinction . The album was an instant hit, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts in the US, and #5 in the UK. [29] Anchored by the Mainstream Rock hits "Symphony of Destruction" (#29), Template:Audio "Foreclosure of a Dream" (#30), and "Sweating Bullets" (#27), [30] the album quickly went double platinum in the US, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1993. [26] The album's title song, "Countdown to Extinction" also gave Megadeth the distinction of being the only metal band to ever win the " Doris Day Music Award", presented to the band by the Humane Society of the United States in 1993 for "spotlighting species destruction and the horrific 'sport' of canned hunts ". [31]
The band released their second home video Exposure of a Dream , in November 1992, continuing in a similar to fashion to Rusted Pieces , the release featured all music videos previously released from Countdown. Megadeth began their world tour in support of Countdown to Extinction in December 1992 with Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies , followed by a North American tour beginning in January 1993 with Stone Temple Pilots . Just one month into the North American tour, however, the band was forced to cancel all remaining shows, including dates scheduled in Japan, as Mustaine again fell into substance abuse , and ended up in the hospital emergency room. [32] After a seven week stint in rehab, Mustaine emerged clean once again, and the band returned to the studio to record " Angry Again ", ( Template:Audio ) a song which was featured in the 1993 film Last Action Hero , and later nominated for a Grammy in 1994. [26]
In June 1993 Megadeth returned to the stage, appearing as "special guests" at Metallica 's Milton Keynes Bowl Festival, marking the first time the former bandmates played the same stage in ten years. The pairing prompted Mustaine's on stage announcement that "The ten years of bullshit is over between Metallica and Megadeth!", although problems would later resurface between the long-feuding bands. [33] In July, Megadeth was added as the opening act for Aerosmith 's Get A Grip US tour , but due to contractual disputes, and on stage remarks made by Mustaine about Aerosmith's "advancing" age, Megadeth was removed from the tour after just seven dates. [34]
Following their canceled US tour, Megadeth returned to the studio to record "99 Ways to Die", ( Template:Audio ) a song that appeared on The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience , a compilation album featuring songs intercut with commentary by Beavis and Butt-head , released in November 1993. The song was later nominated for a Grammy in 1995 for Best Metal Performance . [26] At the same sessions, "Paranoid" was recorded for a Black Sabbath tribute album. Paranoid was often performed as an encore.
Youthanasia (1994–1995)
Edit
Early in 1994, Megadeth again teamed up with co-producer Max Norman to begin work on the follow up to Countdown to Extinction. With two members of the band now residing in Arizona, initial work began at Phase Four Studios in Phoenix. A few days into pre-production, problems with Phase Four's equipment forced the band to seek out an alternative studio. Mustaine, however, insisted on recording at his home state of Arizona, and no suitable recording facility could be found in time. At the request of co-producer Norman, the band opted to construct their own recording studio inside of a rented warehouse in Phoenix, Arizona , later dubbed "Fat Planet in Hangar 18". [35] While the studio was being constructed, much of the pre-production song writing and arrangements took place at Vintage Recorders in Phoenix (a studio which would also be used for MD45 and both Mustaine and Friedman solo projects). For the first time in their career, the band wrote and arranged the entire album in studio, and included basic tracks recorded live by the whole band at the same time. [36] Recording of the album was captured on video, and later released as Evolver: The Making of Youthanasia .
Following eight months in the studio, Youthanasia was released on November 1, 1994, Oct.31st 1994 (Halloween ) saw a live broadcast on MTV of "Night of the Living Megadeth" which introduced the new songs to a wide audience for the first time. Youthanasia debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart in the US. [29] The album was certified gold in Canada in just thirty minutes, and was certified platinum in the US faster than any other Megadeth album. Template:Citation needed With producer Max Norman still pushing for a slower, more commercial sound, Youthanasia followed the stylistic shift that began with Countdown to Extinction. [37] While still retaining core metal elements, the album focused on stronger vocal melodies and more accessible, radio friendly arrangements. [38] The band even enlisted noted fashion photographer Richard Avedon to further their new image, dropping their jeans and t-shirts for a more style conscious look. [36]
A sticker on initial releases of Youthanasia advertised the then-new concept of a band website , affectionately known as "Megadeth, Arizona". Fans could chat in the "Mega-diner", correspond with the band through email, request songs to be played live, and read columns and tour diaries written by band members. [39]
Youthanasia's first single, "Train of Consequences",( Template:Audio ) reached #29 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock charts, and in November 1994, Megadeth appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman , performing the album's second single, " À Tout Le Monde ". ( Template:Audio ) [39] " À Tout Le Monde " also received a music video, which MTV refused to play, thinking its lyrics were an endorsement of suicide . [35]
Live support for Youthanasia began in South America in November 1994, and would span eleven months, becoming Megadeth's most extensive tour to date. The band was joined by Corrosion of Conformity in both Europe and the US, and Flotsam and Jetsam , Korn and Fear Factory in the US. The tour culminated with an appearance at the Monsters of Rock festival in Brazil, co-headlining alongside Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne . In January 1995, Megadeth appeared on the soundtrack to the horror film Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight with the song "Diadems". Megadeth also contributed a cover version of "Paranoid" ( Template:Audio ) to Nativity in Black , the first Black Sabbath tribute album. The band's version of "Paranoid" was nominated for a Grammy in 1996 for Best Metal Performance , Megadeth's sixth nomination in as many years. [26]
In March 1995, Megadeth released a special edition of Youthanasia in Europe, containing a bonus disc entitled Hidden Treasures . The bonus disc featured every one-off song by Megadeth, from film soundtracks, compilations, and tribute albums, including a new recording of the Sex Pistols ' "Problems". Due to fan demand, the bonus disc was released as its own EP in the United States and Japan in July 1995.
During the summer of 1995, the band underwent changes on the business side. Manager Ron Lafitte was hired by EMI Records and essentially disbanded his Management company. Template:Citation needed Megadeth later signed with ESP Management, and hired a new "creative manager" Bud Prager, a previous manager of both Foreigner and Bad Company. As with Max Norman before him, Prager would go on to be highly influential in shaping the direction of the band. Template:Citation needed
Cryptic Writings (1996–1998)
Edit
Following an extensive world tour in support of Youthanasia, Megadeth took time off late in 1995. Mustaine began work on MD.45 , a side project with vocalist Lee Ving of Fear . Drummer Jimmy Degrasso ( who had been playing in Alice Cooper's Band for the South American Monsters of Rock Tour months previous) was brought in. Sessions were recorded and Vintage Recorders, and Dave also started work on a home demo studio. Marty Friedman constructed a studio in his new home in Phoenix and started work both there and at Vintage Recorders on a solo project. In September 1996, Megadeth began working on songs for their next album in London, tentatively titled Needles and Pins. The writing process was closely supervised by new manager Bud Prager, who also contributed musical ideas and lyrics to the songs. Many lyrics, and even song titles were changed at the request of Prager. Regarding Prager's writing influence, Mustaine later wrote "I figured maybe this guy (Prager) could help me get that intangible 'Number One' record I so badly wanted" [40] Due to a problem with the album's original artwork, the album cover was replaced with a "voodoo symbol", and renamed Cryptic Writings .
On June 17, 1997 Capitol Records released Cryptic Writings . The album debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top 200, [29] and was Megadeth's sixth consecutive studio album to be certified gold in the United States. [41] Cryptic Writings scored Megadeth their highest charting single to date, the #5 Mainstream Rock Track , " Trust ", ( Template:Audio ) which was also nominated for a Best Metal Performance Grammy in 1998. [26] Press response to the album was mixed, [42] [43] [44] but the album would go on to score four top 20 Mainstream Rock Tracks , including " Almost Honest " (#8), " Use the Man " (#15), and " A Secret Place " (#19) Template:Audio . [30] When asked about the eclectic nature of the album, Mustaine later said "We divided it into thirds. One part of the record was really fast and aggressive, one third of it was the really melodic, in between stuff, and then the final third was really radio-orientated music like Youthanasia." [45]
After more than a year away from the stage, Megadeth returned as a live act in June 1997, beginning a world tour with The Misfits , and later touring in the United States with Life of Agony and Coal Chamber . In July Megadeth joined Ozzfest 98 , but halfway through the tour, drummer Nick Menza discovered a tumor on his knee, and was forced to leave the tour to undergo surgery. He was replaced by Jimmy DeGrasso , temporarily at first. Following the tour, however, DeGrasso replaced Menza permanently, after Mustaine claimed that Menza had "lied about having cancer". [46]
In 1998, computer game development company 3D Realms announced that they would be using two unreleased Megadeth tracks on their promotional album Duke Nukem : Music to Score By. First was a rendition of the Duke Nukem theme song "Grabbag", originally composed by Lee Jackson, and second was a Megadeth song originally recorded in 1995, "New World Order", which later appeared on the remastered edition of Hidden Treasures . [47] A demo version of this song had already featured on the 1994 Japanese edition of Hidden Treasures, but this was included on the remaster of Youthanasia instead.
Risk (1999–2000)
Edit
Following the band's first real radio success with Cryptic Writings, Megadeth opted to again work with country pop producer Dann Huff in Nashville on their eighth studio album, which began in January 1999. The writing of the album was again supervised by manager Bud Prager, credited with co-writing on five of the album's twelve songs. [48] Prager convinced Mustaine to grant producer Dan Huff more control over the recording process. "When it comes to Risk", Mustaine later wrote, "there'd been people in there playing and I wouldn't even know who they were or where the parts came from, and I'm not used to that. I was a little bit intimidated by the success we had with Cryptic Writings, so when it came to creating new material after that, it's like being "power-drunk" - you want more. After the success with "Trust", I thought to myself "wow, we've had a number one hit." We'd had four top five hits in a row, so why would I not want to give Dan even more control when it comes to the producing part on the next record? So I did, and it backfired." [49]
Released on August 31, 1999, Risk was both a critical and commercial failure, and led to a backlash from many longtime fans. [50] [51] [52] Although recent Megadeth albums had incorporated mainstream rock elements alongside a more traditional heavy metal sound, Risk was virtually devoid of metal, featuring instead dance, electronica , and disco influences. [50] Risk was Megadeth's first release since 1985 not to be certified gold or higher in the US. [41] The album's lead-off single, "Crush Em", ( Template:Audio ) appeared on the Universal Soldier: The Return soundtrack, temporarily as World Championship Wrestling 's entrance theme for Bill Goldberg and later became an official NHL song, played during hockey games. [51] Singles were made out of Crush 'Em , Breadline and Insomnia .
In July 1999, Megadeth recorded a cover version of the Black Sabbath song " Never Say Die ", which appeared on the second Nativity in Black tribute album. They began their world tour in support of Risk in September 1999, playing alongside Iron Maiden during the European leg. Three months into the tour, longtime guitarist Marty Friedman announced that he would be leaving the band, [4] citing musical differences. As Mustaine later explained: "I told (Marty) after Risk that we had to go back to our roots and play metal, and he quit." [53] Megadeth enlisted guitarist Al Pitrelli , formerly of Savatage , Alice Cooper , and currently of Trans-Siberian Orchestra , as Friedman's replacement in January 2000. [4]
Megadeth returned to the studio in April 2000, to begin work on their ninth studio release. However, one month into production the band was given the opportunity to join the "Maximum Rock" tour, alongside Anthrax and Mötley Crüe . Megadeth put the recording on hold, and toured North America throughout the summer of 2000. [4] Early into the tour, Anthrax dropped off the bill, allowing Megadeth to play an extended, co-headlining set.
Megadeth and Capitol Records parted ways in October 2000, after fourteen years. The label returned the band's newest recordings, and in return released a greatest hits record, Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years . The album also featured two new tracks, "Kill the King", and "Dread and the Fugitive Mind", ( Template:Audio ) both of which showcased the band's return to their metal roots following Risk.
The World Needs a Hero (2001–2002)
Edit
In November 2000, Megadeth signed with new label Sanctuary Records . The band returned to the studio in October to put the finishing touches on their next album, which had been near completion before the band joined the "Maximum Rock" tour six months earlier. Following the overwhelming negative response to Risk, [54] Mustaine fired manager Bud Prager, and decided to self-produce Megadeth's next album. The World Needs a Hero , the first Megadeth album since Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? to be written entirely by Mustaine (with one contribution from Al Pitrelli on "Promises"), was released on May 15, 2001 to mixed reviews. [54] [55] While the album marked a return to form following the attempted mainstream rock direction featured on Risk, some critics felt the album fell short of expectations. [56] [57] Mustaine himself likened the album to be the first major turn of a huge ship at sea, trying to right itself and get back on course. The album's lead off single, " Moto Psycho ", ( Template:Audio ) reached #22 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, [30] also receiving regular airplay on VH1 's Rock Show.
Touring in support of The World Needs a Hero began in the summer of 2001 in Europe supporting AC/DC , followed by an American tour with Iced Earth and Endo in September. The tour was cut short however, following the attacks on America on September 11 , the band were forced to cancel all scheduled dates, including a DVD shoot set in Argentina . Although they did perform one show at the Commador Ballroom in Vancouver, B.C. on September 12. Instead the band played two shows in Arizona in November, which were filmed and later released as Rude Awakening , Megadeth's first official live release. The DVD went gold on July 23, 2002. In February 2002, Bill Kennedy remixed and remastered Megadeth's first album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! , with modern mixing and mastering techniques used on modern metal albums, and added bonus tracks. [4]
Breakup (2002–2004)
Edit
In January 2002, Mustaine was admitted to the hospital to remove a kidney stone . While undergoing treatment, he was administered pain medication, which triggered a relapse. Following his hospital stay, he immediately checked himself into a treatment center in Texas. [58] While at the treatment center, Mustaine suffered a freak injury causing severe nerve damage to his left arm. The injury, induced by falling asleep with his left arm over the back of a chair, caused compression of the radial nerve . He was diagnosed with radial neuropathy , which left him unable to grasp or even make a fist with his left hand (a condition known as Saturday Night Palsy). [59]
On April 3, 2002, Mustaine announced in a press release that he was disbanding Megadeth, officially due to his arm injury. [59] For the next four months, Mustaine underwent intense physical therapy five days a week. [58] Slowly, Mustaine began to play again, but was forced to "re-teach" his left hand.
In order to fulfill contract obligations with Sanctuary Records , Megadeth released a compilation album, Still Alive... and Well? on September 10, 2002. The first half of the album contains live tracks recorded at the Web Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona , on November 17, 2001. The second half of the album contains studio recordings taken from The World Needs a Hero.
Following nearly a year of recovery, including physical and electric shock therapy, [60] Mustaine began work on what was to be his first solo album. The new material was recorded with session musicians Vinnie Colaiuta and Jimmy Sloas in October 2003, but the project was put on hold when Mustaine agreed to remix and remaster Megadeth's eight album back catalog with Capitol Records . Mustaine re-recorded some parts that were lost over time, or altered without his knowledge in the initial mixing process.
The System Has Failed (2004–2005)
File:Megadeth at Sauna crop.jpg
Megadeth began the Blackmail the Universe world tour in October 2004, enlisting touring bassist James MacDonough ( Iced Earth ), and guitarist Glen Drover ( Eidolon , King Diamond ). While in rehearsal for the tour, drummer Nick Menza parted ways with the band, as he was unable to prepare for the physical demands of a full US tour. [66] He was replaced just five days before the first show by Shawn Drover , brother to new guitarist Glen Drover, and also a member of the Canadian thrash metal band Eidolon . The band toured the US with Exodus , and later in Europe with Diamond Head and Dungeon . [4]
In June 2005, Capitol Records released a greatest hits album to replace the now out of print Capitol Punishment, entitled Greatest Hits: Back to the Start , which featured the new remixed and remastered versions of songs from the first eight albums. [4]
Gigantour (2005–2006)
File:Metalmania 2008 Megadeth James LoMenzo 02.jpg
On October 9, 2005, following the successes of The System Has Failed and the Blackmail the Universe world tour, Mustaine announced on stage in Argentina to a sold out crowd at the Pepsi Music Rock Festival that Megadeth would continue to record and tour with the line "... And we will be back!." This concert was officially released on DVD as That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires in March 2007. The DVD went gold on July 19, 2007. The 2 CD version was released on September 4, 2007.
In February, 2006 bass player James MacDonough parted ways with the band for what MacDonough called "personal differences". [67] He was replaced by bassist James LoMenzo , who had previously worked with David Lee Roth , White Lion and Black Label Society . [4] On March 16, 2006 the new Megadeth line-up made their live debut headlining the Dubai Desert Rock festival held in the United Arab Emirates , alongside Testament and 3 Doors Down .
On March 21, 2006, Capitol Records released a two disc DVD titled Arsenal of Megadeth , which included archive footage, interviews, live shows, and many of the band's music videos. Due to licensing issues, movie soundtrack videos, as well as videos not released by Capitol Records were not included on the DVD. [4] However, the DVD still featured the songs No More Mr. Nice Guy and Go to Hell from Hidden Treasures. The DVD went gold on July 27, 2007.
Second installment of the Gigantour was launched in fall of 2006, Megadeth headlining the inaugural run with Lamb of God , Opeth , Arch Enemy , Overkill , Into Eternity , Sanctity and The SmashUp . Gigantour 2006 also continued with 3 dates in Australia, line up included Soulfly , Arch Enemy and Caliban . Performances from the Sunrise , Florida show were filmed and recorded for a live DVD and CD , both of which were released in the spring of 2008. [68]
United Abominations (2006–2009)
File:Metalmania 2008 Megadeth 001.jpg
In May 2006 Megadeth announced their eleventh studio album, entitled United Abominations , was near completion. Originally scheduled for release by Roadrunner Records in October 2006, Mustaine announced in August 2006 that the band were "putting the finishing touches on it", and it was rescheduled for release on May 15, 2007. [69] United Abominations is the band's first studio release to feature members Glen Drover , Shawn Drover , and James Lomenzo . In March 2007 Dave Mustaine announced at the Megadeth forums that a new version of " À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free) " would be released on the album. It features a duet with Cristina Scabbia of the band Lacuna Coil , and was to be the first single from the album [70] until it was replaced by " Washington Is Next! ".
File:Metalmania 2008 Megadeth Chris Broderick 01.jpg
United Abominations was released on May 15, 2007. It debuted a week later at #8 in the US, the band's highest charting position since 1994's Youthanasia , and sold 54,000 copies in its first week. [71] In March 2007 Megadeth commenced a tour through Canada and the United States as an opening act for the newly-reformed Heaven & Hell , along with Down on Canadian dates and Machine Head on US dates, followed by a summer festival tour through Europe. In September 2007 Megadeth returned to the United States as the headline act on their Tour Of Duty tour, which also included the Pacific rim and the third installment of Gigantour which was launched in Australia in November 2007, line up included Static-X , Lacuna Coil , DevilDriver and Bring Me the Horizon .
On January 13, 2008, Dave Mustaine confirmed that Glen Drover had quit Megadeth to focus on his family, and was replaced by Chris Broderick (formerly of Nevermore and Jag Panzer ). The new line-up made its live debut in Finland on February 4, went on Tour Of Duty tour in Europe as the headline act and returned to UK the same month and US in the spring for Gigantour 2008. Dave Mustaine wanted a shorter lineup so each band had a good chance to put on a show. The 2008 installment of the tour featured In Flames , Children of Bodom , Job for a Cowboy , and High on Fire (and Evile for the UK and Scandinavia tour). [72] Also Megadeth did Tour Of Duty tour in South America and Mexico in May and June 2008. Commenting on leaving the band, Drover said "I am aware of the rumors that I left Megadeth to focus on family life. My family life has always been my priority. In the end, I was unhappy with the situation, which magnified me wanting to spend more time with my family and realizing that it's time for me to move on to the next chapter in my musical career, I have a lot of great memories and met a ton of great people along the way, both fans and people in the industry." [73]
Mustaine said he is happy with Drover's decision and is pleased that his replacement is Broderick. Mustaine also said "Chris is doing just fine." [74] Former Nevermore bandmate Van Williams commented that Megadeth is "getting one hell of a good player, more importantly they're getting a great guy to hang out with and a true friend." [75] Broderick said "I realize I have some big shoes to fill and I will do my best." [76] With regards to what kind of an addition Chris Broderick will be for Megadeth, Dave Mustaine in an interview said "...thoroughly thrilled with Chris... it reminds me a lot like when Ozzy found Randy Rhoads ." [77] A compilation album called Anthology: Set The World Afire was released on September 30, 2008. [78]
Endgame (2009–2010)
Edit
Megadeth embarked on the "Priest Feast" European tour with headliners Judas Priest and openers Testament in February and March 2009. [79] Dave Mustaine was invited by Metallica to attend their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction; Mustaine congratulated them respectfully and stated due to winding down European tour with Judas Priest he would be unable to attend the ceremony. [80] Megadeth and Slayer co-headlined Canadian Carnage, the first time they had performed together in more than 15 years. Opening acts for the four shows that occurred in late June were Machine Head and Suicide Silence . [81]
As of May 19, Megadeth had finished recording the album and on June 18, the album title was revealed to be Endgame . [82] [83] On May 27, 2009, Dave Mustaine confirmed all 12 songs are complete and they are currently mixing and mastering the record. [84] As mentioned by Dave Mustaine on the syndicated radio show Infowars, the name of the album Endgame is an homage to the Alex Jones documentary of the same name. [85]
The release date for the " Endgame " album was announced on the Megadeth official website as September 15, 2009, and Metal Hammer magazine's website were the first to review the album track by track. [86] Megadeth began its Endgame tour on November 14, in Grand Rapids, Michigan and ended on December 13, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Tour featured Machine Head , Suicide Silence , Warbringer , and Arcanium. [87] In January 2010, Megadeth was set to embark on the "American Carnage" tour with Slayer and Testament , both giants of the thrash and heavy metal scene. The tour was scheduled to begin on January 18, but was ultimately postponed until later in the summer due to Tom Araya's back surgery. [88] Several weeks later, Megadeth's " Head Crusher " was nominated for a 2010 Grammy. [89]
File:Megadeth in Haapsalu 2010.JPG
Megadeth also announced a "Rust in Peace 20th Anniversary Tour", which began on March 1 as a month-long North American tour with support from Testament and Exodus . During the tour, Megadeth played Rust In Peace in its entirety and Testament played The Legacy in its entirety. [90] As of February 8, 2010, and prior to the start of the "Rust in Peace 20th Anniversary Tour", original bassist Dave Ellefson rejoined Megadeth after eight years. He stated in an interview for Classic Rock magazine that Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover contacted him and had said that bassist James LoMenzo was declining and had told him that "if ever there was a time for you and Dave to talk, now is it." [91]
In recent news, Megadeth have been working on a new song entitled "Sudden Death" and to which Mustaine claims "won't be ready for a half a year at best." [92] However, it appears in the video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock . [93] On June 18 IGN posted a video showcasing the completed version of the song on the game. Accompanying Sudden Death on the game will be Holy Wars... The Punishment Due and This Day We Fight! . On September 7, 2010, the band released Rust in Peace Live on CD, DVD, and BluRay, recorded at the Hollywood Palladium via Shout! Factory . [94]
Megadeth, along with Metallica , Slayer , and Anthrax performed on the same bill for the first time ever on June 16, 2010 at Bemowo Airport (Warsaw, Poland). It was the first performance of that bands played as a part of Sonisphere Festival series, one of the following ( Sofia , Bulgaria , June 22, 2010) was sent via satellite in HD to cinemas. [95] They also went on to play in Athens , Greece (June 24, 2010), Bucharest , Romania (June 26, 2010) and then in Istanbul , Turkey (June 27, 2010) also as part of the Sonisphere Festival. This was the first time that Megadeth and Metallica played the same stage since June 1993, [96] and only the second time since 1983 that he, Hetfield , and Ulrich have shared the same stage.
On September 24, 2010, Megadeth, Slayer , and Anthrax will begin The Jägermeister Music Tour in Dallas, TX . Megadeth will continue to play their 1990 album Rust In Peace in its entirety, while Slayer will perform their Seasons in the Abyss album, which was also released in 1990. Also, on September 24, 2010, Megadeth released the new track Sudden Death on iTunes. [97] On September 28, Roadrunner Records made the track available for streaming on its website. [98] [99] On October 21 the finale date of Jägermeister Music Tour in fall of 2010, Kerry King joined Megadeth on stage, at the Gibson Amphitheater in Hollywood, California to perform Megadeth's classic "Rattlehead" which was the first time in 26 years that Kerry King has shared the stage with Megadeth since he played with the band during Megadeth's very first shows in 1984. [100]
In an October 2010 interview with Crypt Magazine, Shawn Drover stated plans on a new upcoming Megadeth album: "Yeah, we’re certainly talking about it. Right now we’re in tour mode, but we’re starting to discuss our game plan for next year, and I envision next year we’ll be recording a new record." [101] Later that month, Roadrunner Records submitted Sudden Death for consideration for Best Metal Performance , The Right to Go Insane for Best Hard Rock Performance and Rust in Peace Live for Best Rock Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards . [102] "Sudden Death" was nominated, making it the band's ninth. [103]
New album (2010–Present)
Edit
On November 17, 2010, Dave Mustaine has officially announced in the Megadeth Cyber Army Chat Room that Megadeth will soon be recording their 13th album in Vic's Garage (Megadeth's Studio). Dave Mustaine said these words about the new upcoming album; "So, right now I have Ken Eisennagel, you may remember him from the last two records doing engineering for all of the pre-production phases of Megadeth records? Well, he is here [Megadeth’s studio - Vic's Garage] going over all of the new Megadeth stuff that I am working on… believe it or not we have five songs almost finished for the new Megs record already!" [104] The album name and release date is still to be announced. On December 18, 2010, it was announced that Megadeth and Slayer will join forces once again for European Carnage Tour in March and April 2011. [105]
Lyrical themes
Edit
As Megadeth's primary lyricist, Mustaine is known for his often controversial, political, and more recently, personal lyrics. [64] War and nuclear war are common topics, including the military-industrial complex ("Architecture of Aggression", " Hangar 18 ", "Return to Hangar" "Take No Prisoners"), and the aftermath of war ("Dawn Patrol" "Ashes In Your Mouth"). The name Megadeth is a deliberate misspelling of the word megadeath , a term coined in 1953 by RAND military strategist Herman Kahn to describe one million deaths, popularized in his 1960 book On Thermonuclear War. [106] Politics are also a common theme to many Megadeth songs, [38] [64] such as Mustaine's scathing assessment of Tipper Gore , the PMRC , and music censorship in the song "Hook In Mouth". [107] Mustaine takes an environmentalist stance in "Countdown to Extinction" and "Dawn Patrol", [108] and shuns dictators in songs like "Symphony of Destruction". The UN is criticized for its ineffectiveness in "United Abominations" and "Peace Sells". Mustaine's general cynicism regarding politics shines through on tracks like "Peace Sells", [9] "The World Needs A Hero" and "Blackmail the Universe". [64]
Controversial and misunderstood lyrics have also caused problems for the band, as the music video for " In My Darkest Hour " was banned from MTV in 1988 when the music channel deemed the song to be pro- suicide . [15] The music video for " À Tout le Monde " was later banned by MTV, again wrongly interpreted as being pro-suicide, when in fact it was written from the perspective of a dying man, saying his last words to his loved ones. [35]
Addiction is also a common theme, as in "Use the Man", "Burnt Ice", and "Addicted to Chaos", about a former substance abuse counselor who died of a drug overdose . [40] Recently, some lyrics have taken on religious themes, such as " Never Walk Alone... A Call to Arms ", which supposedly is about Mustaine's relationship with God, and "Shadow of Deth", with spoken lyrics taken directly from Psalm 23 of the King James Bible . "My Kingdom" and "Of Mice And Men" also feature Christian lyrics.
Mustaine dabbled in black magic in his teenage years, which became the theme for the song off the Peace Sells album, The Conjuring. Mustaine stated that it was emotionally difficult to play because of his rebirth into Christianity . "I put two hexes on people, and they both worked and the result was just what I was asking for," he explained. "Now, it took forever to get that Satanic depression off of me because it's just like playing with a Ouija board. You open the doorway to the dark side, and spirits come through. It took almost 20 years to get rid of that Satanic depression. I did it when I was 15, and I don't think I got free of it until I was in my mid-30s.You ask yourself, 'How is it possible that this is happening to me?' Well, because you flirted with the devil and you put a hex on somebody and you put another hex on somebody, and, well, you owe him. And that's why I have a problem playing 'The Conjuring' today." [109]
Controversy
For more details on this topic, see Dave Mustaine feuds and rivalries .
Dave Mustaine is notorious for making inflammatory statements in the press, [53] usually regarding feuds and problems with former bandmates and other bands, including Slayer and Metallica . Perhaps most well known is his long standing feud with Metallica members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich , stemming from his ejection from the band, and the method in which it was conducted, as well as disagreements on songwriting credits. This feud has since been resolved, and Mustaine and the members of Metallica are once again on friendly terms. [33]
In April 1988, at a concert in Antrim , Northern Ireland , Mustaine "unknowingly" dedicated the final song to the IRA . [110] [111] Before the final song, " Anarchy in the UK ", Mustaine said, "This one's for the cause!" A fight amongst the audience ensued, as Protestants took offense and, according to Mustaine, the band had to travel in a "bulletproof bus" for the remainder of the tour of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Mustaine later alleged that he had been misled as to the meaning of the expression "the cause" by T-Shirt bootleggers outside the venue where they were performing. This incident served as inspiration for one of Megadeth's most well-known songs, " Holy Wars... The Punishment Due ".
In July 2004, former bassist Dave Ellefson sued Mustaine for $18.5 million in Manhattan Federal Court . Ellefson alleged that Mustaine short changed him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth over to him when they disbanded in 2002. [112] Ellefson also accused Mustaine of locking him out of merchandise and publishing royalties. The suit was dismissed in 2005, [113] and Mustaine filed a countersuit, which was later settled out of court.
Also sparking minor controversy was Mustaine's announcement that Megadeth will not play certain songs live anymore, due to Mustaine's new identification as a Christian . [114] [115] In recent years Dave Mustaine has become a Born again Christian. In May 2005 Mustaine also allegedly threatened to cancel shows in Greece and Israel with extreme metal bands Rotting Christ and Dissection , due to the bands' perceived anti-Christian beliefs, which in turn caused the two bands to cancel their appearances. [116]
Legacy
As an early pioneer of thrash metal , Megadeth helped pave the way for the burgeoning extreme metal movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and is often cited as an influence by later metal acts, including Pantera , Bullet for My Valentine , Arch Enemy , Lamb of God , [119] and In Flames . [120]
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? is considered a landmark in the history of thrash metal , with Allmusic calling the album "One of the most influential metal albums of its decade, and certainly one of the few truly definitive thrash albums", as well as "one of the best beginning-to-end metal albums ever". [10] In May 2006 VH1 ranked "Peace Sells" #11 on the 40 Greatest Metal Songs of all time countdown. [11] In addition to this, Rust In Peace was named the 3rd greatest thrash metal album of all time by Metal Hammer magazine. "Peace Sells...But Who's buying?" was placed 11th.
In 1993, Megadeth became the first and only metal band to win the Humane Society's Genesis Award for the title track of their Countdown to Extinction album.
In 2004, Guitar World magazine ranked Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman together at #19 on the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time. [121] Megadeth are also ranked 69th on "VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list. [122]
In 2009, after the release of Endgame, BBC regarded Megadeth as "most consistent heavy [metal] group". [123] BW&BK mentions that even in 2009, "Megadeth are still driven by hunger" for new material and they do not repeat themselves. [124] About.com asserts that "More than a quarter century after their formation, Megadeth is still at the top of their game." [125]
| Megadeath |
Who was the Roman Emperor at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius? | Megadeth : Wikis (The Full Wiki)
The Full Wiki
Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles .
Related top topics
Top band name etymologies
Did you know ...
More interesting facts on Megadeth
Include this on your site/blog:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Megadeth
Megadeth at the Brixton Academy , 2008
Background information
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles , California , formed in 1983. Founded by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson following Mustaine's departure from Metallica , the band has since released twelve studio albums , six live albums , two EPs , twenty six singles , thirty-two music videos , and three compilations .
As a pioneer of the American thrash metal movement, Megadeth rose to international fame in the 1980s and was ranked as one of the "Big Four of Thrash," along with Metallica , Slayer , and Anthrax , who were responsible for creating, developing and popularizing the thrash metal sub-genre. Megadeth has experienced numerous line-up changes, due partly to the band's notorious substance abuse problems. From 1983 to 2002, Mustaine and Ellefson were the only continuous members of the band. After finding sobriety and securing a stable line-up, Megadeth went on to release a string of platinum and gold albums, including the platinum-selling landmark Rust in Peace in 1990 and the Grammy nominated, multi-platinum Countdown to Extinction in 1992. Megadeth disbanded in 2002 after Mustaine suffered a severe nerve injury to his left arm. However, following extensive physical therapy , Mustaine reformed the band in 2004 and released The System Has Failed , followed by United Abominations in 2007; the albums debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #18 and #8, respectively. Megadeth, along with their new lead guitarist Chris Broderick , released their twelfth studio album, titled Endgame , on September 15, 2009, which debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 .
In the band's 25 active years, Megadeth has had 20 official members , with Dave Mustaine remaining as the driving force and main songwriter.
Megadeth is known for its distinctive instrumental style, often featuring dense, intricate passages and trade off guitar solos . Mustaine is also known for his " snarling " vocal style, as well as his recurring lyrical themes including politics, war, addiction, personal relationships, and the occult.
Megadeth has sold close to 25 million albums worldwide, [1] with five consecutive albums being certified platinum in the USA. The band has also been nominated for seven consecutive nominations for Best Metal Performance .
Contents
History
Early days (1983–1984)
Two months after lead guitarist Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica due to drinking , drug use, violent behavior and personality conflicts, [2] Mustaine, bassist David Ellefson, guitarist Greg Handevidt , and drummer Dijon Carruthers formed Megadeth in Los Angeles . Mustaine later said, "After getting fired from Metallica, all I remember is that I wanted blood. Theirs. I wanted to be faster and heavier than them". [3]
According to Mustaine, the name "Megadeth represents the annihilation of power. We spell the name phonetically because the meaning to us is the same as you get out of the dictionary; it's hypothetical body count after a nuclear fallout. It's a million deaths, and we want to leave our audience shell-shocked wherever we go." [4] Though Megadeth is the first band to use this name, Pink Floyd in their early years used the name with a variation in the spelling ("The Meggadeaths"). [5]
Fueled by the desire for revenge, [6] Mustaine elevated the intensity of Megadeth's music, speeding up existing songs such as " The Mechanix ", which Metallica's new line-up adapted into the slower paced " The Four Horsemen ". After unsuccessfully searching for a vocalist for nearly six months, Mustaine decided to handle lead vocal duties himself, while also serving as the band's primary lyricist, main songwriter, and co-lead and rhythm guitarist.
Early in 1984 Megadeth recorded a three song demo, featuring Mustaine, Ellefson, and Rausch, which contained early versions of "Last Rites/Loved to Death", (
sample
(help·info)
) "Skull Beneath the Skin", and "Mechanix". Kerry King (of Slayer fame), covered a handful of live dates while a permanent replacement was sought. After just a few shows in 1984, Lee Rausch was replaced by fusion drummer Gar Samuelson . [7] On the strength of their three song demo, Megadeth signed with the New York based independent label Combat Records , and in December added second guitarist Chris Poland , a friend of Gar's from the fusion scene.
Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985–1986)
Megadeth, 1984-1986, 1986-1987 line-up: Chris Poland, Dave Mustaine, Gar Samuelson, David Ellefson
Early in 1985, the band was given $8,000 by Combat Records to record and produce their debut album. [3] However, after spending half of the album's budget on drugs, alcohol, and food the band was forced to fire their original producer and produce the album themselves. [3] Despite the resulting poor production, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! , released in May 1985, was a well-received effort that blended elements of thrash , and speed metal . [8] [9]
sample
(help·info)
), with lyrics altered by Mustaine. The song sparked controversy in later years when the song's original author, Lee Hazlewood , deemed Mustaine's changes to be "vile and offensive", [3] and demanded that the song be removed from the album. Under threat of legal action, the song was removed from all pressings released after 1995. In 2002, however, the album was re-released with a partial version of the song, though with the altered lyrics censored by a "beep". In the Killing Is My Business... deluxe edition liner notes, Mustaine is strongly critical of Hazlewood, and notes he received royalties for almost 10 years before objecting to the altered version. [10]
In the summer of 1985, the group toured the United States and Canada for the first time, supporting Killing Is My Business... with Exciter . During the tour, new guitarist Chris Poland abruptly left the band, and was replaced by touring guitarist Mike Albert. [7] Poland later rejoined Megadeth in October 1985 however, shortly before they began work on their second album with Combat Records .
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? (1986–1987)
Originally completed in March 1986, Megadeth's second album again suffered from Combat Records small recording budget, and the band was initially unhappy with the final mixed product. Frustrated by the small independent label's financial insufficiencies, Megadeth signed to major label Capitol Records , who also bought the rights to the new album. Capitol hired producer Paul Lani to remix the recordings, and in November 1986, more than a year after recording began, Capitol released Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? . [7] The album marked Megadeth's commercial and critical breakthrough, [11] eventually selling more than a million copies in the US alone.
Considered to be a landmark thrash metal album, Allmusic cited Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? as "One of the most influential metal albums of its decade, and certainly one of the few truly definitive thrash albums". [12] The album's title track "Peace Sells" (
sample
(help·info)
) was chosen to be the band's first music video, receiving regular airplay on MTV 's Headbangers Ball . "Peace Sells" ranked #11 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs [13] and the opening bass line was used for years as the theme for MTV News . Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? was the first Megadeth album to feature art by Ed Repka , who redesigned the band's mascot Vic Rattlehead to the current standard, and designed much of the band's artwork in later years.
In February 1987 Megadeth was added as the opening band on Alice Cooper 's Constrictor tour, followed by a brief tour supporting Mercyful Fate in the US. Cooper, alarmed by the band's drug habits, summoned them to his bus one night to warn against constant excessive drug use. [14] In March of that year, Megadeth began their first world tour as a headlining act in the United Kingdom, which featured support bands Overkill and Necros . [7]
After years of problems stemming from substance abuse , both Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland were fired from Megadeth in July 1987, following the final show of the tour in Hawaii. Mustaine claimed that Samuelson had become too much to handle when intoxicated, and even had replacement drummer Chuck Behler flown out for the last few dates of the tour, fearing that Samuelson would not be able to finish with the band's commitments. [15] Mustaine claimed that Poland had sold band equipment to fund his increasing drug habit, detailed in the song "Liar", which is also dedicated to Poland. He was initially replaced by Jay Reynolds of Malice , but as the band began work on their next album, Reynolds was replaced by his own guitar teacher Jeff Young , who joined Megadeth six weeks into the recording of their third album. [15]
So Far, So Good... So What! (1987–1989)
With a major label recording budget, and producer Paul Lani behind the desk, Megadeth spent five months recording their third album, So Far, So Good... So What! The recording process was again plagued with problems from the beginning, due in part to Mustaine's ongoing battle with addiction. Mustaine later said: "The production (of So Far, So Good...) was horrible, mostly due to substances and the priorities we had or didn't have at the time". [16] Mustaine also clashed with Lani, beginning with Lani's insistence that the drums be recorded separate from the cymbals (an unheard of process for rock drummers). [17] During the mixing process, Mustaine and Lani had a falling out, and Lani was replaced by producer Michael Wagener , who remixed the album. [16]
Megadeth, 1987-1989 line-up Chuck Behler, David Ellefson, Jeff Young, Dave Mustaine
In January 1988 Megadeth released So Far, So Good... So What! , and while the album was eventually certified platinum in the US, it was initially panned by critics, with Allmusic complaining that the album "lacked conceptual unity and musical bite", and that it "wants to sound threatening but mostly comes off as forced and somewhat juvenile". [18] So Far, So Good... featured the song " In My Darkest Hour ", (
sample
(help·info)
) with music written by Mustaine as a tribute to fallen Metallica bassist Cliff Burton . The song remains a fan favorite, and has been performed at nearly every Megadeth show since. So Far, So Good... also featured a cover version of the Sex Pistols ' " Anarchy in the UK ", with lyrics altered by Mustaine (who later admitted to hearing them wrong). [17]
In June 1988, Megadeth appeared in Penelope Spheeris ' documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years , which chronicled the Los Angeles heavy metal scene of the late 1980s, mostly focusing on glam metal . The video for In My Darkest Hour was filmed by Spheeris (who also directed the "Wake Up Dead" and "Anarchy in the UK" videos), and appears in the final scene of the movie. In Megadeth's 1991 Rusted Pieces VHS, Mustaine recalls the movie as a disappointment, which aligned Megadeth with "a bunch of shit bands". [19]
Megadeth began their world tour in support of So Far, So Good... opening for Dio in Europe in February 1988, later joining Iron Maiden 's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son summer tour in the US. Noticing problems developing with drummer Chuck Behler , Mustaine brought drummer Nick Menza in to act as Behler's drum technician . As with Gar Samuelson before him, Menza was to be ready to take over for Behler in the event that he could not continue with the tour. [20]
In August 1988, Megadeth appeared at the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donnington in the UK, alongside Kiss , Iron Maiden , Helloween , Guns N' Roses , and David Lee Roth , performing to an audience of more than 100,000 people. The band was soon added to the "Monsters of Rock" European tour, but dropped out after the first show. Shortly after that appearance, Mustaine fired both Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young , and canceled their scheduled 1988 Australian tour. "On the road, things escalated from a small border skirmish into a full-on raging war" he later recalled, "I think a lot of us were inconsistent (on the 1988 tour) because of the guy we were waiting for after the show". [21]
In July 1989, Nick Menza was hired to replace Behler on the drums. Unable to find a suitable lead guitarist in time, Megadeth recorded a cover version of Alice Cooper 's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (
sample
(help·info)
) as a three piece band. The version later appeared on the soundtrack to the 1989 Wes Craven horror movie Shocker . While the band was holding auditions for the new lead guitarist in the summer of 1989, Mustaine was arrested for driving while intoxicated and possession of narcotics, having crashed into a parked vehicle occupied by an off-duty police officer. He entered court ordered rehab soon after, and got sober for the first time in ten years. [7]
Rust in Peace (1990–1991)
Following Mustaine's new found sobriety, Megadeth began a lengthy search for a new lead guitarist. Lee Altus of Heathen was among those who auditioned, as was Eric Meyer of Dark Angel fame. Meyer had been invited to join the band following Chris Poland's departure, but had declined in order to remain in Dark Angel.
Dimebag Darrell Abbott of then-obscure Pantera also auditioned, and was initially offered the spot. Darrell, however, would not join without his brother, Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott , and, having already hired Nick Menza, the band was forced to turn Darrell down.
In 1987, a 16-year-old Jeff Loomis (of Sanctuary , and later Nevermore ) auditioned. Afterwards, Mustaine complimented Loomis on his playing, but rejected him because of his age. [22] Loomis later saw Cacophony with Marty Friedman and Jason Becker on tour, and told Friedman, who had just released his first solo effort, Dragon's Kiss in 1988, of the experience. Friedman eventually auditioned for the spot, but was initially rejected by Mustaine for having multicolored hair. However, after undergoing what Mustaine called "Rock School 101," Friedman officially joined Megadeth in February 1990. [23]
A revitalized Megadeth entered Rumbo Studios in March 1990 with co-producer Mike Clink to begin work on what would become their most critically acclaimed album to date, Rust In Peace . For the first time in their career, the band worked sober in the studio, alleviating many of the problems faced recording previous albums. Clink was also the first producer to successfully produce a Megadeth album from start to finish, without being fired. [24]
Released worldwide on September 24, 1990, Rust In Peace was a hit with fans and critics alike, debuting at #23 on the Billboard Top 200 in the US, and #8 in the UK. [25] The album showcased a much tighter sound, with Mustaine's writing style adopting a rhythmically complex progressive edge, prompting Allmusic to cite Rust in Peace as "Megadeth's strongest musical effort". [26] The album featured the singles " Holy Wars... The Punishment Due ", (
sample
(help·info)
) both of which received music videos, and remain live staples. Rust in Peace went on to sell more than a million copies in the US, and received Grammy nominations in 1991 and 1992 for Best Metal Performance . [27] They are now having a 20th year anniversary tour to celebrate its 20th year.
In September 1990, Megadeth joined Slayer , Testament and Suicidal Tendencies for the European "Clash of the Titans" tour , and in October, they were added as the opening band on Judas Priest 's Painkiller tour, culminating with a performance to 140,000 people in January 1991 at Rock in Rio 2 festival in Brazil. Following the success of the European tour, a "Clash of the Titans" US tour began in May 1991, featuring Megadeth, Slayer , Anthrax and opener Alice in Chains . In July, Megadeth's "Go to Hell" (
sample
(help·info)
) was featured on the Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack, and shortly after "Breakpoint" was featured on the Super Mario Bros soundtrack. In 1991, Megadeth also released their first home video , Rusted Pieces , which contained six of the band's music videos , along with a video interview with the band.
Countdown to Extinction (1992–1993)
In January 1992, Megadeth entered Enterprise Studios in Burbank, California with co-producer Max Norman . Norman, who had mixed Rust in Peace , would be integral in Megadeth's resulting musical makeover, pushing for shorter, less complicated, and more radio-friendly songs. [28] The band spent four months in the studio with Norman, writing and recording what would become Megadeth's most commercially successful effort, Countdown to Extinction . The album was the first to feature writing contributions from each band member, and was even named by drummer Nick Menza . [29]
On July 14, 1992, Capitol Records released Countdown to Extinction . The album was an instant hit, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts in the US, and #5 in the UK. [30] Anchored by the Mainstream Rock hits "Symphony of Destruction" (#29),
sample
(help·info)
"Foreclosure of a Dream" (#30), and "Sweating Bullets" (#27), [31] the album quickly went double platinum in the US, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1993. [27] The album's title song, "Countdown to Extinction" also gave Megadeth the distinction of being the only metal band to ever win the " Doris Day Music Award", presented to the band by the Humane Society of the United States in 1993 for "spotlighting species destruction and the horrific 'sport' of canned hunts ". [32]
The band released their second home video Exposure of a Dream , in November 1992, continuing in a similar to fashion to Rusted Pieces , the release featured all music videos previously released from Countdown. Megadeth began their world tour in support of Countdown to Extinction in December 1992 with Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies , followed by a North American tour beginning in January 1993 with Stone Temple Pilots . Just one month into the North American tour, however, the band was forced to cancel all remaining shows, including dates scheduled in Japan, as Mustaine again fell into substance abuse , and ended up in the hospital emergency room. [33] After a seven week stint in rehab, Mustaine emerged clean once again, and the band returned to the studio to record "Angry Again", (
sample
(help·info)
) a song which was featured in the 1993 film Last Action Hero , and later nominated for a Grammy in 1994. [27]
In June 1993 Megadeth returned to the stage, appearing as "special guests" at Metallica 's Milton Keynes Bowl Festival, marking the first time the former bandmates played the same stage in ten years. The pairing prompted Mustaine's on stage announcement that "The ten years of bullshit is over between Metallica and Megadeth!", although problems would later resurface between the long-feuding bands. [34] In July, Megadeth was added as the opening act for Aerosmith 's Get A Grip US tour , but due to contractual disputes, and on stage remarks made by Mustaine about Aerosmith's "advancing" age, Megadeth was removed from the tour after just seven dates. [35]
Following their canceled US tour, Megadeth returned to the studio to record "99 Ways to Die", (
sample
(help·info)
) a song that appeared on The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience , a compilation album featuring songs intercut with commentary by Beavis and Butt-head , released in November 1993. The song was later nominated for a Grammy in 1995 for Best Metal Performance . [27] At the same sessions, "Paranoid" was recorded for a Black Sabbath tribute album. Paranoid was often performed as an encore.
Youthanasia (1994–1995)
Early in 1994, Megadeth again teamed up with co-producer Max Norman to begin work on the follow up to Countdown to Extinction. With two members of the band now residing in Arizona, initial work began at Phase Four Studios in Phoenix. A few days into pre-production, problems with Phase Four's equipment forced the band to seek out an alternative studio. Mustaine, however, insisted on recording at his home state of Arizona, and no suitable recording facility could be found in time. At the request of co-producer Norman, the band opted to construct their own recording studio inside of a rented warehouse in Phoenix, Arizona , later dubbed "Fat Planet in Hangar 18". [36] While the studio was being constructed, much of the pre-production song writing and arrangements took place at Vintage Recorders in Phoenix (a studio which would also be used for MD45 and both Mustaine and Friedman solo projects). For the first time in their career, the band wrote and arranged the entire album in studio, and included basic tracks recorded live by the whole band at the same time. [37] Recording of the album was captured on video, and later released as Evolver: The Making of Youthanasia.
Following eight months in the studio, Youthanasia was released on November 1, 1994, Oct.31st 1994 (Halloween ) saw a live broadcast on MTV of "Night of the Living Megadeth" which introduced the new songs to a wide audience for the first time. Youthanasia debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart in the US. [30] The album was certified gold in Canada in just thirty minutes, and was certified platinum in the US faster than any other Megadeth album. With producer Max Norman still pushing for a slower, more commercial sound, Youthanasia followed the stylistic shift that began with Countdown to Extinction. [38] While still retaining core metal elements, the album focused on stronger vocal melodies and more accessible, radio friendly arrangements. [39] The band even enlisted noted fashion photographer Richard Avedon to further their new image, dropping their jeans and t-shirts for a more style conscious look. [37]
A sticker on initial releases of Youthanasia advertised the then-new concept of a band website , affectionately known as "Megadeth, Arizona". Fans could chat in the "Mega-diner", correspond with the band through email, request songs to be played live, and read columns and tour diaries written by band members. [40]
Youthanasia's first single, "Train of Consequences",(
sample
(help·info)
) reached #29 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock charts, and in November 1994, Megadeth appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman , performing the album's second single, " À Tout Le Monde ". (
) [40] " À Tout Le Monde " also received a music video, which MTV refused to play, thinking its lyrics were an endorsement of suicide . [36]
Live support for Youthanasia began in South America in November 1994, and would span eleven months, becoming Megadeth's most extensive tour to date. The band was joined by Corrosion of Conformity in both Europe and the US, and Flotsam and Jetsam , Korn and Fear Factory in the US. The tour culminated with an appearance at the Monsters of Rock festival in Brazil, co-headlining alongside Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne . In January 1995, Megadeth appeared on the soundtrack to the horror film Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight with the song "Diadems". Megadeth also contributed a cover version of "Paranoid" (
sample
(help·info)
) to Nativity in Black , the first Black Sabbath tribute album. The band's version of "Paranoid" was nominated for a Grammy in 1996 for Best Metal Performance , Megadeth's sixth nomination in as many years. [27]
In March 1995, Megadeth released a special edition of Youthanasia in Europe, containing a bonus disc entitled Hidden Treasures . The bonus disc featured every one-off song by Megadeth, from film soundtracks, compilations, and tribute albums, including a new recording of the Sex Pistols ' "Problems". Due to fan demand, the bonus disc was released as its own EP in the United States and Japan in July 1995.
Megadeth in 1996, 1989-1998 line-up David Ellefson, Marty Friedman, Dave Mustaine, Nick Menza
During the summer of 1995, the band underwent changes on the business side, Manager Ron Lafitte was hired by EMI Records and essentially disbanded his Management company. Megadeth later signed with ESP Management, and hired a new "creative manager" Bud Prager, a previous manager of both Foreigner and Bad Company.[41] As with Max Norman before him, Prager would go on to be highly influential in shaping the direction of the band.
Cryptic Writings (1996–1998)
Following an extensive world tour in support of Youthanasia, Megadeth took time off late in 1995. Mustaine began work on MD.45 , a side project with vocalist Lee Ving of Fear Drummer Jimmy Degrasso ( who had been playing in Alice Cooper's Band for the South American Monsters of Rock Tour months previous) was brought in. Sessions were recorded and Vintage Recorders, and Dave also started work on a home demo studio. Marty Friedman constructed a studio in his new home in Phoenix and started work both there and at Vintage Recorders on a solo project. In September 1996, Megadeth began working on songs for their next album in London, tentatively titled Needles and Pins. The writing process was closely supervised by new producer Giles Martin, who also contributed musical ideas and lyrics to the songs. Many lyrics, and even song titles were changed at the request of Martin. Regarding Marin's writing influence, Mustaine later wrote "I figured maybe this guy (Martin) could help me get that intangible 'Number One' record I so badly wanted" [41] Due to a problem with the album's original artwork, the album cover was replaced with a "voodoo symbol", and renamed Cryptic Writings .
On June 17, 1997, Capitol Records released Cryptic Writings . The album debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top 200, [30] and was Megadeth's sixth consecutive studio album to be certified gold in the United States. [42] Cryptic Writings scored Megadeth their highest charting single to date, the #5 Mainstream Rock Track , " Trust ", (
sample
(help·info)
. [31] When asked about the eclectic nature of the album, Mustaine later said "We divided it into thirds. One part of the record was really fast and aggressive, one third of it was the really melodic, in between stuff, and then the final third was really radio-orientated music like Youthanasia". [46]
After more than a year away from the stage, Megadeth returned as a live act in June 1997, beginning a world tour with The Misfits , and later touring in the United States with Life of Agony and Coal Chamber . In July Megadeth joined Ozzfest 98 , but halfway through the tour, drummer Nick Menza discovered a tumor on his knee, and was forced to leave the tour to undergo surgery. He was replaced by Jimmy DeGrasso , temporarily at first. Following the tour, however, DeGrasso replaced Menza permanently, after Mustaine claimed that Menza had "lied about having cancer". [47]
In 1998, computer game development company 3D Realms announced that they would be using two unreleased Megadeth tracks on their promotional album Duke Nukem : Music to Score By. First was a rendition of the Duke Nukem theme song "Grabbag", originally composed by Lee Jackson, and second was a Megadeth song originally recorded in 1995, "New World Order", which later appeared on the remastered edition of Hidden Treasures . [48] A demo version of this song had already featured on the 1994 Japanese edition of Hidden Treasures, but this was included on the remaster of Youthanasia instead.
Risk (1999–2000)
Following the band's first real radio success with Cryptic Writings, Megadeth opted to again work with country pop producer Dann Huff in Nashville on their eighth studio album, which began in January 1999. The writing of the album was again supervised by manager Bud Prager, credited with co-writing on five of the album's twelve songs. [49] Prager convinced Mustaine to grant producer Dan Huff more control over the recording process. "When it comes to Risk," Mustaine later wrote, "there'd been people in there playing and I wouldn't even know who they were or where the parts came from, and I'm not used to that. I was a little bit intimidated by the success we had with Cryptic Writings, so when it came to creating new material after that, it's like being "power-drunk" - you want more. After the success with "Trust", I thought to myself "wow, we've had a number one hit". We'd had four top five hits in a row, so why would I not want to give Dan even more control when it comes to the producing part on the next record? So I did, and it backfired". [50]
Released on August 31, 1999, Risk was both a critical and commercial failure, and led to a backlash from many longtime fans. [51] [52] [53] Although recent Megadeth albums had incorporated mainstream rock elements alongside a more traditional heavy metal sound, Risk was virtually devoid of metal, featuring instead dance, electronica , and disco influences. [51] Risk was Megadeth's first release since 1985 not to be certified gold or higher in the US. [42] The album's lead-off single, "Crush Em", (
sample
(help·info)
) appeared on the Universal Soldier: The Return soundtrack, temporarily as World Championship Wrestling 's entrance theme for Bill Goldberg and later became an official NHL song, played during hockey games. [52] Singles were made out of Crush 'Em , Breadline and Insomnia .
In July 1999, Megadeth recorded a cover version of the Black Sabbath song " Never Say Die ", which appeared on the second Nativity in Black tribute album. They began their world tour in support of Risk in September 1999, playing alongside Iron Maiden during the European leg. Three months into the tour, longtime guitarist Marty Friedman announced that he would be leaving the band, [7] citing musical differences. As Mustaine later explained: "I told (Marty) after Risk that we had to go back to our roots and play metal, and he quit". [54] Megadeth enlisted guitarist Al Pitrelli , formerly of Savatage , Alice Cooper , and currently of Trans-Siberian Orchestra , as Friedman's replacement in January 2000. [7]
Megadeth returned to the studio in April 2000, to begin work on their ninth studio release. However, one month into production the band was given the opportunity to join the "Maximum Rock" tour, alongside Anthrax and Mötley Crüe . Megadeth put the recording on hold, and toured North America throughout the summer of 2000. [7] Early into the tour, Anthrax dropped off the bill, allowing Megadeth to play an extended, co-headlining set.
Megadeth and Capitol Records parted ways in October 2000, after fourteen years. The label returned the band's newest recordings, and in return released a greatest hits record, Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years. The album also featured two new tracks, "Kill the King", and "Dread and the Fugitive Mind", (
) both of which showcased the band's return to their metal roots following Risk.
The World Needs a Hero (2001–2002)
In November 2000, Megadeth signed with new label Sanctuary Records . The band returned to the studio in October to put the finishing touches on their next album, which had been near completion before the band joined the "Maximum Rock" tour six months earlier. Following the overwhelming negative response to Risk, [55] Mustaine fired manager Bud Prager, and decided to self-produce Megadeth's next album. The World Needs a Hero , the first Megadeth album since Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? to be written entirely by Mustaine (with one contribution from Al Pitrelli on "Promises"), was released on May 15, 2001 to mixed reviews. [55] [56] While the album marked a return to form following the attempted mainstream rock direction featured on Risk, some critics felt the album fell short of expectations. [57] [58]
Megadeth, 2000-02 (L-R) Pitrelli, DeGrasso, Ellefson, Mustaine. Final line-up before breakup.
Mustaine himself likened the album to be the first major turn of a huge ship at sea, trying to right itself and get back on course. The album's lead off single, " Moto Psycho ", (
sample
(help·info)
) reached #22 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, [31] also receiving regular airplay on VH1 's Rock Show.
Touring in support of The World Needs a Hero began in the summer of 2001 in Europe supporting AC/DC , followed by an American tour with Iced Earth and Endo in September. The tour was cut short however, following the attacks on America on September 11 , the band were forced to cancel all scheduled dates, including a DVD shoot set in Argentina . Although they did perform one show at the Commador Ballroom in Vancouver, B.C. on September 12. Instead the band played two shows in Arizona in November, which were filmed and later released as Rude Awakening , Megadeth's first official live release. The DVD went gold on July 23, 2002. In February 2002, Mustaine remixed and remastered Megadeth's first album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! , with modern mixing and mastering techniques used on modern metal albums, and added bonus tracks. [7]
Breakup (2002–2004)
In January 2002, Mustaine was admitted to the hospital to remove a kidney stone . While undergoing treatment, he was administered pain medication, which triggered a relapse. Following his hospital stay, he immediately checked himself into a treatment center in Texas. [59] While at the treatment center, Mustaine suffered a freak injury causing severe nerve damage to his left arm. The injury, induced by falling asleep with his left arm over the back of a chair, caused compression of the radial nerve . He was diagnosed with radial neuropathy , which left him unable to grasp or even make a fist with his left hand (a condition known as Saturday Night Palsy). [60]
On April 3, 2002, Mustaine announced in a press release that he was disbanding Megadeth, officially due to his arm injury. [60] For the next four months, Mustaine underwent intense physical therapy five days a week. [59] Slowly, Mustaine began to play again, but was forced to "re-teach" his left hand.
In order to fulfill contract obligations with Sanctuary Records , Megadeth released a compilation album, Still Alive... and Well? on September 10, 2002. The first half of the album contains live tracks recorded at the Web Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona , on November 17, 2001. The second half of the album contains studio recordings taken from The World Needs a Hero.
Following nearly a year of recovery, including physical and electric shock therapy, [61] Mustaine began work on what was to be his first solo album. The new material was recorded with session musicians Vinnie Colaiuta and Jimmy Sloas in October 2003, but the project was put on hold when Mustaine agreed to remix and remaster Megadeth's eight album back catalog with Capitol Records . Mustaine re-recorded some parts that were lost over time, or altered without his knowledge in the initial mixing process.
The System Has Failed (2004–2005)
In May 2004 Mustaine returned to his newest recordings, intended as a solo effort, but due to outstanding contractual obligations with the band's European label EMI , he was forced to release one more album under the "Megadeth" name. [62] Mustaine decided to reform the band, and contacted the fan favorite "Rust in Peace line-up" to re-record backing tracks on his latest songs. While drummer Nick Menza initially signed on, Marty Friedman and David Ellefson were both unable to come to an agreement with Mustaine. [63] Menza was dismissed shortly after he began rehearsing with the band again. Mustaine states, "It just didn't work out. We tried for two weeks to get everything to happen, and it just didn't click. Five days before the tour started, I had to send him home." [64] Regarding longtime bassist Ellefson not returning to the band, Mustaine said: "David lied to me in the press, he said that my arm injury was fake, went around town and slandered me. We made him a really good offer (to rejoin the band) and he said no. I mean, if I give you an offer and you don't take it, it means no, right?" [61] The new album would be the first ever Megadeth recording not to feature Ellefson. Original lead guitarist Chris Poland (from the 'Killing is My Business' and 'Peace Sells' era) was hired by Mustaine to contribute guitar solos to the new album; the first time the two musicians had worked together since Poland's dismissal from the band in the 1980s. Poland opted to serve as a studio musician only, as he wished to remain focused on his own jazz fusion project OHM .
On September 14, 2004 Megadeth released their comeback album, The System Has Failed on Sanctuary Records in the US and EMI in Europe. Heralded as a return to form, [65] Revolver magazine gave the album four stars, calling The System Has Failed "Megadeth's most vengeful, poignant and musically complex offering since Countdown to Extinction ". [66] The album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at #18, [30] and was led by the radio single "Die Dead Enough", (
sample
(help·info)
) which reached #21 on the US Mainstream Rock charts. [31] Mustaine announced that the album would be the band's last, followed by a farewell tour, after which he would focus on a solo career.
Megadeth (June 2005) 2004-06 line-up. (l-r) Shawn Drover, MacDonough, Mustaine, Glen Drover
Megadeth began the Blackmail the Universe world tour in October 2004, enlisting touring bassist James MacDonough ( Iced Earth ), and guitarist Glen Drover ( Eidolon , King Diamond ). While in rehearsal for the tour, drummer Nick Menza parted ways with the band, as he was unable to prepare for the physical demands of a full US tour. [67] He was replaced just five days before the first show by Shawn Drover , brother to new guitarist Glen Drover, and also a member of the Canadian thrash metal band Eidolon . The band toured the US with Exodus , and later in Europe with Diamond Head and Dungeon . [7]
In June 2005, Capitol Records released a greatest hits album to replace the now out of print Capitol Punishment, entitled Greatest Hits: Back to the Start, which featured the new remixed and remastered versions of songs from the first eight albums. [7]
Gigantour (2005–2006)
James LoMenzo at Metalmania 2008 .
On October 9, 2005, following the successes of The System Has Failed and the Blackmail the Universe world tour, Mustaine announced on stage in Argentina to a sold out crowd at the Pepsi Music Rock Festival that Megadeth would continue to record and tour with the line "...And we will be back!". This concert was officially released on DVD as That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires in March 2007. The DVD went gold on July 19, 2007. The 2 CD version was released on September 4, 2007.
In February, 2006 bass player James MacDonough parted ways with the band for what MacDonough called "personal differences". [68] He was replaced by bassist James LoMenzo , who had previously worked with David Lee Roth , White Lion and Black Label Society . [7] On March 16, 2006 the new Megadeth line-up made their live debut headlining the Dubai Desert Rock festival held in the United Arab Emirates , alongside Testament and 3 Doors Down .
On March 21, 2006, Capitol Records released a two disc DVD titled Arsenal of Megadeth , which included archive footage, interviews, live shows, and many of the band's music videos. Due to licensing issues, movie soundtrack videos, as well as videos not released by Capitol Records were not included on the DVD. [7] However, the DVD still featured the songs No More Mr. Nice Guy and Go to Hell from Hidden Treasures. The DVD went gold on July 27, 2007.
Second installment of the Gigantour was launched in fall of 2006, Megadeth headlining the inaugural run with Lamb of God , Opeth , Arch Enemy , Overkill , Into Eternity , Sanctity and The SmashUp . Gigantour 2006 also continued with 3 dates in Australia, line up included Soulfly , Arch Enemy and Caliban . Performances from the Sunrise , Florida show were filmed and recorded for a live DVD and CD , both of which were released in the spring of 2008. [69]
United Abominations (2006–2009)
In May 2006 Megadeth announced their eleventh studio album, entitled United Abominations , was near completion. Originally scheduled for release by Roadrunner Records in October 2006, Mustaine announced in August 2006 that the band were "putting the finishing touches on it," and it was rescheduled for release on May 15, 2007. [70] United Abominations is the band's first studio release to feature members Glen Drover , Shawn Drover , and James Lomenzo . In March 2007 Dave Mustaine announced at the Megadeth forums that a new version of " À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free) " would be released on the album. It features a duet with Cristina Scabbia of the band Lacuna Coil , and was to be the first single from the album [71] until it was replaced by " Washington Is Next! ".
Chirs Broderick at Metalmania 2008 .
United Abominations was released on May 15, 2007. It debuted a week later at #8 in the US, the band's highest charting position since 1994's Youthanasia , and sold 54,000 copies in its first week. [72] In March 2007 Megadeth commenced a tour through Canada and the United States as an opening act for the newly-reformed Heaven and Hell , along with Down on Canadian dates and Machine Head on US dates, followed by a summer festival tour through Europe. In September 2007 Megadeth returned to the United States as the headline act on their Tour Of Duty tour, which also included the Pacific rim and the third installment of Gigantour which was launched in Australia in November 2007, line up included Static-X , Lacuna Coil , DevilDriver and Bring Me the Horizon .
On January 13, 2008, Dave Mustaine confirmed that Glen Drover had quit Megadeth to focus on his family, and was replaced by Chris Broderick (formerly of Nevermore and Jag Panzer ). The new line-up made its live debut in Finland on February 4, went on Tour Of Duty tour in Europe as the headline act and returned to UK the same month and US in the spring for Gigantour 2008. Dave Mustaine wanted a shorter lineup so each band had a good chance to put on a show. The 2008 installment of the tour featured In Flames , Children of Bodom , Job for a Cowboy , and High on Fire (and Evile for the UK and Scandinavia tour). [73] Also Megadeth did Tour Of Duty tour in South America and Mexico in May and June 2008. Commenting on leaving the band, Drover said "I am aware of the rumors that I left Megadeth to focus on family life. My family life has always been my priority. In the end, I was unhappy with the situation, which magnified me wanting to spend more time with my family and realizing that it's time for me to move on to the next chapter in my musical career, I have a lot of great memories and met a ton of great people along the way, both fans and people in the industry." [74]
Mustaine said he is happy with Drover's decision and is pleased that his replacement is Broderick. Mustaine also said "Chris is doing just fine". [75] Former Nevermore bandmate Van Williams commented that Megadeth is "getting one hell of a good player, more importantly they're getting a great guy to hang out with and a true friend." [76] Broderick said "I realize I have some big shoes to fill and I will do my best." [77] With regards to what kind of an addition Chris Broderick will be for Megadeth, Dave Mustaine in an interview said "...thoroughly thrilled with Chris... it reminds me a lot like when Ozzy found Randy Rhoads ." [78] A compilation album called Anthology: Set The World Afire was released on September 30, 2008. [79]
Endgame (2009 onward)
Dave Mustaine stated that a new studio had been built named "Vic's Garage" and that pre-production for a new album started in late September 2008, with Andy Sneap producing. [80] [81] Dave also mentioned he expected the album to be completed by September 2009, and that a new tour promoting the album was to start in March 2010, but due to difficulties with Andy Sneap's visa, the release day was pushed back. However, in February 2009, Mustaine told on The Live Line [82] that he had finished his rhythm guitar and lead vocal parts for the new album. It will be Chris Broderick 's first album with Megadeth.
Andy Sneap will also be mixing the band's forthcoming DVD titled Blood in the Water: Live in San Diego that will contain a complete concert recorded on May 20, 2008 at the Cox Arena in San Diego during Gigantour 2008; the other acts on the bill were offered a chance to be part of the DVD but declined. [83] Megadeth embarked on the "Priest Feast" European tour with headliners Judas Priest and openers Testament in February and March 2009. [84] One new song title for the album was named "1,320", the subject matter of which is drag racing. [85]
Dave Mustaine was invited by Metallica to attend their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction; Mustaine congratulated them respectfully and stated due to winding down European tour with Judas Priest he would be unable to attend the ceremony. [86] Megadeth and Slayer co-headlined Canadian Carnage, the first time they had performed together in more than 15 years. Opening acts for the four shows that occurred in late June were Machine Head and Suicide Silence . [87] As of May 19, 2009, Dave Mustaine issued the following studio update at their official site: "I'm at the studio right now, Vic's Garage, and we are done! We're just right now finishing the last couple of notes on the new record, and Andy's getting ready to pack his bags and head up to Los Angeles tomorrow to get ready to fly back home on Thursday. Man, this has been a long, grueling, enduring process but it's been so worth it, and I'm so excited. I'm more excited about this record then I've been in any record since back in the 1980s. I would say, probably since, well definitely since "Rust In Peace" there's nothing that's excited me this much - maybe "Countdown", but this is just absolutely insane." [88]
As of May 19, Megadeth has finished recording the album and on June 18, the album title was revealed to be Endgame . [89] [90] On May 26, 2009, Chris Broderick posted the following on their official website : "As for the CD, I can’t believe the way the whole thing came together. It has a unique and original sound that I don’t think could have come together with any other group of people. From Dave’s snarling vocals, to James’ huge bass sound and Shawn’s dead accurate drumming it is just relentless, and with Andy producing, it focused the sound and direction of the CD. I feel lucky to be a part of it, for one thing it definitely did, was make me expand and play in different styles. I can’t wait for the release, and I hope all of you find something in it you like." [91] On May 27, 2009, Dave Mustaine confirmed all 12 songs are complete and they are currently mixing and mastering the record. [92]
As mentioned by Dave Mustaine on the syndicated radio show Infowars, the name of the album " Endgame " is an homage to the Alex Jones documentary of the same name: [93] - "Endgame".
As of June 5, 2009, Megadeth is confirmed to headline the Big Rock Stage at this year's Japan Loud Park festival, set to take place October 17–18 at Makuhari Messe, a convention center in Japan located in the western region of Chiba Prefecture, close to Tokyo. Other bands performing at the two-day festival include Slayer , Rob Zombie , Anthrax, Arch Enemy , and Children of Bodom with Judas Priest closing the festival. [94]
On July 7, Megadeth released their first single " Head Crusher " for download on Roadrunner Records ' website. The download was available for only 24 hours, beginning at 11 AM EDT.
On August 15, Megadeth released another song, "1,320", for download on Roadrunner Records ' site.
The release date for the " Endgame " album was announced on the Megadeth official website as September 15, 2009, and Metal Hammer Magazine's website were the first to review the album track by track. [95] The entire album was put up for streaming on the 10th of September on Myspace . [96]
Megadeth began its Endgame tour on November 14, in Grand Rapids, Michigan and ended on December 13, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Tour featured Machine Head , Suicide Silence , Warbringer , and Arcanium .
Later this month, Megadeth is set to embark on the "American Carnage" tour with Slayer and Testament , both giants of the thrash and heavy metal scene. The tour was scheduled to begin on January 18 but the tour is cancelled until late spring or in the summer due to Tom Araya's back surgery. [97]
Megadeth's " Head Crusher " is nominated for a 2010 Grammy. [98]
Megadeth has also confirmed a "Big Four Tour" (with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax). This will be the first time that all four thrash metal giants have played together. [99]
Megadeth has announced a "Rust in Peace 20th Anniversary Tour" on March 1. It will be a month-long North American tour with support from Testament and Exodus . During the tour, Megadeth will play Rust In Peace in its entirety and Testament will play The Legacy in its entirety. [100]
Megadeth has confirmed an "American Carnage" North American Tour in 2010. Tour will include artists Slayer and Testament . The tour will kick off in Quebec City, QC Canada on July 23, 2010 and will continue to the beginning of September of 2010. [101]
As of February 8, 2010, original bassist David Ellefson rejoined Megadeth after 8 years. He states in an interview for Classic Rock that Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover contacted him and had said that bassist James Lomenzo was declining and had told him that "if ever there was a time for you and Dave to talk, now is it." [102]
Lyrical themes
As Megadeth's primary lyricist, Mustaine is known for his often controversial, political, and more recently, personal lyrics. [65] War and nuclear war are common topics, including the military-industrial complex ("Architecture of Aggression", " Hangar 18 ", "Return to Hangar" "Take No Prisoners"), and the aftermath of war ("Dawn Patrol" "Ashes In Your Mouth"). The name Megadeth is a deliberate misspelling of the word megadeath , a term coined in 1953 by RAND military strategist Herman Kahn to describe one million deaths, popularized in his 1960 book On Thermonuclear War. [103] Politics are also a common theme to many Megadeth songs, [39] [65] such as Mustaine's scathing assessment of Tipper Gore , the PMRC , and music censorship in the song "Hook In Mouth". [104] Mustaine takes an environmentalist stance in "Countdown to Extinction" and "Dawn Patrol", [105] and shuns dictators in songs like "Symphony of Destruction". The UN is criticized for its ineffectiveness in "United Abominations". Mustaine's general cynicism regarding politics shines through on tracks like "Peace Sells", [11] "The World Needs A Hero" and "Blackmail the Universe". [65]
Controversial and misunderstood lyrics have also caused problems for the band, as the music video for " In My Darkest Hour " was banned from MTV in 1988 when the music channel deemed the song to be pro- suicide . [17] The music video for " À Tout le Monde " was later banned by MTV, again wrongly interpreted as being pro-suicide, when in fact it was written from the perspective of a dying man, saying his last words to his loved ones. [36]
Addiction is also a common theme, as in "Use the Man", "Burnt Ice", and "Addicted to Chaos", about a former substance abuse counselor who died of a drug overdose . [41] Recently, some lyrics have taken on religious themes, such as " Never Walk Alone... A Call to Arms ", which supposedly is about Mustaine's relationship with God, and "Shadow of Deth", with spoken lyrics taken directly from Psalm 23 of the King James Bible . "My Kingdom" and "Of Mice And Men" also feature Christian lyrics.
Controversy
For more details on this topic, see Dave Mustaine feuds and rivalries .
Dave Mustaine is notorious for making inflammatory statements in the press, [54] usually regarding feuds and problems with former bandmates and other bands, including Slayer and Metallica . Perhaps most well known is his long standing feud with Metallica members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich , stemming from his ejection from the band, and the method in which it was conducted, as well as disagreements on songwriting credits. [34]
In April 1988, at a concert in Antrim , Northern Ireland , Mustaine "unknowingly" dedicated the final song to the IRA . [106] [107] Before the final song, " Anarchy in the UK ", Mustaine said, "This one's for The Cause!". A fight amongst the audience ensued, as Protestants took offense and, according to Mustaine, the band had to travel in a "bulletproof bus" for the remainder of the tour of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Mustaine later alleged that he had been misled as to the meaning of the expression "the cause" by T-Shirt bootleggers outside the venue where they were performing. This incident served as inspiration for one of Megadeth's most well-known songs, " Holy Wars... The Punishment Due ".
In July 2004, former bassist David Ellefson sued Mustaine for $18.5 million in Manhattan Federal Court . Ellefson alleged that Mustaine short changed him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth over to him when the band broke up in 2002. [108] Ellefson also accused Mustaine of locking him out of merchandise and publishing royalties. The suit was dismissed in 2005, [109] and Mustaine filed a countersuit, which was later settled out of court.
Also sparking minor controversy was Mustaine's announcement that Megadeth will not play certain songs live anymore, due to Mustaine's new identification as a Christian . [110] [111] In recent years Dave Mustaine has become a Born again Christian. In May 2005 Mustaine also allegedly threatened to cancel shows in Greece and Israel with extreme metal bands Rotting Christ and Dissection , due to the bands' perceived anti-Christian beliefs, which in turn caused the two bands to cancel their appearances. [112]
Legacy
With over 25 million albums sold worldwide, [1] ten top 40 albums (including 5 top 10 albums), [30] 18 top 40 Mainstream Rock singles, [31] and eight Grammy nominations, [27] Megadeth remains one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time. [113] Of the "Big Four" thrash metal bands (Megadeth, Metallica , Anthrax , and Slayer ), Megadeth is second only to Metallica in sales and commercial success.
As an early pioneer of thrash metal , Megadeth helped pave the way for the burgeoning extreme metal movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and is often cited as an influence by later metal acts, including Pantera , Arch Enemy , Lamb of God , [114] and In Flames . [115]
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? is considered a landmark in the history of thrash metal , with Allmusic calling the album "One of the most influential metal albums of its decade, and certainly one of the few truly definitive thrash albums," as well as "one of the best beginning-to-end metal albums ever". [12] In May 2006 VH1 ranked "Peace Sells" #11 on the 40 Greatest Metal Songs of all time countdown. [13] In addition to this, Rust In Peace was named the 3rd greatest thrash metal album of all time by Metal Hammer magazine. "Peace Sells...But Who's buying?" was placed 11th. In 2004, Guitar World magazine ranked Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman together at #19 on the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time. [116] Megadeth are also ranked 69th on "VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list. [117]
Awards and nominations
Won
Popular culture
Megadeth has been mentioned in many films and television shows , including The Simpsons when they displayed the "diepod" and the options were instant death, slow-painful death & "Megadeth", Northern Exposure when the character Shelly Tambo proclaims that somebody's wound "Looks like a Megadeth album cover", Mad About You , The Drew Carey Show (Dave Mustaine performs a solo in a scene), The X Files (Mulder mentions Megadeth to Scully), and Duck Dodgers , where the band made an appearance (in cartoon form) on the 2005 episode In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Rock with the song Back in The Day. [124]
Perhaps the earliest Megadeth reference occurred in the 1988 Oliver Stone film Talk Radio in a famous scene where Michael Wincott , playing a heavy metal stoner, sings the chorus to "Peace Sells" to an exasperated Eric Bogosian after ranting anarchically about the downfall of society. Another early movie that featured Megadeth was the 1988 film "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years" by Penelope Spheeris . This humorous documentary was mainly about the negative effects of mainstream "hair-metal" bands on western culture. However, Megadeth was included in the film to represent a new revolution in metal music. The film also features the band performing "In My Darkest Hour".
Megadeth is mentioned in the film Wayne's World 2 , Honey Hornee ( Kim Basinger ) asks Garth ( Dana Carvey ) "Don't you just love music?" to which Garth replies "Got any Megadeth?". Stephen Frears ' 1996 film "The Van" (based on the Irish novel by Roddy Doyle ), starring Colm Meaney and Donal O'Kelly, includes a clip where the two "fish & chips van" owners wait outside a Megadeth concert selling fast food to metalheads. The band is mentioned in the 1991 film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey , when the two are in Hell , Bill ( Alex Winter ) says "Ted ( Keanu Reeves ), you know, if I die, you can have my Megadeth collection". [125] In School of Rock, Jack Black's former band is named "MaggotDeth" in reference to Megadeth. In the 1993 movie Airborne , when the main character walks into Wiley's ( Seth Green ) room, you see a large poster of Countdown to Extinction album cover. [126] In the 2007 New Zealand film "Eagle vs Shark" [127] featuring Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords, [128] a family member of the lead character can be seen in almost every scene wearing a different Megadeth t-shirt. In the 1991 movie Cape Fear Danielle has a poster of the Rust In Peace album cover on her wall. [129]
Megadeth is featured on the soundtracks Shocker , Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey , Last Action Hero , Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight , Super Mario Bros. , Universal Soldier: The Return, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and Land of the Lost , and the band's music has also appeared in video games , in Duke Nukem II basing the "He's Back" song in Level 1 and a few other "jail" levels, along with the "Squeak" song from Level 5 and several other "factory" levels, on Megadeth's songs "Angry Again" and "Skin O' My Teeth," respectively. One being the Ultimate Fighting Championship . Peace Sells is featured on the radio station V-Rock in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as well as in the 2003 video game True Crime: Streets of LA, and also in NHL 10 . A cover version of "Symphony of Destruction" appears in the PlayStation 2 video games Guitar Hero and WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 , as well as Flatout 2 . A cover version of " Hangar 18 " appears in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 video game Guitar Hero II . [124] The video game NFL Street 3 features a remix of Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction during gameplay. Megadeth's song Peace Sells is on Rock Band 2 in addition to the rest of the album Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? as well as the entire album " Rust in Peace ". The song Sleepwalker was added to the Rock Band series as a downloadable song. The song "Gears of War" appears on the game Gears of War as an instrumental. The songs "High Speed Dirt" and " Tornado of Souls " appear on the in-game soundtrack to Brütal Legend .
Members
For more details on this topic, see List of Megadeth band members .
Current line-up
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band led by Dave Mustaine.
Famous quotes from songs
"If there’s a new way / I’ll be the first in line. / But, it better work this time." - Peace Sells ( Peace Sells...but Who's Buying? )
"As I climb onto your back, I will promise not to sting / I will tell you what you want to hear and not mean anything / Then I treat you like a dog, as I shoot my venom in / You pretend you didn't know, that I am a scorpion" - The Scorpion
"A Tout Le Monde / A tout mes amis / Je vous aime / Je dois partir" - A Tout Le Monde (Is French for: "To all the world (to everyone), / To all my friends, / I love you (all), / I must leave.") ( Youthanasia )
"Set the ball a-rollin, / I'll be clicking off the miles, / On the train of consequences / My boxcar life o' style, / My thinking is derailed, / I'm tied up to the tracks, / The train of consequences / There ain't no turning back!" - Train Of Consequences ( Youthanasia )
"Living alone, falling from grace / I want to be alone but there’s just empty space / I can’t face tomorrow, now you’re not coming back / Walked off in the night and just left me the tracks" - Almost Honest ( Cryptic Writings )
"Down another glass of courage, and a shot of thorazine" - 99 Ways to Die ( Hidden Treasures )
"If I know I'm going crazy, I must not be insane" - Mary Jane ( So Far, So Good...So What! )
"Brother will Kill Brother, spilling Blood across the Land / Killing for Religion, Something I don't Understand" - Holy Wars...The Punishment Due ( Rust in Peace )
"A dose of metal you need / to bang your head 'till you bleed / It's time for snapping some neck / Slashing, thrashing to Megadeth." - Rattlehead ( Killing is my Business...and Business is Good! )
"What do you mean, "I ain't kind enough?" / I'm just not your kind..." - Peace Sells ( Peace Sells...but Who's Buying? )
"What do you mean, "I hurt your feelings"? / I didn't know you had any feelings." - Peace Sells ( Peace Sells...but Who's Buying? )
"Next thing you know they'll take my thoughts away" - Holy Wars..The Punishment Due ( Rust in Peace )
"Disengage their minds, Sabotage their health / Promote Sex and war and violence in the kindergardens / Blame the parents and teachers .. Its their fault" - Washington is Next! ( United Abominations )
"How can there be any logic in biological war?" - Washington is Next! ( United Abominations )
"You may bury the bodies, But you cant bury the crimes / Only fools stand up and really lay down their arms / No not me, not when death lasts forever" - United Abominations ( United Abominations )
"Loneliness is not only felt by fools" - In My Darkest Hour ( So Far, So Good...So What! )
"Military intelligence; two words combined that can't make sense." - Hangar 18 ( Rust in Peace )
"Peace sells but who's buying?" - Peace Sells ( Peace Sells...but Who's Buying? )
"The U.N. is right, you can't be anymore 'un' / than you are right now, the U.N. is undone. / Another mushroom cloud, another smoking gun / The threat is real, the locust king has come. - United Abominations ( United Abominations )
"Revelation has come to pass / new world order will hold the mass" - New World Order ( Youthanasia )
"This is our way of life / A life that was born free / To follow orders how to live / Was never meant to be" - Back in the Day ( The System has Failed )
"Metal's king back then / And still is to this day / Others imitate or challenge / But it never goes away" - Back in the Day ( The System has Failed )
"And when you kill a man, you're a murderer. Kill many, and you're a conqueror. Kill them all, you're a god." - Captive Honor ( Countdown to Extinction )
"Did you ever think i get lonely? did you ever think that i needed love? did you ever think? stop thinking! You're the only one that i'm thinking of..."- In My Darkest Hour (' So Far, So Good...So What! )
External links
| i don't know |
In Greek mythology, who was the mother of the Cretan king, Minos? | Minos | Greek mythology | Britannica.com
Greek mythology
Horus
Minos, legendary ruler of Crete; he was the son of Zeus , the king of the gods, and of Europa , a Phoenician princess and personification of the continent of Europe. Minos obtained the Cretan throne by the aid of the Greek god Poseidon, and from Knossos (or Gortyn) he gained control over the Aegean islands , colonizing many of them and ridding the sea of pirates. He married Pasiphae, the daughter of Helios, who bore him, among others, Androgeos, Ariadne , and Phaedra, and who was also the mother of the Minotaur .
Minos successfully warred against Athens and Megara to obtain redress after his son Androgeos was killed by the Athenians. In Athenian drama and legend Minos became the tyrannical exactor of the tribute of children to feed the Minotaur. Having pursued Daedalus to Sicily, Minos was killed by the daughters of King Cocalus, who poured boiling water over him as he was taking a bath. After his death he became a judge in Hades.
Although Athens preserved a hostile tradition, the general account shows Minos as a powerful, just ruler, very closely associated with religion and ritual. In light of excavations in Crete , many scholars consider that Minos was a royal or dynastic title for the priestly rulers of Bronze Age , or Minoan, Knossos.
Frescoed throne room, palace of King Minos at Knossos, Crete, c. 1700–1400 bc.
Bernard G. Silberstein—Rapho/Photo Researchers
Learn More in these related articles:
| Europa |
The Pont d'Arc is a massive natural stone arch spanning which river that gives its name to a French department? | Minos | Article about Minos by The Free Dictionary
Minos | Article about Minos by The Free Dictionary
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Minos
Related to Minos: dominos , Aeacus , Æacus
Minos
(mī`nŏs, –nəs), in Greek mythology, king of Crete, son of Zeus Zeus
, in Greek religion and mythology, son and successor of Kronos as supreme god. His mother, Rhea, immediately after his birth concealed him from Kronos, who, because he was fated to be overthrown by one of his children, ate all his offspring.
..... Click the link for more information. and Europa Europa
, in Greek mythology, daughter of Agenor and Telephassa. Zeus, enamored of her, appeared as a white bull, enticed her to climb on his back, and swam off with her to Crete. There she bore him Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon.
..... Click the link for more information. . He was the husband of Pasiphaë, who bore him Androgeus, Glaucus, Ariadne Ariadne
, in Greek mythology, Cretan princess, daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë. She loved Theseus, and gave him the skein of thread that enabled him to make his way out of the labyrinth after killing the Minotaur.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Phaedra Phaedra
, in Greek mythology, daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë. She was the wife of Theseus. When her stepson, Hippolytus, rejected her love, she accused him of raping her and hanged herself.
..... Click the link for more information. . Because Minos failed to sacrifice a beautiful white bull to Poseidon, the god caused Pasiphaë to conceive a lustful passion for the animal, by whom she bore the Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. The craftsman Daedalus Daedalus
, in Greek mythology, craftsman and inventor. After killing his apprentice Talos in envy, he fled from Greece to Crete. There, he arranged the liaison between Pasiphaë and the Cretan Bull that resulted in the Minotaur.
..... Click the link for more information. constructed the labyrinth in which the monster was confined. When King Aegeus of Athens killed Androgeus, Minos vengefully forced Athens to pay him an annual tribute of seven youths and seven maidens. These he shut up inside the labyrinth, where they either starved or were devoured. Finally Theseus Theseus
, in Greek mythology, hero of Athens; son of either King Aegeus or Poseidon. Before Aegeus left Troezen he placed his sword and sandals beneath a huge rock and told his wife Aethra that when their son, Theseus, could lift the rock he was to bring the gifts to his kingdom
..... Click the link for more information. joined a group of the victims and killed the Minotaur. Minos became the most prosperous king of the Mediterranean area, renowned as much for his justness as his power. Along with Aeacus Aeacus
, in Greek mythology, son of Zeus and the nymph Aegina. He was the father of Peleus and Telamon. After a plague had nearly wiped out the inhabitants of his land, Zeus rewarded the pious Aeacus by changing a swarm of ants to men (known as Myrmidons).
..... Click the link for more information. and Rhadamanthus Rhadamanthus
, in Greek mythology, son of Zeus and Europa. Renowned for his justice on earth, the gods made him one of the judges of the dead.
..... Click the link for more information. , he became one of the three judges of Hades. Minos was presumably the name or title of an ancient Cretan king. The Minoan civilization Minoan civilization
, ancient Cretan culture representing a stage in the development of the Aegean civilization. It was named for the legendary King Minos of Crete by Sir Arthur Evans, the English archaeologist who conducted excavations there in the early 20th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. is named for him.
Minos
| i don't know |
Julius Caesar claimed descent from which mythical hero? | Aeneas | Roman mythology | Britannica.com
Roman mythology
Ascanius
Aeneas, mythical hero of Troy and Rome , son of the goddess Aphrodite and Anchises . Aeneas was a member of the royal line at Troy and cousin of Hector . He played a prominent part in defending his city against the Greeks during the Trojan War , being second only to Hector in ability. Homer implies that Aeneas did not like his subordinate position, and from that suggestion arose a later tradition that Aeneas helped to betray Troy to the Greeks. The more common version, however, made Aeneas the leader of the Trojan survivors after Troy was taken by the Greeks. In any case, Aeneas survived the war, and his figure was thus available to compilers of Roman myth .
Dido and Aeneas, oil on canvas by Rutilio Manetti, c. 1630; in …
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, anonymous gift in honor of The Ahmanson Foundation (M.81.199), www.lacma.org
The association of Homeric heroes with Italy and Sicily goes back to the 8th century bce—when Homer’s epic poems likely became written texts—and the Greek colonies founded there in that and the next century frequently claimed descent from leaders in the Trojan War. Legend connected Aeneas, too, with certain places and families, especially in the region of Latium . As Rome expanded over Italy and the Mediterranean, its patriotic writers began to construct a mythical tradition that would at once dignify their land with antiquity and satisfy a latent dislike of Greek cultural superiority. The fact that Aeneas, as a Trojan, represented an enemy of the Greeks and that tradition left him free after the war made him peculiarly fit for the part assigned him—i.e., the founding of Roman greatness.
It was Virgil who, during the 1st century bce, gave the various strands of legend related to Aeneas the form they have possessed ever since. The family of Julius Caesar , and consequently of Virgil’s patron Augustus , claimed descent from Aeneas, whose son Ascanius was also called Iulus. Incorporating these different traditions, Virgil created his masterpiece, the Aeneid , the Latin epic poem whose hero symbolized not only the course and aim of Roman history but also the career and policy of Augustus himself. In the journeying of Aeneas from Troy westward to Sicily, Carthage, and finally to the mouth of the Tiber in Italy, Virgil portrayed the qualities of persistence, self-denial, and obedience to the gods that, to the poet, built Rome.
The Arrival of Aeneas in Carthage, oil on paper on canvas by …
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Ciechanowiecki Collection, Gift of The Ahmanson Foundation (M.2000.179.23), www.lacma.org
Similar Topics
Athena
The Aeneid (written c. 29–19 bce) tells in 12 books of the legendary foundation of Lavinium (parent town of Alba Longa and of Rome) by Aeneas. When Troy fell to the Greeks, Virgil recounts, Aeneas, who had fought bravely to the last, was commanded by Hector in a vision to flee and to found a great city overseas. Aeneas gathered his family and followers and took the household gods (small images) of Troy, but, in the confusion of leaving the burning city, his wife disappeared. Her ghost informed him that he was to go to a western land where the Tiber River flowed. He then embarked upon his long voyage, touching at Thrace, Crete, and Sicily and meeting with numerous adventures that culminated in shipwreck on the coast of Africa near Carthage. There he was received by Dido , the widowed queen, to whom he told his story. They fell in love, and he lingered there until he was sharply reminded by Mercury that Rome was his goal. Guilty and wretched, he immediately abandoned Dido, who committed suicide, and Aeneas sailed on until he finally reached the mouth of the Tiber. There he was well received by Latinus , the king of the region, but other Italians, notably Latinus’s wife and Turnus , leader of the Rutuli, resented the arrival of the Trojans and the projected marriage alliance between Aeneas and Lavinia, Latinus’s daughter. War broke out, but the Trojans were successful and Turnus was killed. Aeneas then married Lavinia and founded Lavinium.
Britannica Stories
| Aeneas |
Which actor spoke the only word in Mel Brooks' 1976 comedy film 'Silent Movie'? | LXIII Tydeus Parthenopaeus and Adrastus were three of the - HISTORY - 001
View Full Document
LXIII. Tydeus, Parthenopaeus, and Adrastus were three of the seven heroes who fought against Thebes. The other names are taken from the _Iliad_. LXXVII. The two sons of Aloeus were Otus and Ephialtes, who threatened to assail the Immortals by piling Pelion on Ossa and Ossa on Olympus. Salmoneus of Elis was punished for having presumptuously claimed divine honours. LXXX. Ixion was king of the Lapithae, and being taken to heaven by Jupiter, made love to Juno, for which he was eternally punished. Pirithous was his son, and was guilty of having, with Theseus, attempted to carry off Proserpine. XCIII. _Lethe_ was the river of forgetfulness, and those who drank of it forgot their former life and were ready for a new one. C.-CI. The kings mentioned in these two stanzas are the earliest mythical rulers of Alba Longa. Numitor was the father of Rhea Silvia (Ilia), the mother of Romulus and Remus. CV. The Emperor Augustus was the nephew and adopted son of C. Julius Caesar, who claimed to trace his descent back to Iulus, and so through Aeneas to Venus herself. CVIII. The first king referred to is Numa Pompilius, who was a Sabine born at Cures. Tullus and Ancus were the third and fourth kings of Rome. They can none of them be considered historical figures. CIX. This Brutus expelled Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome. His sons tried to restore the monarchy and he ordered them to be executed. 289
This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version.
View Full Document
CX. The Decii, father and son, both died in battle, and the family of the Drusi had many distinguished members. Manlius Torquatus was celebrated for killing his son for disobeying orders. Camillus was the great Roman hero of the fourth century B.C. He was five times dictator and saved Rome from the Gauls. CXI. Virgil is referring to Caesar and Pompey. CXII. L. Mummius captured Corinth, and so ended the war with Greece, in 146 B.C., and is clearly referred to here. By 'the man who lofty Argos shall o'erthrow,' Virgil probably means Aemilius Paullus, who won the battle of Pydna in 168 B.C. against a king of Macedonia who called himself a descendant of Achilles. CXIII. Cato was the famous censor of 184 B.C. who vainly tried to check the growth of luxury at Rome. Cossus killed the king of Veii in 426 B.C. The two Gracchi were great political reformers. The elder Scipio defeated Hannibal at Zama in 202 B.C., and his son took Carthage in 146 B.C. Fabricius was the general who fought against Pyrrhus, when the latter invaded Italy in 281-75 B.C. Serranus was a general in the first Punic war. The Fabii of renown are so many that Anchises only mentions the most famous of them, Q. Fabius Maximus Cunctator, the general against Hannibal. CXV. Marcus Marcellus was a Roman general in the first Punic war. CXVI. Marcellus was the son of the Emperor's sister Octavia, and at the age of 18 he married Augustus' daughter Julia. He was a youth of great promise, and was destined to succeed his father-in-law, but he died of fever at the age of 20 in 23 B.C., amidst universal grief.
This is the end of the preview. Sign up to access the rest of the document.
TERM
| i don't know |
Which English city lies between the mouths of the rivers Test and Itchen? | 8 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Southampton | PlanetWare
8 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Southampton
Written by Bryan Dearsley
The port of Southampton lies on a peninsula between the mouths of the Rivers Test and Itchen and boasts one of the world's best natural harbors. Until the 1930s, it was England's largest port dealing in trans-Atlantic passenger travel, and giant liners like the Queen Mary were built in local shipyards while hundreds of thousands of emigrants departed the country on ships sailing from here, including the Titanic.
While much of the city suffered during WWII, it has preserved a number of old buildings, including parts of the medieval town walls and two Tudor houses with their characteristic black and white half-timbering. There are excellent shopping facilities both in and around the city, and it's a good base for visits to the New Forest and the Isle of Wight. It's also home to many great cultural events, including the annual Southampton International Film Festival.
City Walls
Share:
The best views of Southampton's 14th century medieval walls - the third longest unbroken stretch of city wall in Britain - are obtained from the Western Esplanade, also the site of Wind Whistle Tower. The only remaining medieval church in Southampton is St Michael's on Castle Way. Dating from 1070, the church contains Norman relics and a font made of Tournai marble. Follow the walls south to Mayflower Park, which lies opposite the Mayflower Memorial to the Pilgrim Fathers, and Wool House, a 14th century warehouse.
Also nearby is the God's House Tower on Winkle Street, a 12th century hospital dedicated to St Julian. Guided walking tours of the old walls and medieval vaults are available.
Location: Bargate, Southampton
2 Tudor House and Garden
Tudor House and Garden
Share:
The magnificent Tudor house in St Michael's Square was built in the late 15th century for a wealthy merchant family. Now a museum, it displays exhibits from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, as well as periodic exhibitions encompassing over 900 years of local history. Visitors can use free audio guides while enjoying the reconstructed kitchens and numerous artifacts, including Georgian and Victorian jewelry, and archaeological finds from the medieval and Tudor periods.
Another classic old home to visit is Medieval Merchant's House in French Street, a 13th century townhouse filled with period furniture and wall hangings.
Location: St Michael's Square, Southampton
SeaCity Museum
Share:
SeaCity Museum tells the story of the people of Southampton and their connection to Britain's rich maritime history, including the stories of those who departed from (or arrived in) the port over the centuries and Southampton's Titanic Story.
The 1930s art deco Civic Centre that houses this fascinating museum is also home to the city's Art Gallery with its interesting selection of old masters and English artists from 1750 to the present, as well as a valuable collection of ceramics.
Location: Havelock Rd, Southampton
Ocean Village Henry Burrows
Share:
East of Southampton's old town, Princess Alexandra Dock has been transformed into a modern leisure and shopping center. Smart yachts are moored in the harbor in front of Canute's Pavilion with its designer boutiques, gourmet restaurants, cinemas (including one for art-house and foreign-language films), boat trips, sailing facilities, and great views of the cruise ships moored in the Eastern Docks.
Location: Ocean Village, Southampton
SS Shieldhall Les Chatfield
Share:
SS Shieldhall is a heritage steamship and part of Britain's National Historic Fleet. The largest surviving working steamship of her type in Europe, this historic vessel - built in 1954 as one of the Clyde sludge boats - has been fully restored and provides a working example of the machinery typical of the great ships that plied the world's oceans between the 1870s and 1960s.
In addition to educational and sightseeing outings, the ship regularly appears in the Southampton Maritime Festival, a two-day heritage event that brings together a host of activities, displays, and attractions, including historic vessels, vehicles and fly-overs by vintage aircraft.
Address: 11 Avonborne Way, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh
Solent Sky Museum Antony ***
Share:
The Solent Sky Museum uses a fantastic collection of models and photographs, as well as 18 magnificent flying machines, to tell the story of Southampton's aviation heritage. The region is famous for its experimental and development work between 1908 and the late 1960s, the most famous being the Spitfire. Showpieces of the exhibition are the huge Sandringham flying boat, and the Supermarine racing seaplane (the predecessor of the Spitfire) that won the Schneider Trophy in the early 1930s.
Location: Albert Rd South, Royal Crescent, Southampton
Old Town
Share:
Just to the south of the city center, Southampton's Old Town has many unique locations associated with famous residents and visitors including William the Conqueror, Henry V, William Shakespeare, the Pilgrim Fathers, Isaac Watts and Jane Austen.
