Early life.

Ford was born in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, in 1969, the youngest of four children (Doug, Kathy, Randy and Rob) of Ruth Diane ( Campbell) and Douglas Bruce Ford His paternal grandparents were English immigrants. His father, along with Ted Herriott, was co-founder of Deco Labels and Tags, which makes pressure-sensitive labels for plastic-wrapped grocery products at an estimated in annual sales, and was a Progressive Conservative member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1995 to 1999.  Ford attended Scarlett Heights Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke. He dreamed of becoming a professional football player, and his father paid for him to attend special camps of the Washington Redskins and the University of Notre Dame. After graduating from high school, Ford went to Carleton University in Ottawa to study political science. He made the football squad, but did not play in any games. He left Carleton after one year to return to Toronto and did not complete his degree. After Carleton, he started a sales job at Deco. After Doug Ford Sr.'s death in 2006, the Ford family retained ownership of Deco Labels through the Doug Ford Holdings corporation. Ford, alongside his brothers and their mother was a director of the company.  In August 2000, Ford married Renata Brejniak, whom he had met in high school, at All Saints Roman Catholic Church in Etobicoke. They had been dating since Brejniak's divorce from her first husband in February 1996. Ford lived with Renata and their two children, Stephanie and Doug, in Etobicoke until his death in 2016.

Political career.

City councillor.

Ford served three terms as city councillor from 2000 until October 2010, representing Ward 2 Etobicoke North. During his term as councillor, Ford was a strong critic of councillors' spending. Ford was known for his controversial comments and passionate arguments at council.  Ford first ran for Toronto City Council in 1997, placing fourth to Gloria Lindsay Luby in Ward 3 Kingsway-Humber. Ford ran for councillor in Ward 2 Etobicoke North in the following election in 2000, getting the endorsement of the "Toronto Star". Ford defeated incumbent Elizabeth Brown in what was considered one of several upsets in Etobicoke. According to Ford, "the people said they wanted change and they got change".  Ward 2 is located in the north-west corner of the city in the former city of Etobicoke. The ward's population of over 50,000 in 2006 was 53% composed of immigrants, the largest group being South Asians. It is mixed in nature with 40% of dwellings being single-family detached homes and 35% being high-rise apartments. It is also known as an area that has seen gang violence, including six murders in 2000.  Ford had previously resided in the ward, but moved in 2000 prior to the election, after his marriage, to Ward 4. In 2003, Ford was re-elected with 80% of the vote in Ward 2, defeating two candidates from the local Somali community. In the 2006 election, Ford won again, defeating Somali-Canadian candidate Cadigia Ali, this time with 66% of the vote.

2001 municipal budget.

It was during the 2001 budget deliberations that Ford earned a reputation for passionate speeches. The City of Toronto was facing a several hundred million dollar budget shortfall, enough to require a 32% tax increase after the Government of Ontario shifted the delivery of services from itself to Toronto, who would have to then pay for them. Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman was pleading with other governments for financial assistance. According to Don Wanagas, the "National Post" City Hall columnist, the other councillors began to dread when Ford rose to speak. "I have to give my head a shake because some of the rhetoric that comes out of the mouths of some of these councillors boggles my mind, I swear... Get the government out of our backyards. It's ridiculous. Government red tape here. Bureaucratic here. It's nonsense having all this government. And it's nonsense. It's so ridiculous. If you don't like what the province is doing, there's going to be an election in June of '03 – before our election, by the way." Councillor Anne Johnston proposed giving Ford a "neo-con award of the day", while Councillor Joe Pantalone advised Ford to take Prozac. Ford argued against spending money on the suicide prevention barrier on the Prince Edward Viaduct, and spending it instead on rounding up child molesters "who are the main cause of people jumping off bridges".  Ford proposed a cut to each councillor's $200,000 office budget, money for travel to conferences, ending city limousine usage and club memberships. According to Ford, "if we wiped out the perks for council members, we'd save $100 million easy." Ford was one of only four councillors who voted against a 5% increase in property taxes for 2001. Ford made a point of not using his allotted city budget for his office expenses, paying for the expenses from his salary. He claimed $10 for his first year, and $4 for his second year. In Ford's opinion, "all this office budget stuff is self-promotion to benefit yourself. Why should the taxpayers have to pay for it? It boggles my mind."

2002 municipal budget.

During the debates around the 2002 municipal budget, Ford and Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti got in several heated exchanges, where Mammolitti called Ford a "goon" and Ford called Mammolitti a "scammer". The argument got heated to the point where Ford called Mammolitti a "Gino-boy". Mammolitti called the insult a "racist remark" and filed a complaint with the city's human-rights office. Three councillors stated that they heard the insult said by Ford, who denied it. Ford dismissed the councillors stating that they were liars if they thought he had made a racist remark. "I'm a conservative and the majority of people are left-wing and cannot stand my politics." The exchanges led Councillor Pam McConnell to complain about 'testosterone poisoning' in the chamber. Ford extended his exchanges outside the chamber with columnist John Barber of "The Globe and Mail": "I am not a racist. Anyone who calls me a racist is going to face the consequences!", to which Barber replied "You are a racist."

2003 municipal election.

In the 2003 municipal election, Ford endorsed twelve political candidates on a platform of fiscal responsibility to take on fellow councillors: "We just need to get rid of these lifelong politicians that just give out money to special interest groups and don't serve the community. I'm really teed off. We need to get a new council or this city is going to go down the drain." Ford targeted Brian Ashton, Maria Augimeri, Sandra Bussin, Olivia Chow, Pam McConnell, Howard Moscoe and Sherene Shaw. Shaw was defeated by Ford's future budget chief Michael Del Grande, while the rest were re-elected.  Ford made a priority of responding to local constituents' problems, often returning calls himself or meeting with city staff to resolve problems. In 2005, local radio station AM 640 tested councillors on their response by having a reporter make an after-hours call to report a pothole. Ford was one of only three councillors to call back in person, within a day. His zeal in attending to constituents' problems became a competitive rivalry with fellow councillors Howard Moscoe and Gloria Lindsay Luby.  In June 2006, Ford spoke out against the city donating $1.5 million to help prevent AIDS, arguing that most taxpayers should not be concerned with AIDS. Ford publicly apologized for the comments in May 2010 during his mayoral campaign after his opponent, George Smitherman, called Ford's character into question over the remarks. At a council meeting on March 5, 2008, Ford stated "Those Oriental people work like dogs", a remark he later formally apologized for but stating that he meant it as a compliment.  On March 7, 2007, Ford spoke out against cyclists sharing roads with motorists, which were "built for buses, cars, and trucks, not for people on bikes". As councillor, Ford opposed the installation of bike lanes on University Avenue and Jarvis Street and during his election campaign proposed spending money on off-road cycle paths. Bike lanes were installed on Jarvis in 2010 over the objection of traffic advocates, and Ford made it a priority to get them removed during his campaign, and as mayor he was able to get council to reverse the decision in 2011, a move which was criticized by cycling advocates and led to protests. The Jarvis bike lanes, which cost the city $86,000 to install in 2011, were removed in December 2012 at a cost of $200,000–$300,000. At the same time, physically separated bike lanes on Sherbourne Street were installed. Toronto Cyclist Union president Andrea Garcia praised the Sherbourne lanes installation: "Cities all across North America that are doing way more innovative things for cyclists have been building separated bike lanes for a long time... It's great to finally see Toronto catch up." However, she also regretted the loss of lanes on Jarvis: "People live and work and go to school on both of these streets and they all need a safe way to get to these places."

2010 Toronto mayoral election.

Ford was elected mayor with 383,501 votes (47%) over George Smitherman's 289,832 (35.6%) and Joe Pantalone with 95,482 (11.7%). The voter turnout was around 52% of registered voters, the highest in Toronto's post-amalgamation history. Ward-by-ward electoral results showed that Ford had won all of the former pre-amalgamation suburbs, while Smitherman topped districts in the pre-amalgamation Toronto districts. Ford received 80,000 votes from the "Downtown 13" wards, or 20% of his total votes. Ford ran on a populist platform of fiscal conservatism and subway expansion. During the campaign, the scandals benefited Ford. After his driving under the influence (DUI) conviction became public, his share of the vote increased 10%. After it was revealed he was banned from high school coaching, he raised in campaign contributions overnight.

Mayor.

After the election, Ford had outgoing councillor Case Ootes, a former City of Toronto budget chief, head the "transition team". From his campaign team, Ford named Nick Kouvalis as his chief of staff; Mark Towhey, who had drafted his campaign platform, as his policy advisor; and Adrienne Batra, his communications advisor, as press secretary. Councillor Doug Holyday, who had helped elect Doug Ford Sr., was named deputy mayor. For the Executive Committee of City Council, Ford named councillors who had endorsed him in his campaign. For the inauguration ceremony at the first meeting of the new council, Ford had television commentator Don Cherry introduce him and put the chain of office on him. Cherry garnered some controversy with his remarks. Cherry described how Ford had reversed a mistake of city staff cutting down a tree of a Toronto property owner for no good reason and then billing the property owner, who suffered from Alzheimer's. Cherry added "Put that in your pipe you left-wing kooks" and, in regards to the pink suit he was wearing, "I'm wearing pinko for all the pinkos out there that ride bicycles and everything, I thought I'd get it in." At its first meeting in December 2010, the council voted to cancel the annual $60 personal vehicle registration tax passed by the previous council. The tax cancellation, a campaign promise of Ford's, took effect on January 1, 2011.  During the first year in office, the council mostly endorsed Ford's proposals. Ford privatized garbage pickup west of Yonge Street. Previously, only Etobicoke had privatized waste removal. Ford's first year as mayor in 2011 saw no property tax increase, and subsequent years increases were less than the rate of inflation. Under Ford, council voted to declare the TTC an essential service. Ford reduced, but was unable to completely remove, the Miller-era land transfer tax. During the summer of 2013, City Council endorsed Ford's plan to cancel the "Transit City" transit plan and build the Scarborough Subway Expansion fulfilling one of Ford's main campaign promises. This project was later approved and received funding both provincially and federally. In later years, Council would reject Ford's transit plans, including not putting the Crosstown LRT underground for its entire route. Near the end of Ford's term, Ford's powers were reduced by Council, spurred by Ford's personal problems, most notably reports of a video showing Ford smoking crack cocaine.  Rob Ford's brother Doug Ford was the Toronto city councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North in Toronto from 2010 to 2014, during Rob's term as mayor.

