Writing, recording, and inspiration.

"Love Is Blindness" was developed by lead singer Bono during the recording sessions for U2's 1988 album "Rattle and Hum". He wrote the song on a piano, which guitarist the Edge said is "not an instrument he is noted for playing." The torch songs of Jacques Brel influenced Bono's songwriting. His initial plan was to send it to Nina Simone, one of his favourite singers, although after playing the song together, the band decided to keep it for themselves. They did not include the song on "Rattle and Hum" because they believed it was not "U2 enough".  During the recording sessions for "Achtung Baby", the Edge separated from his wife, Aislinn O'Sullivan. Reflecting on the impact it had on U2, Bono said, "We're a really tight community. This is not like somebody's, you know, girlfriend's left. We've grown up with these people, this our family, our community. This was really hard for us... It was like the first cracks on the beautiful porcelain jug with those beautiful flowers in it that was our music and our community, starting to go 'crack'." The Edge explained that travelling to Berlin to write and record provided him with an escape from his failing marriage: "I was disappearing into the music for a different reason. It was a refuge in a way. That approach didn't completely work. You know, I wasn't really... in a good positive headspace. I was running away, I suppose." While recording the guitar solo that concludes the song, the Edge "put everything into it, all the feeling, all the hurt, all the angst, everything went into that solo." Bono said, "his whole life came out of him when he played... when we went for the take, one string broke and he just kept playing harder and harder. Another string broke. And he has such a light touch, ordinarily, he's so gentle. All that left him for a kind of rage. And yet there's not one bum note in there." Audio engineer Flood said the "bold, unadulterated, naked [guitar solo] sound was a combination of the part, the moment, a good guitar, a small amp, a simple mic. Edge just got an idea, tried it, and it worked straightaway."

Composition and theme.

"Love Is Blindness" runs for 4:23 (4 minutes, 23 seconds). According to Hal Leonard Corporation's sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, it is played in a 6/4 time signature at a tempo of 48 beats per minute in a key of B-flat minor.  The production team gave bassist Adam Clayton's bass a "low end bass throbbing effect", which the Edge described as "a real stroke of genius from the production team." Drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.'s drum pattern was taken from U2's 1987 single "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and slowed down. The lyrics "[mix] up the personal and the political." Bono noted that "There was some reference to the little death, which can be taken to mean a faint during orgasm but also works as an image of terrorism." Quoting the lyric "A little death without mourning / No call and no warning / Baby, a dangerous idea / That almost makes sense", he said, "There's nothing more deadly than an idea – or a person – that's almost right. You know, it took the 20th century a hundred years to get over communism. There's another dangerous idea that almost made sense."  U2 biographer Bill Flanagan credits Bono's habit of keeping his lyrics "in flux until the last minute" with providing a narrative coherence to the album. Flanagan interpreted "Achtung Baby" as using the moon as a metaphor for a dark woman seducing the singer away from his virtuous love, the sun; he is tempted away from domestic life by an exciting nightlife and tests how far he can go before returning home. For Flanagan, the final three songs on "Achtung Baby"—"Ultraviolet (Light My Way)", "Acrobat", and "Love Is Blindness"—are about how the couple deal with the suffering they have forced on each other. "Uncut" contributor Gavin Martin believed the song contained "images of love, debased or abandoned." He wrote, "With its stark, churchlike organ intro, pulsating bass synth and guitar reverb stretched into a hallucinatory squall, it brilliantly describes the discord and dread that provide a constant undertow to "Achtung Baby". And yet, through its alluring sonic palette and wounded but sensual vocal, 'Love Is Blindness' also maps out a search for harmony and salvation".  Author Atara Stein wrote that the song "suggests that love can operate only through a willful self-deception, a voluntary surrender to what one knows is an illusion. The singer begs his lover to 'wrap the night' around him because, as he proclaims, 'I don't want to see.' The singer knows that the image he creates of his loved one is false, but it is the only image that can satisfy him. He must perceive his beloved in idealized terms, so she can reflect back to him the image of himself that he desires to see." Journalist Bill Graham believed the song was a bleak account of a failing romance. "Hot Press" editor Niall Stokes wrote that the song "takes us back – again – to the shadowy world of deceit, infidelity, and betrayal. It depicts love at the end, the very end, of its tether. It is as bleak and as despairing a view of the world as you're likely to get, reflecting the emotional climate in which the entire album had been made." He noted, "In terms of its mood, 'Love Is Blindness' had the dark, sensual and decadent feel of pre-war Berlin", adding that the lyric "Love is blindness / I don't want to see" was "a desolate acknowledgement of the terrible reality that it is sometimes better not to know."

Reception.

"Love Is Blindness" was favourably received by critics. "Uncut" contributor Gavin Martin rated the song five stars, calling it "rapturous and unsettling." "Hot Press" editor Niall Stokes said, "its sentiments made it the perfect conclusion to "Achtung Baby", describing the Edge's playing as "a mournful, ejaculatory guitar solo, stabbing out thick emotional blues notes that linger and then fall away like tears." "Third Way" reviewer Roland Howard described it as "haunting and melodic", believing it to be about the loss of virginity. Music journalist Bill Wyman said the Edge's guitar playing on the song sounded like a "dentist's drill". Jon Pareles of "The New York Times" described it as "a kind of summation", calling it "an elegy that compares love to 'drowning in a deep well' and wishes for it anyway." Geoffrey Himes of "The Washington Post" wrote that it has "a gospel quality, as swooning synth parts are set against block piano chords, and Bono acknowledges that mismatched lovers will suffer their inevitable fate."  Greg Potter of "The Vancouver Sun" believed it to be a "dour closer" that was "riddled with images of self-doubt and uncertainty". A critic for the "Waterloo Region Record" said it was "hardly great U2, but U2 closers have always been anti- climactic." Writing for the "Boston Herald", Romandetta called it a "broken-hearted [lament]" that was "gentle" and "subdued". George Varga of "The San Diego Union-Tribune" said it was one of the most interesting tracks on the albums, calling it a "spare, David Bowie-like [ode] to tormented love". Michael Ross of "The Sunday Times" and James Healy of "The San Diego Union-Tribune" lamented that U2 did not include it on the compilation album "The Best of 1990–2000". The Edge called it "a great end to the album and probably one of Bono's finest lyrics." Bono said, "The bass sounds like liquid at the centre of the earth, a kind of molten lava bass sound." Describing the Edge's guitar playing, he said, "It's incredible."

Live performances.

"Love Is Blindness" debuted on 29 February 1992 in Lakeland, Florida, on the opening night of the Zoo TV Tour, where it closed the concert. It remained in this position throughout the first and second leg of the tour, with only two concerts concluding with an alternate song – "With or Without You". "Love Is Blindness" was not performed on either of those two occasions. Beginning on the third leg of the tour it was followed by a cover of the Elvis Presley song "Can't Help Falling in Love" and, on one occasion, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". The song was performed at 154 of 157 concerts on the tour, closing 67 of them. On multiple occasions Bono brought a girl from the audience on to the stage to dance with during the song. Following the conclusion of the Zoo TV Tour, "Love Is Blindness" has appeared in concert only twice. The first occasion was on the Elevation Tour; while performing in Calgary, Alberta, on 10 April 2001, Bono sang a few lines from the song at the conclusion of "One". The final appearance was during a Vertigo Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 1 March 2006, when U2 performed the song spontaneously to conclude the concert.  U2 concert historian Pimm Jal de la Parra called the live rendition "sultry, as the screens show a constellation map, giving the crowd a feeling of floating across the universe by the way it moves, transmitting a mood of distance and loneliness that corresponds with the nature of the song." Mark Lepage of "The Gazette" described the dance at the conclusion as "an appropriate moment of human contact after almost two hours of uproar." Julie Romandetta of the "Boston Herald" believed it to be an anticlimatic finish to the concert, calling the song "low-key" and saying "U2 soared for more than 90 minutes, but left with a whimper, instead of a bang." Gary Graff of the "Houston Chronicle" believed it to be a "moody show-closer". Writing for "The Arizona Daily Star", Gene Armstrong called it an "achingly romantic closing tune", describing the Edge's solo as "especially tender".  A live performance of the song appears on "" (1994), and "Zoo TV Live" (2006). The "Zoo TV Live" performance is an audio rip of the performance from "Zoo TV: Live from Sydney". One performance, recorded on 30 August 1992 in New York City, was included as a B-side on some versions of U2's 1994 single "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)". A video for the song, directed by Matt Mahurin, was included on the 1994 VHS single "Numb". It featured the studio recording set to footage of the Zoo TV Tour. An acoustic performance by the Edge appears in the 2011 documentary "From the Sky Down".

Cover versions.

"Love Is Blindness" has been covered several times. Cassandra Wilson included it on her 1995 album "New Moon Daughter". Dutch band Kane recorded a version for their 2000 album "With or Without You". Trespassers William covered it on the 2001 tribute album "Even Better Than the Real Thing", and on their 2002 self-released album "Different Stars". Sixpence None the Richer recorded a cover for the 2004 benefit album "". The Devlins featuring Sharon Corr included a version on the 2005 tsunami relief album "Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 3". Angolan musician Waldemar Bastos recorded a cover for the 2008 album "In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2".  A rendition by Jack White appears on the 2011 tribute album "AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered", and as the B-side of his own single, "Sixteen Saltines". It was later released as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of White's "Blunderbuss" album. This cover is also featured on the album "". In March 2015, video director DirectorBrazil and choreographer Zach Venegas released a music video using the Jack White rendition's audio track and starring 13-year-old American dancer Chloe Lukasiak (formerly of Dance Moms reality show), as well as brief appearances by other teenage dancers. The video was filmed in Nov. 2014 in Los Angeles and released as part of the Team Chloe Dance Project on Lukasiak's YouTube channel.  In 2013, Jacquie Lee covered the song on the fifth season of "The Voice". Madi Davis subsequently covered it on the show's ninth season.  In 2016, singer Lee-La Baum (of the band The Damn Truth) covered the song for a television commercial for Yves Saint Laurent's Mon Paris.

Personnel.

U2  Additional performers  Technical

References.

