Early life and career (1949 to 1972).

Richard Thompson was born in Ladbroke Crescent, Notting Hill, West London, England. His father, a Scot, was a Scotland Yard detective, and an amateur guitar player; several other family members had played music professionally. While attending William Ellis School in Highgate, he formed his first band, Emil and the Detectives (named after a book and a movie by the same title) with classmate Hugh Cornwell, later lead singer and guitarist of The Stranglers, on bass guitar.  Like so many musicians of his generation, Thompson was exposed to and embraced rock and roll music at an early age, and he was also exposed to his father's jazz and traditional Scottish music record collection. His father had seen Django Reinhardt play in Glasgow in the 1930s and played guitar himself. He was later described by his son as "a bad amateur player... with three chords, though, unfortunately, not C, F and G." All these musical genres were to colour Thompson's playing in the years to come.  Joe Boyd said:  By the age of 18 Thompson was playing with the newly formed Fairport Convention. Thompson's guitar playing caught the ear of American producer Joe Boyd. Largely on the strength of Thompson's playing, Boyd took them under his wing and signed them to his Witchseason production and management company.  Boyd said:  Shortly thereafter Thompson, already acquiring a reputation as an outstanding guitar player, started writing songs seriously. This seems to have been out of necessity as Fairport Convention was essentially a cover band at first.  By early 1969, when Fairport's second album "What We Did on Our Holidays" was recorded and released, Thompson was starting to emerge as a songwriter of distinction. As Fairport's lineup and their sound evolved, Thompson continued to grow in stature as a player and as a songwriter with compositions like "Meet on the Ledge".  On 12 May 1969, between the recording and release of their next album "Unhalfbricking", Fairport's van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig at Mothers, a club in Birmingham. Drummer Martin Lamble, aged 19, and Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn were killed. The rest of the band suffered injuries of varying severity. Later in 1969, Fairport re-grouped with a new drummer, Dave Mattacks, and also invited the well known fiddle player, Dave Swarbrick, to join. Thompson and Swarbrick worked together to create songs such as "Crazy Man Michael" from the band's seminal 1969 folk-rock album "Liege & Lief" and "Sloth" from its 1970 follow-up "Full House".  In January 1971 Thompson announced that he was leaving Fairport Convention. His decision seems to have been instinctive, rather than a calculated career move:  In April 1972 he released his first solo album "Henry the Human Fly", recording with Sandy Denny, Pat Donaldson, Sue Draheim, John Kirkpatrick, Barry Dransfield, Ashley Hutchings, Linda Peters, Andy Roberts, and others. The album sold poorly and was panned by the press, especially the influential "Melody Maker" magazine. With time "Henry" has come to be more highly regarded, but at the time the critics' response hurt both Thompson and his career.

1970s: Richard and Linda Thompson.

By the 1970s, Thompson had begun a relationship with the singer Linda Peters, who had sung on "Henry the Human Fly". In October 1972 the couple were married, and Thompson, with Linda now effectively his front woman, regrouped for his next album and the next phase of his career.  The first Richard and Linda Thompson album, "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight", was recorded in May 1973 in short time and on a small budget. Largely because of the petrol shortage in Britain and its impact on the availability of vinyl for records, "Bright Lights" was held back by Island Records for nearly a year before being released in April 1974. The album was well received by critics, though sales were less than stellar.  Thompson's lyrics expressed a rather dismal world view, and it has been suggested that the bleak subject matter of his songs helped to keep his recordings off the hit parade. A more likely explanation was given by ex-Island A&R man Richard Williams in the 2003 BBC TV documentary "Solitary Life": Thompson was just not interested in fame and its trappings.  The Thompsons recorded two more albums—"Hokey Pokey" and "Pour Down Like Silver", both released in 1975—before Richard Thompson decided to leave the music business. The couple moved to a Sufi community in East Anglia.  It was not apparent from their records at first, but the Thompsons had embraced an esoteric Sufi strand of Islam in early 1974. "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" was recorded before this conversion, but released some time afterwards. The songs for the second Richard and Linda album, "Hokey Pokey", were similarly written some time ahead of the album's recording and eventual release. It was "Pour Down Like Silver", with its cover photo of a turbaned Richard Thompson, that tipped the public off to the Thompsons' growing preoccupation with their faith.  The trilogy of albums released before and after his sojourn in the commune was heavily influenced by Thompson's beliefs and by Sufi scripture, but in the long run his religious beliefs have not influenced his work in an obvious manner. The outlook expressed in his songs, his musical style, the subjects addressed by his lyrics have not shown any fundamental change. He remains a committed Muslim.  Thompson started to re-engage with the world of professional music in 1977. He played on an album by Sandy Denny, and had undertaken a short tour and started recording with a group of musicians who were also Sufis. Thompson asked Joe Boyd to produce these sessions, and two days were spent on the initial recordings. Boyd recalls that the sessions were not a success: "It was really, I felt, very poor. I didn't have much confidence in the musicians that he was working with. The atmosphere was very strange and it just didn't seem to work."  At about this time the Thompsons and their family moved out of the commune and back to their old home in Hampstead. Boyd had already invited Richard Thompson to play on Julie Covington's debut album. With spare studio time and the American session musicians hired to work on the Covington album available, the Thompsons went back into the studio to record under their own name for the first time in three years.  The resulting album, "First Light", was warmly received by critics but did not sell particularly well. Neither did its follow up, 1979's harder-edged and more cynical "Sunnyvista". Chrysalis Records did not take up their option to renew the contract, and the Thompsons found themselves without one.

1980s.

Gerry Rafferty had booked the Thompsons as the support act for his 1980 tour, and had also used Richard as a session player on his "Night Owl" album. Rafferty offered to finance the recording of a new Richard and Linda Thompson album which he would then use to secure a contract for the Thompsons. Richard Thompson fell out with Rafferty during this project and was not happy with the finished product. Nevertheless, Rafferty kept his side of the bargain and presented the album to several record companies – none of which expressed interest in signing the Thompsons. Rafferty did not recover his investment.  About a year later Joe Boyd signed the Thompsons to his small Hannibal label and a new album was recorded. "Shoot Out the Lights" included new recordings of many of the songs recorded in 1980. Linda Thompson was pregnant at the time of the recording, so the album's release was delayed until they could tour behind the album. Breathing problems arising from her pregnancy also meant that Linda could not sing the lead part on some of these songs as she had done on demo tapes and the Rafferty-produced recordings.  As an interim measure, Richard Thompson agreed to a short (5-day), low-key solo tour of the U.S. This tour was set up by Nancy Covey, then concert director for McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. Covey, who had been in the UK in 1981 trying to sign Thompson to play at McCabe's, arranged for Thompson well-received 5 and 6 December shows. It was during this tour that Thompson and Covey developed an intimate relationship, and during that month, Richard and Linda Thompson separated.  Upon its release in 1982, "Shoot Out the Lights" was lauded by critics and sold quite well – especially in the U.S.  The Thompsons, now a couple for professional purposes only, toured the United States in support of the album, their only American tour together. Both the album and their live shows were well received by the American media, and "Shoot Out the Lights" effectively relaunched their career – just as their marriage was falling apart. The performances, with a backing band including both Simon Nicol and Dave Mattacks of Fairport Convention, were seen as strong, but the tension between Richard and Linda was all too obvious. For this reason, the Thompsons' fans often refer to the "Shoot Out the Lights" tour as "The Tour from Hell". Upon returning home, Richard and Linda went their separate ways.  Richard Thompson continued recording as a solo artist. His 1983 album "Hand of Kindness" saw him working with Boyd again, but with a revised backing band and a more extroverted and up-tempo song selection.  With his separation from Linda finalized, Richard Thompson began to commute between twin bases in London and Los Angeles and to tour regularly in the USA. Encouraged by the success of his solo shows in late 1981 and early 1982, he began to perform solo with increasing frequency and continued to tour with a band. In 1983 and 1984 he toured the US and Europe with the Richard Thompson Big Band, which included two saxophone players in addition to the more usual rhythm section, second guitar and accordion. Set lists included covers of classic rock 'n roll songs and jazz standards such as "Tuxedo Junction".  In 1985 Thompson signed with PolyGram and received a sizeable advance. He and Nancy Covey married at an alcohol-free wedding that included a who's who of roots-music performers who Covey knew well from McCabe's and the Los Angeles music scene, and had introduced to Thompson. After their wedding, Thompson moved his home and working base to California. As part of the settlement that allowed Thompson to leave Boyd's Hannibal label for Polygram, the live album "Small Town Romance" was released. This comprised recordings made during Thompson's solo shows in the US in late 1981 and early 1982.  1985's "Across a Crowded Room" was his last album to be recorded in England and the last to have Boyd as producer. Thompson put together a new look backing band for the tour to promote this album, and some shows were filmed for a live video release (see Richard Thompson discography).  In 1986 he released "Daring Adventures", which was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Mitchell Froom. "Daring Adventures", with a rich sound, markedly different production and use of American session players, was perceived by some as evidence of Thompson's increasing "Americanisation". Perhaps more significantly, the album continued the trend, begun with "Across A Crowded Room," of Thompson's songs moving away from the seemingly personal material and towards the character sketches and narratives for which he has since become famous. Froom and PolyGram had plans to target college and the growing "alternative" markets with "Daring Adventures". Sales improved, but not substantially. Polygram declined an option to renew the contract. Thompson's management negotiated a new deal with Capitol Records.  In 1985 Fairport Convention reformed and recorded the album "Gladys' Leap". Thompson did not rejoin Fairport, but he did contribute a song to the project and played guitar on another track on the album.  1988 saw the release of Thompson's first album for Capitol, "Amnesia". Froom was retained as producer, and once again the album was recorded in Los Angeles with many of the same players that Froom had called upon for the "Daring Adventures" sessions.