Originally built as the main gateway to the medieval city, 800 year old Bargate marks the entrance to the Old Town. Numerous plaques have been laid from Bargate down to the waterside to commemorate key events from the early Roman settlement to the opening of the National Oceanography Centre.
Location: Bargate, Southampton
Titanic Trail
Share:
The Titanic departed Southampton on her doomed maiden voyage to New York , and numerous sites around the city are associated with the vessel. One of the best ways to learn about the city's connections to the vessel is through the informative Titanic Trail (maps are available from the Discover Southampton website, below).
Along the way, you'll visit the remarkable Titanic Engineers' Memorial in East Park, a beautiful bronze and granite memorial unveiled in front of a crowd of 100,000 Southampton residents in April 1914 (none of the ship's 35 engineers survived). Nearby is the Titanic Musician's Memorial dedicated to the ships musicians.
Official site: www.discoversouthampton.co.uk/visit/things-to-do/walks-and-tours
Where to Stay in Southampton for Sightseeing
In Southampton, most of the top attractions are scattered around the city, including the Tudor House and Garden, the old city walls, the SeaCity Museum, and the Titanic Trail. For easy access to all these attractions as well as the port, the center of town makes a great base - especially for first-time visitors. Visitors traveling to the city to board a cruise ship often stay near the southern end of town for easy access to the terminals. Here are some highly-rated hotels in these convenient locations:
Luxury Hotels: Sleek, bright, and modern, the pet-friendly Novotel Southampton has a fitness center and indoor swimming pool. It's near the West Quay Shopping Centre and an easy five-minute drive from the cruise ship terminals. Also handy to the port and less than five minutes on foot to the Tudor House and Garden, Grand Harbour Hotel has a triangular-shaped glass facade and an inviting indoor pool. Some rooms have sea views. The Mercure Southampton Centre Dolphin , in a heritage-listed Georgian building, blends original architectural features with modern decor, steps away from the old city walls and the Tudor House and Garden.
Mid-Range Hotels: Handy to the cruise ship terminals, Holiday Inn Southampton , with a pool and sea views, is at the top end of the mid-range options, while The Blue Keys , north of the city center, is popular for its great-value rates and friendly staff. In the heart of the city, Premier Inn Southampton West Quay Hotel offers modern comforts near a popular shopping mall, a short hop from the Tudor House and Garden.
Budget Hotels: The pet-friendly Ibis Southampton Centre offers clean, basic rooms in a convenient location near the West Quay Shopping Centre and Southampton Central Station. Less than two kilometers from the city center, the homey Elizabeth House Hotel has free parking and a bistro-style restaurant, while The Regent Guest House , slightly farther from town, is a B&B with warm, welcoming staff.
Surroundings
| Southampton |
Which North Sea oil production platform was destroyed by fire after an explosion in July 1988? | Southampton Water [108 photos] in SU4407 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland
Southampton Water
:: Shared Description
Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight. Geographically, it is classified as a ria, or drowned valley, of the English Channel. It was formed by the rivers Test, Itchen and Hamble which flow into it, and became an inlet of the sea at the end of the last ice age when sea levels rose, flooding many valleys in the south of England.
The city of Southampton lies the most northerly point of Southampton Water. Its emergence as a major port, and particularly as a port handling very large vessels, depended partly on certain geographical features of Southampton Water. Its depth, even in its undeveloped state, was generous; this depth of water has been increased over the years with comparative ease since the soft silt of the river-bed allows for easy dredging. An additional factor is the phenomenon of the "double tide", which results in unusually prolonged periods of high water. This greatly facilitates the movements of very large ships.
Together with the Solent, Southampton Water is world-renowned for yachting.
Find nearby images mentioning the words [ Southampton Water ] | ( in ther Browser )
These Shared Descriptions are common to multiple images. For example, you can create a generic description for an object shown in a photo, and reuse the description on all photos of the object. All descriptions are public and shared between contributors, i.e. you can reuse a description created by others, just as they can use yours.
Created: Sat, 23 Jul 2016, Updated: Sat, 23 Jul 2016
The 'Shared Description' text on this page is Copyright 2016 David Dixon , however it is specifically licensed so that contributors can reuse it on their own images without restriction.
| i don't know |
In which American state is the Daytona motor racing circuit found? | NVSAAC - Missing Daytona Coupe
Nevada Shelby American Automobile Club
NVSAAC
Missing Daytona Coupe Found!
In case you haven't heard, the missing Daytona Coupe was recently discovered in Southern California. As far as Shelby cars and history, this is unquestionably the most significant discovery ever. The car appears to be completely intact and untouched for over 20 years!
This Coupe (CSX2287) was the prototype car and the only Coupe constructed in the USA. The other 5 Coupes were shipped to Italy where the bodies were built by hand and installed on modified 289 roadster chassis. CSX2287 was raced many times in Europe as a Shelby team car during the 1964 and 1965 seasons. In its final competition appearance it set several land speed records at Bonneville Salt Flats with Craig Breedlove behind the wheel.
After changing hands a few times, CSX2287 landed in the custody of a reclusive woman in the mid-1970's. At that point the woman and the Coupe vanished and became the object of many futile searches by Shelby fanatics......until now.
Scott Hirose
Legend of the Cobra Car Takes a Twist Into Legal Quagmire
A Philadelphia collector owns the $4-million vehicle.
Racing buffs and others want it.
A court will settle whether it was legally sold.
By SCOTT MARTELLE, Times Staff Writer
About the only fact the friends and relatives of Donna O'Hara can agree
upon is that she's dead. And that a dented blue Cobra Daytona Coupe race car
the Sears employee had hidden away for nearly three decades is worth a lot
more than it looks. Somewhere around $4 million, in fact.
But that's where the agreements end. And the squabbling begins.
In the five months since O'Hara, 56, burned herself to death on a
Fullerton horse trail, her friends and relatives have become embroiled in a
lawsuit over rival claims to the rare 1964 race car once owned by reclusive
music producer Phil Spector.
The dispute includes allegations of a stolen document and lies told, of
duplicity and a secret sale in February that sent the car to a private
collection in Philadelphia--a distressing development for a nationwide
circle of car buffs and high-end collectors, enthralled by the discovery of
a machine long believed lost.
"The car's been missing for 30 years," said Lynn Park, a Cobra
collector from La Canada, who once tried to find the car, known to
collectors as the CSX2287. "A lot of people have tried and it was still
missing. When it surfaced, it was quite something."
The story of the missing Cobra, and of the legal fight that has erupted
in the wake of O'Hara's suicide, has more twists and turns than a Grand Prix
race course, its arcane details hard to follow and at times hard to believe.
Even for the judge.
"I am going to challenge all of you and ask if you are not making this
up," Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Gray told an array of
lawyers who filed into his courtroom March 6 for a hearing on an injunction
over the sale of the car. "This smells from many standpoints."
Few of those involved in the case will talk, leaving the debate to
their lawyers, who along with court records tell a tale that alternates
between misguided naivete and willful skulduggery.
And it all begins, innocently enough, with Carroll Shelby, a
larger-than-life Texan now living in Bel Air, who built the CSX2287 as the
first of six racing coupes that won him a world racing title in 1965.
Shelby himself once tried to buy the car back from O'Hara, but had no
better luck than any of the others in persuading her to part with it, let
alone admit she had it.
"It's a very strange, strange thing," said Shelby, known as much for
his brashness as for his cars. "That woman was kooky."
Shelby, a race-car driver in the '50s, began building his Cobras in
1962 through his Shelby American company in Los Angeles. But the original
cigar-shaped coupes didn't have the speed to beat Enzo Ferrari's Italian
speedsters on the international racing circuit.
In 1964, Peter Brock, a Shelby designer, tinkered with the original
Cobra design to make it more aerodynamic, closing the roof and dropping the
rounded back in favor of a camm, or concave, design, among otheralterations.
The new version, the CSX2287, was built at Shelby's shop near Los
Angeles International Airport and ran 20 mph faster than its
predecessor--enough of a gain to challenge the fastest cars of the day.
Over the next two racing seasons, the CSX2287 and five subsequent
Daytona Coupes won their class in a series of races, including the grueling
12 hours of the Sebring race in Florida. And they brought Shelby American
the FIA World Championship--the first American team to win it.
Shelby retired the cars after the 1965 season, and after the CSX2287
set two dozen speed records at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. Shelby hoped
the cars' fame would make them valuable to race buffs, and in December 1965,
he sold the CSX2287 for $4,500 to Jim Russell, founder of the Russkits
company, which made toy slot-racing cars.
There was little interest, though, in the others.
"They sat around for a couple of years," Shelby recalled. "We took
engines and wheels and transmissions out of them, and they were just laying
around. Finally, people started buying them. Some of them went for less than
$4,000."
Russell kept the CSX2287 about a year before selling it to Spector. The
sale price is unknown, but Russell had advertised the car for $12,500, said
Ned Scudder, historian for the Shelby American Automobile Club, a group of
aficionados.
The car was trouble for those who expected to run it on the streets of
Los Angeles. Built for high-speed sprints, the cab became uncomfortably warm
as the car engine heated up, among other problems.
"It wasn't a street car; it was a race car," Shelby said.
Still, Spector drove it on the streets. Scudder said the legend is that
Spector racked up so many speeding tickets, his lawyer advised him to get
rid of the car before he lost his license.
Park, the collector, said Spector simply grew disenchanted with the
CSX2287, which at the time was little more than a novelty.
"It overheats and does all these things wrong," Park said. "So he took
it to a shop to get it fixed and they told him it was going to cost an
outrageous amount of money to fix and they offered to scrap it for 800
bucks."
Attempts to reach Spector for comment were unsuccessful. But lawyers
involved in the case said that Spector's bodyguard, George Brand, offered
the music producer $1,000 for the car. It's unclear how or when Brand passed
the car on, but his daughter--Donna O'Hara--wound up with it in the early
'70s.
Brand now suffers from Alzheimer's disease and is in an Orange County
nursing home, said Milford W. Dahl Jr., a family lawyer. Dorothy Brand of
San Diego, the bodyguard's ex-wife, wouldn't discuss the car or its history.
According to court papers, O'Hara let a childhood friend, Kurt Goss,
drive the car occasionally in the early '70s, but then took it off the road
and put it in storage, where it fell out of public view.
O'Hara was divorced in 1982 and her ex-husband declined comment this
week on why she hid the car away. But its elusiveness added to the car's
mystique for collectors. The story of the "lost Cobra" became legend,
spawning streams of rumors about its fate. The car had been destroyed.
Shelby, himself, had it hidden somewhere.
One of the rumors turned out to be the truth: that the car was sitting
unrestored in a Southern California storage facility.
"The other (five) coupes had been accounted for," said Park, the
collector. "This one car, it could never be confirmed where it was. A lady
[O'Hara] owned it but she would never confirm its existence. You would go
and talk to her and she'd say she's not interested in talking."
* * *
In recent years, at least two collectors approached O'Hara.
"She was offered about a half-million," said Robert Lavoie, a lawyer
representing Goss, the childhood friend. "I don't know why she wouldn't
sell. She told some people she was just going to hold onto it and someday it
will be her retirement."
Exactly who had the right to sell the car lies at the heart of the
legal dispute. Goss alleges that on Oct. 17, O'Hara called and asked to meet
at her La Habra apartment. She then told him that she wanted to give him the
car and three other, less valuable vehicles.
"Donna also indicated that in the unlikely event that anything should
happen to her, she wanted me to look after her personal effects," Goss said
in a court statement. He also said O'Hara filled out a state Department of
Motor Vehicles form transferring the cars to him, but never filed it.
Yet O'Hara's cousin, Charles Jones, said in court documents that the
DMV form was found by relatives after the death, that the space for listing
the recipient of the cars was blank, and that Goss took the form without
permission.
Five days after Goss met with O'Hara, the "unlikely event" occurred.
The exact details are sketchy, as are the reasons, but in the dawn
hours of Oct. 22, O'Hara huddled in a recessed area beneath a bridge over a
Fullerton horse trail, doused herself from a bottle of gasoline, lit a match
and descended into agony for the 15 hours or so it took her to die.
Contentious to the end, her first words to a Fullerton police officer
who rushed to help her were, "Shut up." She wouldn't tell police or hospital
officials her name, and it was more than a month before O'Hara's body was
identified. That came only after friends finally reported her missing to La
Habra police.
Goss said in his court statement that after he learned of O'Hara's
death, he met with some of O'Hara's relatives, including her mother, Dorothy
Brand. A few days later, he paid the back rent for the Anaheim storage
garage where O'Hara had kept the car. But Goss said the manager of the
facility told him he could not remove the car without documents proving
ownership.
Meanwhile, Martin Eyears, a Montecito rare-car dealer, contacted
O'Hara's boss, hoping to get in touch with O'Hara to revive an earlier offer
he had made for the car, according to Eyears' lawyer, Paul Rafferty.
The boss told Eyears that O'Hara had died and agreed to pass along that
he was interested in the car to O'Hara's mother. Brand called Eyears and on
Dec. 16 they struck a deal for $3 million, according to court records.
Eyears said that Brand assured him she and her ex-husband were O'Hara's sole
heirs and that she had the right to sell him the car.
Attorney Dahl said this week that since O'Hara died without a will, her
parents, as her closest relatives, are the heirs. Among the legal issues to
be decided is whether Brand should have submitted O'Hara's estate to
probate--in which the court appoints an overseer for disposing of
assets--before the car was sold.
Dahl simultaneously argues that probate was not required in this case,
despite the value of the car, and that Brand sold the car out of naivete.
"I think she's a very unsophisticated and naive lady, who doesn't have
a lot of money" and is unaccustomed to the intricacies of probate and
courts, Dahl said.
After striking her deal with Eyears, Brand went on vacation. When she
returned, she obtained power of attorney for her ex-husband, filing papers
in a San Diego court on Jan. 30, Dahl said. A week later, Eyears paid Brand
$3 million and took the car. Eyears, in turn, agreed to sell the car to
Steve Volk, president of the nonprofit Shelby American Collection museum in
Boulder, Colo., for $3.75 million, then backed out of the deal a few days
later, Volk said in court records.
"We have been tracking this particular Cobra coupe for 15 years and
were actively bidding on the car when Dorothy surprised all parties with a
secret sale," Volk, who is out of the country, said in an e-mail. "We are
still a buyer for the car and are hoping that the sale will be reversed and
that the vehicle will be sold to the highest bidder. We . . . are seeking
this particular car because of its original condition. We believe it has
significant historical value and should be displayed, as is, to the public."
Eyears eventually sold the car to an East Coast collector for an
undisclosed amount. Lawyers identified the new owner as Dr. Frederick
Simeone, a Philadelphia neurosurgeon. Simeone did not return telephone calls
seeking comment.
Goss, meanwhile, said he learned the car had slipped away when another
potential buyer told him a rumor was floating among collectors that the car
had been taken out of storage and was for sale.
Goss checked the garage and found the car gone.
And now $1 million of the money is gone too. Brand gave $150,000 to
three charities and the rest to family members, Dahl said.
On March 6, Gray ordered the remaining $2 million placed in a special
interest-bearing account until the convoluted ownership issue can be worked
out. A hearing is set for April 17.
Rock Legend Insists Rare Car Still His
Phil Spector enters a dispute in O.C.
over the sale of $4-million Cobra racer.
By SCOTT MARTELLE, Times Staff Writer
A bizarre legal battle over a long-lost, $4-million race car took yet
another strange twist Tuesday when a lawyer for Phil Spector contended that
the pop music legend still owns the rare 1964 Cobra Daytona Coupe.
"Mr. Spector is the owner of the Cobra," Peter C. Sheridan, an attorney
for Spector, said Tuesday in Orange County Superior Court. "He never gave it
or sold it to anyone."
Sheridan later declined further comment, referring questions to Spector
attorney Robert Shapiro. Shapiro said in a telephone interview that he
planned to file court papers arguing that Spector believed the car had been
stored on his behalf nearly 30 years ago and was unaware it had been sold.
Spector's claim came during what was to have been a routine court
appearance in a civil lawsuit over the sale of the car. The key issue is who
owned the car following the suicide last year of Donna O'Hara, who had kept
the legendary Cobra in storage for nearly 30 years.
Longtime family friend Kurt Goss of Anaheim said O'Hara, who lived in La
Habra, gave him the car a few days before she burned herself to death Oct. 22
on a Fullerton horse trail.
But O'Hara's mother, Dorothy Brand of San Diego, argued that there is no
proof O'Hara gave the car to Goss. O'Hara died without a will, and Brand
argued that as her daughter's closest living relative, the car is hers.
So Brand sold it for $3 million in January to a Montecito rare-car
dealer, who resold it days later to a Philadelphia collector for an estimated
$4 million.
How O'Hara came to have the car remains murky.
The Cobra, known as the CSX2287, was built in 1964 by racing legend
Carroll Shelby and set land speed records.
It was sold in 1965, but the initial buyer soon sold it to Spector.
Those involved in the case said O'Hara's father, George Brand, was
Spector's former bodyguard and that he bought the car for $1,000 around 1970,
when the reclusive music producer planned to scrap it rather than pay for
repairs.
Shapiro said Brand actually was Spector's house manager. He said Spector
"neither sold nor gave" the car to Brand, but turned it over to Brand to
place in storage.
Asked how someone could not realize one of his cars was missing for
nearly three decades, Shapiro said the CSX2287 was an investment.
"Isn't that the definition of an heirloom?" Shapiro said. "This isn't a
man who gets in his car every morning and checks his oil and pressure and
drives it to work. He is the most prolific producer in the history of music
and he's extremely focused on his work. He delegates most of these things to
other people."
Shapiro said Spector hoped to have the court order either the car or the
proceeds of its sale--about $4 million--be turned over to him.
Brand said his claim surprised her. "It just gets thicker and thicker."
December 8, 2001 ORANGE COUNTY
Legal Triangle Over Legend's Race Car Ends
Courts: Carroll Shelby's rare, blue Cobra Daytona Coupe was at the center of
a dispute involving a collector, a mother and a childhood friend.
By STUART PFEIFER, TIMES STAFF WRITER
A classic Cobra race car has a home, and the man who claimed to be the legal
owner has more than $800,000 under a legal settlement reached Friday.
The agreement, finalized in a Santa Ana courtroom, resolved a long-standing
feud over a blue Cobra Daytona Coupe race car--one of six racing coupes
manufactured by former world racing champ Carroll Shelby.
For more than three decades, the rare race car--which had set land speed
records--gathered dust in a storage unit, its value quietly growing to more
than $3 million. Last year, the car's owner, Donna O'Hara, committed suicide
on a Fullerton horse trail.
O'Hara's mother sold the car for $3 million. It was later purchased by car
collector Frederick Simeone, a Philadelphia neurosurgeon.
That's when O'Hara's childhood friend, Kurt Goss, stepped forward and
announced that O'Hara had promised him the car. And the legal battle for the
race car was on.
Superior Court Judge James P. Gray approved a legal settlement Friday in
which O'Hara's mother, Dorothy Brand, will pay more than $800,000 to Goss.
Three charities who received some money from Brand chipped in another
$15,000.
After estate taxes and gifts she has already made to charities and family,
Brand will end up with virtually nothing, said her lawyer, Milford Dahl.
Reclusive music legend Phil Spector had also asserted ownership of the car.
Built in 1964, it was sold in 1965, but the initial buyer soon sold the car
to Spector, who claimed he turned it over to O'Hara's father, George Brand,
to place in storage.
| Flo Rida |
Which fruit would you find in the centre of a Sussex Pond Pudding? | STATE v. DAYTONA BEACH RACING & REC. FAC. DIST. | 89 So.2d 34 (1956) | Leagle.com
89 So.2d 34 (1956)
STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. DAYTONA BEACH RACING and RECREATIONAL FACILITIES DISTRICT, Appellee.
Supreme Court of Florida. Division B.
August 1, 1956.
Attorney(s) appearing for the Case
Murray Sams, De Land, for appellant.
Thomas T. Cobb, Daytona Beach, and Mitchell, Pershing, Shetterly & Mitchell, New York City, for appellee.
O'CONNELL, Justice.
This is an appeal from a decree of the Circuit Court, Volusia County, validating $2,900,000 revenue bonds of the Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Facilities District.
The Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Facilities District, hereinafter referred to as the District, was created by Chapter 31343, Special Acts of Florida, 1955 with powers, among others, to construct and operate any racing and recreational facilities within the territorial limits of the District, to lease, rent or contract for the operation of all or any part of any racing and recreational facilities, to fix and collect rates, rentals, fees and charges for the use of such facilities, and to issue bonds of the District to pay the costs of construction of such facilities. The Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Facilities Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission, was created the governing body of the District.
The Commission caused feasibility and engineering investigations and studies to be made of a proposed racing and recreational facility. The Commission, acting upon the report of such investigations and studies, determined that a facility substantially as recommended by said report would be feasible, desirable, and self-liquidating and should be constructed at the earliest opportunity.
The City of Daytona Beach, on January 1, 1956, leased to the District for 99 years a tract of land and the District obtained options for the purchase of other lands, all within the District, for the construction of the facility. The District entered into a contract with the Daytona Beach Motor Speedway, Inc., hereinafter referred to as the corporation, whereby the corporation was given the right of possession of the facility for periods of time aggregating not less than six months in each year for a period of forty years for the purpose of conducting motorized races and other motorized events; the District retained the right of possession of the facility for the remaining six months of the year, and also at such other times as the corporation did not have events scheduled at such facility, for the conduct of its own recreational and educational events. Provisions were made in the contract for annual rental to be paid the District by the corporation.
On April 21, 1956, the Commission adopted a resolution authorizing the issuance of $2,900,000 Revenue Bonds of the District, payable solely from revenues derived from the facility. The bonds were to be issued for the purpose of paying for the cost of the facility and for making provision for the costs of maintaining, repairing and operating the facility.
A petition to validate the bonds was filed and the State filed its answer to the notice and order to show cause. Following the hearing, the Circuit Court for Volusia County entered its decree validating the proposed bonds and the proceedings therefor. The State thereupon brought the case to this Court on appeal.
The State, appellant, contends that the District was not validly created by Chapter 31343, Special Laws of Florida, 1955 in that the legal description of the area created therein included land in Flagler County, contrary to the express intent of said Act to include land in Volusia County only, and the description did not comprise a closed area. The State rightly asserts that the description of an assessment or taxing district must be certain and accurate. 14 McQuillin Municipal Corporation, § 38.51 (3rd Ed.). Under the terms of Chapter 31343 it is possible that ad valorem taxes levied upon all the taxable property in the District, after approval by the freeholder electors therein, might be used to pay bonds of the District. The State alleged that the description of the District was neither certain nor accurate and that the lower court was without power to alter the boundaries as established by the Legislature. In its decree
the lower court called attention to the obvious mistake of the Legislature in describing the District and found, as a matter of law, that the intent of the Legislature was to describe it otherwise, setting out a full and correct description in the decree. Appellant cited 63 C.J.S., Municipal Corporations, § 1368, as authority for its statement that the court had no power to alter the boundaries, wherein it is said "the court cannot alter the boundaries of the district as established by ordinance on petition by the property owners". The same section says that the presumptions are in favor of the municipality and the burden of proof is on the party assailing the validity of the District.
While this is a troublesome question, it appears to us that the description in the special act was, although inaccurate, still capable of being made certain in accordance with the clear intent of the Legislature. We believe that the court properly corrected the error by adding words which caused the description to comprise a closed area including lands lying only in Volusia County. It is clear from the Act in question that such was the intention of the Legislature. In correcting this error the court did not violate any inferences contained in the citation from C.J.S. referred to above. In State ex rel. Buford v. Town of Forest Park in Hillsborough County, 87 Fla. 477, 100 So. 735, 738, this Court said:
"We think the description comes within the rule laid down by this court in Town of Enterprise v. State, 29 Fla. 128, 10 So. 740; Lane v. State, 63 Fla. 220, 57 So. 662, and that the description of the territory incorporated `is not so uncertain as to make it impossible to determine the territory intended to be included in the municipality,' and, where such is the case, `the law is not void for uncertainty of description'".
This Court, in State v. City of Sarasota, 92 Fla. 563, 109 So. 473, 477, remarked that all legal presumptions must be indulged by the courts in favor of the validity of legislative enactments and that the rules in reference to the construction of descriptions of municipal territory in acts of the legislature are more liberal than those applying to descriptions in notices of incorporations and resolutions adopted by municipal incorporators. In 2 McQuillin, Municipal Corporations, Sect. 7.05 (3rd Ed.) it is said that generally the description of boundaries in a statute is not construed as strictly as that in a grant or contract.
The appellant next argues that the construction and operation of a racing and recreational facility by the District would be improper in that such would not be a proper public purpose. It cited State v. Town of North Miami, Fla., 59 So.2d 779 ; Adams v. Housing Authority of City of Daytona Beach, Fla., 60 So.2d 663 ; and City of Clearwater v. Caldwell, Fla., 75 So.2d 765 . Each of these cases involved attempts of the city to use public funds to develop property for private benefit and gain and in each case the Court ruled such not to be proper public use. In each of these cases the private purpose was predominant, not incidental to a public purpose. The first case involved the development of an area for industrial purposes; the second involved the acquisition of an area for leasing to private enterprises for industrial and commercial purposes; and the third was concerned with the city being involved in the construction for leasing of hotels or apartments for private enterprise.
In the instant case a private corporation would be in a position to utilize private gain from the facility, but only for a portion of the year. Under the agreement between the District and the corporation, the corporation is given the use of the facilities to be constructed for a period of not less than six months in each year for the conduct of a schedule of motorized racing activities and attractions. The Commission
is to have the use of the facilities for its own programs for a period of not less than six months each year and at all other times when not scheduled for use by the Corporation. The corporation would conduct automobile racing events of international interest, as well as other attractions. Tourism, both as between the areas of our State and as between the States of this Nation, is a competitive business. The sand and the sun and the water are not sufficient to attract those seeking a vacation and recreation. Entertainment must be offered. Even ignoring its use by the District for periods aggregating one-half the year, or more, for other recreational and educational purposes for the public, the facility in question, considering the uses to which it will be adopted and their expected effect on the public welfare, is infinitely more a valid public purpose than would any of the schemes contemplated in the three instances cited above. The public purpose here seems to be predominant and the private benefit and gain to be incidental.
The enabling act expressly stated its purpose was to further public purposes in promoting the economic, commercial and residential development of the District and the lower court recognized in its decree that such would be done in the proposed development of the District. Since the Legislature determined that public purpose would be served, we should not find to the contrary unless it be found the Legislature was not just and reasonable or was arbitrary. State v. City of Jacksonville, Fla., 53 So.2d 306 ; State v. Monroe County, 148 Fla. 111, 3 So.2d 754. This Court, in the recent case of State v. Inter-American Center Authority, Fla. 1955, 84 So.2d 9 , decreed that construction of the Inter-American Cultural and Trade Center was a public purpose and that the imposition of taxes to pay for such was proper. The purpose of the Center was to increase trade and to strengthen cultural relations with other countries.
In the instant case the purpose of the facility is both to increase trade by attracting tourists and to provide recreation for the citizens of the District. We have on numerous cases approved as a public purpose the development of recreational facilities. See State v. City of Daytona Beach, 160 Fla. 13, 33 So.2d 218; State v. City of Jacksonville, Fla., 53 So.2d 306 ; State v. City of Pensacola, Fla., 43 So.2d 340 . Appellee's brief ably cites authorities in other jurisdiction which are in accord with the holdings of this Court on the matter. In State v. City of Miami, Fla., 41 So.2d 545 , we upheld the selling of certificates to enlarge the Orange Bowl Stadium in Miami and appellant cites cases from several jurisdictions which also validated bonds for the construction of such recreational facilities. Therefore, it is our opinion that the development of the facility in question would serve a valid public purpose, and that the private benefit and gain would be incidental thereto.
Appellant's final argument is that to lease the facility for a part of each year to a private corporation constitutes a violation of Section 10 of Article IX of the Constitution of Florida, F.S.A., which prohibits the loaning of the District's credit to any corporation. It contends that the effect of the contemplated contract with the Corporation is to allow it to use the facility for part of each year for forty years with no capital investment and consequently the credit of the District is loaned to the Corporation. But we have heretofore held that if an undertaking is for public purposes, Article IX, § 10 of the Constitution is not violated even though some private parties may be incidentally benefited. We said in State v. Inter-American Center Authority, Fla., 84 So.2d 9 , 12, supra:
"* * * Since the erection of a Trade Center is designed to strengthen cultural relations among the countries of the Western Hemisphere, it can
not be said that it amounts to a pledge or loan of the credit of the state to an individual, company, corporation or association in violation of Section 10, Article IX of the Constitution."
In State v. Board of Control, Fla., 66 So.2d 209 , 210, we said
"The mere fact that some one engaged in private business for private gain will be benefited by every public improvement undertaken by the government or a governmental agency, should not and does not deprive such improvement of its public character or detract from the fact that it primarily serves a public purpose. An incidental use or benefit which may be of some private benefit is not the proper test in determining whether or not the project is for a public purpose."
This court has in numerous instances approved the imposition of taxes as being an aid to a public purpose. State v. Inter-American Center Authority, supra; State v. City of Miami, Fla., 76 So.2d 294 , dealing with an international trade mart (owned, however, by the city); C.V. Floyd Fruit Co. v. Florida Citrus Commission, 128 Fla. 565, 175 So. 248, 112 A.L.R. 562, involving a tax on citrus fruit for advertising purposes; State v. City of Daytona Beach, 160 Fla. 13, 33 So.2d 218, supra, upholding a tax for construction of an auditorium, stadium, boat basin and recreational center; State v. Dade County, Fla., 62 So.2d 404 , where a warehouse and overhaul shop were to be constructed and then leased to airlines corporations and the revenue certificates were to be paid from rentals from such corporations; State v. City of Tallahassee, 142 Fla. 476, 195 So. 402, where the construction of an office building by the City for rental purposes was upheld as a public purpose; State v. Escambia County, Fla., 52 So.2d 125 , where revenue certificates were sold to construct recreational facilities which could be leased out to private enterprises. It can clearly be seen that in the above cases this Court did not hold the imposition of taxes or use of tax monies to be invalid because some private businesses profited thereby, rather this Court ruled that the tax was for valid purposes notwithstanding the incidental private gain for private businesses. In State v. Town of North Miami, Fla., 59 So.2d 779 , supra, involving an area for industrial purposes; in Adams v. Housing Authority of City of Daytona Beach, Fla., 60 So.2d 663 , involving leasing of lands for private, commercial and business enterprises; and in City of Clearwater v. Caldwell, Fla., 75 So.2d 765 , supra, involving the construction for leasing of hotels and apartments, we held that the constitutional provision against the lending of the credit of a city would be violated. In those cases the incidental public purpose accomplished was too inconsequential in comparison to the private gain. We do not feel that the case at bar has such shortcomings and we express our opinion to be, in conformance with our views in the numerous instances referred to earlier in this opinion, that the issuance of the $2,900,000 revenue bonds is in aid of a valid public purpose and does not violate Section 10 of Article IX of our State Constitution.
The decree of validation appealed from is
Affirmed.
| i don't know |
According to the Bible, on which mountain did Moses receive 'The Ten Commandments'? | Where was the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God?
Where was the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God?
2009-08-11
The search for the Biblical Mount Sinai goes on. According to the Hebrew Bible received Moses the Ten Commandments from God on a top of a mountain called Mount Sinai, but where was this mountain? Many believed that Mount Sinai, Jebel Musa, on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is this mountain. On the top of this mountain travellers can today enjoy the sunset and admire the wonderful view. But there are also other suggestions where the Biblical Mount Sinai is located.
Photo. Jebel Musa is believed by many to be the Biblical Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. © Information website for St. Katherine and the Sinai High Mountain Region in the Governorate of South Sinai, Egypt ( www.St-Katherine.net ).
The Jews received the Ten Commandments at the top of Mount Sinai, but where is this Biblical Mount Sinai?
The big mystery is still not solved. It has for a long time been discussed by researcers, scientific and religious people where the Ten Commandments written on stone tablet were given to Moses by God. There has been conducted widely search for finding the mountain where it took place. Not even the Stone Tablets have been found. They go under the names: The Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, Tablets of Law, or Tablets of Testimony in the Bible. They were the two pieces of special stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments when Moses stood on the top of Mount Sinai as recorded in the Book of Exodus. Exodus 31:18 refers to the tablets as the "Tablets of Testimony" because they give insight into the nature of God.
The name of Mount Sinai is strongly connected to the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments. Exodus 19:16-20 says: “The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain.”
As stated on the information website for St. Katherine and the Sinai High Mountain Region in the Governorate of South Sinai, Egypt ( www.St-Katherine.net ), Mount Sinai is the Biblical Mount Horeb, known locally as Jebel Musa, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. At the foot of Mount Sinai is the magnificent St. Catherine’s Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, run by Eastern Orthodox monks and one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world. St. Katherine's Monastery is the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the World built on the site where Moses (Prophet Musa) spoke to God in the miracle of the Burning Bush, and to climb Mount Sinai, the Biblical Mt. Horeb, known locally as Jebel Musa, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The town of St. Katherine is in the Sinai peninsula in Egypt at an elevation of about 1600 meters from sea level. For more information: www.St-Katherine.net
Another theory is that the site at Mount Karkom is the Biblical Mount Sinai. Professor Emmanuel Anati, who was in charge of the Har Karkom Archaeological Survey, believe he has the answer. His compelling hypothesis derived from his work, carried out over many years, that looked for evidence linking Biblical Sinai with the site at Mount Karkom. Mount Karkom, in Israel’s bleak Negev Desert, is about half way between the ancient city of Kadesh Barnea and the Nabatean city of Petra.
It`s also a theory indicating that the Jebel al-Madhbah, meaning mountain of the Altar, at Petra, is being identical to the biblical Mount Sinai. Based on a number of local names and features, in 1927 Ditlef Nielsen identified the Jebel al-Madhbah (meaning mountain of the Altar) at Petra as the biblical Mount Sinai. Since then, as well as a number of scholars, a number of amateur investigators such as Graham Phillips, Andrew Collins, and Chris Ogilvie-Herald have also made the identification (Source: Wikipedia).
Photo. The Siq, facing the Treasury, at the foot of Jebel al-Madhbah. © Travel Explorations.
The valley in which Petra resides is known as the Wadi Musa, meaning valley of Moses, and at the entrance to the Siq is the Ain Musa, meaning spring of Moses; in the 13th century an Arab chronicler Numari stated that Ain Musa was the location where Moses had brought water from the ground, by striking it with his rod.
The Jebel al-Madhbah was evidently considered particularly sacred, as the well known ritual building known as The Treasury is carved into its base, the mountain top is covered with a number of different altars, and over 8 metres of the original peak were carved away to leave a flat surface with two 8 metre tall obelisks sticking out of it. These obelisks, which frame the end of the path leading up to them, and are now only 6 metres tall, have led to the mountain being colloquially known as Zibb 'Atuf, meaning penis of love in Arabic.
Archaeological artifacts discovered at the top of the mountain indicate that it was once covered by polished shiny blue slate, fitting with the biblical description of paved work of sapphire stone; biblical references to sapphire are considered by scholars to be unlikely to refer to the stone called sapphire in modern times, as sapphire had a different meaning, and wasn't even mined, before the Roman era. Unfortunately, the removal of the original peak has destroyed most other archaeological remains from the late Bronze Age (the standard dating of the Exodus) that might previously have been present.
Would there some day be specific evidences that can prove where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God?
Stein Morten Lund, 21 August 2009
Additional information
Another Biblican site related to Moses is Mount Nebo, Jordan, which is today a place of pilgrimage for thousands of people. According to the Bible, it was there Moses saw the Promised Land. The Bible, Deuteronomy 34:1-7, tells the story of Moses’s journey to Mount Nebo. It says: “Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Mount Pisgah east of Jericho and there the Lord showed him the whole land: the territory of Gilead as far north as the town of Dan. Read more about Biblical places on our global travelguide Travel Explorations: www.TravelExplorations.com
Related Articles:
| Mount Sinai |
The 1979 film 'Quadrophenia' featured a battle between mods and rockers in which British seaside town? | Bible Story: How God Gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments
How God Gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments
Three months after the Israelite people left Egypt, they came to the desert called Sinai. They set up camp near the mountain called Mount Sinai and Moses went up the mountain. There God spoke to Moses and told him to say to the people, "If you will obey me, and keep my covenant, you will be my very own people."
Then Moses came back down the mountain and told the people what God had said. They all answered, "We will do everything that the Lord has said. "So Moses went back up the mountain and told this to God. The God said, "Go down and tell the people to spend today and tomorrow on washing their clothes and getting ready. On the next day I will come down on Mount Sinai where everyone can see me. Mark a place around the mountain that the people must not cross and tell them not to go up on the mountain. If anyone touches the mountain, he must be put to death. Do not touch him; kill him with rocks or arrows." So Moses came down the mountain and told this to the people, they washed their clothes and got ready.
On the morning of the third day the Lord came down on the mountain in the form of fire and smoke went up from it. A dark cloud was on the mountain with lightning and thunder coming from it. There was the sound of a very loud trumpet and the whole mountain shook. All of the Israelites shook with fear. Moses led them out of the camp to meet God and they stood at the bottom of the mountain.
Then God spoke from the mountain and said, "I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of Egypt, the land where you were slaves.
"You shall have no other gods but me.
"You shall not make an image in the form of anything. You shall not bow down before them or worship them, because I am a jealous God. But I show kindness to those who love me and keep my commandments.
"You shall not use the name of God in an empty way. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. For six days you shall work, but the seventh day is a day of rest. On that day no one is to work-not even the foreigners that live in your country.
"Honor your father and mother, so that you may have a long life.
"You shale not commit murder."
"You shall not commit adultery."
"You shall not steal."
"You shall not desire your neighbor's house, or his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns."
When God has given these Ten Commandments, the people were afraid and told Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but don't let God speak to us, or we will die." So all the people stayed there, while Moses went up to the thick darkness where God was. There God gave Moses laws about how to build an altar, how to treat slaves, what to do with someone who kills, hurts, or steals from someone else, and many other laws. Then God told Moses, "Come back up the mountain and bring Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israelites."
When Moses went back down the mountain, he told the people about all of God's laws, and the people said, "We will do everything that the Lord has said." So Moses wrote down all of God's commandments. The next morning he built an altar at the bottom of the mountain. Then the Israelites sacrificed some cattle as offerings to God. Moses put half of the blood from the animals in bowls. The other half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant where he had written God's commandments, and read it aloud to the people. They said, "We will obey the Lord and do all that he has commanded." Then Moses took the blood in the bowls and threw it on the people. He said, "This is the blood of the covenant that God has made with you." Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the Israelite leaders went up the mountain. Then God appeared to them, and they ate and drank before the Lord.
http://www.bterry.com/biblestory/tencommandments.htm hosted at http://bible.ovc.edu/terry/biblestory/tencommandments.htm
| i don't know |
What was the title of Madonna's first number one single in the UK? | The UK Number Ones : Artist List
Week Ending ACT TITLE Weeks TALLY COMMENT 3 Aug 1985 Madonna Into The Groove 4
1st No 1
From her movie "Desperately Seeking Susan". Often controversial, she became an international mega star.
12 Jul 1986 Madonna Papa Don't Preach 3
2nd No 1
From her album "True Blue". She was now on the way to mega stardom.
11 Oct 1986 Madonna True Blue 1
3rd No 1
Title track from her album. She co-wrote and co-produced all her No 1s during this time.
25 Apr 1987 Madonna La Isla Bonita 2
4th No 1
This 4th chart topper gave her more No 1s than any other solo female artist.
25 Jul 1987 Madonna Who's That Girl 1
5th No 1
From her movie of the same name. She was now a major music star, but her films always disappointed.
25 Mar 1989 Madonna Like A Prayer 3
6th No 1
Taking an anti-catholic stance, the controversial video brought much condemnation in the US.
14 Apr 1990 Madonna Vogue 4
7th No 1
Supported by an award-winning video, the song celebrated the style-conceous New Yorkers.
1 Mar 1998 Madonna Frozen 1
8th No 1
From her successful album "Ray Of Light", she returned to the top after an eight year gap.
5 Mar 2000 Madonna American Pie 1
9th No 1
Cover of Don McLean's 1972 classic (which made No 2). From Madonna's movie "The Next Best Thing".
27 Aug 2000 Madonna Music 1
10th No 1
From her album of the same title. This placed her fourth in the most-number-ones category, although Westlife eventually overtook her.
19 Nov 2005 Madonna Hung Up 1
11th No 1
Back at the top after a gap of 5 years. She remains in fifth place in the most number ones list.
4 Mar 2006 Madonna Sorry 1
12th No 1
A rapid return to the top this time, with another track from her top-selling album "Confessions on a Dance Floor".
19 Apr 2008 Madonna
(feat Justin Timberlake) 4 Minutes 4 13th No 1
24 years after her first hit, Madonna could still reach the top of the charts. The duet gave Justin Timberlake another spell in the UK charts.
| Into the Groove |
Which disease do the English know as 'The French Disease' and the French call 'The English Disease'? | Madonna's Biggest Hits: Top 40 Billboard Songs | Billboard
Frans Schellekens/Redferns
Madonna performs at Feijenoord Stadium on July 24 1990 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
She's the Queen of Pop and royalty on the Billboard charts. To celebrate Madonna 's career, we've compiled an exclusive ranking of the diva's 40 biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit singles.
'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut
Since arriving on the Hot 100 the week of Oct. 29, 1983, with "Holiday," she has earned a total of 57 chart hits, including a record 38 top 10s. Yes, you read that right: Madonna has more top 10 hits than any other artist in the history of the chart (and incidentally, Madonna was born the exact same month as the Hot 100 ). The Beatles are in second place, with 34 top 10s.
The ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from each era, certain time frames were weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years.
40
"Rain" Hot 100 Peak Position: 14 Peak Year: 1993
"Rain," the fourth single from 1992's Erotica album, comes in at No. 40 on Madonna's all-time biggest hits list. The commercial release of the maxi-single (and 12" vinyl) was bolstered by the previously unreleased track "Up Down Suite" as well as a jazzy/hip-hip remix of the Erotica album cut "Waiting" (featuring Everlast).
39
"Oh Father" Hot 100 Peak Position: 20 Peak Year: 1990
Accompanied by a stunning black and white music video, the haunting ballad "Oh Father" was the fourth single from the Like a Prayer album. At the time, "Oh Father" had the unfortunate honor of ending Madonna's string of 17 consecutive top 10 hits. "Oh Father" stalled out at No. 20 while all 17 Madonna singles from "Borderline" (1984) through "Cherish" (1989) had reached the top 10.
38
"Don't Cry For Me Argentina" (From "Evita") Hot 100 Peak Position: 8 Peak Year: 1997
"Don't Cry For Me Argentina" took an unconventional route to the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Recorded as the sweeping centerpiece to the movie Evita, the song wasn't necessarily a made-for-radio hit single. However, uptempo dance mixes of the song were produced (which included new vocals from Madonna) and promoted to radio stations. The so-called "Miami Mix" (by producers Pablo Flores and Javier Garza) soon became a smash on the radio and led to a commercial release as a maxi-single and 12" vinyl. Pent-up demand for the remixes engineered a No. 17 debut on the Hot 100 for the single on Feb. 22, 1997. The following week it sailed to its No. 8 peak.
37
"Holiday" Hot 100 Peak Position: 16 Peak Year: 1984
Madonna's first Billboard Hot 100 hit (though not her first single), debuted at No. 88 on Oct. 29, 1983 - and the chart hasn't been the same ever since. The cut would eventually rise to No. 16 on Jan. 18, 1984 and was the first of three top 20 singles from Madonna's self-titled debut album. "Holiday" is also the third and final non-top-10 hit (with Nos. 37, 39 and 40) on this round-up of Madonna's biggest singles. Every other tune on this tally reached the top 10.
36
"Hanky Panky" Hot 100 Peak Position: 10 Peak Year: 1990
In 1990, Madonna could have released pretty much anything and it would have been a hit single. Take for example this goofy (but catchy!) ditty about having a "good spanky." It reached No. 10 on July 28 of that year, as Madonna's massive Blond Ambition Tour was winding its way around the globe. "Hanky Panky" was the second, and final, single from the I'm Breathless album (a sort of companion set to the Dick Tracy film, in which she co-starred). The first Breathless release was "Vogue" - but more on that single in a little bit.
35
"Rescue Me" Hot 100 Peak Position: 9 Peak Year: 1991
"Rescue Me" was one of two new songs recorded for Madonna's first greatest hits album, 1990's The Immaculate Collection. When it debuted at No. 15 on the March 2, 1991 Hot 100 chart, it marked the highest-ever bow for a single by a woman. Further, it was - at the time - one of only four titles to debut in the top 20. The song had been an airplay hit for a full three months before it finally arrived on the Hot 100, as the single had been held back from commercial release. As "Rescue Me's" release was delayed until it had reached its peak of popularity on the radio, it had an artificially short run - eight weeks - on the Hot 100.
34
"Hung Up" Hot 100 Peak Position: 7 Peak Year: 2005
The lead single from 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor boogied its way to No. 7 on the Hot 100 in 2005 and was the first of two chart hits from her discofied album. (A second hit, "Sorry," reached No. 58.) "Hung Up" featured a galloping sample from ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" while its video had Madonna channeling Saturday Night Fever whilst clubbing in London.
33
"Die Another Day" Hot 100 Peak Position: 8 Peak Year: 2002
The title track from the James Bond film, released in 2002, became the first Bond tune to reach the top 10 on the Hot 100 since Duran Duran's A View to a Kill hit No. 1 in 1985. Further, "Die Another Day" was the first official Bond theme song to even chart on the tally since "A View to a Kill." The electro-hued single would go on to appear on Madonna's 2003 album, American Life.
32
"Ray Of Light" Hot 100 Peak Position: 5 Peak Year: 1998
"Ray Of Light" continues to hold the record for Madonna's highest-debuting single ever, as it started at No. 5 on the Hot 100 chart dated July 11, 1998. The single was the title track (and second single) from Madonna's 1998 album, and went on to win a Grammy Award for best dance recording. Its corresponding music video, directed by Jonas Akerlund, also won a Grammy for best short form music video, and earned five MTV Video Music Awards (including Video of the Year).
31
"Erotica" Hot 100 Peak Position: 3 Peak Year: 1992
The dark and sexy single - the lead-off track from her 1992 album of the same name - launched with a bang at No. 13 on the Hot 100 dated Oct. 17, 1992. It zoomed to its peak of No. 3 the following week, kept out of the top two slots by Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" (No. 1) and Patty Smyth's "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (No. 2).
30
"Deeper And Deeper" Hot 100 Peak Position: 7 Peak Year: 1993
The Erotica album's swirling second single, "Deeper and Deeper," topped out at No. 7 on the Hot 100, spending 17 weeks on the list. Its retro music video is riddled with cameos, including her now manager Guy Oseary, Sire Records chief Seymour Stein, longtime friend and actress Debi Mazar and adult film director/DJ/drag diva Chi Chi LaRue.
29
"Keep It Together" Hot 100 Peak Position: 8 Peak Year: 1990
"Keep It Together" was the fifth commercial single from Madonna's 1989 Like a Prayer album and was initially planned to carry with it a previously unreleased b-side. The b-side in question? "Vogue." Luckily, that anthem would go on to have its own single release. Instead, "Keep It Together" set sail on its own - without a sexy b-side to spice up sales. However, "Keep It Together" was remixed to become slightly more radio-friendly. Its redux was reminiscent of the then-popular track "Back to Life" by Soul II Soul.
28
"You'll See" Hot 100 Peak Position: 6 Peak Year: 1995
Composed and produced with David Foster, "You'll See" was one of a handful of new tunes Madonna recorded for her 1995 ballads collection Something to Remember. The ballad, which showcased Madonna's newly-trained vocal abilities, would prepare audiences for her lead role in the following year's Evita. The "You'll See" music video became Madonna's first sequel clip - as it followed the story set in motion in the dramatic "Take a Bow" short.
27
"Borderline" Hot 100 Peak Position: 10 Peak Year: 1984
Madonna's first top 10 single was the first of a staggering 17 consecutive top 10s for the singer from 1984 through 1989. The "Borderline" music video was the first collaboration between Madonna and director Mary Lambert, who would go on to helm her clips "Like a Virgin," "Material Girl," "La Isla Bonita" and "Like a Prayer."
26
"Don't Tell Me" Hot 100 Peak Position: 4 Peak Year: 2001
"Don't Tell Me" was the second single from the Music album and was co-written by Madonna's brother-in-law, recording artist Joe Henry. He would later release his own version of the track, re-titled "Stop," on his 2001 album Scar.
25
"Frozen" Hot 100 Peak Position: 2 Peak Year: 1998
The lead single from the Ray Of Light album marked a sonic change in Madonna's career, thanks to its co-producer, William Orbit. The track was heavily influenced by electronic dance music and peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100. It would have perhaps reached the top of the chart, had it not been for K-Ci & JoJo. The week that "Frozen" zoomed from No. 5 to No. 2, the R&B duo's "All My Life" raced up the chart from No. 15 to No. 1 - blocking Madonna from the penthouse.
24
"Lucky Star" Hot 100 Peak Position: 4 Peak Year: 1984
"Lucky Star" is the lone Hot 100 hit in Madonna's catalog that was composed entirely by the diva herself. The uptempo number riffs a bit on the old nursery rhyme "Star Light, Star Bright" and has endured as one of Madonna's most beloved dance tracks.
23
"Dress You Up" Hot 100 Peak Position: 5 Peak Year: 1985
"Dress You Up" is the first of four singles on this tally from Madonna's Like a Virgin album. The plucky dance track was produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers (as was the rest of the Virgin album) and was the final single released from the set.
22
"This Used To Be My Playground" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 Peak Year: 1992
Written for the film A League of the Their Own, co-starring Madonna, this delicate ballad became her 10th No. 1 single in the summer of 1992. It spent a week at No. 1 - sandwiched between two monster hits. It followed a five-week No. 1 run by Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" and immediately preceded a 13-week reign by Boyz II Men's "End of the Road." Curiously, Madonna has yet to perform "This Used to Be My Playground" live - either on tour or during a promotional appearance.
21
"Angel" Hot 100 Peak Position: 5 Peak Year: 1985
One of Madonna's many singles which she co-wrote with Stephen Bray, "Angel" reached No. 5 on the Hot 100 in 1985. Rather famously, the "Angel" 12" vinyl single contains one of the most famous b-sides in U.S. history: "Into the Groove." While "Into the Groove" received a proper release in other countries, in America, it was relegated to b-side status despite its enormous popularity both on the radio and on MTV.
20
"4 Minutes" Hot 100 Peak Position: 3 Peak Year: 2008
"4 Minutes" is notable in that it was only the second single release in the U.S. from Madonna on which she shares credit with another artist. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland joined forces with her on the track - a little under five years after Madonna had first paired with Timberlake's former flame, Britney Spears, for "Me Against the Music."
19
"Secret" Hot 100 Peak Position: 3 Peak Year: 1994
Co-produced and co-written with Dallas Austin, "Secret" was the first single from Madonna's R&B-hued Bedtime Stories album in 1994. The strummy, hip-hop-lite song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 - stuck behind Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love to You" (No. 1) and Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do."
18
"La Isla Bonita" Hot 100 Peak Position: 4 Peak Year: 1987
The Spanish-flavored track seems to be a favorite of Madonna's, as it has been included on the setlists of many of her concert tours. She also performed it at the 2007 Live Earth benefit show in London. "La Isla Bonita" was the fifth and final single from her True Blue album, and the cut reached No. 4 on the Hot 100.
17
"Cherish" Hot 100 Peak Position: 2 Peak Year: 1989
The light, lovey-dovey pop song was a throwback to '60s girl groups and doo-wop music, with couplets like "Romeo and Juliet they never felt this way, I bet" and "You are my destiny, I can't let go, baby, can't you see." The song's companion video clip was the first directed by photographer Herb Ritts. He had previously shot Madonna's album covers for True Blue and Like a Prayer.
16
"True Blue" Hot 100 Peak Position: 3 Peak Year: 1986
"True Blue," the title track from Madonna's 1986 album, spent three weeks stuck at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. All about "true love, oh baby," the single is an unabashed peppy love song. Perhaps an indication of Madonna's (lack of) fondness of the track - it has only been performed on one of her concert tours: 1987's Who's That Girl trek.
15
"Express Yourself" Hot 100 Peak Position: 2 Peak Year: 1989
"Come on girls, do you believe in love?" Well, Madonna had something to say about it in 1989, when "Express Yourself" was released as the second single from the Like a Prayer album. The single's video was directed by a pre-super-stardom David Fincher and was the first of four video collaborations between the two artists.
14
"Causing A Commotion" Hot 100 Peak Position: 2 Peak Year: 1987
"Causing a Commotion" was the second single from Madonna's Who's That Girl soundtrack, peaking at No. 2 for three straight weeks. (It was prevented from reaching the top by Michael Jackson's "Bad," which jumped to No. 1 the same week "Commotion" hit No. 2 for the first time.) "Commotion" also ranks as Madonna's biggest Hot 100 hit (on this top 40 recap) without an official music video.
13
"I'll Remember" (From "With Honors") Hot 100 Peak Position: 2 Peak Year: 1994
"I'll Remember," from the film With Honors, is one of six Madonna singles that have peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Madonna holds the record for the most No. 2 hits in Hot 100 history. This particular track was lodged in the runner-up position for four weeks, behind All-4-One's "I Swear."
12
"Material Girl" Hot 100 Peak Position: 2 Peak Year: 1985
"Material Girl" is one of those singles that some people might assume was a No. 1 hit for Madonna. However, it topped out at No. 2 on the Hot 100 tally in 1985. As the second hit from the Like a Virgin album, the song would also become a nickname for the diva herself (whether she liked it or not).
11
"Who's That Girl" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 Peak Year: 1987
We're entering rarified air now, as every one of Madonna's top 11 hits of all time on the Hot 100 chart are all No. 1s. "Who's That Girl" was the title track of the Madonna film and doubled as the lead single from its companion soundtrack.
10
"Open Your Heart" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 Peak Year: 1987
Madonna's third single from True Blue shot to No. 1 on the Hot 100 on Feb. 7, 1987, marking the singer's fifth chart-topper. Its video caused a stir as Madonna starred as an exotic dancer who becomes friends with a boy (played by dancer Felix Howard).
9
"Music" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (four weeks) Peak Year: 2000
Madonna's most recent Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 is "Music," which spent four weeks atop the tally in late 2000. The cut was the lead single of the Music album, which again teamed her with William Orbit (Ray of Light). The single itself, like a fair portion of the album, was co-written and co-produced by Madonna and Mirwais.
8
"Live To Tell" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 Peak Year: 1986
After the madness of the boy toy era of Madonna's career (1983-85), she surprised many with "Live to Tell," the lead track from her 1986 album True Blue. The haunting ballad was written partially for the film At Close Range (which starred her her then-husband Sean Penn) and found the No. 1 target on the Hot 100. The song was accompanied by a music video that introduced a decidedly toned-down Madonna to the public - one of the diva's first major so-called reinventions.
7
"Papa Don't Preach" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (two weeks) Peak Year: 1986
"Papa Don't Preach" was one of the few songs that even Madonna's most conservative critics could find reason to champion. The song tells the story of a young woman who confesses to her father that she's become pregnant, however, she's opting to keep her baby (as opposed to giving it up).
6
"Like A Prayer" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (three weeks) Peak Year: 1989
Would anyone have thought that "Like a Prayer" - which caused so much controversy in 1989 upon its release - would ultimately end up being performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2012? Yeah, we didn't think so. The song premiered in a two-minute Pepsi commercial that aired during The Cosby Show on March 2, 1989. (Pepsi was set to sponsor Madonna's then-upcoming Blond Ambition Tour.) The next day, the "Like a Prayer" music video debuted ... you know, the one with the burning crosses, stigmata and so on? Yes, well, Pepsi high-tailed it away from Madonna and she - again - outraged the masses.
5
"Justify My Love" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (two weeks) Peak Year: 1991
"Justify My Love," like so many of Madonna's singles, spawned a music video that garnered more attention than perhaps the song itself. Its clip was so racy, MTV declined to air it entirely. Luckily for the buying public, Madonna opted to sell the video as the first-ever commercially-available video single.
4
"Take A Bow" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (seven weeks) Peak Year: 1995
It may surprise some, but "Take a Bow" spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other Madonna single. (However, on this list, it ultimately ranks at No. 4.) With a seven-week run atop the Hot 100, 1995's "Take a Bow" returned her to the top of the chart for the first time since 1992 ("This Used to Be My Playground"). Co-written and co-produced with Babyface, "Take a Bow" is one of two No. 1 singles that she's yet to sing on tour - the other is "This Used to Be My Playground."
3
"Crazy For You" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 Peak Year: 1985
Perhaps the ultimate slow-dance song, "Crazy for You" proved to be so popular upon its release that it bumped "We Are the World" by USA for Africa out of the No. 1 slot. Before "Crazy for You" had reached the top, though, it had sat in the No. 2 position for three straight weeks, biding its time until it could push "We Are the World" aside.
2
"Vogue" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (three weeks) Peak Year: 1990
Initially planned as the b-side of "Keep It Together," Madonna's tribute to the fierceness that is vogueing was thankfully released as a single on its own. The thumping dance number is as iconic as its glamorous black-and-white music video, which was directed by David Fincher.
1
"Like A Virgin" Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (six weeks) Peak Year: 1984
It's somehow appropriate that Madonna's first No. 1, "Like a Virgin," tops our list of her 40 biggest Hot 100 hit singles. The title track and lead single from her 1984 album spent six weeks atop the chart and became one of the diva's signature songs. It was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and produced by Nile Rodgers.
MORE MADONNA:
| i don't know |
The most famous version of Modest Mussorgsky's composition 'Night On A Bald Mountain' was arranged by which fellow composer? | A Night on Bald Mountain - Mussorgksy's Terrifying Tone Poem
A Night on Bald Mountain
Mussorgksy's Terrifying Tone Poem
A Night on Bald Mountain is one of Modest Mussorgsky's most well-known pieces. The frantic, demonic musical thunderbolt has frightened listeners for over a century!
Lots of people recognize the piece since it was included (in an arranged version by Leopold Stokowski) in the 1940 film Fantasia. The versions most heard are actually either by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov or the Stokowski. Mussorgsky's original is quite rare!
Click to read a biography of Rimsky-Korsakov.
The piece actually grew out of several opera projects which Mussorgsky started and stopped, due to laziness or alcohol (or both).
Like his other famous piece, Pictures at an Exhibition , Mussorgky wrote A Night on Bald Mountain ridiculously quickly.
He finished it completely in 12 days, in a blaze of creativity. He didn't even bother making a first draft - he simply exploded his brain onto the page, creating the final version in one go!
The date the it was finally finished was St John's Eve (June 23 1867), which is why the original title is actually St John's Night on the Bald Mountain.
Later on, Mussorgsky adapted it twice for two unfinished operas, changing some parts.
True to his artistic goals, Mussorgsky told a friend that Night on Bald Mountain "is, in form and character, Russian and original; and I want to feel sure that it is thoroughly in keeping with historic truth and Russian folk tradition".
Sadly though, the composer never heard his diabolical tone poem, since it wasn't performed at all while he was alive.
Five years after he passed away Rimsky-Korsakov took bits and pieces from all three versions and smashed them together, create the world-famous diabolical thunderclap everyone loves today.
Rimsky-Korsakov's version was more of a reconstruction.
He tried to keep as much of Mussorgsky's original ideas as possible, and put in the least amount of his own material he could.
A Night on Bald Mountain is was inspired by Russian and Gogol mythology.
The basic story depicts dark witches' ritual, conjuring up the devil on a bleak mountaintop. The "bald mountain" isn't really any particular mountain in the world - it's just meant to be a barren mountain without any trees or shrubs.
Both Mussorgsky's original version and Rimsky-Korsakov's reconstruction have a little program describing what happens in the piece. Let's have a look at both of them...
Assembly of the witches, their talk and gossip
Satan's journey
| Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov |
Bisected by Minnesota Glacier to form the northern Sentinel Range and the southern Heritage Range, which is the highest mountain in Antarctica? | Profile of Modest Mussorgsky
Profile of Modest Mussorgsky
March 21, 1839; his father was a landowner.
Birthplace:
March 28, 1881 in St. Petersburg
Also Known As:
His full name was Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky; a Russian composer who was a member of "The Five" also known as "The Russian Five" or "The Mighty Five." This group, which was founded in the 1860s, was composed of 5 Russian composers who wanted to establish a nationalist school of Russian music.
Type of Compositions:
Mussorgsky wrote operas , songs , piano pieces and melodies. He is especially known for his vivid portrayal of Russian life through his works.
Influence:
His mother taught him how to play the piano. As a child Mussorgsky also had a nurse who told him stories of Russian fairy tales; this had a huge impact on him. He was taught by Anton Gerke who later became a professor at St. Petersburg Conservatory. Later on, Russian composer Mily Balakirev became his teacher.
Notable Works:
His notable works include "Podpraporshchik" (1852, his first composition), songs such as “Darling Savishna," “Hopak” and “The Seminarist," his symphonic poem "Ivanova noch na Lysoy gore" (1867) and his famous opera "Boris Godunov" (premiered in 1874, St.
continue reading below our video
4 Tips for Improving Test Performance
Petersburg). Mussorgsky died before he could finish his opera "Khovanshchina" but it was completed by his friend and former flatmate Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov .
Interesting Facts:
Originally, Mussorgsky's father wanted him to pursue a military career. In 1849, Mussorgsky was enrolled at the Peter-Paul School and later on the Cadets of the Guard in 1852. By 1856 Mussorgsky was already a lieutenant and he joined the Preobrazhensky Guards. It was during that time when he met fellow officer, Aleksandr Borodin , who would later on become a respected composer himself. That same year he was invited to Aleksandr Dargomyzhsky's home, another Russian composer. Mussorgsky eventually quit the army and worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of Communications.
Other Facts:
Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov, a distant relative, inspired Mussorgksy to write two cycles of melodies - "Bez solntsa" and "Pesni i plyaski smerti." His "Kartinki s vystavki" (Pictures from an Exhibition) was inspired by the death of his friend Victor Hartmann. This was orchestrated by Maurice Ravel in 1922. Although he was a brilliant composer, Mussorgsky had bouts of loneliness which drove him to alcohol. This greatly affected his health, landed him in hospital and caused his eventual death.
Music Sample:
| i don't know |
Which author used the pseudonym Richard Bachman when writing such books as 'Rage', 'The Running Man' and 'Thinner'? | The Running Man by Richard Bachman, First Edition - AbeBooks
The Running Man by Richard Bachman, First Edition
You Searched For:
Results (1 - 25) of 25
Sort By
Bachman, Richard. (a.k.a. Stephen King)
Published by SIGNET. (1982)
ISBN 10: 1444723545 ISBN 13: 9781444723540
Used First Edition
ISBN 10: 2226033815 ISBN 13: 9782226033819
Used Couverture souple First Edition
Quantity Available: 1
Destination, Rates & Speeds
Item Description: Éditions Albin Michel, Paris, 1988. Couverture souple. Book Condition: Très bon. Pas de jaquette. 1ère Édition. Il court contre la mort. Titre original « The Running Man ». Traduit de l'anglais par Frank Straschitz. 259 pages. Couverture souple solide et propre avec un pli sur le 1er plat et usée sur les coins du volume (voir photo). Bruni et taché au pourtour extérieur de la tranche. Intérieur en bon état et serré. Bon exemplaire usagé. Dimensions: 14,6 cm X 22,6 cm X 2,2 cm. Expédié du Canada. ISBN 10: 2226033815. Bookseller Inventory # 004103
King, Stephen (writing as Richard Bachman)
Published by Signet Books - New American Library, New York (1982)
ISBN 10: 0451151224 ISBN 13: 9780451151223
Used Paperback First Edition
Destination, Rates & Speeds
Item Description: Signet Books - New American Library, New York, 1982. Paperback. Book Condition: Very Good. Seventh Printing. 219 pp. Light edge and corner wear with a flat uncreased spine; no interior markings. The movie edition featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger on the front cover and on the inside of the front cover. Bookseller Inventory # 199078
More Information About This Seller | Ask Bookseller a Question 3.
Bookseller Image
The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels: Rage; The Long Walk; Roadwork; The Running Man ---with a New Introduction By King "Why I Was Bachman "( Omnibus Edition with the First 4 Bachman Titles )
King, Stephen writing as Richard Bachman ( Pen Name / Pseudonym )
Published by N.Y. / New York: Plume / NAL / New American Library, 1985, 1st Softcover Edition, First Printing, New York, NY (1985)
ISBN 10: 0452257743 ISBN 13: 9780452257740
Used Soft Cover First Edition
Quantity Available: 1
Destination, Rates & Speeds
Item Description: N.Y. / New York: Plume / NAL / New American Library, 1985, 1st Softcover Edition, First Printing, New York, NY, 1985. Soft Cover. Book Condition: Good. Text Cover (illustrator). First Edition. -----------trade paperback, about 6 x 9 inches, a solid Good copy only, no spine crease, a bit of edge wear and small flakes to black covers, some cover creases and small chips and tears, foxing and age toning to the outer edge of the text block, a bit of age toning to paper, complete number line indicating that this is a 1st printing, this contains the first 4 books that King issued under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, each novel is preceded by a reproduction of the original paperback covers, King has decided not to allow Rage to be re-printed so this is an affordable way to obtain that story, any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a generic photo. Not Signed. Bookseller Inventory # 158880
Destination, Rates & Speeds
Item Description: Scarborough, ON.: Signet/ NAL / New American Library, 1986, 1st Paperback Edition, 2nd Printing, First Canadian Imprint, Scarborough, Ontario, 1986. Soft Cover. Book Condition: Good. Uncredited Cover Art (illustrator). First Edition. ----------paperback, a solid Fair to Good copy only with overall wear, short tear on front panel, spine and cover crease, a bit of age toning to paper, small ink name, this edition was published the NAL of Canada in Scarborough, identical in all other respects to the much more common US edition, 923 pages of pseudonymous KING which contains the first 4 books that King issued under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, -----this 2nd printing is the 1st Canadian paperback issue, there are no CDN imprints in the standard paperback size with a number line beginning with a "1", any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a generic photo. Bookseller Inventory # 157648
Destination, Rates & Speeds
Item Description: Scarborough, ON.: Signet/ NAL / New American Library, 1986, 1st Paperback Edition, 2nd Printing, First Canadian Imprint, Scarborough, Ontario, 1986. Soft Cover. Book Condition: Good. Uncredited Cover Art (illustrator). First Edition. ----------paperback, a solid Good copy only with a wear, spine and cover crease, a bit of age toning to paper, small ink name, this edition was published the NAL of Canada in Scarborough, identical in all other respects to the much more common US edition, 923 pages of pseudonymous KING which contains the first 4 books that King issued under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, -----this 2nd printing is the 1st Canadian paperback issue, there are no CDN imprints in the standard paperback size with a number line beginning with a "1", any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a generic photo. Bookseller Inventory # 156172
Destination, Rates & Speeds
Item Description: Scarborough, ON.: Signet/ NAL / New American Library, 1986, 1st Paperback Edition, 2nd Printing, First Canadian Imprint, Scarborough, Ontario, 1986. Soft Cover. Book Condition: Very Good. Uncredited Cover Art (illustrator). First Edition. ----------paperback, a solid Very Good copy with a bit of light wear, spine crease, a bit of age toning to paper, this edition was published the NAL of Canada in Scarborough, identical in all other respects to the much more common US edition, 923 pages of pseudonymous KING which contains the first 4 books that King issued under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, -----this 2nd printing is the 1st Canadian paperback issue, there are no CDN imprints in the standard paperback size with a number line beginning with a "1", any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a generic photo. Bookseller Inventory # 153307
Destination, Rates & Speeds
Item Description: N.Y. / New York: Signet/ NAL / New American Library, 1986, 1st Signet Edition, First Printing, New York, NY, 1986. Soft Cover. Book Condition: Good. Uncredited Cover Art (illustrator). First Edition. ----------paperback, a solid Good+ copy, a very chunky book, some light wear, faint spine creases, a bit of age toning to paper and browning to the verso of the covers, 923 pages of pseudonymous KING which contains the first 4 books that King issued under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, the scarce FIRST paperback edition, any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a generic photo. Bookseller Inventory # 153262
Destination, Rates & Speeds
Item Description: N.Y. / New York: Signet/ NAL / New American Library, 1986, 1st Signet Edition, First Printing, New York, NY, 1986. Soft Cover. Book Condition: Very Good+. Uncredited Cover Art (illustrator). First Edition. ----------paperback, a solid Very Good+ copy, a very chunky book, no spine creases, a bit of flaking on edges but nothing too serious, about 20 pages have had the upper corners turned leaving a slight gap in the text block at that spot, a bit of age toning to paper and browning to the verso of the covers, ---the nicest FIRST PRINTING copy I have seen as this very chunky book is almost always beat up, ----923 pages of pseudonymous KING which contains the first 4 books that King issued under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, the scarce FIRST paperback edition, any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a generic photo. Bookseller Inventory # 156100
Destination, Rates & Speeds
Item Description: New Amer Library, New York, 1985. Hardcover. Book Condition: N-Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good +. First Edition/ Second Printing. A square solid tight carefully read copy. This copy has some light pagedge soil/browning. The PC jacket has some light rubbing wear, some lightish edge wear, a small chip. A compilation edition of the first four Bachman Books with an introduction by King on "Why he was Bachman". Actually not that bad a copy of a book that is getting harder and harder to find all of the time. THIS COPY IS IN MY POSSESSION AND NORMALLY SHIPS NEXT DAY. Book. Bookseller Inventory # 038290
| Stephen King |
Cardinal Richelieu served as chief minister to which French king? | Richard Bachman: Stephen King, Pseudonym, The Bachman Books, Rage Novel , The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man, Thinner Novel , The Regulators: Amazon.it: Frederic P. Miller, Agnes F. Vandome, John McBrewster: Libri in altre lingue
Libri in altre lingue
Ancora non sappiamo quando l'articolo sarà di nuovo disponibile.
Aggiungi alla Lista
Passa al retro Passa al fronte
Ascolta Riproduzione in corso... In pausa Stai ascoltando un campione dell'edizione audio udibile.
Maggiori informazioni
Visualizza l'immagine
Richard Bachman: Stephen King, Pseudonym, The Bachman Books, Rage (Novel), The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man, Thinner (Novel), The Regulators (Inglese) Copertina flessibile – 13 lug 2010
Copertina flessibile, 13 lug 2010
"Ti preghiamo di riprovare"
Non è necessario possedere un dispositivo Kindle. Scarica una delle app Kindle gratuite per iniziare a leggere i libri Kindle sul tuo smartphone, tablet e computer.
Apple
Per scaricare una app gratuita, inserisci il numero di cellulare.
oppure
Non hai un Kindle? Scopri Kindle , oppure scarica l'applicazione di lettura Kindle GRATUITA.
Dettagli prodotto
Editore: Alphascript Publishing (13 luglio 2010)
Lingua: Inglese
Media recensioni: Recensisci per primo questo articolo
Garanzia e recesso: Se vuoi restituire un prodotto entro 30 giorni dal ricevimento perché hai cambiato idea, consulta la nostra pagina d'aiuto sul Diritto di Recesso . Se hai ricevuto un prodotto difettoso o danneggiato consulta la nostra pagina d'aiuto sulla Garanzia Legale . Per informazioni specifiche sugli acquisti effettuati su Marketplace consulta… Maggiori informazioni la nostra pagina d'aiuto su Resi e rimborsi per articoli Marketplace .
| i don't know |
The Pura Cup, formerly known as the Sheffield Shield, is a Cricket tournament contested annually in which country? | Sports Guide
Sports Guide
A blog describing how to be a sports champion,giving your sports tips.
Thursday, 8 August 2013
SURBITON TROPHY
THE SURBITON TROPHY IS A TENNIS TOURNAMENT. IT IS ORGANIZED FOR MALE PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS. IT IS PLAYED ON GRASS COURTS. THE EVENT IS HELD ANNUALLY IN SURBITON, GREAT BRITAIN SINCE 1998 AND TAKES PART ON THE CHALLENGER SERIES OF THE ATP TOUR. THIS TOURNAMENT WAS FIRST ORGANIZED IN 1988. GIANLUCA POZZI WAS THE FIRST CHAMPION AND KEVIN ULLYETT WAS THE RUNNER UP.
Posted by
SOUTH ASIAN GAMES
THE SOUTH ASIAN GAMES IS ALSO KNOWN AS SAF GAMES. EARLIER ,IT WAS KNOWN AS SOUTH ASIAN FEDERATION GAMES. IT IS A MULTI-SPORT EVENT. THE SOUTH ASIAN GAMES IS HELD IN TWO YEARS. IT IS HELD AMONG THE ATHLETES FROM SOUTH AFRICA. THE GOVERNING BODY OF THESE GAMES IS SOUTH ASIAN SPORTSCOUNCIL[SASC]. IT WAS FORMED IN 1983. AT PRESENT , SAF HAS EIGHT MEMBERS NAMELY AFGHANISTAN,BANGLADESH,BHUTAN,INDIA,MALDIVES,NEPAL,PAKISTAN ,SRI LANKA.
Posted by
SOUTH AMERICAN GAMES
THE SOUTH AMERICAN GAMES WAS FORMERLY CALLED THE SOUTHERN CROSS GAMES.IT IS A REGIONAL MULTI-SPORT EVENT. THE COUNTRIES OF SOUTH AMERICA TAKE PART IN THIS SPORT EVENT. IT IS ORGANIZED BY THE SOUTH AMERICAN SPORTS ORGANIZATION . THE FIRST SOUTH AMERICAN GAMES WAS HELD IN 1978. IT WAS CONDUCTED IN LA PAZ,BOLVIA. SINCE THEN, IT HAS BEEN ARRANGED EVERY FOUR YEARS. THE LAST ONE WAS IN COLOMBIA IN 2010.
Posted by
SANTHOSH TROPHY
SANTHOSH TROPHY IS AN INDIAN FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT. IT IS HELD ANNUALLY AND CONTESTED BY THE INDIAN STATES AND GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS . WEST BENGAL WERE THE FIRST WINNERS OF SANTHOSH TROPHY. TILL THE DAY, THEY HAVE WON 29 TITLES AND THUS RETAINED THE TOP POSITION AMONG THE ALL-TIME WINNERS. THE TOURNAMENT BEGAN IN 1941. IT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOTBALL COMPETITION OF INDIA FOR MANY YEARS. THE TROPHY IS NAMED AFTER THE LATE MAHARAJA SIR MANMATHA NATH ROY CHOWDHARY OF SANTHOSH,WHICH IS NOW IN BANGLADESH.
Posted by
RANJI TROPHY
THE RANJI TROPHY IS A DOMESTIC FIRST-CLASS CRICKET CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYED IN INDIA. IT IS PLAYED BETWEEN DIFFERENT CITY AND STATE TEAMS. RANJI TROPHY IS TO ENGLAND AND PURA CUP IS TO AUSTRALIA . THE COMPETITION IS NAMED AFTER KUMAR SHRI RANJITSINHJI. HE IS ALSO KNOWN AS 'RANJI'. THE RANJI TROPHY WAS STARTED IN 1934. IT IS ORGANIZED BY THE BOARD OF CRICKET CONTROL IN INDIA. MOST OF THE TEAMS PLAYING IN THE RANJI TROPHY REPRESENTS INDIVIDUAL CITIES SUCH AS MUMBAI OR HYDERBAD.
Posted by
PURA CUP
THE PURA CUP WAS FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE SHEFFIELD SHIELD. THE PURA CUP IS THE DOMESTIC FIRST CLASS CRICKET COMPETITION IN AUSTRALIA. SIX STATE TEAMS TAKE PART IN THIS COMPETITION . THEY PLAY 4-DAY MATCHES AGAINST EVERY OTHER TEAM BOTH AT HOME AND AWAY. TEAMS ARE AWARDED POINTS BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THE MATCH. EACH TEAM PLAYS TWO MATCHES EACH AGAINST EVERY TEAM. THEN ,THE TWO HIGHEST RANKED TEAMS PLAY A 5-DAY FINAL. THE FINAL IS PLAYED AT THE HOME GROUND OF THE TEAM THAT FINISHED ON TOP OF THE TABLE AT THE END OF THE REGULAR SEASON MATCHES.
Posted by
| Australia |
Who won the 1954 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film 'Country Girl'? | Dan Frogan
Dan Frogan
The coming season of 2005/06 has been greeted with much enthusiasm amongst the
Highland
faithful. Not since the emergence of a young (and beardless) Matthew Nicholson, some 12 years ago, has the opportunity to see a potential world-beater strut his cricketing "stuff" down ol' Chatswood way presented itself.
However, an innocuous e-mail from the subcontinent to Tony "Tiddles" Wilson to enquire about the possibility of playing for the club sent the tanned retiree into a flap. Word quickly passed around that a 17 year old, who Tom Moody described as being the next "big" thing in world cricket, would help Gordon's quest to wrest the Belvidere Cup back to its rightful home.
Javier de Silva is clearly a player of rare talent and many think that he would have been a fantastic asset to the club. Surely there was no question that Gordon, still in its rebuilding phase, would have appreciated a world-class player. However, it appears that this rare talent will not be let loose on the
Sydney
first grade competition wearing green, maroon and silver, as the usually reliable
Wilson
was not convinced that de Silva was good enough to command a place in the impressive squad that the committee has assembled for the coming season.
Xavier Da Silva in action
The last time Gordon refused to believe the hype about a player of such talent, the renowned Dan Frogan quietly slipped away from Chatswood Oval without ever being given the opportunity to seriously challenge CG Macartney's single season aggregate record. Frogan turned his attention to rugby until he was apparently banned for life from the Dubbo competition.
Some say that
Wilson
is brave to have ignored de Silva and to have put such faith in the players to whom he had already committed. Others may say he is fool hardy (as usual, all of
Wilson
's questionable decisions should be blamed on the hours he spends on his custom-made sun bed) but we will see how the Stags progress without the talented Sri Lankan. The rumour is that Gordon's loss may be
North Sydney
's gain. It is hoped that what may be perceived as one man's short-sightedness does not assist our fierce rivals.
If
Wilson
had worked just that little bit harder, de Silva, an undergraduate enrolled in journalism at the Open University, may have been writing this electronic column throughout the season. Instead the seat will be filled by the aforementioned Dan Frogan an old friend of an unnamed yet cynical 31 year old opener, who managed a first grade batting average, over 9 seasons, only slightly better than Matt Todd.
There are not many photos of Dan available, however his friend was able to dig up this shot of Dan sometime in the sixties.
As a cricketer and a writer he is not worthy even to be compared to Javier de Silva, however despite the lack of writing talent, Dan's column will seek to bring to this site the stories behind the stories during the course of what is sure to be a successful season for the Stags.
Best Regards
Dan Frogan reports on Poidevin Gray win
Dan Frogan reports on Poidevin Gray win
Just ran into Dan this afternoon. He's been busy trying to broker a deal with the Jamaican bobsled team for Benji Marshall next summer. No rest for the wicked however. He's off to Adelaide this week to give Aurelio Vidmar some tact lessons before the Grand Final of the A-League as he's a little worried about what Vidmar will say if the Adelaide Victory get beaten by Melbourne again. He's then back to help the Waratahs in their next Super 14 game. He's been summoned (again) particularly to help Kurtley Beale with his goal-kicking and all the NSW hookers with their throws into the lineout. He's going to be busy for a while.
(The 1974-75 Poidevin Gray winning team with none other than Michael Falk and that respendent looking chap in the middle of the back row...one Dick Huey)
HOWEVER, he was absolutely delighted to see the Poidevin (the most misspelt, mispronounced word in Sydney cricket)-Gray team reach the semi-finals. Frogan was, in fact, the coach of the last Gordon P-G team to win the competition back in 1974-75. One piece of irony was not lost on him ' to get into the final (no semis back then), Gordon had to beat Cumberland (now Parramatta). They did so, comfortably. Who did our team beat on Sunday??? Coincidence? I don't think so!! A sign. The 74-75 team then went on to comfortably defeat Sutherland, a team containing two excellent cricketers who then went on to play for Australia ' Andrew Hilditch, now the chairman of Australian selectors and John Dyson, the taker of the greatest catch ever, in the final. Frogan was honoured extensively for his contribution to Gordon's success and it really was the start of his legendary status in sport. He'll probably be coming down to the odd practice in the next few weeks to hopefully help our team continue their excellent efforts.
Frogan also was cleaning out the garage of his palatial Dubbo home a couple of days ago and he found a Gordon DCC Newsletter, dated January 1969. Yes, I know. Most of us weren't born then. However, he noted a couple of interesting items in the miscellanea column:
1. 'Jim Cattlin has lost 10 tosses out of 11 (to date!)'
2. 'A.Wilson continues to amaze with his off the field activities.'
What do we learn? One, don't ever go to Star City with Cats. Two 'Tids' same old, same old. He was also referred to as 'Alouette' Wilson in the publication. Why?? Ask him.
(Jim Cattlin... 10 toss losses out of 11)
After our short chat, Dan had to go. Hugh Jackman rang him for advice on hosting the Oscars. Dan was surprised, but if we can ever get him to be the guest speaker at one of our Luncheons, you will very quickly realize why he is in such great demand.
Anonymous
Dan Frogan called in to help Australian team
Dan Frogan called in to help Australian team
With a Test series and One day series loss behind them, the Australia team management have finally turned to the doyen of cricket psychologists Dan Frogan to prepare them for the many months of toil ahead.
(Barack and a man purported to be Dan Frogan at a press conference before returning to Yamba)
Never one to take the limelight Dan has agreed to terms and will fly in this weekend after completing his integration planning contract with Barrack Obama in Washington.
'I think the boys need some old fashioned motivation. I might try the Tom Raudonikis face slapping approach to get them back in the winning mood. Tom was a good mate of mine in the country before he made good' said Dan clearing out his White House office.
'I am also going to try and get my mate Beau Casson back in the side, he reminds me a lot Johnny Watkins when I worked closely with him after his tour of the West Indies in 1972/73. He became a legend after that tour'
Dan has had a busy couple of months. In addition to his contract with his mate Barack, he has been working with Football Federation Australia with their 2030 bid for the World Cup, having worked with Frank Lowy as a silent partner in his development of Westfield in the 60's.
Dan was the one who advised him against the building of the first Westfield department store in Coombadjha near Yamba. This of course is where Dan spends his spare time fishing for Bass and where he still holds the world record for a Bass catch of 12 kilos. He of course returned the massive catch to fight another day.
(A man with a likeness to Dan holds his record catch)
'I won't be interfering with Tim Nielson's coaching systems, I am more of a man management person who gets the best out of what is available'. I used this approach with Jelena the week before the Australian Open in getting her head in the right place'. Said Dan
'I am going to start getting them to relax more, go fishing and learn how to catch a Bass without charging through its front door. Andrew Symonds used this approach with great effect after spending a week with Dan fishing for Barra in the Northern Territory. 'Take it easy and they will come to you, will be my approach, then before they know it they are grilling on the frypan'
(Dan and Andrew before an outing on his boat)
Dan expects to take it easy himself after this current contract and go back to the Mann River for some R&R. 'I sold all my shares in November 2007 in expectation of the global financial crisis and I will catch up on some painting for my portfolio before my next exhibition at the National Art Gallery'.
Dan wont be lost to the Gordon Club during his sabbatical as he intends to come down for our next sponsor lunch and tell us about some of his future plans with his world wide Twenty/20 competition that will be run from Yamba and include a holiday up the Clarence river for those who want to have a break after the big tournament. Dan is truly an 'ideas man' and there is no doubt the world would be lost without him.
I am sure Ricky will be listening intently to his words of wisdom and before long Australia will be number 1 again in all forms of the game.
Anonymous
Frogan's Caribbean Adventure
Frogan's Caribbean Adventure
Well, he's at it again. Frogan took time off from his position as Robbie Dean's technical adviser for the Wallabies to give the Australian cricket team a bit of support in Barbados. Tim Nielsen, the Australian coach, had sent an SOS to him last week to ensure a 2-0 Test result rather than the possibility of a drawn series.
(Dan's No 1 Mentoring client - Beau Casson)
Frogan's first advice to the Australian selectors was to make sure that Gordon's own, Beau Casson, would be in the team. While it wasn't rocket science, there was a feeling that the 'part-timers' might carry the spinning role. 'Balderdash!' said Frogan. Beau was picked and the rest is history ' a win, with the Stag taking vital wickets in the second innings.
So there was a fair Gordon influence in this very entertaining Test match in sunny Barbados. But wait ' there's more! As Frogan walked past the commentary box, there was Jim Maxwell, the ABC's finest, giving excellent description of the action and, sitting next to him - fair suck of the battered sav ' there was none other than another ex-Gordonite ' Henderson Wallace! If you were awake in the middle of the night over the last week you would have heard his expert opinions. Big 'Hendy' was a rather sizeable, cheerful Barbadian who played half a season with the club in the mid 80's.
Hendy was an opening bowler (in those days, all West Indians were) who also gave the ball a bit of a nudge with the bat. He played a couple of 3rd Grade games before playing the last three in 1st Grade.
(Dan Frogan arriving in Barbados with Mr Stanford after negotiating the new 20/20 competition)
While he only had moderate success, his ability to hit the ball into distant places was never clearer than when he was playing out at Sydney University. The 3rds were playing on No. 1 and 1sts on No.2, due to some problems with the main ground. The 1st Grade game was progressing satisfactory when balls from the main ground started to lob on to No.2. Henderson was showing how to hit a lofted straight drive! That's a long way.
Hendy is now one of the leading commentators in Barbados but when Frogan caught up with him, he was happy to share a few stories about his short but enjoyable stay at Gordon.
So, it doesn't matter where the cricket is ' in the West Indies, in an England vs New Zealand one-dayer (Scott Styris), an English County game (Matt Nicholson, Will Smith, Dean Cosker), an English Minor Counties game (Danny Leech) ' anywhere! There's going to be a Stag or an ex-Stag. And do you know what? There's a pretty fair chance that Dan Frogan helped him get where he is today!
Dan Frogan
Dan Frogan surfaces again
Dan Frogan surfaces again
Shout it from the highest mountain. Accompany it with the fanfare of a hundred trumpets. That is possibly laying it on a bit thick; but for the members of our club, to see our premier side playing off in the final will be a very proud moment.
(Libby Trickett in her Frogan design swimsuit)
The captains, the team and the support staff who have developed a group that have reached this stage is a testament to the years of hard work that have been done since those individuals (and others) decided at the turn of the Millennium to drag Gordon back up to where it belonged in Sydney Grade Cricket. As has been reported here previously, none of this could have been achieved without Frogan's influence.
Frogan has not been around too often in the last 18 months. It has been a very busy couple of years for the man with the golden playbook. He has been in high demand across his many areas of influence.
This was not more evident than in the Cricket and Rugby World Cups. Until the Greg Chappell experience in India went sour, the man who invented 20/20 cricket whilst playing for Somerset in 1968 was preparing the team who prevailed as inaugural winners of that "World Cup".
However, Frogan was not able to rest from the ignominious (and potentially fool hardy decision by the BCCI) as the Rugby World Cup loomed large on the radar.
The Wallabies' decision, under the new coaching staff of Knuckles Connolly, to opt against taking the Frogan as their spiritual guide was Greg Mumm and Fiji's gain as he helped the Pacific Island nation reach the quarter finals of the competition for the first time.
Since the Rugby World Cup Frogan has had precious little time to spend time with his beloved Gordon, as sporting garment manufacturer, Speedo utilised his special understanding of physics and swimming to design the new suits that make Libby Lenton or Trickett or whatever her name is flatter than Brendan McDonald. However, it is clear that she still has far bigger pecs than the Gordon twirler. Quite what revolutionary skin-tight under garments the team will wear this weekend is a secret; but it is sure to be very special.
As has been previously revealed in this column, McDonald likes to take his shirt off as often as he can. Some would say that fellow whirly, Chris Archer, is fast attaining the same reputation. Frogan noted in the photo of the Club song belted out with gusto at Chatswood on Sunday afternoon, that 11 first grade players (including 12th man Jones) had their shirts on. There was only one who thought a shirt unnecessary ... McDonald.
Whatever he is doing, he should keep doing it for another week as he has already captured 42 wickets at 22 this season. Whatever Dylan Connell has been doing this season, that has returned 41 wickets at 22 thus far, is probably best left unsaid and may have something to do with his ridiculously large towel.
It has been a very solid back half of the year from a team that suffered some close losses earlier in the year, to seemingly slip out of contention.
The performances of Simmons have been fantastic and he is agonisingly close to breaking the long-standing first grade season run scoring record, which some thought would never be broken. After all, it has been on the books and withstood the test of time for nearly 13 whole months when Craig himself finished the 2006/2007 season with 33 at Waitara.
(Craig Simmons in action last weekend)
As Simmo prepares to return home to Western Australia to further his first-class career, Frogan bursts with pride at yet another on his production line of identified talent. He will be missed as much for his run production and left arm rubbish (for which 17 blokes in Sydney should be very embarrassed about succumbing to this season - 17 blokes!) as he will be for the long hours he spent in the sheds after the game.
Frogan noted with interest the fact that two men who called Waitara home for a number of seasons, Hokin and Beverley, have been mainstays in this season's first grade side. When Frogan was chairman of the recruitment sub-committee in 1984, he identified 2 players from Northern Districts that he thought crucial to count amongst Gordon's number.
(Rod Hokin and Iain Beverley against Randwick Petersham)
In the seasons that followed, the Club welcomed Steve Mervyn Day, a determined batsman and fantastic cover fieldsman who could barely roll his arm over; but still managed to hit a 15 year old Kelly in the head in the Chatswood nets. Welcome to grade cricket son. Brutal! Frogan had also noticed a young left hander playing for the Rangers who many had ignored as a bloke who scored runs but didn't look too pretty doing it.
Michael Cant arrived at the Club in 1987 and over the next decade he scored 5,240 runs in 1st grade at nearly 35 (approximately 4,200 of which were scored backward of point). However, it was Frogan's genius in attracting these two men to the Club whomeach captained a magnificent squad of players in 1989/90 and 1990/91 respectively that brought the Belvidere Cup to Gordon. It seems to Frogan that Gordon is again in good hands with the solid performances of the two men who started their careers 20 kilometres north up the F1.
(Michael Cant hitting behind point)
The Stags are not currently led by a former Gum Tree as they again strive to win the competition; but Matt Nicholson was raised and was educated in the heart land of our northern neighbour and in Frogan's words: "as far as superstition goes, that'll do for me". After a fine second half of his first-class career, upon returning from Western Australia, and with the number of times he has pulled his team out of the mire over the seasons, it seems only right that the team puts up its best performance of the season on the weekend.
A team is often only as strong as the will of its team. After a lean run since Christmas, Frogan is convinced that James Packman is hungry for and destined to get big runs. He hasn't gone this long without a making a significant score in a significant period of time. Apparently he is running at 5-1 to be top scorer in Howitt Jnr's book. The one-time face of Sports Bet, Randwick-Petersham coach, Billy Anderson was heard to say on his 53rd lap of Chatswood Oval for the weekend: "Howitt is crazy.
(The money is on Packers)
Packman is great value at $5 and more chance of earning a return than any of Tony Wilson's nags. If you've got a spare hundred buck get it on James Packman". If enough people get on board, Frogan can see Howitt living with Margaret and Senior and working for Pic for the considerable part of a long time to pay off his debts. However, the likes of Reece Bombas and Brad Rasool could be worth a few bucks on Howitt's odds. Each has the talent to get big runs and there could be no better time than to do it this weekend. Please see Howitt or CentreBet for current odds.
Last Sunday, after a recovery session, Frogan drove Waratah captain Phil Waugh to Chatswood to see Waugh's old school mate Packman bat. The runs that were hoped for by Waugh did not eventuate. However, Frogan is sure that a trip to the ground the day after the Waratahs' crunch match against Auckland SFS will be rewarded.
Frogan was pleased to see hart-hearted Stag Ed Zelma back in action against Randwick Petersham on the weekend. It was unlikely that anyone could have kept him away for too much longer. Frogan's mind power, two roles of sticky tape and a ball of string seem to have done the trick. Zelma will play a big role in facing the club that he played for for a couple of seasons and won a second grade premiership against Mosman at this weekend's venue in 2002/03.
(Ed Zelma against Randwick Petersham last weekend)
It was during that game that St George were dead in the water, when Zelma knocked over 3 Whales batsmen with straight half volleys. The tactical acumen in trying 3 straight half volleys almost embarrassed Frogan that he had not thought of the same thing. However, Frogan relaxed in the knowledge that if he had been involved, Saints would never have been in trouble in the first place.
Richard Stobo recounts that when he and Phil Emery witnessed the epic semi-final between Wests and Northern Districts at Waitara in 1985, they determined from that moment to play in finals cricket as it is the toughest, most intense and best cricket to be played in the season.
Anyone who has been at Sydney Uni No.1 and Chatswood Oval over the last fortnight and seen fantastic contests played against quality opposition will testify to that sentiment. The reward for the players is obvious. Beau Casson is the prime example. He has had a great season in first class cricket, scoring runs, taking wickets, being part of a winning NSW team and has now been selected for the upcoming Australian tour of the West Indies later in the year.
(Graham King joins in the singing on Sunday evening)
Frogan noticed thatdespite his great success this season, during thesinging of the Club songon Sunday, which wasfirst penned by Frogan in 1973 (the year that Cattlin won "Best Body in the Club"), Casson was clearly as thrilled as team mascot Marcus in his enthusiasm. Stags stalwart Graham King also made an appearance in the rooms on Sunday and climbed into the song that he sung many times as a player during his 33 year stint in which he amassed a club record 1,121 wickets at 14.It demonstrates just what victory through to a final means to the players in the team and to everyone in the Club.
The story, however, that Frogan likes most about motivation to win a first grade premiership is one that Mark O'Neill has told. O'Neill recounted (in his matter of fact, some may say expletive-punctuated style) that in the late 80's he and other players were so sick and tired about the old blokes talking about the Club Championship flag that they had won in 1974/75 that they were determined to get one of the bloody things for themselves. Two flags (in red and blue) were duly brought back to the Club and then stolen by the miscreant youths of Chatswood.
(Mark O'Neill in the 80's)
Frogan has always suspected that Livermore knows the whereabouts of these items as he was amongst the greatest miscreants in the area at the time. Some say that he still is; but that is both unfounded and unfair. In any event, it seems to Frogan from his discussions with the first grade team members that they too are sick and tired about hearing ofthe feats of the early 90's teams and wish to get their own bloody flag. Hear, hear!
Gordon has been in 5 Finals in 1st grade since the Second World War. Ginty Lush's sides of 1945/46 and 1947/48, the Day and Cant led sides of the early 90's and the Dick Guy led side in 1971/72. The only side to go down in those contests was the 1971/72 side who were decimated by Gary Gilmour who led the Western Suburbs attack taking 6/4 at Pratten Park.
(Good try Frogan, you didn't think the webmaster could find Ginty did you...here is the great man)
Frogan was disappointed to miss the game with a recurrence of a left shoulder injury suffered prior to the start of that season in the triple jump at the national Athletics Championships, which served as a selection event for the Munich Olympics that were held later in 1972. There is no doubt that his presence in the top order on a seaming Pratten wicket would have made a huge difference.
St George are a very good team and a very strong and proud club. As minor premiers they have played good cricket during the year. But with the Stags running into form at the right time of the season and believing in themselves and each other, they have given themselves the right to play for the ultimate reward in the strongest club competition in the world. Boys, we are all behind you.
Congratulations on a fine season so far and we hope that you perform at your best for one more week. Frogan will be lurking at Bankstown to have the opportunity (win or lose) to see the Club in its finest hour in 17 years.
(Dan Frogan before the Munich Olympics)
Win for yourselves, win for your team mates, win for your Club or win for a new bloody flag to fly at Chatswood Oval; but give it everything that you have and enjoy the experience.
Anonymous
Dan Frogan - No. 3 - 07/08 Season
'Pretty good week, that'
Frogan echoed the famous words of the great Richie Benaud after checking the results in the Sunday papers. Immediately after returning from Pakistan, where his attempt at brokering a positive outcome to the possibility of an Australian tour unfortunately appears to have fallen on deaf ears, Frogan was mightily enthused by the idea of Gordon appearing in 3 semi finals. After last weekend positioned 1sts, 2nds and 4ths in with a chance of progressing further into the autumn months, his mind went back to the halcyon season of 1974-75 where every grade reached the semi-finals. Unfortunately, only one side grasped the grail but they were heady days.
Geoff Lawson with a player in dire need of a manager like Frogan
Back to Pakistan. Frogan and Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, both represented Combined NSW Country many years ago ' 'Henry' a callow stringbean from Wagga (Wagga) and Frogan from Dubbo. They discussed at length the danger factor of touring Pakistan. Henry convinced the Dubbo icon that there were few problems ' he was walking the streets of Karachi with little trepidation. Frogan himself felt little concern with reacquainting himself with some of the more colorful nightclubs in Pakistan's larger centres. If there's a Pakistan version of Bollywood, watch out Brett Lee ' Frogan is smokin'!
On the trip back, Frogan had business in Mumbai ' as manager of several leading Australian players, he was anxious to organize profitable deals for them in the ICL. There's still plenty of money to be had in this so-called 'second-tier' series, and Frogan has already clearly established himself as one of cricket's leading negotiators. If you need proof' well, in organizing the 'so-called' auctioning of players for the IPL a fortnight ago, guess who was in Andrew Symonds corner? Suffice to say, if Punter had his time over again, he would have gone for Frogan as his 'advisor' and wouldn't be eating fish and chips wrapped in the Launceston Herald right now while Roy is eating freshly caught lobster.
A man of the people, they turn out in great numbers to see Frogan whilst in Lahore, Pakistan
Back to Gordon. Frogan has great respect for Manly ' one of few Sydney clubs that kept his performances down to the category of only 'exceptional'. He's also very excited about the recognition his old adversary Mick Pawley is going to get on Saturday morning when Manly will name their new ground after him. Mick has been a legend on the northern beaches - the heart and soul of cricket in the area. Frogan will be trying to get down there for the beginning of the Fifth Grade game when the Mike Pawley Oval will be officially opened. He does have another commitment however, as Binga and Kat have asked him to address the NSW team before the start of the Pura Cup Final. I reckon he'll still make it, though. Anyway, Frogan thinks this weekend could be something great for Gordon and would love to see success right through the grades. Three teams in the semis and he may be opening his wallet!
Frogan 2
So, Movember is happening at Gordon now. Well, speaking to Dan Frogan last week, moustaches used to be an integral part of cricket. He played through the era of Ian Chappell, whose iconic 'tache' was the forerunner for hairy faces all over the cricketing world. However it is generally accepted that it was in a Possibles vs Probables trial match before the 1972 Ashes Tour that Chappell was so impressed with Frogan's upper lip that he made the decision to go the 'tache', and the rest is history.
(Dan during one of his recent trip to Afganistan to mediate between the USA and Taliban forces for which Dan received a US military award)
Frogan's moustache had everything ' it was bushy and drooped down in true Mexican style. The effect it had on the fairer sex was mesmeric. They swooned, screamed, even threw items of clothing (often all at the same time)!
There was such a wide variety of moustache in those days. One would see things that almost grew while you watched, other more cultured creations with an aristocratic twirl at the ends, down to the pathetic wisps that needed the light to be coming from a certain angle to be identified.
So it will be interesting to see different creations over the next few weeks. If you want to see perfection, look for photos of Dan in old issues of Australian Cricket. There's no doubt that that is to what you should all be aspiring. He also attended the ARIAS (Dan has been a rock legend over the last 30 years, regularly winning awards for his best-selling albums) where he noticed that all members of silverchair, in their desire to replicate greatness, were the proud owners of Froganesque mo's.