Footnotes Bibliography

"Love Is Blindness" is a song by rock band U2, and the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album "Achtung Baby". The song was written on piano by lead singer Bono during the recording sessions for U2's 1988 album "Rattle and Hum". Originally intending to give the song to singer Nina Simone, the band decided to keep it for "Achtung Baby" after playing it together. Thematically, the song describes a failing romance, mixing personal themes with imagery of metaphorical acts of terrorism. During the recording sessions for "Achtung Baby", guitarist the Edge separated from his wife, Aislinn O'Sullivan. The separation had a major effect on the development of the song; Bono said that the ending guitar solo was a cathartic experience for the Edge, as he snapped several guitar strings during the recording.


Background.

The two teams were victorious in the NL Division Series (NLDS), with the Cubs defeating the East Division champion Atlanta Braves three games to two, and the Marlins defeating the West Division champion San Francisco Giants three games to one.  The series is most remembered for events that unfolded in the top of the eighth inning of Game 6. Not having won a championship since 1908, the Cubs had just taken two out of the three games in Miami, with the final two games at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs also had their best two pitchers, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, slated to start the final two games. With the Cubs leading 3–0 and just five outs away from their first World Series since, Steve Bartman, a fan, reached for the foul ball hit by Luis Castillo off Prior, preventing Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou from catching it. Castillo proceeded to walk and Prior and the Cubs never recovered from the incident. Aided by Castillo's walk and later an error by Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez on a potential double-play grounder, the Marlins went on to score eight runs in the inning and won the game 8–3. There were some odd events leading up to the disastrous 8th inning that many Cubs fans call bad omens of The Curse of the Billy Goat, which most notably include Bernie Mac altering "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" from "root for the Cubbies" to "root for the champs." The Marlins went on to win Game 7 and then to defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series.  Chicago manager Dusty Baker, who won the NL pennant in 2002 with the San Francisco Giants, fell short in his bid to become the first manager ever to take two different teams to the World Series in consecutive years.

Game summaries.

Game 1.

Tuesday, October 7, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago The Cubs struck first in Game 1 with a four-run first inning off of Josh Beckett. Kenny Lofton drew a leadoff walk before scoring on Mark Grudzielanek's triple. One out later, Moisés Alou's home run made it 3−0. Aramis Ramírez then tripled before scoring on Alex Gonzalez's two-out double. The Marlins battered starter Carlos Zambrano with five runs in the third. Juan Pierre tripled with one out, then Luis Castillo walked before Iván Rodríguez's home run made it 4−3 Cubs. After Derrek Lee struck out, home runs by Miguel Cabrera and Juan Encarnación put the Marlins up 5−4. They made it 6−4 in the sixth on Jeff Conine's sacrifice fly with runners on second and third, but the Cubs tied it in the bottom of the inning on Gonzalez's home run after Randall Simon doubled with two outs. The Marlins loaded the bases in the ninth off of Joe Borowski on a double, walk and Grudzielanek's error before Rodriguez's single scored two, but the Cubs tied it in the bottom of the inning on Sammy Sosa's two-run home run off of Ugueth Urbina, forcing extra innings. Mike Lowell's leadoff home run in the 11th put the Marlins up 9−8 and Braden Looper retired the Cubs in order in the bottom half to give Florida a 1−0 series lead.

Game 2.

Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago In Game 2, the Cubs loaded the bases in the first on a hit and two walks off of Brad Penny when Randall Simon brought home two with a single to left. Next inning, Paul Bako hit a leadoff single, moved to score on a groundout, and scored on Kenny Lofton's single. One out later, Sammy Sosa homered to make it 5−0; his home run ball landed on top of a camera house in center field, some from home plate. Next inning, Aramis Ramírez hit a leadoff home run and after Simon doubled, Penny was relieved by Nate Bump, who got Alex Gonzalez to hit into a force out, but then allowed an RBI double to Bako. One out later, Lofton's RBI single made it 8−0 Cubs. In the fifth, Rick Helling allowed a leadoff double to Simon, then Gonzalez homered an out later to make it 10−0. Bako then walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then to third on Lofton's single before scoring on Mark Grudzielanek's double. Mark Prior pitched five shutout innings before allowing lead off home runs to Derrek Lee and Miguel Cabrera in the sixth. Gonzalez hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the inning. The Marlins scored one run in the eighth on a bases-loaded double play from Juan Encarnación off of Dave Veres as the Cubs' 12−3 blowout win tied the series heading to Florida.

Game 3.

Friday, October 10, 2003 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida Another back-and-forth affair, similar to Game 1, pitted Florida's Mark Redman against Chicago's ace Kerry Wood at Pro Player Stadium.  The Cubs jumped on top in the first inning, as they had done in the previous two games. Sammy Sosa drove in Kenny Lofton with a single. The Cubs plated another run in the second, when a single and a pair of walks were followed by a sacrifice fly by Wood. The Marlins got a run back in their half of the second when Alex Gonzalez doubled in Miguel Cabrera with two outs.  Other than the Marlins leaving the bases loaded in the fifth, Wood rolled through the middle innings. Redman, too, held strong until he was pinch-hit for in the seventh.  In the bottom of the 7th, the Marlins finally broke through. Gonzalez led off with a single, followed by a Mike Lowell walk. They were both sacrificed to second and third, and then Gonzalez scored the tying run on an RBI groundout by Luis Castillo. With two outs and Lowell at third, Iván Rodríguez singled through the right side to give Florida the lead and knocked Wood from the game, but the next inning, Randall Simon followed up a Tom Goodwin triple with a home run into the right-field stands off reliever Chad Fox. The Cubs had retaken the lead 4-3.  The Marlins tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth against Kyle Farnsworth when Todd Hollandsworth grounded a hit through the left side of the infield to score Cabrera. Florida, however, stranded the bases loaded in the ninth and the game went into extra innings.  In the top of the 11th, Lofton singled with one out. Then the sparingly used Doug Glanville turned out to be the hero when he smoked a triple into the left-center field gap to drive in Lofton with the go-ahead run. Mike Remlinger retired the Marlins in the bottom half of the 11th to secure the 5-4 victory.  Down 2 games to 1, the defeat was a blow to the Marlins, who squandered several chances with runners in scoring position.

Game 4.

Saturday, October 11, 2003 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida Aramis Ramírez hit a first inning grand-slam, the first in Cubs postseason history, after Dontrelle Willis allowed three walks. They added to their lead in the third when Ramírez hit a single to right with two on. After a walk loaded the bases, Willis was relieved by Rick Helling, who allowed an RBI single to Alex Gonzalez. Next inning, Kenny Lofton drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Moisés Alou's two-out single. Matt Clement pitched four shutout innings before allowing singles to Miguel Cabrera and Jeff Conine in the fifth. Alex Gonzalez's ground out and Todd Hollandsworth's single scored a run each. Ramírez hit his second home run of the game off of Nate Bump in the seventh. The Marlins scored their last run in the eighth when Lenny Harris drew a leadoff walk and scored on Iván Rodríguez's double off of Kyle Farnsworth. The Cubs cruised to an 8–3 victory, putting them just one victory away from their first World Series in nearly 60 years. This 2003 victory turned out to be the last playoff game won by the Cubs for twelve years, a span of 9 consecutive losses until finally winning the National League Wild Card Game in 2015, as well as their last win in the NLCS until 2016.

Game 5.

Sunday, October 12, 2003 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida  With the Marlins facing elimination, Josh Beckett kept them alive by dominating the Cubs, holding them to just two hits and one walk as part of his standout 2003 postseason. The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when Mike Lowell hit a two-run homer off of Carlos Zambrano. Iván Rodríguez and Jeff Conine homered in the seventh and eighth innings off of Dave Veres and Mike Remlinger, respectively. Even with the loss, the Cubs looked strong going back home with their two aces, Mark Prior for Game 6 and Kerry Wood, if necessary, to start Game 7.

Game 6.

Tuesday, October 14, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago In Game 6, the Cubs struck first when Kenny Lofton singled to lead off the first off of Carl Pavano and scored on Sammy Sosa's one-out double. In the sixth, after two leadoff single and a double play put Sosa at third off of Pavano, reliever Dontrelle Willis's ball four wild pitch to Eric Karros allowed Sosa to score. Next inning, Paul Bako hit a leadoff single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout, Willis was relieved by Chad Fox, who allowed an RBI single to Mark Grudzielanek.  With thousands of fans on the street outside sold-out Wrigley Field, poised to celebrate, the Cubs held a 3–0 lead going into the top of the eighth inning of Game 6. After Mike Mordecai hit a high pop fly to left field, the team was a mere five outs away from their first World Series since 1945.  Mark Prior had retired the last eight hitters and had allowed only three hits up to that point. Center fielder Juan Pierre then hit a double off Prior.  On the eighth pitch of his at bat, Luis Castillo hit a high foul ball toward the left field wall. Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou (a former Marlin) headed toward the stands to catch the ball for the potential second out. As Alou reached for the ball, Cubs fan Steve Bartman, along with others near the area, did the same. The ball bounced off Bartman's hands and into the stands. Though the Cubs pleaded for a call of fan interference, left field umpire Mike Everitt ruled that the ball had left the field of play and was therefore up for grabs. Alou, who was visibly angry at Bartman's catch, initially acknowledged that he would not have made the catch, but he later denied making such a statement and said if he had, it was only to make Bartman feel better.  As a result, Castillo remained an active batter at home plate. On the next pitch, Prior walked Castillo with a wild pitch that got away from catcher Paul Bako, also allowing Pierre to advance to third base.  Next, Iván Rodríguez hit an 0–2 pitch hard into left field, singling and scoring Pierre. Miguel Cabrera then hit a ground ball toward Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez that could have ended the inning on a double play. Gonzalez, who led all NL shortstops in fielding percentage, closed his glove too early and the ball landed in the dirt, allowing Cabrera to reach safely, loading the bases. On the next pitch, Derrek Lee (a future Cubs All-Star) drilled a double into left field, scoring Castillo and Rodríguez to tie the score at 3–3.  Prior was taken out of the game and replaced by Kyle Farnsworth, who intentionally walked Mike Lowell to load the bases. Jeff Conine then hit a sacrifice fly to right field for the second out of the inning, allowing Cabrera to score from third and the other runners to each advance one base. This gave the Marlins their first lead of the night. Farnsworth intentionally walked Todd Hollandsworth (another future Cub) to once again load the bases.  The Marlins now having batted around the order, Mordecai, making up for his earlier out, hit a base-clearing double to left-center field, scoring Lee, Lowell and Hollandsworth and making it a 7–3 Marlins lead.  Farnsworth was taken out of the game and replaced by Mike Remlinger, who gave up a single to Pierre to score Mordecai from second base. Castillo popped to shallow right field for the final out of an 8-run inning. The comeback victory by the Marlins forced a Game 7.

