title: RFK Racing

text: Mike Dee, president of the Fenway Sports Group was quoted as saying, "Although there have been many instances of cross-ownership in the world of professional sports, this partnership marks the first time that owners of a professional franchise in one of the four major leagues have crossed over into the world of NASCAR."


title: RFK Racing

text: Roush became involved in the aerospace industry in the 2010s. In April 2015, United Launch Alliance announced that they were contracting with Roush Racing to produce the lightweight internal combustion engine to be used to power the long-life on orbit system of the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage to be flown in the 2020s as the second stage of the Vulcan launch vehicle.


title: RFK Racing

text: For many years, Roush Racing recruited its developmental drivers through an elimination-style of testing entitled "The Gong Show". The first competition was held in 1985 for Roush's road racing program. The first combine for the stock car program was held in 1999. The process would begin when Roush solicited applications from thousands of drivers from all levels of racing. They would then be put through a series of tests, gauging not only driving skills but also public relations talent and personality traits. Eventually, the field would be narrowed down to an elite group who are allowed to race Roush vehicles, often Truck Series vehicles, in an attempt to assess racecraft. Those with the fastest times progress, and ultimately the best drivers are awarded a contract to drive for Roush in the Truck Series or Busch Series (now Xfinity Series). In 2005, the process was documented in the Discovery Channel television series "", which followed the stories of those involved in the 2005 Gong Show. Winners of the program include Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and David Ragan.


The 2022 Georgia Secretary of State election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Secretary of State of Georgia. Incumbent Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger won reelection to a second term. Raffensperger emerged as a major national figure in late 2020 when he faced significant pressure from President Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The party primary elections took place on May 24, with runoffs scheduled for June 21.


title: 2022 Georgia Secretary of State election

text: Raffensperger was elected in 2018 to a first term in a runoff against Democratic former U.S. representative John Barrow, the first time in Georgia history that any statewide executive election went to a second round.


text: Despite opinion polls suggesting a tight race between Brad Raffensperger and Jody Hice as well as Trump's endorsement of Hice, Raffensperger ultimately won the primary election with a 19 point margin over Hice and avoided a potential runoff by winning an outright majority of the vote. This has been attributed to Hice's insufficient name recognition across the state and crossover voting in Georgia's open primary system where some Democratic voters voted in the Republican primary to vote against "Trump-backed extremists" like Hice.


text: Raffensperger performed best in the Atlanta metropolitan area, while Hice performed best in , where he serves as a U.S. representative; only five counties outside the district are won by Hice. The only county to not be won by either Raffensperger or Hice is Treutlen County, Hudson's home county, which he won with 76.42% of the vote.


title: Infinitum Nihil

text: Infinitum Nihil is an American film production company, founded by Johnny Depp. The company is run by Depp's sister Christi Dembrowski. Depp founded the company in 2004 to develop projects where he will serve as actor and/or producer.


title: Infinitum Nihil

text: "The Rum Diary", based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson, was released on October 28, 2011, starring Depp as Paul Kemp in a screenplay adapted and directed by Bruce Robinson.


title: Infinitum Nihil

text: "Dark Shadows" was released on May 11, 2012. Depp stars in and produces this gothic film based on the "Dark Shadows" TV series; Tim Burton directs.


title: Infinitum Nihil

text: The Walt Disney Company has picked up "The Night Stalker" and a biopic of Paul Revere, both as possible starring vehicles for Depp. He will produce both films with Christi Dembrowski.


title: Infinitum Nihil

text: It has been announced that the company and Illumination Entertainment will co-produce a biopic of Dr. Seuss, with Depp slated to produce and possibly star.


title: Infinitum Nihil

text: On February 7, 2012, it was announced that the company will produce a film based on the memoir of the West Memphis Three's Damien Echols. The book (and subsequently, the film) will focus on Echols' experience on death row after being wrongfully convicted for three murders with two friends in 1993. Depp, who is a big supporter of the Memphis Three and proving their innocence, will co-produce the film with Christi Dembrowski, Echols, and his wife, Lorri Davis.


title: Infinitum Nihil

text: In October 2012, it was announced that Depp will start a publishing company sharing the name "Infinitum Nihil" with the production company. It will be part of HarperCollins, and according to Depp will "deliver publications worthy of peoples' time, of peoples' concern, publications that might ordinarily never have breached the parapet."


title: Infinitum Nihil

text: In January 2013, the imprint company released its first book, "House of Earth", written by folk singer Woody Guthrie in 1947. 2015 saw the release of "The Unraveled Tales of Bob Dylan" by Douglas Brinkley, as well as "Narcisa" by Jonathan Shaw.


title: Infinitum Nihil

text: In August 2017, it was announced that Infinitum Nihil would produce a television series based on Funcom's "The Secret World" IP. In 2017, his production company signed a deal with IM Global.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: Francesco Toldo (; born 2 December 1971) is an Italian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: In a professional career which spanned two full decades, he mainly represented Fiorentina and Inter Milan (eight and nine seasons respectively), winning a total of 15 trophies combined.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: For the Italy national team, Toldo took part in five international competitions, being a starter in UEFA Euro 2000, where he helped Italy reach the final.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: Born in Padua, Veneto, Toldo began his career with Milan in 1990. He never played a game with the Milan, however, being loaned during his stint with the club, successively to Hellas Verona (1990–91), Trentino (1991–92), and Ravenna (1992–93).<ref name="Forza Viola 1/1997"></ref>


title: Francesco Toldo

text: Toldo then joined Fiorentina in 1993, and became the "Viola" club's starter for eight seasons, helping the club win the Serie B title in his first season, and earn promotion to Serie A, later also winning the Coppa Italia twice, the Supercoppa Italiana, and playing in one edition of the UEFA Champions League, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In 2000, Toldo was named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for his performances.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: One year before Fiorentina faced bankruptcy, Toldo and Rui Costa were sold to Parma for a combined 140 billion lire in June 2001 (55 billion lire for Toldo; about €28.4 million in fixed exchange rate). It made the club a net profit in 2000–01 financial year, instead of a net loss. However, both players refused to join. Toldo himself would be the replacement of departing goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, whom Toldo refused to live under the expectation of. Eventually, Toldo joined Inter Milan instead of Parma for the same fee; Parma signed Sébastien Frey from Inter instead of Toldo; Buffon joined Juventus from Parma; and Edwin van der Sar went to Fulham from Juventus.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: During his first season with the Inter under manager Héctor Cúper, Toldo performed at a high level, reaching the semi-final of the UEFA Cup, and narrowly missing out on the Serie A title on the final match-day as Inter threw away their lead by losing to Lazio, eventually finishing the 2001–02 Serie A season in third place behind Juventus and Roma. Due to his consistency with Inter, Toldo soon became a fan favourite and was noted for his passionate and high-quality performances. The following season, he was praised particularly for his saves against Valencia in the Champions League quarter-final, leading football pundits to nickname the Mestalla "La Plaza de Toldo". During the match, Toldo was seen getting choked by teammate Luigi Di Biagio after an argument on the pitch. With his performances, Toldo helped Inter reach the semi-finals of the Champions League that season, losing out to the eventual champions and inter-city rivals Milan on away goals. Another great memory for Inter fans was his contribution to the equalising goal, scored by Christian Vieri, in the last minute of an eventual 1–1 draw against title rivals Juventus in the 2002–03 season; at first it appeared that Toldo might have been the scorer instead of Vieri, and even today the goal is still often referred to as "Toldo's goal".


title: Francesco Toldo

text: During the 2004–05 season, Toldo helped Inter win the Coppa Italia, and he also reached the quarter finals of the Champions League, losing out to Milan once again, who went on to reach the final. He followed up this victory with another Supercoppa Italiana title in 2005. Toldo was the number one keeper for Inter until the summer of 2005, when the Brazilian Júlio César relegated him to the bench after he had elected to sit out Inter's summer friendly match tour of England.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: Toldo briefly regained first-choice status in February 2006, following his signing of a contract extension (until June 2009) and a slip in form by Júlio César, not before rumours linked him both to Palermo, Milan and Fiorentina. Toldo still contributed nine appearances for Inter in Serie A during the 2005–06 season, where Inter were awarded the title following Juventus's and Milan's involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, also helping Inter to win another Coppa Italia, as well as the 2006 Supercoppa Italiana. He also made six Serie A appearances for Inter during the 2006–07 title-winning season. Toldo made eight appearances across all competitions during the 2007–08 season, three of which were in Serie A, and the other five coming in the Coppa Italia, where Inter reached the final. Inter won the "Scudetto" that season for the third successive time.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: In April 2009, the 37-year-old Toldo, still backing up Júlio César, signed a further two-year extension to his link, taking it to the summer of 2011. Toldo made seven appearances across all competitions during the 2008–09 season, making three appearances in Serie A, three in the Coppa Italia, and one in the Champions League as Inter won their fourth consecutive Serie A title that year.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: In June 2010, it was reported that Toldo would retire from football after winning a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble during the 2009–10 season, since the club had also signed a new backup goalkeeper, Luca Castellazzi. It was formally announced on 7 July via Inter Channel, the official club channel.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: At under-21 level, Toldo made eight appearances for Italy between 1993 and 1994; he was notably a member of the side that won the 1994 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, making a crucial save in the semi-final shoot-out against hosts France.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: Toldo was capped 28 times for Italy. His debut came on 8 October 1995, replacing Gianfranco Zola after the ejection of Luca Bucci in a 1–1 draw in Croatia for the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers. He was picked up for the finals in England as a reserve.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: Despite facing competition from high-profile goalkeepers such as Gianluca Pagliuca, Angelo Peruzzi, Christian Abbiati, Luca Marchegiani, Francesco Antonioli and in particular Gianluigi Buffon, Toldo was chosen to start in Euro 2000 as Buffon broke his hand in a friendly match against Norway just eight days before the tournament started.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: He helped his country to a runner-up finish at Euro 2000, keeping three clean sheets, contributing to the elimination of both host nations (Belgium and the Netherlands) in the process. During the semi-final against hosts Netherlands, he saved one penalty in regulation time, and stopped two more in the successful shootout; he was named man of the match for his performance. In the final, Italy lost 2–1 to the reigning world champions France after a David Trezeguet golden goal in the 103rd minute; Italy had been leading 1–0, but Sylvain Wiltord equalised in the final minute of stoppage time to send the match into extra time. Toldo was named to the Team of the Tournament for his performances, also earning the third place in the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper Award. Following his successful European Championship campaign, Toldo played as a starter at the beginning of the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign; however, after recovering from the aforementioned injury, Buffon was eventually confirmed by Giovanni Trapattoni as Italy's first-choice goalkeeper.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: Additionally, Toldo was an unused reserve in Italy's 1998 World Cup, 2002 World Cup, and Euro 2004 squads, after which he announced his retirement from international football in 2004. His final appearance for Italy came on 18 February 2004, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Czech Republic at the Stadio Renzo Barbera in Palermo.


