Greek War of Independence.

During the Greek War of Independence, three constitutional texts (Constitutions of 1822, 1823 and 1827) were adopted by the Greek National Assemblies, the national representative political gatherings of the Greek revolutionaries. These constitutions were influenced by:  A year before the adoption of the Greek Constitution of 1822, local Assemblies had ratified the so-called Greek local statutes, such as the Senate Organization of Western Greece, the Legal Order of Eastern Greece and the Peloponnesian Senate Organization.

From the absolute to the constitutional monarchy (1833–1924).

King Otto governed for more than 10 years without any constitutional restrictions, since the "hegemonical" Greek Constitution of 1832 was never implemented. On 3 September 1843, the infantry, led by Colonel Dimitrios Kallergis and the Revolutionary captain Ioannis Makriyannis, assembled in the square in front of the palace in Athens. Eventually joined by much of the population of the small capital, the rebellion refused to disperse until the king agreed to grant a constitution. Left with little recourse, King Otto gave in to the pressure and agreed to the demands of the crowd over the objections of his opinionated Queen. This square was renamed to Constitution Square (Syntagma Square) to commemorate the events of September 1843.  The Greek Constitution of 1844 defined Greece as a constitutional monarchy, providing for a bicameral parliament, consisting of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. The Greek Constitution of 1864 was somewhat more liberal, and transferred most of the real power to the parliament. In 1874 Charilaos Trikoupis published a manifesto entitled "Who's to blame?", naming King George I as the answer. Specifically, he condemned the king for bypassing parliamentary opinion in his selection of Prime Ministers. The article landed him briefly in jail, but also boosted his popularity significantly. A year later, on 8 May 1874 he mustered a parliamentary plurality and George reluctantly named him as Prime Minister. Thanks to Trikoupis' article, a new constitutional principle was recognized and implemented: the king was required to give the largest party in parliament first choice of forming a government. In 1911 Eleftherios Venizelos amended 54 of the 110 articles of the Constitution, trying to bring the constitution in line with his Liberal Party's principles. Nevertheless, the National schism of 1916 caused a huge constitutional crisis, as two governments were formed: one in Athens and one in Thessaloniki.

The Second Hellenic Republic and the Restoration (1925–1941).

The Constitution of 1925 provided for a Republic in accordance with the results of the plebiscite of 1924. Nonetheless, on 24 June 1925, officers loyal to Theodoros Pangalos, fearing that the political instability was putting the country at risk, overthrew the government in a coup and violated the Constitution. On 24 August 1926, a counter-coup deposed him and Pavlos Kountouriotis returned as President.  Since the previous Constitution was not fully implemented, it was the Constitution of 1927 which formally established the Second Hellenic Republic and provided for a largely ceremonial president as head of state.  After the plebiscite of 1935, King George II was restored, but the Third Revisionary Parliament of 1936 did not have the time to replace or amend the Constitution of the Republic. Instead, the Constitution of 1911 was restored, ostensibly on a temporary basis. The elections of 1936 had produced a political deadlock and, thereby, George II appointed Ioannis Metaxas to be interim prime minister. Widespread industrial unrest in May allowed Metaxas to declare a state of emergency. On 4 August, he suspended the parliament indefinitely and suspended various articles of the constitution, with the king's approval. For all intents and purposes, Metaxas was now a dictator. No constitutional amendment was adopted before Germany invaded Greece in 1941.

The Kingdom of Greece after the Second World War (1942–1967).

After the end of the Second World War, King George II was once again restored by virtue of the plebiscite of 1946. The implications of the Greek Civil War did not allow the ratification of the liberal Draft Constitution of 1948. A more conservative Constitution was passed in 1952, which imposed restrictions on basic human rights and banned the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).

The Colonels' Regime (1967–1974).

On 21 April 1967, a coup took place by right-wing officers, which established a dictatorship known as the Colonels' Regime. An attempted counter-coup by King Constantine II in December failed, forcing him to leave the country. Thus, legally, there was no government and no Head of State in Athens. Thereby, the Revolutionary Council of Stylianos Pattakos, George Papadopoulos and Nikolaos Makarezos made a brief appearance to cause a Resolution to be published in the Government Gazette, appointing another member to the military administration, Major General Georgios Zoitakis, as Regent. Zoitakis then appointed Papadopoulos as Prime Minister. A new constitution was adopted by referendum in 1968. King Constantine was officially retained as head of state, though he would not be allowed to return until the first parliamentary election unless the government recalled him sooner. Many of the guarantees of civil rights were suspended, and elections were postponed until the "Revolution of April 21" (as the coup was called) had reformed the "Greek mentality."  Five years later, during Papadopoulos' attempts at controlled democratization, he abolished the monarchy and declared Greece a republic with himself as president. A plebiscite formally abolished the monarchy on 29 July 1973. A new Constitution was drafted, providing for a popularly elected president with wide-ranging powers, effectively establishing a presidential republic. After the hard-liners' coup on 25 November 1973 deposed Papadopoulos, the regime retained the trappings of the Republic, but reverted to exclusively military control until its final collapse in the wake of the Cyprus crisis in August 1974.

The Third Hellenic Republic.

With the return of civilian rule under Constantine Karamanlis, the new government, acting under extraordinary circumstances, issued a "Constituting Act" which voided the 1973 constitution. Pending a referendum on a new constitution, the 1952 constitution was temporarily restored, "except for the articles dealing with the form of the State"; the last phrase referring to whether the monarchy would be restored or not. In the meantime, the functions of the king were to be discharged by the president of the republic.  The matter was settled by plebiscite on 8 December 1974, by which the monarchy was definitively abolished. A new Constitution, adopted by Parliament and promulgated on 11 June 1975, established a parliamentary democracy with a president as head of state. In practice, however, most of the power was vested in the prime minister. This constitution was revised in 1985 to codify this practice. It was amended again in 2001, in 2008 and in 2019 and is in force today.

List of Greek Constitutions.

In a chronological order, the Greek Constitutions are:

In the modern history of Greece, starting from the Greek War of Independence, the Constitution of 1975/1986/2001 is the last in a series of democratically adopted Constitutions (with the exception of the Constitutions of 1968 and 1973 imposed by a dictatorship).


Biography.

Berger majored in English literature and art history at Brooklyn College, and upon her graduation in 1979, she entered the comics profession as an assistant to editor Paul Levitz at DC. She later became Levitz's editor when he was writing "Legion of Super-Heroes". More interested in horror comics, she soon became editor of "House of Mystery", and was instrumental in nurturing Alan Moore's "Swamp Thing" book, taking over the editing from co-creator Len Wein. She also edited "Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld". She later helped bring Neil Gaiman's work to a mass audience by having him write "The Sandman".  The success of these titles, and her willingness to help the writers who worked with her push the envelope of what could be done in mass-circulation comic books, led to the creation of the mature-reader Vertigo line in 1993. Her critically and popularly successful titles under that imprint include "Fables", "Hellblazer", "The Invisibles", "100 Bullets", "Preacher", "V for Vendetta", and "".  Berger is married to Richard Bruning, who also formerly worked at DC.  In 2007 Berger was named supervising editor (along with Senior Editor Shelly Bond) of Minx, a new comic book imprint published by DC. Minx published comics and graphic novels aimed at teenage girls until they were cancelled in 2008.  On December 3, 2012, she announced that she would be stepping down from her post as Executive Editor & Senior Vice President of DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint and that she would remain on through March 2013 to assist in the transition to a new editorial team.  "The New York Times" profiled Berger and her departure from Vertigo in an article entitled "Comics' Mother of 'The Weird Stuff' is Moving On".  In February 2017 Dark Horse Comics announced that Karen Berger would be overseeing a new line of creator owned comics published by Dark Horse under the imprint: Berger Books.  Berger Books' first print publication was "Berger Books Free 2018 Preview" dated November 2017. Berger Books first full comic was "Hungry Ghosts" #1, (written by Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose) on sale in comic book shops on January 31, 2018.  As of February 2019 Berger Books publishes several titles including "Incognegro" (10th anniversary edition) and a prequel "Incognegro: Renaissance" (2018 February) both written by Mat Johnson, "She Could Fly" written by Christopher Cantwell (2018 July) (with a sequel starting in 2019 April), "The Seeds" written by Ann Nocenti (2018 August), and "LaGuardia" written by Hugo Award winner Nnedi Okorafor (2018 December).

Awards.

Berger won the Inkpot Award in 1990, three Eisner Awards (1992, 1994 and 1995), and the "Comics Buyer's Guide Award" for Favorite Editor every year from 1997 through 2005.

Karen Berger (; born February 26, 1958) is an American comic book editor. She is best known for her role in helping create DC Comics' Vertigo imprint in 1993 and serving as the line's Executive Editor until 2013. She oversees Berger Books, an imprint of creator-owned comics being published by Dark Horse Comics.


Background.

McLaughlin had a similar Biblical inspiration for an initiative in 2004 when he sponsored the "King James Bible as Textbook initiative", "which would amend the Constitution to allow teachers to use the Bible in literature classes."  McLaughlin's proposal was received by the CA Office of the Attorney General on February 26 along with the $200 filing fee.  State Attorney General Kamala Harris was compelled to provide an official title and summary before the initiative signature-collective effort can proceed. Harris cited public safety and constitutionality of the initiative, stating "This proposal not only threatens public safety, it is patently unconstitutional, utterly reprehensible and has no place in a civil society." She asked the Superior Court to relieve her of the obligation freeing the author to seek the signatures. Harris is widely seen as being supportive of LGBT people and wanted to not be a part of a process that "seeks to legalize discrimination and vigilantism" unless there was no alternative. Once authorized it needs 365,880 valid signatures to qualify for the 2016 presidential election ballot.  On June 23, 2015, a Sacramento County judge issued a ruling stating that the proposed initiative was not constitutional, and therefore Attorney General Harris is not required to provide an official title or summary. As a result, the initiative cannot be distributed for signatures, effectively killing its chances of being included on a statewide ballot.

Reaction.

"The Atlantic" states the initiative, "which refers to homosexuality as 'a monstrous evil' and an 'abominable crime against nature,' would ban communicating messages of tolerance to minors; bar gays and lesbians, or anyone who voices acceptance, from holding government jobs or public office; and authorize mass murder" of lesbians and gays. "The Atlantic" stated that although the initiative was unlikely to get the needed signatures, and would probably be thrown out after the 2016 elections even if it did pass, still represented a test case of permissiveness in California's ballot process that would allow a "genocidal proposition". Senator Mark Leno stated, "These are the very challenges of our First Amendment right to free speech."  California Attorney General Kamala Harris tried to block the initiative as it "threatens public safety, it is patently unconstitutional, utterly reprehensible, and has no place in a civil society."  The California Legislative LGBT Caucus filed a formal complaint to have McLaughlin disbarred. Another gay Senator, Ricardo Lara stated that the "caucus is concerned that McLaughlin has run afoul of the state bar's moral character requirement for practicing attorneys." The caucus letter states shock that anyone would call for the execution of LGBT people. The "Bay Area Reporter" stated, "state bar's rules of conduct, section 2-400, stipulates that licensed practitioners are prohibited from discriminating based on sexual orientation, among other protected classes." A Change.org petition, "Disbar lawyer who wants to legalize the murder of LGBT people", has 101,722 supporters as of the end of March 2015.

Related initiatives.

In an effort to defend the LGBT community, Dr. Charlotte Laws drafted her own initiative called the "Intolerant Jackass Act" and submitted it to the Attorney General's office on March 23, 2015. It stated that "any person, herein known as an intolerant jackass, who brings forth a ballot measure that suggests the killing of gays and/or lesbians, shall be required to attend sensitivity training" and donate $5,000 to an LGBT cause. Laws said she had no intention of circulating her measure for signatures. It was created merely to mock McLaughlin and take his power away.  The "Shellfish Suppression Act" also takes its lead from the Biblical Old Testament book of Leviticus, but it cites Verse 11:12 "Whatesoever has fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination to you." The act would make selling or consuming shellfish a felony with a fine of $666,000 per occurrence, "and/or imprisonment up to 6 years, 6 months, and 6 days."

Aftermath.

In spite of its anti-gay text, many legal observers viewed the initiative as an attempt to criticize the initiative process. California has a long history of ballot initiatives that are challenging to implement, circulated by special interests, and/or are later found unconstitutional. The gay community itself had faced the Briggs Initiative, Proposition 22, and Proposition 8. The $200 filing fee had not been raised since the 1940s, and in the 1970s, the California Supreme Court adopted rules forcing the Attorney General to issue a summary to any initiative, even one he/she believed unenforceable, to avoid suppression of freedom of speech. The initiative lead to Assembly Bill 1100, raising the filing fee from $200 to $2000, and the legislature also consolidated initiatives on the November general election ballot.  McLaughlin reportedly has plans to reintroduce the initiative in a future election.

The Sodomite Suppression Act, also known as the "Shoot The Gays Initiative" or "Kill The Gays Initiative", was a California ballot initiative proposed by Matt McLaughlin, an Orange County lawyer, that outlines seven measures relating to same-sex people engaging in sodomy including death for anyone who participates. McLaughlin's act calls for the killing of gays and lesbians by "bullets to the head" or "any other convenient method." This proposed initiative is subject to a court order barring it from being distributed for signatures after a Sacramento County judge granted California Attorney General Kamala Harris's request to declare the initiative facially unconstitutional and therefore ineligible to receive a ballot title or summary.


Plot.

The cartoon begins with Sylvester in an alley, strolling past the line of trash cans as if he is at a buffet, trying to find bits of appetizing food; a kitten arrives and starts doing the same, Sylvester yells at him that "this side of the street" is his and throws the kitten away. The weather is freezing and snowy; Sylvester finds a house and bangs on the door, begging for shelter. He falls down, 'frozen', when Elmer Fudd answers the door. Elmer sits Sylvester in a comfortable chair near the fireplace and tells the cat to consider this his home. More banging on the door is revealed to be the kitten, who also falls down 'frozen' when Elmer opens the door. Elmer tells them both that he would like to have a cat around, but he cannot keep both of them. He decides to sleep on it and, much to Sylvester's chagrin, choose in the morning which one gets to stay.  Sylvester then imagines ways to get rid of his competition; he decides to frame the kitten by pouring all the milk in the fridge on him and then dropping the bottle, making it look like the kitten did it. Elmer thinks the kitten has done it by accident because he must be very hungry, and doles out a large meal to him. Next, the kitten plays with a ball of string, but Sylvester has tied the end to a stack of glasses and dishes. Soon, the kitten pulls enough on the string that the entire stack falls and breaks. The kitten quickly tries to glue them back together, but Sylvester breaks every one that is fixed. Elmer catches "Sylvester" breaking his dishes, and tells the cat that he is making it very easy for him to make up his mind which of them to keep.  Sylvester hypnotizes the kitten, leads him to Elmer's bedroom, provides the kitten with a baseball bat and instructs him to hit the sleeping Elmer on the head; the kitten misinterprets Sylvester's visual instruction and hits Sylvester instead, causing the dazed cat to climb into bed with Elmer. Elmer wakes up, throws Sylvester down the stairs and warns him he will be held responsible for the next disturbance. Sylvester sets a wind-up mouse toy loose and the kitten chases it, following it into a mouse hole. Sylvester nails a piece of wood to the mouse hole. From behind the walls, however, the kitten starts knocking out the nails holding up paintings and shelves hanging on walls. Sylvester, remembering Elmer's warning, tries to catch all of the falling objects as the kitten (still trapped in the walls) makes his way upstairs. The chandelier above Elmer's bed crashes to the floor before Sylvester can stop it. Elmer, awakened again, issues a final ultimatum. If Sylvester so much as makes one more peep, he is out of the house for good.  The kitten, having overheard, takes advantage and starts making a huge racket. Sylvester places a pair of earmuffs on the sleeping Elmer, in an attempt to drown out the kitten's noise (which involves a shotgun, a parade drum, and a slamming door). Sylvester literally blows his top and begins chasing the kitten; panicking, the kitten turns the radio on full-blast, activates the coin-operated pianola and proceeds to make noise in a variety of other ways. The earmuffs fail, and Elmer runs down the stairs yelling that he has "made up [his] mind who's weaving these pwemises!"; however, he is interrupted by a knock at the door—Elmer's landlord serves him an eviction notice, presumably due to the excess noise {"In other words GET OUT!"}. The cartoon ends with Sylvester, the kitten, and Elmer looking for food in the trash alley.

Kit for Cat is a 1948 "Looney Tunes" cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on November 6, 1948 and features Elmer Fudd and Sylvester.


Development.

Sunnyside of the late 19th and early 20th century was a suburb of houses and mansions. Esselen street was named after Ewald Auguste Esselen, the State Attorney of the South African Republic from 1894 to 1895. Since 2012 the street has been renamed to Robert Sobukwe street. The character of the suburb changed with the influx of mainly Afrikaners to Pretoria during the middle to late 20th century, when blocks of high-rise flats transformed the western section. The one time house of the writer and poet Jan F. E. Celliers however survived until 1970.  The suburb now consists mostly of high density residential developments, which in the 21st century ranges from reasonably upmarket to dilapidated. Esselen street is flanked by a strip of retail businesses, restaurants and clubs. The day time street scene is very busy, with heavy pedestrian traffic and hawkers peddling food or wares on street corners. Student residences or communes and residential houses are situated in the quieter eastern part. Like much of the inner city, this suburb's retail, entertainment and nightlife area has become less upmarket since the 1980s, and rundown and dirty in places.

Demographics.

The post-Apartheid era saw an influx of local and foreign people of different races to the high density residential areas, which they found affordable. Consequently a number of languages are now spoken here. The social evils of crime and substance abuse have necessitated beefed up security at all residences, the inhabitants of which are often living in impoverished conditions.

Sunnyside is one of the oldest suburbs of the city of Pretoria, South Africa. The well-established area is situated east of Nelson Mandela drive (and the Apies River), adjacent to Pretoria Central.


Background.

"i" was produced by Los Angeles producer Rahki, who also produced the song "Institutionalized". Although the version of "i" that appears on the album is drastically different from the single release, both versions contain a sample of the song "That Lady" by The Isley Brothers. Lamar personally visited Isley Brothers' lead vocalist Ronald Isley to ask his permission to sample the song: "I actually had to go to St. Louis and get the blessings from Ronald Isley," he said. "That was a trip. We got in the studio and just vibed and talked about how things were back then and how they are now, and you can actually hear him on the record with a few ad-libs that he actually did. We got it on camera and things like that, it’s a beautiful thing." Isley also performs on the song "How Much a Dollar Cost?" with singer-songwriter James Fauntleroy.  The single cover for "i" features members of gangs the Bloods and the Crips forming a heart, on the subject of the cover art Lamar said in an interview with AMP Radio: "Where I'm from, there's a lot of gang culture and things like that, so instead of throwing on up gang signs, which we used to, I put a Blood and I put a Crip together and we’re throwing up hearts...sparking the idea of some type of change through music or through me because I go back to the city now and people give me the honor and respect that, you know, this kid can change a little bit something different that’s been going on in the community."  The song's title has a significant connotation. In "Hip Hop America", journalist Nelson George writes, "'i' is a powerful word in the vocabulary of the African American male," as it can be related to pride. While pride is one of the seven deadly sins, George's study explains how "this has been an invigorating source of self-empowerment," similar to the self-love Lamar preaches in his song.

Album version.

A different version of "i" was released for Lamar's third studio album "To Pimp a Butterfly". The version which appears on the album was produced in a way that emulates a live performance, as opposed to the clean production on the single. Also, during the third verse, the song is interrupted as an argument breaks out in the crowd to which Lamar is performing. After Lamar speaks to the crowd he proceeds to perform an a cappella verse which finishes the song.

Music video.

The video for the song premiered on Vevo and YouTube on November 4, 2014. It features cameos from singer Ron Isley and George Clinton. References are made to 2Pac and The Joker in the video. A short instrumental was played in the intro of the clip. The video is directed by Alexandre Moors.

Critical reception and awards.

"i" received critical acclaim from music critics. The track was placed at number ten on "Rolling Stone"s 50 Best Songs of 2014 list. "Billboard" listed "i" as the second best song of 2014. "i" also was placed at number 14 on "Spin"'s list of "The 101 Best Songs of 2014". In January 2015, "i" was ranked at number five on "The Village Voice"s annual year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll.  "i" was nominated for Outstanding Music Video and Outstanding Song at the 46th NAACP Image Award. The song received two nominations at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards and won both Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.

Chart performance.

The song debuted and peaked at number 39 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, making it his fourth top 40 hit in the US.

Usage in popular culture.

The song has been used in film trailers for "Top Five", "Dope", "How to Be Single", "The Intern", and "Roman J. Israel, Esq." In 2014, it was the official song for the NBA. It is featured in soundtrack for the 2018 video game Forza Horizon 4 as well.

"I" (stylized as “i”) is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on September 23, 2014 as the lead single from Lamar's third studio album "To Pimp a Butterfly". The song utilizes music from "That Lady", written by and originally performed by R&B group The Isley Brothers, elements from which were re-recorded rather than being directly sampled from the original record. "i" won two awards at the 2015 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.


Biography.

Background.

Abele Ricieri Ferrari was born in Arcola, Liguria, Italy on May 12, 1890 in a poor peasant family. He did not adjust to school discipline and quit in the first year never coming back after that. While he worked in his father's farm, he self-educated himself with an emphasis in poetry and philosophy. Around his town, he was surrounded by a vibrant anarchist scene which he started to come close to.

Writing and action.

He discovered Max Stirner, Errico Malatesta, Peter Kropotkin, Henrik Ibsen, and Friedrich Nietzsche, whom Novatore often quoted. From 1908 on he embraced individualist anarchism. In 1910, he was charged with the burning of a local church and spent three months in prison, but his participation in the fire was never proven. A year later, he went on the lam for several months because the police wanted him for theft and robbery. On September 30, 1911, the police arrested him for vandalism. He justified refusal of work and he thought, in his personal philosophy of life, that he has the right to expropriate from the rich people what he needed for his daily survival, and using force wasn't a problem for him.  In 1914, he began to write for anarchist papers. He was drafted in 1912 but quickly discharged for unknown causes. As the Great War approached he deserted his regiment on April 26, 1918 and was sentenced to death by a military tribunal for desertion and high treason on October 31. He left his village and fled, propagating the desertion from the Army and the armed uprising against the state. Novatore was married with two children at the time and when his younger son died in the last months of 1918, Novatore came back to his home, risking the arrest only to give him a last goodbye.  He was involved in an anarcho-futurist collective in La Spezia which he led (along with Auro d'Arcola) to be active in the militant anti-fascist "Arditi del Popolo". He was close friends with Enzo Martucci and Bruno Filippi. Renzo Novatore wrote for many anarchist papers ("Cronaca Libertaria, Il Libertario, Iconoclastal, Gli Scamiciati, Nichilismo, Pagine Libere") where he debated with other anarchists (among them Camillo Berneri). He published a magazine, "Vertice", which has unfortunately been lost apart from few articles. Novatore collaborated in the individualist anarchist journal "Iconoclasta!" alongside the young stirnerist illegalist Bruno Filippi.

Death.

In May 1919, the city of La Spezia fell under control of a self-proclaimed Revolutionary Committee and he fought alongside it. On June 30, 1919, Novatore was hidden in a hut in the countries near the city of Sarzana. A farmer told the police about him and he was sentenced to ten years in prison, but was released in a general amnesty a few months later. By the early 1920s Italy was about to be taken over by Fascism. He decided to go underground and in 1922 he joined the gang of the famous robber of anarchist inspiration:.  He was killed in an ambush by "carabinieri" in Teglia, near Genoa, on November 29, 1922 while being with Pollastro but Pollastro managed to escape. On Novatore's body the detectives found some false documents, a Browning gun with two full magazines, one hand grenade and a ring with a secret container filled with a lethal dose of cyanide.

Worldview.

Novatore talked of the "heroic beauty of the anti-collectivist and creative I" which is beyond both bourgeois and proletarian manners and morality. He spoke of his individual situation as living "In the Reign of the Phantoms" recalling Stirner. He summarizes his view of his situation as existing among social conformism saying "The world is one pestulant church covetous and slimy where all have an idol to fetishistically adore and an altar on which to sacrifice themself."  In this way he speaks of religion saying "if you will patiently await the desolate calvary to then nail yourself on the cross, becoming the image of ME that is the ManGod, you will be the perfect human creature worthy of sitting at the right of my father who is in the kingdom of heaven.". As far as democracy and the legacy of the Enlightenment he says "the French Revolution says to you: I have proclaimed the rights of man. If you will enter devoutly in the symbolic cloister of human social justice to sublimate and humanize through the moral canon of social life, you will be a citizen and I will give you the rights I proclaimed to man." "Progress (?) and Civilization (?), Religion (?) and the Ideal (?), have closed life in a mortal circle where the phantoms most grim have erected their viscid reign. Time to end it! We must break the circle violently and exit".  As an exit of this situation he proclaims "revolution is the fire of our will and a need of our solitary minds; it is an obligation of the libertarian aristocracy. To create new ethical values. To create new aesthetic values. To communalize material wealth. To individualize spiritual wealth. Because we-violent celebralists and passional sentimentalists at the same time-understand and know that revolution is a necessity of the silent sorrow that suffers at the bottom and a need of the free spirits who suffer in the heights." He summarizes the three options in life as "The stream of slavery, the stream of tyranny, the stream of freedom! With revolution, the last of these streams needs to burst upon the other two and overwhelm them. It needs to create spiritual beauty, teach the poor the shame of their poverty, and the rich the shame of their wealth."  Nevertheless, he has an individualist permanent conception of revolution which he thinks could at some point come into conflict with the masses. He says "You are waiting for the revolution! Very well! My own began along time ago! When you are ready – God, what an endless wait! – it won’t nauseate me to go along the road awhile with you! But when you stop, I will continue on my mad and triumphant march toward the great and sublime conquest of Nothing!". Alongside this, he manifests an insurrectionary point of view such as when he manifests that "Every society you build will have its fringes, and on the fringes of every society, heroic and restless vagabonds will wander, with their wild and virgin thoughts, only able to live by preparing ever new and terrible outbreaks of rebellion!".  He says he views "Only ethical and spiritual wealth" as "invulnerable. This is the true property of individuals. The rest no! The rest is vulnerable! And all that is vulnerable will be violated!" Novatore sees thoses similar to him as "anarchists. And individualists, and nihilists, and aristocrats." and as "the lovers of every miracle, the promoters of every prodigy, the creators of every wonder!"; "the enemies of all material domination and all spiritual leveling."  He adheres to nihilism but denies "christian nihilism" as he sees it denies life. He says instead "Since the only serious people are those who know how to be actively engaged laughing." and so the individualists must go "Forward, for the destruction of the lie and of the phantoms! Forward, for the complete conquest of individuality and of Life!". Novatore described himself as an anarchist and defined that term as follows;  Novatore is critical of the individualism of Herbert Spencer which he thinks "it is true that he fights against the state, but he fights against it only because the state as it is doesn’t function as he would like". He also sees that Spencer "does not penetrate or understand the mysterious, aristocratic, vagabond, rebel individual!".  And so he is critical of thinkers such as "Darwin, Comte, Spencer and Marx" which he sees as sociologists who will tend to not being "able to understand the varied, the particular... sacrifices the one or the other on the altar of the universal." Instead he takes sides with authors who are for him "the giants of Art and Thought like Nietzsche, Stirner, Ibsen, Wilde, Zola, Huysmans, Verlaine, Mallarmé...".

Influence.

The notorious Italo-Argentinian anarchist Severino Di Giovanni dedicated a poem to Novatore shortly after knowing about his death. Later he will establish the "Anarcho-individualist Group Renzo Novatore" which enters the “Italian Anti-fascist Alliance” in Argentina.  Renzo Novatore has received attention recently in post-left anarchy and insurrectionary anarchism as can be seen in the writings of Wolfi Landstreicher. In his introduction to "Towards the Creative nothing" by Renzo Novatore, Landstreicher writes "It is difficult to find anarchist works in English that are at the same time "individualist" and explicitly revolutionary, that emphasize the centrality of the aim of individual self-determination to a revolution that will "communalize material wealth" as it will "individualize spiritual wealth". For this and other reasons I chose to translate Toward the Creative Nothing by Renzo Novatore and publish several of his shorter pieces." In an article called "Whither now? Some thoughts on creating anarchy" Wolfi Landstreicher writing as Feral Faun says "Then we can cease to be merely on the margins of society and will each, as unique wild beings, become the center of an insurrectionary project that may destroy civilization and create a world in which we freely live, relate and create as our unique desires move us. We will become – to quote Renzo Novatore again – "a shadow eclipsing any form of society which can exist under the sun."

Abele Rizieri Ferrari (May 12, 1890 – November 29, 1922), better known by the pen name Renzo Novatore, was an Italian individualist anarchist, illegalist and anti-fascist poet, philosopher and militant, now mostly known for his posthumously published book "Toward the Creative Nothing" ("Verso il nulla creatore") and associated with ultra-modernist trends of futurism. His thought is influenced by Max Stirner, Friedrich Nietzsche, Georges Palante, Oscar Wilde, Henrik Ibsen, Arthur Schopenhauer and Charles Baudelaire.


Club career.

Early life and Sweden.

Barrow was born in the Gambia. When he was 11, his mother died. He and his four brothers joined their father in Sweden. He reflected that "Football obviously helped me get through that period of my life. I was very good at football and got a lot of friends at my new school, mainly because many of them really liked to play football with me. I was never bullied because I was from another country."  He spent his youth career at Östers IF and Mjölby AI, before earning his first senior appearances with Mjölby AI. His best friend from Gambia had moved to the town of Mjölby. While visiting his friend, he was invited to train with the club, and quickly caught the eye of the senior squad. This in turn led to a deal with the nearby club IFK Norrköping. After spells at fellow Swedish sides Mjölby Södra IF, IFK Norrköping, and Varbergs BoIS, he joined Swedish second tier side Östersunds FK in 2014. He scored 10 goals in 19 matches in his only season for them in Superettan.

Swansea City.

On 30 August 2014, Barrow completed his transfer to Premier League side Swansea City for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £1.5 million, after being signed by manager Garry Monk. He became the first Gambian footballer to play in the Premier League – Omar Koroma spent two seasons at Portsmouth starting in 2008, but failed to make an appearance.  "I like the way Swansea play football, it reminds me of how I used to play back home. I've watched a lot of their matches on TV and I was impressed with what I saw," he said on signing for Swansea. "They like to give young players a chance and hopefully I can progress here." Barrow went straight into the Under-21s squad. On 28 October 2014, Barrow was included on the bench for Swansea's League Cup match against Liverpool. He was assigned the squad number 58.  On 9 November 2014, Barrow made his Swansea City and Premier League debut against Arsenal, coming on in place of Marvin Emnes for the last 23 minutes of a 2–1 home win. He scored his first Swansea goal on 3 January 2015 in a 6–2 win at Tranmere Rovers in the third round of the FA Cup. Barrow signed a new four-year contract until June 2018. Barrow was loaned to Nottingham Forest on 11 March 2015 until the end of the 2014–15 season.  On 10 August 2015, Barrow was loaned to Blackburn Rovers on a three-month emergency loan. On 8 September, he was recalled by Swansea and remained a regular under manager Francesco Guidolin, Barrow scored his first league goal for Swansea in a 3–2 defeat at Bournemouth on 12 March 2016. He signed a new contract at Swansea on 7 July 2016, keeping him at the club until 2019 and also adding a £15 million pound release clause for the player.  Despite playing 20 times for Swansea during the first half of the 2016–17 season under Guidolin and Bob Bradley, after falling out of favour under new manager Paul Clement due to the signing of Luciano Narsingh, Barrow was made available for a transfer. He was strongly linked with a move to Championship side Newcastle United. On 31 January 2017, Barrow joined Leeds United on loan until the end of the 2016–17 season, with a view to a permanent deal. The move saw him link up with Monk. After failing to break into the first team, he was not purchased by Leeds. During his time at Swansea he became the first Gambian to score a premier league goal.

Reading.

On 21 July 2017, Swansea rejected a bid from Reading in the region of £1.25 million, before Barrow signed a four-year contract with Reading on 3 August for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal for Reading in a 2–1 home win against Aston Villa on 15 August.

Denizlispor (loan).

On 12 August 2019, Denizlispor announced the signing of Barrow on a season-long loan deal, with Reading confirming the deal a day later.

International career.

On 31 March 2015, Barrow was called up for the Sweden national under-21 football team, however he pulled out of the squad due to an injury he had sustained.  In May 2015, he was called up for the Gambia national football team, and on 22 May, he confirmed on his Twitter account that he had decided to play for his native Gambia. Barrow made his debut for Gambia during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification in a goalless draw away to South Africa on 13 June 2015.  Barrow scored his first international goal on 27 March 2017, opening a 2–1 friendly win over the Central African Republic in Kenitra, Morocco.

Style of play.

Barrow is a pacey winger, who likes to run with the ball and take on defenders and create chances. He can also play as a forward. He revealed that with his style of play that 'I want to get the fans on their feet, and I fight until the end'.

Personal life.

Barrow lives with his fiancée and their daughter Anya, born in November 2014. Barrow holds a Swedish citizenship. In 2012, Barrow was sentenced to community service and probation after assaulting his girlfriend. He is a devout muslim.

Career statistics.

International.

"Statistics accurate as of match played 23 March 2018"

Modou Barrow (born 13 October 1992), commonly known as Mo Barrow, is a Gambian professional footballer who plays for Turkish club Denizlispor, on loan from English club Reading, and the Gambian national team. He is a winger but can also play as a forward.


Inauguration.

On April 5, 1811, with the approval of the Buenos Aires Cabildo, it was decided that the program of festivities commemorating the first anniversary of the Revolución de Mayo would include the construction of a pyramid. History does not record why a pyramidal form was chosen for the monument. Some speculate that it was an attempt to emulate the pyramids carved into the pillars of Paris' Porte Saint-Denis, to which the Pirámide de Mayo bears some resemblance. Since 1763 the Plaza de Mayo had been divided by the "Vieja" "Recova" (Old Arcade) into two smaller plazas: the one facing the eventual site of the Casa Rosada was known as the Plazoleta del Fuerte, and the one facing the Cabildo was known as the Plaza de la Victoria. The pyramid was situated in the center of the latter.  At the insistence of architect Pedro Vicente Cañete and Juan Gaspar Hernández, professor of sculpture at the University of Valladolid, it was decided that the monument would be constructed entirely out of solid materials, including 500 bricks, rather than out of wood, as had been planned originally. On April 6, the cement was poured to form the foundation, amid music and raucous celebration.  The monument was inaugurated as planned on National Day, despite the fact that Cañete had failed to meet the schedule and would not complete construction for several days. The pyramid was festooned with the banners of various illustrious regiments who had formed the garrison of Buenos Aires, including the patricians, highlanders, mulattoes and blacks, gunners, hussars, and grenadiers. The Pyramid as well as the Cathedral were heavily illuminated. The Recova was illuminated with 1,141 tallow candles. The festivities lasted four days and included dancing, raffles, and the manumission of slaves.  Although Cañete's original plans were lost, studies later determined that the Pyramid had been left hollow, rather than filled with masonry, in order to save time. It was made of baked adobe and stood thirteen metres tall, not including its pedestal. A platform supported its pediment, which was built on top of two grades. It had a simple quadrilateral pedestal and a floating cornice that extended around the entire structure. It was crowned by a decorative globe. The edifice was surrounded by a railing supported by twelve pillars, each terminating in a rounded knob. At each of the fence's four corners was a pointed pole from which lanterns were hung.  On national holidays the Pyramid was decorated with banners, bunting, paper lanterns, and inscriptions.  In 1826 president Bernardino Rivadavia announced plans to erect a monument to the Revolución de Mayo which would consist of a magnificent bronze fountain "in place of what exists today". It was debated whether the new monument should replace the Pyramid. In any case, due to Rivadavia's resignation the following year, the project was never carried out, despite the fact that it had been approved by the legislature.  In 1852 the Jaunet brothers illuminated the Pyramid with gas, using a small gasometer. The public, accustomed to the small oil lanterns, was awestruck by the effect.

The Renovation.

By 1856 the museum had fallen into disrepair. The painter and architect Prilidiano Pueyrredón was charged with the restoration. He set out to transform the monument into something more artistic and grandiose. The modern pyramid was built directly over the old, which was covered in bricks and masonry to form a suitable foundation for the new additions.  The top of the statue was furnished with an allegory of Liberty, crowned with a Phrygian cap. This statue, standing 3.6 metres, was created by the French sculptor Joseph Dubourdieu from a combination of materials. Dubourdieu was also responsible for four other allegories, "Industry", "Commerce", "The Sciences" and "The Arts", which were placed at the four corners of the pedestal.  The eastern face of the obelisk was adorned with a golden sun, which now faces toward the Casa Rosada. The remaining three sides are decorated with crowns of laurels in alto-relievo. Pueyrredón also modified the original pedestal and capital, increasing their height and breadth. Each of the four sides of the base was adorned with the national arms. A new fence was constructed and a gaslight placed at each corner.  In 1859, the deteriorating condition of the plaster led the city to reface the base in marble.  By 1873 the stucco and terracotta statues installed by Dubourdieu had not surprisingly begun to decay. Consequently, they were replaced with four Carrara marble statues which had originally been located on the first floor of the Banco Provincia on Calle San Martín. These were "Geography", "Astronomy", "Navigation" and "Industry". These remained until 1912, when they were placed in storage. In 1972 they were installed — and remain to this day — in the old Plazoleta de San Francisco, at the intersection of Calles Defensa and Alsina, 150 metres from the modern Pyramid.  In 1883, on the orders of intendente de la ciudad de Buenos Aires Torcuato de Alvear, the "Recova" was demolished, joining the Plazoleta del Fuerte and the Plaza del Victoria to form the modern Plaza de Mayo. Alvear had considered demolishing the Pyramid and erecting a more grandiose monument in its place, but in order to do so, required the permission of the deliberative council in charge of the project. The council consulted the opinion of various distinguished citizens, including ex-presidents Bartolomé Mitre, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, and Nicolás Avellaneda. Mitre saw no reason to preserve the monument, because after its many renovations and additions it was no longer, in an authentic sense, the original Pyramid erected following the Revolution. He considered only the foundation worthy of preservation. Sarmiento also rejected the additions to the primitive structure. Avellaneda felt it should be restored to its original form and stripped of its more recent adornments, but not destroyed outright. In the end, none of these suggestions were acted upon, because although the majority favored demolition, the national government preferred the status quo.

The Relocation.

In 1906, with a few years until the centenary of the May Revolution, plans were put forward for a new monument that would completely contain the Pyramid, which consequently had to be relocated to the center of the Plaza de Mayo. This was not realized until 1912. After the marble statues had been removed, the Pyramid was enclosed with wood for protection. Two rails were laid, four metres apart, supported by masonry pillars that could support a weight of 225 metric tons. Under the Pyramid was a cement platform resting on solid wheels. Between November 12 and 20, the Pyramid was pulled 63.17 metres with a winch. A metal time capsule containing information about the relocation was buried under the Pyramid's new foundation.  Despite the success of the move, the project to surround the Pyramid with a larger monument never materialized. Many remained hopeful that the Pyramid would be restored to its historical origins, including the return of the steps and railing, and the removal of the "shell of stucco and inappropriate figures". However, later resolutions limited further reforms to ground level. The foundation was repainted and the arms restored to their 1813 condition. The original railing was, ultimately, restored.  Decree 120.412, issued May 21, 1942, declared the Pyramid a historical monument. Law 1.653, passed by the legislature of the city of Buenos Aires on March 10, 2005, conferred the status of a historical site on the area surrounding the Pyramid, which is notable for sidewalk paintings of shawls representing the Madres de Plaza de Mayo. On December 8 of that year, at the request of her children, the ashes of the organization's founder, Azucena Villaflor, were buried at the base of the Pyramid, where she had organized her first protest.

The Commemorative Plaque.

On the west side of the Pyramid is a bronze plaque, 85 cm wide and 57 cm high, on which two names are inscribed: "Felipe Pereyra de Lucena" and "Manuel Artigas". These names, unknown to most who visit the Pyramid, were added to the monument in 1891 during the presidency of Carlos Pellegrini, in recognition of the first two military officers to lose their lives in the cause of Argentine independence:  The news of these two casualties was met with shock, in response to which the government junta resolved to record the officers' names in bronze. However, due to lack of funds, the project was suspended. Pereyra's father petitioned the government in 1812, to no avail. In 1856, relatives of Pereyra once more appealed for the plaque's creation, but no action was taken. In 1891, the necessary funds were raised through popular subscription, and the plaque was installed on May 24 of that year.

The Pirámide de Mayo (; ), located at the hub of the Plaza de Mayo, is the oldest national monument in the City of Buenos Aires. Its construction was ordered in 1811 by the Primera Junta to celebrate the first anniversary of the May Revolution. It was renovated in 1856, under the direction of Prilidiano Pueyrredón. In 1912, after having undergone many modifications, it was moved 63 metres (68.9 yards) to the east, with the idea that a much larger monument would eventually be constructed around it.


Background and development.

In February 2014, Madonna announced that she had begun working on her thirteenth studio album, saying "I'm right now in the process of talking to various co-writers and producers and talking about where I want to go with my music". By the next month she started posting a number of images on social media website Instagram, where she hinted at possible songwriters and collaborators with hashtag captions. Two months later, Madonna posted a selfie where she talked about working with American DJ Diplo. Madonna had invited him to her annual Oscar party, but he was unable to attend. They eventually started talking about music through texts and decided to collaborate on the album. In an interview with Idolator, Diplo explained that Madonna had asked him to provide his "craziest record" for the album. Together they wrote and recorded seven songs and Diplo added that "[Madonna] was up for anything. I love when an artist gives a producer the confidence he needs to work with them, and [she] was very open-minded to my ideas. Those records are gonna be crazy-sounding. We really pushed the envelope with some of the stuff we were doing."  One of the tracks recorded was confirmed by Diplo as titled "Bitch I'm Madonna", which he believed would push his boundaries of songwriting. Madonna explained that the phrase was new to her and was introduced by Diplo, who explained that anyone who could remain cool when faced with criticism was appropriating Madonna, hence it was not just a unique reference to the singer. The origin of the song's idea was traced back to rapper Lil B's 2010 song, "Pretty Boy Farmer", which presented the lyrics "I look like Madonna / Bitch, I'm a farmer". Diplo took this idea to Madonna and developed a song which addressed the singer's detractors, who spoke negatively about her longevity in the music industry, adding "We made this record about, 'Fuck it, bitch, we're all Madonna'". He also insisted that they recruit Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj, who had previously worked with Madonna on two songs from her "MDNA" album.  Diplo explained to "Interview" magazine that the song's composition happened while they were drinking one night in the studio. There he played Madonna a Japanese pizzicato melody and a drop, which she liked. Since Madonna preferred to start her compositions on guitar, Diplo added guitar sounds over the melody and then progressed with the writing. Another Instagram post by Madonna confirmed Minaj's involvement in the track, with the photo caption "We go hard or we go home we gon' do this all night long! #werk". Madonna commented about her method working with Minaj:  Whenever we work together she always sits with me and listens to the song, and says "tell me what this song is about to you." She's very methodical in her thinking. We talk about it, she writes down words that I say describing what the song's about and the sentiment that I'd like her to get out there, and then she goes away and she works on it. She writes it, she comes back. She does a version of it, we talk about it. It's a back and forth until she gets it right. It's a total collaboration.

Release.

On December 17, 2014, "Billboard" reported that the demo version of "Bitch I'm Madonna" had leaked onto the Internet, alongside the other twelve demo recordings for Madonna's then untitled thirteenth studio album. An aggravated Madonna clarified that the songs were demo versions from earlier recordings; she compared the leak to that of "artistic rape". She was subsequently criticized for referring to the hack as "terrorism" in the wake of the Peshawar school attack and Sydney hostage crisis. On December 20, 2014, the album became available for pre-order on iTunes Store. When ordered, six tracks including "Bitch I'm Madonna" were available for digital download. Madonna stated that the songs were meant to be "an early Christmas gift" with the final release in March 2015.  Following "Living for Love" and "Ghosttown", "Bitch I'm Madonna" was confirmed as the third single from "Rebel Heart" by Madonna on her Instagram. She also released three remixes of the song on her YouTube and Tidal accounts for streaming. The cover art of the song was also released along with the remixes; it was created from one of her images on Instagram. The majority of house remixes of "Bitch I'm Madonna" were produced by Rosabel, Sander Kleinenberg and Oscar G, who posted a message on his Facebook account about the collaboration, "When Madonna calls you, you do exactly what she asks. I am very grateful for this opportunity!" Another remix by Sick Individuals, which consist of Dutch duo Rinze "Ray" Hofstee and Joep "Jim" Smeele, was released exclusively to "Billboard". The remixes were first released on June 15, 2015, in Australia and Germany, and the next day in other nations.

Composition and remixes.

"Bitch I'm Madonna" was co-written and co-produced by Madonna and Diplo, with other writers including Sophie, MoZella, Toby Gad, Ariel Rechtshaid and Minaj. Demacio "Demo" Castellon was the audio engineer for the track and also did the audio mixing and recording. Other engineers who worked on the track included Nick Rowe and Aubrey "Big Juice" Delaine, with Zeke Mishanec helping with additional recording and Angie Teo working on additional mixing. The song was the first time that PC Music, which generally catered to underground music and artists, was working with a mainstream artist like Madonna. Sophie recalled that it was Madonna who was "calling the final shots" for recording the song and noted that there was no label representative who dictated the process. "Bitch I'm Madonna" has similarities to DJ Snake and Lil Jon's "Turn Down for What" (2013) with Madonna's vocals reminiscent of singer Miley Cyrus' autotuned rapping. The song has a tearing sound alongside the "bleepy electro" and "churning" dubstep composition. It begins with the sound of acoustic guitar reminiscent of Avicii's single "Wake Me Up" (2012), as Madonna coos in the background, "You're gonna love this", but quickly transitions into what critic Sasha Geffen calls "past stadium-filling EDM" and into "a genre that more commonly fills the headphones of kids surfing obscure music blogs late at night. It sounds a little like vaporwave". The track deviates from a traditional song structure and hook, instead featuring harsh cuts, synths and Madonna singing in a nasal tone. Minaj raps in the track, asking everybody to "go hard or go home", while Madonna shouts lyrics like, "I just wanna have fun tonight, I wanna blow up this house tonight", "alternating between pitch-shifted shrieks of 'Who do you think you are??' and the sing-songy title taunt." Regarding her profuse usage of the word "bitch" in the song (along with another song "Unapologetic Bitch" from "Rebel Heart"), Madonna defended her decision to "Billboard", saying:  I think that's bullshit. The word police can fuck off. I don't want to be policed! I'm not interested in political correctness. The word "bitch" means a lot of different things. Everything is about context. When I first moved to England and heard the word "cunt", I was horrified. People were calling each other cunts! And then I realized that, in that culture, it was different—they slapped each other on the back and said, "Who's the cunt, right, you're my best mate!" The word "fuck" doesn't just mean sexual intercourse. I mean, "You're a stupid fuck", "Are you going to fuck with me?" "Fuck off!"... Sex has nothing to do with any of those expressions, and the same goes for "bitch". If I say to you, "I'm a badass bitch", I'm owning myself, I'm saying, "I'm strong, I'm tough, and don't mess with me." If I say, "Why are you being such a bitch to me?", well, that means something else.  Since Madonna had to rush-release the first six songs from "Rebel Heart" due to the hack and leaks, Diplo clarified that the released version on the album was not his final mixing of the track; he later posted his intended cut on his SoundCloud account. Three of the house remixes of "Bitch I'm Madonna" were released as dub versions of the song, with a long drawn-out beat section and minimal vocals from Madonna, as noted by Robbie Daw from Idolator. Kleinenberg's remix had a completely different sound from the house mixes, although Daw believed all of them to be "cheap" sounding in comparison to the original. According to Sick Individuals, their remix of the song had "hard-hitting" beats and it was also an energetic version, catering to the dance floors. Fedde le Grand's remix of the song did not use any of the effects present in the album version, and was created as an electro house track with metallic sounds.

Critical reception.

The song divided music critics. Sasha Geffen from the "Chicago Reader" gave a positive review of the track, complimenting it for bringing the underground PC Music to the mainstream, adding that "between Diplo's blocky breakdowns and Sophie's slippery arpeggios, [the song i]s a provocative piece of work [...] The shift from SoundCloud to superstars was always coming—it just so happens that Madonna is the one who carried it over." Another positive review came from Neil McCormick of "The Daily Telegraph", who elaborated: "[T]he track in question fizzes with bright energy, a handclapping rave anthem powered by a fantastically wonky synth line that sounds like a vintage arcade game played on an electronic kazoo, and topped off with a snappy Nicki Minaj rap. Madonna delivers the melody like a playground nursery rhyme, chanting about bad behavior in a butter-wouldn't-melt sing-song voice."  Dan Weiss from "Spin" observed that the "most surprising thing about a song that's actually called 'Bitch, I'm Madonna' is that it doesn't have any surprises". In contrast, Andrew Unterberger of the same publication enjoyed the track, claiming that "it might not be your favorite Madonna, but it's unquestionably her, and it's far more compelling than the anonymous EDM enthusiast she played on "MDNA" (2012)". Unterberger also praised the addition of PC Music "ping-ponging oddball freneticism" and "Diplo's block-dropping beats". Caryn Ganz of "Rolling Stone" was also positive, calling it "frenetic", and praised Minaj's verse for being "pure fire", while Anna Zelaski of "The A.V. Club" appreciated the song for being "the right kind of [track]... that's mindless fun and impossible to take seriously". In the same vein, Andy Gill of "The Independent" called it "amusingly abrasive" and praised Minaj for "repris[ing] her role as Madge's rapping henchgirl".  In spite of noting that Diplo makes Madonna sound fun on the song, Gavin Haynes of "NME" commented that the song's composition "showed the gulf between [Madonna's] life and her music is now impossible to ignore". Calling it "awry", Alexis Petridis of "The Guardian" claimed that "Bitch I'm Madonna" is "a fantastic title in search of a song. In lieu of one, producer Diplo comes up with a kind of hybrid of EDM and happy hardcore and throws Nicki Minaj at her most hyperactive into the mix; the result genuinely sets your teeth on edge." Criticizing "Rebel Heart" for being "overworked", Sal Cinquemani of "Slant Magazine" found that "the duality of its title [is] muddled by the inclusion of garish party jams like the infuriatingly catchy but lyrically cringe-inducing 'Bitch I'm Madonna'". John Murphy of musicOMH remarked that the song "never quite lives up to its fantastic title, and just sounds a bit of a mess, trying to cram in Diplo-produced dance-hall rhythms, a dubstep breakdown and the seemingly now obligatory Nicki Minaj guest rap". Evan Sawdey of PopMatters opined that the song—and another "Rebel Heart" track, "Illuminati"—"absolutely reek of desperation, wanting so badly to shock and offend listeners that they fail to resolve as satisfying songs first and foremost".  In their retrospective list of 2015's "song of the summer" contenders, Pitchfork stated that "In an alternate (just) universe, 'Bitch I’m Madonna' became the hit song every summer needs, a celebration that asserts its own right to celebrate." In their year end ranking of the best songs from 2015, "Entertainment Weekly" listed "Bitch I'm Madonna" at number 27, saying "She go hard or she go home, she gon do this all night long—[Madonna]'s standout from "Rebel Heart" has everything you love about her music: hooks, humor, attitude for days". In 2018, the same magazine listed it as Madonna's 60th best single. Chuck Arnold called it "much better than "Give Me All Your Luvin'" [...] this Diplo-produced banger is campy fun that throws a fierce side eye". Similarly, while ranking the singer's singles in honor of her 60th birthday, Jude Rogers from "The Guardian" placed the track at number 67, calling it "energetic, but exhausting".

Commercial performance.

In the United States, "Bitch I'm Madonna" debuted on "Billboard"s Dance/Electronic Songs chart dated January 3, 2015, at number 14 with sales of 12,000 copies. The song started fluctuating down the chart and exited after four weeks, but following her appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in April 2015, the sales surged by 748% to 9,000 copies, making the song re-enter the chart at number 21. The song again started a downward trajectory on the chart until June 2015, when the music video was released. Sales for that week increased to 13,000 copies, enabling the song to reach a peak of number 5 on the chart, becoming Madonna's second top-ten single there following "Living for Love". The song debuted at number 26 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart and reached a peak of number-one, her record-extending 46th in total; it was also Minaj's fifth number-one. "Bitch I'm Madonna" debuted on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart week of July 4, 2015, at number 84, becoming her first entry on the chart since "Give Me All Your Luvin'" (2012). The entry was aided by a 1,454% gain in streaming activity for the track, with a total of 2.6 million US streams up to the week ending June 21, 2015. The track became Minaj's 63rd and Madonna's 57th Hot 100 entry, placing them at positions three and four on the list of women with the most entries on the chart. The following week, the song fell down by 11 places on the Hot 100, landing at number 95, which was its final appearance there.  In the United Kingdom, Alan Jones from "Music Week" reported that following the release of the music video, there was a sales surge for "Bitch I'm Madonna", which sold 1,667 copies (up from 148 copies of previous week); however, it was not able to chart within the top 200 positions of the UK Singles Chart. In France, the song debuted at number 90 on the French Singles Chart the week of December 27, 2014, following the advanced release of the album's six tracks for pre-order on iTunes. Later, it fell to number 135, before dropping off the chart. The song re-entered at number 104 when the music video was released, and fell to number 149 the following week. In Spain, the song also debuted with the advanced release, reaching number 49.

Music video.

Background and development.

Along with announcing "Bitch I'm Madonna" as the third single, Madonna also confirmed the release of a music video for the song. She teased in a post on Instagram saying that the video would have many "surprise" guests. A number of people were tagged in the Instagram post, including singers Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and Rita Ora, as well as Minaj and Diplo. Other personnel tagged included costume designer Arianne Phillips, hair stylist Andy Lecompte and fashion designer Jeremy Scott. Comparisons ensued with the recently released music video for singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's single "Bad Blood" which had featured similar guest stars. Madonna had also released images from the set previously, showing her with pink hair and in provocative clothing. Another preview came from The Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne, who had visited the set and uploaded a short video of the shooting. Filming took place on the top floors of the Standard Hotel in New York City, and was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who explained how he landed the project as follows: The team had a short time for finalizing the different aspects of the shoot, including rehearsing the whole sequence. They also had just one night to complete shooting and due to the casual nature of the song, decided to invite Madonna's close friends and family to be in it. Contrary to normal shooting schedules, the team had to work fast before the sun came up, since they were portraying a party at night. Following the choreography, every person on set had cues about their position and where their part would come in the shooting. A number of designers contributed clothing for the singer to wear, including Moschino, Discount Universe, SSUR, Chanel, Majesty Black and shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti. According to Amber Kallor from Style.com, various contemporary fashion trends appeared in the video, including candy-colored hairs, black lips, white bows and glitter eye makeup.

Release.

The video was confirmed to be released on June 16, 2015; Madonna also released a teaser of it, which showed the aftermath of a party, as the song played slowly in the background. On the release day, a poster was uploaded on Madonna's Instagram which confirmed that along with the aforementioned personnel, singer Beyoncé would also appear in it. Joe Lynch from "Billboard" compared the poster to those uploaded during the release of "Bad Blood" but nevertheless believed, "it's likely that Madge had this project in the works before becoming aware of Taylor's plans". However, the video did not arrive on June 16, instead a second teaser was released, showing Madonna twerking in jeans shorts and high heels, with multi-colored graphics. It ultimately premiered the next day on Tidal, along with a behind-the-scenes clip. It was an exclusive release to the streaming site for the first 24 hours, following which it was released on Madonna's Vevo page. The full list of guest appearances in the video included Beyoncé, Perry, Cyrus, Minaj, Ora, and Diplo along with rapper Kanye West, actor and comedian Chris Rock, designer Alexander Wang, model Jon Kortajarena and Madonna's sons Rocco and David. However, the video faced problems in Tidal with error messages and freezing in-between, resulting in the company releasing an apology on Twitter: "We apologize to all the fans excited to watch the #BitchImMadonna video, we’re working on a fix. We'll have it up and running soon."

Synopsis.

The video begins with four young girls in outfits inspired by Madonna's iconic "Like a Virgin" performance at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, who mime the opening lines of the song. Madonna is shown exercising alongside, wearing an animal print dress and a studded, pink motorcycle jacket. She finishes and comes out in a colorful hallway, drinks water, kisses a man and walks through the corridor, crossing Diplo at one point. As the chorus starts the scene cuts to four Japanese dancers making choreographed moves in a bathtub and inside a bar as Madonna joins them. Ora and Rock appears mouthing the phrase "Bitch I'm Madonna". The second verse starts with Madonna crawling along the hallway, getting entangled in balloons, meeting Diplo again and finally the camera pans away to reveal a number of sock puppets in neon glow swaying together to the song.  During the second chorus, Madonna and her dancers go from the hallway to a bar where the singer forcefully makes Kortajarena drink a beverage, dry humps a dancer and continues dancing. The guest appearances start with Cyrus pointing her middle fingers towards the camera wearing glitter around her eyes, followed by Wang, Diplo and Rocco in the bar, Beyoncé posing like Madonna's music video for "Vogue" (1990), Perry moving around to the song, and David dancing while Madonna and the others cheer him; all of them mouth the song name while they appear onscreen. As the chorus ends, a dancer brings a video screen behind them where Minaj appears rapping her part, interspersed by shots of West cheering. Madonna and her dancers continue moving through the room with falling confetti and reach a dance pole. She climbs through a set of dimly lit stairs and reaches the rooftop where the party is taking place. The song nears to an end and Madonna is shown surrounded by her dancers and some partygoers while she lies down; interspersed scenes show her twerking and dancing alone in a room wearing a cap with Hebrew word "" ("Shalom") written on it. The video ends with a far away shot of the Standard Hotel's brightly lit rooftop where the party continues.  An alternate ending was present in the behind-the-scenes video, showing an exhausted Madonna leaving the party with a male model, as well as aftermath scenes of the party which were released in the first teaser trailer. The parting shot showed Madonna running around the room and posing in front of the windows overlooking New York. Other scenes included Madonna chatting with Ora and Rock in-between takes, sitting in the hallways, plunging towards the neon sock puppets multiple times as well as singing the song with the little girls from the beginning of the video. Another video set to Kleinenberg's remix featured further footage of Madonna dancing and more casual scenes featuring the guest stars.

Reception and analysis.

Jason Lipshutz from "Billboard" wrote an article about why the video was an important release for Madonna. He felt that although the "Rebel Heart" era had received more promotion than the previous "MDNA" era, the commercial returns had been diminishing. The first two singles, "Living for Love" and "Ghosttown", failed to chart on the "Billboard" Hot 100, making it the first Madonna album without a Hot 100 single, until "Bitch I'm Madonna" debuted at number 84. The video, Lipshutz theorized, was Madonna's attempt to bring back an audience for the whole era. Joe Lynch from the same magazine called the video an "embarrassment of star power", adding that it "has everything: Miley's middle fingers, Madonna kissing a shirtless hunk, topless women in a bathtub, break-dancing, sock puppets singing, Moschino fashion and much more". Brennan Carly from "Spin" believed that the "grandeur and ambition" of the clip made it comparable to Madonna's music videos for "Hung Up" (2005) and "Living for Love".  Kevin O'Donnell from "Entertainment Weekly" said that although "[a]nytime Madonna announces a new video, it's a global event. And it's no different with ['Bitch I'm Madonna']", he called it "her most bonkers video in years". Hicks from the "San Jose Mercury News" was impressed with the video, but felt Madonna could have done it without the guest appearances. Emilee Linder from MTV News observed that the video was completely different from the one released by Swift, but described it as "action-packed" in a different way, that of portraying a party. Daniel Kreps from "Rolling Stone" declared that with the release of "Bitch I'm Madonna, "The age of blockbuster all-star music videos are upon us". Both Nolan Feeney from "Time" and August Brown from the "Los Angeles Times" noted that Madonna was able to successfully bring together her music industry peers in one video.  Christopher Rosa from VH1 criticized the fact that none of the female singers apart from Rita Ora were actually present on set during shooting of the video; their parts were filmed separately. He added that it was "pretty hilarious. Madge's clip is called, 'Bitch I'm Madonna', but why couldn't she get these youths to show the eff up?" Writing for "Life & Style" magazine, Chantal Waldholtz was disappointed with the clip, calling it "lackluster" due to the short cameo appearances. Kevin Fallon from "The Daily Beast" called the video "pathetic and sad" and questioned the inclusion of guest stars like Swift's video, ultimately describing the whole affair as "absolutely pointless. At worst, it's desperate. At best, it's just dumb... [The video] is a fascinating mix of impressive and sad, both aggressively relevant and therefore wholly irrelevant at the same time." He ended the review with one compliment about the single take in which the video was shot, comparing it to the 2014 black comedy film "Birdman".  Bernard Zuel from "The Sydney Morning Herald" spoke about the problems with the release to Tidal, saying "Apologies, embarrassment and another social media fail: is this already a new low water mark for Madonna and Tidal only weeks after it began operating?" He criticized Madonna's team for not being able to release the video smoothly, while also noting that negative feedback given to the video included "Madonna's age, sexually charged performances, [and] need to shock". Tshepo Mokoena from "The Guardian" considered the cameos as more of "slapdash than slick", appearing as "flat and glossily detached". "Time" magazine listed the music video at number 8 on their ranking of the "Top 10 Pop Music Videos of 2015", describing it as "nuts as its croaking bass drop".

Live performances.

Madonna performed "Bitch I'm Madonna" during her appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on April 9, 2015. She adorned herself in a black jacket covered with gold dollar symbols and a number of gold chains around her neck. The performance began with Madonna in the backstage where she put finishing touches to her make-up, then entered Diplo's dressing room where he was having a party surrounded by women. Madonna did a dance routine in the hallway where her son Rocco appeared mouthing the chorus. The singer and her troupe then moved into the studio area where the audience was present. Energetic dancing continued with Madonna straddling one member of the audience at one point. Still photos of Minaj were projected on video screens with Diplo DJing on a console. Madonna also climbed atop Fallon's desk and made him sing the chorus line. The performance ended with another energetic dance routine and crumping. Biance Gracie from Idolator gave a positive review to the performance, saying that "Instead of doing her usual bit of either singing 'Living for Love' or the current single 'Ghosttown', the entertainer decided to switch things up a bit—and we're so glad [she] did! Madge did a wild and super-fun version of 'Bitch I'm Madonna'." "The Hollywood Reporter" listed the performance as one of the top five shocking moments by Madonna in 2015. "Stereogum"s Caitlin White was amazed by Madonna's performance, saying that "the fact that she can dance like... this at 56 is practically a superhuman feat, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the performance." Bradley Stern also wrote a similar review for MuuMuse, describing the performance as "one of the most all-out insane television performances of the entire "Rebel Heart" era... This was no basic stage performance: Instead, Madonna brought her noisy, bratty and utterly #Unapologetic banger to life."  On the Rebel Heart Tour (2015–16), the song was the second performance on the set list, during the first segment. For the first section, inspired by the "Rebel Heart" album cover art and Joan of Arc, costume designer Arianne Phillips had created a series of costumes referencing liturgical fabrics and a contemporary exhibition of samurai armor at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. As the theatrical performance of opening number "Iconic" concluded, Madonna was joined onstage by her female dancers wearing geisha-inspired costumes. They started performing the song while holding Japanese war fans. Minaj appeared on the backdrops rapping her verses, aided by "shuddering" bass sounds. The performance of the song at the March 19–20, 2016 shows in Sydney's Allphones Arena was recorded and released in Madonna's fifth live album, "Rebel Heart Tour". On December 6, 2016, Madonna performed the song during the Carpool Karaoke segment of "The Late Late Show with James Corden".

Credits and personnel.

Personnel adapted from Madonna's official website.

Trivia.

This song is used as the opening theme for the German comedy show Die Martina Hill Show.

"Bitch I'm Madonna" is a song by American singer Madonna from her thirteenth studio album, "Rebel Heart" (2015), featuring guest vocals from rapper Nicki Minaj. The artists co-wrote the song with MoZella, Toby Gad, Ariel Rechtshaid, Diplo, and Sophie. It was released as the third single from the album by Interscope Records on June 15, 2015, along with a number of remixes commissioned. Produced by Madonna and Diplo, it is an EDM song with lyrics about Madonna having continuous fun because she is Madonna.


Life.

Li Ye was born in Wuxing, in present-day Huzhou, Zhejiang Province. As a child, she enjoyed writing poetry and was described by her father as "exceptionally clever" when she was six, after he read a poem she had written. However, he worried that she would grow up to become an "unchaste woman." Li's father was encouraging of her literary promise and believed that her talent would be wasted on marriage.  As a courtesan, Li was particularly known for her "beauty and grace," as well as her talents for poetry, music, and calligraphy. She was well known in literary circles and associated with famous poets such as Liu Changqing, Jiaoran and Lu Yu, and her writing was praised by her contemporaries. She also had a reputation for being an "unchaste" woman. Her friend Jiaoran, the renowned poet and Buddhist monk, composed a poem after she paid him a visit: "A celestial fairy came to test me, / With the intention of spreading her blossoms onto my clothes."  In her middle age, Li was recognized as a poet laureate by Emperor Daizong of Tang, who summoned her to the court after learning of her literary talent. She stayed in the palace for about a month, where she was treated lavishly by the emperor. However, she preferred her former carefree life and was allowed to return home.  In 783, rebel leader Zhu Ci captured Chang'an, the capital of China and seated himself on the throne. Li was forced to write poems denigrating the imperial house of Tang. Zhu was defeated the following year, and Emperor Dezong, Daizong's successor, returned to Chang'an. Dezong accused Li of treason for her anti-Tang poetry. She was condemned to death and executed in 784.

Legacy.

The Qing dynasty anthology "Complete Collection of Tang Poetry", together with its supplements, preserves 18 of Li Ye's poems. Her poetry was praised by the editors of the Qing-era "Complete Texts of the Four Classified Collections":Li Ye excelled at pentasyllabic "shi" poetry... If her poems were mixed with the corpus of the Ten Talented Poets of the "dali" reign period, no one would be able to tell the difference. Her style is much better than that of Xue Tao; therefore her work should not be abandoned merely because of the small number of her extant poems.  Yu Jiaxi, a modern critic, wrote about Li condemning her execution:During Zhu's revolt, not even the emperor himself could guard his empire but had to abandon his subjects and consorts. Li Ye was even more powerless, criticizing the Tang simply because she was hectored by the despotic rebels. Emperor Dezong made no allowance for the difficulty she found herself in and had her executed.

Li Ye (; died 784), also known by her courtesy name Li Jilan (李季蘭), was a Tang dynasty Chinese poet, Taoist nun, courtesan, and entertainer who was known for her talent in poetry as well as her beauty. In the tumultuous years of the late Tang, she was accused of treason for poems denigrating the imperial house of Tang that the rebel leader Zhu Ci forced her to write. She was condemned to death and executed in 784. Li is one of the few Tang-dynasty women whose poetry has survived.


Early life and family.

Sidiq Koya was born in Ba District in a prominent Mappilah Malayalam speaking Muslim family. He only went to year six in primary school and never saw the doors of a high school. Being a son of a cane farmer he worked his way up and later worked for the law firm of S. B. Patel in Lautoka. He then travelled to Tasmania to obtain his Law degree from the University of Tasmania. He and his wife Amina, had three children, daughter Shahnaaz and sons Faiyaz and Faizal and six grandchildren, Aleisha, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Zane, Akif and Farhaan who now reside in Australia, Canada and Fiji.

Community involvement.

Kisan Sangh.

In 1956, S.M. Koya went into partnership with N.S. Charmers, who was the legal advisor to the Kisan Sangh. This brought Koya closer to the Kisan Sangh hierarchy, and on 10 February 1957 he was elected the Vice-President of the organisation. In 1958 he was re-elected to the post. Although Koya had initially been accepted with open arms by the Kisan Sangh, which lacked any legally qualified person in its leadership team, differences soon arose between Koya and Ayodhya Prasad, who saw Koya as a threat to his leadership. Ayodhya Prasad managed to get Koya ousted from the Kisan Sangh but paid a heavy price for this as Koya worked against Ayodhya Prasad to have him defeated in the 1959 Legislative Council election.

Then India Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji.

Koya also made contributions to religious and cultural organisations. He served as President and Speaker of the Then India Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji, an organisation representing Muslims of South Indian origin in Fiji. Koya's family originated from Kerala, in South India.

The Federation of Cane Growers.

Koya was one of the founding members of the Federation of Cane Growers, formed in 1959 to negotiate the new cane contract with the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. He formed close ties with A.D. Patel and rose to prominence as the sugar cane dispute continued. He also involved himself with other industrial disputes in Fiji in 1959 by defending union leaders involved in strikes.

Legislative Council Elections.

The Federation Committee contested the 1963 under the banner of the Citizens Federation. Its three candidates, in the sugar cane growing areas, were A.D. Patel, James Madhavan, and Koya himself. All three Citizens Federation candidates were elected. Koya narrowly defeated James Shankar Singh of Ba by 3998 votes to 3480 votes, making him the first Muslim to be elected to the Legislative Council. Koya was responsible for drafting the constitution of the Federation Party which came into existence on 21 June 1964, making it the first political party in Fiji. He easily retained his seat at the 1966 general election and the 1968 by-election.

Political career.

Party Leader and towards Independence.

Following the death of A.D. Patel in 1969, Koya was elected the leader of the National Federation Party. He adopted a conciliatory style of leadership and soon had an agreement with the leader of the Alliance Party, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, for independence for Fiji. There were those within his party who had opposed his leadership and with the unveiling of the new constitution the opposition from within gained strength. At this time in Fiji's history, Koya, the opposition leader, was seen as being too close to the Prime Minister.

Split in the National Federation Party.

The first elections held after independence, in 1972, saw the NFP win 19 of the 52 seats in the House of Representatives. Opposition to Koya from within the party grew and by 1976 the party was divided into two groups when some members of his party expressed support for the Agricultural Landlord and Tenants Bill, which Koya and the NFP officially opposed. (Koya and his people did not oppose the changes but suggested the party abstain and thus defeat the bill, which required a 75% majority to help it to pass.) The differences were swept under the carpet for the parliamentary elections of March 1977. Koya led his National Federation Party (NFP) to a narrow victory, and would have become Prime Minister, but internal party strife resulted in the Governor General, Ratu Sir George Cakobau, calling on the defeated Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, to form a new government. As seen from Brij V Lal's book on the life of Jai Ram Reddy called "Eye of the Storm", all 26 members of the National Federation Party sent a signed memo, that is signed by each of them to the then Governor General pledging their support for Koya. The governor General was concerned that Sakeasi Butadroka, the Fijian leader who destroyed Mara's majority by splitting 25% of the Fijian votes, would fulfil his promise made 7 April 1977 at the Old Suva Town Hall in his midday speech that if an Indian was elected Prime Minister Blood would flow. He pointed to his signature red tie. The Governor General who has asked the NFP to form government then changed his mind and appointed Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara as the Prime minister. There was no internal strife as Koya and his Parliamentary Caucus spent Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday pleading to Ratu Mara to form a coalition government and to remain Prime Minister. This "strife among us" was not evident in those four days. Koya had been opposed in the election by R. D. Patel, brother of the late leader of NFP and had won by a narrow margin. A second election to resolve the impasse was held in September that year, resulting in a heavy defeat for the NFP after it had split into two factions known as the Dove and Flower factions. Koya lost his parliamentary seat to Jai Ram Reddy, who became the new leader of the NFP. It is also often rumored that Koya had been backstabbed by his own party members who formed the flower faction on the basis that they did not want a muslim as the Prime Minister. Koya's Dove faction had won only 3 seats compared to 12 won by the Flower faction.

Return to Leadership of NFP.

The NFP had re-united for the 1982 elections and Koya regained his seat in the general election held that year. After the resignation of Jai Ram Reddy, Koya returned to the leadership of the NFP in 1984. He was not far from controversy, and after being accused of favouring his own supporters, lost a crucial by-election in 1985. With the emergence of Fiji Labour Party (FLP), the NFP lost ground and he resigned from the leadership of the NFP before the 1987 election, when the NFP formed an electoral coalition with the Fiji Labour Party, under the leadership of Timoci Bavadra.

Siddiq Moidin Koya (1924–1993) was a Fijian Indian politician, Statesman and Opposition leader. He succeeded to the leadership of the mostly Indo-Fijian National Federation Party (NFP) on the death of the party's founder, A. D. Patel, in October 1969, remaining in this post until 1977. He later served a second term as leader of the NFP, from 1984 to 1987.


Career.

Conley was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 32nd round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft out of Olympia High School in Olympia, Washington. He did not sign and instead attended Washington State University. In 2011, as a junior, he went 6-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 16 starts. He was then drafted by the Florida Marlins in the second round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.  Conley made his professional debut for the Gulf Coast Marlins that year. He started the 2012 season with the Greensboro Grasshoppers and was promoted to the Jupiter Hammerheads during the season. He played the 2013 season with the Double-A Jacksonville Suns. He started 2014 in Triple-A for the New Orleans Zephyrs.  Conley made his major league debut on June 10, 2015, throwing a scoreless inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.  On April 29, 2016, Conley was pulled while pitching a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers on the road with two outs in the eighth inning. The bullpen would go on to blow the no-hitter and the shutout in the ninth inning.  On July 3, 2016, Conley started the Fort Bragg Game, the first time an MLB game was played at an active military base. He pitched the bottom half of the first six innings, allowing no runs scored, and was the winning pitcher. On August 14, 2016, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with tendonitis of his left third-finger. He finished the season 8–5 with a 3.85 ERA in innings. He struggled over the next three seasons, posting a 13–23 record with a 5.76 ERA in 214 innings.

Personal life.

Conley proposed to girlfriend Kendall Mays after a brief courtship on April 4, 2011. They were married on September 10, 2011, in Olympia, Washington. The couple has three daughters: Amelia Lynn, born on February 27, 2015, Ella Mae Katherine, born March 29, 2017, and Molly Louise, born February 3, 2019. They also are parents to an adopted nephew named Bearett John who was born June 22, 2013.

Adam Michael Conley (born May 24, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2015.


Early career.

Castle was born in Scholes, near Holmfirth, West Riding of Yorkshire. The son of a railwayman, he was a tap dancer from an early age and trained at Nora Bray's school of dance with Audrey Spencer who later ran a big dance school, and after leaving Holme Valley Grammar School (now Honley High School) he started his career as an entertainer in an amateur concert party. As a young performer in the 1950s, he lived in Cleveleys near Blackpool and appeared there at the local Queen's Theatre, turning professional in 1953 as a stooge for Jimmy Clitheroe and Jimmy James. By 1958 he was appearing at the Royal Variety Show. As a singer, he released one charting single in 1960, the Christmas song "Little White Berry".

Television and film career.

Castle guest-starred in an episode of the Morecambe and Wise ATV series "Two of a Kind", which aired on 3 August 1963. He received billing twice for his guest appearances in both halves of the show. In 1965, Castle starred with Peter Cushing in the film "Dr. Who and the Daleks", the first of two cinematic spin-offs from the popular BBC television series. He played the role of Dr. Who's first male assistant, Ian Chesterton, and was cast to perform the role more comedically than it had been played by William Russell in the original series. He also appeared in "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" as a jazz musician suffering a curse after copying voodoo tunes. He also appeared in "Carry On Up the Khyber" in 1968 and in the TV musical "Pickwick" for the BBC in 1969. In the 90s he appeared again in Pickwick, touring the country, starring alongside Sir Harry Secombe and the show was recorded again. Sir Harry had originally starred in the West End version of the show in 1963. In 1973, Castle teamed up with the actor and comedian Ronnie Barker in an original one-off called "Another Fine Mess" (an episode from a series called "Seven of One"). Barker was one of Castle's best friends, and paid tribute to their work together shortly after Castle's death.  Between 1967 and 1968 Castle co-starred with Jimmy Edwards in the London West End run of the comedy farce show "Big Bad Mouse" when Eric Sykes had to withdraw because of illness. The show was resident at the Shaftesbury Theatre and, being loosely scripted, it offered both Edwards and Castle the chance to freely ad-lib and generally break the fourth wall with the audience, Castle breaking into trumpet performances while Edwards walked into a front stall seat to read a newspaper, tap dancing and firing ping-pong balls into the stalls. He also once stood in for Bruce Forsyth hosting "The Generation Game" in 1975 while Forsyth was ill. He made many appearances on BBC TV's long running variety show "The Good Old Days", making huge use of his multi instrumental and performing skills.

"Record Breakers".

In 1972, he first presented "Record Breakers", a children's show, and he remained host for over 20 years. He recorded the theme song for the show himself. While presenting the show he broke nine world records himself, including  He was a host of the show up until a few months before his death in 1994, alongside Norris and (until his death in 1975) Ross McWhirter, Fiona Kennedy and Cheryl Baker. From then on, hosting was taken over by Baker and former athlete Kriss Akabusi. It continued for 29 years until 2001, one of Britain's longest-running shows.

Singing career.

Between 1958 and 1969, Castle recorded three LPs. One of these, "Songs For A Rainy Day" was recorded in 1966 for Columbia and was reissued in the UK on CD by EMI Gold, re-titled "Isn't This A Lovely Day" in 2005. The record features twelve songs with rain as the theme. British jazz players of the day Gordon Beck (piano), Jeff Clyne (bass), Leon Calvert (flugelhorn), Ike Isaacs (guitar), Ray Swinfield (flute) and Al Newman (saxophone) played on the record and it features jazz arrangements by Victor Graham covering a variety of styles such as big band, ("Pennies From Heaven", "Stormy Weather"), ballads ("February Brings The Rain", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Soon It's Gonna Rain") and bossa novas ("Everytime It Rains", "The Gentle Rain").  His recording career also included the spoken word. In 1978, for the Scripture Union Label, he recorded eight Bible parables, released on Side 1 of the LP 'Castle on Luke Street', (SU0806), from the 'Luke Street' books, by David Lewis. Side 2 was spoken by Kenneth Williams, Dora Bryan, Derek Nimmo, and Thora Hird, who narrated one story each.

Personal life.

Castle married dancer Fiona Dickson in 1963. They had been introduced to each other by Eric Morecambe. Both Castle and his wife were committed Christians and they regularly attended the Baptist church near their home. They had four children. Their youngest son, Ben Castle (born 1973), is a jazz saxophonist who has played with a wide range of artists, including Jamie Cullum, Carleen Anderson, Beth Rowley, Marillion and Radiohead, and performed on film soundtracks.  Castle was a football fan and supported Liverpool. Fewer than six months before his death, he attended the Liverpool-Everton derby match at Anfield on 14 March 1994 and stood on the Spion Kop terrace. He had also been in the crowd at Liverpool's FA Cup final victory over Sunderland in May 1992, shortly after he was first found to have cancer. At that time Ronnie Barker paid tribute to him, referring to their portrayal of characters that bore a strong resemblance to Laurel and Hardy in "Another Fine Mess".  On 31 December 1992, Castle was awarded the OBE. He was also a recipient of the Carl Alan Award, an honour voted for by members of the professional dance industry.

Illness and death.

Castle was diagnosed with lung cancer in March 1992, and was told that his chances of recovery were slim and that it was unlikely that he would live for more than six months. He underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy and went into remission later that year. A non-smoker, he blamed his illness on passive smoking during his years of playing the trumpet in smoky jazz clubs. On 26 November 1993, Castle announced that his illness had returned, and once again underwent treatment in the hope of overcoming it. Several months later, he carried out the high-profile "Tour of Hope" to raise funds for the erection of the building that would become the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, which is the only British charity dedicated solely to defeating lung cancer. By this stage, however, his condition was deteriorating and recovery was looking highly unlikely.  During and shortly after Castle's illness, many smoke-free restaurants and cafes were awarded the "Roy Castle Clean Air Award" to denote their adherence to a (then voluntary) smoke-free regime.  His final contribution to "Record Breakers" was aired at the end of the series ending in December 1993, although the programme continued until 2001.  He died in Buckinghamshire on 2 September 1994, two days after his 62nd birthday.  His widow Fiona worked with the charity after her husband's death, and campaigned for the British smoking ban which came into effect in Northern Ireland in 2004, Scotland in 2006 and England and Wales in 2007, banning smoking in virtually all enclosed public places.

Roy Castle (31 August 1932 – 2 September 1994) was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. In addition to being an accomplished jazz trumpet player, he could play many other instruments. Following a versatile career as a performer on stage, television and film, he became best known to British television viewers as the long-running presenter of the children's series "Record Breakers".