Game 7.

Wednesday, October 15, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago In Game 7, Juan Pierre tripled to lead off the first, then Iván Rodríguez walked with one out before Miguel Cabrera's home run made it 3–0 Marlins against Cubs ace Kerry Wood, who had not lost at Wrigley Field in nearly six weeks. The Cubs responded by tying the score 3–3 in the second inning off of Mark Redman, which featured a two-run home run by Wood after Damian Miller hit into an RBI groundout with runners on second and third. Moisés Alou's two-run homer after a hit-by-pitch the following inning put Chicago up 5–3, but the lead would not last. In the fifth, Florida capitalized on a pair of walks and scored three runs on Rodriguez's double, Cabrera's groundout and Derrek Lee's single to go on top 6–5, a lead they would not relinquish. They added a run in the sixth on Luis Castillo's single with two on off of Kyle Farnsworth and two more in the seventh on Alex Gonzalez's double with two on off of Dave Veres to expand their lead to 9–5. Cubs pinch-hitter Troy O'Leary hit a home run in the seventh off of Josh Beckett, making the score 9–6. After the Cubs were retired in order in the eighth, Florida closer Ugueth Urbina hit Aramis Ramírez with a pitch to lead off the ninth inning, but proceeded to retire the following three batters, giving the Marlins their second National League pennant in their 11-year existence, while leaving the Cubs once again empty-handed.

Composite box.

2003 NLCS (4–3): Florida Marlins over Chicago Cubs

The 2003 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to 15 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the wild-card qualifying Florida Marlins. The Cubs, by virtue of being a division winner, had the home field advantage. The Marlins came back from a three games to one deficit and won the series in seven games, advancing to the World Series against the New York Yankees, whom they defeated in six games.


Game summaries.

Game 1.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri  The Cardinals struck first in Game 1 when David Eckstein hit a leadoff single in the first off of starter Andy Pettitte, who was struck by a batted ball during batting practice but made the start as scheduled, then Reggie Sanders's home run two outs later put them up 2−0. Mark Grudzielanek singled to lead off the second, moved to third on Abraham Nunez's single one out later, and scored on Chris Carpenter's sacrifice bunt. In the fifth, Nunez again hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Eckstein's single with Eckstein reaching second on right fielder Jason Lane's throw to home. One out later, Albert Pujols's RBI single made it 5−0 Cardinals. Carpenter pitched six shutout innings before pinch hitter Chris Burke's two-run home run put the Astros on the board in the seventh. Brad Ausmus's sacrifice fly in the ninth off of Jason Isringhausen made it 5−3 Cardinals before pinch hitter Jose Vizcaino grounded out to end the game as the Cardinals went up 1−0 in the series.

Game 2.

Thursday, October 13, 2005 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri The Astros struck first in Game 2 when Chris Burke tripled with one out in the second and scored on a passed ball by starter Mark Mulder. In the fifth, Brad Ausmus hit a leadoff double, moved to third on Roy Oswalt's sacrifice bunt and scored on Craig Biggio's ground out. Albert Pujols's leadoff home run off of Oswalt in the sixth put the Cardinals on the board, but they would get nothing more. The Astros scored two insurance runs in the eighth off of Julián Tavárez on Chris Burke's RBI single that scored Lance Berkman from third. followed by Adam Everett's RBI triple. Brad Lidge pitched two shutout innings for the save as the Astros' 4−1 win tied the series at 1−1 heading to Houston.

Game 3.

Saturday, October 15, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas In Game 3, Cardinals' starter Matt Morris pitched three shutout innings before walking Morgan Ensberg to lead off the fourth, then Mike Lamb's home run put the Astros up 2−0. In the fifth, the Astros' Roger Clemens allowed back-to-back leadoff singles to Yadier Molina and Abraham Nunez. Morris's sacrifice bunt moved them up one base each before David Eckstein's sacrifice fly put the Cardinals on the board. Clemens again allowed back-to-back leadoff singles next inning to Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds before Larry Walker's sacrifice fly tied the game. In the bottom of the inning, Lamb hit a one-out double and scored on Jason Lane's single. After Brad Ausmus singled, Brad Thompson relieved Morris and Adam Everett hit into a fielder's choice that allowed Lane to score to put the Astros up 4−2. Chad Qualls pitched two hitless innings before Brad Lidge retired the first two batters in the ninth and walked John Rodriguez. Rodriguez then moved to second on defensive indifference before scoring on John Mabry's double. This is the first run Lidge allowed against the Cardinals since May 29, 2003, but held on for the save to give the Astros a 2–1 series lead. It was Clemens' twelfth career postseason win, fifth in League Championship Series games.

Game 4.

Sunday, October 16, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas Brandon Backe provided a strong outing, and the Astro bullpen continued its strong performance. The Cardinals struck first in the fourth when David Eckstein drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on Jim Edmonds's double, and scored on Albert Pujols's sacrifice fly, but the Astros tied in the bottom of the inning on Jason Lane's home run off of Jeff Suppan. The Astros loaded the bases in the seventh off of Jason Marquis on two walks and an error when Morgan Ensberg's sacrifice fly put them up 2−1. Tony La Russa and Jim Edmonds were both ejected for arguing balls and strikes on separate instances—LaRussa in the bottom of the seventh, Edmonds in the top of the eighth, at a key moment. Edmonds's ejection came with a 3–2 count, two outs, and a runner on base. Edmonds was replaced by pinch hitter John Rodríguez, who flied out to deep center field to end the scoring threat. The Cardinals once again had an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead in the ninth inning against closer Brad Lidge. Albert Pujols and Larry Walker led off the inning with back-to-back singles, putting runners at first and third base with no outs. Reggie Sanders grounded to third; Pujols went home on contact and was thrown out at the plate. Larry Walker advanced to third when the Astros failed to call timeout after the play at the plate. John Mabry ended the threat by grounding into a double play. La Russa's ejection marked the first time a manager was ejected from a postseason game since 1998, when Mike Hargrove was thrown out of a game between his Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees. Houston was one game away from the franchise's first visit to the World Series after a 2–1 Game 4 win.

Game 5.

Monday, October 17, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas The Astros struck first in Game 5 on Craig Biggio's RBI single in the second off of starter Chris Carpenter, but the Cardinals loaded the bases on two hits and a walk off of Andy Pettitte when Mark Grudzielanek's two-run single put them up 2–1. Lance Berkman gave excited Astros fans a 4–2 lead with one swing on a pitch from Carpenter in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Astros were one strike away from claiming their first NL Pennant and trip to the Fall Classic before David Eckstein singled with no one on base, Jim Edmonds walked, and Albert Pujols hit a dramatic, towering three-run home run off Astros closer Brad Lidge that bounced off the side of the closed Minute Maid Park roof before landing on the railroad tracks in left field, stunning the crowd into silence. The home run gave the Cardinals a 5–4 lead in the top of the ninth inning. Jason Isringhausen retired the Astros in order in the bottom of the inning. The Cardinals guaranteed that another game would be played at historic Busch Stadium (II). The win also broke the Cardinals' seven-game losing streak in road NLCS games. The Astros' lead was trimmed from two games to one in the series.

Game 6.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri The Astros shook off the effects of their Game 5 loss, and rolled to win their first National League pennant in 44 seasons of existence with a decisive 5–1 win over the Cardinals. The Astros scored a run in the third when the Cardinals' Mark Mulder threw a wild pitch to Craig Biggio with runners on second and third, then Biggio's RBI single scored another. Jason Lane's home run in the fourth put them up 3−0. Roy Oswalt pitched seven strong innings, allowing only a sacrifice fly to John Rodriguez in the fifth. The Astros scored one run in the sixth on Adam Everett's sacrifice bunt off of Jason Marquis and another in the seventh on Morgan Ensberg's RBI single off of Julián Tavárez. This was the final game at Busch Stadium (II). This would also be the Astros' last postseason win as a member of the NL, as they would get swept in the World Series, move to the AL in 2013, and would not win another postseason game until the 2015 American League Wild Card Game.  Roy Oswalt was named the series MVP. In two starts, he went 2–0 with a 1.29 ERA in fourteen innings.

Composite box.

2005 NLCS (4–2): Houston Astros over St. Louis Cardinals

The 2005 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the second round of the 2005 National League playoffs, matched the Central Division champion and defending league champion St. Louis Cardinals against the wild card qualifier Houston Astros, a rematch of the 2004 NLCS. The Cardinals, by virtue of having the best record in the NL during the 2005 season, had the home-field advantage. The Astros won the series four games to two, and became the National League champions; they faced the American League champion Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series, where the Astros lost to the White Sox in a sweep in four games.


Life.

