title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: An entire British division had occupied Batum on the Black Sea supervising German and Turkish withdrawal. Wilson thought the Caucasus "a nest" and wrote a paper which Churchill circulated to the Cabinet (3 May 1919) urging retreat from non-vital parts of the world. At the end of August 1919 the British withdrew from Baku on the Caspian. In February 1920 Wilson persuaded the Cabinet to withdraw the remaining 3 battalions from Batum, but the Foreign Secretary Curzon had the decision reversed on his return from holiday, although to Curzon's fury (he thought it "abuse of authority") Wilson gave the local commander permission to withdraw if necessary. After a British garrison at Enzeli (on the Persian Caspian coast) was taken prisoner by Bolshevik forces on 19 May 1920, Lloyd George finally insisted on abandonment of Batum early in June 1920. Churchill and Wilson opposed Curzon's aspirations for a permanent British presence in Persia, and financial retrenchment forced a British withdrawal in the spring of 1921.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: By February 1920 Wilson's Staff wanted to reduce commitment to Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), despite inevitable loss of prestige, as occupation of the whole country was not necessary to safeguard the southern Persian oilfields. In May 1920 Wilson submitted a joint paper with Churchill and Trenchard (Chief of Air Staff) complaining about the cost of keeping 10,000 British and 50,000 Indian troops there. When revolt broke out in Mesopotamia, Wilson asked (15 July 1920) to pull out of Persia to send reinforcements (he also needed troops for Ireland and the rest of the UK), but Lloyd George said that Curzon "would not stand it". By October 1920 the local British commander Sir Aylmer Haldane managed to restore order but on 10 December Wilson minuted his agreement to an appraisal by the Director of Military Operations that "we ran things too fine and that a great disaster was only narrowly avoided". Wilson was privately scathing about what he called "Hot Air, Aeroplanes & Arabs" – Trenchard's plan for Air Defence backed by Arab levies, announced by Churchill at the Cairo Conference in July 1921 – although glad at the reduction in military commitment, and wrote to Rawlinson that when trouble came Churchill would "hop into an aeroplane and fly away, waving Ta-Ta to any poor bloody native who is stupid enough to back us".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson and his staff did not agree with Lloyd George's insistence on retaining an occupation force in Turkey and his support for Greek territorial ambitions in Asia Minor (Treaty of Sèvres, 1920). Wilson argued that Anglo-Turkish conflict was antagonising "the whole Mussulman world" and that Britain should instead "make love to" Turkey. In June 1921 Wilson told a cabinet committee that Turkey and Ireland were essentially similar, Britain had either to "knock (them) on the head or come out". Turkish power revived under Kemal, and after Wilson's death the Chanak Crisis triggered Lloyd George's fall. Peace was not signed with Turkey until Lausanne in 1923.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson was pro-Zionist after a meeting with Chaim Weizmann in May 1919, believing that Jews could police the area for Britain. He wanted to withdraw from the British Mandate of Palestine (which at that time included the Emirate of Transjordan), as Britain did not have the troops to keep both Jews and Arabs under its thumb.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson wanted to retain Egypt as part of the British Empire. After a nationalist rising in the spring of 1919 Milner was appointed to head an inquiry, and in summer 1920 he proposed that Egypt be granted autonomy. Wilson agreed with Churchill, who thought that granting Egypt sovereign independence (even if still as a British puppet state) would set a bad example for India and Ireland. In the end, despite the reservations of Allenby, High Commissioner in Cairo, who also thought (September 1920) that it would make "another Ireland" out of Egypt, the Allenby Declaration of February 1922 was based on the Milner proposals whilst reserving Britain's "special interest" in the country. Wilson was concerned about the British garrison being restricted to the Suez Canal area and wrote that "the white flag is once more up over 10 Downing Street".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson wrote to Robertson (13 June 1919) that "Ireland goes from bad to worse and" that "a little bloodletting" was needed, but in 1919 the fighting was sporadic and highly localised, seemingly no worse than in the land agitation of the early 1880s. 15 police (out of 9,000 RIC) were killed in 1919, and Ireland was at first very low down the UK political agenda.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: In October 1919 Wilson warned Churchill that the planned introduction of Irish Home Rule that autumn would lead to trouble and, given concerns that Robertson lacked the subtlety for the Irish Command which Churchill had offered him, asked him to consult the Prime Minister, perhaps in the knowledge that Lloyd George disliked Robertson. Lloyd George preferred Macready, as he had experience of peacekeeping duties in South Wales and Belfast as well as having served as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in London, and he was appointed early in 1920.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: The Cabinet agreed (11 May 1920) to Macready's request for vehicles and extra technical personnel, but on Wilson's advice agreed only to hold the 8 requested extra battalions "in readiness". Churchill proposed a force of 8,000 old soldiers be raised to reinforce the RIC, but Wilson thought this force of "scallywags" (the Auxiliary Division as it became, whose numbers peaked at 1,500 in July 1921) would be ill-trained, poorly led and split up into small groups across Ireland, fears which proved wholly justified. Wilson would have preferred a special force of 8 "Garrison Battalions" under full military discipline, and a robust military campaign in Ireland, which he regarded as a proxy war for anti-British movements in "New York & Cairo & Calcutta & Moscow", but this was politically unacceptable. Wilson is sometimes credited with creating the Cairo Gang – there is no evidence for this, and indeed the gang may not even have existed.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson became increasingly concerned that Tudor, with the connivance of Lloyd George, who loved to drop hints to that effect, was operating an unofficial policy of killing IRA men in reprisal for the deaths of pro-Crown forces. Wilson wrote to Macready (June 1920) that "the discipline and good name of the Army is worth half a dozen Irelands" – although sympathetic, he had been deeply concerned to hear of troops smashing up Fermoy in reprisal for the kidnapping of General Cuthbert. However, Macready also told Wilson that the Army was arranging "accidents" for suspected IRA men, but not telling the politicians as he did not want them "talked and joked about after dinner by Cabinet Ministers". Lloyd George refused to formally declare martial law, not least because in July 1920 the Amritsar Massacre (of April 1919) was being debated by Parliament.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: With the army stretched very thin by the deployment of two extra divisions to Iraq, and the threatened coal strike in September 1920, Wilson wanted to withdraw ten battalions from Ireland, but Macready warned this would make peacekeeping of Ireland impossible unless the Army was given a free hand to conduct purely military operations. Amidst concerns that police and army discipline would not stay firm indefinitely, Wilson therefore recommended martial law that month, although he also stressed that it needed to have full and open political support. Wilson wanted lists of known Sinn Féiners published on church doors and wanted to "shoot (five IRA men for each policeman killed) by roster seeing that we cannot get evidence".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: After the Bloody Sunday assassination of a dozen British officers (21 November 1920) Wilson urged martial law on Churchill "for the hundredth time". After the killing of 17 Auxiliaries in an ambush at Kilmichael, near Macroom, County Cork, martial law was declared (10 December 1920 – Wilson called Churchill and Hamar Greenwood "amazing liars" in his diary for saying they had always been in favour of it) in the four Munster Counties of Cork, Tipperary, Kerry and Limerick – Wilson would have preferred all of Ireland apart from Ulster. On 23 December Irish Home Rule became law. Wilson attended a special conference (29 December) along with Macready, Tudor and John Anderson (Head of the Civil Service in Dublin) at which they all advised that no truce should be allowed for elections to the planned Dublin Parliament, and that at least four months (Wilson thought six) months of martial law would be required to restore order – the date for the elections was therefore set for May 1921. In accordance with Wilson and Macready's wishes martial law was extended over the rest of Munster (Counties Waterford and Clare) and part of Leinster (Counties Kilkenny and Wexford).


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: In February 1921 a new Secretary of State for War, Laming Worthington-Evans, was more willing to listen to Wilson's advice. The Irish War of Independence reached a climax in the first half of 1921, with deaths of pro-Crown forces running at approximately double the rate of those in the second half of 1920. Wilson still urged unity of military and police command, which Macready did not want.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: In April 1921 the Cabinet decided, against Wilson' advice, to withdraw 4 of Macready's 51 battalions, to meet the possible Triple Alliance strike. Wilson drew up plans to send an extra 30 battalions to suppress Ireland once the strike and the Irish elections were out of the way, not least as troops would otherwise need to be replaced after the strain of guerrilla war. In the event 17 battalions were sent (bringing British strength up to 60,000) in June and July, but the politicians drew back from the brink and began secret talks with James Craig and Éamon de Valera.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson thought the Truce of 11 July 1921 "rank, filthy cowardice" and hoped it would break down, so that an extra 30,000 troops could be sent to crush Sinn Féin, and thought Lloyd George's plan to withdraw from the interior and control major cities and ports ("withdrawal and blockade") "as ridiculous as it was impossible".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: In June 1921 Lloyd George complained that he could "never get a sane discussion" with Wilson. When Wilson told him (5 July) that he "did not speak to murderers" and would hand de Valera over to the police on his forthcoming visit to London the Prime Minister replied "Oh nonsense. In public life we must do these things". This appears to have been the final break between Wilson and Lloyd George – despite the urgings of Worthington-Evans Wilson did not meet the Prime Minister again until 10 February 1922, Wilson sending deputies to Cabinet when asked for his advice. In October 1921 Lloyd George complained that Wilson was "very difficult" and he was not sad that his term of office was almost up. Lord Derby thought Wilson had allowed his personal feelings to get the better of his duties as a soldier. Wilson thought the Irish Treaty (6 December 1921) a "shameful & cowardly surrender to the pistol" by a "Cabinet of Cowards" and, correctly predicting civil war in Ireland, was keen to get out before "one set of murderers" (the Irish government) asked for British military aid against "another set of murderers".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: On 3 August 1921 Wilson, who had been elected a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes the previous year, almost drowned in a yachting accident.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson's farewell address at Staff College (December 1921) was entitled "The Passing of the Empire". His last act as CIGS (January 1922) was to argue against Geddes' recommendation of further army cuts of 50,000 men (from 210,000) and £20m off the £75m estimates, leaving only 4 battalions in Ulster. The proposed cuts were scaled back after a review by Churchill, former War Secretary.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson was offered a seat in the devolved Northern Ireland parliament and a probable ministerial post at Stormont. There was also talk of an English seat, but he agreed to stand (for Westminster) for North Down, provided it was only for one parliament, that he was unopposed and that it only cost him £100-£200. He was also advised that a parliamentary seat would make it easier to pick up company directorships.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: He resigned from the army, being replaced as CIGS by The Earl of Cavan on 19 February 1922, and was elected on 21 February 1922. Although the Conservatives were still officially supporting the Lloyd George Coalition, Wilson wrote that all his energies would be devoted to overthrowing the present government. He spoke seven times as an MP, twice on the army estimates and five times on Ireland.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Sir James Craig invited Wilson to advise the Northern Ireland government on security. At a conference on St Patrick's Day 1922 Wilson advised an increase in the Special Constabulary, but urged that loyal Catholics be encouraged to join, rather than keeping it a purely Protestant body (Craig did not pass on this recommendation to the Stormont Cabinet). He also advised that an able army officer be appointed to take command of the Constabulary, to avoid a poorly run force alienating public opinion as the Black and Tans had done. Wilson was unimpressed by Craig (whom he thought "very second rate … self-satisfied, lazy & bad judge of men & events") and other members of the Northern Ireland administration. However, in the first half of 1922 an undeclared war was under way in Northern Ireland and


