Early life.

Darby was born in Auckland and brought up in its Pakuranga suburb. He attended Edgewater College. A former soldier (signaller trained in morse code), he left the New Zealand Army in 1994 and began studies at the University of Canterbury. In 1996 he formed a comedy duo, Rhysently Granted, with Grant Lobban. After winning an open mic contest at Southern Blues Bar in Christchurch, they began performing at local venues.

Career.

Rhysently Granted performed at two international comedy festivals which led to Darby moving back to Auckland to seek more solo stand-up experience. After performing his first solo show at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Darby moved to the UK to pursue his career further.  In 2004 he appeared in the Flight of the Conchords BBC radio series as the band's manager Brian Nesbit alongside comedy stars such as Rob Brydon, Andy Parsons and Jimmy Carr. Darby plays Murray, the band's manager, on Flight of the Conchords TV show. He provided vocals for the track "Leggy Blonde" on their self-titled first album and also in the second series of the show on the track "Rejected" during the episode "A Good Opportunity" alongside tenor Andrew Drost.  Darby played the role of Norman, the boss of Jim Carrey's character in "Yes Man". In July 2008 he appeared in a Nike advertisement featuring Roger Federer; he played an impostor posing as Federer's coach.  He appeared on a British children's television program "The Slammer" during its first season. He also appeared in several advertisements for New Zealand mobile phone company 2degrees. He appeared on Soccer AM on 18 October 2008 and on "Never Mind The Buzzcocks" on 23 October. The DVD of his live performance "Imagine That!" has gone platinum in New Zealand.  Rhys Darby's hair colour is self-described as "Electric Copper" in the episode of "Flight of the Conchords" entitled "Murray Takes It to the Next Level". He refers to this in his stand-up show "It's Rhys Darby Night" which he performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 6–15 August 2009, The Bloomsbury Theatre in London from 27 July–1 August and toured around New Zealand with in October and November that year.  Darby played the role of Angus in the Richard Curtis film "The Boat That Rocked" released in the UK on 1 April 2009. This film was released in some countries in November 2009 under the name "Pirate Radio".  In 2009 while home in New Zealand he began filming TV ads for NZ's new mobile network 2degrees and appearing in NZ shows Rocked the Nation 2, Jaquie Brown Diaries and Intrepid Journeys. He has also branched out into producing live comedy with his wife and their company "Awesomeness International". At the NZ International Comedy Festival they produced shows for local comedians. Darby became a climate ambassador for Greenpeace in its Sign On climate campaign and published a poem on Youtube in support of the campaign.  In 2009 Darby became a part of the New Zealand TV ONE series "Intrepid Journeys", Season 5, touring Rwanda. On 10 August 2010, "Entertainment Weekly" claimed that Darby was in consideration for a role in the television series "The Office" after Steve Carell left at the end of the 2011 season, however this did not materialise.  In May 2011, he also filmed a pilot for a Channel 4 sitcom in the UK, "The Fun Police". The pilot was broadcast on 16 September. In 2011, Darby and family moved to the US for Darby to take a role in the CBS sitcom "How to Be a Gentleman". Darby's second DVD "It's Rhys Darby Night!" was released in NZ on 12 December 2011.  He wrote a self-described "autobiographical space novel" entitled "This Way to Spaceship", which was released on 12 April 2012. On 20 May 2012, Darby was awarded the Fred Award by the New Zealand International Comedy Festival for his show of the same name as his book.  In 2013 he was responsible for flying 'Cornish rappers' hedluv + passman to New Zealand for the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, this was followed by an appearance on "Seven Sharp", where he introduced 'his rappers' to the New Zealand public.  Darby summited Mt Kilimanjaro in July 2013 as part of a World Vision team of celebrities that included Olympian Mahé Drysdale and musician Boh Runga. On 8 November 2013, Darby made an appearance and performed some standup comedy in his capacity as second guest on the "Late Show with David Letterman". He portrayed Anton in the 2014 release comedy horror film "What We Do in the Shadows".  As of July 2014, Darby and his family reside in Los Angeles, California.  In February 2016, he played Guy Mann in the third episode ("Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster") of season 10 of "The X-Files". Darby, a long time fan of the show, was thrilled by his experience on set. He saw this as an opportunity that only comes around every so often and said he'd return to the set the first chance he received.

Rhys Montague Darby (born 21 March 1974) is a New Zealand actor, comedian and voice actor known for his energetic physical comedy routines, telling stories accompanied with mime and sound effects of things such as machinery and animals. He was nominated for the Billy T Award in 2001 and 2002. He also won the 2012 Fred (Dagg) award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, for best NZ show.


Football career.

Brighton & Hove Albion.

Born in Hastings, England, Hammond began his career at Brighton & Hove Albion when he was eleven years and then started in 1998 on YTS forms and started to progress at the club's development squad. Hammond made his Brighton & Hove Albion debut on 6 December 2000, in the first round of the Southern Section of Football League Trophy, in a 2–0 win over Cardiff City. This turned out to be his only appearance in the 2000–01 season.  Following this, Hammond returned to the club's reserve for the next two seasons before signing his first professional contract on 11 May 2002. Following this, Hammond was promoted to the first team at the start of the 2002–03 season. Hammond made his league debut for the club on 14 September 2002, coming on as a late substitute, in a 4–2 loss against Gillingham. Ten days later, on 24 September 2002, he scored his first Brighton & Hove Albion goal, in a 3–1 loss against Ipswich Town in the second round of League Cup. After the match, Manager Martin Hinshelwood praised Hammond's performance, including his first goal for the side. Under the new management of Steve Coppell, Hammond struggled to regain his first team place and never played again for the rest of the 2002–03 season.  In the 2003–04 season, Hammond was loaned out to lower league teams, starting with Aldershot Town during September. After making seven appearance at Aldershot Town, he returned to his parent club despite having intention of extending his loan spell at the club. Following this, Hammond was loaned out to Leyton Orient shortly after. After extending his loan spell for another month with Leyton Orient, and went on to make nine appearance for the side. At the end of the 2003–04 season, Hammond was offered a new contract.  He was given a six-month ultimatum at the start of the 2004–05 season by then manager Mark McGhee. However, Hammond suffered an injury in the pre–season friendly that saw him sidelined at the start of the 2004–05 season. After returning to the first team from injury, Hammond was given a handful of first team appearances and making a huge impression, resulting him signing a contract until the end of the next season. Despite being on the substitute bench between October and March, he became a first team regular as a midfielder for the rest of the season and then scored his first league goal for the club on 16 March 2005, in a 4–2 loss against Wigan Athletic. Hammond scored again on 16 April 2005, in a 1–1 draw against Burnley, followed up by scoring twice, in a 2–2 draw against West Ham United on 23 April 2005. At the end of the 2004–05 season, Hammond finished the season making 30 appearances and scoring 4 times in all competitions.  At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, Hammond was handed the vacant number 11 shirt at the club, and became a first-team regular, either playing on the left hand side of midfield or in his preferred natural position of central midfield. He then started the 2005–06 season well when he scored the opening game of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Derby County and then scored again a week later, in a 2–2 draw against Crewe. For his good form at the club led him to sign a contract extension, keeping him until 2008. By the end of 2005, he went on to score two more goals against Ipswich Town and Millwall. However, Hammond received two red cards this season, with both of them came as a second bookable offence. Despite suffering setbacks from injury and suspension, Hammond went on to make 41 appearances scoring four times in all competitions.  In the 2006–07 season, Hammond was handed the captain's armband at the club after injuries to both Richard Carpenter and Charlie Oatway. He started the 2006–07 season well when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Brentford on 12 August 2006. His second goal then came on 12 September 2006, in a 2–2 draw against Bournemouth. By the end of 2006, Hammond went on to score four more goals against Bradford City, Cheltenham Town (twice) and Oldham Athletic. After being sidelined with injury and suspension, Hammond became the new official club captain after Carpenter was released by Brighton at the end of January 2007. Weeks after being appointed as a new captain, Hammond scored two goals in two matches between 13 February 2007 and 17 February 2007 against Leyton Orient and Nottingham Forest. However, he suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. Hammond also scored three times in cup competitions, with two came from Football League Trophy against Boston United and MK Dons, while the other one came from FA Cup against Stafford Rangers. Hammond finished the 2006–07 season making 39 appearances and scoring 11 times, making him the top–scorer both in the league and in all competitions. For his performance, Hammond was named the club's player of the year this season.  Ahead of the 2007–08 season, Hammond returned from injury in the pre–season. At the start of the 2007–08 season, he started the season well, scoring on his 100th league appearance start on 18 August 2007, in a 2–1 win over Northampton Town. Two weeks later, on 1 September 2007, Hammond scored again, in a 3–2 win over Southend United, followed up by scoring in a 3–0 win over Millwall in the next game. Two weeks later, on 22 September 2007, Hammond scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Yeovil Town. It wasn't until on 20 November 2007 when he scored again in the FA Cup round, in a 2–1 win over Cheltenham Town. On 15 December 2007, Hammond scored his fifth league goal of the season, in a 3–0 win over Swindon Town. However, as the 2007–08 season progressed, Hammond one-year remaining on his contact at the Withdean, manager Dean Wilkins was keen to offer Hammond a new deal, with the club and representatives for the player beginning talks in October 2007. During January 2008, it was revealed that Hammond would only sign a new deal for the club if they showed the ambition of returning to the Championship. In the final months to his departure, Hammond was sent–off on his last appearance for a straight red card, just ten minutes into the game, in a 1–1 draw against Oldham Athletic. When the £300,000 capture of striker Glenn Murray from Rochdale failed to change Hammond's mind, the club placed him on the transfer list with little more than a week of the transfer window remaining.

Colchester United.

On 30 January 2008, Brighton accepted an offer of £250,000 plus add-ons for the player. Hammond completed the deal the following day, moving to Colchester United.  However, Hammond suffered a setback since moving to Colchester United, as he suffered a calf injury, delaying his Colchester United. It wasn't until on 23 February 2008 when he finally made his Colchester United debut, coming on as second-half substitute, in a 2–1 loss against Bristol City. Since making his Colchester United debut, Hammond established himself in the first team there at the club, but subsequently unable to help the club survive relegation and went on to make 13 appearances.  Ahead of the 2008–09 season, Hammond dismissed suggestions that he would leave Colchester United following their relegation and stated that he was given an opportunity to play. Nevertheless, Hammond continued to be a first team regular at Colchester United and then scored his first Colchester United goal on 25 October 2008, in a 5–0 win over Carlisle United. Following Chris Coyne's absent from the first team, Hammond was appointed captain in December for the rest of the season. Weeks after being given the captain role, Hammond scored again to give Colchester United their first ever win against Leeds United at Elland Road. It wasn't until on 17 January 2009 when he scored his third Colchester United goal, in a 3–1 win over Cheltenham Town. After missing out for one game, due to injury, Hammond scored on his return from injury, in a 2–2 draw against Huddersfield Town on 3 March 2009. Following the match, Hammond's return was praised by Manager Paul Lambert, describing him as "terrific". For the rest of the season, Hammond continued to be a first team regular, resulting him being named the club's Player of the Year and Gazette Player of the Year award. At the end of the season, Hammond finished his full season at Colchester United making 43 appearances and scoring 5 times in all competitions.  In the 2009–10 season, Hammond found himself in the transfer speculation when Colchester United accepted a bid from Southampton, having previously turned down two bids from them. Amid to the transfer move to Southampton, Hammond made three appearances in all competitions, including a 7–1 win over Norwich City in the opening game of the season. Hammond made 63 appearances during his time with The U's, scoring 5 times in all competitions before his move to St. Mary's.

Southampton.

On 19 August 2009, Hammond signed a three-year contract with Southampton for an undisclosed fee. As a result of moving to Southampton, his former club, Brighton, received a 20% of any profit as part of the clause following his move to Colchester United a year before.  Hammond made his Southampton debut on 22 August 2009, where he made his first start and played the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Brentford. Since making his Southampton debut, Hammond became a first team regular. It wasn't until on 17 October 2009 when Hammond scored his first goal against Oldham Athletic, and made the scoresheet again a week later, against Milton Keynes Dons. In November 2009, it was announced that Hammond was appointed as the new Southampton captain, succeeding goalkeeper Kelvin Davis. A week later, he scored again in the second round of the FA Cup, in a 2–1 win over Northampton Town and then scored a week later, in the league, in a 3–1 win over Walsall. However, during a 1–1 draw against Millwall on 16 January 2010, Hammond suffered an Achilles injury in the first half, resulted him being substituted and after the match, it was announced that he would be out for several weeks. After returning to the first team around mid–February, Hammond scored again, as well as, setting up one of the goals, in a 5–0 win over Huddersfield Town on 2 March 2010 and then on 1 April 2010, Hammond scored in a 2–2 draw against his former club, Brighton & Hove Albion, where he celebrated in front of the Brighton supporters by "running along the touchline cupping his hand to his ear, angering them". Although Southampton finished seventh place and having failed to reach the play–offs, having started the season with 15 points deduction, due to the club's financial problems, Hammond finished his first season at the club making 49 appearances and scoring 6 times in all competitions.  In the 2010–11 season, Hammond continued to be the club's captain and after a slow start in the first two league' matches of the season, Hammond set up one of the goals, in a 4–0 win over Bristol Rovers on 28 August 2010. It wasn't until on 13 November 2010 when Hammond scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–2 loss against Carlisle United. Two months later, on 5 February 2011, Hammond scored again, in a 4–4 thrilling draw against Peterborough United. Then on 5 March 2011, he scored the second goal with a drive from the edge of the area against former club Colchester United to complete a 2–0 away win, and one week later on 12 March 2011, he, once again, scored an important second goal against Bournemouth in a 3–1 away win. Despite suffering setbacks on three occasions from injuries during the season, Hammond eventually helped the club reach promotion to the Championship after two seasons at League One following a 3–1 win over Walsall on 7 May 2011. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Hammond finished the season making 47 appearances and scoring 4 times in all competitions.  Hammond started the season when he scored the first Southampton goal of the 2011–12 season, a 25-yard effort in a 3–1 victory over Leeds United, in their first game back in the Championship for two years. The season also saw Hammond found himself in a competition over the central midfielder position, which he described it as "take it to a new height". On 22 September 2011, Hammond then signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2014. However, in a 1–1 draw against Reading on 22 October 2011, Hammond was sent–off in the second half and served one match, which came in the League Cup game. However, as the 2011–12 season progressed, he continued to be a first team regular despite being on the substitute bench on several time, which "he has adapted well to the style Saints have adopted." On 29 April 2012, Hammond gained promotion with Southampton to the Premier League. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Hammond went on make 48 appearances scoring once in all competitions.  However, in the 2012–13 season, Hammond struggled to regained his first team place in the Premier League and even lost his captaincy to Adam Lallana. Despite this, Hammond made his only appearance of the 2012–13 season, captained in the second round of the League Cup, in a 4–1 win over Stevenage.

Brighton & Hove Albion (loan).

On 31 August 2012, Hammond re-joined his former club Brighton & Hove Albion on loan for the remainder of the 2012–13 season. Upon re–joining the club, Hammond stated his aim is to win over his fans, having previously upset them when he scored against his former club, whilst at Southampton.  Hammond re–debuted for the club on 14 September 2012, where he made his first start and played the whole game, in a 3–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. From that moment since re–debuting for the side, Hammond began to established himself in the first team at midfield position under Gus Poyet management, alongside Liam Bridcutt. It wasn't until on 28 November 2012 when he scored his first goal for the club since 2007, in a 2–0 win over Bristol City. His second goal then came on 1 January 2013, in a 2–0 win over Ipswich Town. Despite being on the substitute bench on numerous occasion, Hammond went on to make 39 appearances scoring two times in all competitions in the 2012–13 season. Following this, the club allowed him to return to his parent club after it came to an end.

Leicester City.

On 30 August 2013, Hammond joined Leicester City for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year deal. Upon joining the club, Hammond said Leicester City move would benefited him to play in the Premier League one day.  Hammond made his Leicester City debut, coming on as a late second-half substitute, in a 2–0 win over Wigan Athletic on 14 September 2013. It wasn't until on 23 November 2013 when he made his first start for the club, in a 2–0 win over Ipswich Town. Hammond scored his first goal for Leicester with a late, headed equaliser against Wigan Athletic on 1 April 2014, helping the Foxes extend their lead at the top of the Sky Bet Championship to seven points. However, since his move to Leicester City, Hammond appeared on the substitute bench, due to strong competitions from central–midfielders duo Danny Drinkwater and Matty James. Hammond played 29 times as Leicester won the Championship en route to promotion to the Premier League.  In the 2014–15 season, Hammond made his Premier League debut as a substitute for the injured Danny Drinkwater in the opening day 2–2 draw with Everton. Since making his Premier League, Hammond cemented his place with impressive performances against Chelsea, Arsenal and Stoke City. However, Hammond began to suffer a setback when he injured his calf and was out for a month. After making two more appearance in January, Hammond, again, suffered a calf injury that kept him out for another month. Although he returned in May, Hammond went on to make 12 appearance in the 2014–15 season. Subsequently, Hammond was offered a new contract by the club.  On 2 July 2015, Hammond signed a one-year contract extension until the summer of 2016. However, Hammond's first team opportunities became further limited under Claudio Ranieri following the arrival of new midfielders Gökhan Inler and N'Golo Kanté. As a result, Hammond was told by the club management to be loaned out in order to get a regular first team football. At the end of the 2015–16 season, which saw Leicester City win the English top-flight for the first time, Hammond was released by the club.

Sheffield United (loan).

On 20 October 2015, Hammond joined Sheffield United on loan until the end of January, rejoining his former manager from Southampton, Nigel Adkins.  Hammond made his debut the same day in a 3–0 victory over Fleetwood Town. It wasn't until on 24 November 2015 when he scored his first Sheffield United goal, in a 4–2 loss against Shrewsbury Town. From that moment on, Hammond became a first team regular for the rest of the season and extended his loan spell until the end of the season. Hammond then scored his second goal for the club on 30 March 2016, in a 3–1 loss against Southend United. Hammond went on to make 34 appearances scoring twice for the side. During his time there, Hammond was considered by Manager Adkins as an 'unsung hero', due to his commitment at Sheffield United.  On 20 May 2016, Hammond activated his option of a permanent contract with the club which had been inserted as part of his loan move. However, new manager Chris Wilder was seemingly less keen on the services of Hammond and instantly placed him on the transfer list. On 2 July 2016, Hammond left the club by mutual consent.  After leaving Sheffield United, Hammond went on trial at Coventry City in January 2017. However, the club decided against offering a new contract to Hammond following a trial.

Return to Leicester and retirement.

Hammond returned to former club Leicester City in the spring of 2017, featuring as an over age player in under 21 matches, whilst assisting with coaching.  Hammond featured for Leicester City in a pre season friendly match against Leamington in July 2017.  In August 2017, it was revealed that Hammond had moved back to Sussex, and has retired as a player but is keen to remain involved in football in some capacity.  As of March 2018, he was still involved with Leicester City, as 'Loans Manager' within the academy setup.

Worthing.

On 22 March 2020, it was announced that Hammond would return to football to play for Isthmian League Premier Division club Worthing in the 7th tier of English football. However, he is yet to make an appearance due to the COVID-19 pandemic halting all football across the nation.

Personal life.

Growing up, Hammond revealed that his ambition was to become a professional footballer, stating that he wanted to play as best he could, and at the highest level.  Unlike many professional footballers, Hammond does not often buy extravagant things with his wages, though he has bought a new car. During his early Brighton & Hove Albion career, Hammond lived in a four-bedroom house in Hastings. Hammond began dating his then-19-year-old girlfriend, Rachel, who studied property surveying at Oxford Brookes University. They were married and together, the couple have three children, a daughter (born in 2009), a son (born in 2012) and another son (born 2016). However, their first son was just three weeks old when he was diagnosed with meningitis.

Honours.

Southampton  Leicester City

Dean John Hammond (born 7 March 1983) is an English footballer who plays for Worthing. He previously played in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion, Leyton Orient, Colchester United, Leicester City and Southampton.


Early life and education.

Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Rankin was raised in a musical family. Along with her parents and siblings, Rankin grew up playing various musical instruments. She began performing at the age of four on the radio by singing for commercials. As a teenager she studied voice with Madame Jeanne Lorraine (a ten-year student of vocal pedagogue, Manuel Garcia), at the Birmingham Conservatory. In order to pay for her lessons with Lorraine, Rankin rented the Huntingdon College pool and spent her summers teaching the children of Montgomery to swim. Helen Traubel visited the conservatory to perform a recital in 1943. Determined to succeed in an opera career, Rankin went backstage and persuaded Traubel's accompanist, Coenraad V. Bos, to hear her sing. On Bos's advice, she moved to New York City to continue her studies with Karin Branzell. Her sister, Ruth Rankin, a soprano with similar ambitions, moved with her. An illuminating story of the Rankins is found in the biography of Jussi Bjoerling written by his wife, wherein she tells of Nell singing "O don fatale" for Maestro Bjoerling in their Montgomery home. Ten years later she knocked on his dressing room door at the Chicago Lyric to reintroduce herself as his Eboli for the evening.

Career.

Rankin made her professional recital debut at Town Hall, in a joint recital with her sister in March 1947. This was followed by her operatic debut as Amneris in a production of "Aida" at the Salmaggi Opera Company in Brooklyn, with her sister in the title role.  Rankin joined the Opernhaus Zürich in 1948, where she made her debut as Ortrud in Wagner's "Lohengrin". She stayed with the company for two years and sang 126 performances with the company during her first year alone. In 1950 she joined Theater Basel, where she performed Amneris in "Aida" and Dalila in Saint-Saëns's "Samson et Dalila". That same year she became the first American singer to win the first prize at the International Music Competition in Geneva, which raised Rankin's profile in the opera world; she soon received invitations to perform at many of the world's best opera houses.  In 1951 she debuted at the Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera, all in the role of Amneris in "Aida". That same year she recorded the role of Suzuki in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly", opposite Renata Tebaldi, for Decca Records and was a soloist in La Scala's production of Verdi's "Requiem" under Victor de Sabata, with Renata Tebaldi, Giacinto Prandelli and Nicola Rossi-Lemeni. In 1953, she made her debuts at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the San Francisco Opera, both in the title role of Bizet's "Carmen". She also gave a solo recital for Queen Elizabeth II in honor of her Coronation. Also in 1953, she gave her first solo recital in New York City at Town Hall. The "New York Times" said of her performance, "Not only is Miss Rankin's a voice of power and range, but it is as warm as the red color of the dress she wore. Her voice is beautifully trained so that it flows purely and evenly no matter how long sustained or how quickly stated."  Rankin was one of the singers honored in the Metropolitan Opera's Centennial Concert in 1983. Many veteran singers of the company were asked to sit on the stage for the second half of the performance. In a 2002 "Opera News" interview, Rankin said that the single most memorable musical event in her career took place in 1952. Her husband was in the Air Force in North Africa, and she was engaged to give a solo concert on the Mediterranean coast, in an open-air theater forty miles outside Tripoli. "Imagine", says Rankin, "Libya was still a kingdom then, and King Idris had a piano flown in from Egypt, while an American cruiser was stationed near the shore to illuminate the stage. The whole thing was unreal and unforgettable."  Although Rankin made appearances with several major companies throughout her career, she spent most of her time in New York City performing at the Metropolitan Opera between 1951 and 1976; there she sang the role of Carmen, the Princess di Bouillon in Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvreur", Madelon in Giordano's "Andrea Chénier", Santuzza in Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana", Marina in Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" (in English), Giulietta in Offenbach's "Les Contes d'Hoffmann", Herodias in Richard Strauss's "Salome", Maddalena in Verdi's "Rigoletto", Azucena in Verdi's "Il trovatore", Princess Eboli in Verdi's "Don Carlo", Ulrica in Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera", Brangäne in Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde", Gutrune in Wagner's "Götterdämmerung", Fricka in Wagner's "Die Walküre" and Ortrud in Wagner's "Lohengrin" among others. Her last performance with the company was as Laura in Ponchielli's "La Gioconda" on April 16, 1976.  Other notable performances in Rankin's career include the starring role in CBS's television production of "Carmen" in 1954 and several productions at La Scala, including the role of Cassandra in Berlioz's "Les Troyens" in 1960. She made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in 1959 as Princess Eboli in Verdi's "Don Carlo". She also appeared at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples as Adalgisa in Bellini's "Norma" in 1963. In 1971 she appeared as Carmen in the very first production made by the Lyric Opera Company of Long Island. She appeared at the Teatro Colón, Bellas Artes Opera in Mexico City, the Liceu in Barcelona and a score of other companies in Europe and North America. She was an admired recitalist and concert singer throughout her career. She was asked often asked by Sir Rudolf Bing to look soprano roles such as Elsa in "Lohengrin". "Mr. Bing, I AM as soprano, but I am a MEZZO soprano." This is advice she would also give her students.  After she retired from the Metropolitan Opera, Rankin devoted herself to teaching, first at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, from 1977 to 1984. Among her students were Tenor Richard Burke, Bass-Baritone Lucas Ernst, and Mezzo-Soprano Wanda Brister. She taught privately in New York City until she retired in 1991.

Recordings.

Rankin made few commercial recordings during her career. Although she was under contract with the Decca label, many of her recording projects fell through for various reasons, and her only Decca recording is Suzuki in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" with Renata Tebaldi in the title role. She sang in Beethoven's 9th Symphony recorded with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bruno Walter (CBS). She made a magnificent recording of Brahms songs - including the Four Serious Songs - with Coenraad V. Bos for Capitol Records (Capitol P8289.) This is doubly significant as V. Bos was the accompanist for the Serious Songs’ first performance in 1896 with the composer in attendance. Also on Capitol she appears in Vaughan Williams’ “Five Tudor Portraits” (P8218.) A number of notable live recordings have become available on CD. Among them is a 1951 recording of Rankin's Amneris in "Aida" that was conducted by Herbert von Karajan for radio broadcast in Vienna, a recording of Verdi's "Requiem" at La Scala from that same year, and the 1960 La Scala production of Berlioz's "Les Troyens".  A famous "pirated" recording of hers is a 1958 performance of "Aïda" in Mexico City, with Rankin as Amneris and fellow singers Anita Cerquetti, Flaviano Labò, Cornell MacNeil, Fernando Corena and Norman Treigle. Rankin was among the singers honored at the Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala in 1983.

Personal life.

In 1952 Rankin married Dr. Hugh Clark Davidson, a physician. They were married for fifty-three years until her death of polycythemia vera, a bone marrow disease in 2005, aged 81. She died at Cabrini Medical Center in New York City. The Davidsons had no children; this was a source of sorrow to them, and they became ̈aunt ̈ and ̈uncle ̈ to some of the children of Miss Rankin ́s friends. Miss Rankin loved exotic animals and at one time owned a myna bird named Pharaoh and a jaguar named King Tut with which she was photographed as Amneris. Her myna birds loved music too, and sometimes learned her arias as she practiced them at the piano. She would then accompany them, singing a third lower for harmony.

Nell Rankin (January 3, 1924 – January 13, 2005) was an American operatic mezzo-soprano. Though a successful opera singer internationally, she spent most of her career at the Metropolitan Opera, where she worked from 1951 to 1976. She was particularly admired for her portrayals of Amneris in Verdi's "Aida" and the title role in Bizet's "Carmen". "Opera News" said, "Her full, generous tone and bold phrasing, especially in the Italian repertory, were unique among American mezzos of her generation.


Site.

48 Wall Street is located at the northeast corner of Wall and William Streets, facing Wall Street to the south and William Street to the west. The building has a frontage of on Wall Street and on William Street. The lot is largely rectangular with small variations. 55 Wall Street is across Wall Street immediately to the south; 40 Wall Street is across William Street to the west; and 52 William Street and 60 Wall Street share the block directly to the north and east, respectively.  The site slopes downward to the south, with the Wall Street side being slightly lower than the northern portion of the lot. As such, the Wall Street side is at the same elevation as the lobby on the 1st floor (which was designed like a basement), while the banking room on the second floor is slightly higher than William Street. This positioning probably reflected bank architect Alfred Hopkins's advice that a bank on a slope allowed "a better view of the bank's interior" and that a partially-above-ground basement provided better ventilation for the departments housed there. Immediately outside the building's southeastern corner is the entrance for the Wall Street station on the New York City Subway's Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line (served by the ).

Design.

48 Wall Street is a skyscraper designed in the neo-Georgian style, with adaptations from the Colonial Revival style. In the 1920s, at the time of 48 Wall Street's construction, new bank buildings in New York City were typically one of two types: small buildings used solely for banking and large bank-and-office buildings that incorporated banks at their bases. Though there were roughly equal numbers of both types of building, large bank-and-office buildings were typically erected on plots with high land values, such as in the Financial District. Though many contemporary bank buildings still used the Greek Revival and Renaissance Revival styles, which were popular before World War I, other buildings like 48 Wall Street tried out new styles, such as neo-Romanesque and neo-Georgian styles.

Form.

At the time of 48 Wall Street's construction, the 1916 Zoning Resolution necessitated the inclusion of setbacks on buildings in New York City that were above a certain height. As such, setbacks were added above the 14th, 20th, 25th, 26th, 30th, and 32nd floors. The eastern elevation of the building, which faces 60 Wall Street, is recessed above the 14th story, while the northern elevation facing 52 William Street is recessed above the 20th story. The eastern portion of the southern elevation (facing Wall Street) has setbacks on the 14th, 19th, 26th, 29th, and 32nd floors, and the northern portion of the western elevation (facing William Street) has a setback above the 28th story.

Facade.

The facade is arranged so that the lowest stories are clad with granite and the upper stories are faced with limestone. A large-scale program of ornamentation was used on the facade, inspired by formal Georgian models. Due to the narrow street grid of the Financial District, the surrounding skyscrapers obstruct the view of the building from many angles; as a result, most of the ornamentation is at the base, where the banking room is. All ornamentation and windows are on the western and southern elevations. The eastern and northern elevations are completely windowless with stucco walls.  The section of 48 Wall Street below the first setback is 14 stories tall: this is divided into a three-story base, a nine-story midsection, and two upper stories. The base is three stories tall with rusticated granite blocks, though the rustication on the 1st story is deeper than on the 2nd and 3rd stories. The main banking entrance to 48 Wall Street is at the center of the Wall Street facade, while the main entrance to the office stories is located on the eastern section of that same facade. Both Wall Street entrances have a protruding entryway surround, which is topped by a pediment: the banking entrance has a segmental-arch broken pediment capped by a lantern with glass globe, and the office entrance is simpler with two panels reading and. Another elaborate entrance with a neo-Georgian surround is located on the northern end of the William Street facade (with the address 46 William Street), while a simple service entrance is located next to it. Another simple entrance to the 1st-floor retail area is at the southern end of the William Street facade. The base also incorporates two cornerstones from the previous buildings on the site, both dating from 1797: one from the Bank of New York's structure 48 Wall Street, and the other from the United States Branch Bank Building's structure at 52 Wall Street.  The 1st and 2nd stories contain five vertical bays on Wall Street and eight on William Street, each of which contain one window. The windows illuminating the double-height 2nd-floor banking room are large arched windows, except the outermost windows on each side, which are smaller rectangular windows beneath decorative metal grilles. Above the 2nd-floor windows are ornamented keystones. The 3rd story is arranged with 10 bays on Wall Street, arranged in groupings of 2, 6, and 2, as well as with 14 bays on William Street, arranged in groupings of 1, 4, 4, 4 and 1. Above the 3rd floor is an elaborate cornice. The inscribed letters are located below the cornice on Wall Street. There are flagpoles above two of the arched 2nd-story windows on the Wall Street side, and another flagpole above the center of the 3rd story on the same facade.  The mid-section of the building includes eleven stories between the 4th and 14th floors, which are divided into bays separated by piers. The 4th and 14th floors are arranged as "transitional stories" that contain courses atop and below the facades of both stories. The 3rd through 14th stories are each arranged with 10 bays on Wall Street, in a 2-6-2 pattern, and 14 bays on William Street, in a 1-4-4-4-1 pattern. The outermost groupings of bays on each facade are distinguished by a pattern of textured and smooth blocks beside each bay. Above the 14th story is a decorative frieze.  The first setback is at the 14th story, but a four-bay-wide dormer projects from the southern elevation at the 15th story. On the western elevation, the center four bays are recessed and rise uninterrupted until the setback on the 26th story. There is little decoration, except for vertical bands and recessed panels that provide accenting, as well as other symbols such as wreaths and roundels. Some of the balustrades above each setback are also decorated with urns and anthemia. The main section of the Wall Street facade narrows significantly: the section between the 15th and 20th floors is eight bays wide; between the 21st and 25th floors is five bays wide; and between the 26th and 30th stories is three bays wide.

Roof.

The section above the 30th story forms a lantern-like cupola with four layers. The lowest layer is composed of the 31st and 32nd stories: the former has rectangular windows and the latter has square windows. Both stories measure three by three bays wide, with round-arched, gabled wings to the south and north. The second layer is a windowless octagonal section with niches cut into each corner. The third layer is cruciform-shaped, with rectangular openings on each of four sides flanked by a pair of columns, forming a colonnade. The top layer is a windowless square mass, topped by a pyramidal roof. The lantern is designed in the Federal style.  The pyramidal roof is capped by a representation of an eagle on a globe, which represented New York state. The eagle is located above the ground, and is gilded. The eagle was restored in 2008.

Interior.

The office stories' lobby is from the eastern entrance on Wall Street, and is composed of an inner vestibule and elevator lobby. The walls and floors are composed of gray marble, while the ceiling is made of plaster, with glass-and-bronze lamps attached to the top. A stair with a bronze railing is located on the eastern side of the lobby. There is a letterbox on the south wall of the inner vestibule. The elevator lobby contains no elevators along the west wall, all of which have decorated bronze doors. These are separated into 'local' elevators serving lower floors and 'express' elevators running nonstop to upper floors.  The banking lobby, accessed from the central entrance on Wall Street, also has a small entrance vestibule with marble walls and floors, located between the entrance and main lobby. The entrance vestibule features a stone roundel with the New York Life Insurance & Trust Company's inscription, as well as a bronze plaque with the Bank of New York's seal. Inside, doors lead to the main lobby, which is composed of two circular stairs flanking a marble compass on the floor.  The banking room takes up almost the entire 2nd story, and is divided into three sections. These are the north side of the room, taking up much of the space; a raised area on the south, near the balustrade; and a narrow western section behind an arcade. The space has a black-and-white marble floor; plaster walls with marble wainscoting; and an ornamented ceiling with acoustical tiles and large chandeliers. Inside the banking room are eight arched panels that are decorated with murals: five on the north wall and three on the east wall. The north-wall panels depict scenes from the 18th century and the east-wall panels depict scenes from the 19th century. These murals were painted by James Monroe Hewlett. Also on the east wall of the banking room are screens leading to the elevator lobby. On the southeast corner is a private office, which includes a marble fireplace mantel and wooden decorations.  The 3rd floor has the bank's original executive office. There was also a board room designed in the Colonial Revival style, which contained Doric columns, round-arched doors, wainscoting, and a fireplace, and formerly a Ernest Peixotto painting of the bank's founders. The board room is likely an imitation of that at the bank's first headquarters, the Walton family mansion. The other office spaces were unfurnished and were rented out to commercial tenants.

History.

Previous buildings.

The Bank of New York was founded in 1784. Its first offices were in the old Walton family mansion on Pearl Street, in the current Financial District, but the bank moved to a site on Hanover Square in 1787. Nine years later, the bank's board was looking for "better facilities and a more desirable location", and voted to move to the corner of Wall and William Streets at a cost of 10,000 New York pounds. The new structure was constructed "with the necessary vaults for the business of the bank", and it opened on April 23, 1798. Several years later, were trimmed off the William Street side of the building when that street was widened, and the bank received compensation of $35,000 ().  In subsequent years, other banks began moving to residential buildings on Wall Street, and by the 1820, financial institutions made up the vast majority of tenants. In the mid-19th century, many Wall Street banks destroyed their former structures to erect new Greek Revival and Italianate buildings. Among these were the Bank of New York, which in 1856 approved a plan for a four-story structure to plans by Vaux and Withers. The structure was completed in 1858. The brownstone and brick building measured on William Street and on Wall Street. The interior banking room, with a ceiling high, was located at the building's rear (north) end on the 1st and 2nd stories. Two additional stories were built in 1880, including a mansard roof on the top story.

Planning and construction.

By the beginning of the 20th century, banks on Wall Street were building larger structures. The Bank of New York considered buying land to build a third structure at 48 Wall Street in the first decade of the century, but these plans were dropped in 1909 as uneconomical. The plans were reconsidered in the 1910s. In 1912, the New York Life Insurance and Trust Company put for sale the neighboring 50 Wall Street, though the company retained the other neighboring property at 52 Wall Street. The new Bank of New York building was again postponed due to the construction of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue subway line in the 1910s, which raised concerns that the new structure's foundations might be damaged, and then the onset of World War I, when funding was scarce.  The New York Life Insurance and Trust Company and the Bank of New York merged in 1922, and the combined company took the properties at 48 and 52 Wall Street. The bank remodeled 52 Wall Street in 1923 and 1924, but the bank still needed space to expand. In 1926, the Bank of New York and Trust Company and the National City Bank, which owned 50 Wall Street, agreed to exchange ownership of 50 and 52 Wall Street. As a result, the Bank of New York and Trust Company had an L-shaped lot measuring on Wall Street and on William Street. The Bank of New York and Trust Company kept of the 52 Wall Street plot, while the National City Bank commissioned its own skyscraper for the remaining portion of the 52 Wall Street site. The land-swapping agreement was confirmed in May 1927.  Benjamin Wistar Morris prepared plans for a 32-story building on the combined plot. He initially projected in April 1927 that the building would cost $5 million () if the facades were built entirely in limestone, but including interior furnishings raised the projection by $340,000 in July. The trustees rejected a plan to replace part of the facade with a cheaper material. The Bank of New York and Trust Company wished to continue working at the site of the new skyscraper. Ultimately, the bank decided to rent space at nearby 76 William Street for two years because it would have been impractical to maintain their current quarters while the foundations were being excavated. To fund the building, which was expected to cost $7 million (equal to $ million in ), the bank prepared a 50% stock dividend, to be funded by increasing its total capital from $4 million to $6 million.  The building's cornerstone was laid on January 12, 1928, the 171st birthday of the bank's founder, Alexander Hamilton. Though the lowest seven floors were to be used by the Bank of New York, the remaining floors were available for use by other tenants. By that March, the building was 50% leased. In September 1928, bank officials hosted a ceremony where stones from the two previous buildings on the site were inserted into the new skyscraper. The same month, the golden eagle was placed atop the building's roof. The new building opened on January 12, 1929, Hamilton's 172nd birthday.

Bank of New York use.

At the time of the building's opening, all 32 stories were leased. The Bank of New York used the 1st through 3rd stories for official banking activity, with a banking room, a trust department, and safe deposit boxes. The 4th through 7th stories were used for the bank's offices. Tenants in the upper floors included brokerage and banking tenants such as J. Henry Schroder & Co., which took two floors; E. Naumberg on the 15th floor; Hitt, Farwell & Company on the 25th floor; Eldredge & Company on the 26th floor; and Wood Gundy on the 27th floor. The building also housed Sullivan & Cromwell, a law firm that took four floors.  Most of 48 Wall Street's tenants remained through the Great Depression. Business at the Bank of New York thrived in the Depression, and in August 1946, the bank bought the adjacent 52-54 William Street building to the north, giving both the bank and its tenants additional space for expansion. Connections between 48 Wall Street and 52 William Street were subsequently built at several levels in the 1940s. Connections to the National City Corporation's 52 Wall Street building to the east were also erected during the 1950s. The rest of the blockfront on Wall Street, between 54 and 68 Wall Street, was demolished in the early 1970s by their owner, Cities Service, which had been headquartered at nearby 70 Pine Street but moved to Oklahoma in 1974.  By 1979, the American International Group and the Bank of New York were considering building a new skyscraper at 60 Wall Street. This building would have replaced 48 and 52 Wall Street. The vacant land on the rest of the block remained undeveloped for several years, and the bank cancelled the plans after elected officials' protests led the city's Industrial Commercial Incentive Board to refuse the company's request for a $22 million tax abatement in February 1982. By September 1982, the lots were up for sale, and in September 1983, the bank sold the vacant lots and 52 Wall Street to developer Park Tower Realty Company. The connections between 48 and 52 Wall Street were severed, and the new building at 60 Wall Street was completed in 1989. With the Bank of New York's acquisition of the Irving Trust in December 1988, the company's headquarters moved to nearby 1 Wall Street, the Irving Trust company headquarters. However, the Bank of New York retained ownership of 48 Wall Street, as well as some offices there.

Sale and later use.

In the late 1990s, the bank put 48 Wall Street for sale, hosting a two-stage auction in which more than 20 parties bid. A joint venture between the Corsair Group and Swig Burris Equities won the auction, buying the building for $37.5 million. The joint venture planned to convert the upper floors to 277 rental apartments and keep the lower floors as commercial stores. The structure would be renamed the Residences at 48 Wall Street, with 169 furnished apartments on the fifth through 17th floors and unfurnished units above. Most of the units would have been one- or two-bedroom units, though some would have been studios. At the time, building prices in Lower Manhattan were increasing rapidly; the nearby Broad Exchange Building had been sold in 1995 for, but the joint venture had bought 48 Wall Street for. When the Bank of New York finally moved out of the space in September 1998, it had occupied the site for 201 years.  The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building's exterior as a landmark in October 1998. The building's residential renovation was set to cost $85 million and include renovated elevators, windows with insulated glazing, fiber-optic cables, and a restored lobby. The Corsair/Swig Burris joint venture dropped their plans for apartment conversions in February 2000, after interior demolition was well underway. The joint venture cited the growing demand for commercial and office space, since these types of tenants were willing to pay more per square foot. The building reopened in August 2001, at which point it was 65% occupied. Among the new tenants were the Rockefeller Group Business Center. 48 Wall Street was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The eagle at the top of the building was restored in a 2008 project.  The Museum of American Finance announced in 2005 that it would move from 26 Broadway to 48 Wall Street. Two years later, 48 Wall Street's former banking hall was modified to house the museum. However, the museum terminated its lease at 48 Wall Street in December 2018. Subsequently, the former bank housed Will & Wall, a multi-purpose event venue.

Critical reception.

Upon 48 Wall Street's opening, it was described by the Bank of New York and Trust Company's president, Edwin Merrill, as "visual evidence of the bank's intention to keep abreast of the times". The "Real Estate Record" wrote in 1927 that, in the architecture of 48 Wall Street, the bank "is endeavoring to perpetuate the dignity and feeling" of 18th-century New York City. "Bankers Magazine" stated in 1929 that "the colonial feeling has been fittingly observed in the treatment of both interior and exterior", and lauded the murals' "soft colors", which were described as having "an air of quiet". In a 1987 book, architect Robert A. M. Stern described the structure's massing as being simple and "mellifluous".

48 Wall Street, formerly the Bank of New York & Trust Company Building, is a 32-story, skyscraper on the corner of Wall Street and William Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Built in 1927–1929 in the Neo-Georgian and Colonial Revival styles, it was designed by Benjamin Wistar Morris.


Personal life.

She was born to D.C. Superior Court judge Carlisle Edward Pratt and Mildred "Peggy" (Petticord) Pratt. Three years later, a sister, Benaree, was born. After she lost her mother to breast cancer at an early age, her grandmother, Hazel Pratt, and aunt, Aimee Elizabeth Pratt, helped raise the girls.  Pratt attended D.C. Public Schools Gage ES, Rudolph ES, MacFarland Junior High School, and Roosevelt HS (1961, with honors). She excelled at baseball but deemphasized that in adolescence. At Howard University she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority (1964), and earned a B.A. in political science (1965). She received J.D. degree from the Howard University School of Law in 1968. She met and dated her future husband there.  She married Arrington Dixon in 1966 and has two daughters, Aimee and Drew, born in 1968 and 1970. They divorced after sixteen years. Former Def Jam A&R executive Drew Dixon is her daughter.

Career.

Initially her political energies were drawn to national rather than local politics. She was a member of the Democratic National Committee from the District of Columbia (1977–1990), the first female to hold that position. She was DNC Treasurer (1985–1989).  At the 1980 Democratic National Convention, she was a member of the Ad Hoc Credentials Committee, member of the Judicial Council, and co-chairman of the Rules Committee.  In 1983, she was made Vice President of Community Relations at Pepco, the D.C. electric utility. She became the first woman and first African American to serve in that role. The same year, she won the Presidential Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

1990 mayoral election.

Upset with the decline of her hometown, Pratt announced at the 1988 Democratic National Convention that she would challenge incumbent mayor Marion Barry in the 1990 election. Pratt was the only candidate to have officially announced her plans to run for mayor when Barry was arrested on drug charges and dropped out of the race in early 1990. Shortly thereafter, the race was joined by longtime councilmembers John Ray, Charlene Drew Jarvis and David Clarke. Pratt criticized her three main opponents, referring to them as the "three blind mice" who "saw nothing, said nothing and did nothing as the city rapidly decayed." She was the only candidate who called on Barry to resign from office, and ran specifically as an outsider to his political machine.  Following a series of televised debates during the last few weeks of the campaign, Pratt received the endorsement of the "Washington Post." The day the endorsement appeared, her poll numbers skyrocketed, with many political observers attributing the rise specifically to the "Post"'s backing. On the eve of the election, polls showed Councilmember John Ray holding the lead, but Pratt gaining ground fast and a large margin of undecided voters remaining. However, even with the smallest campaign staff and least money, Pratt won the election, defeating second-place Ray by 10%. As Washington is a heavily Democratic city, her victory over Republican former police chief Maurice T. Turner, Jr., in the November 6 general election was a foregone conclusion. She was sworn in as mayor of Washington on January 2, 1991.

Mayor of the District of Columbia.

Once in office, Pratt's grassroots, reform posture met resistance. She made good on her promises to clean house, requesting the resignations of all Barry appointees the day after her election; however, as she began to slash the city employment payroll, her political support began to weaken. She angered labor leaders who claimed she had promised not to fire union employees, and began mandating unpaid furloughs and wage freezes citywide. After removing Barry's political cronies from her administration, she suffered from high staff turnover: three city administrators, two chiefs of staff, three deputy mayors for economic development, and two Department of Finance chiefs had passed through her cabinet by the end of her term.  Kelly was at odds with several D.C. Council members with her proposal to temporarily move the city government to the building at One Judiciary Square, ten blocks away from Washington's incumbent city hall, the District Building, while the latter underwent renovations. When Kelly moved her office and administration departments to One Judiciary Square in 1992, the Council refused to leave the District Building, although they had approved the proposal that spring. In February 1993, after accusing Kelly of deliberately neglecting maintenance in order to force them out, they voted to take full and exclusive control of the District Building.  According to the "Washington City Paper", Kelly "was never able to get control of a city government still loyal to Barry, and she often mistrusted the advice she got from aides." In the spring of 1992, just over a year into her term, Barry loyalists mounted a recall campaign, which, although unsuccessful, weakened her administration and forced Kelly to tread more carefully with the public, backing away from her reform efforts.  Kelly faced some racial opposition because she is a light-skinned black, often cited as a hallmark of elite African Americans in the District, thus distancing her from poor and working-class blacks in the city.

Statehood.

Kelly's drive to achieve D.C. statehood in order to improve the District's financial and political standing created fierce opposition from Republican members of Congress, who unleashed a barrage of attacks on the District as a "national disgrace" of "one-party rule...massive dependency, hellish crime...and unrelenting scandal." The attacks brought unwelcome negative press to DC, and the ultimate failure in the House of Representatives of DC statehood legislation weakened her political capital. She lost standing with the DC Council when she supported Council member Linda Cropp to serve as acting Chair after the suicide of John A. Wilson in May 1993; instead, the Council chose John L. Ray.

Redskins stadium.

Kelly was blamed for the Washington Redskins moving out of the city. Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke attempted to pressure the city to build a new stadium to replace aging RFK Stadium, with the threat of moving the team to nearby Alexandria, Virginia. After negotiations stalled and Cooke was publicly courted by Virginia's governor, Kelly denounced Cooke vocally, saying that "I will not allow our good community to be steamrolled by a billionaire bully." She announced that she had offered as much as she was willing to offer the Redskins and would go no further. Although an agreement was ultimately reached, in 1993 Cooke withdrew from negotiations and moved the team to what is now FedExField in Landover, Maryland.

City finances and re-election campaign.

Kelly began her term having extremely good relations with Congress, including successfully lobbying them to increase federal aid for D.C. by $100 million and to authorize the sale of $300 million in deficit reduction bonds. As fiscal year 1994 began for DC government (in October 1993), DC faced a $500 million budget deficit, with financial experts predicting that the city's debt would reach $1 billion by 1999. Later, in early 1994 Kelly admitted that the District could not pay its bills, Congress commissioned a federal audit of the city finances by the GAO.  In February 1994, in the face of a ballooning deficit, Kelly faced heavy criticism when the "Washington Post" reported that she regularly spent taxpayer funds on makeup for cable television appearances. Kelly was reported to have set aside $14,000 of city money to pay her makeup artist. In the weeks following, Kelly came under fire for other inappropriate uses of city funds, including the addition of bulletproof glass and a marble fireplace in her office and a series of 1993 televised town hall meetings that she had promised would be paid for with private financing.  The GAO's report on DC finances was published on June 22, 1994, and estimated that the city would run out of money in two years and "may be forced to borrow from the U.S. Treasury by fiscal year 1995." The report specifically singled out Kelly's administration for gross mismanagement of city funds and agencies, and accused her of concealing the city's perilous fiscal condition from Congress for two years, "using gimmicks and violating the federal anti-deficiency act, which prohibits over-spending of a federally approved budget." The report, coupled with Congress' subsequent assertion of power over DC's budget (including deep cuts and new requirements for mayoral compliance), provided political ammunition for her challengers and effectively destroyed Kelly's reelection campaign.  The "Washington Post", which had endorsed Kelly in 1990, instead in 1994 endorsed Councilman John Ray. In its endorsement, the "Post" reflected that Kelly "has not been a coalition builder, which a mayor - and perhaps particularly the mayor of a city under enormous financial and social stress - needs to be...the most aggressive members of the city council, those most sympathetic to her cost-cutting message, are not with her. Nor are key elements in the business community. She has lost them and with them, we believe, her chance to enact the measures she has stood for."  In the Democratic primary that September, Kelly finished a distant third, with only about 13% of the vote. Barry won the primary and would go on to win the general election in November against an unusually strong Republican opponent, Carol Schwartz.

Post-mayoral activities.

Consulting.

In 2003, Pratt was awarded a $235,000 contract from the District of Columbia's Department of Health to be the city's main contact with federal homeland security agencies. The contract also calls for her to investigate improved communications and technology to protect the district from bioterrorism. Pratt was required to meet with senior federal officials and write a report on potential opportunities, especially resource-sharing agreements. She was also required to look for additional funding sources. Pratt's firm, Pratt Consulting, does management consulting and works with federal, state, and local agencies and non-profit groups.

Sharon Pratt (born January 30, 1944), formerly Sharon Pratt Dixon and Sharon Pratt Kelly, is an American attorney and politician who served as the third mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995. Pratt was the first African American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city.


Club career.

Capable of playing both sides of the scrum, Doran-Jones' career started at Lansdowne in Dublin whilst he was at university in the city.  He had a spell with King Country in New Zealand and four seasons with Leinster from 2003 to 2007. He then joined London Welsh, representing them during the 2007–08 season and 2008–09 season. He was also a part of the London Wasps side in their Guinness A League triumph in 2008.  Doran-Jones joined Gloucester Rugby for the 2009–10 season. But, after two seasons at the club it was announced that he will join Northampton Saints at the end of the 2010–11 season.  On 29 January 2013, he left Northampton Saints to join Harlequins on a two-year contract from the 2013-14 season.  On 28 January 2015, it was announced that Doran Jones would rejoin Gloucester Rugby for the 2015-16 season. On 19 June 2017, Doran-Jones announced his return to Premiership rivals Wasps from the 2017-18 season.

International career.

Doran Jones had represented England at U18 level, and represented the Ireland U19 team at the 2004 Junior World Cup in South Africa. He later represented Ireland U21s at the 2006 IRB U21 World Championship. He qualified to represent Ireland through his mother.  On 9 November 2009, Doran-Jones was called up to the England Squad for the Autumn Internationals following injury to Dave Wilson. He made his England debut on 14 November 2009 at Twickenham against Argentina as a substitute for Tim Payne.

Personal life.

Doran-Jones was educated at Wellington College. He was suspended from Wellington College for producing a non-consensual film showing him having sex with his then girlfriend in school accommodation using a hidden camera. No police charges were brought against Doran-Jones. Fellow pupil and future England rugby teammate James Haskell was also suspended by the school for his involvement in the film’s distribution. https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/sex-film-boys-england-rugby-4232375

Paul Doran-Jones (born 2 May 1985) is an English retired rugby union player. He most recently played in the English Premiership for Wasps. He played as a prop.


Location.

Rushden lies on the A6 midway between Bedford and Kettering. The southern limits of the town border on the county of Bedfordshire, and to its north lies the River Nene (locally pronounced Nen) which flows into The Wash. Rushden lies in a small valley, with a stream or brook known as Sidney Brook flowing through the centre of the town. During the late 1960s and 70s this stream was culverted to prevent flash flooding. From whichever way Rushden is approached, the streets and roads can be seen stretching out in the valley, with the spire of St Mary's church prominent above its rooftops.

Governance.

Peter Bone MP is the local MP representing Wellingborough. As a result of recent electoral changes, Rushden has been divided into five wards for both District and Town Council purposes. With the following re-classifications: Rushden Spencer (formerly North), Rushden Hayden (formerly East), Rushden Bates (formerly South), Rushden Sartoris (formerly South) and Rushden Pemberton (formerly West).

History.

Rushden's growth has resulted from a number of industries, including lacemaking and farming, and especially shoemaking and associated trades. In the mid-1900s there were well over 100 boot and shoe factories in Rushden but today there are only four shoemaking companies left in Rushden. One of the most renowned is Sanders and Sanders, which makes boots for the British Army and several other defence departments throughout the world. Some of the redundant factories have been converted into flats, and MPs support for government help has been limited. Today, as with many towns in England, industry in the town is varied, and mostly situated in an out-of-town industrial estate. As with the industry, town centre shopping in Rushden has changed considerably although there are still many shops. Rushden has the oldest toy shop in the county. In 1893 a short branch line railway opened linking Rushden and Higham Ferrers with the Midland Main Line. The line was closed in 1959 and dismantled. In 1991 the trackbed was converted into a pocket park. The former Rushden railway station is now owned by the Rushden Historical Transport Society, which operates a museum and real ale bar. The society often holds special events, including an annual 3-day transport cavalcade. The society aims to rebuild the branch line from Higham Ferrers to Wellingborough.  There is also a privately owned museum in Rushden which is situated in the town's Hall Park. It is open between the months of May and October.  Rushden Hall is the oldest domestic building in the town, once owned by many families throughout the years including the Sartoris family and the Pembertons family. The hall now functions as the head office of the town council and some rooms are available for hiring. It lies in of land which now is a public park (Hall Park).  The 1970s ITV Police Drama series "Hunters Walk" was filmed on location in Rushden and the surrounding villages.

Modern times.

In late 2010, Rushden began to undergo a regeneration project, with the aim to making the town centre a more spacious and attractive place to shop. Rushden Splash Pool on Station Road and the Pemberton Centre, slightly out of town were planned to move to a new site to make room for in the town centre from the move of Splash and a knock on move of Alfred Street School to the Site of the Pemberton Centre. Plans were drawn up for a move to Manor Park, an open space out of town to the south side of Rushden. This however was put on hold in 2010 due widespread local opposition and the economic downturn.  In early 2011, improvements to the High Street began with regeneration on the ‘southern gateway’ and a creation of a 'town square' in the middle of the High Street.  Also a greenway cycle and foot path was created joining existing footpaths with a new one along the old railway line through the town. This linked Ferrers School to Rushden town centre and then out of Rushden to Crown Park, a small out of town retail/business park with a DIY store and Waitrose Supermarket.

Retail.

Rushden has many supermarkets and convenience stores. Once Rushden was home to one of the five Safeway megastores in the country until they were bought by Wm Morrison; the store was then bought by Waitrose and turned into one of its five Food and Home stores which included a selection of home products from John Lewis. In 2006, Asda announced they would build a new £40m superstore near the town centre. The store opened in the autumn of 2006 and is now one of the biggest supermarkets in the town. In May 2007 Budgens announced it would be closing its store in the town because of the loss of trade to the new Asda store the former Budgens site is now a Wilko store. Asda added a new petrol filling station with a kiosk shop to the site in the autumn of 2016.

Rushden Lakes.

A new £140 million out of town leisure and shopping centre known as Rushden Lakes Shopping Centre opened in July 2017. The development is situated near Waitrose just off the A45, on the site of the former Skew Bridge dry ski slope, also referred to as Rushden Lakes, which had been derelict for some years.  The land was purchased by LXB Retail Properties for £4.5 million in 2011 and the development was later sold to The Crown Estate. When finalised, the development will include a cinema, shops, hotels, visitor centre, restaurants, a leisure centre and a marina, with Marks & Spencer as its flagship store. A link to the River Nene will also be incorporated. The new facility will create around 2,000 jobs. Despite opposition from the local councils of Corby, Northampton, Bedford and Kettering, the Rushden Lakes proposal was approved by East Northants Council in October 2012, but the application was automatically referred to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, approved the planning application and gave the go-ahead for the Rushden Lakes development on Thursday 12 June 2014.  Rushden Lakes is currently still in development today, where the first section of the area opened on Friday 28 July 2017, with shops such as Marks & Spencer, Primark, New Look, JD Sports and H&M opening on the same day.

Sports and recreation.

Leisure facilities.

Rushden has two main leisure facilities, The Pemberton Centre and Splash Pool. Both are managed by Freedom Leisure, as so membership covers both venues. The Pemberton Centre is a large leisure and conference centre including a large hall, conference rooms, sport hall, gym, young person’s gym, squash courts and dance studio. The Splash Pool is situated close to the town centre and includes a swimming pool with a learner area, beach area and indoor slide.

Football.

The town's football club, Rushden Town merged with nearby Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992 to become Rushden & Diamonds. The new club moved to Nene Park, on the outskirts of Irthlingborough, and played there until going into liquidation in 2011.  A new club AFC Rushden & Diamonds was set up in 2011 which has groundshared with Rushden & Higham United at their Hayden Road ground from the 2017/18 season.  A smaller club, Rushden & Higham United compete in the United Counties League, and play at the Hayden Road ground where Rushden Town played until 1992.  Junior Football is catered for by AFC Rushden & Diamonds Youth who offer football for boys and girls from 4 years of age through to over 50's. www.afcdiamondsyouth.com

Rugby Union.

Rugby Union is played at Manor Park, the home of Rushden & Higham RUFC. The club was created in October 1951. Over the years the club has played at Chamberlain's Field, near the old Higham railway station, Saffron Meadows, and the John White's ground in Rushden and now plays at Manor Park, Rushden, on pitches rented weekly from the town council.

Golf.

Rushden has two golf courses. A 9-hole course south of Rushden called John Whites also houses a driving range. Rushden Golf Club is a larger 18 hole course to the East of Rushden.

Air Training Corps (Air Cadets).

Rushden has its own Air Training Corps Squadron, No 858 (Rushden) Squadron Air Training Corps "858 (Rushden) Squadron". It is run by civilian staff who are officers that are commissioned in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch), assisted by adult Senior NCO’s and civilian instructors; all which are volunteers.

Crime.

In October 2014, 23-year-old Steven Smith from Rushden was murdered. He was stabbed to death in an act of 'pure aggression' on 25 October 2014.

Education.

Before the single-sex senior schools were merged, the former girls school in Rushden was named "Chichele Girls School" after Henry Chichele who was born in the neighbouring town of Higham Ferrers.  Rushden is home to one secondary school, Rushden Academy. It is part of The East Northamptonshire College together with The Ferrers Specialist Arts College (Higham Ferrers) and Huxlow School (Irthlingborough). Rushden has 8 Primary Schools:  South Rushden North Rushden Central Rushden East Rushden West Rushden Higham Ferrers  For adult education, Rushden is served by a 'Learning Centre' which is located in the town centre. The Learning Centre is operated by Bedford College, and offers Information Technology, English Language and Mathematics courses.

Transport.

Rail.

At present, Rushden is one of the largest towns in the country without an operational railway station. However, there are proposals by The Association of Train Operating Companies to build a new railway station on the Midland Main Line (to the West of Rushden) to be known as Rushden Parkway. This is supported by local transport campaigners. Currently, the nearest railway station is at Wellingborough about five miles (8 km) away, on the Midland Main Line, although no bus service currently links Rushden to Wellingborough station - the X46 bus service stops at Midland Road in Wellingborough about half a mile from the station.  The heritage Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway currently operate services from Rushden's station.

Bus.

The main routes serving Rushden are Stagecoach services 50/49 with connections to Kettering and Bedford and the X46/47 providing links with Raunds, Wellingborough, Irchester and Northampton. There are also services that connect Rushden to the small villages in North Bedfordshire and has its own bus service within the town, the Rushden-Higham link. The Link runs 3 routes and are:

Air.

Several major UK airports are only within 60 miles or 1 hour driving distance of the town, including Luton, East Midlands, Birmingham and Stansted.

Road.

In terms of roads, Rushden is bypassed by the A6 which has connections to Kettering (Northbound) and Bedford and Luton (Southbound). The A45 connects Rushden to the East coast as well as Northampton and the M1 motorway westbound.

Nearby settlements.

Bedford, Burton Latimer, Chelveston, Corby, Finedon, Higham Ferrers, Irchester, Irthlingborough, Kettering, Milton Keynes, Newton Bromswold, Northampton, Oundle, Podington, Raunds, Riseley, St Neots, Thrapston, Wellingborough, Wollaston, Wymington

Rushden is a market town and civil parish in the East Northamptonshire district in Northamptonshire, England. The parish of Rushden covers an area of some, and is part of the district of East Northamptonshire. The population of Rushden is 29,272 (Census 2011), making it the fifth largest town in the county. The Rushden-Higham urban area, which includes the adjoining town of Higham Ferrers, has an estimated population of 36,410. The estimated population of Rushden in 2015 was 30,282.


Vehicle.

The Soyuz-2.1v represents a major departure from earlier Soyuz rockets. Unlike the Soyuz-2.1b upon which it is based, it does away with the four boosters used on all other R-7 vehicles. The first stage of the Soyuz-2.1v is a heavily modified derivative of the Soyuz-2 first stage, with a single-chamber NK-33 engine replacing the four-chamber RD-107 used on previous rockets along with structural modifications to the stage and lower tanking. Since the NK-33 is fixed, the RD-0110R engine is used to supply thrust vector control. It also supplies an extra of thrust and heats the pressurization gases.  The NK-33 engine, originally built for the N1 programme, offers increased performance over the RD-107; however, only a limited number of engines are available. Once the supply is exhausted, the NK-33 will be replaced by the RD-193. In April 2013, it was announced that the RD-193 engine had completed testing. The RD-193 is a lighter and shorter engine based on the Angara's RD-191, which is itself a derivative of the Zenit's RD-170.  The second stage of the Soyuz-2.1v is the same as the third stage of the Soyuz-2.1b; powered by an RD-0124 engine. For most missions a Volga upper stage will be used to manoeuvre the payload from an initial parking orbit to its final destination. The Volga is derived from the propulsion system of the Yantar reconnaissance satellite, and was developed as a lighter and cheaper alternative to the Fregat.  The Soyuz-2.1v was designed as a light-class carrier rocket, and has a payload capacity of to a circular low Earth orbit with an inclination of 56.8° from Baikonur, and to a 200 kilometre orbit at 62.8° from Plesetsk.

Operational history.

In 2009, the maiden flight of the Soyuz-2.1v was announced as being scheduled for 2010, with this later being delayed to 2011 and then 2012 by development delays and payload availability. By June 2011 it was scheduled to occur at the end of 2012. During a test firing of a first stage prototype in August 2012, a test stand software malfunction resulted in damage to the stand and prototype, delaying the static testing programme.  The test was re-attempted in May 2013, and was declared successful despite the burn lasting 52 seconds shorter than had been expected. With this complete, the launch was scheduled for September 2013. It subsequently slipped to November and then December.  The maiden flight – which made use of a Volga upper stage – carried the Aist 1 microsatellite and a pair of SKRL-756 calibration spheres. Ahead of the launch, the rocket was rolled out to Site 43/4 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on 18 December 2013 with the launch scheduled for 23 December.  The launch was delayed beyond 23 December by problems found during late testing at the pad. An attempt to launch was made on 25 December, but it was scrubbed around ten minutes before the liftoff, which had been scheduled for 14:00 UTC. Despite reports that the launch could not take place before the end of the year, it was rescheduled for 10:30 UTC on 28 December. A further last-minute delay pushed the liftoff back to 12:30 UTC (16:30 local time), at which time the launch took place successfully. Spacecraft separation occurred 100 minutes later, at 14:10 UTC.  The second launch of the vehicle on December 5, 2015 carried two payloads Kanopus-ST and KYuA-1, while the Kanopus-ST failed to separate from the final stage.  The third launch, which was an unannounced launch, carried a secret military payload on June 23, 2017 from Plesetsk.  The fourth flight was on 29 March 2018 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The booster orbited an EMKA satellite, which was reportedly designed to test miniature Earth imaging technology.  The fifth flight took place on 10 July 2019 carrying four military satellites, Kosmos-2535, Kosmos-2536, Kosmos-2537 and Kosmos-2538, from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.  Flight number 6 took place on 25 November 2019 17:52 UTC from Plesetsk Site 43/4. It delivered the Kosmos 2542 satellite for Ministry of Defence to Low Earth orbit. The flight used a Volga upper stage. The flight was successful.

Photogallery from Paris Air Show 2011.

Russia exhibited a model of the Soyuz-2.1v during the 2011 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget.

The Soyuz-2.1v (, "Union 2.1v"), GRAU index 14A15, known earlier in development as the Soyuz-1 (, "Union 1"), is a Russian expendable carrier rocket. It was derived from the Soyuz-2.1b, and is a member of the R-7 family of rockets. It is built by TsSKB Progress, at Samara in the Russian Federation. Launches are conducted from existing facilities at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northwest Russia, with pads also available at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and new facilities at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Eastern Russia.


Formation.

The 118th Jäger Division was formed under the name 718th Infantry Division following an order dated 16 April 1941, under which each of Germany's fifteen military districts ("Wehrkreis") was required to raise two additional infantry regiments for the war effort. Each of these pairs would become its own infantry division, for a total of fifteen divisions that would go on to form the divisions of the fifteenth "Aufstellungswelle". The 718th Division consisted of the two regiments raised in "Wehrkreis XVIII" (Salzburg), the Infantry Regiments 738 and 750. Like the other divisions of the fifteenth wave, the 718th Division consisted of only two rather than the standard three infantry regiments.

Background.

The main purpose of the German "jäger" divisions was to fight in adverse terrain where smaller, coordinated formations were more facilely combat capable than the brute force offered by the standard infantry divisions. The "jäger" divisions were more heavily equipped than mountain division, but not as well armed as a larger infantry formation. In the early stages of the war, they were the interface divisions fighting in rough terrain and foothills as well as urban areas, between the mountains and the plains. The "jäger"s (it means "hunters" in German), relied on a high degree of training and slightly superior communications, as well as their not inconsiderable artillery support. In the middle stages of the war, as the standard infantry divisions were downsized, the Jäger structure of divisions with two infantry regiments, became the standard table of organization.

The 118th "Jäger" Division () was a light infantry division of the German Army in World War II. It was formed in April 1943, by the redesignation of the 718th Infantry Division which had itself been formed in April 1941. It was transferred to Yugoslavia in May 1941, to conduct anti partisan and Internal security operations. It took part in the Battle of the Sutjeska in June 1943, and fought partisans in Bosnia before being sent to the Dalmatian coast to guard against Allied landings in the summer of 1944.


Early life and career.

He was born September 4, 1851 at Lévis, Quebec, and educated at what is now Bishop's University. After studying for a year at Manitoba College, he began work as a railway and township surveyor. In 1874, he began work as a draftsman at the Department of Marine and Fisheries in Ottawa, working on the design of lighthouses. In 1876 he married Dorothea Susannah Small.

Later career.

Anderson became Chief Engineer of the department in 1880, and served continuously until his retirement in 1919. During his career, he designed and built more than 500 lighthouses and fifty fog-alarm stations across Canada. Among the more important works may be mentioned the Colchester Reef lighthouse (1885) on a caisson in Lake Erie, the construction and installation in 1898 of the first-order fog siren station on Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador), and the nine flying buttress lighthouses at Pointe-au-Pere, Escarpment Bagot, Estevan Point, Michipicoten Island, Caribou Island, Belle Isle Northeast, Cape Bauld, Cape Norman, and Cape Anguille. Near the end of his career, Anderson designed the visually appealing Point Abino Lighthouse near Fort Erie, Ontario.  Anderson had an active interest in military matters. He joined the Canadian Militia in 1864, when he was 14 years old, saw active service during the First and Second Fenian Raids, and later commanded the Ottawa and Carleton Rifles regiment in the militia. He was made a companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1913.  He was a crack marksman, winning ten Dominion and Provincial Rifle medals, the McDougall Cup in 1879, and winning a place in the Governor General’s Cup in 1879, 1880, 1885 and 1887 as well as being a member and commandant on two Canadian Bisley teams. He was Chair of the Small Arms Committee of Canada, as well as a Member of Council and Life Governor of the Dominion Rifle Association.  He was founder and editor of the Canadian Militia Gazette, and Chairman of the Geographic Board of Canada, 1911-1913 and 1925-26, being a member from 1898-1926. Also a charter member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers and the Engineering Institute of Canada. He was Chair of the Ottawa Public School Board, as well as contributing many articles to Encyclopedia Britannica.  Colonel William P. Anderson died at home in Ottawa on February 1, 1927, and was survived by his wife, a daughter, and four sons. His grave is in Beechwood Cemetery.

Colonel William Patrick Anderson (1851–1927) was a Canadian civil engineer. He was Superintendent of Lighthouses for almost 40 years, and was responsible for many of the more notable lighthouses in Canada.


History.

The Ogyū clan was a cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan based in northern Mikawa Province, and were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa clan. Matsudaira Masatsugu was awarded a 6000 "koku" "hatamoto" post within the Tokugawa shogunate for his services in the Battle of Osaka. His son, Matsudaira Noritsugu, increased to 16,000 "koku", and was thus promoted to the ranks of the "fudai daimyō" in 1684.  In 1713, Matsudaira Norizane moved the seat of the domain from mountainous Ogyū (in what is now the northern portion of the city of Toyota to the more conveniently located Okutono location (in what is now part of the city of Okazaki. However, the domain suffered greatly due to inclement weather and flooding of the Yasaku River during the Kyōhō period, which led to crop failure and famine. The problems were repeated during the Great Tenpō Famine of 1832–36, although the domain was able to escape the more severe effects of the famine due to reforms implemented by its lord, Matsudaira Noritoshi.  In the Bakumatsu period, the domain achieved prominence thanks to its last "daimyō", Matsudaira Norikata, who served as a senior councilor in the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate. Another contemporary figure born in Okutono was Nagai Naoyuki. During Norikata's tenure, the domain seat was moved from Mikawa Province to the Tanokuchi district of Shinano Province (though the holdings remained unchanged), and with the construction of Tatsuoka Castle, the domain also became known as Tatsuoka Domain. The domain was dissolved by the Meiji restoration in 1871 with the abolition of the han system.

Holdings at the end of the Edo period.

As with most domains in the han system, Okutono Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned "kokudaka", based on periodic cadastral surveys and projected agricultural yields.

List of "daimyō".

Ogyū-Matsudaira clan, 1703–1871 ("fudai")

, also known as Okudono, was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Kamo District and Nukata Districts of Mikawa Province (part of modern Aichi Prefecture), and in Saku District, Shinano Province, (part of modern Nagano Prefecture) Japan. The domain was also known as and later known as and. The ruling family was the Ogyū-Matsudaira clan.


Stages.

Stage 1.

Extremely windy conditions made stage 1 of the Ladies’ Tour of Qatar very eventful. After taking off early making the best of the tailwind, 7 riders battled it out for victory in Al Khor. In the last kilometres title holder Ellen van Dijk tried her luck taking with her Loes Gunnewijk and Kirsten Wild. But the front group bunched together again for the final sprint. Wild eventually flew to victory beating Hosking and Van Dijk to the line and claiming the first stage of the 2012 edition.

Stage 2.

Straight from the start, just after noon, the pack broke up into several groups as soon as the first kilometres. Like on the previous day, a group of 11 and then 9 riders managed to power away. At km 28, the group including Van Dijk, white jersey Hosking, Worrack, Golden jersey Wild, Duster, Guderzo, Arndt, Gunnewijk and Bruins could enjoy a 28" lead over a first slim bunch of chasers. Eventually, as the riders entered the final circuit around Madinat Al Shamal, the leaders lost ground with the wind blowing sideways. At the second intermediate sprint (first passage on the line, km 78), won by Arndt ahead of Wild and Van Dijk, the gap had dropped down to 20". The leaders were finally caught at km 85 and over 40 riders were bunched together again. Despite several attempts, the pack remained together until the second passage on the line. At km 89, Worrack, Arndt, Wild and Visser managed to take off. Two kilometres later, the first two insisted and the gaps grew: 20" over Wild and Visser and 50" over the peloton. With just four kilometres left, Worrack and Arndt could enjoy a 1’15 advantage over the first two chasers and 1’35 over the pack. Victory finally went to Trixi Worrack outsprinting her day's rival and claiming her first success in Qatar while Judith Arndt captured the overall leader's Golden jersey.

Stage 3.

The third and final stage of the Ladies’ Tour of Qatar competed in windy conditions, ended in a bunched sprint. The peloton remained packed all the way to the finish at a very fast pace due to the tailwind all the way to the finish. Decision was to be made after a bunched sprint. Like on day 1, Kirsten Wild powered to victory. The Dutch rider beat her compatriots Ellen van Dijk and Adrie Visser to the line. Germany's Judith Arndt managed to keep control of her leader's Golden jersey and wins this 2012 edition of the event.

The 2012 Ladies Tour of Qatar was the third edition of the Ladies Tour of Qatar cycling stage race. It was rated by the UCI as category 2.1, and was held between 3 and 5 February 2012, in Qatar.


History.

There is an archaeological site located in Bagh called Bagh Fort.  Prior to 1947, Bagh was a tehsil in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Administrative divisions.

The district of Bagh is sub-divided into 3 tehsils:

Geography and climate.

Topographically, the entire Bagh district is a mountainous area, generally sloping from northeast to south-west. The area falls in the lesser Himalayas zone. The main range in the district is Pir-Panjal.  The Haji-Pir Pass is situated at the height of 3421 meters above sea level. The general elevation is between 1500 and 2500 meters above sea level. The mountains are generally covered with coniferous forests. Mahl Nala (in the Bagh sub-division) and Betar Nala (in the Haveli sub-division) are the two main streams. However, numerous other rivulets flow in the district.  The climate of the district varies with altitude. The temperature generally remains between 2 °C to 40 °C. The main eastern part of the district is very cold in winter and moderate in summer. However, the lower valleys, the localities bordering Bagh at Kohala and its adjoining areas (Mongbajri and Ajra-Bagh) remain cold in winter and hot in summer. May, June and July are the hottest months. Maximum and minimum temperatures during the month of June are about 40 °C and 22 °C respectively. December, January and February are the coldest months. The maximum temperature in January is about 16 °C and minimum temperature is 3 °C respectively. Annual rainfall is about.

Demography.

The total population of the district according to the 2017 census was 371,919.  The major language of Azad Kashmir is Pahari. The Pahari dialect spoken in Bagh is closely related to the dialect spoken to the north in Muzaffarabad (84% shared basic vocabulary) and with the core Pahari varieties spoken to the south(west) in the Galyat region around Murree (86–88%).

Education.

According to Pakistan District Education Ranking 2017, a report by Alif Ailaan, the district of Bagh is ranked at number 5 nationally in the ranking related to education, with an education score of 73.99. The learning score is at 85.42 and gender parity score of 88.32.  The school infrastructure score of Bagh is 28.32, giving Bagh a national rank of 126. School infrastructure is a major problem in all of Kashmir. Access to schools, schools being far away is also a reason why there are fewer enrollments, especially after completing primary school.

2005 earthquake.

The city of Bagh, like other areas of the district, was heavily damaged in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Sixty percent of the buildings collapsed. Thousands of people died and many more found themselves homeless. In the aftermath of the earthquake, NATO came to the district to help with reconstruction and clearing. There was a report that an entire village was wiped out in the district. The U.S., through Pakistan, distributed vouchers so people could buy water and food.

Bagh District () is one of the ten districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The district, which had been part of Poonch District, was created in 1988.


History.

The Yonekura clan, former retainers of the Takeda clan of Kai Province, pledged allegiance to Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Takeda were destroyed by Oda Nobunaga, and subsequently served as "hatamoto" in the Tokugawa shogunate after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1603. (1637–1699) was favored by "Shōgun" Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, rising rapidly through the ranks until he reached the post of "wakadoshiyori" in 1696.  The additional revenues provided by this office propelled him past the 10,000 "koku" necessary to qualify as a "daimyō", and he became the first lord of Mutsuura Domain. He was subsequently transferred to Minagawa Domain in Kōzuke Province. His line died out with his grandson (1683–1712), but a son of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was selected to inherit the family name, taking the name Yonekura Tadasuke and was transferred back to Mutsuura Domain in 1722.  Mutsuura Domain was a "jin'ya" domain, and was not allowed a castle. It also lacked a unified area, but consisted of a number of widely dispersed holdings in what is now Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Hadano, Kanagawa and Hiratsuka, Kanagawa. Although the "jin'ya" itself was located in what is now southern Yokohama, the clan’s family temple was the temple of Zorin-ji in Hadano.  During the Bakumatsu period, the 8th (and final) "daimyō", Yonekura Masakoto, sided with the new Meiji government in the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration. His domain was renamed Mutsuura Domain in June 1868, to avoid confusion with Kanazawa Domain in Kaga Province. Mutsuura Domain was abolished on July 4, 1871 with the abolition of the han system, becoming Mutsuura Prefecture. On November 14 of the same year, it was assigned to the new Kanagawa Prefecture.

From its location near the famous medieval library of Kanazawa Bunko, it was referred to as or during the Edo period, although the Kanazawa Bunko itself was not within its territory.