Verkolje was the son of Benjamin Jacobsz, a locksmith, and Maria Tonnes. He was baptized in the Nieuwezijds Kapel in Amsterdam on 9 February 1659.  The early artist biographer Arnold Houbraken recounts that Verkolje was a child prodigy, who became a self-taught artist after hurting himself while playing with darts as a child. As the injury on his heel or ankle did not heal well he was bedridden for years. To while away the time, he started to copy prints. The artist Jan Gerritsz van Bronckhorst gave him high-quality prints to copy. Thus started his artistic career according to Houbraken. Subsequently Jan studied for about half a year with Jan Andrea Lievens (1644–1680), the son of the prominent painter Jan Lievens. In 1672, the so-called rampjaar (disaster year), which was marked by a large-scale invasion of the Dutch Republic by French and other armies, Verkolje moved from Amsterdam to Delft. Here he married Judith Voorheul in October 1672. He became a member of the Guild of St. Luke of Delft in 1673 and served as its dean between 1678 and 1688. Verkolje was very successful and enjoyed the patronage of important patrons in Delft as well as the court in the Hague. As a portrait painter his only competitor in Delft was Cornelis de Man.  His sons Nikolaas Verkolje (Delft, 1673 – Amsterdam, 1746) and Jan II (Delft, 1683 – Amsterdam, 1755) were trained by Verkolje as painters. Nikolaas had a successful career. Verkolje's other pupils included Albertus van der Burch, Joan van der Spriet, Willem Verschuring, and Thomas van der Wilt. In addition to these pupils, Houbraken also mentions Henrik Steenwinkel.  Verkolje died in Delft in 1693 aged 43 when he was at the peak of his fame. He was buried in the Oude Kerk (Delft). He left a wife, three sons and two daughters.

Work.

General.

Verkolje was a versatile artist who worked as a painter, draughtsman and engraver. His subject matter was mainly portraits and genre scenes. He was also a gifted mezzotint artist, who according Houbraken, discovered the technique on his own.

Portrait painting.

Verkolje was a prolific portrait artist who created portrait paintings, drawings, and prints. In his portrait work Verkolje was representative of the style then current in The Hague and Amsterdam rather than that in vogue in Delft. Verkolje was much in demand as a portraitist and was able to fetch high prices for his portraits. His sitters were a who's who of Delft society of his time: the famous scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (whom he portrayed on canvas and in mezzotint), the prominent lawyer and bailiff Johan de la Faille and his wife (both works are in the Wadsworth Atheneum), the vicar Cornelius van Aken, the painter Pieter Jansz van Asch, and the burgomaster and historian Dirk van Bleiswijk.  Verkolje also created portrait prints of international celebrities such as Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin, King James II of England, Willem III, Prince of Orange, and his wife, Mary Stuart. Of these celebrity subjects, only the Delft naturalist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was portrayed by Verkolje in a painting (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) as well as in a print. His other portraits of famous persons were mezzotint engravings after the work of other artists, such as Peter Lely, Willem Wissing and Godfrey Kneller. Most of Verkolje's known portrait drawings were made as preparation for his paintings. These drawings focused either on particular facial features and expressions or on the whole composition.

Genre art.

At the time Verkolje was active in Delft, Gerard ter Borch was the leading genre painter working in the city. Ter Borch was known for his meticulous working method which resulted in a very low output. Like other genre painters such as Gabriel Metsu and Frans van Mieris, Verkolje took advantage of the limited supply of Ter Borch genre paintings in the market by creating works that imitated the style of, or took their inspiration from, ter Borch.  Verkolje's genre paintings typically depict elegant figures in interiors engaged in music making or the playing of games. Often the protagonists are couples engaged in courtship. A dog is always present. In (1674, the Mauritshuis) Verkolje reprises the theme of the delivery of a letter, which had been treated previously by other Delft artists such as Vermeer. "The Messenger" shows a young couple playing backgammon in an elegant room. They have been interrupted by a regimental messenger who has entered the room to deliver a letter likely calling the young man to duty. The young couple are clearly startled by the arrival of the messenger just as is the dog in the room. The openly emotional reaction of the participants in the scene contrasts with that of the persons in Vermeer's works when receiving letters. Vermeer's figures react in a more contemplative rather than an emotional manner. Verkolje also tended to add a greater naturalness to this figures than Vermeer. The portraits of Verkolje often doubled as genre pieces in their extensive detail and the addition of emblematic and symbolic elements. This is clear in the double (at Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder). The crossed trunks of the trees visible outside on the left and their intertwined crowns possible symbolise the commitment to each other of the sitters while the fountain is likely an allegory of the source of life or a reference to fertility.

Prints.

Jan Verkolje started engraving in 1670. The mezzotint work of Jan Verkolje shows the influence of the smoother tone developed by Abraham Blooteling. Various of his prints were made after portraits by Lely and Wissing and were printed in England even though Verkolje likely never visited England.  In addition to his portrait prints, Verkolje also produced prints of mythological scenes and genre scenes, some after Jacob Ochtervelt and Hendrick Terbrugghen. A well-known mezzotint work of Verkolje is the. It was made after a painting by Verkolje the whereabouts of which is now unknown. In the work Verkolje demonstrates his mastery of the mezzotint technique for which he was much admired in his time. He was able to render the textures of the fabrics in a very realistic manner and to visualise the softness of the clouds.

Jan Verkolje or Johannes Verkolje (Amsterdam, baptized on 9 February 1650 – Delft, buried on 8 May 1693) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman and engraver. He is mainly known for his portraits and genre pieces of elegant couples in interiors and, to a lesser extent, for his religious and mythological compositions. He was a gifted mezzotint artist. Trained in Amsterdam Verkolje spent his active professional career in Delft where he had access to powerful patrons.


Location and Layout.

Kraku Lu Jordan is located on the southern slope of a hill, where on the slope a metallurgical plant is set with an internal arrangement for its purpose of processing ore, copper and iron. It was a fortified establishment that to the east side had a wall that is 2 m of width, in contrast to the northern side, which is extremely rugged and inaccessible, where the wall is slightly narrower. The gate was located in the lower part. On the northwestern side remains of a tower has been discovered which had the function of one of the metallurgical facilities. Slope on which the building is located was divided into several longitudinal walls horizons. The work of Bartel, Kondić, and Werner revealed a number of areas with metallurgical furnaces, facilities for the preparation of ember as well as other areas of personal life needs of metallurgists and miners. The site contains six main features: the northern wall, the western furnace room, the southern ‘utility’ room, the southern furnace room, the southern stairway, and the southern ‘office’ room.

Remains.

Of material culture, tools, mining lamps, large vessels for burning ore, watermill wheels and more have been found. In the years 1973-76, ceramics found consisted of 37 Early Bronze Age sherds and 6,215 Roman Era sherds. Of the Roman era pottery, 95% was local, one piece was truly Roman, and 5% probably came from neighboring Pannonia. Most of the ceramics are simply decorated and some were coated in yellow-white powder which indicates they contained chemicals for metallurgy. 200 metal artifacts were found, most iron and utilitarian in nature. Other objects include glass, lithics, and animals bones. Bartel, Kondić, and Werner concluded that the complex was relatively independent of Roman influence and more related to the activities of indigenous people in the area, because of the style and volume of material culture.

Kraku Lu Jordan (, Romanian: Cracul lui Iordan) is archeological site in Serbia. It is situated at the confluence of the Brodica river into Pek, near Kučevo. Represents the most explored metallurgical center in eastern Serbia. The metallurgic occupation of the site lasted for about 100 years, beginning around 280 AD and ending in 380 AD. Kraku Lu Jordan is precisely dated by discovered coins from Diocletian time. This metallurgical complex was then destroyed in a fire in the late 4th century. Archaeological excavations began in 1971, and with few interruptions, lasted until 1987.


Career.

Versatility and speed are his biggest strengths, as Harris has the ability to play all three outfield positions as well as second base, where he started 28 games in 2005. He started two games at shortstop in 2005. He can also play third base. His most productive season came in, when he posted career-numbers in average (.262), RBI (27), runs (68), hits (107), doubles (15) and at-bats (409). Harris also notched a career high of 19 stolen bases. In 2005, he stole 10 bases in 56 games.  In the 2005 playoffs, Harris went 2-for-2 in the postseason with an RBI, one stolen base, and one run scored. Harris' successful pinch-hit single in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros would prove to be decisive after Harris scored on an RBI single by Jermaine Dye. Not only was the run the game-winner, it was the only run which would be scored in the Series-clinching Game 4.

2006.

The Boston Red Sox signed Harris to a one-year, split contract. He went to spring training camp as a non-roster invitee, but he was figured to have a strong chance to make the Opening Day roster. On April 20, Harris had his contract purchased by the Boston Red Sox and was added to the 40-man roster. Harris was designated for assignment on July 18. Three days later, he cleared waivers and was assigned to the Pawtucket Red Sox.

2007.

The Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics completed a trade on April 29, as the Braves sent outfielder Ryan Langerhans to the A's in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. To fill Langerhans' spot, Atlanta purchased the contract of Harris from Triple-A Richmond.  Harris went on to have a career year in 2007. He hit near.400 during the month of May and went into the All-Star Break with a.4005 average. He led the team with 17 stolen bases. On June 30, Willie Harris tied a career personal record with 3 stolen bases in a 6-5 win over the Marlins. He posted a remarkable night on July 21: In a 14-6 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals, Harris went 6-for-6 with four singles, two triples, six RBI, four runs scored, and a stolen base. He became just the second player in Atlanta history and the seventh in franchise history to have six hits in a game. But Harris' numbers in the second half of the season dropped precipitously. He had a.214 average, a.294 on-base percentage, and a.354 slugging average after the all-star break.  On August 9, the Braves were beating the NL East-leading New York Mets 7-3 entering the bottom of the 9th at Shea Stadium. After Braves reliever Tyler Yates yielded three runs to bring the Mets within one, Óscar Villarreal came on to pitch. The first hitter he faced, first baseman Carlos Delgado, hit what appeared to be a solo home run to make it a tie game. Harris ranged back in left field, stopped just before the wall and jumped, robbing the home run and preserving the lead.  Harris was designated for assignment on December 4, 2007. Harris was not offered a new contract by the Braves and became a free agent on December 12, 2007.

2008–2009.

On December 13, 2007, he signed with the Washington Nationals. He proved an effective insurance policy, playing second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions over the course of the season. He was known for playing stellar defense, and made several outstanding athletic catches in the outfield. On August 22,, Willie hit his eleventh and twelfth home runs of the year, including his first career grand slam that gave the Nationals a 6-4 lead. He also hit a 2-run home run, collected 6 RBI to give him 38 for the season, scored 3 times, and stole a base in the Nationals' 13 to 5 win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Harris finished the season with 13 home runs, six more than he hit in the previous seven years of his career combined.  During the 2008–2009 offseason, he signed a two-year contract with the Nationals, worth 3 million dollars (1.5 million per season). On April 13, 2009, Willie Harris was placed on the 15-day disabled list for a left oblique strain.