With the Annual Stags Luncheon coming up this week, it is coincidental that mention should be made earlier of Ian Chappell. Gordon used to have an annual dinner, way back in the 70's where well-known cricket figures regaled the diners with stories of their experiences. Ian Chappell was the guest speaker at the first two of these dinners, as a favour to Frogan, and he proved most entertaining. In years following, such famous cricketers as Doug Walters, Merv Hughes and Mark Taylor amused the masses at venues like the Royal Automobile Club, North Sydney Leagues Club, Windsor Gardens and the Chatswood Club.
This year's speakers all have a strong cricketing background too. Phil Waugh, as well as being a champion rugby player, was also an excellent wicketkeeper at schoolboy level. He captained Jimmy Packman's school team which won the Australian Schools title and he, also, didn't give Jimmy a bowl. Phil played a couple of lower grade and Poidevin-Gray games for Gordon before rugby took over. Gordon Bray was a very handy cricketer whose commentating duties precluded him from playing grade cricket.
Frogan toured the world with Gordon and can remember leading him astray on many occasions. Vince Sorrenti' well, Vince is from Punchbowl. Jeff Thomson and Len Pascoe went to Punchbowl High School. Practically brothers.
Special Announcement: it is rumoured that Dan will be making a surprise appearance at the Luncheon. Although an affiliate member of the ACB and hence required to attend the Hobart Test, he is planning to fly down on Friday afternoon after a visit to Cockle Bay. It'll be great to see him!
Dan Frogan 2007/08 - No. 1
Dan Frogan is back
Just a couple of weeks ago, a Gordon official happened, per chance, to run into the elusive Dan Frogan out at the Gulargambone Rodeo in western NSW. After re-negotiating a deal with the Pulitzer winning journalist, Dan Frogan is back for 2007/08. The webmaster is quick to pass on his thanks to Dan for his planned re-involvement in the affairs of the GDCC. It is with regret however, that Dan's appearances will be limited as his regular overseas travels, to fulfil commitments as an International Sports Science Consultant in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics, means he is in great demand. Anyhow, enough from the webmaster, it is over to Frogan.
With 1st Grade at Chatswood, this famous stand may need to be hastily relocated
---------------------------------------------------------
A new season! A new President, new Secretary, new players, renewed enthusiasm ' Frogan has not been so excited since he rolled in a 25 ft putt at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 1983 to qualify for the Australian Open (which he led into the second day until cruelly struck down with tendonitis in his neck and which ultimately brought a premature end to a stellar golfing career).
Many new players in the various grades but some great new talent. Frogan remembers Jack Ritchie's dad, Mike, as a dogged higher order batsman about 15 years ago whose fighting spirit contributed to two Gordon premierships. These qualities appear to have been passed from father to son and Frogan is sure that Jack will have a successful career at the Stags.
One of Frogan's favourite players, Gareth Wright is back playing after a serious back injury. Gareth is a fantastic clubman who always puts in a big effort and it is hoped that he'll have a great season.
The Fifth Grade team is particularly interesting. With the retirement of Tweety Gray, the average age of the team has dropped by 14 years. Frogan once captained a team where several players, including Hoppa Howitt, had to leave the games early so they could get home in time to watch The Muppets at 5.30pm before bedtime, but this side is probably just as young. However, they can all play good cricket!
Some interesting news about Gordon connections over in England. Matthew Nicholson, who has regularly acknowledged Frogan as the person who has had the greatest positive effect on his career, has had a great season with Surrey, being their leading wicket taker as well as scoring some useful runs. Surrey have maintained their position in the County Championship Division One ' something that did not look possible early on, having lost all their games before Nicho arrived. Frogan remembers Nicho as a callow beanpole of an 18 year old playing for Gordon in the lower grades in between school commitments.
When he played his first game in the top grade (straight from 3rds ' do not pass go, do not collect $200) he was immediately involved in a thrilling last wicket victory. With Gordon nine down and needing one or two runs to win, Nicho was given out stumped but it was clear (to everyone except the visually impaired umpire) that the wicketkeeper had dropped the ball. The wicketkeeper appeared to have no problems with claiming the wicket (probably worked on the 'one hand, one bounce' catching philosophy also) but with a great uproar off the field (Frogan in fact had to be restrained from jumping the fence and confronting the gloveman himself), the sheepish fellow conceded that he may not have gloved the ball correctly. So Nicho was recalled and promptly won the game for Gordon.
However (''ay, there's the rub'' Hamlet III, I) one of the great injustices in modern sport followed. A journalist from a Sydney radio station attending the game, saw what happened and told one of his station's talkback hosts who, the next morning, began describing this wonderful act of generosity and sportsmanship by the keeper as something akin to John Landy in the 1956 Australian Championships 1500 metres stopping to help a fallen Ron Clarke before running on and winning the race!* The wicketkeeper was practically awarded the Nobel Peace Prize! Talkback radio ' nothing's changed. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Another former Gordon player has excelled in England recently also. Danny Leech ' a top bloke and pretty fair bat ' scored 202 in the Final of the Minor Counties Championship last week to help Cheshire to a convincing win. Apparently Leechy, in accepting the Man of the Match Award, referred to Frogan several times as the person who instilled in him the toughness and determination to keep battling and not throw his innings away.
Fine art, wine and women - A dear friend of Frogan, Graham Mackie, is in his element
And, while on the topic of the Old Dart, the Club welcomes the son of one of England's best to the ranks. Jim Gatting's dad, Mike, was a fantastic bat and excellent captain of the English side in the days when they used to beat Australia. Frogan was actually walking his dog up at Killara Oval last Sunday (with his pooper-scooper and plastic bag!) while Jim was batting and was amazed by the similarity between father and son's style. Gatting senior had a season or two with the club formerly known as Balmain back in the 70's. He scored many runs as well as taking over 50 wickets with his sneaky meds and ran away with the Sydney Morning Herald Best and Fairest. Good luck, Jim.
Another Englishman, Sam Powell is also welcomed to the club. Sam, from Cambridgeshire, is currently teaching at Knox Prep, under the watchful eye of the Headmaster, Bob Thomas, one of Gordon's finest (see transcript of Dick Guy's speech at the Centenary Dinner). Frogan actually read Law at Cambridge University before coming back to Australia to practise in a prestigious Sydney law firm so he knows Sam's neighbourhood well.
It's all to look forward to. Some early wins will set the club up for a big year!
Dan Frogan
(* Ironically this was the scene of one of the Frogan family's proudest sporting achievements. Dan's father, Dick, won the 100 and 200 metres and was placed in the 400 metres. He would have participated in the Melbourne Olympics but it was harvest time on his property in Western NSW and his strong work ethic ' he saw his athletics activities as very much a pastime ' meant that the crops took priority and they had to be in for the family to survive. A cruel blow, as his times were world class!)
Dan Frogan No.10
Dan Frogan No.10
Well is it any surprise that after such a long drought in first grade, where several wooden spoons were collected, and only a year after a certain UNSW player commented that Gordon were the worst club in the competition, that the Stags have returned to their rightful place near the top of the tree in the year that Frogan actively returned to his old stomping ground.
(Brendan McDonald at a Green Shield game)
It is not since 1991 that Frogan managed the Steve Mervyn Day skippered side has a Gordon side made such a big turn around to reach the semi-finals. And not since Big Boris Hayne, another with whom Frogan spent hours on the phone discussing tactics, politics and philosophy, captained the side in 1993 have the Stags been involved in matches in the latter part of March.
The way in which Gordon secured their spot has been magnificent, beating Balmain, Northern Districts, Mosman and North Sydney to be the undisputed premier side on the North Shore. Before anyone contacts the website, Manly is not on the North Shore but the "Penninsula".
However, the win against the "Bears" as they now like to be know was especially sweet. A club that has caused our club great heartache in the last 10 years as very strong sides initially in green, red and yellow and lately in red and black made life miserable, were treated to a passionate rendition of "A Gordon for Me". A song reworked by Frogan in the late 70's, it was appropriate that he was in the rooms on Saturday to shake the Thompson Stand to its foundations.
It was all the more impressive that the side was able to concentrate on cricket on either day, as their collective minds were initially on the Desperate & Dateless Ball and then, much more importantly for Brendan McDonald, the following week's beef cake festival that is the Gay and Lesbian Madi Gras. It struck Frogan, the undisputed winner of Gordon's "Body of the Year" in 1978 and equal winner with Jim Catlin in 1973, that McDonald makes a big fuss about not that much. Sure, the wavy hair is there, the masculine silhouette of a bull adorns his upper right arm, an all over tan that Tony Wilson has worked his whole life for and he shows an inclination for nudity, second only in Gordon's long history to Richie Brown.
McDonald's upper body resembles that of a 14 year old. It is certainly not the trunk that would have held a candle to Catlin in 1973. Nevertheless, McDonald appears to need no invitation to show off his androgenous form whenever the temperature gets above 12 degrees. Perhaps the real reason that he coached the Green Shield team this season is that those boys have chests only slightly bigger than his own.
(Dan Frogan (partly obscured) provides advice to Greg Chappell and Sachin Tendulkar in India)
Despite the bravado and the penchant for not wearing clothes, it has definitely been a good move for the ex-Bear this season. Certainly the addition of Simmons and Zelma have assisted in turning around the fortunes of the team and, with it, the club in general. It was difficult to hide the smile on Frogan's face, even during the tense India-Pakistan test series, where, as previously mentioned he acted as Greg Chappell's spiritual advisor, to see the two tee totallers continue to put big numbers on the board. Strange because, in the 70's, anyone who didn't drink was more likely to have been on a float with McDonald on Oxford Street than playing under the banner of the famous stag. How times have changed but surely changed for the better. Frogan will be pleased to celebrate with a carrot juice with a bloody* straw in it, if the Belvedere Cup comes home, so long as it has a vodka chaser.
Frogan, a founding member and event planner of the Desperate & Dateless Ball (he claims that it is just one big B & S Ball that he and blokes like Jim Cameron used to attend) was pleased to see the Gordon boys resplendent in their regalia.
(Dan Frogan at last years D&D ball)
It was particularly pleasing to see Matt Michael wearing his Gordon Cricket Club tie; although the green, maroon and silver really clashed with the pink shirt. Further, apparently there is no truth to the rumour that Livermore was seen leaving with club supporter Melanie discussing the trials and tribulations of spending time in hospital. Apparently they were just seen leaving together. Whatever the truth, the liaison certainly agreed with Livermore, who smote the Bears second grade attack to ever part of Bingham's Ring.
So, onward to post-season cricket, where the first grade team and the Colts will hopefully be joined by 2nd grade and 5th grade, who are counted upon to have strong victories and be on a roll come next week. No doubt Howitt and Storey, who have thus far led their outfits with equal measures of nous, determination and panach' (certainly better than Kelly's consistent but ultimately unsuccessful season), would do worse than to have Frogan's telephone number close at hand in the days leading into this crucial weekend.
* in light of the UK censor's view of the Australian Tourism Board's latest advertising campaign it should be made plain that the inclusion of this word is not meant to offend any British people who may be reading this article.
Dan Frogan No.9
Dan Frogan No.9
When Frogan penned the words to the club's victory song, based on the ditty of Scotland's Highland Light Infantry, he included "Northern Districts" as our fierce (but certainly not bitter) rivals and "Randwick". In Frogan's wisdom of the time, it was considered that Randwick may as well be in the song because it was so rare that the song was sung after an encounter at Coogee, such has been that club's strength. Accordingly, for first grade to beat both clubs in the same week is simply fantastic. The way that the first grade side managed to defend a relatively small total against a strong club in Northern Districts, without its incumbent state players, was a great sign. It's demolition of Randwick-Petersham was just great.
(Ed Zelma celebrates his century this season)
It did not go unnoticed by Frogan, in Pakistan to witness the bat-a-thon that comprises that series, as spiritual guru to Greg Chappell and his all-Australian Indian coaching team, that it has been Ed Zelma who was instrumental in both of these fixtures, with bat and ball and certainly with his shrewd captaincy. Following years of hard work to shake the tag of "flashy party boy", a tag that has surely been assumed by this season's Green Shield coach, Zelma is fast becoming recognised as one of the premier players in the competition. "Erratic, inexperienced and hungover" has been replaced by "fast, fit and thoughtful". Frogan's hard work in the sand hills and in colluding with Zelma's better half to get him off the booze, is a major factor in a first grade resurgence this season.
That resurgence sees a very important weekend of games, against the Black Cats of Penrith and the final one-day round game prior to the semi finals against the Whales of Mosman. Victory in these games would go some distance to securing a home semi-final in the one-day competition and the dream at the beginning of the season of a semi-final position in the overall competition being a step closer. Standing in the way of Gordon's charge on Sunday will be two players who counted amongst the Stags' number the last time the first grade side brought silverware back to Chatswood.
Frogan's lasting impression of Warwick Adlam and John Davison together is, coincidentally, after the grand final win against Mosman in 1990/1991.
(John Davison playing for Canada in the World Cup)
Frogan had just been introduced at the old Gordon Rugby Club (located about where Babies Galore is now situated) to present the "Dr D. O. A. Frogan Medal", struck for the best Gordon player in a winning Gordon first grade grand final, when Adlam and Davison came tumbling down the stairs (located about where Time Zone is now situated or at least where the butcher with all the dead ducks is) fighting over a mounted Stags head. Whilst it would have been preferable for these two to have remained under the Tartan banner, it has amused Frogan to see the maturing of these two past Stags. Davison has gone on to play for Canada in a World Cup in 2003, scoring the fastest ever World Cup hundred (against the West Indies) and the third fastest ever World Cup fifty (against New Zealand). Just as impressive was his match return of
17 for 137 against the USA in the ICC's Intercontinental Cup, the best figures in a first class game since Jim Laker. At the same time, Adlam has lost all of his hair, which is also surely a sign of maturity. It will be good to catch up with these important men in the Club's history on Sunday at the picturesque Rawson Oval.
It was disappointing for the Green Shield side to lose the toss on a wet wicket against Campbelltown, which appears to have been the most influential incident in the game. It will be an experience that will hopefully serve to make the players stronger in their collective resolve to win premierships with Gordon. However, Frogan remains dubious as to the whether the side would have been able to win the competition in any event, considering it's coach is still not purged of his time playing for North Sydney. That purging may occur with a victory at North Sydney Oval in three round's time. If it does Frogan will be in the rooms to sing his famous old chorus that all opponents have heard.
(B-Mac and Midnight at the Green Shield)
Dan Frogan No.8
Dan Frogan No. 8
Frogan smiled from high in the Sydney University grandstand late on Saturday afternoon. His words of wisdom to the combative Nicholson prior to the start of play were coming to fruition. "Sydney Uni are long in talent and will be thrown by a shortened game; and, by the way, why don't you give that kid O'Neill-Fuller a go with the ball. He looks like he could be your answer to Andrew Symonds". And so it was, with fantastic fight and high skill levels getting the team home.
(A great call to suggest JOF take to the crease)
The last time that Frogan saw a Gordon victory over the Varsity in first grade was at Killara in round six of season 1996/1997, when Gordon were completing their best ever start to a season since the Great War. Sydney Uni became victim six, but Gordon won only one more game for the season.
That day in 1996 was also a low scoring, closely fought game, largely thanks to a wicket that had been "laser-levelled", the buzz word in world cricket at that time. Amongst the Stags number were Moss, Toohey, Dixon, Morrison and a loud-mouthed wicket keeper called McGregor. Nicholson had recently moved west, Hayne had returned to Drummoyne, Stobo was enjoying everlasting retirement and the likes of Livermore and Sherman (then only 30) were still fighting their way up the grades, under the tutelage of Frogan at practice every second Thursday. Sydney Uni were certainly not the side that they have been over the last four seasons and Gordon had only just ended a run of five consecutive appearances in the four team semi finals, which resulted in two premierships and three consecutive years of finishing second in the club championship. It surely demonstrates how fleeting reputations are in this competition and that fortunes are able to be quickly turned with dedication and a willingness for "working hard"*.
Certainly the song that was belted from the away dressing rooms as the thoughtfully named "Number 1 Oval" at Sydney University was rendered with such feeling as to warm up the coldest of winter evenings.
Frogan learned with surprise of the immediately effective retirement of Reynolds during the week. Only 180 runs short of his goal of scoring 5000 runs for the club, it was disappointing that he was not able to reach the milestone. However, if he had carried his form over the previous two seasons and an extended overseas trip had not cut into his season and a dog had not bitten him on the face, the club may well have seen Reynolds make the honour board. Perhaps it may have helped had he played more than 12 of the last 21 seasons.
(Marty with last season's 4th grade trophy)
A young Reynolds first came to Frogan's attention as a ginger-haired flashy and brash 15 year old playing Green Shield. Reynolds graduated to the senior club, before breaking into first grade as a 19 year old. Two short years after making his debut Reynolds, citing a now common theme of work commitments, confided in Frogan that he was scared of the ball. Frogan employed his world renowned skills of sports psychology, then in its infancy in Australia, but it was a lost cause and the young, thin Reynolds was temporarily lost to the club. He returned from "breaks" on a number of occasions and invariably found himself in teams that played in grand finals.
Perhaps this was no coincidence.
One of the worst sledgers that Frogan has ever encountered, having the misfortune of hearing Reynolds at close quarters when he managed the Australian Indoor Cricket Team in the late 80's and early 90's, it was a more subdued man who played his last game for the club last Saturday.
Reynolds is now more interested in "bringing through the youth of the club", like Stobo, and having a beer with the opposition but Frogan recalled an unfortunate incident during a second grade game at Hurstville Oval in 1992/1993, when he was nearly clubbed to death by an infuriated batsman who had dual misfortune to be in Reynolds path and an association with Mark Waugh. A long-standing injunction prevents publication of the incident in any more detail. Needless to say, it is an allegation that Reynolds now vehemently denies, although he makes clear that he has never meant any offence to Australia's fourth highest run-getter.
Reynolds has been a good club man and Frogan is adamant that his like should be encouraged at this club. Well at least his like without any defamatory comments about the choice of life partner of any test cricketers. However, let's not go overboard, despite his best efforts, he is not dead and any further space dedicated to his cricket could render him unbearable.
And so to one of this club's greatest on-field foes. The gum tress of Waitara, the team that curiously has adopted a tune as their club song that is sung by a soccer team from Woy Woy. Until recently, the song named the Central Coast hamlet in favour of any reference to the northern-most of Sydney's suburbs.
Northern Districts have long since been a fierce competitor and the clubs have swapped a number of players over the years. The likes of Cant, Toohey, Day, Liggins and recently Hokin saw the light and found their way to Chatswood, whilst Rowan McGregor, Phil Gregson, Adam and Dean Gilchrist and the current Mayor of Hornsby (who will captain fourth grade this weekend) left to join the Hornsby club. However, quite possibly the biggest loss to Gordon was that of former Australian captain Mark Taylor from under its nose, when he was playing for Lindfield and was the school captain of Chatswood High School.
(Michael Cant came from ND's to Gordon)
This is a very big round for the club, facing its two biggest rivals in the next four weeks, it is a chance for Gordon to stamp its authority as the premier north shore club. After watching the other game at Sydney Uni on the weekend at the aptly named "Number 2 Oval", Frogan's hot tip is for the desperately unlucky 3rd grade side to commence an unlikely run at semi-final cricket with a greatly overdue win. This team has on four occasions had teams in the top four 9 wickets down and has not been able to sneak home in any of them. A strong performance from them will set the tone for the rest of the club to bring home the points.
In a further boost to 3rd grade's chances, Mark Wiese will be back the following match to lead the team after his weekend nuptials and recovery from his Thumb injury. Frogan, who was the reserve celebrant at the event, reports that the proud groom was resplendent is his brown suit with frilled blue shirt and the lovely Jessica looked stunning as can only have been expected. Congratulations Mark and Jessica.
*In the instance that anyone from another planet may be reading this article, the term "working hard" seeks to connote that a player or a group of players (commonly referred to as a team) engages in a sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result and engages in that sustained physical or mental effort with great energy, intensity or persistence.
Dan Frogan No.7
Dan Frogan No.7
Well the editor got most of it right. It is certainly true that the guru, whose moniker this column bears, has been extremely busy over the last 4 weeks. It seems that everyone has wanted a piece of him and this writer knows first hand the benefit that can be gleaned from having Frogan in your corner. However, Frogan was called in late by the skipper of "Koomooloo" to lend his knowledge of competing in the great ocean race. Needless to say, at the time of writing, "Koomooloo" was leading its division, about 150 nautical miles from Constitution Dock.
Frogan, in true Frogan style, has not neglected his beloved club and even had time to bash out some notes from "Koomooloo's" nerve centre over the last few days.
There are a number of current issues at the club that Frogan has targeted for comment. The first is the fantastic start to the season that the AW Green Shield team has made to the season. These young men are the future of Gordon cricket club and it is wonderful to see them making an early impact to the competition but, more importantly, adding points to the club championship. Frogan said that looking at the way these young men play reminds him of Ken Eastwood in his heyday for the club. The player who would move south to Victoria before playing his lone test in Sydney against England in 1971, scored this club's highest individual score in Green Shield when he plundered 320 in the early 1940s. Frogan mused that he saw much of a young Eastwood in Angus Sinclair's swashbuckling innings of 99 against Parramatta. Much is expected of this highly talented bunch.
Quite what the affect of Green Shield coach Brendan McDonald will have on this young troop is anyone's guess. All the singing, celebrating and general shenanigans for which McDonald is known are fine; but never let us forget that McDonald is from North Sydney. The fact that he saw the light, after a false start 12 months ago is fine, but let's not rush things. Surely McDonald requires an intensive education process before he is let loose on our future.
(Dinner for Hoppa surpassing 350 wickets)
And speaking of "McDonald" and "loose" in the same sentence, Frogan was pleased to be present at a dinner prior to Christmas and the start of the Sydney to Hobart to mark Ed Howitt Jnr's eclipsing of selector Tony Wilson's aggregate of wickets for the club. Many thought that the dinner was to mark the passing of the 350 wicket milestone; but Wilson is far more consumed by himself than that and the celebration had to involve some homage to young Ant Wilson and his right arm door knobs. Enough strokes have been dedicated to Howitt this year to cause repetitive strain-type injury to a number of contributors to the website. This writer could not be bothered keying anymore, but Frogan wanted to reiterate his admiration of a player who tries so hard as a "spinner" and yet rarely turns it off square.
The dinner at a well known restaurant in Crows Nest, one of Wilson's favourites, presumably due to the size of the proprietors' moustaches, was apparently of exceptional quality. Meals were of sublime quality and so big that each of the attendees was barely able to finish, before rolling out the door at circa 11.45pm, three days before Christmas.
Many had a night cap before retiring except for the club captain, club fitness trainer and dazzling young club import who were found to be still awake and still having a few sociables at 6pm the next evening. It is an example that Frogan thinks augurs well for the club and if it does not bring back memories of Keith Miller, it must then surely see performances repeated the like of Andrew Symonds in the Melbourne test, following his breach of curfew in England recently. Wilson was not amongst those who partied away as he had a rendezvous with his sun bed planned for 9.30am on Friday. Interestingly, neither was McDonald despite a comparable performance after the Christmas party, instead McDonald helped guide home his boys against the Whales of Mosman the following day. Very responsible indeed.
Gordon's playing record in the game after Christmas has been suspect in the last few seasons. However, Frogan recognises a huge chance for the club to build significant momentum with a solid performance against last season's club champions in Sydney University. Certainly Sydney Uni have been a very strong club over the last few seasons, being the beneficiaries of a number of undergraduates being available to join the club. In 1994/95 Sydney Uni expressed their pleasure to snare the services of Kelly, when he was a then Gordon second grader. In contrast, the good fortune that the club has had in finding the likes of Magill, Phelps, Mail and this season Clark deciding to study at the Broadway campus is quite simply remarkable. In any event, a good performance against SUCC is attainable by all teams.
It is with great interest that Frogan awaits the 2006 part of this season.
He is desperately looking forward to the continuing march of Craig Simmons towards Charlie Macartney's single season run record, a record as many know that is close to Frogan's heart. (Macartney scored 824 runs in 1914/15, Craig is on 573)
(Charlie Macartney and Craig Simmons...if the cap fits...)
Many good judges thought that the 1976/77 season was ripe for Frogan to mount his own plunge on the record. However, a shocking concussion suffered by Frogan when his unbuttoned shirt failed to stop the huge medallion that he was sporting hitting him in the head and forcing to retire hurt on 0*. He did not play another game during the season and, as it turned out, he never played agian for Gordon on a regular basis as his other talents called him away from Chatswood Oval on a regular basis.
Dan Frogan No.6
Dan Frogan No. 6
Frogan has been in the country putting the finishing touches to the NSW under 17 squad. As assistant manager it is important that Frogan leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the strongest squad is put together to continue a very successful history that NSW has in this competition.
Despite his hard work in towns from Deniliquin to Dapto, Frogan was pleased to note a successful weekend against the Lions of Fairfield. To overtake them on the Club Championship ladder is certainly no mean feat. First grade being back in the winner's circle against a team that boasts a virtual first class attack was great to see, particularly when defending a small total.
(Steve "Stan" Smith)
It augurs well for the fact that the club is playing their cricket in "true Gordon style". Fairfield has traditionally been a very tough club on an off the park and Frogan recalls being at a game in the early '90's when Stobo, returning from his first "retirement", went toe-to-toe with current Stags batting guru "Stan" Smith.
The game began comically with the two youngest members of the Stags' side, Nicholson and Kelly got stuck behind a Hells Angles' charity rally that had blocked Roberts Road, which saw them arrive at the Fairfield Oval (Rosedale had had not yet been reclaimed from landfill) 10 minutes prior to the start of play. Hayne won the toss and elected to bat and Gordon limped to a meagre score of 180. The score was not improved by the Stags' number 11, who bemoaned the fact that lower order batsmen always received harsh treatment despite the fact that he had been moved his front foot no further than the popping crease to the straightest of deliveries.
Determined to make his mark in the game he charged out and took new ball in hand and demanded an attacking filed, which saw only Michael Cant at bat pad and Steve Day at mid-off, in front of the wicket. A place even had to be found for known useless-behind-the-wicket Kelly. With Emery and "Buckets" Hayne in the team, the solution was to stick Kelly at first slip! Right on cue an edge was produced by the opening batsman that was making a bee-line for Kelly's belly button, only to see Emery dive in front to pouch the catch. The number three also obliged with the same shot, which again threatened Kelly's relatively smaller stomach, only to see the ginger flash of Hayne fly in front of him to take the chance. Kelly thought how easy this first slip caper was. After this day, on Frogan's strongest recommendation, Kelly has never occupied the position again.
(Emery the younger)
Smith, with the bravado that saw him open the innings for his country against the likes of Marshall, Garner and Holding at Sabina Park in the Carribean summer of 1983/84, informed Stobo, "Richard, despite the deep peril that my teammates and I appear to in, I would counsel you that it is my sincere opinion that us few, us happy few will surely prevail".
Stobo reposed, "F***off Smithy". Frogan has always been disappointed with the response, having taught Stobo whilst a temporary English Master at Knox College in 1979 and believes that the interchange should have been far more eloquent. Although, Stobo's report card for English in that year of World Series Cricket read "Richard could do better". Indeed.
However, Smithy was ultimately left with little alternative other than to take Stobo's petulant advice as the Stags won a hard-fought, low-scoring encounter.
Frogan has been able to draw parallels with the hard-nosed cricket that was played that day by Gordon and the kind of cricket being played by the club at the present time. Gordon is currently playing very consistent and tough cricket but cricket is a funny game and whilst second and sixth grade are up near the top of the table third grade have been extremely unlucky to have garnered no points from the last three games that they have lost by a combined total of 2 wickets. The tough spirit that these two grades particularly are playing with must be maintained. Fourth grade are suffering a tough patch at the present time, which is hardly surprising, considering the amount of cricket that they have missed. However, the team is well lead by Stuart Brand and the results must surely come with this talented group of cricketers.
The Hobbits of the (Sutherland) Shire pose the same the challenge, sitting a mere 20 ahead in seventh place. Sutherland have been a very strong club in the last decade and after a couple of years of lesser performances appear to be regaining the position of fielding strong teams across the board.
Frogan was excited about the impending debut of Jeremy Cashman in first grade. Sagely, Frogan noted that in the last two and a half seasons Cashman, with a straight front-legged driving style that moved Frogan to compare the young man from Sydney's catchment area with his own commanding style at the crease, has scored hundreds in each grade from fifth grade to second grade, including a triumvirate of centuries in second grade in under a season and a half. It is a just reward for effort and should go to show each and every player that has considered that he is playing in a grade beneath that which he should that runs and wickets are the only language to which selectors listen. Good luck on Sunday Cashy.
(Cashy is happy about his century last round)
Dan Frogan No.5
Dan Frogan No.5
Frogan has been difficult to get hold of this week, to give his thoughts on the very important upcoming round 5 clash against Hawkesbury. He has been in various parts of Asia to study the affects of a possible bird flu pandemic on the ability of young Australian bowlers to produce enough minty saliva to make the ball go "Irish", in order that Australia might be some hope of regaining the Ashes.
Apparently, Frogan approached Nathan Bracken for his experiences, Bracken having played badge cricket in Laos in the off season of 2001. However, no sooner had he provided his opinion, then he withdrew it as a "joke". Simon Jones was also approached, as the bird flu, has very similar affect to the "black lung", suffered by so many of the boyos of Cymru but he offered a feeble response that it was just part of the game. Waqar Younis had ideas about how to use the bird flu to a bowler's advantage, but Frogan was not interested in what Waqar appeared to be pedalling.
But to Hawkesbury and Frogan recalls a time in the season of 1975-76, prior to the Hawks being part of the grade competition, that he as a member of a combined Richmond XIV, as was the customary number of players in frontier town cricket up until the 80's. The team, all 15 (as naturally Richmond had a 15th man) consisted of 14 Halls and a ram called Gerald, who was a handy number 6 and bowled left hoof orthodox. The game was convivially played, as is usually the case in that part of the world, at the historic Richmond Park. When Hawkesbury became a grade cricket club it was assumed that the team would be based at Richmond Park but due to the short boundaries and possible also an unfortunate incident involving Gerald, possibly encouraged by a distant relative of the Hall's, at an official Mayoral reception in 1978, appears to have precipitated a ban on the new club using the ground.
(James Packman)
Grade cricket need not have worried about the facilities as the Hawkesbury Club have done a magnificent job of developing 3 grounds that are adjacent to each other (the only club in Sydney to have this) in nearby Benson's Lane, including the main ground, recently named in the honour of Owen Earle, Hawkesbury's first president, and one time Captain of the Freeman's Reach Brigade of the NSW Rural Fire Service. It is a fantastic cricket wicket where shots can be played all around the ground. Frogan recalls many fine innings played at the ground by Gordon players over the years, including Stefan Hutton's well made 17* in second grade in 1991, made under absolutely no pressure but punctuated by two shots that came within metres of the fence. However, Frogan has seen none better than James Packman's hundred last season. Frogan drummed into Packman the mantra that good balls should be respected but anything loose on such a true surface have to go and go they did. By the end of the innings even the good balls were being harshly treated. Frogan said that he was looking forward to getting news over the phone in Laos of yet another master performance at the ground this season.
Whilst talking on the phone from Laos, as opposed to catching up at the usual corner of the Greengate Hotel, for his thoughts on cricket and life, Frogan was reminded of another phone call that he had made in 1992. Frogan had removed himself to the mountains to train at altitude (something that became fashionable for all athletes some years later) in preparation for what would be a gruelling tilt at the NSW continuous highland dancing record. As keen as ever as to the fortunes of the club, Frogan called Killara Oval and asked for the one man who could give the right analytical summation of the game, Richard Stobo. The voice at the other end of the phone, who apparently sounded a great deal like Mark O'Neill said "Richard's just going out to bat. He won't be long, would you like to hold?" It still makes Frogan smile to this day because, at STD rates, waiting for Stobo cost him 37 cents.
(Richard Stobo returning to take his call)
It was fantastic to see that Ed Howitt Junior has now finally passed selector Tony Wilson's number of victims in grade cricket for Gordon. Howitt also overtook long-time club and team mate, Kurt Morrison. Frogan reckons that the only difference between these three loyal servants of the club is that Morrison used to spin it. It seems pretty harsh to make that sort of assessment but Frogan has not become one of the most respected antique dealers in Australia by doing anything other than calling it as he sees it. On a side note, Howitt's delivery that took wicket 349 has been dubbed "Dermot". It didn't spin but such an important delivery must surely also deserve to be named.
Frogan passed on his congratulations to Brad Rasool, who is making his first grade debut for the club, after a hundred in round two and to John "I am not the Devil" O'Neill-Fuller, who is in fantastic form and deserves an opportunity to stamp his authority in first grade. It is certainly great to see that batsmen are taking opportunities and scoring runs. There is no clearer message given by the selectors that batsmen will be promoted, in this case even into a side that is a little unlucky to be 3 wins from 4 starts, if you make scores. It has been a pretty good season for batting pitches across Sydney thus far.
(Hoppa "passing" Kurt Morrison)
The bowlers will get favourable conditions soon enough; batsmen cash in now! It is a massive chance to get another great round of results but every player must ensure that he does everything that he can. Possibly import a chicken from Thailand or Cambodia to get the ball to go Irish. Every little bit of effort must help.
Anonymous
Dan Frogan No.4
Dan Frogan No 4
It has been a very busy and yet successful week for the club. Nine wins from nine games played in the last two rounds has been a healthy return. However, to be where this proud club should be, Parramatta and Blacktown are clubs that should be dealt with.
This round poses a more significant challenege when the Waratahs of Manly come calling. Frogan, currently the Australian Women's Cricket team's slips fielding psychologist, counsels that if the club puts in the effort that it has demonstrated over the last fortnight, anything can happen.
(Stephenson the older bowling to Marshall Rosen at Manly)
Finally, after four rounds, Frogan has encountered a side that he actually played against. By the time that Frogan played first match at Manly Oval, Peter "Percy" Philpott had just finished his 14 year reign. Instead Frogan ran into Manly's favourite son Mick Pawley, who was at the height of his powers as a cricketer.
The records of that match have been lost and modesty precluded Frogan from sharing with me what must have been an important contribution. Frogan did share with this column the day, some seasons later, when current selector and photographer Stephenson the Older, bowling from the southern end of the ground, was awarded the wicket of Gordon's second most valuable batsman (after Frogan) and current committee member Marshall Rosen. Frogan, standing at the other end, remembers how Rosen protested his innocence and cited a broken bat handle. To this day Rosen pleads that he was robbed!
Keeping with the Manly theme, Frogan recalls that moving into the 1980's Gordon welcomed a young spinner from the Manly called Chris Hinds. A spinner and a batsman Hinds played with a the Stags for a number of years at about the same time that a young Richard Stobo had burst on to the first grade scene, not long out of Knox College.
On one particular day at Chatswood Oval (for those that are unaware Chatswood Oval is a ground at which Gordon used to play) Frogan enjoyed telling a story of preparation. Those in the dressing room on that day will recall that Stobo was entertaining the team with his nigh on boundless knowledge. That knowledge included the virtues, ahead of his time some say, of "slip, slop, slap". Stobo enquired of his teammates on this bright sunny day whether any of their number had any zinc cream. It was surprising to Frogan because when he started H B Taber had his shirt brazenly unbuttoned to his navel.
The former Manly man Hinds produced a inoccuous round tin of white cream. Without pause in his lecture, Stobo lavishly applied the white cream to his nose and before long he was out on the ground to do what he continues to do now in giving 100% for his club.
It struck Frogan as being quite strange that the "zinc" on Stobo's nose soon became clear and over the course of the day it appeared to become harder and shinier and before long it resembled a boot on an undergraute at Duntroon, such was its spit and polish. Frogan was tipped off that something was not quite right when the younger members of the Gordon side could barely contain themselves. Stobo toiled on, his nose growing ever harder and shinier. The end of six hours in the field saw the young Stobo, take his turn in the showers but much to his chagrin he was unable to remove the "zinc". Upon confronting the provider he realised that he had been done, when we saw Hinds polishing his shoes with the sun screen. Meltonian "sunscreen" to be precise. Oh Stobo, Frogan remembers it like it was yesterday.
In the pre-season Frogan was sad to learn that Todd the Younger had decide to leave the Stags and head back to where it all started at Manly. A father and son duo who have taken over 300 first grade wickets for the club, it is a loss and the end of an era but Frogan looks forward to catching up with Todd the Younger, having always enjoyed watching the Todd leg-spinning gene pool. However, the club has gained another Manly player over the off season in Danny Redrup and Frogan has a feeling that this will prove to be a good trade for Todd the Younger. A solid middle order batsman and nippy left armer, it is a combination that could prove extreme useful to the Stags in the next decade.
In other news it was good to see McDonald and Stephenson the Younger bowling to the World XI at training during the week. Particularly pleasing to Frogan was seeing the Prince getting "sniffed up" by Stephenson. However, Frogan was preturbed to read in Will Swanton's article in the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday morning:
(Stephenson the younger at Manly)
"Not that Lara batted too well. With only three short days to go before the Super Test, some bloke with a large belly and thinning hair - not Australian selector Merv Hughes, just some unknown net bowler - managed to knock over Lara's middle stump."
I think that Stephenson will accept that it may be getting a little thin on top, he may even accpet that he has a burly frame (a large belly is hard to
accept) but who the heck does Swanton think he is. He may not know Stephenson the Younger but Frogan does and that is what counts. Swanton should be reminded that Frogan was nominated for a Walkely award on the basis of superior writing skills and certainly by doing some research.
"Who's that?" is a question that most journalists are familiar with Swanton.
Quite frankly, Frogan was not impressed by some journalist who had an article about Brian Lara on page 36.
Good luck to fourth grade who seek to hold the Mal Hall Memorial trophy. Mal was a great club man who played his cricket with a great desire to win but most importantly he enjoyed every moment. There must surely be a case to make this trophy an award contested by all grades over the round.
Anonymous
Dan Frogan No.3
Dan Frogan No. 3
Frogan contacted this columnist after the weekend's round, in which the men from Chatswood took on yet another team that he had never heard of and yet instantly summed up. He was taken by a report from day one of the round, with respect to the twin pillars of Simmons and Zelma. You may recall that the report read:
"Spectators couldn't recall the last time two first grade players scored a century in the same innings, until politely reminded by a Phil Emery who recalled his record breaking partnership with Mark O'Neill when they both scored centuries in 1991."
(Mark O'Neill in action)
Frogan recalled the hype that surrounded that innings well. When O'Neill came into the sheds for yet another bunger at tea, absolutely exhausted, it was Frogan who pepped him up for what was to be a very special afternoon for the Stags. O'Neill was the previous record holder at the club for the most cigarettes smoked in a first grade innings for Gordon. The record was eclipsed in 2001-2002 when Tony Piccolo played an innings of 27. A young Kevin Roberts sat bemused in the corner of that Killara dressing room in 1991, as Frogan went to work on one of this club's finest players.
Roberts commented years later that it was rare to see O'Neill, by then a very experienced Sheffield Shield player (the prize that the states competed for prior to Blacktown playing grade cricket), seemingly hang on every word that Frogan uttered. Roberts, who recently scored the marketing coup of the season in signing Cricket Australia to use his company's apparel, but who at that time had only just graduated to wearing long white trousers, was taking it all in but also secretly hoped that the man who once held the record for the most centuries in consecutive Sheffield Shield matches would make a mistake so he could join the party that was W A Oldfield Oval, Killara that afternoon. Of course O'Neill was up to the task and nursed Emery through to his hundred.
However, the 1991 dressing room scene is not what prompted Frogan to draw the club's collective attention to the quote above. It was the fact that Frogan recalled being at Sutherland Oval in round two of season 1994/95 and saw Emery throw away the chance to join a young up an coming opening batsman who had scored his first (and last) first grade hundred. After the early loss of Hayne to some rooster called Stuart Clark, the current corpulent stand-in third grade captain had battled away with Emery, chasing down the Shark's score of 300 plus, when just after tea Emery took a wild swipe at Clark and was out for 88. Frogan has never seen a greater waste of an innings and it is hardly surprising that Emery has forgotten the day.
(A number of well know Gordon cricketers with Kevin Robert and Phil Emery in the front row and Warwick Adlam in the back. Is that Dan Frogan next to him?)
On enquiring of Frogan about his thoughts for the weekend's one-day fixtures against Parramatta, he was again at a loss. As with round's one and two he recalls only playing against Parramatta in the City and Suburban competition. The "two blues" that he played against, who counted John Benaud amongst their number, played under the banner of Central Cumberland.
However, saying this he was mightily impressed by the weekend's results and is of the unwavering view that the Highlanders can make it back-to-back clean sweeps if the application is there.
One thing that troubled Frogan was the fact that the celebration of two fine hundreds in first grade were not even met with the traditional skolling of a schooner. Has this club forgotten the second line of the its song? Let me remind you, "We're fond of Bacardi and a schooner or three". A schooner or three! Hell, we would even settle for a bloody Bacardi at this point! By the way, whoever is responsible for that line has some real explaining to do.
Perhaps it is just as well that McDonald now sits amongst first grade's number as it appears that he could probably do the drinking to celebrate three hundreds in a day. Gentlemen, it isn't a lifestyle choice as much as it is an obligation, like burping after a fine meal, or running nude around the pool table if you don't sink a ball or carrying on like an idiot on the field because you happen to be Jordan Holmes. Every man is expected to do his duty and this report can confirm that there were skolls in second, third and fifth grade. Congratulations to those involved, and I am told that Rasool was looking for more as he polished off his challenge with even better composure than his magnificent 156*.
(Brendan McDonald in action)
In any event, if that is the biggest controversy at the club at the moment then it is a controversy that should be welcomed. Until then, onward and upward.
Anonymous
| i don't know |
A contestant from which country won the first Miss World in 1951? | The First Miss World Contest | History Today
The First Miss World Contest
Cultural
Richard Cavendish provides a brief history of the Miss World contest, first won by Miss Sweden, Kiki Haakinson, on April 19th, 1951.
Miss Sweden, Kiki Haakonson, carried off the first Miss World title in the Lyceum Ballroom in London, in what was originally intended to be a one-off event connected with the Festival of Britain. It was the brainchild of Eric Morley, once a London orphan, an Army captain during the war and a self-made entertainment entrepreneur of great shrewdness and drive. He had already started the Come Dancing programme, which would turn into BBC television's longest-running series, and he would set commercial bingo going in Britain, in 1961. He was in his early thirties and working for a dancehall and catering company called Mecca when it was approached by an RAF officer named Phipps, who had been put in charge of Festival of Britain publicity. Phipps was looking for some pizzazz to spice up the more sedate attractions and Morley suggested an international bathing beauty competition.
That was supposed to be that, but the following year, when a Miss Universe contest was announced in the United States, Morley was piqued and persuaded his bosses at Mecca to keep Miss World going. It has kept going ever since. By 1970, when Morley's wife Julia, an ex-beauty queen herself, joined him in organising the contest and keeping the contestants' morals and modesty suitably protected (not invariably with success), Miss World was attracting television audiences in almost every country in the world and making huge amounts of money for charity.
To counter accusations that the show was equivalent to a female cattle market, the Morleys introduced questions and answers of a high-souled if stilted nature about each girl's ambitions and intellectual achievements. Morley himself loved appearing every year to announce the results, ‘in reverse order’.
Morley was a lively, vigorous character, who became chairman of Mecca. He left in 1978, but he and his wife continued to run Miss World and he was an assiduous raiser of money for charity. British television dropped Miss World in 1988, but by 1997 it was attracting 2.5 billion viewers in 155 countries and Channel Five started covering it again in Britain in 1999. Morley died in 2000, aged eighty-two.
| Sweden |
Which novel did Charles Dickens leave unfinished upon his death in 1870? | 10 Miss World Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
10 Miss World Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
by Pranay Das
Miss World is the oldest beauty pageant in the history and it is still going strong. Being one of the biggest and most popular event of the year, it grabs media attention around the world. It is a prestigious event, for which many people wait round the year. Let’s take a look at 10 Amazing Miss World Facts That You Probably Didn’t Know.
10. Dethroned/Resigned Winners
The pageant has its share of shocking moments . Throughout its history, it remains the only one of the major international pageants with two winners resigned or dethroned. One of the first shocking moment came up in 1974 – UK’s Helen Morgan was crowned Miss World 1974 (24th Edition), but resigned four days later on discovery that she had a child. The next one came in 1980 – Germany’s Gabriella Brum was crowned Miss World 1980 (30th Editon), Brum resigned after 18 hours of her reign, initially claiming her boyfriend’s disapproval, and later stating media pressures regarding nude pictures of her as the reasons. We would really like the organization to take the bigger step and take a broader stand beyond the fact that a winner is a mother or a transgender or has appeared nude at some point of her life. What matters is the fact that to know her point of view to life and what changes she intends to bring to the world with her reign.
9. Miss World Facts – Most Wins
Venezuela has the most wins in the pageant’s history with a total of six wins. It started its winning streak in the year 1955 (5th Edition) and has continued with the years 1981 (31st Edition), 1984 (34th Edition), 1991 ($1st Edition), 1995 (45th Edition). Its latest win came in the year 2011 (61st Edition). The winners in chronological order are Susana Duijm, Pilín León, Astrid Herrera, Ninibeth Leal, Jacqueline Aguilera and Ivian Sarcos.
8. Oldest & Youngest Winner Miss World
The oldest winner so far has been Aneta Kręglicka of Poland who won the title in the year 1989 (39th Edition). She was 24 years 244 days old at the time of her win. The youngest winner has been Wilnelia Merced of Puerto Rico, who won the title in the year 1975 (25th Edition). She was 18 years 39 days at the time of her win.
7. Most & Least Delegates
The number of delegates varies from year to year. The year which saw the least number of countries participating in the event was the year 1952 (2nd Edition). The winner for this year was May Louise Flodin of Sweden. The year which saw the most number of participating countries was the year 2013, were a whopping number of 127 countries participated. This year saw the win of Megan Young from Philippines.
6. Biggest & Smallest Gap
There have been many instances when a country has won more than once. What is interesting is the time interval between the wins of a single country. The longest gap between two wins by a country is by Peru. In 1967 (17th Edition), Madeline Hartog-Bel of Peru was crowned the winner, and after a gap of 37 years, in 2004 (54th Edition), María Julia Mantilla of Peru won the title. The record for the shortest gap is shared between three countries – In 1951 (1st Edition) and 1952 (2nd Edition), Sweden’s Kerstin Håkansson and May-Louise Flodin were crowned respectively; in 1964 (14th Edition) and 1965 (15th Edition), UK’s Ann Sidney and Lesley Langley won the title respectively and in 1999 (49th Edition) and 2000 (50th Edition), India’s Yukta Mookhey and Priyanka Chopra became Miss World respectively.
5. Win At Home Country
So far, seven winners have been crowned in their home country. In 1961 (11th Edition), UK’s Rosemarie Frankland ; in 1964 ,(14th Edition) UK’s Ann Sidney; in 1965 (15th Edition), UK’s Lesley Langley, in 1974 (24th Edition), UK’s Helen Morgan and in 1983 (33rd Edition), UK’s Sarah-Jane Hutt were all crowned in UK. In 2007 (57th Edition), China’s Zhang Zilin and in 2012 (62nd Edition), China’s Yu Wenxia were crowned in China.
4. Longest & Shortest Reign
Since Miss World event does not take place on the same date every year, therefore, not all the winners get the exact same time of reign. The longest reign by a winner in the pageant’s history has been by Sweden’s Kerstin Håkansson, who won in 1951 (1st Edition) on 29 July 1951 and crowned her successor on 14 November 1952. In other words, she reigned for 1 year, 3 months, 16 days. The shortest reign so far by a winner has been by Venezuela’s Ivian Sarcos , who won in the year 2011 (61st Edition) on 6 November 2011 and crowned her successor on 18th august, 2012. In other words, she reigned for 9 months, 12 days .
3. The Firsts (Miss World)
Some winners apart from winning the crown also set some records – Sweden’s Kerstin Håkansson became the first European to win the title when she became Miss World 1951 (1st Edition) Egypt’s Antigone Costanda became the first African and the first from a Muslim-dominated country to win Miss World Title when she became Miss World 1954 (4th Edition), Venezuela’s Susana Duijm became the first Latin-American and the first from Americas to win Miss World Title when she became Miss World 1955 (5th Edition), Jamaica’s Carole Joan Crawford became the first Caribbean to win Miss World when she became Miss World 1963 (13th Edition), India’s Reita Faria became the first Asian to win Miss World Title when she became Miss World 1966 (16th Edition), Poland’s Aneta Kreglicka became the first Eastern European to win Miss World Title when she became Miss World 1989 (39th Edition), Nigeria’s Agbani Darego is the first Black African to win Miss World Title she became Miss World 2001 (51st Edition) and China’s Zhang Zilin the first Miss World of East Asian origin when she won Miss World 2007 (57th Edition).
2. Winners Who Won Sub-Titles
There have been some winners throughout the history of the pageant, who alongside winning the main crown, have won several sub-titles too. China’s Zhang Zilin of (Miss World 2007, 57th Edition), Russia’s Ksenia Sukhinova (Miss World 2008, 58th Edition) and Philippines’ Megan Young (Miss World 2013, 63rd Edition) won Miss World Top Model . Ireland’s Rosanna Davison (Miss World 2003, 53rd Edition) and Gibraltar’s Kaiane Aldorino (Miss World 2009, 59th Edition) won Miss World Beach Beauty. China’s Yu Wenxia (Miss World 2012, 62 Edition) won Miss World Talent. Turkey’s Azra Akın (Miss World 2002, 52nd Edition) won Best World Dress Designer (Spectacular Evening Wear). Venezuela’s Astrid Carolina Herrera (Miss World 1984, 34th Edition), India’s Aishwarya Rai (Miss World, 1994, 44th Edition), Venezuela’s Jacqueline Aguilera (Miss World 1995, 45th Edition) and India’s Diana Hayden (Miss World 1997, 47th Edition), all won Miss Photogenic. India’s Diana Hayden (Miss World 1997, 47th Edition) also won Spectacular Swimwear.
1. The Origin
The origin of Miss World is very interesting, as it was planned to make this an annual regular event. In order to honour the swimsuit introduced at that time, this event was created. It started off as Festive Bikini Contest in 1951, but the media panned it as Miss World, and it did for good. When Eric Morley, president of the contest, came to know about the upcoming Miss Universe contest the following year in 1952, then he decided to make it an annual event. And the rest is history….
| i don't know |
Which Welsh seaside resort is linked to Birmingham by the A44 road? | Wales travel guide - Wikitravel
Time Zone
UTC, UTC+1(DST)
Wales ( Welsh : Cymru) [1] is one of the countries that make up the United Kingdom . Rich in history and natural beauty, Wales has a living Celtic culture distinct to the rest of the UK. Travelers are attracted to Wales because of its beautiful landscape, including the mountains and coast of its stunning national parks, the wealth of history and large number of imposing castles.
Lying on a mountainous western peninsula of the island of Great Britain , Wales is bordered to the east by England , the Republic of Ireland sits to the west across the Irish Sea, while the West Country of Devon and Cornwall is directly south across the Bristol Channel/Celtic Sea. Only two hours from London but with less than a third of that city's population, to enter Wales from its crowded eastern neighbour is most certainly to enter another country, although it does share many similarities - and good looks - with its Celtic neighbours of Devon , Cornwall , Ireland and Brittany .
Wales is geographically and culturally divided into three regions:
Regions of Wales
History[ edit ]
Wales was once an independent, though rarely unified, nation with a strong Celtic tradition, but in the decades following the Norman invasion of England in 1066, the nation fell increasingly under the jurisdiction of England . At first, it was ruled in part as a separate country, but rebellion by Prince Owain Glyndŵr (considered in modern times as the 'Father of Welsh nationalism') saw further incremental incorporation into England. Henry VII brought Wales into the English systems of laws and of parliamentary representation through the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542.
Prior to the industrial revolution, Wales was a sparsely populated country dependent on local agricultural and pastoral trade. However, due to the abundance of coal in the South Wales valleys, there was a phenomenal growth in population and a dynamic shift in the economy of South Wales during the 18th and 19th centuries. The areas of central Glamorgan , in particular, became national centers for coal mining and steel production, while the ports of Cardiff and Swansea established themselves as commercial centers, offering banking, shopping and insurance facilities. Moreover, places on the north coast, such as Rhyl and Llandudno , developed into fashionable resorts serving the expanding populations of the major industrial cities of Lancashire .
In recent years, coal mining has shrunk to only a very few sites and heavy industry has declined. However, Wales' stunning scenery and rich history has lent itself to the development of tourism, while Cardiff and Swansea have retained their rankings as centres of commerce and cutting-edge industry. A blue class super computer installed at Swansea University is enhancing Wales' standing in this respect. Cardiff, which was designated as capital of Wales in 1955, has seen a huge amount of investment in institutions in recent decades through devolution of government, also giving rise to a significant amount of politcal power being passed down from Westminster.
Politics[ edit ]
Wales is governed by a combination of local, Wales, UK and Europe wide institutions. Many important matters are decided on a UK and European Union level. Wales is represented in the United Kingdom and European Parliaments.
There has over time been a move to devolve certain powers of decision to a Welsh level, starting in 1906 with the establishment of a "Wales and Monmouthshire" Education Board. One of the greatest British statesman of the 20th Century was the Welshman David Lloyd George, who is the only Prime Minister whose first language was not English (it was Welsh). In 1964 saw the creation of the non-elected Welsh Office headed by a Secretary of State for Wales, sitting in the UK Cabinet. This institution evolved into an elected National Assembly for Wales based in Cardiff Bay in 1999. It had minor law making powers and an executive (including a First Minister). In 2006 the Assembly moved into a new purpose built building the 'Senedd', which has won awards for its environmental design by Richard Rogers. In 2007 the Assembly obtained further law-making powers, and its structure was reformed so that there was a clearer separation of powers between the Assembly and the Welsh Government. Of particular interest to visitors, many decisions on tourism, transport and healthcare are taken by the Welsh, rather than the United Kingdom Government.
Culture[ edit ]
Over the centuries, there have been minor revolts aimed at gaining independence, but in general Wales has accepted its place in the UK , and has made notable contributions to its politics and culture. Famous Welsh people include Henry VII (the first of the Tudors, the famous dynasty of 15th and 16th century monarchs ending with Elizabeth I); Catherine Zeta-Jones; Tom Jones and Dame Shirley Bassey (singers); Aneurin Bevan (politician, father of the NHS), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United footballer), Betrand Russell (philosopher), William Grove (inventor of the first fuel cell), Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton (poet and actor, linked forever by "Under Milk Wood") and the rock bands, Sterophonics, Feeder, lostprophets, Bullet for my Valentine, Funeral for a Friend and Manic Street Preachers. Nevertheless, despite being an integral part of the Union, Wales has remained a bastion of Celtic culture, and the Welsh language continues to be a topic of pride and is in fact now taught in all Welsh schools.
Wales is part of Britain and so part of the UK, but should not be confused as part of England. Therefore, it is correct to call Welsh people British, but not English, as it is not only erroneous but offensive too. The Prince of Wales (currently HRH Charles) has been since Edward the I's day, the oldest son of the king, and is therefore often the next in line to the British throne. The Prince of Wales' heraldic badge of feathers is sometimes used to symbolise Wales, though the daffodil flower and the leek tend to be more popular 'neutral' symbols. The origins of the leek can be traced to the 16th century, while the daffodil became popular in the 19th century, encouraged by David Lloyd-George. Leek soup (cawl cennin in Welsh) is popular dish, as is 'Rarebit', Welsh cheese on toast. Other things worth tasting include laverbread (made from an edible seaweed); bara brith (fruit bread); Cawl (a lamb stew); (leek soup); Welsh (bakestone) cakes; and roast minted lamb, Wales is considered to produce arguably the finest sheep meat in the world.
Wales is often referred to as "the land of song", and is notable for its harpists, male voice choirs, and plethora of solo artists like Charlotte Church. Cardiff has a big rock scene and has produced some of the biggest acts in the UK today. The principal Welsh festival of music and poetry is the annual National Eisteddfod. The Llangollen International Eisteddfod echoes the National Eisteddfod but provides an opportunity for the singers and musicians of the world to perform. Traditional music and dance in Wales is supported by a myriad of societies. The Welsh Folk Song Society has published a number of collections of songs and tunes. Rugby union is hugely popular in southern Wales and is considered the national sport by some.
Get in[ edit ]
Wales has the same immigration and visa requirements as the rest of the UK . Virtually all passengers travelling to the UK from outside Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man go through systematic passport/identity card and selective customs checks carried out by the UK Border Agency [2] on arrival in the UK. Those who are already in the UK and enter Wales from other parts of the UK do not need to clear passport control again.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not require a visa, and can enter with either a valid national identity card or passport. They have the right to reside and work in Wales (although some work restrictions apply to Bulgarians and Romanians). Irish, Cypriot and Maltese citizens have additional rights, including being able to vote in and stand in UK Parliamentary elections. For more information of UK Immigration and visa requirements, see the UK's Home Office website [3]
By plane[ edit ]
The main airport is Cardiff International Airport, located nine miles south of the city. This is the only international airport in Wales, and is served by the following airlines. As from (November 2011)
Aer Arann [4] operates a service to Dublin
Air Malta [5] operates a seasonal service to Malta .
BH Air [6] operates a seasonal service to Bourgas .
Manx2 [11] operates services to Anglesey
Monarch Airlines (Operated by Cosmos Holidays) [12] operates services to Orlando (begins 28th May 2012)
Thomas Cook [13] operates services to Enfidha [begins 12 February], Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Paphos, Tenerife-South
Seasonal: Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Heraklion, Ibiza, Larnaca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Rhodes, Zakynthos
Thomson Airways [14] operate services to Alicante, Lanzarote, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Málaga, Paphos, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South
Seasonal: Antalya, Bodrum, Bourgas, Bridgetown, Corfu, Dalaman, Enfidha, Faro, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca, Minorca, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Rhodes, Zakynthos
Vueling Airlines [15] operating flights Alicante (begins 24th June 2012), Barcelona (begins March 29th 2012), Palma (begins 24th June 2012)
There are regular bus services from Cardiff city center to the airport. Alternatively, you can also get to the airport using a bus service from Barry Station, which is closer to the airport and on local rail lines. In 2005, a nearby railway line was reopened, including a station at Rhoose, where there are shuttle buses to the airport.
It could be easier to fly to an airport in England such as one of the London airports when visiting South Wales, as a greater range of airlines and cities flown from are available from there to destinations across the world, with services from many airlines. However London is over 2 hours from Cardiff, and longer from many other places in Wales. Other cities served by international airports in England which offer reasonable access to parts of Wales include Bristol (for south Wales), Birmingham (for mid Wales), Liverpool and Manchester (for north Wales).
Another alternative for travellers to South Wales is to fly via Amsterdam or Dublin, since Cardiff is well connected with both those hub airports.
By car[ edit ]
South Wales enjoys good motorway connections with the rest of the UK
The M4 links London with Bristol , and via the Severn Bridge, Newport , Cardiff , Swansea , and Carmarthen .
The M50 links the West Midlands with South Wales.
North Wales has no motorway connections. However there are still good road connections with the rest of the UK
The A5, followed by the M54 after Shrewsbury , to London and the West Midlands takes you through the spectacular Snowdonia National Park
The island of Anglesey is along the A55 road along the North Wales coast. If you are approaching from the south try the A5 which is a scenic route that takes you through the mountains of North Wales.
There are no internal border controls within Great Britain, though the two Severn Bridges crossing the Bristol Channel charge a toll (£6 for a car currently) going into (but not out of) Wales. This has lead some people to describe it as a "tax on entering Wales", both in jest and also as a more serious anti-toll campaign. You may not notice the border if entering Wales from England via a minor road, however you will usually see the Croeso i Gymru sign crossing the border.
By train[ edit ]
For those unused to the vagaries of the UK rail network, Wikitravel has a useful guide to Rail travel in the UK .
South Wales[ edit ]
Main line rail services connect south Wales (especially Newport , Cardiff and Swansea ) with all parts of the UK, via Virgin Trains [16] (to Birmingham and the North East, including Scotland ), Central Trains [17] (to the Midlands), Arriva Trains Wales [18] and First Great Western [19] (to London Paddington).
North Wales[ edit ]
Barmouth Bridge carries the Cambrian Coast line across the beautiful Mawddach Estuary
The North Wales Coast Line links Manchester , Crewe and London (in England) with the northern seaside resorts of Rhyl and Prestatyn , the city of Bangor , the isle of Anglesey and the port of Holyhead . Through tickets to Dublin ( Ireland ) are available, which include the ferry from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire . Services are run by Arriva (from Manchester) and Virgin Trains (from London and Crewe).
The Conwy Valley Line stretches from Llandudno Junction along the Conwy Valley via Betws y Coed to Blaenau Ffestiniog , and connects with trains on both the North Wales Coast line and the Ffestiniog Railway.
The beautiful Cambrian Coast Line runs from Shrewsbury (in England), across Mid-Wales through Machynlleth , and through the coastal towns of Tywyn and Barmouth , through the south part of Snowdonia , Harlech and Porthmadog , and along the south coast of the Lleyn Peninsula to Pwllheli .
The Borderlands Line runs between Shrewsbury , Wrexham and Bidston , linking various Flintshire towns and villages with the Wirral , Shrewsbury and Wrexham . There are also frequent direct services to Birmingham International station (for Birmingham Airport)
Arriva Trains Wales [20] .
Mid Wales[ edit ]
Arriva Trains also run the famous Heart of Wales Line [21] from Swansea to Shrewsbury
The Cambrian Line takes the same route as the Cambrian Coast Line as far as Machynlleth , where it goes southwards along the coast through Borth to the university town of Aberystwyth .
Train timetables[ edit ]
See National Rail [22] 's website for train timetables, or The TrainLine [23] 's website for tickets.
By bus[ edit ]
National Express [24] and Megabus [25] operate coach services around the UK including to and from many parts of Wales.
By boat[ edit ]
Regular ferry services operate between Holyhead in North Wales and Ireland, ( Dublin and Dun Laoghaire), and is provided by two carriers. Stenaline [26] and Irish Ferries [27] both offer multiple daily service between the two ports for passengers and vehicles. Bookings can be made through their respective websites.
Rosslare in South Eastern Ireland is connected to two ports in Pembrokeshire . Stena operate the route to Fishguard, (including a fast ferry service), Irish Ferries operate the route to Pembroke Dock.
Cork in Ireland to Swansea is provided by Fastnet Line [28] .
General[ edit ]
Due to Wales' topography and historic development, most travelling in Wales is done east-west rather than north-south. Rail and road links between centres in South Wales and along the North Wales coast are usually quick and efficient, especially along the M4 and A55. An important exception to this is M4, J32 (the interchange with the A470), during peak morning rush hour, which gets congested with Cardiff Commuter traffic. The roundabout at J32 is the largest in Europe. Most places in South Wales are within a 90 min drive of each other.
Travelling between the Cardiff and the other main population centres, Swansea and Newport is very straightforward.
Although only approximately 170 mi from coast to coast, the topography makes north-south links more difficult in terms of time. By land, journey times are comparable to flight times across North America! However, the journey itself is something a visitor may wish to do to see the scenery - and some of the roads around Mid Wales are sublime, being used by the likes of "Top Gear" to test sports cars and grand tourers.
Traveline Cymru [29] - bus, coach and rail journey planning and timetable information
By plane[ edit ]
Wales is a small country and flying is not a common mode of internal transport. There is in fact only one domestic route, Cardiff International Airport to Anglesey Airport. This is probably the quickest way by far to travel between North and South Wales.
This route is served by two services each way per day. The journey costs approximately £50 each way and takes about an hour, although of course time taken getting to and from the airport needs to be factored into the travelling time for such a relatively short air journey. This option is most useful for those travelling between North West and South East Wales. Special offers as low as £15 each way are often available.
The service can be booked via City Wing [30] , but the flight is operated by Van Air in a small Jetstream 31 aircraft.
By car[ edit ]
Driving between North and South Wales takes approximately 4 hours, although the journey takes in some spectacular scenery, especially for journeys on the more Western route through Snowdonia via Corris, Dolgellau , Blaenau Ffestiniog , the Crimea Pass and the Conwy Valley. The two main North South roads are the A470 Cardiff to Llandudno and the A483 Swansea to Chester .
Due to the topography, main roads can be busy and difficult to overtake slow moving traffic. Most roads have frequent laybys and it is considered polite to pull into lay bys to allow traffic to pass if you are causing a queue.
Wikitravel has a guide to Rail travel in the United Kingdom , including within Wales.
Due to historical reasons there is no true "Welsh railway system". Basically there are three separate Welsh limbs which are part of the British system- although there have been moves in recent years to improve intra Wales railway services. The limbs are basically a North Wales line to Holyhead, a line to Aberystwyth in the Centre, and a main line in South Wales, forming an extension of the London Paddington to West of England main line.
Arriva Trains Wales provides most train services within Wales.
Two cross border train companies may also be of use for internal train journies within Wales. First Great Western provide the bulk of cross border services between England and South Wales. Their flagship High Speed Service generally go as far west as Swansea, and a there are even a limited number to destinations further West. Their "local" services go no further west than Cardiff. Arriva Trains Cross Country provide services as far west as Cardiff.
Regular train services connect the South Wales' three main cities, Cardiff , Swansea and Newport . Services between Cardiff and Swansea are usually half hourly, and even more frequent between Cardiff and Newport.
Cardiff is also the hub of the Valley Line network which serves a number of former coal mining towns. This railway system originally built to carry coal, is now mainly a commuter network but is useful to visitors to the Valleys, or indeed for local travel within Cardiff.
Swansea and Llanelli in the West are linked to Mid Wales via the Heart of Wales railway, whilst not a quick journey it is well worth considering for its scenery.
Rail connections between North and South Wales in fact cross into neighbouring England, although there are a number of direct services between Cardiff and North Wales along the Marches line via several places in England. There is one high speed service a day between Holyhead and Cardiff, which only stops in a limited number of stations in England.
For destinations and starting points in South Wales, West of Cardiff, or in North Wales, West of Rhyl, those thinking of travelling by train should consider the fact that their journey will start off travelling in a eastwards direction before they start heading in the correct direction, meaning that valuable time is being used whilst not actually travelling in the intended direction of travel! Additionally for those travelling to or from places West of Cardiff, should also consider their journey will involve at least one change, usually in Cardiff- again making the journey less efficient.
Arriva Trains Wales [31] operates most local rail services in Wales
[32] operates cross border services between South Wales and Western England- and a connect a number of major Welsh destinations.
By bus and coach[ edit ]
Traws Cambria bus in Dolgellau
The First Cymru Shuttle coach service is usually quicker than the train for journies between Swansea and Cardiff, but at peak times, the train does not get stuck in traffic!
Traws Cambria services connect North, Mid and South Wales.
Arriva [33] operates a large amount of bus services in North Wales
First Cymru [34] operates services in South West Wales
Trawscambria [35] operates a long-distance bus network connects North, Mid and South Wales.
Stagecoach [36] operates services in South Wales
Cardiff Bus [37] operates services in Cardiff
Veolia Transport Cymru [38] operates services in Cardiff and South Wales
Talk[ edit ]
English is spoken throughout the country, but Wales also has its own language, Welsh (Welsh: Cymraeg). You will hear it spoken less often in the east, but in the north or west, you will often overhear conversations between locals in Welsh, but residents will quickly switch back to English to converse with visitors.
The most direct contact you will have with the Welsh language may be with signs, which are written in Welsh and English, and with Welsh placenames. It is well worth brushing up on the guidelines for pronouncing Welsh; otherwise, you will almost certainly pronounce many Welsh place-names incorrectly. On roadsigns there is no colour coding to distinguish the languages, nor is there a standard protocol as to which language appears on top. Where the English and Welsh names for a town are the same, only that one name will appear.
There are several Welsh regional accents of English, and a few parochial colloquialisms that may take a moment to work out what is meant, but don't be worried to ask for someone to repeat something. 'Aye', is commonly used to indicate 'yes' and 'ta-ra' can be said instead of 'goodbye'.
Most Welsh people will react well when interest is shown in their language. Although Welsh is now taught in schools and nearly all younger people have at least some knowledge of the language, even if they are not fluent, this has developed over the past 50 years, and for some time before that the use of Welsh was not always encouraged in all areas.
Locals will rarely expect visitors to attempt to speak Welsh. However, using words like Bore Da (Good morning), P'nawn da (Good afternoon), "Os gwelwch yn dda" (Please) and Diolch (Thank-you) will be appreciated in many parts of the country.
Wales has many significant attractions, and listed below are a few of the most notable. For more details about these attractions plus information on other places of interest, check under regional sections.
Hitching a Ride on the Big Rollers[ edit ]
Along with its neighbours in Devon and Cornwall across the Celtic Sea, the South West part of Wales, and specifically the Gower Peninsula and Pembrokeshire is Britain's prime Surfing zone due to it's West facing, Atlantic Ocean facing beaches. Like North Devon and North Cornwall, a combination of a generous Atlantic swell and a easterly wind combine for ideal surfing conditions on beaches of Gower and West Pembrokeshire. West Pembrokeshire has a similar look to North Cornwall, with its white sand beaches lapped by clear, turquoise waters, although if anything the water quality in Pembrokeshire is vastly superior to North Cornwall, as Welsh Water have a mandated policy of treating raw sewage water, where as South West Water, which is responsible for water quality in North Cornwall, doesn't. The best breaks in Pembrokeshire are the immaculate Whitesands Bay near St David, Newgale Beach, Marloes Beach, and perhaps the best of all, huge Freshwater West. With it's fast, hollow waves, and clear, clear water, Freshwater West is one of Britain's finest surf breaks, although be aware it boasts very strong rip tides, has virtually zero facilities and even no lifeguard cover, even in the summer. On the plus side, it is completely unspoilt, and boasts first rate water quality due to it's isolation. Gower also boasts some fine breaks, although like North Devon's Bideford Bay, the roads leading to the likes of Langland Bay, Caswell Bay and Llangennith are frustratingly narrow and windy, and car parking prices are over inflated.
Outdoors[ edit ]
Much of Wales' scenery is spectacular, and environmentally important. To protect the environment certain parts of Wales have been designated as "National Parks" or as "Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty". An area with either of these designation will have high degree of protection from inappropriate development. Whilst these rules exist for environmental reasons, rather than to promote tourism, because "National Parks" and "Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty" have this protection, a visitor to these areas can be confident that they will see some unspoiled scenery.
These areas offer some of Wales' most attractive scenery, and a visitor would be well advised to visit at least one of these areas. That is not to say that there aren't other attractive places in Wales, but the "National Parks" and "Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty" are the "jewels in the outdoor crown".
National Parks
National Park [39] status offers the highest level of environmental and planning protection in Wales. National Parks tend to cover some very large areas. It should therefore come as no surprise, that some of Wales' most important scenery can be found within its National Parks.
Each "National Park" is in fact also a Government Organisation in its own right, called a "National Park Authority". These organisations primarily exist to ensure that laws protecting the environment and scenery are followed. Nevertheless a National Park Authority will organise and run various facilities in the area which are clearly "branded" as official facilities. These facilities will include, Public Toilets, Car Parks, Visitor Centre, and even Gift Shops selling branded merchandise. However the National Park Authority does not own most of the land in these areas, and so there is private and charitable provision of facilities such as car parking, and retail outlets too. It is also usual that the boundaries of a national park are marked on the ground, so you will often know when you have entered a National Park, for example there may be a Stone or a sign stating you are entering the area. The website of the relevant National Park Authorities will often have a section designed particularly for visitors and may well be very useful to someone planning a trip to the area, even containing information such as accommodation information.
Wales has three National Parks.
Snowdonia National Park ( North Wales ) - national park covering Wales' highest mountains
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Other important areas which do not have National Park status, have an alternative status- "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" (AONB). These areas tend to cover smaller areas than "National Parks", they will nevertheless be of interest to visitors.
For more details on Areas of Outstanding National Beauty (AONBs) see the National Association for AONBs [40]
An "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" is simply areas with a similar level of protection to a National Park, but remain under the jurisdiction of the relevant Local Authority. Like the National Park Authorities, Local Authorities with "AONBs" in their area do generally take their duties seriously to enforce planning laws, but unlike them, don't tend to organise any AONB branded facilities in these areas. So there don't tend to be official branded facilities such as Visitors Centres, Car Parks, and gift shops. These facilities may exist but by conventional private, charitable and municipal provision. The actual boundaries of AONBs, whilst they are often shown on Ordnance Survey maps, tend to be of importance to local government officials and landowners, rather than tourists. It is therefore not usual to see markers or signs at the boundaries of these areas on the ground. Since an "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" is not an actual Government body, any official websites are merely part of a Local Authority's main website. They will still have useful information, but do not expect the same level of specialisation as on a National Park website.
The Isle of Anglesey AONB- is predominantly coastal, covering most of the island's 125 miles of coastline.
Gower Peninsula ( Swansea ) - UK's first designated area of outstanding natural beauty - covering most of the Peninsula.
Llŷn AONB. The peninsula sticking out westwards beyond Snowdonia , in the north-west of the country.
Clwydian Range AONB. A range of hills running southwards from the coast at Prestatyn , Denbighshire in the north-east of the country, close to the border with England .
The Wye Valley AONB is one of Britain's few lowland AONBs. It straddles the southern end of the England/Wales border between Hereford and Chepstow
Scuba Diving Destinations
An activity not many tourists think of when visiting Wales is one inside the ocean. Although weather conditions are not always perfect, water temperatures are quite chilly, scuba diving in Wales is one of the best experiences for divers around Europe. You can find whales, dolphins, plenty of seals but also superb coral formations including seahorses and several coral fish.
The Isle of Anglesey has been a shipping route since centuries resulting in beautiful shipwrecks of all sizes. [41]
Pembrokeshire with its scenic islands Skomer Island, Skokholm Island and the set of rocks called the Smalls are known for their colonies of seals and many shipwrecks. [42]
Golf[ edit ]
Wales has a long golfing history, with many top-quality courses, however it offers golf courses which tend to be less crowded, and less expensive than the other Western European destinations.
There are high quality courses of all sorts throughout Wales, both well established and recently built.
As a very rough rule North Wales tends to have the better Links courses, and the South the better parkland courses, although it is well worth playing both sorts of courses in both parts of Wales just to find out! There is a relatively density of courses in the Vale of Glamorgan area, between Cardiff and Bridgend, due to the proliferation of course in the last fifteen years, serving the Cardiff Commuter Belt. There is also a high density of courses in the Conwy and Llandudno area.
Further details can be obtained from the Welsh Assembly Government's official golf tourism website [63] , as well as on pages concerning the specic areas of Wales.
Wales's most prestigous courses include:
The Celtic Manor Resort [64] - located in Newport , Monmouthshire, it has three courses, and is the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup.
Conwy (Caernarvonshire), Conwy , Caernarvonshire - this Links hosted a final qualifying round for the 2006 Open Championship
Machynys Golf and Country Club [65] , Llanelli , Carmarthenshire - Links, opened in 2005 Wales' first and so far only Nicklaus-designed course.
The Vale Resort [66] , located in Hensol - World class facilities, two well-established championship golf courses and an array of top industry accolades.
Heritage Railways[ edit ]
A Talyllyn Railway train passing a level crossing near Brynglas Station
These are more generally thought of as pleasurable attractions rather than ways to get around, although the Ffestiniog Railway from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog can be used to link places on main rail lines, and the Welsh Highland Railway forms a useful link between Caernarfon , Beddgelert and Porthmadog . They are all historic lines that have been either preserved or restored and steam is a major feature on these lines.
Outdoors[ edit ]
Dangerous underfoot in the Brecon Beacons!
Wales' offers some spectacular coastal and mountainous scenery. Which offers the opportunity for various activity holidays.
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales and offers ideal hiking opportunities.
Cadair Idris, close to the Mid-Wales coast, overlooking Dolgellau to the north and Bro Dysynni to the south-west is another very popular mountain. It has good rail access on both North and South sides from the Cambrian Coast Line, but this is virtually at sea level. The actual summit is 893 m or 2,930 ft above sea level. This makes for a strenuous walk which takes most of the day.
Pen y Fan, is the highest mountain in South Wales , situated in the Brecon Beacons. it is 886 m or 2,907 ft high.
Six Nations Rugby Tournament[ edit ]
Cardiff's Millennium Stadium hosts two or three matches per year as part of the premier Northern Hemisphere Rugby Tournament. As well as the match itself, Cardiff will host many visitors attending the game. Tickets and accommodation would generally need to be bought well in advance. If you are able to see a match then it is a valuable insight into Welsh culture, whether watching in a pub or in the Millennium Stadium.
Eat[ edit ][ add listing ]
Welsh Cakes at Swansea Market
Wales may not be associated with any particular dishes (with the possible exception of lamb) but there are a number of unique foods that you might like to try. The quality of local ingredients is often very high, with a drive towards locally sourced, organic produce in many restaurants in recent years.
Roast lamb - Wales is noted for the high quality of its lamb. Often served with mint sauce and vegetables.
Cawl - a lamb broth.
Bara brith - a rich, sweet bread loaf speckled with dried fruit. Similar to a fruitcake.
Welsh Rarebit - a melted cheese dish spiced with onions, ale and herbs and served on toasted bread.
Laverbread (pronounced "lar-ver") is not, as the name implies, bread, but a purée made from seaweed (the same kind that is used in the preparation of Japanese nori). It is generally rolled into small cakes mixed with oatmeal and served at breakfast alongside bacon rashers, though it is delicious simply heated and served on buttered toast. This dish is traditionally a Swansea area and west coast speciality and can be purchased raw at Swansea Market , although it is also available elsewhere.
Ice-cream - due to an influx of Italians into Wales, the area has some of the best cones and tubs in the country. The following are UK national award winners: Frank's Ice Cream in Carmarthenshire , Joe's Ice-cream [77] in Swansea and Fecci & Sons Ice Cream in Tenby . La Belle Rouge [78] in Aberystwyth is also very highly recommended. One of the most well-known ice cream cafes in the north west is a chain called Cadwaladers [79] , which has since expanded to include 3 cafes in Cardiff and a few in England.
Welsh cakes - a delicious type of griddle scone, usually containing dried fruit or sometimes jam and covered in sugar. Best eaten warm.
It should be noted that several of the these dishes may not always be found on restaurant menus. Many cuisines are now represented in Welsh towns and cities, with even small towns and villages usually having takeaways, with Chinese, Indian, pizza and kebab being most common. The larger towns and cities, and in particular Cardiff, have a much wider range of restaurants and cuisines represented.
For more information, see the general article on eating in the UK .
NB: Smoking in enclosed public areas, which includes restaurants and cafes, is illegal in Wales, and there is an on-the-spot fine of £50 for those who violate the ban.
Drink[ edit ][ add listing ]
Whisky - After an absence of over 100 years, Wales rejoined the club of Celtic countries that produce whisky in 2004 with the launch of the Welsh Whisky Company [80] . This distillery is based out of the village of Penderyn, near Brecon in South Wales . Penderyn whisky has received a number of awards and makes an interesting addition to the world of whisky. The distillery visitor centre opened in June 2008.
Wrexham Lager - After an absence of over a decade, Wrexham has its famous lager back and also back to its former glory. The owners are focusing on and giving a boost to the local pubs.
Brains - one the largest breweries in Glamorgan, it brews a decent range of ales
* Hard ciders - Although it's not what the Welsh are known for many alcoholic apple drinks are imported and sold daily
See the more general article on drinking in the UK , with information on pubs and real ale.
NB: Smoking in enclosed public areas, which includes pubs and cafes, is illegal in Wales, and there is an on-the-spot fine of £50 for those who violate the ban.
Sleep[ edit ][ add listing ]
Wales is very tourist-friendly, so finding hotel accommodation, a self catering holiday cottage or a place to pitch a tent should not be a problem. However, you might need to make prior reservations during the summer season in tourist areas such as Anglesey , Llandudno , Llangollen , Llŷn , Rhyl , Swansea /Mumbles and Tenby , or around the time of major sporting or cultural events in Cardiff .
Wales has nine major universities, all of which have large foreign student populations:
Aberystwyth [81] . A university overlooking the sea - excellent facilities.
Bangor [82] . A relatively small university, but with a good reputation.
Cardiff [83] . The highest ranked of the universities.
Glyndwr University, Wrexham [84] . Wales' newest university, constituted in 2008 from the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education.
South Wales [85] . The largest of the Welsh universities, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd.
Swansea [86] . A large university located on the sea-front - often voted the top university in the UK for student experience.
Swansea Metropolitan [87] . This university is located at several campuses throughout the city, and it is famous for its courses in stained glass design [88] and digital media [89] .
University of Wales, Trinity St David's [90] . Based in two relatively rural campuses in west Wales; Carmarthen and Lampeter.
Cardiff Metropolitan University [91] . The self styled Cardiff metripolitan university.
Colleges and institutes[ edit ]
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff [92] . A college focusing on music and drama.
English (as a second language)[ edit ]
English Study Centre, 19-21 Uplands Crescent, Uplands, Swansea SA2 0NX. Tel:+44 1792 464-103. Email: [email protected] [93]
Stay safe[ edit ]
In any emergency call 999 or 112 and ask for Ambulance, Fire, Police, Mountain Rescue or Coast Guard when connected. For non-urgent Police matters, dial 101 to be connected to the nearest police station anywhere in Wales.
Crime[ edit ]
Wales is one of the safest parts of the United Kingdom and crime rates continue to fall. Nonetheless, visitors should be aware that criminal activity including violent crime is not uncommon, especially alcohol-related violence in towns and cities. Indeed, it may be wise to avoid the centres of large towns and cities on weekend nights and after large sporting events. Despite this, it is unlikely that tourists would be targeted in such a situation. Pickpocketing and mugging is rare.
Driving[ edit ]
It is perfectly safe to drive on Welsh roads provided that you exercise normal driving caution. However, care should be taken on rural and minor roads, some of which are extremely narrow, twisty and poorly marked. In addition, colliding with a sheep or (even worse) a cow can severely damage your car, not to mention the unfortunate animal. Many of these roads pass through some of the most beautiful parts of Wales, but just ensure that at least as much attention is paid to the road as to the scenery!
Natural Hazards[ edit ]
While generally escaping extreme weather, it should not be forgotten that the British Isles enjoy a famously changeable climate and few places more so than Wales. As such, it is extremely important to be prepared when venturing into the countryside and especially onto the mountains. Here, what starts as a sunny day can rapidly turn into a blizzard, storm-force gale or a disorienting, chilling fog. Every year, many have to be rescued from Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons and some lives are lost due to falls and exposure. Ensure you have suitable clothing, a map and a fully-charged mobile phone before setting off.
Respect[ edit ]
Displays of homosexuality aren't common and outside of Cardiff your sexuality should be kept private outside of Cardiff. Otherwise you will face insults and discrimination in public accommodations, as well as a heightened risk of anti-LGBT violence. The Welsh are very friendly people but like any country there are things which must be respected by visitors. Referring to Welsh people as English is incorrect and will cause annoyance. The ties between England and Wales are strong, though some light-hearted anti-English banter is common. Furthermore, some people are supportive of the idea of national independence, which isn't always shared by others. If you want to avoid getting into a long and pointless debate, it is best to steer clear of this topic. In addition, the relationship between England and Wales is long, complex and sometimes controversial. However, visitors to Wales are widely welcomed and are unlikely to face any issues if they approach their visit in a friendly spirit.
The term 'Taffy' is a slur and may be considered offensive.
See Contact entry under United Kingdom for national information on telephone, internet and postal services.
See Contact entries under individual cities for local information.
| Aberystwyth |
Which US State achieved statehood in 1858 and is known as the 'Gopher' state? | Aberystwyth Medical Gothic Chapter 1: Seaside Holiday, a hellsing fanfic | FanFiction
'To a medical conference at the University of Wales.'
Seras sagged.
'We will be investigating a notorious foreign vampire who has entered the country, ostensibly to attend the conference. We will observe the vampire while he remains in the country. As long as he behaves himself, pay close attention to this Alucard, we will not cause an international incident by harming a foreign national. If, however, he attacks any person on British soil, we have authorisation to.. aha... "deport" him.'
Integral smiled, nastily. So did Alucard.
Seras looked puzzled. Then she smiled. 'Oh, you mean kill him.' Then she frowned again.
'Yes.' Said Integral. 'That is exactly what I mean. The conference begins next Wednesday and continues until the weekend. We, we being you two, two RAMC officers and I, will remain in the town, posing as personnel of the Walworth Territorial Army Field Hospital visiting the conference, keeping the vampire under surveillance. Report to Walter for further information and your train tickets. There's no point in taking the car, the A44 is apparently appalling this time of year. Dismissed.'
Integral closed up the pointer-thingy and placed it down on the table with some finality.
Seras raised her hand. 'Um...' She said.
'Yes?' Integral said.
'I don't know much more than basic first aid from when I was on the force.' Seras said. 'And master...'
'I admit saving lives has never been a forte of mine.' Alucard nodded.
'That's why I've requisitioned some RAMC officers . If either of you are questioned, explain that you are in training.'
Seras nodded and smiled. 'All right.' She said, brightly, obviously pleased at the chance of a nice break by the seaside.
'Any further questions? No? Good.'
"What've you got for me today, Walter?" Seras asked, flashing a toothy grin atHellsing's butler and jobbing armourer. "Depleted Uranium shells? Explosive tear gas grenades?"
Walter handed her a pistol.
Seras' face fell.
Walter smirked a little at her discomfort. "You think you can carry that great big cannon in public, Miss Seras?" He chuckled.
Seras looked to the side. "Well obviously not but mumblemumble."
"What was that?"
"Nothing." She inspected the pistol. Walter handed her a neat black suit, the sort of utilitarian thing worn by the military when in mufti, and a set of RAMC uniform.
"You get one of these delightful Swiss SIG SAUERS. If it's good enough for the rest of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, it's good enough for you. Although I would have preferred a Browning." He sighed, nostalgically. "Those days are gone.. This dear little thing has a 15-round box magazine in the grip and fires 9mm Parabellum rounds. Be careful, it has no separate safety catch, nor does it need to be cocked. There's an...hello gentlemen. "
Walter looked up. Seras looked past him. A pair of men had just entered the armoury, although perhaps "burst into" would be a better way to describe it. The taller of the two, a well built red head, perhaps 6 foot three or four, had the other one in a headlock and was noogieing him vigorously. The smaller of the two, dark-haired and swarthy-looking was wriggling like a netted herring.
"I'll gie ye whitfor, ye scunner." The redhead informed him. The other man stamped on his foot. This had no apparent effect other than to cause the redhead to squeeze tighter.
"ATTENTION!" Walter bellowed. The two men immediately sprang apart and stood smartly to attention. The redhead blinked, apparently wondering why his body had obeyed the command without checking first with Mr Brain. Seras giggled behind her hand.
"Tha's got a fair loadout here, reet." The dark-haired fellow said, surveying Walter's collection on the walls.
"Present." Walter ordered, ignoring the compliment.
The Redhead went smartly to attention again. "Sergeant Simon Armstrong, that's me, and Sergeant David Graham, that's him, RAMC. Formerly of the King's Own Scottish Borderers, may they march forever and tae the de'il wi Westminster. In Arduis Fidelis an' all that. Reportin' for duty. An' guns."
"Oh aye." The dark-haired one said. He looked about five foot nine and had startling green eyes with black rims to the irises. "Guns. Which as RAMC we are obviously on'y allowed t'use in self defence, like."
"S'right."
Walter regarded the curious and rowdy pair of medical officers. "I was informed of your coming. Your sidearms and civilian clothes are over there.
They availed themselves of accoutrements.
"Cheers."
"Ta muchly. Och, could ah no have a blue tie? Green doesnae go well wi ma hair, ye ken?"
"Certainly not. Miss Victoria, if you could take the Sergeants to the car and we shall depart for Crowthorne Station shortly. ."
As the 10:45 to Reading pulled out of the little station into green fields, Seras watched a column of exhausted soldiers jog out of Bracknell Forest. She waved, cheerfully. No-one noticed. She looked around the train carriage. Alucard was apparently dozing under a military cap. He wore TA fatigues, and somehow managed to make the thick green woollen sweater look stylish, yet fascinatingly dishevelled. Integral was deeply engrossed in a book on medical cardiology. Sergeants Armstrong and Graham managed to sit still for about half an hour then started ribbing each other mercilessly. Integral shot them evil looks and muttered something about how she couldn't even trust the RAMC to send her decent personnel.
They got off at Reading and waited half an hour for a train to Birmingham New Street. At Birmingham New Street (which is not the prettiest of stations, although admittedly not as bad as Milton Keynes), having missed their connection, they waited another hour for a train to Shrewsbury, which is a much more picturesque place, and so they stopped for lunch and a brisk walk around the walls there, mostly so Integral could work off her fury at the state of the public transport. Over lunch, Seras noticed Alucard casting occasional glances at the two Sergeants and grinning. Seras hoped he wasn't thinking about making a snack out of them. They certainly looked young and strong and healthy...
She wiped a little saliva away from her chin and pretended to take a sip of coffee. Armstrong flirted with the waitress. Integral treated him to another icy glare.
They returned to the station in time to see the next train to Aberystwyth chuffing away. Integral looked like she was about to have an apoplectic fit. Fortunately they only had to wait fifteen minutes, and soon they were leaving Shropshire behind for Powys and eventually thundering through the tunnels and across the lovely, picturesque and above all, wet, valleys of Ceredigion.
"This ain't alf the arse-end of no-where areet." Graham said, as they crossed a tributary of the Dyfi and paused for ten minutes at a station that consisted of a sign, twenty-foot length of platform and one extremely bored-looking sheep.
"Whit're ye talkin' aboot, whin ye're frae Northumbria yersel? Wheesht yer noise." Armstrong quipped back. Graham punched him playfully.
Seras chuckled behind her hand. Armstrong winked at her.
Some time later,
| i don't know |
In which country did the airship R101 crash? | The R101 airship disaster
The R101 airship disaster
edited from the Airship Heritage Trust
The plans for the R101 were laid down as far back as 1924 when the Imperial Airship Scheme was proposed. The requirements included that a ship was proposed to take some 200 troops for the military or 5 fighter craft as an aerial aircraft carrier. It was noted that a larger ship of some 8 million cubic feet would be required however for initial plans two prototype ships of 5 million cft be constructed. It was decided that to aid with the school of thought and new ideas, one ship was contracted out to a private company and the other to be built at the Royal Airship Works in Cardington. The first ship, the R100, was built by a subsidiary of Vickers, the Airship Guarantee Company, at the shed at Howden in Yorkshire.
The second prototype ship, the R101 again moved away from traditional lines of design. After some delays with the initial project, the scheme soon got underway when work on the ship began in 1926. The ship was to have many innovative design features and incorporating these within the ship was to cause some delay to the original completion date of 1927. However it must be remembered that this project was teh larges of it's kind ever undertaken in the world at that time. The largest ship which had been constructed at that time was the Graf Zeppelin, and that was based on the original design of the "LZ126" Los Angles, and a much smaller ship than was being constructed in Britain.
On completion in October 1929 the ship was the largest man made object ever to fly. Following her initial trials, it was discovered that the original disposable lift was not as high as had been anticipated, it was agreed that the ship would need more disposable lift if the ship was to be a commercial success. It was agreed to let out the bracing wires holding the gas cells and so the overall volume and lifting capacity could be increased.
After more trials, it was decided that more drastic action would be required to enhance the overall lift of the airship. During the winter of 1929 to 1930, the airship was brought in to the hangers and was then cut in half! This meant that an extra bay for another gas bag could be inserted and give more lift. This brought her volume up to a huge 5 and a half million cubic feet (see the R101c column in the statistics table).
On a visit to Cardington in the Graf Zeppelin, Hugo Eckener was given a tour of the new ship and agreed that the R101 was from a new breed of exceptional ship. There was confidence in this new prototype which would lead to bigger ships, as planned in the R102 and R103.
Statistics:
4, 998, 501cft
5, 509, 753cft
In 1930 a passenger was so confident in the proposed service that he had sent the Royal Airship Works �20,000 for one airship passage to New York in 1931. It was thought that the two ships could earn useful revenue over 1931-1932 with commercial operations.
Even though the R101 was often quoted as seen as flying too low compared to the earlier Zeppelins which had reached some 20,000 during the war, is was advised that all commercial (non military airships) had to fly long range and to do this had to at a low level. Hence the ships were designed to do this. The best economical results were if a ship could maintain a height of 1,500ft. This was not only financially advantageous but would also "afford splendid views of the ground and sea". The Zeppelin Company had to adopt this policy with the LZ129 - Hindenburg, which would keep between 1,500 to 4,000 ft.
plan of ship - click to enlarge
Life on Board :
The R101 was seen as a lavish floating hotel. Even by today's standards, the open promenades and public spaces would be seen as unique in the skies. These large British ships were the first to adopt the style of using the interior of the ship for the passenger accommodation. The only contemporary passenger ship which was running a passenger service was the German Zeppelin ZL127 -Graf Zeppelin. Even then the ship could only accommodate 20 passengers which were situated in a stretched forward gondola beneath the hull of the ship. With the R100 and R101, the utilisation of interior space was a first of it's kind to be used to this degree. The R101 could boast 2 decks of space, a dinning room which could seat 60 people at a time, and a smoking room which could seat 20. The promenades showed off the view to the fullest advantage. Compared to the noisy smelly and tiring journey in an aeroplane, the Airships were seen as pure luxury, with service compared to that of the greatest ocean liners. click here for ships interior
the problems
Over the summer of 1930, the R101 laid in the Number 1 shed at Cardington undergoing extensive modifications which were needed following on from her 1929 and early 1930 trial flights. It was already known that both the R100 and R101 were lacking in disposable lift as had been originally planned at the outset of the Imperial Airship Scheme as laid out in 1925. Those involved in the scheme had already learnt that the R100 and R101 would not be capable of full commercial operations to Canada and India, and these were later to be passed on to the new ship, the R 102 class. It was agreed that both the R100 and R101 would undergo extensive modifications to ensure that more lift be given to the ships to make them commercially viable. The R101 had spent the Summer of 1930 in Number 1 shed having a central new bay and gas bag installed to give her more disposable lift.
It was expected that the new gas bag would give her another 9 tons of disposable lift bringing her up to some 50 tons. After the alterations had been completed by Friday the 26th September the R101 was gassed up and floated in the shed. The new ship's (R101c) disposable lift was calculated at 49.36 tons, an improvement of 14.5 tons over the original configuration. Even though pressure was on that the ship would be flown to Karachi to carry the Air Minister, Lord Thompson of Cardington, the target date of 26th September for the ship to leave the shed, was on course to be met. Unfortunately the wind was to keep the new R101 in the shed until the morning of 1st October.
click to enlarge
It was at 06.30 on the 1st October that the R101 emerged from the shed and was secured to the mast. The new ship having a more elongated look as she had been extended by some 35 feet with the new bay. At the same time, the R100 was removed from Shed No 2, and walked in to the next door shed, No.1 where she too was to be altered by having a new bay installed to obtain more lift. It was the last time the outside world would see the R100.
The R101 moored serenely to her Cardington, the crew were busy making preparations for a full 24 hour trial flight. A permit to fly had been issued and a full report in to the new ship would be submitted later, a draft having been prepared. The permit to fly had been granted after a "good deal of general thinking and comparison on limited information has been required in reaching our conclusion" noted Professor Bairstow, who issued the permit.
Final Trial Flight
The R101 slipped her mast at 4.30pm on 1st October with the plan to fly a 24 hour endurance flight to complete the engine and other trials. It was noted however, and agreed by officers, Reginald Colemore (Director of Airship Development - DAD) and the AMSR that if the ship behaved well and Major Herbert Scott, one of the most experienced airshipmen in the UK, was satisfied during this flight then they could curtail the flight to less than 24 hours.
The ship left Cardington and headed south to London then turned east following the Thames and out across Essex. She spent the night over out over the North Sea. From those on board it was noted that the atmosphere was quiet and serene. Due to the early failure of an engine cooler in the forward starboard engine it was impossible for the ship to make a full speed trial. During this flight the conditions were noted as "perfect" and that all other items in the ship behaved perfectly. Even though there was not time to make formal reports it was noted that the ship handled and the ship appeared to be much better in the air than before. It was with this that it was agreed to curtail the flight and head for home at Cardington. The ship returning to the mast at 09.20 on Thursday 2nd October. The ship had been in the air for just over 17 hours in smooth flying conditions.
click to enlarge
Important things were noted by the crew following this flight. Captain Irwin had made special notice of all the concerns before the alterations. He noted that there was practically no movement in the outer cover; all sealing strips appeared to be secure, no leaks were observed in the gas valves; the movement of the gas bags was so slight that it was barely perceptible; and the padding was secure. All other items were found to be in good order and he was satisfied with the independent inspection which had been carried out on the ship.
The senior members of the crew, technical office along with the DAD held conference on the Thursday evening and discussed the decision for a flight to India. It was noted that a longer trial whereby full speed testing could have been carried in adverse condition was normally essential before trying for such a long voyage. It was noted that a full speed trial was not recommended during the India flight due to the chance of failure. It had not been calculated at this stage state of the engines with the new redesign of the ship. Also the risk of engine failure would mean putting the whole voyage in jeopardy, and hence it was deemed that cruising speed would be the maximum recommended speed for the journey.
Even though pressure had been put upon the crew and all involved with the R101 by the Air Minister by suggesting that he must go to India and back in time for the Imperial Conference due on the 20th October 1930, there was one note on the 2nd October by Lord Thompson advising that "You mustn't allow my natural impatience or anxiety to start to influence you in any way. You must use your considered judgment."
Final Flight - Saturday 4th October 1930.
Last Route of R101:
-Impact of R101
click on the links in the table to see maps
With the decision made that the India flight take place, there were two further days of final preparation. The ship remained on the mast and the crews busied themselves to make this momentous voyage. Of course all staff were keeping an eye on the weather conditions to ensure that the ship would be able to make the voyage in the suggested time allowed and didn't want to be inhibited by the problems all airships suffered with the natural elements. Giblett the meteorological officer had been providing the Officers with updates on the weather forecasts over the last few days, and the route was selected on his information.
click to enlarge
Another weather conference was held on the morning of the 4th October and it was noted that the weather conditions over northern France were becoming cloudy with moderate winds. It was agreed that the ship would depart between 4pm and 8pm that evening. Two further forecasts were issued to the ship during the day. These indicated that the weather conditions over Cardington and Northern France would begin to deteriorate during the evening, however it was noted that the wind conditions would not increase significantly. These forecasts, even thought not particularly good were not bad enough to cancel the voyage. The decision was made to hurry the passengers on board, complete the loading of the ship, and begin the trip in order to be pass the worst weather.
.At 6.24pm the R101 left the Cardington mast in misty fine rain and darkness. The lights from the promenade deck and searchlights from the mooring mast illuminating the ship. As the ship was fully loaded with fuel to make it to the first stop, Egypt, it was noted that 4 tons of ballast had to be dropped before the ship gained more height. The R101 cruised passed the sheds, and then headed west towards Bedford to salute her home town. The ship passed around the town and then headed south east towards London. The ship was flying in her cruising height of 1,500ft just below the cloud base and by 8pm the R101 was flying over London.
A wireless message from the ship was sent at 8.21pm:
"Over London. All well. Moderate rain. Base of low clouds 1,500ft. Wind 240 degrees [west south west] 25mph. Course now set for Paris. Intend to proceed via Paris, Tours, Toulouse and Narbonne."
An hour later the R101 was requesting the Meteorological Office at Cardington to wireless a forecast of the weather expected from Paris to Marseilles "with special reference to wind and cloud".
At 9.47pm the following message was sent :
"At 21.35 GMT crossing coast in the vicinity of Hastings. It is raining hard and there is a strong South Westerly wind. Cloud base is at 1,500 feet . After a good getaway from the Mooring Tower at 18.30 hours ship circled Bedford before setting course. Course was set for London at 18.54. Engines running well at cruising speed giving 54.2 knots. Reached London at 2000 hours and then set course for Paris. Gradually increasing height so as to avoid high land. Ship is behaving well generally and we have already begun to recover water ballast."