title: Francesco Toldo

text: After playing in several outfield positions during his youth career, Toldo was inspired to become a goalkeeper by his role model Dino Zoff. He also cited Giovanni Galli as an influence. A consistent and agile goalkeeper, with strong reactions, he was also competent with the ball at his feet. Although in his youth he did not particularly enjoy facing penalties, he later made a name for himself as a penalty-saving specialist throughout his career; he also stood out for his composure, personality and mentality in goal. In spite of his large stature, and his strong and imposing physique, he was an excellent shot-stopper, who was known for his ability to get to ground quickly and easily to parry low shots; however, unusually for a goalkeeper of his height, he was less effective at coming off his line to handle crosses and high balls.


title: Briana Corrigan

text: Briana Corrigan (born 30 May 1965) is a Northern Irish singer. She was the female singer for The Beautiful South from 1988 to 1992.


title: Briana Corrigan

text: Corrigan was born in Northern Ireland. When she was 11 years old, her family moved from Belfast to Portstewart, County Londonderry. She moved to Newcastle upon Tyne in England at the age of 18 to study for a BA in creative and performing arts.


title: Briana Corrigan

text: While studying in Newcastle upon Tyne, Corrigan began singing with The Anthill Runaways. Go! Discs Records, which was considering signing the band, made her an offer to travel to Hull and sing with Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway of The Beautiful South. Soon after she was asked to go to Milan with the band to help record their debut album, "Welcome to the Beautiful South". She appeared alongside Dave Hemingway on the band's only UK Singles Chart number 1 single, "A Little Time".


title: Briana Corrigan

text: After appearing on three albums, Corrigan left the band in 1992 to pursue a solo career. The decision was driven by a desire to record her own work and partly by ethical disagreements with some of Heaton's lyrics, particularly songs such as "36D", which criticised British glamour models and the industry that employed them. Hemingway later remarked, "We all agree that we should have targeted the media as sexist instead of blaming the girls for taking off their tops".


title: Briana Corrigan

text: Her time with the band culminated in one of the fastest-selling British albums in history, "Carry On up the Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South".


title: Briana Corrigan

text: After she left the band, Corrigan reunited with producer Mike Hedges who had produced the first two Beautiful South Albums, and recorded the solo critically acclaimed album, "When My Arms Wrap You Round", in 1996 on East West Records. The first single, "Love Me Now", peaked on the UK Singles Chart at No.48. This was the only single released, as Corrigan and her record company parted company a few months after the album's release. Until October 2022, she taught singing at the British School al Khubairat.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: Mariane van Neyenhoff Pearl (born 23 July 1967) is a French freelance journalist and a former reporter and columnist for "Glamour" magazine. She is the widow of Daniel Pearl, an American journalist who was the South Asia Bureau Chief for "The Wall Street Journal", who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in early 2002, during the early months of the United States' War on Terror.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: Pearl published a memoir, "A Mighty Heart" (2003), about her husband and his life. It was adapted as a film of the same name, released in 2007.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: Mariane van Neyenhoff was born in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, to a Cuban mother of Afro-Chinese-Cuban descent and a Dutch Jewish father. Her paternal grandfather was a diamond merchant in the Netherlands. Mariane and her brother Satchi Van Neyenhoff were raised in Paris, where they both started their careers. Satchi Van Neyenhoff became a sound editor.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: Van Neyenhoff started in journalism. She became a reporter for international "Glamour" magazine. In addition, she had a column with the magazine, known as the "Global Diary Column". She explored aspects of globalization as seen through fashion and its business elements.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: They married in August 1999 in Paris. After Pearl was promoted to South Asia Bureau Chief for "The Wall Street Journal", they lived for a time in Mumbai, India. She also traveled with him to Karachi, Pakistan, to cover aspects of the United States' War on Terrorism. In 2002, he was kidnapped after meeting a source for dinner. Pakistani militants announced the abduction. They murdered Daniel Pearl by beheading on 1 February 2002. Adam Daniel Pearl, the son of Daniel and Mariane, was born in Paris four months after his father had been murdered. Mariane Pearl is a practicing Nichiren Buddhist and a member of Soka Gakkai International.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: Mariane Pearl's memoir, "A Mighty Heart," deals with the events surrounding her husband's kidnapping and murder by Pakistani militants in 2002. Both United States and Pakistani agencies joined to try to capture his killers and bring them to justice.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: In July 2002, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British national of Pakistani origin, was sentenced in Pakistan to death by hanging for Pearl's abduction and murder. His sentence was commuted to life in jail. Three other men were convicted of their roles in the journalist's murder.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: Her book was adapted for the 2007 film of the same name. Co-produced by Brad Pitt, Andrew Eaton and Dede Gardner and directed by Michael Winterbottom, the film stars Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman as Mariane and Daniel Pearl.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: Pearl is a member of the honorary board of the Daniel Pearl Foundation which was founded by Daniel's parents Ruth and Judea Pearl. Honorary board members have included international correspondent Christiane Amanpour; former US President Bill Clinton; Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi; president of Stanford University John L. Hennessy; "Nightline" anchorman Ted Koppel; Queen Noor of Jordan; Palestinian professor and president of Al-Quds University Sari Nusseibeh; violinist Itzhak Perlman; author Elie Wiesel and others.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: In July 2007, following the trials in Pakistan and revelations by Al-Qaeda terrorists held by the United States of participation in Daniel Pearl's abduction and murder, Mariane Pearl filed suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York against a dozen named terrorists and a bank that may have financed them; she was seeking damages for their alleged roles in the abduction, torture and murder of her husband. Those named in the suit include Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, already convicted of murder and sentenced to death; Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, being held by the US at Guantanamo Bay; and Habib Bank of Pakistan. On 24 October 2007, her attorneys dropped the lawsuit.


title: Mariane Pearl

text: Lawyers for Mariane Pearl noted that Habib Bank Limited and the other defendants in the case had not answered the lawsuit filed in July (although Habib Bank Limited had denied ever supporting terrorism). They did not explain their reason for dropping the action. A spokesman has stated that the withdrawal was due to personal reasons on the part of Pearl and should have no bearing on the merits of the lawsuit.


title: Jean-Clair Todibo

text: Jean-Clair Dimitri Roger Todibo (born 30 December 1999) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Nice.


title: Jean-Clair Todibo

text: Todibo joined the Toulouse in 2016, from FC Les Lilas. He made his Ligue 1 debut on 19 August 2018 against Derby de la Garonne rivals Bordeaux, playing 89 minutes in an eventual 2–1 home win. On 1 September, he was sent off in 26 minutes of a 2–1 win at Guingamp. He played ten games for the club and scored once, a late equaliser on 30 September in a 1–1 draw at Rennes.


title: Jean-Clair Todibo

text: On 8 January 2019, Todibo reached an agreement with Barcelona which would see him join them on a free transfer in July 2019, when his contract with Toulouse was due to expire. However, the Spanish side pushed the transfer forward and he joined the club on 31 January 2019. He became the 22nd French player to sign for Barcelona and was handed the number 6 shirt.


title: Jean-Clair Todibo

text: On 15 January 2020, Todibo was loaned to Bundesliga club Schalke 04 until the end of the season with a buy option for €25 million, plus €5 million in add-ons. In March, Todibo was named Schalke's Player of the Month which was voted by the fans.


title: Jean-Clair Todibo

text: On 5 October 2020, Todibo joined Primeira Liga club Benfica on a one-year loan with an option to purchase for €20 million.


title: Jean-Clair Todibo

text: On 1 February 2021, Todibo joined Ligue 1 club Nice on loan with an option to buy after his loan contract was mutually terminated by Barcelona and Benfica. On 27 June, the move was made permanent by the club as they paid €8.5m (+ €7m in variables) to Barcelona. Barcelona also reserved rights to a percentage of his future sale.


title: Jean-Clair Todibo

text: On 18 September 2022, he was sent off in a match against Angers after nine seconds, the fastest red card in Ligue 1 history.


title: Jean-Clair Todibo

text: Todibo made his international debut for France under-20 on 16 November 2018, in a 1–1 friendly draw with Switzerland in Cartagena, Spain.


title: Sulforaphane

text: Sulforaphane (sometimes sulphoraphane in British English) is a compound within the isothiocyanate group of organosulfur compounds. It is produced when the enzyme myrosinase transforms glucoraphanin, a glucosinolate, into sulforaphane upon damage to the plant (such as from chewing or chopping during food preparation), which allows the two compounds to mix and react.


title: Sulforaphane

text: Sulforaphane occurs in broccoli sprouts, which, among cruciferous vegetables, have the highest concentration of glucoraphanin, the precursor to sulforaphane. It is also found in cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, kale, collards, mustard greens, and watercress.


title: Sulforaphane

text: Although there has been some basic research on how sulforaphane might have effects "in vivo", there is no clinical evidence that consuming cruciferous vegetables and sulforaphane affects the risk of cancer or any other disease, as of 2017.


title: National Order of Quebec

text: The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as "l'Ordre national du Québec", and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the "Loi sur l'Ordre national du Québec" (National Order of Quebec Act), the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour current or former Quebec residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour in Quebec.


title: National Order of Quebec

text: Although the National Order of Quebec was established with the granting of royal assent by Quebec's lieutenant governor and the Canadian sovereign is the fount of honour, the viceroy does not, as in other provinces, form an explicit part of the organization. Instead, the monarch's representative is related to the order only by virtue of his or her place in council, collectively termed the government of Quebec, to which the constitution of the Order of Quebec makes specific reference.


title: National Order of Quebec

text: The order contains three grades, each with accordant post-nominal letters and place in the Canadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals. They are, in descending hierarchical order:


title: National Order of Quebec

text: Nominations to the National Order of Quebec are sought in Quebec's daily and weekly media publications and are directed to the Council of the National Order of Quebec, elected by and amongst the members of the order for a period of three years and headed by a president elected by the council for two years. This body is mandated to short-list candidates and forward their suggestions to the Governor-in-Council. Any person born, living, or who has lived in Quebec, save for anyone serving as a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec, is eligible to be nominated and names may be submitted posthumously. The Cabinet may also, without the input of the Council of the National Order of Quebec, put forward the names of non-Quebecers for appointment as honorary members. Promotion through the grades is possible for both substantive and honorary members. Admission recognizes conspicuous meritorious actions that improve or support Quebec and/or its language and culture.


title: National Order of Quebec

text: Upon admission into the Order of Quebec, members are presented with various insignia of the organization—a medallion, miniature, and button. All are administered by the Regulations for the Insignia of the National Order of Quebec and were designed by Madeleine Dansereau, who was inspired by the heraldic elements of the provincial flag, notably the colours of blue and white used on the order's ribbon and the "fleur-de-lis". The badge of a Grand Officer consists of two 18kt gold plates, in the shape of a cross formed by two by arms, symmetrically superimposed atop one another 4 mm apart, the obverse face a high-polish, rusticated surface; at the lower left corner is a white enamel "fleur-de-lis". On the reverse of the badge is inscribed the order's motto—"Honneur au peuple du Québec" (homage to the people of Quebec)—and a serial number at the base of the vertical bar. The badge for Officers is of a nearly identical design, but made of arms long by wide, the obverse plate in 18k gold with an applied gold "fleur-de-lis", and the rear in sterling silver. Knights have a medal with a diameter, brushed silver medallion with a symmetrically placed, etched cross with arms long by wide and filled with a highly polished, rusticated surface; a gold "fleur-de-lis" is mounted at the lower, left side of the cross. Each member will also receive miniature versions of their insignia, identical in appearance save for size: those for all grades being wide in each direction or in circumference. A lapel pin is also used for wear on casual civilian clothing. Male members wear their emblems suspended from a wide ribbon, at the collar for Grand Officers and Officers, and on a vertical ribbon on a medal bar on the left chest for Knights; women Grand Officers and Officers wear their insignia on a ribbon bow pinned at the left shoulder, and female Knights carry their medals in the same fashion as the men. The ribbon for miniatures is wide.


title: National Order of Quebec

text: The regulations of the National Order of Quebec stipulate that the premier presents new inductees with their insignia, either on the National Holiday of Quebec or another day during the National Week. The ceremony takes place in the "Salon Rouge" of the parliament building in Quebec City, though exceptions are sometimes made when inductees cannot be present (notably for some non-Quebecer appointments). The insignia remain property of the Crown in Right of Quebec and must be returned upon a holder's cessation of membership in the society, whether by death or dismissal.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: "Cross Road Blues" (also known as "Crossroads") is a blues song written and recorded by American blues artist Robert Johnson in 1936. Johnson performed it as a solo piece with his vocal and acoustic slide guitar in the Delta blues-style. The song has become part of the Robert Johnson mythology as referring to the place where he supposedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his musical talents, although the lyrics do not contain any specific references.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: Bluesman Elmore James revived the song with recordings in 1954 and 1960–1961. English guitarist Eric Clapton with Cream popularized the song as "Crossroads" in the late 1960s. Their blues rock interpretation inspired many cover versions and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it as one of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". "Rolling Stone" placed it at number three on the magazine's list of the "Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time" in recognition of Clapton's guitar work.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: In October 1936, Johnson auditioned for music store owner and sometime talent scout H. C. Speir in Jackson, Mississippi; Speir passed on Johnson's contact information to Ernie Oertle, who was a representative for ARC Records. After a second audition, Oertle arranged for Johnson to travel to San Antonio, Texas, for a recording session. Johnson recorded 22 songs for ARC over three days from November 23 to 27, 1936. During the first session, he recorded his most commercially appealing songs. They mostly represented his original pieces and reflected current, piano-influenced musical trends. The songs include "Terraplane Blues" (his first single and most popular record) along with "Sweet Home Chicago" and "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom", which became blues standards after others recorded them.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: A second and third recording date took place in San Antonio after a two-day break. The material Johnson chose shows more variety than that for his first date and he reached back into his long-standing repertoire for songs to record. The material reflects the styles of country blues performers Charley Patton and Son House, who influenced Johnson in his youth and are among Johnson's most heartfelt and forceful.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: "Cross Road Blues" was recorded during Johnson's third session in San Antonio, on Friday, November 27, 1936. The sessions continued at an improvised studio in Room 414 at the Gunter Hotel. ARC producer Don Law supervised the recording and used a portable disc cutting machine. It is unknown what input, if any, Law had into Johnson's selection of material to record or how to present it. Two similar takes of the song were recorded.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: A crossroads or an intersection of rural roads is one of the few landmarks in the Mississippi Delta, a flat featureless plain between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. It is part of the local iconography and various businesses use the name, such as gas stations, banks, and retail shops. A crossroads is also where cars are more likely to slow down or stop, thus presenting the best opportunity for a hitchiker. In the simplest reading, Johnson describes his grief at being unable to catch a ride at an intersection before the sun sets. However, many see different levels of meaning and some have attached a supernatural significance to the song.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: Both versions of the song open with the protagonist kneeling at a crossroads to ask God's mercy, while the second sections tells of his failed attempts to hitch a ride. In the third and fourth sections, he expresses apprehension at being stranded as darkness approaches and asks that his friend Willie Brown be advised that "I'm sinkin' down". The first take of the song, which was used for the single, includes a fifth verse that is not included in the second take. In it he laments not having a "sweet woman" in his distress.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: The song has been used to perpetuate the myth of Johnson selling his soul to the Devil for his musical ability. The lyrics do not contain any references to Satan or a Faustian bargain, but they have been interpreted as a description of the singer's fear of losing his soul to the Devil (presumably in exchange for his talent). Music historians believe that Johnson's verses do not support the idea. Delta bluesman Tommy Johnson (no relation to Robert) promoted himself as having made a deal with the Devil and Southern folklore identifies a crossroads or graveyard as the site of such a pact, which Wald identifies as likely sources of the myth. However, Johnson later recorded two songs that include Satanic references: in "Hellhound on My Trail" tells of trying to stay ahead of the demon hound which is pursuing him and in "Me and the Devil Blues" he sings, "Early this mornin' when you knocked upon my door, and I said 'Hello Satan I believe it's time to go'". These songs contribute to the Faustian myth; how much Johnson promoted the idea is debated, although many agree "the 'devil angle' made for good marketing".


title: Cross Road Blues

text: Blues historian Samuel Charters sees the song as having elements of protest and social commentary. The second verse includes "the sun goin' down now boy, dark gon' catch me here", a reference to the "sundown laws" or curfew during racial segregation in the United States. Signs in the rural South advised "Nigger, don't let the sun set on you here". Johnson may be expressing a real fear of trumped up vagrancy charges or even lynchings that still took place. Others suggest that the song is about a deeper and more personal loneliness. Writers Barry Lee Pearson and Bill McCulloch argue that the fifth verse in the single version captures the essence of the song: "left alone, abandoned, or mistreated, he stands at the crossroad, looking this way or that for his woman".


title: Cross Road Blues

text: "Cross Road Blues" reflects Johnson's Delta blues roots and may have been in his repertoire since 1932. It is the first recording to show his mastery of his mentor Son House's style, particularly in his slide guitar work. Music historian Edward Komara identifies parts of "Straight Alky Blues" by Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell (1929) along with Roosevelt Sykes' subsequent adaptation as "Black River Blues" (1930) as melodic precedents. However, Johnson infuses their relaxed urban approach with a more forceful rural one. Komara terms Johnson's guitar playing a "blues harp style". It contrasts with Johnson's finger-picking "piano style", which uses a boogie-style accompaniment on the bass strings while playing melody and harmonies on the higher strings. Harp-style playing employs sharp percussive accents on the bass strings (an imitation of the sharp draw used by harmonica players) and allows Johnson to explore different chordings and fills. Johnson uses this technique for "Terraplane Blues", which shares many common elements with "Cross Road Blues".


title: Cross Road Blues

text: The song's structure differs from a well-defined twelve-bar blues. The verses are not consistent and range from fourteen to fifteen bars in length. Additionally, the harmonic progression is often implied rather than stated (full IV and V chords are not used). Johnson uses a Spanish or open G tuning with the guitar tuned up to the key of B. This facilitates Johnson's use of a slide, which features as prominently in the song as the vocal. The slide parts function more as a second "answer" vocal than accompaniment, with the tension underscoring the dark turmoil of the lyrics. Charters characterizes the song's rhythm as ambiguous, imparting both a 4/4 time and 8/8 feel. Music writer Dave Headlam elaborates on Johnson's rhythm:


title: Cross Road Blues

text: The two takes of the song are performed at moderate, but somewhat different tempos. Both begin slower and speed up; the first is about 106 beats per minute (bpm), while the second is about 96 bpm. Johnson prepares to go into the fifth section for the slower second take, but the engineer apparently cut him off because of the time limits of ten-inch 78 rpm records. In addition to the slower tempo, Johnson sings the verses at a lower pitch, although both takes are in the same key. This allows for greater variation and nuance in the vocal. Together with refinements to some guitar parts, the differences serve to help further distinguish the second take from "Terraplane Blues" and give it more of its own character.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: ARC and Vocalion Records issued the first take of "Cross Road Blues" in May 1937 on the then standard 78 rpm record. With the flip side "Ramblin' on My Mind", it was the third of eleven singles released during Johnson's lifetime. Vocalion's budget labels Perfect Records and Romeo Records also released the single for sale by dime stores. Although sales figures are not available, the record was "widely heard in the Delta" and Johnson's tunes were found in jukeboxes in the region.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: As with most of Johnson's recordings, "Cross Road Blues" remained out of print after its initial release until "The Complete Recordings" box set in 1990. The second take was released in 1961, when producer Frank Driggs substituted it for the original on Johnson's first long-playing record album compilation "King of the Delta Blues Singers". This take was also included on the 1990 "Complete Recordings" (at 2:29, it is 10 seconds shorter than the original 2:39 single version).


title: Cross Road Blues

text: American blues singer and guitarist Elmore James, who popularized Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom", recorded two variations on "Cross Road Blues". Both titled "Standing at the Crossroads", they feature James' trademark "Dust My Broom" amplified slide-guitar figure and a backing ensemble. James' lyrics focus on the lost-love aspect of the song:


title: Cross Road Blues

text: James first recorded the song in August 1954 at Modern Records' new studio in Culver City, California. Maxwell Davis supervised the session and a group of professional studio musicians provided the backup. The song was produced in a newer style that Modern used successfully for B.B. King and James' slide guitar was placed further back in the mix. Flair Records, another of the Bihari brothers' Modern labels, released the single, backed with "Sunny Land". The song became a regional hit, but did not reach the national charts. Labels associated with Modern included "Standing at the Crossroads" on several James compilation albums, such as "Blues After Hours" (Crown), "The Blues in My Heart – The Rhythm in My Soul" (Custom Records), and "Original Folk Blues" (Kent Records).


title: Cross Road Blues

text: In 1959, producer Bobby Robinson signed James to his Fury/Fire/Enjoy group of labels. In addition to new material, Robinson had James revisit several of his older songs, including "Standing at the Crossroads". James re-recorded it at Beltone Studios in New York City in late 1960 or early 1961 during one of his last sessions. Studio musicians again provided the backup and the horn section included baritone saxophone by Paul Williams. Bell Records' subsidiary labels released the song after James' death in 1965 – Flashback Records released a single with a reissue of "The Sky Is Crying" and Sphere Sound Records included it on a James compilation album also titled "The Sky Is Crying". Both the 1954 and 1960–1961 versions appear on numerous later James compilations.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: Homesick James, who recorded and toured with his cousin Elmore, also recorded a rendition titled "Crossroads". Homesick derived his guitar style from Elmore, which music critic Bill Dahl describes as "aggressive, sometimes chaotic slide work". Unlike Elmore, however, he uses most of the lyrics from Johnson's second take, which had been first issued in 1961. The July 23, 1963, recording session produced Homesick's only single for Chicago-based USA Records, "Crossroads" backed with "My Baby's Sweet".


title: Cross Road Blues

text: In early 1966, while still with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton adapted the song for a recording session with an "ad hoc" studio group, dubbed Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse. Elektra Records producer Joe Boyd brought together Steve Winwood on vocals, Clapton on guitar, Jack Bruce on bass guitar, Paul Jones on harmonica, Ben Palmer on piano, and Pete York on drums for the project. Boyd recalled that he and Clapton reviewed potential songs; Clapton wanted to record Albert King's "Crosscut Saw", but Boyd preferred to adapt an older country blues. Their attention turned to Robert Johnson songs and Boyd proposed "Crossroads" and Clapton chose "Traveling Riverside Blues".


title: Cross Road Blues

text: For the recording, Clapton developed an arrangement using lyrics from both songs with an adaption of the guitar line from the latter. Biographer Michael Schumacher describes the Powerhouse's performance as slower and more blues-based than Cream's. Elektra released the 2:32 recording, titled "Crossroads", on the compilation album "What's Shakin'" in June 1966. After the Powerhouse session, Clapton continued playing with Mayall. Author Marc Roberty lists "Crossroads" in a typical set for the Bluesbreakers in the spring of 1966.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: "Crossroads" became a part of Cream's repertoire when Clapton began performing with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in July 1966. Their version features a prominent guitar riff with hard-driving, upbeat instrumental backing and soloing. Clapton previously recorded "Ramblin' on My Mind" with Mayall and "From Four Until Late" with Cream using arrangements that followed Johnson's original songs more closely. However, he envisioned "Crossroads" as a rock song:


title: Cross Road Blues

text: Clapton simplifies Johnson's guitar line and sets it to a straight eighth-note or rock rhythm. He and Bruce on bass continuously emphasize the riff throughout the song to give it a strong and regular metric drive combined with Baker's drumming. Johnson's irregular measures are also standardized to typical twelve-bar sections in which the I–IV–V blues progression is clearly stated. Clapton does not adapt Johnson's slide guitar technique or open tuning; instead he follows the electric guitar soloing approach of B.B. King and Albert King. However, he employs a Johnson guitar innovation, the duple shuffle pattern or boogie bass line, while singing (Johnson only used it for two bars in "Cross Road Blues").


title: Cross Road Blues

text: Clapton also simplifies and standardizes Johnson's vocal lines. Schumacher calls Clapton's vocal on "Crossroads" his best and most assured with Cream. In addition to Johnson's opening and closing lyrics, he twice adds the same section from "Traveling Riverside Blues":


title: Cross Road Blues

text: During the instrumental break, Cream takes an improvisational approach characteristic of their later live performances. Bruce's bass lines blend rhythm and harmony and Baker adds fills and more complex techniques typical of drummers in jazz trios. However, the momentum is never allowed to dissipate and is constantly reinforced. "Cash Box" called it "a new winner" for Cream and added "the blazing instrumental break gives this track a luster which will bring home the sales".


title: Cross Road Blues

text: Cream recorded the song on November 28, 1966, for broadcast on the BBC "Guitar Club" radio program. At less than two minutes in length, Clapton only sings the first and last sections, with his guitar solo replacing the middle "Traveling Riverside Blues" verse. It appeared on bootleg albums before finally being released in 2003 on "BBC Sessions". On March 10, 1968, Cream recorded it again during a concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The song became the opening number on the live half of Cream's "Wheels of Fire" double album, released in August 1968 by Polydor Records in the UK and Atco Records in the US. After the group's breakup, Atco issued the song as a single in January 1969, which reached number 28 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 pop chart and 17 on "Cashbox". Both the original album and single credit the songwriter as Robert Johnson or R. Johnson, although Clapton and Cream extensively reworked the song.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: Cream played "Crossroads" during their final concert at the Royal Albert Hall on November 26, 1968. The expanded version of "Cream's Farewell Concert" film released in 1977 contains the performance. During their 2005 reunion, Cream revisited the song at the Royal Albert Hall and it is included on the "Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005" album and video. After Cream's breakup in 1968, Clapton continued to perform "Crossroads" in a variety of settings. Live recordings appear on "Live at the Fillmore" (with Derek and the Dominos), "", "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball", and other albums. Clapton has also used the name for the Crossroads Centre, a drug rehabilitation facility he founded, and for the Crossroads Guitar Festivals to benefit it.


title: Cross Road Blues

text: Clapton biographer Schumacher notes "Given the passion of the solo performances on 'Crossroads,' it seems almost miraculous that Cream is able to return to the song itself." Several music writers have explained that Cream's recording for "Wheels of Fire" was edited from a much longer performance that was typical for the trioin the notes for Clapton's "Crossroads" box set, Anthony DeCurtis credits the trimming to engineer Tom Dowd, while critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine attributes the editing to producer Felix Pappalardi, who "cut together the best bits of a winding improvisation to a tight four minutes", to allow the song's drive more continuity. In a 1985 interview, Clapton was asked if the song had been edited. He replied:


title: Cross Road Blues

text: In 1986, Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. Writing for the foundation, Jim O'Neal noted that "regardless of mythology and rock 'n' roll renditions, Johnson's record was indeed a powerful one, a song that would stand the test of time on its own". In 1998, it received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award to acknowledge its quality and place in recording history. "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked it at number 481 on its 2021 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".


title: Cross Road Blues

text: In 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed Cream's "Crossroads" as one of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". "Rolling Stone" placed it at number three on its list of "Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". AllMusic's Richard Gilliam identifies Cream's "Crossroads" as the first recording to bring Robert Johnson to the attention of popular music audiences and allow reissues of his original recordings to sell over a million copies. By combining elements of hard rock and blues, he adds it inspired "a new generation of blues-influenced artists". Rock musicians have recorded numerous renditions based on Cream's arrangement.


title: History of the Philippines (1986–present)

text: This article covers the history of the current Philippine republican state following the 1986 People Power Revolution, known as the Fifth Philippine Republic.


text: The return of democracy and government reforms beginning in 1986 were hampered by national debt, government corruption, coup attempts, disasters, a persistent communist insurgency, and a military conflict with Moro separatists. During Corazon Aquino's administration, U.S. forces withdrew from the Philippines, due to the rejection of the U.S. Bases Extension Treaty, and leading to the official transfer of Clark Air Base in November 1991 and Subic Bay to the government in December 1992. The administration also faced a series of natural disasters, including the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991. After introducing a constitution that limited presidents to a single term, Aquino did not stand for re-election. Aquino was succeeded by Fidel V. Ramos. During this period the country's economic performance remained modest, with a 3.6% percent GDP growth rate. Political stability and economic improvements, such as the peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996, were overshadowed by the onset of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.


text: Ramos' successor, Joseph Estrada assumed office in June 1998 and under his presidency the economy recovered from −0.6% growth to 3.4% by 1999. The government announced a war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in March 2000 and attacked various insurgent camps, including their headquarters. In the middle of ongoing conflict with the Abu Sayyaf, accusations of alleged corruption, and a stalled impeachment process, Estrada was overthrown by the 2001 EDSA Revolution and he was succeeded by his Vice President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on January 20, 2001.


text: In Arroyo's 9-year administration, the economy grew at a rate of 4-7%, averaging 5.33% from 2002 to 2007, and did not enter recession during the Great Recession. Her rule was tainted by graft and political scandals like the Hello Garci scandal pertaining to the alleged manipulation of votes in the 2004 presidential elections. On November 23, 2009, 34 journalists and several civilians were massacred in Maguindanao.


text: Benigno Aquino III won the 2010 national elections and served as the 15th president of the Philippines. The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed on October 15, 2012, as the first step of the creation of an autonomous political entity named Bangsamoro. However, a clash that took place in Mamasapano, Maguindanao killed 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force and put the efforts to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law into law in an impasse. Tensions regarding territorial disputes in eastern Sabah and the South China Sea escalated. In 2013, two more years were added to the country's ten-year schooling system for primary and secondary education. In 2014 the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, was signed, paving the way for the return of United States Armed Forces bases into the country.


text: Former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte won the 2016 presidential election, becoming the first president from Mindanao. On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines in its case against China's claims in the South China Sea. After winning the Presidency, Duterte launched an intensified anti-drug campaign to fulfill a campaign promise of wiping out criminality in six months. As of February 2019, the death toll for the Philippine Drug War is 5,176. The implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law led to the creation of the autonomous Bangsamoro region in Mindanao.


text: Former senator Bongbong Marcos won the 2022 presidential election, 36 years after the People Power Revolution which led to his family's exile in Hawaii. He was inaugurated on June 30, 2022.


text: With the People Power Revolution, Corazon Aquino's assumption into power marked the restoration of democracy in the country. Aquino immediately formed a revolutionary government to normalize the situation, and provided for a transitional "Freedom Constitution" that restored civil liberties and dismantled the heavily Marcos-ingrained bureaucracy— abolishing the Batasang Pambansa and relieving all public officials. The Aquino administration likewise appointed a constitutional commission that submitted a new permanent constitution that was ratified and enacted in February 1987. The constitution crippled presidential power to declare martial law, proposed the creation of autonomous regions in the Cordilleras and Muslim Mindanao, and restored the presidential form of government and the bicameral Congress.


text: Progress was made in revitalizing democratic institutions and respect for civil liberties, but Aquino's administration was also viewed as weak and fractious, and a return to full political stability and economic development was hampered by several attempted coups staged by disaffected members of the Philippine military. Aquino privatized many of the utilities the government owned, such as water and electricity. This practice was viewed by many as Aquino catering to oligarchic as well U.S. interests, losing the government's power of regulation.


text: Economic growth was additionally hampered by a series of natural disasters. In June 1991, Mount Pinatubo in Central Luzon erupted, after being dormant for 600 years. It was the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. It left 700 dead and 200,000 homeless, and cooled global weather by .


text: On September 16, 1991, despite lobbying by President Aquino, the Philippine Senate rejected a treaty that would have allowed a 10-year extension of the U.S. military bases in the country. The United States turned over Clark Air Base in Pampanga to the government in November, and Subic Bay Naval Base in Zambales in December 1992, ending almost a century of U.S. military presence in the Philippines.


text: In the 1992 elections, Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos (Lakas-NUCD), endorsed by Aquino, won by just 23.6% of the vote, over Miriam Defensor Santiago (Mds), Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr. (NPC), House Speaker Ramon Mitra (LDP), former First Lady Imelda Marcos (KBL), Senate President Jovito Salonga (LP) and Vice President Salvador Laurel (NP).


text: Early in his administration, Ramos declared "national reconciliation" his highest priority. He legalized the Communist Party and created the National Unification Commission (NUC), chaired by lawyer Manuel C. Herrera, to lay the groundwork for talks with communist insurgents, Muslim separatists, and military rebels. In June 1994, Ramos signed into law a general conditional amnesty covering all rebel groups, and Philippine military and police personnel accused of crimes committed while fighting the insurgents. In October 1995, the government signed an agreement bringing the military insurgency to an end.


text: A standoff with China occurred in 1995, when the Chinese military built structures on Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands claimed by the Philippines as Kalayaan Islands.


text: Ramos was heavily criticized for his liberal economic policies, such as passing an oil-deregulation law, thus inflating prices of gasoline products. Ramos was also criticized for alleged corruption in his handling of the Philippine Centennial Exposition and the PEA-AMARI land deal, in which Ramos allegedly received kickbacks amounting to millions of pesos.


text: A peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under Nur Misuari, a major Muslim separatist group fighting for an independent Bangsamoro homeland in Mindanao, was signed in 1996, ending the 24-year-old struggle. However an MNLF splinter group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) under Salamat Hashim continued the armed Muslim struggle for an Islamic state.


text: The 1998 elections were won by former movie actor and Vice President Joseph Ejercito Estrada (PMP-LAMMP) with overwhelming mass support, with close to 11 million votes. The other ten candidates included his closest rival and administration candidate, House Speaker Jose De Venecia (Lakas-NUCD-UMDP) with 4.4 million votes, Senator Raul Roco (Aksyon Demokratiko), former Cebu governor Emilio Osmeña (PROMDI) and Manila mayor Alfredo Lim (LP).


text: Estrada assumed office amid the Asian Financial Crisis. The economy did, however, recover from it. From a low −0.6% growth in 1998 to a moderate growth of 3.4% by 1999. Like his predecessor there was a similar attempt to change the 1987 constitution. The process is termed as CONCORD or Constitutional Correction for Development. Unlike the Charter changes under Ramos and Arroyo, the CONCORD proposal, according to its proponents, would only amend the 'restrictive' economic provisions of the constitution that are considered as impediments to the entry of more foreign investments in the Philippines. However, Estrada was not successful in amending the constitution.


text: On March 21, 2000, President Estrada declared an "all-out-war" against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after the worsening secessionist movement in Mindanao. The government later captured 46 MILF camps including the MILF's headquarters: Camp Abubakar.


text: In October 2000, Ilocos Sur governor Luis "Chavit" Singson, a close friend of Estrada, accused the President of receiving collections from "jueteng", an illegal numbers game.


text: On November 13, 2000, the House of Representatives impeached Estrada on grounds of bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the constitution. His impeachment trial in the Senate began on December 7, but broke down on January 17, 2001, after 11 senators allied with Estrada successfully blocked the opening of confidential bank records that would have been used by the prosecution to incriminate the President. In response, millions of people massed up at the EDSA Shrine, where in 1986 the People Power Revolution had ousted Marcos, demanding Estrada's immediate resignation. Estrada's cabinet resigned en masse and the military and police withdrew their support. On January 20, the Supreme Court declared the presidency vacant and swore in Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the country's 14th President. Estrada and his family evacuated the Malacañan Palace soon after.


text: Nevertheless, Estrada himself stood before the Supreme Court on grounds that he did not resign, but just went on an indefinite leave. The Supreme Court upheld the legitimacy of Arroyo with finality on March 2, 2001.


text: Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (the daughter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal) was sworn in as Estrada's successor on the day of his departure. Estrada later challenged the legitimacy of Arroyo's government, claiming he did not resign from office, but the Supreme Court twice upheld Arroyo's legitimacy. After Estrada was arrested on corruption charges in April 2001, thousands of his supporters staged an "EDSA III" to overthrow the Arroyo government, but the attempt failed when the protest rallies degraded into violence. Arroyo's accession to power was further legitimated by the mid-term congressional and local elections held in May 2001, when her coalition won an overwhelming victory.


text: Arroyo's initial term in office was marked by fractious coalition politics as well as a military mutiny in Manila in July 2003 that led her to declare a month-long nationwide state of rebellion. Although she had declared in December 2002 that she would not contest the May 2004 presidential election, citing a need to heal divisiveness, she reversed herself in October 2003 and decided to run. She was re-elected and sworn in for her own six-year term as president on June 30, 2004.


text: In 2005, a tape of a wiretapped conversation surfaced bearing the voice of Arroyo apparently asking an election official if her margin of victory can be maintained. The tape sparked protests calling for Arroyo's resignation. Arroyo admitted to inappropriately speaking to an election official, but denied allegations of fraud and refused to step down. Attempts to impeach the president failed later that year.


text: Toward the end of her term, Arroyo spearheaded a controversial plan for an overhaul of the constitution to transform the present unitary and presidential republic with a bicameral legislature into a federal parliamentary government with a unicameral legislature.


text: On June 9, 2010, at the Batasang Pambansa Complex, in Quezon City, the Congress of the Philippines proclaimed Aquino as the President-elect of the Philippines, following the 2010 election with 15,208,678 votes, while Jejomar Binay, the former mayor of Makati, was proclaimed as the Vice President-elect of the Philippines with 14,645,574 votes, defeating runner-up for the vice presidency Mar Roxas, the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party for vice president.


text: The presidential transition began when Aquino won the 2010 Philippine presidential election. The transition was in charge of the new presidential residence, cabinet appointments and cordial meetings between them and the outgoing administration.


text: On May 11, 2010, outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed an administrative order, creating the Presidential Transition Cooperation Team. Arroyo instructed outgoing Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza to lead the transition team. The transition team was created "to ensure peaceful, orderly and [efficient] transition on the 30th of June". On June 9, 2010, the transition team started informal meetings with the Aquino transition team.


text: On June 16, 2010, Aquino organized his transition team in a letter to outgoing Presidential Management Staff Secretary Elena Bautista-Horn. Aquino appointed the members of his transition team; defeated runner-up for the vice presidency Mar Roxas, incoming Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr., former Secretary of Education Florencio Abad, former Secretary of Finance Cesar Purisima, and Julia Abad, daughter of Florencio Abad and Aquino's chief of staff.


text: The presidential residence of Aquino is the "Bahay Pangarap" (English: House of Dreams), located inside of Malacañang Park, at the headquarters of the Presidential Security Group across the Pasig River from Malacañan Palace. Aquino is the first president to make "Bahay Pangarap" his official residence. Aquino refused to live in Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines, or in Arlegui Mansion, the residence of former presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos, stating that the two residences are too big, and also stated that his small family residence at Times Street in Quezon City would be impractical, since it would be a security concern for his neighbors.


text: Aquino named long-time friend, Paquito Ochoa, Jr., as Executive Secretary. Aquino appointed Corazon Soliman as Secretary of Social Welfare & Development, a position she once held under the Arroyo administration but later resigned in 2005. On June 22, 2010, Leila de Lima accepted the offer to join the cabinet and later took over the helm of the Department of Justice on July 2, 2010. On July 15, 2010, Vice President Jejomar Binay was appointed as chairman of HUDCC. On June 24, 2010, Br. Armin Luistro , president of De La Salle University, accepted the post of Secretary of Education after meeting with the school's stakeholders. On June 27, 2010, Aquino reappointed incumbent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto Romulo.


text: On June 29, 2010, Aquino officially named the members of his Cabinet, with Aquino himself as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government. Aquino also announced the formation of a truth commission that will investigate various issues including corruption allegations against outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Aquino named former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. to head the truth commission.


text: The inauguration of President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay was held at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta Park, Manila on June 30, 2010. The oath of office was administered by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Conchita Carpio-Morales, who officially accepted Aquino's request to swear him into office, reminiscent of the decision of his mother, who in 1986, was sworn into the presidency by Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee. Aquino refused to allow Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Renato Corona to swear him into office, due to Aquino's opposition to the appointment of Corona by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Aquino was congratulated by the President Barack Obama of the United States, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and the government of Australia.


text: In 2013, the government announced it was drawing up a new framework for potential peace talks with the New People's Army.


text: In 2015, a clash which took place in Mamasapano, Maguindanao killed 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force, resulting in efforts to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law reaching an impasse.


text: Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte of PDP–Laban won the 2016 presidential election by a landslide, garnering 39.01% or 16,601,997 of the total votes, becoming the first Mindanaoan to become president. On the other hand, Camarines Sur 3rd District representative Leni Robredo won with the second-narrowest margin in history, against Senator Bongbong Marcos. On May 30, the Congress had proclaimed Rodrigo Duterte, despite his absence, as president-elect and Leni Robredo as vice president-elect.


text: The presidential transition of Rodrigo Duterte began when Duterte won the 2016 Philippine presidential election. The transition was in charge of the new presidential residence, cabinet appointments and cordial meetings between them and the outgoing administration.


text: Duterte's presidency began following his inauguration on June 30, 2016, at the Rizal Ceremonial Hall of the Malacañang Palace in Manila, which was attended by more than 627 guests.


text: On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines in its case against China's claims in the South China Sea. On August 1, 2016, the Duterte administration launched a 24-hour complaint office accessible to the public through a nationwide hotline, 8888, and change the nationwide emergency telephone number from 117 to 911. By October 2016, one hundred days after Duterte took office, the death toll for the Philippine Drug War passed 3,000 people. As of February 2019, the death toll for the Philippine Drug War is 5,176.


text: In middle of October to November 2016, President Duterte announced numerous times his shift to ties with China and Russia. The president also blasted the United States and Barack Obama, as well as the United Nations and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, numerous times in various live interviews and speeches while in the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, and Laos.


text: On November 8, 2016, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled in favor of the burial of the late president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the country's official cemetery for heroes, provoking protests from various groups.


text: Duterte initiated the "Build, Build, Build" program in 2017 that aimed to usher the Philippines into a new "golden age of infrastructure" and was expected to create more jobs and business opportunities, which, in turn, would sustain the country's economic growth and accelerate poverty reduction. The construction industry needs two million more workers to sustain the program. The program is made up of numerous projects in various sectors, such as air, rail, and road transport as well as other public utilities and infrastructures. The country is expected to spend $160 billion to $180 billion up to 2022 for the public investments in infrastructure. The program has been linked to supporting recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.


text: In 2017, Duterte signed the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which provides for free tuition and exemption from other fees in public universities and colleges for Filipino students, as well as subsidies for those enrolled in private higher education institutions. He also signed 20 new laws, including the Universal Health Care Act, the creation of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, establishing a national cancer control program, and allowing subscribers to keep their mobile numbers for life.


text: Duterte signed laws creating the Philippine Space Agency and the departments of housing and urban development, and migrant workers. He institutionalized a national identification system and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, raised the age of sexual consent to 16, criminalized child marriage, simplified the adoption process, and launched the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.


text: Duterte initiated liberal economic reforms by amending the Foreign Investment Act of 1991 and the Public Service Act to attract foreign investors, and reformed the country's tax system by signing the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act while raising sin taxes on non-essential goods. He took measures to eliminate corruption, red tape, and money laundering by establishing the freedom of information under the Executive branch, signing the Ease of Doing Business Act, creating the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, and strengthening the Anti-Money Laundering Act. In agricultural policy, he liberalized rice imports by signing the Rice Tariffication Law to stabilize rice prices, granted free irrigation to small farmers, signed the Sagip Saka Act, and created a trust fund for coconut farmers.


text: Duterte signed the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act. He signed the automatic enrollment of all Filipinos under the government's health insurance program through the Universal Health Care Act, signed the Philippine Mental Health Law, signed a law establishing Malasakit Centers in public hospitals, ordered the full implementation of the Reproductive Health Law, banned smoking in public places nationwide, and set a price cap on select medicines. He oversaw the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, implementing strict lockdown measures causing in 2020 a 9.5% contraction in the country's GDP, which eventually recovered to 5.6% in 2021 following gradual reopening of the economy and implementing a nationwide vaccination drive.


text: In May 2022, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (known by his nickname "Bongbong"), son of former president Ferdinand Marcos, won the presidential election by landslide. His vice presidential candidate was Sara Duterte, daughter of then-president Rodrigo Duterte. On 30 June 2022, Marcos was sworn in as the Philippine president and Sara Duterte was sworn in as vice-president.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo (born 10 April 1972), sometimes credited as Vincent Chiu or Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese actor and martial artist. Zhao is best known for playing the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the "Once Upon a Time in China" film and television series and for his films "The Blade", "True Legend " and "God of War".


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Zhao was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China the youngest of three boys. His father was a martial arts practitioner, and his mother was a professional sprinter, who broke the record for being the fastest female sprinter of Harbin. Under the instruction of his father, Zhao attended martial arts lessons at the age of eight but he never completely devoted himself to his lessons as he was more interested in singing. In the early 1980s, Zhao was sent to a martial arts academy in Harbin and began to train vigorously, where he started to love the sport. He soon became the youngest member of the Harbin wushu team, which was established in 1985. Trained in various wushu techniques, Zhao mastered Tongbeiquan, t'ai chi ch'uan, especially the Chen and Yang styles.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Zhao maintained high academic standards, and in 1990, he was accepted by Beijing Sport University to study martial arts. Throughout his university career, he joined many national championships, winning first place titles and gold medals for the National Junior Championship, the National All-Around Championship, and also the National Martial Arts Championship. He was also qualified to be in China's national martial arts team, and his classmates gave him the nickname, "Kungfu King".


title: Vincent Zhao

text: In 1992, Hong Kong film producer Corey Yuen went to Beijing Sport University to find a martial artist to play the role of the antagonist for his 1993 film "Fong Sai-yuk". Yuen found Zhao through the latter's instructor and was immediately impressed with Zhao. Initially, Zhao was uninterested, but Yuen insisted on offering him the role because he had "the skill and looks." After further encouragement from peers and mentors, Zhao accepted the offer and shooting began in the same year. Zhao was often teased for looking too nice and young for the role of the villain, the Governor of Kau-man, but under the instruction of Yuen and other directors, he learned the easiest way to "look evil". He said, "The director told me: Chiu Man-cheuk, when you look at people, don't look at them like how you usually do. You must look at them from the corner of your eyes with your profile facing them. That way, you will look evil." During filming, Zhao also enrolled in acting classes for three months. "Fong Sai-yuk" was released in March 1993 and became a box office hit in Hong Kong, grossing HK$30,666,842.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: After only a month into the filming of "Fong Sai-yuk", contract problems between Tsui Hark and Jet Li caused Li to back out from the fourth installment of the "Once Upon a Time in China" saga. Tsui met Zhao on the set of "Fong Sai-yuk" and was impressed with Zhao's performance that he quickly recruited Zhao to replace Li in playing the role of Wong Fei-hung. Tsui also encouraged Zhao to sign a three-year contract to be a full-time actor, but Zhao rejected the offer, stating that he felt that his education was more important. Zhao continued to devote himself to filming during school vacations for "Green Snake" (1993) and "Once Upon a Time in China IV" (1994). During filming for Green Snake, Zhao was hung high up in the air during a stunt with two steel wires supporting him but during an incident one of the steel wires broke and Zhao stated that if the other wire were to also break that he could have lost his life as well. Zhao was ultimately very frightened especially after filming this scene. During the filming of one of the Wong Fei Hung movies, he seriously injured his ankle to the point where it hadn't healed until the year 2012. He stated that some of the bones in his ankle still hasn't healed yet and that before this injury he was okay with doing the majority of his stunts even jumping from third or second story high buildings. The injury has also affected his flexibility as well.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Although "Once Upon a Time in China IV" grossed less in the box office than the first three installments, it was significant enough to continue the franchise with a fifth installment, "Once Upon a Time in China V" (1995). While shooting a scene, Zhao slipped during a fighting sequence and injured his head. He was rushed to the hospital and got stitches. He recovered quickly and shooting continued after several weeks. "Once Upon a Time in China V" was Zhao's last role as Wong Fei-hung in the films, as Jet Li returned for the sixth and last installment, "Once Upon a Time in China and America" (1997).


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Zhao continued playing Wong Fei-hung in the television drama "Wong Fei Hung Series", also produced by Tsui Hark. The series was aired on ATV in Hong Kong for two years and received high ratings (although "Wong Fei Hung Series: The Final Victory" only had moderate ratings).


title: Vincent Zhao

text: In 1997, Zhao signed a management contract with China Star, a Hong Kong talent agency, after which he began to work on more films, such as "The Blacksheep Affair" (1998), "Body Weapon" (1999) and "Fist Power" (1999–2000). Many considered him as "the next Jet Li".


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Zhao's contract with China Star ended in 1999, and he decided to turn his focus to the mainland Chinese market in hope of making more money (probably due to economic differences), working on television series and films such as "The Sino-Dutch War 1661", "Wind and Cloud" and "Seven Swordsmen". In 2006, Zhao returned to Hong Kong and began working on "The Master of Tai Chi", produced by TVB.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: During an interview concerning his career and the transition from movie actor to television actor. He said tactfully "at the beginning of the transition, my heart felt like it was in a uncomfortable state."


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Reviews for Zhao's performance in television series were mixed, and many criticized him for giving up big productions and the silver screen. Zhao explained:


title: Vincent Zhao

text: "I never took professional acting classes. The only thing I could do back then were sports and martial arts. In order to train myself, I must accept more television series to touch up my acting."


title: Vincent Zhao

text: While working on "The Master of Tai Chi", Zhao was given a script for a new martial arts film and he accepted the lead role. Zhao signed with Hollywood agency CAA in 2006 with help from Jackie Chan. He was originally selected to play the lead villain in "Rush Hour 3", but the role was eventually given to Hiroyuki Sanada. After spending one year and a half in America, Zhao returned to Beijing and went into an obvious physical breakdown. In September 2008 he returned to Beijing to prepare for his next film, "True Legend". "True Legend" opened up to mixed reviews and was a failure at the box office. In April 2010 Zhao joined "Sacrifice"'s star-studded cast and was only given a minor role.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Zhao starred alongside Yang Mi, Louis Fan, Xu Jiao and Dennis To in the 2012 martial arts fantasy film "Wu Dang" that was directed by Patrick Leung, written by Chan Khan, and action choreographed by Corey Yuen.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: On 19 January 2012, in a press conference held in Beijing, it was announced that Zhao would be starring with Donnie Yen in the film "Special Identity". However, on 29 February, Zhao left the production due to changes in the script by Yen.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Zhao graduated from Beijing Sport University in 1994 and decided to remain there as a martial arts instructor. However, due to his busy filming schedule, he only taught classes for three months before resigning.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: During his time at Beijing Academy, Zhao signed on for two months of dancing classes and won the National College Dance Championship Competition.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Zhao had a son from a previous relationship with a Shanghai college student known as "Xiao Lian" () studying in Canada and a reported pianist in 2001. His son, named "Zhao Yuanda" (), English name "Joseph", was born in August 2002. The reason for their break up is unknown. In 2004, Zhao Yuanda and his mother moved back to Beijing, where she opened a yoga center in the luxury apartments of Beijing Suburbs.


title: Vincent Zhao

text: Zhao married his girlfriend Zhang Danlu, whom he met in 2002, in June 2006, and their daughter was born in September 2007. In November 2007, Zhao brought his family back to Beijing. At the airport, when interviewed, Zhao said his daughter is named "Rosita", Chinese name "Zhao Ziyang" (). His daughter shares the same name as the late politician Zhao Ziyang, whose name has been a taboo subject in China since 1989. On 15 July 2011, Zhao's wife gave birth in Hong Kong to their second son, who is named "Zilong" after the courtesy name of Zhao Yun, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms period. On 14 September 2016, Zhao and Zhang welcomed their third child (Zhao's fourth), a daughter named Luna Zhao.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The Maquis were Spanish guerrillas who waged an irregular warfare against the Francoist dictatorship within Spain following the Republican defeat in the Spanish Civil War until the early 1960s, carrying out sabotage, robberies (to help fund guerrilla activity) and assassinations of Francoists as well as contributing to the fight against Nazi Germany and the Vichy regime in France during World War II. They also took part in occupations of the Spanish embassy in France.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The Maquis activity in Spain had its heyday towards 1946, after which the resistance fighters were heavily repressed during the (1947–1949), with instances of white terror such as "paseo"s, and applications of the ley de fugas (extralegal executions based on the simulation of the escape of detainees) taking a heavy toll among the combatants and their supporters. Following its decline, it fully disappeared in the 1960s.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Referring to the contribution of the Spanish Maquis to the French resistance movement, Martha Gellhorn wrote in "The Undefeated" (1945):


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Also during World War II, Spaniards were involved in the assassination of Julius Ritter, an SS Colonel in charge of recruiting forced labor, as well as in the planned assassination of General Ernst Schaumburg. In October 1944 a group of 6,000 maquis including Antonio Téllez Solà invaded Spain via the Aran Valley but were driven back after ten days. Few details of the maquis' actions in Spain have been made public because of the secrecy of the Franco government, but guerrillas, including Francesc Sabaté Llopart, Jose Castro Veiga, and Ramon Vila Capdevila were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Guardia Civil (Civil Guard) officers, and uncountable acts of industrial sabotage. Between 1943 and 1952, 2,166 maquis were reported arrested by the Civil Guard, nearly wiping out the movement.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The term "maquis" comes from the French term "maquis", which in turn comes from the Corsican term "macchia", the maquis shrubland, a type of biome found in the Mediterranean basin, mostly associated with Corsica.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: In France, the term was first used to refer to a group of guerrillas of the French resistance against the German occupation of France during World War II. The resistance fighters in these encampments were referred to as "maquisards".


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The anti-Franco guerrilla resistance in Spain began before the 1939 end of the Spanish Civil War. The outbreak of World War II so soon after the civil war surprised a large part of the Spanish Republican exiles in France; many of them joined the French Resistance. By 1944, with the German forces in retreat, many of the guerrillas refocused their fight towards Spain. Despite the failure of the invasion of the Val d'Arán that year, some columns continued to progress into the Spanish interior and to connect with the groups that had remained in the mountains since 1939.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The apogee of guerrilla action was between 1945 and 1947. After this, the repression from the Franco government intensified, and one by one the groups were destroyed. Many of their members died or were incarcerated. Others escaped to France or Morocco. In 1952, the last important contingents evacuated from Spain. After that, those who resisted in the forested and mountainous regions refusing to choose either exile or surrender, fought only for their own survival.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The origins of the maquis in Spain lie with those who fled the advancing forces of Franco's Nationalists. The insecurity engendered by the repressive tactics of the Nationalist insurgency turned their political opponents—even many who were not politically active but simply known to sympathize with the republic—into fugitives. At first many hid in relatives' homes, but some sought refuge in the mountains. Their numbers were enhanced by deserters and by escapees from prisons and concentration camps. These constituted the nucleus of those who decided to keep fighting from the mountains.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The political character of the guerrillas was as varied as that of the Popular Front, containing communists, socialists, and anarchists. Despite the diverse ideologies, due to the organizational persistence of the Communist Party of Spain until 1948, the Communists dominated the other currents.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: During the war, the idea of the possibility of a guerrilla war at the rearguard of Franco's Nationalists was proposed. The idea came to fruition at the initiative of Juan Negrín, at the time head of the Republican government and of the Ministry of Defense. He created the XIV Cuerpo de Ejército Guerrillero ("Guerrilla Army Corps") in October 1937. This name was used for the Basque section of the Spanish Republican Army until the collapse of the front in the north.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The short-term objectives of this Corps were the interruption of the communications and supply lines to the Nationalist troops, and the carrying out of special operations. In the long term, they were to continue the war against Franco in the case of defeat on the conventional fronts.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: At the end of the war, such activities had been set in motion on the fronts of Teruel, Andalusia, Extremadura, and Toledo. The action with the greatest significance was the liberation, on May 23, 1938, of 300 Asturian political prisoners in Granada. Throughout 1938 and 1939 the Corps brought together many of the exiles of Andalucía and Extremadura; however, the Republican defeat brought the dissolution of the Corps.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Hundreds of thousands of Republican soldiers and civilians crossed the French border ahead of the advancing Nationalist troops in Catalonia. Once on the other side, they were put in concentration camps by the authorities. There were 22 camps in total: Barcarès, Agde, Saint-Cyprien, Argelès-sur-Mer, Berck-Plage, Montpellier Chapallete, Fort Mahon Plage, Tour de Carol, Septfonds, Baste-les-Foages, Bram, Haros, Gurs, Vernet d'Ariège, Rivesaltes, Fort Colliure, and Rieucros in Metropolitan France and, in French North Africa, Camp Morand, Meridja, Djelfa, Hadjerat-OM'Guil, and Ain-el-Curak. In these camps, exiles began to reorganize themselves into guerrilla groups.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: In the camp of Argelès-sur-Mer a series of meetings were held. Members of the PCE and the Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas ("Unified Socialist Youth") participated. In October 1940, the decision was made to organize anti-fascist actions in France, together with the French resistance, against the Vichy government. This was the beginning of the Spanish involvement on a grand scale in the fight against the occupation of France.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: On October 11, 1940 the Vichy regime started the Companies of Foreign Workers ("Compagnies de Travailleurs Etrangers", CTE), which permitted prisoners to leave the concentration camps, if they would go to work in factories. This increased the possibilities of escape. Shortly after the Vichy regime established the Obligatory Work Service ("Service du travail obligatoire", STO) for French citizens, with similar objectives: to provide manual labor to armament factories and the construction of the Atlantic Wall.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Those French who were released through the STO began to escape to the mountains, where they came together with Spanish who escaped from the CTE. The French escapees were mainly civilians, rather than remnants of the defeated French army. From this time, the French term ""maquis"" began to be used to refer to the camps, and ""maquisards"" for those that occupied them.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Some of the Spanish refugees joined French resistance groups, while others formed autonomous groups. In April 1942 a meeting of several Spanish combat groups decided to take the name of the "XIV Cuerpo del Ejército de Guerrilleros Españoles", considering themselves the Corps' successors.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: In May 1944 the XIV Corps re-formed as the "Agrupación de Guerrilleros Españoles" (AGE, roughly "Spanish Guerrilla Group"), because they consisted for the most part of Spanish combatants on French soil. This conveyed the group's distancing from the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP), the armed branch of the French Communist Party, with whom they had previously worked closely. By this time, the Spanish resistors had participated in numerous armed actions against the German army, even liberating various populations in the south of France.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The numbers of Spanish combatants in the ranks of the Resistance vary quite a bit amongst sources, but in general they accept a number around 10,000. After the German army was driven from France, Spanish maquis returned their focus to Spain.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The most notable operation of the Spanish maquis was the invasion of Spain by between 4,000 and 7,000 guerrillas through Val d'Aran and other parts of the Pyrenees, well equipped and with heavy weapons, on October 19, 1944, after the German Army had been driven from the south of France. The invasion was named "Operation Reconquest of Spain".


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Operation Reconquest of Spain was planned by the AGE staff. To carry out the invasion they created the 204th Division, made up of 12 brigades. The division was commanded by Vicente López Tovar.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The objective of the offensive was to retake the sector of Spanish territory comprising the land between the Cinca and Segre Rivers and the French border. Later, the zone was declared conquered by the Spanish Republican government in exile, with the intention of provoking a general uprising against Franco throughout Spain. It was hoped that it would force the Allies to "liberate" Spain the same way it was "liberating" the rest of Europe.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The main attack in the valley was accompanied by operations in other valleys of the Pyrenees during the previous weeks, with the objective of distracting Franco's forces. These other attacks were intended also to evaluate the situation in the interior of Spain, and make contact with other groups of exiles. The most important points of penetration in the long chain of mountains were Roncesvalles, Roncal, Hecho, Canfranc, Val d'Aran, Andorra, and Cerdanya, though there were also operations at smaller points.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The offensives were repelled by a great force that was moved into the area by Franco, made up of the Civil Guard, Armed Police Corps, battalions of the Spanish Army, and 40,000 Moroccan (Army of Africa) troops.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The guerrilla army conquered various towns and villages, raising the Spanish Republican flag, carrying out anti-Franco meetings in the plazas, as well as controlling part of the French border for several days, through which they were able to bring in trucks, material and reinforcements from France. However, the invasion failed to take Vielha e Mijaran, its principal objective. Finally, overwhelmed by the Nationalists' numerical and material advantage, the guerrillas pulled back. The retreat ended October 28, when the last guerrillas re-crossed the border back into France, without the hoped-for uprising.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The failure of the invasion was used by the Stalinist members of the PCE's Central Committee, recently arrived from the Soviet Union to France, to purge the heads of the party who had remained in France fighting the Germans. Most were either kidnapped and assassinated or summarily judged and shot.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: In spite of the setback of Arán in 1944, the expectations of the exiled Spanish Communist Party (PCE) remained high, given that all seemed still possible in an international context of general collapse of fascism. All throughout Spain, the level of guerrilla activity went up, precipitated by the incorporation of new contingents forced to cross the border from France and the reorganization of the groups with structures of a more military character.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The exiled PCE promoted the creation of the "Agrupaciones Guerrilleras" (Guerrilla Groups) in several geographic zones, coordinating the actions between them. It was modeled after the "Federación de Guerrillas de León-Galicia", the first guerrilla organization of the post-war era. The most active group from the AG was the "Agrupación Guerrillera de Levante y Aragón (AGLA)", which was active in the area between the southern part of Teruel, the interior of Castellón and the north of Cuenca. Also noteworthy was the "Agrupación de Guerilleros "Stalingrado"" (Stalingrad Group) headed up by "Manolo el Rubio" (Pablo Pérez Hidalgo), which operated in the Sierra de Bermeja near Cádiz, and at its peak boasted a force of 50 resistance fighters.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: All these groups were extremely sectarian in their aims and organization, following invariably the strategies dictated by the Central Committee (controlled by Moscow). The will to keep fighting was maintained by strict discipline imposed by the PCE kommisars. People in these groups who wanted to leave and rejoin a normal civilian life were most of the time treated as deserters and shot, even at the rearguard guerrilla camps in France.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: In 1948 the PCE changed its strategy, and at the behest of Stalin, renounced the guerrilla fight, preferring to try to change the state-sanctioned Spanish Syndical Organization from within. This began the decline of the "agrupaciones", already quite beaten by government repression. The "Agrupaciones Guerrilleras" renamed themselves "Comités de Resistencia". The new orientation, however, was not effective, and ultimately a general evacuation was decreed in 1952.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: There were several factors in the decline and disappearance of the Spanish maquis. On one side, the commencement of the Cold War made it evident that the Allies would not intervene in the maquis's fight against the Spanish State. This led the PCE to change strategy, ending its support for the guerrilla groups in the 1950s.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The government had a policy of total silence on the actions of the maquis. For this reason, outside of the areas of maquis activity, the population had practically no knowledge of the maquis. On the rare occasion that an item appeared in the press, the maquis were always referred to as ""bandoleros"" (bandits), in order to strip the actions of all political context.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Steadily, Francoist forces isolated the guerrillas. Most of their members were middle-aged or older by 1950, with the consequent detriment of their physical capacities accelerated by years of living exposed to the elements and the lack of proper medical and food supplies. In these last years, many attempted to escape to France. Of those who stayed in Spain, some were sentenced only to jail (some spent up to 20 years in prison), some were judged summarily and shot, and others died at the hands of the Guardia Civil through application of the Ley de Fugas ("law of fugitives").


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Although the period of major guerrilla activity ranged from 1938 through to the early 1950s, some groups continued to fight. The end was marked by the shooting deaths of Francisco Sabate Llopart (El Quico) in 1960, and Ramon Vila ""Caracremada"" in 1963, both in Catalonia, and in Galicia in March 1965.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Maquis were active mostly in mountainous areas throughout the peninsula, preferring forests or areas of dense vegetation that would provide shelter and cover. Another important factor in the location of maqui groups and their survival was the social situation. They had to choose areas in which they could count on the collaboration of at least part of the population, given that without local support they could hardly sustain a guerrilla group.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: In areas of harsher weather, like in the mountains of León, the maquis would relatively often pass periods of time more or less "undercover", in small groups, in support houses in villages, especially during the winter months.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Among the areas of major maquis activity were the Cornisa Cantábrica, from Galicia to Cantabria, especially the mountains of Lugo, Asturias and the area north of León; the Iberian System, specifically the area between the provinces of Teruel, Castellón, Valencia, and Cuenca; Centro, which consists of Extremadura, the north of Cordova, Ciudad Real, Toledo and the mountains of the Sistema Central; and two independent areas in the south of Andalusia: Cádiz on one hand and Granada-Málaga on the other. There was also activity in other areas, such as La Mancha and High Aragon.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Armed resistance groups were also active in cities, although only prominently in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and Granada. In Madrid, the maquis' character was predominantly communist, supported by the PCE. Their activities did not, however, last long. On the other hand, the maquis acting in Barcelona, were mainly anarchists. This city was the last urban place to see activity of maquis. Attempts to extend the fight to other capitals like Valencia and Bilbao were unsuccessful.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: The generally rural and isolated character of the areas of guerrilla activity constituted an obstacle to the maquis' objectives. In effect, given the silence of the press and government on the situation, very few and scattered inhabitants of areas of maqui activity were actually aware of the conflict. The greater part of the Spanish population was ignorant of a guerrilla war going on in their mountains.


title: Spanish Maquis

text: Sustaining guerrilla activity was dependent on sectors of the population known as ""enlaces"" (literally, "links" or "relationships"). There were others called "passive militias", and ""guerrilleros del llano"" ("guerrillas of the plains"), who supplied aid, from food to armaments when necessary, as well as information. They would also deliver mail or correspondence for the groups.