2010.

On September 24, 2010, Harris hit the first inside-the-park home run in Nationals history against the Atlanta Braves.

2011.

On January 14, 2011, Harris and the New York Mets agreed to a minor-league deal. According to reporter Anthony DiComo, Harris "is all but a lock to make the team in an arrangement that should net him between 250 and 400 plate appearances" in 2011. On January 17, 2011 the Mets and Harris made it official that he had signed a minor league contract with the team. He also got an invite to Spring training.  He played in 126 games for the Mets at all three outfield positions as well as second and third base. He had a.351 On Base Percentage and an OPS+ of 88.

2012.

On January 23, 2012, Harris signed with the Cincinnati Reds. On June 26, 2012, Willie Harris was outrighted to Triple A. Harris was hitting at a.114 clip, with a.170 OBP, 2 RBI, 0 home runs in 44 at-bats before being sent down.

Coaching Career.

Harris was named as the Manager of the Richmond Flying Squirrels in the San Francisco Giants organization for the 2018 season.

William Charles Harris (born June 22, 1978) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and second baseman with the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, New York Mets and the Cincinnati Reds between 2001 and 2012. With the White Sox, he won the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He attended Kennesaw State University and lives in Cairo, Georgia during the off-season. He is the nephew of former third baseman and shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants, Ernest Riles.


Plot summary.

Nicolas Treml de La Tremlays is a pro-independence Breton lord. He decides to go and fight in duel with Philippe II, Duke of Orléans: if he wins Brittany will be free, but if he loses he will be sentenced for crime of lèse-majesté. Before he leaves Brittany, he makes an agreement with his cousin Hervé de Vaunoy so that his grandson Georges Treml will not be deprived of his possession.  But Georges is just a five-year-old child and Nicolas is put in the Bastille with his servant Jude Leker. In Brittany Hervé tries to drown the boy but an albino peasant called Jean Blanc rescues him. Georges disappears however.  About twenty years later in 1740, the Breton forest of Rennes has become the "Wolves"'den: the Wolves are poor peasants who want to take revenge of the lords who oppress them. Their leader is called the White Wolf. A young officer of the King, Captain Didier, is sent out to bring them to heel.

Translations.

The novel was translated in English. The title changed each time: in 1848, "The White Wolf" was published. In 1852 it was untitled "The White Wolf, or, The Secret Brotherhood: a romance". In 1861 it was translated again as "The White Wolf of Brittany".

Adaptations.

"Le Loup blanc" was adapted for French television in 1977 by Jean-Pierre Decourt. Jacques Rosny played the part of Jean Blanc, Jacques Weber played the part of Didier and Claude Giraud played the part of Hervé de Vaunoy.  The novel was translated in Breton by Ernest ar Barzhig in 1977.

Le Loup blanc ("The White Wolf") is a French historical novel by Paul Féval, père, first published in France in 1843.


History.

Port Hamilton was surveyed in 1845 by British naval officer Sir Edward Belcher in HMS "Samarang" and was named after the then secretary of the Admiralty, Captain W. A. B. Hamilton. The spacious harbour was also noted for its strategic importance by others, such as Russian Vice-Admiral Yevfimy Putyatin, who visited the islands several times and obtained permission from natives in 1857 to establish a coal depot, though due to delays in the delivery of the coal, the plan was abandoned. Although the United States Secretary of the Navy "in 1884 urged the establishment of a naval station at Port Hamilton, off the southern Korean coast, and although it appears that such facilities were offered by the Korean government, nothing was done."  In April 1885, Port Hamilton was occupied by three ships of the British Royal Navy on orders from the Admiralty in what is known as the Port Hamilton Incident. This was to forestall Russian advances in the face of the Panjdeh Incident in Afghanistan. Port Hamilton served as a counterbalance to the Russian naval base at Vladivostok. By occupying Port Hamilton, the British could prevent Russian advances in east Asia, and block Russian naval activity in the Korea Strait. The British built a few buildings and defensive works and introduced pheasants to the islands. Permission was obtained from China for a cable to be landed at Saddle Island (at the mouth of the Yangtze River). From there, the cable could be connected to the main telegraphic network at Shanghai, thus enabling telegraph communication with Port Hamilton.  After the Russian threat had diminished the British demolished the base and left on 27 February 1887, though they continued to frequent the islands, in one case burying a young sailor there. The visits were less frequent after 1910, when the Japanese Empire annexed Korea.  Until the end of World War II, a Japanese graveyard stood in Port Hamilton. When Japanese claims to the islands were specifically renounced in the Treaty of San Francisco, the Japanese graves were removed, but the British graveyard of ten British soldiers remains up to this day and has become a tourist attraction. Personnel of the British embassy in Korea have not visited the British cemetery since 1982, the year when John Morgan, the British ambassador at the time, visited the cemetery.  Ten British sailors and marines are buried on the islands including two sailors from HMS "Albatross" who were killed in March 1886 when their gun exploded, and a young sailor, Alex Wood from HMS "Albion", who died in 1903.

Port Hamilton or Komundo, officially Geomun-do in Korean (Hangul: 거문도 ["Geomun-do"], Hanja: 巨文島 or 巨門島) is a small group of islands in the Jeju Strait off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, located approximately at. The islands are 12 square kilometres. There are three principal islands, the two larger ones, Sodo to the west ("Seo-do", 서도, 西島) and Sunhodo to the east ("Dong-do", 동도, 東島) forming a harbor with the smaller island in the center. On this central island, Observatory Island (or "Go-do", 고도, 古島), there was a British naval base from 1885 to 1887.


Game summaries.

Game 1.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois In the series opener, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won 3–2 in their third game in as many nights and as many cities. The Angels took the lead in the second inning on a Garret Anderson leadoff home run. Next inning, Steve Finley and Adam Kennedy hit back-to-back leadoff singles and advanced one base each on Chone Figgins's sacrifice bunt. Orlando Cabrera's single and Vladimir Guerrero's groundout scored a run each. White Sox starter José Contreras allowed no more runs, going innings. In the bottom of the inning, Joe Crede's home run off of Paul Byrd put the Sox on the board. Next inning, Chicago's Carl Everett singled with one out, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on A. J. Pierzynski's single to make it a one-run game. However, neither team would score for the rest of the game. It was the first time in six tries that the Angels won a Game 1 under manager Mike Scioscia, despite having won the World Series in 2002. This turned out to be the only game the White Sox would lose in the entire postseason.

Game 2.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois Then-Senator and future President of the United States Barack Obama threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Behind a complete game from Mark Buehrle and a now infamous strikeout in the bottom of the ninth, the White Sox evened the series at a game apiece. In the bottom of the first, Scott Podsednik reached second on an error, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Jermaine Dye's ground out. Jarrod Washburn and two relievers held the Sox scoreless over the next seven innings while Robb Quinlan's fifth inning home run tied the game. It remained tied until the bottom of the ninth. With two strikes, A. J. Pierzynski swung and missed at a low pitch from Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar for strike three. Josh Paul, the Angels catcher, rolled the ball to the mound and left the infield. Pierzynski realized strike three had been called, so he ran to first base in case the umpire ruled that the catcher had not legally caught the strike-three pitch (see Uncaught third strike rule). In a controversial call, home-plate umpire Doug Eddings ruled that the ball hit the ground before going into the catcher's glove despite signalling out, so the pitch was considered uncaught and Pierzynski was safe at first. A pinch-runner, Pablo Ozuna, stole second base. Third baseman Joe Crede delivered a base hit three pitches later, scoring Ozuna for the winning run.

Game 3.

Friday, October 14, 2005 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California Chicago jumped to a 3−0 lead in the first inning off of John Lackey as the series moved west to Anaheim. Scott Podsednik hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and came home on Jermaine Dye's single before Paul Konerko's two-run home run capped the scoring. Tadahito Iguchi singled to lead off the third, moved to second on a walk, and scored on Carl Everett's single. Two innings later, Iguchi doubled with one out and scored on Konerko's two-out single to put Chicago up 5−0. A two-run home run by Orlando Cabrera in the sixth cut the lead to 5−2, but it would not be enough as the White Sox took the series lead, two games to one, with Jon Garland pitching a complete game.

Game 4.

Saturday, October 15, 2005 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California The visitors again jumped to a 3−0 lead in the first. Angel starter Ervin Santana walked Scott Podsednik and hit Tadahito Iguchi before Paul Konerko, after a disputed check swing on a 2–2 pitch, homered for the second straight game. The Angels cut it to 3−1 in the second when Darin Erstad walked with one out, moved to third on Casey Kotchman's single and White Sox pitcher Freddy Garcia's throwing error to first, then scored on Bengie Molina's single. With men on first and third, Steve Finley hit a ground ball to second for an inning-ending double play, but argued that Sox catcher A. J. Pierzynski had interfered with his swing. Chicago got that run back when Jermaine Dye reached on shortstop Orlando Cabrera's throwing error to first, stole second, and scored on Carl Everett's base hit. Pierzynski's home run next inning made it 5−1. In the bottom of the inning, Angel Garret Anderson singled with one out and scored on Coachman's two-out double, but in the fifth, Podsednik drew a leadoff walk and after Scot Shields relieved Santana, stole second and scored on Everett's single. Esteban Yan walked Everett to lead off the eighth, allowed a subsequent double to Aaron Rowand followed by Joe Crede's two-run single to put the Sox up 8−2. García pitched the White Sox's third straight complete game, helping put them one win from their first World Series visit since 1959.

Game 5.