It was noted that with the loss of ballast at the beginning of the flight, the crew were more than confident that the water recovery system would replenish the supplies. The R101 was fitted along the top of the envelope with catchments arrangements by which, when rain fell, water could be recovered to increase ballast and so compensate for the loss of weight arising from the consumption of fuel. It is noted that at this point the R101 crew did not consider the ship to be heavy as original sources suggested.
The Channel crossing took two hours for at 11.36 pm the ship reported :
"Crossing French coast at Pointe de St Quentin. Wind 245 true. 35mph"
It is noted that the 60 miles crossing was well know by Squadron Leader Johnson who had flown the route many times between London and Paris. It is also of note that the wind speed was increasing in velocity at this time. It was estimated that at the time of crossing the channel the R101 was at a height of between 700 to 800 feet. It was later noted that the First Officer, Atherstone took over the elevator wheel and ordered the coxswain not to go below 1,000ft.
From 11.00pm to 02.00am the crew changed watches, R101 continued on it's usual watch-keeping status.
At 00.18 the R101 sent out the following wireless message :
"To Cardington from R101.
2400GMT 15 miles SW of Abbeville speed 33 knots. Wind 243 degrees [West South West] 35 miles per hour. Altimeter height 1,500feet. Air temperature 51degrees Fahrenheit. Weather - intermittent rain. Cloud nimbus at 500 feet. After an excellent supper our distinguished passengers smoked a final cigar and having sighted the French coast have now gone to bed to rest after the excitement of their leave-taking. All essential services are functioning satisfactorily. Crew have settled down to watch-keeping routine."
This was the last message from the R101 giving the speed and position of the ship. The ship continued to send out directional signals for the purpose of checking her position or testing the straight of the signals, by Directional Wireless. The last directional signal addressed to Cardington was at 1.28am. A final signal was sent to the Croydon Station and relayed via ship at Le Bourget 01.51am and acknowledged by the R101 at 01.52am. That was the last signal ever sent by the R101.
At 02.00pm the watch changed as with normal routine on the ship, still nothing was reported wrong with the ship at this time. It can be assumed that had this been noticed then the Captain would have had this signalled back to base. Also if anything had been noticed at this time then the Captain would not have allowed the men on duty to stand down and pass over to the new watch. Evidence of engineer Leech at the Inquiry confirmed the situation that Leech was off duty and enjoying a smoke in the smoking room between 01.00am and 02.00am, when Captain Irwin came in to the room and spoke to him and the Chief Engineer. The Captain made no remarks about the ship except that the after engine continued to run well.. Mr Gent, Chief Engineer, later turned in and Leech went and made inspection of all the engine cars. He found them all to be running well and returned to the smoking room.
At 02.00am the ship reached Beauvais and passed to the east of the town. At this time witnesses suggested that the ship was beginning to have difficulty with the gusting winds. Some suggested that the promenade lights became obscured and early suggestions were made that the ship was rolling in the winds however no amount of rolling would explain this and it seems probable that the lights were obscured by intervening cloud.
From survivor accounts at 02.00am the ship made a long and rather steep dive, sufficient enough to make the engineers loose balance and to cause furniture in the smoking room to slide. It is estimated that a rent occurred in the rain soaked upper part of the nose, causing the forward gas bags to become exposed to the elements and thus damaged by the gusting wind. The loss of gas at this point could have led to the loss of control of the ship. Also the ship was travelling towards the notorious Beauvais ridge which was well know by aviators for it's dangerous gusting wind conditions. The loss of gas at the forward part of the ship, combined with a sudden downward gust of wind would have forced the nose down. Calculations taken by the University of Bristol in 1995 provides evidence that the maximum downward angle was at 18 degrees in this first dive through a time span of 90 seconds.
The crew in the control car would have tried to correct this and pulled the elevator up to try to counter this downward angle. In the next 30 seconds the ship pulled out of the forced dive and the crew were managing to steady the ship. Flying at a nose up angle of 3 degrees enabling the ship to try and regain some of the aerodynamic forces. However it was realised that the elevator was hard "up" and yet the crew knew that the nose was only just some 3 degrees above the horizon, this meant that the nose was now extremely heavy and hence a serious loss of gas from the forward bags would have occurred.
The Captain then rang the order for all engines to reduce speed from the original cruising speed, if not to stop them. The bells were heard and acted on by the crew as evidence of the survivors confirmed. The Chief Coxswain, Hunt, moved aft from the control car and to the crews quarters. At this point he passed crew member Disley, and warned by saying "We're down lads". This famous comment by one of the most experienced airship crew members can be seen that the R101 at this point was not going to be able to continue with it's existing difficulties, and that an executive decision had been made to put the ship in to emergency landing stations.
Just after this point the ship moved in to a second dive. It is calculated that at this point the R101 was now only at about a height of some 530 feet which for a vessel of 777ft long was a precarious one, and so any rapid oscillation of the ship, which had already occurred, would have caused it to fail. Rigger Church was ordered to release the emergency ballast from the nose of the ship and was on the way to the mooring platform when he felt the angle of the ship begin to dip once more from an even keel. The ship began to drop again through a downward angle and at this point the nose impacted with the ground. Evidence from the official inquiry noted that the R101's ground speed had reduced to almost that of a perfect landing. The impact of the R101 with the ground was very gentle, and it was noted that the forward speed of the ship was only 13.8 mph. The ship bounced slightly moving forward some 60ft and then settled down to the ground. The survivors recall that a "crunch" was heard and the the ship levelled. There was no violent jarring from the impact. Evidence following the crash confirms this as the only impact markings in the ground were a 2ft deep by 9ft long groove which was cut by the nose cone. Soil was later found in the nose cone. Also the starboard forward engine had struck the ground with the propeller still revolving and grooves were made by this, and the engine car had been twisted completely around on it's struts.
After the impact, the fire broke out. The most probably cause of this is the starboard engine car was twisted around and thus hot engine which came in to contact with the free gas from the rents in the forward gas bags. The fire immediately consumed the ship causing each gasbag from the forward to after part of the ship to explode. The force of the explosions was noted by the position of the gas valves and the damage to the framework of the ship. The outer cover was immediately consumed in the ensuing inferno.
Of the crew and passengers only 8 men were able to escape from the wreck.
Foreman Engineer J H Leech - sitting in the smoking room at the time of the impact managed to be saved by the bulkhead of the accommodation collapsing from above and being held by the top of the settee in the smoking room. He was able to escape through the side of the damaged wooden walls of the smoking room and out through the framework to and through the cloth outer cover of the ship to safety.
Engineers A V Bell, J H Binks, A J Cook V Savory were in their respective engine cars which were positioned outside the main hull, and hence when the ship landed were able to escape through the windows of the engine cars and run out away from the ship.
Rigger W G Radcliffe survived the crash and worked his way out of the wreckage but later died in the hospital from his injuries.
Wireless Operator A Disley who was asleep in the crews' quarters was awakened as his bunk was positioned in the same forward direction as the ship, and thus awoke when he felt the curious angle of the first dive. He felt the ship come out of the first dive and to an even keel and the to a nose up angle. At the same moment Hunt passed through the crews quarters and advised them of the situations and carried on through. At this point Disley heard the telegraphs ring out in the ship. The electrical switchboard was close at hand and he started to get out of his bunk and to cut off the electric current to the ship. There were two field switches and he recalls tripping on one of them. He did this as he knew that in any aircraft crash there may be the chance of fire. During this action the ship went in to it's second dive and he was just about to switch the second one when the impact was heard and the lights went out over the ship. Disley recalls that the impact was not enough to unbalance him from his feet it was so gentle. Seconds later he, like Leech was fighting he way through the wreckage to the outside of the ship.
The last survivor was Rigger Church, who later died of his injuries three days after the crash. He was interviewed and gave the following statement.
"I would consider the flight rather bumpy, but not exceptionally so. The second watch had just come on and I was walking back when the ship took up a steep diving attitude. At this moment I received an order to release the emergency forward water ballast [1/2 ton in the nose] but before I could get there the crash came."
The emergency ballast was in the very nose of the ship and utilised most of the emergency ballast, it could not be released from the controls in the control car, and had to be jettisoned locally.
click to enlarge
The R101 came to rest with the forward part of her nose in a wood of small trees and the rest of her hull in a meadow. When getting away from the ship, both Disley and Cook did notice some interesting facts. Disley noted that even though the outer cover was burning, there was almost no cover left on the top of the ship aft of frames 10 and 11. The ship appeared to be a skeleton. Cook noticed that the underside of the elevator still had outer cover on it and was positioned in a full up position, suggesting that the coxswain was still trying to keep the nose up on landing. The later inquiry noted that the number of turns on the auxiliary winch drum confirmed this.
The survivors were treated in the local hospital and the inquiry began the following morning with the French authorities surveying the site and condition off the wreck whilst the British investigators were flown in. Messages were wired to England in the early hours of the morning reporting the crash to a stunned British public.
click to enlarge
Rigger Church was later to die in hospital of his injuries and joined the other victim's of the crash. Full state honours were given to the victims as special trains were laid on to transport them from the crash site to the channel. They were later loaded on to H.M.S. Tempest at Boulogne and then carried to Dover where a special train took the bodies to Victoria Station. From here they were carried in state to Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster where they were laid in state. From here the mourning public waited may hours to file past the coffins to show respect. A memorial service was held at St Pauls Cathedral on Saturday 11th October, after which the coffins were taken by train to Bedford, then were walked the two miles to Cardington Village, were a space had been prepared in the Village Churchyard. All 48 dead were finally laid to rest in a special grave, a final small service was undertaken with distinguished guests including Hugo Eckener and Has Von Schiller, followed by a flypast by the RAF flight. In 1931 a memorial tomb was completed and inscribed with the names of the victim's .This memorial still dominates the tiny churchyard to this day.
The Wreckage.
click to enlarge
The wreck of the R101 lay where it had fallen until well in-to 1931 becoming the haunt for air accident investigators and day trippers to see the spectacle of the near perfect skeleton of the once largest airship in the world. Scrap contractors from Sheffield who were specialists in stainless steel were employed to salvage what they could. It was noted in the records of the the Zeppelin company that they purchased 5,000kgs of duraluminium from the wreckage for their own use. Whether this was used for testing and analysis or to re-cast and turned in-to the one of the most well known airships ever, the "Hindenburg", is open to further research and speculation.
Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames.
| France |
In which Classic novel does the character the Maggie Tulliver appear? | R-101 Crash Site and Memorials
Sites of Interest
French Memorial:
Starting with the photo above, knowing the crash as at or near Beauvais, France, I began searching the 'Net for the location. It was not long before I found it:
Photo credit: Google Earth
The map-tack is at Lat 49.390698 N, Lon 02.11068 E, about 39 Miles North of Paris. (Click here to View in Google Maps)
When zooming in on the Google-Earth map-tack we find the brush is still cleared at the crash site! Why? See the photo following this one:
Photo credit: Google Earth
There is a marker there! Deep in the brush, evidently on private land, but kept clear by the land-owner! Bless him!:
Photo credit: Undetermined
And that's not all! Near the town of Allonne, there is a great memorial, dedicated on the crash anniversary in 1933. Here is the newspaper clipping for the dedication:
Photo credit: Undetermined
Here is the memorial as depicted on a post card at the time:
Photo credit: Undetermined
And as it appears just a few years ago, before a highway guardrail was installed along the edge of the road seen here:
Photo credit: Undetermined
This beautiful memorial is located at Lat 49.404463 N, Lon 02.121920 E along Route Nationale 1. (Click here to View in Google Maps). Sadly, there is no apparent parking near the memorial, and it appears all but forgotten.
Photo credit: Google Earth
Here is the way the now long-forgotten memorial looks as it did when a Google "Street View" camera vehicle drove by:
Photo credit: Google Earth - "Street View"
UK Memorial:
There is also a memorial in the UK, at a cemetery on the outskirts of Cardington. It is located here, just 3/4 of a mile NNE of the Cardington Hangars:
Photo credit: Google Earth
It is a lovely memorial, with an inscription of the deceased:
Photo credit: Waymarking.com
| i don't know |
A bottle of wine originating from the Mondavi coastal vineyard is produced in which country? | Robert Mondavi Corporation
Robert Mondavi Corporation
Associate Professor of Business Administration
Director, Wine Business Program
Robert Mondavi Corporation
In January 1999, Michael Mondavi, the 55-year-old CEO of the Robert Mondavi Corporation (RMC) and son of its founder, Robert Mondavi, announced the reorganization of the company and the layoff of 4 percent of the workforce. RMC had experienced a shortfall in supplying its Woodbridge Chardonnay brand. Disgruntled distributors had begun substituting competing Chardonnay brands on retailers' shelves. Once Woodbridge production levels returned to normal, distributors remained reluctant to carry the brand, further reducing company sales. Subsequently, RMC�s stock was downgraded by Wall Street analysts, and its stock price fell nearly 60 percent. [Recent company financial data are shown in Exhibits 1-5 ].
At the same time that Michael Mondavi announced the layoffs in January 1999, senior management was completing the process of reconfiguring RMC�s future strategies. One camp argued for a return to the original vision, complaining that because RMC had been so busy focusing on launching new brands and pursuing international ventures, it had neglected its core domestic brands, which made up 90 percent of revenues. Another group of managers argued for continued diversification. After all, RMC had introduced three new brands in the previous year: two through global partnerships in Chile and Italy and one domestic brand. Many of the managers in this camp had been involved in orchestrating the development and launch of new brands in the domestic and global markets. Michael Mondavi was caught between the two camps.
Company Background
Robert Mondavi, the son of a poor Italian immigrant, founded the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1966 at the age of 54, after his bitter departure stemming from a dispute over control of the family-owned Krug Winery. Using personal savings and loans from friends, Mondavi founded his Napa Valley winery with a simple vision: "To do whatever it took to make great wines and to put Napa Valley on the map, right alongside the great winemaking centers of Europe."
Wine in the United States was classified into the following categories: table wine (7 to 14 percent in alcohol by volume), sparkling wine/champagne, dessert wine, and other wine products, which include wine coolers and sherry. Table wine represented approximately 66 percent of US volume and was further divided into varietal and non-varietal wine. In order to classify a wine as varietal, the law stated that 75 percent of the juice that went into it had to be from a single grape variety. The current most popular white varietal was Chardonnay. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were the standards in red wines and white Zinfandel in blush wines. Table wine also was categorized into price brackets: Jug wine (under $3 per 750-ml bottle) and premium wine (over $3 per 750-ml bottle). The premium wine segment was further subdivided into popular premium, super premium, and ultra-premium categories. While the jug wine category accounted for 44 percent of the table wine market by volume, it accounted for only 17 percent of the revenue by 1999 [See Exhibit 6 ]. Wines also were classified by their appellation, the geographic area in which the grapes were grown. This was because the climate and soil conditions imparted different characteristics and tastes to the wine. The winemaking process provided many opportunities to affect a wine�s characteristics, increasing the potential for differentiating wine brands.
Mondavi set out to be the first in California to produce premium wines that were intended to compete with the premium European brands. At the time, many wine industry observers considered Mondavi�s venture to be financial suicide. In his 1998 book on the history of the company, Robert Mondavi Harvest of Joy � How the Good Life Became a Great Business, Mondavi recalled:
We in California had enormous potential; I knew we could become one of the great wine-producing regions of the world. But the American wine industry was still in its infancy, and no one seemed to have the knowledge, the vision, or the guts to reach for the gold, to make wines that could stand proudly next to the very best from France and Italy, Germany, and Spain.
Robert Mondavi�s initial business plan called for building RMC�s reputation by producing a limited quantity of super to ultra-premium wines using the most prestigious noble varietal grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Johannesburg Riesling. At the time, these four varietals commanded the highest prices in the marketplace and had the highest profit margin per bottle. In order to generate cash flow to expand the business, RMC planned to produce less expensive wines in high volumes to be sold in the premium market. Mondavi felt that the path to success in producing super to ultra-premium wines began with high quality grapes, so he set out to find the best vineyard in Napa Valley to locate the new RMC. A 12-acre portion of the famous To-Kalon vineyard in Oakville was purchased for the winery location. This vineyard was able to supply RMC with high quality estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in its first year of operation. The To-Kalon vineyard has provided Cabernet Sauvignon grapes ever since, enabling RMC to create a prestige label.
To meet initial production targets, Mondavi began purchasing grapes from other growers around the Napa Valley and convinced many of Krug�s top grape suppliers during these early years to sign long-term contracts with RMC. Mondavi then worked closely with each grower to improve grape quality and structured each grower�s contract so that their compensation was tied to the grape quality and crop yields. Mondavi also was able to convince Krug�s top two suppliers to take a financial stake in his new winery.
Next, Robert Mondavi set out to build a state-of-the-art winemaking facility that was both functional for making premium wines and unique enough to make a statement about the wines the facility would produce. Mondavi enlisted Cliff May, a highly respected architect, to design an eye-catching Spanish mission-style landmark. May�s design for the winery became the backdrop of every wine label RMC has since produced. In his 1998 book, Mondavi wrote about his design requirements for the new winery:
The winery I envisioned was to be a showcase for the most advanced wine-making techniques and equipment in America, if not the world. Aesthetic would be key. In France, the great chateaux were temples of style, tradition, and refinement. This was the lead I wanted to follow. I wanted my winery to have elegance and style, to be a place that would properly highlight our talents and the work going on inside. I also wanted it to be a place that would attract streams of visitors.
The winery became a laboratory for developing what were to become some of the California wine industry�s best practices in the production of world-class premium wines. Among these best practices were: (1) assembling a team of experts in the areas of viticulture and winemaking, from industry professionals to university professors; (2) developing new technology to permit gentle handling of wine grapes and cold fermentation of white wines; and (3) process innovations, such as steel fermentation tanks, vacuum corking of bottles, and aging of wines in new French oak barrels. These innovative practices have since become standard in the California wine industry. In his book, Mondavi described his pursuit of excellence.
From the outset, I wanted my winery to draw inspiration and methods from the traditional Old World chateaux of France and Italy, but I also wanted to become a model of state-of-the-art technology, a pioneer in research and a gathering place for the finest minds in our industry. I wanted our winery to be a haven of creativity, innovation, excitement, and that unbelievable energy you find in a start-up venture when everyone is committed, heart and soul, to a common cause and a common quest.
Although Mondavi had managed to slowly improve the quality of RMC�s wines throughout the 1970s, he struggled to get his super to ultra-premium RMC wines into reputable five-star restaurants and top wine shops across the country. Mondavi spent lavishly on entertaining influential people within the industry and invited the top wine writers to the RMC for free meals. He then would conduct blind tastings of the RMC wines against reputable French and Italian wines so that the wine writers could taste for themselves what RMC was producing. For over a decade, Mondavi traveled extensively throughout the country and abroad as the company�s chief salesperson, promoting his vision for RMC and Napa Valley. Often, while dining alone on business trips, Mondavi invited the chefs, sommeliers, wait staff, and restaurateurs to blind taste RMC wines against the restaurant�s best European wines. One restaurant at a time, Mondavi managed to get his wines on the wine lists of the best five-star restaurants in the United States. By the close of the 1970s, Mondavi�s persistence began to pay off. Restaurant owners, famous wine connoisseurs, and the press were now very interested in RMC�s products. With increasing recognition of and demand for his wine, Mondavi began slowly raising the prices his products until they were selling for as much as comparable French wines.
RMC ultimately reached the capacity to produce approximately 500,000 cases annually of premium to ultra-premium wines. These wines were composed of reserves and district-designated and varietal wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Fum� Blanc. Approximately 40 percent of the wines produced at RMC were made from estate grown vineyards in the Stag's Leap, Carneros, and Oakville districts of the Napa Valley. The winery progressively expanded the breadth of its wines by releasing ultra-premium reserves and district-designated varietal wines in more limited quantities. In the works was a vineyard-designated wine program to produce limited releases of popular varietals, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon from Marjorie�s Block of the To-Kalon Vineyard. These ultra-premium wines were available on an allocation basis, that is, in smaller quantities and at higher prices, than the regular RMC wines.
In the 1998 fiscal year, RMC sold 6.8 million cases of wine throughout the United States and in some 90 countries worldwide, grossing $341.1 million in sales. RMC now employed more than 1,000 people. Essentially all of RMC�s domestic sales came through its top 16 distributors, which represented approximately 96 percent of 1998 gross revenues. Brokers and agents handled product sales into export markets, and worldwide wine sales in 1998 accounted for eight percent of the company�s gross revenues.
Domestic Diversification
Starting in the late 1970s and continuing throughout the 1980s, RMC set out to build a portfolio of premium wine brands to fill various price points and niches in the domestic wine market. Robert Mondavi became very interested in exploring the new appellations that had emerged throughout California and began looking for opportunities to develop new brands from emerging appellations. RMC began to diversify its brand portfolio via acquisition and development of the Woodbridge, Bryon, and Coastal brands, along the way acquiring new vineyard properties in California. RMC financed this expansion through long-term debt. By 1999, RMC owned five winemaking facilities and associated vineyards across California, marketing its wines under seven domestic brands and six international brands [see Exhibits 7 and 8 ].
Woodbridge. In 1979, RMC purchased Cherokee Vineyard Winery to expand the production of table wines under the RMC label. RMC remodeled the Cherokee Vineyard Winery and renamed it Woodbridge, after the small town in which the winery was located. Woodbridge now would produce high volume premium wines using the same quality-driven winemaking techniques employed by RMC. Over the course of the 1980s, the Robert Mondavi Table Wine brand, previously made at RMC, was transformed into the Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi brand. Wines sold under the Woodbridge label represented approximately 55 percent of company revenue by 1998. The brand had become the second largest premium wine in United States food stores, as measured by AC Neilsen/Adams Business Research. Woodbridge produced six moderately priced varietal wines - Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and White Zinfandel - which were sold in the popular premium to super-premium wine market segments. RMC projected that Woodbridge sales would continue to grow in the 10 to 15 percent a year range indefinitely. Management believed that acquiring more vineyards to supply the brand would be needed in the future to ensure production goals and to control costs.
Bryon. To supply the Woodbridge brand, RMC also started searching for additional sources of grapes in the central California coastal regions in the mid-1980s. In the late 1970s, winemaker Bryon Ken Brown had recognized the tremendous promise of the region's cooler ocean-influenced climate to grow high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, and he was one of the first to introduce these Rh�ne-style grape varietals to the appellation. Mondavi was so impressed by the wines Brown was creating that in 1989 he purchased the Byron Winery and 55 acres of vineyards in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria counties. After the purchase, Brown was left in charge of Bryon while RMC injected needed capital and expertise into the winery and vineyard operations. Tim Mondavi, the company�s wine maker, was then sent to work closely with Brown to incorporate the winemaking and viticulture techniques developed at RMC into Bryon's operations. The new 80,000-case Bryon Winery was completed in August 1996. RMC also expanded the vineyard holdings at Bryon, bringing the total acres in production up to 1,420 acre by 1998, by replanting the estate vineyards with high-density plantings. In addition to the Bryon brand, RMC planned to release a new brand produced out of the Bryon winery under the label "Io." Io was to be a limited-production Rh�ne-style wine, consisting of a unique blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache grapes. It was to be priced at $40 a bottle and sold exclusively to RMC's top accounts.
Coastal. The Robert Mondavi Coastal wines were developed in May 1994 to fill a niche in the premium to super-premium market below Bryon�s wines. Wines under the Coastal label retailed from $8 to $12 and featured Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc varietal wines. In the face of opposition from others in the wine industry, RMC intended to differentiate the California coastal regions by creating a new Central Coast appellation. As part of this effort, it emphasized the Coastal origin of source grapes used in the wines and featured a sea-meets-land motif as a backdrop to the brand's labels. RMC did not maintain an exclusive winery for the production of the Coastal brand, but instead contracted with Golden State Vintners of Soledad to crush the grapes, while the wines were made and bottled out of the RMC and Woodbridge wineries. Several larger competitors in the premium market were also known to be developing vineyards and wineries in the coastal regions, and RMC management foresaw stiff competition ahead for its Coastal brand. In order to maintain retail shelf space, RMC sought to lower its production costs and to increase the volume of wine produced as the brand entered nationwide distribution. A major constraint to the brand�s growth was grape supply, as most grapes for the Coastal brand were sourced from 25 growers, accounting for approximately 2,500 acres of vineyard production. RMC owned an additional 1,200 acres of land in the Salinas Valley, of which only 35 percent were planted. RMC sought additional vineyard acquisitions in the region so that 80 percent of grape sourcing for the brand in the future would come from company-owned vineyards. Sales for this brand were expected to surpass one million cases by 1999, a full year ahead of projections.
La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi. The La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi brand was introduced in 1995 and was devoted to producing Italian-style varietal wines in California for the ultra-premium market. After decades of growing traditional French varietal grapes in California, RMC decided to experiment by growing Italian varietals such as Sangiovese, Barbera, and Pinot Grigio in California. Management felt that the Napa Valley might be suited for cultivating these Italian varietals and was especially interested in making wines from Sangiovese grapes, because Sangiovese was one of the most popular Italian varietal wines in Italy. RMC produced small quantities of seven wines under the La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi brand. This brand featured Barbera, Sangiovese, and Pinot Grigio varietals. Wines under the La Famiglia label were produced at the former Oakville Vichon Winery, which RMC renamed the La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi Winery.
Global Partnerships
RMC also began pursuing global ventures and looking for suitable partners in France, Italy, and Chile. By the mid-1990s, the company had entered into three multi-national partnerships, one in Napa with the Rothschild family, one in Chile with the Chadwick family and the other in Italy with the Marchesi de' Frescobaldi family. These partnerships yielded several new global brands, including Opus One, Caliterra, and Lucente.
Opus One. RMC took the initial steps to expand its brand portfolio when it entered into a joint partnership with Baron Philippe de Rothschild, owner of the famed Ch�teau Mouton-Rothschild in Bordeaux, to form Opus One. The Opus One partnership began one morning in 1979, when the two men were dining in the Baron�s bedroom in Bordeaux, France. In his 1998 book, Mondavi outlined the basis for their partnership:
We agreed to form a fifty-fifty partnership with one guiding ambition: to make a great wine, a wine that would stand alone in spirit and quality. The idea was to take our different cultures and traditions, along with the best materials and know-how from Bordeaux and California, merge them, fuse them, and see if we could find that touch of magic that produces a wine great enough to be referred to as �bottled poetry.� We�d draw our inspiration from Mouton�s Premier Grand Cru Classe and the Mondavi Cabernet Reserve, but our aim was to create a wine like no other, a great wine with its own style, character, and breeding.
No one in the past fifty years had done more for French wine than the Baron and everyone knew it. The fact that he wanted to have a joint venture with our winery immediately elevated us into a unique position in the California wine industry. The Baron wanted to do business in America, with a Napa Valley winery as a partner, and we were chosen. He said:
"I want a fifty-fifty partnership. Because I don't know the local culture. I don't know the local history. I don�t know the local people. And those three will make the difference between producing wine and producing great wine."
The prestige value was enormous - and so was the publicity. When we announced the creation of the joint venture, I'd say we got over a million dollars' worth of free advertising. At the same time, this partnership gave us real international standing, and it set the stage for a series of other foreign ventures that we developed in the years ahead.
Work to create the first vintages of Opus One wine commenced immediately with RMC selling 35 acres of the company�s best vineyards from the To-Kalon block. The partnership then purchased two more vineyards across Highway 29 from RMC, where the Opus One Winery would eventually be built. Ch�teau Mouton-Rothschild�s winemaker, Lucien Sionnea, and Timothy Mondavi began working together at RMC to make the first vintage of Opus One. Over the next five years, the two winemakers worked closely to blend the two different cultural styles and techniques of winemaking. Ten years in the making, the Opus One Winery was completed in 1991. The winery featured a state-of-the-art barrel room where temperature and humidity were kept at precise specifications using an electronic climate control system. Opus One, a Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon, consisted of a blend of 80 percent Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Production was limited to 30,000 cases per year, and bottles of the wine sold for between $90 and $100 in more than 65 world markets. Due to its limited production, demand for Opus One exceeded supply. Distributors and individual customers had to order well in advance of the wine's release. Opus One thus became America's first ultra-premium wine. By the mid-1980s, it had made the transition into the French, English, German, and Swiss markets. Not only was this a first for American wines, but also an opportunity for RMC to showcase its other wines in those markets.
Chadwick Family. RMC recognized that Chile possessed wine regions with the same favorable climatic and soil characteristics of those found in the Napa Valley. In 1996, RMC entered into a fifty-fifty joint partnership with Eduardo Chadwick and his family to form the Vi�a Caliterra S.A. joint venture, which would now be responsible for producing the Caliterra brand of premium Chilean wines. Under the terms of the partnership, the Caliterra wines would be produced at the Vi�a Errazuriz Winery until a new winemaking facility could be built. Caliterra wine intended for the United States market would be shipped in bulk to be finished at the Woodbridge facility, whereas wine intended for the global markets would be produced and finished in the Vi�a Errazuriz Winery. The terms of the Vi�a Caliterra partnership also provided RMC with exclusive rights to distribute the Vi�a Errazuriz brand of wines in the United States. Michael Mondavi commented on the Caliterra partnership:
We saw the same potential in Chile that we saw in Napa Valley 30 years ago. But most importantly, with Caliterra we saw people who are dedicated to producing wines that belong in the company of the greatest wines in the world.
After forming Vi�a Caliterra, each partner provided suffcient capital to expand the Caliterra operations and to purchase the 1,000 hectare La Arboleda Estate in Chile�s Colchagua Valley. Vi�a Caliterra planned to source additional grape supplies from independent growers located throughout the Colchagua Valley�s various appellations. RMC anticipated that the new Caliterra Winery would be completed and in full production by 1999 harvest. The Vi�a Caliterra partnership produced four varietal wines under the Caliterra label � Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay � and two reserve varietals. These wines were priced between $7 and $10 a bottle. Despite a slowdown of imported wines to the United States market in the late 1990s, the Caliterra brand was one of the fastest-growing import brands. Worldwide sales of Caliterra in 1997 reached an estimated 300,000 cases.
Italy's Marchesi de' Frescobaldi In 1996, RMC formed a partnership with Marchesi de' Frescobaldi family, a highly respected Italian viticulture family with three generations of winemaking experience, to produce Italian style wines in the Tuscany region, using traditional Italian varietals. The partnership purchased the 11-hectare Solaria Estate Vineyard in the Montalcino region of Tuscany. The partnership produced approximately 20,000 case a year of ultra-premium wines under the Luce and Lucente labels in Italy. Luce was first introduced to the international wine markets in June 1997, and this Tuscany-style blend of Merlot and Sangiovese varietals recently was listed as one of the world�s top 40 red wines by Wine Spectator magazine. Lucente was later released in 1998. Both wines were priced in the $55 to $60 price range and were available in select United States and European markets.
Going Public
By the early 1990s RMC began to develop severe financial constraints brought on by the combination of expansion, increased competition, and phylloxera infestation. 1 Several of the company's Napa County vineyards were dying from phylloxera, forcing the company to replant many of its vineyards at a time when the company�s heavy debt load was already high from the acquisitions of the 1980s. Further compounding problems for the company, there were now some 200 new wineries in the Napa Valley, many of which were now producing premium to ultra-premium wines that directly competed with RMC brands. A growing number of these wineries in the premium market were owned by multinational corporations that could afford to replant phylloxera-infested vineyards and to pay higher prices for grape supplies until the replanted vineyards returned to production. Smaller family-owned wine operations were at a financial disadvantage against larger, fully integrated and in many cases conglomerate-owned firms, and were faced with either selling off assets or borrowing heavily to finance existing operations. Due to dwindling capital resources, Robert Mondavi felt that RMC wouldn�t be in the position to take advantage of future opportunities and that it risked being forced aside in the premium market by larger competitors - unless additional capital could be obtained.
After five years of careful study of other family-controlled public companies, Robert Mondavi, with the help of the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs, devised a deal to raise enough money for RMC to continue expansion while maintaining family control. An initial public offering (IPO) for the company was structured with two classes of stock: a Class A common stock to be issued to Mondavi family members, and a Class B common stock to be offered to the public. Class A shares carried ten votes per share, and Class B one vote per share. Providing Mondavi family members retained their shares, the family could retain control over RMC's destiny.
On June 10, 1993, RMC issued 3.7 million shares at $13.50 a share and began trading on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol MOND. The IPO raised approximately $49.95 million, giving the company a market capitalization of $213.3 million. Within days, the stock was trading at around $8 a share and six months later at $6.50 a share, wiping away over half of the company�s value and half of the Mondavi family�s fortune. Investors and analysts alike had difficulty valuing RMC, due to a lack of information on the company and the wine industry as a whole. At the time, only two other publicly traded wine companies existed, both of which were in the low-end jug wine market segment and not in the premium wine segments. In addition, the California industry was facing large expenditures and uncertainty related to the phylloxera infestation. In his 1998 book, Robert Mondavi approached the stock valuation problem much as he approached marketing wine:
The wine industry was not highly regarded by the investment community. So I knew we had to educate them, show them we had the knowledge and know-how to build a strong, enduring business, based on a product line of the highest-quality wines, plus quality table wines we could sell in very high volumes. And we had to explain to them what we were doing globally. Opus One was a huge success; it had cemented our international prestige. We had to make investors understand that Opus was only the beginning. We had to explain that we were going to establish other joint ventures of similar quality, in many parts of the world - something no other winery had ever done. I also realized that to get our message across we had to put on major presentations for the top stock analysts around America. We had to send a team to New York, Boston, and Chicago to put on first-class presentations, receptions, and tastings - all to show them, in the most visceral, penetrating way possible, what we were doing.... Well, we had to mount an effective campaign and take it right to them, and not just explain our approach but put our wines right in their hands! Let them taste, in their own mouths, our expertise and commitment to excellence.
Industry and Competition
The United States wine industry was composed of approximately 1,500 wineries. The industry, however, was highly concentrated, with the top 10 wineries accounting for 70 percent (by volume) of US production, according to the 1999 Adams Wine Handbook. [Market shares for some of the larger wineries are shown in Exhibit 9 .] Wine was produced in every state except Alaska. California dominated the US wine industry in many that it had over 800 wineries and accounted for more than 90 percent of the wine produced in and exported by the United States. Northwest wineries (Washington, Oregon, and Idaho) were composed of approximately 200 wineries and were developing an export presence, as well as an excellent reputation for quality wines.
Wine was sold through a three-tier distribution system. Wineries (the first tier) or importers sold wine to wholesalers (the second tier), who provided legal fulfillment of wine products to local retail businesses (the third tier) within a certain state. Wine was a controlled substance, and laws in each state differed regarding how wine could be sold. Typically, wine passed through each tier of the distribution system, making direct shipping to retailers or selling wine through the Internet difficult or impossible in most states.
The third tier of the distribution system consisted of retail and non-retail outlets. Supermarkets, convenience stores, club stores, mail order and Internet retailers, specialty stores, and wine clubs accounted for 78 percent of total sales volume. Supermarkets alone accounted for 52 percent of retail wine sales and were very influential in wine distribution. They were dominant in food and drink retailing and made one-stop shopping an appealing concept for consumers. Furthermore, supermarkets had considerable bargaining leverage with wholesalers. The role of specialty stores in wine distribution diminished due to the increasing power of supermarkets. Specialty stores' share of retail wine sales was about 30 percent in 1998. Nevertheless, specialty stores were not likely to disappear soon because they provided superior customer service and their sales staff had extensive knowledge of wines. They also carried specialty brands and limited production labels, attracting wine connoisseurs and enthusiasts. Non-retail outlets accounted for the remaining 22 percent of wine volume in the United States, according to Adams.
The Wine Institute estimated that 1999 United States wine market retail sales were $18 billion, growing from $11.7 billion in 1990. The United States wine market ranked third in the world behind France and Italy. However, the United States ranked thirtieth in the world in per capita consumption of wine in 1999. The greatest concentration of table wine consumers was in the 35 to 55-age bracket. About the same proportion of men and women consumed wine. While all income levels consumed wine, higher income was associated with greater wine consumption. In 1998, adults in families earning over $75,000 annually represented 18.7 percent of the population and 31.4 percent of the domestic table wine consumption.
Export markets. In terms of international markets, wine was produced commercially in over 60 countries with 23 percent (by volume) of the wine produced in the world being exported to international markets according to Wines & Vines. Leading wine producers included the Old World wineries in France, Italy, and Spain, which were also the leading exporters. New World producers, such as the United States , Australia, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa had been making both production and export inroads globally over the past few decades. For example, France, Italy, and Spain all export more than 25 percent of the wine they produced, Australia exported over 40 percent, and Chile over 80 percent of its production. Many observers attributed these export numbers to the small size of the home markets.
Until the mid 1990s, the United States wine market remained largely a domestic industry, with some imports from France, Italy, and Spain competing with United States wineries. By 1999, however, imports had risen to 20 percent of the United States market share, which was seven percentage points above where it was in 1995, according to Wine Business Monthly. Tremendous inroads had been made by Australian and Chilean wines, in particular, into the United States market. For example, from 1995 to 1999, Argentina increased the value of its exports to the United States by 243 percent and Chile by 152 percent. Since 1995, the unfavorable balance of trade for wine in the United States has increased by 78 percent according to the 2000 World Vineyard, Grape, and Wine Report.
United States wine exports also grew consistently, from a base of $137 million in 1990 to $548 million in 1999, according to the United States Department of Commerce. Also, the United States industry enjoyed the highest rate of increased wine exports (19.3 percent) in 1998 among the major wine producing countries according to the 2000 World Vineyard, Grape, and Wine Report. While this export growth was impressive, United States wineries also face increasing threats to their domestic market share due to globalization in the wine industry.
Wines & Vines reported in 1999 that the United States had only 4.2 percent (by volume) of the world export wine market, while producing 8 percent (by volume) of the wine produced in the world. The United States wine industry exported only 13 percent of the wine it produced, while other countries had more intensely developed their export markets. Tariffs and trade barriers played a pivotal role in obstructing United States wineries' access to various country markets. Ten United States wineries accounted for more than 89 percent of exports. Nearly 50 percent of United States wineries exported their products. The leading United States exporter by volume was E&J Gallo, accounting for about half of United States exports and more than four times the volume of its nearest export competitor. E&J Gallo exports approximately 13 percent of its total production. United States wineries typically exported only a small percentage of their production. Wente Vineyards was a notable exception. Wente made exports a cornerstone of its long-term strategy, as 60 percent of its annual case sales were from 147 country markets.
Competition. The nature of competition within the United States wine market varied by wine category. While the basis of competition in the lower segments of the wine market (jug to premium) was primarily driven by price, retail shelf space, and brand imaging, competition at the higher segments (super-premium and above) was driven more by quality and brand image. Wine producers in the jug to premium market segments relied heavily on the retail chains for most of their sales. Retail chains demanded that these wine producers be able to produce an adequate supply of the most popular varietal wines within specified price ranges (price points) because consumers of these wines tended to be price sensitive. In addition, the lower segment wines required sufficient consumer demand (depletion rates) for retail chains. Although many retail chains carried super-premium to ultra-premium wines, obtaining shelf space was of lesser concern for producer of these brands.
Typically, the higher-end segment wines were made in smaller quantities, and demand often exceeded supply for acclaimed wines. Wholesalers could increase their markups on top-selling super-premium to ultra-premium wines by moving these wines through alternate distribution channels, such as restaurants, hotels, and specialty wine shops. For the top super-premium to ultra-premium brands, wholesalers were often willing to enter into future contracts with producers to buy the most popular wines before they were released, thereby generating advance revenue for the producers. Producers also were able to sell their best super-premium to ultra-premium wines through direct sales at the winery or through mail order wine clubs that were allowed by law in selected states.
Building brand awareness to drive sales for the lower market segment wines was typically done through traditional advertising campaigns and retail promotions; whereas, for the higher market segment wines, brand awareness was built more through 'pull' marketing strategies. Rarely did producers resort to television or mass print advertising to promote their super-premium to ultra-premium brands. Instead, these producers built awareness through wine competitions, public relations campaigns, direct marketing, and wine tourism. Most super-premium to ultra-premium wine producers entered their best wines into local, state, national, and international wine competitions, with some going far as holding back portions of their best inventory to be released later at prestigious competitions. Medal winners often were featured in magazine articles, newspapers, and wine enthusiast newsletters. These write-ups helped to build the public�s awareness for the best super-premium to ultra-premium wines each year.
Historically, the jug wine segment was almost completely dominated both in the United States and global markets by Gallo, a family-owned wine business since 1933. However, during the 1980s, large alcoholic beverage companies, such as Canandaigua, The Wine Group, and Brown Forman, were able to enter and compete with Gallo in the jug market segment. Although Gallo was still the single largest wine producer in the world, making up approximately 45 percent of California wine sales, Gallo had failed to capitalize on changes in consumer demand toward a preference for premium wines. In recent years Gallo, like many of the other jug wine producers, sought to enter the premium wine market, choosing to develop and launch new Gallo brands from 2,300 acres of prime vineyards in Sonoma County acquired to supply the new brands.
Besides the alcoholic beverage companies, several large food and beverage conglomerates, like Nestl�, Pillsbury, Suntory, PepsiCo, and Coca Cola, entered the premium market by acquiring premium to ultra-premium wineries in the 1970s. However, during the 1980s, many of these food and beverage companies have divested their wine holdings, choosing instead to focus on their core businesses. The beneficiaries of these divestitures were the wine and alcoholic beverage companies that continued to build their portfolios of wine brands. Wine industry analysts expected further consolidation in the wine industry as large wine and alcoholic beverage companies continued to acquire smaller winery operations to gain access to premium and ultra-premium brands.
The super-premium to ultra-premium market was highly fragmented, composed of hundreds of individual, small to large wine-producing operations that were all competing to produce the most acclaimed wines each year. Although larger producers held advantages in scale and capital, the smaller wineries were able to compete by consistently producing high quality wines in limited quantities that gained critical acclaim by wine enthusiasts. Smaller wine producers, however, were at a disadvantage when trying to compete for grape sources against larger better-financed competitors, such as Beringer, RMC, Kendall-Jackson, Sebastian Vineyards, UDV NA Wines, Gallo, and Canandaigua. Many of these rival firms owned portfolios of brands, invested in wine making facilities and vineyards across California and abroad, and produced wines across the price spectrum of the premium, super-premium, and ultra-premium market segments.
Seeking Consensus
Michael Mondavi remained confident that future releases of small lot ultra-premium wines from RMC could help to build the company's overall image of prestige and quality. RMC had spent $50 million during the early 1990s replanting the RMC estate vineyards with high-density plantings in the traditional French planting style. RMC hoped to showcase these higher quality grapes with special small lot, vineyard-designated wines once those vineyards came into production after 1999.
Throughout the mid-1990s, RMC had struggled to secure an adequate supply of grapes to meet domestic production targets. RMC had been unable to purchase sufficient quantities of Chardonnay grapes for its Woodbridge brand during the 1996 harvest, and management foresaw a revenue shortfall in fiscal year 1998 (the year in which its 1996 vintage Chardonnay was scheduled for release). Due to poor growing conditions and phylloxera infestation in 1996, many other Chardonnay wine producers suffered the same grape supply problems. RMC had been especially hard hit, as only 12 percent of its grape sources came from company-owned vineyards. RMC purchased the remaining supply from some 300 independent growers across the State of California, increasing the company's susceptibility to fluctuations in price, quantity, and quality of grapes on the open market.
However, RMC was currently at capacity and required an estimated $27 million remodeling to add capacity for small lot ultra-premium vineyard and district-designated wines. With additional production capacity, RMC could produce more high-end reserve and vineyard-designated wines at higher price points.
At the same time, Mondavi had spent considerable time in 1998 traveling to Chile and Europe promoting RMC's new brands. He said at the time:
Our globalization started, I believe, from my father's quest to learn how to make wines better. All the time we were growing up, he was always tasting wines. Not just the wines of Charles Krug, the Napa Valley, or of California, but from around the world. And he wasn't tasting them to say which was better. He would taste these wines to study them, to say 'what in this wine was soil? What was the climate? What was the grape variety, or the clone of that grape variety? What was the pruning technique? What was the art of the winemaker.' In essence, he was asking 'What do we have to learn from the way this wine was made? And how can we improve on it.'
Mondavi believed the formation of global joint ventures would become an integral part of RMC's future business and a way for the company to continue to innovate and develop world-class wines. He wanted RMC to become a truly global company by growing, producing, and selling wines in all the best wine-growing regions in the world.
1 Phylloxera, an aphid-like insect that attacks the roots of grapevines, began appearing in Napa Valley vineyards in 1983 and by 1989 a U.C. Davis Phylloxera task force determined that widespread vineyard decline had been due to phylloxera. The root louse sucks the nutrients from the roots and slowly starves the vine, creating dramatic decrease in fruit production.
| United States |
Which artist painted “A Bar at the Folies Bergeres” and “The Spanish Singer”? | Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California
red wine
Reviews
Winemaker's Notes
The complexity of flavors and exceptional elegance of our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the diversity of outstanding terroirs of Napa Valley. Notes of cassis, ripe berry, plum, spices, violets and chocolate unfold in the intriguing aromas and velvety flavors. This vintage yielded a small crop of intensely flavored grapes, giving this Cabernet Sauvignon remarkable richness, concentration and length on the palate.
Robert Mondavi Winery
For more than 40 years, Robert Mondavi Winery has been the symbol of Napa Valley. Founded in 1966, it was the first major winery built in Napa Valley in the three decades following the repeal of Prohibition (1933), and went on to establish the foundation for modern California winemaking. Robert Mondavi Winery's mission-styled architecture, with the expansive archway and bell tower designed by Cliff May, has become an enduring landmark that honors California's history. With the philosophy that great wines reflect their origins, Robert Mondavi Winery pursues the fullest expression of the terroir of its Napa Valley vineyards: the historic To Kalon Vineyard in the Oakville American Viticultural Area (AVA), and the Wappo Hill Vineyard in the Stags Leap Vineyard AVA. View all Robert Mondavi Wines
About Napa Valley
Shop our top rated wine from Napa Valley
It's hard not to think of Napa Valley when thinking of California wines. The region is, after all, the one that brought world recognition to California wine making. The area was settled by a few choice wine families in the 1960's who bet that the wines of the area would grow and flourish. They were right. The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980's, when vineyard lands were scooped up and vines were planted throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, from large conglomerates to small boutiques to cult classics. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux Blends . Whites are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc .
Notable Facts
Within the Napa Valley lie smaller sub-AVAs that lend even more character specifics to the wines. Furthest south is Carneros, followed by Yountville, Oakville & Rutherford. Above those two is St.-Helena and finally, just granted an AVA, Calistoga. These areas are situated on the valley floor and are known for creating rich, smooth Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. There are a few mountain regions as well, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs. Those include Howell Mountain, Stags Leap and Mount Veeder. Wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from more time in the bottle to evolve and soften.
About California
Shop our top rated wine from California
It's not rare to see a wine's country of origin listed as "California." A country into itself in the wine world, California makes enough varieties and styles to match many European wine countries. It produces a diverse range of wines that span the quality spectrum.
The most famous of the California wine regions is Napa Valley , and these wines are certainly outstanding – but it's not as broad and diverse as its larger neighbor, Sonoma County . Down south, Santa Barbara's Santa Maria Valley is well-known for its Rhône blends, as well as cool-climate varieties like Pinot and Chardonnay. The Central Coast , the largest California AVA, has many different microclimates that lead to a wide range of wines with many sub-AVAs.
Customer Reviews
| i don't know |
Which artist painted “Girl Balancing on a Ball”, “Girl with Bare Feet” and “Three Dancers”? | Picasso Exhibition - British Pathé
British Pathé
Item title reads - Picasso Exhibition.
Tate Gallery, London.
M/S interior Tate Gallery where exhibition is being held. C/U exhibition organiser Mr Penrose looking at painting. 'Girl with Bare Feet' which Pablo Picasso painted in 1895. C/U painting 'Pipes of Pan', from 1923. C/U man going cross-eyed, camera turns man's head onto its side. C/U one of the Picasso modern paintings as it turns round. C/U of another painting. M/S 'Still Life with Bull's Skull' painted in 1958 being hung by two workmen. C/U pan up painting 'Three Dancers' from 1925, another modern painting. L/S man walking along line of paintings.
C/U Picasso's modern interpretation of the 'Crucifixion' painted in 1930. C/U man looking at one of the paintings and biting his lip. C/U pan up another modern painting 'Head' from 1929. M/S paintings in the exhibition. C/U painting 'Dutch Girl' from 1905 which was recently sold for a great deal of money. M/S man looking at painting. L/S painting 'Drop Curtain For Parade', from 1917 one of the biggest paintings in the show measuring 11 x 18 yards, cleaners scrub floor in foreground.
Tags
| PICASSO |
On what part of the body would you wear a biggin or a casque? | Picasso Exhibition - British Pathé
British Pathé
Item title reads - Picasso Exhibition.
Tate Gallery, London.
M/S interior Tate Gallery where exhibition is being held. C/U exhibition organiser Mr Penrose looking at painting. 'Girl with Bare Feet' which Pablo Picasso painted in 1895. C/U painting 'Pipes of Pan', from 1923. C/U man going cross-eyed, camera turns man's head onto its side. C/U one of the Picasso modern paintings as it turns round. C/U of another painting. M/S 'Still Life with Bull's Skull' painted in 1958 being hung by two workmen. C/U pan up painting 'Three Dancers' from 1925, another modern painting. L/S man walking along line of paintings.
C/U Picasso's modern interpretation of the 'Crucifixion' painted in 1930. C/U man looking at one of the paintings and biting his lip. C/U pan up another modern painting 'Head' from 1929. M/S paintings in the exhibition. C/U painting 'Dutch Girl' from 1905 which was recently sold for a great deal of money. M/S man looking at painting. L/S painting 'Drop Curtain For Parade', from 1917 one of the biggest paintings in the show measuring 11 x 18 yards, cleaners scrub floor in foreground.
Tags
| i don't know |
Who in the Bible was the mother in Law of Ruth? | Ruth 3:1 One day Ruth's mother-in-law Naomi said to her, "My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for.
Matthew Henry Commentary
3:1-5 The married state should be a rest, as much as any thing upon earth can be so, as it ought to fix the affections and form a connexion for life. Therefore it should be engaged in with great seriousness, with earnest prayers for direction, for the blessing of God, and with regard to his precepts. Parents should carefully advise their children in this important concern, that it may be well with them as to their souls. Be it always remembered, That is best for us which is best for our souls. The course Naomi advised appears strange to us; but it was according to the laws and usages of Israel. If the proposed measure had borne the appearance of evil, Naomi would not have advised it. Law and custom gave Ruth, who was now proselyted to the true religion, a legal claim upon Boaz. It was customary for widows to assert this claim, De 25:5-10. But this is not recorded for imitation in other times, and is not to be judged by modern rules. And if there had been any evil in it, Ruth was a woman of too much virtue and too much sense to have listened to it.
| Naomi |
George J Tenet was the head of which US government department from 1997 to 2004? | Ruth 1 NIV - Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons - In - Bible Gateway
Ruth 1New International Version (NIV)
Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons
1 In the days when the judges ruled,[ a ] there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem
6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”
Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”
11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”
14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
20 “Don’t call me Naomi,[ b ]” she told them. “Call me Mara,[ c ] because the Almighty[ d ] has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted[ e ] me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
Footnotes:
| i don't know |
Pogonology is the study of what? | Pogonology | Define Pogonology at Dictionary.com
pogonology
a study or treatise on beards
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
| Beard |
On which date in December is the ‘Feast of the Holy Innocents’? | Pogonology: The Study of Beards | Shaving Stuff - ShavingStuff.com
September 18, 2009
Pogonology: The Study of Beards
"Google will tell you the study of beards is called pogonology. So will Malcolm Payne. He's the professor who holds the Michaelis chair of fine art at the University of Cape Town, and who for the past 18 months has been working on a pogonology exhibition - paintings of beards, 27 so far.
"Beard mythology is quite a rich field," says the professor, who once had a beard himself but found it itchy. "My images hover between merkin and beard. Some say they remind them of female pubic hair formations."
| i don't know |
“When the night has come and the land is dark” is the opening line of which number one hit? | Ben E. King - Stand by me - YouTube
Ben E. King - Stand by me
Want to watch this again later?
Sign in to add this video to a playlist.
Need to report the video?
Sign in to report inappropriate content.
Rating is available when the video has been rented.
This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.
Uploaded on Dec 28, 2008
Ben E. King - Stand by me
When the night has come, and the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we will see
No, I won't be afraid, oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
So darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Oh stand, stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Whoa stand now, stand by me, stand by me
*Solo*
And darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Whoa stand now, stand by me, stand by me
So darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
Oh stand by me
Whoa stand now, oh stand, stand by me...
-.-!
| Stand by Me |
In which year was the 50 pence piece introduced into circulation? | Ben E. King - Stand by me - YouTube
Ben E. King - Stand by me
Want to watch this again later?
Sign in to add this video to a playlist.
Need to report the video?
Sign in to report inappropriate content.
Rating is available when the video has been rented.
This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.
Uploaded on Dec 28, 2008
Ben E. King - Stand by me
When the night has come, and the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we will see
No, I won't be afraid, oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
So darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Oh stand, stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Whoa stand now, stand by me, stand by me
*Solo*
And darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Whoa stand now, stand by me, stand by me
So darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
Oh stand by me
Whoa stand now, oh stand, stand by me...
-.-!
| i don't know |
Niklas Zennstrom was a co-founder which internet company? | Co-Founder of Skype Defends Its Value - The New York Times
The New York Times
Technology |Co-Founder of Skype Defends Its Value
Search
Continue reading the main story
BUDAPEST, Oct. 9 — In his first public remarks since quitting last week as chief executive of the Internet phone company Skype, Niklas Zennstrom said Tuesday that he had no regrets about his handling of the company but conceded that he might have tried to squeeze money out of it too quickly.
EBay, the online auction company that paid $2.6 billion for Skype in 2005, said last week that it would take a $1.43 billion charge for the service.
EBay has retained Mr. Zennstrom as Skype’s nonexecutive chairman. Michael van Swaaij, eBay ’s chief strategy officer, will fill in as chief executive until a permanent successor is hired.
The write-down was widely seen as a concession that eBay had overpaid for Skype, but Mr. Zennstrom, a Swede who was a co-founder of the company in 2003, defended its value.
In the second quarter, revenue grew 100 percent from a year earlier, to $90 million, and the company recorded a profit in the first quarter, he said.
Advertisement
About 220 million people, most of them outside the United States, are registered with Skype, which uses the Internet to carry phone conversations between personal computers.
Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box.
Invalid email address. Please re-enter.
You must select a newsletter to subscribe to.
Sign Up
Privacy Policy
“It’s not like it’s been overtaken by Microsoft or Google or Yahoo,” Mr. Zennstrom said at a technology conference here. “Over the longer term, I think it’s going to turn out to be a good business.”
Revenue and earnings projections made by Skype executives before the sale to eBay turned out to be “a bit front-loaded,” he said.
“Sometimes I feel like we tried to monetize too rapidly,” Mr. Zennstrom said.
While he and his co-founder, Janus Friis, could have made more money if they had stayed on and hit undisclosed financial goals over the next two years, Mr. Zennstrom said it was his choice to leave now.
“I made a decision to phase myself out,” he added. “For me, that was always the intention. That was a very natural process. The question is, when do you do that? In this case, it was when the company is in a good position in the market and you feel confidence in your team.”
Mr. Zennstrom is focusing on his newest business, Joost, a broadband Internet television service. Joost opened its Web site to the public this week after an invitation-only trial period, although the software is still being tested.
| Skype |
Originally known as the Daily Universal Register, how is it known today? | Skype co-founder says eBay overpaid for firm
Skype co-founder says eBay overpaid for firm
By IBT Staff Reporter On
10/09/07 AT 11:33 AM
Niklas Zennstrom, co-founder of Internet telecoms company Skype, said on Tuesday he agreed the original valuation put on the company by purchaser eBay was too high.
We had to chart the trajectory of growth and how fast that would run, (but) we found out that was a bit front-loaded, Zennstrom told the annual ETRE technology conference in Hungary.
He added that he thought the company was growing at a satisfactory pace, but that more time was needed if the original valuation was ever to be realized.
We overshot in terms of monetization ... Our position in the market has strengthened ... you need to look at the long-term value of companies, he said.
EBay said last week it would cut as much as $1.2 billion off the $4.3 billion potential price it agreed to pay for Web-based phone-calling service Skype two years ago.
The write-down on the value of the deal came as eBay said Skype co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis had resigned as executives, and marked a tacit admission of lackluster returns from Skype since eBay acquired it two years ago.
The cofounders stepped down before reaching earn-out targets in 2008 and 2009, but Zennstrom would not say whether that meant he would have definitely have missed them.
It (the final target) was two years away. The time value of money is significant, Zennstrom said, adding he wanted to focus more time investing cash in smaller companies.
EBay said it had paid $530 million to Skype shareholders, including Zennstrom, out of a possible $1.7 billion.
Zennstrom's other major venture is Joost -- an on-line video company -- which he said had opened to the public last week.
There are different phases. First it was invitation only, now it is open to the public, he said on the sidelines of the conference following his speech.
Zennstrom co-founded Skype in 2003.
| i don't know |
Who or what was described by Ken Livingstone as “The greatest threat to life on this planet that we’ve most probably ever seen? | Ken Livingstone - 必应
Sign in
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who has twice held the leading political role in London regional government. He served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the Council was abolished in 1986, and then as the first elected Mayor of London from the creation of the office in 2000 until 2008. He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent East from 1987 to 2001. A member of the Labour Party, he was situated on the party's hard left, ideologically identifying as a democrati ... (展开) c socialist. Born to a working-class family in Lambeth, Livingstone joined Labour in 1968 and was elected to represent Norwood at the GLC in 1973, Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 1977, and then Paddington in 1981. That year, he was internally elected leader of the GLC by Labour members. Attempting to reduce London Underground fares, his plans were challenged in court and declared illegal; more successful were his schemes to benefit women and underprivileged minorities, despite facing stiff opposition. Livingstone was heavily criticised in the mainstream media for supporting controversial issues like republicanism, LGBT rights and a United Ireland, and given the moniker of "Red Ken" for his socialist beliefs. Livingstone was a vocal opponent of the Conservative Party government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and in 1986 Thatcher's administration abolished the GLC, leaving Livingstone unemployed. Turning to a parliamentary career, he represented Brent East as an MP from 1987, becoming closely involved in anti-racist campaigns. Unsuccessfully standing for the position of Labour Party leader on a leftist platform in both 1992 and 1994, he became a vocal critic of the New Labour project that pushed the party to the centre. After Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair prevented Livingstone from standing as Labour's candidate in the 2000 London mayoral election – deeming him to be too left-wing – Livingstone successfully contested the election as an independent candidate. During his first term as Mayor of London, he introduced the congestion charge, Oyster card, and articulated buses, also unsuccessfully opposing the government's privatisation of London Underground. Although Livingstone was a vocal opponent of UK involvement in the Iraq War, Blair recognised his popularity in London and invited him to stand for re-election as Labour's candidate. Livingstone was re-elected in 2004, expanding his transport policies, introducing new environmental regulations, and enacting civil rights policies. Initiating and overseeing London's winning bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and ushering in a major redevelopment of the city's East End, his leadership during the 7 July 2005 London bombings was widely praised. He stood unsuccessfully as Labour candidate in London's mayoral elections of 2008 and 2012, both times losing to Conservative candidate Boris Johnson. Although semi-retiring from active politics, in 2015 he made a return as a key ally of left-wing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Characterised as "the only truly successful Left-wing British politician of modern times" during his mayoral tenure, Livingstone was a highly controversial figure in British politics. Supporters lauded his efforts to improve rights for women, LGBT people, and ethnic minorities in London, but critics accused him of cronyism and antisemitism and lambasted him for connections to Marxist and Islamist politicians and thinkers. Livingstone is the author of two autobiographies as well as the subject of several biographies.
本结果选自226项相关网络资源
Mayoral election: 2000
By 1996, various prominent public figures were arguing for the implementation of directly-elected mayors for large UK cities like London. The idea of a London mayor of a Greater London Authority had been included in Labour's 1997 election manifesto, and after their election a r...
本结果选自226项相关网络资源
Mayoral election: 2000
By 1996, various prominent public figures were arguing for the implementation of directly-elected mayors for large UK cities like London. The idea of a London mayor of a Greater London Authority had been included in Labour's 1997 election manifesto, and after their election a r...
Childhood and young adulthood: 1945–1967
Livingstone was born in his grandmother's house in Lambeth, south London, on 17 June 1945. His family was working class; his mother, Ethel Ada (née Kennard, 1915–1997), had been born in Southwark before training as an acrobatic dancer and working on the music hall circuit prior to the Second World War. Ken's Scottish father, Robert "Bob" Moffat Livingstone (1915–1971), had been born in Dunoon before joining the Merchant Navy in 1932 and becoming ship's master. Having met in April 1940 at a music hall in Workington, they married within three months. After the war the couple moved in with Ethel's aggressive mother, Zona Ann (Williams), whom Livingstone considered "tyrannical". Livingstone's sister Lin was born 21⁄2 years later. Robert and Ethel went through various jobs in the post-war years, with the former working on fishing trawlers and English Channel ferries, while the latter worked in a bakers, at Freemans catalogue dispatch and as a cinema usherette. Livingstone's parents were "working class Tories", and unlike many Conservative voters at the time did not hold to socially conservative views on race and sexuality, opposing racism and homophobia. The family was nominally Anglican, although Livingstone abandoned Christianity when he was 11, becoming an atheist.
Moving to a Tulse Hill council housing estate, Livingstone attended St. Leonard's Primary School, and after failing his eleven plus exam, in 1956 began secondary education at Tulse Hill Comprehensive School. In 1957, his family purchased their own property at 66 Wolfington Road, West Norwood. Rather shy at school, he was bullied, and got into trouble for truancy. One year, his form master was Philip Hobsbaum, who encouraged his pupils to debate current events, first interesting Livingstone in politics. He related that he became "an argumentative cocky little brat" at home, bringing up topics at the dinner table to enrage his father. His interest in politics was furthered by the 1958 Papal election of Pope John XXIII – a man who had "a strong impact" on Livingstone – and the United States presidential election, 1960. At Tulse Hill Comprehensive he gained his interest in amphibians and reptiles, keeping several as pets; his mother worried that rather than focusing on school work all he cared about was "his pet lizard and friends". At school he attained four O-levels in English Literature, English Language, Geography and Art, subjects he later described as "the easy ones". He started work rather than stay on for the non-compulsory sixth form, which required six O-levels.
From 1962 through to 1970, Livingstone worked as a technician at the Chester Beatty cancer research laboratory in Fulham, looking after animals used in experimentation. Most of the technicians were socialists, and Livingstone helped found a branch of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs to fight redundancies imposed by company bosses. Livingstone's leftist views solidified upon the election of Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson in 1964. With a friend from Chester Beatty, Livingstone toured West Africa in 1966, visiting Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Lagos, Ghana and Togo. Interested in the region's wildlife, Livingstone rescued an infant ostrich from being eaten, donating it to Lagos children's zoo. Returning home, he took part in several protest marches as a part of the anti-Vietnam War movement, becoming increasingly interested in politics and briefly subscribing to the publication of a libertarian socialist group, Solidarity.
"My arrival [at the Norwood Labour Party meetings] had been rather like taking a bottle of gin into a room full of alcoholics. I was immediately passed round and consumed."
Ken Livingstone (1987)
Livingstone joined the Labour Party in March 1968, when he was 23 years old. Later describing it as "one of the few recorded instances of a rat climbing aboard a sinking ship", many leftists were leaving in disgust at the Labour government's policies of supporting the U.S. in the Vietnam War, cutting the National Health Service budget and restricting the trade unions; many went on to join far-left parties like the International Socialists and the Socialist Labour League, or single-issue groups like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Child Poverty Action Group. Suffering mass electoral defeat at the local elections, in London, Labour lost 15 boroughs, including Livingstone's London Borough of Lambeth, which came under Conservative control. Contrastingly, Livingstone believed that grassroots campaigning – such as the 1968 student protests – were ineffective, joining Labour because he considered it the best chance for implementing progressive political change in the UK.
Joining his local Labour branch in Norwood, he involved himself in their operations, within a month becoming chair and secretary of the Norwood Young Socialists, gaining a place on the constituency's General Management and Executive Committees, and sitting on the Local Government Committee who prepared Labour's manifesto for the next borough election. Hoping for better qualifications, he attended night school, gaining O-levels in Human Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene, and an A-level in Zoology. Leaving his job at Chester Beatty, in September 1970 he began a 3-year course at the Philippa Fawcett Teacher Training College (PFTTC) in Streatham; his attendance was poor, and he considered it "a complete waste" of time. Beginning a romantic relationship with Christine Chapman, president of the PFTTC student's union, the couple married in 1973. Realising the Conservative governance of Lambeth Borough council was hard to unseat, Livingstone aided Eddie Lopez in reaching out to members of the local populace disenfranchised from the traditional Labour leadership. Associating with the leftist Schools' Action Union (SAU) founded in the wake of the 1968 student protests, he encouraged members of the Brixton branch of the Black Panther Party to join Labour. His involvement in the SAU led to his dismissal from the PFTCC student's union, who disagreed with politicising secondary school pupils.
Lambeth Housing Committee: 1971–1973
"It was intoxicating to be at what seemed at the time the centre of events. We were pushing ahead with our schemes. We had honoured our pledge that pensioners should travel free on London Transport buses. We introduced the provision of free contraception for anyone who lived or worked in the borough. When Mrs Thatcher (then Education Secretary) made it illegal for Education Authorities to give children free school milk, Lambeth – which was not an education authority – stepped in to continue paying for the service."
Ken Livingstone on the Labour-run Lambeth Borough Council in the early 1970s (1987).
In 1971, Livingstone and his comrades developed a new strategy for obtaining political power in Lambeth borough. Focusing on campaigning for the marginal seats in the south of the borough, the safe Labour seats in the north were left to established party members. Public dissatisfaction with the Conservative government of Prime Minister Edward Heath led to Labour's best local government results since the 1940s; Labour leftists gained every marginal seat in Lambeth, and the borough returned to Labour control. In October 1971, Livingstone's father died of a heart attack; his mother soon moved to Lincoln. That year, Labour members voted Livingstone Vice-Chairman of the Housing Committee on the Lambeth London Borough Council, his first job in local government. Reforming the housing system, Livingstone and Committee Chairman Ewan Carr cancelled the proposed rent increase for council housing, temporarily halting the construction of Europe's largest tower blocks, and founded a Family Squatting Group to ensure that homeless families would be immediately rehoused through squatting in empty houses. He increased the number of compulsory purchase orders for private-rented properties, converting them to council housing. They faced opposition to their reforms, which were cancelled by central government.
Livingstone and the leftists became embroiled in factional in-fighting within Labour, vying for powerful positions with centrist members. Although never adopting Marxism, Livingstone became involved with a number of Trotskyist groups active within Labour; viewing them as potential allies, he became friends with Chris Knight, Graham Bash and Keith Veness, members of the Socialist Charter, a Trotskyist cell affiliated with the Revolutionary Communist League that had infiltrated the Labour party. In his struggle against Labour centrists, Livingstone was influenced by Trotskyist Ted Knight, who convinced him to oppose the use of British troops in Northern Ireland, believing they would simply be used to quash nationalist protests against British rule. Livingstone stood as the leftist candidate for the Chair of the Lambeth Housing Committee in April 1973, but was defeated by David Stimpson, who undid many of Livingston and Carr's reforms.
Becoming leader of the GLC: 1979–1981
Inspired by the Bennites, Livingstone planned a GLC take-over; on 18 October 1979, he called a meeting of Labour leftists entitled "Taking over the GLC", beginning publication of monthly newsletter the London Labour Briefing. Focused on increasing leftist power in the London Labour Party, he urged socialists to stand as candidates in the upcoming GLC election. When the time came to choose who would lead London Labour in that election, Livingstone put his name down, but was challenged by the moderate Andrew McIntosh; in the April 1980 vote, McIntosh beat Livingstone by 14 votes to 13. In September 1980, Livingstone separated from his wife Christine, though they remained amicable. Moving into a small flat at 195 Randolph Avenue, Maida Vale with his pet reptiles and amphibians, he divorced in October 1982 and began a relationship with Kate Allen, chair of Camden Council Women's Committee.
Livingstone turned his attention to achieving a GLC Labour victory, exchanging his safe-seat in Hackney North for the marginal Inner London seat at Paddington; in May 1981 he won the seat by 2,397 votes. Cutler and the Conservatives learned of Livingstone's plans, proclaiming that a GLC Labour victory would lead to a Marxist takeover of London and then Britain; the rightist press picked up the story, with the Daily Express using the headline of "Why We Must Stop These Red Wreckers". Such scaremongering was ineffective, and the GLC election of May 1981 was a Labour victory, with McIntosh installed as Head of the GLC; within 24 hours he would be deposed by members of his own party, replaced by Livingstone.
On 7 May, Livingstone called a caucus of his supporters; announcing his intent to challenge McIntosh's leadership, he invited those assembled to stand for other GLC posts. The meeting ended at 4:45pm having agreed on a full slate of candidates. At 5 o'clock, McIntosh held a GLC Labour meeting; the attendees called an immediate leadership election, in which Livingstone defeated him by 30 votes to 20. The entire left caucus slate was then elected. The next day, a leftist coup deposed Sir Ashley Bramall on the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA), replacing him with Bryn Davies; the left group now controlled both the GLC and the ILEA.
McIntosh proclaimed the GLC coup illegitimate, asserting that Labour was in danger from a leftist take-over. The mainstream right-wing press criticised the coup; the Daily Mail called Livingstone a "left wing extremist", and The Sun nicknamed him "Red Ken", stating his victory meant "full-steam-ahead red-blooded Socialism for London." The Financial Times issued a "warning" that leftists could use such tactics to take control of the government, when "the erosion of our democracy will surely begin." Thatcher joined the rallying call, proclaiming that leftists like Livingstone had "no time for parliamentary democracy", but were plotting "To impose upon this nation a tyranny which the peoples of Eastern Europe yearn to cast aside."
Leader of the GLC: 1981–1983
Entering County Hall as GLC leader on 8 May 1981, Livingstone initiated changes, converting the building's Fremasonic temple into a meeting room and removing many of the privileges enjoyed by GLC members and senior officers. He initiated an open-door policy allowing citizens to hold meetings in the committee rooms free of charge, with County Hall gaining the nickname of "the People's Palace". Livingstone took great pleasure watching the disgust expressed by some Conservative GLC members when non-members began using the building's restaurant. In the London Labour Briefing, Livingstone announced "London's ours! After the most vicious GLC election of all time, the Labour Party has won a working majority on a radical socialist programme." He stated that their job was to "sustain a holding operation until such time as the Tory [Conservative] government can be brought down and replaced by a left-wing Labour government." There was a perception among Livingstone's allies that they constituted the genuine opposition to Thatcher's government, with Foot's Labour leadership dismissed as ineffectual; they hoped Benn would soon replace him.
"There is nothing that happens to you at any stage in your life that can prepare you for the British Press in full hue and cry. As a socialist I started out with the lowest possible opinion of Fleet Street and was amazed to discover that they managed to sink even lower than I expected... I would spend hours carefully explaining our policies only to open the paper the next morning and see instead a smear about my sex-life, alleged personality defects or some completely fabricated account of a meeting or a split that never actually happened."
Ken Livingstone, 1987.
There was a widespread public perception that Livingstone's GLC leadership was illegitimate, while the mainstream British media remained resolutely hostile to the hard left. Livingstone received the levels of national press attention normally reserved for senior Members of Parliament. A press interview was arranged with the Max Hastings for the Evening Standard, in which Livingstone was portrayed as affable but ruthless. The Sun's editor Kelvin MacKenzie took a particular interest in Livingstone, establishing a reporting team to 'dig up the dirt' on him; they were unable to uncover any scandalous information, focusing on his love of amphibians, a personality trait mocked by other media sources. The satirical journal Private Eye referred to him as "Ken Leninspart" after Vladimir Lenin, proceeding to erroneously claim that Livingstone received funding from the Libyan Jamahiriya; suing them for libel, in November 1983 the journal apologised, awarding Livingstone £15,000 in damages in an out-of-court settlement.
During 1982, Livingstone made new appointments to the GLC governance, with John McDonnell appointed key chair of finance and Valerie Wise chair of the new Women's Committee, while Sir Ashley Bramall became GLC chairman and Tony McBrearty was appointed chair of housing. Others stayed in their former positions, including Dave Wetzel as transport chair and Mike Ward as chair of industry; thus was created what biographer John Carvel described as "the second Livingstone administration", leading to a "more calm and supportive environment". Turning his attention once more to Parliament, Livingstone attempted to get selected as the Labour candidate for the constituency of Brent East, a place which he felt an "affinity" for and where several friends lived. At the time, the Brent East Labour Party was in strife as competing factions battled for control, with Livingstone attempting to gain the support of both the hard and soft left. Securing a significant level of support from local party members, he nonetheless failed to apply for candidacy in time, and so the incumbent centrist Reg Freeson was once more selected as Labour candidate for Brent East. A subsequent vote at the council meeting revealed that 52 local Labour members would have voted for Livingstone, with only 2 for Freeson and 3 abstentions. Nevertheless, in the United Kingdom general election, 1983, Freeson went on to win the Brent East constituency for Labour. In 1983, Livingstone began co-presenting a late night television chat show with Janet Street-Porter for London Weekend Television.
Fares Fair and transport policy
The Greater London Labour Manifesto for the 1981 elections, although written under McIntosh's leadership, had been determined by a special conference of the London Labour Party in October 1980 in which Livingstone's speech had been decisive on transport policy. The manifesto focused on job creation schemes and cutting London Transport fares, and it was to these issues that Livingstone's administration turned. One of the primary manifesto focuses had been a pledge known as Fares Fair, which focused on reducing London Underground fares and freezing them at that lower rate. Based on a fare freeze implemented by the South Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council in 1975, it was widely considered to be a moderate and mainstream policy by Labour, which it was hoped would get more Londoners using public transport, thereby reducing congestion. In October 1981, the GLC implemented their policy, cutting London Transport fares by 32%; to fund the move, the GLC planned to increase the London rates.
The legality of the Fares Fair policy was challenged by Dennis Barkway, Conservative leader of the London Borough of Bromley council, who complained that his constituents were having to pay for cheaper fares on the London Underground when it did not operate in their borough. Although the Divisional Court initially found in favour of the GLC, Bromley Borough took the issue to a court of appeal, where three judges – Lord Denning, Lord Justice Oliver and Lord Justice Watkins – reversed the previous decision, finding in favour of Bromley Borough on 10 November. They proclaimed that the Fares Fair policy was illegal because the GLC was expressly forbidden from choosing to run London Transport at a deficit, even if this was in the perceived interest of Londoners. The GLC appealed this decision, taking the case to the House of Lords; on 17 December five Law Lords unanimously ruled in favour of Bromley Borough Council, putting a permanent end to the Fares Fair policy. GLC transport chairman Dave Wetzel labelled the judges "Vandals in Ermine" while Livingstone maintained his belief that the judicial decision was politically motivated.
Initially presenting a motion to the GLC Labour groups that they refuse to comply with the judicial decision and continue with the policy regardless, but was out-voted by 32-22; many commentators claimed that Livingstone had only been bluffing in order to save face among the Labour Left. Instead, Livingstone got on board with a campaign known as "Keep Fares Fair" in order to bring about a change in the law that would make the Fares Fair policy legal; an alternate movement, "Can't Pay, Won't Pay", accused Livingstone of being a sell-out and insisted that the GLC proceed with its policies regardless of their legality. One aspect of the London Transport reforms was however maintained; the new system of flat fares within ticket zones, and the inter-modal Travelcard ticket continues as the basis of the ticketing system. The GLC then put together new measures in the hope to reduce London Transport fares by a more modest amount, 25%, taking them back to roughly the price that they were when Livingstone's administration took office; it was ruled legal in January 1983, and subsequently implemented.
GLEB and nuclear disarmament
Livingstone's administration founded the Greater London Enterprise Board (GLEB) to create employment by investing in the industrial regeneration of London, with the funds provided by the council, its workers' pension fund and the financial markets. Livingstone later claimed that GLC bureaucrats obstructed much of what GLEB tried to achieve. Other policies implemented by the Labour Left also foundered. Attempts to prevent the sale-off of GLC council housing largely failed, in part due to the strong opposition from the Conservative government. ILEA attempted to carry through with its promise to cut the price of school meals in the capital from 35p to 25p, but was forced to abandon its plans following legal advice that the councillors could be made to pay the surcharge and disqualified from public office.
The Livingstone administration took a strong stance on the issue of nuclear disarmament, proclaiming London a "nuclear-free zone". On 20 May 1981, the GLC halted its annual spending of £1 million on nuclear war defence plans, with Livingstone's deputy, Illtyd Harrington, proclaiming that "we are challenging... the absurd cosmetic approach to Armageddon." They published the names of the 3000 politicians and administrators who had been earmarked for survival in underground bunkers in the event of a nuclear strike on London. Thatcher's government remained highly critical of these moves, putting out a propaganda campaign explaining their argument for the necessity of Britain's nuclear deterrent to counter the Soviet Union.
Egalitarian policies
"Arguing that politics had long been the near-exclusive preserve of white middle-aged men, the GLC began an attempt to open itself to representations from other groups, principally from women, the working-class, ethnic minorities and homosexuals but also from children and the elderly. This was a real break from traditional politics as practised centrally by both major parties... and it attracted hostility from all sides."
Historian Alwyn W. Turner, 2010.
An egalitarian, Livingstone's administration advocated measures to improve the lives of disadvantaged minorities within London, including women, the disabled, homosexuals, and ethnic minorities, who together made up a sizeable percentage of the city's population; what Reg Race called "the Rainbow Coalition". The GLC allocated a small percentage of its expenditure on funding minority community groups, including the London Gay Teenage Group, English Collective of Prostitutes, Women Against Rape, Lesbian Line, A Woman's Place, and Rights of Women. Believing these groups could initiate social change, the GLC increased its annual funding of voluntary organisations from £6 million in 1980 to £50 million in 1984. They also provided loans to such groups, coming under a barrage of press criticism for awarding a loan to the Sheba Feminist Publishers, whose works were widely labelled pornographic. In July 1981, Livingstone founded the Ethnic Minorities Committee, the Police Committee, and the Gay and Lesbian Working Party, and in June 1982, a Women's Committee was also established. Believing the Metropolitan Police to be a racist organisation, he appointed Paul Boateng to head the Police Committee and monitor the force's activities. Considering the police a highly political organisation, he publicly remarked that "When you canvas police flats at election time, you find that they are either Conservatives who think of Thatcher as a bit of a pinko or they are National Front."
The Conservatives and mainstream rightist press were largely critical of these measures, considering them symptomatic of what they derogatarily termed the "loony left". Claiming that these only served "fringe" interests, their criticisms often exhibited racist, homophobic and sexist sentiment. A number of journalists fabricated stories designed to discredit Livingstone and the "loony left", for instance claiming that the GLC made its workers drink only Nicaraguan coffee in solidarity with the country's socialist government, and that Haringey Council leader Bernie Grant had banned the use of the term "black bin liner" and the rhyme "Baa Baa Black Sheep" because they were perceived as racially insensitive. Writing in 2008, BBC reporter Andrew Hosken noted that although most of Livingstone's GLC administration's policies were ultimately a failure, its role in helping change social attitudes towards women and minorities in London remained its "enduring legacy".
Scandal: Republicanism and Ireland
Invited to the Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in July 1981, Livingstone – a republican critical of the monarchy – wished the couple well but turned down the offer. He also permitted Irish republican protesters to hold a vigil on the steps of County Hall throughout the wedding celebrations, both actions that enraged the press. His administration supported the People's March for Jobs, a demonstration of 500 anti-unemployment protesters who marched to London from Northern England, allowing them to sleep in County Hall and catering for them. Costing £19,000, critics argued that Livingstone was illegally using public money for his own political causes. The GLC orchestrated a propaganda campaign against Thatcher's government, in January 1982 erecting a sign on the top of County Hall – clearly visible from the Houses of Parliament – stating the number of unemployed in London.
In September 1981, Livingstone began production of weekly newspaper, the Labour Herald, co-edited with Ted Knight and Matthew Warburton. It was published by a press owned by the Trotskyist Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP), who had financed it with funding from Libya and Iraq. Livingstone's commercial relationship with WRP leader Gerry Healy was controversial among British socialists, many of whom disapproved of Healy's violent nature and criminal past. The Labour Herald folded in 1985, when Healy was exposed as a sex offender and ousted from the WRP's leadership.
"This morning the Sun presents the most odious man in Britain. Take a bow, Mr Livingstone, socialist leader of the Greater London Council. In just a few months since he appeared on the national scene, he has quickly become a joke. But no one can laugh at him any more. The joke has turned sour, sick and obscene. For Mr Livingstone steps forward as the defender and the apologist of the criminal, murderous activities of the IRA."
The Sun lambasts Livingstone after his support for Irish republicanism.
A supporter of Irish reunification, Livingstone had connections with the left-wing Irish republican party Sinn Féin and in July, met with the mother of an imprisoned Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) militant Thomas McElwee, then taking part in the 1981 Irish hunger strike. That day, Livingstone publicly proclaimed his support for those prisoners on hunger strike, claiming that the British government's fight against the IRA was not "some sort of campaign against terrorism" but was "the last colonial war." He was heavily criticised for this meeting and his statements in the mainstream press, while Prime Minister Thatcher claimed that his comments constituted "the most disgraceful statement I have ever heard." Soon after, he also met with the children of Yvonne Dunlop, an Irish Protestant who had been killed in McElwee's bomb attack.
On 10 October, the IRA bombed London's Chelsea Barracks, killing 2 and injuring 40. Denouncing the attack, Livingstone informed members of the Cambridge University Tory Reform Group that it was a misunderstanding to view the IRA as "criminals or lunatics" because of their strong political motives and that "violence will recur again and again as long as we are in Ireland." Mainstream press criticised him for these comments, with The Sun labeling him "the most odious man in Britain". In response, Livingstone proclaimed that the press coverage had been "ill-founded, utterly out of context and distorted", reiterating his opposition both to IRA attacks and British rule in Northern Ireland. Anti-Livingstone pressure mounted and on 15 October he was publicly attacked in the street by members of unionist militia, The Friends of Ulster. In a second incident, Livingstone was attacked by far right skinheads shouting "commie bastard" at the Three Horseshoes Pub in Hampstead. Known as "Green Ken" among Ulster Unionists, Unionist paramilitary Michael Stone of the Ulster Defence Association plotted to kill Livingstone, only abandoning the plan when he became convinced that the security services were onto him.
Livingstone agreed to meet Gerry Adams, Sinn Féin President and IRA-supporter, after Adams was invited to London by Labour members of the Troops Out campaign in December 1982. The same day as the invitation was made, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) bombed The Droppin Well bar in Ballykelly, County Londonderry, killing 11 soldiers and 6 civilians; in the aftermath, Livingstone was pressured to cancel the meeting. Expressing his horror at the bombing, Livingstone insisted that the meeting proceed, for Adams had no connection with the INLA, but Conservative Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw banned Adams' entry to Britain with the 1976 Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act. In February 1983, Livingstone visited Adams in his constituency of West Belfast, receiving a hero's welcome from local republicans. In July 1983, Adams finally came to London on the invite of Livingstone and MP Jeremy Corbyn, allowing him to present his views to a mainstream British audience through televised interviews. In August, Livingstone was interviewed on Irish state radio, proclaiming that Britain's 800-year occupation of Ireland was more destructive than the Holocaust; he was publicly criticised by Labour members and the press. He also controversially expressed solidarity with the Marxist-Leninist government of Fidel Castro in Cuba against the U.S. economic embargo, in turn receiving an annual Christmas gift of Cuban rum from the Cuban embassy.
Courting further controversy, in the Falklands War of 1982, during which the United Kingdom battled Argentina for control of the Falkland Islands, Livingstone stated his belief that the islands rightfully belonged to the Argentinian people, but not the military junta then ruling the country. Upon British victory, he sarcastically remarked that "Britain had finally been able to beat the hell out of a country smaller, weaker and even worse governed than we were." Challenging the Conservative government's militarism, the GLC proclaimed 1983 to be "Peace Year", solidifying ties with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in order to advocate international nuclear disarmament, a measure opposed by the Thatcher government. In keeping with this pacifistic outlook, they banned the Territorial Army from marching past County Hall that year. The GLC then proclaimed 1984 to be "Anti-Racism Year". In July 1985, the GLC twinned London with the Nicaraguan city of Managua, then under the control of the socialist Sandinista National Liberation Front. The press also continued to criticise the Livingstone administration's funding of volunteer groups that they perceived represented only "fringe interests". As Livingstone biographer Andrew Hosken remarked, "by far the most contentious grant" was given in February 1983 to a group called Babies Against the Bomb, founded by a group of mothers who had united to campaign against nuclear weapons.
Members of the London Labour groups chastised Livingstone for his controversial statements, believing them detrimental to the party, leading Labour members and supporters to defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Many highlighted Labour's failure to secure the seat in the Croydon North West by-election, 1981 as a sign of Labour's prospects under Livingstone. Some called for Livingstone's removal, but Michael Foot's Trotskyist assistant Una Cooze defended Livingstone's position to her boss. Television and radio outlets welcomed Livingstone on for interviews; described by biographer John Carvel as having "one of the best television styles of any contemporary politician", Livingstone used this medium to speak to a wider audience, gaining widespread public support, something Carvell attributed to his "directness, self-deprecation, colourful language, complete unflappability under fire and lack of pomposity", coupled with popular policies like Fares Fair.
Ken Livingstone Member of Parliament
Turning his attention to a parliamentary career, Livingstone defeated Reg Freeson to represent Labour for the north-west London constituency of Brent East in the 1987 general election. When the election came, he narrowly defeated Conservative candidate Harriet Crawley to become Brent East's MP, while Thatcher retained the Premiership for a third term. Livingstone found the atmosphere of the Houses of Parliament uncomfortable, labeling it "absolutely tribal", and asserting that "It's like working in the Natural History Museum, except not all the exhibits are stuffed." There was much hostility between him and the Parliamentary Labour Party, who allocated him a windowless office with fellow leftist MP Harry Barnes. He took on Maureen Charleson as his personal secretary, who would remain with him for the next 20 years.
In his maiden speech to Parliament in July 1987, Livingstone used parliamentary privilege to raise a number of allegations made by Fred Holroyd, a former Special Intelligence Service operative in Northern Ireland. Despite the convention of maiden speeches being non-controversial, Livingstone alleged that Holroyd had been mistreated when he tried to expose MI5 collusion with Ulster loyalist paramilitaries in the 1970s. Thatcher denounced his claims as "utterly contemptible". In September 1987 Livingstone was elected to Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC), although was voted off in October 1989, to be replaced by John Prescott. As Kinnock tried to pull Labour to the centre, Livingstone worked to strengthen socialist elements in the party. He continued to make his opinions known, refusing to pay the controversial poll tax until it was revoked, and being one of the 55 Labour MPs to oppose British involvement in the Gulf War in January 1991. Conversely, he supported NATO intervention in the Balkans, and the bombing of Serbia.
In the 1992 general election, John Major led the Conservatives to a narrow victory, resulting in Kinnock's resignation as head of Labour. Livingstone put his name forward as a proposed replacement, with Bernie Grant as his deputy, although they were not selected, with John Smith and Margaret Beckett taking the positions instead. After Smith died in May 1994, Livingstone again put his name down as a potential leader, although withdrew it due to a lack of support. Instead, Tony Blair was selected, with Livingstone predicting that he would be "the most right-wing leader" in Labour history. Blair and his supporters sought to reform the party by further expunging leftist elements and taking it to the centre ground, thus creating "New Labour", with Blairite Peter Mandelson asserting that hard left figures like Livingstone represented "the enemy" of reform. Throughout 1995, Livingstone unsuccessfully fought Blair's attempts to remove Clause Four (promoting nationalised industry) from the Labour constitution, which he saw as a betrayal of the party's socialist roots. In 1996, he warned of the growing influence of spin doctors in the party, and called for Blair to sack Alastair Campbell after a High Court judge criticised him in a libel trial. Nevertheless, Blair's reforms led Labour to a landslide victory in the 1997 general election, resulting in the formation of the first Labour government since 1979. In December 1997, Livingstone joined a Labour revolt against Blair's attempts to cut benefits to single mothers, and in March 1998 publicly criticised Gordon Brown for advocating "an awful lot of Thatcherite nonsense" and attempting to privatise the London Underground through the PPP scheme. However, in 1997 he was re-elected to the NEC, beating Mandelson to the position.
"I want power. I want to change Britain and I'm not ashamed to say it. Anyone who wants to achieve change would grab at the leadership."
Ken Livingstone on the Labour leadership, 1986.
Livingstone continued his association with members of Trotskyite group Socialist Action, with the group's leader John Ross became his most important adviser, teaching him about economics. Investing in an advanced £25,000 computer, he and Ross used the machine to undertake complex economic analysis, on the basis of which they began publishing the Socialist Economic Bulletin in 1990. Two other members of the group, Redmond O'Neill and Simon Fletcher, also became trusted advisers. When Socialist Action founded a campaign group, the Anti-Racist Alliance, Livingstone came to be closely associated with it. They campaigned around the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and the rise of the far right British National Party, but were disadvantaged by an ongoing rivalry with the Anti-Nazi League.
As his political significance waned, Livingstone gained more work in the media, commenting that the press "started to use me only once they thought I was harmless". To receive these outside earnings, he founded a company known as Localaction Ltd. In 1987 he authored an autobiography for HarperCollins, If Voting Changed Anything They'd Abolish It, conducted journalism for the London Daily News, stood in for BBC Radio 2 disk-jockey Jimmy Young, and served as a judge for that year's Whitbread Prize. In 1989, Unwin Hyman published his second book, Livingstone's Labour: A Programme for the 90s, in which he expressed his views on a variety of issues, while that same year he was employed to promote Red Leicester cheese in adverts for the National Dairy Council and to appear in adverts for British Coal alongside Edwina Currie. In October 1991 Livingstone began writing a column for Rupert Murdoch's right-wing tabloid The Sun, a controversial move among British socialists. In his column he often discussed his love of amphibians and campaigned for the protection of the great crested newt, on the basis of which he was appointed vice president of the London Zoological Society in 1996–97. He subsequently began to write a food column for Esquire and then The Evening Standard, also making regular appearances on the BBC quiz show Have I Got News For You?. In 1995, Livingstone was invited to appear on the track "Ernold Same" by the band Blur.
Mayoral election: 2000
By 1996, various prominent public figures were arguing for the implementation of directly-elected mayors for large UK cities like London. The idea of a London mayor of a Greater London Authority had been included in Labour's 1997 election manifesto, and after their election a referendum was scheduled for May 1998, in which there was a 72% yes vote with a 34% turnout. With the first mayoral election scheduled for May 2000, in March 1998 Livingstone stated his intention to stand as a potential Labour candidate for the position. Blair did not want Livingstone as London Mayor, claiming that he was one of the leftists who "almost knocked [the party] over the edge of the cliff into extinction" during the 1980s. He and the Labour spin doctors organised a smear campaign against Livingstone to ensure that he was not selected, with Campbell and Sally Morgan unsuccessfully attempting to get Oona King to denounce Livingstone. They failed to convince Mo Mowlam to stand for the mayorship, and instead encouraged the reluctant Frank Dobson to stand. Recognising that a 'one member, one vote' election within the London Labour party would probably see Livingstone chosen over Dobson, Blair ensured that a third of the votes would come from the rank-and-file members, a third from the trade unions, and a third from Labour MPs and MEPs, the latter two of which he could pressure into voting for his own preferred candidate, something that Dobson was deeply uncomfortable with. Information on the Blairite smear campaign against Livingstone became public, costing Dobson much support; nevertheless, due to the impact of the MPs and MEPs, Dobson won the candidacy with 51% to Livingstone's 48%.
Livingstone proclaimed Dobson to be "a tainted candidate" and stated his intention to run for the Mayoralty as an independent candidate. Aware that this would result in his expulsion from Labour, he publicly stated that "I have been forced to choose between the party I love and upholding the democratic rights of Londoners." The polls indicated clear support for Livingstone among the London electorate, with his campaign being run by his Socialist Action associates. He gained the support of a wide range of celebrities, from musicians like Fatboy Slim, Pink Floyd, the Chemical Brothers, and Blur, artists like Damian Hirst and Tracey Emin, and those from other fields, among them Ken Loach, Jo Brand, and Chris Evans, the latter of whom donated £200,000 to the campaign; half of what Livingstone required. The election took place in May 2000, at which Livingstone came first with 58% of first and second-preference votes; Conservative candidate Steven Norris coming second and Dobson third. Livingstone tearfully started his acceptance speech with "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted 14 years ago..."
Following Livingstone's decision to run as an independent candidate, the left-wing Labour MP, Dennis Skinner, a former ally of Livingstone on Labour's National Executive Committee, denounced him for urging his supporters to help Green Party candidates (rather than Labour ones) get elected. Skinner said that Livingstone had betrayed party activists in his Brent East constituency, who he said had fought for him "like tigers" when his majority had been small: "He tells them he's going to be the Labour candidate, then he lies to them. To me that's as low as you can get". He contrasted Livingstone with the official Labour candidate, Frank Dobson, saying that Dobson was "a bloke and a half... not a prima donna ... not someone with an ego as big as a house". Skinner said that Mayor Livingstone would "hit the headlines, but you'll never be able to trust him because he's broken his pledge and his loyalty to his party... The personality cult of the ego does not work down a coal mine and it does not work in the Labour Party".
First mayoral term: 2000–04
Livingstone now had "the largest and most direct mandate of any politician in British history", receiving an annual salary of £87,000. It was the Mayor's job to oversee a number of subordinate bodies, including the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London (TfL), the London Development Agency, and the London Fire Brigade, and in doing so he was granted a number of executive powers. He would be scrutinised by the elected London Assembly, whose first chairman was Trevor Phillips, a Labour politician with a mutual dislike of Livingstone. Livingstone was permitted twelve principal advisers, many of whom were members of Socialist Action or people whom he had worked with on the GLC. Ross and Fletcher became two of his closest confidants, with Livingstone commenting that "They aren't just my closest political advisers... they're also mostly my best friends." In 2002, he promoted six of his senior aides, resulting in allegations of cronyism from Assembly members. The Mayoral office was initially based in temporary headquarters at Romney House in Marsham Street, Westminster, while a purpose-built building was constructed in Southwark; termed City Hall, it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2002, with Livingstone commenting that it resembled a "glass testicle."
Much of Livingstone's first two years were devoted to setting up the Mayoral system and administration. He also devoted much time to battling New Labour's plans to upgrade the London Underground system through a public–private partnership (PPP) program, believing it to be too expensive and tantamount to the privatisation of a state-owned service. He furthermore had strong concerns about safety; PPP would divide different parts of the Underground among various companies, something that he argued threatened a holistic safety and maintenance program. These concerns were shared by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) trade union, who went on strike over the issue, being joined on the picket line by Livingstone. Appointing Bob Kiley as transport commissioner, the duo argued that the upgrade should be carried out in state hands through a public bond issue, as had been done in the case of the New York City Subway. They launched court cases against the government over PPP in 2001–02, but were ultimately unsuccessful, and the project went ahead, with the Underground being privatised in January 2003.
Although he had initially stated that he would not do so, Livingstone's administration sought to phase out use of the Routemaster buses, the design for which dated to the 1950s. Although iconic, they were deemed hazardous and responsible for a high number of deaths and serious injuries as passengers climbed onto them, also being non-wheelchair accessible and thus not meeting the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The process was gradual, with the last Routemaster being decommissioned in December 2005. The Routemasters were replaced by a new fleet of 103 articulated buses, known colloquially as "bendy buses", which were launched in June 2002. While the Routemasters fitted 80 people on at one time, the articulated buses fitted up to 140 passengers, however they were deemed dangerous for cyclists. Attempting to reduce London's environmental impact, Livingstone created the London Hydrogen Partnership and the London Energy Partnership in his first term as Mayor of London. The Mayor's Energy Strategy, "green light to clean power," committed London to reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide by 20%, relative to the 1990 level, by 2010.
Deeming them vermin, Livingstone sought to remove the pigeons from Trafalgar Square; he tried to evict seed sellers and introduced hawks to scare the pigeons off. He pedestrianised the north side of the Square, transforming it into a public space with a cafe, public toilets, and a lift for the disabled. He introduced an annual Saint Patrick's Day festival to celebrate the contributions of the Irish to London, and revived London's free anti-racism music festival, now called Rise: London United, later attributing London's 35% decrease in racist attacks to this and other anti-racist policies. Continuing his support for LGBT rights, in 2001 he set up Britain's first register for same-sex couples; while falling short of legal marriage rights, the register was seen as a step towards the Civil Partnership Act 2004.
Livingstone's relationship with Kate Allen ended in November 2001, although they remained friends. He then started a relationship with Emma Beal, together having two children, Thomas (born December 2002) and Mia (born March 2004). At a May 2002 party in Tufnell Park, Livingstone got into an argument with Beal's friend Robin Hedges, a reporter for The Evening Standard. Beal subsequently fell off of a wall and bruised his ribs; the press claimed that Livingstone had pushed him, although he insisted that he did not. Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly referred the matter to the Standards Board for England, who ruled that there was no evidence for any wrongdoing on Livingstone's behalf.
As proposed in their election manifesto, in February 2003 Livingstone's administration introduced a congestion charge covering 8 square miles in central London, charging motorists £5 a day for driving through the area. It was introduced in an attempt to deter traffic and reduce congestion; Livingstone himself took the London Underground to work, and tried to inspire more Londoners to use public transport rather than cars. The policy was highly controversial, and strongly opposed by businesses, resident groups, the roads lobby, and the Labour government; many commentators recognised that if opposition resulted in the policy being abandoned then it could lead to the end of Livingstone's political career. That year, the Political Studies Association named Livingstone 'Politician of the Year' due to his implementation of the 'bold and imaginative' scheme. The scheme resulted in a marked reduction on traffic in central London, resulting in improved bus services, and by 2007, TfL could claim that the charge had reduced congestion by 20%. To further encourage the use of public transport, in June 2003, the Oyster card system was introduced, while bus and Underground journeys were made free for people aged 11 to 18.
In 2002, Livingstone came out in support of a proposal for the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London. He insisted however that the Games must be held in the East End, and result in an urban regeneration program centred on the Lee Valley. He gained the support of Labour's culture secretary Tessa Jowell, who convinced the government to back the plans in May 2003. In May 2004, the International Olympic Commission put London on the shortlist of potential locations for the Games, alongside Paris, Madrid, Moscow, and New York City; although Paris was widely believed to be the eventual victor, London would prove successful in its nomination. Another major development project was launched in February 2004 as the London Plan, in which Livingstone's administration laid out their intentions to deal with the city's major housing shortage by ensuring the construction of 30,000 new homes a year. It stressed that 50% of these should be deemed "affordable housing" although later critics would highlight that in actuality, the amount of "affordable housing" in these new constructions did not exceed 30%.
Livingstone had no control over government policy regarding immigration, which had resulted in a significant growth in foreign arrivals coming to London during his administration; from 2000 to 2005 London's population grew by 200,000 to reach 7.5 million. Livingstone did not oppose this, instead encouraging racial equality and celebrating the city's multiculturalism. Another policy over which Livingstone had no control was the U.K.'s involvement in the Iraq War, a U.S.-led invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government; Livingstone was a prominent critic of the conflict and involved himself in the Stop the War campaign. In November 2003, Livingstone made headlines for referring to US President George W. Bush as "the greatest threat to life on this planet," just before Bush's official visit to the UK. Livingstone also organised an alternative "Peace Reception" at City Hall "for everybody who is not George Bush," with anti-war Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic as the guest of honour.