1990s.

Thompson contributed music to BBC Northwest's documentary "Hard Cash" and appears on the eponymous accompanying album issued by Topic. A track from the album, "Time To Ring Some Changes" is included in the 2009 Topic Records 70-year anniversary boxed set "Three Score and Ten" as track thirteen on the sixth CD.  Thompson appears on Willie Nile's 1991 "Places I Have Never Been" album.  In 1991 Thompson recorded "Rumor and Sigh", his second album for Capitol. Once again Froom produced. This album, particularly the acoustic guitar ballad "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," was hailed by critics and fans alike and greatly advanced Thompson's reputation as a leading traditional-style guitarist.  "Rumor and Sigh" was nominated for a Grammy and sold well. However, a shake-up at Capitol saw Hale Milgrim (Thompson's champion and fan within the boardroom) replaced by Garry Gersh. Thus, Thompson's next album "Mirror Blue" was held back for almost a year before being released.  Thompson was awarded the Orville H. Gibson Award for best acoustic guitar player in 1997.  In 1992 he performed with David Byrne. Their joint acoustic concert at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity in Brooklyn Heights, New York on 24 March, produced the album "An Acoustic Evening", which was released the same year.  "Mirror Blue" was released in 1994, to often negative reviews sparked by the production decisions that Thompson and Froom took. Thompson took to the road to promote the album. He was joined by drummer Dave Mattacks, Danny Thompson (no relation) on double bass, and Pete Zorn on acoustic guitar, backing vocals, mandolin and various wind instruments. This line-up toured with Thompson the following two years.  Thompson continued recording for Capitol until 1999, when "Mock Tudor" was recorded and released. His deal with Capitol was modified so that he could release and directly market limited-quantity, live recorded, not-for-retail albums. The first of these was "Live at Crawley", released in 1995.

2000s.

In 2001 Thompson declined the option to renew his contract with Capitol.  Thompson appeared on his ex-wife Linda's studio album "Fashionably Late" on the song "Dear Mary". It was the first time the two had recorded together since "Shoot Out the Lights".  In 2003 the BBC produced a documentary about Thompson's long musical career, entitled "Solitary Life", directed by Paul Bernays and narrated by John Peel. It featured interviews with Thompson from his home in California and contributions from Billy Connolly, Bonnie Raitt, ex-wife Linda Thompson, Harry Shearer and Thompson's then wife Nancy Covey. The programme was re-broadcast by BBC Four in September 2012.  The move away from big labels and big budgets paradoxically brought a bigger marketing push and healthier sales. Thompson's first two self-funded releases, 2003's "The Old Kit Bag" and 2005's "Front Parlour Ballads", did well in the indie charts on both sides of the Atlantic. In May 2007 Thompson released "Sweet Warrior". The album was licensed to different labels in different territories: Shout! Factory in the US, P-Vine in Japan, Planet Records in Australia, and Proper Records in the UK and Europe. In August of the same year Island released a live Richard and Linda Thompson album, compiled from recordings made during the November 1975 tour to promote the "Pour Down Like Silver" album.  Thompson continued releasing "official bootlegs" on his boutique label as an additional source of revenue – all live recordings.

2010s.

In early 2010 Thompson assembled a band and did a string of shows showcasing new material. The aim was to record the new material in a live setting. The recording and touring band consisted of Thompson, Pete Zorn, (acoustic guitar, flute, saxophone, mandolin, vocals); Michael Jerome (drums, vocals), Taras Prodaniuk, (bass guitar, vocals); and Joel Zifkin, (electric violin, mandolin, vocals). The resulting album "Dream Attic", released in August the same year, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.  On 10 June 2010 Thompson was awarded the "Mojo" Les Paul Award for "Guitar Legend".  Thompson curated the 2010 Meltdown Festival. The festival included a tribute to the recently deceased Kate McGarrigle, a feature of which was a rare on-stage reunion of Richard and Linda Thompson.  Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Aberdeen.  In early 2013 Thompson released "Electric", recorded in Nashville with Buddy Miller producing. The record enjoyed good reviews and debuted in the UK top 20. Thompson took to the road with a stripped down "power trio" band on a multi-month tour on both sides of the Atlantic to promote the new album.  Also in 2013, Thompson appeared on his ex-wife Linda's fourth studio album "Won't Be Long Now", on the track "Love's for Babies and Fools". It was the second time the two have recorded together since "Shoot Out the Lights".  In 2014, Thompson released "Acoustic Classics," an album featuring acoustic renditions of 14 songs from his back catalogue, on his Beeswing label. The record reached number 16 on the UK Albums Chart.  Thompson appears alongside family members, both blood related and by marriage, on the album "Family" (2014) by Thompson (the band being named for all the Thompsons that appear), performing two songs solo and contributing to others as well. The album was produced by son Teddy Thompson and features ex-wife Linda Thompson, The Rails who are Thompson's daughter Kami Thompson and her husband James Walbourne, as well as other related musicians, including Walbourne's brother and Richard Thompson's son from his second marriage. Thompson released "Still" in June 2015, an album produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and recorded in Tweedy's The Loft Studio. The album reached number 10 in the UK Album chart, his first album to reach the UK top 10. In September 2015 he appeared on BBC Two's "Later... with Jools Holland", where he performed "All Buttoned Up" and ""She Never Could Resist a Winding Road" from his album "Still". This was followed, in 2017, by a second acoustic album "Acoustic Classics II" which reached number 24 on the UK Albums Chart. and "Acoustic Rarities", an album of new recordings of some of the more obscure songs in the Thompson catalogue, some previously existing only as cover versions.  Thompson's eighteenth studio album, "13 Rivers" was released on 14 September 2018. Thompson produced the record himself at Boulevard Recording in Los Angeles.  On 30 September 2019 Thompson played at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate his 70th birthday.

Side projects and collaborations.

In between leaving Fairport Convention in early 1971 and releasing his debut solo album in 1972 he undertook a large amount of session work, most notably on albums by John Martyn, Al Stewart, Matthews Southern Comfort, Sandy Denny, Mike Heron and Nick Drake.  During the same period he also worked on two collaborative projects. "Morris On" was recorded with Ashley Hutchings, John Kirkpatrick, Dave Mattacks and Barry Dransfield, and was a collection of English traditional tunes arranged for electric instruments. "The Bunch" were almost the reverse conceptually – a grouping of English folk rock musicians (including Sandy Denny, Linda Peters and members of Fairport Convention) recording a selection of classic rock and roll tunes.  Thompson has continued to guest on albums by an array of artists, from Crowded House, Bonnie Raitt and Vivian Stanshall, to Norma Waterson and BeauSoleil and folk artists like Loudon Wainwright III, Cathal McConnell (of The Boys of the Lough) and Bob Davenport. He has also performed and recorded with Teddy Thompson, his son from his marriage to Linda Thompson. Since the early 1980s Thompson has appeared at Fairport Convention's annual Cropredy Festival, both in his own right and as a participant in sets with current and previous Fairport members. These sets are seldom confined to performances of songs out of the Thompson or Fairport Convention canons, and in recent years some surprise offerings have included the soul classic "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (with Thompson backed by the Roy Wood Big Band), The Beatles' "I'm Down" and even "The Lady Is a Tramp".  Thompson has displayed a penchant for the avant garde as well, working with former Pere Ubu singer David Thomas's grouping The Pedestrians on two albums in 1981 and 1982, respectively. In the 1980s, he was associated with a loose-fitting group called The Golden Palominos, who were led by drummer Anton Fier and included at times on stage and on record Jack Bruce, Michael Stipe, Carla Bley, John Lydon, Bill Laswell and others. He has worked with experimental guitarist Henry Kaiser, most notably as part of the ad hoc grouping French Frith Kaiser Thompson with whom he recorded two albums. In 1997 he worked with long-time friend and band member Danny Thompson to record a concept album "Industry" that dealt with the decline of British industry. A year later he worked with early music expert Philip Pickett on the acclaimed "Bones of All Men" which fused renaissance tunes with contemporary music.  For several years Thompson devised and toured his show "1000 Years of Popular Music". The inspiration for this came when "Playboy" asked Thompson (and many other music industry figures) in 1999 for their suggestions for the "top ten songs of the millennium". Guessing that "Playboy" expected most people's lists to start at around 1950, Thompson took the magazine at its word and presented a list of songs from the 11th century to the present day. Perhaps not surprisingly, "Playboy" did not use his list, but the exercise gave him the idea for a show which takes a chronological trip through popular music across the ages. Thompson acknowledges that this is an ambitious undertaking, partly because he reckons that he is technically unqualified to sing 98% of the material, and partly because of the sparse musical setting he restricts himself to: besides his acoustic guitar, he's backed by singer/pianist Judith Owen and percussionist/singer Debra Dobkin. A typical performance would start with a medieval round, progress via a Purcell aria, Victorian music hall and Hoagy Carmichael and end with Thompson's take on the Britney Spears hit "Oops!... I Did It Again".  In 2004 Thompson was asked to create the soundtrack music for the Werner Herzog documentary "Grizzly Man". The score, which was recorded over a two-day period in December 2004, brought Thompson together with a group of improvisational musicians, mostly from the San Francisco Bay area; video footage from the sessions was edited into a mini-documentary, "In the Edges," which was included with the DVD release of "Grizzly Man".  In 2009 Thompson was commissioned to write a piece for the International Society of Bassists in honour of Danny Thompson. The resulting Cabaret of Souls, a musical play set in the underworld, has been performed in State College (Pennsylvania), London, and Los Angeles with a cast that includes Harry Shearer, Judith Owen, Debra Dobkin, Pete Zorn, either Danny Thompson or David Piltch, and a 12-piece string section conducted by Peter Askim. This suite was eventually commercially released in late 2012.  In 2006 and 2013, Thompson recorded Hugh S. Roberton's "Mingulay Boat Song" and the traditional "General Taylor" for the sea shanty-compilations "" and "".  In July 2019 New West Records released a soundtrack album for the documentary "The Cold Blue", featuring the film's original score composed by Thompson. The film, directed by Erik Nelson, tells the story of the Eighth Air Force which flew multiple deadly missions during World War II and features newly restored 4K footage and outtakes, shot by director William Wyler, during the summer of 1943 for his 1944 documentary "".

Retrospectives and tributes.

There are a number of retrospective collections of Thompson's work, many containing material which is unavailable elsewhere. 1976's "(guitar, vocal)" was a collection of unreleased material from the previous eight years of Thompson's appearances on the Island label. The 3-CD set "Watching the Dark" combines his better-known songs and previously unreleased live and studio tracks. "Action Packed" is a compilation of tracks from his Capitol releases, plus three hard-to-find songs. Finally, in 2006, the independent label Free Reed released "RT- The Life and Music of Richard Thompson", a 5-CD box set consisting almost entirely of previously unreleased performances of songs from throughout Thompson's long career.  Thompson's songs have been extensively covered; for example, Dimming of the Day has been performed by artists such as The Neville Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, David Gilmour, The Blind Boys of Alabama, June Tabor, The Corrs and Alison Krauss and Union Station. There have been several tribute compilations of other artists' interpretations of his work, including: Capitol's "" and Green Linnet's "", both released in 1994.

Playing style.

Thompson makes use of the "pick and fingers" technique (sometimes referred to as "hybrid picking") where he plays bass notes and rhythm with a pick between his first finger and thumb, and adds melody and punctuation by plucking the treble strings with his fingers. He also makes use of different guitar tunings, such as (low to high) CGDGBE, DADGBE, DADGAD, and more. This enables him to adapt traditional songs, as on "Strict Tempo!" and "1000 Years of Popular Music". Thompson occasionally makes use of a thumb-pick, playing in fingerstyle, the most notable example being on the motorcycle ballad "1952 Vincent Black Lightning."

Guitars.

Electric.

Thompson is often associated with the Fender Stratocaster guitar. He has made prominent use of Stratocasters, as he has a general preference for the sound of single coil pick-ups.  Prior to using a Stratocaster with Fairport Convention he used a Gibson Les Paul with P-90 pick-ups. he then switched to a late 60s Stratocaster. Since leaving Fairport Convention he has continued to use electric guitars with single coil pick-ups, most famously a late-1950s Stratocaster but also two custom built electrics by Danny Ferrington as well as other Stratocasters, various Telecaster-type guitars and, in the studio, a Danelectro U2.  As regards effects, he has made significant use of modulation and vibrato type effects pedals, most notably the Univibe and emulations thereof.  Thompson has made intermittent use of Roland's GK-1 pick-up and GL-2 synthesiser over the years. He made use of these devices on 1979's "Sunnyvista" album and has occasionally used them in concert.

Acoustic.

Since the early 1990s Thompson has made prominent use of Lowden acoustic guitars for studio and live work; Lowden have made a signature model for him. Before this he used a Martin 000-18 as well as instruments built by Danny Ferrington.  For live work his acoustic guitars are fitted with a Sunrise pick-up and an internal condenser microphone. The output from the pick-up is usually fed into some effects pedals, typically a delay pedal and a Uni-Vibe.

References.

Bibliography

Richard Thompson (born 3 April 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Thompson first gained prominence in the late 1960s as the lead guitarist and songwriter for the folk rock group Fairport Convention, which he had co-founded in 1967. After departing the group in 1971, Thompson released his debut solo album "Henry the Human Fly" in 1972. The next year, he formed a duo with his then-wife Linda Thompson, which produced six albums, including the critically acclaimed "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" (1974) and "Shoot Out the Lights" (1982). After the dissolution of the duo, Thompson revived his solo career with the release of "Hand of Kindness" in 1983. He has released a total of eighteen solo studio albums. Three of his albums – "Rumor and Sigh" (1991), "You? Me? Us?" (1996), and "Dream Attic" (2010) – have been nominated for Grammy Awards, while "Still" (2015) was his first UK Top Ten album. He continues to write and record new material regularly and frequently performs live at venues throughout the world.


Biography.

Strook was born to a family of lawyers from Jerusalem. Her middle name Malka was given to her in memory of her grandmother, whom was the prominent Hungarian Jewish poet Mária Kecskeméti. Growing up, Strook studied at the Hebrew University Secondary School. In the late 1970s, while she was in the 11th grade, Strook gradually became more religious, and eventually became a Baalat Teshuvah, embracing Orthodox Judaism. During that period, she began studying at the religious Zionist outreach organization and yeshiva Meir Institute. Shortly thereafter, she married the son of Orthodox Rabbi and politician Rabbi Haim Drukman. The young couple briefly lived together in the Israeli settlement of Yamit in the Sinai Peninsula, but after Sinai was handed over to Egypt in 1982 as part of the terms of the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty, and Yamit was evacuated, Strook and her family joined the Jewish settler community in Hebron.  After the Cave of the Patriarchs was closed for Jewish prayer following the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre in 1994, Strook was elected as the head of the "Women's Committee for the Cave" (ועד נשים למען המערה), and worked to convince the political system to re-open the cave for Jewish visitors. Since 2000, she has headed the legal-political department of the organization of Jewish settlers in Hebron.  In 2002, Strook founded the Human Rights Organization of Judea and Samaria, following the Israeli evacuation of Israeli settlers Livnat Ozeri and her five children from Hill 26 near Kiryat Arba, and has since headed the organization voluntarily. As part of her involvement in the organization, she filed various complaints in the Israeli Police Investigations Department (מח"ש), along with various lawsuits against police officers who allegedly attacked protesters during the protests against Israel's unilateral disengagement plan and during the evacuation of Amona. Strook was placed thirteenth on the joint National Union–National Religious Party list for the 2006 elections, but failed to win a seat as the alliance won only nine seats.  In 2007, Strook's son Zvi was convicted of abusing a Palestinian boy and killing a young goat, and as a result was sentenced to 30 months in prison. In response to the ruling, Strook stated that, "Unlike the Court, who preferred to believe the Arab witnesses, we are sure of Zvi's innocence, and are hurting from the success of his haters and would assist him to deal with the difficult sentence imposed on him".  In the 2013 elections, Strook was elected to the Knesset on the Jewish Home list. She was among the Knesset's most vehement opponents to recognition of non-Orthodox movements of Judaism. She was placed thirteenth on the party's list for the 2015 elections, losing her seat as the party was reduced to eight seats.  As of 2013, Strook is a resident of Avraham Avinu (Hebron), an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. She is married, and has 11 children, and 12 grandchildren.

Orit Malka Strook (, born 15 March 1960) is an Israeli politician. She served as a member of the Knesset for Tkuma (a faction within the Jewish Home) between 2013 and 2015. Strook is also among the leaders of the Jewish settlement in Hebron, and she established the Israeli non-governmental organization Human Rights Organization of Judea and Samaria, which she headed between 2004 and 2012.


An equivalence relation.

An alternative way to define components involves the equivalence classes of an equivalence relation that is defined on the vertices of the graph. In an undirected graph, a vertex "v" is "reachable" from a vertex "u" if there is a path from "u" to "v". In this definition, a single vertex is counted as a path of length zero, and the same vertex may occur more than once within a path. Reachability is an equivalence relation, since: The components are then the induced subgraphs formed by the equivalence classes of this relation.

The number of components.

The number of components is an important topological invariant of a graph. In topological graph theory it can be interpreted as the zeroth Betti number of the graph. In algebraic graph theory it equals the multiplicity of 0 as an eigenvalue of the Laplacian matrix of the graph. It is also the index of the first nonzero coefficient of the chromatic polynomial of a graph. Numbers of components play a key role in the Tutte theorem characterizing graphs that have perfect matchings, and in the definition of graph toughness.

Algorithms.

It is straightforward to compute the components of a graph in linear time (in terms of the numbers of the vertices and edges of the graph) using either breadth-first search or depth-first search. In either case, a search that begins at some particular vertex "v" will find the entire component containing "v" (and no more) before returning. To find all the components of a graph, loop through its vertices, starting a new breadth first or depth first search whenever the loop reaches a vertex that has not already been included in a previously found component. describe essentially this algorithm, and state that at that point it was "well known".  There are also efficient algorithms to dynamically track the components of a graph as vertices and edges are added, as a straightforward application of disjoint-set data structures. These algorithms require amortized O("α"("n")) time per operation, where adding vertices and edges and determining the component in which a vertex falls are both operations, and "α"("n") is a very slow-growing inverse of the very quickly growing Ackermann function. A related problem is tracking components as all edges are deleted from a graph, one by one; an algorithm exists to solve this with constant time per query, and O(|"V"||"E"|) time to maintain the data structure; this is an amortized cost of O(|"V"|) per edge deletion. For forests, the cost can be reduced to O("q" + |"V"| log |"V"|), or O(log |"V"|) amortized cost per edge deletion.  Researchers have also studied algorithms for finding components in more limited models of computation, such as programs in which the working memory is limited to a logarithmic number of bits (defined by the complexity class L). asked whether it is possible to test in logspace whether two vertices belong to the same component of an undirected graph, and defined a complexity class SL of problems logspace-equivalent to connectivity. Finally succeeded in finding an algorithm for solving this connectivity problem in logarithmic space, showing that L = SL.