Sunday, October 16, 2005 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California Still on the road, Chicago struck first in Game 5 when Aaron Rowand hit a leadoff ground-rule double in the third off of Paul Byrd, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on Joe Crede's sacrifice fly. But the Angels tied it in the third when Juan Rivera hit a leadoff double, moved to third on pitcher Jose Contreras's pickoff attempt error, and scored on Adam Kennedy's single. In the top of the fifth, Juan Uribe doubled and scored on Jermaine Dye's single, but in the bottom of the inning, Kennedy hit a leadoff single and scored on Chone Figgins's double. Figgins scored on a Garret Anderson sacrifice fly to put the Angels up 3−2. Crede's leadoff home run in the seventh off of Kelvim Escobar tied the game. Next inning, Escobar walked Rowand with two outs and an error moved him to second. Francisco Rodriguez relieved Escobar and Crede greeted him with an RBI single to put the White Sox up 4−3. They got two insurance runs in the ninth when Paul Konerko's double after back-to-back walks and Rowand's sacrifice fly scored a run each. Contreras delivered the fourth consecutive complete game by a White Sox pitcher, retiring the Angels in order in the ninth. Chicago captured its first American League pennant since 1959. This marked the first time in 77 years that a team threw four straight complete-game victories in the playoffs, becoming the first time it was done by four different pitchers since the Chicago Cubs did it in the 1907 World Series.  Konerko was named the ALCS MVP. He finished the series batting.286, with two home runs and seven RBIs. His two home runs came in the first innings of Games 3 and 4; he became only the third player in Major League history to hit homers in the first inning of consecutive playoff games, the other two having been Dan Ford during the 1979 ALCS and Carlos Beltrán during the 2004 NLCS.

Composite box.

2005 ALCS (4–1): Chicago White Sox over Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Series quotes.

All quotes are by Joe Buck of Fox Sports unless otherwise noted.

The 2005 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2005 American League playoffs, which determined the 2005 American League champion, matched the Central Division champion Chicago White Sox against the West Division champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The White Sox, by virtue of having the best record in the AL during the 2005 season, had the home-field advantage. The White Sox won the series four games to one to become the American League champions, and faced the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series, in which the White Sox swept the Astros in four games to win their first World Series championship in 88 years; as a result of the 2005 All-Star Game played in Detroit, Michigan at Comerica Park on July 12, the White Sox had home-field advantage in the World Series. The series was notable both for a controversial call in Game 2 of the series, and the outstanding pitching and durability of Chicago's starting rotation, pitching four consecutive complete games; the of an inning Neal Cotts pitched in the first game was the only work the White Sox bullpen saw the entire series.


Background.

The two co-princes of Andorra – the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell – do not get involved in internal politics, particularly after the May 1993 constitution making the principality an independent state.

Fall of government.

A crisis in government developed after banking secrecy laws were lifted and a value added tax was due to be applied to companies, along with an opening up to foreign investment. After the 2009 election, the Social Democratic Party achieved a plurality of seats but fell one seat short of an overall majority, thus providing for more deadlock during key pieces of legislation. The government fell two years before its full four-year term was due to end after failing to pass the budget with an absolute majority. Jaume Bartumeu effectively called for an election by requesting that the country's co-princes dissolve parliament.

Electoral system.

Twenty-eight "general councillors" were elected, based on closed party lists: The parish lists and the national list are independent of one another: the same person cannot appear on both the national list and on a parish list, and voters cast two separate ballots. There is no requirement to vote for the same party for both lists.

Campaign.

Five parties contested the election: The governing Social Democrats (PS), the newly formed opposition Democrats for Andorra (DA), the third place Andorra for Change (ApC), the Greens and the local conservative Lauredian Union (LU) party.  Out of these only the PS, DA and LU contested the parish seats. The PS contested all parishes, while DA contested all but Sant Julià de Lòria, which was contested by Lauredian Union. ApC announced they would support DA candidates on a parish level.  Incumbent Prime Minister Jaume Bartumeu and his main challenger Antoni Martí wanted to change the protectionism previously prevalent in the national economy. They sought to attract foreign capital primarily in the technology sector to diversify from a current economy based on trade (33%), tourism (33%) and banking (17%). Due to the global financial crisis and its effect on Spain, which accounts for 80% of Andorran trade, (the other 20% with France) the economy was in a "severe crisis." Since 2008, 4,000 people in the country of 84,525 have lost their jobs, including seasonal employment.  Bartumeu had released the listing of Andorra's tax haven status with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He also enacted a law to lift bank secrecy. He accuses right-winged parties of not forgiving him for a "move towards transparency and fiscal reforms."  Martí said that: "We develop our tax system to be within the European standards, Andorrans do not want to pay taxes, but they understand the need to change the system. We will keep an attractive tax regime and will continue to offer attractive products." Still there was some "broad consensus on economic and tax issues" between the two main parties; though the main difference was the creation of an income tax. Bartumeu sought to tax incomes of more than 40,000 euros, even though the minimum wage is 39,600. Marti opposed the entire proposal.  Eusebi Nomen of Andorra for Change also denounced the proposed increased tax burden and accused the government of selling "national sovereignty."  The Greens of Andorra's Isabel Lozano said that economic development must be more environmentally friendly.

Results.

The Democrats for Andorra won a landslide victory, taking every parish in which they stood and winning the national vote, giving them 20 out of the 28 General Council's seats, the biggest victory in the country's history. The Social Democrats lost all their parish seats and held only their six national seats, while Lauredian Union returned to the General Council, winning the parish of Sant Julià de Lòria. Andorra for Change lost all their seats, and the Greens finished last, gaining no seats.  Voter turnout was 74.14%. Of the 28 members elected, 15 were women, making 54% of the parliament legislators women (up from 32%). This made Andorra the first European country to elect a parliament where women legislators were the majority, and only the second in the world after Rwanda.

National lists.

! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Party! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Seats won! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|% seats! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|% votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference <br>in votes! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Total!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|15,510!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|14!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|-!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|-!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Turnout!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|74.1%

Parish lists.

The results by parish are: ! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Party! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Seats won! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference in votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|% of votes! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Total!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|2!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|-!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|596!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Turnout!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|81.5%  |- align=center! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Party! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Seats! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference in votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|% of votes! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Total!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|2!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|-!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|2,090!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Turnout!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|74.6% ! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Party! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Seats! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference in votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|% of votes! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Total!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|2!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|-!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|1,039!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Turnout!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|81.7%  |- align=center! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Partit polític! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Seats! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference in votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|% of votes! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Total!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|2!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|-!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|1,697!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Turnout!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|79.2%  |- align=center! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Party! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Seats! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference in votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|% of votes! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Total!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|2!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|-!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|4,176!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Turnout!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|68.4%  |- align=center! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Party! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Seats! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference in votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|% of votes! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Total!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|2!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|-!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|2,184!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Turnout!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|75.9%  |- align=center! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Party! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Seats! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Difference in votes! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|% of votes! colspan="2" style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Total!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|2!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|-!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|3,191!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Turnout!! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|74.4%

Early parliamentary elections were held in Andorra on 3 April 2011 after the General Council of Andorra was dissolved over problems in passing important laws, including the budget and laws related to a value added tax.


Total Punch Control.

With Total Punch Control, most maneuvers, including punching, leaning and blocking, are performed with the left or right analog sticks, modified by the left or right triggers. For example, with the default controller configuration, moving the right analog stick up and to the left will cause the fighter to throw a straight punch with his left hand, while holding down the right trigger while performing the same movement and then holding R1 will cause the fighter to raise his guard to the left side of his head, ready to attempt a parry.

Reception.

Sales of "Fight Night 2004" surpassed 1 million units worldwide by the end of June 2004. By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of "Fight Night 2004" had sold 850,000 copies and earned $36 million in the United States. "Next Generation" ranked it as the 68th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined console sales of "Fight Night" games released in the 2000s reached 2.5 million units in the United States by July 2006.  "Fight Night 2004" received "favorable" reviews on both platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.  "The Village Voice" gave the PS2 version a score of eight out of ten and stated that "Taking on generic career-mode opponents can't match fighting friends." BBC Sport gave the game an 80% and said, "The road to the top is a long one and things become repetitive long before you get the chance to glove up against "The Greatest". And training - which is essential to boost your power, stamina and chin - becomes a real chore." "Maxim" also gave it eight out of ten and said, "Instead of the usual push-button pugilism, throw punches using the analog stick—the direction and speed of the stick determine the swing; the trigger controls handle bobbing, weaving, and blocking." "Playboy" gave it a score of 75% and said that the game "adds a bit of bob and weave through a control system that allows you to swivel your fighter at the hips."

Fight Night 2004 is a 2004 boxing video game developed by NuFX, Inc. It features Roy Jones Jr on the cover. It is the successor to EA's previous boxing series, "Knockout Kings". Four sequels followed, "Fight Night Round 2" in 2005, "Fight Night Round 3" in 2006, "Fight Night Round 4" in 2009 and "Fight Night Champion" in 2011. Its chief features are a career mode, in-depth and reasonably realistic fighting and an analog stick-based control scheme dubbed "Total Punch Control", which was re-used, with enhancements, in the sequels.


History.

Treviso, a town of 60,000 inhabitants located in the Veneto region, thirty kilometres north of Venice, was in a strategically important position for railway communications in northeastern Italy, and was therefore bombed several times by the Allied air forces.  The first, and most devastating, raid took place on 7 April 1944. 159 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress of the United States Army Air Force (escorted by Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters) dropped over 2,000 bombs (446 metric tons of ordnance) during an attack which lasted five minutes (from 1.24 PM to 1.29 PM); the target was the local marshalling yard, but the inaccuracy of the bombing caused most of the bombs to fall all over the city, destroying most of it.  Out of 4,600 buildings, 700 were destroyed, 1,100 heavily damaged and 1,962 slightly damaged. A large part of the medieval parts of the city centre were destroyed; the medieval Palazzo dei Trecento, distant only 700 meters from the objective, was partly destroyed. Between 1,000 and 1,600 civilians were killed, including 123 children. According to the records of the municipality, 1,600 inhabitants of Treviso were killed by air raids during the war, of whom 1,470 died in the raid of 7 April 1944; some 30,000 were left homeless. This makes the 7 April 1944 raid on Treviso the second deadliest air raid suffered by an Italian city during the war, after the 19 July 1943 raid on Rome that killed between 1,600 and 3,200 people.  The attackers lost one B-17, shot down by anti-aircraft guns of the nearby Treviso Airport.  As the bombing occurred on Good Friday, fascist propaganda called the day ""passion of Christ and of Treviso"".