Livingstone's success with the congestion charge and rejuvenation of Trafalgar Square led the Labour leadership to reconsider their position on him, with Blair re-admitting him to the party and asking that he stand as their Mayoral candidate for the 2004 election. Livingstone eagerly agreed, and Labour Mayoral candidate Nicky Gavron volunteered to take a subordinate position as his deputy. In campaigning for the election, Livingstone's campaign focused on highlighting what he deemed the achievements of his record: the congestion charge, free bus travel for under 11s, 1000 extra buses, and 5000 extra police officers, whereas his main competition, the Conservative Steve Norris, campaigned primarily on a policy of abolishing the congestion charge. Livingstone continued to court controversy throughout the campaign; in June 2004 he was quoted on The Guardian's website as saying: "I just long for the day I wake up and find that the Saudi Royal Family are swinging from lamp-posts and they've got a proper government that represents the people of Saudi Arabia", for which he was widely criticised. That same month he came under criticism from sectors of the left for urging RMT members to cross picket lines in a proposed Underground strike because the latest offer had been "extremely generous", leading RMT general secretary Bob Crow to step down as a TfL board member. In the London mayoral election, 2004, Livingstone was announced as the winner on 10 June 2004. He won 36% of first preference votes to Norris's 28% and Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes's 15%. When all the candidates except Livingstone and Norris were eliminated and the second preferences of those voters who had picked neither Livingstone or Norris as their first choice were counted, Livingstone won with 55% to Norris's 45%.
Second mayoral term: 2004–08
Amid the War on Terror and threat from Al Qaeda, Livingstone sought to build closer ties to the London's Muslim community, controversially agreeing to meet with Islamist groups like the Muslim Association of Britain alongside moderate organisations. In July 2004, he attended a conference discussing France's ban on the burka at which he talked alongside Islamist cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Livingstone described al-Qaradawi as "one of the most authoritative Muslim scholars in the world today" and argued that his influence could help stop the radicalisation of young British Muslims. The move was controversial, with Jewish and LGBT organisations criticising Livingstone, citing al-Qaradawi's record of anti-Semitic and homophobic remarks, with the meeting leading to a publicised argument between Livingstone and his former supporter Peter Tatchell. Livingstone continued to champion the Palestinian cause in the Israel-Palestine conflict, in March 2005 accusing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of being a "war criminal" responsible for the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre.
During his second term, Livingstone continued his support for London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, playing a crucial role in securing vital Russian support for the bid. On 6 July 2005, in a ceremony held in Singapore attended by Livingstone, London was announced as the victor, resulting in widespread celebration. The following day, British-born Islamist suicide bombers undertook three attacks on the Underground and another on a bus, killing 52 civilians. Livingstone gave a speech from Singapore denouncing the attackers as terrorists, before immediately returning to London. Informing the BBC that Western foreign policy was largely to blame for the attacks, his response to the situation was widely praised, even by opponents. Fearing an Islamophobic backlash against the city's Muslim minority, he initiated an advertising campaign to counter this, holding a rally for inter-community unity in Trafalgar Square. A second, failed suicide bombing attack took place on 21 July, and in the aftermath police officers shot dead a Brazilian tourist, Jean Charles de Menezes, whom they mistook for a bomber. Police initially lied about the killing, resulting in widespread condemnation, although Livingstone defended the actions of Metropolitan Police commissioner Ian Blair.
On his way home from a party in February 2005, Livingstone was accosted in the street by Oliver Finegold, a reporter for The Evening Standard. Aware that Finegold was Jewish, Livingstone accused him of acting "just like a concentration camp guard" and asserting that he worked for the "reactionary bigots... who supported fascism" at the Daily Mail and General Trust. Although The Evening Standard initially did not deem the comments newsworthy, they were leaked to The Guardian, resulting in accusations of anti-Semitism against Livingstone from the Board of Deputies of British Jews. There were many calls for Livingstone to apologise, including from Tony Blair, the London Assembly, a Holocaust survivors group and his deputy Gavron (the daughter of a Holocaust survivor), but he refused. The Standards Board for England asked the Adjudication Panel for England to deal with Livingstone on the issue, who in February 2006 found him guilty of bringing his office into disrepute and suspended him from office for a month. The decision was controversial, with Livingstone and many others arguing that an unelected board should not have the power to suspend an elected official. In October 2006 at the High Court of Justice, Justice Collins overturned the decision to suspend Livingstone.
Although he had aggravated much of London's Jewish community, Livingstone denied being anti-semitic, holding regular meetings with the city's Jewish groups and introducing public Hanukkah celebrations in Trafalgar Square in December 2005. He came under further accusations of anti-semitism in March 2006 for asserting that the wealthy businessmen David and Simon Reuben should return to Iran if they did not like Britain; he claimed he had mistakenly believed them to be Iranian Muslims, whereas in reality they were Indian Jews. Livingstone refused calls for him to apologise to the Reubens, instead offering "a complete apology to the people of Iran for the suggestion that they may be linked in any way to the Reuben brothers."
In March 2006 Livingstone publicly criticised foreign embassies in London who refused to pay the congestion charge under the conditions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. His criticism focused on US diplomat Robert Tuttle, condemning him as a "chiselling little crook" whose embassy was refusing to pay the £1.5 million he believed it owed. In February 2007, Livingstone's administration doubled the congestion charge zone by extending it westwards into Kensington and Chelsea, despite opposition from resident groups. In October 2007, the government agreed to go ahead with Crossrail, a £16 billion project to construct a train line under central London, linking Berkshire to Essex. Meanwhile, Livingstone felt vindicated in his former opposition to PPP when one of the companies who now controlled part of the Underground, Metronet, collapsed in July 2007, with the state having to intervene to protect the service. Livingstone had also welcomed the construction of skyscrapers in London, giving the go ahead for 15 to be constructed during his Mayoralty, including 30 St Mary Axe and The Shard. He considered it necessary to fill the demand for office space, but was criticised by groups and individuals, most notably Charles, Prince of Wales, concerned about the preservation of historic skylines.
In May 2006, Livingstone welcomed Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to London, hosting an event for him at City Hall. This was condemned by various Conservatives claiming that Chávez's democratic socialist government had undermined pluralistic democracy. Livingstone proceeded to accept the presidency of the pro-Chávez Venezuelan Information Centre. In November 2006, Livingstone travelled to Latin America to visit Chávez, during which he and his entourage stayed in Cuba at a cost of £29,000; many British sources condemned the visit as a waste of tax-payer's money. In August 2007, it was announced that Livingstone had come to an agreement with oil-rich Venezuela; Chávez's government would supply £16 million a year worth of free oil to TfL, who would use it to subsidise half priced bus fares for 250,000 Londoners on benefits. In return, London would provide expertise in running transport, as well as other services such as CCTV and waste management.
Livingstone helped organise the first "Eid in the Square" event at Trafalgar Square in commemoration of the Islamic Eid ul-Fitr festival in October 2006. In May 2007, Livingstone travelled to New York City to attend the C40 conference of major world cities to deal with environmentalist issues. One of the leading figures of the conference, he called for other cities to adopt congestion charging as an environmental measure. In August 2007, he issued a public apology on behalf of London for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. He selected the anniversary of the Haitian Revolution on which to do it, and in his tearful speech asserted that it was the resistance of enslaved persons rather than the philanthropy of wealthy whites that led to the trade's end. A week later he attended the unveiling of the statue of Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square, where he met with Nelson Mandela. In June 2007, Livingstone criticised the planned £200 million Thames Water Desalination Plant at Beckton, which will be the United Kingdom's first, calling it "misguided and a retrograde step in UK environmental policy", and that "we should be encouraging people to use less water, not more." In October 2007, London Councils stated Livingstone had gone back on his promise to chair the developing London Waste and Recycling Board, and to provide £6 million of funding for the project, because "the government had failed to provide him with absolute control of the Board."
Livingstone intended to stand again as Labour candidate in the London Mayoral election, 2008, this time against Conservative candidate Boris Johnson. At the start of the campaign Livingstone took Johnson more seriously than many others were doing, referring to him as "the most formidable opponent I will face in my political career." Much of Labour's campaign revolved around criticising Johnson for perceived racist and homophobic comments that he had made in the past, although Johnson strenuously denied that he was bigoted. Livingstone also proposed that if he were to win a third term he would increase the congestion charge fee to £25 for the most polluting vehicles, while removing it for the least, and that he would also introduce a cycling scheme based on the Vélib' system in Paris. As part of his campaign, Livingstone highlighted that by 2008, the Metropolitan Police had 35,000 officers, 10,000 more than it had had in 2000, also highlighting statistics to indicate falling crime rates across the city during his Mayorship. Nevertheless, there had been a recent rise in gang killing among young people, with 27 teenagers having been killed in gang warfare during 2007, a statistic used by Johnson's campaign who emphasised the idea that a Johnson administration would be far tougher on youth crime and anti-social behaviour. Further controversy rocked Livingstone's campaign in December 2007 when Evening Standard journalist Andrew Gilligan alleged that one of Livingstone's close advisers, Lee Jasper, had siphoning off at least £2.5 million from the London Development Agency to fund black community groups with which he was closely associated. Livingstone stood by Jasper and claimed that the Evening Standard campaign was racist, but ultimately agreed to suspend Jasper while a full investigation took place. An independent report into the affair by District auditor Michael Haworth-Maden in July 2009 found no evidence of "misappropriation of funds" but noted "significant" gaps in financial paperwork. The election took place in May 2008, and witnessed a turnout of approximately 45% of eligible voters, with Johnson receiving 43.2% and Livingstone 37% of first-preference votes; when second-preference votes were added, Johnson proved victorious with 53.2% to Livingstone's 46.8%.
Continued activism
"Obviously everyone respects the decision of the electorate. But it is already clear that Boris Johnson's Tory regime is one of decline [in] London: economic decline, social decline, cultural decline and environmental decline. This is the real root of the incompetence [his administration] has shown in its first two months in office. I believe this will become increasingly obvious and therefore I will use the normal methods of democratic debate to convince electors that the previous policies were successful and the new ones will fail."
Ken Livingstone (2008)
Newly elected, Mayor Johnson paid tribute to Livingstone and his "very considerable achievements", hoping that the new administration could "discover a way in which the mayoralty can continue to benefit from your transparent love of London". Johnson's administration nevertheless reversed a number of Livingstone's policies, for instance overturning the deal for Venezuelan oil. Intent on giving Venezuela the "advice that we promised", in August 2008 Livingstone announced that he would be advising urban planning in Caracas. Livingstone predicted that in twenty years it could become a "first-world city", and hoped to help with his "very extensive network of contacts both domestically and internationally".
In January 2009, Livingstone responded to the Gaza War by calling for the European Union and the UK to bring home their ambassadors to Israel to express disapproval for the "slaughter and systematic murder of innocent Arabs". From September 2009 to March 2011, Livingstone presented the book review programme Epilogue for the Iranian state-sponsored international news channel Press TV, for which he came under criticism from Iranian exile groups. In July 2010, he spoke at the Durham Miners' Gala, praising working class culture. He also used the speech to attack spending cuts by the new coalition government, claiming they were not necessary. In September 2010, Livingstone criticised the public spending cuts announced by the recently elected Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, which he stated amounted to £45 billion a year for London alone, and were "beyond Margaret Thatcher's wildest dreams" as well as threatening to result in widespread division and poverty across the capital. In May 2011, Livingstone said he was "appalled" that Osama bin Laden had been shot dead by US Special forces "in his pyjamas" and "in front of his kid," and that the values of a western democracy would have been best demonstrated if Bin Laden had been put on trial and his words challenged.
Livingstone stood for the Labour candidacy as 2012 Mayoral candidate. His campaign attracted criticism when he joked that the election was "a simple choice between good and evil", and when he was accused of antisemitism by Jewish Labour supporters for suggesting that being largely wealthy, the Jewish community would not vote for him. He denied making the comments, but nevertheless apologised. Johnson's campaign emphasised the accusation that Livingstone was guilty of tax evasion, for which Livingstone called Johnson a "bare-faced liar". The political scientist Andrew Crines believed that Livingstone's campaign suffered from its focus on criticising Johnson rather than presenting an alternate and progressive vision of London's future, also suggesting that after decades in the public eye, Livingstone had come to be seen as an over-familiar and politically tired figure by the London electorate. On 4 May 2012 Livingstone was defeated in the London 2012 Mayoral Elections by the incumbent Mayor, Boris Johnson. There was only a difference of 62,538 votes between the 2 candidates with Livingstone receiving 992,273 votes and Johnson receiving 1,054,811 votes. Livingstone criticised bias in the media and declared that he would be bowing out of politics.
He remained publicly critical of Johnson over the coming years; in April 2014, he admitted that while he had once feared Johnson as "the most hardline right-wing ideologue since Thatcher", over the course of Johnson's mayoralty, he had instead concluded that he was "a fairly lazy tosser who just wants to be there" but who does very little work. In May 2015, he endorsed Sadiq Khan to be the Labour candidate for the 2016 London mayoral election, and in July then endorsed Jeremy Corbyn in the 2015 Labour Party leadership election. After Corbyn was elected Labour leader, Livingstone was one of his most prominent allies; in November 2015 Corbyn appointed Livingstone to co-convene Labour's defense review alongside Maria Eagle.
On 18 November 2015 Livingstone "unreservedly apologised" for suggesting that shadow defence minister Kevan Jones, who had criticised him, needed "psychiatric help". Livingstone initially refused to apologise, despite being urged to do so by Jeremy Corbyn, who had just appointed him as joint chair of Labour's defence review. Livingstone faced further calls to be sacked from his defence review post from Shadow Cabinet members following a television appearance in which he blamed the July 7th London bombings on British military action in Iraq, saying the bombers "gave their lives, they said what they believed, they took Londoners' lives in protest against our invasion of Iraq".
Ken Livingstone Political views
"Ken never had a very clear political philosophy. Ken never read philosophical books from a political point of view. He had a gut feeling; he was always opposed to exploitation and inequalities in a big way. He had a social conscience and wanted to do something about it. But he saw it within the existing parliamentary and political system. He didn't consider taking up arms against anybody as a way forward or dramatically changing the electoral system. He thought you could persuade and change the Labour Party."
Ted Knight on Livingstone.
Within the Labour Party, Livingstone was aligned with the hard left. Historian Alwyn W. Turner noted that Livingstone's entire approach to politics revolved not simply around providing public services, but in trying to change society itself; in his words, he wanted to get away from the concept of "old white men coming along to general management committees and talking about rubbish collection." Biographer John Carvel, a journalist from The Guardian, remarked that Livingstone's political motivation was a "fundamental desire... for a more participative, cooperative society", leading him to oppose "concentrations of power and... exploitation in all its forms – economic, racial and sexual." However, Livingstone has also described his approach to fiscal policy as "monetarist": "I was a monetarist right from the beginning when I was leader of the GLC. We paid down debt every year. We had an absolutely firm rule."
Livingstone describes himself as a socialist. In 1987, he stated that "politics is my religion. It's my moral framework. I believe a socialist society is inherently the best thing, and that's like an act of faith." In 2007, he stated that "I still believe one day that the idea that the main means of production are owned by private individuals... will be considered as anti-democratic as the idea serfs could be tied to the land. But I will not be alive when that day comes." Livingstone had always worked towards a unified socialist front on the British left, and disliked the tendency towards splintering and forming rival factions, usually over issues of political theory, among the socialist community. Although rejecting Marxism, throughout his political career he has worked alongside Marxist far-left groups and has become involved with the "politics of the street". He has however not worked with those Marxist groups, such as the Socialist Workers Party and the Revolutionary Communist Party, who advocate the destruction of the Labour Party as the way forward for socialism, seeing their beliefs as incompatible with his own.
Livingstone has consistently rejected being defined under any particular ideological current of socialism. Recognising this, in 2000, the former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock asserted that Livingstone could only be defined as a "Kennist". Livingstone's understanding of politics arises from his studies of animal behaviour and anthropology; rejecting the idea that the human species is naturally progressing (a view advocated by socialists like the Fabian Society), Livingstone instead took the view that human society is still coming to terms with the massive socio-economic changes that it experienced upon the development of agriculture during the Neolithic. Highlighting that a hunter-gatherer mode of subsistence is more natural to the human species, he believes that modern society has to adopt many hunter-gatherer values – namely mutual co-operation and emphasis on human relationships rather than consumerism – in order to survive.
Ken Livingstone Personal life
Historian Alwyn W. Turner noted that Livingstone was a "gifted communicator and self-publicist" who was able to stump his opponents using his "mischievous sense of humour". Biographer John Carvel echoed these comments, highlighting that Livingstone had a "talent for public speaking". Biographer Andrew Hosken noted that many of those who had worked with Livingstone had commented on him being an excellent boss, who was "a good delegator, decisive and supportive" as well as being "a friendly and modest colleague." Jenny McCartney, a reporter from The Spectator, expressed the view that "in person he is hard to dislike. There's a notable absence of pomposity in his manner, a propensity to laughter, and his love of an ideological scrap is allied to a calm, sometimes wry style of delivery: it looks fiercer on paper."
On the issue of nationality, Livingstone has expressed the view that he identifies as English rather than British, although his father was Scottish and he supports the continued existence of the United Kingdom. Although raised into a nominally Christian family, Livingstone renounced religious belief when he was eleven, becoming an atheist. In a 2005 interview he commented that in doing so he had rejected "mumbo-jumbo in favour of rational science." The British Humanist Association identifies him as one of its distinguished supporters. He is known for his enthusiasm for gardening and keeping and breeding newts. He was the first person to breed the Western Dwarf Clawed Frog Hymenochirus curtipes in captivity. Livingstone is a big fan of The Godfather film franchise, stating that the actions of the criminal organisations within the movies are very much akin to the world of politics.
Family
Livingstone repeatedly attempted to keep his family life private, commenting that "I expect that my private life is not in the public domain and I'm rude to any journalist who turns up... at home". It is known that he has five children. Livingstone married Christine Pamela Chapman in 1973; the marriage ended in divorce in 1982. Around that time he became involved with Kate Allen, now director of Amnesty International in the UK; the couple separated in November 2001. He then entered a relationship with his office manager, Emma Beal; they have two children together: Thomas, born 14 December 2002 at the University College Hospital, London, and a daughter, Mia, born on 20 March 2004 at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. Livingstone and Beal married on 26 September 2009 in the Mappin Pavilion of London Zoo. They live in North London.
Livingstone had also fathered three children prior to 2000; a boy by one mother and two girls by another. Neither the children nor their mothers have been named in the media, although The Sun claimed that "all the children meet up for Sunday lunch – while his former lovers take it in turns to cook". The children were born to two different women while Livingstone was involved with Kate Allen, according to an article by Decca Aitkenhead:
In his memoir, he describes how one was an old friend who was keen to have children but feared she was running out of time. "We had never been involved romantically but I knew her well enough to know she would be a wonderful mother and so I said I would like to be the father of her children." A daughter was born in 1990, and another in 1992. Then another friend said she'd like to have children: "And we agreed to have a baby." Their son was born within weeks of his daughter in 1992.
Ken Livingstone Legacy and influence
Throughout his career, Livingstone polarised public opinion, and was widely recognised as a risk-taker. Supporters described him as the "People's Ken" and an "anti-politician politician", opining that he had the common touch with working-class Londoners that most British politicians lacked. He was widely recognised for having improved the status of minority groups in London. He was also deemed a "formidable operator" at City Hall, with an "intimate knowledge" of London.
He was also widely criticised and denounced during his career. During his Mayorship, he faced repeated accusations of cronyism for favouring his chosen aides over other staff. One of his supporters, Atma Singh, commented that under Livingstone's leadership, a culture of bullying pervaded at City Hall, although this was denied by many other staff there. Livingstone has also been criticised by various British far-left groups like the Socialist Workers Party and the Alliance for Workers' Liberty, who have deemed his reformist politics to be insufficiently radical and condemned him for backing the Metropolitan Police and big business while criticising the RMT trade union during his Mayorship.
Throughout his career, Livingstone was referenced in popular culture. During the 1980s, Spitting Image featured a fictionalised version of Livingstone voiced by Harry Enfield. In 1990, BBC show The Comic Strip produced an episode entitled "GLC: The Carnage Continues..." in which Robbie Coltrane played a fictionalised portrayal of Charles Bronson playing Livingstone in a Hollywood movie. Kate Bush wrote the song "Ken" for the episode, which was then released as a B-side to her single "Love and Anger".
^ a b BBC News 2009.
^ Moore 2007; Purnell 2011, p.314; Eaton 2014.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.26, 28; Hosken 2008, p.1.
^ Carvel 1984, p.27; Carvel 1999, p.17; Hosken 2008, pp.1–2.
^ "Births England and Wales 1837–1915". Freebmd.org.uk. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.27–28; Carvel 1999, pp.18, 36; Hosken 2008, p.2; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.32–33.
^ Barratt, Nick (7 April 2007). "Family Detective:Ken Livingstone". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.27–28; Hosken 2008, pp.1–2; Livingstone 2011, p.1.
^ Carvel 1984, p.28.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.28–30, 32; Hosken 2008, p.4.
^ Carvel 1984, p.32; Hosken 2008, p.11.
^ a b Livingstone 2005.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.31–32; Hosken 2008, pp.4–6; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.33.
^ Carvel 1984. pp. 31–32.
^ Carvel 1984, p.37; Livingstone 1987, p.14; Hosken 2008, p.8.
^ Carvel 1984, p.35.
^ Carvel 1984, p.36; Hosken 2008, p.7; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.33.
^ Carvel 1984, p.37; Hosken 2008, p.9.
^ Carvel 1984, p.38; Livingstone 1987, p.13; Hosken 2008, pp.9–10; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.33.
^ Carvel 1984, p.39; Livingstone 1987, p.14; Hosken 2008, p.11.
^ Carvel 1984, p.38; Livingstone 1987, p.14.
^ Carvel 1984, p.38; Hosken 2008, p.11; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.33.
^ Carvel 1984, p.39; Livingstone 1987, p.14.
^ Livingstone 1987, p.11.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.39–40; Livingstone 1987, p.11; Hosken 2008, pp.13–14.
^ Carvel 1984, p.41; Hosken 2008, p.14.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.12–13.
^ Carvel 1984, p.40; Livingstone 1987, p.13; Hosken 2008, p.15.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.44–45; Hosken 2008, pp.16–18.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.16–17.
^ Carvel 1984, p.41; Livingstone 1987, pp.18–19; Hosken 2008, p.20.
^ Carvel 1984, p.44.
^ Carvel 1984, p.42; Livingstone 1987, p.21; Hosken 2008, p.21.
^ Carvel 1984, p.42; Livingstone 1987, p.23.
^ Livingstone 1987. p. 26.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.42–43; Livingstone 1987, pp.26–27; Hosken 2008, pp.22–23.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.28–31, 33.
^ Carvel 1984, p.45; Livingstone 1987, pp.40, 42; Hosken 2008, p.39.
^ Livingstone 1987, p.42; Hosken 2008, p.39.
^ Livingstone 1987, p.38; Hosken 2008, pp.55-56.
^ Carvel 1984, p.42; Hosken 2008, p.56.
^ Carvel 1984, p.54; Livingstone 1987, pp.47, 53–55; Hosken 2008, pp.46–47.
^ Hosken 2008, p.57.
^ Carvel 1984, p.59; Livingstone 1987, p.70; Hosken 2008, p.48.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.59, 61–62; Hosken 2008, p.50.
^ Carvel 1984, p.63; Livingstone 1987, pp.83–84; Hosken 2008, pp.57–59.
^ Carvel 1984, p.63.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.63–65; Livingstone 1987, pp.96–99; Hosken 2008, pp.57–59.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.52–53.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.67–68; Livingstone 1987, pp.86, 89; Hosken 2008, p.60.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.61-62.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.66–67; Livingstone 1987, pp.99–100; Hosken 2008, pp.62–63.
^ Carvel 1984, p.67; Hosken 2008, p.64.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.67–68; Livingstone 1987, pp.90–91; Hosken 2008, pp.67–69; Turner 2010, p.32.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.90, 92–94, 107–113; Hosken 2008, pp.72–77.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.87, 91, 105; Hosken 2008, pp.96, 98.
^ Carvel 1984, p.14; Hosken 2008, pp.77–78.
^ Carvel 1984, p.10; Livingstone 1987, pp.133–136; Hosken 2008, p.84.
^ Carvel 1984, p.15; Livingstone 1987, p.137.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.16–18; Livingstone 1987, pp.138–140; Hosken 2008, pp.88–91.
^ Carvel 1984, p.20.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.18–20; Hosken 2008, p.95.
^ Carvel 1984, p.19; Hosken 2008, pp.94–95.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.144–145; Hosken 2008, pp.91–92.
^ a b Livingstone 1987, p.151; Hosken 2008, p.100.
^ Carvel 1984, p.86; Hosken 2008, p.92.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.100–101.
^ Carvel 1984, p.86; Hosken 2008, pp.94–96, 98.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.13–14.
^ Carvel 1984, p.88; Hosken 2008, p.98; Turner 2010, p.80.
^ Hosken 2008, p.110.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.184–185; Hosken 2008, pp.137–138.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.149, 195.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.166–175; Hosken 2008, pp.174–181.
^ Carvel 1984, p.199.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.83–84; Hosken 2008, p.101.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.115–118.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.128–133; Hosken 2008, pp.117–118.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.135–136.
^ a b Hosken 2008, pp.142–145.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.148.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.142–143.
^ a b Turner 2010, p.90.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.142–148; Turner 2010, p.154.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.145–146; Turner 2010, p.155.
^ Hosken 2008, p.156.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.90–91; Livingstone 1987, pp.145–146; Hosken 2008, p.99; Turner 2010, p.78.
^ Carvel 1984, p.86; Livingstone 1987, pp.151–152; Hosken 2008, pp.99–100.
^ Carvel 1984, p.153; Turner 2010, p.86.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.182–184; Hosken 2008, pp.126–135.
^ Hosken 2008, p.139.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.88–90, 100; Hosken 2008, pp.103–104.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.104–105.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.95–97; Hosken 2008, pp.158–159; Turner 2010, p.86.
^ Carvel 1984, p.98; Hosken 2008, p.159.
^ Hosken 2008, p.161.
^ Matthew Tempest, "Loyalists planned to kill Livingstone", The Guardian, 10 June 2003
^ "My plot to murder Livingstone, by former hitman" thisislondon.co.uk, 1 November 2006
^ Carvel 1984, pp.157–159; Hosken 2008, pp.165–168.
^ Carvel 1984, p.160; Hosken 2008, p.169.
^ a b Carvel 1984, p.161.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.417.
^ Carvel 1984, p.156.
^ a b Hosken 2008, pp.328–332; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.22–23.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.404–405; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.26.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.405–406; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.26.
^ a b "Mayor of London, the London Assembly and the Greater London Authority, "London Climate Change Agency,"". Archived from the original on 3 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
^ Hosken 2008, p.333; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.27.
^ Hosken 2008, p.353; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.27.
^ "Irish London". BBC London. 12 October 2005.
^ Ken Livingstone (6 June 2006). "Festivals play their part in fighting racism". The Guardian (London).
^ Hosken 2008, pp.413–414; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.18.
^ Hosken 2008, p.339.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.339–342; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.39–40.
^ Hosken 2003, pp.342–348; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.24.
^ "Political Studies Association Awards 2003" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.350–351.
^ "Congestion charge zone increases". BBC News. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.407–408; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.26–27.
^ Hosken 2008, p.408.
^ "Profile: Ken Livingstone". BBC News. 9 May 2003. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.353–355; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.13, 39.
^ Hosken 2008, p.356.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.357.
^ Ashley, Jackie (8 April 2004). "Jail Sharon and create 50% top tax rate, says Livingstone". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 26 April 2012.
^ "Anger at Livingstone Saudi 'rant'". BBC News. 8 April 2004.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.14–15.
^ Hélène Mulholland (11 June 2004). "Livingstone re-elected as London mayor". The Guardian.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.377–378.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.279–282; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.41.
^ Ken Livingstone (4 March 2005). "This is about Israel, not anti-semitism". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.265–266.
^ "Mayor blames Middle East policy". BBC News. 20 July 2005.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.18; Purnell 2011, p.330.
^ Hosken 2008, p.374.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.375–377.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.385–386; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.40.
^ Tryhorn, Chris (10 February 2005). "Livingstone attacks 'scumbag' Standard". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.387–388; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.40.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.390–391; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.40.
^ "London Assembly censures Livingstone over Nazi jibe". The Scotsman. 15 February 2005.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.388–340; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.40–41.
^ "Mayor is suspended over Nazi jibe". BBC News. 24 February 2006.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.398–340; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.40–41.
^ "Ken's suspension order thrown out". BBC News. 5 October 2006.
^ Hosken 2008, p.397.
^ "Mayor hosts ceremony for Hanukkah". Mayor Of London. 3 December 2005.
^ City Hall marks Jewish festival – BBC News. 28 December 2005
^ Hosken 2008, p.425.
^ "Mayor defiant over Olympics row". BBC News. 21 March 2006.
^ Hosken 2008, p.406; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.24.
^ Hosken 2008, p.407; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.23–24.
^ Hosken 2008, p.407.
^ Hosken 2008, p.409; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.28.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.419–420.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.418–419.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.421–422; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.42.
^ "Oil deal signals lower bus fares". BBC News. 20 August 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2010.; "Livingstone secures cheap oil from Chávez". Financial Times. 20 February 2007.
^ Londoners United and Rejoicing – Muslim Council of Britain Press release.
^ Hosken 2008, p.423.
^ Hosken 2008, p.424.
^ "Mayor critical of government plans to approve desalination plant". Greater London Authority. 15 June 2007.
^ "London Councils expresses regret at Mayor's decision to dump waste and recycling board". London Councils. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
^ Hosken 2008, p.426.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.67; Purnell 2011, p.314.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.426–427; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.67–69; Purnell 2011, p.315.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.100.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.412.
^ Hosken 2008, p.411; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.20–21, 101.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.427–431; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.79–82, 97–98, 103–104.
^ "Auditor clears former aide to Ken Livingstone". The Independent on Sunday (London). 12 July 2009. pp.28, 29.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.200–201.
^ Owen 2008.
^ "Johnson wins London mayoral race". BBC News. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
^ a b c "Livingstone to be Chavez adviser". BBC news. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
^ a b Hamilton, Fiona (29 August 2008). "Ken Livingstone is new transport adviser for Hugo Chávez". The Times (London). Retrieved 29 August 2008.
^ a b c Carroll, Rory (28 August 2008). "Livingstone to advise Chávez on urban issues". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 29 August 2008.
^ a b c d "Livingstone advises Caracas". The Press Association. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
^ age last updated Stars call for ceasefire in Gaza, BBC, 2 January 2009.
^ Annie Lennox calls for end to Gaza bombardment, Associated Press, 2 January 2009.
^ Martin Fletcher (20 January 2011). "Exiles outraged at Livingstone role on Iran TV mouthpiece". The Times. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
^ "Ken Livingstone under fire for earning thousands from Iranian TV role". Thisislondon. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ http://counterfire.org/index.php/news/61-reports/5897-durham-miners-gala
^ "‘Red’ Ken making miners' gala debut". The Northern Echo. 10 July 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
^
^ Ross, Tim (17 April 2012). "Ken Livingstone: Bin Laden should not have been shot". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
^ Dominiczak 2011.
^ "Ken Livingstone: Jews won't vote Labour because they are rich". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ Cusick, James (22 March 2012). "Livingstone 'says Jews are too rich to vote for him'". The Independent (London). Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ "Former London mayor forced to apologize over controversial remarks to Jewish activists". Haaretz. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ Crines 2013, p.3.
^ Crines 2013, p.2.
^ Crines 2013, p.5.
^ Sparrow, Andrew (4 May 2012). "Boris Johnson wins London mayoral election: Politics live blog". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
^ "London mayor: Boris Johnson wins second term by tight margin". BBC News. 5 May 2012.
^ George Eaton (30 April 2014). "Ken Livingstone: "Boris is a lazy tosser who just wants to be there"". New Statesman.
^ Pippa Crerar (18 May 2015). "Former mayoral rivals for Labour ticket join forces to back Sadiq Khan". The Evening Standard.
^ "Jeremy Corbyn could be prime minster - Ken Livingstone". bbc.co.uk. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
^ George Eaton (17 November 2015). "Ken Livingstone to co-convene Labour's defence review". New Statesman.
^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34853430]
^ Watt, Nicholas (1 December 2015). "Blair guilty of 'criminal irresponsibility' over Iraq war, says Livingstone". Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
^ "Ken Livingstone: Tony Blair to blame for 7/7 bombings". BBC. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
^ a b Hosken 2008. p. 29.
^ Carvel 1984. p. 178.
^ a b Turner 2010. p. 79.
^ Carvel 1984. p. 194.
^ Greig, Geordie (13 July 2010). "Ken Livingstone: I was a weedy kid but, like Boris, I survived on my wits". London Evening Standard (London). Retrieved 17 May 2014.
^ Hosken 2008, p.244.
^ Livingstone, Ken (25 January 2007). "Davos 07: why should a socialist mayor come?". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 10 March 2011.
^ Carvel 1984. pp. 68–69, 178.
^ Hosken 2008. p. 26.
^ "British Humanist Association". Humanism.org.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
^ Livingstone 2011, p.38.
^ Would I Lie to You? Series 3 Episode 2. BBC Television. First broadcast 17 August 2009.
^ Hosken 2008. p. 66.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.337–338.
^ Hosken 2008, p.337; Edwards & Isaby 2009, p.144.
^ Womack, Sarah (6 November 2001). "Livingstone splits up with long-time lover". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.337.
^ Brian Flynn and Anthony France, "Bed Hopper Ken Livingstone", The Sun, 5 April 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
^ Decca Aitkenhead, "Ken Livingstone: 'It's an autobiography, not porn'", The Guardian, 21 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
^ Hosken 2008, p.432.
Carvel, John (1984). Citizen Ken. London: Chatto & Windus. ISBN978-0701139292.
Carvel, John (1999). Turn Again Livingstone. Hatton Garden, London: Profile Books. ISBN978-1-86197-131-9.
Crines, Andrew S. (2013). "Why did Boris Johnson win the 2012 mayoral election?". Public Policy and Administration Research 3 (9): 1–7.
Edwards, Giles; Isaby, Jonathan (2008). Boris v. Ken: How Boris Johnson Won London. London: Politico's. ISBN978-1842752258.
Hosken, Andrew (2008). Ken: The Ups and Downs of Ken Livingstone. Arcadia Books. ISBN978-1-905147-72-4.
Livingstone, Ken (1987). If Voting Changed Anything They'd Abolish it. London: Collins. ISBN0-00-217770-6.
Livingstone, Ken (1990). Livingstone's Labour. London: HarperCollins. ISBN978-0044407324.
Livingstone, Ken (17 November 2005). Ken Livingstone interview. Something Jewish. Interview with Leslie Bunder (Jewish.co.uk). Retrieved 3 May 2011.
Livingstone, Ken (2011). You Can't Say That: Memoirs. Faber and Faber. ISBN978-0571280414.
McCartney, Jenny (13 September 2014). "So, Ken Livingstone, do you like Boris personally? 'No'". The Spectator.
Mcneill, Donald (2002). "Livingstone's London: Left Politics and the World City". Regional Studies 36 (1): 75-80.
Moore, Charles (21 April 2007). "Make London part of Britain Again". The Telegraph.
Purnell, Sonia (2011). Just Boris: Boris Johnson: The Irresistible Rise of a Political Celebrity. London: Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN1-84513-665-9.
Turner, Alwyn W. (2010). Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s. London: Aurum Press. ISBN978-1-84513-525-6.
Mulholland, Hélène (24 September 2010). "Ken Livingstone beats Oona King to Labour nomination for London mayor". The Guardian (London: Guardian Media Group).
Owen, Paul (18 July 2008). "Ken Livingstone to run again for London mayor". The Guardian (London: Guardian Media Group).
"Ken Livingstone ties knot at zoo". London: BBC News. 26 September 2009.
| George W. Bush |
Which car manufacturer produced models called ‘The Hawk’ and ‘The Super Snipe’? | Ken Livingstone - 必应
Sign in
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who has twice held the leading political role in London regional government. He served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the Council was abolished in 1986, and then as the first elected Mayor of London from the creation of the office in 2000 until 2008. He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent East from 1987 to 2001. A member of the Labour Party, he was situated on the party's hard left, ideologically identifying as a democrati ... (展开) c socialist. Born to a working-class family in Lambeth, Livingstone joined Labour in 1968 and was elected to represent Norwood at the GLC in 1973, Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 1977, and then Paddington in 1981. That year, he was internally elected leader of the GLC by Labour members. Attempting to reduce London Underground fares, his plans were challenged in court and declared illegal; more successful were his schemes to benefit women and underprivileged minorities, despite facing stiff opposition. Livingstone was heavily criticised in the mainstream media for supporting controversial issues like republicanism, LGBT rights and a United Ireland, and given the moniker of "Red Ken" for his socialist beliefs. Livingstone was a vocal opponent of the Conservative Party government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and in 1986 Thatcher's administration abolished the GLC, leaving Livingstone unemployed. Turning to a parliamentary career, he represented Brent East as an MP from 1987, becoming closely involved in anti-racist campaigns. Unsuccessfully standing for the position of Labour Party leader on a leftist platform in both 1992 and 1994, he became a vocal critic of the New Labour project that pushed the party to the centre. After Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair prevented Livingstone from standing as Labour's candidate in the 2000 London mayoral election – deeming him to be too left-wing – Livingstone successfully contested the election as an independent candidate. During his first term as Mayor of London, he introduced the congestion charge, Oyster card, and articulated buses, also unsuccessfully opposing the government's privatisation of London Underground. Although Livingstone was a vocal opponent of UK involvement in the Iraq War, Blair recognised his popularity in London and invited him to stand for re-election as Labour's candidate. Livingstone was re-elected in 2004, expanding his transport policies, introducing new environmental regulations, and enacting civil rights policies. Initiating and overseeing London's winning bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and ushering in a major redevelopment of the city's East End, his leadership during the 7 July 2005 London bombings was widely praised. He stood unsuccessfully as Labour candidate in London's mayoral elections of 2008 and 2012, both times losing to Conservative candidate Boris Johnson. Although semi-retiring from active politics, in 2015 he made a return as a key ally of left-wing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Characterised as "the only truly successful Left-wing British politician of modern times" during his mayoral tenure, Livingstone was a highly controversial figure in British politics. Supporters lauded his efforts to improve rights for women, LGBT people, and ethnic minorities in London, but critics accused him of cronyism and antisemitism and lambasted him for connections to Marxist and Islamist politicians and thinkers. Livingstone is the author of two autobiographies as well as the subject of several biographies.
本结果选自226项相关网络资源
Mayoral election: 2000
By 1996, various prominent public figures were arguing for the implementation of directly-elected mayors for large UK cities like London. The idea of a London mayor of a Greater London Authority had been included in Labour's 1997 election manifesto, and after their election a r...
本结果选自226项相关网络资源
Mayoral election: 2000
By 1996, various prominent public figures were arguing for the implementation of directly-elected mayors for large UK cities like London. The idea of a London mayor of a Greater London Authority had been included in Labour's 1997 election manifesto, and after their election a r...
Childhood and young adulthood: 1945–1967
Livingstone was born in his grandmother's house in Lambeth, south London, on 17 June 1945. His family was working class; his mother, Ethel Ada (née Kennard, 1915–1997), had been born in Southwark before training as an acrobatic dancer and working on the music hall circuit prior to the Second World War. Ken's Scottish father, Robert "Bob" Moffat Livingstone (1915–1971), had been born in Dunoon before joining the Merchant Navy in 1932 and becoming ship's master. Having met in April 1940 at a music hall in Workington, they married within three months. After the war the couple moved in with Ethel's aggressive mother, Zona Ann (Williams), whom Livingstone considered "tyrannical". Livingstone's sister Lin was born 21⁄2 years later. Robert and Ethel went through various jobs in the post-war years, with the former working on fishing trawlers and English Channel ferries, while the latter worked in a bakers, at Freemans catalogue dispatch and as a cinema usherette. Livingstone's parents were "working class Tories", and unlike many Conservative voters at the time did not hold to socially conservative views on race and sexuality, opposing racism and homophobia. The family was nominally Anglican, although Livingstone abandoned Christianity when he was 11, becoming an atheist.
Moving to a Tulse Hill council housing estate, Livingstone attended St. Leonard's Primary School, and after failing his eleven plus exam, in 1956 began secondary education at Tulse Hill Comprehensive School. In 1957, his family purchased their own property at 66 Wolfington Road, West Norwood. Rather shy at school, he was bullied, and got into trouble for truancy. One year, his form master was Philip Hobsbaum, who encouraged his pupils to debate current events, first interesting Livingstone in politics. He related that he became "an argumentative cocky little brat" at home, bringing up topics at the dinner table to enrage his father. His interest in politics was furthered by the 1958 Papal election of Pope John XXIII – a man who had "a strong impact" on Livingstone – and the United States presidential election, 1960. At Tulse Hill Comprehensive he gained his interest in amphibians and reptiles, keeping several as pets; his mother worried that rather than focusing on school work all he cared about was "his pet lizard and friends". At school he attained four O-levels in English Literature, English Language, Geography and Art, subjects he later described as "the easy ones". He started work rather than stay on for the non-compulsory sixth form, which required six O-levels.
From 1962 through to 1970, Livingstone worked as a technician at the Chester Beatty cancer research laboratory in Fulham, looking after animals used in experimentation. Most of the technicians were socialists, and Livingstone helped found a branch of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs to fight redundancies imposed by company bosses. Livingstone's leftist views solidified upon the election of Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson in 1964. With a friend from Chester Beatty, Livingstone toured West Africa in 1966, visiting Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Lagos, Ghana and Togo. Interested in the region's wildlife, Livingstone rescued an infant ostrich from being eaten, donating it to Lagos children's zoo. Returning home, he took part in several protest marches as a part of the anti-Vietnam War movement, becoming increasingly interested in politics and briefly subscribing to the publication of a libertarian socialist group, Solidarity.
"My arrival [at the Norwood Labour Party meetings] had been rather like taking a bottle of gin into a room full of alcoholics. I was immediately passed round and consumed."
Ken Livingstone (1987)
Livingstone joined the Labour Party in March 1968, when he was 23 years old. Later describing it as "one of the few recorded instances of a rat climbing aboard a sinking ship", many leftists were leaving in disgust at the Labour government's policies of supporting the U.S. in the Vietnam War, cutting the National Health Service budget and restricting the trade unions; many went on to join far-left parties like the International Socialists and the Socialist Labour League, or single-issue groups like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Child Poverty Action Group. Suffering mass electoral defeat at the local elections, in London, Labour lost 15 boroughs, including Livingstone's London Borough of Lambeth, which came under Conservative control. Contrastingly, Livingstone believed that grassroots campaigning – such as the 1968 student protests – were ineffective, joining Labour because he considered it the best chance for implementing progressive political change in the UK.
Joining his local Labour branch in Norwood, he involved himself in their operations, within a month becoming chair and secretary of the Norwood Young Socialists, gaining a place on the constituency's General Management and Executive Committees, and sitting on the Local Government Committee who prepared Labour's manifesto for the next borough election. Hoping for better qualifications, he attended night school, gaining O-levels in Human Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene, and an A-level in Zoology. Leaving his job at Chester Beatty, in September 1970 he began a 3-year course at the Philippa Fawcett Teacher Training College (PFTTC) in Streatham; his attendance was poor, and he considered it "a complete waste" of time. Beginning a romantic relationship with Christine Chapman, president of the PFTTC student's union, the couple married in 1973. Realising the Conservative governance of Lambeth Borough council was hard to unseat, Livingstone aided Eddie Lopez in reaching out to members of the local populace disenfranchised from the traditional Labour leadership. Associating with the leftist Schools' Action Union (SAU) founded in the wake of the 1968 student protests, he encouraged members of the Brixton branch of the Black Panther Party to join Labour. His involvement in the SAU led to his dismissal from the PFTCC student's union, who disagreed with politicising secondary school pupils.
Lambeth Housing Committee: 1971–1973
"It was intoxicating to be at what seemed at the time the centre of events. We were pushing ahead with our schemes. We had honoured our pledge that pensioners should travel free on London Transport buses. We introduced the provision of free contraception for anyone who lived or worked in the borough. When Mrs Thatcher (then Education Secretary) made it illegal for Education Authorities to give children free school milk, Lambeth – which was not an education authority – stepped in to continue paying for the service."
Ken Livingstone on the Labour-run Lambeth Borough Council in the early 1970s (1987).
In 1971, Livingstone and his comrades developed a new strategy for obtaining political power in Lambeth borough. Focusing on campaigning for the marginal seats in the south of the borough, the safe Labour seats in the north were left to established party members. Public dissatisfaction with the Conservative government of Prime Minister Edward Heath led to Labour's best local government results since the 1940s; Labour leftists gained every marginal seat in Lambeth, and the borough returned to Labour control. In October 1971, Livingstone's father died of a heart attack; his mother soon moved to Lincoln. That year, Labour members voted Livingstone Vice-Chairman of the Housing Committee on the Lambeth London Borough Council, his first job in local government. Reforming the housing system, Livingstone and Committee Chairman Ewan Carr cancelled the proposed rent increase for council housing, temporarily halting the construction of Europe's largest tower blocks, and founded a Family Squatting Group to ensure that homeless families would be immediately rehoused through squatting in empty houses. He increased the number of compulsory purchase orders for private-rented properties, converting them to council housing. They faced opposition to their reforms, which were cancelled by central government.
Livingstone and the leftists became embroiled in factional in-fighting within Labour, vying for powerful positions with centrist members. Although never adopting Marxism, Livingstone became involved with a number of Trotskyist groups active within Labour; viewing them as potential allies, he became friends with Chris Knight, Graham Bash and Keith Veness, members of the Socialist Charter, a Trotskyist cell affiliated with the Revolutionary Communist League that had infiltrated the Labour party. In his struggle against Labour centrists, Livingstone was influenced by Trotskyist Ted Knight, who convinced him to oppose the use of British troops in Northern Ireland, believing they would simply be used to quash nationalist protests against British rule. Livingstone stood as the leftist candidate for the Chair of the Lambeth Housing Committee in April 1973, but was defeated by David Stimpson, who undid many of Livingston and Carr's reforms.
Becoming leader of the GLC: 1979–1981
Inspired by the Bennites, Livingstone planned a GLC take-over; on 18 October 1979, he called a meeting of Labour leftists entitled "Taking over the GLC", beginning publication of monthly newsletter the London Labour Briefing. Focused on increasing leftist power in the London Labour Party, he urged socialists to stand as candidates in the upcoming GLC election. When the time came to choose who would lead London Labour in that election, Livingstone put his name down, but was challenged by the moderate Andrew McIntosh; in the April 1980 vote, McIntosh beat Livingstone by 14 votes to 13. In September 1980, Livingstone separated from his wife Christine, though they remained amicable. Moving into a small flat at 195 Randolph Avenue, Maida Vale with his pet reptiles and amphibians, he divorced in October 1982 and began a relationship with Kate Allen, chair of Camden Council Women's Committee.
Livingstone turned his attention to achieving a GLC Labour victory, exchanging his safe-seat in Hackney North for the marginal Inner London seat at Paddington; in May 1981 he won the seat by 2,397 votes. Cutler and the Conservatives learned of Livingstone's plans, proclaiming that a GLC Labour victory would lead to a Marxist takeover of London and then Britain; the rightist press picked up the story, with the Daily Express using the headline of "Why We Must Stop These Red Wreckers". Such scaremongering was ineffective, and the GLC election of May 1981 was a Labour victory, with McIntosh installed as Head of the GLC; within 24 hours he would be deposed by members of his own party, replaced by Livingstone.
On 7 May, Livingstone called a caucus of his supporters; announcing his intent to challenge McIntosh's leadership, he invited those assembled to stand for other GLC posts. The meeting ended at 4:45pm having agreed on a full slate of candidates. At 5 o'clock, McIntosh held a GLC Labour meeting; the attendees called an immediate leadership election, in which Livingstone defeated him by 30 votes to 20. The entire left caucus slate was then elected. The next day, a leftist coup deposed Sir Ashley Bramall on the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA), replacing him with Bryn Davies; the left group now controlled both the GLC and the ILEA.
McIntosh proclaimed the GLC coup illegitimate, asserting that Labour was in danger from a leftist take-over. The mainstream right-wing press criticised the coup; the Daily Mail called Livingstone a "left wing extremist", and The Sun nicknamed him "Red Ken", stating his victory meant "full-steam-ahead red-blooded Socialism for London." The Financial Times issued a "warning" that leftists could use such tactics to take control of the government, when "the erosion of our democracy will surely begin." Thatcher joined the rallying call, proclaiming that leftists like Livingstone had "no time for parliamentary democracy", but were plotting "To impose upon this nation a tyranny which the peoples of Eastern Europe yearn to cast aside."
Leader of the GLC: 1981–1983
Entering County Hall as GLC leader on 8 May 1981, Livingstone initiated changes, converting the building's Fremasonic temple into a meeting room and removing many of the privileges enjoyed by GLC members and senior officers. He initiated an open-door policy allowing citizens to hold meetings in the committee rooms free of charge, with County Hall gaining the nickname of "the People's Palace". Livingstone took great pleasure watching the disgust expressed by some Conservative GLC members when non-members began using the building's restaurant. In the London Labour Briefing, Livingstone announced "London's ours! After the most vicious GLC election of all time, the Labour Party has won a working majority on a radical socialist programme." He stated that their job was to "sustain a holding operation until such time as the Tory [Conservative] government can be brought down and replaced by a left-wing Labour government." There was a perception among Livingstone's allies that they constituted the genuine opposition to Thatcher's government, with Foot's Labour leadership dismissed as ineffectual; they hoped Benn would soon replace him.
"There is nothing that happens to you at any stage in your life that can prepare you for the British Press in full hue and cry. As a socialist I started out with the lowest possible opinion of Fleet Street and was amazed to discover that they managed to sink even lower than I expected... I would spend hours carefully explaining our policies only to open the paper the next morning and see instead a smear about my sex-life, alleged personality defects or some completely fabricated account of a meeting or a split that never actually happened."
Ken Livingstone, 1987.
There was a widespread public perception that Livingstone's GLC leadership was illegitimate, while the mainstream British media remained resolutely hostile to the hard left. Livingstone received the levels of national press attention normally reserved for senior Members of Parliament. A press interview was arranged with the Max Hastings for the Evening Standard, in which Livingstone was portrayed as affable but ruthless. The Sun's editor Kelvin MacKenzie took a particular interest in Livingstone, establishing a reporting team to 'dig up the dirt' on him; they were unable to uncover any scandalous information, focusing on his love of amphibians, a personality trait mocked by other media sources. The satirical journal Private Eye referred to him as "Ken Leninspart" after Vladimir Lenin, proceeding to erroneously claim that Livingstone received funding from the Libyan Jamahiriya; suing them for libel, in November 1983 the journal apologised, awarding Livingstone £15,000 in damages in an out-of-court settlement.
During 1982, Livingstone made new appointments to the GLC governance, with John McDonnell appointed key chair of finance and Valerie Wise chair of the new Women's Committee, while Sir Ashley Bramall became GLC chairman and Tony McBrearty was appointed chair of housing. Others stayed in their former positions, including Dave Wetzel as transport chair and Mike Ward as chair of industry; thus was created what biographer John Carvel described as "the second Livingstone administration", leading to a "more calm and supportive environment". Turning his attention once more to Parliament, Livingstone attempted to get selected as the Labour candidate for the constituency of Brent East, a place which he felt an "affinity" for and where several friends lived. At the time, the Brent East Labour Party was in strife as competing factions battled for control, with Livingstone attempting to gain the support of both the hard and soft left. Securing a significant level of support from local party members, he nonetheless failed to apply for candidacy in time, and so the incumbent centrist Reg Freeson was once more selected as Labour candidate for Brent East. A subsequent vote at the council meeting revealed that 52 local Labour members would have voted for Livingstone, with only 2 for Freeson and 3 abstentions. Nevertheless, in the United Kingdom general election, 1983, Freeson went on to win the Brent East constituency for Labour. In 1983, Livingstone began co-presenting a late night television chat show with Janet Street-Porter for London Weekend Television.
Fares Fair and transport policy
The Greater London Labour Manifesto for the 1981 elections, although written under McIntosh's leadership, had been determined by a special conference of the London Labour Party in October 1980 in which Livingstone's speech had been decisive on transport policy. The manifesto focused on job creation schemes and cutting London Transport fares, and it was to these issues that Livingstone's administration turned. One of the primary manifesto focuses had been a pledge known as Fares Fair, which focused on reducing London Underground fares and freezing them at that lower rate. Based on a fare freeze implemented by the South Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council in 1975, it was widely considered to be a moderate and mainstream policy by Labour, which it was hoped would get more Londoners using public transport, thereby reducing congestion. In October 1981, the GLC implemented their policy, cutting London Transport fares by 32%; to fund the move, the GLC planned to increase the London rates.
The legality of the Fares Fair policy was challenged by Dennis Barkway, Conservative leader of the London Borough of Bromley council, who complained that his constituents were having to pay for cheaper fares on the London Underground when it did not operate in their borough. Although the Divisional Court initially found in favour of the GLC, Bromley Borough took the issue to a court of appeal, where three judges – Lord Denning, Lord Justice Oliver and Lord Justice Watkins – reversed the previous decision, finding in favour of Bromley Borough on 10 November. They proclaimed that the Fares Fair policy was illegal because the GLC was expressly forbidden from choosing to run London Transport at a deficit, even if this was in the perceived interest of Londoners. The GLC appealed this decision, taking the case to the House of Lords; on 17 December five Law Lords unanimously ruled in favour of Bromley Borough Council, putting a permanent end to the Fares Fair policy. GLC transport chairman Dave Wetzel labelled the judges "Vandals in Ermine" while Livingstone maintained his belief that the judicial decision was politically motivated.
Initially presenting a motion to the GLC Labour groups that they refuse to comply with the judicial decision and continue with the policy regardless, but was out-voted by 32-22; many commentators claimed that Livingstone had only been bluffing in order to save face among the Labour Left. Instead, Livingstone got on board with a campaign known as "Keep Fares Fair" in order to bring about a change in the law that would make the Fares Fair policy legal; an alternate movement, "Can't Pay, Won't Pay", accused Livingstone of being a sell-out and insisted that the GLC proceed with its policies regardless of their legality. One aspect of the London Transport reforms was however maintained; the new system of flat fares within ticket zones, and the inter-modal Travelcard ticket continues as the basis of the ticketing system. The GLC then put together new measures in the hope to reduce London Transport fares by a more modest amount, 25%, taking them back to roughly the price that they were when Livingstone's administration took office; it was ruled legal in January 1983, and subsequently implemented.
GLEB and nuclear disarmament
Livingstone's administration founded the Greater London Enterprise Board (GLEB) to create employment by investing in the industrial regeneration of London, with the funds provided by the council, its workers' pension fund and the financial markets. Livingstone later claimed that GLC bureaucrats obstructed much of what GLEB tried to achieve. Other policies implemented by the Labour Left also foundered. Attempts to prevent the sale-off of GLC council housing largely failed, in part due to the strong opposition from the Conservative government. ILEA attempted to carry through with its promise to cut the price of school meals in the capital from 35p to 25p, but was forced to abandon its plans following legal advice that the councillors could be made to pay the surcharge and disqualified from public office.
The Livingstone administration took a strong stance on the issue of nuclear disarmament, proclaiming London a "nuclear-free zone". On 20 May 1981, the GLC halted its annual spending of £1 million on nuclear war defence plans, with Livingstone's deputy, Illtyd Harrington, proclaiming that "we are challenging... the absurd cosmetic approach to Armageddon." They published the names of the 3000 politicians and administrators who had been earmarked for survival in underground bunkers in the event of a nuclear strike on London. Thatcher's government remained highly critical of these moves, putting out a propaganda campaign explaining their argument for the necessity of Britain's nuclear deterrent to counter the Soviet Union.
Egalitarian policies
"Arguing that politics had long been the near-exclusive preserve of white middle-aged men, the GLC began an attempt to open itself to representations from other groups, principally from women, the working-class, ethnic minorities and homosexuals but also from children and the elderly. This was a real break from traditional politics as practised centrally by both major parties... and it attracted hostility from all sides."
Historian Alwyn W. Turner, 2010.
An egalitarian, Livingstone's administration advocated measures to improve the lives of disadvantaged minorities within London, including women, the disabled, homosexuals, and ethnic minorities, who together made up a sizeable percentage of the city's population; what Reg Race called "the Rainbow Coalition". The GLC allocated a small percentage of its expenditure on funding minority community groups, including the London Gay Teenage Group, English Collective of Prostitutes, Women Against Rape, Lesbian Line, A Woman's Place, and Rights of Women. Believing these groups could initiate social change, the GLC increased its annual funding of voluntary organisations from £6 million in 1980 to £50 million in 1984. They also provided loans to such groups, coming under a barrage of press criticism for awarding a loan to the Sheba Feminist Publishers, whose works were widely labelled pornographic. In July 1981, Livingstone founded the Ethnic Minorities Committee, the Police Committee, and the Gay and Lesbian Working Party, and in June 1982, a Women's Committee was also established. Believing the Metropolitan Police to be a racist organisation, he appointed Paul Boateng to head the Police Committee and monitor the force's activities. Considering the police a highly political organisation, he publicly remarked that "When you canvas police flats at election time, you find that they are either Conservatives who think of Thatcher as a bit of a pinko or they are National Front."
The Conservatives and mainstream rightist press were largely critical of these measures, considering them symptomatic of what they derogatarily termed the "loony left". Claiming that these only served "fringe" interests, their criticisms often exhibited racist, homophobic and sexist sentiment. A number of journalists fabricated stories designed to discredit Livingstone and the "loony left", for instance claiming that the GLC made its workers drink only Nicaraguan coffee in solidarity with the country's socialist government, and that Haringey Council leader Bernie Grant had banned the use of the term "black bin liner" and the rhyme "Baa Baa Black Sheep" because they were perceived as racially insensitive. Writing in 2008, BBC reporter Andrew Hosken noted that although most of Livingstone's GLC administration's policies were ultimately a failure, its role in helping change social attitudes towards women and minorities in London remained its "enduring legacy".
Scandal: Republicanism and Ireland
Invited to the Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in July 1981, Livingstone – a republican critical of the monarchy – wished the couple well but turned down the offer. He also permitted Irish republican protesters to hold a vigil on the steps of County Hall throughout the wedding celebrations, both actions that enraged the press. His administration supported the People's March for Jobs, a demonstration of 500 anti-unemployment protesters who marched to London from Northern England, allowing them to sleep in County Hall and catering for them. Costing £19,000, critics argued that Livingstone was illegally using public money for his own political causes. The GLC orchestrated a propaganda campaign against Thatcher's government, in January 1982 erecting a sign on the top of County Hall – clearly visible from the Houses of Parliament – stating the number of unemployed in London.
In September 1981, Livingstone began production of weekly newspaper, the Labour Herald, co-edited with Ted Knight and Matthew Warburton. It was published by a press owned by the Trotskyist Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP), who had financed it with funding from Libya and Iraq. Livingstone's commercial relationship with WRP leader Gerry Healy was controversial among British socialists, many of whom disapproved of Healy's violent nature and criminal past. The Labour Herald folded in 1985, when Healy was exposed as a sex offender and ousted from the WRP's leadership.
"This morning the Sun presents the most odious man in Britain. Take a bow, Mr Livingstone, socialist leader of the Greater London Council. In just a few months since he appeared on the national scene, he has quickly become a joke. But no one can laugh at him any more. The joke has turned sour, sick and obscene. For Mr Livingstone steps forward as the defender and the apologist of the criminal, murderous activities of the IRA."
The Sun lambasts Livingstone after his support for Irish republicanism.
A supporter of Irish reunification, Livingstone had connections with the left-wing Irish republican party Sinn Féin and in July, met with the mother of an imprisoned Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) militant Thomas McElwee, then taking part in the 1981 Irish hunger strike. That day, Livingstone publicly proclaimed his support for those prisoners on hunger strike, claiming that the British government's fight against the IRA was not "some sort of campaign against terrorism" but was "the last colonial war." He was heavily criticised for this meeting and his statements in the mainstream press, while Prime Minister Thatcher claimed that his comments constituted "the most disgraceful statement I have ever heard." Soon after, he also met with the children of Yvonne Dunlop, an Irish Protestant who had been killed in McElwee's bomb attack.
On 10 October, the IRA bombed London's Chelsea Barracks, killing 2 and injuring 40. Denouncing the attack, Livingstone informed members of the Cambridge University Tory Reform Group that it was a misunderstanding to view the IRA as "criminals or lunatics" because of their strong political motives and that "violence will recur again and again as long as we are in Ireland." Mainstream press criticised him for these comments, with The Sun labeling him "the most odious man in Britain". In response, Livingstone proclaimed that the press coverage had been "ill-founded, utterly out of context and distorted", reiterating his opposition both to IRA attacks and British rule in Northern Ireland. Anti-Livingstone pressure mounted and on 15 October he was publicly attacked in the street by members of unionist militia, The Friends of Ulster. In a second incident, Livingstone was attacked by far right skinheads shouting "commie bastard" at the Three Horseshoes Pub in Hampstead. Known as "Green Ken" among Ulster Unionists, Unionist paramilitary Michael Stone of the Ulster Defence Association plotted to kill Livingstone, only abandoning the plan when he became convinced that the security services were onto him.
Livingstone agreed to meet Gerry Adams, Sinn Féin President and IRA-supporter, after Adams was invited to London by Labour members of the Troops Out campaign in December 1982. The same day as the invitation was made, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) bombed The Droppin Well bar in Ballykelly, County Londonderry, killing 11 soldiers and 6 civilians; in the aftermath, Livingstone was pressured to cancel the meeting. Expressing his horror at the bombing, Livingstone insisted that the meeting proceed, for Adams had no connection with the INLA, but Conservative Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw banned Adams' entry to Britain with the 1976 Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act. In February 1983, Livingstone visited Adams in his constituency of West Belfast, receiving a hero's welcome from local republicans. In July 1983, Adams finally came to London on the invite of Livingstone and MP Jeremy Corbyn, allowing him to present his views to a mainstream British audience through televised interviews. In August, Livingstone was interviewed on Irish state radio, proclaiming that Britain's 800-year occupation of Ireland was more destructive than the Holocaust; he was publicly criticised by Labour members and the press. He also controversially expressed solidarity with the Marxist-Leninist government of Fidel Castro in Cuba against the U.S. economic embargo, in turn receiving an annual Christmas gift of Cuban rum from the Cuban embassy.
Courting further controversy, in the Falklands War of 1982, during which the United Kingdom battled Argentina for control of the Falkland Islands, Livingstone stated his belief that the islands rightfully belonged to the Argentinian people, but not the military junta then ruling the country. Upon British victory, he sarcastically remarked that "Britain had finally been able to beat the hell out of a country smaller, weaker and even worse governed than we were." Challenging the Conservative government's militarism, the GLC proclaimed 1983 to be "Peace Year", solidifying ties with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in order to advocate international nuclear disarmament, a measure opposed by the Thatcher government. In keeping with this pacifistic outlook, they banned the Territorial Army from marching past County Hall that year. The GLC then proclaimed 1984 to be "Anti-Racism Year". In July 1985, the GLC twinned London with the Nicaraguan city of Managua, then under the control of the socialist Sandinista National Liberation Front. The press also continued to criticise the Livingstone administration's funding of volunteer groups that they perceived represented only "fringe interests". As Livingstone biographer Andrew Hosken remarked, "by far the most contentious grant" was given in February 1983 to a group called Babies Against the Bomb, founded by a group of mothers who had united to campaign against nuclear weapons.
Members of the London Labour groups chastised Livingstone for his controversial statements, believing them detrimental to the party, leading Labour members and supporters to defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Many highlighted Labour's failure to secure the seat in the Croydon North West by-election, 1981 as a sign of Labour's prospects under Livingstone. Some called for Livingstone's removal, but Michael Foot's Trotskyist assistant Una Cooze defended Livingstone's position to her boss. Television and radio outlets welcomed Livingstone on for interviews; described by biographer John Carvel as having "one of the best television styles of any contemporary politician", Livingstone used this medium to speak to a wider audience, gaining widespread public support, something Carvell attributed to his "directness, self-deprecation, colourful language, complete unflappability under fire and lack of pomposity", coupled with popular policies like Fares Fair.
Ken Livingstone Member of Parliament
Turning his attention to a parliamentary career, Livingstone defeated Reg Freeson to represent Labour for the north-west London constituency of Brent East in the 1987 general election. When the election came, he narrowly defeated Conservative candidate Harriet Crawley to become Brent East's MP, while Thatcher retained the Premiership for a third term. Livingstone found the atmosphere of the Houses of Parliament uncomfortable, labeling it "absolutely tribal", and asserting that "It's like working in the Natural History Museum, except not all the exhibits are stuffed." There was much hostility between him and the Parliamentary Labour Party, who allocated him a windowless office with fellow leftist MP Harry Barnes. He took on Maureen Charleson as his personal secretary, who would remain with him for the next 20 years.
In his maiden speech to Parliament in July 1987, Livingstone used parliamentary privilege to raise a number of allegations made by Fred Holroyd, a former Special Intelligence Service operative in Northern Ireland. Despite the convention of maiden speeches being non-controversial, Livingstone alleged that Holroyd had been mistreated when he tried to expose MI5 collusion with Ulster loyalist paramilitaries in the 1970s. Thatcher denounced his claims as "utterly contemptible". In September 1987 Livingstone was elected to Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC), although was voted off in October 1989, to be replaced by John Prescott. As Kinnock tried to pull Labour to the centre, Livingstone worked to strengthen socialist elements in the party. He continued to make his opinions known, refusing to pay the controversial poll tax until it was revoked, and being one of the 55 Labour MPs to oppose British involvement in the Gulf War in January 1991. Conversely, he supported NATO intervention in the Balkans, and the bombing of Serbia.
In the 1992 general election, John Major led the Conservatives to a narrow victory, resulting in Kinnock's resignation as head of Labour. Livingstone put his name forward as a proposed replacement, with Bernie Grant as his deputy, although they were not selected, with John Smith and Margaret Beckett taking the positions instead. After Smith died in May 1994, Livingstone again put his name down as a potential leader, although withdrew it due to a lack of support. Instead, Tony Blair was selected, with Livingstone predicting that he would be "the most right-wing leader" in Labour history. Blair and his supporters sought to reform the party by further expunging leftist elements and taking it to the centre ground, thus creating "New Labour", with Blairite Peter Mandelson asserting that hard left figures like Livingstone represented "the enemy" of reform. Throughout 1995, Livingstone unsuccessfully fought Blair's attempts to remove Clause Four (promoting nationalised industry) from the Labour constitution, which he saw as a betrayal of the party's socialist roots. In 1996, he warned of the growing influence of spin doctors in the party, and called for Blair to sack Alastair Campbell after a High Court judge criticised him in a libel trial. Nevertheless, Blair's reforms led Labour to a landslide victory in the 1997 general election, resulting in the formation of the first Labour government since 1979. In December 1997, Livingstone joined a Labour revolt against Blair's attempts to cut benefits to single mothers, and in March 1998 publicly criticised Gordon Brown for advocating "an awful lot of Thatcherite nonsense" and attempting to privatise the London Underground through the PPP scheme. However, in 1997 he was re-elected to the NEC, beating Mandelson to the position.
"I want power. I want to change Britain and I'm not ashamed to say it. Anyone who wants to achieve change would grab at the leadership."
Ken Livingstone on the Labour leadership, 1986.
Livingstone continued his association with members of Trotskyite group Socialist Action, with the group's leader John Ross became his most important adviser, teaching him about economics. Investing in an advanced £25,000 computer, he and Ross used the machine to undertake complex economic analysis, on the basis of which they began publishing the Socialist Economic Bulletin in 1990. Two other members of the group, Redmond O'Neill and Simon Fletcher, also became trusted advisers. When Socialist Action founded a campaign group, the Anti-Racist Alliance, Livingstone came to be closely associated with it. They campaigned around the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and the rise of the far right British National Party, but were disadvantaged by an ongoing rivalry with the Anti-Nazi League.
As his political significance waned, Livingstone gained more work in the media, commenting that the press "started to use me only once they thought I was harmless". To receive these outside earnings, he founded a company known as Localaction Ltd. In 1987 he authored an autobiography for HarperCollins, If Voting Changed Anything They'd Abolish It, conducted journalism for the London Daily News, stood in for BBC Radio 2 disk-jockey Jimmy Young, and served as a judge for that year's Whitbread Prize. In 1989, Unwin Hyman published his second book, Livingstone's Labour: A Programme for the 90s, in which he expressed his views on a variety of issues, while that same year he was employed to promote Red Leicester cheese in adverts for the National Dairy Council and to appear in adverts for British Coal alongside Edwina Currie. In October 1991 Livingstone began writing a column for Rupert Murdoch's right-wing tabloid The Sun, a controversial move among British socialists. In his column he often discussed his love of amphibians and campaigned for the protection of the great crested newt, on the basis of which he was appointed vice president of the London Zoological Society in 1996–97. He subsequently began to write a food column for Esquire and then The Evening Standard, also making regular appearances on the BBC quiz show Have I Got News For You?. In 1995, Livingstone was invited to appear on the track "Ernold Same" by the band Blur.
Mayoral election: 2000
By 1996, various prominent public figures were arguing for the implementation of directly-elected mayors for large UK cities like London. The idea of a London mayor of a Greater London Authority had been included in Labour's 1997 election manifesto, and after their election a referendum was scheduled for May 1998, in which there was a 72% yes vote with a 34% turnout. With the first mayoral election scheduled for May 2000, in March 1998 Livingstone stated his intention to stand as a potential Labour candidate for the position. Blair did not want Livingstone as London Mayor, claiming that he was one of the leftists who "almost knocked [the party] over the edge of the cliff into extinction" during the 1980s. He and the Labour spin doctors organised a smear campaign against Livingstone to ensure that he was not selected, with Campbell and Sally Morgan unsuccessfully attempting to get Oona King to denounce Livingstone. They failed to convince Mo Mowlam to stand for the mayorship, and instead encouraged the reluctant Frank Dobson to stand. Recognising that a 'one member, one vote' election within the London Labour party would probably see Livingstone chosen over Dobson, Blair ensured that a third of the votes would come from the rank-and-file members, a third from the trade unions, and a third from Labour MPs and MEPs, the latter two of which he could pressure into voting for his own preferred candidate, something that Dobson was deeply uncomfortable with. Information on the Blairite smear campaign against Livingstone became public, costing Dobson much support; nevertheless, due to the impact of the MPs and MEPs, Dobson won the candidacy with 51% to Livingstone's 48%.
Livingstone proclaimed Dobson to be "a tainted candidate" and stated his intention to run for the Mayoralty as an independent candidate. Aware that this would result in his expulsion from Labour, he publicly stated that "I have been forced to choose between the party I love and upholding the democratic rights of Londoners." The polls indicated clear support for Livingstone among the London electorate, with his campaign being run by his Socialist Action associates. He gained the support of a wide range of celebrities, from musicians like Fatboy Slim, Pink Floyd, the Chemical Brothers, and Blur, artists like Damian Hirst and Tracey Emin, and those from other fields, among them Ken Loach, Jo Brand, and Chris Evans, the latter of whom donated £200,000 to the campaign; half of what Livingstone required. The election took place in May 2000, at which Livingstone came first with 58% of first and second-preference votes; Conservative candidate Steven Norris coming second and Dobson third. Livingstone tearfully started his acceptance speech with "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted 14 years ago..."
Following Livingstone's decision to run as an independent candidate, the left-wing Labour MP, Dennis Skinner, a former ally of Livingstone on Labour's National Executive Committee, denounced him for urging his supporters to help Green Party candidates (rather than Labour ones) get elected. Skinner said that Livingstone had betrayed party activists in his Brent East constituency, who he said had fought for him "like tigers" when his majority had been small: "He tells them he's going to be the Labour candidate, then he lies to them. To me that's as low as you can get". He contrasted Livingstone with the official Labour candidate, Frank Dobson, saying that Dobson was "a bloke and a half... not a prima donna ... not someone with an ego as big as a house". Skinner said that Mayor Livingstone would "hit the headlines, but you'll never be able to trust him because he's broken his pledge and his loyalty to his party... The personality cult of the ego does not work down a coal mine and it does not work in the Labour Party".
First mayoral term: 2000–04
Livingstone now had "the largest and most direct mandate of any politician in British history", receiving an annual salary of £87,000. It was the Mayor's job to oversee a number of subordinate bodies, including the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London (TfL), the London Development Agency, and the London Fire Brigade, and in doing so he was granted a number of executive powers. He would be scrutinised by the elected London Assembly, whose first chairman was Trevor Phillips, a Labour politician with a mutual dislike of Livingstone. Livingstone was permitted twelve principal advisers, many of whom were members of Socialist Action or people whom he had worked with on the GLC. Ross and Fletcher became two of his closest confidants, with Livingstone commenting that "They aren't just my closest political advisers... they're also mostly my best friends." In 2002, he promoted six of his senior aides, resulting in allegations of cronyism from Assembly members. The Mayoral office was initially based in temporary headquarters at Romney House in Marsham Street, Westminster, while a purpose-built building was constructed in Southwark; termed City Hall, it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2002, with Livingstone commenting that it resembled a "glass testicle."
Much of Livingstone's first two years were devoted to setting up the Mayoral system and administration. He also devoted much time to battling New Labour's plans to upgrade the London Underground system through a public–private partnership (PPP) program, believing it to be too expensive and tantamount to the privatisation of a state-owned service. He furthermore had strong concerns about safety; PPP would divide different parts of the Underground among various companies, something that he argued threatened a holistic safety and maintenance program. These concerns were shared by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) trade union, who went on strike over the issue, being joined on the picket line by Livingstone. Appointing Bob Kiley as transport commissioner, the duo argued that the upgrade should be carried out in state hands through a public bond issue, as had been done in the case of the New York City Subway. They launched court cases against the government over PPP in 2001–02, but were ultimately unsuccessful, and the project went ahead, with the Underground being privatised in January 2003.
Although he had initially stated that he would not do so, Livingstone's administration sought to phase out use of the Routemaster buses, the design for which dated to the 1950s. Although iconic, they were deemed hazardous and responsible for a high number of deaths and serious injuries as passengers climbed onto them, also being non-wheelchair accessible and thus not meeting the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The process was gradual, with the last Routemaster being decommissioned in December 2005. The Routemasters were replaced by a new fleet of 103 articulated buses, known colloquially as "bendy buses", which were launched in June 2002. While the Routemasters fitted 80 people on at one time, the articulated buses fitted up to 140 passengers, however they were deemed dangerous for cyclists. Attempting to reduce London's environmental impact, Livingstone created the London Hydrogen Partnership and the London Energy Partnership in his first term as Mayor of London. The Mayor's Energy Strategy, "green light to clean power," committed London to reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide by 20%, relative to the 1990 level, by 2010.
Deeming them vermin, Livingstone sought to remove the pigeons from Trafalgar Square; he tried to evict seed sellers and introduced hawks to scare the pigeons off. He pedestrianised the north side of the Square, transforming it into a public space with a cafe, public toilets, and a lift for the disabled. He introduced an annual Saint Patrick's Day festival to celebrate the contributions of the Irish to London, and revived London's free anti-racism music festival, now called Rise: London United, later attributing London's 35% decrease in racist attacks to this and other anti-racist policies. Continuing his support for LGBT rights, in 2001 he set up Britain's first register for same-sex couples; while falling short of legal marriage rights, the register was seen as a step towards the Civil Partnership Act 2004.
Livingstone's relationship with Kate Allen ended in November 2001, although they remained friends. He then started a relationship with Emma Beal, together having two children, Thomas (born December 2002) and Mia (born March 2004). At a May 2002 party in Tufnell Park, Livingstone got into an argument with Beal's friend Robin Hedges, a reporter for The Evening Standard. Beal subsequently fell off of a wall and bruised his ribs; the press claimed that Livingstone had pushed him, although he insisted that he did not. Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly referred the matter to the Standards Board for England, who ruled that there was no evidence for any wrongdoing on Livingstone's behalf.
As proposed in their election manifesto, in February 2003 Livingstone's administration introduced a congestion charge covering 8 square miles in central London, charging motorists £5 a day for driving through the area. It was introduced in an attempt to deter traffic and reduce congestion; Livingstone himself took the London Underground to work, and tried to inspire more Londoners to use public transport rather than cars. The policy was highly controversial, and strongly opposed by businesses, resident groups, the roads lobby, and the Labour government; many commentators recognised that if opposition resulted in the policy being abandoned then it could lead to the end of Livingstone's political career. That year, the Political Studies Association named Livingstone 'Politician of the Year' due to his implementation of the 'bold and imaginative' scheme. The scheme resulted in a marked reduction on traffic in central London, resulting in improved bus services, and by 2007, TfL could claim that the charge had reduced congestion by 20%. To further encourage the use of public transport, in June 2003, the Oyster card system was introduced, while bus and Underground journeys were made free for people aged 11 to 18.
In 2002, Livingstone came out in support of a proposal for the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London. He insisted however that the Games must be held in the East End, and result in an urban regeneration program centred on the Lee Valley. He gained the support of Labour's culture secretary Tessa Jowell, who convinced the government to back the plans in May 2003. In May 2004, the International Olympic Commission put London on the shortlist of potential locations for the Games, alongside Paris, Madrid, Moscow, and New York City; although Paris was widely believed to be the eventual victor, London would prove successful in its nomination. Another major development project was launched in February 2004 as the London Plan, in which Livingstone's administration laid out their intentions to deal with the city's major housing shortage by ensuring the construction of 30,000 new homes a year. It stressed that 50% of these should be deemed "affordable housing" although later critics would highlight that in actuality, the amount of "affordable housing" in these new constructions did not exceed 30%.
Livingstone had no control over government policy regarding immigration, which had resulted in a significant growth in foreign arrivals coming to London during his administration; from 2000 to 2005 London's population grew by 200,000 to reach 7.5 million. Livingstone did not oppose this, instead encouraging racial equality and celebrating the city's multiculturalism. Another policy over which Livingstone had no control was the U.K.'s involvement in the Iraq War, a U.S.-led invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government; Livingstone was a prominent critic of the conflict and involved himself in the Stop the War campaign. In November 2003, Livingstone made headlines for referring to US President George W. Bush as "the greatest threat to life on this planet," just before Bush's official visit to the UK. Livingstone also organised an alternative "Peace Reception" at City Hall "for everybody who is not George Bush," with anti-war Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic as the guest of honour.
Livingstone's success with the congestion charge and rejuvenation of Trafalgar Square led the Labour leadership to reconsider their position on him, with Blair re-admitting him to the party and asking that he stand as their Mayoral candidate for the 2004 election. Livingstone eagerly agreed, and Labour Mayoral candidate Nicky Gavron volunteered to take a subordinate position as his deputy. In campaigning for the election, Livingstone's campaign focused on highlighting what he deemed the achievements of his record: the congestion charge, free bus travel for under 11s, 1000 extra buses, and 5000 extra police officers, whereas his main competition, the Conservative Steve Norris, campaigned primarily on a policy of abolishing the congestion charge. Livingstone continued to court controversy throughout the campaign; in June 2004 he was quoted on The Guardian's website as saying: "I just long for the day I wake up and find that the Saudi Royal Family are swinging from lamp-posts and they've got a proper government that represents the people of Saudi Arabia", for which he was widely criticised. That same month he came under criticism from sectors of the left for urging RMT members to cross picket lines in a proposed Underground strike because the latest offer had been "extremely generous", leading RMT general secretary Bob Crow to step down as a TfL board member. In the London mayoral election, 2004, Livingstone was announced as the winner on 10 June 2004. He won 36% of first preference votes to Norris's 28% and Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes's 15%. When all the candidates except Livingstone and Norris were eliminated and the second preferences of those voters who had picked neither Livingstone or Norris as their first choice were counted, Livingstone won with 55% to Norris's 45%.
Second mayoral term: 2004–08
Amid the War on Terror and threat from Al Qaeda, Livingstone sought to build closer ties to the London's Muslim community, controversially agreeing to meet with Islamist groups like the Muslim Association of Britain alongside moderate organisations. In July 2004, he attended a conference discussing France's ban on the burka at which he talked alongside Islamist cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Livingstone described al-Qaradawi as "one of the most authoritative Muslim scholars in the world today" and argued that his influence could help stop the radicalisation of young British Muslims. The move was controversial, with Jewish and LGBT organisations criticising Livingstone, citing al-Qaradawi's record of anti-Semitic and homophobic remarks, with the meeting leading to a publicised argument between Livingstone and his former supporter Peter Tatchell. Livingstone continued to champion the Palestinian cause in the Israel-Palestine conflict, in March 2005 accusing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of being a "war criminal" responsible for the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre.
During his second term, Livingstone continued his support for London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, playing a crucial role in securing vital Russian support for the bid. On 6 July 2005, in a ceremony held in Singapore attended by Livingstone, London was announced as the victor, resulting in widespread celebration. The following day, British-born Islamist suicide bombers undertook three attacks on the Underground and another on a bus, killing 52 civilians. Livingstone gave a speech from Singapore denouncing the attackers as terrorists, before immediately returning to London. Informing the BBC that Western foreign policy was largely to blame for the attacks, his response to the situation was widely praised, even by opponents. Fearing an Islamophobic backlash against the city's Muslim minority, he initiated an advertising campaign to counter this, holding a rally for inter-community unity in Trafalgar Square. A second, failed suicide bombing attack took place on 21 July, and in the aftermath police officers shot dead a Brazilian tourist, Jean Charles de Menezes, whom they mistook for a bomber. Police initially lied about the killing, resulting in widespread condemnation, although Livingstone defended the actions of Metropolitan Police commissioner Ian Blair.
On his way home from a party in February 2005, Livingstone was accosted in the street by Oliver Finegold, a reporter for The Evening Standard. Aware that Finegold was Jewish, Livingstone accused him of acting "just like a concentration camp guard" and asserting that he worked for the "reactionary bigots... who supported fascism" at the Daily Mail and General Trust. Although The Evening Standard initially did not deem the comments newsworthy, they were leaked to The Guardian, resulting in accusations of anti-Semitism against Livingstone from the Board of Deputies of British Jews. There were many calls for Livingstone to apologise, including from Tony Blair, the London Assembly, a Holocaust survivors group and his deputy Gavron (the daughter of a Holocaust survivor), but he refused. The Standards Board for England asked the Adjudication Panel for England to deal with Livingstone on the issue, who in February 2006 found him guilty of bringing his office into disrepute and suspended him from office for a month. The decision was controversial, with Livingstone and many others arguing that an unelected board should not have the power to suspend an elected official. In October 2006 at the High Court of Justice, Justice Collins overturned the decision to suspend Livingstone.
Although he had aggravated much of London's Jewish community, Livingstone denied being anti-semitic, holding regular meetings with the city's Jewish groups and introducing public Hanukkah celebrations in Trafalgar Square in December 2005. He came under further accusations of anti-semitism in March 2006 for asserting that the wealthy businessmen David and Simon Reuben should return to Iran if they did not like Britain; he claimed he had mistakenly believed them to be Iranian Muslims, whereas in reality they were Indian Jews. Livingstone refused calls for him to apologise to the Reubens, instead offering "a complete apology to the people of Iran for the suggestion that they may be linked in any way to the Reuben brothers."
In March 2006 Livingstone publicly criticised foreign embassies in London who refused to pay the congestion charge under the conditions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. His criticism focused on US diplomat Robert Tuttle, condemning him as a "chiselling little crook" whose embassy was refusing to pay the £1.5 million he believed it owed. In February 2007, Livingstone's administration doubled the congestion charge zone by extending it westwards into Kensington and Chelsea, despite opposition from resident groups. In October 2007, the government agreed to go ahead with Crossrail, a £16 billion project to construct a train line under central London, linking Berkshire to Essex. Meanwhile, Livingstone felt vindicated in his former opposition to PPP when one of the companies who now controlled part of the Underground, Metronet, collapsed in July 2007, with the state having to intervene to protect the service. Livingstone had also welcomed the construction of skyscrapers in London, giving the go ahead for 15 to be constructed during his Mayoralty, including 30 St Mary Axe and The Shard. He considered it necessary to fill the demand for office space, but was criticised by groups and individuals, most notably Charles, Prince of Wales, concerned about the preservation of historic skylines.
In May 2006, Livingstone welcomed Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to London, hosting an event for him at City Hall. This was condemned by various Conservatives claiming that Chávez's democratic socialist government had undermined pluralistic democracy. Livingstone proceeded to accept the presidency of the pro-Chávez Venezuelan Information Centre. In November 2006, Livingstone travelled to Latin America to visit Chávez, during which he and his entourage stayed in Cuba at a cost of £29,000; many British sources condemned the visit as a waste of tax-payer's money. In August 2007, it was announced that Livingstone had come to an agreement with oil-rich Venezuela; Chávez's government would supply £16 million a year worth of free oil to TfL, who would use it to subsidise half priced bus fares for 250,000 Londoners on benefits. In return, London would provide expertise in running transport, as well as other services such as CCTV and waste management.
Livingstone helped organise the first "Eid in the Square" event at Trafalgar Square in commemoration of the Islamic Eid ul-Fitr festival in October 2006. In May 2007, Livingstone travelled to New York City to attend the C40 conference of major world cities to deal with environmentalist issues. One of the leading figures of the conference, he called for other cities to adopt congestion charging as an environmental measure. In August 2007, he issued a public apology on behalf of London for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. He selected the anniversary of the Haitian Revolution on which to do it, and in his tearful speech asserted that it was the resistance of enslaved persons rather than the philanthropy of wealthy whites that led to the trade's end. A week later he attended the unveiling of the statue of Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square, where he met with Nelson Mandela. In June 2007, Livingstone criticised the planned £200 million Thames Water Desalination Plant at Beckton, which will be the United Kingdom's first, calling it "misguided and a retrograde step in UK environmental policy", and that "we should be encouraging people to use less water, not more." In October 2007, London Councils stated Livingstone had gone back on his promise to chair the developing London Waste and Recycling Board, and to provide £6 million of funding for the project, because "the government had failed to provide him with absolute control of the Board."
Livingstone intended to stand again as Labour candidate in the London Mayoral election, 2008, this time against Conservative candidate Boris Johnson. At the start of the campaign Livingstone took Johnson more seriously than many others were doing, referring to him as "the most formidable opponent I will face in my political career." Much of Labour's campaign revolved around criticising Johnson for perceived racist and homophobic comments that he had made in the past, although Johnson strenuously denied that he was bigoted. Livingstone also proposed that if he were to win a third term he would increase the congestion charge fee to £25 for the most polluting vehicles, while removing it for the least, and that he would also introduce a cycling scheme based on the Vélib' system in Paris. As part of his campaign, Livingstone highlighted that by 2008, the Metropolitan Police had 35,000 officers, 10,000 more than it had had in 2000, also highlighting statistics to indicate falling crime rates across the city during his Mayorship. Nevertheless, there had been a recent rise in gang killing among young people, with 27 teenagers having been killed in gang warfare during 2007, a statistic used by Johnson's campaign who emphasised the idea that a Johnson administration would be far tougher on youth crime and anti-social behaviour. Further controversy rocked Livingstone's campaign in December 2007 when Evening Standard journalist Andrew Gilligan alleged that one of Livingstone's close advisers, Lee Jasper, had siphoning off at least £2.5 million from the London Development Agency to fund black community groups with which he was closely associated. Livingstone stood by Jasper and claimed that the Evening Standard campaign was racist, but ultimately agreed to suspend Jasper while a full investigation took place. An independent report into the affair by District auditor Michael Haworth-Maden in July 2009 found no evidence of "misappropriation of funds" but noted "significant" gaps in financial paperwork. The election took place in May 2008, and witnessed a turnout of approximately 45% of eligible voters, with Johnson receiving 43.2% and Livingstone 37% of first-preference votes; when second-preference votes were added, Johnson proved victorious with 53.2% to Livingstone's 46.8%.
Continued activism
"Obviously everyone respects the decision of the electorate. But it is already clear that Boris Johnson's Tory regime is one of decline [in] London: economic decline, social decline, cultural decline and environmental decline. This is the real root of the incompetence [his administration] has shown in its first two months in office. I believe this will become increasingly obvious and therefore I will use the normal methods of democratic debate to convince electors that the previous policies were successful and the new ones will fail."
Ken Livingstone (2008)
Newly elected, Mayor Johnson paid tribute to Livingstone and his "very considerable achievements", hoping that the new administration could "discover a way in which the mayoralty can continue to benefit from your transparent love of London". Johnson's administration nevertheless reversed a number of Livingstone's policies, for instance overturning the deal for Venezuelan oil. Intent on giving Venezuela the "advice that we promised", in August 2008 Livingstone announced that he would be advising urban planning in Caracas. Livingstone predicted that in twenty years it could become a "first-world city", and hoped to help with his "very extensive network of contacts both domestically and internationally".
In January 2009, Livingstone responded to the Gaza War by calling for the European Union and the UK to bring home their ambassadors to Israel to express disapproval for the "slaughter and systematic murder of innocent Arabs". From September 2009 to March 2011, Livingstone presented the book review programme Epilogue for the Iranian state-sponsored international news channel Press TV, for which he came under criticism from Iranian exile groups. In July 2010, he spoke at the Durham Miners' Gala, praising working class culture. He also used the speech to attack spending cuts by the new coalition government, claiming they were not necessary. In September 2010, Livingstone criticised the public spending cuts announced by the recently elected Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, which he stated amounted to £45 billion a year for London alone, and were "beyond Margaret Thatcher's wildest dreams" as well as threatening to result in widespread division and poverty across the capital. In May 2011, Livingstone said he was "appalled" that Osama bin Laden had been shot dead by US Special forces "in his pyjamas" and "in front of his kid," and that the values of a western democracy would have been best demonstrated if Bin Laden had been put on trial and his words challenged.
Livingstone stood for the Labour candidacy as 2012 Mayoral candidate. His campaign attracted criticism when he joked that the election was "a simple choice between good and evil", and when he was accused of antisemitism by Jewish Labour supporters for suggesting that being largely wealthy, the Jewish community would not vote for him. He denied making the comments, but nevertheless apologised. Johnson's campaign emphasised the accusation that Livingstone was guilty of tax evasion, for which Livingstone called Johnson a "bare-faced liar". The political scientist Andrew Crines believed that Livingstone's campaign suffered from its focus on criticising Johnson rather than presenting an alternate and progressive vision of London's future, also suggesting that after decades in the public eye, Livingstone had come to be seen as an over-familiar and politically tired figure by the London electorate. On 4 May 2012 Livingstone was defeated in the London 2012 Mayoral Elections by the incumbent Mayor, Boris Johnson. There was only a difference of 62,538 votes between the 2 candidates with Livingstone receiving 992,273 votes and Johnson receiving 1,054,811 votes. Livingstone criticised bias in the media and declared that he would be bowing out of politics.
He remained publicly critical of Johnson over the coming years; in April 2014, he admitted that while he had once feared Johnson as "the most hardline right-wing ideologue since Thatcher", over the course of Johnson's mayoralty, he had instead concluded that he was "a fairly lazy tosser who just wants to be there" but who does very little work. In May 2015, he endorsed Sadiq Khan to be the Labour candidate for the 2016 London mayoral election, and in July then endorsed Jeremy Corbyn in the 2015 Labour Party leadership election. After Corbyn was elected Labour leader, Livingstone was one of his most prominent allies; in November 2015 Corbyn appointed Livingstone to co-convene Labour's defense review alongside Maria Eagle.
On 18 November 2015 Livingstone "unreservedly apologised" for suggesting that shadow defence minister Kevan Jones, who had criticised him, needed "psychiatric help". Livingstone initially refused to apologise, despite being urged to do so by Jeremy Corbyn, who had just appointed him as joint chair of Labour's defence review. Livingstone faced further calls to be sacked from his defence review post from Shadow Cabinet members following a television appearance in which he blamed the July 7th London bombings on British military action in Iraq, saying the bombers "gave their lives, they said what they believed, they took Londoners' lives in protest against our invasion of Iraq".
Ken Livingstone Political views
"Ken never had a very clear political philosophy. Ken never read philosophical books from a political point of view. He had a gut feeling; he was always opposed to exploitation and inequalities in a big way. He had a social conscience and wanted to do something about it. But he saw it within the existing parliamentary and political system. He didn't consider taking up arms against anybody as a way forward or dramatically changing the electoral system. He thought you could persuade and change the Labour Party."
Ted Knight on Livingstone.
Within the Labour Party, Livingstone was aligned with the hard left. Historian Alwyn W. Turner noted that Livingstone's entire approach to politics revolved not simply around providing public services, but in trying to change society itself; in his words, he wanted to get away from the concept of "old white men coming along to general management committees and talking about rubbish collection." Biographer John Carvel, a journalist from The Guardian, remarked that Livingstone's political motivation was a "fundamental desire... for a more participative, cooperative society", leading him to oppose "concentrations of power and... exploitation in all its forms – economic, racial and sexual." However, Livingstone has also described his approach to fiscal policy as "monetarist": "I was a monetarist right from the beginning when I was leader of the GLC. We paid down debt every year. We had an absolutely firm rule."
Livingstone describes himself as a socialist. In 1987, he stated that "politics is my religion. It's my moral framework. I believe a socialist society is inherently the best thing, and that's like an act of faith." In 2007, he stated that "I still believe one day that the idea that the main means of production are owned by private individuals... will be considered as anti-democratic as the idea serfs could be tied to the land. But I will not be alive when that day comes." Livingstone had always worked towards a unified socialist front on the British left, and disliked the tendency towards splintering and forming rival factions, usually over issues of political theory, among the socialist community. Although rejecting Marxism, throughout his political career he has worked alongside Marxist far-left groups and has become involved with the "politics of the street". He has however not worked with those Marxist groups, such as the Socialist Workers Party and the Revolutionary Communist Party, who advocate the destruction of the Labour Party as the way forward for socialism, seeing their beliefs as incompatible with his own.
Livingstone has consistently rejected being defined under any particular ideological current of socialism. Recognising this, in 2000, the former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock asserted that Livingstone could only be defined as a "Kennist". Livingstone's understanding of politics arises from his studies of animal behaviour and anthropology; rejecting the idea that the human species is naturally progressing (a view advocated by socialists like the Fabian Society), Livingstone instead took the view that human society is still coming to terms with the massive socio-economic changes that it experienced upon the development of agriculture during the Neolithic. Highlighting that a hunter-gatherer mode of subsistence is more natural to the human species, he believes that modern society has to adopt many hunter-gatherer values – namely mutual co-operation and emphasis on human relationships rather than consumerism – in order to survive.
Ken Livingstone Personal life
Historian Alwyn W. Turner noted that Livingstone was a "gifted communicator and self-publicist" who was able to stump his opponents using his "mischievous sense of humour". Biographer John Carvel echoed these comments, highlighting that Livingstone had a "talent for public speaking". Biographer Andrew Hosken noted that many of those who had worked with Livingstone had commented on him being an excellent boss, who was "a good delegator, decisive and supportive" as well as being "a friendly and modest colleague." Jenny McCartney, a reporter from The Spectator, expressed the view that "in person he is hard to dislike. There's a notable absence of pomposity in his manner, a propensity to laughter, and his love of an ideological scrap is allied to a calm, sometimes wry style of delivery: it looks fiercer on paper."
On the issue of nationality, Livingstone has expressed the view that he identifies as English rather than British, although his father was Scottish and he supports the continued existence of the United Kingdom. Although raised into a nominally Christian family, Livingstone renounced religious belief when he was eleven, becoming an atheist. In a 2005 interview he commented that in doing so he had rejected "mumbo-jumbo in favour of rational science." The British Humanist Association identifies him as one of its distinguished supporters. He is known for his enthusiasm for gardening and keeping and breeding newts. He was the first person to breed the Western Dwarf Clawed Frog Hymenochirus curtipes in captivity. Livingstone is a big fan of The Godfather film franchise, stating that the actions of the criminal organisations within the movies are very much akin to the world of politics.
Family
Livingstone repeatedly attempted to keep his family life private, commenting that "I expect that my private life is not in the public domain and I'm rude to any journalist who turns up... at home". It is known that he has five children. Livingstone married Christine Pamela Chapman in 1973; the marriage ended in divorce in 1982. Around that time he became involved with Kate Allen, now director of Amnesty International in the UK; the couple separated in November 2001. He then entered a relationship with his office manager, Emma Beal; they have two children together: Thomas, born 14 December 2002 at the University College Hospital, London, and a daughter, Mia, born on 20 March 2004 at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. Livingstone and Beal married on 26 September 2009 in the Mappin Pavilion of London Zoo. They live in North London.
Livingstone had also fathered three children prior to 2000; a boy by one mother and two girls by another. Neither the children nor their mothers have been named in the media, although The Sun claimed that "all the children meet up for Sunday lunch – while his former lovers take it in turns to cook". The children were born to two different women while Livingstone was involved with Kate Allen, according to an article by Decca Aitkenhead:
In his memoir, he describes how one was an old friend who was keen to have children but feared she was running out of time. "We had never been involved romantically but I knew her well enough to know she would be a wonderful mother and so I said I would like to be the father of her children." A daughter was born in 1990, and another in 1992. Then another friend said she'd like to have children: "And we agreed to have a baby." Their son was born within weeks of his daughter in 1992.
Ken Livingstone Legacy and influence
Throughout his career, Livingstone polarised public opinion, and was widely recognised as a risk-taker. Supporters described him as the "People's Ken" and an "anti-politician politician", opining that he had the common touch with working-class Londoners that most British politicians lacked. He was widely recognised for having improved the status of minority groups in London. He was also deemed a "formidable operator" at City Hall, with an "intimate knowledge" of London.
He was also widely criticised and denounced during his career. During his Mayorship, he faced repeated accusations of cronyism for favouring his chosen aides over other staff. One of his supporters, Atma Singh, commented that under Livingstone's leadership, a culture of bullying pervaded at City Hall, although this was denied by many other staff there. Livingstone has also been criticised by various British far-left groups like the Socialist Workers Party and the Alliance for Workers' Liberty, who have deemed his reformist politics to be insufficiently radical and condemned him for backing the Metropolitan Police and big business while criticising the RMT trade union during his Mayorship.
Throughout his career, Livingstone was referenced in popular culture. During the 1980s, Spitting Image featured a fictionalised version of Livingstone voiced by Harry Enfield. In 1990, BBC show The Comic Strip produced an episode entitled "GLC: The Carnage Continues..." in which Robbie Coltrane played a fictionalised portrayal of Charles Bronson playing Livingstone in a Hollywood movie. Kate Bush wrote the song "Ken" for the episode, which was then released as a B-side to her single "Love and Anger".
^ a b BBC News 2009.
^ Moore 2007; Purnell 2011, p.314; Eaton 2014.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.26, 28; Hosken 2008, p.1.
^ Carvel 1984, p.27; Carvel 1999, p.17; Hosken 2008, pp.1–2.
^ "Births England and Wales 1837–1915". Freebmd.org.uk. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.27–28; Carvel 1999, pp.18, 36; Hosken 2008, p.2; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.32–33.
^ Barratt, Nick (7 April 2007). "Family Detective:Ken Livingstone". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.27–28; Hosken 2008, pp.1–2; Livingstone 2011, p.1.
^ Carvel 1984, p.28.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.28–30, 32; Hosken 2008, p.4.
^ Carvel 1984, p.32; Hosken 2008, p.11.
^ a b Livingstone 2005.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.31–32; Hosken 2008, pp.4–6; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.33.
^ Carvel 1984. pp. 31–32.
^ Carvel 1984, p.37; Livingstone 1987, p.14; Hosken 2008, p.8.
^ Carvel 1984, p.35.
^ Carvel 1984, p.36; Hosken 2008, p.7; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.33.
^ Carvel 1984, p.37; Hosken 2008, p.9.
^ Carvel 1984, p.38; Livingstone 1987, p.13; Hosken 2008, pp.9–10; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.33.
^ Carvel 1984, p.39; Livingstone 1987, p.14; Hosken 2008, p.11.
^ Carvel 1984, p.38; Livingstone 1987, p.14.
^ Carvel 1984, p.38; Hosken 2008, p.11; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.33.
^ Carvel 1984, p.39; Livingstone 1987, p.14.
^ Livingstone 1987, p.11.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.39–40; Livingstone 1987, p.11; Hosken 2008, pp.13–14.
^ Carvel 1984, p.41; Hosken 2008, p.14.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.12–13.
^ Carvel 1984, p.40; Livingstone 1987, p.13; Hosken 2008, p.15.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.44–45; Hosken 2008, pp.16–18.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.16–17.
^ Carvel 1984, p.41; Livingstone 1987, pp.18–19; Hosken 2008, p.20.
^ Carvel 1984, p.44.
^ Carvel 1984, p.42; Livingstone 1987, p.21; Hosken 2008, p.21.
^ Carvel 1984, p.42; Livingstone 1987, p.23.
^ Livingstone 1987. p. 26.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.42–43; Livingstone 1987, pp.26–27; Hosken 2008, pp.22–23.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.28–31, 33.
^ Carvel 1984, p.45; Livingstone 1987, pp.40, 42; Hosken 2008, p.39.
^ Livingstone 1987, p.42; Hosken 2008, p.39.
^ Livingstone 1987, p.38; Hosken 2008, pp.55-56.
^ Carvel 1984, p.42; Hosken 2008, p.56.
^ Carvel 1984, p.54; Livingstone 1987, pp.47, 53–55; Hosken 2008, pp.46–47.
^ Hosken 2008, p.57.
^ Carvel 1984, p.59; Livingstone 1987, p.70; Hosken 2008, p.48.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.59, 61–62; Hosken 2008, p.50.
^ Carvel 1984, p.63; Livingstone 1987, pp.83–84; Hosken 2008, pp.57–59.
^ Carvel 1984, p.63.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.63–65; Livingstone 1987, pp.96–99; Hosken 2008, pp.57–59.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.52–53.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.67–68; Livingstone 1987, pp.86, 89; Hosken 2008, p.60.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.61-62.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.66–67; Livingstone 1987, pp.99–100; Hosken 2008, pp.62–63.
^ Carvel 1984, p.67; Hosken 2008, p.64.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.67–68; Livingstone 1987, pp.90–91; Hosken 2008, pp.67–69; Turner 2010, p.32.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.90, 92–94, 107–113; Hosken 2008, pp.72–77.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.87, 91, 105; Hosken 2008, pp.96, 98.
^ Carvel 1984, p.14; Hosken 2008, pp.77–78.
^ Carvel 1984, p.10; Livingstone 1987, pp.133–136; Hosken 2008, p.84.
^ Carvel 1984, p.15; Livingstone 1987, p.137.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.16–18; Livingstone 1987, pp.138–140; Hosken 2008, pp.88–91.
^ Carvel 1984, p.20.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.18–20; Hosken 2008, p.95.
^ Carvel 1984, p.19; Hosken 2008, pp.94–95.
^ Livingstone 1987, pp.144–145; Hosken 2008, pp.91–92.
^ a b Livingstone 1987, p.151; Hosken 2008, p.100.
^ Carvel 1984, p.86; Hosken 2008, p.92.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.100–101.
^ Carvel 1984, p.86; Hosken 2008, pp.94–96, 98.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.13–14.
^ Carvel 1984, p.88; Hosken 2008, p.98; Turner 2010, p.80.
^ Hosken 2008, p.110.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.184–185; Hosken 2008, pp.137–138.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.149, 195.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.166–175; Hosken 2008, pp.174–181.
^ Carvel 1984, p.199.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.83–84; Hosken 2008, p.101.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.115–118.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.128–133; Hosken 2008, pp.117–118.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.135–136.
^ a b Hosken 2008, pp.142–145.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.148.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.142–143.
^ a b Turner 2010, p.90.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.142–148; Turner 2010, p.154.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.145–146; Turner 2010, p.155.
^ Hosken 2008, p.156.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.90–91; Livingstone 1987, pp.145–146; Hosken 2008, p.99; Turner 2010, p.78.
^ Carvel 1984, p.86; Livingstone 1987, pp.151–152; Hosken 2008, pp.99–100.
^ Carvel 1984, p.153; Turner 2010, p.86.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.182–184; Hosken 2008, pp.126–135.
^ Hosken 2008, p.139.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.88–90, 100; Hosken 2008, pp.103–104.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.104–105.
^ Carvel 1984, pp.95–97; Hosken 2008, pp.158–159; Turner 2010, p.86.
^ Carvel 1984, p.98; Hosken 2008, p.159.
^ Hosken 2008, p.161.
^ Matthew Tempest, "Loyalists planned to kill Livingstone", The Guardian, 10 June 2003
^ "My plot to murder Livingstone, by former hitman" thisislondon.co.uk, 1 November 2006
^ Carvel 1984, pp.157–159; Hosken 2008, pp.165–168.
^ Carvel 1984, p.160; Hosken 2008, p.169.
^ a b Carvel 1984, p.161.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.417.
^ Carvel 1984, p.156.
^ a b Hosken 2008, pp.328–332; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.22–23.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.404–405; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.26.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.405–406; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.26.
^ a b "Mayor of London, the London Assembly and the Greater London Authority, "London Climate Change Agency,"". Archived from the original on 3 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
^ Hosken 2008, p.333; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.27.
^ Hosken 2008, p.353; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.27.
^ "Irish London". BBC London. 12 October 2005.
^ Ken Livingstone (6 June 2006). "Festivals play their part in fighting racism". The Guardian (London).
^ Hosken 2008, pp.413–414; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.18.
^ Hosken 2008, p.339.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.339–342; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.39–40.
^ Hosken 2003, pp.342–348; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.24.
^ "Political Studies Association Awards 2003" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.350–351.
^ "Congestion charge zone increases". BBC News. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.407–408; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.26–27.
^ Hosken 2008, p.408.
^ "Profile: Ken Livingstone". BBC News. 9 May 2003. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.353–355; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.13, 39.
^ Hosken 2008, p.356.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.357.
^ Ashley, Jackie (8 April 2004). "Jail Sharon and create 50% top tax rate, says Livingstone". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 26 April 2012.
^ "Anger at Livingstone Saudi 'rant'". BBC News. 8 April 2004.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.14–15.
^ Hélène Mulholland (11 June 2004). "Livingstone re-elected as London mayor". The Guardian.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.377–378.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.279–282; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.41.
^ Ken Livingstone (4 March 2005). "This is about Israel, not anti-semitism". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.265–266.
^ "Mayor blames Middle East policy". BBC News. 20 July 2005.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.18; Purnell 2011, p.330.
^ Hosken 2008, p.374.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.375–377.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.385–386; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.40.
^ Tryhorn, Chris (10 February 2005). "Livingstone attacks 'scumbag' Standard". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.387–388; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.40.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.390–391; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.40.
^ "London Assembly censures Livingstone over Nazi jibe". The Scotsman. 15 February 2005.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.388–340; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.40–41.
^ "Mayor is suspended over Nazi jibe". BBC News. 24 February 2006.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.398–340; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.40–41.
^ "Ken's suspension order thrown out". BBC News. 5 October 2006.
^ Hosken 2008, p.397.
^ "Mayor hosts ceremony for Hanukkah". Mayor Of London. 3 December 2005.
^ City Hall marks Jewish festival – BBC News. 28 December 2005
^ Hosken 2008, p.425.
^ "Mayor defiant over Olympics row". BBC News. 21 March 2006.
^ Hosken 2008, p.406; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.24.
^ Hosken 2008, p.407; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.23–24.
^ Hosken 2008, p.407.
^ Hosken 2008, p.409; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.28.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.419–420.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.418–419.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.421–422; Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.42.
^ "Oil deal signals lower bus fares". BBC News. 20 August 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2010.; "Livingstone secures cheap oil from Chávez". Financial Times. 20 February 2007.
^ Londoners United and Rejoicing – Muslim Council of Britain Press release.
^ Hosken 2008, p.423.
^ Hosken 2008, p.424.
^ "Mayor critical of government plans to approve desalination plant". Greater London Authority. 15 June 2007.
^ "London Councils expresses regret at Mayor's decision to dump waste and recycling board". London Councils. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
^ Hosken 2008, p.426.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.67; Purnell 2011, p.314.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.426–427; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.67–69; Purnell 2011, p.315.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, p.100.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.412.
^ Hosken 2008, p.411; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.20–21, 101.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.427–431; Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.79–82, 97–98, 103–104.
^ "Auditor clears former aide to Ken Livingstone". The Independent on Sunday (London). 12 July 2009. pp.28, 29.
^ Edwards & Isaby 2008, pp.200–201.
^ Owen 2008.
^ "Johnson wins London mayoral race". BBC News. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
^ a b c "Livingstone to be Chavez adviser". BBC news. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
^ a b Hamilton, Fiona (29 August 2008). "Ken Livingstone is new transport adviser for Hugo Chávez". The Times (London). Retrieved 29 August 2008.
^ a b c Carroll, Rory (28 August 2008). "Livingstone to advise Chávez on urban issues". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 29 August 2008.
^ a b c d "Livingstone advises Caracas". The Press Association. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
^ age last updated Stars call for ceasefire in Gaza, BBC, 2 January 2009.
^ Annie Lennox calls for end to Gaza bombardment, Associated Press, 2 January 2009.
^ Martin Fletcher (20 January 2011). "Exiles outraged at Livingstone role on Iran TV mouthpiece". The Times. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
^ "Ken Livingstone under fire for earning thousands from Iranian TV role". Thisislondon. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ http://counterfire.org/index.php/news/61-reports/5897-durham-miners-gala
^ "‘Red’ Ken making miners' gala debut". The Northern Echo. 10 July 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
^
^ Ross, Tim (17 April 2012). "Ken Livingstone: Bin Laden should not have been shot". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
^ Dominiczak 2011.
^ "Ken Livingstone: Jews won't vote Labour because they are rich". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ Cusick, James (22 March 2012). "Livingstone 'says Jews are too rich to vote for him'". The Independent (London). Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ "Former London mayor forced to apologize over controversial remarks to Jewish activists". Haaretz. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ Crines 2013, p.3.
^ Crines 2013, p.2.
^ Crines 2013, p.5.
^ Sparrow, Andrew (4 May 2012). "Boris Johnson wins London mayoral election: Politics live blog". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
^ "London mayor: Boris Johnson wins second term by tight margin". BBC News. 5 May 2012.
^ George Eaton (30 April 2014). "Ken Livingstone: "Boris is a lazy tosser who just wants to be there"". New Statesman.
^ Pippa Crerar (18 May 2015). "Former mayoral rivals for Labour ticket join forces to back Sadiq Khan". The Evening Standard.
^ "Jeremy Corbyn could be prime minster - Ken Livingstone". bbc.co.uk. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
^ George Eaton (17 November 2015). "Ken Livingstone to co-convene Labour's defence review". New Statesman.
^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34853430]
^ Watt, Nicholas (1 December 2015). "Blair guilty of 'criminal irresponsibility' over Iraq war, says Livingstone". Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
^ "Ken Livingstone: Tony Blair to blame for 7/7 bombings". BBC. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
^ a b Hosken 2008. p. 29.
^ Carvel 1984. p. 178.
^ a b Turner 2010. p. 79.
^ Carvel 1984. p. 194.
^ Greig, Geordie (13 July 2010). "Ken Livingstone: I was a weedy kid but, like Boris, I survived on my wits". London Evening Standard (London). Retrieved 17 May 2014.
^ Hosken 2008, p.244.
^ Livingstone, Ken (25 January 2007). "Davos 07: why should a socialist mayor come?". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 10 March 2011.
^ Carvel 1984. pp. 68–69, 178.
^ Hosken 2008. p. 26.
^ "British Humanist Association". Humanism.org.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
^ Livingstone 2011, p.38.
^ Would I Lie to You? Series 3 Episode 2. BBC Television. First broadcast 17 August 2009.
^ Hosken 2008. p. 66.
^ Hosken 2008, pp.337–338.
^ Hosken 2008, p.337; Edwards & Isaby 2009, p.144.
^ Womack, Sarah (6 November 2001). "Livingstone splits up with long-time lover". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 4 April 2010.
^ a b Hosken 2008, p.337.
^ Brian Flynn and Anthony France, "Bed Hopper Ken Livingstone", The Sun, 5 April 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
^ Decca Aitkenhead, "Ken Livingstone: 'It's an autobiography, not porn'", The Guardian, 21 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
^ Hosken 2008, p.432.
Carvel, John (1984). Citizen Ken. London: Chatto & Windus. ISBN978-0701139292.
Carvel, John (1999). Turn Again Livingstone. Hatton Garden, London: Profile Books. ISBN978-1-86197-131-9.
Crines, Andrew S. (2013). "Why did Boris Johnson win the 2012 mayoral election?". Public Policy and Administration Research 3 (9): 1–7.
Edwards, Giles; Isaby, Jonathan (2008). Boris v. Ken: How Boris Johnson Won London. London: Politico's. ISBN978-1842752258.
Hosken, Andrew (2008). Ken: The Ups and Downs of Ken Livingstone. Arcadia Books. ISBN978-1-905147-72-4.
Livingstone, Ken (1987). If Voting Changed Anything They'd Abolish it. London: Collins. ISBN0-00-217770-6.
Livingstone, Ken (1990). Livingstone's Labour. London: HarperCollins. ISBN978-0044407324.
Livingstone, Ken (17 November 2005). Ken Livingstone interview. Something Jewish. Interview with Leslie Bunder (Jewish.co.uk). Retrieved 3 May 2011.
Livingstone, Ken (2011). You Can't Say That: Memoirs. Faber and Faber. ISBN978-0571280414.
McCartney, Jenny (13 September 2014). "So, Ken Livingstone, do you like Boris personally? 'No'". The Spectator.
Mcneill, Donald (2002). "Livingstone's London: Left Politics and the World City". Regional Studies 36 (1): 75-80.
Moore, Charles (21 April 2007). "Make London part of Britain Again". The Telegraph.
Purnell, Sonia (2011). Just Boris: Boris Johnson: The Irresistible Rise of a Political Celebrity. London: Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN1-84513-665-9.
Turner, Alwyn W. (2010). Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s. London: Aurum Press. ISBN978-1-84513-525-6.
Mulholland, Hélène (24 September 2010). "Ken Livingstone beats Oona King to Labour nomination for London mayor". The Guardian (London: Guardian Media Group).
Owen, Paul (18 July 2008). "Ken Livingstone to run again for London mayor". The Guardian (London: Guardian Media Group).
"Ken Livingstone ties knot at zoo". London: BBC News. 26 September 2009.
| i don't know |
In which American city do the Spurs play basketball? | San Antonio Spurs | The Official Site of the San Antonio Spurs
Inspiring The Next Generation
January 13, 2017
Fifteen Sam Houston High School seniors are the first graduating class of the Spurs’ InspireU program, a workplace mentoring program facilitated through Big Brothers Big Sisters, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the mayor’s office. Since 2011, SS&E employees have had regular meetings with their matched student and watched them grow up.
Building The Future In Austin
January 6, 2016
In the 10th season of the San Antonio Spurs’ ownership of the Austin Spurs, the organization’s use of the D-League reached another milestone. For the first time in franchise history, the majority of players on the Spurs roster – 8 out of 14 – have D-League experience.
| San Antonio |
Who was the last Whig Prime Minister of Great Britain (1846- 1852)? | San Antonio Spurs Basketball - Spurs News, Scores, Stats, Rumors & More - ESPN
Commissioner Adam Silver said fans can expect the NBA to play more contests in Mexico and that the league also is exploring the possibility of adding a franchise in Mexico City.
ESPN Stats and Information
Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard entered tonight's game with 30 or more points in his last two games, shooting at least 60 percent from the field in each outing. The last Spurs player to do that in three games in succession was Tim Duncan early in 2004. In the first quarter, Leonard had two points on 1-of-2 shooting.
share
Jugadores a seguir: Suns vs. Spurs
share
El segundo partido de temporada regular de la NBA está por disputarse y aunque se vislumbra un duelo disparejo, estos jugadores seguramente se llevarán las palmas. Leer
share
México verá a un favorito al título de la NBA
share
Los San Antonio Spurs se presentan este sábado en la Arena Ciudad de México ante los Phoenix Suns. Leer
share
San Antonio Spurs quiere saldar deuda con fans mexicanos
share
San Antonio no pudo jugar el 4 de diciembre de 2013 en México debido a un imponderable en la Arena Ciudad de México y ahora buscan saldar esa deuda. Leer
share
Michael C. Wright ESPN Staff Writer
Here's part of the game program complete with rules to help you learn the game.
share
play0:42
Michael C. Wright ESPN Staff Writer
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on whether the NBA can help relations between the U.S. and Mexico.
share
| i don't know |
In which American city do the Timberwolves play basketball? | Minnesota Timberwolves | The Official Site of the Minnesota Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns gets the feed in the lane and rises for the two-hand flush.
19 hours ago
Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitterRicky Rubio will be the first to admit that he had a...
19 hours ago
John and Cal preview the upcoming week for the Wolves which includes big road games against the...
20 hours ago
The Wolves face off against the Spurs tonight in San Antonio.Minnesota is 3-1 in its last four...
21 hours ago
| Minnesota |
Which comedian and actor presents the Radio 4 Programme 'The Unbelievable Truth? | NBA Basketball Arenas - Minnesota Timberwolves Home Arena - Target Center
NBA Basketball Arena Review - Target Center
If you are an avid Minnesota Timberwolves fan, you know that there is nothing like hearing the roar of the crowd at Target Center when the T'Wolves are winning a basketball game. Visiting the Target Center for the first time allows you to see one of the classiest buildings in the NBA, but there is much more to this arena than just its posh styling. In 2004, more than 1,500 seats were added to the 19,000 that were part of the original building. This allows for even more fans to watch all of the exciting on-court action and cheer on their favorite NBA team. A new state-of-the-art 9-by-16 foot video screen hangs above the Target Center floor and its premium LED lighting makes it easy to follow the live action.
Getting to the Target Center couldn't be easier. If you are looking to drive your own vehicle to the arena, there is a very concerted effort to keep the flow of traffic moving in an orderly fashion so everyone can make it to the game on time. Whether you are coming from the north on I-35 or from the west on 394 East, there are many different ways to access Target Center. Be advised, however, that the addition of Target Field to the area has changed some flows of traffic, so be aware that there is the possibility that you might need to take a different route than you are used to. Public transportation is also an option for visitors to the Target Center. Its location 1 block away from Warehouse District Light Rail Station makes it very convenient to arrive at the game by means of bus. There is also a train that is available to transport you to and from games so you do not have to worry about the stress of finding parking in the area.
Hubert's Sports Bar & Grill is located inside the arena for your pre and post-game meals. With a wide selection of available beverages and delicious hamburgers, Hubert's is the perfect to sit down and enjoy yourself before you see the Timberwolves take the court. They also have a Happy Hour running everyday from 11 A.M. until 6 P.M. so that you can indulge in some discounted libations any time you please. There is also the Skywalk system, which connects Target Center to many local stores and eateries in case you are looking for something besides traditional bar food before the game.
There are many restaurants in the local area that are ready and willing to give you the service and attention that you deserve either before or after a T'Wolves contest. The Hard Rock Cafe on Hennipen Ave. South is located right across the street from the Target Center and provides a great place to have a drink or enjoy your favorite American entr�e. With a great deal of rock-and-roll memorabilia adorning the walls, the Hard Rock Cafe makes your dining experience a truly memorable one. South 9th Street features the famous Hell's Kitchen Restaurant, which provides good fun and great food for all members of the family. Hell's Kitchen is just one of the many Minneapolis restaurants that offer great value for your dollar.
Nightclubs are also aplenty in the Minneapolis area with First Avenue & 7th St. Entry being one of the more popular local hot spots. With dancing at all hours of the night, you can have fun and socialize either before or after attending a Minnesota Timberwolves home game. They have great in-house DJs and live music acts are always being scheduled, so you know that a good time will be had by all. Another great nightspot is Envy Nightclub, which has a great array of different DJs spinning hits from all different genres. With a full bar and bottle service, you can sit back and relax with your favorite drink or get out on the dance floor to show off your moves.
No trip to the Twin Cities would be complete without a stop at the Mall of America. With being the largest fully enclosed retail and entertainment complex in the United States, there is a store that will catch anybody's fancy. Located in Bloomington, which is only 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis, the Mall of America features 520 stores, 50 restaurants, and plenty of attractions to keep anyone entertained. You might want to also consider visiting Uptown, which is an area of the city that features young, hip restaurants and shops. Just a quick trip on the number 6 bus will get you to the Uptown section of the city in no time. This is also a good place to visit if you are looking for some of the trendier nightspots in the area, as well.
You cannot argue that new Timberwolves management is making it exciting to be a T'Wolves fan once again. With an infusion of new talent, Minnesota looks to wreak havoc on the NBA's Western Conference in the upcoming seasons. The Target Center provides the perfect location to house this exciting brand of professional basketball, and any sports fan visiting Minnesota knows that they have to pay a visit to the Target Center in order to fully experience what the NBA is all about. .
| i don't know |
Philip Glennister played the part of DCI Gene Hunt in the series Life on Mars, who played detective sergeant Ray Carling? | Gene Hunt | Life on Mars Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
Joaquín Gallardo
Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt (1934–1953 onwards) was the often brutal, self-important superior officer of DI Sam Tyler in 1973 and DI Alex Drake from 1981 to 1983 . In 1980 , following the apparent death of Tyler, he transferred from Manchester to Fenchurch East in London with his colleagues. In reality, he was a young police constable in 1953 who was shot dead and awoke in the same decade in the supernatural plane of existence which came to be known as Gene Hunt's World . Although he forgot or suppressed this fact, he believed it was his duty to assist those who had been victim of trauma to accept their death so they were able to progress to " the pub " and move on.
Contents
Edit
The ghost of 19 year old Gene Hunt (played by Mason Kayne) ( A2A Series 3: Episode 1 )
Gene Hunt was born in 1934 in the south of the county of Lancashire (which today is the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester ). His childhood was very harsh because his father was an abusive drinker who often beat him and his brother Stuart due to a "harsh Lancastrian upbringing". As a teenager, he discovered that his brother was a drug addict. Hunt attempted to reform him until he ran away from his family and was never seen again ( LOM Series 2: Episode 5 ). At the age of 17, he performed his National Service and joined the police two years later. In 1953 , at the age of 19, Hunt became a Police Constable (presumably for the Lancashire Constabulary. PC Morrison became his mentor and guide ( A2A Series 3: Episode 8 ).
Death
Edit
During the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953 , on his first week on patrol as a constable, Hunt, Morrison, and their colleagues were on duty in Farringfield Green near the town of Horwich. When one of his colleagues gave PC Morrison whisky, he became inebriated and left to celebrate with the local villagers leaving Hunt alone. Hunt heard a noise from an isolated farm house and presumed that some young people had broken in so he decided to investigate. In order to enter the property, he kicked the door open and was shot in the head by an unknown man with a shotgun (who was either an armed burglar or in fact the real owner of the house). To hide the evidence, his body, along with his uniform and his warrant card, were buried in a shallow grave beside a scarecrow and the man who killed Hunt fled the area. Gene Hunt's body was not discovered until 2008 by some travellers in the area ( A2A Series 3: Episode 8 ).
Edit
Following his death, Hunt awoke in the supernatural world known as " Gene Hunt's World " in the same decade as his death. For 30 years, he forgot about his death by drowning it with alcohol ( A2A Series 3: Episode 8 ).
Eventually, he joined the Manchester City Police (which merged into the Manchester and Salford Police in 1968) where, as a young Manchester constable, he worked with Harry Outhwaite — a legendary D-Day veteran who was accepting bribes from a local gangster. Seeing it was the right thing to do, Hunt reported Outhwaite to his superior officers, which resulted in Outhwaite's suicide due to humiliation and Hunt losing his reputation. A month later, he accepted his first bribe which he deeply regretted ( LOM Series 1: Episode 4 ). Prior to 1968, he entered a relationship with an unnamed woman and married her.
In 1968, when the Manchester and Salford Police was formed, Hunt was promoted to Detective Inspector and transferred to "A" Division, CID of the Stopford House police station under DCI Harry Woolf, who became his mentor. Before Sam Tyler's arrival in 1973 , Hunt was promoted to Detective Chief Inspector by Woolf (who had been promoted to Detective Superintendent) ( LOM Series 2: Episode 1 ).
As the archangel of his own "kingdom", he was joined by DS Ray Carling , DC Chris Skelton , WPC Annie Cartwright and several other police officers who had been killed in the near future whom he would help reach " the pub ". ( A2A Series 3: Episode 8 )
Life in 1973
"A word in your shell-like, pal" - Hunt introduces himself to DI Sam Tyler . ( LOM Series 1: Episode 1 )
As the Detective Chief Inspector of Manchester CID, Hunt is respected by the subordinate members of his team. When DI Sam Tyler arrives at CID in the first episode of the series, Hunt is quick to make it clear that he is Tyler's superior. He demonstrates his willingness to accept bribes from criminals — a practice which he continues until local crime boss Stephen Warren murders a girl for helping Tyler in Series 1: Episode 4 . In episode 2 of the show's second series , it is discovered that Hunt's mentor Harry Woolfe is corrupt and was the mastermind behind several robberies. Hunt, despite his fierce loyalty, brings down Woolfe.
Although Hunt's method of policing is brutal at times, he goal is very clear: locking up bad people. He is initially disdainful of female police officers, however he tolerates WPC Annie Cartwright promotion to CID in the second series, and accepts her as a part of the team.
Hunt's major rivals in the police force are DCI Litton (Lee Ross) of the Regional Crime Squad, and DCI Frank Morgan (Ralph Brown), who replaces Hunt when he is accused of killing a man in Series 2: Episode 7 . In the show's final episode, Morgan goes so far as to set up Hunt and his team to confront train robbers without arranging the promised backup, in the hope of eliminating Hunt by killing him.
The 1980s
Edit
It is revealed in the first episode of Ashes to Ashes ("Deja Vu") that, following the events of Life on Mars , Hunt worked with Sam Tyler for another seven years before Tyler's apparent death during a high-speed pursuit. Shortly thereafter, Hunt transferred out of the Greater Manchester Police, to the Metropolitan Police Service, alongside Detective Sergeant Ray Carling and Detective Constable Chris Skelton.
Set in 1981, Ashes to Ashes sees Hunt divorced, and having replaced his trademark Cortina with an imported Audi Quattro . Hunt remains as determined as ever to crack down on crime in his area, but has become somewhat more professional in his behaviour, secure in his authority, and organised in his approach since the 1970s. He has embraced some aspects of modern policing, but is convinced that old-school policing methods are on their way to being excised from the force, along with the officers who still practice them.
Hunt meets Alex Drake during a police drugs raid on a party, unaware that she, like Tyler, has traveled into his time-line from the future. Believing her to be a prostitute, he takes her in for questioning, only to discover that she is his new Detective Inspector. It later appears that Hunt was the officer who took Drake's hand when she was a child, following her parents death from a bomb explosion—which leads Drake to believe that Hunt may in fact be real, rather than a figment of her imagination.
In the last episode of Ashes to Ashes , it is revealed that Gene Hunt was shot in 1953 in his first week as a policeman. It is he who was the young PC with facial gunshot wounds that Alex Drake has visions of.
1981
Edit
The second series, set in 1982, introduces a new storyline in which Hunt and Alex Drake work together to expose corruption within Fenchurch East CID. As well as the corruption storyline, Drake is stalked by Martin Summers (Gwilym Lee & Adrian Dunbar) who also claims to be from the future. After several discoveries and unofficial investigations led by Hunt and Drake, it is revealed that the newly introduced character, Charlie Mackintosh (Roger Allam) is heavily involved in the corruption. During episode four , after finding out that Hunt and Drake know about his corruption, Mackintosh shoots himself and with his dying words warns Hunt and Drake of "Operation Rose", but dies before he can reveal more details. Summers, also involved in Operation Rose, plants a tape stolen from Drake on Hunt's desk on which she had questioned his existence and motives. After playing the tape, Hunt furiously demands an explanation from Drake, who is forced to explain that she is from the future, which enrages Hunt, thinking that she has taken him for a fool.
During the series, Hunt and Drake begin to notice that files and evidence have gone missing. Eventually it is revealed that Chris Skelton had been paid large sums of money to undermine the investigation into Operation Rose, and had done so in order to pay for his wedding to Shaz Granger (Montserrat Lombard). Without informing those involved in Rose that Skelton has been discovered, Hunt uses him to gain information. It is revealed that Rose is the code name for an upcoming robbery of a van carrying gold-bullion, masterminded by corrupt officers. After a heated argument with Drake, Hunt suspends her and confiscates her warrant card, threatening to kill her if he finds her involved in the following day's events.
During the finale, Hunt shoots Martin Summers dead in order to save Drake's life and accidentally shoots her afterward. With no witnesses, Hunt is accused of attempted murder. After being shot, Drake awakes in the present day to be greeted by her surgeon and her daughter Molly, but observes Hunt screaming at her through hospital TV screens to wake up. She realises that she is now in a comatose state in 1982, and that the 2008 world she has woken into is illusory.
1983
Edit
During the first episode , it is revealed that, following Hunt's accidental shooting of Alex Drake, he was accused of attempted murder and fled to the Costa Brava and Isle of Wight for three months. After waking Drake from her comatose state, Hunt is suspended by Jim Keats , from the Discipline and Complaints Department (D&C), who has been sent to assess Fenchurch East CID in the wake of Drake's shooting and as part of Operation Countryman. Keats unofficially assures Hunt's team that he will file a good report about them, before privately telling Hunt that he "hates him", "knows what he did three years ago" and will "dismantle the station around him".
Also, the nature of Sam Tyler 's death is questioned by Drake and Keats. Drake conducts an unofficial investigation into the events, and requests old witness statements and reports on Tyler's death along with the leather jacket Tyler was seen wearing during Life on Mars . Drake later finds Hunt burning the files and jacket. As well as this, Drake is haunted by a police officer with injuries to his face, and finds a picture of the officer taken earlier without injuries in Hunt's desk.
In Episode 6 , Hunt leads a riot control unit into the HM Prison Fenchurch, to quell a major riot. However, the overwhelmed officers are forced to retreat, and, in the confusion, Sergeant Viv James is captured by the rioters. Hunt later sends Ray and Chris in undercover as reporters, but they are exposed and captured. The orchestrator of the riot, Jason Sachs, consequently ties Ray, Chris, and Viv to an electrified metal wall, which will be activated when the riot control unit led by Keats storms into the building to rescue the hostages. A prisoner who escaped during the chaos, Paul Thordy, reveals that Viv actually supplied Sachs with a firearm. Gene and Alex then turn off the electrics in the building, saving Chris and Ray. After freeing them, Gene pursues Sachs, who has taken Viv hostage: Sachs then fatally shoots Viv, who is discovered by Keats, and dies, much to the devastation of a distraught Gene, who blames himself for Viv's death.
During the penultimate episode, Drake asks Hunt if he killed Sam Tyler, with Hunt explaining that Tyler had been acting "weird" and asked for Hunt's help in faking his own death. However, the vision that Drake has of the police officer with injuries to the side of his face is connected to Tyler's presumed death, and a roll of undeveloped film apparently reveals where the policeman is supposedly buried. Along with this, Shaz, Ray, and Chris all have visions of stars, as if looking up at the sky, and hear strange voices as described by Chris as Nelson (Tony Marshall), the publican from Life on Mars, asking him what he would like to drink.
Gene is left on his own outside the Railway Arms
Finale
Edit
During the last episode , Hunt is revealed to be part of a supernatural world, a form of limbo , populated by dead police officers. His role has been described as an "archangel", helping the souls in a place between "earth and heaven" to get where they wanted to be . His role is to take them "to the pub"—moving on to a "heaven" beyond. It is later revealed that Hunt had done this for many officers before, including Sam Tyler and, presumably, Annie Cartwright. It is revealed that the main characters of the show are all dead. Shaz Granger was stabbed during the 1990s while trying to stop a car thief, Chris Skelton was shot dead during a firearms incident. Ray had killed a young man and his DCI had covered it up. The guilt overwhelmed him, leading to his suicide. Because of the period of time each had spent in limbo, they had all forgotten their previous lives, something which had also happened to Hunt.
The uniformed police officer haunting Drake is revealed to be Hunt, killed as a young constable after a week in the police by an armed burglar on Coronation Day in 1953. His body is buried where Drake expects to find Tyler's body, but instead she finds Hunt's original warrant card. In reality, Hunt's grave is left undiscovered until 2008 when it is found by a group of travellers.
Hunt characterizes his younger self as "skinny," headstrong, and full of male bravado; he confesses that he'd completely forgotten about his past. Keats, confronting Hunt along with the rest of his team, destroys his office to reveal the universe outside and accuses Hunt of manufacturing his own fantasy world, in which he'd entrapped the souls of Shaz, Chris, Ray and Alex. Keats then convinces everyone else except Alex to accept a "transfer" to his own department, but with Alex's help Hunt persuades them to return.
Afterward, Hunt takes Ray, Chris, Shaz and Alex "to the pub"— The Railway Arms , a favoured hangout in Life on Mars, where they are greeted outside by Nelson . Ray, Chris, and Shaz enter, but Keats appears and tries to persuade Alex to come with him. This attempt fails when Alex realizes, observing Keats' wristwatch frozen at 9:06, that she has also died in the real world. Hunt is able to persuade Alex to accept her death and enter the pub, but not before they share a kiss.
In the closing moments, the series comes full circle back to Life on Mars as another officer from the future appears wondering, like Alex and Sam, who has changed his office, and wondering where his mobile is, and Gene Hunt ventures out to greet him in his usual fashion—using exactly the same words he used to greet Sam Tyler in his first ever scene in Life on Mars: "A word in your shell-like, pal."
After 1983
"A word in your shell-like, pal" - Hunt greets his new DI in his final appearance scene. ( A2A Series 3: Episode 8 )
Following the departure of his former colleagues, Hunt returned to his office in Fenchurch where he was immediately approached by a New Arrival who had died in the year 2009 . Presumably, he worked alongside Hunt as his Detective Inspector just as Tyler did in 1973. In 2008 , shortly before the death of Alex Drake , the body of the young PC Hunt was discovered by some travellers at Farringfield Green ( A2A Series 3: Episode 1 ).
Characteristics
Edit
DCI Hunt as he appeared in Life on Mars.
Bantam Press have published two books written from the in-character perspective of Hunt; The Rules of Modern Policing , and The Future of Modern Policing . The character is portrayed as a "politically incorrect chauvinist" who has no qualms about using violent tactics in order to get a result. He has a love/hate relationship with his Detective Inspectors, Sam Tyler ( John Simm ) and Alex Drake ( Keeley Hawes ), the lead protagonists of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes respectively, whilst commanding fierce loyalty from his junior officers, DS Ray Carling ( Dean Andrews ) and DC Chris Skelton ( Marshall Lancaster ). The character received much critical and public acclaim for his role in Life on Mars, being dubbed both a "national hero" and an unlikely sex symbol, as well as being voted Britain's favourite TV hero. Ashes to Ashes provoked more negative reviews, with accusations of repetition of material, alongside mounting concern that Hunt's bigoted ideals made him a "pin-up boy for the Daily Mail".
While the 'Rose Tyler/Doctor Who' origins of Sam's surname are well-documented, it seems at least possible that Gene may have been named with the graphic Cockney rhyming slang "Berkshire Hunt" in mind.
Key Life Events
| Dean Andrews |
Which US State achieved statehood in 1889 and is known as the 'Evergreen' state? | Vampifan's World of the Undead: 7TV2e Detectives 01
Vampifan's World of the Undead
A blog about all things undead, especially vampires and zombies, with an emphasis on miniature figures and gaming. Left click on any picture for a closer view.
Pages
Sunday, 3 April 2016
7TV2e Detectives 01
I wasn't sure whether to call this post "7TV2e Detectives" or "Crooked Dice Games and Killer B Games Detectives." The latter might be accurate but it is long winded and besides which, all of these figures will feature predominantly in my 7TV2e games. What I have for you are two sets of figures based on the BBC TV series of Life On Mars (2006 to 2007) and Ashes to Ashes (2008 to 2010).
These five 28mm scale figures are part of the Crooked Dice Games range of 7TV2e Heroes. They are very clearly based on the detectives from Life On Mars and Ashes to Ashes, although CDG have got round copyright problems by renaming them. Not so me! For me, these ARE the heroes of two of my all-time favourite TV cop series.
Life on Mars tells the fictional story of Sam Tyler (played by John Simm), a policeman in service with the Greater Manchester Police. After being hit by a car in 2006, Tyler awakens in 1973 to find himself working for the predecessor of the GMP, the Manchester and Salford Police , at the same station and location as in 2006. Early on in the series, it becomes apparent to Tyler that he awakes as a Detective Inspector , one rank lower than his 2006 rank of Detective Chief Inspector. As part of the Criminal Investigation Department, Tyler finds himself working under the command of DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). Throughout the two series, the plot centres on the ambiguity concerning Tyler's predicament and the lack of clarity, to both the audience and the character, whether he has died, gone mad, become comatose, or actually travelled back in time.
Ashes to Ashes tells the story of DI Alex Drake (played by Keeley Hawes ), a police officer in service with the London Metropolitan Police , who is shot in 2008 by a man called Arthur Layton and inexplicably regains consciousness in 1981. The first episode of the series reveals that, in the present day, Drake has been studying records of the events seen in Life On Mars through reports made by Sam Tyler after he regained consciousness in the present. Upon waking in the past she is surprised to meet the returning characters of DCI Gene Hunt, DS Ray Carling (played by Dean Andrews) and DC Chris Skelton (played by Marshall Lancaster), all of whom she has learned about from her research, the trio having transferred from the Manchester setting of Life on Mars (Manchester and Salford Police) to London.
Tension between Drake and Hunt is built through the unsatisfactory explanation of Sam Tyler's absence and the perceived underhandedness and shoddy work of Hunt in contrast to the methodical, ethical and thoroughly modern Drake. Continuing the theme of Life on Mars, throughout the series, it is ambiguous to both Drake and the audience whether the character is dead or alive in the present day and to what extent her actions influence future events.
From left to right are Detective Inspector Sam Tyler, Detective Inspector Alex Drake, Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt, Detective Sergeant Ray Carling and Detective Constable Chris Skelton. The likenesses to the real life characters are spot on and even their poses capture the personalities of them quite brilliantly. Note that Sam and Alex never met but as a "what if?" scenario it would be intriguing to play where they do meet up. On the CDG webstore these figures are listed as Tough Detective Lenny Kennedy, The Duchess, Tough Detective Frank Skelton, DC Drew Falstaff and Beat Detective.
Moving on, we have the main cast from Life On Mars as imagined by Killer B Games. From left to right are alternative versions of Sam Tyler, Gene Hunt, Ray Carling and Chris Skelton. I prefer the CDG versions to these, although there is nothing wrong with either set. For the Killer B Games detectives I decided to name them after the characters from 7TV2e's own fictional cop series, The Beat. So from left to right are Detective Sergeant Lenny Kennedy, Detective Inspector Frank Skelton, Detective Constable Drew Falstaff and Detective Constable Matt Jordan (whom CDG did not name). On the Killer B Games webstore these four are listed as KB-050 Wimpish DI, KB-049 Tough Northern DI, KB-037 Mr. Polyester (I converted him by adding a revolver in a holster to his right hip), and KB-035 Young Geezer (I converted him by giving him a revolver in his right hand).
The Killer B Games detectives cost just £2.00 each. The Crooked Dice Games detectives are more expensive at £3.50 each.
I plan on using the CDG cast for Ashes to Ashes (i.e. Alex, Gene, Ray and Chris) in my first game of 7TV2e. They will be accompanied by four uniformed coppers in an ambush against a gang of violent robbers. I hope to showcase this batrep next month as I still have a lot more cops (and villains) to show you.
Life On Mars and Ashes to Ashes were two of the best cop dramas to appear on TV. Having modern day detectives like Sam and Alex go back in time to the 1970's and 1980's respectively was a work of genius. Their modern policing methods were very much at odds with those used by Gene, Ray and Chris. Different times, different attitudes. DCI Gene Hunt is a legend and unquestionably the star of both shows even if he is a monster. He is tough, uncompromising, hard as nails, misogynistic, frequently brutal and always politically incorrect. The contrast between Gene and both Sam and Alex is marked but over time they develop mutual respect. The shows contain some cracking dialogue, which at times are laugh out loud funny, including this classic gem from Gene, "No one move! You are surrounded by armed bastards!"
The main cast of Life On Mars. From left to right are DC Chris Skelton, DCI Gene Hunt, DI Sam Tyler, DS Ray Carling and WPC Annie Cartwright. I'll be showcasing my 28mm scale figure of Annie very soon in a separate post. Once again, both Crooked Dice Games and Killer B Games make a version of her.
The main cast of Ashes to Ashes. From left to right are DS Ray Carling, DCI Gene Hunt, DI Alex Drake and DC Chris Skelton.
Posted by
| i don't know |
Gibraltar was ceded to Britain under the terms of which treaty? | History | Government of Gibraltar
READ MORE
711 AD
In April of the year 711 AD, following the death of the prophet Mohammed, Islamic conquest overran North Africa from Arabia. By 710 AD its spread had reached the shores of the strait and Europe braced for invasion. The Visgoths who had deposed the Romans and ruled Spain were weak and divided. The Visgothic Count Julian who ruled over Ceuta in North Africa was surrounded and he had a score to settle with his compatriots on the other side of the strait. So, to divert the Muslims, he offered to assist them in the conquest of Spain.
The assault was down to a Berber chief, Tarik-ibn-Ziyad, the Governor of Tangier. He sailed across the strait by night, from Ceuta not Tangier so as not to arouse suspicion and used Visgothic ships. His first attempt on Algeciras failed but he was successful in landing undetected on Gibraltar.
Following the Moslem General Tarik’s successful landing on the Rock, his forces before defeated the Gothic King Roderick and began the conquest of Spain. Gibraltar became known as Jebal Tarik (Mountain of Tarik) from which it takes its present name.
1160 AD
By the 11th Century AD Gibraltar was part of the Arab kingdom of Seville. The mounting threat of invasion fromNorth Africa sects forced the Arab Governor of Algeciras to build a fort in Gibraltar in 1068 AD. Spain is eventually overrun by another North African sect, the Almohads, and it was their leader, Abd-ad-Mummin, who commanded the building of the first city in Gibraltar in 1160 AD,Medinat al-Fath, the City of Victory. By all accounts, it was an impressive city. Upon its completion, Al - Mummin personally crossed the Strait to inspect the works;he stayed in Gibraltar for two months, inviting all his subordinate kings to see his achievement.
1309 AD
Fighting continued amongst the Muslims, or between Muslims and Christians from 1160 and 1300 AD. By 1252 only two Islamic kingdoms remained in Spain, in Murcia and Granada. By the year 1309, King Ferdinand IV had laid siege to Algeciras and, learning of Arab weaknesses on the Rock, sent Alonso Perez de Guzman to capture it. It was then that Gibraltar endured its own first siege. The Spaniards took the Upper Rock, from which they bombarded the town with cannon fire. The garrison surrendered after one month. Gibraltar had 1500 inhabitants and they were allowed to leave for North Africa.
1333 AD
The Spaniards set about repairing the fortifications and shipyard, but few people wanted to settle in Gibraltar, by now considered to be anunsafe town. Ferdinand was forced to offer freedom from justice to anyone who lived in Gibraltar for one year and one day. By 1333 Gibraltar was once more in Muslim hands as Abdul Malik, son of the King of Morocco, laid siege. The garrison surrendered after four and a half months.
1374 AD
Gibraltar became part of the Muslim Kingdom of Granada.
1462 AD
Gibraltar was recaptured by Castilleto became part of the estates of the Duke of Medina Sidonia.
1492 AD
The Catholic King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella conquered Granada, the last vestige of Muslim dominion in Spain. The Jews were expelled from Spain, with many passing through Gibraltar on their way into exile in North Africa.
READ MORE
1502 AD
Queen Isabella granted Gibraltar a coat of arms, a castle, which symbolised its importance as a fortress, and a key to highlight its position as the key to Spain, which it has held since the time of Moslem conquest.
1540 AD
By the middle of the sixteenth century, a new kind of conflict had arisen as corsairs from the Barbary coast, under leadership of the infamous Barbarossa, hounded the region. In 1540 a large fleet of pirates assembled toraid the poorly defended Gibraltar. Years later, after mounting pressure from the Rock’s inhabitants, the Emperor Charles V ordered the Italian engineer Calvi to build a protective wall which would be extended to reach the top of the Rock in the reign of Philip II, some years later.
1606 AD
The Moriscos (the descendants of the Moslem inhabitants in Spain) were expelled, many passing through Gibraltar on their way into exile in North Africa.
1704 AD
On the 17th July 1704, a war council was held aboard the English warship Royal Catherine, off the North African coast. Four days later the English fleet, under Admiral Sir George Rooke, entered the Gibraltar Bay. At 3pm 1,800 English and Dutch marines landed on the isthmus, with the Dutch Prince Hesse at the head. Gibraltar was cut off but its then governor refused to surrender. The days that followed saw a massive bombardment of the town by the English fleet. On the morning of the 23rd July, 1,500 shots were fired within 6 hours. Landings took place in the south and in the morning of the 24th, the governor capitulated.
The joint Anglo-Dutch force had captured Gibraltar, on behalf of Charles of Austria, a pretender to the throne of Spain. Shortly afterwards,a Spanish goatherd named Simon Susarte, led 500 Spanish troops to Europa Advance on the south-eastern side of the Rock and killed the guard. They moved to the Upper Rock and spent the night in St Michael's Cave, attacking the signal station the next morning. But the alarm was raised and the English counter-attacked. 160 prisoners were taken including a colonel and thirty other officers; the rest were killed trying to escape.
1705 AD
Gibraltar declared a 'free port', which leads to its development as an important international trading centre.
1707 AD
The first British Governor was appointed, taking up residence in the Convent of the Franciscan Friars.
1713 AD
Under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht, Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain in perpetuity.
1727 AD
Skirmishes and attacks continued for a while but by 1726 AD, trading between Gibraltar and Spain had resumed. Early in 1727, the Spaniards laid the 13th siege on the Rock, but after several unsuccessful and costly attempts, theyrelented in June of the same year.
1779 AD to 1783 AD
The final military siege on Gibraltar followed many years later, in 1779. The Spaniards and French joined forces to launch a massive onslaught, which lasted nearly four years. Known as the Great Siege, it tested the ingenuity and will to survive of the garrison. The galleries were dug during this time, as Sergeant Major sought to create perfect gun placements. Later, a Lieutenant Koehler designed a carriage, which allowed guns mounted on the cliffs to be pointed directly downward at the enemy. Accounts of the siege are full of vivid stories of survival and daring. On the 21st November, 1781, the defenders of the garrison took the offensive and caught the enemy batteries on the isthmus by surprise, destroying them and pushing back their progress: this event is commemorated as the Sortie.
1782 AD
Work starts on the Great Siege Tunnels, which became the vast and complex system of underground fortifications that today criss-cross the inside of the Rock. After the Siege, the fortifications were rebuilt and later the walls were lined with Portland stone, whichgave them their white appearance.
1784 AD
The great yellow fever epidemic hit, killing over a third of the civilian population.
1810 AD
The Spanish fortifications at the frontier were demolished. Britain and Spain are allied in war against Napoleon. Free access across the frontier was established.
1830 AD
Gibraltar is declared a Crown Colony. The Royal Gibraltar Police is established.
1848 AD
A skull was found in the Forbes's Quarry at the foot of the sheer north face of the Rock. Unbeknownst at the time but it belonged not to a modern human, but to a prehistoric variant. It was sent to the UK where it was conserved. Eight years later in the Neander Valley near Dusseldorf in Germany, another was found giving this human its name. What might have beenthe‘Gibraltar Man’, became the ‘Neanderthal Man’.
1894 AD
READ MORE
1940 AD
The outbreak of the Second World War caused the civilian population to be evacuated to Britain, Jamaica and Madeira, so that Gibraltar could be fortified against the German attack. By 1942 there are over 30,000 British soldiers, sailors and airmen on the Rock. The repatriation of the civilians started in 1944 and continued for six years, although the majority had returned by 1946.
1950 AD
Gibraltar's first legislative council was opened.
1967 AD
A referendum was held and the Gibraltarians overwhelmingly vote to continue their association with Britain.
1969 AD
Franco closed the frontier in pursuit of his claim for Gibraltar.
1982 AD
In 1982, ships were refitted for the Falklands campaign and Gibraltar became a stopover for ships and troops.
Spain reopened the frontier for pedestrians only.
1985 AD
The frontier with Spain was opened fully. Gibraltar's trade and population thrived. Its inhabitants lived harmoniously in a peaceful and unique multi-cultural society.
1991 AD
As in 1982, Gibraltar served a similar function during the Gulf War. The Rock, the beacon that attracted Gibraltarians through the ages, retains its power and charms as it looks towards the 21st Century.
| Treaty of Utrecht |
In which Classic book and film does the character the Michael Henchard appear? | JCR-UK: Jewish Community of Gibraltar
Page created by David Shulman: 7 November 2011
Latest revision or update: 16 February 2016
Jewish Community of Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar
Gibraltar (often referred to affectionately as the Rock or Gib) is an overseas territory of the UK, occupying a narrow peninsula protruding from Spain's southern Mediterranean coast. It was captured from Spain in 1704 and formally ceded to the Kingdom of Great Britain (later the United Kingdom), in perpetuity, under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.
Gibraltar became a British Crown Colony in 1830. In 1981, its status was changed to that of a "British Dependent Territory", which term was replaced by "British Overseas Territory" in 2002. Gibraltar is part of the European Union and Gibraltarians have full British citizenship.
The Gibraltar Jewish Community
It is believed that there were Jews in Gibraltar prior to its capture in 1462 by Spanish (Castilian) forces, which ended 700 years of Moorish rule. In 1474, Gibraltar was sold to a group of Jewish conversos (Spanish and Portuguese Jews who, generally under force, had converted to Catholicism). However, two years later, the conversos (estimated to number some 4,350) were expelled as part of the Spanish Inquisition.
In 1705, shortly following the capture of Gibraltar by Anglo-Dutch forces, a number of Jewish merchants (primarily from London, Lisbon, Livorno and Tetuan, Morocco) settled in the town and established a community, only to be expelled in 1717, at Spain's insistence, pursuant to the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht. Within a year or two, Jews again resettled in Gibraltar, principally from Tetuan, and by 1754, formed one third of the total population.
The present Jewish population, almost exclusively Sephardic, numbering some 600 persons, maintains a vibrant community, with four active synagogues, Jewish schools and kosher restaurants.
Search the Gibraltar Records
(Note: This is to contact JCR-UK, not the above Community)
Terms and Conditions, Licenses and Restrictions for the use of this website:
This website is owned by JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. All material found herein is owned by or licensed to us. You may view, download, and print material from this site only for your own personal use. You may not post material from this site on another website without our consent. You may not transmit or distribute material from this website to others. You may not use this website or information found at this site for any commercial purpose.
Copyright © 2002 - 2017 JCR-UK. All Rights Reserved
| i don't know |
Which Welsh seaport is linked to London by the A40? | London's Longest Roads And Where They Lead To | Londonist
London's Longest Roads And Where They Lead To
By M@ Last edited 58 months ago
M@ London's Longest Roads And Where They Lead To
Did you know that Selfridges is on the same road as the Brecon Beacons? That you can see the Scottish Parliament from a road that passes through Islington? Or that you can walk directly from Lambeth North to Brighton Pier without setting foot on more than one road?
Then there is the blessed junction outside St Paul's Tube station, where roads from two different countries meet. Head west along the A40 (beginning on Newgate) and you'll eventually reaches Wales. Choose the northern route past the Museum of London, and you can get into Scotland without leaving the A1.
Welcome to the surprising world of London's A-roads. We tracked a few of the more interesting ones down to their final destinations (with a lot of help from Google Maps and Street View).
The A1: Take Upper Street to another country
Upper Street in Islington is really badly named. It's actually part of the lower 0.5% of the A1, which stretches all the way up to Edinburgh. This most famous of A-roads begins at St Paul's and travels up past the Museum of London, along St John Street, through Islington and along Holloway and Archway Roads and then onwards past Welwyn and Stevenage to the north. Eventually reaching Edinburgh, the final stretches of Britain's longest route adopt the name London Road. Total length: 410 miles.
The A2: Take the Old Kent Road to Dover
The A2 , as Old Kent Road is more prosaically known, begins at Borough Tube station as Great Dover Street. It is indeed old and Kentish, forming the southern part of the Roman Watling Street down to Canterbury and Dover. Its London sections pass through New Cross, Deptford and Blackheath before climbing Shooters Hill. There, the A2 dips down into Kidbrooke and Eltham on modern roads, but you can still follow the original Roman route by carrying on east on a dead-straight line through Welling and Crayford ( A207 ). The two routes recombine near Bluewater before heading off into deepest Kent. Total length: 72 miles.
The A3: Take Borough High Street till you reach Portsmouth
Instead of heading east at Borough Tube, you might instead go south, down the A3 , which eventually reaches Portsmouth. Along the way, it is variously known as Borough High Street, Newington Causeway, Kennington Park Road, Clapham High Street, Wandsworth High Street, Kingston Road and much else besides. Total length: 78 miles.
The A4: Take Fleet Street as far as Bristol
Call it the A4, and you have an unmemorable traffic route. Call it Fleet Street, Strand, Pall Mall, Piccadilly, Knightsbridge and Brompton Road, and you have some of the most famous streets in the world. This most notable of roads also comprises Cromwell Road (home of the V&A and Natural History Museum), the embattled Hammersmith Flyover, and the Great West Road before heading out to Bath and Bristol, flirting the whole way, and occasionally commingling, with the M4. Total length: 130 miles.
The A5: Take Edgware Road...to Anglesey
Edgware Road and its northern continuations are perhaps the most obviously Roman route in London, heading in a perfectly straight line, save for an Elstree kink, all the way out beyond the M25. This is the northern stretch of Watling Street, the Anglo-Saxon name for the old Roman route out to the Welsh borders. Today, as the A5 , it ventures as far as Holyhead in north-west Wales, although it briefly loses its name (becoming the A5183) just outside London. Total length: 260 miles.
The A10: Take Bishopsgate up to the Norfolk coast
One of the main thoroughfares through the ancient City of London, Bishopsgate formed part of Ermine Street, a Roman road that once led up to York (Eboracum). Sometimes called the Old North Road, it remains one of the straightest roads in London, beginning at Monument station, passing up through Bishopsgate, Shoreditch High Street and Kingsland Road, then on through Dalston, Stokey, Tottenham and Edmonton. Were you to follow the A10 (as it's officially designated) to its conclusion, you'd pass through Cambridge before coming to an end in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Total length: 161 miles.
The A13: Take Commercial Road out to some Essex mudflats
The A13 leads out from Whitechapel to Southend and Shoeburyness, whisking beachhut-hunting Londoners through many areas of industry and marshy desolation. You'd think there wasn't much more to say about this estuarine highway. You'd be wrong . Total length: 41 miles.
The A23: Take Kennington Road down to Brighton
A single road connects Lambeth North Tube station to Brighton Pier. The A23 , as it's now known, is another old Roman road, a fact that becomes readily apparent if you follow its largely straight course on a map. Within London, the A23 follows Kennington Road, Brixton Road and Streatham Hill, before heading down through Norbury and Croydon. It then picks up speed by joining the M23 before relaxing back to its A-status on its way down to the coast. Total length: 52 miles.
The A40: Take Oxford Street...all the way to Wales
You guessed it, Oxford Street leads to Oxford. But it will also take you to Cheltenham, Gloucester and over the Brecon Beacons to Fishguard in Wales.
The stretch known as Oxford Street is about a mile and a half long, although the distance can seem much greater on a Saturday afternoon. This is one of the capital's oldest thoroughfares, following the line of an ancient Roman road that led to Colchester in the east and Hampshire in the west. Today, it's also known as the A40 .
Within London, it begins just north of St Paul's, runs over Holborn Viaduct and along Holborn and New Oxford Street, along Oxford Street, then north to the Westway, Western Avenue and the M40, and thence on to Wales. In days gone by, the A40 took the more satisfyingly straight route of continuing west from Marble Arch along Bayswater Road and Uxbridge Road, running along what is now the A4020. Total length: 256 miles.
Last Updated 07 March 2012
| Fishguard |
"Which football manager wrote the autobiography ""Farewell but not Goodbye""?" | British Isles Cruise | Cruise & Land Tour | Grand Circle Cruise Line
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
Today, you arrive in the Orkneys, an archipelago in the north of Scotland. After an onboard breakfast, go ashore in Stromness for an included tour. You’ll begin your day’s discoveries with a visit to Stromness’ World War II Italian Chapel where you’ll learn about the humbling story of how the structure came to be before sampling Scotland's beloved drink of choice—whiskey—during a visit to Highland Park Distillery.
Then visit the Stromness Museum to learn more about the second most populous town in the Orkneys, which became a surprisingly vital seaport for British trade in the 17th century. With war waging against France, the British were unable to utilize the English Channel for shipping, which led shipping to take a northern route. Stromness was also a hub for the whaling trade—which is why many of the buildings today continue to be adorned by whale bones and maritime touches.
After lunch aboard ship, enjoy leisure time. Or join us for an optional West Mainland tour, including the many Neolithic sites for which the area is famous.
Your Program Director will lead an in-depth Port Talk on your next destination, Aberdeen, prior to dinner this evening.
Day 13
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
After this morning’s breakfast, depart for a tour of Footdee. The small 19th-century fishing village boasts charming stone cottages, sweeping views of the ocean, and colorfully quirky garden sheds, which showcase eclectic designs and nautical embellishments.
Then enjoy a city tour of Aberdeen, Scotland's “Silver City,” so named for the local granite used in many of its buildings. Return to the ship for an onboard lunch and the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Perhaps you'll explore the Old Town in Aberdeen where you may visit King's College to see the 15th-century architecture or stroll through the serene Cruickshank Botanic Gardens.
Enjoy a Captain's Farewell Drink and Farewell Dinner aboard ship this evening as you cruise to Edinburgh.
Day 14
Accommodations: The Roxburghe Hotel or similar
Enjoy an included city tour of Edinburgh after breakfast today, and get to know this city where commerce and culture mix. Home to the world's largest annual arts festival and a major center for banking, Edinburgh is not only a vibrant metropolis but also a repository of historic treasures. Its medieval Old Town and 18th-century New Town are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and a memorable mix of old and new unfold this morning on your included tour.
Start today's tour at the National Museum to get a quick glimpse of the culture and history of Scotland before driving to the New Town, past the medieval St. Giles Cathedral and the dramatic Scott Monument—the world's biggest monument dedicated to a writer, Sir Walter Scott. End your tour on the Old Town's Royal Mile. This stretch of the city reaches from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Road.
After lunch on your own, the balance of the day is yours for discoveries at your leisure. This evening, join your fellow travelers for a Farewell Dinner.
Day 15
Return to U.S.
Meals included: B
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
Enjoy an included city tour of Edinburgh after breakfast today, and get to know this city where commerce and culture mix. Home to the world's largest annual arts festival and a major center for banking, Edinburgh is not only a vibrant metropolis but also a repository of historic treasures. Its medieval Old Town and 18th-century New Town are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and a memorable mix of old and new unfold this morning on your included tour.
Start today's tour at the National Museum to get a quick glimpse of the culture and history of Scotland before driving to the New Town, past the medieval St. Giles Cathedral and the dramatic Scott Monument—the world's biggest monument dedicated to a writer, Sir Walter Scott. End your tour on the Old Town's Royal Mile. This stretch of the city reaches from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Road.
Then, transfer to your Grand Circle Cruise Line small ship, which will be your home for the duration of your British Isles cruise, in time for an onboard lunch.
This evening, enjoy a Welcome Briefing and drink, followed by a Welcome Dinner together aboard your ship.
Day 4
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
After this morning’s breakfast, depart for a tour of Footdee. The small 19th-century fishing village boasts charming stone cottages, sweeping views of the ocean, and colorfully quirky garden sheds, which showcase eclectic designs and nautical embellishments.
Then enjoy a city tour of Aberdeen, Scotland's “Silver City,” so named for the local granite used in many of its buildings. Return to the ship for an onboard lunch and the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Perhaps you'll explore the Old Town in Aberdeen where you may visit King's College to see the 15th-century architecture or stroll through the serene Cruickshank Botanic Gardens.
Enjoy dinner aboard ship this evening as you cruise to Stromness.
Day 5
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
Today, you arrive in the Orkneys, an archipelago in the north of Scotland. After an onboard breakfast, go ashore in Stromness for an included tour. You’ll begin your day’s discoveries with a visit to Stromness’ World War II Italian Chapel where you’ll learn about the humbling story of how the structure came to be before sampling Scotland's beloved drink of choice—whiskey—during a visit to Highland Park Distillery.
Then visit the Stromness Museum to learn more about the second most populous town in the Orkneys, which became a surprisingly vital seaport for British trade in the 17th century. With war waging against France, the British were unable to utilize the English Channel for shipping, which led shipping to take a northern route. Stromness was also a hub for the whaling trade—which is why many of the buildings today continue to be adorned by whale bones and maritime touches.
After lunch aboard ship, enjoy leisure time. Or join us for an optional West Mainland tour, including the many Neolithic sites for which the area is famous.
Dinner is onboard this evening as you cruise to Stornoway.
Day 6
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
Today, enjoy breakfast onboard as your small ship arrives in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, first settled by the Vikings as a sea trade port. With its lighthouse and fishing harbor, Stornoway has kept its ancient maritime character ever since, as you'll see on your included tour today.
Your first stop is the 5,000 year-old Callanish Stones, an standing stone circle roughly shaped like a Celtic cross. Then discover the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village, during which you'll hear the music of a melodeon, a centuries-old local instrument.
After returning to the ship for lunch, the remainder of the day is yours. Perhaps you’ll enjoy the afternoon lounging on the Sun Deck or journey to the 18th-century Lews Castle to visit the ground's museum to get a glimpse of the island’s history and locals’ daily lives. Later this afternoon, enjoy the warm spirit of local Highland Scottish Dancers and their families when they come aboard to share a piece of their culture with you.
This evening, your Program Director leads a talk on your next port of call, Stromness, before dinner onboard.
Please note: If this day falls on a Sunday, you'll visit the islands of North Uist and Berneray, which are also located in the Outer Hebrides.
Day 7
Isle of Barra • Atlantic Fish Factory Visit
Meals included: B L D
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
Your ship drops anchor in Barra, Scotland before breakfast. Go ashore on the most southerly of the inhabited Outer Hebrides islands for an immersive tour. Visit the Barra Atlantic fish processing factory for an exclusive Discovery Series event. There, you’ll learn about the importance of the fishing business to Barra’s economy. Then drive to a local beach to meet with a Cockle picker. Discover the process in which cockles, small clams, are collected and how they contribute to the industry.
After lunch aboard ship, enjoy free time this afternoon. Perhaps you’ll seek out one of Barra’s specialties—toffee—to find out why it’s considered the best in Scotland. Or you may visit Kisimul, a medieval castle built on a rock in the bay. Its name inspired by the Gaelic cìosamul (castle island), Kisimul is accessible via a short boat trip.
Return to the ship later this afternoon where you may take part in a discussion led by two local community leaders who will speak about the challenges faced on the island as well as Barra’s opportunities.
Dinner is onboard this evening as you cruise to Belfast.
Day 8
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
This morning, your ship arrives in the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast, a city steeped in history and culture. During this morning’s exclusive Discovery Series tour, get a local perspective of the city's political turmoil and religious divide, all while traveling like a resident—via taxi. Delve into the dark past of Northern Ireland during a visit to the Crumlin Road Jail, where you’ll get firsthand insight into life as a political prisoner during a meeting with a former convict.
Following these discoveries, learn about Northern Ireland’s age-old conflict between Catholics and Protestants, which continues to affect life here today. Witness the division between West Belfast’s Protestant neighborhood of Shankhill Road and the Catholic neighborhood of Crumlin Road, where you’ll pass detailed street art that conveys both side’s deep-rooted feelings before returning to the ship for lunch.
The balance of the afternoon is yours to explore the city independently. Return to the ship this evening for an onboard dinner while you cruise to Dublin overnight.
Day 9
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
This morning, enjoy breakfast onboard before you embark on an included sightseeing tour of Dublin. Visit Trinity College to view the ninth-century Book of Kells, one of the most elaborately illustrated illuminated Gospels, before visiting St. Mary’s Cathedral, a 19th-century Catholic church built on the site of a twelfth century Cistercian Abbey.
Starting in the 16th and 17th centuries, anti-Catholic Penal Laws and religious limitations were enacted to prevent Roman Catholics from practicing. Protestantism was the dominant religion of the time, but due to resistance from the public in the early 19th century, these strict laws dissolved and Catholicism was a free religion again. As a result, the construction of St. Mary’s Cathedral on Marlborough Street commenced.
Later this morning, set off for a Home-Hosted Lunch. Enjoy a true taste of Irish life as you savor a traditional meal with a local family. Then this afternoon you may choose to return to the ship or take a shuttle bus into town to explore Dublin independently. Perhaps you’ll visit the 12th-century St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the final resting place of Jonathan Swift, and now the National Cathedral of Ireland. The cathedral was built next to the legendary well in which Patrick was said to have baptized new converts.
Enjoy dinner onboard this evening before cruising to Holyhead.
Day 10
Holyhead, Wales • National Slate Museum
Meals included: B L D
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
Your ship arrives in Holyhead, located on Holy Island, Wales, a seaport that has linked Wales and Ireland for 4,000 years. After breakfast aboard, a short drive will bring you to Caernarfon Castle, which sits on the strait that divides the mainland of Wales from Anglesey. King Edward I built a fortress here to control supply routes to the coast, as well as to control access to the agriculturally rich Angelsey. A walking tour to the castle will reveal its massive construction and imposing polygonal towers, of which 17th-century travel writer John Taylor wrote, "if [the castle] be well manned, victualled, and ammunitioned, it is invincible." This impressive setting is where His Royal Highness Prince Charles was invested in 1969.
Following your castle visit, you’ll enjoy lunch in a local restaurant before visiting the National Slate Museum on the site of a 19th-century slate quarry. The museum recounts the long industrial history here, and you'll view a slate-splitting demonstration to see how craftsmen sliced the stone and made objects from it.
This evening, enjoy dinner aboard your small ship as you sail toward Fishguard.
Day 11
Fishguard, Wales • St. David’s • Welsh Farm Visit
Meals included: B L D
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
Enjoy breakfast onboard as you cruise into the tiny town of Fishguard. Once you arrive this morning, depart for Wale’s ecclesiastical capital—St. David's—where you’ll visit the medieval cathedral named after the country's patron saint before making your own independent discoveries.. St. David, a Welsh bishop, established a monastery in the sixth century on the site of today's cathedral. Churches at the time were one of the wealthier institutions in the British Isles, making them more susceptible to attacks. As Viking invaders flooded the region, the cathedral fell prey to attacks from the seventh century until the eleventh century. It wasn't until 1181 when construction of the current cathedral began.
After lunch back onboard the ship, you'll visit Fishguard’s Town Hall to view a 100-foot tapestry that depicts an incursion in 1797 that lasted only two days. The tale of the short-lived occupation is told on the tapestry that was created for the 200th anniversary by a team of 77 local women, who used 97 colors and sewed for two years to create the piece.
Later this afternoon, see another side of Welsh life during a visit to Alan James Farm—for an exclusive Discovery Series event. There, you’ll tour the property and visit some of the animals to see how each contributes to the business—including sampling fresh milk when you pass through the milking parlor. Get an intimate and authentic glimpse of the farmer's routine, everyday life, and the inner workings of the business today. After, enjoy tea and a light snack in the farmer's home while learning about the difficulties Welsh farmers and the farming industry face in the region today.
Enjoy dinner onboard the ship this evening before sailing to your next port of call.
Day 12
Tresco, Isles of Scilly, England • Captain's Farewell Dinner
Meals included: B L D
Accommodations: M/V Corinthian
Enjoy an included city tour of Edinburgh after breakfast today, and get to know this city where commerce and culture mix. Home to the world's largest annual arts festival and a major center for banking, Edinburgh is not only a vibrant metropolis but also a repository of historic treasures. Its medieval Old Town and 18th-century New Town are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and a memorable mix of old and new unfold this morning on your included tour. Stop by the National Museum to get a quick glimpse of the culture and history of Scotland before driving to the New Town, past the medieval St. Giles Cathedral and the dramatic Scott Monument—the world's biggest monument dedicated to a writer, Sir Walter Scott. End your tour on the Old Town's Royal Mile. This stretch of the city reaches from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Road.
After lunch on your own, the balance of the day is yours for discoveries at your leisure. This evening, join your fellow travelers for a Farewell Dinner.
Day 13
Accommodations: Tower Hotel or similar
There's no better place to end your discoveries than the actual Crown Jewel of the United Kingdom: London. After breakfast, begin with a panoramic London city tour, during which you'll witness some of the city's greatest icons—including the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham Palace.
After enjoying a true taste of British life at a local pub, the balance of the day is yours to explore at leisure, and discover for yourself the highlights that inspired Samuel Johnson to write, “there is in London all that life can afford.”
Tonight, enjoy a Farewell Dinner together.
Day 15
| i don't know |
In which German town did Napoleon decisively defeat the Prussian army in 1806, and Carl Zeiss open an optical workshop in 1846? | Nineteeth Century Timeline
Sir William Herschel
Napoleon becomes President of Italian Republic and annexes Piedmont, Parma and Piacenza, Peace of Amiens, French suppress L'Ouverture's rebellion in Santo Domingo and reintroduce slavery, Alexander Humboldt almost succeeds in climbing Mount Chimborao in EcuadorBabylonian cuneiform deciphered by Grotefund, Beethoven's Symphony No. 2
Charlotte Dundas is the first Steamship , William Herschel discovers binary stars and coins term 'Asteroid', Treviranus coins term 'biology', John Dalton introduces atomic theory into chemistry, Thomas Wedgwood produces the world's first photography but has no means of fixing the image 1803Suppression of rebellion in Ireland, Irish rebel Robert Emmet is captured and executed, Wellesley defeats Indians in Second Maratha War and occupies Orissa after defeat of Marathas, First Passenger Act to regulate transportation of emigrants by shipping companiesDespart Plot to kill King George III , Resume war with Napoleon over French refusal to withdraw from NetherlandsLousiana Purchase, French occupation of Hanover, Napoleon formulates plans to invade Britain, Haitian army led by Dessalines defeats French, Kamehameha of Hawaii unites eight of the islands employing British and Americans to act as governorsBeethoven's Eroica Symphony
, Elgin Marbles removed from Parthenon, Turner's Calais Pier exhibited, Joseph Lancaster's Improvements in Education as it Respects the Industrious Classes Henry Shrapnel develops exploding shell, Dalton's Atomic theory 1804Hobart in Tasmania is founded, Matthew Flinders recommends that New Holland be renamed Australia, British occupy Surinam Pitt the Younger PM, First Corn Law, Gas lighting used for the first time in London at the Lyceum Theatre, Spain declares war on Britain thanks to NapoleonCode Napoleon introduced into France and occupied territories, Napoleon is proclaimed as Emperor by French Senate, Napoleon is crowned by Pope Pius VII Haiti gains Independence from French, Lewis and Clark begin exploration of Missouri River systemWilliam Blake's Jerusalem , Wordsworth's Intimations of Immortality Trevithick's first steam rail locomotive , Nicolas Appert opens world's first vacuum bottling factory in France, Wollaston finds palladium in platinum, John Wedgwood founds the Royal Horticultural Society 1805Nelson wins Battle of Trafalgar giving the Royal Navy control of the seas, Arthur Wellesley resigns in India, Britain and US break diplomatic relations due to issues of trade in the West Indies, Mungo Park starts his second expedition along the Niger RiverNapoleon gathers forces at Boulogne for invasion of Britain, Third coalition formed by Austria, Russia, Sweden and Britain against FranceNapoleon defeats combined Austrian-Russian army at Austerlitz, Napoleon crowned as King of Italy in Milan, Treaty of Pressburg sees Austria and France end conflict, Mehemet Ali becomes Pasha of Egypt
Battle of Trafalgar
Sir William Congreve develops rockets for use by the British army, Francis Beaufort develops his Beaufort scale for wind velocity, Sarturner isolates morphine 1806British occupy Cape of Good Hope , British impose continent wide blockade, Commodore Popham seizes Buenos Aires William Wyndam Grenville PM, Dartmoor Prison construction beginsNapoleon's continental system, Napoleon installs one brother as King of Naples and another as King of Holland, Confederation of Rhine created by Napoleon - officially ending Holy Roman Empire, Prussians defeated by Napoleon at Jena, Napoleon occupies Berlin, Peace of Posen forms Saxony as a kingdomBeethoven's Symphony No. 4
, Rossini's first opera Demetrio e Polibio
Patrick Clark develops cotton thread as strong as linen thread, Humphrey Davy discovers electrolytic method for preparation of potassium and soda 1807Prohibition of shipment of slaves in British ships or to British colonies, British ban neutral nations from trading with France, British occupy Alexandria but are driven out by Turks, British ship Leopard fires on US ship Chesapeake and takes British deserters from American ship, US closes US ports to all British and French warships, Sierra Leone and Gambia become British Crown Colonies, British occupy Bonaire , Curacao , Saint Croix and Saint Thomas in the Caribbean and Heligoland off the coast of Germany to help with the blockade of Europe, The African Institution Formed William Bentinck PMFrance invades Portugal whose Royal family flees to Brazil, Jerome Bonaparte becomes King of Westphalia, French victory at FriedlandHegel's Philosophy of History , Humboldt's Voyage aux Regions Equinoxiales du Nouveaux continent and Personal narrative of the travels to the Equinoxial Regions of the New Continent 1799-1804, and researches concerning tthe institutions and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of America Robert Fulton designs the Clermont which becomes the first commercially successful steamboat which operates on the Hudson River 1808 Sierra Leone becomes a Crown Colony, The source of the Ganges is pinpointed for first timeWellesley lands in Lisbon with start of Peninsular War, Henry Crabb Robinson sent to cover the Peninsular War by the Times of London and is regarded as one of the earliest war reportersFrench occupy Madrid and Napoleon makes Joseph Bonaparte King of Spain, US prohibits importation of slaves from Africa, Erfurt CongressExtensive excavations begin at Pompeii, Beethoven's Symphonies No.5 and 6
The Peninsular War
1809David Thompson begins exploration of Canada between Lake Superior and Pacific, Treaty of Dardanelles between Turkey and Britain, British take control of Ionian Islands , Treaty of Amritsar sees EIC halt expansion of Sikh Confederacy, British seize Martinique , Senegal and Rodriguez from FrenchBritish defeated at Corunna, Wellesley succeeds Moore who is killed in battle Spencer Perceval PM, Cobbett imprisoned for criticising flogging in the army, Battle of Talavera sees Wellesley defeat Jospeph Bonaparte, Expansion of Bristol Harbour beginsFrench defeat Austrians at Wagram, Austria forced to join Continental System, Napoleon divorces Josphine, French annex Papal states and seizes Pope Pius VII, Ecuador gains independence from Spain
Seizing Ionian Islands
Samuel Sommering's electric telegraph, Lamarck's System of Invertebrates 1810British seize Guadeloupe , Saba , Saint Martin and Saint Eustatius in the West Indies, British seize Mauritius , Moluccas and Reunion French issue Decree of Fontainebleau which authorises confiscation of British goods and shippingPrussia abolishes serfdom, Napoleon marries Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, Decree of Rambouillet authorises French sale of seized US ships, France formally annexes Holland, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Lauenburg and Lubeck, Venezuela breaks from Spain and revolts throughout South America against Spanish control (until 1821)Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake Samuel Hahnemann founds homeopathy 1811British seize Batavia from Dutch, British take Seychelles , Fourth Kaffir (Xhosa) War begins (until 1812), Expulsion of Xhosa from Zuurveld begins, Selkirk receives Red River grant in CanadaGeorge III period of insanity begins, His son takes over as Regent, Luddites smash spinning and weaving machinery, British defeat French at Battle of Fuentes de Onoro and Albuera, Great Schism in Welsh Protestantism sees two-thirds leave Anglican ChurchMamelukes overthrown by Mohammed Ali in Egypt, Slave revolt in New Orleans, Paraguay declares independence from SpainJane Austen's Sense and Sensibility , Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5
Charles Bell's Idea of A New Anatomy of the Brain , Avogadro proposes hypothesis of the molecular composition of gases 1812Americans invade Canada starting War of 1812, Red River settlement in Manitoba founded, French develop a system for extracting sugar from sugar beet on an industrial scale, this will lead to a collapse in sugar cane prices and widespread economic dislocation in sugar plantations of the Caribbean in subsequent decadesPM Spencer Perceval assassinated, Lord Liverpool becomes PM, Luddite disturbances spread, Duke of Wellington defeats French at Salamanca and enters Madrid, Baptist Union of Great Britain formedNapoleon's Russian campaign, Napoleon enters Moscow but begins disastrous retreatGrimm's Fairy Tales Humphrey Davy's Elements of Chemical Philosophy , Philippe Girard invents machine for spinning flax 1813English East India company loses trading monopoly with India, Restrictions on missionary activity in India are relaxed, Goa returned to Portuguese allies, War of 1812 sees HMS Shannon capture US frigate Chesapeake, Americans capture York (Toronto), Detroit and Fort St. George, Britiish defeat Americans at Montreal, Newark, Fort Niagara and burn BuffaloMethodist Missionary Society founded, Wellington defeats French at Vittoria and enters FranceSeries of Wars of Liberation against French in occupied Europe, Prussians, Russians, Austrians all fight against Napoleon, Napoleon defeated at Leipzig, Bolivar declares himself dictator of Venezuela, Mexico declares independence from SpainJane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
HMS Shannon capturing USS Chesapeake
1814British occupy Washington and burn White House, Americans forced to sue for peace and end war, British agree to return to the status quo before the conflict with the Treaty of Ghent, Highland Clearances begin in earnest, Many displaced Scots head for urban areas or emigrate to colonies like Canada, Lord Hastings declares war on the Gurkhas of Nepal , it is confirmed that the British will permanently keep Cape Colony , Mauritius , Saint Lucia , Guiana , Tobago , Ionian Islands and Malta as part of the Congress of Vienna peace treaty, CMS mission is established at Rangihoua in New Zealand
Treaty of Ghent
Allies occupy Paris, Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba, Louis XVIII restored to throne of France, Congress of Vienna opensJane Austen's Mansfield Park , Matthew Flinders' A Voyage to Terra Australis , Goya's Execution of the Defenders of Madrid aGeorge Stephenson constructs first practical steam locomotive at Killingworth Colliery near Newcastle 1815British East India Company retain Ceylon from the Dutch, Royal Navy takes Ascension Island to help guard Napoleon on St Helena , Slachtersnek Rebellion in Cape Colony , Governor Macquarie in NSW establishes first native institution for education of aborigines of both sexesWellington wins decisive victory at Waterloo, Income tax abolished with end of WarCongress of Vienna attempts to return Europe to pre-Revolutionary state with mixed success, Napoleon escapes from Elba and restarts War but is defeated at Waterloo and exiled to St Helena , End of Napoleonic War releases Spanish troops to return to South America, Simon Bolivar forced to flee Venezuela and seeks asylum in Jamaica
Third Mahratta War
Attempt on the life of the Prince Regent, Widespread disturbances and riots due to economic difficulties, Habeas Corpus suspendedChile gains independence from Spain, Bolivar once more claims independence for VenezuelaJames Mill's History of India , David Ricardo's Principles of Political Economy Walter Scott's Rob Roy , John Keats' Poems Berzelius discovers selenium and lithium 1818Third Mahratta War, American-Canadian border agreed upon 49th Parallel as far as the Rockies, John Franklin begins journey to Arctic (until 1822), Fifth Kaffir (Xhosa) War begins (until 1819) Order of St Michael and St George instituted by Prince Regent, Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society formed Shaka forms Zulu kingdomMary Shelley's Frankenstein , Beethoven becomes completely deaf, Austen's Northanger Abbey , Walter Scott's The Heart of Midlothian Cadmium discovered by Stromeyer and Hermann, Bessel catalogues 3,222 stars in his Fundamenta Astronomiae 1819 Raffles founds Singapore Peterloo massacre sees British soldiers kill protesters against Corn Laws, Restrictions on Child Labour introducedUS purchases Florida from Spain, Bolivar proclaims independence for Great ColombiaSchopenhauer's The World as Will and Idea , Schubert's Trout Quintet
, Byron's Mazeppa The Savannah is the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, First solid chocolate developed in Switzerland, David Napier constructs flat-bed cylinder press for printing, Hans Oersted discovers electromagnetism, Mitscherlich discovers isomorphism 1820Edward Bransfield surveys New South Shetland Islands for Royal Navy travelling as far south as 64 degrees, British emigration to Southern Africa begins in earnest at Algoa Bay George IV becomes kingLiberia founded by Washington Colonisation Society for repatriation of negroes, Revolution in Portugal and SpainWalter Scott's Ivanhoe , Discovery of Venus de Milo on Greek island of Melos, Shelley's Prometheus Unbound Andre Ampere's Laws of the Electrodynamic Action 1821 Sierra Leone , Gambia and the Gold Coast are combined to form British West Africa, Napoleon dies on St Helena , Merger of Hudson's Bay Company and North-West CompanyManchester Guardian published for first time, Famine in IrelandGreek War of Independence begins, Mexico and Peru gain independence, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama all declare independence from SpainJohn Constable's The Hay Wain , Quincy's Confessions of an Opium Eater Faraday invents electric motor 1822 Chinese monopoly on tea ended when tea bush grown in India, Bottle riots in Dublin, H. T. Colebrooke founds Royal Asiatic SocietyForeign Secretary Lord Castlereagh commits suicideBrazil gains independence from Portugal, Turks capture Chios and massacre Greek inhabitantsRosetta stone deciphered by Champollion, Walter Scott's The Pirate First Iron Steamship sails 1823First Ashanti War begins (until 1833), Daniel O'Connell forms Catholic Association, Walter Oudney discovers Lake Chad in Central Africa, Demerara Slave Rebellion in Guiana , British merchants establish post at Natal Anti-Slavery Society formed, Rugby invented, Death penalty for 100 crimes removed from English statute booksMonroe Doctrine declared by America to deter European powers from returning to American colonies - it is tacitly supported by Britain which wished to maintain informal connections with newly independent nations in Latin America, United Provinces of Central America created, Mexico becomes Republic, French intervene to end Spanish War
First Ashanti War
Faraday liquifies Chlorine, Rubberized cotton developed by Macintosh, Charles Babbage attempts to construct a calculating machine, Oil drilled in Baku on the Caspian Sea for the first time 1824 First Anglo-Burmese War, Anglo-Dutch Treaty sees Britain cede Benkulen to Dutch in return for Malacca , Britain rejects protectorate over MombasaCombination Laws repealed allowing British workers the right to Unionise, British recognise independent nations of Latin AmericaLouis XVIII dies and is replaced by his brother Charles X in FranceBeethoven's Symphony No.9 'Choral'
Portland Cement developed by Joseph Aspdin 1825Anglo-Russian Treaty clarifies border between Alaska and Canada, Anglo-Brazilian Commercial Treaty
Kingston Street, Jamaica
Decembrist revolt in Russia crushed, Egyptians capture CreteCharles Wolfe's The Burial of Sir John Moore , William Hazlitt's The Spirit of the Age John Nash expands Buckingham PalaceStockton Darlington railway opened, Erie Canal opens connecting the River Hudson with the Great Lakes, Faraday isolates benzene, Sir Goldsworthy Gurney invents oxygen-hydrogen limelight 1826 Straights Settlement created from Penang, Malacca and Singapore, Treaty of Yandabu ends Burmese War by giving British Arakan and Assam, British force defeats Ashanti near Accra, Major Edmund Lockyer arrives at King George Sound to take possession of the western part of Australia, establishing a settlement near Albany, Select Committee of Enquiry on the Expediency of Encouraging Emigration from BritainUniversity of London openedRussia and Persia go to war, Dost Mohammed becomes Amir of Kabul, Seku Ahmadu conquers TimbuktuJ. F. Cooper's Last of the Mohicans , Denham's Narrative of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa in the years 1822, 1823, and 1824 Stamford Raffles founds Royal Zoological Society in London, Lobachevsky develops system of non-Euclidean geometry, Ampere's Electrodynamics 1827Joint Anglo-French-Russian force defeats Turks at Navarino George Canning PM but dies in office, Viscount Goderich PMFrance intervenes in Algeria
Battle of Navarino
Duke of Wellington becomes Prime MinisterQueen Ranavalona rules Madacasgar and is hostile to British and French interest in her domain, Treaty of Turkmanchai ends Russian - Persian War and gives Russian fleet exclusive access to Caspian Sea, Uruguay created between Brazil and Argentina, Shaka murdered and replaced by brothers, Portuguese Civil War begins, Tariff of Abominations in US curtails imports through excessive customs dutiesDeath of Goya, J F Cooper's The Red Rover Dutch manufacturer Houten develops a chocolate bar, Niels Abel begins study of elliptic functions, John Franklin publishes his Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea 1829Swan River Colonisation Association settlement established at Perth, Western Australia , Britain claims entire Australian continent as a British preserve, Abolition of Suttee in India, E.G. Wakefield's A Letter from Sydney Catholic Emancipation, Police founded in LondonJackson US president, Peace of Adrianople ends Russo-Turkish War and recognises Greek Independence, Venezuela withdraws from Gran Colombia to become independent nation, Slavery abolished in Mexico
<A class="APCAnchor" HREF="http://affiliates.allposters.com/link/redirect.asp?AID=661826&PSTID=5<ID=16&lang=1">Buy Posters at AllPosters.com </A>
Stephenson's Rocket wins competition to run between Liverpool and Manchester 1830Mysore comes under EIC control in India, Founding of the Royal Geographic Society in London, Ripon Regulations inaugurate sales of Australian lands by auction, Attempts at suppressing thugee begin Earl Grey PM, William IV KingFrance takes Algeria, Charles X of France deposed and succeeded by Louis Philippe, Belgium becomes independent, Ecuador leaves Gran Colombia, Uprising in Poland against Russian rule, Death of Simon Bolivar, Mormon Church founded by Joseph SmithJeremy Bentham's Constitutional Code; for the use of All Nations and All Governments professing Liberal Opinions , Victor Hugo's Hernani , Tennyson's Poems, Chiefly Lyrical Robert Brown discovers the cell nucleus in plants, Liverpool-Manchester railway formally opened, Charles Lyell divides geological system into three distinct areas - eocene, miocene and pliocene 1831James Ross finds the location of magnetic North Pole, Anglo-Ashanti Treaty, Slave Rebellion in Jamaica Cholera epidemic, Riots in Bristol, Reform Bill introduced to abolsih 'rotten' boroughs, London Bridge openedFrench Foreign Legion formed, Polish revolt defeated by Russians, Virginia Slave Revolt, Syria attacked by Egyptians, Americans begin forcible eviction of Indians towards OklahomaFriedrich Maximilian von Klinger's Sturm und Drang which gives its name to German literary movement, Alexander Pushkin's Boris Godunov , Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame , Darwin begins Beagle voyage, Faraday discovers principle of the Dynamo, Charles Sauria develops method of making matches easy to ignite, Chloroform discoverd by Samuel Guthrie and Justus von Liebig 1832
The 'Sir Walter Scott' Arriving in New York
Great Reform Act doubles electorate, redistributes seats and reduces 'rotten' boroughs Mazzini founds Giovine Italia with the aim of achieving national independenceDeath of Sir Walter Scott, Frances Trollope's Domestic Manners of the Americans , Mendelssohn's New Hebrides Overture
, Goethe's Faust published postumously, Pushkin's Eugene Onegin Nicolas Carnot develops Second Law of Thermodynamics 1833Abolition of slavery throughout British Empire, Falklands annexed by Royal Navy, Alexander Burnes crosses Hindu Kush mountain range in Central Asia, Sir John Ross returns from his Arctic expeditionDeath of William Wilberforce, Factory Acts provides system of inspections
Charles Lamb's Last Essays , Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony Number 4
Contraceptive diaphragm invented by Friedrich Wilde, Death of Richard Trevithick, Gauss and Weber devise electromagnetic telegraph which functions over 3,000 metres distance, First steamer crosses Atlantic 1834 South Australia founded with support from the Duke of Wellington, Tolpuddle martyrs transported to Australia, East India Company's monopoly of trade with China is ended, Sixth Kaffir (Xhosa) War sees settlers in Cape Colony clash with African tribes on their frontier, Boers cross the Orange River attempting to escape British control, Agents appointed to British ports to ensure protection of migrants Viscount Melbourne PM, Duke of Wellington PM, Sir Robert Peel PM, Workhouses established, Houses of Parliament largely destroyed by fire, Lord Palmerston creates Quadruple Alliance with France, Spain and PortugalRanjit Singh takes Peshawar, Portuguese Civil War ends, Spanish Carlist War begins, German Customs Union (Zollverein) begins to operateDisraeli's The Infernal Marriage , Pushkin's The Queen of Spades , Death of Samuel Taylor Coleridge Braille develops raised writing system for the blind, Charles Babbage develops the principle of the 'analytical engine', Faraday develops Law of Electrolysis 1835Boers start Great Trek in an attempt to escape British control, they come into contact with Zulu nation, Melbourne is founded in Victoria , British impose treaties of protection on Gulf states like Trucial Oman and Bahrain , Missionaries start to arrive in Fiji , Chesney's Euphrates expedition Viscount Melbourne PM, Railway Boom in full swing, Municipal Corporation Act gives extensive powers to boroughs to govern themselvesJuan Manuel de Rosas becomes dictator of Argentina, Second Seminole War in US, Texas declares its right to secede from MexicoHans Christian Andersen publishes his first Fairy Tales , Bulwer-Lytton's Rienzi , J. P. Kennedy's Horse Shoe Robinson about the Revolutionary War, William Gilmore Simms' The Yemassee , Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America , Turner's The Burning of the Houses of Parliament James Paget identifies Trichina Spiralis which caused trichinosis for those who ate undercooked or raw pork, Halley's Comet reappears, Samuel Colt takes a patent in England to protect his single-barrelled pistol and revolver, Charles Chubb patents a burglar proof safe, Foundation of the Geological Survey of Great Britain 1836Adelaide is founded in South Australia as settlers begin to arrive in number, Great Trek continues as Boers move into Natal , the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal , First railway opens in Canada linking Laprairie to St. Johns, Report of Select Committee on the Disposal of Land in British ColoniesChartists demand universal suffrage and secret ballot, Famine in Scottish HighlandsTexas declares independence from Mexico resulting in Alamo and Battle of San JacintoRalph Waldo Emerson's Nature , Schopenhauer's On the Will in Nature , Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector Samuel Morse develops electrical telegraph system, John Frederic Daniell develops voltaic cell which prevents polarisation, Asa Gray's Elements of Botany 1837 Revolts in Lower Canada and Upper Canada , USS Caroline set on fire and sunk by British to prevent it from attempting to transport supplies to rebels across Niagara River, Aboriginal Protection Society formed Victoria Queen, Mazzini arrives in London as an exile, Birth registrations made compulsoryPresident of France Sadi Carnot is assassinated, Padri War comes to an end in Sumatra with intervention by Dutch who sack the fortress of Bonjol, Economic downturn in USA, The French army besieges and captures Constantine in French Algeria
Rebellion in Canada
Electric Telegraph patented by Wheatstone and Cooke Euston becomes London's first railway station, Pitman develops short hand system, Louis Daguerre develops the daguerreotype 1838 FIrst Afghan War starts (until 1842), Myall creek massacre in NSW Anti-Corn Law League established by Richard Cobden Battle of Blood River sees Boers clash and decisively defeat Zulus in South Africa, Pastry War between sees French troops invade Mexico, First railway opens in RussiaCharles Dickens' Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby , Turner's The Fighting Temeraire Great Western sails from Bristol to New York, Bessel makes the first parallax measurement for a fixed star 1839 First Opium War in China (until 1842), Ranjit Singh dies leaving power vacuum in Sikh Kingdom, James Ross and F. Crozier set out on Antarctic expedition in HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, Samuel Cunard starts British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, Lord Durham's report on the affairs of British North America, East India Company seizes Aden , British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society formed
The Pastry War
Dutch agree to recognise Belgian independence with Treaty of London, Boers found Natal , Egyptians defeat Ottomans in Syria, Uruguay declares war on Argentina, John Lloyd Stephens discovers many of antiquities from Mayan Civilisation in Central AmericaTurner's The Slave Ship , Jared Sparks' Life of George Washington Kirkpatrick MacMillan develops bicycle, Charle Goodyear discovers a way to vulcanise rubber 1840Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand, Lower Canada and Upper Canada united and organised into provinces, Treaty of London sees creation of alliance of Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia form a military alliance against Mehemet Ali of Egypt, British gunboats bombard Beirut and land troops, Transportation of criminals to New South Wales , Colonial Land Emigration Commission appointed, Anglo-Zanzibar anti-slave trade treaty Victoria marries Albert, first postage stamps,
Proudhon's Property is Theft , James Fennimore Cooper's The Pathfinder , Donizetti's The Daughter Of The Regiment
Botanical Gardens at Kew opened, Liebig discovers fundamentals of artificial fertilisers, Agassiz Etudes sur les glaciers on the movement and effects of glaciers 1841 Hong Kong established, Livingstone arrives in Africa, Shah Shujah assassinated in Afghanistan leading to disastrous British retreat from Kabul, Falkland Islands become a Crown Colony, James Brooke arrives in Sarawak , British Consul stationed at Zanzibar , Niger Expedition Sir Robert Peel PM, Thomas Cook offers first holiday excursions, Punch begins to be publishedStraits Convention guarantees Ottoman sovereignty and denies access to the Bosphorous and Dardanelles of all foreign warships, Said ibn Sayyid makes Zanzibar his capitalJames Fennimore Cooper's Deerslayer , Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop , Thomas Carlyle's On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History , Robert Schumann's Symphonies 1 and 4
James Baird develops idea of hypnosis, Bessel deduces a value for the ellipticity of the earth, Joseph Whitworth proposes idea of standardising screw threads 1842Treaty of Nanking ends Opium War and confirms British ownership of Hong Kong , Kabul garrison annihilated in Khyber Pass, Webster-Ashburton Treaty defines US-Canadian border between North Brunswick and Maine, James Brooke made Rajah of Sarawak , Constitution Act grants representative government to New South Wales Income tax reintroduced, Riots and strikes in industrial North, Queen Victoria takes first railway journeyFrance occupies Tahiti, Guinea and GabonNikolai Gogol's Dead Souls , Mendelssohn's Symphony Number 3
, Alfred Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott , Verdi's Verdi: Nabucco
, Charles Dickens' American Notes First use of Anaesthetic in an operation by Crawford Long 1843 Maori revolts against British rule in New Zealand leading to First Maori War, Sind conquered, British occupy Hawaii briefly to forestall French seizure of the islands, British take control of Natal from Boers, First British settlement on Vancouver Island established, British Settlements Act, Annexation of SindThe Economist is foundedMilitary revolt in Spain
Maoris of New Zealand
British Archaeological Association and Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland founded, Brunel's propeller driven ship SS Great Britain is launched, James Prescott Joule calculates the amount of work required to produce a unit of heat, Erbium discovered by C. Mosander 1844Daniel O'Connell found guilty of political conspiracy against British rule in IrelandCooperative movement begins in Rochdale, YMCA founded, Factory Acts, Founding of the Ethnological Society of London by Thomas HodgkinTreaty of Tangier ends French war in Morocco, Karl Marx meets Friedrich Engels in Paris, James Polk becomes President of the US with promise to expand American territory North-Westwards at the expense of the BritishTurner's Rain, Steam and Speed
Franklin Expedition for North-West Passage
Widespread famine as poor wheat harvest in Europe is compounded by disastrous potato blight, US annexes Texas and FloridaEngels' Condition of the working class in England , Austen Henry Layard begins excavation at Nimrod in Iraq , Wagner's Tannhauser
, Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo , Disraeli's Sybil, or The Two Nations , Robert Browning's Home Thoughts from Abroad Galvanised corrugated Iron invented, Pneumatic tyre invented, Humboldt's Cosmos , Kolbe synthesizes acetic acid, William M'Naught develops compound steam engine, Joshua Heilman patens machine for combing cotton and wool, First submarine cable laid across English Channel, Arthur Cayley's Theory of Linear Transformations , Bigelow constructs power loom for carpet manufacturing, William Armstrong develops hydraulic crane 1846EIC defeats Sikhs at Aliwal and Sobraon, Treaty of Lahore ends First Sikh War, Seventh Kaffir (Xhosa) War begins (until 1847), Oregon Treaty sees boundary of 49th parallel extend all the way to Pacific except for Vancouver Island which was to remain British, Earl Grey's colonial defence review Lord John Russell PM, Corn Laws repealed, Evangelical Alliance formed in London, French invasion scare, Sugar Duties ActMexican-US war (until 1848), Black Bear Revolt sees settlers in California declare seccesion from Mexico, Brigham Young leads Mormons to Salt Lake in UtahFirst appreance of printed Christmas Cards, Mendelssohn's Elijah
, Edward Lear's Book of Nonsense , Herman Melville's Typee , Dostoevsky's Poor Folk Rotary Printing Press developed, Smithsonian Institute is founded with a bequest from James Smithson, Carl Zeiss founds Optical factory in Jena, American dentist W. T. Morton uses ether as an anaesthetic, Ascanio Sobrero prepares nitroglycerine, John Deere constructs plough with steel moldboard, Sewing machine patented by Elias Howe, von Mohl identifies protoplasm 1847Large scale Irish emigration as a result of Irish famineFactory Act restricts working day for children and women to 10 hours a dayLiberia proclaimed independent republic, US forces capture Mexico City, Bakunin expelled from Paris for advocating overthrown of monarchy in RussiaCharlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights , Thackeray's Vanity Fair
Irish Eviction
1848Second Sikh War (until 1849), Orange River Sovereignty claimed as being under British control (until 1854), Labuan becomes a Crown Colony off Borneo, Matale Rebellion against British rule in Ceylon , British, Dutch, and German governments lay claim to New Guinea , Scottish settlers establish Dunedin in New Zealand , Marquess of Dalhousie becomes Governor-General of India instituting a period of liberal reformsFirst Public Health Act establishes Boards of Health giving cities broad authority to build modern sanitary systems, Chartist RalliesWidespread European revolutions and uprisings, Abdication of Louis Philippe in France, Revolution in Vienna, Franz Josef succeeds as Emperor of Austria, Gold discovered in California leading to Gold Rush, US takes Mexican lands north of Rio Grande River, Serfdom abolished in AustriaKarl Marx's Communist Manifesto , Macaulay's History of England , J. S. Mill's Principles of the Political Economy , Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton First appendectomy, Safety matches designed by Bottger 1849British defeat Sikhs at Chillianwalla and Gujerat, British annex Punjab, David Livingstone crosses Kalahari Desert and discovers Lake Ngami, Cape Colony refuses to accept any future convicts from BritainNavigation Acts repealed to encourage Laissez-Faire tradeVenice submits to Austria, Austria subdues Hungarian rebels, Kossuth flees to Turkey, Mazzini claims Rome as a Republic but French use troops to restore Rome to Pope Pius IX, Garibaldi flees to USACharles Dickens' David Copperfield Safety Pin patented, Speed of Light accurately measured by Fizeau, Edward Frankland isolates amyl 1850Don Pacifico Affair sees British aggresively defend the rights of a citizen of Empire (from Gibraltar ) in Greece through the use of a naval blockade of Athens, Edward Eyre is the first European to cross the Nullarbar Plain in Australia , Eighth Kaffir (Xhosa) War begins (until 1853) Irish Franchise ActTaiping Rebellion in China, Prussia and Denmark sign Peace of Berlin on issue of Schleswig-Holstein, California joins America as a state
St. George's, Grenada
Robert Knox's The Races of Man , Royal Meteorological Society formed, Stephenson builds cast-iron railway bridge in Newcastle, Chebyshev's On Primary Numbers , Helmholtz establishes speed of nervous impulse, Clausius formulates second law of thermodynamics, and kinetic theory of gases, bunsen burner invented 1851Gold discovered in New South Wales , Basuto War (until 1853), Victoria becomes Colony, Emigration Advances Act, First telegraph laid in India, Bombardment of Lagos
The Kaffir (Xhosa or Frontier) Wars
Destruction of French Second Republic by Coup D'etat of Louis NapoleonHerman Melville's Moby Dick , Death of J.M.W. Turner, Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies
, Emanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace, Kelvin's Law of conservation of energy, Isaac Singer devises continuous stitch sewing machine, Ruhmkoff invents high tension induction coil 1852Second Anglo-Burmese War (until 1855), Livingstone explores the Zambesi (until 1856), Britain recognizes the independence of the Transvaal with the Sand River Convention, HMS Birkenhead sinks near Cape Town, Highland and Island Emigration Society sends migrants to Australia, Udaipur lapses to EIC control Earl of Derby PM, Earl of Aberdeen PM, Death of Duke of WellingtonArgentina and Uruguay go to war, Napoleon III becomes Emperor of the French, French invasion scareHarriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin , Tolstoy's Childhood , Charles Dickens' Bleak House Mathysen impregnates bandages with plaster, Herbert Spencer's The Development Hypothesis uses the term 'Evolution' for the first time, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children admits first patient, 1853First railways in India, British annexe Nagpur in India, Tasmania ends importing of convicts, Britain takes Pegu from Burma as Second Anglo-Burmese War endsRussia and Turkey clash over Danubian territories and in the Black Sea leading to Crimean WarCommodore Perry arrives in Japan with a US fleet, Turkey and War clash leading to Crimean War, Shanghai falls to Taiping rebels, French annex New CaledoniaGeorges Hausmann begins reconstruction of Paris, Verdi's La Traviata
, Charlotte Bronte's Villette , Charles Kingsley' Hypatia , Nathaniel Hawthorn's Tanglewood Tales , Matthew Arnold's The Scholar Gypsy Hypodermic syringe invented by Alexander Wood, Queen Victoria agrees to the use of chloroform during birth of her seventh child, vaccination against smallpox becomes compulsory in Britain, Brunel begins work on SS Great Eastern 1854Eureka rebellion in Victoria , Convention of Bloemfontein sees British leave territory north of Orange River and so abandon claims to Orange River Colony , Elgin Treaty regulates trade between US and Canada, Great Ganges Canal openedBritish forces land on Crimean Peninsular, Siege of Sevastapol begins, battle of Balaklava and Inkerman, Civil Service formedCrimean War (1854-56), US forces Japanese to open up to foreign trade with Treaty of Kanagawa, New Khedive of Egypt grants concession to build Suez Canal to Ferdinand de Lesseps
First Shots of Crimean War
John Snow proves cholera is a water borne disease, Benjamn Silliman fractionates petroleum by distallation, SS Brandon is the first ship with compound expansion engines, Heinrich Goebel invents first form of electric light bulb 1855Britain and Afghanistan join together against Persia with Treaty of Peshawar Viscount Palmerston PM, Livingstone is the first European to see the Victoria Falls
, Franz Liszt's Piano Concertos 1
Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit , Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha Mendel's discovery of laws of heredity 1856Oudh annexed, Second Chinese 'Opium' or 'Arrow' War (until 1860), Natal becomes a Crown Colony, Anglo-Persian War beginsVictoria Cross established, First cigarette factory opened by Robert Gloag who was a veteran of the Crimean War where British soldiers came into contact with the paper rolled tobacco for the first time, Big Ben is castTreaty of Paris makes the Black Sea neutral and asserts the independence of the Ottoman EmpireFlaubert's Madame Bovary published, J. A. Froude's A History of England Fossilised remains of Neanderthal found in Rhineland, First refrigerator ship, Synthetic colours developed by William Perkins, Henry Bessemer invents Bessemer converter which makes low-cost steel, Sir William Siemens makes ductile steel for boiler plating 1857Peace of Paris ends Anglo-Persian War and guarantees independence of Afghanistan, Indian Mutiny , British and French take Canton, Irish Republican Brotherhood (Fenians) founded in New York, First Indian Universities founded, Baikie's Niger expedition (until 1864)
The Indian Mutiny
Financial and economic crisis in Europe and North America due to speculation on US railroad shares, Garibaldi forms Italian National Association with a view towards the unification of Italy, Mountain Meadows massacre sees Mormons coordinate an attack on the Fancher waggon trainVictoria and Albert Museum opened, Trollope's Barchester Towers , Henry T. Buckle's History of Civilisation in England , Thomas Hughes' Tom Brown's School Days Pasteur proves that fermentation is caused by living organisms, Trans-Atlantic cable completed, Science Museum opened in South Kensington 1858East India Company dissolved, Treaty of Tientsin obliges Chinese to open more ports to foreign access, Burton and Speke discover Lake Tanganyika, Ottawa becomes the capital of Canada Earl of Derby PM, Lionel de Rothschild becomes the first Jewish Member of ParliamentTsar Alexander II begins the emancipation of serfs in Russia, Orsini Assassination attempt on Napoleon III strains relations between Britain and France as plotters were found to have based themselves in London, Suez Canal Company formedDion Boucicault's Jessie Brown, or The Relief of Lucknow , Tom Taylor's Our American Cousin Ferdinand Carre develops a refrigerator, T.H. Huxley's The Theory of the Vertebrate Skull , William Thomson invents mirror galvanometer, Joseph Lister studies coagulation of blodd, SS Great Eastern is launched 1859 Queensland becomes a Crown Colony, First Bengal Rent Act, Universities' Mission to Central Africa formed Viscount Palmerston PMFrance and Piedmont fight and defeat Austria, John Brown tries to instigate insurrection of slaves at Harper's Ferry but is defeated and hangedJ.S. Mill's On Liberty , Edouard Manet's The Absinthe Drinker , Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities , Ivan Goncharov's Oblomov , Edward Fitzgerald translates The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam , Johannes Brahms' Brahms: The Piano Concertos; Fantasias Op.116
Darwin's Origin of Species , Oil pumped in Pennsylvania, Canada's Grant Trunk Railway completed 1860Anglso French force defeats Chinese at Pa-li-Chau, Kowloon leased from China, Hankou and Tientsin open as 'Treaty Ports' with British concessionary areas, Taranaki Wars in NZ (until 1870), John Speke and James Grant expedition to locate source of Nile in Lake Victoria (until 1863), Sturt Expedition transversing Australia from south to north (until 1862)
Ireland Island, Bermuda
American Civil War begins (until 1865), Italian Unification Wars, Vladivostock founded, German explorer Karl von der Decken explores East Africa with a view to starting German colonies there George Eliot's Mill on the Floss , William Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White , Robert Schumann's Cello Concerto
Machine-made single-shot breech-loading rifles proliferate, Bunsen and Kirchoff discover Cesium and rubidum, Lenoir constructs first practical internal combustion engine, First horse-drawn tram 1861British annexation of Lagos, Mills Committee on Colonial Military Expenditure, Indian Councils ActDeath of Prince Albert, Food and Drugs Act, Queen Victoria creates the Order of the Star of India, Trent Affair sees Britain and the Union clash over the arrest of Confederate diplomats on a British ship, British launch Alabama which was ordered by Confederacy and goes on to cause great destruction in Union shippingAmerican Civil War (until 1865), Russia abolishes Serfdom, Allied intervention in Mexico, French extend their control over Cochin, A united Italy is proclaimed with Victor Emanuel declared King, Warsaw massacre sees Russian troops firing on Polish protesters, United States institutes passport system to control movement in and out of the countryMrs Beeton's Book of Household Management , George Eliot's Silas Marner , Charles Dickens' Great Expectations , Anthony Trollope's Framley Parsonage , William Monk's Abide with Me
, Dostoevsky's The House of the Dead , Herbert Spencer's Education: Moral, Intellectual, Physical Pasteur's Germ Theory of disease, Richard Gatling invents the Gatling Gun, Archaeopteryx discovered in Germany, William Crookes discovers thallium, Daily weather forecasts in Britain begin 1862Amalgamation of Lower Burma, Arakan and Tenasserim, British naval intervention against Taiping rebels, Anglo-French agreement over Zanzibar , Samuel Baker's expedition to discover Nile's Abyssinian tributaries and Lake Albert (until 1865), English cricket team tours Australia for first time, British and Spanish troops withdraw from Mexico due to France's ambitions thereAmerican Civil war results in the steep reduction of cotton supplies which in turn forces many mills to close, International Exhibition in LondonCreation of Red Cross proposed by Jean Henri DunantHerbert Spencer's First Principles , Victor Hugo's Les Miserables Lion Foucault successfully measures the speed of light, Julius Sachs demonstrates that starch is produced by photosynthesis, Pasteurisation developed by Louis Pasteur 1863Taiping rebels lose Soochow to Manchu forces being advised by Charles Gordon, Civil war in Afghanistan after the death of Dost Mohammed Football Association formedLincoln issues Gettysburg Address which includes the call for the Emancipation of slaves, French offer throne of Mexico to Archduke Maximilian of Austria
<A class="APCAnchor" HREF="http://affiliates.allposters.com/link/redirect.asp?AID=661826&PSTID=5<ID=16&lang=1">Buy Posters at AllPosters.com </A>
Anthropological Society of London founded, Sir Francis Galton's Meteorographica or, Methods of Mapping the Weather 1864Elizabeth Sinclair buys the island of Niihau in the Sandwich Islands , General Gordon helps imperial troops sack Nanjing and end Taiping Rebellion, Samuel Baker discovers Lake AlbertOctavia Hill begins London tenement dwelling reformsAustria and Prussia attack Denmark and divide Schleswig-Holstein between themselves, Maximillian accepts throne of Mexico, Brazil invades Uruguay, Geneva Convention establishes the neutrality of battlfield medical facilitiesJules Verne's Voyage to the Centre of the Earth , Dostoevsky's Letters From the Underground , Anthony Trollope's The Small House at Allington , Tolstoy begins War and Peace , Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend George Marsh's Man and Nature , Joseph Bertrand writes Treatise on Differential and Integral Calculus 1865Colonial Naval Defence Act, China Inland Mission established by J. Hudson Taylor, Colonial Laws Validity Act, Morant Bay rebellion in Jamaica , Parliamentary Select Committee on West African settlements Lord John Russell PM, Salvation Army started by William Booth, Queensberry Rules for boxing are first outlinedAmerican Civil War comes to an end with Union victory, Lincoln assassinated, War of Triple Alliance sees Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay fight Paraguay (until 1870), Ku Klux Klan formed in TennesseeWinslow Homer's Prisoners from the Front , Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , Wagner's Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
, Anthony Trollope's The Belton Estate Gregor Mendel explains his law of heredity, Pullman introduces the sleeper car, Pasteur succeeds in curing Silk Worm disease, Joseph Lister uses carbolic acid in surgery and so introduce concept of antiseptic surgery, Atlantic Cable re-established 1866Livingstone's third journey in Africa to look for source of Nile (until 1873), Abrogation of Recipocity Treaty with Canada by USA, Fenian raids on Canada , British Kaffraria joins Cape Colony , Vancouver becomes a part of British Colombia Earl of Derby PM, Black Friday on London Stock Exchange, Dr Barnardo opens his first home for destitute children in London Prussia and Italy defeat Austria, Cholera epidemic in Europe and North America, US fails to recognise Maximillian regime in Mexico
The Capture of Tubabecelong, Gambia
Nobel invents dynamite, Aeronautical Society of Great Britain formed, Ernst Haeckel's General Morphology , Robert Whitehead develops torpedo 1867 Canada unites provinces and becomes a Dominion, Diamonds discovered in South Africa, Straits Settlements become a Crown ColonySecond Parliamentary Reform ActUS buys Alaska from Russia, Meiji restoration in Japan, Bismarck organises a north German Confederation under Prussian leadership, Maximillian surrenders in Mexico and is executed by firing squad, US claim Midway Islands in Pacific OceanJapanese art exhibited in Paris, Edouard Manet's The Execution of Maximilian , Walter Bagehot's The English Constitution , Anthony Trollope's The Last Chronicle of Barset , Ouida's Under Two Flags , Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt , Johann Strauss' The Blue Danube Waltz
Federation of Canada, 1867
1868 Abyssinian campaign , The Colonial Society is founded in London, Annexation of Basutoland Benjamin Disraeli PM, William Ewart Gladstone PM, TUC formedBoshin War in Japan, Shogunate abolished, Russians occupy Samarkand, Revolution in SpainCharles Dilke's Greater Britain , L.M. Alcott's Little Women , Dostoevsky's The Idiot , Wilkie Collins' Moonstone , Whitaker's Almanac begins to be publishedTraffic signals are used in London, Helium discovered, Christopher Sholes patents a typewriter with a QWERTY layout of the keys, Charles Darwin's The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication , Ernst Haeckel's The History of Creation , Skeleton of Cro Magnon man found in France, 1869Suez Canal opened, Red River Rebellion delays transfer of Hudson's Bay Company territories to Canada , Newfoundland rejects incorporation into Canada , Stanley is recruited by New York Times to search for Livingstone
Suez Canal
Parliamentary system reintroduced into France, Greece agrees to leave Crete after a Turkish ultimatum, Gustav Nachtigal explores the Sudan and SaharaMark Twain's Innocents Abroad , Tolstoy's War and Peace finished, Anthony Trollope's Phineas Finn , R.D. Blackmore's Lorna Doone , Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Symphony Number 2
J.W. Hyatt invents celluloid, Dmitri Mendeleev lays out elements in his Periodic Table, 1870Rhodes arrives in Africa, Cable links Australia and London, British troops withdraw from Canada , Australia and New Zealand Elementary education actFranco-Prussian war ends Napoleon III's rule of France, Schliemann discovers Troy, Paraguayan War ends, Pope is declared to be infallible when speaking on spiritual matters, Italians enter Rome and declare it the capital of Italy, Adolf Nordenskjold explores the interior of Greenland, Rockefeller founds Standard Oil CompanyJules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea , William Morris' Earthly Paradise , Richard Wagner's Die Walk�re
, Tchaikovsky's Romeo And Juliet
, Death of Charles Dickens' leaving Edwin Drood unfinished. Undersea cabling proliferates to connect overland telegraphs creating a worldwide network, T.H. Huxley's Biogenesis 1871Stanley finds Livingstone at Ujiji, British Columbia joins Canada , Annexation of Griqualand West to Cape Colony Trade Unions become legal, Bank Holidays introduced, F.A. Cup established, Branding abolished as a punishment in the British Army and Royal NavyParis Commune, Unification of Germany announced in the Hall of Mirrors in ParisVerdi's Aida
performed, Dostoevsky's The Possessed , George Eliot's Middlemarch , Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass , Rossetti's Dream of Dante Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man , Simon Ingersoll invents pneumatic rock drill, G.A. Hansen discovers leprosy bacillus, White Star Line launches SS Oceanic the first of the large modern luxury liners 1872Earl Mayo the Viceroy of India is murdered, Cape Colony is granted responsible government<, Pacific Islanders Protection Act/TD>Secret ballot introduced, British pay compensation to US for damage caused by Alabama ship built in Britain during American Civil War, First international football game sees England play ScotlandCarlists defeated in Spanish Civil War, Three Emperors League between Germany, Russia and Austria, Compulsory military service introduced in Japan, US General Amnesty Act pardons most ex-confederates, Bakunin expelled from First InternationalJules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days , Turgenev's A Month in the Country , Thomas Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree , Marx's Das Kapital Volume 1 George Ebers discovers oldest collection of Egyptian medical writings yet discovered, Edison perfects the 'duplex' telegraph, George Westinghouse develops air brakes 1873 Royal Canadian Mounted Police formed, Missionary activity begins in New Guinea , Death of David Livingstone, Anglo-Zanzibar Treaty ending slave trade in Zanzibar, Ashanti War (until 1874), Famine in Bengal
British Consulate in Zanzibar
German troops withdraw from France keeping Alsace and Lorraine, White Star liner 'Atlantic' is wrecked off Nova Scotia, Dutch suppress revolt in Sumatra in the Aceh war (until 1903), Exiled Napoleon III dies in England, Spanish Republic proclaimed, Financial panic in Vienna and New York, Austrian explorers discover Franz Josef Land in Arctic OceanTolstoy's Anna Karenina , Anthony Trollope's The Eustace Diamonds , Mark Twain and Charles Warner's The Gilded Age , J.S. Mill's Autobiography , Bruckner's Symphony No. 2
, Herbert Spencer's The Study of Sociology Barbed wire invented by Henry Rose, James Clerk Maxwell's Electricity and Magnetism , Wilhelm Wundt's Physiological Psychology 1874 Gold Coast becomes colony, H,M> Stanley expedition to search for source of Nile (until 1877), British annexation of Fiji , Treaty of Pangkor sees British Residents in Malayan States, Sir Garnet Wolseley enters Kumasi, The Agra canal opens in India Benjamin Disraeli PMJapan invades Taiwan to seek compensation from China for a Japanese shipwreck on the island. The Chinese reluctantly agree to pay compensation allowing the Japanese to withdraw, Hawaii signs a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trading rights, Spanish Republic replaced by MonarchyFirst impressionist exhibition in Paris - the term impressionism is derived from a work by Claude Monet - Impression, Sunrise , Mussorgsky' Boris Godunov
, Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd , Anthony Trollope's Phineas Redux Billroth discovers streptococci and staphylococci, H. Solomon introduces pressure cooking methods for canning foods 1875Britain buys Suez Canal shares, Canada creates Supreme Court, Prince of Wales visits India , New Zealand parliament formed, James Birch the Resident of Perak is murdered, Tension between Britain and China over the murder of Augustus Margary on Burmese-China border, Bonin Islands transferred to JapanCaptain Webb becomes first person to swim across the English ChannelFrench republican constitution passedBizet's Carmen
, Saint-Saens' Danse macabre
, Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer , Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now Bell patents telephone, Henry Schliemann publishes his Troy and its Remains about his excavations there 1876 Victoria becomes Empress of India , Famine in India , Egypt declared bankrupt leading to Anglo-French 'Dual Control' of Egyptian finances, Confederation riots in Barbados , Completion of Canada's Inter-colonial RailwayPlimsoll line introduced to protect ships from being overloadedBulgarian insurrection against Turkish rule escalates into Balkan Crisis, Battle of Little Bighorn, Korea becomes independent of Chinese rule, Ethiopians defeat Egyptians at Gura, Nickel Ore found in New CaledoniaBrahms' Symphony No 1
, George Eliot's Daniel Deronda , Archibald Willard's The Spirit of '76 Robert Koch discovers anthrax bacillus, Heinrich Schliemann begins excavations of Mycenae 1877Ninth Kaffir (Xhosa) War begins (until 1879), Annexation of Transvaal , Western Pacific High Commission set up, Delhi Durbar , Sir Bartle Frere appointed High Commissioner for South AfricaBritain threatens war with Russia if Russians occupy Constantinople, Wimbledon Tennis Championship startsRusso-Turkish war (until 1778), Satsuma Revolt in Japan is suppressedTchaikovsky's Swan Lake
, Henry James' The American , Henrik Ibsen's The Pillars of Society , Brahms' Symphony No 2; Hungarian Dances
Edison invents Phonograph, Frozen meat shipped from Argentina to Europe for the first time, Robert Kock develops technique to stain and identify bacteria, Oxygen liquified 1878 Cyprus occupied, Second Afghan War (until 1880), Walvis Bay Annexed, Fur farming begins in CanadaWilliam Booth's movement changes its name to Salvation Army, CID at New Scotland Yard is establishedRussians defeat Ottomans and take Adrianople but do not enter Constantinople when British fleet arrives there, Treaty of San Stefano gives independene to Romania, Montenegro and Serbia, Congress of Berlin to discuss consequences of Russo-Ottoman War ends with Treaty of Berlin, Paris World Exhibition
HMS Pinafore
Channel tunnel attempted, Karl Benz builds motorised tricycle, Electric street lighting in London, Mannlicher produces a repeating rifle 1879 Zulu War (until 1880), Anglo-French control confirmed over Egypt , Carnarvon Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce (until 1882), Adoption of National Policy of tariff protection adopted in Canada , Australian frozen meat goes on sale in London for first time, Irish Land League is formed, British legation in Kabul is massacred
The Great Game
German and Austo-Hungarian Dual Alliance formed, Khedive Ismail is deposed and replaced by Tewfik in Egypt , War of the Pacific sees Chile fight Peru (until 1884), Prince Imperial of France is killed by Zulus whilst campaigning with the BritishIbsen's The Doll's House , Robert Louis Stephenson's Travels with a Donkey , Henry James' Daisy Miller , Herbert Spencer's Principles of Ethics , Tchaikovsky's Tchaikovsky: Evgeny Onegin
First electric tramways in Berlin, Europe connected to East and West Africa by telegraph cables, London's first telephone exchange established, Fahlberg and Remser discover saccharin, Scandium discovered by L.F. Nilson 1880 Borneo and Brunei become British Protectorates, Rhodes founds De Beers, Ned Kelly hanged in Melbourne, First Boer War (until 1881), First Canadian High Commissioner appointed to London, Captain Boycott is 'boycotted' for treatment of Irish tenantsGladstone's Midlothian campaign, William Ewart Gladstone PM, First Australia - England cricket game in Britain, Parcel post introduced in BritainFrench Equatorial Africa established by Pierre Brazza Savorgnani, Morocco is recongised as an independent nation by European powers, France annexes Tahiti Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov , Mark Twain's A Tramp Abroad , Lew Wallace's Ben Hur , Anthony Trollope's The Duke's Children Canned fruits and meats become widespreadly available, First electric street light in New York, Charles Lavern proves that Malaria is caused by a parasite in the blood, James Wimshurst invents electrostatic generator, Pasteur discovers a chicken cholera vaccine, Edison and Swan both develop a practical electric light 1881Mahdi war in Sudan (1881-98), British defeated at Majuba Hill, Pretoria Convention restores independence to Transvaal , British North Borneo Company granted Royal Charter, Irish land and coercion acts, Parnell imprisoned Flogging abolished in the British Army and Royal Navy Urabi Pasha Revolution in Egypt , Jewish pogroms in East Europe, Alexander II assassinated, US President Garfield assassinated, Bey of Tunis accepts French protection
Bombay Station
Natural History Museum opened in London, Electricity exhibition in Paris 1882Bombardment of Alexandria and occupation of Egypt , Kilmainham agreement between Parnell and British governmentPhoenix Park murders, Queen Victoria gives Epping Forest to nationTriple Alliance between Italy, Austria and Germany, US bans Chinese immigrants for ten years, three mile limit on territorial waters agreed at Hague ConventionRobert Louis Stephenson's Treasure Island , Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People , Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture
, Wagner's Wagner: Parsifal
First hydro-electric station built in US 1883Formation of National Association for Promoting State-Directed Emigration and Colonisation, British decide to evacuate Sudan Boys' Brigade establishedFrench claim Tonkin, Cochin and Annam as French Protectorates, Krakatoa explodes, Bismarck introduces sickness insurance in Germany, French gain control of TunisDeath of Wagner, J.R. Seeley's The Expansion of England , Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra , Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi , Johannes Brahms' Symphony No.3
, Olive Schreiner's The Story of an African Farm Hiram Maxim patents recoil operated machine gun, William Thomson's On the Size of Atoms , Sir Joseph Swan produces a synthetic fibre, Robert Koch develops a method of inoculation against anthrax, First skyscrapers built in Chicago 1884Berlin conference to discuss colonisation in Africa, Walvis Bay subsumed into Cape Colony , Formation of Imperial Federation League, Ilbert Bill allows Indian judges to try British offenders, British Protectorate over British New Guinea in response to German claims in the area, Egyptian Forces evacuated from Sudan although Gordon remains in Khartoum, Anglo-Portuguese Treaty to control the mouth of the River CongoThird Reform act, Fabian Society foundedTreaty of Valparaiso ends War of Pacific, Germans claim Togoland and South-West Africa as colonies, Sino-French war (until 1885), Civil War in Ashanti
Battle of El Teb
First underground train in London, Sir Charles Parsons invents first practical steam turbine engine, Sir Oliver Lodge discovers electrical precipitation, Arthur Nicolaier discovers tetanus bacillus, Rayon develops artificial fibres, Rickman Godlee undertakes first ooperation to remove a brain tumour 1885 Gordon killed in Khartoum, Indian National Congress formed, Canadian Pacific railway completed, Third Anglo-Burmese War sees Burma fully occupied, Panjdeh Incident sees Russians encroach into Afghan territory, Colonial Defence Committee founded, Bechuanaland and Niger Coast Protectorates established, North-West Rebellion in Canada Salisbury PMCongo Free State established as a private fiefdom for King Leopold, Gold discovered in Transvaal , Treaty of Tientsin sees Chinese recognition of French claims in Indo-ChinaRider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines , Brahms' Symphony No.4
, Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck , Richard Burton's translation of The Arabian Nights , Marx's Das Kapital Volume 2, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado
Karl Benz builds single cylinder engine for motor car, unique quality of fingerprints established, Royal Scottish Geographical Society founded, George Eastman makes coated photographic paper available, Pasteur develops a rabies vaccine 1886Royal Niger Company receives Charter, Colonial and Indian exhibition in South Kensington, Anglo-German agreement over respective spheres of influence in East Africa, First Indian National Congress Meets, China recognises British control of Burma William Ewart Gladstone PM, Gladstone resigns over Ireland Home Rule Bill being defeated, Chamberlain forms Liberal Unionists, Salisbury PM
British School of Archaeology opens in Athens, Frances Hodgson Burnett's Little Lord Fauntleroy , Robert Louis Stephenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , Andrew Carnegie's Triumphant Democracy , William Dean Howells' Indian Summer , Camille Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3
Germanium discovered by Clemens Winkler, Henri Moissan produces fluorine, Ernst von Bergmann uses steam to sterilize surgical instruments, Aluminium produced by electrolysis for first time 1887 Zululand becomes protectorate, First Colonial Conference held in London, Anglo-French Condominium over New Hebrides Victoria 's Golden jubileeGeneral Boulanger fails to take power in France, Macao is ceded to Portugal by China, Italians defeated by Ethiopians at DogaliConan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes makes his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet , Henry Rider Haggard's She and Allan Quatermain , Van Gough's Moulin de la Galette , Esperanto devised by L.L. Zamenhof, Thomas Hardy's The Woodlanders Joseph Lockyer's The Chemistry of the Sun , H.W. Goodwin invents celluloid film 1888Imperial British East Africa Company charter awarded, Cook Islands become British Protectorate, Imperial Exhibition in Glasgow, Sarawak , North Borneo and Brunei become British Protectorates, Cecil Rhodes amalgamates Kimberley Diamond Companies, Lobengula grants mining rights to British in Matabeleland and Mashonaland, Suez Canal Convention signed at Constantinople declaring it to be free and open to all shipping in both peace and warCounty Councils formed, Jack the Ripper murders in LondonSlavery ended in Brazil, Wilhelm II becomes Kaiser of GermanyRudyard Kipling's Plain Tales from the Hills , Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince , Mark Rutherford's The Revolution in Tanner's Lane , James Bryce's The American Commonwealth , Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade
, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Yeoman Of The Guard
Radio waves discovered by Hertz, Dunlop develops pneumatic tyre, Nikola Tesla constructs an electric mother, George Eastman perfects 'Kodak' camera 1889British South Africa Co. Royal Charter awarded, Rhodesia established, Shire districts of Nyasaland become a British Protectorate, Naval Defence Act, Anglo-German-American supervision of Samoa London Dock strikeJapan's Meiji constitution, Brussels Conference on the Slave Trade, Italy takes Somalia and Ethiopia, Eiffel Tower completed, First Pan-American Conference in Washington, Brazil becomes a Republic, French Panama Canal Company bankruptMark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court , Robert Louis Stevenson's The Master of Ballantrae , Gustav Mahler's Symphony No.1
, T.H. Huxley's Agnosticism , Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear Schiaparelli discovers synchronous rotations of planets Mercury and Venus, Frederick Abel invents cordite 1890 Heligoland ceded to Germans in return for primacy in Witu, Zanzibar and Uganda , Anglo-French declaration on West Africa, Cecil Rhodes becomes PM of Cape Colony Parnell resignsBismarck dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm II, German control over East African territories confirmed, Indians massacred at Wounded Knee, Baring Crisis due to poor lending decisions in ArgentinaDeath of Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray , Alfred Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power upon History
Trans-Siberian railway begun, Chilean civil war, Germany develops first old age pension scheme, Pan-German League founded, Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy is renewedGaughin travels to Tahiti, Goldwin Smith's Canada and the Canadian Question , Rudyard Kipling's The Light that Failed , Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Ubervilles , James Barrie's The Little Minister , Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos No. 1
Beginnings of wireless telegraphy, Samuel Langley's Experiments in Aerodynamics 1892Failure of British East Africa Company, First sitting of Maori Parliament, British Protectorate over Gilbert Islands and Ellice Islands , Britain and Germany agree to demarcation of Cameroons William Ewart Gladstone PM, Keir Hardie becomes first Labour Party MPFranco-Russian allianceRudyard Kipling's Barrack Room Ballads , Mark Twain's The American Claimant , Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan , Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker
, Bruckner's Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
G.J. Romanes' Darwin and After Darwin , Diesel patents his internal combustion engine, C.F. Cross and E.J. Bevan discover viscose 1893Matabele War, East African protectorate, Women's suffrage in New Zealand , British Protectorate of Solomon Islands , Imperial Institute in London foundedSecond Irish Home Rule passed by Commons by rejected by Lords, Independent labour party formed, Manchester Ship Canal completedFranco-Russian Alliance, French colonise Ivory Coast, Laos and Guinea, Swaziland annexed by Transvaal, Fridjtof Nansen's exploration of Arctic, World Exhibition in ChicagoHerman Sudermann's Heimat , Death of Tchaikovsky's after Symphony No. 6
The Shangani Patrol
1894 Uganda becomes a Protectorate, Jameson occupies Matabeleland, Cape Colony annexes Pondoland, British secret Congo Treaty with King Leopold II Earl of Rosebery PM, Death Duties introduced in BritainCoup in Hawaii sees temporary US occupation, Sino-Japanese War (until 1895), Tsar Nicholas II, French take Madacasgar, Dreyfus Affair in France, Sven Hedin explores Tibet, Baron de Coubertin founds committee to organise modern Olympic GamesMarx's Das Kapital Volume 3, G. and W. Grossmith's Diary of a Nobody , Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book , Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda , George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man , Sidney and Beatrice Webb's History of Trade Unionism , Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 5
, Sibelius' Finlandia
Berliner pioneers use of discs (records) instead of cylinders for sound reproduction, Flagstaff Observatory erected in Flagstaff Arizona, Plague bacillus discovered, Argon discovered by Lord Rayleigh and William Ramsay 1895Jameson Raid, Anglo-Venezuelan border dispute, British East Africa Protectorate established Salisbury PM, Joseph Chamberlain becomes Colonial Secretary, Navy League foundedJapan takes Taiwan, Cuban rebellion against Spanish control begins, Kiel Canal opened in Germany, Italians defeated by Abyssinians at Amba AlagiOscar Wilde imprisoned, Joseph Conrad's first novel is Almayer's Folly , Art Nouveau style predominates, Sienkiewicz' Quo Vadis , H.G. Wells' The Time Machine , Hillaire Belloc's Verses and Sonnets , W.B. Yeats' Poems , Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest Rontgen discovers X-Rays, First motion picture house in Paris, Gillette invents the safety razor, Konstantin Isiolkovski formulates the principle of rocket reaction propulsion, C. von Linde constructs a machine for the liquefaction of air, Marconi invents radio telegraphy, Sigmund Freud's Studies on Hysteria 1896Famine in India , Reconquest of Sudan begins (until 1899), Kaiser telegram to Kruger, Cecil Rhodes resigns as Premier of Cape Colony , Matabele Revolt Brutally suppressed (until 1897), Anglo-French declaration on Siam, Formation of the Federated Malay States, Election of first French-Canadian PM in Canada, British take Kumasi in Fourth Ashanti War, Anglo-Zanzibar WarThe 'Daily Mail' begins publishing, Royal Victorian Order founded, Czar Nicholas visits LondonItalians defeated by Ethiopians at Adowa and withdraw their plans for an Italian Protectorate, Nobel peace prizes started, France annexes Madagascar, Russia and China sign Manchuria ConventionAnton Chekhov's The Seagull , A.E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad , Oscar Wilde's Salome , Theodore Herzl's The Jews' State a founding text in the history of Zionism, Pucchini's Puccini: La Boh�me
, Gilbert and Sullivan's final comic operetta The Grand Duke
Antoine Becquerel discovers radioactivity in Uranium, William Ramsay discovers helium, Ernest Rutherford develops magnetic detection of electrical waves, first all-steel building in Britain built in Hartlepool 1897 Victoria 's Diamond Jubilee, Destruction of Benin city, Uprisings on North West frontier, Anglo-Thai secret convention, Second Colonial Conference in London, Sir Aflred Milner appointed High Commissioner for South Africa, Klondike Gold Rush, Zanzibar abolishes slavery
Victoria's Diamond Jubilee
Crete declares union with Greece but Turkish easily defeat Greeks and keeps Crete, Germany occupies Kiao-chow in China, Russia occupies Port Arthur, US claims Hawaii , Zionist Congress in BaselSir Henry Tate donates Tate Gallery to Britain, Bram Stoker's Dracula , Rudyard Kipling's Captains Courageous , Joseph Conrad's Nigger of the Narcissus , H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man , Sidney and Beatrice Webb's Industrial Democracy Ronald Ross discovers malaria bacillus, William Thomson studies cathode rays, JJ, Thomson discovers electrons, aspirin marketed; diesel engines invented, Havelock Ellis' Studies in the Psychology of Sex , Julius Hann's Handbook of Climatology , David Schwarz flies first rigid framed airship 1898Battle of Omdurman and Fashoda Crisis in Sudan , Curzon Viceroy of India , Sierra Leone Hut Tax War, Anglo-German Agreement on future of Portuguese colonies, Anglo-French Agreement on West Africa, Weihaiwei and Kowloon leasedDeath of GladstoneSpanish-American war, Germany's Tirpitz plan, Zola's J'accuse in Dreyfus Affair, Russia leases Port Arthur, Death of Bismarck, USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbour, Spanish-American War leading to American victories in Cuba and PhilippinesBismarck's Reflections and Memoirs , Thomas Hardy's Wessex Poems , Knut Hamsun's Victoria , Henry James' The Turn of the Screw , H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds , Oscar Wilde's The Ballad of Reading Gaol , G.B. Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra Curie discovers Radium 1899 Boer war (until 1902), Anglo-Egyptian Condominium over Sudan , British relinquish claims to Samoa but reaffirms claims to Tonga , Boxer Rebellion in ChinaLondon Borough Councils established, Kaiser Wilhelm II visits BritainBoxer Rebellion sees European, Japanese and US forces unite to stem and crush the revolt, First Peace Conference at the Hague, Germany secures Baghdad Railroad contract, Dreyfus freed, Philippines demand independence from US
Boer War
Rutherford discovers alpha and beta rays in radioactive atoms, First magnetic recording of sound
| Jena |
The Order of The Elephant is an order of Knighthood in which European country? | FR Germany | Article about FR Germany by The Free Dictionary
FR Germany | Article about FR Germany by The Free Dictionary
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/FR+Germany
Related to FR Germany: Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
(jûr`mənē), Ger. Deutschland, officially Federal Republic of Germany, republic (2005 est. pop. 82,431,000), 137,699 sq mi (356,733 sq km). Located in the center of Europe, it borders the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France on the west; Switzerland and Austria on the south; the Czech Republic and Poland on the east; Denmark on the north; and the Baltic Sea on the northeast. The official capital and largest city is Berlin Berlin
, city (1994 pop. 3,475,400), capital of Germany, coextensive with Berlin state (341 sq mi/883 sq km), NE Germany, on the Spree and Havel rivers. Formerly divided into East Berlin (156 sq mi/404 sq km) and West Berlin (185 sq mi/479 sq km), the city was reunified along
..... Click the link for more information. , but many administrative functions are still carried on in Bonn Bonn
, city (1994 pop. 296,860), former capital of West Germany, North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany, on the Rhine River. It functioned as the provisional seat of government of reunited Germany until 1999, when most of the government moved to Berlin; some government
..... Click the link for more information. , the former capital of West Germany.
Land and People
Germany as a whole can be divided into three major geographic regions: the low-lying N German plain, the central German uplands, and, in the south, the ranges of the Central Alps and other uplands. The climate is temperate although there is considerable variation. Almost two thirds of the country's extensive forests are coniferous; among the broadleafs, beech predominates.
N Germany, drained by the Ems, Weser, Elbe, and Oder rivers, is heavily farmed, despite poor soil; crops include wheat, rye, barley, oats, potatoes, and sugar beets. Dairy cattle are widely raised, especially in Schleswig-Holstein; pork, beef, and chicken are other livestock products. The region also includes the major industrial and transportation centers of Kiel Kiel
, city (1994 pop. 248,930), capital of Schleswig-Holstein, N central Germany, on Kiel Bay, an arm of the Baltic Sea. Situated at the head of the Kiel Canal, the city was Germany's chief naval base from 1871 to 1945, when the naval installations were dismantled.
..... Click the link for more information. , Rostock Rostock
or Rostock-Warnemünde
, city (1994 pop. 237,307), Mecklenburg–West Pomerania, NE Germany, on the Baltic Sea. It is an industrial center and a major seaport, with petroleum tank installations and shipyards, as well as fish-processing and shipbuilding
..... Click the link for more information. Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover Hanover,
Ger. Hannover, city (1994 pop. 524,820), capital of Lower Saxony, N Germany, on the Leine River and the Midland Canal. It is a major industrial, commercial, and transshipment center, also serving as a vital rail and road junction in northern Germany.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Magdeburg Magdeburg
, city (1994 pop. 270,546), capital of Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany, on the Elbe River. It is a large inland port, an industrial center, and a rail and road junction. Manufactures include metal products, textiles, and chemicals.
..... Click the link for more information. , as well as Berlin.
The central uplands include the Rhenish Slate and Harz mts., and the Thuringian Forest. The Rhine Rhine
, Du. Rijn, Fr. Rhin, Ger. Rhein, Lat. Rhenus, principal river of Europe, c.820 mi (1,320 km) long. It rises in the Swiss Alps and flows generally north, passing through or bordering on Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and
..... Click the link for more information. River runs through W Germany and, between Bingen and Bonn, flows through a steep gorge, famous for its scenery, vineyards, and castles. Along the northern rim of the Rhenish Slate Mts. lies Germany's chief mining and industrial region, which includes the Ruhr Ruhr
, region, c.1,300 sq mi (3,370 sq km), W Germany; a principal manufacturing center of Germany and formerly known as one of the world's greatest industrial complexes. In the 1980s the coal and steel industries declined, leading to serious unemployment.
..... Click the link for more information. and Saar basins and takes in the cities of Düsseldorf Düsseldorf
, city (1994 pop. 574,600), capital of North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany, at the confluence of the Rhine and Düssel rivers. It is a major industrial, financial, and commercial center; a busy inland port; and an important rail junction.
..... Click the link for more information. , Duisburg Duisburg
, city (1994 pop. 536,800), North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany, at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers. Located in the Ruhr district, it is the largest inland port in the world and a center for iron and steel production.
..... Click the link for more information. , Krefeld Krefeld
, city (1994 pop. 249,560), North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany, a port on the Rhine River. It is the center of the German silk and velvet industry, and is a major rail hub and textile center.
..... Click the link for more information. , Essen Essen
, city (1994 pop. 622,380), North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany, on the Ruhr River. The major industrial center of the Ruhr district, it was the seat of the famous Krupp steelworks. Essen is a retail trade center, a rail junction, and a steel and electricity producer.
..... Click the link for more information. , Wuppertal Wuppertal
, city (1994 pop. 386,625), North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany, on the Wupper River. It is an industrial center, formed in 1929 by the merger of Barmen, Elberfeld, Vohwinkel, and several smaller towns.
..... Click the link for more information. , Bochum Bochum
, city (1994 pop. 401,060), North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany. Mentioned in the 9th cent. and chartered in 1321, it remained a small farming community until the development of nearby coal mines in the mid-19th cent. By the late 19th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen
, city (1994 pop. 295,040), North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany, a port on the Rhine-Herne Canal. It is a major industrial and coal-mining center of the Ruhr district. Dominated by heavy industry, it manufactures iron and steel, chemicals, glass, and clothing.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Dortmund Dortmund
, city (1994 pop. 602,000), North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany, a port on the Dortmund-Ems Canal. It is an industrial center in the Ruhr district. Its manufactures include steel, machinery, and beer, and it is a growing high-technology and research center.
..... Click the link for more information. . In the east, industrial centers are located along and near the Elbe River and its tributaries. The major cities include Leipzig Leipzig
, city (1994 pop. 490,850), Saxony, E central Germany, at the confluence of the Pleisse, White Elster, and Parthe rivers. Economy
One of Germany's major industrial, commercial, and transportation centers, it has many rail lines and two airports.
..... Click the link for more information. , Dresden Dresden
, city (1994 pop. 479,300), capital of Saxony, E central Germany, on the Elbe River. It is an industrial and cultural center, a rail junction, and a large inland port.
..... Click the link for more information. , Chemnitz Chemnitz
, formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt
, city (1994 pop. 279,520), Saxony, E central Germany, on the Chemnitz River. It is a major industrial center and an important road and rail junction; it has become one of the most heavily polluted cities in Europe.
..... Click the link for more information. , Halle Halle,
city (1994 pop. 195,370), Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany, on the Saale River. It is an industrial center and a major transportation hub. Manufactures include chemicals, refined sugar and other food products, machinery, rubber, cement, and electrical and chemical products.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Erfurt Erfurt
, city (1994 pop. 200,800), capital of Thuringia, central Germany, on the Gera River. It is an industrial and horticultural center and a rail junction. Industries include metalworking and the manufacture of electrical apparatus, shoes, and clothing.
..... Click the link for more information. . The southern section of the Rhineland, which contains the Eifel and Hunsrück mts., is largely agricultural and has famous vineyards, especially in the Moselle Moselle,
Ger. Mosel, river, 320 mi (515 km) long, rising in the Vosges Mts., NE France, and winding generally N past Épinal and Metz. Leaving France, it forms part of the border between Luxembourg and Germany, then enters Germany, passes Trier, and cuts between the
..... Click the link for more information. valley.
The southern part of Germany is drained by the Danube, Iller, Lech, Isar, Inn, Neckar, and Main rivers. Rising to the Zugspitze (9,721 ft/2,963 m) in the Bavarian Alps, the highest point in Germany, it consists of plateaus and forested mountains, e.g., the Black Forest, the highlands of Swabia, and the Bohemian Forest. Lake Constance, in the Alps, is a popular tourist area. Notable agricultural products of the region are fruit, wheat, barley, and dairy goods. Important industrial centers include Munich Munich
, Ger. München , city (1994 pop. 1,255,623), capital of Bavaria, S Germany, on the Isar River near the Bavarian Alps. It is a financial, commercial, industrial, transportation, communications, and cultural center.
..... Click the link for more information. , Frankfurt Frankfurt
or Frankfurt am Main
, city (1994 pop. 659,800), Hesse, central Germany, a port on the Main River. It is also known in English as Frankfort. The city is an industrial, media, commercial, and financial center and a transportation hub.
..... Click the link for more information. , Augsburg Augsburg
, city (1994 pop. 264,764), capital of Swabia, Bavaria, S central Germany, a major industrial center on the Lech River. The major industries include the manufacture of textiles, clothing, machinery, computers, electronic equipment, motor vehicles, and airplanes.
..... Click the link for more information. , Nuremberg Nuremberg
, Ger. Nürnberg , city (1994 pop. 498,945), Bavaria, S Germany, on the Pegnitz River and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. One of the great historic cities of Germany, Nuremberg is now an important commercial, industrial, and transportation center.
..... Click the link for more information. , Stuttgart Stuttgart
, city (1994 pop. 594,406), capital of Baden-Württemberg, SW Germany, on the Neckar River. It is a major transportation point, with a large river port and an international airport, and a sizable industrial center.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Karlsruhe Karlsruhe
, city (1994 pop. 278,000), Baden-Württemberg, SW Germany, on the northern fringes of the Black Forest, connected by canal with a port on the nearby Rhine River.
..... Click the link for more information. .
About one third of the population is Protestant, mostly in the north, and one third is Roman Catholic, primarily in the south and west. There is a small Jewish minority. About half the population in the area that was formerly East Germany has no religious affiliation. Catholic and Protestant churches and Jewish synagogues receive government support through a church surtax levied on members of these denominations. Virtually all citizens of the country speak German. Danes, Frisians, Romani (Gypsies), and Sorbs or Wends comprise the indigenous non-German-speaking minorities. Since the early 1970s, millions of "guest workers" from other countries (mostly former Yugoslavia, plus Turkey and Italy) have come to Germany for employment. These residents include about 2 million Muslims, mainly Turks and Kurds.
Economy
The former West Germany has for many years benefited from a highly skilled population that enjoys a high standard of living and an extensive social welfare program. Since unification, however, Germany has faced the economic challenge of transforming the former East Germany from a deteriorating command economy dependent on low-quality heavy industrial products to a technologically advanced market economy. Unemployment in the east has remained consistently higher than that in the west, and although several larger urban centers there have begun to revive economically, most E German industrial cities remain depressed. Since the postwar years, the German economy has emphasized management-labor consensus, which, while generally avoiding labor strife, has also created a relatively inflexible labor environment where employers are reluctant to hire more than the minimum required number of skilled workers, since it is difficult to fire them once they are hired.
Manufacturing and service industries are the dominant economic activities; agriculture accounts for about 1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and occupies about 3% of the workforce. Industries include food and beverage processing, shipbuilding, and the manufacture of iron and steel, chemicals, machinery and machine tools, motor vehicles, electronics, and textiles. Hard coal and lignite are mined. Overall, the principal German agricultural products are potatoes, wheat, barley, rye, sugar beets, cabbage, fruit, and dairy products. Large numbers of cattle, hogs, and poultry are raised. Germany is one of the world's largest exporters; products include machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, and various manufactures. Germany also imports machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and foodstuffs. Its main trading partners are France, the United States, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Italy.
Government
Germany is a parliamentary democracy governed under the constitution of 1949, which became the constitution of a united Germany in 1990. The federal president is the head of state but has little influence on government. The president is elected for a five-year term by a federal convention, which meets only for this purpose and consists of the Bundestag and an equal number of members elected by the state parliaments. The chancellor, elected by an absolute majority of the Bundestag for a four-year term, is the head of government. There is a bicameral Parliament. The Bundesrat, or Federal Council (the upper house), has 69 seats, with each state having three to six representatives depending on the state's population. The Bundestag, or Federal Assembly (the lower house), has 598 deputies who are elected for four years using a mixed system of proportional representation and direct voting; additional seats are added when a party wins more seats through direct voting than it would have by proportional representation alone.
Germany is divided into 16 states (Länder). Each state has its own constitution, legislature, and government, which can pass laws on all matters except those, such as defense, foreign affairs, and finance, that are the exclusive right of the federal government. The states are Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein
, state (1994 pop. 2,595,000), c.6,050 sq mi (15,670 sq km), NW Germany. Kiel (the capital and chief port), Lübeck, Flensburg, and Neumünster are the major cities.
..... Click the link for more information. , Lower Saxony Lower Saxony,
Ger. Niedersachsen , state (1994 pop. 7,480,000), 18,295 sq mi (47,384 sq km), NW Germany. Hanover is the capital. The state was formed in 1946 by the merger of the former Prussian province of Hanover with the former states of Brunswick, Oldenburg, and
..... Click the link for more information. , Bremen Bremen
, city (1994 pop. 551,600), capital of the state of Bremen, NW Germany, on the Weser River. Known as the Free Hanse City of Bremen (Ger. Freie Hansestadt Bremen
..... Click the link for more information. , Hamburg Hamburg
, officially Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg (Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg), city (1994 pop. 1,702,900), coextensive with, and capital of, Hamburg state (288 sq mi/746 sq km), N Germany, on the Elbe River near its mouth in the North Sea, and on the Alster River.
..... Click the link for more information. , Mecklenburg–West Pomerania Mecklenburg–West Pomerania
, state (1994 pop. 1,890,000), 9,201 sq mi (23,838 sq km), NE Germany, bordering on the Baltic Sea. Schwerin is the capital. The region embraced by the state of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania is a low-lying, fertile agricultural area, with many
..... Click the link for more information. , North Rhine–Westphalia North Rhine–Westphalia
, Ger. Nordrhein-Westfalen , state (1994 pop. 17,759,000), 13,111 sq mi (33,957 sq km), W central Germany. Düsseldorf is the capital.
..... Click the link for more information. , Saxony–Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt
, Ger. Sachsen-Anhalt, state (1994 pop. 2,965,000), 7,892 sq mi (20,445 sq km), E Germany. Magdeburg is the capital. It is bordered on the east by Brandenburg, on the west by Lower Saxony, and in the south by Thuringia and Saxony.
..... Click the link for more information. , Brandenburg Brandenburg
, state (1994 est. pop. 2,540,000), c.10,400 sq mi (26,940 sq km), E Germany. Potsdam is the capital; other leading cities include Cottbus, Frankfurt-an-der-Oder, and Brandenburg.
..... Click the link for more information. , Berlin Hesse Hesse
, Ger. Hessen, state (1994 pop. 5,800,000), 8,150 sq mi (24,604 sq km), central Germany. Wiesbaden is the capital. It is bounded by Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in the south, Rhineland-Palatinate in the west, North Rhine–Westphalia and Lower Saxony in
..... Click the link for more information. , Thuringia Thuringia
, Ger. Thüringen, state (1994 pop. 2,533,000), 6,273 sq mi (16,251 sq km), central Germany. It is bordered on the south by Bavaria, on the east by Saxony, on the north by Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, and on the west by Hesse.
..... Click the link for more information. , Saxony Saxony
, Ger. Sachsen, Fr. Saxe, state (1994 pop. 4,901,000), 7,078 sq mi (18,337 sq km), E central Germany. Dresden is the capital. In its current form, Saxony is a federal state of Germany, with its pre–World War II borders reinstated as of Oct., 1990.
..... Click the link for more information. Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate
, Ger. Rheinland-Pfalz, state (1994 pop. 3,926,000), 7,658 sq mi (19,834 sq km), W Germany. Mainz is the capital. The state was formed in 1946 by the merger of the Rhenish Palatinate, Rhenish Hesse, the southern portion of the former Rhine Province of
..... Click the link for more information. , Saarland Saarland
, state (1994 pop. 1,080,000), 991 sq mi (2,567 sq km), SW Germany; formerly called the Saar or the Saar Territory. Saarbrücken is the capital; other cities include Völklingen, Saarlouis, and Sankt Ingbert.
..... Click the link for more information. , Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg
, state (1994 pop. 10,000,000), 13,803 sq mi (35,750 sq km), SW Germany. Stuttgart is the capital. It was formed in 1952 by the merger of Württemberg-Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern, and postwar Baden, all of which came into being after 1945.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Bavaria Bavaria
, Ger. Bayern, state (1994 pop. 11,600,000), 27,239 sq mi (70,549 sq km), S Germany. Munich is the capital. The largest state of Germany, Bavaria is bordered by the Czech Republic on the east, by Austria on the southeast and south, by Baden-Württemberg on the
..... Click the link for more information. .
History
Various aspects of the early, medieval, and early modern history of Germany are covered in the articles Germans Germans,
great ethnic complex of ancient Europe, a basic stock in the composition of the modern peoples of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, N Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, N and central France, Lowland Scotland, and England.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Germanic laws Germanic laws,
customary law codes of the Germans before their contact with the Romans. They are unknown to us except through casual references of ancient authors and inferences from the codes compiled after the tribes had invaded the Roman Empire.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Germanic religion Germanic religion,
pre-Christian religious practices among the tribes of Western Europe, Germany, and Scandinavia. The main sources for our knowledge are the Germania of Tacitus and the Elder Edda and the Younger Edda.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire,
designation for the political entity that originated at the coronation as emperor (962) of the German king Otto I and endured until the renunciation (1806) of the imperial title by Francis II.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Austria Austria
, Ger. Österreich [eastern march], officially Republic of Austria, federal republic (2005 est. pop. 8,185,000), 32,374 sq mi (83,849 sq km), central Europe.
..... Click the link for more information. ; and in the articles on the major historic German states ( Prussia Prussia
, Ger. Preussen, former state, the largest and most important of the German states. Berlin was the capital. The chief member of the German Empire (1871–1918) and a state of the Weimar Republic (1919–33), Prussia occupied more than half of all Germany
..... Click the link for more information. , Bavaria Bavaria
, Ger. Bayern, state (1994 pop. 11,600,000), 27,239 sq mi (70,549 sq km), S Germany. Munich is the capital. The largest state of Germany, Bavaria is bordered by the Czech Republic on the east, by Austria on the southeast and south, by Baden-Württemberg on the
..... Click the link for more information. , Saxony Saxony
, Ger. Sachsen, Fr. Saxe, state (1994 pop. 4,901,000), 7,078 sq mi (18,337 sq km), E central Germany. Dresden is the capital. In its current form, Saxony is a federal state of Germany, with its pre–World War II borders reinstated as of Oct., 1990.
..... Click the link for more information. , Württemberg Württemberg
, former state, SW Germany. Württemberg was formerly also spelled Würtemberg and Wirtemberg. The former state bordered on Baden in the northwest, west, and southwest, on Hohenzollern and Switzerland (from which it was separated by Lake Constance) in
..... Click the link for more information. , Baden Baden
, former state, SW Germany. Karlsruhe was the capital. Stretching from the Main River in the northeast across the lower Neckar valley and along the right bank of the Rhine to Lake Constance (Bodensee), the former state of Baden bordered on France and the Rhenish Palatinate
..... Click the link for more information. , Thuringia Thuringia
, Ger. Thüringen, state (1994 pop. 2,533,000), 6,273 sq mi (16,251 sq km), central Germany. It is bordered on the south by Bavaria, on the east by Saxony, on the north by Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, and on the west by Hesse.
..... Click the link for more information. , Hesse Hesse
, Ger. Hessen, state (1994 pop. 5,800,000), 8,150 sq mi (24,604 sq km), central Germany. Wiesbaden is the capital. It is bounded by Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in the south, Rhineland-Palatinate in the west, North Rhine–Westphalia and Lower Saxony in
..... Click the link for more information. , Mecklenburg (see under Mecklenburg–West Pomerania Mecklenburg–West Pomerania
, state (1994 pop. 1,890,000), 9,201 sq mi (23,838 sq km), NE Germany, bordering on the Baltic Sea. Schwerin is the capital. The region embraced by the state of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania is a low-lying, fertile agricultural area, with many
..... Click the link for more information. , Oldenburg Oldenburg
, former state, NW Germany. It is now included in the state of Lower Saxony. The city of Oldenburg was the capital. The former state consisted of three widely separated divisions.
..... Click the link for more information. , Brunswick Brunswick
, Ger. Braunschweig , former state, central Germany, surrounded by the former Prussian provinces of Saxony, Hanover, and Westphalia. The region of Braunschweig is situated on the North German plain and in the northern foothills of the Harz Mts.
..... Click the link for more information. , Anhalt Anhalt
, former state, c.900 sq mi (2,330 sq km), central Germany, surrounded by the former Prussian provinces of Saxony and Brandenburg. Dessau, the capital, and Köthen were the chief cities. Nonmountainous except for the outliers of the lower Harz Mts.
..... Click the link for more information. , Lippe Lippe
, former state, N central Germany, between the Teutoburg Forest and the Weser River. It was incorporated in 1947 into the state of North Rhine–Westphalia. Detmold, the former capital, was the chief city.
..... Click the link for more information. , Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe
, former state, N Germany, E of the Weser River. In 1946 it was placed in Lower Saxony. Bückeburg was the capital. It was situated in a fertile agricultural region.
..... Click the link for more information. ) and on the free cities of Hamburg Hamburg
, officially Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg (Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg), city (1994 pop. 1,702,900), coextensive with, and capital of, Hamburg state (288 sq mi/746 sq km), N Germany, on the Elbe River near its mouth in the North Sea, and on the Alster River.
..... Click the link for more information. , Bremen Bremen
, city (1994 pop. 551,600), capital of the state of Bremen, NW Germany, on the Weser River. Known as the Free Hanse City of Bremen (Ger. Freie Hansestadt Bremen
..... Click the link for more information. , and Lübeck Lübeck
, city (1994 pop. 217,270), Schleswig-Holstein, central Germany, on the Trave River near its mouth on the Baltic Sea. It is a major port and a commercial and industrial center; the port is the city's primary employer.
..... Click the link for more information. . The survey that follows is a very general outline of the complex history of Germany.
History to the Early Middle Ages
At the end of the 2d cent. B.C., the German tribes began to expand at the expense of the Celts, but they were confined by Roman conquests (1st cent. B.C.–1st cent. A.D.) to the region E of the Rhine and N of the Danube. The Romans penetrated briefly (12 B.C.–A.D. 9) as far east as the Elbe River (see Teutoburg Forest Teutoburg Forest,
Ger. Teutoburger Wald, hilly range, in NW Germany, stretching roughly between Osnabrück and Paderborn. It is forested, and it rises to 1,465 ft (447 m) S of Detmold.
..... Click the link for more information. ), and from the late 1st cent. A.D. to the 3d cent. they held the Agri Decumates, protected against Germanic inroads by a fortified line from Cologne to Regensburg. In a series of great migrations (4th–5th cent.) the German tribes (who did not all come from present-day Germany) overran most of the Roman Empire, while Slavic tribes occupied Germany E of the Elbe.
By the 6th cent., the Anglo-Saxons Anglo-Saxons,
name given to the Germanic-speaking peoples who settled in England after the decline of Roman rule there. They were first invited by the Celtic King Vortigern, who needed help fighting the Picts and Scots. The Angles (Lat.
..... Click the link for more information. had established themselves in Britain, and the Franks Franks,
group of Germanic tribes. By the 3d cent. A.D., they were settled along the lower and middle Rhine. The two major divisions were the Salian Franks in the north and the Ripuarian Franks in the south.
..... Click the link for more information. had taken over nearly all of present-day France, W and S Germany, and Thuringia. Clovis I Clovis I
, c.466–511, Frankish king (481–511), son of Childeric I and founder of the Merovingian monarchy. Originally little more than a tribal chieftain, he became sole leader of the Salian Franks by force of perseverance and by murdering a number of relatives.
..... Click the link for more information. , who first united the Franks late in the 5th cent., accepted Christianity, and St. Boniface Boniface, Saint,
d. 1009, German missionary, known also by his lay name, Bruno of Querfurt. He evangelized the Balts and died a martyr. He is known as the Apostle of the Prussians. Feast: June 19.
..... Click the link for more information. in the 8th cent. spread the gospel in the areas acquired by Clovis's successors. In 751, Pepin the Short deposed the dynasty of the Merovingians Merovingians,
dynasty of Frankish kings, descended, according to tradition, from Merovech, chief of the Salian Franks, whose son was Childeric I and whose grandson was Clovis I, the founder of the Frankish monarchy.
..... Click the link for more information. and established his own, that of the Carolingians Carolingians
, dynasty of Frankish rulers, founded in the 7th cent. by Pepin of Landen, who, as mayor of the palace, ruled the East Frankish Kingdom of Austrasia for Dagobert I.
..... Click the link for more information. . His son Charlemagne Charlemagne
(Charles the Great or Charles I) [O.Fr.,=Charles the great], 742?–814, emperor of the West (800–814), Carolingian king of the Franks (768–814).
..... Click the link for more information. conquered the Saxons Saxons,
Germanic people, first mentioned in the 2d cent. by Ptolemy as inhabiting the southern part of the Cimbric Peninsula (S Jutland). Holding the area at the mouth of the Elbe River and some of the nearby islands, they gradually extended their territory southward across the
..... Click the link for more information. and extended the Frankish domain in Germany to the Elbe. He was crowned emperor at Rome in 800.
In the first division (843) of Charlemagne's empire (see Verdun, Treaty of Verdun, Treaty of,
the partition of Charlemagne's empire among three sons of Louis I, emperor of the West. It was concluded in 843 at Verdun on the Meuse or, possibly, Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, Soâne-et-Loire dept., E France.
..... Click the link for more information. ) the kingdom of the Eastern Franks, under Louis the German Louis the German,
c.804–876, king of the East Franks (817–76). When his father, Emperor of the West Louis I, partitioned the empire in 817, Louis received Bavaria and adjacent territories.
..... Click the link for more information. , emerged as the nucleus of the German state. The Treaty of Mersen Mersen, Treaty of,
870, redivision of the Carolingian empire by the sons of Louis I, Charles the Bald (later Charles II) of the West Franks (France) and Louis the German of the East Franks (Germany), signed at Mersen (Dutch Meersen), now in the Netherlands.
..... Click the link for more information. (870) enlarged it by the addition of part of Lotharingia Lotharingia
, name given to the northern portion of the lands assigned (843) to Emperor of the West Lothair I in the first division of the Carolingian empire (see Verdun, Treaty of).
..... Click the link for more information. (Lorraine), but after the death (876) of Louis it was divided among his sons Carloman Carloman
, d. 880, king of Bavaria, Carinthia, Pannonia, and Moravia (876–80) and of Italy (877–80), son of Louis the German and father of Arnulf, emperor of the West.
..... Click the link for more information. , Louis the Younger Louis the Younger,
c.830–882, German king, ruler (876–82) over Saxony, Franconia, and Thuringia, son of Louis the German. He shared the succession to his father's lands with his brothers Carloman (d. 880) and Charles the Fat (later Emperor of the West Charles III).
..... Click the link for more information. , and Charles III Charles III
or Charles the Fat,
839–88, emperor of the West (881–87), king of the East Franks (882–87), and king of the West Franks (884–87); son of Louis the German, at whose death he inherited Swabia (876).
..... Click the link for more information. (Charles the Fat). Emperor Arnulf Arnulf
, c.850–899, Carolingian emperor (896–99), king of the East Franks (887–99), illegitimate son of Carloman of Bavaria. In 887 he led the rebellion of the kingdom of the East Franks (Germany) against his uncle, Carolingian Emperor Charles III, and was
..... Click the link for more information. reunited the kingdom, but during his reign (887–99) and that of his son Louis the Child Louis the Child,
893–911, German king (900–911), son and successor of King Arnulf. He was the last of the German line of the Carolingians. The archbishop of Mainz was regent for him.
..... Click the link for more information. (900–911), last of the Carolingian kings of Germany, the Norsemen, Slavs, and Magyars began to make devastating inroads. These contributed to economic breakdown and localization, manifest in the manorial system manorial system
or seignorial system
, economic and social system of medieval Europe under which peasants' land tenure and production were regulated, and local justice and taxation were administered.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Political localization was evident in the emergence of powerful duchies and in the growth of feudalism feudalism
, form of political and social organization typical of Western Europe from the dissolution of Charlemagne's empire to the rise of the absolute monarchies. The term feudalism is derived from the Latin feodum,
..... Click the link for more information. . The dukes of Franconia, Swabia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Upper and Lower Lorraine emerged as the most powerful magnates of Germany. On the death (911) of Louis the Child, they elected the Franconian duke Conrad I Conrad I,
d. 918, German king (911–18). As duke of Franconia he distinguished himself by military exploits and in 911 was elected successor to Louis the Child by the Franconian, Saxon, Bavarian, and Swabian lords.
..... Click the link for more information. as king. Conrad's reign was spent in struggles against the Magyars and against the rebellious dukes, one of whom (Henry the Fowler of Saxony) succeeded him in 918 as Henry I Henry I
or Henry the Fowler,
876?–936, German king (919–36), first of the Saxon line and father of Otto I, the first of the Holy Roman emperors. Henry succeeded his father as duke of Saxony in 912.
..... Click the link for more information. , beginning a century of Saxon rule. Henry restored some of the royal authority, took territory from the Slavs, and secured the election in 936 of his son, Otto I Otto I
or Otto the Great,
912–73, Holy Roman emperor (962–73) and German king (936–73), son and successor of Henry I of Germany. He is often regarded as the founder of the Holy Roman Empire.
..... Click the link for more information. , as his successor.
The Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire came into existence with the imperial coronation (962) of Otto I. (A list of Otto's successors until 1806 accompanies the article on the Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire,
designation for the political entity that originated at the coronation as emperor (962) of the German king Otto I and endured until the renunciation (1806) of the imperial title by Francis II.
..... Click the link for more information. .) As a result of their difficult dual role as emperors and German kings, and especially because of their interests in Italy, Otto's successors could not prevent the German dukes and their vassals from increasing their power at the expense of the central authority. Imperial power was further undermined by the conflict between emperors and popes, manifest in the struggle over investiture investiture,
in feudalism, ceremony by which an overlord transferred a fief to a vassal or by which, in ecclesiastical law, an elected cleric received the pastoral ring and staff (the symbols of spiritual office) signifying the transfer of the office.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Emperor Frederick I Frederick I
or Frederick Barbarossa
[Ital.,=red beard], c.1125–90, Holy Roman emperor (1155–90) and German king (1152–90), son of Frederick of Hohenstaufen, duke of Swabia, nephew and successor of Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III.
..... Click the link for more information. (reigned 1152–90; also known as Frederick Barbarossa) of the Hohenstaufen Hohenstaufen
, German princely family, whose name is derived from the castle of Staufen built in 1077 by a Swabian count, Frederick. In 1079, Frederick married Agnes, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, and was created duke of Swabia.
..... Click the link for more information. line was one of the most energetic medieval German rulers. He unsuccessfully challenged the power of the pope (see Guelphs and Ghibellines Guelphs and Ghibellines
, opposing political factions in Germany and in Italy during the later Middle Ages. The names were used to designate the papal (Guelph) party and the imperial (Ghibelline) party during the long struggle between popes and emperors, and they were also used
..... Click the link for more information. ), being defeated by the Lombard League Lombard League,
an alliance formed in 1167 among the communes of Lombardy to resist Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I when he attempted to assert his imperial authority in Lombardy. Previously the communes had been divided, some favoring the emperor and others favoring the pope.
..... Click the link for more information. in 1176. However, Frederick did succeed in partitioning (1180) the domains of Henry the Lion Henry the Lion,
1129–95, duke of Saxony (1142–80) and of Bavaria (1156–80); son of Henry the Proud. His father died (1139) while engaged in a war to regain his duchies, and it was not until 1142 that Henry the Lion became duke of Saxony.
..... Click the link for more information. of Saxony and Bavaria, thus destroying the last great independent German duchy. Until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Germany remained a patchwork of numerous small temporal and ecclesiastical principalities and free cities.
The campaigns of the 12th and 13th cent. against the Slavs (see Wends Wends
or Sorbs,
Slavic people (numbering about 60,000) of Brandenburg and Saxony, E Germany, in Lusatia. They speak Lusatian (also known as Sorbic or Wendish), a West Slavic language with two main dialects: Upper Lusatian, nearer to Czech, and Lower Lusatian, nearer to
..... Click the link for more information. ) resulted in tremendous eastward expansion and the establishment of the margraviate of Brandenburg and the domain of the Teutonic Knights Teutonic Knights
or Teutonic Order
, German military religious order founded (1190–91) during the siege of Acre in the Third Crusade. It was originally known as the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. Mary of the Teutons in Jerusalem.
..... Click the link for more information. . The turbulent reign (1212–50) of Emperor Frederick II Frederick II,
1194–1250, Holy Roman emperor (1220–50) and German king (1212–20), king of Sicily (1197–1250), and king of Jerusalem (1229–50), son of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI and of Constance, heiress of Sicily.
..... Click the link for more information. , who was active in Sicily, and who engaged in a major conflict with the papacy, left Germany in a state of anarchy. Several rival kings appeared, but none held wide authority, and lawlessness prevailed. The dark period of the Great Interregnum (1254–73) ended with the election of Rudolf I Rudolf I
or Rudolf of Hapsburg
, 1218–91, German king (1273–91), first king of the Hapsburg dynasty. Rudolf's election as king ended the interregnum (1250–73), during which time there was no accepted German king or Holy Roman emperor.
..... Click the link for more information. , count of Hapsburg (see Hapsburg Hapsburg
or Habsburg
, ruling house of Austria (1282–1918). Rise to Power
The family, which can be traced to the 10th cent., originally held lands in Alsace and in NW Switzerland. Otto (d.
..... Click the link for more information. ), as German king, but neither he nor his successors could create a centralized monarchy. Germany thus diverged from the great kingdoms of Western Europe—France, England, and Spain—where the trend was toward increasing centralization.
To offset the tendency toward independence of the nobles, the emperors relied chiefly on the prosperous cities, many of which formed into leagues for their common defense and interests—e.g., the Hanseatic League Hanseatic League
, mercantile league of medieval German towns. It was amorphous in character; its origin cannot be dated exactly. Originally a Hansa was a company of merchants trading with foreign lands.
..... Click the link for more information. and the Swabian League Swabian League,
association of Swabian cities and other powers in SW Germany for the protection of trade and for regional peace. The Swabian League of 1488–1534 is the best known of the long series dating from the 14th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. . German commerce and banking prospered in the late 15th and early 16th cent., the heyday of such merchant princes as those of the Fugger Fugger
, German family of merchant princes. The foundation of their wealth was laid by Hans Fugger, allegedly a weaver, who moved to Augsburg in 1367. His descendants built up the family fortune by trade and banking.
..... Click the link for more information. and Welser Welser
, German family of wealthy merchants and bankers at Augsburg. It reached the height of its prosperity under Bartholomäus Welser, 1488–1561, who had advanced large sums to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
..... Click the link for more information. families of Augsburg. With the help of these capitalists, Emperor Charles V Charles V,
1500–1558, Holy Roman emperor (1519–58) and, as Charles I, king of Spain (1516–56); son of Philip I and Joanna of Castile, grandson of Ferdinand II of Aragón, Isabella of Castile, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, and Mary of Burgundy.
..... Click the link for more information. (reigned 1519–58) financed his many campaigns.
The weakness of the imperial position was evident when, in the Protestant Reformation Reformation,
religious revolution that took place in Western Europe in the 16th cent. It arose from objections to doctrines and practices in the medieval church (see Roman Catholic Church) and ultimately led to the freedom of dissent (see Protestantism).
..... Click the link for more information. (16th cent.), the Catholic emperor was unable to enforce his religious policies or to prevent the conversion to Protestantism of many powerful princes. Links between religious and economic unrest were reflected in the Peasants' War Peasants' War,
1524–26, rising of the German peasants and the poorer classes of the towns, particularly in Franconia, Swabia, and Thuringia. It was the climax of a series of local revolts that dated from the 15th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. (1524–26) and in the unsuccessful attempt of the Imperial Knights under Franz von Sickingen Sickingen, Franz von
, 1481–1523, German knight. Placed under the ban of the Holy Roman Empire because of his profitable forays along the Rhine, he served King Francis I of France and then made peace with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, whose service he entered.
..... Click the link for more information. to secularize ecclesiastical domains.
Continued unrest and Protestant gains helped stimulate the Counter Reformation, which hardened the religious and political divisions in Germany. A religious settlement was reached only after the devastating Thirty Years War Thirty Years War,
1618–48, general European war fought mainly in Germany. General Character of the War
There were many territorial, dynastic, and religious issues that figured in the outbreak and conduct of the war.
..... Click the link for more information. (1618–48), which was a crushing setback to the cause of German unity. The chief theater of the war, Germany was reduced to misery and starvation, lost a large part of its population, and became, as a result of the Peace of Westphalia (1648; see Westphalia, Peace of Westphalia, Peace of,
1648, general settlement ending the Thirty Years War. It marked the end of the Holy Roman Empire as an effective institution and inaugurated the modern European state system.
..... Click the link for more information. ), a loose confederation of petty principalities under the nominal suzerainty of the emperor. Depopulation brought increased competition for peasant labor and helped to perpetuate the institution of serfdom, which was declining in other parts of Western Europe.
The German Confederation and the Rise of Prussia
The most powerful German state to emerge from the wars of the 17th and 18th cent. was Prussia Prussia
, Ger. Preussen, former state, the largest and most important of the German states. Berlin was the capital. The chief member of the German Empire (1871–1918) and a state of the Weimar Republic (1919–33), Prussia occupied more than half of all Germany
..... Click the link for more information. , which under Frederick II (reigned 1740–86) successfully challenged the military might of Austria Austria
, Ger. Österreich [eastern march], officially Republic of Austria, federal republic (2005 est. pop. 8,185,000), 32,374 sq mi (83,849 sq km), central Europe.
..... Click the link for more information. and became a European power. The French Revolution and the wars of Napoleon I Napoleon I
, 1769–1821, emperor of the French, b. Ajaccio, Corsica, known as "the Little Corporal." Early Life
The son of Carlo and Letizia Bonaparte (or Buonaparte; see under Bonaparte, family), young Napoleon was sent (1779) to French military schools at
..... Click the link for more information. brought the demise (1806) of the moribund Holy Roman Empire and also forced the German states, notably Prussia, to accept long-needed social, political, and administrative reforms.
Germany's military humiliation by Napoleon stimulated nationalist fervor for a strong and unified state. By the Congress of Vienna (see Vienna, Congress of Vienna, Congress of,
Sept., 1814–June, 1815, one of the most important international conferences in European history, called to remake Europe after the downfall of Napoleon I.
..... Click the link for more information. ) the German map was redrawn in 1814–15, eliminating many petty states and expanding Prussia and Bavaria. The German states were loosely linked in the German Confederation German Confederation,
1815–66, union of German states provided for at the Congress of Vienna to replace the old Holy Roman Empire, which had been destroyed during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It comprised 39 states in all, 35 monarchies and 4 free cities.
..... Click the link for more information. , set up by the congress. Conservative Austria obtained control of the confederation, and Metternich Metternich, Clemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Fürst von
, 1773–1859, Austrian statesman and arbiter of post-Napoleonic Europe, b. Koblenz, of a noble Rhenish family.
..... Click the link for more information. , who also dominated the Holy Alliance Holy Alliance,
1815, agreement among the emperors of Russia and Austria and the king of Prussia, signed on Sept. 26. It was quite distinct from the Quadruple Alliance (Quintuple, after the admission of France) of Great Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia, arrived at first in
..... Click the link for more information. , frustrated nationalist ambitions. In ensuing decades, nationalist sentiment was furthered by German romanticism, a noteworthy exponent of which was the poet Ernst Moritz Arndt Arndt, Ernst Moritz
, 1769–1860, German poet and historian. An ardent nationalist and opponent of Napoleon I, he was forced to flee to Sweden and Russia because of his patriotic and martial verse and his book, Geist der Zeit [spirit of the times] (4 vol.
..... Click the link for more information. , and by persons like Friedrich Jahn Jahn, Friedrich Ludwig
, 1778–1852, German patriot. A high school teacher in Berlin, he was active in efforts to free Germany from Napoleonic rule. He organized the Turnverein, a gymnastic association, to build strength and fellowship among young people of all classes.
..... Click the link for more information. , the educator and gymnast.
German nationalism, linked with liberalism, emerged in the revolutions of 1848 revolutions of 1848,
in European history. The February Revolution in France gave impetus to a series of revolutionary explosions in Western and Central Europe. However the new French Republic did not support these movements.
..... Click the link for more information. , which shook the German states. However, the revolutionists were soon defeated, and the Frankfurt Parliament Frankfurt Parliament,
1848–49, national assembly convened at Frankfurt on May 18, 1848, as a result of the liberal revolution that swept the German states early in 1848. The parliament was called by a preliminary assembly of German liberals in Mar.
..... Click the link for more information. , having failed to obtain the unification of Germany under Frederick William IV, disbanded. Prussia was humiliated by Austria in the Treaty of Olomouc Olomouc
, Ger. Olmütz, city (1991 pop. 105,537), E central Czech Republic, in Moravia, on the Morava River. Olomouc is an industrial city, with factories producing machinery, appliances, and food products, especially candy and chocolate.
..... Click the link for more information. (1850) but used the Zollverein Zollverein
[Ger.,=customs union], in German history, a customs union established to eliminate tariff barriers. Friedrich List first popularized the idea of a combination to abolish the customs barriers that were inhibiting trade among the numerous states of the German
..... Click the link for more information. , a customs union from which Austria was excluded, to consolidate Prussian hegemony in N Germany.
Otto von Bismarck Bismarck, Otto von
, 1815–98, German statesman, known as the Iron Chancellor. Early Life and Career
Born of an old Brandenburg Junker family, he studied at Göttingen and Berlin, and after holding minor judicial and administrative offices he was elected
..... Click the link for more information. , who in 1862 took charge of Prussian policy, resolved on the course of creating a "Little Germany" (a Germany without Austria) under Prussian leadership. In the Austro-Prussian War Austro-Prussian War
or Seven Weeks War,
June 15–Aug. 23, 1866, between Prussia, allied with Italy, and Austria, seconded by Bavaria, Württemberg, Saxony, Hanover, Baden, and several smaller German states.
..... Click the link for more information. of 1866, Prussia triumphed over its rival, and Austria was excluded from the newly created North German Confederation North German Confederation,
1867–71, alliance of 22 German states N of the Main River. Dominated by Prussia, it replaced the German Confederation and included the states that had supported Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War (1866).
..... Click the link for more information. . As a result of the Franco-Prussian War Franco-Prussian War
or Franco-German War,
1870–71, conflict between France and Prussia that signaled the rise of German military power and imperialism. It was provoked by Otto von Bismarck (the Prussian chancellor) as part of his plan to create a unified German
..... Click the link for more information. of 1870–71 Bismarck attained his goal: William I William I,
1797–1888, emperor of Germany (1871–88) and king of Prussia (1861–88), second son of the future King Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg.
..... Click the link for more information. of Prussia was proclaimed German emperor by the assembled German princes in the Palace of Versailles (1871). The peace treaty with France awarded Alsace Alsace
, Ger. Elsass, region and former province, E France. It is separated from Germany by a part of the Rhine River. It comprises the departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and the Territory of Belfort (a department created after the Franco-Prussian War when the rest of
..... Click the link for more information. and Lorraine Lorraine
, Ger. Lothringen, region and former province, NE France, bordering in the N on Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany, in the E on Alsace, in the S on Franche-Comté, and in the W on Champagne.
..... Click the link for more information. to Germany and stamped it as the chief power of continental Europe.
The German Empire
The new German empire was consolidated under Bismarck's autocratic rule and a constitution that favored conservative interests. The Reichstag (the lower house of parliament) had some power over money bills but only slight influence in military matters or foreign policy; autocratic Prussia dominated the Bundesrat (the upper house of parliament). Bismarck's rule was complicated by far-reaching internal changes. The Industrial Revolution Industrial Revolution,
term usually applied to the social and economic changes that mark the transition from a stable agricultural and commercial society to a modern industrial society relying on complex machinery rather than tools.
..... Click the link for more information. , which came late in Germany, transformed the country into Europe's foremost manufacturing nation and also accelerated the pace of urbanization.
Economic factors in turn affected politics. The National Liberal party and the Progressives, both representing the middle class, became important, as did German socialism socialism,
general term for the political and economic theory that advocates a system of collective or government ownership and management of the means of production and distribution of goods.
..... Click the link for more information. and the Social Democrats, guided by August Bebel Bebel, August
, 1840–1913, German Socialist leader. A wood turner by trade, he became a Marxian Socialist under the influence of Wilhelm Liebknecht. At a congress at Eisenach (1869) he was instrumental in founding the German Social Democratic party, which he later
..... Click the link for more information. and Karl Kautsky Kautsky, Karl Johann
, 1854–1938, German-Austrian socialist, b. Prague. A leading figure in the effort to spread Marxist doctrine in Germany, he was the principal deviser of the Erfurt Program, which set the German Social Democratic party on an orthodox Marxist path and
..... Click the link for more information. . The strong Center party represented Roman Catholic interests.
Bismarck's only certain ally was the Conservative party, a Protestant faction particularly strong in agrarian and semifeudal Prussia. Bismarck ruled chiefly through force of will, prestige, and the steadfast support of the emperor. He attempted to vitiate German Catholicism in the Kulturkampf Kulturkampf
[Ger.,=conflict of cultures], the conflict between the German government under Bismarck and the Roman Catholic Church. The promulgation (1870) of the dogma of the infallibility of the pope in matters of faith and morals within the church sparked the conflict; it
..... Click the link for more information. (1872–79). Both paternalism and an effort to lessen the appeal of the Socialists and the Liberals motivated his social security social security,
government program designed to provide for the basic economic security and welfare of individuals and their dependents. The programs classified under the term social security differ from one country to another, but all are the result of government legislation
..... Click the link for more information. laws, which became models of welfare legislation throughout the world.
A master of foreign policy, Bismarck secured Germany against France by maintaining alliances in the east. Reconciliation with Austria led to an alliance (1879), joined in 1882 by Italy (see Triple Alliance and Triple Entente Triple Alliance and Triple Entente
, two international combinations of states that dominated the diplomatic history of Western Europe from 1882 until they came into armed conflict in World War I.
..... Click the link for more information. ). Simultaneously, Bismarck kept alive the Three Emperors' League Three Emperors' League,
informal alliance among Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia, announced officially in 1872 on the occasion of the meeting of emperors Francis Joseph, William I, and Alexander II.
..... Click the link for more information. of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. He weathered the Liberal opposition and retained his chancellorship during the brief reign (1888) of Frederick III Frederick III,
1831–88, emperor of Germany and king of Prussia (Mar.–June, 1888), son and successor of William I. In 1858 he married Victoria, the princess royal of England, who exerted considerable influence over him.
..... Click the link for more information. , but he was dismissed in 1890 by William II William II,
1859–1941, emperor of Germany and king of Prussia (1888–1918), son and successor of Frederick III and grandson of William I of Germany and of Queen Victoria of England.
..... Click the link for more information. . Bismarck was succeeded as chancellor by von Caprivi Caprivi, Leo, Graf von
, 1831–99, German chancellor, whose full name was Georg Leo, Graf von Caprivi de Caprara de Montecuculi. A former army officer and head of the admiralty, he succeeded (1890) Bismarck as chancellor.
..... Click the link for more information. , Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, Chlodwig Karl Viktor, Fürst zu
, 1819–1901, German chancellor (1894–1900). As premier of Bavaria (1866–70), he favored German unification, and in 1871 he entered the service of the German Empire and became one of Bismarck's
..... Click the link for more information. (1894), and Bernhard von Bülow Bülow, Bernhard Heinrich Martin, Fürst von
, 1849–1929, German chancellor. He held many diplomatic posts before he became, through the influence of Friedrich von Holstein, foreign secretary in 1897 and succeeded Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst as chancellor in
..... Click the link for more information. (1900).
By the mid-1880s, Germans had acquired some African territories, but it was only under William II that German colonial expansion began to collide seriously with British and French interests. (For a list of former German colonies, see mandates mandates,
system of trusteeships established by Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations for the administration of former Turkish territories and of former German colonies.
..... Click the link for more information. .) Equally serious threats to peace were Germany's increasing commercial rivalry with England, heightened by the naval expansion under Tirpitz Tirpitz, Alfred von
, 1849–1930, German admiral. His influence on German naval policy began with his study of the recently invented torpedo and his consequent appointment (1871) as chief of the torpedo division of the navy ministry.
..... Click the link for more information. , German influence in Ottoman affairs (e.g., in the construction of the Baghdad Railway Baghdad Railway,
railroad of international importance linking Europe with Asia Minor and the Middle East. The line runs from İstanbul, Turkey, to Basra, Iraq; it connected what were distant regions of the Ottoman Empire.
..... Click the link for more information. ), and German support of Austria's Balkan policy, which clashed with Russian interests (see Eastern Question Eastern Question,
term designating the problem of European territory controlled by the decaying Ottoman Empire in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th cent. The Turkish threat to Europe was checked by the Hapsburgs in the 16th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. ). Two crises (1905–6 and 1911) over Morocco Morocco
, officially Kingdom of Morocco, kingdom (2005 est. pop. 32,726,000), 171,834 sq mi (445,050 sq km), NW Africa. Morocco is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea (N), the Atlantic Ocean (W), Western Sahara (S), and Algeria (S and E).
..... Click the link for more information. helped to create and strengthen the Triple Entente of France, Russia, and England, which faced Germany and its allies (see Central Powers Central Powers,
in World War I, the coalition of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.
..... Click the link for more information. ) in World War I World War I,
1914–18, also known as the Great War, conflict, chiefly in Europe, among most of the great Western powers. It was the largest war the world had yet seen.
..... Click the link for more information. (1914–18). In 1909, von Bethmann-Hollweg Bethmann-Hollweg, Theobald von
, 1856–1921, German chancellor. A career civil servant, he became minister of the interior (1905) and secretary of state (1907), and in 1909 succeeded Bernhard von Bülow as chancellor.
..... Click the link for more information. had replaced von Bülow as chancellor of Germany; Bethmann was overthrown (1917) by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg Hindenburg, Paul von
, 1847–1934, German field marshal and president (1925–34), b. Poznan (then in Prussia). His full name was Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Hindenburg und Beneckendorff.
..... Click the link for more information. and Chief of Staff Erich Ludendorff Ludendorff, Erich
, 1865–1937, German general. A disciple of Schlieffen, he served in World War I as chief of staff to Field Marshal Hindenburg and was largely responsible for German military decisions.
..... Click the link for more information. , who together controlled Germany until late 1918.
Exhausted to the point of collapse but with no enemy troops on its soil, Germany was obliged to accept the Allied armistice terms (Nov., 1918) and, in 1919, the harsh peace terms of Versailles (see Versailles, Treaty of Versailles, Treaty of,
any of several treaties signed in the palace of Versailles, France. For the Treaty of Versailles of 1783, which ended the American Revolution, see Paris, Treaty of, 1783.
..... Click the link for more information. ). William abdicated and fled (Nov., 1918) after national and international demands for his abdication (led by Chancellor Maximilian Maximilian, prince of Baden
(Max of Baden), 1867–1929, German statesman, last chancellor of imperial Germany. A liberal, he was made imperial chancellor at the end of World War I as Germany neared defeat.
..... Click the link for more information. , prince of Baden) and after the outbreak of a left-wing revolution, started at Kiel, which swept the rulers of the German states from their thrones.
The Weimar Republic
A democratic and more centralized federal constitution was adopted at Weimar in 1919, and Germany became known as the Weimar Republic. Friedrich Ebert Ebert, Friedrich
, 1871–1925, first president (1919–25) of the German republic. A Social Democratic deputy in the Reichstag, in 1913 he became party leader, succeeding Bebel; a gradualist, or moderate, he was seen as pragmatic and non-ideological.
..... Click the link for more information. , a Social Democrat, became the first president. His middle-of-the-road government suppressed attempts by the radical left (see Spartacus party Spartacus party
or Spartacists,
radical group of German Socialists, formed c.Mar., 1916, and led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. The name was derived from the pseudonym Spartacus used by Liebknecht in his pamphlets denouncing World War I, the government, and the
..... Click the link for more information. ) and by the extreme right (see Kapp, Wolfgang Kapp, Wolfgang
, 1858–1922, German right-wing politician. In 1920 he led the uprising known as the Kapp putsch, an armed revolt in Berlin aimed at restoring the German monarchy. He seized the Berlin government, but a general strike broke his power.
..... Click the link for more information. ) to seize power. However, the economic crisis of the postwar years, marked by mass unemployment and rampant currency inflation, strengthened the extremist parties and wiped out a large portion of the middle class. The assassinations of Matthias Erzberger Erzberger, Matthias
, 1875–1921, German public official. He was a leader of the left wing of the Catholic Center party in the Reichstag from 1903. Early in World War I, he supported an annexationist policy, but in 1917 he led the fight for the Reichstag peace resolution.
..... Click the link for more information. (1921) and of Walther Rathenau Rathenau, Walther
, 1867–1922, German industrialist, social theorist, and statesman. Son of Emil Rathenau (1838–1915), founder of the German public utilities company Allgemeine Elektrizitätsgesellschaft (A.E.G.
..... Click the link for more information. (1922) were symptomatic of the terrorist tactics adopted by the extreme nationalists, many of whom later joined the National Socialist (Nazi) party of Adolf Hitler Hitler, Adolf
, 1889–1945, founder and leader of National Socialism (Nazism), and German dictator, b. Braunau in Upper Austria. Early Life
The son of Alois Hitler (1837–1903), an Austrian customs official, Adolf Hitler dropped out of high school, and
..... Click the link for more information. or the Nationalist (monarchist) party of Alfred Hugenberg Hugenberg, Alfred
, 1865–1951, German financier and politician. He was president of the directorate of the Krupp firm (1909–18), entered the Reichstag in 1919, and was chairman (1928–33) of the conservative German Nationalist party.
..... Click the link for more information. .
The election (1925) of Hindenburg as president after the death of Ebert seemed a nationalist victory, but Hindenburg cooperated with the cabinets (1923–32) of Wilhelm Marx Marx, Wilhelm
, 1863–1946, German statesman. A Reichstag member, he was a leading figure of the Catholic Center party and was elected its president in 1921. As chancellor (1923–24) he secured the passage of the Dawes Plan.
..... Click the link for more information. , Hans Luther Luther, Hans
, 1879–1962, German statesman. As Gustav Stresemann's minister of finance he aided Hjalmar Schacht in stabilizing the German currency. A non-partisan in centrist coalitions, he succeeded Wilhelm Marx as chancellor, heading two successive center-right coalition
..... Click the link for more information. , Hermann Müller, and Heinrich Brüning Brüning, Heinrich
, 1885–1970, German chancellor. Elected to the Reichstag in 1924, he was a leader of the Catholic Center party and a fiscal expert. In 1930 he was appointed chancellor of the Reich to put German finances in order.
..... Click the link for more information. , in which coalitions drawn mainly from the Social Democrats, the Catholic Center party, and the conservative German People's party fulfilled moderate programs. Under Luther, Hjalmar Schacht Schacht, Hjalmar Horace Greeley
, 1877–1970, German financier. He held executive positions in several major German banks before becoming (1923) commissioner of currency. Inflation had reached its height and the paper mark had become worthless.
..... Click the link for more information. helped stabilize the currency, and a remarkable return to economic prosperity began. Gustav Stresemann Stresemann, Gustav
, 1878–1929, German statesman. A founder (1902) and director (until 1918) of the Association of Saxon Industrialists, Stresemann entered the Reichstag in 1907 as a deputy of the National Liberal party and represented the interests of big business.
..... Click the link for more information. , as foreign minister from 1923 to 1929, secured an easing of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, particularly with regard to German reparations reparations,
payments or other compensation offered as an indemnity for loss or damage. Although the term is used to cover payments made to Holocaust survivors and to Japanese Americans interned during World War II in so-called relocation camps (and used as well to describe
..... Click the link for more information. payments, and the admission (1926) of Germany into the League of Nations.
Germany had apparently recovered economically and politically by 1929, but soon afterward the world economic depression brought about mass unemployment and business failure, and political and social tensions mounted. As the Nazi and Communist parties gained strength in the Reichstag, Brüning and his successors, Franz von Papen Papen, Franz von
, 1879–1969, German politician. Appointed (1913) military attaché to the German embassy in Washington, he was implicated in espionage activities that led (1915) the U.S. government to request his recall.
..... Click the link for more information. and Kurt von Schleicher Schleicher, Kurt von,
1882–1934, German general. A leading Reichswehr (army) figure after World War I, Schleicher wielded great power in the years before Adolf Hitler came to power (1933).
..... Click the link for more information. , failed in their efforts to mold parliamentary majorities without Hitler's support. Government came to a standstill. Rather than accept Schleicher's alternative of a military dictatorship, Hindenburg, by then old and exhausted, accepted von Papen's assurance that Hitler could be held in check. In Jan., 1933, Hindenburg made Hitler chancellor. In the elections of Mar., 1933, Hitler played upon the electorate's fear of the Communists (especially after the Reichstag Reichstag
[Ger.,=imperial parliament], name for the diet of the Holy Roman Empire, for the lower chamber of the federal parliament of the North German Confederation, and for the lower chamber of the federal parliament of Germany from 1871 to 1945.
..... Click the link for more information. building was largely destroyed by fire in Feb., 1933) to win a bare majority of seats in the Reichstag for the National Socialists and the Nationalists. On Mar. 23, the Enabling Act, opposed only by the Social Democrats and the disbarred Communist party, gave Hitler full dictatorial powers.
The Third Reich
Hitler had promised to build a Third Reich, successor to the Holy Roman and Hohenzollern empires, which would last a thousand years. As chancellor, he began the "coordination" (Gleichschaltung) of every aspect of German life. Young persons were organized in semimilitary groups (the Hitlerjugend) and were indoctrinated with the Nazi creed. The powers of the state governments were abolished, and the adherents of National Socialism National Socialism
or Nazism,
doctrines and policies of the National Socialist German Workers' party, which ruled Germany under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945.
..... Click the link for more information. from 1934 made up the sole legal party. Hitler's opponents within the party (including Ernst Roehm Roehm or Röhm, Ernst
, 1887–1934, German National Socialist leader. An army officer in World War I, he met (1919) Adolf Hitler, whose political career he helped to launch.
..... Click the link for more information. ) were eliminated in the "Blood Purge" of June, 1934.
The Gestapo (see secret police secret police,
policing organization operating in secrecy for the political purposes of its government, often with terroristic procedures. The Nature of a Secret Police
..... Click the link for more information. ) quashed open discontent among the German people. Many scientists, artists, educators, and scholars followed the Nazi doctrines without much protest, and some Germans welcomed what they considered the rebirth of German strength. After the death of Hindenburg (1934), the offices of president and chancellor were combined in the person of the Führer [leader] of the Nazi party. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws deprived Jews of citizenship, forbade marriage between Jews and non-Jewish Germans, and barred Jews from the liberal professions. In order to coordinate cultural affairs, the radio, press, cinema, and theater came under the control of propaganda minister Goebbels Goebbels, Joseph
(Paul Joseph Goebbels) , 1897–1945, German National Socialist propagandist. He was kept out of the service in World War I by a clubfoot. After graduating from the Univ. of Heidelberg (Ph.D.
..... Click the link for more information. , who raised Hitler to the status of a quasi-divinity. Jews and others (especially those holding liberal or leftist political beliefs) made outcasts by the Nazi regime were harassed, and some were placed in concentration camps concentration camp,
a detention site outside the normal prison system created for military or political purposes to confine, terrorize, and, in some cases, kill civilians.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Hitler attempted to make Germany economically self-sufficient, and industry, commerce, and foreign trade were strictly supervised by the government. Labor unions were dissolved, and workers were organized in a state-controlled labor front. In order to ease unemployment and to prepare for war, Hitler expanded the armaments industry, increased the size of the armed forces, and sponsored large-scale public works (e.g., the construction of a network of superhighways, the Autobahnen). Hermann Goering Goering or Göring, Hermann Wilhelm
, 1893–1946, German National Socialist leader. In World War I he was a hero of the German air force.
..... Click the link for more information. was a leading protagonist of German rearmament and preparations for war. Albert Speer Speer, Albert
, 1905–81, German architect and National Socialist (Nazi) leader. A member of the Nazi party from 1931, he became its official architect after Hitler came to power. His grandiose but coldly eclectic designs include the stadium at Nuremberg (1934).
..... Click the link for more information. was at first Hitler's official architect; during World War II he assumed important posts as minister for armaments and later as chief planner of the war economy.
In Oct., 1933, Hitler withdrew from the Geneva Disarmament Conference and from the League of Nations. In Mar., 1936, Germany remilitarized the Rhineland in violation of the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact. Hitler followed this by concluding an alliance with Fascist Italy (see Axis Axis,
coalition of countries headed by Germany, Italy, and Japan, 1936–45 (see World War II). The expression "Rome-Berlin axis" originated in Oct., 1936, with an accord reached by Hitler and Mussolini. The Axis was solidified by an Italo-German alliance in May, 1939.
..... Click the link for more information. ), by interfering in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) in support of the Insurgents led by Franco, and by annexing Austria (Mar., 1938). Outside Germany, fifth columns were used to undermine the governments of nations that Hitler sought to annex in order to increase the Lebensraum [living space] of the Germans. The Munich Pact Munich Pact,
1938. In the summer of 1938, Chancellor Hitler of Germany began openly to support the demands of Germans living in the Sudetenland (see Sudetes) of Czechoslovakia for an improved status. In September, Hitler demanded self-determination for the Sudetenland.
..... Click the link for more information. (Sept., 1938) marked the culmination of British and French attempts to appease Germany in the hope that Hitler had limited aims.
In Mar., 1939, Germany marched into Czechoslovakia, thus violating the Munich agreements, and also annexed Memel, on the Baltic coast. On Aug. 23, 1939, in a surprise move, Germany and the USSR signed a nonaggression pact and other agreements. On Sept. 1, 1939, cutting short negotiations on the status of Danzig (Gdańsk) and the Polish Corridor Polish Corridor,
strip of German territory awarded to newly independent Poland by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The strip, 20 to 70 mi (32–112 km) wide, gave Poland access to the Baltic Sea.
..... Click the link for more information. , Hitler invaded Poland, thus precipitating World War II.
In the early years of the war Germany had great success; its conquests included Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, the Balkan states, and Greece. Great Britain, particularly London and other industrial areas, was subjected to massive German air attacks (the Battle of Britain Battle of Britain,
in World War II, series of air battles between Great Britain and Germany, fought over Britain from Aug. to Oct., 1940. As a prelude to a planned invasion of England, the German Luftwaffe attacked British coastal defenses, radar stations, and shipping. On Aug.
..... Click the link for more information. ), as a prelude to invasion, but the island successfully withstood the onslaught and was not invaded. In June, 1941, Hitler launched a vast offensive against the USSR, his former ally. In Dec., 1941, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Germany declared war on the United States.
In 1942, the tide of the war began to turn against Germany; the Allies scored successes in North Africa, the USSR stopped the German army at Stalingrad (now Volgograd Volgograd
, formerly Stalingrad,
city (1989 pop. 999,000), capital of Volgograd region, SE European Russia, a port on the Volga River and the eastern terminus of the Volga-Don Canal. As a transshipment point, the port handles oil, coal, ore, lumber, and fish.
..... Click the link for more information. ), and British and U.S. airplanes began the massive terror bombing of German cities. As its fortunes waned, Germany treated its remaining conquered territories more harshly. Millions of Jews and many other civilians were sent to concentration camps and exterminated, vast slave-labor systems were organized, and many thousands were deported to Germany for forced labor. By early 1945, Germany was being invaded from the west and the east, and most of its cities lay in ruins. On Apr. 30, 1945, with the total collapse of Germany imminent, Hitler committed suicide.
Postwar Germany
Hitler's successor, Admiral Karl Doenitz Doenitz, Karl
, 1891–1980, German admiral. He secretly planned a German submarine fleet in the years following the Treaty of Versailles, was given command of submarine operations by Adolf Hitler in 1935, and replaced Admiral Raeder in 1943 as chief naval commander.
..... Click the link for more information. , signed (May 7–8, 1945) an unconditional surrender to the Allies, whose military commanders assumed the functions of government in Germany. The agreements of the Yalta Conference Yalta Conference,
meeting (Feb. 4–11, 1945), at Yalta, Crimea, USSR, of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin.
..... Click the link for more information. (Feb., 1945) were implemented at the Potsdam Conference Potsdam Conference,
meeting (July 17–Aug. 2, 1945) of the principal Allies in World War II (the United States, the USSR, and Great Britain) to clarify and implement agreements previously reached at the Yalta Conference.
..... Click the link for more information. (July–Aug., 1945). These agreements were to be tentative, pending a peace conference, but as no peace conference was held, they tended to shape the course of German history after 1945.
A line formed mostly by the Oder and Neisse rivers was made the eastern boundary of Germany, as East Prussia and Upper and Lower Silesia were placed under Polish administration (except N East Prussia, which was awarded to the USSR). In the west, the Saarland was occupied by French military forces. What remained of Germany was divided into four zones, occupied separately by the armies of Great Britain, France, the United States, and the USSR. Berlin, similarly divided although situated well within the Soviet zone, was made the seat of the four-power Allied Control Council, authorized to make economic and administrative decisions for Germany as a whole. However, the council failed to agree on how to implement the often imprecise Potsdam decisions, and separate governments were soon established in each of the four zones.
The National Socialist party and affiliated organizations were outlawed, and many leading Nazis were tried, convicted, and executed for war crimes war crimes,
in international law, violations of the laws of war (see war, laws of). Those accused have been tried by their own military and civilian courts, by those of their enemy, and by expressly established international tribunals.
..... Click the link for more information. ; other leaders, including von Papen and Schacht, were acquitted. Some Germans (including the philosopher Karl Jaspers and the historian Friedrich Meinecke) called for moral regeneration, but as Germany became a battleground of the cold war cold war,
term used to describe the shifting struggle for power and prestige between the Western powers and the Communist bloc from the end of World War II until 1989. Of worldwide proportions, the conflict was tacit in the ideological differences between communism and
..... Click the link for more information. , concern with the guilt for the past receded.
During 1945–47 there was a serious shortage of food, caused by the crippled state of the German economy and by poor harvests; this situation was intensified in W Germany by the arrival of about 10 million ethnic German refugees from the Soviet zone and the former German territories of E central Europe. In the Soviet zone, a military administration under Zhukov Zhukov, Georgi Konstantinovich
, 1896–1974, Soviet marshal. He fought in the October Revolution (1917) and in the civil war (1918–20), which brought the Bolsheviks to power, and saw action against the Japanese on the Manchurian border (1938–39) and in the
..... Click the link for more information. was established in June, 1945. In 1946, politics there were brought under the control of the Communist-dominated Socialist Unity party (SED), led by Wilhelm Pieck, Otto Grotewohl, and Walter Ulbricht Ulbricht, Walter
, 1893–1973, Communist leader in the German Democratic Republic. A founder of the German Communist party, he fled Germany in 1933 and went to Moscow, where he was a member of the politburo of the exiled German Communist party.
..... Click the link for more information. . At the same time, a major program of nationalization and collectivization was carried out. As reparations, the Soviets took much of E Germany's industrial equipment for use in rebuilding their own industry.
The Western Allies rejected a plan by Henry Morgenthau Morgenthau, Henry, Jr.,
1891–1967, American cabinet officer, b. New York City; son of Henry Morgenthau. He became interested in agriculture and bought a farm in Dutchess co., N.Y., where he became an intimate of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
..... Click the link for more information. , Jr. to center the German economy around agriculture. Industrial machinery was restored to use, restrictions against the German cartels went largely unenforced, and West Germany's remarkable recovery and reindustrialization soon began. The rebuilding process was facilitated by the Marshall Plan Marshall Plan
or European Recovery Program,
project instituted at the Paris Economic Conference (July, 1947) to foster economic recovery in certain European countries after World War II. The Marshall Plan took form when U.S. Secretary of State George C.
..... Click the link for more information. . By 1947, the Western occupation zones were increasingly coordinating their policies (especially in economics), whereas the Soviet zone followed an increasingly divergent policy. The split between the three Western Allies and the USSR became complete in 1948. After the Western powers had planned steps toward establishing a West German constitution and had instituted a currency reform, the Soviet authorities unsuccessfully blockaded (1948–49) West Berlin as part of the cold war (see Berlin airlift Berlin airlift,
1948–49, supply of vital necessities to West Berlin by air transport primarily under U.S. auspices. It was initiated in response to a land and water blockade of the city that had been instituted by the Soviet Union in the hope that the Allies would be
..... Click the link for more information. ). In 1949, Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The precise legal status of West Berlin remained unclear; however, West Berlin was intimately tied to West Germany in many ways (see Berlin Berlin
, city (1994 pop. 3,475,400), capital of Germany, coextensive with Berlin state (341 sq mi/883 sq km), NE Germany, on the Spree and Havel rivers. Formerly divided into East Berlin (156 sq mi/404 sq km) and West Berlin (185 sq mi/479 sq km), the city was reunified along
..... Click the link for more information. ).
East Germany
East Germany, 41,610 sq mi (107,771 sq km), consisted of the area included in the present states of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Thüringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg. East Berlin was the capital of the country. Originally divided into five states, East Germany was reorganized into 15 districts (Bezirke) in 1952. A congress organized by the Socialist Unity party (SED) in May, 1949, adopted a constitution establishing the German Democratic Republic. The initial constitution, superseded by one adopted in 1968, provided for a president and a bicameral parliament. Wilhelm Pieck became the country's first president and Otto Grotewohl its first prime minister, with Walter Ulbricht as first deputy prime minister.
The government was controlled by the SED and was much more centralized than that of West Germany. In 1950, a treaty was signed with Poland recognizing the Oder-Neisse line Oder-Neisse line,
frontier established in 1945 between Germany and Poland; it followed the Oder and W Neisse rivers from the Baltic Sea to the Czechoslovak border. The boundary, desired by most Poles at the expense of Germany, came about as a result of agreements between the
..... Click the link for more information. as East Germany's permanent eastern boundary. A drive to collectivize the remaining privately held farmland was started in 1952. In the same year, a 3-mi-wide (4.8-km) zone, guarded by police, was established along the border with West Germany (but not with West Berlin) in order to reduce emigration to the West.
Agitated by the forced changes in the country and by food shortages and other economic hardships, workers in East Berlin began on June 17, 1953, a rising that soon spread to much of the country; the revolt was suppressed only after the intervention of Soviet forces. Following the rising, the USSR attempted to improve East German economic conditions, especially the availability of consumer goods, and in 1954 it ceased to collect reparations for German actions in World War II. Also in 1954, the USSR recognized the sovereignty of East Germany, which in 1955 became a charter member of the Warsaw Treaty Organization Warsaw Treaty Organization
or Warsaw Pact,
alliance set up under a mutual defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, in 1955 by Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union.
..... Click the link for more information. . East German armed forces were established in 1956; Soviet troops, however, remained stationed in the country.
During the 1950s, Ulbricht, who was first secretary of the SED from 1950, emerged as the leader of East Germany. Under Ulbricht, the country was closely aligned with the USSR, and the liberalizing policies introduced in some of the other East European Communist nations were avoided. After the death of Pieck in 1960, the office of president was replaced by a council of state, with Ulbricht as its chairman. In order to reduce the large flow of persons leaving East Germany (about 4 million during 1945–61), many of whom crossed from East to West Berlin, a wall was erected (Aug., 12–13, 1961) between the two parts of the city; it was later reinforced and enlarged. In the ensuing years dozens of those who tried to scale the wall were shot by East German border guards. The wall drastically cut the number of emigrants, and gradually this had the effect of solidifying East Germany as an independent country.
In 1963, a "New Economic System," calling for more efficient and decentralized economic planning, was adopted. Partly as a result of the new system, East Germany's economy expanded considerably in the 1960s. Also, large-scale building programs were undertaken in the cities. In 1964, a treaty of friendship and cooperation—in effect a peace treaty—was signed with the USSR; similar treaties with Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria followed in 1967. Grotewohl died in 1964 and was succeeded as prime minister by Willi Stoph Stoph, Willi
, 1914–99, East German political leader. A member of the German Communist party from 1931, he helped build the East German Socialist Unity (Communist) party after World War II. In 1953 he was named to the party's politburo.
..... Click the link for more information. , who had served as de facto prime minister since the onset (1960) of Grotewohl's terminal illness.
In 1968, East German forces actively participated in the invasion of Czechoslovakia. Under a new constitution promulgated in 1968, the 500-member people's chamber became the sole legislative body. In the late 1960s, diplomatic contacts with West Germany were initiated; these culminated in 1973 with the signing of a treaty between the two states. At the same time, East Germany for the first time was accorded diplomatic recognition by a number of non-Communist countries, including the United States (1974).
In 1971, Ulbricht resigned as first secretary of the SED and was replaced by Erich Honecker Honecker, Erich
, 1912–94, East German political leader. From a Communist family, Honecker was imprisoned by the Nazis for 10 years for party activities. After the war he joined Walter Ulbricht's Socialist Unity (Communist) party and rose in the East German party
..... Click the link for more information. . Under Honecker, most of the few remaining private enterprises were taken over by the state. Checks on intellectual and cultural activities were relaxed somewhat. After being granted permanent observer status in 1972, East Germany was made a full member of the United Nations in 1973. Later in 1973, Stoph was elected chairman of the council of state and was replaced as prime minister by Horst Sindermann; Stoph returned as prime minister from 1976 to 1989. In the 1970s, trade between the Germanys increased, spurred by large-scale West German credits. Travel restrictions were eased so that West Germans could visit the East, and later, in the 1980s, East Germans were allowed to travel to West Germany. In 1981, Chancellor Helmut Schmidt made an official visit to East Germany, and in 1987 Honecker was officially received in West Germany by Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
In the latter half of the 1980s, tensions developed with Moscow as the hardline SED reacted coolly to the reforms of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeyevich
, 1931–, Soviet political leader. Born in the agricultural region of Stavropol, Gorbachev studied law at Moscow State Univ., where in 1953 he married a philosophy student, Raisa Maksimovna Titorenko (1932?–99).
..... Click the link for more information. . For a description of the events leading up to East Germany's reunification with West Germany, see subheading Reunification of Germany.
West Germany
West Germany, 95,742 sq mi (247,973 sq km), consisted of the ten states that had been included in the U.S., British, and French occupation zones after the war. Bonn was the seat of government. The country adopted a constitution in May, 1949, to establish the Federal Republic of Germany.
The new republic was similar in structure to the Weimar Republic, except that the individual states had somewhat more power, and the president's powers were much reduced. In the first elections (Aug., 1949), the Christian Democratic party (CDU), along with its close ally, the Bavarian-centered Christian Social Union (CSU), gained a small plurality of seats in the Bundestag (Federal Diet). The CDU leader Konrad Adenauer Adenauer, Konrad
, 1876–1967, West German chancellor. A lawyer and a member of the Catholic Center party, he was lord mayor of Cologne and a member of the provincial diet of Rhine prov. from 1917 until 1933, when he was dismissed by the National Socialist (Nazi) regime.
..... Click the link for more information. formed a coalition government and became the first chancellor of West Germany; he remained in office until 1963. The Social Democratic party (SPD), led successively by Kurt Schumacher, Erich Ollenauer, and Willy Brandt Brandt, Willy
, 1913–92, German political leader. His name originally was Karl Herbert Frahm. Active in his youth in the Social Democratic party, after Adolf Hitler came to power (1933) he fled to Norway and began a journalistic career, soon becoming a Norwegian citizen.
..... Click the link for more information. , was the main opposition party until 1969, when it came to power. The middle-class-oriented Free Democratic party (FDP) was influential, although small, and it participated in coalition governments with both the CDU (1949–53; 1961–66, 1982–98) and the SPD (1969–82). The first president of West Germany was Theodor Heuss; he was succeeded by Heinrich Lübke (1959), Gustav Heinemann Heinemann, Gustav
, 1899–1976, West German political leader. A corporation lawyer and wartime leader of the Confessing Church, he helped found the Christian Democratic party, although he quit its first cabinet to establish a splinter party advocating a unified, disarmed,
..... Click the link for more information. (1969), Walter Scheel Scheel, Walter
, 1919–, German political leader, president of West Germany (1974–79). After serving in World War II, Scheel became interested in politics and joined the Free Democrats, a liberal party.
..... Click the link for more information. (1974), Karl Carstens (1979), and Richard von Weizsäcker Weizsäcker, Richard Karl Freiherr von,
1920–2015, German political leader. After serving in World War II, Weizsäcker earned a law degree from the Univ. of Göttingen (1953), then worked in the private sector (1950–66).
..... Click the link for more information. (1984).
The occupying powers allowed West Germany considerable autonomy from the start, except in foreign affairs. The three resident High Commissioners could review actions taken by the Bonn government, but in practice they rarely intervened. In 1951, West Germany was given the right to conduct its own foreign relations. In 1952, West Germany, the United States, France, and Great Britain signed the Bonn Convention, in effect a peace treaty, which granted West Germany most of the attributes of national sovereignty. The Paris agreements of 1954, which came into force in 1955, gave West Germany full independence, except that the former occupying powers reserved the right to negotiate with the USSR on matters relating to Berlin and to Germany as a whole. Also, the powers continued to maintain troops in the country. In 1955, West Germany was recognized as an independent country by numerous nations, including the USSR, and it became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO), established under the North Atlantic Treaty (Apr. 4, 1949) by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States.
..... Click the link for more information. , thus solidifying its ties with the West. In the same year, legislation was passed providing for the creation of West German armed forces.
In postwar West Germany, there were occasional, mostly minor, recurrences of anti-Semitism and extreme nationalism (e.g., the temporary growth of the nationalistic National Democratic Party in the mid-1960s); more important, however, the country tried to make up in part for the Nazi atrocities by granting considerable aid to Israel and by paying reparations to individuals who suffered loss or injury at the hands of the Nazi regime. During the 1950s, the West German economy grew dramatically; in 1958, the country became a charter member of the European Economic Community, or Common Market (now the European Union European Union
(EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community (EC), an economic and political confederation of European nations, and other organizations (with the same member nations)
..... Click the link for more information. ). It also gave much economic and technical assistance to the developing nations of Asia and Africa. In 1957, the Saarland was assigned to West Germany by France, after a plebiscite.
National politics in the 1950s and early 1960s were stable and were dominated by Adenauer. The CDU-CSU held firmly to the position that Germany should be reunited on the basis of democratic elections; it followed the "Hallstein doctrine" (named for Walter Hallstein, an official in the ministry of foreign affairs), under which West Germany refused to have diplomatic relations with any nation (except the USSR) that recognized East Germany. Until the 1970s, East and West Germany had virtually no contact on an official level, but there was considerable trade between them.
Later in 1963, Adenauer retired and was replaced as chancellor by Ludwig Erhard Erhard, Ludwig
, 1897–1977, German political leader and economist. In Nuremberg he rose to be director of the institute for economic research. Dismissed (1942) by the Nazi regime, he then headed the institute for industrial research.
..... Click the link for more information. , also a Christian Democrat and an expert on economics. Erhard's government was shaken by a downturn in the economic boom and by controversy over foreign policy. In 1966, Erhard resigned and was replaced by Kurt Georg Kiesinger, a Christian Democrat, who headed a "grand coalition" of the CDU-CSU and the SPD; SPD leader Willy Brandt assumed the posts of vice chancellor and foreign minister. Under Kiesinger, economic conditions improved, ties with France were strengthened, and talks with the nations of Eastern Europe (with whom West Germany did not have diplomatic relations) were initiated.
The general election of 1969 resulted in a small plurality for the CDU-CSU, but Brandt was able to become chancellor at the head of an SPD-FDP coalition government. In the 1972 general election the coalition was returned to power with a substantial majority. Brandt launched a major program, called the Ostpolitik [eastern policy], to improve relations with Eastern Europe. Important milestones in the Ostpolitik were the signing (1970) of treaties of nonaggression and cooperation with the Soviet Union and Poland (ratified in 1972); the signing (1972) of an agreement among the four former occupying powers improving access to West Berlin and permitting West Berliners to visit East Berlin and East Germany more often; and a treaty (1973) between East and West Germany that called for increased cooperation between the two states and prepared the groundwork for the establishment of full diplomatic relations. West Germany was admitted to the United Nations in 1973, after having held permanent observer status since 1953.
Brandt resigned in May, 1974, after it was revealed that an East German spy had been on his personal staff. He was succeeded by Helmut Schmidt Schmidt, Helmut
, 1918–2015, German political leader, chancellor of West Germany (1974–82). After serving in World War II, he entered politics and joined the Social Democratic party. He was elected to the Bundestag in 1953.
..... Click the link for more information. , the finance minister. A deteriorating economic situation caused a decline in the popularity of the government and increasing tension between the coalition partners. The emergence in 1980 of the new ecology party, the Greens, significantly changed West Germany's politics. Schmidt's support of NATO policies of European rearmament brought him into conflict with the left wing of his own party. In local elections in 1981 and 1982, the SPD-FDP coalition suffered severe setbacks. Disputes over nuclear power, defense policy, and economic measures continued to divide the parties, and in 1982, the FDP withdrew from the coalition.
On Oct. 1, 1982, Schmidt was replaced as chancellor by the CDU leader Helmut Kohl Kohl, Helmut
, 1930–, German politician, chancellor of West Germany (1982–1990) and reunified Germany (1990–98). He was named chairman of the Rhine-Palatinate Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 1966 and was elected state premier (1969–76).
..... Click the link for more information. , and the FDP agreed to form a coalition with the CDU-CSU. The Kohl government brought about a rightward swing in support of the policies of the NATO alliance and toward more conservative economic principles. Kohl supported the continued presence of NATO forces and nuclear weapons on German soil. He also, however, consistently tried to broaden political relations between the West and the Soviet bloc. In 1983 and 1984 the government experienced a series of domestic crises, including labor strikes and massive demonstrations by the country's antinuclear movement. The governing coalition retained power by a slim majority in the 1987 general elections.
Reunification of Germany
Although German reunification was seen as a principal goal in West Germany's relations with East Germany, it seemed a remote likelihood until the dramatic political upheavals that took place in East Germany in late 1989 and 1990. In the latter half of 1989, thousands of East German citizens emigrated illegally to West Germany via Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary. Popular dissent in East Germany gave rise to an independent citizen's action group, New Forum. Following the suppression of demonstrations in East Berlin by the police, civil unrest spread across the country; the demonstrators attracted an increasing number of people, and intervention by the police eventually ceased. In Oct., 1989, Erich Honecker resigned his posts and was replaced by Egon Krenz, who legalized and initiated dialogue with the New Forum. Media constraints were partially lifted, and an amnesty was announced for all persons who had attempted to leave the country illegally, as well as for arrested demonstrators.
Large-scale demonstrations continued, including a November rally in East Berlin of 500,000 people. On Nov. 7 the entire membership of the council of ministers resigned, and Hans Modrow was elected chairman of the council (prime minister). The SED politburo also resigned and was reorganized. The new government promised to introduce political and economic reforms, to hold free elections in 1990, and to abolish restrictions on foreign travel. All border crossings to West Germany were opened, and the East German government began to dismantle sections of the Berlin Wall.
In Dec., 1989, the East German legislature voted to delete from the constitution the provisions guaranteeing the SED's leading role in society. A special commission was established to investigate cases of corruption by members of the former leadership. Honecker and Willi Stoph, former chairman of the council of ministers, along with other senior leaders, were expelled from the SED and placed under house arrest. Honecker, who was ill, escaped to Moscow. The hated state security police (Stasi) was also disbanded. Mass demonstrations continued as instances of governmental corruption became public. As the atmosphere in the country grew increasingly volatile, the politburo and the central committee of the SED, including Krenz, resigned.
Gregor Gysi, a prominent lawyer, was elected chairman of the SED (renamed the Party of Democratic Socialism, PDS). The first free elections in East Germany were held on Mar. 19, 1990, with the participation of more than 90% of the electorate. The East German CDU unexpectedly received about 40% of the votes, while the East German SPD received 21.8%, and the PDS only 16.4%. A "grand coalition" government, chaired by Lothar de Maiziére, the leader of the CDU, was formed in early April.
With the abolition of travel restrictions between the two Germanies, the possibility of reunification was openly discussed. In Nov., 1989, Kohl presented a ten-point unification plan to the Bundestag, where it was overwhelmingly approved. In December he made his first official visit to East Germany, where he agreed to establish joint economic, cultural, and environmental commissions. Four rounds of "two-plus-four" talks were held in mid-1990 involving the two Germanies and the four powers that occupied Germany after World War II. In May the legislative bodies of East and West Germany ratified a treaty establishing a monetary, economic, and social union, which took effect July 1.
In July, 1990, Kohl and Gorbachev agreed that the USSR would withdraw its forces from East German soil within four years (between then and Aug., 1994, when the withdrawal was completed, more than a half million troops were pulled out); it was also agreed that the united Germany would reduce its armed force strength to 370,000 within the same period. Also in July, East Germany reestablished five states in place of its 15 districts. In August, East and West Berlin were joined to form the state of Berlin. On Oct. 3, 1990, the two German states were formally unified, and it was officially declared that the united Germany would be a full member of NATO. In November, Germany signed a treaty with Poland recognizing Poland's western boundary and renouncing German claims to territory lost because of World War II.
The first all-German elections since 1933 were held on Dec. 2, 1990. The CDU coalition, led by Kohl, won strong support, and he was elected chancellor of all Germany. The Kohl government faced serious problems, including escalating unemployment in E Germany, rising public debt, and a resurgence, especially in E Germany, of extreme right-wing and neo-Nazi groups that made brutal attacks on foreign workers and immigrants. In 1991 the Bundestag voted in favor of Berlin as the seat of government; by 1999 most of the government had moved there, although some administrative functions remained in Bonn.
In new elections held in 1994, the governing coaliton suffered losses but held onto a small majority. Roman Herzog became president the same year. The country was required to adopt cost-cutting measures to reduce its budget deficit in order to qualify for the European Union's single currency, which was inaugurated in 1999. Many of Germany's generous social benefits were cut, as unemployment rose to its highest postwar levels and workers reacted with strikes and protests. In 1998, Gerhard Schröder Schröder, Gerhard
, 1944–, chancellor of Germany (1998–2005), b. Mosenburg, Germany. A telegenic lawyer and Social Democrat, he entered politics as a Marxist student in the 1960s and was elected to the Bundestag in 1980.
..... Click the link for more information. led the SPD to victory and was elected chancellor as head of a center-left coalition government that included the Greens. Johannes Rau was elected president in 1999, and that same year Germany adopted a new immigration law making it easier for its many foreign residents to become citizens. In late 1999 and early 2000 the CDU was rocked by disclosures that former chancellor and party leader Kohl and the party had accepted millions of dollars in illegal donations in the 1980s and 90s.
The new century opened with Germany continuing to retain its dominant economic position in the European Union, where it used its financial policies to fight inflation and high interest rates. In 2001, Schröder's support for the United States in Afghanistan strained relations with the Greens. The governing coalition narrowly retained power after the 2002 Bundestag elections, which left the Social Democrats more dependent on Green support. Although Schröder was hurt by the poor economic situation in Germany, his insistence that his government would not participate in an American operation against Iraq struck a responsive chord with many Germans.
The weakness in the German economy resulted in 2002 in government deficits that exceeded EU standards, leading to censure from the EU. In 2003, Germany's economic problems and deficits continued, and late in the year the chancellor secured the passage of a package of tax cuts and labor and social law changes intended to help the economy revive. Voter unhappiness with the economy and Schröder's policies led to several SPD setbacks in state elections in 2003 and 2004. Horst Köhler, the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund and the CDU candidate, was elected to succeed Rau as president in 2004; he was reelected in 2009. Sluggish economic growth during 2004 led to increases in German unemployment.
Following SPD losses (2005) in North Rhine–Westphalia, a party stronghold, Schröder called for early national elections, and engineered a no-confidence vote. In the Sept., 2005, elections, the CDU-CSU won, as had been expected, but it secured only a slight plurality of the seats when Schröder led the SPD to a strong finish. Negotiations led to an agreement to form a CDU-CSU-SPD coalition with Christian Democrat Angela Merkel Merkel, Angela
, 1954–, German politician, b. Hamburg as Angela Dorothea Kasner. The daughter of a Lutheran pastor, she grew up in what was then East Germany. She trained as a physicist (Ph.D., Univ.
..... Click the link for more information. as chancellor. Merkel became the first woman—as well as the first East German after reunification—to hold the post. The awkwardness of her broad coalition, however, was highlighted by a 2006 compromise agreement on health care reform that proved difficult to negotiate and was regarded by many as inadequate.
Late in 2008 the global financial and economic crisis began having significant effects in Germany, forcing the government to rescue one of Germany's largest banks from collapse, and sending the economy into recession. In Feb., 2009, the German parliament passed a sizable economic stimulus package. The parliamentary elections of Sept., 2009, resulted in a significant victory for Merkel and the CDU-CSU, who increased their plurality in the Bundestag. The CDU-CSU formed a center-right coalition with the Free Democrats, who finished third; Merkel remained chancellor.
In 2010, Merkel's government strongly opposed a European-only rescue of Greece if the budgetary crisis there required one, insisting on International Monetary Fund involvement as well. The disagreement between Germany and France on the issue was the first significant monetary-policy conflict between the two since the establishment of the euro, and resulted at times in an unclear European response that also magnified the crisis. Subsequently, Germany adopted a more assertive position with respect to a eurozone rescue fund, seeking changes on fiscal, social, business, and labor policies in eurozone member nations as the price for its support, but new German support for eurozone financial stability measures was necessary in 2011 and that continued to create divisions in the coalition and cost it public support.
President Köhler resigned in May, 2010, after he made controversial remarks that suggested that the deployment of German forces in Afghanistan was necessary to protect German economic interests. Christian Wulff, a deputy leader of the CDU, was elected president in June, 2010, but the fact that it took three ballots for him to win was seen as a sign of displeasure within the governing coalition over government policies. In 2011, parties in the governing coalition in general suffered losses in a series of state elections. Wulff resigned in Feb., 2012, because of accusations that he may have improperly accepted favors from a businessman. In March, Joachim Gauck Gauck, Joachim,
1940–, German political and human-rights activist, president of Germany (2012–), b. Rostock. An anticommunist from his youth, Gauck was ordained a Lutheran minister and was pastor of a church in Mecklenberg, East Germany.
..... Click the link for more information. , a former Lutheran minister and human-rights activist from E Germany, was elected to succeed Wulff. The Sept., 2013, parliamentary elections resulted in a significant plurality for the CDU-CSU, but its coalition partners, the Free Democrats, failed to win any seats. Subsequently, the Social Democrats agreed to join the government in return for a number of concessions, including the establishment of a minimum wage, and a new government, again with Merkel as chancellor, was formed in December.
In the eurozone negotiations with Greece in 2015, Germany insisted on imposing new conditions for aid, and forced significant concessions on Greece. Germany's relatively liberal asylum policies made it the preferred destination for more than a million of the refugees and migrants who flooded into the European Union from Syria and other nations in 2015. The huge influx of foreigners created tensions in the government (Merkel had been initially welcoming toward refugees), strained the country's resources, and led to societal tensions.
Bibliography
The chief source collection for medieval German history is the Monumenta Germaniae historica Monumenta Germaniae historica
, comprehensive critical editions of the sources of medieval German history. The first society created to publish them was founded by Karl vom und zum Stein in 1819, and the first volume appeared in 1826. G. H.
..... Click the link for more information. . Of the writings of the great German historians of the 19th cent., the monumental works of Ranke Ranke, Leopold von
, 1795–1886, German historian, generally recognized as the father of the modern objective historical school. He applied and elaborated Barthold Niebuhr's scientific method of historical investigation.
..... Click the link for more information. , Sybel Sybel, Heinrich von
, 1817–95, German historian. He studied under Ranke at the Univ. of Berlin, but later abandoned the Rankean striving for objective history; he began to take an active part in politics and promoted the nationalist and Protestant causes in his speeches
..... Click the link for more information. , and Treitschke Treitschke, Heinrich von
, 1834–96, German historian. A fervid partisan of Prussia, he left Baden at the outbreak of the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and became professor of history at Kiel (1866), Heidelberg (1867), and Berlin (1874).
..... Click the link for more information. remain important. Among more recent works, see those of G. Barraclough, V. Valentin, E. Eyck, A. J. P. Taylor, G. P. Gooch, H. Kohn, F. Fischer, K. Epstein, E. Kehr, and G. D. Feldman.
See also H. Holborn, History of Modern Germany, 1840–1945 (3 vol., 1959–69); P. Gay, Weimar Culture (1968); G. Ritter, The Sword and the Scepter (tr., 4 vol., 1969–73); F. R. Stern, The Failure of Illiberalism (1972); A. J. Ryder, Twentieth-Century Germany (1973); V. R. Berghahn, Modern Germany (1982); L. J. Edinger, West German Politics (1986); M. Dennis, German Democratic Republic (1987); D. L. Bark and D. R. Gress, A History of West Germany, 1945–1988 (1989); B. Gwertzman and M. T. Kaufman, ed., The Collapse of Communism (1990); D. Marsh, The New Germany (1990); V. R. Berghahn, Imperial Germany, 1871–1914 (1994); S. Friedländer, Nazi Germany and the Jews (2 vol., 1997–2007); H. D. Genscher, Rebuilding a House Divided (1998); M. Burleigh, The Third Reich (2000); M. Stürmer, The German Empire: 1870–1918 (2001); N. Frei, Adenauer's Germany and the Nazi Past (2003); R. J. Evans, The Coming of the Third Reich (2004), The Third Reich in Power (2005), and The Third Reich at War (2009); M. Mazower, Hitler's Empire (2008); M. E. Sarotte, 1989: The Struggle to Create Post–Cold War Europe (2009); P. Watson, The German Genius (2010); I. Kershaw, The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944–45 (2011). The Allied occupation is discussed in the study by F. Taylor (2011), the U.S. occupation in that by E. Davidson (1959), the British in that by R. Ebsworth (1961), the French in that by F. R. Willis (1962), and the Russian in that by N. M. Naimark (1995). Bibliographies will also be found under other related headings.
Germany
a state in Europe (capital, Berlin), which existed up to the end of World War II (1939-45).
Primitive communal system. Archaeological data show that mankind appeared on the territory of Germany between 500,000 and 300,000
B.C
. in the Lower Paleolithic epoch. Relics of the Neanderthal Man have been uncovered in southern Germany. The northern regions of Germany, previously covered by a glacier, were occupied by tribes of primitive fishermen and hunters during the transition period between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic. In the third to second millennium
B.C
. the tribes inhabiting the territory of Germany were engaged not only in fishing and hunting but in livestock raising and farming as well. The appearance of iron implements on the territory of Germany dates back to the beginning of the first millennium
B.C
.; they were used along with bronze implements. The Lausitz and Hallstatt archaeological cultures, which were replaced by the La Téne culture, were prevalent in a part of Germany during this period. At the end of the first millennium
B.C
. the German tribes, which had settled the greater part of Germany, came into conflict with the Roman state. Rome’s repeated efforts to conquer Germany east of the Rhine were futile. (Only a small portion of German territory along the left bank of the Rhine was included in the Roman state at the end of the first century
B.C
.) By the fourth century as a result of movements and merging of tribes, new German tribal formations emerged. During the fourth through sixth centuries—the period of the so-called Great Migration of Peoples—some of these formations occupied the territory of the western Roman Empire. Germany became permanently settled by the Alemanni, Bavarians, eastern Franks, Saxons, Thuringians, and Frisians.
Early feudal period (sixth through 11th centuries). The formation of feudal relations in Germany proceeded primarily on the basis of the decay of the primitive communal system. It was accelerated by the Frankish conquest. During the sixth through eighth centuries the Franks subjugated the entire territory of Germany, which thus became part of the Frankish state. The conquest was accompanied by the spread of Christianity. In addition to the large pieces of land held by noblemen and leaders of communities, royal and church land property appeared. The subjugation of free peasants began. Under the Carolingian reign (from the middle of the eighth century) the political center of the Frankish state began shifting more and more toward Germany. With the disintegration of the Carolingian empire, the territory of Germany became part of the east Frankish kingdom; thus the division of the German regions into states was begun. The conclusion of this process took place after the election of Margrave Arnulf of Carinthia (ruled 887-899) as king of the so-called eastern Franks, with the end of the Carolingian dynasty in Germany (911), and, finally, with the election of Duke Henry I (ruled 919-936), the founder of the Saxon dynasty, as king of Germany in 919. The reign of Henry I was an important stage in the formation of the early feudal German state. Initially the territory of this state stretched between the Rhine, the Elbe, and the Alps, including the four tribal duchies Saxony, Franconia, Allemannia (Suabia), and Bavaria. In 870-80, Lotharingia was annexed (final annexation, 925), as was Frisia (Friesland).
Large feudal landownership grew in the German early feudal state; masses of peasants were drawn into personal and land dependence on feudal proprietors. However, the process was comparatively slow and uneven in Germany. In Saxony and the region of the Alps landownership by free peasants survived up to the end of the 11th century. Whereas a number of Western European states had already entered the stage of feudal disintegration, Germany was still a relatively unified governmental entity and the power of the king was quite strong. The early feudal judicial and administrative system (which divided Germany into counties and “hundreds”) was retained in varying forms; there was a statewide military organization with compulsory military service for all freemen, and vassals had a military obligation with respect to the king. The primary danger to the unity of the state was posed by tribal dukes. Otto I (ruled 936-973) struggled successfully against the separatism of the dukes, attempting to turn them into officials of the state. The episcopate became the main support of the king. An external factor also played a significant role in the unification policy of the first kings of the Saxon dynasty—the repelling of the attacks of both the Hungarian nomads and the Normans. The victory on the Lech River (955) put an end to the Hungarian danger. The Norman raids ceased only in the early 11th century. The German feudal state itself shifted to a policy of conquest. The main object of expansion in the east was the land of the Polabian Slavs. Under Otto I, the Bodrichi, Lutichi, and SerboLusatian tribal unions were subjugated and German marks established in their areas of settlement. However, the Lutichi and Bodrichi freed themselves from the aggressors’ rule through successful uprisings in 983 and 1002. Otto I subjugated northern Italy in 951. In 962 he occupied Rome, was crowned by the Roman pope, and received the title of emperor. These events marked the beginning of the so-called Holy Roman Empire and the systematic predatory campaigns against Italy by the German kings. In 1032-34 the kingdom of Burgundy (Arelate) was annexed to the empire; Bohemia became a vassal of the empire.
Developed feudalism (late 11th through late 15th centuries).By the end of the 11th century the entire population of Germany had been drawn into feudal relations. Feudal cities began to grow rapidly; some of these on the Rhine and Danube (Cologne, Mainz, Worms, Strasbourg, and Augsburg) arose on the sites of old Roman fortifications, but the majority developed from newer medieval artisan and commerical settlements. The initial status of the cities was one of complete patrimonial dependence on their seigniors—the bishops, secular feudal lords, or the king. In the course of the revolutionary communal movement (which began in Germany as uprisings in the Rhine cities, such as Worms in 1071 and Cologne in 1074, and which continued right up to the 13th and 14th centuries) many cities freed themselves of the seigniors and achieved self-government (of varying scope and nature) and personal freedom for the city dwellers. (“City air makes one free,” stated the German proverb.) The free imperial cities, of which there were more than 80 by the end of the 15th century, achieved the greatest independence (certain episcopal cities also achieved this status). The secular (princely) cities remained more dependent on the seigniors.
Political decentralization began to increase in Germany in the middle of the 11th century. As they achieved absolute judicial and administrative power, the feudal lords established isolated holdings. The emperors of the Franconian dynasty (1024-1125) attempted to combat these tendencies, relying on the support of the knights, ministeriales, and in some cases the cities. At the same time, however, they made further concessions to the land magnates in order to retain their support for the empire’s Italian policy and the struggle against the papacy. Conrad II (ruled 1024-39) and Henry III (ruled 1039-56) held the German episcopate under their control and dominated the papal curia, but in the second half of the 11th century the papacy, exploiting feudal discord in Germany, freed itself from this dependence. The effort of Henry IV (reigned 1056-1106) to gather and strengthen the royal demesne in Saxony and Thuringia provoked the Saxon uprising of 1073-75, in which the interests of the local nobility and those of the free independent Saxon peasants were contradictorily intertwined. Claiming political supremacy in the feudal world, Pope Gregory VII conducted a fierce struggle with Henry IV for the right to appoint bishops and abbots in the empire—a right the emperor had exercised. In the so-called investiture dispute between the empire and the papacy (beginning in 1076), some of the German princes, seeking to weaken the central power in Germany, supported the papacy. A long and bitter struggle was concluded only in 1122 with the Concordat of Worms, a compromise that resulted in increased independence for the ecclesiastical and secular princes of Germany.
The emperors of the Hohenstaufen dynasty (1138-1254) saw that it was impossible to strengthen their power over the German princes by means of domestic German forces and therefore attempted to establish a power base in Italy. Frederick I Barbarossa (ruled 1152-90) set himself the goal of subjugating the cities of northern Italy in order to make them a source of permanent fiscal exploitation. But the Lombard League of Italian cities inflicted a defeat on Frederick at Legnano in 1176 and forced him to renounce this effort. While the emperors were waging war in Italy, certain German princes—particularly the Saxon princes—conquered lands of the Slavs and other peoples beyond the Elbe and in the Baltic region under the guise of crusades against the heathens. Henry the Lion seized the lands of the Bodrichi, and it was there that the vassal duchy of Mecklenburg was founded (1167); Albert the Bear took the Lutichi lands that made up the nucleus of the margravedom of Brandenburg. In the 13th century the order of the Knights of the Sword seized lands of the Letts (Livonians) and Estonians, and the Knights of the Teutonic Order captured Prussia. Germany’s territory in the east doubled, and strong, independent principalities emerged there. Expansion to the east (Drang nach Osten) enhanced still further the correlation of forces favoring the princes in the German feudal state and promoted even greater fragmentation in the state. The conquered lands were settled by German colonists and the local population was forcibly Germanized.
The struggle for the throne that unfolded in the late 12th and early 13th century (Philip of Swabia of the Hohenstaufen dynasty and Otto IV of the Guelph family) was exploited by Pope Innocent III in the interests of new papal intervention into German affairs and the effective subordination of Germany. Frederick II of Hohenstaufen (ruled 1212-50), who regained his rights to the throne through the aid of the pope, was simultaneously king of Sicily and emperor. Above all, he strove to strengthen his power over southern Italy and Sicily. In order to obtain a “free hand” in his imperial policy in Germany, he made concessions to the princes that aided them in strengthening their territorial possessions. In 1220 the princes of the church were granted privileges guaranteeing the inviolability of their possessions and securing for them the entire jurisdiction of the episcopal cities. The secular princes acquired privileges in 1231-32. In the struggle against the cities of northern Italy and the popes and their allies, the Hohenstaufens were defeated and their clan annihilated. Feudal anarchy reigned in the country during the interregnum (1254-73). The cities, joined in leagues (the League of Rhenish Towns, founded in 1254, and others), attempted to guarantee the security of trade themselves; they achieved the establishment of the so-called Secular Peace and the termination of the interregnum.
At this same time a significant economic upsurge was taking place in 13th-century Germany (as in other European countries of the period). Commodity-money relations were spreading in all spheres of the economy, and guild artisan production was increasing, including weaving and metal-working in the cities along the Rhine and in the southwest and mining of iron and silver in Saxony and Thuringia. Virtually all of the intermediary trade among the German coastal cities, Scandinavia, Rus’, England, and the Netherlands was concentrated in the hands of the north German cities, which were united in the Hanseatic League. The Rhenish cities and cities of the southwest were involved in the Mediterranean trade. However, the economic upsurge occurred under conditions of progressively worsening feudal disintegration of the individual regions of the country and did not lead to political unification.
The growth of commodity-money relations produced substantial changes in the agrarian system. The feudal lords, attempting to increase their income, shifted peasants over to metayage and quitrent. In place of the former corvée system new forms of economic organization and exploitation of the peasants were introduced, which were intended to alleviate and abolish personal dependence. On the whole, the situation of the peasants improved somewhat during the 13th and first half of the 14th century. The German colonists in the Slavic regions that had been seized lived under the most favorable conditions—they received allotments for what were at first comparatively small cash and quitrent obligations to the local prince and landowner. The peasants of southwestern Germany had the worst situation—they had small allotments for high quitrents and corvée. The first signs of seignorial reaction were manifested there as early as the end of the 14th century.
The political development of Germany from the 13th century was marked by further territorial splintering. Princes became, in effect, independent rulers. The greatest power was enjoyed by the electors, who assumed the right to choose the king (emperor). The throne retained only limited formal rights of supreme suzerainty over the territorial princes, who were bound to it only loosely by vassalage. The emperors themselves strove to become the greatest territorial princes. Rudolf I Hapsburg (ruled 1273-91) utilized his power to establish large hereditary holdings, securing Austria and Styria for his house. Henry VII of Luxembourg (ruled 1308-13) established his dynasty on the Bohemian throne. King Louis IV of Bavaria (ruled 1314—47), a member of the Wittelsbach family who renewed the old imperial policy of expansion into Italy, let slip the opportunity to strengthen the authority of the king by not taking advantage of the strong opposition (among the city dwellers, in particular) that unfolded in Germany in the early 14th century to the policies of the papal curia. The Bohemian king Charles IV of Luxembourg (Emperor Charles IV, ruled 1347-78), who was selected for the German throne by the electors, legitimated political fragmentation. The electors were recognized as the supreme power in the empire; they had the right to choose the king (the future emperor) and resolve major statewide affairs. The emperor had no actual imperial executive organs or finances at his disposal. (He could rely only on the support of his own familial holdings.) The Reichstag was the all-German legislative body; it consisted of the curia of the princes and the curia of the imperial cities, which was formed later. However, the Reichstag was not truly an organ of estate representation—it was wholly dependent on the princes. While the empire was disintegrating, local centralization was increasing in the principalities. These principalities formed their own local estate-representative institutions, the Landtags, which consisted of representatives of the landed estates—the nobility, clergy, and city dwellers.
Decay of feudalism and inception of capitalist relations (late 15th-late 18th centuries).
LATE 15TH AND FIRST HALF OF THE 16TH CENTURIES: THE REFORMATION AND THE PEASANTS’ WAR OF 1524-26
. Important advances in Germany’s economic development began to be evident in the second half of the 15th century. Early forms of capitalist production originated in mining, textiles, book printing, and certain other branches of industry. Entrepreneurs unrelated to a guild organization began to acquire ever greater importance among the burghers, and the preproletarian stratum became increasingly significant among the urban plebeians. The ever-increasing penetration of commodity-money relations into agriculture brought about the intensification of the struggle between the feudally dependent peasantry and the feudal lords, who were attempting to exploit the development of commodity-money relations in their own interests. The fact that the inception of capitalist relations in Germany proceeded in the context of increasing feudal pressure on the peasantry (the seignorial reaction) and intensifying political fragmentation complicated and retarded the further development of capitalist relations to the extreme—hence the particularly acute nature of the social and political contradictions that were growing in Germany. These contradictions were reflected in radical political pamphlets (“The Reformation of Emperor Sigismund” and others), which demanded that Germany be turned into a centralized state and that a number of fundamental social reforms be carried out; and they were manifested with particular clarity in the anti-feudal actions of the peasants and city dwellers in southwestern Germany (the movement of the Hansa of Boheim of 1476, the so-called conspiracies of the boot in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the uprising of Armer Konrad in 1514, and so forth).
The growing movement of opposition within the country and the increasing complexity of Germany’s international situation in the context of the ongoing process of the formation of national centralized states in Europe forced the German princes to seek means to reform the state structure of the empire. In the late 1480’s a political and military organization of the major princes, the Swabian League, arose in southwestern Germany. The so-called princely party, which it led, presented its project for imperial reform at the Reichstags of 1495 and 1500 (the prohibition of internal wars in the empire, the creation of an imperial administration and court to settle conflicts among princes, etc.).
The opposition movement of the early 16th century embraced various social strata (the peasants and plebeian masses, the burghers, and the imperial knights, who were in a state of decline and who attributed this to the pitiful condition of the empire). The movement against the Catholic Church—the Reformation, which was initiated by M. Luther’s action against indulgences (1517)—united for a time the diverse strata of the opposition; the Catholic Church, which, unobstructed, had burdened the splintered country with numerous requisitions, became an object of universal hatred. German humanism—particularly the activity of the radical humanists (Ulrich von Hutten and others)—also played a significant role in the ideological preparation of the nationwide movements. As early as 1521, in the context of evermore aggravated class contradictions, the positions of the various social groupings that had joined the Reformation were becoming more distinct. The teachings of Luther, who was connected with conservative circles of burghers and who was attempting to restrain the movement within the limits of antipapal opposition, put forward demands, which, if satisfied, would have resulted in the strengthening of the princes; increasingly, Luther moved away from the popular elements of the movement. Various currents of Zwinglianism began to spread among the more radical circles of the burghers, particularly in the cities of southwestern Germany. Among the people the sociopolitical interpretation of the Reformation came, above all, from the revolutionary teaching of T. Münzer, which became the ideological banner for the antifeudal struggle of the popular masses. The Knights’ War (1522-23) which was not supported by other strata of the opposition, was easily suppressed. The apogee of the revolutionary movement of the era of the Reformation was the Peasants’ War of 1524-26, which covered all of southwestern and central Germany. The ideas of the struggle against social oppression and the feudal state were expressed with greatest consistency in the programmatic documents of the supporters of M#x00FC;nzer (the so-called Articles Letter) and M. Hais-meier. But other programs advanced in the course of the struggle (such as the “Twelve Articles” and the draft of the so-called Heilbronn program) also contained ideas that were progressive for the times and the realization of which would have undermined the feudal system and directed Germany onto the path of national and governmental unity. However, the weak side of this first act of the bourgeois revolution in Europe, as F. Engels characterized the entire social movement of the era of the Reformation in Germany (see K. Marx andF. Engels, Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 21, pp. 417-18), consisted in the lack of coordination of the revolutionary forces and the vacillations and conservative tendencies of the bulk of the burghers, whose radical strata were insufficiently mature and incapable of leading all the progressive forces. The Peasants’ War was suppressed with terrible cruelty by the troops of the Swabian League and the princes of central Germany. The unsuccessful Peasants’ War signified the defeat of the entire social movement of the era (its last act was the M#x00FC;nster commune of 1534-35). The princes were able to exploit the Reformation in their own interests, carrying out the secularization of the lands of the church and bringing the church completely under their power. The religious and political struggle between the Protestant and Catholic princes that unfolded in Germany after the Peasants’ War was closely interrelated with the great-power policy of the Hapsburgs (who had effectively managed to secure for their family the title of king of Germany and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1438). In the late 15th and early 16th century, starting with Maximilian I (ruled 1493-1519), the Hapsburgs, with the active support of the feudal Catholic reactionary forces of Europe, began to make broad, “universalist” claims. The grandson of Maximilian, Charles V, who became king of Spain in 1516 and was elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1519, united the enormous holdings of the Spanish throne with the lands that made up the empire. Charles V saw the strengthening of the German princes as a threat to Hapsburg plans for the creation of a world Christian power. In the war of 1546-48 he was victorious over the Protestant princes of Germany, who had joined together in the Schmalkaldic League. However, the war resumed in 1552 and concluded with the defeat of Charles V; in 1556 he abdicated. The religious Peace of Augsburg of 1555 strengthened the sovereignty of the princes and the system of small powers that had taken shape in Germany.
SECOND HALF OF THE 16TH AND FIRST HALF OF THE 17TH CENTURY
.In the second half of the 16th and early 17th century political reaction intensified still further in the context of the economic decline that was becoming evident—a decline that was itself, to a considerable degree, the result of the defeat of the revolutionary forces. The increasing dependence of the cities on the princes fettered trade and industry. Feudal reaction in the countryside retarded the further development of the capitalist manufactory system (although it continued to develop in certain regions and branches of industry). Economic decline was also promoted by the shift of world trade routes from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean and the competition of the countries in which capitalism was developing—Holland and England. In the area of Germany east of the Elbe there emerged a system of large manorial farms based on the corvée of bonded peasants and oriented to the foreign market.
The feudal reaction was accompanied by a Catholic reaction. The struggle within Germany was complicated by ripening international conflicts. Hapsburg policies, which infringed upon the interests of foreign states—above all, France—helped aggravate these conflicts. The war that erupted in the empire in 1618 turned into a protracted European war. Germany became the main arena of this devastating war for years to come, and this had the gravest consequences for the socioeconomic and political development of the country. The country’s productive forces were greatly undermined by military actions. The population declined sharply, and many cities and villages were destroyed. The inhabitants (particularly the peasantry), who suffered cruelly from the burdens of the war, took up arms against the marauding soldiers; in various areas there were peasant uprisings.
SECOND HALF OF THE 17TH TO THE END OF THE 18TH CENTURY
. The treaty of Westphalia of 1648 that concluded the Thirty Years War legally enforced the disintegration of Germany into separate territorial principalities (for 4 million people there were approximately 300 secular and clerical principalities averaging 20-25 sq km in area), which formally entered the Holy Roman Empire. The feudal lords intensified their onslaught against the peasants. A second enserfment of the peasants was carried out east of the Elbe; land-lord farms producing grain for export expanded, resulting in an expulsion of peasants from the land and increased corvée (up to six days a week in certain areas). In the political sphere the princely absolutism of small powers triumphed in Germany; in most of the principalities the organs of estate representation, the Landtags, were reduced to nothing, and permanent armies were established. One of the greatest German states was the electorate of Brandenburg-Prussia (from 1701, the kingdom of Prussia). The entire life of the Prussian feudal-military monarchy was permeated by the spirit of militarism and patrimonial despotism. These features were given their most vivid and complete expression under Frederick II Hohenzollern (king from 1740 to 1786). In terms of size, the Prussian Army was first in Europe (taking into account the size of the population). In essence, Frederick II’s reforms carried out in the spirit of enlightened absolutism (making the functioning of judicial and financial organs somewhat more orderly, expanding elementary education, and so forth) did not infringe upon the elements of the Prussian feudal system, which constituted serious obstacles to the growth of productive forces and the development of the manufactory system.
The invasion of Silesia by Prussian troops in 1740 brought in its wake a conflict with Austria and initiated the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48). In the course of the war Frederick II secured virtually all of Silesia for Prussia. As a result of the Seven Years’ War (1756-63), Silesia remained in the possession of Prussia, which also annexed a portion of Poland in 1772 (by the first partition). Prussia entered the ranks of the great European powers. In this connection the struggle between Prussia and Austria for hegemony in Germany intensified.
In the 18th century antifeudal ideological currents emerged in Germany. They found vivid expression in the works of the writers and philosophers of the era of the Enlightenment (G. Lessing, J. von Herder, the early J. W. von Goethe, F. von Schiller, etc.). In the 1770’s the Sturm und Drang literary and social movement emerged among the representatives of the German Enlightenment. Its exponents called for fundamental changes in the social life of the country and for its unification. Among the representatives of the radical orientation of the Enlightenment, the most decisive position was that held by G. Furster, an advocate of revolutionary methods of struggle against the feudal absolutist system and a partisan of the republican form of government.
Development of capitalism in the late 18th and 19th centuries (to the completion of unification of the country).
FROM THE LATE 18TH CENTURY TO 1815
. The development of industrial production gathered force in Germany at the end of the 18th century. The mechanical spinning jenny was first employed in 1782 in Saxony, and in 1785 the first German steam engine was constructed. The trade turnover of the northern ports increased significantly, and the system of navigable canals expanded. At the end of the 18th century Hamburg, which had developed as an intermediary center for the sea trade between the German states and Great Britain, Holland, Sweden, and other countries, became a most important European seaport. The requirements for the further development of trade and industry persistently raised the problems of the liquidation of the feudal-serf system and the establishment of a single all-German market and systems of legislation, currency, and tariffs that would be uniform for the whole country. Saxony, a center for the mining, textile, and porcelain industries, displayed the greatest interests in this regard.
The Great French Revolution helped to stimulate the anti-feudal movement in Germany. Peasant uprisings began on the Rhine and in Elsass (Alsace). The peasant struggle reached its height in Saxony. In March and April 1793 there was an uprising of Silesian weavers, which was suppressed by troops. Many figures of German culture (Herder, Klopstock, Schiller, Kant, and Fichte) welcomed the French Revolution; it evoked fear and hatred among the German princes and feudal lords. A Prussian-Austrian declaration against revolutionary France was signed in August 1791. In April 1792 a war began between Austria, which was joined by Prussia, and revolutionary France. In the course of the war the Austrian-Prussian troops were defeated by the army of revolutionary France at Valmy (Sept. 20, 1792). On Mar. 18, 1793, the first democratic republic on German soil was proclaimed in Mainz—the Mainz commune (its leaders were Andreas Hofmann and Georg Furster). In 1795 Prussia signed a separate peace treaty with France, and the lands on the left bank of the Rhine passed over to French rule. In the 1790’s, Prussia seized additional Polish territory by the second and third partitions of Poland, whereas Austria got new Polish territory under the third partition. In 1803-04, Napoleon I carried out “mediation” (the liquidation of small states) in Germany, creating consolidated German principalities as a force capable of serving as a counterbalance to Austria and Prussia. In 1806, Napoleon formed the Confederation of the Rhine under his protection; it included (initially) 16 German states, and it became part of a French military bloc. In August 1806 the Austrian emperor Francis was forced to renounce the title of emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, which at this point came to an end. On the German territory occupied by France the feudal regime was abolished, the so-called Napoleonic Code was introduced, and the peasants acquired their personal freedom. In the autumn of 1806, Prussia once again entered into a war against France. It concluded in Prussia’s defeat (the rout of the Prussian army at Jena and Auerst#x00E4;dt on Oct. 14, 1806), which exposed the decay of the Prussian government and feudal system. Prussia lost about half of its territory by the treaty of Tilsit of 1807.
After the crushing defeat that befell Prussia in 1806, its ruling circles were forced to embark on the path of partial reforms. These reforms were implemented during 1807-11 by the ministers H. F. K. vom und zum Stein and K. A. von Hardenberg. The October Edict (1807) proclaimed the personal freedom of the peasants and provided for the possibility of the alienation of land if the owner desired (this allowed burghers and peasants who had become rich to acquire land); urban self-government was introduced (1808); and peasants were permitted to redeem feudal obligations upon payment of a sum equal to 25 times their yearly payment or by ceding portions of their allotment to their landlords (the so-called regulation edict of 1811). The agrarian reforms did not weaken the economic position of the large landlords; the conditions of redemption for the peasants were extremely onerous. Nonetheless, the reforms did promote a slow development of the serf economy into a bourgeois Junker economy. For the peasants, this development of capitalism in agriculture (the “Prussian path”) was agonizing in the extreme.
The radical members of the secret patriotic society Tugendbund (founded in 1808) demanded the universal armament of the people for the struggle against Napoleon, the emancipation of the peasants, and the allotment of their lands to them without redemption. However, these demands were rejected. The governments of the German states did not assist the armed patriots who were fighting against the occupying forces (the partisan bands of Major Schill in Prussia, of Colonel Dörnburg in Hesse-Cassel, and of the duke of Brunswick in Saxony).
The heralds of the struggle against the French occupying forces were J. G. Fichte, G. von Scharnhorst, A. von Gneisenau, and K. von Clausewitz. Ignoring the country’s national interests, Prussia, other German states, and also Austria, which had been routed again in 1809, took part in Napoleon’s predatory war against Russia. The victory of the Russian people and the Russian Army in the Patriotic War of 1812 was the signal for the beginning of the liberation war against Napoleonic rule in Germany. On Feb. 28, 1813, under pressure from the masses of the people, the Prussian government concluded an alliance with Russia against Napoleonic France in Kalisz. The German people rose up for the struggle. After the battle of Leipzig (Oct. 16-19, 1813), all of Germany was liberated from the occupying forces.
1815-48. After the Congress of Vienna of 1814-15, one of the tasks of which was the resolution of the fate of Germany, the country remained politically splintered. The German Confederation established by the decision of the Congress consisted of 39 states; Austria played the leading role. The fragmentation of the country served as a brake on its capitalist development. To a considerable degree, handicraft production continued to dominate industry. The process of replacement of the corvée by wage labor dragged on for decades. At the same time, an industrial revolution began in the 1830’s. The main seats of capitalist factory production were the Rhine region and Saxony. The German Customs Union (Prussia, Bavaria, W#x00FC;rttemberg, and an additional 15 German states), which arose in 1834, was dominated by Prussia (Austria remained outside the Union). Its creation was an important step en route to the formation of a unified national market, and it stimulated the development of industry and trade. Germany made great strides in railroad construction; by 1850 it held second place in Europe (after Great Britain) in terms of length of railroads. (The first railroad, Nuremberg-Furth, was built in 1835.) However, Germany continued to lag far behind Great Britain in terms of the basic economic indicators. (For example, in 1850, Great Britain smelted 5.5 times more pig iron than Germany.)
The policies of the German states were determined, to a considerable degree, by the Holy Alliance (Prussia and Austria were its members). Absolutism still continued in most of these states (semblances of constitutional regimes were introduced only in Bavaria, Baden, W#x00FC;rttemberg, and HesseDarmstadt). Students and progressive members of the intelligentsia opposed the reaction. Under the influence of the July Revolution of 1830 in France, there were revolutionary uprisings in a number of German states (Saxony, Brunswick, Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, and others). In Hesse-Darmstadt the peasants rose up in a revolt, which was suppressed by troops. In 1832, on the initiative of the German republicans, a festival was held in Hambach Castle (Bavaria) under the slogan of the creation of a unified German republic. The first German workers’ organizations were established abroad in the 1830’s (Union of the Outcasts, Union of the Just); Utopian plans for the construction of a communist society were disseminated; W. Weitling was a propagandist in the 1830’s and 1840’s. In 1844 an uprising of Silesian weavers erupted. The bourgeois revolution was ripening in Germany. In the 1840’s the scientific world view of the proletariat was born on German soil—Marxism, whose founders, the great sons of the German people K. Marx and F. Engels, led the first international proletarian organization, the Union of Communists, for which they wrote the Communist Manifesto as a program.
BOURGEOIS DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION OF
1848-49. The onset of the revolution of 1848-49 was accelerated by the crop failure of 1845-46 and the economic crisis of 1847. The immediate impetus was the February Revolution of 1848 in France. The task facing the revolution, the moving forces of which were the workers, artisans, and peasantry, was the unification of Germany and the liquidation of the feudal-absolutist system. Progressive representatives of the popular masses—members of the Union of Communists—strove to create a unified democratic German republic. The bourgeoisie, on the other hand, which was dependent on the ruling circles and frightened by the first proletarian actions, preferred to resolve all vital questions by means of a deal with the throne. In this regard, a large portion of the German bourgeoisie supported the plan for the creation of a “Lesser Germany”—the unification of the country without Austria under the domination of the Prussian Hohenzollern dynasty; a small portion of the bourgeoisie favored a “Greater Germany” (which was to include Austria). The revolution began in March 1848 with popular actions in Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, Wurttemberg, and Bavaria. The uprising in Berlin on March 18 brought the liberal Camphausen-Hansemann government to power in Prussia. There was a republican uprising in Baden in April 1848, but it was suppressed. The Neue Rheinische Zeitung, founded by Marx and Engels in June 1848, played an important role in rallying democratic forces. The total failure of the June Uprising of 1848 in Paris accelerated the shift of the German bourgeoisie to the camp of counterrevolution. In November 1848 a government headed by General Brandenburg and made up of the feudal nobility and the upper bureaucracy was established in Prussia. The all-German Frankfurt National Assembly, which assembled as early as May 1848, did not lead a struggle against feudal reaction and the absolutism of the small powers. Only in March 1849, after long debates, did the assembly adopt the imperial constitution. Uprisings in its defense began in May 1849 in Saxony, the Rhine region, Baden, and the Bavarian Palatinate (Engels participated in the uprising in Elberfeld and in the revolutionary fighting in Baden). However, the revolutionary forces were smashed. The basic reason for the defeat of the revolution lay in the traitorous policies of the German bourgeoisie.
AFTER THE REVOLUTION OF
| i don't know |
Name the South African who became the second 'space tourist'? | How Space Tourism Works | HowStuffWorks
How Space Tourism Works
NEXT PAGENEXT
2008 HowStuffWorks
Make your reservations now. The space tourism industry is officially open for business, and tickets are going for a mere $20 million for a one-week stay in space. Despite reluctance from NASA, Russia made American businessman Dennis Tito the world's first space tourist. Tito flew into space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket that arrived at the International Space Station on April 30, 2001. The second space tourist, South African businessman Mark Shuttleworth, took off aboard the Russian Soyuz on April 25, 2002, also bound for the ISS. Greg Olsen, an American businessman, became tourist number three to the ISS on October 1, 2005.
On September 18, 2006, Anousheh Ansari, a telecommunications entrepreneur, became the first female space tourist and the fourth space tourist overall. She was also the first person of Iranian descent to make it into space. Charles Simonyi, a software architect, became the fifth space tourist on April 7, 2007.
Up Next
How SpaceShipOne Works
These trips are the beginning of what could be a lucrative 21st century industry. There are already several space tourism companies planning to build suborbital vehicles and orbital cities within the next two decades. These companies have invested millions, believing that the space tourism industry is on the verge of taking off.
Space hotels might be popular vacation spots in 20 years.
Photo courtesy Space Island Group
In 1997, NASA published a report concluding that selling trips to space to private citizens could be worth billions of dollars. A Japanese report supports these findings, and projects that space tourism could be a $10 billion per year industry within the two decades. The only obstacles to opening up space to tourists are the space agencies, who are concerned with safety and the development of a reliable, reusable launch vehicle.
If you've ever dreamed of going to space and doing what only a few hundred people have done, then read on. In this article, you'll learn about the spacecraft being designed as destinations for space tourists, and how you may one day have a chance to cruise through the solar system.
1
| Mark Shuttleworth |
The Colossus of Rhodes is dedicated to whom? | the first african in space project
About the First African in Space Project
What is the First African in Space project?
In April 2002, a citizen of an African country launched into space and journeyed to the International Space Station. This website is your guide to the mission, to the science experiments that South African scientists designed for, to the diary of a cosmonaut-in-training, to the personal stories of the team members who made it all a success. Check our galleries of project images, read the logs of our team members and follow the rollout of space-related educational materials in SA.
Who had the lucky job of Afro-astronaut?
Our intrepid cosmonaut candidate was Mark Shuttleworth, who underwent several months of intensive training at Star City in Russia. Born and raised in South Africa, Mark surprised everyone (including himself) with his good fortune during the Internet boom in 1999. Since then he has launched HBD ("Here Be Dragons"), a South African venture capital company, as well as TSF, a non-profit foundation focused on innovation in African education. He currently lives in London, and is committed to seeking out new opportunities in technology and society, but has absolutely no idea which project will follow the First African in Space project. Mark has dreamt of space travel since he was old enough to say "cosmonaut" and has had to pinch himself to know this was for real.
So why call Mark's mission a "project"?
Because it's just that. Mark's journey to the International Space Station was not only a personal dream come true. He conducted a number of scientific experiments designed by South African scientists - thus making previously inaccessible space research available to the African scientific community. On the ground, the First African in Space team is using his trip as a springboard for an education-outreach programme, which aims to encourage learners to embrace mathematics and science.
Click on MORE-> to have additional questions answered on the FAQ page.
Science
Mark conducted several experiments during his 10-day space flight. One experiment was the very first in the world to assess the impact of zero-gravity on the development of stem cells and embryos. Another was to determine the effect of microgravity on the cardiovascular system and muscles. A third was an attempt to crystallise HIV proteins in weightlessness in the hopes that, when X-rayed, they will give an accurate view of the virus structure. These experiments are being managed by world-class South African scientists from the Universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Port Elizabeth, in collaboration with Russian space-science experts.
Click on MORE-> for details on the science experiments Mark will be conducting.
Education
The FAIS team planned a conference for maths and science teachers from key South African schools in early April. The conference aim was to give the teachers the knowledge, tools and much-needed encouragement to make maths and science interesting for their learners, as part of the Department of Education's National Strategy for Science and Mathematics. Also, watch out or educational materials in the national media, produced with the wonderful help of NASA.
Click on MORE-> for details on the Education Outreach Programme.
Logs and News
News: Hip2B2 Roadshow
posted on August 29, 2002
The Hip2B2 Roadshow gets under way on 2 September, and will see Mark touring South African schools until to 5 October 2002. Visit www.hip2bsquare.co.za for more info!
News: Roadshow entries closed
posted on July 02, 2002
We have closed the entries for Mark's school roadshow, which will take place over six weeks from early September to mid-October. The selection process is currently under way, and we will be contacting the lucky schools in due course.
Logs: Ticker-tape parade today
posted on June 09, 2002
Mark Shuttleworth : Live music, circus performers, praise singers and cement handprints will make today�s Adderley Street ticker-tape parade, in honour of Mark Shuttleworth and his fellow crewmates, an event to remember.
News: Eye on science
posted on June 04, 2002
The scientists involved with the stem cell, protein crystal and physiological experiments Mark conducted on the ISS are in the process of collating and analysing data, and should have preliminary results within the next few weeks. Source: IOL
News: Mark and Mbeki get moving
posted on June 03, 2002
Mark celebrated his return to South Africa by dancing with President Thabo Mbeki, signing autographs and meeting members of the public at a hitech reception in his honour in Pretoria. Source: IOL
News: Back to Earth with a bump
posted on June 03, 2002
Shortly before his return to South Africa, Mark spoke to the Sunday Times about coming back down to Earth in the Soyuz capsule � and the importance of experiencing an event rather than recording it. Source: Sunday Times
| i don't know |
Which is the most recent of the four Presidents carved into Mount Rushmore? | Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Lincoln figure on Mount Rushmore, 1937
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
A Local Legacy
Can you name the presidents carved on Mount Rushmore?
Carving started on the amazing Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 1927. It continued for 14 years, with the help of more than 350 people. The faces of four presidents are carved into the mountainside: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. At first, there was a suggestion to carve famous western figures, people like Buffalo Bill, Lewis & Clark, and Sacagawea. But a special group, a "commission," instead chose these presidents because they best represented the "foundation, expansion and preservation" of the United States.
A sculptor named Gutzon Borglum was asked to design Mount Rushmore. He chose the dramatic setting for this sculpture in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He decided that the best way to remove large pieces of rock from the mountain was to use dynamite. He and his workers became skilled at carving Mount Rushmore using carefully placed dynamite. In fact, more than 90 percent of the mountain was carved by dynamite! The rest was finished using air hammers. The faces of the presidents were finished one by one, Washington in 1930, Jefferson in 1936, Lincoln in 1937 and Roosevelt in 1939.
Today, Mount Rushmore is one of the most recognized monuments in the United States, with more than 2.7 million visitors each year.
page 1 of 1
| Theodore Roosevelt |
Which TV Chef has a seafood restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall? | Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Mt Rushmore Vacation - AllTrips
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Mt Rushmore Vacation
List Your Business on This Page
What can I see at Mount Rushmore?
Mount Rushmore is one of the most popular national memorials, symbolizing freedom and democracy in America. The Monument features the faces of four United States Presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln – carved in granite by the late sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, with each chiseled face as tall as a 6-story building.
Completed in 1941, this impressive public sculpture is open year-round, except for Christmas Day. The Presidents’ faces appear the most expressive in the morning and late afternoon sunlight, when the reflection gives them a life-like look. Additional on-site facilities include the sculptor’s studio, a museum, information center, and more.
During your Mt. Rushmore vacation, be sure to check out all of the on-site facilities, including the Lincoln Borglum Museum (with exhibits on American history, the Cival War, and Indian Wars), or take an audio tour, guiding you through different Memorial features.
In summertime, check out the sculptor’s studio, showcasing Borglum’s tools and carvings, and the process involved for Mt. Rushmore’s construction.
Browse the gift shop and then dine at Carver’s Café, or enjoy an ice cream cone from Memorial Team Ice Cream during the summer months.
Lighting Ceremony: Visit Mount Rushmore at dusk and enjoy the evening lighting ceremony, featuring a ranger-led talk. May – August, 9 pm. September, 8 pm. October – April, illuminated at dusk (no formal program).
How much does it cost to visit?
There is no admission fee to view Mount Rushmore, however a $10 annual parking pass applies.
Where is Mount Rushmore?
Mount Rushmore National Monument is located 23 miles southwest of Rapid City, SD.
North: From Rapid City, take HWY 16 southwest to Keystone, then follow HWY 244 to Mt. Rushmore.
South: Follow HWY 385 north to HWY 244. Follow to 244 to Mt. Rushmore.
When is it open?
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is open every day except for December 25.
Summer Hours (Early-May - late-September): 8 am – 10pm
Winter Hours (Late-September - early-May): 8 am – 5 pm
Summer evening program features a lighting ceremony
Who can I call if I have more questions?
Call the Park Headquarters at (605)574-2523 or the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center (605)574-3165. Visit the website .
Mount Rushmore Monument Facts
Mt. Rushmore is one of the most recognized American symbols of democracy.
The idea for a Black Hills' sculpture came from South Dakota State Historian, Doane Robinson.
The carving was created by sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, and a team of 400 workers.
Each morning, workers had to climb 700 stairs to “punch-in” for the day.
Miraculously, no workers were killed during the project.
The sculpture took 14 years to complete (Oct. 4, 1927 – Oct. 31, 1941), at a price just under $990,000.
The monument was named after a New York City attorney, Charles E. Rushmore.
Climbing Mt. Rushmore is strictly prohibited but that doesn’t stop the occasional climber from trying. They are promptly arrested.
Mount Rushmore Carving Information
Each Presidential face is as tall as a 6-story building.
Other dimensions:
Noses – Washington’s nose is 21 feet long, the rest are 20 feet.
Eyes – 11 feet wide
Mouths – 18 feet wide
Borglum and workers used jackhammers, chisels and dynamite to create the sculpture.
Initially, Jefferson was placed to Washington’s right, however, after 18 months of sculpting Jefferson, workers used dynamite to erase the figure and placed him to Washington’s left.
Sculptor Facts
Borglum studied art in Paris and became friends with the French sculptor, Auguste Rodin.
Gutzon died before Mt. Rushmore's completion; his son, Lincoln, put the finishing touches on the monument.
Borglum campaigned for Theodore Roosevelt’s reelection.
Borglum’s tools, models, and studio can be viewed at the memorial.
About the Presidents
Although the monument was named after Charles E. Rushmore, the sculpture of Mount Rushmore portrays four Presidents who dedicated their lives to the success of the United States. Mt. Rushmore's Presidents are a constant reminder of America's heritage and values.
George Washington
1732: George Washington is born in present-day Virginia.
1752: Becomes adjunct general in the Virginia militia.
1754 - 1758: Washington is commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel and leads his men into many battles during the French and Indian Wars.
1759: Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis.
1775 - 1783: Washington appears at the Second Continental Congress and is ready to lead an army against the British. Washington is appointed Major General and elected to be Commander-in-chief.
1783: The Treaty of Paris is signed; Great Britain recognizes US independence.
1787: Elected as president of the Constitutional Convention.
Term(s) Served
Accomplishments
First US President.
Helped form a country capable of standing on its own, without the governance of Britain or France.
Helped create a national bank and tax system.
Washington solidified in the minds of Americans the importance of the Constitution and the virtues necessary of citizens living together as one Republic.
Interesting Facts
Washington was a planter and surveryor.
He was the only US President who did not live in Washington, DC.
His second inaugural address was only 135 words in length.
Thomas Jefferson
1743: Thomas Jefferson is born in present-day Virginia.
1752: Jefferson attends a local school and learns Latin, Greek and French.
1760: Attends the College of William and Mary; studies math, metaphysics philosophy and law. He becomes a lawyer.
1768: Jefferson begins construction of his plantation, Monticello. Jefferson instructs some of his slaves in reading and writing.
1775: Jefferson serves as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and begins early drafts of the Declaration of Independence.
July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence is approved.
1776 – 1801: Jefferson serves as a Virginia State Legislator, Governor of Virginia, Member of Congress, Secretary of State and US Vice President.
Term(s) Served
Authorized and supported the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expeditions.
Fostered ideas of republicanism and separation of church and state.
Supporter of state’s rights.
Interesting Facts
Died exactly fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson's personal library (6,000 books) was bought by the US government, forming the basis of the Library of Congress.
Abraham Lincoln
History Prior To Presidency
1809: Abraham Lincoln is born in Kentucky.
1816: Lincoln’s family relocates to Indiana, and a year later, to Illinois. Lincoln is mainly self-educated.
1834: Lincoln wins an election to the Illinois State Legislature. He decides to study law.
1837: Lincoln begins practicing law. During this time he voices his opposition to slavery.
1842: Lincoln marries Mary Todd.
1846: Lincoln is elected to the US House of Representatives.
1860: Lincoln runs for US President.
Term(s) Served
Assassinated in Ford’s Theater in April, 1865, by John Wilkes Booth.
Interesting Facts
Lincoln was the tallest US President (6 feet 4 inches).
First President to wear a beard.
First President to die by assassination.
Theodore Roosevelt
History Prior To Presidency
1858: Theodore Roosevelt is born in New York to a wealthy family. As a child, he suffers from asthma.
1876: Attends Harvard and does well in biological science, with a love for naturalism and ornithology.
1882: Publishes his first book – The Naval War of 1812
1888: Campaigns for Benjamin Harrison. President Harrison then appoints Roosevelt to the US Civil Service Commission.
1895: Serves as President of the board of New York City Police Commissioners.
1897: Appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
1898: Roosevelt is elected governor of New York.
Term(s) Served
Passed the Meat Inspection Act and The Pure food and Drug Act.
Established Oklahoma as the 46th state.
Interesting Facts
Roosevelt had a photographic memory and loved to read.
First President to be seen riding in an automobile in public.
Gutzon Borglum’s Early Years
March 25, 1867 – Gutzon Borglum is born in Idaho to Danish parents.
Ages 1 – 24: Gutzon receives some formal art training at a private school in Kansas.
Gutzon’s family moves to California; Gutzon works as an apprentice lithographer before opening his own studio.
1888: Gutzon's portrait of General John C Fremont earns him recognition.
c. 1889: Gutzon marries Elizabeth Putnam, but the marriage dissolves.
Borglum’s Development
c. 1891: Gutzon studies art in Paris at Academie Julian, where he becomes friends with the French sculptor, Auguste Rodin.
1896: Gutzon relocates to England. Some of his pieces are displayed at Windsor Castle.
1901: Gutzon returns to the US.
Success
Gutzon continues to develop artistically, creating the following pieces:
Mares of Diomedes
| i don't know |
Which musical instrument is best associated with 20th Century Musician Andres Segovia? | Andres Segovia | Spanish musician | Britannica.com
Spanish musician
Curtis Mayfield
Andrés Segovia, (born Feb. 21, 1893, Linares , Spain —died June 2, 1987, Madrid), Spanish musician acclaimed as the foremost guitarist of his time. He was the most important force in reestablishing the guitar as a concert instrument in the 20th century, chiefly through demonstrating its expressive and technical potential. He continued giving concert performances past the age of 90.
Andrés Segovia.
AP
Segovia studied the piano and cello as a child but could not be diverted from his interest in the guitar, which was held in low repute at the time as an instrument fit only for playing in cafés. No competent teacher of the guitar was easily available, so Segovia taught himself, basing his technique largely on his own intuitions .
He gave his first public concert in 1909 while a student at the Granada Musical Institute. By 1916 he was performing in Barcelona and later in Madrid. In 1919–23 he toured South America . By 1924, when he first performed in Paris , his reputation was international.
Segovia enlarged the guitar’s repertory with more than 150 transcriptions of works originally written for lute, vihuela (Spanish guitar- shaped lute), and harpsichord by such composers as François Couperin , Jean-Philippe Rameau , and Johann Sebastian Bach . He also encouraged the writing of works for the guitar by many 20th-century composers, including Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco , Alfredo Casella , Heitor Villa-Lobos , Joaquín Turina , Manuel M. Ponce, and Albert Roussel. An Autobiography of the Years 1893–1920 was published in 1976 and Andrés Segovia, My Book of the Guitar in 1979.
Learn More in these related articles:
| Guitar |
At which 1403 battle was Sir Henry Percy, commonly known as Hotspur, killed? | Classical Guitar: Artists & Performers - 1000 Great Guitar Sites on the Web (Guitarsite)
Pepe Romero
Fernando Sor
The Spaniard Fernando Sor (1778-1839) was one of the greatest of the composers for the classical guitar. In addition to many "serious" works for one or two guitars, he composed a large number of studies intended for players of lesser virtuosity. Untold numbers of students have worked their way through these studies, which satisfy the elusive goal of providing memorable pieces that, at the same time, enhance the skill and knowledge of the practitioner. Andrés Segovia selected a set of twenty of those studies, each emphasizing a particular aspect of technique, and these are now some of the best known of Sor's works. Versions of those studies have been reworked and edited for the MIDI format by Ray Izumi on The Guitarist site.
More on Fernando Sor
The book Fernando Sor, Composer and Guitarist by Brian Jeffery , published by Tecla, is a full-length biography of him, with a complete and detailed bibliography of Sor's many compositions (which include a great many for voice or for other instruments). The book was first published in 1977 and is acknowledged today as the standard biography of Sor. A new edition appeared in 1994, but it can be very hard to get so if you see one available buy it on the spot!
One of the best books to learn to play his music is Fernando Sor: The Complete Studies for Guitar
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia (1893-1987) is considered to be the father of the modern classical gutiar movement by most modern scholars. Many feel, that without his efforts, the classical guitar would still be considered a lowly bar instrument, played only by peasants.
Segovia's quest to elevate the guitar to a prominant position in the music world, began at the early age of four. His uncle used to sing songs to him and pretend to strum an imaginary guitar in his lap. Luckily for us, there was a luthier nearby and Segovia took an instant liking to the guitar. Although discouraged by his family (according to them he should play a "real" instrument), he continued to pursure his studies of the guitar. He set a goal for the guitar and himself early in life. It was, to bring Guitar studies to every university in the world, have the guitar played throughout the world, on every major stage, just as the piano and violin were, and lastly, to pass on his love of the guitar to generations to follow. He considerd himself to be the messenger that would complete this impossible quest. He succeeded in all respects.
In 1928 Segovia made his American debut in New York City. Before long, composers like Heitor Villa-Lobos even began to compose original pieces specifically for the guitar. Segovia himself began transposing the classical canon for the guitar as well, most notably his notoriously difficult translation of Bach's Chaconne, as well as many transcriptions of lute and harpsichord music. In addition to recording and performing, Segovia spent the remainder of his life and career successfully influencing the authorities at conservatories, academies, and universities to include the guitar in their instruction programs with the same emphasis given the violin, cello and piano; his early struggles were recounted in his 1983 memoir Andres Segovia: An Autobiography of the Years 1893-1920 . He died in 1987.
Dionisio Aguado (1784-1849) was one of the greatest virtusoso performers on the guitar of the 19th century. This web page aims to fill a gap that appears to exist having regard to the life and works of this brilliant Spanish virtuoso of the 19th century. See also Guitar History entry
Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909) As an instrument of classical music, the guitar came to prominence largely through the efforts of this Spanish composer
| i don't know |
Which city, a former capital of its country, is served by Jinnah International Airport? | Karachi Airport: Nowhere in Pakistan is Safe
SHARE
Athar Hussain— Reuters Smoke billows from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on June 9, 2014.
The Pakistan Taliban's strike at the heart of the country’s commercial capital is a brazen demonstration of its powerful reach
Insurgent violence exploded in Karachi again on Sunday. Armed militants rocked Pakistan’s largest city in an attack that was as gruesome as it was symbolic as terrorists proved their ability to penetrate deep into the country’s commercial nerve center, far from their tribal strongholds.
At least 28 people were killed during the fighting at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport after militants disguised as policemen stormed one of the facility’s terminals.
“The ghastly attack on Karachi airport is symbolic, for it aimed to convey a message to the Pakistani state as it plans to fight the Pakistani Taliban,” Raza Rumi, a U.S.-based Pakistan analyst and senior fellow at Jinnah Institute, told TIME. “The choice of Karachi is also strategic as the act of terror gained global attention.”
Conflicting reports swirled early on Monday as authorities claimed to have killed at least 10 militants in the retaking of the hijacked terminal, while accounts of fresh gunfire continued to raise doubts over whether all the terrorists had been cleared from the besieged building.
Pakistani officials identified the militants as foreigners, with reports surfacing that the gunmen were ethnic Uzbeks or Chechens. No independent confirmation of the militants’ nationalities has been confirmed.
The Pakistsani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, took little time in taking credit for the assault.
“It is a message to the Pakistan government that we are still alive to react over the killings of innocent people in bomb attacks on their villages,” Shahidullah Shahid, a Taliban spokesman, told Reuters .
Shahid also claimed the assault was payback for the killing of the group’s former leader Hakimullah Mehsud, according to the Pakistan affiliate outlet of Newsweek. Mehsud was killed during a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan’s tribal areas last November.
“[The] Pakistani Taliban are now far more dangerous, lethal and well equipped than the Afghan Taliban,” said Hassan Abbas, a senior advisor at the Asia Society and author of The Taliban Revival.
“[The airport attack] shows their depth and networking in Karachi and even penetration in the Karachi airport. They entered from the gate which is used by top government and foreign dignitaries — supposedly the most secure.”
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government rolled out a preliminary peace process earlier this year to kickstart talks with the rebel outfit, aimed at bringing an end to seven years of insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives.
However, the process has been continually bucked by ongoing attacks from the group, along with the military’s recent targeting of insurgent strongholds in Pakistan’s federally administered Tribal Areas.
In late May, the Pakistani military ordered a series of airstrikes targeting Taliban hideouts in Northern Waziristan, killing 30 militants. On Monday, the Taliban’s spokesperson rejected Islamabad ’s peace talks as a “tool of war.”
— With reporting by Nilanjana Bhowmick / New Delhi
| Karachi |
Which word completes the title of the 1784 portrait by Joshua Reynolds – “Mrs Siddons as the Tragic ????????” | Karachi airport attack: Taliban gunmen terror attack leaves 28 dead - Telegraph
Pakistan
Karachi airport attack: Taliban gunmen terror attack leaves 28 dead
Pakistan Taliban gunmen, some wearing suicide vests, storm Karachi airport disguised as policemen, raising fears of fresh wave of terror attacks after peace talks stall
By Rob Crilly , Islamabad, and agencies
7:15AM BST 09 Jun 2014
• Gunmen storm Karachi airport on Sunday night
• 28 dead, including 10 militants disguised as guards
• Plane evacuated as smoke seen on runway
• Fresh gunfire hours after seige declared over
• Pakistan Taliban claim responsibility for attack
The Pakistan Taliban on Monday claimed responsibility for a brazen night-time assault on Karachi airport, leaving 18 security guards and staff dead.
Pakistan security forces continued to comb the site after gunfire was heard hours after all the attackers had been declared dead.
Despite years of bloodshed, such an audacious assault, close to the centre of the country’s biggest city and its commercial capital, will send shockwaves through a government and military intent on ending the insurgency.
Related Articles
Fire and smoke bellows above the sky of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi (Fareed Khan/AP)
A paramilitary spokesman said one policeman was injured in fresh firing.
“We have relaunched the operation and called in additional troops,” Sibtain Rizvi, spokesman for the Rangers paramilitary force, told the AFP news agency.
The attack was close to the airport’s old terminal, used mainly for cargo and VIP passengers. The gunmen – dressed in police uniforms, some wearing suicide vests – used rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons.
They entered from two sites, a gate on the main road, where they killed three guards, and the international cargo terminal. A security source said their target may have been an airliner which was boarding passengers.
All flights were diverted away but the main passenger terminal was successfully evacuated and most travellers were kept well away from the clashes.
However, at least one plane – an Emirates flight to Dubai – was turned back from the runway as the attack unfolded and its passengers faced an anxious wait before they were disembarked.
Smoke rises above Jinnah International Airport in Karachi following the attack (RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
“It could have been a lot worse. No planes were damaged although one of the hangars was badly affected,” said a civil aviation source.
At about 5am, Maj Gen Asim Bajwa, military spokesman declared the attack over.
“Update: Area cleared. No damage to aircraft, fire visible in pics was not plane but a building, now extinguished. All vital assets intact,” he said in a tweet.
Suspicion fell immediately on the Pakistan Taliban, which recently abandoned a ceasefire after peace talks stalled. Their gunmen and suicide bombers have been responsible for tens of thousands of deaths during a seven-year insurgency.
Paramedic staff move an Airport Security Force (ASF) official who was wounded in the attack (REUTERS)
The Pakistan military has launched a string of operations against bases in North Waziristan, raising fears of revenge terrorist attacks.
On Monday, Abdullah Bahar Mehsud, a senior commander, said the attack was carried out to avenge the death of the group’s former leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone strike last year.
“As long as we are breathing, our attacks will be continuing till the end of our lives,” he said, speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Umar Media, the media wing of the TTP, claimed on its Facebook page that six militants were involved in the attack.
“The biggest reason for attacking Karachi airport is because it serves as the biggest air logistics centre supplying goods for the Crusaders' war in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” said a statement.
Security officials said Uzbek nationals were among the attackers.
“Three militants blew themselves up and seven were killed by security forces,” Rizwan Akhtar, the regional head of the paramilitary Rangers, said in televised remarks. “The militants appear to be Uzbek.”
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is one of a number of foreign groups that operates from bases along the border with Afghanistan in tandem with Pakistani groups.
Additional reporting by Saleem Mehsud
| i don't know |
What was the full title of the men’s magazine which was re-branded to just GQ in 1967? | Men's Fashion and Style News, Trends, Menswear Designers, Runway | GQ | GQ
Condé Nast
© 2016 Condé Nast. All rights reserved.
Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 1/4/2014) and Privacy Policy (effective 1/4/2014). GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Condé Nast.
| GQ |
What is the first name of Mrs Brown in the sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys? | Redesigning GQ Italia — Hugo Hoppmann Blog
Redesigning GQ Italia
In spring 2013 I got a call from Mike Meiré asking if I would be interested in helping him redesign and shape the new GQ Italia, the monthly published men magazine by Condé Nast/ Milan — Hell yeah!
This certainly sounded very exciting and I was looking forward to work with Mike and the team again, plus I was curious about the newly appointed editor-in-chief of the magazine, Carlo Antonelli.
In the first days in the Factory I started the project at zero, which was a fun challenge, nevertheless a bit intimidating. Mike had the notion of vintage sophistication in mind and briefed me to review and experiment with the infamous designs of the men magazines from the 60s/70s like Playboy, Esquire, … and of the course the old GQ’s — without getting into a nostalgic trap but keeping it very contemporary at the same time. Here is an extract from Mike’s official press statement where he stated his vision more precisely:
A more masculine appeal was needed, as the diversity and depth was missing in the current GQ focus on post-modern hipsters. However, the title already carries a strong DNA that reaches beyond modern fashionistas: Gentlemen’s Quarterly. Carlo and I started a discussion on what it means today to be a Gentleman. Being a Gentleman is about style, charisma, performance, and disirability. It is a more enriched dimension of what GQ was until now: too restricted by hip and stylish looks — in other words: too flat. The aim was to create an image of a sophisticated man balancing post modernity with life experience and wisdom. In terms of design, this meant a more masculine approach, reflected in typography, layout, image selection and overall visual language.
Based on a retro-futuristic appeal, the visual language evokes a new vintage sophistication. A slight erotic subtext provokes masculine clichés, bringing forth a new quality in entertainment. Making a certain old school approach visible — yet on a contemporary level, balancing sophistication and post-modernism. […] It was my goal to develop a visual language that opposes the dictate and irrelevance of self-absorbed “hip and stylish” magazines, bringing in more depth, and ultimately bring back the Gentleman.
I began to dig deeper into the “patient” by going on a fascinating journey of exploring all these marvelous covers from the past, beginning with the title’s transition from Apparel Arts to Gentleman’s Quarterly in 1957:
The GQ (formerly Gentlemen’s Quarterly) is originally an American monthly men’s magazine focusing on fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books. “Gentlemen’s Quarterly” was launched in 1931 in the United States as Apparel Arts. It was a men’s fashion magazine for the clothing trade, aimed primarily at wholesale buyers and retail sellers. Initially it had a very limited print run and was aimed solely at industry insiders to enable them to give advice to their customers. The popularity of the magazine amongst retail customers, who often took the magazine from the retailers, spurred the creation of Esquire magazine in 1933.
Apparel Arts continued until 1957 when it was transformed into a quarterly magazine for men which was published for many years by Esquire Inc. Apparel was dropped from the logo in 1958 with the spring issue after nine issues, and the name Gentlemen’s Quarterly was established.
Gentleman’s Quarterly was re-branded as GQ in 1967. The rate of publication was increased from quarterly to monthly in 1970. [ → Source ]
Needless to say I became pretty fascinated by the origins of this magazine. Just take a look at some of the covers I just couldn’t resist showing you. I found them to be quite remarkable, with the photography and design beautifully catching the zeitgeist of their particular era …
See the whole archive of covers here
But back to the work. It’s so easy to get lost in nostalgic wave of appreciation for the past and somehow old magazines always look cool. But we wanted to create a product for the now!
I started off with the typographic mechanics. We wanted a bold serif headline font and decided for the Prumo Text Black by Dino dos Santos and as an alternative the Century Old Style . Our sans-serif of choice became ITC Kabel , and for highlight-boxes the Neutra with a comicesque shadow.
But we also wanted a handwritten counterpart for the pagination and monthly categorization for every page throughout the publication and so I created a range of handwritten numbers and the lettering for every month which I afterwards digitized:
The numbers were a bit trickier. Of every number I drew five versions and with the help of a randomize script the numbers get mixed up throughout the issue, so for example for page 22 you have two slightly different 2′s which has a nice and more authentic effect:
It was amazing when we finally received the first bunch of “real” material and could start playing with some great works of world-class photographers in combination with amusing Italian headlines. The content we received from the offices in Milan were partly from other international GQ’s, or purchased from other magazines, or originally created for the issue. Overall it was always an quite interesting mix and selection by Carlo and his team. Here are some selected layouts from the first issues:
| i don't know |
Which record by Terry Jacks was Number One in 1974? | Terry Jacks - Biography - IMDb
Terry Jacks
Jump to: Overview (2) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (3) | Trivia (1)
Overview (2)
Terrance Ross Jacks
Mini Bio (1)
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer Terry Jacks was born on March 29, 1944 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A member of the hippie generation, Jacks resisted his family's wishes to become an architect and decided to pursue a career in music instead. In the mid 60s Terry joined the Vancouver, British Columbia-based band The Chessmen as both a singer and guitarist. The group had a few minor local hits before breaking up. Jacks subsequently met singer Susan Jacks and formed a duo with her called The Poppy Family. Terry and Susan eventually married. The Poppy Family scored a big smash with the touching ballad "Which Way You Goin' Billy?"; the song was a #1 hit in Canada and peaked at #2 on the Billboard pop charts in America. "Which Way You Goin' Billy?" sold over two million copies and won several Juno Awards. The follow-up singles "That's Where I Went Wrong" and "Where Evil Grows" likewise did pretty well. Alas, Jacks and Susan broke up in 1973. In 1974 Terry scored himself a massive international success with the sad, sappy song "Seasons in the Sun;" the song peaked at #1 in both Canada and America alike, reportedly sold over eleven million copies worldwide, and went on to win three Juno Awards. Terry was never able to either match or surpass the monumental success of "Seasons in the Sun," but did manage to eke out a nice career as a record producer (among the artists he's worked as a producer for are the Beach Boys, Nana Mouskouri, D.O.A., and Chilliwack). In 1986 Jacks produced, acted in, and composed the score for a flop made-for-TV adaptation of his signature hit song "Seasons in the Sun." A dedicated environmentalist, Terry Jacks is the founder of the organization Environmental Watch, which makes sure that major pulp and logging companies are properly adhering to Canadian pollution laws. He lives in Pender Harbour, British Columbia, Canada.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: woodyanders
Spouse (3)
| Seasons in the Sun |
Which car company manufactures the Leaf? | Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun (music video) - [44b3c3ff4]
Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun
Description
buy
From 1974
"Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the song Le Moribond by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel with lyrics by American singer-poet Rod McKuen. It became a worldwide hit in 1974 for Canadian singer Terry Jacks and became a Christmas Number 1 in 1999 for Westlife. The Jacks version is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.
The song is a dying protagonist's farewell to relatives and friends.
Tags:
| i don't know |
At which stroke did David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse win Olympic Gold medals? | Olympic Sports - Aquatics - English Culture
Olympic Sports - Aquatics
Guest Author - Asha Sahni
Diving
Diving first appeared at the Olympics in 1904. Synchronised Diving (which accounts for half the Diving medals up for grabs in 2012) did not appear until the Sydney Olympics in 2000. There will be 8 diving events at London 2012 � 4 for women, 4 for men.
Tom Daley, a young English man who specialises in the 10m platform event, was one of youngest Olympic British competitors ever when he took part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Daley has gained Gold medals in European and World Championships annd the 2010 Commonwealth Games. At his second Olympics he will be just 18 � a great hope for Britain�s diving future.
Swimming
The 1908 London Olympics were the first Games where swimming events took place in a pool. Henry Taylor, born in Oldham in 1885, gained three Olympic Gold medals for Great Britain in 1908 - 1500m freestyle, 400m freestyle and 4 x 200m freestyle relay. A British man did not win an Olympic Gold at swimming again for over half a century. David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse won a Gold medal apiece for breaststroke events between 1976 and 1988.
At Stockholm in 1912 a British women�s team won the 4 x 100m freestyle swimming relay. In the next 50 years three women won Gold medals � Lucille Morton (1924), Judith Grinham (1956) and Anita Lonsbrough (1960). Rebecca Adlington�s Olympic Gold medals for the 400m and 800m freestyle swimming events at Beijing in 2008 heralded what many hoped would be a renaissance in British swimming.
London 2012 events take place in the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park, the exception being the Marathon Swimming event which will take place in Hyde Park�s Serpentine.
Synchronised Swimming
Synchronised swimming is a late addition to the aquatics portfolio, first appearing at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics Jenna Randall and Olivia Allison were the first British synchronised swimmers to enter an Olympic event for sixteen years.
London 2012 will offers synchronised swimming medals in two classes - duets (ie pairs of swimmers) and teams (groups of 8 swimmers); both duets and teams perform technical and free routines. Unusually, in a sporting world dominated by men�s events, synchronised swimming competitions are for women only; the only other women only Olympic sport is Rhythmic Gymnastics.
Water Polo
Water Polo first appeared as an Olympic sport at the Paris Games in 1900. Teams from Great Britain attained Gold medals in Water Polo at Paris in 1900, London in 1908, Stockholm in 1912 and Antwerp in 1920. Hungarian teams then dominated the event for much of the twentieth century. The Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 saw the first women�s water polo events.
Water polo originated in the eighteenth century as a water based form of rugby. It is also said that there was a version of the game a lot more like the polo we see on land, with players seated on barrels (a floating version of a horse!) and using sticks similar to mallets to manoeuvre the ball.
London 2012 Water Polo events take place at the Olympic Park in a specially constructed Water Polo arena, adjacent to the Aquatics Centre.
| Breaststroke |
In 1814 who completed the two paintings The Second of May 1808 and The Third of May 1808, both now exhibited in the Prado in Madrid? | London 2012 Olympics: Michael Jamieson takes silver in 200m breaststroke | Daily Mail Online
When Michael Jamieson sent his last tweet of the day, little more than five hours before swimming the race of his life on Wednesday night, he said he would be ‘emptying the tank’.
But he did so much more than that in the 200m breaststroke.
He took what could be the most unexpected British silver medal of the Games with a performance that needed a world record by Hungary’s Daniel Gyurta to beat him; a performance that almost blew the roof off the Aquatics Centre and also brought 50,000 fans at Celtic Park to their feet as they watched the race unfold on the big screens before their European encounter against HJK Helsinki.
Scroll down for video
Big moment: Michael Jamieson celebrates his silver medal in the 200m breaststroke
Not much in it: Daniel Gyurta (left) just had the edge over Michael Jamieson
‘That was better than playing for Celtic,’ said an ecstatic Jamieson afterwards.
What a race. What a 48 hours for the 23-year-old Glaswegian who had the talent to follow his father into the world of professional football but chose, at 13, his mother’s sport of swimming instead.
In three races over two days Jamieson broke the British record three times. He arrived here in London with a personal best of 2min 9.84sec, having finished fifth in the world championships last year shortly after recovering from serious injury and so nearly missing the Olympics. He beat Kris Gilchrist into second in the British trials by 0.02sec, Gilchrist deciding to retire when he failed to book his place here.
On Tuesday, however, Jamieson also took Gilchrist’s British record with a time of 2.08.98 in the heat before qualifying fastest of the eight finalists with another British best of 2.08.20.
It was a seriously quick time. Fast enough to have won in Shanghai last year and take silver in the Beijing Olympics. It was also the third fastest time this year and the eighth fastest in history.
In the final, however, Jamieson knew he was in serious company. It might have been a first Olympic final for him and his training partner in Bath, Andrew Willis, but to his right he had the world champion while two lanes to his left stood Kosuke Kitajima, the defending Olympic champion and record holder.
Getting there: Michael Jamieson swam a great race in the 200m breaststroke final
Well done: Michael Jamieson (left) is congratulated by team-mate Andrew Willis after the 200m breaststroke
After the semi-final Jamieson said it was going to be tough. ‘There are a lot of big hitters out there in the final, guys more accomplished than me at this level,’ he said. ‘I’ll have to find more time.’
He found more time. Somehow, he found 0.77sec to finish ahead of Kitajima and the other Japanese breaststroke specialist, Ryo Tateishi, who took bronze.
To touch the wall ahead of Jamieson, Gyurta, who took gold in the worlds 12 months ago, had to break a world record that had been set in the now-banned techsuits in 2009. Gyurta finished in 2.07.13, with Jamieson following him with the fourth fastest time in history; 2.07.43.
‘I can’t believe I’ve swum 2.07,’ he said. ‘It has been an amazing night. I was getting the old goosebumps when I stood behind the block but the crowd were unbelievable. I can’t thank them enough. It’s been a great day for team GB all round.
‘The fact the race was screened live at Parkhead before their match was amazing. I can’t thank everyone enough. I knew I was capable of getting a medal. My times in training told me that but this is special.’
It was such a gutsy effort. After 50m Jamieson was third, and after 100m he was fourth before turning for the final straight in joint third. But he finished faster than anyone — the only swimmer of the eight to dip under 33 seconds for the final 50m and that final burst propelled him past Kitajima and away from Tateishi to take silver.
World beater: Daniel Gyurta celebrates winning the 200m breaststroke final with a new fastest time
Done in: Michael Jamieson gave it everything trying to catch Daniel Gyurta
The crowd were terrific, Jamieson making the point afterwards that he could hear them willing him on at the high-point of every stroke.
But he was also inspired by the sight of seeing Bradley Wiggins and the British rowers, and a good luck message he received beforehand from Celtic manager Neil Lennon.
Jamieson joins a long line of great British breaststrokers, from David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse to Nick Gillingham.
‘I’ve met David Wilkie a couple of times and he’s a name in the record books. Anyone would like to emulate what he has achieved,’ he said.
He did not quite match Wilkie, the gold medallist in Montreal in 1976, but he swam the best part of eight seconds quicker than his fellow Scot.
He also went one better than the British girls have so far in the pool, with Rebecca Adlington taking only a bronze thus far when so much more was expected of a golden generation of female swimmers.
Reason to be cheerful: Michael Jamieson was happy with his silver medal
But in this good-natured battle of the sexes, Adlington did at least predict there could be a medal for Jamieson. ‘Obviously everyone wants to talk about the girls but I think the boys are strong as well,’ she told Sportsmail last week. ‘You need to look out for Michael Jamieson.’
Willis, like Jamieson coached by the same Dave McNulty who guided Jo Jackson to a bronze behind Adlington in the 400m freestyle four years ago and had coached Gilchrist prior to his retirement, trailed home in eighth, the 21-year-old unable to reproduce his semi-final form.
His time will come, according to Gilchrist, but Jamieson succeeded thanks to a great work ethic and a long, perfect stroke that enabled him to become the 100th British swimmer to medal at the Olympics.
‘I’ve never done this before,’ he whispered to Gyurta after appearing at the post-race press conference.
He had never swum like that before either.
Big screen treatment: Michael Jamieson is a Celtic fan and supporters at Parkhead watched him race
| i don't know |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.