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: in Nationalist eyes Wilson was blamed for the Constabulary's stance in the sectarian violence, Michael Collins calling him "a violent Orange partisan".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Anthony Heathcote writes that Wilson proposed a re-organisation of the police and military forces in Northern Ireland into an army to reconquer the south.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: On 22 June 1922, two London-based members of the Irish Republican Army, Reginald Dunne and Joseph O'Sullivan, assassinated Wilson outside his house at 36 Eaton Place at approximately 2:20 pm. He was in full uniform as he was returning from unveiling the Great Eastern Railway War Memorial at Liverpool Street station at 1:00 pm. He had six wounds, two of them fatal, to the chest.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Stories later circulated that the first shot missed, but rather than taking shelter in the house, he drew his sword and advanced on his attackers, who were able to shoot and kill him. These stories often stressed that he had died a martyr. His housemaid testified that she found his drawn sword lying by his side. These details are not in the three witness accounts quoted by Keith Jeffery (Reginald Dunne's account smuggled out of prison, or the inquest testimonies of one of two road menders working nearby and of the taxi driver who had just dropped Wilson off). One of the road menders' accounts, as published in the "Daily Mail", mentions Wilson turning on his attackers with the words "you cowardly swine!" but Jeffery suggests this was an embellishment by the newspaper.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Two police officers and a chauffeur were also shot as the men attempted to avoid capture. They were then surrounded by a crowd and arrested by other policemen after a struggle. Dunne and O'Sullivan (who while serving as a British soldier had lost a leg in World War I) were captured by an angry crowd. Dunne (also a combat veteran of the British Army) had returned to try to help O'Sullivan. He was also captured after shooting and wounding two police officers and a passerby. Convicted of murder, both men were hanged on 10 August 1922.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson had regarded himself as Irish and to the end of his life Currygrane, County Longford was the first address in his "Who's Who" entry. In early July 1919 Wilson, in uniform and in an open car, had still been able to drive his mother there, the last time he ever visited the place. During the War of Independence, the IRA had taken the family guns and the house had been taken over by Auxiliaries. By 1921, he and his brothers had all had to leave, unable to access papers and valuables, his brother Jemmy living in impecunious circumstances at Rye in Sussex (Wilson had to pay for the schooling of Jemmy's daughter) and it was unsafe for Wilson even to book a ferry crossing to Dublin under his own name. On the day Wilson's killers were hanged, Currygrane was burned to the ground, possibly as a reprisal although possibly as an unrelated part of the unrest in that county.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: T. Ryle Dwyer suggests that the shooting of Wilson was ordered by Irish Free State General and Commander-in-Chief Michael Collins in retaliation for the continuing troubles in Northern Ireland. He returned to Dublin before the incident and jubilantly announced the news to the appalled defence minister, Richard Mulcahy who threatened to resign. By 1923 Scotland Yard investigations centred around the involvement of Sam Maguire, Collins's chief intelligence officer in London. Maguire was tipped off and fled to Dublin.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: According to an associate of Collins, Joseph Sweeney, after the shooting of Wilson he saw Collins looking "very pleased" and asked "where do we stand on the shooting?". Collins replied "It was two of ours that did it". He then told Sweeney that he had told Tom Cullen, a colleague of Collins, to plan a rescue attempt but that such an attempt was impossible.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: However, this claim has been challenged by Peter Hart. According to Hart any order to assassinate Wilson would have had to have been relayed to them by Rory O'Connor (then in charge of British IRA operations) and the last assassination attempt contrived against Wilson had been set to be executed in 1921, not 1922. Tim Pat Coogan has suggested that Reginald Dunne, who had the confidence of both Michael Collins and Rory O'Connor, undertook the shooting as a last-ditch effort to provoke the British Government into retaliating, thereby uniting both sides of the Nationalists. The killers had only decided to attack the previous evening, and even on the day Sullivan had been at work until 1pm; the killers had no getaway plan.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street; "There was no Henry Wilson. The Prime Minister and I faced each other, and on the table between us lay the pistols which an hour before had taken this loyal man's life". The House of Commons was immediately adjourned as a mark of respect and King George V sent his equerry, Colonel Arthur Erskine, to Eaton Place to convey the royal sympathy to Lady Wilson. A dinner to celebrate the Prince of Wales's birthday, arranged at Buckingham Palace for the evening, was also cancelled.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Cabinet Ministers held a conference at 10 Downing Street on 5pm on the day of the assassination. They suspected Anti-Treaty forces (who had recently seized the Four Courts in Dublin) might be responsible – this was in fact not the case – and thought the Irish Provisional Government "should be pressed to deal with the matter". Macready was summoned to London, where he found the Cabinet worried about their personal safety but also keen for a dramatic gesture of retaliation, and was asked whether it was possible for British troops to seize the Four Courts – he said that it was but cautioned against precipitate action which might reunite the two Irish factions, and on his return to Dublin deliberately delayed taking such action. Nonetheless, suspicion of Anti-Treaty complicity in Wilson's murder, and perceived British pressure to do something about it, was one of several triggers of the Irish Civil War.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: The assassination was greeted with horror in the UK, and compared to the Phoenix Park killings of 1882, which had – it was said – set back the cause of Irish Home Rule by a generation. It was the first assassination of an MP since Prime Minister Spencer Perceval in 1812 and the last until Airey Neave's assassination by the INLA in 1979.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson's widow blamed the government for his death – when Conservative leader Austen Chamberlain called on the evening of his death to offer his condolences, he was by one account greeted by her with the word "murderer" and by another simply asked to leave by Wilson's niece – and she was only persuaded to allow government representation at the funeral on the grounds that not to do so would be disrespectful to the King. Wilson's mother wrote to Bonar Law (former Conservative leader and increasingly seen as an alternative if the Coalition ended) complaining that, in a noisy Commons debate, Lloyd George had claimed to have been a personal friend of Wilson's.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson's funeral was a public affair attended by Lloyd George and the cabinet, Foch, Nivelle and Weygand from France as well as many of his former army colleagues including French, Macready, Haig and Robertson. The field marshal was buried in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson was widely regarded by his contemporaries as a charming man, describing him as a "delightful whirlwind" and writing that "there was something spectacular and theatrical about him". Many politicians enjoyed his levity, e.g. referring to Haig as "Sir Haig" – Kiggell said he was the only general who could talk to the "Frocks" on level terms – as did the French, who called him "General Dooble-Vay". Some senior British officers genuinely believed that his sympathy for the French amounted almost to treason.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson's popularity was not universal, however: Sir Sam Fay, a railway official who worked at the War Office 1917–19, enjoyed cordial face-to-face relations with Wilson but wrote that he could argue with total conviction that a horse chestnut was the same thing as a chestnut horse, and that an unnamed senior general said he suffered a "sexual disturbance" whenever he came within a mile of a politician (Fay recorded that the general had in fact used "vulgar and obscene" language – Walter Reid simply writes that exposure to politicians gave Wilson an erection). Edward Spears – also a senior Anglo-French liaison officer, but junior to Wilson – loathed him and compared him to Quint, the sinister and evil valet in Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: For much of the war Wilson had a poor relationship with Haig, although relations eased somewhat when Wilson became CIGS. Esher said that he was always loyal to the man he was serving, and Walter Reid believes Wilson did not actively plot against Haig. When French asked Wilson, late in 1915, if he had heard of Haig, Rawlinson and Gough intriguing against him, Wilson replied, perhaps somewhat naively, that "Haig was too good a fellow" for that kind of thing. Wilson wrote of Haig (21 December 1915, when appointing him to a corps command) "He was quite nice but he is always foreign to me". After the disaster of 1 July 1916 Wilson wrote (5 July) that Haig was "a good stout hearted "defensive" soldier with "no" imagination & very little brains & very little sympathy". That same day Foch, who had declined an invitation from Haig to lunch with Wilson, thought Haig "was stupid & lacked stomach for the fight" which Wilson thought "not quite fair".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Haig's private views of Wilson were less cordial: he thought him (August 1914) "a politician, and not a soldier", and a "humbug". After a meeting on 23 June 1916, following the failed counterattack at Vimy Ridge, Haig wrote that Wilson "seems to acquire a more evil look each time I see him".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: On the day of his funeral General "Tim" Harington, former Deputy CIGS, held a memorial service for him at Constantinople, declaring "he died for Ireland … It may be that this sacrifice may save Ireland". Carson sent a message to the Ulster Unionist Council praising him as "Ireland's greatest son … He died for Ulster's liberty". "The Times" praised Wilson as "a warrior Irishman" being laid to rest "between two gallant Irishmen, Lord Roberts and Lord Wolseley" . The "Morning Post", a paper which strongly supported the abandoned southern Unionists, pointed out that "a great Irishman" had been murdered on the anniversary of King George V's Belfast speech which had marked, as they saw it, the British "surrender". However the Liberal "Daily News" argued that Wilson must bear some responsibility for stirring up bloodshed in Belfast of which his death was part and the "New Statesman" claimed that in his "fanatical Orangeism" and devotion to "force and force alone" he was the British counterpart to Cathal Brugha. Lord Milner, Irish nationalist MP T. P. O'Connor and the military correspondent Repington wrote obituaries which were generous about his warm personality, and in Repington's case about his role in war preparations.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Callwell's 2 volume "Life and Diaries" in 1927 damaged Wilson's reputation – the "New Statesman" thought they showed him to be "the typically stupid militarist…fundamentally a fool." Sir Charles Deedes, who had studied under him at Staff College and later served on his staff, commented that Wilson came across in the diaries as "an ambitious, volatile and even fatuous character, an intriguer concerned mainly with his own career" and that this was "far from the truth" – Deedes commented that Wilson's ability to see both sides of a question and inability to make a decision and stick to it made him a poor corps commander but a "patient, lucid and fair" adviser. Lloyd George's view in his own "War Memoirs" was essentially similar, although he wrote that Wilson was reluctant to take responsibility for decisions.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Both Archibald Wavell in the 1930s and Sir John Dill as CIGS in 1941 (who commented that he no longer condemned Wilson "so heartily as one used to") commented that Wilson had illustrated that a general must be able to work effectively with politicians, and his modern biographer Keith Jeffery comments that this, rather than Robertson's acrimonious insistence on military autonomy, has been the model since Wilson's time.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Jeffery comments that for all Wilson's reputation for intrigue he was mainly an inveterate gossip (a feature which endeared him to some politicians), whose closeness to the French alienated Robertson, and whose behaviour was no worse than the intrigues of Robertson, Haig, Rawlinson and Gough to remove Sir John French. His reputation for political intrigue was acquired for his involvement in the arguments over conscription and Ireland in 1912–14. Esher (in his life of Kitchener) later blamed Wilson's "Irish blood, exuberant with combative malice" for having drawn him into the latter quarrel, which had earned him the reputation of "a pestilential fellow".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Sir Charles Deedes later (in September 1968) wrote that Wilson's energy and foresight in 1910–14 had ensured that Britain would take her place alongside France when war came. An alternative view, aired as early as the 1920s, is that Wilson locked Britain into a continental commitment which Kitchener would rather have avoided or minimised. Jeffery is critical of some historians – e.g. Zara Steiner in "Britain and the Origins of the First World War", Gerhard Ritter in "The Sword and the Sceptre" – who take an oversimplified view of Wilson as a supporter of the French position. Although Wilson's verbal fluency and charm brought him great influence, his position was also supported by most of his military colleagues and by the most influential members of the Cabinet. Furthermore, this ignores Wilson's interest in reaching a military agreement with Belgium.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: A. J. P. Taylor, reviewing Collier's biography "Brasshat" ("The Times" 10 August 1961) wrote that Wilson was "too absurd to be a donkey".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: "The Lost Dictator" by Bernard Ash (1968) argued that had he lived Wilson might have become leader of the Tory Diehards and become a dictatorial ruler. This is implausible, as the Diehards were never more than about 50 in number and Wilson lacked the political skills or even the understated personality needed by Conservative leaders of that era. Robert Blake commented that this claim "leaves the reader ... with an impression of silliness which is very far from being warranted by the rest of the book".


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: Wilson (Michael Redgrave) features – incorrectly shown as a full general – in the satirical film "Oh! What a Lovely War" (1969), travelling in a car in August 1914 with a cretinous Sir John French (Laurence Olivier) who rejects his offer to arrange an interpreter as it might breach the need for "absolute secrecy", but later being passed over in favour of Robertson for a staff promotion.


title: Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet

text: For many years a portrait of Wilson by Sir Oswald Birley hung in the "Prime Minister's room" at Stormont, along with a framed set of his medal ribbons left by his widow to Sir James Craig. A number of Orange lodges were named after him, although he had never joined the Orange Order.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Rowland Stuart Howard (24 October 1959 – 30 December 2009) was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the post-punk group The Birthday Party and his subsequent solo career.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Rowland Stuart Howard was born on 24 October 1959 in Melbourne, to John Stanton Howard and Lorraine (née Stuart), the second of three children. His siblings were sister Angela Howard and brother Harry Howard, both also musicians. In a 2016 interview, his brother Harry Howard stated the family is of paternal English descent from Bolton, Lancashire and maternal Scottish descent.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Rowland Stuart Howard wrote "Shivers" at the age of 16 while in the band Young Charlatans. Howard gained acclaim after joining Melbourne-based band The Boys Next Door, when the song was released as a single. The band changed their name to The Birthday Party and Howard's discordant guitar remained a major factor in their sound. The Birthday Party relocated from Australia to London in 1980 and subsequently to West Berlin.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: The Birthday Party's early records were released by Missing Link Records in Australia and 4AD Records in the UK. They later became associated with Mute Records in Europe. Howard was also a member of the short-lived project, Tuff Monks with Birthday Party bandmates, Nick Cave and Mick Harvey. However, Howard and singer Nick Cave suffered 'creative differences', and Howard left the Birthday Party as they transformed into The Bad Seeds. He soon became a member of Crime & the City Solution, a band led by Simon Bonney. Howard, with Crime & the City Solution, appeared in the 1987 movie "Wings of Desire" by German filmmaker Wim Wenders playing the song "Six Bells Chime" in a Berlin Club. Later he formed These Immortal Souls with girlfriend Genevieve McGuckin, brother, Harry Howard, and Epic Soundtracks.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Howard also collaborated with Lydia Lunch, Nikki Sudden, ex-Barracudas singer Jeremy Gluck, guitarist Gavin Poolman, French electro group KaS Product, Barry Adamson, Einstürzende Neubauten, guitarist Chris Haskett, The Gun Club singer and songwriter Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Fad Gadget, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Henry Rollins, and A.C. Marias.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Lydia Lunch and Thurston Moore recorded a version of Howard's song "Still Burning" for Lunch's "In Limbo" (1984). "Still Burning" had previously been recorded as a bass-heavy track with Howard on vocals, during the "Honeymoon In Red" recording sessions (1983–1987).


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: These Immortal Souls released their first album "Get Lost, (Don't Lie!)" in 1987 and played shows in Europe and America, returning to Australia for a short tour in 1988.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: After the release of These Immortal Souls' second album, "I'm Never Gonna Die Again", (1992) and another Howard/Lunch collaboration "Shotgun Wedding", Howard, Lunch and members of The Beasts Of Bourbon performed live on tour in Australia and Europe with guitarist Link Benka. "Shotgun Wedding" was re-released with a second compact disc of live recordings. "Shotgun Wedding" featured cover versions of "In My Time of Dying" and Alice Cooper's "Black Juju". Recorded in Memphis with Link Benka (rhythm guitar), Joseph -Joe- Drake (bass) and Brent Newman (aka Glyn Styler) (drums).


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Howard sang backing vocals on the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album "Let Love In" (1994). In 1995 These Immortal Souls contributed their version of "You Can't Unring a Bell" to a Tom Waits tribute album "Step Right Up".


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Paul Godfrey a.k.a. Epic Soundtracks, the UK drummer for These Immortal Souls, was found dead in his London apartment on 5 November 1997. These Immortal Souls played their last show, at the Greyhound Hotel in St Kilda, with Lydia Lunch in 1998.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Howard lamented in a 1999 television interview ("Studio 22", ABCTV) with Clinton Walker that people still asked him about "Shivers", a song he wrote when he was sixteen years old which first became well known when it was sung by Nick Cave.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: An unofficial Rowland S. Howard fan website was established as the amount of Rowland S. Howard related information and file swapping grew steadily on the internet from the mid-1990s.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Howard made a cameo appearance in the 2002 vampire movie "Queen of the Damned" as a musician in a vampire club band.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: In August 2005, Howard performed at the premiere party for Scott Crary's film "Kill Your Idols" in Melbourne, Australia, along with the band HTRK.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: French label Stagger Records released a double CD tribute album to Howard in 2007 featuring Mick Harvey, The Drones, The Holy Soul, Penny Ikinger, Loene Carmen, Nikki Sudden, Noah Taylor and many more.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: In September 2007, Howard joined with Magic Dirt and Beasts of Bourbon for a tour of the east coast of Australia. Howard appeared at the All Tomorrows Parties rock festival in Australia in January 2009, curated by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He was backed by Mick Harvey on drums, and JP Shilo on bass. Howard's second solo album, "Pop Crimes", was released in October 2009 to acclaim from the musician Robert Forster. He appeared on the Magic Dirt EP "White Boy" playing guitar and supplying vocals on the track "Summer High".


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: Howard suffered from chronic Hepatitis C virus and had been told in 2003, when he was 44, that his liver was stricken with end-stage cirrhosis. Doctors compared it to the liver of a 74-year-old alcoholic. In an October 2009 interview, Howard said that the forthcoming album he was working on ("Pop Crimes") was recorded quickly: "I contracted liver disease a while back and I've basically got liver cancer, I'm waiting for a transplant, if I don't get it things might not go so well...so..." . He died of hepatocellular carcinoma secondary to liver cirrhosis on 30 December 2009. Howard was 50 years old. His funeral was held at Sacred Heart Church, St Kilda, Melbourne on 7 January 2010.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: His Birthday Party bandmates reflected upon his death: Nick Cave told WENN, "This is very sad news. Rowland was Australia's most unique, gifted and uncompromising guitarist. He was also a good friend. He will be missed by many". Mick Harvey remarked, "Sometimes people are ready to go because they have been sick for a long time, but Rowland really wanted to live. Things were going well for him outside his health and he wanted to take advantage of that, and he was very disappointed that he wasn't well enough to do so".


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: In October 2011, filmmaker Richard Lowenstein ("Dogs in Space") and Lynn-Maree Milburn ("We're Living on Dogfood" – documentary maker), released a 110-minute documentary film on the life of Rowland S. Howard titled "Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard" which had a limited release for cinema. On 24 April 2013, Port Phillip Council approved a proposal to name a St Kilda laneway Rowland S. Howard Lane to honour Howard's contribution to the St Kilda music scene.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: "Pop Crimes: The Songs of Rowland S. Howard", an occasional band composed of Rowland's friends and bandmates began performing in 2013; they toured Europe in February 2020. In June 2020, Yves Saint Laurent used his song 'Shut Me Down' for an advertisement campaign.


title: Rowland S. Howard

text: The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: The 2018 FA Cup Final was an association football match between Manchester United and Chelsea on 19 May 2018 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. It was the 137th FA Cup final overall and was the showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup), organised by the Football Association (FA). It was the second successive final for Chelsea following their defeat by Arsenal the previous year. The teams had met twice before in the FA Cup Final, winning one each between them. The first was in 1994, which Manchester United won 4–0, and most recently in 2007, when Chelsea – then managed by the incumbent Manchester United boss José Mourinho – won 1–0 after extra time.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: Michael Oliver refereed the match which was notable for being the first FA Cup Final to use the video assistant referee (VAR) system. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and President of the FA, was absent as he was attending his brother's wedding. The trophy was instead presented by Jackie Wilkins, the widow of former Manchester United and Chelsea player Ray Wilkins, who died in April 2018.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: The match was played in sunny conditions in front of a Wembley crowd of 87,647. After a relatively even start to the match, on 21 minutes, Chelsea's Eden Hazard was brought down in the Manchester United box and Oliver awarded a penalty. Hazard scored from the spot to make it 1–0 to Chelsea, a lead they maintained to half time. Manchester United dominated the second half, and saw a 63rd-minute goal from Alexis Sánchez ruled out for offside after being referred to VAR. The match ended 1–0 to Chelsea who won the FA Cup for the eighth time.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: As winners, Chelsea qualified for the group stage of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, although they had qualified for that phase already via their league position. Chelsea also earned the right to play 2017–18 Premier League champions Manchester City for the 2018 FA Community Shield.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: Chelsea as a Premier League team entered the FA Cup in the third round, and were drawn against Championship club Norwich City on 7 January at Carrow Road. Chelsea made nine changes to their starting eleven from their previous league match against Arsenal but still dominated the match, which ended goalless. The replay was held 11 days later and was a 1–1 draw with goals from Michy Batshuayi in the 55th minute and Jamal Lewis in the 90th minute. The match went into extra time, during which Chelsea were reduced to nine men when both Pedro and Álvaro Morata were dismissed, each for two yellow cards. With no further goals, the match went to a penalty shootout that Chelsea won 5–3 after their goalkeeper Willy Caballero saved Nélson Oliveira's spot kick. The match was also notable for what the BBC reporter Emlyn Begley described as the "first video refereeing controversy" in English football when, after deliberation with VAR, Willian was booked for diving when he was brought down by Timm Klose in the Norwich penalty area; Alan Shearer described the decision as a "shambles". In the fourth round, Chelsea met Premier League opposition Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge, and won 3–0 with two goals from Batshuayi and one from Marcos Alonso.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: In the fifth round, Chelsea faced Hull City, another Championship team, at home. Chelsea were dominant, scoring four times in the first half with goals from Willian (2), Pedro and Olivier Giroud, winning the game 4–0. In the quarter-finals, they visited the King Power Stadium to face fellow Premier League opponents Leicester City, where a goal for Chelsea from Morata and a Leicester equaliser from Jamie Vardy took the game to extra time. Substitute Pedro came off the bench and scored the winning goal to take Chelsea to the semi-final. There, they played Premier League opposition in Southampton at Wembley, and goals from strikers Giroud and Morata saw Chelsea win 2–0, and progress to the FA Cup Final for the second successive season.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: Like Chelsea, Manchester United entered the cup in the third round because of their Premier League status. They were drawn at home against Championship side Derby County. Despite making five changes to the starting line-up from their previous league match, the Manchester United manager José Mourinho fielded a strong side, including Juan Mata, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. United dominated the game and won 2–0 with late goals from Jesse Lingard and substitute Romelu Lukaku. Their fourth round opponents were League Two club Yeovil Town, the lowest ranked team remaining in the competition. Mourinho made ten changes for the match, played at Huish Park, which ended in a 4–0 victory for United with goals from Rashford, Ander Herrera, Lingard and Lukaku.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: In the fifth round, Manchester United were drawn against fellow Premier League side Huddersfield Town away at Kirklees Stadium. Although Mata had a goal ruled out following a controversial VAR review, Lukaku scored in each half to secure a 2–0 win. In the quarter-finals, they played Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford. Lukaku scored in the 37th minute and with Brighton's Jürgen Locadia missing four chances to equalise, a late goal from Nemanja Matić, the United midfielder, secured his side 2–0 victory. In the semi-final at Wembley Stadium, Manchester United faced fellow Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, who took an early lead through Dele Alli. Alexis Sánchez equalised midway through the first half with a header from Pogba's cross past the Tottenham goalkeeper Michel Vorm. Herrera then put United ahead in the second half and his team held on for the 2–1 win and progression to the final.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: The 2018 final was the last match of the 2017–18 FA Cup and the 137th final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest football cup competition. This was Chelsea's thirteenth FA Cup final, having last progressed to the final the previous season where they lost 2–1 to Arsenal. Chelsea had won the cup on seven occasions, the most recent being in the 2012 FA Cup Final where they defeated Liverpool 2–1. Manchester United had featured in nineteen finals prior to 2018: their most recent appearance was in the 2016 final when they needed extra time to beat Crystal Palace 2–1. The 2018 final was the third to see Manchester United and Chelsea face one another: United won the 1994 FA Cup Final 4–0 while Chelsea were 1–0 winners in the 2007 final. In the two meetings between the clubs during the 2017–18 Premier League, Chelsea won 1–0 at Stamford Bridge in November 2017 while Manchester United won 2–1 at Old Trafford the following February. The season ended with Manchester United in second place, and Chelsea fifth, eleven points behind.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: Tributes for former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Ray Wilkins, who died on 4 April, were held before the match on the hoardings and the screens in the stadium, as well as a feature in the matchday programme. Wilkins won the FA Cup with both sides; in the 1983 final for United, and three times as assistant manager of Chelsea – in the 2000, 2009 and 2010 finals. The traditional performance of the hymn, "Abide with Me" was performed by the choir of the Royal Air Force and 14 individual fans of 14 different clubs with a flypast by three Royal Air Force Typhoons. The national anthem, "God Save the Queen", was sung by soprano Emily Haig who also performed it at the 2018 FA Women's Cup Final.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: The referee for the match was 33-year-old Michael Oliver from Northumberland. He previously officiated when these two sides met in the previous season's quarter-final, in which he sent off Manchester United's Herrera. Oliver became the youngest FA Cup final referee since the 1914 FA Cup Final between Burnley and Liverpool which was officiated by the 32-year-old Herbert Bamlett. Oliver's assistants were Ian Hussin from Liverpool and Lee Betts from Norfolk. The fourth official was Lee Mason of Lancashire, and the fifth official was Constantine Hatzidakis from Kent. For the first time in the final, there was a VAR, Neil Swarbrick of Lancashire. His assistant was Mick McDonough, also of Northumberland. The ball for the match was an FA Cup-branded variant of the Nike "Ordem V", and featured the names of 137 players who had scored goals during the 2017–18 FA Cup season, in every round from the extra preliminary round through to the semi-finals.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: Mourinho had made nine changes to his starting line-up for the final Premier League match against Watford the previous weekend. Of that eleven, just three were retained for the FA Cup final: Ashley Young, Rashford and Sánchez. Lukaku had also recovered from an ankle injury sustained in April to be selected amongst the substitutes. Sánchez and Giroud became the first players to appear in consecutive FA Cup finals but for different clubs since Brian Talbot accomplished the feat representing Ipswich Town in the 1978 final and Arsenal the following year. The Chelsea manager Antonio Conte made three changes from the team which lost in the league match against Newcastle United 3–0: Andreas Christensen, Emerson and Ross Barkley were dropped for Antonio Rüdiger, Alonso and Cesc Fàbregas. Speculation had surrounded Conte's position as Chelsea manager for several months. He confirmed that his future with the club would be clarified after the FA Cup Final.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: The match, played in sunny conditions in front of a crowd of 87,647, was kicked off by Manchester United just after 5:15p.m. Two minutes into the game, Alonso was fouled by Herrera, but the resulting free kick from Fàbregas went straight to the Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. Six minutes later, Lingard was brought down by the Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kanté who conceded a free kick. From the set piece, Young's cross was cleared by Gary Cahill but a mistake from Phil Jones allowed Eden Hazard an opportunity: his shot was saved by the outstretched leg of De Gea. In the fourteenth minute, Chelsea's Tiémoué Bakayoko fell in the United penalty area after contact with Matić, but Oliver decided no foul had been made. Two minutes later, Sánchez also made an unsuccessful claim for a penalty after contact with both Victor Moses and César Azpilicueta sent him to the ground in the Chelsea box. After 21 minutes, Hazard received a pass from Fàbregas and made a run into Manchester United's box, where he was fouled by Jones with a sliding tackle, who received the first yellow card of the game. Oliver awarded a penalty which Hazard himself took, sending the ball low to the right past United goalkeeper De Gea to make it 1–0 to Chelsea. It was the first penalty scored outside a shootout in the FA Cup Final since Ruud van Nistelrooy scored for Manchester United in the 2004 final.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: In the 26th minute, Pogba was fouled, allowing Sánchez to send a free kick toward Herrera. His misplaced shot ended back with Sánchez whose cross for Pogba was deflected out by Rüdiger: the resulting corner came to nothing. Pogba then shot wide of Thibaut Courtois' goal before a Sánchez strike from went off-target. On 35 minutes, Sánchez fouled Bakayoko on the edge of the United area, but the resulting free kick from Fàbregas struck the wall and was cleared. Three minutes later, Pogba won a corner from which Sánchez tried to score directly, but Fàbregas cleared at the near post. Chris Smalling then conceded a corner from another Chelsea free kick: Fàbregas' ball was punched away by De Gea. A minute before half time, Young was fouled by Moses. The free kick resulted in a corner for United, from which Young's cross was headed past Chelsea's right-hand goalpost by Jones. Rashford then missed a chance and the half ended 1–0 to Chelsea.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: No changes to either team were made during half time and Chelsea kicked off the second half. Seven minutes in, Young was fouled by Moses and United were awarded a free kick which was taken by Rashford. Pogba missed his header and Courtois was able to punch the ball clear. Two minutes later, Young received the ball from Herrera but chipped his shot over the Chelsea crossbar. Herrera then sent Antonio Valencia clear in the Chelsea box: he chose to pass to Rashford whose strike was cleared by Courtois, before Pogba's attempt was gathered by the goalkeeper. In the 57th minute, a corner from Pogba was cleared, and Hazard's quick break was ended by a Valencia foul for which he received the second booking of the game. Matić then shot wide of the Chelsea goal before Hazard's strike was saved by De Gea at the other end of the pitch. On 63 minutes, Rashford was brought down, winning a free kick which he took himself, finding Jones in the middle of the Chelsea penalty area. His header to the bottom-right corner was goal-bound but Courtois pushed it away, only for Sánchez to knee the ball into the net. The goal was subsequently disallowed as Sánchez was adjudged to have been in an offside position, which was then confirmed by VAR.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: United continued to dominate the second half but in the 71st minute, Chelsea's Kanté made a run into the United penalty area and passed to Alonso whose shot was parried by De Gea. Moses attempted to take the rebound past Young, but the ball deflected off the United player's arm. Appeals for a penalty were turned down with VAR making the decision. In the 73rd minute, Rashford was sent clear by Lingard, but his shot was saved by Courtois. United then made the first substitutions of the afternoon, with Lingard and Rashford being replaced by Anthony Martial and Lukaku. Two minutes later, a shot from Martial was deflected and caught by Courtois before a clash of heads between Giroud and Jones meant the United defender had to leave the pitch for medical attention. With ten minutes remaining, a strike from Matić was pushed away by the United goalkeeper for a corner, from which Azpilicueta's deflected shot was caught by De Gea. Pogba then sent a header wide of the Chelsea goal before Sánchez's shot from went just wide of the post. With three minutes of the match left, Mata came on for Jones before Martial's lofted shot went high over the goal. In the 89th minute Chelsea made their first substitution with Morata coming on for Giroud, and shortly after, Hazard was replaced by Willian. Five minutes of additional time were indicated, and three minutes in, Courtois was booked for time-wasting. Despite late chances for both sides, no further goals were scored and the match ended 1–0 to Chelsea.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: As President of The Football Association, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge would normally have attended the final and presented the trophy to the winning captain at the conclusion of the game. However, as the final was scheduled for the same day as his brother's wedding, for which he was serving as best man, the trophy was instead presented by Jackie Wilkins, the widow of former Manchester United and Chelsea player Ray Wilkins, who died in April 2018. Chelsea's Rüdiger was named man of the match.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: Cahill, the winning captain, said "We had a lot of defending to do... This is a dream come true, as this is the first one as captain". Hazard added: "We tried to defend well. We scored one goal, it's enough today." Conte was upbeat: "I'm very satisfied because today was very difficult... It showed great desire to finish the season in the right way despite the great difficulty we have had". Mourinho was indignant in defeat: "I congratulate them because they won, but I don’t think they deserve to win. I congratulate because I am a sportsman." He also opined: "Every defeat hurts, but for me personally the ones that hurt less are when you give everything and you go without any regrets". BBC Sport correspondent Phil McNulty highlighted the performance of the Chelsea players Hazard, Courtois, Kanté, Cahill and Rüdiger, while criticising United trio Jones, Sánchez and Pogba. Sam Wallace, writing in "The Daily Telegraph" declared that "this was a dreadful final".


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: Chelsea won £1.8million for winning the final and became the first club to win the FA Cup, the Women's FA Cup and the FA Youth Cup in the same season. As winners, Chelsea qualified for the group stage of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, although they had qualified for that phase already via their league position. This meant that Arsenal, who finished sixth in the league, gained qualification for the Europa League. Chelsea also earned the right to play 2017–18 Premier League champions Manchester City for the 2018 FA Community Shield.


title: 2018 FA Cup Final

text: It was the first time that Mourinho had lost a cup final in charge of an English team, after seven consecutive victories, and the defeat sealed his third-ever full season without winning silverware. It was the first domestic cup won by Conte, who lost the 2012 Coppa Italia Final with Juventus and the previous season's FA Cup Final as Chelsea manager. Conte was sacked by Chelsea in July 2018 before becoming the manager of Inter Milan on a three-year deal beginning with the 2019–20 Serie A season. He was replaced by Maurizio Sarri the following day. Mourinho remained through the summer at Manchester United, but, that December, with Manchester United 19 points behind the league leaders Liverpool, he was dismissed.


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: "Born Slippy .NUXX" is a song by British electronic music group Underworld. It was first released as the B-side to "Born Slippy", in May 1995. The fragmented lyrics, by vocalist Karl Hyde, describe the perspective of an alcoholic.


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: After it was used in the 1996 film "Trainspotting", "Born Slippy .NUXX" was issued as a single on 1 July 1996 and reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. It has been named one of the best tracks of the 1990s by numerous publications.


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: Vocalist Karl Hyde wrote the lyrics for "Born Slippy .NUXX" after a night drinking in Soho, London, hoping to capture the way a drunk "sees the world in fragments". The vocals were recorded in one take; when Hyde lost his place, he would sing the same line repeatedly, creating the line "lager, lager, lager, lager". Hyde, who was struggling with alcoholism, said he did not intend the song to be a "drinking anthem" but rather a "cry for help". He was disturbed when audience members raised their lager cans during performances. Underworld producer Rick Smith said the lyrics reflected "this energy of movement, and of time and place", like an abstract painting.


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: On 1 May 1995, Underworld first released "Born Slippy .NUXX" in the UK, where it was the B-side to a very different but similarly named instrumental track, "Born Slippy" The 12-inch vinyl release contained the full-length version of both songs, and the CD single contained edited (but still very long) versions, with the beatless ending of "Born Slippy .NUXX" segueing into the instrumental song "Born Slippy .TELEMATIC". The CD single's tracks were released on CD single and 12-inch in the United States later that year.


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: "Born Slippy. NUXX" was then used in the film "Trainspotting", released February 1996 in the UK. Director Danny Boyle described it as the "heartbeat" of the film, capturing its "euphoric highs following intense lows". Underworld initially refused permission to use it in the film, as they disliked how their music was often used in negative portrayals of clubbing, but Boyle persuaded them after showing them a clip. The CD edit was used on the "Trainspotting" soundtrack album, released February 1996 in the UK and July 1996 in the USA.


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: The song does not feature on an Underworld album, but the full-length version was included as a bonus track on 2-CD editions of "Second Toughest in the Infants" (March 1996), and on the 2015 4-CD box set for that same album, where is featured along with several demos and early live versions on a disc titled "The Evolution Of Born Slippy (Nuxx)".


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: "Born Slippy .NUXX" was then reissued as a single in the UK on 1 July 1996. Boosted by "Trainspotting", it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. Smith was shocked when BBC Radio 1 played the track on breakfast radio, and said: "I thought, music is moving, culture is moving, it's spreading. It's meaning things outside of just the context of on an amazing sound system in a club or on a PA system in a student hall. It was very nice!" The equivalent reissue single was released in the United States in October 1996.


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: British magazine "Music Week" rated the song five out of five in 1996, describing it as "an anthem for a generation". On the 1995 release, Brad Beatnik from the magazine's "RM" Dance Update wrote, "Messrs Emerson, Hyde and Smith bung a few breakbeats on board for a dazzling ride through rich, colourful techno terrains. For the first minute, you might think the boys have gone all jungle on us but no – those lush synths cruise in to perfectly balance the thwacking beats."


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: AllMusic wrote that "Born Slippy .NUXX" was "simply one of the best slices of electronica one will find. Musically austere in its emotional textures, the song becomes a nearly unstoppable force ... Dance music is rarely so artistic and enjoyable in the same instance." "Vice" described "Born Slippy .NUXX" as one of the 90s' most iconic songs, writing that it "mixed sublime synths with a four-to-the-floor freakout, and represented everything that was going on; it was "new.""


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: In 2004, "Mixmag" readers voted it the fourth-best dance track, and in 2011 "Slant Magazine" named it the 95th best single of the decade. In 2014, "NME" named it the 261st greatest song of all time. "Pitchfork" in 2010 named it the 31st best track of the 1990s; in a redux of this list in 2022, it was bumped up to the 20th best track of the 1990s. "The Guardian" named it the "most experimental and sonically extreme hit of the 90s", alongside the Chemical Brothers' 1996 single "Setting Sun", and among "the weirdest chart hits of all time".


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: For the film "T2 Trainspotting" (2017), Smith created a new version with timestretched chords, "Slow Slippy". He said in 2017, "We’ve been playing 'Born Slippy' live for 20 years, and the reaction from the audience is so strong it's almost overwhelming. It's never got tiring to perform or play. It's what it triggers in people."


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: The full-length "Born Slippy .NUXX" runs about 11:44. Durations vary on individual releases, as the ending is sometimes faded out a few seconds early, or additional silence is mastered onto the end.


title: Born Slippy Nuxx

text: "Born Slippy .NUXX 2003" is a version of "Born Slippy .NUXX" re-released by Underworld to promote the album "1992–2002", originally released in 2003. New remixes were commissioned for this release, along with a new video, compiled by Danny Boyle of clips from his film "Trainspotting". This release reached No. 1 on the UK Dance Singles Chart during the first week of November 2003.


title: County Westmeath

text: County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of Meath, which was named Mide because the kingdom was located in the geographical centre of Ireland (the word Mide meaning 'middle'). Westmeath County Council is the administrative body for the county, and the county town is Mullingar. At the 2022 census, the population of the county was 95,840.


title: County Westmeath

text: Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the territory of the Gaelic Kingdom of Meath formed the basis for the Anglo-Norman Lordship of Meath granted by King Henry II of England to Hugh de Lacy in 1172. Following the failure of de Lacy's male heirs in 1241, the Lordship was split between two great-granddaughters. One moiety, a central eastern portion, was awarded to Maud (de Geneville) as the liberty of Trim; the other moiety, comprising north-eastern and western portions, went to Maud's sister Margery (de Verdun) and in 1297 became the royal county of Meath. The liberty and royal county were merged in 1461. While the east of the county was in the English Pale, the west was Gaelicised in the fourteenth century and outside the control of the sheriff of Meath.


title: County Westmeath

text: As a part of the better administration of the newly established Kingdom of Ireland, the Parliament of Ireland passed the Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543, the eastern portion retaining the name Meath and the western portion called Westmeath.


title: County Westmeath

text: Westmeath is the 20th largest of Ireland's 32 counties by area and the 22nd largest in terms of population. It is the sixth largest of Leinster's 12 counties in size and eighth largest in terms of population. The Hill of Uisneach in the barony of Moycashel is sometimes regarded as the notional geographical centre of Ireland although the actual geographic centre of Ireland lies in neighbouring County Roscommon. The summit of Mullaghmeen is the highest point in County Westmeath. At just 258 metres this makes it the lowest county top in Ireland.


title: County Westmeath

text: The head office of Westmeath County Council is located in Mullingar. There are currently 20 councillors. The three local electoral areas of Westmeath are Athlone (7 seats), Mullingar–Coole (7 seats) and Mullingar–Kilbeggan (6 seats). The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 provided the framework for the establishment of County Councils throughout Ireland. The first meeting of Westmeath County Council was held on 22 April 1899.


title: County Westmeath

text: Westmeath's population growth has been stronger than the national average. After the Great Famine, the population of Westmeath declined dramatically. It stabilised in the middle of the 20th century, and has continued to grow. Westmeath's proximity to Dublin, with good motorway facilities and frequent rail service, has made commuting popular.


title: County Westmeath

text: County Westmeath's population fell in the century following the Great Famine, with many leaving for better opportunities in America.


title: County Westmeath

text: The largest town in the county is Athlone, followed by the County town Mullingar. Westmeath is the largest county by population in the Irish Midlands. Important commercial and marketing centres include Moate, Kilbeggan, Kinnegad, Ballinahown, Delvin, Rochfortbridge, Killucan and Castlepollard. According to the 2011 census, 51.9% of Westmeath households have at least one member reporting an ability in Irish.


title: County Westmeath

text: Westmeath is one of the few counties in Ireland where some census records from 1841 are still available. Some of the records of that census have been digitised and maintained by the National Archives of Ireland.


title: County Westmeath

text: As of the 2022 census, Westmeath had a population of 95,840, consisting of 47,522 males and 48,318 females. The Central Statistics Office also said that despite the overall increase in population, the rural population had still fallen (2016 census).


title: County Westmeath

text: Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar gained considerable advantage from the development of the Royal Canal. The canal facilitated cheap transport of produce to Dublin, Britain and Europe. Athlone and Mullingar expanded further with the coming of the Midland Great Western Railway network in the nineteenth century.


title: County Westmeath

text: Tourism in Westmeath is generally based on its many water amenities. The county lakes include Lough Derravaragh, Lough Ennell, Lough Owel, Lough Lene, Lough Sheelin and Lough Ree. Both the Grand Canal, and the Royal Canal flow through Westmeath, and the River Shannon (Ireland's key tourism waterway) has a modern inland harbour in Athlone.


title: County Westmeath

text: Two major "Greenway" projects are intended to improve cycling facilities. The Athone - Mullingar section of the Dublin – Galway Greenway, along the old railway corridor between Athlone and Mullingar, was constructed in 2015.


title: County Westmeath

text: The Royal Canal Greenway takes tourists from the county boundary to Mullingar, and then on towards Longford. Those wishing to use the Dublin-Galway Greenway can transfer from the Royal Canal route to the old rail corridor onwards towards Athlone.


title: County Westmeath

text: The development of industry in Westmeath has been mainly based on food processing and consumer products. Whiskey is distilled in Kilbeggan and tobacco is processed in Mullingar. The county has an extensive beef and dairy trade. In recent times, the manufacturer Alkermes has located in Athlone. The eastern part of the county is home to commuters, many of whom work at the technology parks on the western side of Dublin.


title: County Westmeath

text: Mullingar is renowned for the high quality of its beef and veal. Weaned cattle from the west of the Shannon are fattened for market on the lush grasslands of Meath and Westmeath. The cattle are also used to maintain grassland to help sustain wildlife in the areas fringing the Bog of Allen.


title: County Westmeath

text: Westmeath is home to many stud farms. The plains of Westmeath, covered in calcium-rich marl, contribute significantly to calcification of foal bones during their formative years. Westmeath mares are usually put into foal in spring to facilitate summer growth. Pregnancy lasts for approximately 335–340 days and usually results in one foal. Horses mature when they are around four years old.


title: County Westmeath

text: Westmeath also has railway infrastructure with a number of trains passing through towns in the county. The Dublin–Westport/Galway railway line runs through the county, with services from Dublin Heuston to Galway/Westport/Ballina inter-city train service stops at Athlone, while the Dublin-Sligo railway line service stops at Mullingar. The line from Athlone via Moate railway station to Mullingar could be reopened for trains from Galway to Dublin Connolly. Other major infrastructural projects and plans for the county include Transport 21.


title: County Westmeath

text: Roads are of good quality in the county. As part of the Transport 21 infrastructure programme undertaken by the government, both the N4 and N6 roads have been upgraded to motorway or dual carriageway standard. All towns that these roads passed through are now bypassed, such as Mullingar, Athlone, Moate and Kinnegad. Both Dublin and Galway are within commuting distance from Westmeath following the completion of the M6 motorway in December 2009.


title: County Westmeath

text: Westmeath is an active sporting county. The Westmeath GAA senior football team won the Leinster Senior Football Championship, the Delaney Cup, in 2004. They also won the National Football League Division 2 in 2001, 2003 and 2008. The Westmeath senior hurling team has enjoyed much recent success winning the Christy Ring Cup in 2005, 2007 and 2010.


title: County Westmeath

text: Athlone Town F.C. have won the League of Ireland Championship on two occasions, in 1980 and 1982, and the FAI Cup in 1924.


title: County Westmeath

text: Athlone Institute of Technology boasts a €10 million international athletics arena, which opened in early 2013. The International Arena has a footprint of 6,818m2 and an overall building floor area of 9,715m2. Some 850 tonnes of structural steel and fifty thousand concrete blocks went into the construction of the facility, which can house two thousand spectators.


title: County Westmeath

text: Westmeath Snooker Ranking Tournaments officially recognised by The Republic of Ireland Billiards & Snooker Association are organised and run by St Mary's Snooker Club Bishopgate Street Mullingar. The Ranking events in Junior, Intermediate and Senior events are:


title: Chess notation

text: Chess notation systems are used to record either the moves made or the position of the pieces in a game of chess. Chess notation is used in chess literature, and by players keeping a record of an ongoing game. The earliest systems of notation used lengthy narratives to describe each move; these gradually evolved into more compact notation systems. Algebraic notation is now the accepted international standard, with several variants. Descriptive chess notation was used in English- and Spanish-language literature until the late 20th century, but is now obsolescent. Portable Game Notation (PGN) is a text file format based on English algebraic notation which can be processed by most chess software. Other notation systems include ICCF numeric notation, used for international corresponcence chess, and systems for transmission using Morse code over telegraph or radio. The standard system for recording chess positions is Forsyth–Edwards Notation (FEN).


title: Chess notation

text: In organized competition, both players are required to keep a record of the moves played on a score sheet. If required, score sheets may be used to resolve disputes, for example about whether an illegal move has been made or whether a threefold repetition has occurred. In addition, if the time control requires the players to complete a specified number of moves in a specified time, an accurate count of the moves must be kept. All chess coaches strongly recommend the recording of one's games so that one can look for improvements in one's play.


title: Chess notation

text: The following table lists examples of the same moves in some of the notations which may be used by humans. Each table cell contains White's move followed by Black's move, as they are listed in a single line of written notation.


title: Chess notation

text: In all forms of notation, the result is usually indicated at the conclusion of the game by either "1–0", indicating that White won, "0–1" indicating that Black won or "½–½", indicating a draw. Moves that result in checkmate can be marked with "#", "++", "≠", or "‡" or to indicate the end of game and the winner, instead of or in addition to "1–0" or "0–1".


title: Chess notation

text: Annotators commenting on a game frequently use question marks ("?") and exclamation marks ("!") to label a move as bad or praise the move as a good one (see Chess annotation symbols).


title: Chess notation

text: The following are commonly used for chess-related computer systems (in addition to Coordinate and Smith notation, which are described above):


title: Chess notation

text: Some special methods of notation were used for transmitting moves by telegraph or radio, usually using Morse Code. The Uedemann code and Gringmuth notation worked by using a two-letter label for each square and transmitting four letters – two letters for the origin square followed by two letters for the destination square. Castling is shown as a king move. Squares are designated from White's side of the board, files from left to right and ranks from nearest to farthest. The Rutherford code first converted the move into a number and then converted the move number into a composite Latin word. It could also transmit moves of two games at the same time.


title: Chess notation

text: This code was devised by Louis Uedemann (1854–1912). The method was never actually used, mainly because a transposition of letters can result in a valid but incorrect move. Many sources incorrectly use this name for the Gringmuth code.


title: Chess notation

text: The files are labeled "A", "E", "I", "O", "O", "I", "E", and "A". The ranks are labeled "B", "D", "F", "G", "H", "K", "L", and "P". A square on the queenside is designated by its file letter and then its rank letter. A square on the kingside is designated by its rank letter then its file letter.


title: Chess notation

text: This method was invented by Dmitry Alexeyevich Gringmuth but it is sometimes incorrectly called the Uedemann Code. It was used as early as 1866. Files were designated with one of two letters, depending on whether it was on White's side or Black's side. These letters were: B and M, C and N, D and P, F and R, G and S, H and T, K and W, L and Z. Ranks were labeled: "A", "E", "I", "O", "O", "I", "E", and "A".


title: Chess notation

text: This code was invented in 1880 by Sir William Watson Rutherford (1853–1927). At the time, the British Post Office did not allow digits or ciphers in telegrams, but they did allow Latin words. This method also allowed moves for two games to be transmitted at the same time. In this method, the legal moves in the position were counted using a system until the move being made was reached. This was done for both games. The move number of the first game was multiplied by 60 and added to the move number of the second game. Leading zeros were added as necessary to give a four-digit number. The first two digits would be 00 through 39, which corresponded to a table of 40 Latin roots. The third digit corresponded to a list of 10 Latin prefixes and the last digit corresponded to a list of 10 Latin suffixes. The resulting word was transmitted.


title: Chess notation

text: After rules were changed so that ciphers were allowed in telegrams, this system was replaced by the Gringmuth Notation.


title: Chess notation

text: There is also a notation for recording positions in text format, called the Forsyth–Edwards notation (FEN). This is useful for adjourning a game to resume later or for conveying chess problem positions without a diagram. A position can also be recorded by listing the pieces and the squares they reside on, for example: White: Ke1, Rd3, etc.


title: Chess notation

text: Written chess notation recording is often necessary when participating in chess tournaments. In many tournaments players are required to record their games' notation on a score sheet.


title: Chess notation

text: There are also systems for classifying types of endgames. See Chess endgame#Endgame classification for more details.


title: Chess notation

text: The notation for chess moves evolved slowly, as these examples show. The last is in algebraic chess notation; the others show the evolution of descriptive chess notation and use spelling and notation of the period.


title: Chess notation

text: A text from Shakespeare's time uses complete sentences to describe moves, for example, "Then the black king for his second draught brings forth his queene, and placest her in the third house, in front of his bishop's pawne", which nowadays would be written simply as 2... Qf6. The great 18th century player Philidor used an almost equally verbose approach in his influential book "Analyse du jeu des Échecs", for example, "The king's bishop, at his queen bishop's fourth square."


title: Chess notation

text: Algebraic chess notation was first used by Philipp Stamma () in an almost fully-developed form, before the now-obsolete descriptive chess notation evolved. The main difference between Stamma's system and the modern system is that Stamma used "p" for pawn moves and the original file of the piece ("a" through "h") instead of the initial letter of the piece.


title: Chess notation

text: In London in 1747, Philidor convincingly defeated Stamma in a match. Consequently, his writings (which were translated into English) became more influential than Stamma's in the English-speaking chess world; this may have led to the adoption of a descriptive system for writing chess moves, rather than Stamma's coordinate-based approach. However, algebraic notation became popular in Europe following its adoption by the highly influential "Handbuch des Schachspiels", and became dominant in Europe during the 20th century. However, it did not become popular in the English-speaking countries until the 1970s.


title: Rex Maughan

text: Rex Maughan was an American businessman. He was the founder, president, and chief executive officer of Forever Living Products, a multi-level marketing company that sells aloe vera and bee hive-based cosmetics and other personal products.


title: Rex Maughan

text: Maughan was born November 20, 1936, in Logan, Utah. He grew up on a ranch in Soda Springs, Idaho. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served an LDS mission in Samoa. Rex met and married his wife Ruth while they were both attending Brigham Young University (BYU). When Ruth graduated from BYU with a degree in elementary education, she and Rex moved to Arizona. Ruth taught school while Rex finished his degree at Arizona State University, eventually earning his B.S. in accounting in 1962.


title: Rex Maughan

text: Maughan began investing in land while still working as an accountant in the early 1960s. Later, he joined the Del E. Webb Construction Company, and spent the next 13 years there, reaching the position of vice president. Maughan was also adding to his own real estate and ranching investments at this time.


title: Rex Maughan

text: Maughan founded Forever Living Products in 1978. The company initially made lotions from the aloe vera plant. The product line has grown and diversified, now encompassing a broad range of other products which are marketed through a multi-level marketing system. Since aloe vera is still a key ingredient in many of Forever Living products, Maughan segued into aloe cultivation and processing.


title: Rex Maughan

text: Maughan expanded into the resort business in 1981, under the umbrella of a sister company, Forever Resorts.


title: Rex Maughan

text: In 2002 Maughan was listed in the Forbes 400 as the 368th-richest man in the world, with a net worth of $600 million.


title: Rex Maughan

text: In 1996, upon suggestion of the American authorities, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the National Tax Agency of Japan (NTA) initiated a joint audit of Rex and Ruth Maughan and related entities Aloe Vera of America (AVA), Selective Art Inc., FLP International, and FLP Japan for the period of 1991 to 1995. In 1997, the NTA imposed a penalty tax of ¥3.5 billion on Forever Living's Japan division for concealing income of 7.7 billion yen over the five-year period. Later that year, AVA, Rex and Ruth Maughan, Maughan Holdings, Gene Yamagata, and Yamagata Holdings sued the IRS for unauthorized disclosure of tax return information. In the midst of the lawsuit, The IRS asked the NTA to drop its decision against Forever Living, and in 2002, the agency "grudgingly complied with the IRS's request", announcing that the penalty tax had been effectively withdrawn. In February 2015, a USA district court ruled that the IRS knowingly provided some false information about AVA to the NTA, in violation of the United States' tax treaty with Japan. and awarded three of the plaintiffs one thousand dollars each in statutory damages.


title: Rex Maughan

text: In 2002, the Arizona Supreme Court reversed the findings of lower courts in a case in which Rex Maughan was accused of terminating an employee because the employee refused to sell a piece of land to Maughan.


title: Rex Maughan

text: In Vailima, Samoa, Maughan has contributed to the preservation of author Robert Louis Stevenson's estate, making it into a museum. In early 2005 Maughan accompanied a BYU Television team to American Samoa to coordinate installation of a satellite receiver he had donated.


title: Rex Maughan

text: Maughan has financially supported various political campaigns, including Mitt Romney's 2008 and 2012 bids for the U.S. Presidency.


title: Rex Maughan

text: Maughan was made an honorary member of the Order of Merit of Samoa in the 2014 Samoa Honours and Awards. .


title: Mangala sutra

text: A mangala sutra (), or thaali (ISO: "tāḷi"), is a necklace that the groom ties around the bride's neck in the Indian subcontinent, in a ceremony called "Mangalya Dharanam" (). The necklace serves as a visual marker of status as a married Hindu woman.


title: Mangala sutra

text: Mangala sutra's origin dates back to the 6th Century AD as a single yellow thread was tied around the bride for protection from other men and evil spirits. Mangala sutra is a social practice widespread in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. The term mangala sutra in Sanskrit means holy thread.


title: Mangala sutra

text: Mangala sutram literally means "an auspicious thread" which is knotted around the bride's neck. It is usually a necklace with black beads strung from a black or yellow thread prepared with turmeric. Sometimes gold, white or red beads are also added to the mangala sutram, depending on regional variation. It is a symbol of marriage worn by women. The idea of sacred thread existed for centuries, even going back to Sangam period. But the nature of these auspicious threads have evolved over time, and varies widely according to various communities. Non-Hindu religious groups such as Syrian Christians also wear mangal sutra, but with a cross on it. There are many communities in India, among whom the mangal sutra seems to be absent, and other forms of marital tokens have taken their place. For example, in large parts of North India, the toe ring and glass bangles indicate the marital status of a woman.


title: Mangala sutra

text: Historian of Indian jewellery, Dr. Usha Balakrishnan explains that the practice of ritualistically adorning the bride with a mangal sutra to solemnise marriage, is a modern concept, made possible due to marketing strategies of businesses. She also says that,“There was no concept in ancient India of a marriage being solemnised through a mangal sutra as we know of it today with diamonds, pendants and the like,”The concept of mangal sutra has evolved over centuries, and has become an integral part of marriages among several Indian communities.


title: Mangala sutra

text: The significance of the mangala sutra was re-iterated by Adi Shankara in his famous book Soundarya Lahari. According to Hindu tradition, the mangala sutra is worn for the long life of the husband. As told by religious customs and social expectations, married women should wear mangala sutra throughout their life as it is believed that the practice enhances the well-being of her husband. Bridal jewellery in ancient times also worked as a financial security against old age and widowhood, as women did not have any property rights.


title: Mangala sutra

text: It is called "thaali" () or "maangalyam" () in Tamil, nuptial chain in English, "thella" () in Sinhala, "mongolsutro" (মঙ্গলসূত্র) in Bengali, "mangal sutra" () in Marathi, "mangalyasutra" (), "thaali" () in Kannada, and "thaali" (), "maangalyamu" (), "mangalasutramu" () or "pustelu" () in Telugu, "thaali" () in Malayalam, Mangalasutra (ମଙ୍ଗଳସୂତ୍ର) in Odia, Konkani people (Goans, Mangaloreans, East Indians and others, including Hindus ) wear three necklaces around their necks, referred to as "dhaaremani" or "muhurtmani" (big golden bead), "mangalasutra" with one or two gold discs and "kasithaali" with gold and coral beads. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions, the two coin-sized gold discs are separated by 2-3 beads of different kinds. By tradition, one disc comes from the bride's family and another from the groom's side.


title: Mangala sutra

text: Mangala sutras are made in a variety of designs. The common ones are the "Lakshmi thaali", pustelu worn by the Telugus, ela thaali or minnu worn by the Malayalees, and the "kumbha thaali" worn by the tamilians of the Kshatriya caste. The design is chosen by the groom's family according to prevalent customs. Gujaratis and Marwaris often use a diamond pendant in a gold chain which is merely ornamental in nature and is not a substitute to the mangala sutra in the traditional sense. Maharashtrians wear a pendant of two "vati" ornaments. The mangalya, thaali or mangala sutra of Kannadigas is similar to that of the Maharashtrians, except that it usually has two vatis. Nowadays many fashion conscious families opt for lighter versions, with a single vati or more contemporary style.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan (born 20 October 1923) is an Indian Communist politician who was the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. At 82, he is the oldest person to have assumed the office. He served as the chairman of Administrative reforms in Kerala with state cabinet rank from 2016 to 2021. He was also a former 3 times Leader of the Opposition of Kerala state.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: Achuthanandan was a member of the CPI(M) Politburo from 1985 until July 2009, when he was reverted to the Central Committee of the party owing to his ideological dispositions.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: Achuthanandan initiated various actions as the Chief Minister, including the demolition drive in Munnar which claimed back acres of illegally occupied land, the demolition drive in Kochi M. G. Road which claimed back the long lost "shoulder" of the road, anti-piracy drive against film-piracy, his struggle against the Lottery mafia in the state. He was instrumental in convicting former minister R. Balakrishna Pillai on charges of corruption. Achuthanandan also took the lead in promoting free software in the state, and especially in adopting free software in the public education system of the state.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: Born on 20 October 1923 to Sankaran and Accamma in Punnapra, Alappuzha, Travancore (part of present-day Kerala state, India), he lost his mother when he was four years old and subsequently lost his father aged 11. This forced him to quit his studies after finishing 7th standard in school and college. He started working by helping his elder brother in a village tailoring shop. Later he took up the job of meshing coir to make ropes at a coir factory.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: Achuthanandan was in the forefront of the land struggles in Kerala starting with the Alappuzha declaration in 1970 demanding implementation of the Land Reforms Act passed by the EMS Government in 1967. Later his activities as the leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly had evoked good public response.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: He entered politics through trade union activities and joined State Congress in 1938. In 1940, he became a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI). During his 40 years as a politician he was imprisoned for five years and six months and was in hiding for four and half years. He was a state secretariat member of the CPI in 1957. He is the only living Keralite among the 32 members who left the CPI National Council in 1964 to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist) . He was the Secretary of the Kerala State Committee between 1980 and 1992. He was a member of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau since 1985 until he was removed as a party disciplinary action. He is the senior most leader of CPI(M) in India.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: During the assembly elections held in Kerala in April–May 2006, VS Achuthanandan defeated Satheesan Pacheeni of the United Democratic Front by a margin of 20,017 votes in Malampuzha constituency in Palakkad district. He was sworn in as Chief Minister of Kerala on 18 May 2006, with his 21-member cabinet. Aged 82 years and 7 months at time, he was the oldest Chief Minister of Kerala, and one of the oldest in the whole of India. It is noticeable that he had been denied a party ticket to contest elections just two months before he was sworn in. He became the 11th Chief Minister of Kerala. On 12 July 2009, the CPI(M) Polit bureau and Central Committee removed him from the PB for his stands taken in relation to the accusation and legal procedures against Pinarayi Vijayan in his reported involvement in the Lavlin bribery.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: The 2011 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, proved to be one of the closest in Kerala's history, with the UDF beating the LDF by a margin of 4 seats. After this election, Achuthanandan was considered the man behind the Uprising of LDF after the 2009 Parliament and 2010 Municipal election losses. The CPI(M) denied a seat to Achuthanandan for the 2011 assembly election. Protests took place across the state and even on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and via SMS.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: In what can be considered as a near repeat of the 2006 pre-election build-up, the Politbureau of CPI-M impressed upon the state leadership to permit VS Achuthanandan to contest elections for the April 2011 Assembly election in Kerala. VS Achuthanandan contested from the Malampuzha Constituency and won with a margin of around 25,000 votes.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: On 12 May 2013, three of his personal staff V.K. Sasidharan (additional private secretary), A. Suresh (personal assistant) and K. Balakrishnan (press secretary) were ousted by the Politburo, which was entrusted by the CPI(M) central committee to decide on the action to be taken against them. They were expelled on charges of leaking information to media, according to CPI(M). With the decision, Achuthanandan's arch-rival and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI(M)) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan appears to have won. The state committee of the party where Vijayan has a huge majority also wanted Achuthanandan to be removed from the post of leader of opposition but this was not done. "This is a clipping of the wings of Achuthanandan", said K.M. Shahjahan.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: In 2006, under the leadership of Achuthanandan government decided to develop and operate an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Vallarpadam. Though it is a central government project, Achuthanandan government has taken strong steps to take over land required for road and rail lines for the project. The International Container Transshipment Terminal, Kochi was inaugurated on 11 February 2011, it is the first transshipment terminal in India and the first container terminal to operate in a SEZ.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: The Technopark in Kollam was initiated, planned and constructed during Achuthanandan government. The plan for setting up the first district IT park in Kerala at Kollam was announced in January 2009. The Foundation stone was laid by Achuthanandan in February 2009. The park was set up expecting employment to the tune of 20,000 and investments of 800 crores.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: In 2009, Achuthanandan ministry started the work of Infopark Cherthala in Alappuzha. The project was inaugurated by


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: Achuthanandan on 10 January 2011. With the state's IT sector witnessing a phenomenal growth, it has become necessary to expand Infopark, Kochi, to the satellite towns of the city. Infrastructure development at the IT parks at Infopark Cherthala, Infopark Ambalappuzha and InfoPark Thrissur, which are the satellite units of Infopark, Kochi, were progressing fast. Achuthanandan laid the foundation stone of the second phase of Infopark at Kakkanad. The project is developed on 160 acres.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: In 2008, Achuthanandan government proposed an International airport in Mattannur, Kannur. Two years later, Achuthanandan laid the foundation stone for the Kannur International Airport at the project site marking the formal commencement of construction activities on 17 December 2010 at a function attended by the then Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: In 2008, Achuthanandan government approved the Kochi Metro rail project in a cabinet meeting held on 2 January 2008 and sent to Central Government for ratification.


title: V. S. Achuthanandan

text: The anti-reclamation stir launched by the Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union (KSKTU) at Mankompu in 1996–97, under the leadership of Achuthanandan created much controversy. This stir was claimed to be highlighting the serious problem of the massive conversion of paddy fields into another type of land, affecting the food security of the Kerala. But this soon developed into a crop destruction drive. The protest got the sobriquet following the violent methods and crop destruction resorted to by the KSKTU cadre. The stir attracted lot of public attention and Achuthanandan was forced to express his disapproval of any destruction of crops. 15 years later, in November 2011, a UDF Minister, who is politically opposed to Achuthanandan, justified this struggle. Janata Dal Socialist leader and minister for Agriculture, K.P. Mohananan said such a struggle was necessary as conversion of paddy fields to another type of crops is a serious concern.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: Rúben Gonçalo da Silva Nascimento Vinagre (born 9 April 1999) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left wing-back for Premier League club Everton, on loan from Sporting CP.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: Born in Charneca de Caparica, Almada, Lisbon metropolitan area, Vinagre had two spells in the academy of Sporting CP before joining Ligue 1 club Monaco on 12 June 2015. After spending his first season with the youth side, he signed a professional contract.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: In August 2016, a deal was agreed for Vinagre to be loaned to LigaPro side Académica to gain experience, but FIFA, whose approval was required due to the player being under 18, refused to sanction the deal. After an unsuccessful appeal, he returned to his parent club without making any competitive appearances.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: Vinagre agreed to a new deal with Monaco in June 2017, running until summer 2022. Shortly after, he moved on loan to English side Wolverhampton Wanderers for the upcoming season. He made his senior debut on 8 August in a 1–0 win against Yeovil Town in the first round of the EFL Cup. He scored his first goal in professional football on 30 September, the third of his team's 4–0 away victory over Burton Albion in the Championship.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: After their promotion to the Premier League as champions, Vinagre signed a five-year-contract for an undisclosed fee on 30 June 2018. The subsequent recruitment of Jonny meant that he was primarily used as a back-up, but still made 17 appearances (21 in all competitions) as they qualified for the UEFA Europa League through a seventh-place finish; his first league match took place on 11 August 2018, when he came on as a late substitute in the 2–2 home draw with Everton.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: Vinagre made his European debut on 25 July 2019, in Wolves's 2–0 home win over Crusaders in the Europa League second qualifying round, closing the score in injury time. With Jonny seriously injured, he totalled 13 games in the team's run to the quarter-finals, where they were ousted by eventual winners Sevilla.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: On 5 October 2020, Vinagre moved to Olympiacos of the Super League Greece on a season-long loan, with an option to make the deal permanent. However, after failing to impose himself at the Pedro Martins-led squad, mainly due to injury problems, he joined Famalicão also on loan, rejoining former Wolverhampton teammates Leonardo Campana and Bruno Jordão. He made his Primeira Liga debut for the latter on 8 January 2021, starting in a 1–4 home loss to Porto.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: Vinagre was loaned to Sporting on 9 July 2021, with a buying option. He made only 18 competitive appearances in his first season, and on 1 July 2022 the club signed him permanently.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: On 27 July 2022, Vinagre joined Everton on a season-long loan; an option to buy was also included in the deal.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: Vinagre contributed five appearances as Portugal won the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Azerbaijan, following a penalty shoot-out defeat of Spain. He helped the under-19s to the same achievement two years later, playing the entire 4–3 extra-time victory against Italy in Seinäjoki.


title: Rúben Vinagre

text: On 11 October 2018, Vinagre won his first cap at under-21 level, in a 9–0 rout in Liechtenstein in the 2019 European Championship qualifiers.