Further raids.

A further twelve air raids (both by the Royal Air Force and the USAAF), mostly targeting the marshalling yard, took place in the following eleven months: on 20 April 1944, 14 May 1944, 20 October 1944, 21, 22, 25 and 27 December 1944, 11, 15 and 31 January 1945, and 13 and 31 March 1945. These raids caused further damage and destruction to the town, albeit none was as destructive and deadly as the first one had been.  Giuseppe Berto's novel "The Sky is Red" and the film with the same name are set during the bombing of Treviso and its aftermath, and ruined buildings of the town were uset as set for the movie.

The bombing of Treviso, a town in Northeastern Italy, took place on 7 April 1944, during World War II. Aimed at disabling the town's marshalling yard, it resulted in the destruction of most of the town.


Background.

The 1984 American League Championship Series ended in a sweep by the Tigers, however although Games 2 and 3 were both close with Game 2 being decided in extra innings and the Tigers clinched the pennant with a 1-0 victory. It wasn't that surprising given the fact the Royals won 20 fewer games during the season and had won the AL West by a mere three games over both the California Angels and Minnesota Twins.  The striking umpires originally scheduled to work the ALCS were Marty Springstead (crew chief), Don Denkinger, Steve Palermo, Ken Kaiser, Greg Kosc and John Shulock (who was not a member of the Major League Umpires Association since he was hired by the AL during the 1979 MLUA strike).

Game summaries.

Game 1.

Tuesday, October 2, 1984, at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri Game 1 was a blowout in Kansas City, as the Tigers struck first when Lou Whitaker singled to lead off the game off of Bud Black, then scored on Alan Trammell's triple. One out later, Lance Parrish's sacrifice fly made it 2–0 Tigers. Leadoff home runs by Larry Herndon in the fourth and Trammell in the fifth made it 4–0 Tigers. In the seventh, Royals' right fielder Pat Sheridan's error on Whitaker's line drive allowed him to reach second, then score on Trammell's single off of Mark Huismann. Tigers' Jack Morris pitched seven innings, allowing only one run in the seventh when Jorge Orta hit a leadoff triple and scored on Darryl Motley's groundout, with Willie Hernández pitching the final two innings. The Tigers added to their lead in the last two innings off of the Royals' bullpen. Barbaro Garbey led off the eighth with a single off of Huismann and scored on Darrell Evans's double, then Marty Castillo's RBI single made it 7–1 Tigers. Lance Parrish's leadoff home run in the ninth off of Mike Jones capped the scoring at 8–1 as the Tigers took a 1–0 series lead.

Game 2.

Wednesday, October 3, 1984, at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri The Tigers took Game 2 in extra innings by a 5–3 score. In the top of the first, Lou Whitaker reached on an error off of Bret Saberhagen, then back-to-back one-out RBI doubles by Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish put the Tigers up 2–0. Gibson's home run in the third made it 3–0 Tigers. Dan Petry pitched seven innings and gave up two runs (on Jorge Orta's groundout in the fourth after a walk and single and Dane Iorg's RBI single in the seventh with two on), but lost his chance at a win when Willie Hernández surrendered the tying run in the eighth inning on Hal McRae's RBI double after a leadoff single. Detroit's "Senor Smoke", Aurelio López, held the Royals scoreless in the ninth, tenth and eleventh innings for the win. Johnny Grubb hit a double off Dan Quisenberry in the eleventh inning to drive in Darrell Evans and Ruppert Jones for the game winning runs.

Game 3.

Friday, October 5, 1984, at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan The first postseason game at Tiger Stadium in 12 years was a pitcher's duel between Milt Wilcox and Charlie Leibrandt. Leibrandt pitched a complete game, allowing only one run and three hits, while Wilcox gave up two hits and struck out eight Royals with Willie Hernández pitching the ninth inning for the save. Marty Castillo's 2nd inning groundout to drove in Chet Lemon for game's lone run as the Tigers completed the three-game sweep and advanced to the World Series.  This was their first pennant in 16 years and the ninth in the team's history.  Had the ALCS gone the full five games, Game 5 on Sunday October 7, would have been a 1 p.m. ET time start instead of being in prime time. This would have happened because one of the presidential debates between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale was scheduled for that night. Accordingly, ABC planned to broadcast the debates instead of Game 5 in prime time.

Composite box.

1984 ALCS (3–0): Detroit Tigers over Kansas City Royals

The 1984 American League Championship Series matched the East Division champion Detroit Tigers against the West Division champion Kansas City Royals. The Tigers took the series in a three-game sweep to advance to the 1984 World Series against the San Diego Padres.


Origin.

Bernstein later acknowledged that the concept for the character of Ace Ventura, came from wanting to do a comedic version of Sherlock Holmes, and after watching the "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment on "Late Night with David Letterman".

Films.

"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994).

Ace Ventura is hired to rescue Snowflake, the bottlenose dolphin mascot of the Miami Dolphins. Despite his best efforts to save Dan Marino, Ace is also kidnapped. When Ace finds out a murder is connected, he soon begins to suspect that disgraced football player Ray Finkle is behind it all. However, Ace can't find Finkle, until Ace discovers that Finkle has been masquerading as Lt. Lois Einhorn.

"Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" (1995).

Ace is dispatched to Africa to investigate the disappearance of a sacred white bat battling his fear of bats along the way.

"Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective" (2009).

Ace Ventura, Jr. follows in his father's footsteps in being a pet detective. Years ago his father has disappeared, after voyage through the Bermuda Triangle. Now a number of animals go missing, and his mother is placed in jail after suspicion of guilt is ordered. Ace works with a number of friends to uncover the true culprit, and rescue his mother from conviction.

Television.

A followup/continuation animated series, titled "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - The Animated Series" aired from December 1995 to February 2000. Created by Duane Capizzi for Warner Bros. Television, the first two seasons aired on CBS. In 1999 when reruns debuted on Nickelodeon, a third season was developed and aired. Many of the characters from the movie were retained, though voiced by a new cast. While the original movies had a strongly cartoon-style comedic aesthetic, the animated series is characterized by slapstick and children-friendly cartoon humor. Seth MacFarlane was among the writers over the course of the show's run, displaying similar humor to his later series. The titular character, voiced by Canadian actor Michael Hall, continues his goofy antics as a private investigator for animals of all species. Despite running in a time slot after another popular Jim Carrey movie-based cartoon, "", and debuting a crossover episode between the two series (with "The Aceman Cometh"), the series failed to garner enough views to be renewed. Ultimately, both "The Mask" and "Ace Ventura" were cancelled. A third season followed the cancellation, before once again being cancelled.

In other media.

A number of video games centering around Ace Ventura have been released. they are as follows:

The Ace Ventura franchise consists of American detective-comedies, with two theatrical films, one made-for-television film, and one animated television series. The overall story, based on an original concept and story written by Jack Bernstein, follows the criminal investigations of the titular and comedic pet detective.


Plot.

"The Bourne Deception" picks up where "The Bourne Sanction" left off. Jason Bourne's nemesis, Arkadin, is still hot on his trail and the two continue their struggle, reversing roles of hunter and hunted. When Bourne is ambushed and badly wounded in Bali, he fakes his death and goes into hiding. Only his close friends, Moira Trevor and Freddie Willard are aware that he is alive. In safety, he takes on a new identity, and begins a mission to find out who tried to assassinate him. Jason begins to question who he really is, how much of him is tied up in the Bourne identity, and what he would become if that was suddenly taken away from him. Shortly after, an American passenger airliner is shot down over Egypt by an Iranian missile. This is where a global conspiracy is revealed. Bud Halliday is at the helm of manipulations by NSA assisted by a wet-work outfit known as Black River. DCI Veronica Hart was an ex-employee of Black River like Moira Trevor and is at loggerheads with the intentions of Bud Halliday. Moira Trevor has started her own company which is a direct competitor of Black River. A global investigative team, led by Soraya Moore, is assembled to get at the truth of the situation before it can escalate into an international scandal. The conspiracy is discovered by one of Moira's employees and he is subsequently killed with Moira being left in grave danger. The trail to his assassin leads Bourne to Seville. On the way there, he meets Tracy Atherton, who tells him that she is going to Seville to buy the 14th Black Painting. In Seville, Bourne is attacked in a bullfighting arena by a killer named The Torturer. Later on, search for the man who shot him intersects with the search for the people that brought down the airliner, leading Bourne into one of the most deadly and challenging situations he has ever encountered. With the threat of a new world war brewing, Bourne finds himself in a race against time to uncover the truth and find the person behind his assault, all the while stalked by his unknown nemesis.

The Bourne Deception is the title for the novel by Eric Van Lustbader and the seventh novel in the Jason Bourne series created by Robert Ludlum. It was released on June 9, 2009. It is Lustbader's fourth Bourne novel, following "The Bourne Sanction," which was published in 2008.


History.

Formation.

Basketball officials from 6 ASEAN nations gathered in Metro Manila on 1 September 2009 to officially launch the new league.In its inaugural season, there were six (6) participating teams from different nations in Southeast Asia:

League expansion.