2014 election.

Ford registered on January 2, 2014, as a candidate in the fall's mayoral election. Ford participated in several debates but went on a leave of absence in May and June to deal with his substance abuse issues after a video surfaced of him smoking crack cocaine. Ford returned from his leave of absence in July and was polling in second place, behind John Tory and ahead of Olivia Chow. On September 12, 2014, Ford suddenly withdrew his candidacy due to the discovery of a tumour in his abdomen which was suspected to be, and subsequently confirmed to be cancerous. His brother Doug registered as a mayoral candidate in Ford's place and Ford instead registered as a candidate for city councillor in his old constituency of Ward 2 Etobicoke North. Doug Ford, with 33% of the vote, was defeated in the October 27 mayoral election by Tory, who received 40%, while Rob Ford was successful in Ward 2, being elected with 58% of the vote. Ford's term as mayor ended on November 30, 2014. He stated that he intended to run for mayor again in 2018.

Personal life.

Football coaching.

Ford volunteered his time to coach high school football. Ford first coached at Newtonbrook Secondary School in 2001 until he was dismissed over a dispute with a player. He coached at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School from 2001 until 2013 until the Toronto Catholic District School Board dismissed him after a controversial television interview led to a review of his coaching. Ford had donated $20,000 to equip the Don Bosco team and started a foundation, called the Rob Ford Football Foundation, to fund teams at other underprivileged schools struggling to field football teams.  In September 2017, Toronto Mayor John Tory, along with Councillor Stephen Holyday and the Ford family, proposed renaming Centennial Park Stadium to Rob Ford Memorial Stadium to honour Ford's coaching. City council rejected the proposal, 24–11 in a vote on October 5, 2017.

Domestic disturbances.

In 2008, after a 9-1-1 call from the Ford home, he was charged with assault and threatening to kill his wife. The Crown attorney said "there was no reasonable prospect of conviction" because there were "credibility issues" with allegations by Ford's wife due to inconsistencies in her statements. He said at the time that he was glad the ordeal was over and that he and his wife had sought marital counselling.  In two separate incidents, on October 25, 2011, and again on December 25, 2011, police were called to Ford's home to investigate domestic disputes. During the Christmas Day incident, his mother-in-law called 9-1-1 between 4 and 5 am local time as she was concerned that Ford had been drinking and was going to take his children to Florida against his wife's wishes. No charges were filed for either incident. Further domestic incident calls to police occurred in 2012 and on August 27, 2013. Again, no charges were filed.

Alcohol and drug addiction.

Ford suffered from alcohol and drug addiction for many years. After the death of his father in 2006, Ford's abuse grew and led to public episodes of intoxication, followed by public denials. His episodes were symptomatic of alcohol and drug addiction. His episodes were reported in the media widely and attracted much condemnation. Ford's abuse led to him being stripped of much of his powers as Toronto mayor and he later entered drug rehabilitation.  On April 15, 2006, Ford attended a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game at the Air Canada Centre. According to a couple nearby, Ford was intoxicated, using profanity, and insulting people. The couple then sent a detailed complaint to the City of Toronto. When confronted about the episode three days later by a "National Post" reporter, Ford initially denied having been at the game, but later admitted it. "I'm going through a few personal problems, but it doesn't justify, you know, getting drunk in public and pretty well acting like an idiot if you ask me."  The death of Rob Ford's father, Doug Ford Sr., in September 2006 due to cancer has been pinpointed as the time period when Ford transitioned to crack cocaine in addition to alcohol. A convicted heroin dealer who used to supply Ford's sister Kathy recalled a party with Ford around that time. According to reporter Robyn Doolittle, Ford would come home at night and drink heavily, use hard drugs or prescription pills.  During his 2010 mayoral campaign, a 1999 arrest of Ford in Miami, Florida for DUI and marijuana possession became an election issue when the "Toronto Star" published details of the arrest. Ford pleaded no contest to the DUI charge, while the marijuana charge was withdrawn. Ford was given a fine. When first confronted, Ford denied it. When presented with the arrest paperwork, Ford apologized and claimed he'd forgotten about it. He then announced at a press conference that he'd been charged with failing to provide a breath sample, when he had been arrested and convicted of drunk driving.  At Saint Patrick's Day festivities in March 2012, Ford was "very intoxicated" at City Hall and a downtown restaurant. According to those attending, he held a "wild party" in his office. Ford knocked down a staffer, insulted others, then went to a restaurant. According to one server, Ford did cocaine in a private room at the restaurant. After "flailing around" on the restaurant's dance floor, he returned to City Hall by cab, making racial slurs to the driver. Ford then wandered around City Hall after 2 am with a bottle of brandy, using profane language at his staffer, Earl Provost, before security arranged for him to be taken home. The incident was revealed in November 2013 after an e-mail from a City Hall security guard describing the incident was found through access to information requests.  Ford's staff tried to convince Ford to get treatment for his alcoholism, but he initially refused. Ford was reported smoking marijuana in a shopping plaza parking lot. In February 2013, Ford attended the Garrison Ball and was reported to be incoherent. His staff ushered him out after an event organizer asked him to leave. In March 2013, Ford was accused of groping former mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson at a social event, and Thomson publicly stated that she thought that he was high on cocaine. It was around that time that Ford was recorded on video smoking crack cocaine, a video which the dealers attempted to sell to the "Toronto Star" and other media outlets.  In April 2014, Ford was involved in another incident at the Air Canada Centre. Ford, along with city budget chief Frank DiGiorgio, was denied access to the Director's Lounge at the Air Canada Centre. He was video-recorded issuing profanities during an argument with the security staff. He later denied being intoxicated, and blamed the incident on voting against a $10 million contribution to MLSE's plan to expand BMO Field. DiGiorgio described Ford as "somewhere between sober and drunk".  On August 11, 2016, the original video of Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine was released from publication ban by the Toronto Police Service after the extortion charge against Sandro Lisi was dropped. The cellphone video was recorded "surreptitiously" by Mohamed Siad in February 2013. The video shows Ford smoking crack cocaine from a glass pipe. His words are slurred and mostly inaudible during the conversation. Shortly before he admitted smoking crack cocaine, Ford said, "Whatever this video shows... Toronto residents deserve to see it and people need to judge for themselves what they see on this video."

Illness and death.

After developing severe abdominal pains, Ford was admitted to Humber River Regional Hospital in North York in September 2014 with an abdominal tumour, and a biopsy was taken. Ford announced that he would not run in the 2014 Toronto mayoral election because of his illness; his brother Doug would run in his place. Ford chose to run for his former Ward 2 seat on the City Council. He was likely to shortly begin treatment with multiple chemotherapy agents; the doctor did not say whether Ford would need to have surgery or radiation treatments.  On September 17, 2014, Dr. Zane Cohen of Mount Sinai Hospital (the lead doctor of Ford's health care team) revealed that Ford had been diagnosed with pleomorphic liposarcoma, a rare form of cancer that arises in adipose tissue. Ford was treated with chemotherapy and surgery. After chemotherapy and radiation therapy, Ford announced in a press conference that he was going to have a lengthy surgery done on May 11, 2015, to remove the tumour. He said he would be "out of commission" for four months. At a community barbecue hosted by the Ford family in 2015, Rob announced that doctors had cleared him of cancerous tumours.  On October 28, 2015, Ford revealed, and his physician confirmed, that a new tumour was growing on his bladder. The next day, Doug Ford advised reporters that the tumour had been found to be cancerous and consistent with liposarcoma (the previous tumour), based on a CT scan.  On March 17, 2016, Ford's office announced he was in the hospital "with his family beside him" as chemotherapy treatment had not been successful, and Ford's health was being reviewed to determine if he could continue treatment. The Ford family thanked the many who had wished the former mayor well in recent weeks, but requested privacy. A Rob Ford "get-well-soon" website was set up by the Ford family to send positive messages to Ford while he received cancer treatment; it received over 5,000 messages from well-wishers in the first two weeks after its creation.  On March 21, 2016, Ford's office confirmed that he had been placed into palliative care at Mount Sinai Hospital. Ford died the following day at the age of 46. After his death, City Hall started an official period of mourning. Flags at municipal buildings were lowered to half-staff, a book of condolences was started at City Hall, chalk provided for personal messages on the pavement of Nathan Phillips Square, similar to that after the death of Jack Layton, and the dimming of the 3D Toronto sign at the square. Visitations were held at City Hall for two days with the Ford family present. On March 30, a public funeral service was held at St. James Cathedral followed by a public commemoration of his life at the Toronto Congress Centre in the evening. Ford was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Etobicoke where his father is also buried.  His brothers Doug and Randy took on stewardship of Rob's share of Deco Labels and Tags upon his death.

Legacy.

Supported by the Ward 3 incumbent, Stephen Holyday, and the Ford family, in September 2017, Toronto Mayor John Tory proposed renaming Centennial Park Stadium after Ford. The city council rejected the proposed renaming on October 4, 2017.

Robert Bruce Ford (May 28, 1969 – March 22, 2016) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor representing Ward 2 Etobicoke North. He was first elected to Toronto City Council in the 2000 Toronto municipal election, and was re-elected to his council seat twice.

Robert Bruce Ford dit Rob Ford, né le à Etobicoke et mort le à Toronto, est un homme politique canadien, maire de Toronto de 2010 à 2014.


Biography.

Zhemchuzhina was born Perl Semyonovna Karpovskaya to the family of a Jewish tailor in the village of Polohy, in the Aleksandrov uyezd of Yekaterinoslav Governorate (today Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine). She joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party of Bolsheviks in 1918 and served as a propaganda commissar in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. As a communist, she went by the surname Zhemchuzhina, which, like her birth name Perl in Yiddish, means "pearl" in Russian.  In 1921, she married Vyacheslav Molotov, by then a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). She also made a successful career in the Soviet hierarchy, serving in the Narkomat of Food Industry under Anastas Mikoyan, to become in 1939 the first female councillor of Narkom (of Fishing Industry) in the government of the Soviet Union, and was elected as a candidate to the Central Committee that year.  During the 1920s, her sister emigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine. According to historian Zhores Medvedev, Stalin was highly suspicious of Zhemchuzhina. He thought that she negatively influenced Molotov, and he recommended Molotov divorce her.  Her brother, Sam Carp, was a successful businessman in the United States.  The Molotovs shared an apartment with the Stalins. Zhemchuzhina and Stalin's wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva became close friends. In November 1932, Zhemchuzhina followed Alliluyeva out of a dining room after Stalin had publicly chastised his wife in the company of friends. The next morning Alliluyeva was found dead of an apparent suicide. This event is believed to have fueled a secret hatred of Zhemchuzhina by Stalin.  In a secret meeting of the Politburo on 10 August 10 1939, the agenda item number 33, "Regarding Comrade Zhemchuzhina" and her alleged "connections to spies", led to a request to verify that information by the NKVD. As it was customary during the Great Purges, many of her coworkers were arrested and questioned, but the "evidence" (frequently acquired by force) against her was so contradictory that on October 24, the Politburo concluded the "allegations against comrade Zhemchuzhina's participation in sabotage and spying... to be considered slanderous." However, she was severely reprimanded and demoted for unknowingly keeping contacts with "enemy elements thereby facilitating their spying missions." In February 1941, she was taken off the list of the candidates to the Central Committee.  On the Eastern Front of World War II, Zhemchuzhina actively supported the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC) and befriended many of its leading members, most notably Solomon Mikhoels. She frequently attended performances by the Moscow State Jewish Theatre.  Polina Zhemchuzhina befriended Golda Meir, who arrived in Moscow in November 1948 as the first Israeli envoy to the USSR. Fluent in Yiddish, Zhemchuzhina acted as translator for a diplomatic meeting between Meir and her husband, the Soviet foreign minister.  She was arrested for treason in December 1948, as she openly supported the idea of granting the region of Crimea to Jews, consequently being forced into an unwanted divorce from Μolotov. She was convicted and sentenced to five years in a labour camp. After the death of Stalin in March 1953, she was released from captivity by Lavrentiy Beria and reunited with her husband. Her first question upon her release was "How's Stalin?" Upon being told he had died only days before, she fainted.  However, Molotov now, according to Stalin's daughter, became very subservient to his wife. Molotov yielded to his wife in the same way he had previously yielded to Stalin. She died of natural causes in 1970.

In fiction.

Zhemchuzhina is portrayed by English actress Diana Quick in the 2017 film "The Death of Stalin".

Polina Semyonovna Zhemchuzhina (born Perl Semyonovna Karpovskaya; 27 February 1897 – 1 April 1970) was a Soviet politician and the wife of the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov. Zhemchuzhina was the director of the Soviet national cosmetics trust from 1932 to 1936, Minister of Fisheries in 1939, and head of textiles production in the Ministry of Light Industry from 1939 to 1948.

Polina Semionovna Jemtchoujina (en ), née Perl Karpovskaïa le et décédée le est une femme d'État soviétique. Elle était l'épouse du ministre soviétique Viatcheslav Molotov.


Biography.

Antonio Fabrés was born in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) in 1854. He started studying at the Escola de la Llotja in his native city at the age of 13. His father was a draughtsman and his uncle a silversmith. When he turned 21, he received a grant to study in Rome. There are records of his sculptures from early in his career but later on he became a painter almost exclusively. He joined Marià Fortuny with a group that became known for their intense realism. Their popularity grew with the taste of the bourgeoisie seeking exotic images with oriental or medieval themes. He went back to Barcelona in 1886 and in 1894 he moved to Paris. The popularity he had earned during his decade in Italy helped him open a large studio where he could create complex scenes for the upper classes.  In 1902 the Academia de San Carlos in Mexico City decided to replace their classical techniques with the ones of realism that were popular in Europe at the time. Antoni Fabrés was called to take the place of Santiago Rebull as head of this important institution. Although some of his students went on to become what was later known as the Post-Revolutionary Movement in Mexican art, the faculty had a hard time adapting to his distinct style and personality. In 1907, he returned to Rome. One of his last commissions in Mexico was the decorations of a hall at the Porfirio Diaz mansion where he mainly focused on the art nouveau style.  Fabrés was recognized most everywhere he traveled. He was acclaimed in Barcelona, London, Paris, Vienna and Lyon. At the end of his life he was dealt a very unfortunate blow when in 1926 he decided to donate a large number of works to the Museu de Belles Arts de Barcelona (nowadays, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya). In exchange for this generous donation he asked the Museum that a hall be built with his name, but the museum never built that hall and although he protested several times, they could never settle the argument. Antoni Fabrés died in Rome in 1938.

Antoni Maria Fabrés i Costa ("Spanish": Antonio Maria Fabrés y Costa; 1854–1938), also known as Antoni Fabrés, was a famous Catalan sculptor and painter during the turn of the 20th century.

Antonio Maria Fabrés y Costa, dit Antonio Fabrés, né le à Gràcia (alors commune indépendante de la périphérie de Barcelone) et mort en 1936, est un sculpteur, artiste peintre et illustrateur espagnol.


The Bauxite Company.

Commercial bauxite mining started in Linden a hundred years ago. In 1916 the Demerara Bauxite Company Limited, known as DEMBA, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of Canada Limited, was established with the objective of mining, processing and selling bauxite. The site chosen for this preliminary venture was on the Demerara River, south of the capital city Georgetown. At that time there was no settlement in the area, except for the wards of Wismar, Guyana Wismar and Christianburg. Mackenzie, the centre of the company's operations, takes its name from an American geologist of Scottish descent, George Bain Mackenzie, who first visited and explored the area for bauxite in 1913. He returned in 1914, bought lands for mining, and built several 45-ton wooden barges for use at the riverside near Three Friends Mine, which was the first mine to be worked.  Initially, bauxite was mined with shovels and pick axes and mule carts removing overburden. The bauxite was shipped in a crude form by loading it onto barges, which were towed down the river to ships moored midstream off the Georgetown harbor.  Over the years DEMBA established not only the machinery for crushing, sorting, washing, drying, storing and loading the ore that was mined, but also housing facilities for their permanent local and foreign work force. In addition, a complex of ancillary services, including a machine shop, carpentry shop, and an electrical shop a power generation and distribution system, potable water supply and a hospital was developed. The end product of this industrial, social and physical infrastructure was a compact township named Mackenzie, which depended on sources external to the bauxite community for its supply of food and spare parts. In keeping with its policy of controlling the important sectors of the country's economy, the Government of Guyana nationalized the assets of DEMBA on 15 July 1971, and replaced it with the Guyana Bauxite Company Limited (GUYBAU). The Bauxite Industry Development Company (BIDCO) was established in 1976, in Georgetown, as the holding Company of the bauxite industry.  A similar act of nationalization, on 1 January 1975, saw the sister company in Berbice — Reynolds Metal Company — becoming the Berbice Mining Enterprise Limited (BERMINE). With the Government of Guyana as a major shareholder, the move of nationalizing both bauxite entities set the stage for a close-knit unit. It was also more economical to coordinate the functions of GUYBAU and BERMINE under one holding. It further allowed for an arrangement in which financial, material and human resources could be optimally allocated within the bauxite mining and processing activities. As a result, the two entities were merged in October 1977, under the name of Guyana Mining Enterprise Limited (GUYMINE). The entities were subdivided into Berbice Operations and Linden Operations.  The Linden Mining Enterprise came into being in June 1992 when the Government signed an order under the Public Corporation Act to dissolve GUYMINE and convert the Berbice Operations and Linden operations into separate entities. Berbice Operations was reverted to the original name of Berbice Mining Enterprise Limited (BERMINE), and the Linden Operations was renamed Linden Mining Enterprise (LINMINE). LINMINE was placed under the management of an Australian firm, Mining and Processing Engineers - known as MINPROC – for three years (1992–95).  The three villages that made up Linden were previously known as Wismar, MacKenzie, and Christianburg, but were renamed and unified in 1970 as a township under the name Linden by then President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, also known as Forbes Burnham, after himself.

Linden Museum.

The Linden Museum of Socio-Cultural Heritage is located in the centre of Linden. The museum displays artifacts and pictures of the culture and heritage of the Linden community.

Christiansburg Water Wheel.

In 1895 Scottish engineer John Dagleish Patterson installed this very large iron wheel as prime mover for his sawmilling equipment. Patterson’s hydro-powered sawmill is the only one of its kind. The sawmill was dismantled but the water wheel remains as an example of how the timber industry was mechanized to exploit the rich natural resources of the area in Linden.

Gluck Island.

Gluck Island is an uninhabited island off Rockstone in the Essequibo River. It is situated at a distance of some 70 km from the Essequibo mouth. It is an eco-tourist destination site as it has several species of birds, animals and flora. The Victoria Regia Water Lily can be seen there blossoming with its more than one meter diameter giant leaves floating on lakes in a lush green environment. It is the nearest spot from Georgetown where you can observe this natural phenomenon in its original habitat. Scientists from Australia and Europe come to this part of world to study that plant.  Big caimans can be spotted in the night while the best time to see giant otters is early in the morning. About 200 species of birds, including macaws and various species of parrots and herons have been identified after two short expert missions.

Linden unrest.

In 1964, Wismar was the site of the Wismar Massacre, where rioting targeted at the Indian minority also led to the widespread destruction of property. The disturbances started on 20 May, escalating to murder on 25 May before the arrival of British troops on 26 May. During this period more than two hundred properties were destroyed by fire and more than fifty people reported physical assaults, including at least seven rapes. The riots also claimed five lives: R. Khan and P. Mirgin, Indian residents of Wismar were killed on 25 May, along with G. English, an alleged looter. B. Wharton died in a fire on 27 May, while I. Bridgewater was killed on 28 May. The Wismar Massacre decreased the Indian population in Wismar; before the riots it was estimated at 3,000. This fell to about 300 by the following July, as more than 3,000 Indians were evacuated after the riots. The Wismar Massacre was triggered by the general climate of political and ethnic strife within Guyana in 1964. A couple of African descent were murdered. The muder trigger for the Wismar Massacre.  On 6 July 1964 an explosion blew apart the "Sun Chapman" launch as it sailed up the Demerara river from Georgetown to Mackenzie. Forty-three people of mostly African descent died either due to the explosion or drowned when the launch sank. Most of the thirty-three survivors, including the entire crew, were those fortunate to be on the deck or bow when the boat exploded. The "Sun Chapman" exploded shortly after leaving Horadia about sixteen miles from Mackenzie. By 8 July, thirty-two bodies were recovered from the river and taken to the Mackenzie Hospital morgue to be buried. Some badly decomposed bodies were also buried at Horadia.  With forty-three fatalities, the sinking of the "Sun Chapman" is the single largest loss of Guyanese life. Most victims were Lindeners traveling home from Georgetown along the Demerara River. The river was commonly used for this journey before the Linden-Soesdyke highway was constructed in 1966. The explosion was caused by a bomb, but the persons responsible and the type of explosives used remains unknown, this has led to numerous theories about the bombing.

Linden is the second largest city in Guyana after Georgetown, and capital of the Upper Demerara-Berbice region, located at, altitude 48 metres (160 feet). It was declared a town in 1970, and includes the communities of MacKenzie, Christianburg, and Wismar. It lies on the Demerara River and has a population of roughly 29,298 (Bureau of Statistics, Population and Housing Census - 2002, GUYANA). It is primarily a bauxite mining town, containing many mines 60–90 metres deep, with many other pits now in disuse.

Linden est la deuxième ville du Guyana après Georgetown avec près de. C'est la capitale du Haut-Demerara-Berbice et elle se situe sur le fleuve Demerara.


Early life.

Robinson was born on March 22, 1995. He has four younger siblings and two older half-siblings from his father's previous marriage. His mother is Denise Podnar. He graduated from Campbell Hall School in 2013. He was accepted to New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Studies but deferred his first year to work on another season of "Melissa & Joey".

Career.

Robinson made his professional acting debut at the age of eleven with a role in the stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel "A Christmas Carol". Talent scout Matt Casella recommended him to a few agencies and Robinson was eventually signed with the Los Angeles-based Savage Agency. Because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, Robinson's family moved back to Washington where he continued to perform on stage in and around Seattle.  In 2010, Robinson was cast in the role of Ryder Scanlon, nephew of Melissa Joan Hart's character on the ABC Family sitcom, "Melissa & Joey," playing the character until its cancellation in 2015.  In 2011, while on hiatus from "Melissa & Joey", Robinson began filming of the Disney Channel original movie "Frenemies" with Disney stars Bella Thorne and Zendaya; Robinson played the role of Jake Logan. "Frenemies" premiered in January 2012, on the Disney Channel.  In 2012, Robinson was cast in the lead role of Joe Toy in director Jordan Vogt-Roberts' "The Kings of Summer". He also guest-starred in the episode "Blue Bell Boy," during the third season of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire". He also began appearing in a series of television commercials for Cox Communications entitled "Buffer Time is Bonding Time."  In late 2013, Robinson was cast in "Jurassic World", which was released in 2015. He co-starred with Ty Simpkins, playing a pair of brothers who visit their aunt played by Bryce Dallas Howard at Jurassic World. He played Ben Parish in the film adaptation of the novel "The 5th Wave", which was released in January 2016. These roles made him unavailable for multiple episodes of the final season of "Melissa & Joey", but he returned for the final three episodes.  He played the lead in the independent film "Being Charlie", which premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival; the film was released theatrically in 2016.  In 2017 he starred in William H. Macy's comedy-drama film "Krystal", and as Olly in "Everything, Everything", a film adaptation of the novel of the same name.  Robinson was one of the many actors who auditioned for the role of Han Solo for Lucasfilm's "" before the part was cast to Alden Ehrenreich.  In 2018, Robinson starred as Simon Spier in the gay coming out teen drama film "Love, Simon". The film was considered ground-breaking because it was the first major studio film to focus on a gay, teenage romance. Robinson's performance as Simon garnered critical acclaim. After reading the script, Robinson revealed that he broke his own rule to no longer play high schoolers because he saw the cultural importance of the film.  In 2019, he co-starred in the third film version of Richard Wright's "Native Son". In June 2018, it was announced he will star in the film adaptation of the novel "Weetzie Bat".

Nicholas John Robinson (born March 22, 1995) is an American actor. As a child, he appeared in the 2008 stage productions of "A Christmas Carol" and "Mame", following which he starred in the television sitcom "Melissa & Joey" (2010–2015). He went on to play a supporting role in the film "Jurassic World" (2015), and took on lead roles in several teen dramas, including "The Kings of Summer" (2013), "The 5th Wave" (2015), "Everything, Everything" (2017), and "Love, Simon" (2018).

Nick Robinson, né le est un acteur américain. Il est notamment connu pour avoir joué l'un des personnages principaux de la sitcom "Melissa and Joey", pour son rôle secondaire de Zach Mitchell dans le film "Jurassic World", et ses rôles principaux de Ben Parish dans "La Cinquième Vague" et Simon Spier dans "Love, Simon".


Terminology.

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore and occasionally in other Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand, panties may be referred to as "undies" or "knickers"; "knickers" can also refer to male underwear, while "panties" generally refers only to female underwear. In Australia, men's underpants are often referred to as "undies", although the word can also refer to women's underpants. In the UK, the term "pants" is also used for both men's and women's underwear (not to be confused with the North American usage of "pants", referring to what both Americans and the British call "trousers" – although "pants" is also used in some parts of Northern England). Both men's and women's underpants are also sometimes referred to as "drawers".

Styles.

Panties are classified into various styles based on criteria such as the amount of rear coverage, width at the sides and height at which they are worn. These categories are not necessarily distinct and usage may vary somewhat among brands:  Cheekies can be styled as a hipster, bikini, or boyshort in the front, but in the back it's designed to hug the butt cheeks and have a seam or runching to make the fabric sit partially between the cheeks to accentuate the shape. It leaves the outer 1/3 to 1/2 of each cheek exposed and often have a lace or scalloped trim. Panties are made of a variety of materials, including cotton, lace, latex, leather, lycra, mesh, nylon, PVC, polyester, rawhide, satin, and silk. Construction typically consists of two pieces (front and rear) that are joined by seams at the crotch and sides; an additional gusset is often in the crotch, with the waistband and leg-openings made from elastic.

Boyshorts.

Boy shorts or boyshorts, also known as boy short panties, boys' cut, booty shorts, shorties, or boyleg briefs are a kind of women's underwear that covers the hips, named for their similarity to boxer briefs, a variation on boxer shorts. Some resemble men's briefs, complete with fly and contrast trim. Unlike men's briefs, this style is usually lower cut. Boy shorts often cover most of the buttocks.  Boyshorts have become a popular choice, since they avoid displaying a prominent visible panty line, and are a modest and comfortable alternative to thongs and conventional panties. They are also popularly matched with a camisole top and worn as loungewear. Cotton-spandex blends and lace are the most popular materials for boyshorts. The term "boyshorts" can also refer to bathing suit bottoms in the same style.

History.

The earliest known use of underwear that resembles modern panties dates back to 4,400 B.C. during the Badari period in Egypt.

Panties (in American English, also called pants, undies or knickers in British English) are a form of underwear primarily worn by women. Panties can be form-fitting or loose. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genitalia (usually lined with absorbent material such as cotton), and a pair of leg openings that, like the waistband, are often made of elastic. Various materials are used, but are usually chosen to be breathable.

Un panty est une culotte couvrant le nombril et descendant sur les cuisses, en textile moulant, ressemblant à un short long serré ou à un cuissard de cycliste.


Research history.

NW Rota-1 was discovered to be hydrothermally active by NOAA in 2003 and first mapped by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) ROPOS in 2004. The volcano has repeatedly been targeted by dives of ROVs. Hydrophones have been placed at the summit and vent during several dives. NW Rota-1 is also known as "Northwest Rota-1".  NW Rota-1 is the first volcano where submarine explosive eruptions were directly observed, in 2004. The intensity of the eruptions is diminished by being underwater, allowing more direct observations than would be possible at subaerial volcanoes.

Geography and geomorphology.

NW Rota-1 is located northwest of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and about north of Guam. It is part of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, which was established in 2009.  NW Rota-1 is a steep volcanic cone, which rises from a wide base at depth to below sea level. The summit and slopes of the volcano are covered by volcanic debris (including ash and sand), sulfur globules and talus. Rock and lava outcrops and cemented breccia are also found; the outcrops are part of the inner structure of the volcano. The summit is formed by a northwest–southeast trending ridge that probably formed as a headwall of a landslide. Normal faults cut across the volcano and bound the summit ridge. An inactive summit is located northwest from the main summit at depth.  The active crater "Brimstone Pit" lies south of the summit on the steep, debris covered slope of the volcano. A wide depression east of the summit may be an older crater, now partially filled. Farther east lies the "Fault Shrimp" ridge, where diffuse hydrothermal venting takes place.  The appearance of the "Brimstone Pit" has changed over time:  In 2010 other active vents appeared below the summit on the southern flank. These are (from west to east) "Phantom", "Sulfur", "Styx" and "Charon". They form a long alignment that also contains Brimstone Pit as its middle member. The appearance of these new vents may be due to landslides disrupting the magma conduits.

Landsliding.

Evidence of landslides is found over the entire volcano, and sediment flows have been observed from ROVs. They form when material accumulated around vents becomes unstable and collapses. The landslides generate plumes of ash-rich water which can spread kilometres from the volcano. Such plumes are a unique trait of volcanism at NW Rota-1 and have been identified at Kavachi, Monowai, NW Rota-1 and West Mata submarine volcanoes.  One such landslide took place on 14 August 2009 and removed debris that had accumulated around Brimstone Pit as well as the southern parts of the summit. Schnur "et al." 2017 gave volume estimates of and but despite this large volume it did not result in a detectable tsunami. It left rocky outcrops exposed that had previously been buried under looser material.  Cycles of volcano growth and collapse have been found at other seamounts like Monowai and West Mata, and much larger and less frequent collapses are recorded from large intraplate volcanoes such as Hawaii. Seismic activity, sea level changes and hydrothermal alteration appear to play a role in initiating landsliding.

Geology.

At the Izu-Bonin-Mariana volcanic arc, the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the Philippine Plate. The subduction of the old Pacific Plate releases fluids from the downgoing slab into the mantle. The interaction between these fluids and the mantle fertilizes the latter and results in volcanic activity. Compared to ocean island volcanoes, these volcanoes are longer lived and produce more gas-rich magma.  The Mariana Arc contains 52-60 submarine volcanoes, about five times more than rise above sea level. At least 20 volcanoes including NW Rota-1 are hydrothermally active. The islands Guam, Rota and Saipan are uplifted parts of the forearc.  NW Rota-1 is part of South Mariana Seamount Province. It is the western end and largest member of a chain of four large and five smaller submarine volcanoes. This "cross-chain" is perpendicular to the main volcanic arc and is correlated to a slab discontinuity. The cross-chain lies in an area of crustal extension. Another volcano close to NW Rota-1 is Chaife, about east-northeast of the former. The caldera West Rota and Esmeralda Bank lie due south and northeast of NW Rota-1, respectively. There might be a shallow magma chamber at NW Rota-1, which could explain the vigorous hydrothermal activity.

Composition.

The volcano is formed by andesite, basalt and basaltic andesite. The volcanic rocks define a calc-alkaline rock family with some components that border on the tholeiitic family. The rock family has a medium potassium content. Phenocryst phases contained in the rocks are olivine, plagioclase and pyroxene. Sulfur has been found encased in ejecta, which are often covered in volcanic glass from the interaction between seawater and lava. Volcanic rocks are porphyritic and contain many vesicles. The magma erupted at NW Rota-1 is among the most water rich of the entire Mariana Arc.  The formation of NW Rota-1 magmas appears to involve the melting of subducted, water-bearing sediments and the interaction of the resulting melts with the mantle wedge. Back-arc may also play a role. The interaction products rise as diapirs in two distinct populations, one with a large sediment component and one with a small one. Eventually liquids separate from crystals in the diapir and rise to the surface.

Exhalations.

Like other volcanoes, NW Rota-1 emits carbon dioxide (), hydrogen sulfide (), methane (), sulfur dioxide () and water. The volcano produces about 400,000 ± 100,000 of, which is about 0.2–0.6% of the worldwide flux at subaerial volcanoes.  The particle-rich plumes and most exhalations originate from Brimstone Pit crater; however, diffuse degassing at the summit generates hydrothermal plumes as well. Because the water in the plumes is warmer than surrounding seawater, it rises under its own buoyancy about above the vents. The water in the plumes is acidic and enriched in aluminum, the helium isotope helium-3, iron, manganese, phosphorus, silicon and sulfur are enriched in the plumes. The composition of the plumes depends on the location of their vents and changes during their ascent.  The carbon dioxide forms clear bubbles, which consist of about 90% and 10%. These bubbles are on average wide and quickly rise owing to their buoyancy. Some vents continuously emit carbon dioxide bubbles, others only cyclically. Sulfur is generated by the mixture of sulfur-containing gases with water and forms droplets of liquid sulfur. Sulfur globules form from such droplets; they cover the ground like a powdery dusting and have been recovered from the surfaces of ROVs. Sulfur accumulating in the slopes forms agglomerates and crusts which cement the slopes, reducing their instability.  NW Rota-1 also emits aluminium sulfate-phosphate such as alunite and woodhousite group minerals, iron oxyhydroxydes and sulfuric acid. It is the first volcano known to vent alunite minerals. These compounds appear to originate both through direct venting from the volcano, interactions with seawater and the interaction of the exhalations with the volcanic rocks.

Biology.

Vents above Brimstone Pit and on the eastern ridge are covered with microbial mats and these in turn are frequented by animals such as copepods, crabs, limpets, polychaetes and shrimp. The microbial mats are chemoautotrophic. These animals feed not only on the microbial mats but also on other animals killed by the volcanic activity. There are no sessile animals other than rare limpets, presumably due to the intense volcanism and unstable conditions. A larger animal community has been found at the northwestern summit; it includes amphipods, anenomes, copepods, crabs, fish, isopods, jellyfish, ostracods and polychaetes.  The caridean shrimp "Alvinocaris marimonte" was discovered from populations on NW Rota-1, Myojin Knoll and NW Eifuku seamount. The animals found at NW Rota-1 and NW Eifuku have a distinct appearance. Other animals from NW Rota-1 are the limpet "Shinkailepas sp.", the copepods "Ameira sp.", "Ameiropsis minor", "Amphiascus minutus", "Cyclopina sp.", "Halectinosoma angulifrons" and "Tisbe furcata", bresiliid shrimp "Opaepele loihi", the crab "Gandalfus yunohana" and the polychaete "Branchinotogluma sp.".  The communities south of the summit were decimated by the 2009 landslide. The reduction of activity after 2010 allowed the communities to expand, and new species appeared.

Eruption history and activity.

The Brimstone Pit crater is probably a recent vent, given its small size. The rocky outcrops are older. The structure of the volcanic deposits suggests that long pauses between eruptions are rare at NW Rota-1.  Eruptions took place in 2004, 2005, 2006 – each of the eruptions occurred in a different physical context and with different characteristics – 2009 and 2010. Activity appears to be continuous but variable over this time and until 2014 - when a ROV dive found no activity - each dive to NW Rota-1 found the volcano in eruption: The eruptions at Brimstone Pit resemble Strombolian eruptions on land, with a similar high gas flow and low magma supply. In such eruptions, each burst corresponds to the arrival of bubble-rich melt at the vent. The gas accumulates in the debris-blocked conduit and pressurizes it, until the pressure clears the blockage and a plume escapes. Volcanic bombs and debris are ejected during the eruptions and cover the slopes of the volcano.  Contact between seawater and magma causes brief steam explosions. This is followed by the abrupt condensation of the steam and the collapse of bubbles, which are recorded by hydrophones as pulsating sounds. Water-magma interaction also produces pyroclastics or alters them after they have been ejected. The eruptions appear to be part of a long-term eruption during which cones form and collapse at Brimstone Pit and water in the magma drives explosive bursts.  Eruptions at NW Rota-1 did not breach the surface and are unlikely to do so in the future. If not for fortuitous observations the activity of NW Rota-1 would not have been discovered.

Hydrophone records.

In 2008 and 2009, hydrophones recorded a cyclical activity, with bursts of acoustic signals lasting one to several minutes separated by pauses less than a minute long. Each burst consisted of hundreds of pulses, each several tenths of a second long. An intense acoustic signal recorded between 12 and 16 August 2009 exhibited high amplitudes and low frequencies, with two distinct pulses on 14 August 2009. This signal has been interpreted as an intense explosive eruption which led to the landslide on 14 August 2009. After the landslide the volcano became acoustically quiet for some time before sound levels increased again. Between 2009 and 2010 hydrophones recorded numerous acoustic signals, reflecting the steady eruptions, and tremors which may originate in the magmatic conduit although most of the acoustic signals appear to come from the vent. Apart from an increased amplitude in the burst cycles, the acoustic signal in 2010 was similar to that of 2009.

NW Rota-1 is a seamount in the Mariana Islands, northwest of Rota, which was discovered through its hydrothermal activity in 2003. The volcano has been observed to be erupting underwater, the first time that submarine explosive eruptions have been directly witnessed.

Le Northwest Rota-1 ou NW Rota-1 est un volcan sous-marin des États-Unis situé au nord-ouest de l'île de Rota, dans les îles Mariannes du Nord. Il s'élève à sous le niveau de la mer dans la mer des Philippines.


History and Usage.

The position of "Zellenleiter" was first created in 1930 as a mid-level political leadership title. Originally known as "Zellenwart", in 1933 after the Nazis came to power, the rank of "Zellenwart" was replaced by a new rank known as "Stellenleiter". It was the "Stellenleiters", on the local level of the Nazi Party encompassing German towns and cities, who held the positional title of "Zellenleiter", and were often referred to as such in contrast to their actual political rank. Such persons answered to an official known as an "Ortsgruppenleiter", considered the chief Nazi in a municipal region.  In 1939, the Nazi Party completed revamped its political ranking system and created a plethora of new Nazi Party political ranks and the title of "Zellenleiter" was adopted into its final form. Holders of the position now held a standard Nazi political rank (normally "Bereitschaftsleiter" or "Einsatzleiter") while also displaying a political armband denoting their position as a "Zellenleiter". There were also three primary "Zellenleiter" positions, these being:  Two special positions, known as "Betriebszellenobmann" and "Hauptbetriebszellenobmann" also existed, but were more focused on war production duties rather than the Nazi Cell command chain.

Duties.

The original political rank of "Zellenwart" was used to supervise local Nazi political leaders during a time when the Nazi Party was attempting to gain power in the Weimar Republic. After the establishment of Nazi Germany in 1933, the political position of "Zellenleiter" became a type of political strongman and was usually the highest Nazi official that the general population would have direct dealings with on a day-to-day basis.  During World War II, the "Zellenleiters" oversaw the activities of the "Blockleiters" under their command. Primary focus was on the enforcement of Nazi policies, the promulgation of war production, and the administration of civil relief efforts, especially towards the end of the war when Germany was invaded. As defeat loomed for Nazi Germany, many "Zellenleiters" became associated with the Volksturm and served as "ad hoc" military commanders when the need arose.

Zellenleiter (Cell Leader) was a Nazi Party political title which existed between the years of 1930 and 1945. A "Zellenleiter" was higher in rank than a "Blockleiter" and was in charge of a "Nazi Cell", composed of eight to twelve city blocks.

Sous l'Allemagne nazie, un Zellenleiter était un membre officiel du NSDAP chargé de la surveillance politique d'un quartier, constitué de 4 à 8 pâtés de maisons.


Biography.

Tombeur was born in Liège, Belgium in 1867 and enlisted in the Belgian Army at the age of 16. He was later admitted to the Belgian Royal Military Academy in Brussels, graduating in 1898. In 1902, he enlisted for service in the Congo Free State, a quasi-independent state controlled by Belgium's monarch Leopold II, as a junior officer in the "Force Publique". He remained in position through the Belgian annexation of the Free State as the Belgian Congo until 1909. Returning to Belgium, he served briefly as aide-de-camp to King Albert I from 1909 to 1912. In 1912, Tombeur returned to the Congo as an civilian inspector general ("inspecteur d'état") where he became the senior administrator for Katanga Province and presided over the first years of the city of Élisabethville (modern-day Lubumbashi).  Following the outbreak of World War I and the German invasion of Belgium, Tombeur became the commander of the Belgian colonial forces on the border with German East Africa. He presided over the re-organisation of the "Force Publique" and, in April 1916, led a Belgian force into Rwanda as part of the British-led East African Campaign. By June 1916, the whole of Rwanda had fallen and Burundi was occupied soon afterwards. Tombeur was made military governor of the Belgian Occupied East African Territories consisting of the future Belgian mandate of Ruanda-Urundi. The expeditionary force soon headed for the German military stronghold at Tabora in modern-day Tanzania. After a lengthy battle, Tombeur entered the town on 20 September 1916. Tombeur was recalled to Europe in late 1916 and was replaced as commander in East Africa by Armand Huyghé. In early 1917, he was promoted to the rank of Vice-Governor-General, the second highest administrative position in the Congo. He served as governor of Katanga from 1918 to 1920.  Tombeur retired from the colonial service in July 1920 but remained active within colonial associations in Belgium. In 1926, Albert I awarded him the title Baron of Tabora. He died in 1947.

Lieutenant General Charles Tombeur (4 May 1867 – 2 December 1947) was a Belgian military officer and colonial civil servant. As well as holding several major administrative positions in the Belgian Congo, he is particularly known for his role as commander of the Belgian colonial military, the "Force Publique", during the first years of World War I. His military career culminated in the capture of Tabora in German East Africa in September 1916.

Le général Charles Henri Marie Ernest Tombeur, né le à Liège et mort le à Bruxelles était un militaire belge. Il est anobli le pour devenir le baron Charles Tombeur de Tabora afin d'honorer cette victoire de Tabora qu'il avait remportée contre les troupes allemandes en Afrique orientale allemande.


Design and development.

The XB-19 project was intended to test flight characteristics and design techniques for giant bombers. Despite advances in technology that made the XB-19 obsolete before it was completed, the Army Air Corps believed the prototype would be useful for testing despite Douglas Aircraft wanting to cancel the expensive project. Its construction took so long that competition for the contracts to make the XB-35 and XB-36 occurred two months before its first flight.  The plane first flew on 27 June 1941, more than three years after the construction contract was awarded. In 1943 the Wright R-3350 engines were replaced with Allison V-3420-11 V engines. After completion of testing the XB-19 was earmarked for conversion into a cargo aircraft, but modifications were not completed, and the aircraft flew for the last time on August 17, 1946. It was eventually scrapped at Tucson in June 1949.

Surviving artifacts.

The new U.S. Air Force had plans to save the B-19 for eventual display, but in 1949 the Air Force did not have a program to save historic aircraft and the Air Force Museum had not yet been built. The B-19 was therefore scrapped, but two of its enormous main tires were saved. One was put on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah and the other has been on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, in the "Early Years" gallery for many years.

The Douglas XB-19 was the largest bomber aircraft built for the United States Army Air Forces until 1946. It was originally given the designation XBLR-2 ("XBLR" denoting "Experimental Bomber Long Range").

Le Douglas XB-19, initialement désigné XBLR-2, est un bombardier lourd américain, conçu dans les années 1930. Il est le plus grand bombardier américain avant l'arrivée du Convair B-36, en 1946.


"Je t'appartiens".

"Je t'appartiens" was a French hit in 1955. The score was written and first recorded by Gilbert Bécaud. The lyrics were penned in French by Pierre Delanoë. In 1955 it was a hit for Bécaud and in 1956 was rerecorded by Les Compagnons de la chanson.

First English version by Jill Corey.

The English language version used lyrics by Manny Curtis and was performed in 1957 by Jill Corey in the television series "Climax!". Corey's version, with orchestration by Jimmy Carroll, was released as a single and was moderately successful.

The Everly Brothers version.

The Everly Brothers helped to further popularize the song with their 1960 rendition of "Let It Be Me" which reached 7th position on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The harmony arrangement of this version was often emulated in subsequent remakes. This was the first Everly Brothers single to be recorded in New York, and not in Nashville. The musicians that backed up the brothers on the record included Howard Collins, Barry Galbraith and Mundell Lowe on guitar, Lloyd Trotman on bass, Jerry Allison on drums and Hank Rowland on piano.

Betty Everett and Jerry Butler version.

In 1964, Betty Everett and Jerry Butler released their version of the song. Their version peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the Cashbox Soul/R&B charts for 3 weeks.

Cover versions.

Willie Nelson.

– in 2015 the version of Angelo Seretti & George Aaron stayed 5 weeks on Italian Radio Chart (M.E.I)

"Never Tear Us Apart" is a single released by Australian rock group INXS in August 1988. It was included on the band's sixth studio album, "Kick". The music was written by keyboardist Andrew Farriss, who recorded a blues-style demo; vocalist Michael Hutchence wrote the lyrics.

Elle fait l'objet d’un en août 1988. Le single se classe notamment dans le Billboard Hot 100. En Australie il obtient alors la, mais il se classera en 2014, grâce aux téléchargements, après la diffusion de la mini-série télévisée "INXS : Never Tear Us Apart" qui raconte l'histoire du groupe.


Products and resources.

Mathematica.

Mathematica is a modern technical computing system spanning all areas of technical computing — including neural networks, machine learning, image processing, geometry, data science, visualizations, and others. The system is used in many technical, scientific, engineering, mathematical, and computing fields. In addition to the computational abilities of the system, Mathematica includes a unique and powerful notebook interface. Computational notebooks can be structured using a hierarchy of cells, which allow for outlining and sectioning of a document and support automatic numbering index creation. Documents can be presented in a slideshow environment for presentations and their contents are represented as Mathematica expressions that can be created, modified or analyzed by Mathematica programs or converted to other formats.

Wolfram|Alpha.

Wolfram Alpha is a free online service that answers factual queries directly by computing the answer from externally sourced curated data, rather than providing a list of documents or web pages that might contain the answer as a search engine might. Users submit queries and computation requests via a text field and Wolfram Alpha then computes answers and relevant visualizations.  On February 8, 2012, Wolfram Alpha Pro was released, offering users additional features(e.g., the ability to upload many common file types and data — including raw tabular data, images, audio, XML, and dozens of specialized scientific, medical, and mathematical formats — for automatic analysis) for a monthly subscription fee.  In 2016, Wolfram Alpha Enterprise, a business-focused analytics tool, was launched. The program combines data supplied by a corporation with the algorithms from Wolfram Alpha to answer questions related to that corporation.

Wolfram SystemModeler.

Wolfram SystemModeler is a platform for engineering as well as life-science modeling and simulation based on the Modelica language. It provides an interactive graphical modeling and simulation environment and a customizable set of component libraries. The primary interface, ModelCenter, is an interactive graphical environment including a customizable set of component libraries. The software also provides a tight integration with Mathematica. Users can develop, simulate, document, and analyze their models within Mathematica notebooks.

Publishing and conferences.

Wolfram Research publishes several free websites including the MathWorld and ScienceWorld encyclopedias. ScienceWorld, which launched in 2002, is divided into sites on chemistry, physics, astronomy and scientific biography. In 2005, the physics site was deemed a "valuable resource" by "American Scientist" magazine. However, by 2009, the astronomy site was said to suffer from outdated information, incomplete articles and link rot.  The Wolfram Demonstrations Project is a collaborative site hosting interactive technical demonstrations powered by a free Mathematica Player runtime.  Wolfram Research publishes "The Mathematica Journal". Wolfram has also published several books via Wolfram Media, Wolfram's publishing arm.  Wolfram Research has organized three Wolfram Science conferences in Boston, MA, Washington, D.C. and Burlington, VT in the United States in the years 2003, 2006 and 2007 respectively. Two other independent NKS Midwest conferences have taken place at the Indiana University, Bloomington in 2005 and 2008. Other independent workshops related to NKS research have also been organized overseas, such as JOUAL (Just One Universal Algorithm) at the CNR in Pisa, Italy in 2009.  Wolfram Research hosts the yearly Wolfram Technology Conference in Champaign, IL. During this three-day conference, developers discuss the latest Wolfram technologies for mobile devices, cloud computing, interactive deployment, and more.  Wolfram Research also hosts the Wolfram Data Summit, a high-level gathering of innovators in data science.  They are experimenting with electronic textbook creation.

Wolfram Research is a private company that creates computational technology. Wolfram's flagship product is the technical computing program Wolfram Mathematica, first released on June 23, 1988. Wolfram Research founder Stephen Wolfram is the CEO.

Wolfram Research est une société privée qui se spécialise dans l’édition d’applications mathématiques. Mathematica est son produit principal, il s’agit d’un logiciel de calcul formel qui a été lancé en. La société a été créée en 1987 par son PDG actuel Stephen Wolfram, c'est un scientifique qui tient un grand rôle dans le développement de "Mathematica". La société a également lancé Wolfram Alpha, un moteur de réponse, en. Ce dernier apporte une nouvelle approche de la génération et de l'acquisition de connaissances qui implique de grandes quantités de données calculables et traitées en plus de l'indexation sémantique du texte.


History.

The Fedora Repository open source software is a project supported by the DuraSpace not-for-profit organization. The software has its origins in the Flexible Extensible Digital Object Repository Architecture (i.e., Fedora) which was originally designed and developed by researchers at Cornell University. Fedora is an architecture for storing, managing, and accessing digital content in the form of digital objects inspired by the Kahn and Wilensky Framework. Fedora began as a DARPA and National Science Foundation funded research project at Cornell University's Digital Library Research Group in 1997, where the first reference implementation was written in Java using a CORBA-based distributed object approach. The University of Virginia began experimenting with the Cornell software and later joined with Cornell to establish the Fedora Repository project that re-implemented Fedora as open source software. Since then, several modifications have been made to the architecture, and in late 2005, version 2.1 was released. Fedora defines a set of abstractions for expressing digital objects, asserting relationships among digital objects, and linking "behaviors" (i.e., services) to digital objects.  In 2003 Red Hat, Inc. applied for trademark status for the name "Fedora" to be associated with their Linux operating system project. Cornell and UVA formally disputed the request and, as a final settlement, all parties settled on a co-existence agreement that stated that the Cornell-UVA project could use the name when clearly associated with open source software for digital object repository systems and that Red Hat could use the name when it was clearly associated with open source computer operating systems.

Technology.

Fedora provides a general-purpose management layer for digital objects. Object management is based on content models that represent data objects (units of content) or collections of data objects. The objects contain linkages between datastreams (internally managed or external content files), metadata (inline or external), system metadata (including a PID – persistent identifier – which is unique to the repository), and behaviors that are themselves code objects that provide bindings or links to disseminators (software processes that can be used with the datastreams). Content models can be thought of as containers that give a useful shape to information poured into them; if the information fits the container, it can immediately be used in predefined ways.  Fedora supports two types of access services: a management client for ingest, maintenance, and export of objects; or via API hooks for customized web-based access services built on either HTTP or SOAP. A Fedora Repository provides a general-purpose management layer for digital objects, and containers that aggregate mime-typed datastreams (e.g., digital images, XML files, metadata). Out-of-the-box Fedora includes the necessary software tools to ingest, manage, and provide basic delivery of objects with few or no custom disseminators, or can be used as a backend to a more monolithic user interface.  Fedora supports ingest and export of digital objects in a variety of XML formats. This enables interchange of objects between Fedora and other applications, as well as facilitating digital preservation and archiving.  The Fedora Project is currently supported by the DuraSpace organization.

Fedora (or Flexible Extensible Digital Object Repository Architecture) is a digital asset management (DAM) architecture upon which institutional repositories, digital archives, and digital library systems might be built. Fedora is the underlying architecture for a digital repository, and is not a complete management, indexing, discovery, and delivery application. It is a modular architecture built on the principle that interoperability and extensibility are best achieved by the integration of data, interfaces, and mechanisms (i.e., executable programs) as clearly defined modules.

Fedora Commons (pour "Flexible Extensible Digital Object Repository Architecture") est un logiciel libre qui vise à gérer des bibliothèques numériques.


Climate.

The Northern short grasslands have a semi-arid climate, with annual average precipitation ranging from 270mm to 450mm. Winters here are cold, with a mean winter temperature of, but chinook winds, most common in the western part of the region, closest to the Rocky Mountains, ameliorate the cold temporarily when they pass over. Summers range from warm to hot, with a mean temperature of.

Flora.

Dominant grasses include blue grama, needlegrass and spear grass. Big sagebrush is common in the southwest of the region, but almost non-existent in the north, northeast and east, where silver sagebrush is very common. Prickly pear and yellow cactus can be found in drier areas, especially in the badlands areas that can be found across the ecoregion. In the wettest areas, along water bodies, plains cottonwood, trembling aspen, willows and other trees can be found, along with various aquatic plants.

Fauna.

The Northern Short Grasslands were once home to vast herds of bison, and some can still be found in places such as Grasslands National Park in southwestern Saskatchewan, and on private ranches. Pronghorn can be found in great numbers in much of the region, benefiting greatly from conservation measures. Mule deer are very common, and white-tailed deer somewhat less so. Despite various intense pest control measures, immense colonies of Richardson's ground squirrels still remain, though the black-tailed prairie dog is much less common than before European settlement. The steppe here was once home to elk and grizzly bears, but these species have been extirpated from the plains.

The Northern short grasslands is one of 867 terrestrial ecoregions defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. This ecoregion includes parts of the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the American Great Plains states of Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) further breaks this ecoregion into the Northwestern Glaciated Plains and Northwestern Great Plains.

Les prairies d'herbes courtes du Nord sont une écorégion terrestre nord-américaine du type Prairies, savanes et brousses tempérées du World Wildlife Fund.


History.

Global Village Telecom was founded in April 1998 by a group of Israeli investors led by entrepreneur Joshua Levinberg, who previously founded Gilat Satellite Networks. Their idea was to build a satellite-based phone network for remote locations in South America using the VSAT technology that was developed by Gilat Satellite Networks. The initial investors in the company included: Magnum Technologies Fund, which held 55% of the company, US investment bank Merrill Lynch held 20%, Clal Information Technologies 10%, Discount Investment Corporation 10%, and Gilat Satellite Networks 5%.  During 1998 and 1999 GVT won tenders to build rural phone networks in Colombia, Chile and Peru

Brazil Fixed-line Telecommunications Licence.

In 1999 GVT was awarded a 20 years license to provide fixed-line telecommunications services in Brazil's south and central regions. As part of Brazil's government plan to introduce competition in three fixed-line regions of the country. When it privatized the state telecommunications company, Telebras, in 1998, the government divided Brazil into three regions for fixed-line telephony. Each region was to have one newcomer and an incumbent. In each case, the incumbent was a former unit of Telebras, which was privatized.  The region for which GVT won the license had a population of 38 million people at the time and encompasses nine states, including the country's capital, Brasilia. GVT plan was to invest US$550 million over three years and to build a network with 500,000 lines. GVT was to compete in the region against the former Telebras unit Tele Centro Sul, which was owned by a consortium led by Telecom Italia.  In 2001, GVT was split between Gilat Satellite Networks and the other investors in the company. Gilat took over the Colombia and Peru operations and GVT remained solely focused on the Brazilian market.

Initial Public Offering.

In 2007, GVT had an Initial Public Offering on the Brazilian Stock Market, achieving a market cap of $1.2 billion and raising $480 million.

Sale to Vivendi and then to Telefónica.

The French company Vivendi bought a 58% stake of the company by the end of 2009, and raised its participation to 99.17% the following year.  On August 30, 2014, Vivendi announces the sale of GVT to Telefónica for 7.5 billion GBP.

Products and services.

GVT is a company that offers high-speed broadband across its area of operation, pay TV with paid high-definition channels, as well as integrated and convergent advanced landline telephony.  The company offers broadband internet connection through ADSL, ADSL2 +, VDSL2 and FTTH technologies. It offers content and Internet services through the online portal POP, besides VoIP services through VONO to residential and micro-enterprise customers in Brazil (also usable outside the country). In 2012, the company also started to offer Pay TV packages.  GVT offers internet speeds of 15 Mbit/s, 25 Mbit/s, 35 Mbit/s, 50 Mbit/s and 150 Mbit/s, to all the 149 cities it serves, except in Erechim e Montenegro (Rio Grande do Sul); Paranaguá (Paraná); Porto Velho (Rondônia); Palmas, e Rio Branco (Acre), where speeds up to 20Mbit/s are supported.  Strategically, GVT built a network prepared for the convergence of voice, data and image, enabling it to offer higher than market average speeds since the beginning of its operation in 2000. Currently, circa 70% of annual company investment is dedicated to expansion and improvement of the network.  The average Internet speed of GVT customer base reached 13.2Mbit/s in October 2013. The index is greater than the average speed of Brazilian Internet (2.4 Mbit/s) and countries with large technology development as South Korea (13.3Mbit/s) and USA (8.6Mbit/s) – source: Akamai Institute.  It is considered the best Brazilian broadband for five consecutive years (2009-2013) according to the open survey made with INFO Magazine readers and the best telecommunication company by Isto É Magazine in 2013. In addition, the company won the EXAME/IBRC Award for best customer service in the fixed telephony category.  GVT also serves the enterprise segment, providing products and services, offering integrated solutions and managed services including fixed-line telephony, unified communication systems, hosted VoIP, Internet services, private-data networks and Data Center services.

Coverage.

Currently, GVT backbone covers 20 states: Acre, Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rondônia, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe, Tocantins, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, plus Distrito Federal (Brazil capital).  São Paulo  Minas Gerais  Espírito Santo  Rio de Janeiro  Mato Grosso  Goiás  Mato Grosso do Sul  Distrito Federal  Alagoas  Bahia  Ceará  Paraíba  Pernambuco  Rio Grande do Norte  Sergipe  Acre  Rondônia  Tocantins

Global Village Telecom (GVT) was a Brazilian telecommunications company that offers services on landline telephone, broadband for both consumer and business, Pay TV and voice over IP. GVT has been in the market since the end of 2000. GVT today operates under the Vivo brand.

Global Village Telecom (GVT) est une société de télécommunications brésilienne lancée à la fin de l’année 2000. C'est le premier opérateur alternatif de télécommunications au Brésil. Affichant un fort taux de croissance, il est l'opérateur haut débit brésilien le plus performant avec des solutions et des produits innovants dans la téléphonie fixe et l'Internet.


Biography.

Alfredo Vicente Scherer was born in Bom Princípio, Rio Grande do Sul, as the second child of Peter and Anna (née Opermann) Scherer. He studied at the seminary in Porto Alegre and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he was ordained to the priesthood on April 3, 1926. He then served as private secretary to Archbishop João Batista Becker until 1933, when he began pastoral work in Porto Alegre.  On June 13, 1946, Scherer was appointed the first Auxiliary Bishop of Porto Alegre and Titular Bishop of "Hemeria" by Pope Pius XII. However, Archbishop Becker died two days later, on June 15, before Scherer received his episcopal consecration. Scherer was named as his successor as Archbishop of Porto Alegre on the following December 30. He was consecrated on February 23, 1947, by Archbishop Carlo Chiarlo, with Bishops José Baréa and José de Almeida Baptista serving as co-consecrators. In reference to divorce, the Archbishop once called for "prayers to God to take away from Brazil the calamity which threatens Christian families". Scherer also gave weekly radio broadcasts against "anarchists and followers of Communism" within the Church.  From 1962 to 1965, he attended the Second Vatican Council, and was recognized as one of the leading conservative prelates during the 1960s and 1970s. However, Scherer did support the succession of the left-wing João Goulart as President of Brazil following the resignation of Jânio Quadros, in accord with the constitutional rules.  Pope Paul VI created him Cardinal Priest of "Nostra Signora de La Salette" in the consistory of April 28, 1969. Scherer was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II respectively. In January 1980, he was stabbed and robbed by unknown assailants, who left him in a ditch outside Porto Alegre when he could not meet their demands for more money. After thirty-four years of service, the Cardinal resigned as Archbishop on August 29, 1981.  Scherer died in Aparecida, at age 93. He is buried near the altar of the Cathedral of Our Lady, Mother of God in Porto Alegre. In 2003, a commemorative site was arranged at his place of birth in Bom Princípio.

Alfredo Vicente Scherer (February 5, 1903–March 9, 1996) was a German-Brazilian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Porto Alegre, Brazil from 1946 to 1996, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969.

Alfredo Vicente Scherer (né le à Bom Princípio, Brésil et mort le à Porto Alegre, Brésil) est un archevêque et cardinal brésilien de l'Église catholique romaine du.


Plot.

Jack, a gunsmith and contract killer, and his lover, Ingrid, are relaxing in Sweden. As they walk in the wilderness outside their cabin, Jack becomes alarmed by a trail of footprints in the snow and pulls Ingrid towards shelter. Sniper gunshots ring out. Ingrid sees Jack pull a gun from his pocket and shoot the sniper. Knowing his identity is in jeopardy, and with little hesitation, Jack shoots and kills Ingrid. He flees to Rome and contacts his handler, Pavel, who insists that Jack cannot stay in Rome. Pavel sends him to Castelvecchio, a small town in the mountains of Abruzzo. Jack becomes nervous, and disposing of the cell phone Pavel gave him, goes to nearby Castel del Monte instead—where he uses the name Edward.  While in Abruzzo, Jack contacts Pavel, who sets him up with another job. He meets Mathilde, an assassin who wants him to build her a custom sniper rifle. He also begins patronizing a prostitute, Clara, and they begin a relationship separate from her business duties. Jack meets with Mathilde to test the weapon. She is impressed by the craftsmanship, but asks him to make a few more adjustments. Later, Jack realizes that he is being followed by an assassin from Sweden, whom he kills.  Jack is tormented by dreams of the events in Sweden and regrets killing Ingrid. His friendship and conversations with a local priest, Father Benedetto, encourage him to question his life choices. Both Mathilde and Clara notice Jack's association with butterflies, Mathilde by his expertise in endangered butterflies and Clara by his prominent tattoo. When Father Benedetto tells Jack he senses he lives in a special kind of hell, "a place without love", Jack starts to let himself feel love for Clara, and envisions a life with her.  Jack talks to Pavel one last time—asking how the Swedes have found him. In his growing fear, he even suspects Clara when he discovers a small pistol in her purse. He questions Clara about the gun and is satisfied with her explanation (to defend herself, since newspapers have reported murdered prostitutes).  Jack agrees to deliver the weapon to Mathilde as his last job, but at the last moment, he re-opens the briefcase. At the drop-off, Jack becomes suspicious that Mathilde plans to kill him. Before anything can happen, a busload of school children arrives. Mathilde gives Jack his payment—a thick envelope full of cash—and the two separate. As Mathilde drives away, Pavel contacts her and asks if she has killed Jack. She tells him she has not, but says she is following him and will kill him.  Clara meets Jack at a religious procession in town. Jack asks her to go away with him and she agrees. Mathilde tries to shoot Jack from a nearby rooftop but the rifle backfires in her face, confirming Jack's suspicion and his last-minute decision to sabotage the rifle. Seeing Mathilde fall from the roof, Jack gives Clara the envelope full of cash and tells her to go to a river where they had picnicked and wait for him. He runs to Mathilde, who is dying on the pavement, and discovers that she also works for Pavel.  As Jack goes to meet Clara, he hears Pavel behind him. They exchange gunfire and Pavel drops dead. As Jack drives to meet Clara at the river, he feels his abdomen and realizes he has been shot. Jack arrives at the picnic spot and as he sees Clara, he collapses. Clara screams and runs to the car. A white butterfly flits skyward from Jack's car.

Production.

Filming began in September 2009 and took place in Castel del Monte, Sulmona, Castelvecchio Calvisio, Calascio and Campo Imperatore in the Province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo); in Rome, and in Östersund, Jämtland and other locations. As the Clooney character drives from Rome to Castel del Monte, there is an impressively long drive through the 4600-meter long San Domenico Tunnel (Galleria San Domenico) that is between the exits of Pescina and Cocullo on the A25 highway that connects Rome to Torano and Pescara. The car driven by Jack in the movie is a Fiat Tempra with Pescara licence plates.  The film's "most romantic moment", according to director Anton Corbijn—when Jack takes Clara to a restaurant of her choice, their "actual date"—was filmed at a restaurant in Pacentro, near Sulmona. The comic-acting waiter in this restaurant scene was directed to stand in front of a two-bulb lamp fixture so that he appeared to have "devil's horns". Photographs on the restaurant's walls are reportedly all of lovers of Gabriele d'Annunzio. Clara orders Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine for the dinner, and Corbijn said the film's company enjoyed many of the fine wines of the region during the months of production there.  The film score was written and composed by German singer-songwriter (and longtime friend of Corbijn) Herbert Grönemeyer. A 1967 song called "Window of My Eyes" by the Dutch blues band Cuby & the Blizzards is played over the ending credits. The aria "Un bel dì vedremo" ("One fine day we'll see") from Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" can be heard in the background of one scene, and "Tu vuò fà l'americano" in another. In another scene the Italian song "La Bambola" by Patty Pravo plays.

Western films and other influences.

"Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968), with Henry Fonda facing off as villain in a gunfight, is playing on a television on the back wall of a modest restaurant where Jack has been eating. In the DVD commentary, Corbijn notes this homage and says the American Western—and more specifically the Italian-American spaghetti westerns by Leone and others—were explicit models for "The American". Corbijn also notes the Ennio Morricone scores made famous in "Once Upon a Time in the West", "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" (1966), and other films. Speaking of the narrow, labyrinthine streets of the Italian hill towns where much of the action of "The American" occurs, Corbijn says he was thinking, in filming, of the streets of Venice and the way they appeared in Nicolas Roeg's "Don't Look Now" (1973).  Large segments of the dialogue between Jack and Clara are taken verbatim from Graham Greene's novel "The Honorary Consul" (1973).

Release.

Marketing.

The first official poster was released on June 17, 2010. The first trailer was attached to "Robin Hood" and the second official trailer on June 19, 2010, and was attached to "Jonah Hex", "Grown Ups", "Inception" and "The Other Guys".

Box office.

The film grossed US$13.1 million, opening at number 1, ahead of "Machete", which grossed US$11.4 million on the Labor Day weekend. "The American" grossed a total of US$67,876,281 worldwide—US$35,606,376 in North America and US$32,269,905 in other territories.

Critical response.

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating 65% based on 214 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critical consensus states: "As beautifully shot as it is emotionally restrained, "The American" is an unusually divisive spy thriller—and one that rests on an unusually subdued performance from George Clooney." On Metacritic the film has an average score of 61 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D–" on an A+ to F scale. This was attributed to disappointment after the film was marketed as being action-packed instead of focusing on suspense and drama.  "Rolling Stone"'s Peter Travers gave the film two-and-a-half stars, writing that director Anton Corbijn "holds his film to a steady, often glacial pace", and that the result is of "startling austerity". Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, writing, "Here is a gripping film with the focus of a Japanese drama, an impenetrable character to equal Alain Delon's in "Le Samouraï", by Jean-Pierre Melville." Leonard Maltin called it a "slowly paced, European-style mood piece, short on dialogue and action and long on atmosphere".

Home media.

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 28, 2010.

The American is a 2010 American action thriller film directed by Anton Corbijn and starring George Clooney, Thekla Reuten, Violante Placido, Irina Björklund, and Paolo Bonacelli. The Rowan Joffé screenplay is an adaptation of the 1990 novel "A Very Private Gentleman" by Martin Booth. The film opened on September 1, 2010.

The American ("L'Américain" au Québec) est un film américain d'Anton Corbijn sorti en 2010. C'est l'adaptation du roman "" de publié en 1990.