title: Lake Constance

text: The shores of Lake Constance consist mainly of gravel. In some places there are also sandy beaches, such as the Rohrspitz in the Austrian section of the lake, the Langenargen and Marienschlucht.


title: Lake Constance

text: According to the data of the International Water Protection Commission for the Lake Constance, the approximate shore length is (see Coastline paradox). The inflow of water is constantly changing, mainly due to rain and the snow melt in the Alps. Its average surface area is about (in Switzerland the absolute value is slightly higher in m above sea level). The more or less regular seasonal fluctuations in the water level also lead to slight variations in shore length and differences in the shore zone habitats (depending on high and low water).


title: Lake Constance

text: The climate of the Lake Constance area is characterised by mild temperatures with moderate gradients, thanks to the balancing and retarding effect of the large body of water.


title: Lake Constance

text: It has a subtropical microclimate, which allows the cultivation of some exotic fruits and trees. Constance counts 2069 sunshine hours a year and is therefore considered one of the sunniest cities in Germany.


title: Lake Constance

text: Winters are generally short and mild, although night temperatures can fall under 0°C, especially from December to February. Typically day temperatures range between +5 and +12°C, while nights with +1 to +8°C on average stay cold, though mostly without long and severe frosts.


title: Lake Constance

text: The Föhn, a warm wind from the Mediterranean Sea, that regularly blows through the Alps, can cause temperatures between 15 and 20°C with sunshine for several days, while on the other hand fog creates a few cold days between 1 and 5°C each year. Generally, Lake Constance is affected more by fog than neighboring regions more inlands.


title: Lake Constance

text: Spring goes from March to May and is usually sunny, with day temperatures between 15 and 22°C but still relatively cold water. This is also resulting in still cold night temperatures that range between 4°C in March and 12°C in May only.


title: Lake Constance

text: As the lake temperature heats up by the increasing warm days, the nights are also becoming milder, though moderated a little bit by the height and lake. This results in average morning lows of 16-18°C during the high summer months. Lake Constance counts one of the highest amount of tropical nights in Germany (lowest temperature at 20°C or more).


title: Lake Constance

text: The days in Summers (June-September) are warm to hot with day temperatures of 26-33°C on average, decreasing to around 20°C until the end of September. Humidity levels raise noticeable and temperatures often move up to 35°C between June and August. This increases the heat index, causing Lake Constance to have a stressful climate.


title: Lake Constance

text: The region receives most of its sunny days during high summer. In the recent years, in 2018 and 2022, the water levels fall to new record lows due to weeks without significant rain. On the other hand, the closeness to the Alps can cause thunderstorms in the evenings that sometimes occur out of nowhere.


title: Lake Constance

text: While the official bathing season ends in September, the average lake temperature stays around 20°C until October. Autumn is generally the time when Lake Constance starts to experience more foggy mornings again, but the day temperatures still range between 21 in the beginning and 10-12°C at the end of the season. Night temperatures fall from 13°C in September to an average of 5°C in November.


title: Lake Constance

text: Lake Constance is one of the best known wine growing regions in Germany and experiences several outdoor events during harvest time in autumn.


title: Lake Constance

text: Lake Constance is also considered to be a risky and challenging lake for water sports because of the danger of gusty winds which can whip up waves as the weather changes suddenly. The most dangerous wind is the föhn, a warm down-slope wind from the Alps, which spreads out across the water, especially through the Alpine Rhine Valley and can generate waves several metres high.


title: Lake Constance

text: Similarly dangerous for those unfamiliar with the area, are the sudden stormy gusts of wind during summer thunderstorms. They constantly claim victims from the water sports fraternity. During a thunderstorm in July 2006, waves reached heights of up to 3.50 metres.


title: Lake Constance

text: For these reasons, there is a storm warning system in all three neighbouring countries. For storm warning purposes, Lake Constance is divided into three warning regions (west, centre and east). Warnings can be issued for each region independently. A "high winds" warning will be issued when squalls are expected of between 25 and 33 knots or registering force 6 to 8 on the Beaufort scale. A gale warning announces the likelihood of gale-force winds, i.e. those at speeds as of 34 knots or more or force 8 on the Beaufort scale. In order to issue these warnings, orange-coloured flashing lights are installed around the lake, which flash at a frequency of 40 times per minute for high winds or 90 times per minute for gales. It can happen that, due to the differently regulated responsibilities and assessments, a gale warning is issued on the Swiss side of the Obersee, but not on the German or Austrian shores, and vice versa. Ships and ferries on Lake Constance indicate a gale warning by hoisting a "Sturmballon" ("storm ball") up the mast.


title: Lake Constance

text: A one-hundred year event is the freezing over of Lake Constance, when the Lower Lake, Lake Überlingen and the Upper Lake are completely frozen over so that people can safely cross the lake on foot. The three last so-called "Seegfrörne" events were in 1963, 1880 and 1830.


title: Lake Constance

text: Certain parts of the lake freeze over more frequently, mainly due to their shallow depth of water and shelter, as is the case, for example, of the so-called Markelfinger Winkel between the municipality of Markelfingen and the Mettnau peninsula.


title: Lake Constance

text: The lake lies where the countries of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland meet. Beyond areas less than deep, considered to be under the jurisdiction of the nearest country, there is no legally binding agreement as to where the borders lie between the three countries. However, Switzerland holds the view that the border runs through the middle of the lake, Austria is of the opinion that the contentious area belongs to all the states on its banks, which is known as a "condominium", and Germany holds an ambiguous opinion. Legal questions pertaining to ship transport and fishing are regulated in separate treaties.


title: Lake Constance

text: Disputes occasionally arise. One concerns a houseboat which was moored in two states (ECJ c. 224/97 Erich Ciola); another concerns the rights to fish in the Bay of Bregenz. In relation to the latter, an Austrian family was of the opinion that it alone had the right to fish in broad portions of the bay. However, this was accepted neither by the Austrian courts nor by the organs and courts of the other states.


title: Lake Constance

text: Until the 19th century, Lake Constance was a natural lake. Since then, nature has been heavily influenced by clearing and the cultivation of much of the land around its shores. However, some near-natural areas have been largely conserved, especially in the nature reserves, or were re-naturalised. As a result, the Lake Constance region has some unusual ecological features. These include the large forested area on the Bodanrück, the occurrence of marsh gentian and orchids of the genera "Dactylorhiza" and "Orchis" in the Wollmatinger Ried, and the Siberian iris ("Iris sibirica") in the Eriskircher Ried, which was therefore given its own name. One unique species among the local flora is the Lake Constance forget-me-not ("Myosotis rehsteineri"), whose habitat is restricted to undisturbed beaches of lime trees.


title: Lake Constance

text: Lake Constance is also the home of numerous bird species, many of which nest in its nature reserves, such as the Wollmatinger Ried or the Mettnau peninsula. 412 species have so far been recorded.


title: Lake Constance

text: The ten most common breeding bird species at Lake Constance according to a 2000–2003 survey in descending order are the: blackbird, chaffinch, house sparrow, great tit, blackcap, starling, robin, chiffchaff, greenfinch, and blue tit.


title: Lake Constance

text: In spring, the Lake Constance is an important breeding ground, especially for the coot and great crested grebe. Typical waterfowl include the: shoveler, goldeneye, goosander, pochard, grey heron, pintail, tufted duck and mallard.


title: Lake Constance

text: In December 2014, 1,389 cormorant were counted. The International Lake Constance Fishery Association (IBF) estimates the food requirements of the cormorants on Lake Constance at 150 tonnes of fish annually.


title: Lake Constance

text: Lake Constance is an important overwintering area for around 250,000 birds. annually. Bird species such as the dunlin, the curlew and the lapwing overwinter at Lake Constance. In the middle of December 2014 there were 56,798 heron, 51,713 coot and 43,938 pochard. In November/December are about 10,000 to 15,000 red-crested pochard and 10,000 great crested grebe on Lake Constance.


title: Lake Constance

text: During migration in late autumn there are also numerous loons on the lake (black-throated and red-throated loon, as well as a few great northern loons). Lake Constance is also very important as a staging post during the bird migration. Bird migration is often inconspicuous and most noticeable when there are special weather conditions that make day migration obvious. Only where there is a prolonged spell of widespread low-pressure is it common to observe the congestion of large groups of migratory birds. This can often be observed in autumn on the Eriskircher Ried on the northern shore of Lake Constance. This is where broad front migration converges on the lake and birds then try to move along the shore towards the northwest. The importance of Lake Constance as an important area for resting and overwintering is underlined by the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology's Radolfzell Bird Observatory ("Vogelwarte Radolfzell"), which is the bird ringing centre for the German states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland as well as for Austria, and which researches bird migration.


title: Lake Constance

text: Around 45 species of fish live in Lake Constance. The annual haul from fishing is 1.5 million kg. Unusual species occurring here considering the location of the lake are the whitefish ("Coregonus" spec.) and the Arctic char ("Salvelinus alpinus"). Fish that are important for the fishing industry are:


title: Lake Constance

text: The Bodenseefelchen ("Coregonus wartmanni"), which was named after Lake Constance due to the great numbers found there, is often prepared whole or as a fillet, in the style of the miller's wife ("nach Müllerin Art"), in local fish restaurants in a similar way to other trout It is also often served smoked.


title: Lake Constance

text: Two endemic species are known to have existed only in Lake Constance, the Bodensee-Kilch ("Coregonus gutturosus") and deepwater char ("Salvelinus profundus"). The former is now assumed to be extinct, while the latter was feared extinct for decades until its rediscovery in the 2010s.


title: Lake Constance

text: For many years non-native species have settled in the Lake Constance ecosystem and, in some cases, endangered or threatened native flora and fauna. At Lake Constance, non-native species have been increasing annually. Several have been transported from other waterbodies as 'blind passengers' on the outside of boats, life jackets, anchor chains or ropes or diving gear. Others have immigrated from the Black Sea or the Danube since the opening of the Main-Danube Canal. Others have been deliberately introduced.


title: Lake Constance

text: Even the rainbow trout ("Oncorhynchus mykiss") is not a native fish. It was introduced into Lake Constance around 1880 for economic reasons to enhance the local fauna.


title: Lake Constance

text: Among the foreign species of animal in Lake Constance are the zebra mussel ("Dreissena polymorpha") which, since the 18th century, has spread from the Black Sea region across most of Europe and was carried into Lake Constance between 1960 and 1965. After a huge increase in numbers during the 1980s in the Rhine and large lakes, this species is now in retreat today. The zebra mussel causes problems because, among other things, it blocks water extraction pipes. In addition, the species can be a disaster for domestic shellfish, because it competes for their food. Today, according to the Institute for Lake Research ("Institut für Seenforschung", ISF), the zebra mussel is also an important food for overwintering waterfowl. In fact, the number of overwinterers has more than doubled in around 30 years.


title: Lake Constance

text: The killer shrimp ("Dikerogammarus villosus") has spread since 2002 from two sections of shoreline near Hagnau and Immenstaad, over the whole Lake Überlingen (2004), the whole of the Upper Lake (2006) and almost the whole Lake Constance and Rheinsee shore (2007). As its name implies, it is a voracious burglar of fish larvae and fish eggs.


title: Lake Constance

text: The most recent example is the little opossum shrimp ("Limnomysis benedeni"), only six to eleven millimeters long, which was found in 2006 in the Vorarlberg region of Hard, and can now be found almost all over Lake Constance. It comes from the waters around the Black Sea. It was presumably first transported by ships up the Danube before it spread into the Rhine river system and entered Lake Constance. The opossum shrimp, which occurs in many places in shoals of several million in winter, are already an influential link in the food chain in Lake Constance. They consume dead animal and plant material as well as phytoplankton, but are also eaten by fish themselves.


title: Lake Constance

text: Today, in western Lake Constance are found: the North American spinycheek crayfish ("Orconectes limosus"), which was introduced into European waters in the mid-19th century to increase the yield, occasionally the Chinese mitten crab ("Eriocheir sinensis"), and in the lake's tributaries, the signal crayfish ("Pacifastacus leniusulus"). As these species of large crayfish are immune to crayfish plague, but spread the pathogen, they are a great danger to native species such as noble crayfish, white-clawed crayfish or stone crayfish. The animals are often undemanding, multiply rapidly and lead predatory lives, thus also posing a threat to various small species of fish. The ISF has been systematically researching the subject since 2003.


title: Lake Constance

text: After a collision with the "Stadt Zürich" in 1864 the wreck of the "Jura" has lain on the lake bed at a depth of 45 metres off the Swiss shore. In the early 20th century four ships were sunk in the Obersee after being taken out of service: in 1931 the "Baden", formerly the "Kaiser Wilhelm", in 1932 the "Helvetia", in 1933 the "Säntis" and in 1934 the "Stadt Radolfzell". The hull of the burnt-out "Friedrichshafen" was scuttled in 1944 off the mouth of the Argen in 100 to 150 metres of water.


title: Lake Constance

text: The tourism and leisure industry is important for this region. Overnight stays reached 17,56m visitors in 2012 with a turnover of about 1.9bn Euros. The same amount comes from the 70 million visitors that visit Lake Constance each year.


title: Lake Constance

text: This region is known for sightseeing, water-sports, winter-sports like Skiing, summer-sports like Swimming (sport), Sailing and recreation. It is also one of the few places where modern Zeppelin airships operate and 12–14 people can take a trip above the lake around various points of interests.


title: Lake Constance

text: In cooperation with tourism service providers, tourism organizations and public institutions in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the International Bodensee Tourismus GmbH (IBT GmbH) is responsible for the tourism marketing of the Lake Constance region.


title: Lake Constance

text: The lake and the region around it have a substantial touristic infrastructure as well as many attractions and points of interests. Important are especially cities like Konstanz, Überlingen, Meersburg, Friedrichshafen, Lindau and Bregenz as they are the big hubs for boating tourism. The main tourism attractions are places like Rhine Falls, one of the three biggest waterfalls in Europe, the Mainau Island and Reichenau Island (UNESCO world heritage), the pilgrimage church Birnau, castles and palaces like Salem Abbey, Meersburg Castle as well as another UNESCO world heritage site, the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen (German for Stilt house museum) as well as Church of St. George, Oberzell, Reichenau.


title: Lake Constance

text: The Alps reach almost to the east of the lake, producing great scenic beauty. The Pfänderbahn goes from top of the mountain right down, next to the lake in Bregenz.


title: Lake Constance

text: Lake Constance is the location for the annual Bregenzer Festspiele, a well-known arts festival that, among other venues, takes place on a floating stage in Bregenz. The operas, plays and concerts performed are usually popular works, e.g. "The Magic Flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or "Rigoletto" by Giuseppe Verdi.


title: Lake Constance

text: Since 2001, the ART BODENSEE takes place in Dornbirn. It is an annual meeting point for the exchange between collectors, artists and art appreciators.


title: Lake Constance

text: Biking around the lake is also possible on the long trail called "Bodensee-Radweg". It brings its visitors to the most interesting sites and goes around the whole lake. Nevertheless, various shortcuts via ferries allow shorter routes and the trail is suitable for all levels. Note: There is also a trail that goes by the name "Bodensee-Rundweg". This road was intended for pedestrians so biking is sometimes not suitable or allowed.


title: Lake Constance

text: The 260 kilometers long Lake Constance circular route, signposted as "Bodensee Rundwanderweg", leads around Lake Constance through the territories of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is mainly intended for hiking; cyclists follow the sometimes slightly different managed Lake Constance cycle path. The trail can be walked in smaller stages of various lengths and offers nice views of the lake, landscape and wildlife. However, due to industrial settlements, buildings and nature reserves, not all the coastal zones are readily accessible. Furthermore, in the estuary of the rivers, such the Leiblach, Bregenzer Ach, canalized Rhine and Old Rhine (Fußacher breakthrough), considerable distances have to be covered inland to the next bridge or river crossing point. Due to busy riverside roads, the Bodensee-Rundweg sometimes runs as a trail above the lake with some lookout possibilities.


title: Lake Constance

text: Lake Constance is also a hub for long-distance hikers and pilgrims. It has been a crucial reference point of important pilgrimage routes since ancient times:


title: Lake Constance

text: Swimming in the lake is usually best from mid-June to mid-September. Depending on the weather and exact location, the water temperatures reach . Within one day, differences of up to are possible with appropriate sunlight, so that the lake invites to swim, especially on warm summer evenings.


title: Lake Constance

text: Diving in Lake Constance is considered attractive and challenging. Most of the diving areas are located in the northern part of the lake (Überlingen, Ludwigshafen, Marienschlucht and others), a few also in the south. The areas should be dived exclusively by experienced divers under the guidance of one of the local diving schools or a seasoned diver. Diving at some spots like the impressive devils table ("Teufelstisch") called rock needle in the lake in front of the Marienschlucht, is only allowed after approval by the district office Konstanz.


title: Lake Constance

text: A famous freshwater wreck in Europe is the paddle steamer Jura, which lies in front of Bottighofen at a depth of . The canton of Thurgau, the office for archeology in Frauenfeld, has placed the Jura under protection as an underwater industrial monument.


title: Lake Constance

text: For all divers, the water in Lake Constance—even in summer—is already below from a depth of which requires suitable cold-water regulators that do not freeze at such temperatures.


title: Lake Constance

text: The importance of pleasure boating is enormous. At the beginning of 2011, 57,875 amusement vehicles were registered for Lake Constance.


title: Lake Constance

text: The legal basis for all shipping on the lake is the ordinance on shipping on Lake Constance, or "Bodensee-Schifffahrtsordnung". It is monitored on Lake Constance and on the Upper Rhine by the German, Swiss and Austrian Water Police/ "Seepolizei".


title: Lake Constance

text: All boats must be registered, and boat drivers must hold a "Bodenseeschifferpatent" (Authorization to drive a patented vehicle on Lake Constance). It is awarded in Germany by the shipping offices of the district of Constance, the Lake Constance district and the district of Lindau, in Switzerland by the cantonal authorities and in Austria by the District Commission Bregenz. For pleasure boaters short-term guest licenses are possible (for the categories A for motorboats over 4.4 kW and D for sailboats over 12 m sail area).


title: Lake Constance

text: The lake was frozen in the years 1077 (?), 1326 (partial), 1378 (partial), 1435, 1465 (partial), 1477 (partial), 1491 (partial?), 1517 (partial), 1571 (partial), 1573, 1600 (partial), 1684, 1695, 1709 (partial), 1795, 1830, 1880 (partial), and 1963.


title: Lake Constance

text: About of fish were caught by 150 professional fishermen in 2001 which was below the previous ten-year average of per year. The Lake Constance trout ("Salmo trutta") was almost extinct in the 1980s due to pollution, but thanks to protective measures they have made a significant return. Lake Constance is the home of the critically endangered species of trout "Salvelinus profundus", and formerly also the now extinct Lake Constance whitefish ("Coregonus gutturosus").


title: Vorarephilia

text: Vorarephilia (often shortened to vore) is a paraphilia characterized by the erotic desire to be consumed by, or sometimes to personally consume, another person or creature, or an erotic attraction to the process of eating in general practice. Since vorarephilic fantasies cannot usually be acted out in reality, they are often expressed in stories or drawings shared on the Internet. The word "vorarephilia" is derived from the Latin "vorare" (to "swallow" or "devour"), and Ancient Greek φιλία ("philía", "love").


title: Vorarephilia

text: The fantasy usually involves the victim being swallowed whole, though occasionally the victims are chewed up, and digestion may or may not be included. Vore fantasies are separated from sexual cannibalism because the living victim is normally swallowed whole. The consumer is sometimes human, but animals, dragons, giant snakes, and other creatures can also appear frequently in these fantasies. After consumption, the enlarged belly of the consumer is often described with great care.


title: Vorarephilia

text: Vore is most often enjoyed through pictures, stories, videos, and video games, and it can appear in mainstream media. In some cases, vorarephilia may be described as a variation of macrophilia and may combine with other paraphilias. Apart from macrophilia, vore fantasies often have themes of BDSM, microphilia, pregnancy fetishism, anthropomorphized animals, "unbirthing" (a desire to be swallowed whole into the vagina and returned to the uterus), and sexual cannibalism.


title: Vorarephilia

text: One case study analysis connected the fantasy with sexual masochism, and suggested that it could be motivated by a desire to merge with a more powerful other or permanently escape loneliness. With "no known treatment" for vorarephiles who feel ill at ease with their sexuality, psychologists at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have recommended trying to "adjust to, rather than change or suppress" the sexual interest. Medication for libido reduction could be used if deemed necessary.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an American comic book writer and artist. He has won five Eisner Awards for both his creator-owned work and his work on various Marvel Comics books.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Starting with crime and noir comics, Bendis eventually moved to mainstream superhero work. With Bill Jemas and Mark Millar, Bendis was the writer on the first book of the Ultimate Marvel Universe, launching "Ultimate Spider-Man" in 2000. He relaunched the Avengers franchise with "New Avengers" in 2004, and also wrote the Marvel storylines "Secret War" (2004–2005), "House of M" (2005), "Secret Invasion" (2008), "Siege" (2010) and "Age of Ultron" (2013).


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Though Bendis has cited comic book writers such as Frank Miller and Alan Moore, his own writing influences are less rooted in comics, drawing on the work of David Mamet, Richard Price, and Aaron Sorkin, whose dialogue, Bendis said, was "the best in any medium."


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: In addition to writing comics, Bendis has worked in television, video games and film. He has also taught courses on graphic novels at University of Oregon and Portland State University. In 2014, Bendis wrote "Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels," a book about comics published by Random House.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Brian Michael Bendis was born on August 18, 1967 in Cleveland, Ohio to a Jewish-American family. Bendis grew up in University Heights where, despite rebelling against a religious upbringing, he attended the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, a private, modern Orthodox religious school for boys. He decided he wanted to be a comic book industry professional when he was 13, working on his own comics, including a "Punisher versus Captain America" story that he revised several times. A fan of Marvel Comics in particular, he emulated idols such as George Pérez, John Romita, Sr., John Romita, Jr., Jack Kirby, Klaus Janson and Frank Miller. He later discovered crime comics by Jim Steranko and José Munoz, which he traced back via Jim Thompson's work to the source novels of both Thompson and Dashiell Hammett, which helped cement his love for crime stories. These in turn led him to discover the documentary "Visions of Light", which taught him the visual "rules" of film noir, an important influence on him creatively.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: While in high school, he submitted for a "Creative Writing assignment" a novelization of Chris Claremont's "X-Men and the Starjammers" story, which gained him an A+ grade for imagination and inventiveness. At 19, Bendis began attending the Cleveland Institute of Art, while working at a downtown comic book store where he eventually sold some of his early work. Between the ages of 20 and 25, he sent in a large number of submissions to comics companies, although he ultimately abandoned this approach to breaking into the industry, considering it too much of a "lottery."


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Best known as a writer, Bendis started out as an artist, doing work for local magazines and newspapers, including caricature work. He worked at "The Plain Dealer" as an illustrator. Although he did not enjoy caricature work, it paid well and funded his interest in writing crime fiction for graphic novels. He eventually moved into both writing and illustrating his work, before he began producing work for Caliber Comics, including "Spunky Todd".


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Through Caliber, he met many of his longtime friends and collaborators within the comics industry, including Mike Oeming, Dave Mack and Marc Andreyko, and began the first in a series of independent noir fiction crime comics when he published two issues of "Fire" in 1993 and five issues of "A.K.A. Goldfish" in 1994 with Caliber. In 1995 he illustrated "Flaxen", from a script by James Hudnall, with David Mack providing inks to the story featuring former Playboy Playmate Susie Owens as mascot of the Golden Apple Comics chain [of comic shops] in Los Angeles.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Bendis's best-known early work, "Jinx", starring the titular bounty hunter in a crime noir version of the Sergio Leone film "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", began publication in 1996, and ran seven issues from Caliber. Most of these early works share a common universe, with "Goldfish", "Fire", "Jinx", "Torso" and (stories from) "Total Sell Out" sharing characters and settings as well as tone.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: He characterizes much of this period of his professional life in terms of working as "a graphic artist for almost twelve years" undergoing a period within that of "nine years" living as a stereotypical 'starving artist'.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: In 1996–1997, Bendis moved from Caliber to Image Comics, where "Jinx" and his other previous crime comics were published by Image's Shadowline arm in trade paperback. At Image, he also produced five more issues of "Jinx".


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Impressed with "A.K.A. Goldfish", Image founder Todd McFarlane sought out Bendis, which led to his writing "Sam and Twitch". Although set in the Spawn universe, Bendis approached "Sam and Twitch" primarily as a crime comic. He wrote "Sam and Twitch" for twenty issues, as well as most of the first ten issues of "Hellspawn", another "Spawn" spin-off title. This non-creator-owned work allowed him to, in the words of Rich Kriener in "The Comics Journal", "[add] the responsibility of caretaker to his resume, in that he would answer to a vested owner about developing a property as a tangible asset with the future in mind," rather than only working on his own characters under his own terms.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: In 1998, Bendis co-wrote and illustrated the Eliot Ness-starring "Torso" with Marc Andreyko, again for Image, and in 2000 he produced three issues of the autobiographical "Fortune and Glory" for Oni Comics.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: That same year saw the debut of the superhero police/noir detective series "Powers", co-created with and drawn by Michael Avon Oeming and published by Image. "Powers" won major comics industry awards, including Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Awards.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Around the time Bendis began "Sam and Twitch", his friend David Mack began working for Joe Quesada's Marvel Knights imprint, of which Bendis was a fan. Based on Bendis's work on "Jinx", Quesada invited him to pitch ideas for Marvel Knights, which included a planned, but ultimately unproduced, Nick Fury story.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Marvel Comics President Bill Jemas, on the recommendation of Quesada, hired Bendis to write "Ultimate Spider-Man", which debuted in 2000, and was targeted at the new generation of comic readers. Bendis adapted the 11-page origin story of Spider-Man from 1962's "Amazing Fantasy" #15 into a seven issues story arc, with Peter Parker becoming the titular hero after the fifth issue, making the book a bestseller, often surpassing in sales those of the mainstream Marvel universe title "The Amazing Spider-Man". The Bendis/Bagley partnership of 111 consecutive issues made their partnership one of the longest in American comic book history, and the longest run by a Marvel creative team, beating out Stan Lee and Jack Kirby on "Fantastic Four". Bendis subsequently wrote other books in the Ultimate line, including "Ultimate Marvel Team-Up", which Bendis pitched to Marvel as a follow-up to "Ultimate Spider-Man", as well as "Ultimate Fantastic Four", "Ultimate X-Men", "Ultimate Origins", "Ultimate Six", the first three issues of "Ultimate Power", and the "" metaseries. In 2011, Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli created the Miles Morales character as the new version of the Ultimate Spider-Man. Bendis wrote every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, including its second iteration, "".


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Quesada offered Bendis the writing duties on "Daredevil", which he took over in 2001, writing most of the subsequent 55 issues until 2006, collaborating mostly with artist Alex Maleev. As a major Daredevil author, Bendis's name is one of the names used for boxers mentioned by a corrupt boxing manager in the 2003 "Daredevil" movie. Also in 2001, Bendis helped launch Marvel's non-Comics Code-approved, adult MAX imprint with "Alias", featuring former superhero Jessica Jones operating as a private investigator. The series ran for 28 issues before many of the characters moved to Bendis's mainstream Marvel Universe series "The Pulse". In 2004 "Powers" moved from Image to Marvel's creator-owned imprint Icon, where it was relaunched as "Powers" Vol. 2 alongside another ex-Image series, David Mack's "Kabuki".


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Also in 2004, Bendis oversaw the closing issues of "The Avengers" as part of the crossover storyline "Avengers Disassembled". This led directly to the Bendis-helmed relaunch of one version of the eponymous team in the pages of "The New Avengers". Bendis's work on this storyline included the death of Avenger Hawkeye, which proved controversial. In 2005, with artist Olivier Coipel, Bendis wrote the New Avengers / X-Men crossover, "House of M", which would retroactively be considered the second act of a three-act super-event beginning with "Avengers Disassembled" and culminating in the Bendis-written 2008 storyline "Secret Invasion". Bendis also wrote the storyline "Secret War", which was published between 2004 and 2005. The series, which was not connected to the 1984 miniseries "Secret Wars", served as a prelude to "Secret Invasion". After Marvel's 2006 "Civil War" storyline, Bendis helmed another "Avengers" revival, launching "Mighty Avengers" with Frank Cho in 2007.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Post-"Secret Invasion", Bendis left "Mighty Avengers" with issue #20 and wrote "Secret Invasion: Dark Reign", a one-shot that preceded another ongoing Avengers series, "Dark Avengers". In 2009, Bendis and former "Daredevil" collaborator Maleev launched the long-delayed "Spider-Woman", following up on her role in the "Secret Invasion" storyline. "Spider-Woman" was the first comic book to be offered simultaneously on the Internet as a "motion comic" and in comic stores in print form.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Bendis re-teamed with Olivier Coipel for the 2009 crossover series "Siege", which brought the "Dark Reign" storyline to a close, and with-it "Dark Avengers". Springboarding out of "Siege", Bendis relaunched both "Avengers" and "New Avengers" as part of the "Heroic Age".