On 22 September 2011, the Brunei Barracudas announced that they were bowing out of the third season of ABL after participating for 2 seasons. On 20 October 2011, the Saigon Sports Academy officially announced the participation of Saigon Heat into the third season of ABL, making them the first ever international professional basketball team to represent Vietnam.  In the same season, San Miguel Beermen and Bangkok Cobras joined the league along with Saigon Heat. Unfortunately, the Beermen left the ABL after winning the title in 2013. The Cobras also left the league after one season. Further, in 2014, Laskar Dreya South Sumatra (INA) joined and played for a season.  In 2015, Pilipinas MX3 Kings and Mono Vampire joined the league and both teams left in 2016. On 17 July 2016, Kaohsiung Truth from Kaohsiung, Taiwan announced that they will participate in the 2016–17 season. In the same year, the Eastern Basketball Club confirmed its participation in the league. The two teams were the first teams from outside Southeast Asia to compete in the league.  The Philippines returned in the league with Alab Pilipinas on 6 August 2016. In September 2017, ABL confirmed four new teams for the 2017–18 season: CLS Knights Indonesia, Formosa Dreamers, the returning Mono Vampire Basketball Club, and the Nanhai Kung Fu after the Kaoshiung Truth disbanded after the seventh season of ABL.  After the 2018 season, the Kung Fu moved to Macau and became the Macau Black Bears, while the league announced the addition of the Zhuhai Wolf Warriors, based in Zhuhai in the Pearl River delta. On 9 September 2019, the league confirmed the entry of the third team from Taiwan, Taipei Fubon Braves situated in Taipei after Formosa Dreamers and disbanded Kaohsiung Truth. Fubon Braves secured the best record in the Super Basketball League and capped it off with the SBL championship after sweeping the Finals series in four games. They are also one of the eight teams to compete in the 2019 FIBA Asia Champions Cup.

Champions.

The finals was a best-of-5 (2–2–1) series (2010, 2013, 2016–present), it became best-of-3 (1–1–1) series from 2011–12 and 2014.

Championship table by country.

This medal ranking is based on the country the club represents. The winning country bags the Gold, the runners-up gets the silver, while the semifinalists are awarded with a bronze.

Championship table by club.

This medal ranking is based on the club/team representation.

Individual awards.

ABL presents five (5) individual awards to players: the Local MVP, World Import MVP, ASEAN Heritage MVP, and the Defensive Player of the Year. The Coach of the Year award is given to the league's best head coach of the season.  Prior to the 2015–16 ABL season, there was only one (1) MVP award for imports and was called the Best Import award. It was divided into two for World Imports (for players hailing from outside Southeast Asia and to the ASEAN Heritage Imports (for players from other Southeast Asian countries or players with at least one Southeast Asian parent). Also, the Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards were only awarded since the 2012 season.

The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), is a professional men's basketball league in East and Southeast Asia which includes five teams from Southeast Asian nations, one team from Hong Kong, two teams from Macau, and two teams from Taiwan. The league was proposed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and launched its inaugural season on 1 October 2009.


Australia.

Commonwealth level.

In the Commonwealth of Australia, the "Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987" defines contempt of Parliament as:  Contempt decisions by the House of Representatives or the Senate are subject to review by federal courts. This follows after the Browne–Fitzpatrick privilege case, in which Morgan, Fitzpatrick and Frank Browne were denied legal representation, subsequently convicted, and served 90 days each in jail for publishing an allegedly defamatory article against a member of Parliament.  Punishments are limited under the Act to (for individuals) a fine of $5,000 and/or six months' imprisonment, or (for corporations) a fine of $25,000.  In the Senate, allegations of contempt are heard by the Privileges Committee, which decides whether or not contempt was committed, and if so, what punishment is to be imposed. In practice, there have been very few times when a hearing determined that anyone was in contempt, and on no occasions has anyone been punished beyond a warning, with an apology and/or other appropriate remedial action.

Canada.

Federal level.

The power to find a person in contempt of Parliament stemmed from Section 18 of the "Constitution Act, 1867" in which "The privileges, immunities, and powers to be held, enjoyed... shall not confer any privileges, immunities, or powers exceeding those at the passing of such Act held, enjoyed, and exercised by the Commons House of Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and by the members thereof."  Regarding the above-mentioned "privileges" there is an important difference between the "individual parliamentary privileges" and "collective parliamentary privileges". This difference is also important in any case of "breach of privilege" as it applies to parliamentary privilege in Canada.

Contempt citation cases for individuals.

Rarely has the Canadian federal parliament invoked its power to find an individual in contempt: There were "contempt citation" cases in 1913, 1976, 2003, 2008 and 2011.  The April 10, 2008 case involved Royal Canadian Mounted Police deputy commissioner Barbara George who was cited for contempt for deliberately misleading a parliamentary committee over an income trust scandal. She was ultimately found in contempt but was not punished further than the motion itself.  The March 2011 contempt citation case involved Conservative MP Bev Oda. While she was found to be "prima facie" in contempt by the Speaker, Oda was not formally held in contempt because Parliament was dissolved before a vote could be held on the matter.

Contempt citation cases for governments.

On March 9, 2011, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada Peter Milliken made two contempt of Parliament rulings: The first found that a Conservative Party cabinet minister, Bev Oda, could possibly be in contempt of Parliament. The second ruling found the Cabinet could possibly be in contempt of Parliament for not meeting Opposition members' requests for details of proposed bills and their cost estimates, an issue which had "been dragging on since the fall of 2010". Milliken ruled that both matters must go to their responsible parliamentary committees and that the committee was required to report its findings to the Speaker by March 21, 2011 – one day before the proposal of the budget.  Concerning the Speaker's first ruling, on March 18, 2011, Opposition members of the committee (who outnumbered the government members) said they still judged Oda to be in contempt of Parliament, despite her testimony that day, but the committee process never proceeded far enough to make a finding as to whether Oda was in contempt.  Concerning the Speaker's second ruling, on March 21, 2011, the committee tabled a report that found the Government of Canada in contempt of Parliament. As such, a motion of no confidence was introduced in the House. On March 25, 2011, Members of Parliament voted on this motion, declaring a lack of confidence by a vote of 156 to 145 and forcing an election. The contempt finding is unique in Canadian history. In a wider context, it is the first time that any government in the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations, either Commonwealth Realm or parliamentary republic, has been found in contempt of Parliament.  Earlier that week, all three opposition parties had indicated that they would oppose the government's budget, with the NDP saying that the Conservatives' concessions did not go far enough, and the Bloc's earlier demands for $5 billion to their home province (including compensation for the 1998 ice storm and a new arena for the Quebec Nordiques) being rejected outright. Though the vote on the budget was never scheduled, a budget is a confidence matter in its own right, so Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked the Governor General to dissolve Parliament.  During the campaign the Conservatives portrayed the "Liberal motion of non-confidence over the contempt-of-Parliament finding" as mischief, instead of focusing on the economy and making constructive proposals for the budget. The Conservatives framed the election as a choice between a stable Conservative majority government or a Liberal coalition backed by the NDP and/or Bloc Québécois. The resulting election devastated two of the opposition parties who supported the contempt motion, with the Liberals losing more than half their seats to drop to third place in the Commons for the first time, while the Bloc Québécois was nearly wiped out, with both their leaders also personally losing their ridings. The Conservatives gained enough seats to form a majority government, while the New Democratic Party won a record number of seats to form the Official Opposition.

Province level.

At the provincial level, contempt operates in the legislative assemblies in much the same way that it does in the Senate or the House of Commons.  While Section 18 of the Constitution Act, 1867 only grants parliamentary privilege (and therefore contempt powers) to the Senate and the House of Commons, court cases have since clarified that the provinces do have parliamentary privileges. The Supreme Court of Canada, in "New Brunswick Broadcasting Co. v. Nova Scotia (Speaker of the House of Assembly)", ruled that parliamentary privilege in both the provincial and the federal context is an unwritten convention of the Canadian constitution.  More recent case law more clearly defined what parliamentary privileged means in the Canadian context, with the Supreme Court in "Canada (House of Commons) v. Vaid" defining parliamentary privilege in part as "the sum of the privileges, immunities and powers enjoyed by the Senate, the House of Commons and provincial legislative assemblies." With case law establishing that provincial legislatures maintain parliamentary privileges, the door is open for a provincial legislature to use contempt of parliament powers.  Most provinces have codified parliamentary privilege, at least in part, such as in British Columbia's "Legislative Assembly Privilege Act", or Manitoba's "The Legislative Assembly Act", both of which touch on the powers of the legislatures to find people in contempt. Quebec, the only civil law province in Canada, has maintained its "tradition of codification" and has fully set out the privileges of their legislature, The National Assembly, in Division 1 of Chapter 3 of "An Act Respecting the National Assembly," and maintains the "power to protect its proceedings against all interference."

Hong Kong.

Contempt of the Legislative Council is a criminal offence in Hong Kong.

United Kingdom.

Contempt of Parliament consists of interference with parliamentary privilege and of certain acts that obstruct the house and its members in their business.  The same rules as apply to the House of Commons apply to the House of Lords "mutatis mutandis" (i.e. with the necessary modifications).  In the United Kingdom, it has been alleged that arresting a member of Parliament in the course of carrying out his duties may constitute contempt of Parliament, although immunity from criminal arrest was removed by the Parliamentary Privilege Acts of the 18th century.  It is further contempt to bribe or attempt to bribe any member (and for any member to accept or solicit a bribe), to disrupt the sittings of the House or a committee—wherever it is sitting, to refuse to appear before a committee to testify, to refuse to answer any question put by a committee, to lie to a committee or to refuse to swear an oath (or make a solemn affirmation) when testifying, or to otherwise obstruct the business of the House.  MPs accused of contempt of Parliament may be suspended or expelled. They may also be committed to the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, although this practice has not been used since Charles Bradlaugh was detained in 1880. Strangers (those who are not members of the House) may be committed to prison during the life of the Parliament. The House of Lords has the power to fine as well as to order imprisonment for a term of years.  On 4 December 2018, the UK Government was found in contempt of Parliament for the first time in history on a motion passed by MPs by 311 to 293 votes. The vote was triggered by the government failing to lay before Parliament any legal advice on the proposed withdrawal agreement on the terms of the UK's departure from the European Union, after a humble address for a return was unanimously agreed to by the House of Commons on 13 November. The government then agreed to publish the full legal advice for Brexit that was given to the Prime Minister by the Attorney General during negotiations with the European Union. However, this advice was never published in full.

In countries with a parliamentary system of government, contempt of Parliament is the offence of obstructing the legislature in the carrying out of its functions, or of hindering any legislator in the performance of their duties. The concept is common in countries with a parliamentary system in the Westminster model, or which are derived from or influenced by the Westminster model. The offence is known by various other names in jurisdictions in which the legislature is not called "Parliament", most notably contempt of Congress in the United States. Actions that may constitute contempt of Parliament include: