title: Pere Ubu

text: Pere Ubu toured "The Long Goodbye" late in 2019. Seven dates, spread over September, October and November, that took in London, Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. The band began 2020 with a performance at the Centro Conde Duque Arts in Madrid. The day before, January 15, David Thomas ran a workshop, 'How To Be A Singer', in partnership with the band's drummer Chris Cutler. However, further dates scheduled for 2020 were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown. In response, in May The Avant Garage Fan Attic (Official) launched on subscription platform Patreon. The exclusive content includes Datapanik TV (DPKTV), a channel of live broadcasts hosted by David Thomas.


title: Pere Ubu

text: On February 11, 2022, the group played a one-off performance called "Pere Ubu's Canterbury Tales" at The University of Kent's Gulbenkain Theater in Canterbury. The group's line-up for this was show included Thomas, Moliné, Gagarin, Cutler and new member Alex Ward on guitar and clarinet. David Thomas and The Two Pale Boys (Moliné, Gagarin, and Andy Diagram for this performance) played an opening set, as did Rats On Rafts, who performed a live cover of Pere Ubu’s "Visions Of The Moon." The show was emceed by Bob Holman of the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City.


title: Pere Ubu

text: A new vinyl remasters box set, "Nuke The Whales: 2006-2014" was released by Fire on April 1, 2022. The box set, packaged in the same style as the previous box sets, features "Why I Hate Women" (retitled "Why I Luv Women"), "Lady From Shanghai", "Long Live Pere Ubu!" and "Carnival of Souls". All of the albums except "Long Live Pere Ubu!" were remixed by David Thomas in 2021, and "Why I Luv Women" and "Long Live Pere Ubu!" make their vinyl debuts via this set.


title: Pere Ubu

text: To define their music, Pere Ubu coined the term "avant-garage" to reflect interest in both experimental avant-garde music (especially musique concrète) and raw, direct blues-influenced garage rock. Thomas has stated the term is "a joke invented to have something to give journalists when they yelp for a neat sound bite or pigeonhole". Their music has been called art punk and post-punk. Their songs imagined 1950s and 1960s garage rock and surf music archetypes as seen in a distorting funhouse mirror, emphasising the music's angst, loneliness and lyrical paranoia. Sometimes sounding like a demented nursery rhyme sing-along, this already bizarre blend was overlaid with Ravenstine's ominous EML synthesizer effects and tape looped sounds of mundane conversation, ringing telephones or steam whistles. Their propulsive rhythmic pulse was similar to Krautrock, but Thomas's yelping, howling, desperate singing was and still is peculiar when compared to most other rock and roll singers.


title: Junius Spencer Morgan III

text: Junius Spencer Morgan III (March 15, 1892 – October 19, 1960) was an American banker and a director of the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company.


title: Junius Spencer Morgan III

text: Junius Spencer Morgan III was born on March 15, 1892, to Jane Norton Grew and Jack Morgan (1867–1943), who was a banker and the son of J. Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913), the renowned financier. Through his mother, he was a first cousin to Henry Grew Crosby (1898–1929).


title: Junius Spencer Morgan III

text: On September 15, 1917, he was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy Reserve Force and was later promoted to lieutenant during the First World War. He resigned from the Navy on December 13, 1918. His naval service enabled him to become a member of the New York Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States.


title: Junius Spencer Morgan III

text: On December 1, 1941, Morgan was placed on active duty, serving during World War II as he had remained in the Naval Reserve between the wars. On August 15, 1942, he was promoted to the rank of commander. He served with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and rose to the rank of captain by the end of the war. His brother, Commander Henry S. Morgan, also served with the OSS during the war.


title: Junius Spencer Morgan III

text: On June 15, 1915, he married Louise Converse (b. 1894) in Boston, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Frederick Converse, a noted composer. Together, they had three children:


title: Junius Spencer Morgan III

text: Junius Morgan died on October 19, 1960. His wife survived him and later died on December 18, 1974. They are both buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut), along with his father and grandfather.


title: Junius Spencer Morgan III

text: He served as commodore of the New York Yacht Club from 1933 to 1935. Both his father and grandfather had previously served as commodore of the club.


title: Junius Spencer Morgan III

text: His family's main residence was the 'Salutation' estate, which is located on Long Island in Glen Cove, New York. This home was built around 1929 for Junius Morgan and his wife. The property is no longer owned by the Morgan family, but it is still in private hands and used as a residence.


title: Junius Spencer Morgan III

text: This location was used to portray the Larrabee family's mansion in the movie "Sabrina". The movie made extensive use of this mansion's interiors during the filming.


title: After Porn Ends

text: After Porn Ends is a 2012 American documentary film about the pornography industry. It features interviews with Asia Carrera, Nina Hartley, Mary Carey, Randy West, Richard Pacheco, John Leslie, Amber Lynn, Seka, Raylene, Bill Margold, Shelley Lubben, and Tiffany Million.


title: After Porn Ends

text: Documentary filmmaker Bryce Wagoner, a graduate of East Carolina University, interviewed several former porn stars about their lives after leaving the industry. Wagoner got the inspiration for the documentary from a part-time job during his film education: During a voice-over and motion capture break for the video game, "WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw", a group watched porn movies and one of them asked what the actors did with their lives after their time in the scene. In a separate blog post, he explained that the scene was about sexual acts with vegetables.


title: After Porn Ends

text: The questions in the fast-paced interview scenes revolve around four core questions: How do you find your way into this film business? Why do you stop and possibly start again? How can a secure existence or family be built and thus private life and career be separated? How do porn actors differ from other employees? Asia Carrera, among others, reports that Mensa International would link to all member websites, but in her case made an exception, since it is a pornographic website.


title: After Porn Ends

text: The first sequel, "After Porn Ends 2", was released in March 2017. The industry actors involved included Janine Lindemulder, Ginger Lynn, Darren James, Lisa Ann, Chasey Lain, Tabitha Stevens, Brittany Andrews and Georgina Spelvin.


title: After Porn Ends

text: The second sequel, "After Porn Ends 3", was released on 30 October 2018 and it continues to explore whether a career as an adult performer is inherently damaging to the balance of a performer's life once a performer retires from the porn industry. Directed by Brittany Andrews, it features Christy Canyon, Tera Patrick, Herschel Savage, Jenna Presley, , and Bonnie Rotten.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Nicholas Alahverdian (born July 11, 1987), also known as Nicholas Rossi and Arthur Knight, among other aliases, is an American sex offender who faked his own death in 2020.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Alahverdian alleged that he suffered abuse and negligence in the Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF), Rhode Island's social service system. In support of this allegation, he unsuccessfully sued the DCYF in federal court in 2011, then voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit when Rhode Island waived his medical expenses debt of around $200,000.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In January 2020, Alahverdian said that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In February 2020, news outlets reported Alahverdian's death, citing his family's anonymous testimony and his obituary. The reports of his death were disputed, as they occurred after the FBI initiated a fraud investigation against him, while Rhode Island police had a warrant on him for failure to register as a sex offender.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In October 2021, he was discovered in a hospital in Scotland, while undergoing treatment for COVID-19. He was arrested in December on charges of an alleged rape in Utah in 2008 (a sealed arrest warrant had been issued in September 2020), in addition to other alleged crimes. Efforts are underway to extradite him to the United States. In November 2022, the Edinburgh Sheriff's Court confirmed that the arrested man was Nicholas Rossi, despite his claims of mistaken identity.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Alahverdian alleged his parents were "abusive and alcoholic" and "couldn't take care of him" leading to his placement in the care of the DCYF.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Early in his life, he was diagnosed with behavioral and mental health issues. His stepfather David Rossi stated: "He just wouldn’t listen in school, he hit the mother, hit the grandmother all the time, hit his siblings. I used to have to hold him down, and he'd be spitting at me" and as a result, he was placed in psychiatric care at Butler Hospital and later, Bradley Hospital. There, doctors diagnosed him with narcissistic personality disorder and attention deficit disorder. After being discharged from a treatment program, he briefly went back to his family home but was removed and placed into the care of DCYF as a result of creating conflict within his family home.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Alahverdian has alleged that for a period of 15 months beginning in March 2002 the DCYF placed him in their "night-to-night" program, in which a youth would spend his or her day at a DCYF building in Pawtucket and nights at one of several shelters around Rhode Island, including locations in Central Falls, Providence, Narragansett, or Woonsocket. Alahverdian said he did not attend school during this period. According to Alahverdian, the other youths stole his items and threatened and assaulted him during this period. "The Providence Journal", in April 2012, described the night-to-night program as a "stifling" experience and said Alahverdian was "denied a substantial chunk of his childhood".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Alahverdian was hired as a legislative page in the Rhode Island House of Representatives at age 14. Alahverdian said that he informed lawmakers about his negative experience in DCYF care, but received no assistance. Brian G. Coogan, a Rhode Island Representative at the time, stated that he felt sorry for the teenage Alahverdian and took action to formally adopt him, but was warned off from doing so by Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah. Coogan said that Jeremiah predicted that Alahverdian "will try to undermine you and turn your family upside-down".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Alahverdian claims to have formed NexusGovernment, an organization to lobby for child welfare, in 2002, at the age of 15. However, Alahverdian said that he quit the organization in March 2003. Additionally, "The Providence Journal", reporting in 2011, stated that NexusGovernment was only "recently formed".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Local media reported that Alahverdian was sent by DCYF to Boys Town in Nebraska and Manatee Palms Youth Services in Florida in 2003. In a 2011 lawsuit filed against the Rhode Island DCYF, he testified that he was prohibited from contacting others, such as the media, attorneys, the state child advocate and his caseworker during this period. Alahverdian alleged that he was sent out of state because, in Rhode Island, he was "a source of information on DCYF". Rhode Island authorities stated that there were no records of Alahverdian being abused.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: According to a DCYF spokesperson, they stopped using Manatee Palms Youth Services in 2005 due to "concerns we had with the way they were treating our kids". In 2005, Alahverdian was returned to Rhode Island, where he received treatment at Bradley Hospital for a two-week period. Afterwards, he was placed in an independent living program.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Alahverdian told WPRI that he was beaten daily in Florida, Nebraska and Rhode Island" by other youths in DCYF programs. Alahverdian told WJAR that he suffered "torture, beatings, assault" and neglect under DCYF care until 2005.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: For a short period of time, Alahverdian studied comparative literature in extension program classes offered by Harvard University. He did not graduate, as in 2012, he was "administratively withdrawn" from the course when the university learned of his sex offender status. Despite this, Alahverdian claimed to be a "Harvard scholar, political scientist and sociologist".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: After Alahverdian failed to overturn his sex offender conviction, "he became a men's rights figurehead for radicalized people" who claim they are unable to get romantic or sexual partners despite desiring them, often referred to as incels.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In 2017, Alahverdian lived with a friend in Providence, Rhode Island. The friend later applied for a restraining order against Alahverdian, accusing Alahverdian of refusing to move out and cashing checks belonging to the friend.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Alahverdian eventually left the United States, settling in South Bristol, England with a woman called Miranda Knight. According to Miranda's brother, Alahverdian dated Miranda in 2019, and they married in early 2020. None of Alahverdian's family or friends were present at the ceremony. Alahverdian never spoke about his family, and told Miranda he was from Dublin and was working in online marketing and public relations, said Miranda's brother. In February 2020, Alahverdian faked his death to American media.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In 2021, Alahverdian and Miranda moved to Glasgow, Scotland. There, he claimed to be a professor teaching at the nearby University of Glasgow. According to a neighbour in Glasgow, Alahverdian said he was "creating a textbook on religious education for schools", used an English accent, had blonde hair and a blonde moustache, and in the neighbour's opinion, for "someone who was on the run he really liked to draw attention to himself".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In March 2011, after meeting Alahverdian, state representative Roberto DaSilva submitted a proposal to further restrict DCYF from using facilities outside of Rhode Island; the proposal was also a cost-cutting measure. DaSilva credited Alahverdian's story as inspiration for his proposed legislation. The proposed legislation failed, so DaSilva re-submitted the proposal in January 2012 and it was given a hearing the following month, but shelved for "further study" in mid-March.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In February 2020, Rhode Island state representatives Ray Hull, John J. Lombardi, David Bennett, and James N. McLaughlin proposed an "Emergency Oversight Commission" to monitor DCYF, as advocated by Alahverdian. According to WPRI's reporting, if the legislation passed, nine state representatives would form a commission to investigate "unconstitutional or unethical procedures at DCYF that put children in harm's way", with a report to be published in May 2021. Hull's proposed legislation wasn't voted upon and died in committee. Hull later said that Alahverdian had continually pressed him to introduce this legislation before faking his death, describing the process as being that Alahverdian would "just beat you down".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Former Rhode Island state representatives spoke in 2022 about their past experiences with Alahverdian. Brian G. Coogan described Alahverdian as "brilliant" but "dangerous", accusing Alahverdian of having "swindled a lot of people", by persuading some Rhode Island lawmakers to give him money, sometimes via threats of accusing them of rape and assault. Joanne Giannini said that Alahverdian continually asked her for money. After initially acceding to his requests, Giannini eventually told him to "get a job". This resulted in Alahverdian saying "so many horrible things" to her, "He knew how to hurt you with words. The whole thing really bothered me."


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In February 2011, Alahverdian initiated a federal lawsuit against the Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF), the states of Florida and Nebraska, six residential facilities, and 18 individuals, for alleged abuse committed against him. Among the individuals sued were Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri and Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In August 2013, the federal lawsuit was settled by the parties, in exchange for Rhode Island waiving a more than $200,000 lien that was placed on any settlement proceeds from the lawsuit. The lien was for medical expenses incurred while he was in state foster care. The lawsuit concluded with the DCYF expressly denying any "liability or culpability regarding the allegations" according to the DCYF's deputy director Kevin Aucoin. Alahverdian acknowledged that he had released the state of Rhode Island and its government employees from liability. The court itself did not reveal details of the settlement. Alahverdian also agreed to dismiss two other lawsuits he had filed, one which accused DCYF of violating a confidentiality agreement, and another against state sheriffs.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: According to a Sinclair Community College student, in January 2008, she met Alahverdian on campus in Ohio and had lunch with him, after which he offered to walk with her to her next class; then in a basement stairwell, he "pinned" her against a wall, groped her and masturbated himself. When she protested, he said: "I'm almost done. Don't be a bitch". She also said that Alahverdian later apologized and told her "he couldn't help it" because she was "so beautiful — and not to tell anybody." She made a police report.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Later in 2008, Alahverdian, under the name Nicholas Rossi, was convicted of public indecency and sexual imposition for the above incident, and was required to register as a sex offender. He filed a motion for a retrial based on a newly surfaced Myspace post allegedly written by the victim, which claimed that she had lied about the incident. At an evidentiary hearing on February 28, 2011, a computer forensics expert testified "with 90% certainty" that the post had been altered or fabricated entirely. The motion for retrial was dismissed by the reviewing judge.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In April 2013, he tried to sue Sinclair Community College, Dayton Municipal Court, and multiple others in the Southern Ohio United States District Court for making "serious, life-altering false allegations" and claimed he was deprived of a jury trial. This suit was dismissed by judge Thomas M. Rose on August 12, 2013.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Alahverdian also sued his victim, accusing her of libel as she had described him as "crazy". The result of that court case came in 2014, where Alahverdian's claim was found to be without merit. Also that year, Alahverdian wrote an essay, "My Personal 9/11", in which he named and blamed his victim for ruining his "goals and aspirations", comparing the victim's actions to the September 11 attacks.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On November 11, 2010, according to a police report of the incident: police visited Alahverdian's Sayles Avenue flat in Rhode Island, after being alerted by a friend of a woman. While outside the flat, the police heard screaming from a woman and a man. The woman answered the door with marks around her left eye, neck and arms, and swelling around her right eye. Police saw Alahverdian begging the woman: "I'm sorry ... can we talk about this?" The woman said that she had argued with Alahverdian, and that he "grabbed her and knocked her to the ground and held her down" when she wanted to leave the flat, and also slapped her face. Police arrested an uncooperative Alahverdian, who proclaimed his innocence and "started hitting his head up against the bars on the back window" of the police cruiser, requiring the police to deploy pepper spray to stop him. As a result of this incident, Alahverdian pleaded no contest to domestic simple assault.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On November 5, 2010, Alahverdian married a woman. Later in May 2011, his wife made a police report, stating that she was divorcing him and had a restraining order against him, but in spite of this, he repeatedly called her, she alleged. The police concluded that they would initiate an arrest warrant against Alahverdian "for violation of a protection order".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In October 2015, Alahverdian was married for the second time. Seven months later, his second wife moved to divorce him. A court ruled that Alahverdian was "guilty of gross neglect of duty and extreme cruelty" towards his wife. Temporary restraining orders had been put in place against Alahverdian, which the court ruled that he violated by seizing "all of the marital household goods and furnishings from the marital residence". The divorce was made official in 2017, with Alahverdian owing his ex-wife $52,000 he borrowed to purportedly support a community service agency. "The Providence Journal" reported these events in January 2021.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: "The Providence Journal" further reported on his second wife's account in February 2022. She said she met the "smooth talker" Alahverdian through the Church of Latter-Day Saints, and that he claimed to be a Mormon. She accused him of becoming "violent" the day after they were married. During their marriage, she said Alahverdian "tried to hurt [her] with a knife", threatened suicide, controlled her appearance, "wanted [her] to stay confined to the house", and cut her off from friends and family. Arising from their divorce, Alahverdian did not adhere to the judge's order to pay her over $7,000 in overdue spousal support and legal fees, instead he left Ohio for Rhode Island.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Shortly before he faked his death in early 2020, Alahverdian was aware that the FBI was investigating him for fraud, as reported by "The Providence Journal" in January 2021. His former foster mother, Sharon Lane, alleged that Alahverdian opened 22 credit cards under her husband's name, incurring almost $200,000 in debt.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: According to Alahverdian's former lawyer, Jeffrey B. Pine, Alahverdian had moved to Ireland by late 2019, which would hinder any attempt by the FBI to have him arrested as such an arrest would require "international cooperation". However, Alahverdian's actual location was unclear. Alahverdian told "The Providence Journal" that he and his family had moved to Quebec, Canada. A Rhode Island priest recounted that Alahverdian's purported widow stated Alahverdian had moved to Switzerland. State Rep. Raymond Hull of Rhode Island believed that Alahverdian's purported widow said that Alahverdian had moved to Ireland or Germany.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: According to the "Sunday Mail", after faking his death, Alahverdian allegedly posed as a marketing expert, in order to defraud Canadian businesswoman Nafsika Antypas of $40,000, by accepting her employment and salary of $100,000 per year, but failing to produce any results. Antypas said she hired Alahverdian (who was posing as Nicholas Knight-Brown) to promote her vegan lifestyle television series, "Plant-Based by Nafsika". When Antypas ended their working relationship, Alahverdian allegedly sent her abuse and threats, and posted lies about her online, but eventually ceased contact in June 2020.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In 2017, Utah investigators began processing a backlog of untested sexual assault kits. In 2018, one of the Utah kits (originally from 2008) was revealed to match Nicholas Alahverdian's DNA from an investigation of the 2008 Ohio sexual assault. A sealed arrest warrant for Rossi/Alahverdian was issued in September 2020.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In 2022 a court document regarding the investigation of Alahverdian, by a Utah law enforcement officer, was released. The document noted police reports against Alahverdian in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Ohio, and Utah "involving criminal cases of sex assault, harassment, and possible kidnapping from 2007 through 2019."


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: One report in the document was provided by an ex-girlfriend of Alahverdian. She accused him of inviting her to his home in Orem, Utah in September 2008 on the pretext of repaying the money he owed her. He exposed himself to her, raped her, then accused her of being "mentally unstable and too emotional". After the attack, he attempted to prevent her from leaving, requiring her to escape when he was distracted.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: The other cases reported showed a "consistent pattern of behavior" to the above incident, stated the Utah investigator, where Alahverdian was accused of starting "inappropriate contact", then he would "threaten suicide or will force a non-consensual sexual encounter", and later tell police "that the female is the aggressor".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In July 2010, a woman made a police report in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, that Alahverdian brought her to his flat, took her cellphone, stopped her from leaving while threatening suicide, asked her to sit on his lap and kiss him, and only let her go after she screamed at him. Alahverdian later told police that he was "currently being treated for depression", so they sent him to undergo psychological evaluation. In December 2010, a woman made a police report in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, that she had dinner with Alahverdian and then visited his flat, continually rejected his requests for sex, and accused him of stopping her from leaving, forcing her to pay him $200 and to declare on video that she "could not pursue legal action and that the money she gave him was for therapy for him due to her violent actions and her sexual addiction" before she could leave his flat.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On Wednesday July 13, 2022, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office filed charges against Alahverdian for first degree sexual assault and issued a no-bail warrant for his arrest. The new affidavit alleges that after a fight with the victim in 2008, Alahverdian would not let her leave the bedroom, threw her to the bed and raped her.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In January 2020, Alahverdian reported that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He provided this information to a number of media organizations. "The Providence Journal" later stated that Alahverdian "insisted" that they report his illness. A person claiming to be Alahverdian's widow later stated that his illness had lasted for "months", and included "heart disease" and "heart attacks". According to his family and his obituary, Alahverdian succumbed to the disease on February 29, 2020. The person claiming to be his widow said that Alahverdian would be cremated and his remains scattered at sea. She refused to provide copies of Alahverdian's death certificate to "The Providence Journal".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Upon Alahverdian's purported death, WPRI reported that he had emigrated from the United States approximately four years earlier. Someone claiming to be his wife attributed this to "security concerns". Alahverdian's purported wife would not publicly reveal her identity or where the family had moved, citing threats.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In July 2020, Rhode Island State Police investigated the authenticity of Alahverdian's death; no conclusion had been reached by January 2021. The investigation was triggered by allegations that Alahverdian was still alive, coupled with an outstanding warrant against Alahverdian as he was accused of failing to register as a sex offender in Rhode Island in relation to his 2008 conviction in Ohio.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: Alahverdian's former foster mother, Sharon Lane, said that she had been approached by Alahverdian's biological mother in July 2020, who asked her to probe reports of his death. When Lane read the adulatory comments written in his obituary and memorials, she was convinced that the style of writing was Alahverdian's, and thus she concluded that he had faked his death. Alahverdian's former attorney Jeffrey B. Pine also expressed doubts concerning Alahverdian's death as the announcements of his illness and death came shortly after Alahverdian learned of the FBI's investigation against him. Alahverdian's purported widow denied that he had faked his death, stating that he had died in her presence.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In late 2020, the website Wikipediocracy raised issues about the accuracy of the Wikipedia article regarding Alahverdian. Michael Cockram, a Wikipediocracy blog team member, said that multiple Wikipedia accounts created by Alahverdian had edited the Wikipedia page after the date of his purported death, and that one of these accounts had tried to remove the image used to illustrate Alahverdian, replacing it with an image of another person. Cockram, who believed that Alahverdian was still alive, alleged that Alahverdian was now trying to take down the Wikipedia article about him, as well as remove any information that disputed his reported death.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On February 1, 2021, "The Providence Journal" published a follow-up to their investigative report of January 27, 2021, stating that they had received a "rambling", "often incoherent" 9-page email from someone stating they were Alahverdian's widow. The email leveled criticisms against several parties, such as the victim of his sexual offense, the police officer who took the sex offense case, the judge who oversaw it and Alahverdian's former foster parents. They also reported that several months after Alahverdian's reported death, Father Bernard Healey, a priest at Our Lady of Mercy Church in East Greenwich, received a request for a funeral mass, from a woman claiming to be Alahverdian's widow. Shortly after arrangements were made, Father Healy was contacted by State Police Detective Conor O'Donnell who requested cancellation of the mass, stating that Alahverdian was alive and had faked his own death and was a fugitive from justice. Father Healy later described the 'woman' he spoke to as sounding like Hyacinth Bucket, with "a very high-pitched English woman's accent"; he was advised by the police that the caller was Alaverdian using a "voice disguiser".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On February 22, 2021, Irish newspaper "Sunday World" reported they were unable to find a death certificate for anyone under his name in Ireland.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On December 13, 2021, Alahverdian was arrested at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, with regard to an alleged rape in Utah in 2008, among other alleged crimes. He was receiving treatment for COVID-19 under the name Arthur Knight. Alahverdian was identified by observation of his tattoos, which matched police records for Rossi. Scarring on one arm suggested Alahverdian had tried to remove one of the tattoos.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On December 23, 2021, he participated in a bail hearing by video link from the hospital, which resulted in him being granted bail. According to prosecutor Jennifer Johnston, the court expected him to remain in the hospital for weeks, but Alahverdian left the hospital the day after he made bail. Johnston also said that Alahverdian attempted to leave the hospital via a private taxi company, and that even before the bail hearing he had "attempted to source a private ambulance and that he tried to source oxygen".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On January 12, 2022, "The Providence Journal" publicized Alahverdian's arrest, which was confirmed by the Rhode Island State Police. Rhode Island state representative Raymond Hull, who served as a police officer for 34 years, reacted to Alahverdian's arrest by stating: "I've come across a lot of dishonest people in my profession, but I've never come across someone who would fake his own death". Hull additionally lamented how this "set back a bit" efforts to reform the DCYF.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On January 20, 2022, after Alahverdian missed his hearing at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court, he was arrested again in Glasgow, had his bail revoked, and was remanded into custody. The next day, he appeared in court, being addressed as Arthur Knight by his lawyers; he further denied that he was "Nicholas Rossi". He was again granted bail in early February 2022.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: In mid-February, Sky News set up a video call between the arrested man and former Rhode Island lawmaker Brian Coogan, who knew Alahverdian for over 20 years. The arrested man claimed not to know Coogan, but Coogan identified the man as Alahverdian, describing that Alahverdian had a scar beside his right eye, which a reporter confirmed the arrested man did have. When Coogan further stated that Alahverdian had tattoos on his biceps of a barcode and a bird wing, the arrested man did not show his biceps, and the video call was ended abruptly.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On April 7, he appeared at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court for a hearing, with his defence lawyer, Anna Kocela, who stated that he had not provided information about the case to her firm, Dunne Defence Lawyers, while he claimed the opposite. The Sheriff told him to return in two weeks after "a discussion with whichever lawyer you wish to instruct", denying the man's repeated requests for an extension. On April 21, the man returned to Edinburgh Sheriff Court, with another lawyer, Becky Houston, and he again denied that he was Nicholas Rossi. The Sheriff agreed to a request for the full hearing (previously set for May 5) to be delayed and confirmed that a preliminary hearing would be held on May 5 and set the full extradition hearing for June 9, 2022, with the man's bail conditions continuing until then. The man returned to Edinburgh Sheriff Court on May 5. His solicitor's request for another delay to the full extradition hearing was refused by the Sheriff, who said "I am not prepared to discharge the full hearing. The advocate depute and counsel needs to be here to explain why the hearing has been discharged again"; a further preliminary hearing date was set for May 26, 2022.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: The June 9 hearing was adjourned because he did not attend court, and instead submitted his doctor's letter which said that he was "mostly bedridden" with an apparent "chronic lung condition". By then, he had separately accused David Leavitt, the American prosecutor attempting to extradite him, of "ritualised child sex abuse".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On June 23, he did not attend an extradition hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court because he had been admitted to hospital the previous day. Advocate Depute Paul Harvey told the court that the accused man, who was representing himself in the proceedings, did not attend the Crown Office on June 7 to review all of the Lord Advocate's material that would be submitted to the court to establish his identity. Harvey said that there was “an emerging picture of someone seeking by every means possible to delay these proceedings.”


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On June 30, he failed to attend a hearing at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court; his wife had informed the court that he had COVID. The court was told that he had refused to voluntarily give DNA and fingerprints to the police who had attended his home in Glasgow. The Sheriff ordered him to provide the samples and to bring proof of his identity to a court hearing on July 7.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On July 6, Alahverdian was detained in Glasgow for threatening and abusing NHS staff. Prosecutor Julie Clark stated that there was evidence he was in fact fit to go to court and to be detained, despite previous claims that he was medically unfit and unable to do so. He denied the charges when he appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on July 7. His application for bail was refused because there was a "substantial risk" that he would abscond or fail to appear in court; he was remanded in custody until his next court appearance. Prosecutor Julie Clark told the court "fingerprints taken when he was arrested for this matter were confirmed to be Nicholas Rossi." Clark also told the court that doctors who have cared for Alahverdian have reported that he has no lung problems, and separately stated that he had faked seizures.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On August 9, Alahverdian was convicted of threatening hospital staff and fined £400. The court heard that hospital staff feared for their safety when Alahverdian jumped out of bed and ran at them, after being told that he was fit to be discharged from hospital; the Sheriff commented that Alahverdian's claims that he could not stand were "not credible".


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on August 10, by videolink from HMP Edinburgh; Sheriff Christopher Dickson agreed a request to delay proceedings for the extradition hearing to allow time for his lawyer, Mr Kinloch, to review his case. On September 1, he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court by videolink from prison, when he complained that he was not receiving adequate medical attention. Sheriff Dickson confirmed that an application for bail could be made to the appeal court, and refused defence lawyer David Kinloch's request to delay proceedings to November. On September 15, he appeared again at Edinburgh Sheriff Court by videolink from prison; Sheriff Kenneth Maciver told defence lawyer Ronnie Renucci KC that the man's identity would be the first issue to be addressed at the full extradition hearing, and that it would not be difficult to resolve.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On November 11, 2022, Sheriff Norman McFadyen of Edinburgh Sheriff Court ruled using the standard of the balance of probabilities that the arrested man's identity is Nicholas Rossi, basing his ruling on fingerprint, tattoo and photographic evidence. An extradition hearing has been arranged for March 2023.


title: Nicholas Alahverdian

text: On November 28, 2022 Essex Police in England confirmed Rossi is under investigation for an alleged rape there, which would likely delay any extradition to the United States should this result in charges.


title: Nick Mira

text: Nicholas Warren Mira (born August 25, 2000) is an American record producer from Richmond, Virginia, who is part of the producer collective Internet Money, a record label he co-founded with fellow producer Taz Taylor. He gained notoriety for developing the sound of rapper Juice Wrld, including the songs "Lucid Dreams," "Bandit", and "Smile". He also worked with rapper Lil Tecca's "Ransom" and took a part in Internet Money's single "Lemonade." Mira's work consists primarily of hip-hop instrumentals, and he has contributed production to the Internet Money collective album "B4 the Storm" (2020).


title: Nick Mira

text: As a child, Mira played the guitar and later learned to play the keyboard and piano. He began to focus on producing at the age of 13, and he cites Pharrell Williams as an influence. Mira describes his musical style as "melodic" and "ambient". He graduated from James River High School in 2019. Initially, Mira had held the goal of becoming a producer by selling his beats as if they were standalone tracks, but noted that he had very little knowledge about selling music.


title: Nick Mira

text: Mira first came in contact with producers Taz Taylor and DT in 2016, forming relationships with them based on their common method of selling and promoting their beats on platforms such as YouTube and SoundCloud. The trio proceeded to join forces in a collective label that would become what is now known as Internet Money, whose mission is to bring awareness to lesser known producers while uniting them with potential collaborators and artists.


title: Nick Mira

text: While Mira began his producing career by primarily selling beats online, he has noted that his methods have changed over time, stating that creating a "good time and vibe" removes pressure from the creation of music.


title: Nick Mira

text: In 2017, he, along with Taz Taylor and Dex Duncan, got his first major placement in XXXTentacion's Trippie Redd-assisted single "Fuck Love". It entered at number 41 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number 28 after X's death. On March 29, 2019, the song became the most streamed song ever on the streaming platform SoundCloud with 206 million streams. Mira began working with Juice Wrld after becoming acquainted with him through their mutual friend and fellow producer, Sidepce. "Lucid Dreams" was created after Mira produced the instrumental and sent it to Juice Wrld, who recorded vocals. The song peaked at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100, has sold over 14 million certified units worldwide and was certified 5-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.


title: Nick Mira

text: Mira met Chicago rapper Jarad Higgins, known professionally as Juice WRLD, in 2016 through their mutual friend Sidepce, who also eventually became a producer for Internet Money. While Juice WRLD would proceed to debut several albums at number one on the Billboard 200 charts, Mira stated at the time that he believed the rapper "had like 300 followers on Soundcloud". Mira began to send beats to Juice WRLD online, and helped produce the tracks All Girls Are the Same, Lucid Dreams, Lean Wit Me, I'm Still, Candles, Used To, Hurt Me, End Of the Road, and I'll Be Fine on his 2018 debut album Goodbye and Good Riddance.


title: Nick Mira

text: He was accused of plagiarizing "Lean wit Me" (performed by Juice Wrld), which he denied and later demonstrated the production of the song through a video published by his Internet Money record label on YouTube. Mira said "I created Juice Wrld's 'Lean Wit Me' beat from scratch. I played the guitar live in the beat, I programmed the drums and then I sent the beat for Juice to record to and make the song — just like how we always do."


title: Nick Mira

text: Mira and Juice WRLD's working relationship continued on the 2019 commercial project Death Race For Love. After the success of Goodbye and Good Riddance, Mira continued to frequently create and send collections of beats to the rapper, and estimated that the duo had over 100 unreleased songs in 2019. Mira noted that the project represented a step forward in both Juice WRLD's and Mira's artistry, and attributed the development of their sound to the experience they had gained by working with each other. Mira also credited hardcore rock bands as influences for the album's sound. On March 8, 2019, Death Race For Love was officially released, on which Mira contributed production for four tracks, including commercial standouts Empty and Robbery. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart on March 14, 2019, with first-week sales of 165,000 album equivalents sold.


title: Nick Mira

text: In 2016, together with Taz Taylor, he co-founded the producer group and record label Internet Money, which has a joint venture with Alamo Records and Interscope Records. He also produced Lil Tecca's "Ransom" with Taz Taylor, which peaked at number four on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Later that year, he worked with Post Malone on the track "On the Road" (featuring Meek Mill and Lil Baby), off Malone's album, "Hollywood's Bleeding", peaking at number 22 on the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Nick Mira

text: In 2020, Mira produced a variety of songs on Juice WRLD's first posthumous album, "Legends Never Die", including "Smile" with the Weeknd, which was added to updated version of the album in August 2020. Mira also produced tracks for other artists including "Lemonade", a collaboration with Gunna featuring Don Toliver and Nav, produced and released with Internet Money. The track later become a hit single worldwide, peaking at number one in the United Kingdom and the top ten of the Hot 100.


title: Nick Mira

text: Later during 2020, Mira contributed to the production of 10 songs on the collaborative Internet Money album B4 The Storm, which peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album included frequent collaborators Lil Tecca, TyFontaine, and 24kGoldn, all of whom Mira has continued to produce for to date.


title: Nick Mira

text: While Mira has generally created beats for hip-hop artists, he has ventured into other styles and genres as well, and has produced on Machine Gun Kelly's pop-punk album Tickets to My Downfall. Mira has described his production style as "melodic", "dynamic", and "spacious". He has credited inspiration to artists Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Metro Boomin, Lex Luger, and Sonny Digital, who have each made a significant impact on hip-hop production.


title: Nick Mira

text: Along with other fellow Internet Money members, Mira has been credited by some with the rise in popularity of "type beats", which aim to increase the popularity of an instrumental by associating it with well-known artists. While this has sparked some controversy around Internet Money's marketing methods, Mira has explained that his creative process is focused mainly on what he finds appealing, and that the "type beat" method used to tag artists is only based on artists he feels would fit on his instrumental.


title: Nick Mira

text: As someone who began producing at a young age, Mira has commented on the popularity of Digital Audio Workstation software among the youth population, stating that "producing is the new video game."


title: Nick Mira

text: Mira has advocated for the importance of working with smaller, up-and-coming artists, in order to build their fan bases and allow them to grow along with the Internet Money label. He has also discussed the value of working with artists in the studio as opposed to virtually, regardless of the size or success of the artist.


title: The Constant Gardener

text: The Constant Gardener is a 2001 novel by British author John le Carré. The novel tells the story of Justin Quayle, a British diplomat whose activist wife is murdered. Believing there is something behind the murder, he seeks to uncover the truth and finds an international conspiracy of corrupt bureaucracy and pharmaceutical money.


title: The Constant Gardener

text: The plot was based on a real-life case in Kano, Nigeria. The book was later adapted into a feature film in 2005.


title: The Constant Gardener

text: Justin Quayle, a British diplomat in Nairobi, Kenya, is told that his activist wife, Tessa, was killed while travelling with a doctor friend in a desolate region of Africa. Investigating on his own, Quayle discovers that her murder, reportedly committed by her friend, may have had more sinister roots.


title: The Constant Gardener

text: Justin learns that Tessa had uncovered a corporate scandal involving medical experimentation in Africa. KVH (Karel Vita Hudson), a large pharmaceutical company working under the cover of AIDS tests and treatments, is testing a tuberculosis drug that has severe side effects. Rather than help the trial subjects and begin again with a new drug, KVH covered up the side effects and improved the drug only in anticipation of a massive multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis outbreak.


title: The Constant Gardener

text: Justin travels the world, often under assumed identities, to reconstruct the circumstances leading to Tessa's murder. As he begins to piece together Tessa's final report on the fraudulent drug tests, he learns that the roots of the conspiracy stretch further than he could have imagined; to a German pharmawatch NGO, an African aid station, and, most disturbingly to him, corrupt civil servants in the British Foreign Office.


title: The Constant Gardener

text: John le Carré writes in the book's afterword: "by comparison with the reality, my story [is] as tame as a holiday postcard". The book is dedicated to Yvette Pierpaoli, a French activist who died during the course of her aid work.


title: The Constant Gardener

text: In August of 2005, Focus Features released a film adaptation of "The Constant Gardener" directed by Fernando Meirelles, starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz.


title: Hirohito surrender broadcast

text: The was a radio broadcast of surrender given by Japanese Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa) on August 15, 1945. It announced to the Japanese people that the Japanese Government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration demanding the unconditional surrender of the Japanese military at the end of World War II. Following the Hiroshima bombing on August 6, the Soviet declaration of war and the Nagasaki bombing on August 9, the Emperor's speech was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, 1945, and referred to the atomic bombs as a reason for the surrender.


title: Hirohito surrender broadcast

text: The speech is the first known instance of an Emperor of Japan speaking to the common people (albeit via a phonograph record). It was delivered in formal Classical Japanese, with much pronunciation unfamiliar to ordinary Japanese. The speech made no direct reference to a surrender of Japan, instead stating that the government had been instructed to accept the "joint declaration" of the United States, the United Kingdom, China and the USSR (the latter power having joined the declaration upon declaring war on Japan). This confused many listeners not familiar with the declaration whether Japan had actually surrendered. Both the poor audio quality of the radio broadcast and the formal courtly language worsened the confusion. A digitally-remastered version of the broadcast was released in June 2015.


title: Hirohito surrender broadcast

text: The speech was not broadcast directly, but replayed from a phonograph recording. On August 14, 1945, the NHK dispatched sound technicians to the Imperial Palace to record the broadcast. Microphones were set up in an office bunker under the Imperial Household Ministry, and Emperor Hirohito proceeded in between 11:25p.m. and 11:30p.m. During the first recording he spoke too softly, and upon the advice of the technicians, offered to rerecord it. On the second attempt, his voice was considered too high pitched, with occasional characters being skipped. Nevertheless, the second version was deemed the official one, with the first serving as a backup.


title: Hirohito surrender broadcast

text: Many elements of the Imperial Japanese Army refused to accept that the emperor was going to end the war, believing it dishonourable. As many as 1,000 officers and soldiers raided the Imperial Palace on the evening of August 14 to destroy the recording. The rebels were confused by the layout of the palace and were unable to find the recordings, which had been hidden in a pile of documents. The two phonographs were labelled "original" and "copy" and successfully smuggled out of the palace, the original in a lacquer box and the copy in a lunch bag. Major Kenji Hatanaka attempted to halt the broadcast at the NHK station but was ordered to desist by the Eastern District Army.


title: Hirohito surrender broadcast

text: On the morning of August 15, all NHK stations announced that the Emperor would address the nation at noon. Many of the people wore formal clothes for the occasion. At precisely noon that day, an NHK announcer instructed the nation to stand for an announcement "of the highest importance." The national anthem, , was played, followed by the Emperor's speech. Reportedly, this was the first time that common Japanese had heard the voice of any Japanese emperor and the first radio address by the emperor.


title: Hirohito surrender broadcast

text: To ease the anticipated confusion, after the conclusion of the speech, a radio announcer clarified that the Emperor's message had meant that Japan was surrendering. According to French journalist Robert Guillain, who then lived in Tokyo, upon the announcement's conclusion, most Japanese retreated to their homes or places of business for several hours to quietly absorb and contemplate the significance of the announcement.


title: Hirohito surrender broadcast

text: Though the word "surrender" was not explicitly stated, the emperor instructed his government to communicate to the Allies that the "empire accepts the provisions of their joint declaration", which amounted to an acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. He justified Japan's decision to go to war as an act of "self-preservation and the stabilization of East Asia" and referenced the setbacks and defeats of recent years, saying "the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage". He mentioned the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that had occurred days earlier, calling the atomic bomb a "new and most cruel bomb". The emperor ended with a call on the Japanese people "to be devoted to construction for the future".


title: Hirohito surrender broadcast

text: The broadcast was translated into English and broadcast internationally by radio presenter Tadaichi Hirakawa at the same time. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recorded the broadcast, and its entire text appeared in "The New York Times".


title: Avi Loeb

text: Abraham "Avi" Loeb (; born February 26, 1962) is an Israeli-American theoretical physicist who works on astrophysics and cosmology. Loeb is the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. He had been the longest serving chair of Harvard's Department of Astronomy (2011–2020), founding director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative (since 2016) and director of the Institute for Theory and Computation (since 2007) within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.


title: Avi Loeb

text: Loeb is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. In July 2018, he was appointed as chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy (BPA) of the National Academies, which is the Academies' forum for issues connected with the fields of physics and astronomy, including oversight of their decadal surveys.


title: Avi Loeb

text: In June 2020, Loeb was sworn in as a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) at the White House. In December 2012, "Time" magazine selected Loeb as one of the 25 most influential people in space. In 2015, Loeb was appointed as the science theory director for the Breakthrough Initiatives of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. In 2018, he attracted media attention for suggesting that alien space craft may be in our solar system, using the anomalous behavior of ʻOumuamua as an example. In 2019, and together with his Harvard undergraduate student, Amir Siraj, Loeb reported discovering a meteor that potentially originated outside the Solar System.


title: Avi Loeb

text: Loeb was born in Beit Hanan, Israel in 1962. He took part in the national Talpiot program before receiving a PhD in plasma physics, at age 24, from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, in 1986. From 1983 to 1988, he led the first international project supported by the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative. Between 1988 and 1993, Loeb was a long-term member at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, where he started to work in theoretical astrophysics. In 1993, he moved to Harvard University as an assistant professor in the department of astronomy, where he was tenured three years later.


title: Avi Loeb

text: Loeb has written eight books and authored or co-authored about 800 papers on a broad range of research areas in astrophysics and cosmology, including the first stars, the epoch of reionization, the formation and evolution of massive black holes, the search for extraterrestrial life, gravitational lensing by planets, gamma-ray bursts at high redshifts, 21-cm cosmology, the use of the Lyman-alpha forest to measure the acceleration/deceleration of the universe in real time (the so-called "Sandage–Loeb test"), the future collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, the future state of extragalactic astronomy, astrophysical implications of black hole recoil in galaxy mergers, tidal disruption of stars, and imaging black hole silhouettes. In 2010, he wrote a textbook entitled "How Did the First Stars and Galaxies Form?"


title: Avi Loeb

text: In 1992, Loeb suggested, with Andy Gould, that exoplanets could be detected through gravitational microlensing. In 1993, he proposed the use of the C+ fine-structure line to discover galaxies at high redshifts. In 2005, he predicted, in a series of papers with his postdoc at the time, Avery Broderick, how a hot spot in orbit around a black hole would appear; their predictions were confirmed in 2018 by the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope which observed a circular motion of the centroid of light of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*. In 2009, Broderick and Loeb predicted the shadow of the black hole in the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87, which was imaged in 2019 by the Event Horizon Telescope.


title: Avi Loeb

text: In 2013, a report was published on the discovery of the "Einstein Planet" Kepler-76b, the first Jupiter size exoplanet identified through the detection of relativistic beaming of its parent star, based on a technique proposed by Loeb and Gaudi in 2003. In addition, a pulsar was discovered around the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, following a prediction by Pfahl and Loeb in 2004. Also, a hypervelocity star candidate from the Andromeda galaxy was discovered, as predicted by Sherwin, Loeb, and O'Leary in 2008. Together with his postdoc, James Guillochon, Loeb predicted the existence of a new population of stars moving near the speed of light throughout the universe. Together with his postdoc John Forbes and Howard Chen of Northwestern University, Loeb made another prediction that sub-Neptune sized exoplanets have been transformed into rocky super-Earths by the activity of Milky Way's central supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*.


title: Avi Loeb

text: Together with Paolo Pani, Loeb showed in 2013 that primordial black holes in the range between the masses of the Moon and the Sun cannot make up the dark matter. Loeb led a team that reported tentative evidence for the birth of a black hole in the young nearby supernova SN 1979C. In collaboration with Dan Maoz, Loeb demonstrated in 2013 that biomarkers, such as molecular oxygen (), can be detected by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in the atmosphere of Earth-mass planets in the habitable zone of white dwarfs.


title: Avi Loeb

text: In a series of papers with his students and postdocs, Loeb addressed how and when the first stars and black holes formed and what effects they had on the young universe. Together with his former student Steve Furlanetto, Loeb published a textbook, "The First Galaxies in the Universe". In 2013, Loeb introduced the new concept of "The Habitable Epoch of the Early Universe", and mentored Harvard undergraduate, Henry Lin, in the study of industrial pollution on exoplanets as a new method to search for extraterrestrial civilizations. In April 2021, Loeb presented an updated summary of his ideas of life in the early universe.


title: Avi Loeb

text: In 2020, Loeb published a research paper about the possibility that life can propagate from one planet to another, followed by the opinion piece "Noah’s Spaceship" about directed panspermia.


title: Avi Loeb

text: In December 2017, Loeb cited ʻOumuamua's unusually elongated shape as one of the reasons why the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia should listen for radio emissions from it to see if there were any unexpected signs that it might be of artificial origin, although earlier limited observations by other radio telescopes such as the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array had produced no such results. On December 13, 2017, the Green Bank Telescope observed the asteroid for six hours. No radio signals from ʻOumuamua have been detected.


title: Avi Loeb

text: On October 26, 2018, Loeb and his postdoctoral student Shmuel Bialy submitted a paper exploring the possibility of the interstellar object ʻOumuamua being an artificial thin solar sail accelerated by solar radiation pressure in an effort to help explain the object's non-gravitational acceleration. Other scientists have stated that the available evidence is insufficient to consider such a premise, and that a tumbling solar sail would not be able to accelerate. In response, Loeb wrote an article detailing six anomalous properties of ʻOumuamua that make it unusual, unlike any comets or asteroids seen before.


title: Avi Loeb

text: On November 27, 2018, Loeb and Amir Siraj, an undergraduate student at Harvard College, proposed a search for ʻOumuamua-like objects which might be trapped in the Solar System as a result of losing orbital energy through a close encounter with Jupiter. They identified four candidates (2011 SP25, 2017 RR2, 2017 SV13, and 2018 TL6) for trapped interstellar objects which could be visited by dedicated missions. The authors pointed out that future sky surveys, such as with Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, could find many more.


title: Avi Loeb

text: In public interviews and private communications with reporters and academic colleagues, Loeb has become more vocal regarding the prospects of proving the existence of alien life. On April 16, 2019, Loeb and Siraj reported the discovery of the first meteor of interstellar origin. "", a popular science account concerning ʻOumuamua, written by Loeb, was published in 2021.


title: Avi Loeb

text: In July 2021, Loeb founded The Galileo Project for the Systematic Scientific Search for Evidence of Extraterrestrial Technological Artifacts. The project was inspired by the detection of ʻOumuamua and by release of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). As stated on the project's web-site, the aim is:


title: Avi Loeb

text: Unlike other similar projects, the goal of the Galileo Project is to search for physical objects, and not electromagnetic signals, associated with extraterrestrial technological equipment.The project was covered by many independent publishers, among them "Nature", "Science", "New York Post", "Scientific American", "The Guardian", etc. To the allegations that studies of UFOs is pseudo-science, Loeb answers that the aim of the project is not to study UFOs based on previous data, but to study Unidentified Aerial Phenomena "using the standard scientific method based on a transparent analysis of open scientific data to be collected using optimized instruments."


title: Avi Loeb

text: In 2006, Loeb was featured in a "Time" magazine cover story on the first stars, and in a "Scientific American" article on the Dark Ages of the universe. In 2008, he was featured in a "Smithsonian" magazine cover story on black holes, and in two "Astronomy" magazine cover stories, one on the collision between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy and the second on the future state of our universe. In 2009, Loeb reviewed in a "Scientific American" article a new technique for imaging black hole silhouettes. Loeb received considerable media attention after proposing in 2011 (with E.L. Turner) a new technique for detecting artificially-illuminated objects in the Solar System and beyond, and showing in 2012 (with I. Ginsburg) that planets may transit hypervelocity stars or get kicked to a fraction of the speed of light near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.


title: Avi Loeb

text: "Science" magazine published an article about Loeb's career in April 2013, and "Discover" reviewed his research on the first stars in April 2014. The "New York Times" published a science profile of Loeb in December 2014. In May 2015, "Astronomy" posted a podcast of an hour-long interview with Loeb in its series entitled "Superstars of Astronomy". In April 2016, Stephen Hawking visited Loeb's home and attended the inaugurations of the Starshot and Black Hole Initiatives that Loeb leads.


title: Avi Loeb

text: Loeb's eBook on Kindle details his career path from childhood on a farm with interests in philosophy to chairing the Harvard astronomy department and directing the ITC, and includes opinion essays on the importance of taking risks in research and promoting diversity. Loeb writes opinion essays on science and policy. On January 14, 2021, Loeb appeared on the "Lex Fridman Podcast" (#154), on January 16, 2021, on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast (#1596), on November 4, 2022, on the "H3 Podcast" (#257).


title: Phil Ramone

text: Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business partner Jack Arnold at 112 West 48th Street, New York, upstairs from the famous musicians' watering hole, Jim & Andy's, and several doors east of Manny's Music. The success of the original A & R Recording allowed it to expand into several studios and a record production company. He was described by "Billboard" as "legendary", and the BBC as a "CD pioneer".


title: Phil Ramone

text: Ramone was born in South Africa and grew up in Brooklyn, New York, USA. As a child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Princess Elizabeth at age ten. In the late 1940s, he trained as a classical violinist at the Juilliard School, where one of his classmates was Phil Woods. Ramone opened his own recording studio before he was 20. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on December 14, 1953.


title: Phil Ramone

text: In 1959, Ramone established an independent recording studio A & R Recording with Chief Engineer Bill Schwartau, and the studio consisted of Brooks Arthur owning half while Ramone, Donald Frey and Arthur Downs Ward (1922–2002) owned the other fifty percent.


title: Phil Ramone

text: In the studio he quickly gained a reputation as a good sound engineer and music producer, in particular for his use of innovative technology. Among the performers whose music Ramone produced are Burt Bacharach, the Band, Bono, Laura Branigan, Ray Charles, Karen Carpenter, Chicago, Peter Cincotti, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Sheena Easton, Melissa Errico, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, the Guess Who, Heatwave, Billie Hughes, Billy Joel, Debbie Gibson, Elton John, Quincy Jones, Patricia Kaas, B.B. King, Lazarus, Julian Lennon, Shelby Lynne, Madonna, Barry Manilow, Richard Marx, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, Liza Minnelli, Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Sinéad O'Connor, Fito Páez, Luciano Pavarotti (including the Pavarotti and Friends Charity Concerts in Modena, Italy), Peter, Paul and Mary, June Pointer, André Previn, Jennifer Rush, Diane Schuur, Jon Secada, Michael Sembello, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Phoebe Snow, Dusty Springfield, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, Frankie Valli, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder and Nikki Yanofsky. He is also credited with having recorded Marilyn Monroe's intoxicating version of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy.


title: Phil Ramone

text: In 1972, management of A & R included Robert Gerics (general manager and studio manager), Nick Diminno (studio manager), and Irving Joel (chief engineer). The studios were located at 799 7th Avenue and 322 West 48th Street.


title: Phil Ramone

text: His early work in producing and engineering was with jazz artists, working on John Coltrane records and acting as engineer for the "Getz/Gilberto" album in 1963, for which he won his first Grammy. He transitioned during the 1960s to working with folk-rock, pop-rock, and R&B acts such as Peter, Paul and Mary, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan, first primarily as an engineer, and later as a producer. He won his first production Grammy for his work on 1975's "Still Crazy After All These Years" by Paul Simon. He produced Billy Joel's 1977 album "The Stranger" and began a fruitful collaboration with Joel producing a string of hit albums throughout the rest of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1993, he produced "Duets", Frank Sinatra's comeback album, a commercial hit that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Album Chart. During the rest of the 1990s, Ramone moved from production work to his primary role as an industry executive, serving as chairman of The Recording Academy, though he would still be involved in some studio work including several Broadway cast recordings, as well as helping produce, with Quincy Jones, the televised "A Tribute to Brian Wilson" in 2001.


title: Phil Ramone

text: October 1, 1982, marked the anniversary of the world's first commercially marketed compact disc. On that date in 1982, A & R Recording released a digital compact disc version of Billy Joel's "52nd Street" in Japan, alongside Sony's CD player CDP-101.


title: Phil Ramone

text: Ramone introduced optical surround sound for movies. His book, "Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music", written with Chuck Granata, was released on October 9, 2007. Also in October 2007, Ramone produced a limited engagement performance of Richard Vetere's "Be My Love: The Mario Lanza Story". The play was directed by Charles Messina and co-produced by Sonny Grosso. It premiered at The Tilles Center in Greenvale, New York.


title: Phil Ramone

text: In addition to producing music, Ramone had numerous concert, film, Broadway and television productions to his credit that include "A Star is Born", "Walkabout", "August Rush", "Beyond the Sea", "Flashdance", "Ghostbusters", "Little Shop of Horrors", "Midnight Cowboy", "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", "Passion", "Seussical", "", "Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards", "The Score", VH1/BBC "Party at the Palace: Queen’s Jubilee Concert" and "The Good Thief". A champion of music educational programs, Ramone served on the boards of the National Mentoring Partnership and Berklee College of Music.


title: Phil Ramone

text: On July 8, 2008, Columbia Records released "The Stranger 30th Anniversary", which features interviews with Ramone. This box set includes a remastered version of the 1977 Billy Joel album, "The Stranger" by Ramone. The following summer, Ramone produced "Gershwin Across America", a tribute album to the music of George and Ira Gershwin. The album features Jewel, Jason Mraz, Darius Rucker, and Paul Simon among others. In 2011, Ramone worked with George Michael, during his 2011 Symphonica Tour. Also in 2011, Ramone produced the songs "You Were Meant for Me" and "I'm Coming Back" on Lalah Hathaway's album "Where It All Begins". One of Ramone's final projects was as the producer of the rock band Chicago's 2011 holiday album, Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three.


title: Phil Ramone

text: Ramone was married to Karen Ichiuji-Ramone, with whom he had one son. Ramone had two sons from a prior marriage.


title: Phil Ramone

text: Ramone was hospitalized in late February 2013 with an aortic aneurysm, and died on March 30, 2013, from complications involving the surgery related to it, at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. He was aged 79.


title: Phil Ramone

text: Ramone was nominated for 34 Grammy awards, winning 14 including a Technical Grammy Award in 2005 for a lifetime of innovative contributions to the recording industry.


title: Three-Point Contest

text: The Three-Point Contest is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of All-Star Weekend.


title: Three-Point Contest

text: The 2019 iteration of the contest involved ten participants. From its introduction in 1986 to 2018, eight participants were selected to participate in each season's shootout. Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves is the most recent winner of the event which was held at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.


title: Three-Point Contest

text: In this contest, participants attempt to make as many three-point field goals as possible from five positions behind the three-point line in one minute. Players begin shooting from one corner of the court, and move from station to station along the three-point arc until they reach the other corner. At each shooting station is a rack with five basketballs. Out of the five balls, four are worth one point (the standard orange Wilson game balls) and the fifth one (a red/white/blue ABA-style ball; often nicknamed the "money ball") is worth two points. The goal of this contest is to score as many points as possible within one minute. A perfect score used to be 30 points. Since the 2014 contest, a rack consisting only of "money balls" has been added, and can be placed on any of the 5 spots of the player's choice, bringing up the maximum possible score to 34 points. In the 2020 contest, two additional Mountain Dew shots were placed on each side of the top of the key, worth three points each. This increased the maximum possible score to 40, and the time limit was increased from 60 to 70 seconds.


title: Three-Point Contest

text: In the qualifying round, each player has a chance to score as many points as possible. The three players with the top scores advance to the finals. The final round is played in the same way as the qualifying round, but players shoot according to the ascending order of their first-round scores. In each round, the shots and the score are confirmed by the referee and the television instant replay system. The final round will be shot in reverse direction (left to right corner for a left-handed shooter and vice versa). In the case of a tie, multiple extra rounds of 30 seconds (1 minute in the final) are played to determine the winner.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajuran Sultanate (, ), also natively referred-to as Ajuuraan, and often simply Ajuran, was a Somali Empire in the Middle Ages in the Horn of Africa that dominated the trade in the northern Indian ocean. They belonged to the Somali Muslim sultanate that ruled over large parts of the Horn of Africa in the Middle Ages. Through a strong centralized administration and an aggressive military stance towards invaders, the Ajuran Empire successfully resisted an Oromo invasion from the west and a Portuguese incursion from the east during the Gaal Madow and the Ajuran-Portuguese wars. Trading routes dating from the ancient and early medieval periods of Somali maritime enterprise were strengthened or re-established, and foreign trade and commerce in the coastal provinces flourished with ships sailing to and coming from many kingdoms and empires in East Asia, South Asia, Europe, the Near East, North Africa and East Africa.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The empire left an extensive architectural legacy, being one of the major medieval Somali powers engaged in castle and fortress building. Many of the ruined fortifications dotting the landscapes of southern Somalia today are attributed to the Ajuran Empire's engineers, including a number of the pillar tomb fields, necropolises and ruined cities built in that era. During the Ajuran period, many regions and people in the southern part of the Horn of Africa converted to Islam because of the theocratic nature of the government. The royal family, the House of Garen, expanded its territories and established its hegemonic rule through a skillful combination of warfare, trade linkages and alliances.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: In the fifteenth century, for example, the Ajuran Empire was the only hydraulic empire in Africa. As a water dynasty, the Ajuran state monopolized the water resources of the Shebelle and Jubba rivers. Through hydraulic engineering, it constructed many of the limestone wells and cisterns of the state that are remain in use today. The rulers developed new systems for agriculture and taxation, which continued to be used in parts of the Horn of Africa as late as the 19th century. The rule of the later Ajuran rulers caused multiple rebellions to break out in the empire, and at the end of the 17th century, the Ajuran state disintegrated into several successor kingdoms and states, the most prominent being the Geledi Sultanate.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajuran Empire's sphere of influence in the Horn of Africa was one of the largest in the region. The empire covered much of southern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia, with its domain extending from Hobyo in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The House of Garen was the ruling hereditary dynasty of the Ajuran Empire. Its origin lies in the Garen Kingdom that during the 13th century ruled parts of the Somali Region of Ethiopia. With the migration of Somalis from the northern half of the Horn region to the southern half, new cultural and religious orders were introduced that influenced the administrative structure of the dynasty, a system of governance which began to evolve into an Islamic government. Through their genealogical Baraka, which came from the saint Balad (who was known to have come from outside the Garen Kingdom), the Garen rulers claimed supremacy and religious legitimacy over other groups in the Horn of Africa. Balad's ancestors are said to have come from the historical northern region of Barbara.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajuran Empire traces its name from the Arabic "إيجار/'ijara", which means "rent" or "tax". A name well deserved for the exorbitant tributes paid to the Empire.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajuran nobility used many of the typical Somali aristocratic and court titles, with the Garen rulers styled Imam. These leaders were the empire's highest authority, and counted multiple Sultans, Emirs, and Kings as clients or vassals. The Garen rulers also had seasonal palaces in Mareeg, Qelafo and Merca, important cities in the Empire were Mogadishu and Barawa. The state religion was Islam, and thus law was based on Sharia.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: Through their control of the region's wells, the Garen rulers effectively held a monopoly over their nomadic subjects as they were the only hydraulic empire in Africa during their reign. Large wells made out of limestone were constructed throughout the state, which attracted Somali and Oromo nomads with their livestock. The centralized regulations of the wells made it easier for the nomads to settle disputes by taking their queries to government officials who would act as mediators. Long distance caravan trade, a long-time practice in the Horn of Africa, continued unchanged in Ajuran times. Today, numerous ruined and abandoned towns throughout the interior of Somalia and the Horn of Africa are evidence of a once-booming inland trade network dating from the medieval period.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: With the centralized supervision of the Ajuran, farms in Afgooye, Kismayo and other areas in the Jubba and Shabelle valleys increased their productivity. A system of irrigation ditches known locally as "Kelliyo" fed directly from the Shebelle and Jubba rivers into the plantations where sorghum, maize, beans, grain and cotton were grown during the "gu" (Spring in Somali) and "xagaa" (Summer in Somali) seasons of the Somali calendar. This irrigation system was supported by numerous dikes and dams. To determine the average size of a farm, a land measurement system was also invented with "moos", "taraab" and "guldeed" being the terms used.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The State collected tribute from the farmers in the form of harvested products like durra, sorghum and bun, and from the nomads, cattle, camels and goats. The collecting of tribute was done by a wazir. Luxury goods imported from foreign lands were also presented as gifts to the Garen rulers by the coastal sultans of the state.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: A political device that was implemented by the Garen rulers in their realm was a form of "ius primae noctis", which enabled them to create marriages that enforced their hegemonic rule over all the important groups of the empire. The rulers would also claim a large portion of the bride's wealth, which at the time was 100 camels.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: For trade, the Ajuran Empire minted its own Ajuran currency. It also utilized the Mogadishan currency originally minted by the Sultanate of Mogadishu, which later became incorporated into the Ajuran Empire. Mogadishan coins have been found as far away as the present-day country of the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The urban centers of Merca, Mogadishu, Barawa, and their respective ports became profitable trade outlets for commodities originating from the interior of the State. The farming communities of the hinterland brought their products to the coastal cities, where they were sold to local merchants who maintained a lucrative foreign commerce with ships sailing to and coming from Arabia, India, Venice, Persia, Egypt, Portugal, and as far away as China. Vasco Da Gama, who passed by Mogadishu in the 15th century, noted that it was a large city with houses of four or five storeys high and big palaces in its centre and many mosques with cylindrical minarets. In the 16th century, Duarte Barbosa noted that many ships from the Kingdom of Cambaya sailed to Mogadishu with cloths and spices for which they in return received gold, wax and ivory. Barbosa also highlighted the abundance of meat, wheat, barley, horses, and fruit on the coastal markets, which generated enormous wealth for the merchants. Mogadishu, the center of a thriving weaving industry known as "toob benadir" (specialized for the markets in Egypt and Syria), together with Merca and Barawa also served as transit stops for Swahili merchants from Mombasa and Malindi and for the gold trade from Kilwa. Jewish merchants from the Hormuz also brought their Indian textile and fruit to the Somali coast in exchange for grain and wood.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: Trading relations were established with Malacca in the 15th century, with cloth, ambergris and porcelain being the main commodities of the trade. In addition, giraffes, zebras and incense were exported to the Ming Empire of China, making Somali merchants leaders in the commerce between Asia and Africa. and influencing the Chinese language on Somali in the process. Hindu merchants from Surat and Southeast African merchants from Pate seeking to bypass both the Portuguese blockade and Omani interference used the Somali ports of Merca and Barawa (which were out of the two powers' jurisdiction) to conduct their trade in safety and without interference.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajuran Empire relied on agriculture and trade for most of its income. Major agricultural towns were located on the Shebelle and Jubba rivers, including Kismayo and Afgooye. Situated at the junction of some of the busiest medieval trade routes, the Ajuran and its clients were active participants in the East African gold trade, the Silk Road commerce, trade in the Indian Ocean, and commercial enterprise as far as East Asia.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajuran Empire also minted its own Ajuran currency. Many ancient bronze coins inscribed with the names of Ajuran Sultans have been found in the coastal Benadir province, in addition to pieces from Muslim rulers of Southern Arabia and Persia. additionally, Mogadishan coins have been found as far as the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. Trading routes dating from the ancient and early medieval periods of Somali maritime enterprise were strengthened or re-established, and foreign trade and commerce in the coastal provinces flourished with ships sailing to and coming from a myriad of kingdoms and empires in East Asia, South Asia, Europe, the Near East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa. Through the use of commercial vessels, compasses, multiple port cities, light houses and other technology, the merchants of the Ajuran Empire did brisk business with traders from the following states:


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: With their maritime pursuits and history, the Empire established trading and diplomatic ties across the old world, especially in Asia, from being a close ally to the grand power of the Ottomans to having cordial ties to the mighty Ming Dynasty and even having their merchants following the greatest maritime expedition in their history as far as Java and Vietnam.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The ruler of the Somali Ajuran Empire sent ambassadors to China to establish diplomatic ties, creating the first ever recorded African community in China and the most notable Somali ambassador in medieval China was Sa'id of Mogadishu who was the first African man to set foot in China in recorded history. In return, Emperor Yongle, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), dispatched one of the largest fleets in history to trade with the Somali nation. The fleet, under the leadership of the famed Hui Muslim Zheng He, arrived at Mogadishu while the city was at its peak in economic and social vibrancy. Along with gold, frankincense and fabrics, Zheng brought back the first ever African wildlife to China, which included hippos, giraffes and gazelles.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajuran Empire was an influential Somali kingdom that held sway over several cities and towns in central and southern Somalia during the Middle Ages. With the fall of the Sultanate, a number of these settlements continued to prosper, eventually becoming major cities in present-day Somalia. A few of these cities and towns were eventually abandoned or destroyed:


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajurans developed a very rich culture with various forms of Somali culture such as architecture, astronomy, festivals, music and art evolving and flourishing during this period. The majority of the inhabitants were ethnic Somali, but there were also Yemeni, Persian, and Turkish minorities. The vast majority of the population adhered to Sunni Islam with a Shia minority (mostly those of Persian descent) . Somali was the most commonly used language of government and social life while Arabic was most prominently used for religious studies.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Somali martial art Istunka, also known as Dabshid, was born during their reign. An annual tournament is held every year for it in Afgooye. Carving, known in Somali as "qoris", was practiced in the coastal cities of the state. Many wealthy urbanites in the medieval period regularly employed the finest wood and marble carvers in Somalia to work on their interiors and houses. The carvings on the mihrabs and pillars of ancient Somali mosques are some of the oldest on the continent, with Masjid Fakhr al-Din being the 7th oldest mosque in Africa. Artistic carving was considered the craft of men similar to how the Somali textile industry was mainly a women's business. Amongst the nomads, carving, especially woodwork, was widespread and could be found on the most basic objects such as spoons, combs and bowls, but it also included more complex structures such as the portable nomadic tent, the "aqal".


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: During its tenure, the Empire left an extensive architectural legacy, being one of the major medieval Somali powers engaged in castle and fortress building. Many of the ruined fortifications dotting the landscapes of southern Somalia today are attributed to the Ajuran Empire's engineers. These structures include a number of pillar tomb fields, necropolises, castles, fortresses and ruined cities built in that era. In the Marca area, various pillar tombs exist, which local tradition holds were built in the 16th century, when the Ajuran Empire's naa'ibs governed the district.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The late 15th and 17th centuries saw the arrival of Muslim families from Arabia, Persia, India and Spain to the Ajuran realm of territories, the majority of whom settled in the coastal provinces. Some migrated because of the instability in their respective regions, as was the case with the Hadhrami families from the Yemen and the Muslims from Spain fleeing the Inquisition. Others came to conduct business or for religious purposes. Due to their strong tradition in religious learning, the new Muslim communities also enjoyed high status among the Somali ruling elite and commoners.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: Sofala is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique. It was founded by Somali merchants and seafarers. Sofala in Somali literally means "Go dig". This name was given because the area is rich with many natural resources.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: One of the oldest harbours documented in Southern Africa, medieval Sofala was erected on the edge of a wide estuary formed by the Buzi River (called "Rio de Sofala" in older maps). By the Somali merchants from Mogadishu established a colony in Mozambique to extract gold from the mines in Sofala.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Somalis strengthened their trading capacity by having, among other things, rivergoing dhows ply the Buzi and Save rivers to ferry the gold extracted in the hinterlands to the coast.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The first king of the Maldivian Hilaalee dynasty was proclaimed king in the year 1388 AD. Hilaalee dynasty was a Somali Dynasty. Some historical writing and some folklore reveal that this Dynasty is of Somali descent. It seems they were travellers and traders of Ajuran Empire where they established a colony in the Maldive islands. They settled in Hlhule' in Male' atoll. Some historical documents reveal that Hilali Kalo Hassan dethroned King Uthman Rasgefaan, who reveal the ruling King at that time and outcast him and all his ministers. After his Hilai Kalo Hassan started the Hilai Dynasty. The Hilaalee dynasty was a sub-dynasty of Garen Dynasty.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: Abd al-Aziz of Mogadishu was a Somali governor of Maldives islands and a famous member of the Hilaalee dynasty.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The presence and high position of Abd al-Aziz in this region highlights the close connections between medieval Maldives and the Somali seamen from Mogadishu sailing the Indian Ocean. They supplied Maldivian traders with exotic animals and musk, and contributed to the ethnogenesis of the Maldivian population.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: In 1346, Abd al-Aziz welcomed Ibn Battuta at his court and entertained him before giving him a barque to continue his journey.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The most famous Somali scholar of Islam from the Ajuraan period is Sheikh Hussein, who was born in Merca, one of the power jurisdiction and cultural centers of the Ajuran Empire. He is credited with converting the Sidamo people living in the area of what is now the Bale Province, Ethiopia to Islam. He is also credited with establishing the Sultanate of Bale. Despite the Bale Sultanate not being directly under Ajuran rule, the two kingdoms were deeply connected and Bale was heavily influenced by Ajuran.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: His tomb lies in the town of Sheikh Hussein in what is the most sacred place in the country for Ethiopian Muslims mostly Oromo Muslims.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajuran State had a standing army with which the Garen imams and the governors ruled and protected their subjects. The bulk of the army consisted of mamluke soldiers, who did not have any loyalties to the traditional Somali clan system, thereby making them more reliable. The soldiers were recruited from the inter-riverine area; other recruits came from the surrounding nomadic region. Arab, Persian and Turkish mercenaries were at times employed as well.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: In the early Ajuran period, the army's weapons consisted of traditional Somali weapons such as swords, daggers, spears, battle axe, and bows. The Empire received assistance from its close ally the Ottoman Empire, and with the import of firearms through the Muzzaffar port of Mogadishu, the army began acquiring muskets and cannons. The Ottomans would also remain a key ally during the Ajuran-Portuguese wars. Horses used for military purposes were also raised in the interior, and numerous stone fortifications were erected to provide shelter for the army in the coastal districts. In each province, the soldiers were under the supervision of a military commander known as an emir, and the coastal areas and the Indian ocean trade were protected by a navy.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The European Age of discovery brought Europe's then superpower the Portuguese empire to the coast of East Africa, which enjoyed a flourishing trade with foreign nations. The wealthy southeastern city-states of Kilwa, Mombasa, Malindi, Pate and Lamu were all systematically sacked and plundered by the Portuguese. Tristão da Cunha then set his eyes on Ajuran territory, where the Battle of Barawa was fought. After a long period of engagement, the Portuguese soldiers burned the city and looted it. Fierce resistance by the local populace and soldiers resulted in the failure of the Portuguese to permanently occupy the city, and the inhabitants who had fled to the interior eventually returned and rebuilt the city. After Barawa, Tristão set sail for Mogadishu, the richest city on the East African coast. Word had spread of what had happened in Barawa, and a large troop mobilization took place. Many horsemen, soldiers and battleships in defense positions were guarding the city. Nevertheless, Tristão opted to storm and attempt to conquer the city, although every officer and soldier in his army opposed this, fearing certain defeat if they were to engage their opponents in battle. Tristão heeded their advice and sailed for Socotra instead. After the battle the city of Barawa quickly recovered from the attack.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: Over the next several decades Somali-Portuguese tensions remained high and the increased contact between Somali sailors and Ottoman corsairs worried the Portuguese who sent a punitive expedition against Mogadishu under João de Sepúlveda, which was unsuccessful. Ottoman-Somali cooperation against the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean reached a high point in the 1580s when Ajuran clients of the Somali coastal cities began to sympathize with the Arabs and Swahilis under Portuguese rule and sent an envoy to the Turkish corsair Mir Ali Bey for a joint expedition against the Portuguese. He agreed and was joined by a Somali fleet, which began attacking Portuguese colonies in Southeast Africa.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Somali-Ottoman offensive managed to drive out the Portuguese from several important cities such as Pate, Mombasa and Kilwa. However, the Portuguese governor sent envoys to Portuguese India requesting a large Portuguese fleet. This request was answered and it reversed the previous offensive of the Muslims into one of defense. The Portuguese armada managed to re-take most of the lost cities and began punishing their leaders, but they refrained from attacking Mogadishu, securing the city's autonomy in the Indian Ocean. The Ottoman Empire would remain an economic partner of the Somalis. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries successive Somali Sultans defied the Portuguese economic monopoly in the Indian Ocean by employing a new coinage which followed the Ottoman pattern, thus proclaiming an attitude of economic independence in regard to the Portuguese.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: In the mid-17th century, the Oromo Nation began expanding from its homeland around Lake Abaya in southern Ethiopia towards the southern Somali coast at the time when the Ajuran was at the height of its power. The Garen rulers conducted several military expeditions known as the "Gaal Madow" wars against the Oromo warriors, converting those that were captured to Islam.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: The Ajuran Empire slowly declined in power at the end of the 17th century, which paved the way for the ascendance of new Somali powers. The most prominent setbacks against the state were the dethronement of the Muzaffar clients in Mogadishu and other coastal cities by the Hawiye Hiraab King, and the defeat of the Silis Kingdom by a former Ajuran general, Ibrahim Adeer, in the interior of the state who then established the Gobroon dynasty.


title: Ajuran Sultanate

text: Taxation and the practice of primae noctis were the main catalysts for the revolts against Ajuran rulers. The loss of port cities and fertile farms meant that much needed sources of revenue were lost to the rebels.


title: Melvin Gregg

text: Melvin Gregg is an American actor, model and comedian known for his roles as DeMarcus Tillman in Netflix's mockumentary series "American Vandal", Erick Scott in Steven Soderbergh’s sports drama film "High Flying Bird", Drew 'Manboy' Miller on FX's crime drama "Snowfall", and Ben Chandler in the Hulu miniseries "Nine Perfect Strangers".


title: Melvin Gregg

text: Gregg was born in Portsmouth, Virginia to parents Constance Gregg and Melvin Vaughan. He has six sisters. After graduating from I.C. Norcom High School, he studied marketing at Old Dominion University for 2 years before changing his career path and moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to pursue acting.


title: Melvin Gregg

text: Gregg came to prominence by creating and sharing comedic content in which he starred, wrote, and produced on Vine. He amassed more than 7 million followers in the course of 3 years, becoming one of the top 100 personalities on the platform.


title: Melvin Gregg

text: His first credited role was in the web series "Whatever, The Series." in 2011 where he earned union eligibility. Following Vine’s decline in 2015, Gregg transitioned into film and TV roles. In 2018 he earned roles in the Netflix mockumentary series "American Vandal" and in the film "High Flying Bird". Gregg's performance as DeMarcus Tillman garnered him praise from outlets such as Film School Rejects and a comparison from "Live Mint" to actor Will Smith in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". "Entertainment Weekly" and "Vulture" have described the role as a breakout one for Gregg.