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Also in 2010, Bendis launched "Scarlet" through Icon Comics, his first new creator-owned comic book in over a decade, re-teaming once again with Maleev. In February 2011, Icon released the all-ages graphic novel "Takio" by Bendis and his "Powers" collaborator Mike Oeming and in mid-2011 a maxiseries called "Brilliant" with artist Bagley. Bendis's other 2011 projects included a new "Moon Knight" series with Maleev, which concluded with issue 12. In 2012, in conjunction with Marvel Studios' feature film "The Avengers", Bendis began writing a new "Avengers" comic, "Avengers Assemble". Bendis wrote the first eight issues of "Avengers Assemble", a series that premiered in March 2012 that featured a new incarnation of the Zodiac, as well as the return of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which teamed with the Avengers against Thanos.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Bendis concluded his stint on "Avengers" and "New Avengers" in 2012 with the "End Times" arc. His final issue of "Avengers", released September 2012, was a "jam issue", featuring splash pages by Marvel artists including Walt Simonson, Jim Cheung, and Leinil Yu.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Following Marvel's "Marvel NOW!" relaunch of its titles, Bendis took on writing duties on "All New X-Men", which saw the return of the original 1960's X-Men to the present, "Uncanny X-Men", whose focus shifts to Cyclops' team of X-Men going rogue after the events of "Avengers Vs. X-Men", and "Guardians of the Galaxy", picking up where his "Avengers Assemble" run left off.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Bendis wrote the "Age of Ultron" crossover storyline, which included an eponymous 10-issue miniseries, that was published between March and June 2013. Issue 10 saw the introduction of the Neil Gaiman character Angela into the Marvel Universe.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: On July 22, 2014, Random House published Bendis's instruction book on comics, "Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels." The day after that book's publication, CBR.com published an interview in which Bendis talked about the course on writing Graphic Novels he had taught for the past few years, initially at Portland State University, and beginning with the Fall 2013 semester, at the University of Oregon. His decision to teach came at the urging of Dark Horse Comics editor Diana Schutz. Among the works he employs as teaching guides are the works of Scott McCloud and Will Eisner.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: In November 2017, Bendis announced via Twitter that he would be working exclusively with DC Comics. His DC debut was in "Action Comics" #1000 (June 2018). Ivan Reis drew the first issue of Bendis's "The Man of Steel" limited series, and collaborated with Bendis on the relaunched "Superman" ongoing series in 2018. Bendis took over writing "Action Comics" following its 1,000th issue.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: On December 21, 2021, Bendis announced that he was developing an adult animated "Legion of Super-Heroes" series for the streaming service HBO Max. The show is set to be based on his run of the comic book series and will not connect to the original animated series.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: In addition to his primary work in comics, Bendis has produced written work in several other media, such as video games, TV and film.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Bendis was the co-executive producer and series-pilot writer for Mainframe Entertainment's 2003 CGI animated "Spider-Man" show, "" that aired on MTV and YTV, which features a college-aged Peter Parker, and was written to tie-into the then-unreleased 2002 film "Spider-Man". The pilot episode Bendis wrote became the third episode aired. His dismay at being credited for something written by someone else, and the multitude of corporate and legal departments involved in the animation process soured him on the show.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: He was credited as a developer and wrote several episodes for the TV adaptation of his comic, "Powers", which starred Sharlto Copley and ran on PlayStation Network for two seasons from 2015 to 2016.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Bendis's video game work includes Activision's "Ultimate Spider-Man" video game, which Bendis wrote. He also wrote an "Avengers" game, which was never released. He was also a writer of Marvel's MMO, "Marvel Heroes".


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: His film work includes the screenplay adaptation of "A.K.A. Goldfish" for Miramax, and the screenplay adaptation of "Jinx" for Universal Pictures. In 2014, he wrote the plot of the "" video game.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: In 2013, he was named on IGN's list of "The Best Tweeters in Comics", in part for his frequent Twitter posts highlighting the work of other creators.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: When creating characters, Bendis says that he always begins with someone he knows and builds upon that inspiration, allowing the character to eventually evolve naturally. His depiction of Aunt May in "Ultimate Spider-Man", for example, strongly resembles his mother.


title: Brian Michael Bendis

text: Bendis met his wife Alisa in 1995 through the Cleveland chapter of the Hillel Foundation, where Alisa worked and Bendis was a staff illustrator. The two were married within a year. Alisa Bendis manages JINXWORLD, the company through which Bendis produces his creator-owned and licensed comics work. They have four children, of which three are daughters. Bendis's oldest daughter, Olivia, is his biological daughter. He and his wife adopted their two younger daughters, one of whom is African-American, and the other of whom is Ethiopian. Their names are Tabatha (adopted in June 2011) and Sabrina. Bendis mentioned in a July 2013 post on his Tumblr account that they had a newborn son, who is named London.


title: Ningen (folklore)

text: In modern Japanese folklore since the mid-2000s, the Ningen (ニンゲン) is an aquatic humanoid whale-like creature supposedly inhabiting the subantarctic oceans. It was invented by Japanese internet users.


title: Ningen (folklore)

text: The legend surrounding the Ningen began in 2012 on a forum post on the Japanese online forum website, 2Channel, which claims that the members of a whale research ship witnessed the creature as it surfaced near their ship off the Antarctic coast. Originally thinking it was a submarine, the crew went to take a closer look, but the "submarine" vanished into the waves.


title: Ningen (folklore)

text: In 2005, Google Earth captured what many people supposed to be a Ningen near the Southern Ocean. Many skeptics believe that the "Ningen" was actually an iceberg that coincidentally looked like the sea monster.


title: Ningen (folklore)

text: In 2010, a Japanese chemical research company published a YouTube video showing the ocean life that they observed. Near the end of the video, a large creature with small eyes and a large, smiling slit-like mouth can be spotted lying on the ocean floor. Though most people think that the infamous Ningen was spotted, some people say that it is most likely a snaggle-toothed snake eel. Sometime around the 2010s, an unknown user posted underwater footage depicting a large humanoid sea creature which many believe to be the Ningen.


title: Ningen (folklore)

text: The "Ningen" is described as a whale-like creature that has anatomical similarities to humans. The creature has a face, and in some stories it is said to have extremely large limbs and/or arms and hands, about long. The pigmentation of this creature is said to be pale blue. The creature has a large, slit-like mouth and either small or large gaping eyes.


title: Mandira Bedi

text: Mandira Bedi (born 15 April 1972) is an Indian actress, fashion designer, and television presenter. She gained recognition by playing the titular role in the 1994 television show, "Shanti", which was telecast on India's national channel, Doordarshan. In 2019, she played a negative role in the movie "Saaho". Bedi also appeared in many Hindi TV serials like "Aurat", "Dushman" and "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi". Following this, she began hosting "ICC Cricket World Cups" in 2003 and 2007, "Champions Trophies" in 2004 and 2006 and "Indian Premier League" for Sony Max.


title: Mandira Bedi

text: Bedi has been a promoter of faux leather for PETA. She debuted as a fashion designer during Lakme Fashion Week 2014 with her saree collection. In 2013, Bedi launched her signature sari store.


title: Mandira Bedi

text: Mandira Bedi was born in Calcutta to Verinder Singh and Gita Bedi. She has an elder brother who is a bank investor. She did her schooling at Cathedral and John Connon School, Bombay and graduated from the St. Xavier's College, Bombay. Thereafter, she did her post graduation from Sophia Polytechnic College, Bombay.


title: Mandira Bedi

text: Bedi married Raj Kaushal on 14 February 1999. It was announced on 27 January 2011 that the couple are expecting their first child. Bedi gave birth to a boy named Vir on 19 June 2011 at the Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. In 2013, Bedi and her husband had applied for adopting a girl. On 28 July 2020, they adopted a 4-year old and named her Tara Bedi Kaushal.


title: Qnet

text: Qnet Ltd, formerly known as QuestNet and GoldQuest, is a Hong Kong-based multi-level marketing (MLM) company owned by the QI Group. QNet was founded in 1998 by Vijay Eswaran and Joseph Bismark. The company's products include energy, weight management, nutrition, personal care, home care and fashion accessories on an e-commerce platform.


title: Qnet

text: The company operates legally in some countries, but has been charged as a Ponzi scheme and multi-level marketing in countries like India. The government of India and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India banned the site in the country after a protest spread in Bangalore.


title: Qnet

text: QNet was founded in 1998 in Hong Kong by Malaysian businessmen Vijay Eswaran and Joseph Bismark. Though born and brought up in Malaysia, Eswaran undertook his higher education in the United Kingdom where he learned how multi-level marketing schemes work.


title: Qnet

text: The company was first known as GoldQuest and then QuestNet before the name was shortened to QNet in 2010. In the beginning, it made custom-commissioned commemorative coins and later began selling jewellery and watches. In 1999, Qnet expanded its operations to Malaysia and Singapore and began a partnership with B.H. Mayer's Mint, a German-based mint coin facility. By 2002, the company was active in India, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Eastern Europe.


title: Qnet

text: In 2000, Qnet was the official distributor of the Sydney Olympic Games commemorative coins, and would later be named a distributor at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.


title: Qnet

text: The company expanded its operations to Dubai, India, Indonesia and Thailand in 2001. Qnet started to diversify its products in 2002 into travel and vacations by partnering with QVI Club brand holidays. During this time, the company also announced that it was the official coin distributor for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and an expansion into Europe, Australia and Sri Lanka.


title: Qnet

text: In 2005, QI Group acquired QI Comm, a British telecommunications company. That same year, the company introduced "aspIRe Magazine" and announced that there were one million Qnet independent representatives around the world. In 2006, Qnet began marketing energy, health and nutritional products. That same year, QI Group acquired Prana Resorts and Spa, a vegetarian holiday resort in Koh Samui. QI Group also acquired the Swiss watchmaker, Cimier. In 2007, the QI Group acquired Down To Earth (DTE), a vegetarian organic health store chain in Hawaii.


title: Qnet

text: The company announced its sponsorship of Team Meritus, a Malaysian motor racing team, and became a sponsor for the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting Business Forum in 2007. From 2007 and 2012, Qnet's direct sales increased by 70%.


title: Qnet

text: From 2009 to 2012, Qnet was an official sponsor of the Asian Football Confederation during the AFC Champions League. In 2010, the company partnered with Virgin Racing. Qnet received the TRUSTe Privacy Certification in late 2012. Qnet announced its intention to shift its manufacturing operations to India and to open an office in Russia in 2013. The company's QI Tower in Malaysia received the 2013 Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Gold Award. In 2014, Qnet started a three-year partnership with Manchester City football club to become the club's official direct selling partner. The deal was then expanded in 2017, and signed a similar deal with the Confederation of African Football in 2018.


title: Qnet

text: Since it opened in 1998, Qnet (Questnet at the time) promoted gold and silver coins. The coin collection business was outlawed in some countries. Though registered in Hong Kong, the company has never operated there or in China. Its majority customer base remains in India and a few African countries. A few years later Questnet changed its name to Qnet and offered additional products via the MLM system. It promotes its products using claims "that would not pass official muster in much of the world." Despite claiming to be an e-commerce based business, an ordinary retail customer can purchase a product only if they have a referrer ID of an independent Qnet representative. Qnet used websites such as www.Qnetindia.in, www.Qnetindia.net, www.Qnet.net and www.questnet.net to conduct its business. These were blocked by Indian Computer emergency response team (CERT) following a court order. Other websites like portal.Qnetindia.net, are under investigation.


title: Qnet

text: The company continues to operate in countries including India, and sells its products using a multi-level marketing model, whereby independent representatives refer the products to consumers and receive compensation based on the sales volume of their referrals and the sales volume of other independent representatives in their teams.


title: Qnet

text: The company has operations in 25 countries worldwide with offices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, and Ireland. The company also has franchise companies in India and Turkey.


title: Qnet

text: It was sued by Egypt, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka for allegedly operating a product-based pyramid scheme. The company and its franchise Vihaan are under investigation in India. The Bombay High Court denied the anticipatory bail plea of the directors of Vihaan Direct Selling Pvt Ltd., a franchise of Qnet, which included world amateur billiards champion Michael Ferreira after it was earlier rejected by Sessions Court. They were facing charges of cheating and forgery The court observed that "the deceit and fraud is camouflaged under the name of e-marketing and business". The Delhi High Court also called it a multi-victim scam and refused to quash FIR against the directors of Indian franchise of Qnet, Vihaan Direct Selling Private Limited. The Serious Fraud Investigation Office, in its report on GoldQuest and QuestNet India has called multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes run by overseas operators as "a potential threat to national security". The Government of India ordered the Serious Fraud Investigation Office to file prosecution against GoldQuest International and QuestNet Enterprise under the Companies Act and Indian Penal Code. A brief executive summary of the SFIO report is now available in the public domain. The company has denied the allegations.


title: Qnet

text: In 2019, Malou Caluza was announced as Qnet's new CEO, becoming the first female to hold the position.


title: Qnet

text: Customers can choose to become "independent representatives" (IRs) of the company by paying $10 for a starter kit and an online office. IRs receive $250 commission after they introduce the products to six people, placing three people on their left and three people on their right, described as two 'legs'. When an IR introduces a new customer who then becomes an IR themselves, the original IR benefits (by receiving bonus points) from the success of their recruit. These bonus points build up on only one of the IR's legs. The IR must then find recruits for the other leg in order to receive commissions.


title: Qnet

text: Many government entities described Qnet's business model as a pyramid scheme: early entrants earn money, and as the number of Independent Representatives (IRs) increases, finding more IRs to join becomes difficult or impossible; IRs that join late do not earn enough to cover their first outlay and the model collapses.


title: Qnet

text: As per an official spokesperson, even though sign-up fees are not charged, a purchase might be required. This may be in the form of the sale of a qualifying product to a retail customer or by the new representative making a qualifying purchase.


title: Qnet

text: The company markets many unbranded products including air purifiers, cosmetics, soaps and detergents and commemorative coins. Initially the company sold gold commemorative coins. Qnet expanded its products to include travel in 2002. By 2006, Qnet had transitioned to marketing and selling "aspirational products", which claim to boost energy, health and nutrition. According to Eswaran, these types of products account for 30% of Qnet's sales. The company introduced "life-enhancing products" such as a portable water filtration system and an air purifier, which Qnet claims can fix pollution issues in homes.


title: Qnet

text: Some of its products fall under a "wellness" brand, such as the "Amezcua Bio Disc" (also spelled BioDisc and BioDisk). According to Quest Net's advertisement, the disc creates a 'water-impacting' energy field that 'helps to reduce stress, improve sleep'. The company claims that it was invented by Dr Ian Lyons, but his antecedents and research publication are not known. Schott AG is the only industrial glass manufacturer that certifies production of Biodisc, but does not reflect Qnet's advertising that it is 'creating an impact energy field'. The Amezcua Bio Disc has been evaluated by research facilities in Germany, India and Japan. The product has received scrutiny from various scientists, media commentators and watchdogs.


title: Qnet

text: The subsidiary QI properties announced in 2016 that it would begin construction of QI City, a mixed-use development in Malaysia. It was due to be completed in 2020, consisting of an 840-bed teaching hospital, 768 condominium units, a convention center, and a 460-bed hotel. The development is the location of Quest International University's Perak campus.


title: Qnet

text: Qnet has faced controversies since soon after its founding. It has faced litigation in many countries and hundreds of IRs working for it and/or its many subsidiaries have been arrested.


title: Qnet

text: GoldQuest marketed a gold coin at a 100% premium over similar coins. The President of the Madras Coin Society warned that the Goldquest coin was neither a period coin nor it was from an authorized body. Australian politician Cameron Thompson, the Nepalese Home Ministry, the Sri Lankan Central Bank, and the Iranian Government described GoldQuest as a pyramid scheme. In 2002, the Australian Office of Consumer and Business Affairs listed the company as one of 61 alleged pyramid schemes. The Fatwa council at Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah declared that the binary form of transaction adopted by Qnet is prohibited under Sharia law.


title: Qnet

text: In 2003, Indian police arrested two QI group senior managers in Chennai and froze the company bank account after receiving complaints from more than 50 of its members. In Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry issued a cease and desist order after a complaint from a member. In Cambodia Goldquest organized the launch of Ankor Wat commemorative coins among 500 young Khmers who had paid $5 to attend and pick up a starter kit to help them sell. Managing Director, Richard Zinkiewicz, insisted that Questnet was not a pyramid scheme, because customers were never obligated to sell products and the product had real value. He said that the coins' high value was because they are limited edition collectibles. Eswaran claimed that the opportunities offered by QI could change members' lives. Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan asserted that GoldQuest was a pyramid scheme.


title: Qnet

text: Nepal banned the company from operating there in 2003, while Bahadur Manandhar, chief of the foreign exchange department of the Nepal Rastra Bank, said GoldQuest was "a hundred percent fraud". Sri Lanka banned GoldQuest in 2005, claiming that the company had caused 15 million dollars to leave the country.


title: Qnet

text: In 2007, APLI, the direct selling Association of Indonesia, called GoldQuest a pyramid scheme. Interpol arrested Eswaran and other company officials for fraud. Qnet responded that the allegation was unfounded. After three weeks, Indonesian courts released Eswaran and dismissed the charges soon afterward. Qnet continued to operate there.


title: Qnet

text: In 2008, around 3,000 people marched on the presidential palace in Kabul to demonstrate against the temporary withdrawal of QuestNet's license to operate. The business launched with around 600 IRs in 2006 and had expanded to 21,000 when the government temporarily withdrew the license to enable it to write operating laws. Rwanda banned QuestNet in 2009 for legal violations after The National Bank of Rwanda described the company as a pyramid scheme. Questnet appealed and was granted relief on condition that it follow the country's laws. That year Sudan banned QuestNet after allegations were made relating to poor product quality and the non-receipt of products. The same year, Syria shut down QuestNet for violating its commercial registration, stating that the company had operated a pyramid scheme and withdrawn billions of Syrian pounds from the country, while paying few taxes. The shutdown applied to all company agencies.


title: Qnet

text: In 2010 Questnet opened in Turkey with 150 distributors. Police subsequently charged 42 of them with gaining an unfair advantage. In 2011, the country investigated Qnet. The Trade Minister warned citizens against such structures, claiming that 96 percent of members. About 20 million dollars were collected from the public. 75 people were taken into custody in Qnet offices. They were accused of contacting unemployed young people. New members paid $570-$1750 to join. A commission for each new member started at US$250. Members sold Chinese goods such as watches, necklaces. In 2011, QI Group resumed operations in Turkey with the acquisition of the Dögan Hotel in Antalya. Eleven members were taken into custody for questioning. The Mardin Security Directorate arrested 12 people including a leader from Iran working QuestNet's Titan Happiness chain. About 110 thousand pounds of cash were reported to have been seized. They continued operating as Qnet after QuestNet was suspended. 53 people working for Questnet were detained in Ankara, Çorum, Antalya and Istanbul. An investigation was initiated against Eswaran. 30 thousand members lost money in a 50 million dollar fraud when the Turkey leg of the network collapsed.


title: Qnet

text: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and India accused Qnet of operating a product-based pyramid scheme. Dar al-Ifta issued Qnet a fatwā in 2012 stating Qnet's business in Egypt is haram (forbidden under Islamic law). In 2010 Saudi Arabia banned Qnet, accusing the company of theft, falsification, and failure to register, while warning citizens to avoid involvement in fraudulent schemes, mentioning Qnet specifically. Iran announced the arrest 30 of Goldquest members on charges of defrauding people of more than 5 trillion rials. Goldquest had been banned in 2005. Thirteen Qnet members in Tehran were arrested. GoldQuest disputed Iran's findings, claiming that their Iranian operations were simply network marketing. Journalist Donald Frazier said in 2012 that the charges against Qnet "tend to originate in apocryphal, anonymous or debunked sources".


title: Qnet

text: In August 2013, India made its first arrest in a case that began in 2008. Members were arrested for cheating. Investigations reached Bangalore and Chennai. Six of Qnet's bank accounts were frozen. A case of money laundering was registered against Qnet, its franchise Vihaan Direct Selling, and a few others. About 200 members of PT Qnet Indonesia alleged fraud. Losses were estimated to be between Rp 7 million – Rp 10 million per person. Kazakhstan banned Qnet. In Philippines Goldquest failed to submit its annual report for the years 1999–2000, 2002–2003, 2007–2013 and 2009–12, as required by the Corporation code and had its license revoked. In June 2014, Chairman of the Fatwa Commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Riau province, appealed to citizens to avoid the business.


title: Qnet

text: In June, 2014, Tajikistan newspaper 'J"umhuriyat" attacked Qnet as a dangerous financial pyramid. The company claimed the accusations were false. In September, Qnet sued private radio station and journalist Orzu Isoyev to protect its reputation after the station called the company the next pyramid. Religious leaders stated that the company's activities violated Sharia law. This was because the activity involved deceiving people and because the work combined two transactions into one, in that the member must make a purchase and at also agree to find new buyers. In addition, the member can make profits at someone else's expense. In India the key accused in Chennai was arrested. In 2014, Mumbai police froze the bank account of Danesh Irani after it was alleged that he had received lakhs of rupees. In February 2014, the Managing Director Pushpam Appalanaidu of Questnet India was arrested on 21 cases of cheating. Lookout notices against Eswaran and his business associates Dev Wadhwani and Sachin Gupta were issued. Qnet claimed that Wadhwani and Gupta were independent representatives and not employed by the company at any of their offices. Qnet advocated for the regulation of Indian multilevel marketing companies and for banning pyramid schemes. The Qnet office in Bangalore was shuttered. The bank account belonging to a PR firm dealing with Qnet was frozen. A radio announcer who had held training sessions to attract investors to Qnet was arrested in Mumbai. In October 2014, Mumbai Economic Offenses Wing sent notices to Café Coffee Day to not allow Qnet representatives to hold meetings at their outlets. In 2014 the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police filed a First Information Report against Qnet and its Indian subsidiary Vihaan and barred them from holding workshops and training sessions.


title: Qnet

text: Three independent representatives of Qnet were arrested in January 2015. In March two senior Qnet IRs were arrested. Four Qnet associates were arrested at Vijayawada. Fifteen lakh were seized. In July the Mumbai Police started a probe into an alleged deal with Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd that linked the International Indian Film Academy Awards and Qnet.


title: Qnet

text: In Mali Qnet was accused of tricking people to join Qnet, even though most lost money. In Russia Quest International had an annual turnover of 1.65 billion pounds. To join Qnet IR's had to buy 60,000 roubles worth of company products and then recruit two others who do the same. For every two recruits, the recruiter receives $250. Only 14% of those in the pyramid got their 60,000 rubles. The company partnered with former professional tennis player Martina Hingis in September 2015 and announced her as a Brand Ambassador. Qnet announced the liquidation of its office in Tajikistan on March 18, 2015, continuing its activities through a local company amidst accusations.


title: Qnet

text: In March Mumbai police issued summons to a top official of FC Goa to inquire about their sponsorship by Qnet. In June 2016 Delhi moved against Vihaan Direct Selling and three independent representatives for fraudulently operating a MLM scheme. Hyderabad police arrested four Qnet associates in September. Mumbai Police recovered 144 crore by freezing bank accounts. After a three-year probe, they filed a 55,000-page charge sheet against Vihaan directors and shareholders, which was Qnet's master franchise in India. The Securities and Exchange Board of India advised victims to file complaints with appropriate authorities. The Federation of Direct Selling Association rejected Vihaan's application, stating that Vihaan was in the recruitment business rather than retailing. It claimed that recruiting revenues were so large because recruiting rather than selling was the focus.


title: Qnet

text: In April 2014, Baku, Azerbaijan opened a criminal fraud case against Questnet. In 2012 and 2013, Questnet employees had taken money totaling more than 27 thousand Azerbaijani manat from 16 residents. In December 2016, two Questnet employees were sentenced to eight years in prison for defrauding some 15 citizens of over $65,000.


title: Qnet

text: In Moldova, a once-closed fraud case was reopened based on numerous complaints. Hundreds of Moldovans, eager to get rich overnight, went bankrupt after they were convinced by friends and relatives to join Qnet. They were promised thousands of Euros per week, but had to first buy at least $2000 of goods from the company. The newcomersfurther had to convince two more people to buy $2000 from Qnet to get a commission of $250.


title: Qnet

text: An IR in Dédougou, Burkina Faso was prosecuted for fraud totaling 390,000 West African CFA franc of membership fees. Hundreds of complaints were received. Each IR paid 450,000 CFA as member fees. Project officials were arrested and detained in Ziniare Prison and Correction Center.


title: Qnet

text: Young people in Damascus were recruited by friends to join and pay the membership fee. They are given products to sell and taught to recruit others. Recruiters earn $200 for each pair of recruits.


title: Qnet

text: Sri Lanka shut down Goldquest and QI. They were replaced by Global Lifestyle Lanka Ltd. Managing Director Selvarajan Wijayaratnam, Eswaran's brother-in-law and several board members were summoned. A former defence official was probed for allegedly receiving money to prevent Eswaran's arrest. In Jaffna thousands of people protested for refunds. A court there issued an interim injunction. The magistrate ordered a public awareness campaign and instructed Gram Sevakas to conduct awareness meetings.


title: Qnet

text: In Saudi Arabia, network marketing was banned after complaints about companies including Tvi and Qnet.


title: Qnet

text: Many Georgians took credits from commercial banks to buy Qnet products ranging from $500-$3,000 and claimed that they were defrauded.


title: Qnet

text: The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal in June, arrested 102 Qnet IRs on fraud charges. Some IRs received had as much as Rs 1 million.


title: Qnet

text: The Jijel province of Algeria dismantled Qnet's network, alleging that recruits were promised trips abroad. 15 women suspected to belong to Qnet were arrested in Annaba State. In Mostaganem three IRs were arrested.


title: Qnet

text: Indonesia included Qnet on its list of bogus companies. Four Qnet IRs were arrested for the murder of a Go Car driver. Qnet claimed that the company was not involved. In July 2017, at least 19 teenagers who had joined Qnet were evacuated from a shelter in Simo Boyolali Indonesia and returned to their parents. They had been attempting to sell worthless products such as Chakra for Rp 8 million. Similar cases of alleged fraud occurred in Sambi district. Police raided a rented house in Tray district, finding 20 men and 4 women. Two of their leaders were questioned by the police. In Jambi City detained 48 Qnet members for disturbing neighbors. Dozens of youth were recruited in Kartosuro Sukoharjo Regency.


title: Qnet

text: In Maharashtra a Court stated that Qnet operations were not legal. In February Delhi High Court, dismissed a petition to quash aFirst Information Report describing Qnet as a scam. In March forty-seven IRs were arrested and multiple bank accounts were frozen. In April the Enforcement Directorate provisionally seized Qnet properties worth over 150 crore. In May, the Economic Offences Wing Mumbai announced that a unit would be formed to compensate Qnet investors pending a court order. IRs were arrested in Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Meerut and Kochi. Complaints were lodged in Hyderabad, Madhapur and Mumbai.


title: Qnet

text: In February, 2017 the Karnataka High Court quashed criminal proceedings against QNet executive Naresh Balasubramaniam in a cybercrime case over alleged fraud. In March, 2017 the Supreme Court of India stayed further proceedings in all the 19 FIR's filed against Qnet and its stake holders across the country and granted bail to Michael Ferreira, former world champion in billiards, and another official of the firm's India franchise in a cheating case.


title: Qnet

text: Four Qnet IRs were arrested for allegedly recruiting 580 youth in Kumasi Ghana. The recruits were asked to pay 3,100 Ghanaian Cedi.


title: Qnet

text: In Sri Lanka three Qnet-related schemes were investigated. The company was ordered to stop its activities.


title: Qnet

text: Latvia television reported that QN Europe was a pyramid scheme. The Ministry of Economy of Lebanon warned the public about Qnet. In Mail following a violent protest, 10 IRs were arrested for fraud. New members paid 400 to 6,000,000 CFA. Malian spiritual guide, Chérif Ousmane Madani Haïdara stated that none of Qnet's medical products, had any effect and denied involvement with them. In Indonesia, Qnet operated in Boyolali, Simo, Banyudono, Mojosongo, Andong and Ngemplak, and in Teras District. Three IRs in Lamongan reported losses of Rp 76 million to investment company Pt Amoeba International that used the Qnet logo. Action was taken against Qnet in Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Nagpur, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kanchipuram.


title: Qnet

text: In Guinea, action was taken against Qnet in Labe and Dixinn. In Saudi Arabia Qnet IRs were arrested in Mecca, Riyadh and Najran. In Ivory Coast Qnet IRs were arrested in San-Pédro. Complaints led Turkey to list Qnet as one of 19 pyramid companies. The Georgia Qnet office is managed by parliamentarian Eka Beselia's family. Thousands of people who joined the Qnet network lost money invested in the company. The Fatwa Committee of Kurdistan Iraq, issued a statement denouncing the activity of Qnet as haram. In Senegal Qnet recruited 108,000 members charging between 500 and 700 dollars. The official who issued document of official recognition to Qnet was arrested. In Ghana Qnet claimed that its network employs 10,000 people who earn between 1000 and 10000 dollars per month. In Gambia IRs were arrested. In Kazakhstan Qnet was accused of making false promises.


title: Qnet

text: In India Qnet faced legal action and/or arrests in Kukatpally, Cyberabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Rajasthan, Telangana and Powai. Cyberabad police began investigation of the suicide of a former techie owing to alleged losses suffered after investing Indian Rupee 25 Lakh in Qnet Ponzi scheme. He had enrolled six members and was under extreme pressure to enroll more members, his family claimed. The police have written to several investigating agencies including Reserve Bank of India, Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department, Serious Fraud Investigation Office, Registrar of Companies, India about how the firm was running Ponzi schemes and have created thousands of investors across the country. A man in Chennai committed suicide after being tricked to invest INR 8 Lakhs in Qnet multi level marketing company by his cousin. A software engineer in Navi Mumbai allegedly committed suicide although his brother refuted his friends claims that he was depressed following losses from an investment of INR 2.5 Lakhs in Qnet. The Registrar of Companies in Karnataka had inspected the books of Vihaan Direct Selling Pvt Ltd, a franchise of QNet, and based upon the report, it had filed winding up petition before the National Company Law Tribunal. Ministry of Corporate Affairs official communication stated that Lookout circulars were issued against 12 persons associated with the company as directors or promoters. 70 people were arrested and 38 cases registered against the company in different police stations. People in Odisha had registered a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing against QNet for allegedly cheating them of lakhs of rupees. A former member of QNet who launched his own multi-level marketing firm after he lost 13 lakhs rupees in QNet scheme was arrested by Cyberabad police for running a money circulation scheme. Three persons in Kerala were arrested by Payyanur police after complaint was filed by a person who was asked to invest in the company.


title: Qnet

text: In Indonesia, in Malang in separate incidents, police rescued individuals allegedly held captive by Qnet personnel. Six youths claimed to be victims of QNet multi level marketing business who were promised of job placement with a salary of Rp 3 million per week but first had to deposit an initial capital of Rp 9.5 million per week to join QNet. They revealed that they were taught to recruit at least two downlines in order to reap profits but the money paid to join cannot be withdrawn later. Lumajang


title: Qnet

text: Police arrested the director of PT Amoeba International affiliated with PT QNet for running business as a money game system using the pyramid mechanism. New members who joined Qnet were required to find two new members in which each left and right leg of the pyramid will continue to branch off. Lumajang Police Chief explained that in a pyramid scheme, even if there are goods, actual sale of goods is just a cover. Almost 87 percent people lose their money, which is why it is prohibited in many countries. Thousands of people along with dozens of victims of QNet pyramid scheme descended on the roads to support the police chief and the cobra team to investigate the fraud.


title: Qnet

text: Channel 31 (Kazakhstan) reported that in Karaganda region one person had to undergo treatment after joining Qnet. In Conakry, Guinea, 100 people were arrested for involvement with Qnet. In Sierra Leone investigations of Qnet were demanded by IRs claiming they had been defrauded. In Senegal a dozen IRs were arrested along with two company executives. In a public press conference, the Director, National Agency of Financial Investigations in Chad declared Qnet as a criminal enterprise and asked the public to remain vigilant. The pyramid scheme had extorted 91 million Central African CFA franc from vulnerable groups in over 4 years.


title: Qnet

text: Over 100 people from Togo became victim to a big scam called Qnet. They were told by friends that they found jobs in Ghana with a monthly salary of 300,000 CFA franc but were instead made to pay 500,000 CFA franc for training. The victims without knowing the name of the company, sold things, mobilized the money and went into debt, only realizing later that they have joined Qnet against their will. 213 nationals belonging to Mali were found to be victims of a scam network in Abidjan in Ivory Coast where each Malian had paid the sum of 3,00,000 to 20,00,000 CFA franc. In Ghana about 50 foreigners who were employees of Qnet, were deported for not having resident permits. Police in Alborz Province of Iran arrested 13 members of the pyramid company Qnet who were recruiting people where each invested 200 million Iranian rial. They were later sent to prison.


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: Lolo Soetoro (EYD: Lolo Sutoro; ; 2 January 1935 – 2 March 1987), also known as Lolo Soetoro Mangunharjo or Mangundikardjo, was an Indonesian man who was the stepfather of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: Soetoro was born in Bandung, West Java, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), the ninth of 10 children of Martodihardjo, an employee of a mining office from Yogyakarta. Soetoro's father and eldest brother were killed during the Indonesian National Revolution, when Indonesia won independence from the Dutch, and the Dutch army burned the family's home. Soetoro fled with his mother to the countryside.


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: Soetoro earned his bachelor's degree in geography from Gadjah Mada University, in Yogyakarta. In 1962, Soetoro, then a civilian employee of the Indonesian Army Topographic Service, obtained an East–West Center grant for graduate study in geography at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He arrived in Honolulu in September 1962 and graduated from the university with a M.A. in geography in June 1964.


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: Soetoro met the divorced Ann Dunham at the East-West Center while both were students at the University of Hawaii, and married on 15 March 1965. Soetoro, a geographer, returned to Indonesia in 1966 to help map Western New Guinea for the Indonesian government, while Dunham and her son Barack Obama moved into her parents' house in Honolulu to complete her studies.


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: Dunham and her six-year-old son joined Soetoro in Jakarta in 1967. The family initially lived for two and a half years in a modest stucco and red tile house in a newly built neighborhood in Menteng Dalam village in South Jakarta and owned a new Japanese motorcycle. Dunham worked as assistant director of the Indonesia-America Friendship Institute while Obama attended the Indonesian-language Santo Fransiskus Asisi (St. Francis of Assisi) Catholic School.


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: In 1970, with a new job in government relations at Union Oil Company, Soetoro moved his family two miles north to a rented house, with a car replacing their motorcycle. Dunham was a department head and a director of the Lembaga Pendidikan dan Pengembangan Manajemen (LPPM)–the Institute of Management Education and Development. Obama attended the Indonesian-language Besuki School.


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: In mid-1971, Obama moved back to Hawaii to attend Punahou School. In August 1972, Dunham rejoined Obama with her daughter and began graduate study at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She gained an M.A. in anthropology in December 1974 and returned with her daughter to Jakarta in 1975 while Obama remained in Hawaii. In 1976, Dunham and her daughter lived for half a year with Soetoro's 76-year-old mother.


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: Dunham became increasingly interested in Indonesian culture while Soetoro became more interested in that of the West, and their relationship was in conflict over differing values. They divorced on 6 November 1980.


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: In his 1995 memoir "Dreams from My Father", Obama described Soetoro as well-mannered, even-tempered, and easy with people; he wrote of the struggles he felt Soetoro had to deal with after his return to Indonesia from Hawaii. He described his stepfather as following "a brand of Islam that could make room for the remnants of more ancient, classical, and Dharmic philosophies such as that of the Hindu." In a 2007 article, "Chicago Tribune" foreign correspondent Kim Barker reported that Soetoro "was much more of a free spirit than a devout Muslim, according to former friends and neighbors."


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: Soetoro married Erna Kustina in 1980 and had two children, son Yusuf Aji Soetoro (born 1981), and daughter Rahayu Nurmaida Soetoro (born 1984).


title: Lolo Soetoro

text: Soetoro died, age 52, on 2 March 1987, of liver failure, and was buried in Tanah Kusir Cemetery, South Jakarta.


title: Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge

text: The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge () is a viaduct on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway. It is the longest bridge in the world.


title: Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge

text: The bridge is located on the rail line between Shanghai and Nanjing in Jiangsu province. It is in the Yangtze River Delta where the geography is characterised by lowland rice paddies, canals, rivers, and lakes. The bridge runs roughly parallel to the Yangtze River, about south of the river. It passes through the northern edges of population centers (from west to east) beginning in Danyang, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, and ending in Kunshan. There is a section over open water across Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou.


title: Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge

text: Construction was completed in 2010 and the bridge opened in 2011. Employing 10,000 people, the project took four years and cost about $8.5 billion. The bridge currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world in any category .


title: Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge

text: The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company designed and built the bridge. It is a Chinese government-funded company which was originally part of the Foreign Aid Office of the Ministry of Communications of China. This company leads major civil engineering projects in China like highways, railways, bridges, ports, and tunnels.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: The Norte del Valle Cartel (), or North Valley Cartel, was a drug cartel that operated principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia, most notably the coastal city of Buenaventura. It rose to prominence during the 1990s, after the Cali and Medellín Cartels fragmented, and it was known as one of the most powerful organizations in the illegal drug trade. The drug cartel was led by the brothers Luis Enrique and Javier Antonio Calle Serna, alias "Los Comba", until its takedown in 2008 by the authorities of the Colombia, Venezuela and with cooperation of the United States DEA.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: It is alleged that the Norte del Valle cartel was formed after an event where the brothers Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela and Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, leaders of the Cali Cartel, came to an agreement with the Colombian government that if they surrendered themselves and their organization to the Colombian justice system they would be given perks, such as imprisonment in Colombian prisons for not more than five years and the promise of no expropriation of their substantial assets. It is stated that they organized a meeting with their lieutenants, main subordinates, and junior partners in the business, to inform them that the decision had already been taken to stop all the illicit business immediately. Those members who refused this sudden dissolution, including Carlos Alberto Rentería Mantilla, Juan Carlos Ortiz Escobar, Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía, Diego León Montoya Sánchez, and Orlando Henao Montoya, formed the North Valley cartel.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Its members were José Orlando Henao Montoya alias "El Hombre del Overol" (The Overall Man), Colonel Danilo Gonzalez, Ivan Urdinola Grajales Alias "El Enano" (The Dwarf) Efrain Hernandez Ramirez "Don Efra" (Mr. Efra), Andres Lopez Lopez "Florecita" (Floweret); Arcangel de Jesus Henao Montoya "El Mocho", middle brother of Orlando Henao, Lorena Henao Montoya "La Viuda De La Mafia" (The Mafia Widow) sister of Orlando Henao, Wilber Alirio Varela Fajardo, "Jabón" [or Cabo](Soap), Diego León Montoya Sanchez "Don Diego" (Mr. Diego), Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia "Chupeta" (Lollipop), C.N.G.P "El Piloto" Luis Hernando Gomez Bustamante "Rasguño" (Scratch), Victor Patiño Fomeque "El Quimico" (The Chemist) or "La Fiera" (The Beast). Ex member of Cali Cartel, Luis Alfonso Ocampo Fomeque "Tocayo" (Namesake) half brother of Victor Patiño, Carlos Alberto Renteria Mantilla "Beto Renteria", Ramon Alberto Quintero Sanclemente "RQ", Miguel Fernando Solano "Don Miguelito" (Mr. Miguelito) Juan Carlos Ortiz Escobar "Cuchilla" (Blade) and Jorge Eliecer Asprilla "El Negro Asprilla", Peter Belt " (Pedro Bacos).


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: According to Diego Montoya's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) profile, the U.S. government accuses him of being involved in the willing production and distribution of multiple tons of cocaine into the United States. It also considers him and his organization as heavily relying on violence enjoying the protection of both right-wing and left-wing illegal armed groups classified as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: According to a 2004 U.S. government Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) indictment, between 1990 and 2004, the Norte del Valle cartel exported more than 1.2 million pounds – or 500 metric tons – of cocaine worth in excess of $10 billion from Colombia to Mexico and ultimately to the United States for resale.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: The indictment charges that the Norte del Valle cartel used violence and brutality to further its goals, including the murder of rivals, individuals who failed to pay for cocaine, and associates who were believed to be working as informants.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: The indictment alleges that the cartel members employed the services of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a right-wing paramilitary organization internationally classified as terrorist, to protect the cartel's drug routes, its drug laboratories, and its members and associates. The AUC is one of the 37 Foreign Terrorist Organizations identified by the U.S. State Department in 2004.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Leaders of the Norte del Valle cartel allegedly bribed and corrupted Colombian law enforcement and Colombian legislators to, among other things, attempt to block the extradition of Colombian narcotics traffickers to the United States to be prosecuted for their crimes. According to the indictment, members of the Norte del Valle cartel even conducted their own wiretaps in Colombia to intercept the communications of rival drug traffickers and Colombian and United States law enforcement officials.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: The chiefs of the Norte del Valle cartel at one time included Orlando Henao a.k.a. "el hombre del overol" ("The overall man"), Montìguéz Franco a.k.a. "Monty", Diego León Montoya Sánchez, a.k.a. "Don Diego", Wilber Varela, a.k.a. "Jabón" ("Soap"), and Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía, a.k.a. "Chupeta" ("Lollipop"). Until his capture in late 2007 Diego Montoya was part of the list containing the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Fierce rivalries that divided the cartel into warring factions erupted in 2003 when Hernando Gómez, Wilber Varela and their inner circle, prompted by a rising number of extradition of cartel members to the United States, apparently attempted to negotiate a possible surrender deal with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in a move which was strongly rejected by Diego Montoya and several of the other cartel drug lords. After a failed hit on Varela left him in the hospital with multiple gunshots, Varela declared war on Diego Montoya who he held responsible for the attack.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: This situation led to brutal gang warfare, which left a deathtoll of more than 1,000 people between 2003 and 2004 throughout different northern locations of the Valle del Cauca department.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: The consequences of such an internal vendetta led Colombian authorities to intervene in order to increase law enforcement efforts against the cartel, which resulted in the 2004 arrest of some 100 assassins in the employ of both rival factions, and in the 2005 capture of Varela's close associate Julio César López (alias "Ojitos", or "Small Eyes"), and Montoya's chief hatchetman, Carlos José Robayo Escobar (alias "Guacamayo", or "Macaw"), among others. On June 4, 2008, Julio César López was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison by a federal court in New York. More than $100 million worth in properties and luxury assets was also seized, along with an almost complete fiberglass narco-submarine that would have been built by the cartel in order to smuggle drugs into the United States and other foreign countries.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: All of these events may have influenced several members of the Norte del Valle cartel to seek a deal with Colombian and U.S. drug enforcement authorities during late 2004 and early 2005, whether through direct negotiation proposals or employing the possible protection that they may gain through the infiltration of the AUC's then ongoing peace negotiations with the Colombian government.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Diego Montoya was captured in Colombia on September 10, 2007. Wilber Varela was killed in the Venezuelan city of Mérida.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: The Norte del Valle Cartel is believed to be the single most powerful existing cartel in Colombia with exception of the smaller North Coast Cartel, the FARC Marxist guerrilla, and the right wing paramilitary group AUC. Due to their violent warfare that left more than 1,000 people dead between 2003 and 2004, the Colombian government with support of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have pursued the cartel heavily for over four years.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: The first significant blow to be dealt to the Norte del Valle Cartels internal membership came with the arrest of Juan Carlos Montoya Sánchez, brother to top Norte del Valle boss Diego Montoya. Juan Carlos was arrested in December 2003 in Colombia and extradited to the United States two years later on May 4, 2005, where he was sentenced to 262 months in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering. He was believed to be responsible for overseeing the cartel's cocaine laboratories. Along with Juan Carlos, Carlos Felipe Toro Sánchez, alias "Pipe", was arrested. Carlos Felipe was believed to be responsible for overseeing the drug shipments of cocaine to their destination in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. Carlos Felipe was extradited to the United States ten days before Juan Carlos, on April 25, 2005. The following month after the capture of Juan Carlos came the arrest of José Dagoberto Flores Ríos whose alias is "Chuma." Jose Dagoberto, who was the top lieutenant to Arcángel Henao Montoya, was arrested in January 2004 in Colombia and later extradited to the United States where he is in custody in New York.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: In 2004, four additional captures occurred of Norte del Valle hierarchy. The capture of Arcángel Henao Montoya, also known as "El Mocho" ("The Amputee"), was a top leader of the cartel. Arcángel was arrested on January 10, 2004, in Panama and extradited to New York. In July 2004 Luis Hernando Gómez Bustamante, alias "Rasguño" ("Scratch"), one of the founders and top leaders of the cartel, was arrested on July 2, 2004, trying to enter Cuba on a false passport. He was held in Cuba awaiting extradition to Colombia and ultimately to the U.S. In March 2004, the Colombian government seized properties belonging to Bustamante in excess of $100 million. He would not be extradited to the United States for over three years. Gabriel Puerta Parra, alias "El Doctor" ("The Doctor"), was arrested on October 7, 2004, near Bogotá, Colombia. Gabriel Puerta was an attorney and counselor to the Norte del Valle cartel. He acted as a highly respected intermediary between the Norte del Valle Cartel and major Mexican cartels, assisted in resolving disputes within the cartel and, influencing the Colombian government with extradition matters. He invested his own money in drug shipments and facilitated money laundering operations through front companies he owned and setup for the cartel, as well as acquiring local and international real estate to launder the cartel's illegal proceeds.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Arrests continued throughout 2005 as José Aldemar Rendón Ramírez, alias "Mechas", was arrested by Colombian authorities on July 15, 2005. José Aldemar operated as a financial officer within the Norte del Valle Cartel, responsible for the launder of its illegal proceeds. Jhonny Cano Correa, alias "Flecha" ("Arrow"), was arrested later the year on October 29, 2005. Jhonny Cano operated as a chief of security for Luis Hernando Gómez Bustamante. He was responsible for ensuring the security of cocaine processing laboratories, drug shipments, and murdering rivals. He was eventually extradited to the United States in September 2006.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Following the capture of Luis Hernando Gómez Bustamante, and his chief of security, Jhonny Cano, came the capture of Bustamante's lieutenant, Jaime Maya Durán, alias "Alejandro". Following Bustamante's arrest, Durán assumed more responsibility within the cartel. He was captured in Mexico in September 2006 and shortly after extradited to the United States. The following month brought the capture of Orlando Sabogal Zuluaga, alias "Alberto", another high-ranking lieutenant to Luis Hernando Gómez Bustamante on October 31, 2006, in a shopping mall in Spain.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: In 2007 five members of the cartel were captured, Eugenio Montoya Sánchez, alias "Don Hugo", younger brother to top cartel boss Diego Montoya, was arrested January 15, 2007, in the Cartel's stronghold town of El Dovio. It is believed Eugenio took over his brother's major operations to allow his brother to remain at large from Colombian and U.S. authorities.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: February 2007 brought about the extradition of Luis Hernando Gómez Bustamante, arrested years prior. Bustamante was extradited to Colombia from Cuba on July 20, 2007, he was then handed over to DEA agents in Bogotá for transport to the United States. Bustamante reportedly offered to cooperate with U.S. authorities in exchange for protection after receiving numerous death threats while in Colombian custody. February led to the capture of Laureano Rentería, Alessandro Racca Caiado [El Piloto] of Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía. Laureano Renteria was detained in one of Ramirez's hiding places containing $19 million. He tried convincing authorities he was a simple construction worker hired to remodel the house and accepted a plea deal to 44 months in prison. While in prison an informant in New York revealed he was Ramírez's confidant who protected Ramirez during their six-year prison term served in a Colombia during the 1990s. Laureano Renteria was responsible for managing Ramírez's financial structure including the stash house logistics and bribing of high Colombian government officials. When the DEA learned of this information they had the Colombian authorities transfer Rentería to a maximum security prison to await a speedy extradition to the US. On February 27, 2007, the extradition order was to be served, but authorities found Rentería dead in his cell due to cyanide poisoning. His death went unsolved, but Ramírez is suspected to have ordered the hit to prevent him from revealing vital cartel secrets.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: On February 25, 2007, Eduardo Restrepo Victoria, also known as "El Socio", was arrested in Colombia. It is believed that Eduardo is the right-hand man and the partner of the cartel leader, Wilber Varela. On September 7, 2006, Colombian police seized 65 Restrepo properties in the cities of Bogota, Cali and no state of Tolima valued at more than US$25 million. Henry Loaiza Ceballos, "El Alacran" ("The Scorpion"). When he was captured and extradited, Restrepo assumed its operations in partnership with Varela.[23] The month following the capture of Juan Carlos Ramirez-Abadia, incidentally "Chupeta", one of the main masters of Cartel Norte del Valle. In January 2007, four separate raids of Ramírez's houses in the city of Cali, Colombia. Ramirez was arrested in Brazil on August 7, 2007.[24] Ramirez was extradited by Brazil to the United States on Friday, August 22, 2008.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Diego León Montoya Sánchez, alias "Don Diego", "El Señor de la Guerra" ("The Warlord"), was arrested on September 10, 2007, at 8:20 a.m., in a rural farm house in Valle, Colombia. Montoya was believed to be the top leader of the Norte Del Valle Cartel. The arrest of Diego Leon ends the Montoya Clan's claim in drug trafficking, with Juan Carlos Montoya Sánchez serving a 262-month prison term in the United States and his younger brother Eugenio Montoya Sánchez detained in a maximum security prison in Colombia awaiting extradition. After news of Montoya's arrest, Colombian Defense Minister claimed his extradition to the US was inevitable. He was extradited to Miami on December 12, 2008.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: The Colombian and US governments were targeting Wilber Varela, believing he would try to take over Montoya's business as well and possibly start another war with the emerging leaders. However, Varela was found murdered on January 30, 2008, in a hotel resort in the state of Mérida in Venezuela. Colombian authorities believe he was murdered by his own men on orders of jailed paramilitary drug lord Carlos Mario Jimenez alias "Macaco" to end Varela's power struggle in the rival city Medellin and surrounding areas in Antioquia. Jimenez was later extradited to the United States on May 7, 2008, for failing to meet the terms of his surrender and for continuing to run his criminal organization in prison.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: On June 1, 2009, Aldemar Álvarez Tabares alias "Pelón", the supposed successor of Bustamante, was arrested in Cali. Ramón Quintero Sanclemente (alias "RQ" or "Lucas"), an old guard high-ranking member of the cartel, was arrested in Quito (Ecuador) and immediately deported to Colombia. Quintero was held in the Combita maximum security prison, while awaiting extradition proceedings to the United States. Quintero was one of the 10 most wanted DEA drug traffickers in the world, and he had a reward for his capture, valued up to $5 million. Quintero was accused of being one of the last leaders of the NVC organization, and also of trafficking large amounts of cocaine through Mexico using his Mexican cartel connections / partners (some reports claim that his organization was moving up to 50 metric tons per year to the United States and Europe). The formal request for extradition was submitted by the United States in July 2009. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bonnie S. Klapper and Walter M. Norkin in the Eastern District of New York. Colombia's Supreme Court approved Quintero's extradition on June 28, 2011. He was extradited on December 12, 2011. On November 21, 2012, South Florida judge William P. Dimitrouleas sentenced Quintero to 210 months (17 years) in federal prison on charges of conspiring to import cocaine to the United States.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Diego Montoya's arrest and Wilber Varela's murder closed a chapter in Colombia's war on drugs. However, Colombian and US officials have identified the remaining cartel members that may fight for leadership of the organization. Authorities have identified the following targets as possible successors for both the Montoya and Varela Organization. As a preventive initiative, the Colombian government has issued arrest warrants for all these men before they can organize and restructure the cartel. Close to $250,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of each suspect. All suspects have extradition requests from the United States.