Components in random graphs.

In random graphs the sizes of components are given by a random variable, which, in turn, depends on the specific model.  The formula_1 model has three regions with seemingly different behavior:  "Subcritical" formula_2: All components are simple and very small, the largest component has size formula_3;  "Critical" formula_4: formula_5;  "Supercritical" formula_6:formula_7 where formula_8 is the positive solution to the equation formula_9  where formula_10 and formula_11 are respectively the largest and the second largest components. All other components have their sizes of the order formula_12

In graph theory, a component, sometimes called a connected component, of an undirected graph is a subgraph in which any two vertices are connected to each other by paths, and which is connected to no additional vertices in the supergraph. For example, the graph shown in the illustration has three components. A vertex with no incident edges is itself a component. A graph that is itself connected has exactly one component, consisting of the whole graph.


Plot.

Glee club director Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) is convinced by guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) to create a "diva-off" assignment to prepare New Directions for Regionals. Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), Kitty Wilde (Becca Tobin), Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz), Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris), Wade "Unique" Adams (Alex Newell) and Marley Rose (Melissa Benoist), then perform "Diva" in preparation for the assignment. Meanwhile, in New York City, Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) is becoming increasingly irritated by Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele) arrogance after winning the Winter Showcase and challenges her to a "diva-off". They both perform "Bring Him Home", and Kurt is declared the winner, which shakes Rachel's confidence in herself until Kurt reassures her of her talent and encourages her to audition for an upcoming production of "Funny Girl".  In Lima, following Blaine's performance of "Don't Stop Me Now", Finn reveals that Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) has agreed to perform for New Directions with her fellow cheerleaders from the University of Louisville and Santana leads a rendition of "Nutbush City Limits". She reveals that she has discovered about Brittany's relationship with Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) through Tina, and attempts to undermine their relationship. They duel with "Make No Mistake (She's Mine)", while Brittany secretly watches.  Meanwhile, Tina struggles with her romantic feelings for Blaine, and, after failing to declare herself to him, she expresses her feelings through a performance of "Hung Up", which convinces Finn and Emma to declare her winner of the diva-off, and Blaine to apologize for taking her for granted by asking her to be his date to Will Schuester and Emma's upcoming wedding. Throughout this, Finn, still reeling from having discovered that Rachel has moved in with her boyfriend Brody Weston (Dean Geyer), helps Emma prepare for the wedding, and, when she has a breakdown over a series of trivial matters, Finn attempts to calm her down by kissing her, but quickly realizes it was a mistake and leaves a shocked Emma behind.  Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) reveals that she knows Santana has dropped out of college and offers her a job as interim coach for the Cheerios, but, after a talk with Brittany, encouraging her to follow her dreams, Santana sings "Girl on Fire" to empower herself before relocating to NYC and moving in with Rachel and Kurt, much to their surprise.

Production.

The episode was written by "Glee" co-creator Brad Falchuk and directed by Paris Barclay. The episode was being shot as late as January 15, 2013, overlapping with the following episode, which was being directed by Falchuk.  Recurring characters in this episode include school guidance counsellor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), glee club members Wade "Unique" Adams (Alex Newell), Marley Rose (Melissa Benoist), Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist), Kitty Wilde (Becca Tobin) and Ryder Lynn (Blake Jenner), and NYADA junior Brody Weston (Dean Geyer) and senior Adam Crawford (Oliver Kieran Jones).  Seven songs from the episode are being released as singles. These include "Bring Him Home" from "Les Misérables" performed by Colfer and Michele, which is being released in two solo versions, one by Michele and one by Colfer, Beyoncé's "Diva" performed by Newell, Morris, Jenna Ushkowitz, Darren Criss and Benoist, the Barbra Streisand and Kim Carnes duet "Make No Mistake (She's Mine)" performed by Rivera and Overstreet, Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire" and Ike & Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits", both sung by Rivera, Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" performed by Criss, and Madonna's "Hung Up" performed by Ushkowitz.

Reception.

Ratings.

The episode, including DVR numbers, was watched by 8.71 million American viewers.

Critical response.

Erin Strecker of "Entertainment Weekly" gave a mixed review to the episode, especially with the end scene with Finn and Emma, saying "Did anyone see that coming? We’ll have to wait until next week for the fall out, because as soon as he kissed her, he freaked out and immediately left her office. I’m no psychic, but I don’t think this is going to have fans cheering quite as much as Nick and Jess’ big kiss on "New Girl.""He then talked positively about the performance of "Bring Him Home" and "Diva", calling the first song of the two ""Defying Gravity Part 2" for out NYADA kids." The second song was "a ton of fun. Loved the idea of turning an auditorium into a runway, did not love Blaine’s feathered top. Unique taking lead vocals on this was a great choice."  L'Oreal Thompson of "The Baltimore Sun" commented on Tina's role in the episode, saying "I really do feel bad for her. It's no fun feeling unappreciated and being on the spurned side of unrequited love." Thompson then gave a mixed review to Santana's end song, saying "I know it's a good message and all, but I just feel like it should be in the Gabby Douglas Lifetime movie or something."  Paris Barclay was nominated at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for this episode.

"Diva" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series "Glee", and the seventy-ninth episode overall. Written by co-creator Brad Falchuk and directed by Paris Barclay, it aired on Fox in the United States on February 7, 2013. Paris Barclay was nominated at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for this episode.


Definition.

Solo diving is defined as a dive planned to be conducted entirely or partly without a buddy. It may also apply to dives that begin with a buddy but continue after separation, and to dives where other divers are nearby but are neither responsible for the safety of the solo diver, nor competent to deal with the consequences of a foreseeable contingency. The term has also been used to define dives where buddies are insufficiently attentive or close enough to function effectively as a buddy pair, a situation more commonly referred to as "same ocean buddy diving".

History.

The history of solo diving stands in stark contrast to the relatively new concept of buddy diving that was developed for recreational diving in the early to mid-20th century. Artifacts dating back some 4,500 years provide evidence of solo diving for food and commerce by the ancient people of Mesopotamia. There are written accounts from 2nd century BC that describe commercial sponge fishing, including notes about sponge divers, their lifestyle and fear of predatory sharks. In 350 BC, Aristotle wrote about "an 'elephant nose-like tube' that allowed sponge fishermen to breathe during diving", and in 8th–6th century BC, there are references to solo diving in the writings of Homer.  Freedivers traditionally dove alone or with an attendant on the surface to assist with the harvest; many of the early diving bells were only large enough for a single occupant. When surface supplied diving was first developed, it was common to have only one diver unless the work required more. Those early traditions continue and customarily include a standby diver, and a working diver who is in constant communication with the surface control crew. The sport of scuba diving is rooted in a multitude of small enthusiastic snorkeling and spearfishing clubs that date back to the decades just before and after World War II. In the late 1940s, after the invention of the Aqua-lung by Cousteau and Gagnan, the first retail underwater breathing apparatus for sport was commercially marketed. As the sport expanded through the 1950s, several sporting organisations – notably the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) – began scuba training programmes for swimming enthusiasts, thus began the codification of what was believed to be proper practices for the expanding amateur sport of scuba diving. The buddy system was thought to be a useful corollary to the "never swim alone" edicts of the YMCA swimming and lifesaving programmes. Cousteau independently implemented a buddy system after a number of harrowing diving incidents that date back to the earliest days of exploratory diving. The buddy system's useful aspects have long been established, including the cross-checking of equipment before dives, the facilitating of assistance for possible entanglement problems or equipment failures, and enhancement of the social nature of diving. The YMCA was a substantial influence in the development of diver certification during the first 50 years of the sport. As various scuba programmes were adopted by emerging scuba certification agencies, such as the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), and British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC), the practise of buddy diving inspired one of the two main mantras of recreational scuba: "never hold your breath" and "never dive alone".  By the early to mid-1990s, solo divers became more visible and increasingly open about their alternative dive safety philosophy, despite the recreational industry's established adherence to the buddy system. It wasn't until 2001 that Scuba Diving International (SDI) initiated formal certification training specifically for solo diving. Several other agencies eventually followed suit with certificates titled Self-reliant Diver and variations of that theme; all with the intention of improving diver competence without necessarily going solo, and recognising that the buddy system does not always comply with the ideal. At the 2012 "Rebreather Forum 3", a significant minority of attendees were of the opinion that, in some circumstances, it would be acceptable to dive solo on rebreathers.

Reasons for solo scuba diving.

The intention of using the buddy system when scuba diving is to improve the chances of avoiding or surviving accidents in or underwater. Diving together in close groups of two or sometimes three divers, and co-operating with each other to help or perform a rescue in an emergency situation may save a life; however, it is most effective when each buddy is competent in all the relevant skills and remain consistently and sufficiently aware in order to respond in time.  Some divers, such as instructors, are effectively acting as self-sufficient divers because they dive with students who may not yet be trained in or capable of rescue. Others, such as underwater photographers and videographers, dive solo as it allows them to focus more on capturing selected images rather than relying on buddies to remain close at hand. Photographers or videographers who dive with buddies are often effectively "same ocean" buddies, implying they may be far enough apart physically, or sufficiently focused on their camera-related tasks, to be ineffective as a designated dive buddy. This practice has led to many highly experienced underwater photographers diving solo since they don't commit to provide timely support to a buddy nor expect such support from a buddy. Underwater hunters often elect to dive solo in order to focus on their prey.  Solo diving was considered technical diving by most recreational diver certification agencies and discouraged as more dangerous than buddy diving, but many experienced divers and some certification agencies consider it an acceptable practice for suitably trained, equipped, and competent recreational divers; some others consider it occasionally inevitable. In place of relying on the buddy diving safety system, solo divers try to be self-sufficient and are willing to take responsibility for their own safety while diving. The first training agency to offer a Solo Diving certification was SDI in 1999. In 2011, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) started offering a solo specialty called "Self-Reliant Diver", which in many respects (entry requirements, for example) is very similar to the course offered by SDI.  In professional diving, solo diving is normal procedure when one diver is sufficient to perform the required task, particularly on surface supplied equipment, to the extent that it is not even noted as an exception. However, a standby diver is required at the surface or at the bell, and the working diver must be in communication with the supervisor at the surface. Procedures for the dive are based on assessed risk.  In recreational diving, solo diving is an option chosen by the diver, for any combination of several reasons.

Disadvantages of the buddy system.

Scuba diving is done in a hostile environment for which humans are not adapted, breathing from a portable and limited capacity life support system. Under these conditions fatality is always a possible outcome, as even simple equipment or procedural problems can be mishandled. In dealing with this reality a number of major concerns about potentially inherent flaws or negative impacts that can exist within the buddy system have been identified. Few, if any, of these problems are defects in the concept of the buddy system, they are problems with the application of the system.  The amount of discipline, effort and attention needed from both divers in a buddy pair, and the even greater input required in a three diver team, is unattractive to a confident diver who has other things to do during a straightforward, low risk, recreational dive, and the system is undermined when any one of the divers fails to put in the effort, putting the burden on the remaining diver who takes the responsibilities more seriously. Familiarity with the environment, and the very low incidence of life-threatening accidents is likely to lead to a confidence that there will not be a problem on any given dive, so the divers may pay less attention to good buddy practices, and this may become habitual. This may be exacerbated by the divers being strangers thrown together by chance and the whims of the divemaster, who have no real interest in each other, and whose reasons to dive may be incompatible. Pairing an explorer with a macro photographer will annoy at least one, probably both, if they comply with recommended buddy diving practices. Many nominally buddy dives effectively become solo dives soon after entering the water, with the buddies occasionally checking for the presence of each other and often being beyond direct view of each other. In spite of this, very few of these divers die as a consequence.  Critics of the buddy system state that the proponents project the image of a "totally reliable buddy" that does not generally exist in reality. Some buddies lack skills or experience and some are unfit, and some personality types are outright dangers; these types have been described as "the untrained diver", "the high-flyer", "the falsely confident diver", "the angry diver", "the buddy from hell" and several others. The bad buddy problem is compounded by training that pressurises the diver to "stick with his buddy" at all times, leading to the situation that the bad buddy sets the criteria of how (badly) the dive is carried out. The solo diver avoids this problem altogether.

Risks and their mitigation.

The generic risks of recreational diving include: These risks can be reduced and the consequences mitigated by correct application of knowledge, skills, fitness and equipment. Where a single point of failure is likely to seriously compromise safety, redundant equipment can be carried, and the skills learned to effectively use the equipment without undue delay.  There has been much disagreement over the relative safety and merits of solo diving. Up to 2003, very few statistics existed regarding the impact of solo diving on safety, as the subject had not been specifically studied. A 2006 report from the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) concluded that "BSAC currently takes the view that based on evidence from available statistics and risk assessment, the increased risk attendant to allowing planned solo diving is unacceptable". The data underlying the statistics which are used to point to the dangers of solo diving are questionable: for example, divers who end up dying alone but originally had started out as part of a buddy pair are often considered to be "diving solo" in such statistics, but whether the separation was a consequence of the triggering incident rather than a cause is not analyzed.  In actuality, studies show that with fatal buddy diving incidents, 57% of deaths happened after the buddy pair had separated from one another during the emergency. Again, these cases could be attributed to failure of the buddy system rather than failure of any solo diving/self sufficient diving system. A further complication in such statistics is that certain more dangerous diving practices (e.g. cave diving) are frequently carried out solo. Therefore, it is questionable whether a death in these circumstances should be attributed to solo diving or to cave diving. Analysis of the figures used by BSAC to categorise solo diving as dangerous shows that during 2001–2008 all but one of these "solo diving deaths" were actually paired buddy divers that became separated during or before the fatal incident (75%) or else were divers diving far outside of the limits set by both SDI and PADI for the practice of solo diving (20%) (i.e. actually deep divers, rebreather tech-divers, and/or cave divers). Two further "solo-diving deaths" were not scuba divers at all, but snorkelers.  In almost all circumstances, two highly competent, totally self-sufficient divers diving a specific dive profile as a buddy pair are at lower risk than those same two divers diving exactly the same profile separately, but this raises the question "how often do normal buddy divers both really fit into this particular description?" When considering the risks in solo diving the alternative risks found predominantly in buddy diving need also be considered. The greatest danger to sports divers is inexperience – 60% of all diving fatalities involve divers having less than 20 completed dives. The buddy system itself can be a source of risk – a 2006 survey showed that 52% of buddy divers were at some time actually endangered by a buddy's behavior or actions.  While there are hazards specifically associated with solo diving, most of these can be planned for and their consequences mitigated by the use of appropriate equipment. In technical diving, where redundancy of critical equipment is standard policy, self-sufficiency is emphasised and taught more extensively than in recreational diving. This philosophy should also be followed by solo divers. A solo diver operating beyond the range for acceptable risk for a controlled emergency swimming ascent needs to carry a second, independent source of suitable breathing gas, which includes a regulator and preferably a submersible pressure gauge. This emergency gas supply typically takes the form of a pony bottle, or for more demanding diving, a twin tank set with the capability of independent operation of each tank. Additional equipment carried may include a backup dive computer, a backup dive light and a backup dive mask. The diver must be familiar with the equipment configuration used and be able to access the equipment easily if it is needed. A solo diver needs to be particularly aware of overall personal fitness and health and the limitations it may impose on their ability to manage an emergency. Finally, the solo diver may dive a more conservative dive plan than he or she might dive with an equally competent buddy diver.  As part of mitigating risks in solo diving the following specific practices have been adopted by SDI for solo diving or are key recommendations by Robert von Maier—author of the 1991 book "Solo Diving: The Art of Underwater Self-Sufficiency":

Self sufficiency.

The core objective in training to be a solo diver is to become as self-sufficient and self-reliant as possible, to be able to deal with any reasonably foreseeable problems without assistance, and to have the competence, fitness, discipline, skills and equipment that will achieve this result. This requires competence at risk-assessment and the ability to plan dives and select equipment that limit the risks. An additional benefit of these disciplines is that they will improve the safety of buddy diving whenever the competent solo diver pairs up with another diver in a buddy team by reducing the risk of the second diver being exposed to an emergency which they may not be capable of managing. Agencies training solo divers also recommend the self-sufficiency training in their courses for all divers as their diving experience grows, so as to achieve greater safety in all diving—buddy and solo.

Training and equipment.

To be safe, solo divers must be self-sufficient, well trained, prepared and practised. They should have a completely redundant set of all life support equipment – a complete, self-contained backup breathing gas supply sufficient to return to the surface from any point of the planned dive profile. In addition, the responsible solo divers adhere to a very conservative dive profile, both in depth and level of difficulty. Unlike the buddy system, which encourages divers to rely on others in the event of an emergency, solo diving encourages divers to prepare themselves to overcome emergencies by their own means. The divers who engage in solo diving are typically those who are experienced and equipped enough to handle problems themselves. Solo divers must feel totally comfortable and relaxed in doing this sort of diving, and nobody should ever think of doing diving solo if they are not both competent and comfortable in doing so.  Solo divers are trained to extend their experience gradually, and to ensure that they remain within their personal comfort zone where possible. This reduces the risk of excessive task loading and possible panic reaction to an otherwise manageable contingency. This is not unique to solo diver training, it is a common training practice for any hazardous activity, but when exposing oneself to circumstances where there is no backup it is more important. This means that changes to environment, depth, or equipment are best made one at a time, so that the diver can become familiar with a small change in circumstances before adding another. Simulating emergencies for practice and ensuring that one's response is prompt, appropriate and effective will reduce the risk of inappropriate response if the real emergency occurs.  Qualifications for formal solo diving training as provided by SDI emphasises the need for experience and maturity in diving. In particular the student prerequisites for the solo diving certification course are:  Most of the equipment needed for solo diving is the same as that which would be used for buddy diving the same profile at the same place. The single most important item of additional equipment is the redundant breathing gas supply, which must be sufficient to get the diver safely to the surface from any point of the planned dive. There is more than one way to achieve this, and they each have their advantages and disadvantages. Other more complex arrangements of three or more cylinders are possible, but not usually of any advantage for recreational solo diving. Arrangements using H- and Y-valved back gas cylinders with two first stages may be useful if there is a risk of regulator freezing, but do not provide full redundancy. For solo diving an octopus regulator is not needed – it is intended for supplying gas to another diver. Another item which is very useful for the solo diver is the delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB) with a reel or spool suited to the depth of the planned dive.

Self-reliance skills.

Besides competence in the standard set of scuba skills, there are a few more advanced self-reliance and self-rescue skills required by some of the training agencies. The diver should be able to select and correctly use all equipment needed for the dive, including self-extrication gear for cutting loose from entanglement. A solo diver needs to be able to prepare, dress in and check all equipment used without buddy assistance.  The diver must have an acceptable alternative air configuration, redundant gauges and/or computers, DSMB and reel, compass, and (depending on training centre) signalling device and line cutting device. During the course tests are conducted on swimming skills and swimming endurance, scuba skills associated with solo diving (e.g. use of redundant air and bailout to emergency gas supply), navigation skills and dive planning skills (including breathing gas management).  The CMAS Self-Rescue Diver training includes the deployment of colour-coded DSMBs – red for position indication, and yellow to indicate a problem – the use of a ratchet dive reel to control ascent rate in the event of unplanned positive buoyancy due to loss of weights, and the use of a backup mask.

Legal status.

In most countries there is no government regulation of recreational diving and solo diving is at the discretion of the diver in publicly accessible waters. There are some exceptions:

Solo diving is the practice of underwater diving without a "dive buddy", particularly with reference to scuba diving, but the term is also applied to freediving. Surface supplied diving and atmospheric suit diving are single diver underwater activities but are accompanied by an on-surface support team dedicated to the safety of the diver, and not considered solo diving in its truest sense.


Early life.

Igor Kholin was born in Moscow in a family of a seamstress and an officer in the Imperial Russian Army, whose surname was, according to different versions, either Lvov or Kholin. The account of his father’s death is also controversial - one version says he died of typhoid, the other that he was fighting for the White Movement in the Russian Civil War, then turned Bolshevik, was taken hostage and executed by Admiral Kolchak. An account provided by Kholin’s relatives says that the poet’s grandfather owned a ballet school in Moscow, on Tverskaya street, and that his father married a country girl despite the will of the family.  Neither of those stories can be confirmed, though, since Kholin was inclined to mystify his own life. Evgeniy Lobkov, a literary critic, said that Igor Kholin’s biography is mythological and that it is not known how and where his childhood, boyhood and youth had been spent.  During the Russian Civil War Kholin’s widowed mother placed both of her children in an orphanage, fearing not to be able to provide for them. Kholin was then transferred to a different orphanage in Ryazan that was located in a former monastery, where children were sleeping in bedrooms with murals depicting martyrs’ sufferings, such as the beheading of John the Baptist. Kholin ran away from the orphanage and started living on the streets. At one point he found himself in Novorossiysk, where he entered a military college and served in the Red Army Music Corps.

Military service.

From 1940 to 1946, during his time in the army, Kholin saw active service and was gradually promoted to the rank of a captain of the Red Army. He had been wounded twice; one of the bullets went through the corner of his lips and out of under his shoulder blade, so he barely survived. Kholin was awarded the Order of the Red Star in 1944 and the 1st class of the Order of the Patriotic War in 1985, during the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the victory.

Literary beginnings.

In 1949 Kholin was sentenced to two years in a labor camp in Lianozovo by a tribunal for an administrative offense. Since Kholin was acquainted, from his army days, with a head of the labor camp security, he was allowed brief temporary leaves. It was in jail that Kholin began to write poetry, which he himself later regarded as quite poor. In a library in Lianozovo he once borrowed a book by Alexander Blok, which surprised a local librarian, who turned out to be Evgeny Kropivnitsky’s wife. She introduced Kholin to her husband, who was a leader of a group of poets, writers and artists, among which were the young Genrikh Sapgir and Oscar Rabin, Kropivnitsky’s son-in-law.  It was under Evgeny Kropivnitsky’s influence that Kholin started his creative journey in the mid 1950s. He developed his own poetic style and wrote the cycle of “barracks poems”, which in turn influenced the work of the Lianozovo group. Kholin’s friend Genrikh Sapgir introduced him to writing poems for children, but even though his works appeared in primers, Kholin had difficulties writing commissioned works. During that time he was making his living as a waiter at the Metropol restaurant and was married to Maria Kholina, also a waitress. Together they had a daughter, Lyudmila.

Style.

Kholin preferred to use everyday language as means of his poetic expression, instead of lyrics and imagery. By the end of 1950s Kholin was one of the leaders of Russian nonconformist poetry and of Russian avant-garde. Throughout the 1960s his works were only printed abroad, while in the USSR only his poems for children were officially published.  He was a part of Konkret, a poets’ group, alongside Genrikh Sapgir, Eduard Limonov and Vagrich Bakhchanyan.

Publishing.

In the beginning of 1970s Kholin wrote several poems and turned his attention to prose. From 1988 he started being published in his homeland. In the 1980s and 1990s he has published a number of separate poems, while concentrating on writing short stories.  The image of Kholin as a poet is inseparably linked to one of Genrikh Sapgir, with whom they have initially been penfriends. Sapgir had been Kropivnitsky’s student and used to write him while in army and inquire about new names in the poetic circle. That is how he and Kholin got acquainted, and their friendship has lasted for more than forty years.  In the beginning of 1970s Michail Grobman, a friend of Kholin’s, introduces him to antique trade, which not only enriched the poet’s knowledge of Russian art, both past and contemporary, but also kept bringing him a modest income for the rest of his life.  From 1972 to 1974 Kholin was in a relationship with Irina Ostrovskaya, a friend of Yelena Shchapova, Eduard Limonov’s legendary wife, to whom the latter dedicated his book “It’s me, Eddie”. A daughter of Kholin and Ostrovskaya, Arina, is an author of popular fiction.

Death.

Kholin died from fulminant liver cancer. He is buried at Khimkinskoye cemetery in Moscow.

Igor Sergeyevich Kholin (11 January 1920, Moscow - 15 June 1999, Moscow) was a Russian poet and fiction writer and a member of the 'Lianozovo Group'.


Career.

Cecil Womack was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He and his brothers Bobby (1944–2014), Harry (1945–1974), Friendly and Curtis, were a gospel group appearing on the gospel circuit in the mid 50s where they were seen by Sam Cooke of the Soul Stirrers who signed them for his SAR records. As Cooke's protégés they changed their name to the Valentinos and in 1961 began to sing and record for secular audiences. The Valentinos had hit records with "Lookin' for a Love" and "It's All Over Now", the latter being covered by the Rolling Stones. Cooke's death at a L.A. motel in December 1964, had dramatic consequences for the Womack Brothers as SAR folded and Bobby Womack, who was now married to Sam Cooke's widow, Barbara, left the group for a solo career. The Valentinos briefly disbanded before regrouping as a quartet in 1966, signing with Chess Records where they recorded the Northern Soul hit, "Sweeter than the Day Before", written by Cecil Womack and singer Mary Wells. Womack and Wells married in 1966 and formed the music publishing firm, Well-Wom, to market their jointly written songs. However, the group got dropped from Chess in 1968 after only two singles and Cecil Womack decided to leave the Valentinos. The remaining trio of Harry, Curtis and Friendly Jr. signed with Jubilee Records where they recorded the Cecil-composed "Two Lovers History" and "Tired Of Being Nobody" before being dropped in 1970  As the 1960s progressed Cecil Womack secured a role away from performing as a songwriter and producer. As husband of Mary Wells he was well placed to provide several R & B chart successes for her including "The Doctor", "Dig The Way I Feel" and "Never Give A Man The World" on which he backed his wife on vocals, all released on Jubilee Records. Womack's later songwriting credits include "Love TKO" a major hit for Teddy Pendergrass, "I Just Want To Satisfy You" for the O'Jays, "Love Symphony" for Patti LaBelle, "Your Song" for Four Tops and "New Day" for George Benson.

Womack & Womack.

In 1983, Cecil and his wife Linda, who is Sam Cooke's daughter, began performing and recording together as Womack & Womack, and released a successful album, "Love Wars" on Elektra Records. The title track from the album was a no.14 hit in the UK, and the song "Baby I'm Scared Of You" was a hit on the "Billboard" R&B chart in the US. In 1988, their single "Teardrops", taken from their fourth album "Conscience", became a major international hit reportedly selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. It reached no.3 in the UK, and no.1 in the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand.  After traveling to Nigeria, they discovered ancestral ties to the Zekkariyas tribe, and Cecil adopted the name Zekkariyas. In 1993 they released their final album with a major label, "Transformation To The House Of Zekkariyas". They continued to write for other artists, including Ruby Turner and Randy Crawford,

Covers of Cecil Womack songs.

Mary Wells recorded the Valentinos "Two Lovers' History" in 1968. The Womack & Womack song "Love Wars" was covered by The Beautiful South for the 1990 compilation "". Eric Clapton, Elton John, K.D. Lang and The Sugababes are amongst the artists who recorded "Lead Me On". His best-known song "Love T.K.O." has been recorded by many artists, including Boz Scaggs, Teddy Pendergrass, Bette Midler and Michael McDonald. "Teardrops" has been covered by Lulu and by Joss Stone.

Personal life.

In 1966, Womack married Motown singer Mary Wells at the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. Prior to that Womack fathered a son, Mustafa Womack in November of the same year. They had three children. Womack and Wells separated after he discovered she was having an affair with his brother Curtis Womack. They divorced in 1977.  Cecil later married Linda Cooke, the daughter of Sam Cooke. This created an interesting family tree because Cecil's brother Bobby Womack had married Sam Cooke's widow Barbara Campbell in 1965. Cecil and Linda had seven children together, and had homes in Africa and Thailand. After 1994, Womack was known professionally and personally by the name Zekkariyas.

Death.

Zekkariyas spent his final years traveling the world with his wife and children, using his time to explore his African heritage, spirituality, and knowledge of the continent as well as making music. He died of unknown causes in Johannesburg, South Africa, on January 25, 2013, at age 65.

Cecil Dale Womack (September 25, 1947 – January 25, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was one of the musical Womack brothers, and had success both as a songwriter and recording artist, notably with his wife Linda as Womack & Womack. In later years he took the name Zekkariyas.


History.

European origin.

Among the older and most widely distributed of all breeds of cattle in the world, and recorded since the Middle Ages, the Simmental breed has contributed to the creation of several other famous European breeds, including the Montbeliarde (France), the Pezzata Rossa d'Oropa (Italy), and the Fleckvieh (Germany and Austria).

Africa.

Namibia (1893) and South Africa (1905) were the first countries outside Europe where the breed was successfully established. Here the breed is known as Simmentaler and is mainly used for beef cattle production under suckler cow systems. Today, the breeders' society is, as far as animal numbers are concerned, the fourth largest of the 32 nondairy breeds in Southern Africa. The main reasons for its popularity are (i) it can be used with great success in crossbreeding for breeding of both cows with much milk and heavy weaners/oxen, (ii) a large number of performance-tested bulls, (iii) comprehensive advice and other breed improvement services to its breeders, and (iv) animals that do not pass stringent inspection by breed experts, are permanently eliminated from the herdbook.

Soviet Union.

In the former Soviet Union, the Simmental was the most important cattle breed. Russian Simmental (Симментальская корова) accounted for one-quarter of all cattle in the USSR. Through extensive crossbreeding, six strains were developed:<ref name="FAO/DAD-IS/Russia">Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations / Domestic Animal Diversity Information System: ′′Simmentalskaya/Russian Federation.′′ Retrieved 3 July 2013.</ref> In 1990, there were 12,849,800 Simmental in the USSR. In 2003, the Simmental count in Russia stood at 2,970,400.

Different names.

The breed is known under the following names "Pezzata Rossa": Italy. "Montbéliarde": A French dairy breed. Member of European Simmental Federation but not of the World Simmental-Fleckvieh Federation.

Characteristics.

Traditional.

The Simmental has historically been used for dairy and beef, and as draught animals. They are particularly renowned for the rapid growth of their young, if given sufficient feed. Simmentals provide more combined weaning gain (growth) and milk yield than any other breed.

Africa.

In contrast to countries which allow black and solid brown coloured Simmental in the herdbook, Namibia and South Africa only register Simmentaler with the typical colour i.e. from dark red or brown to yellow spread over the body in any pattern with at least some white on the forehead and the lower-leg area, solid black or solid red animals are non-existent because they are not registered.

Types.

No other breed in the world has such a large within-breed-type variation as Simmental-Fleckvieh which is classifiable in the following types:  The traditional colouration of the Simmental has been described variously as "red and white spotted" or "gold and white", although there is no specific standard colouration, and the dominant shade varies from a pale yellow-gold all the way to very dark red (the latter being particularly popular in the United States). The face is normally white, and this characteristic is usually passed to crossbred calves. The white face is genetically distinct from the white head of the Hereford.

The Simmental or Swiss Fleckvieh is a Swiss breed of dual-purpose cattle. It is named after the Simmental – the valley of the Simme river – in the Bernese Oberland, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is reddish in colour with white markings, and is raised for both milk and meat.


Background.

The Belgrade-Bar railway crosses into Bosnia and Herzegovina for 9 km, between the stations at Jablanica and Raca, both in Serbia. There is one station, Štrpci, but there are no border crossing facilities and only three trains per direction call at the station every day. The abducted passengers were taken off the train, robbed and physically abused. They were then taken to the village of Visegradska banja near Višegrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they were tortured and killed in a burned-out house near the river Drina. Their remains have not been found.  Members of the Avengers ("Osvetnici") military unit, commanded by Milan Lukić, with logistical support from the Republic of Serbia, were responsible for the abductions. Of the approximately 30 suspects the only individual convicted for his role in the crime was Nebojša Ranisavljević from Despotovac. He was arrested in October 1996. The Higher Court in Bijelo Polje sentenced him to 15 years in prison on 9 September 2002. The verdict was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Montenegro in April 2004. Ranisavljević was released from prison in 2011 after serving nine years of his sentence. The Commander of the Republika Srpska army's (VRS) Višegrad brigade, Luka Dragićević, admitted at Ranisavljević's trial that the "Avengers" unit was part of the VRS. After the war Dragićević was transferred to a position in the Yugoslav army.  Amnesty International expressed concern that Ranisavljević had been made a scapegoat and that the trial was a token affair. It was alleged that Ranisavljević had been tortured in detention to force him to make incriminating statements.  Senior officials in the Serbian and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) governments were alerted to the plan to abduct citizens of the FRY but no action was taken to prevent the crime. The Štrpci massacre and the Sjeverin massacre were part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing conducted against Bosniaks in the Sandžak area of Serbia that was organised and carried out under the cover of the Bosnian war. Police and judicial officials are alleged to have obstructed court proceedings against Milan Lukić.

The Štrpci massacre was the massacre of 19 civilians (18 Bosniaks and one Croat) on 27 February 1993, taken from a Belgrade-Bar train at Štrpci station near Višegrad, on Bosnian territory. Fifteen Serbs were arrested in December 2014 and charged with war crimes for their participation in the massacre.


Early life and career.

Born 9 March [O.S. 26 February] 1876 in Nevel to a family of Jewish contractors, his true birth name is unknown, in various sources, Isai (Yiddish: Shaya or Shai) and Isak, Isayevich, Isaakovich, Itskovich are indicated as real names. His first wife, Bertha Iosifovna Perelman, was born in 1876 to the family of an artisan. She was arrested and sent into exile in the Narym region. In exile Bertha Perelman married Goloshchyokin. She died in 1918. After graduating from a dental school in Riga, Goloshchyokin worked for a time as a dental technician. In 1903 he joined the RSDLP. He conducted revolutionary work in St. Petersburg, Kronstadt, Sestroretsk, Moscow and other cities. He took part in the Revolution of 1905-1907. From 1909, he worked in the Moscow Committee of the RSDLP and directed it. In 1909 he was arrested and exiled to the Narym region, and fled in 1910. In 1912, he was a delegate to the Bolshevik Congress in Prague, at which Vladimir Lenin formalized the break with the Mensheviks and created a separate Bolshevik organization with its own Central Committee, of which Goloshchyokin was a founding member. He assumed the alias "Filipp", also transliterated "Philipp" or "Philippe", as his party cryptonym.  In 1913 he was again arrested by the Russian authorities and deported to the Turukhansk Territory in Siberia, and released only after the February Revolution in 1917. In May, Yakov Sverdlov, the Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, sent Goloshchyokin to the Ural Region, informing the local Bolsheviks: "Comrade Philippe has gone to the Urals; a man; very energetic; with the right party line". He served as a member of the Perm Committee of the All-Union Communist Party, then a member of the Regional Committee. As a delegate to the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets, Goloshchyokin arrived in Petrograd. He entered the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee and participated in the October Revolution. At the Second Congress of Soviets, he was elected a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. Goloshchyokin recalled that before his departure for the Urals, Lenin aimed at delaying the convocation and the subsequent dispersal of the Constituent Assembly. After the success of the October Revolution and the outbreak of the Russian Civil War, he was elected to the Presidium of the Ural Regional Soviet, based in Ekaterinburg, and was elected Military Commissar of the Urals, where he formed and headed the Red Guard in the region and oversaw the activities of the Red Army Reserve District in Ekaterinburg. In Spring 1918, he proposed to execute Prince Lvov, who had served as Chairman of the Provisional Government after the February Revolution, and was a prisoner in Ekaterinburg, but was ordered not to by the People's Commissar for Justice, a Left Socialist Revolutionary, during the period when the Left SRs were in coalition with the Bolsheviks.

Execution of the Tsar.

While he was in Moscow in the spring of 1918, Goloshchyokin decided to first suggest to Yakov Sverdlov that the former Emperor Nicholas II should be moved to Ekaterinburg, where there was less chance of his being rescued by the anti-Bolshevik White Army. Sverdlov and Lenin were reluctant to agree because they planned to put the former Emperor on trial in a grand public spectacle, with Leon Trotsky acting as Chief Prosecutor, and they suspected that the militant Ekaterinburg Bolsheviks would lynch him instead, but ultimately agreed that the prisoner and his family should pass through Ekaterinburg on the way to Moscow. Upon arrival in Ekaterinburg, the family and their retainers were imprisoned in the Ipatiev House on the suggestion of Pyotr Voykov, a member of the Ural Soviet, with Yakov Yurovsky, a ranking member of the Ekaterinburg Cheka, appointed as commandant of the Ipatiev House by the decision of the Soviet. Though Yurovsky held direct command over the Red Guards and Red Army Reserve troops stationed on the grounds, overall command was ultimately held by Goloshchyokin as Military Commissar of the Ural Region. In this capacity, he frequently oversaw the dismissal of guardsmen believed too sympathetic to the family and their replacement with more hardened, ruthless Bolshevists, such as Peter Ermakov, the Military Commissar of the 4th Red Army Reserve District in Ekaterinburg and one of Goloshchyokin's immediate subordinates, who was called "the most bloodthirsty man in the Urals". When one of the guards, Ivan Skorokhodov, who was smitten with Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, smuggled a birthday cake to the Grand Duchess for her 19th birthday, Goloshchyokin had him removed from duty and tightened security.  In June 1918, amidst the rapid gains made by the White Army in the Ural Region, Goloshchyokin was in Moscow for the Fifth Congress of Soviets, spoke to Lenin and Sverdlov, and it appears that they agreed that the Tsar should be killed without delay. On 16 July, Yurovsky was informed by Alexander Beloborodov, Chairman of the Ural Soviet, that Red Army contingents were retreating in all directions, and the executions could not be delayed any longer. A coded telegram seeking final approval was sent by Goloshchyokin and Georgy Safarov at around 6:00 PM to Lenin and Sverdlov in Moscow, but the lines were down and they could not get a direct connection, leaving them with no choice but to send the telegram on the direct line to Petrograd instead addressed to Grigory Zinoviev, the head of the Petrograd Soviet, based in the Smolny Institute, with a request to forward a copy to Sverdlov in Moscow. Zinoviev duly forwarded the telegraph to Moscow, noting that he had done so by 5:50 PM Petrograd time. There is no documented record of a final answer from Moscow, although Yurovsky insisted that an order from the Central Executive Committee to move forward signed by Sverdlov had been passed on to him by Goloshchyokin at around 7:00 PM. While Beloborodov and Safarov remained at the local Cheka Headquarters at the Amerikanskaya Hotel nearby, Goloshchyokin arrived personally at the Ipatiev House as a representative of the Ural Soviet to direct the executions, but did not appear to physically participate in the shooting himself, and instead remained outside with the other guardsmen while Yurovsky personally led the assembled death squad.  Goloshchyokin is said to have repeatedly paced back and forth along the perimeter palisade erected around the Ipatiev House in an attempt to determine if anyone could hear what was going on from outside as one of the guardsmen revved the engines of the fiat truck waiting outside to mask the sounds of the gunfire, screams, and barking dogs. When it was clear that the gunfire could be discerned even from outside the palisade walls, Goloschyokin ordered one of the guards to tell the executioners to cease fire and to use their bayonets to kill the family and their dogs. As the corpses were brought out from the house and loaded onto the truck, Goloshchyokin stooped down to examine the corpse of the Tsar, murmuring, "So this is the end of the Romanov Dynasty, is it...", to which Mikhail Kudrin, who was in charge of the loading of the corpses, responded: "No, not yet; there is still much work to be done". According to Kudrin, when the body of the French Bulldog Ortino, "the last pathetic remnant of the Imperial Family", was brought out on the end of a Red Guardsman's bayonet and unceremoniously hurled onto the fiat, Goloshchyokin sneered, "Dogs deserve a dogs death" as he glared at the dead Tsar. Goloschyokin climbed into the truck and departed along with Yurovsky, Kudrin, Ermakov, and Vaganov, while Yurovsky's deputy Nikulin was left in charge of the Ipatiev House.  At a telegraph office in Ekaterinburg on 18 July, he caught Sir Thomas Preston, a diplomat at the British Consulate, attempting to cable Sir Arthur Balfour in London with the message, "The Tsar Nicholas the Second was shot last night." Goloshchyokin snatched it, and struck out the words of Preston's text with a red pencil, rewriting on the paper, "The hangman Tsar Nicholas was shot last night – a fate he richly deserved." He subsequently oversaw the disposal of the remains along with Yurovsky, while Beloborodov and Nikulin oversaw the ransacking of the Romanov's quarters, with the most valuable items piled into Yurovsky's office and later transported to Moscow in sealed trunks under heavy guard by commissars on Goloshchyokin's instructions, while items deemed of little consequence were stuffed into the stoves and burned. Goloshchyokin was safely evacuated from Ekaterinburg along with most of the other members of the Ural Soviet prior to the arrival of the White Army, who captured Ekaterinburg on 25 July.

The Goloshchekin Genocide.

From October 1922 to 1925, Goloshchyokin served as Chairman of the Samara Provincial Council of Workers, Peasants and Red Army Deputies, Chairman of the Samara Gubernaya Executive Committee and a member of the Provincial Committee of the RCP. On October 23, 1922 he abolished martial law in the Samara Province. He was elected a Candidate Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1924, and a Full Member in 1927. On 19 February 1925, he was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party in the newly created Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic. From 1925 to 1933 he ran the Kazakh ASSR with virtually no outside interference as a local dictator. He played a prominent part in the construction of the Turkestan-Siberian railway, which was constructed to open up Kazakhstan's mineral wealth. After Joseph Stalin ordered the forced collectivization of agriculture throughout the Soviet Union, Goloshchyokin ordered that Kazakhstan's largely nomadic population was to be forced to settle in collective farms. This caused a deadly famine in Kazakhstan, known within Kazakhstan as the Goloshchekin Genocide, which killed between 1 and 3 million people. 38% of all Kazakhs died, the highest number of any ethnic group killed "per capita" in the Soviet famines of the early 1930s. Violent measures were taken to enable the transfer of nomads to sedentary lifestyles, which led to massive casualties, mainly among the indigenous Kazakh population.  While a general figure of around 1-2 million deaths is often given, some Kazakh historians give significantly higher estimates of the number of victims of the famine and violence, such as Professor K.M. Abzhanov, Director of the Institute of History and Ethnology who stated that: "Hunger killed at least 3 million Kazakhs. One-sixth of the indigenous population left their historical homeland forever. Of 3.5 million Kazakhs in 1897 accounting for 82% of the region's population, by 1939 there were only 2.3 million, their share in the population of the republic fell to 38%". Two Soviet censuses show that the number of the Kazakhs in the Kazakh ASSR dropped from 3,637,612 in 1926 to 2,181,520 in 1937. The actions of the Soviet government made Kazakhs a minority in the Kazakh ASSR, and not until the 1990s did Kazakhs become the largest group in Kazakhstan again.  A historian of the revolution, V.L. Burtsev, who knew Goloshchyokin, characterized him as such:  Statements have been made that, in seven years, he never went outside the capital and was not interested in how the people lived, and did not correspond to reality. In April 1931, Goloshchyokin traveled only ten districts. The handling of collectivization and "dekulakization" under his leadership in Kazakhstan is remembered with a mixed feeling of hatred and horror by the Kazakh people.

Downfall.

In August 1932, the second most senior communist in Kazahstan, the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, Uraz Isayev, wrote to Stalin accusing Goloshchyokin of believing his own myth that every single Kazakh had decided to join the collective farms, and of blaming his own mistakes on 'kulaks'. In October, a prominent Kazakh writer, Gabit Musirepov reporting finding corpses stacked like firewood by the roadside in the Turgai district of Kazakhstan. The West Siberian party boss, Robert Eikhe, also complained about starving Kazakhs pouring into Siberia, while Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov queried the number of Kazakh refugess crossing the border into China.  Goloshchyokin defended himself by claiming that the poor and middle income Kazakhs had "Voluntarily, in powerful waves, turned towards socialism". At first it appeared he had Stalin's support. On 11 November, 1932, he and Isaev ordered the mass arrest and deportation of peasants accused of impeding grain collection. In January 1933, at a plenum of the Central Committee, he boasted of the "enormous successes" of the Five year Plan in Kazakhstan - but a few days later, he was suddenly sacked, and was subject to widespread public criticism for his handling of collectivization.  After his return to Moscow, despite being appointed to a senior post as President of the State Council of Arbitration, Goloshchyokin brooded over his dismissal, and threatened suicide until his exasperated wife, Elizaveta Arsenievna Goloshchyokina, handed him a pistol and dared him to shoot himself - after which he reputedly never threatened suicide again. Throughout his term as Chief State Arbiter of the Council of People's Commissars, he was an active participant in Stalinist repression, and was a frequent contact and collaborator of Nikolai Yezhov, the head of the NKVD from 1936-1938 during the most active period of the Great Purge.

Arrest and Execution.

Unlike most prominent Old Bolsheviks, he survived the Great Purge unscathed for as long as Nikolai Yezhov was the head of the NKVD; but when Yezhov was arrested in 1939, he made a detailed confession to his interrogators, including the information that he had lived in Goloshchyokin's apartment in Kzyl-Orda, then the capital of the Kazakh ASSR, in the latter half of 1925, and that during those months, they were homosexual lovers. Homosexuality was not a criminal offense in the USSR in 1925, though it was criminalized in 1934, but Goloshchyokin, who was almost 20 years older than Yezhov, was arrested nonetheless on 15 October 1939. He was accused of sympathy for Trotskyism, the preparation of a terrorist act, excesses in the matter of collectivization, and of spying for Nazi Germany. He was under heavy interrogation in the Lubyanka in Moscow at the time of the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II in June 1941, and was transferred to Kuybyshev by 17 October when the headquarters of the NKVD were evacuated there. He was one of 20 'especially dangerous' prisoners, who included 14 high-ranking military officers, who were executed by firing squad on 28 October 1941 on the direct orders of Lavrentiy Beria, and consigned to an unmarked grave.  He was posthumously rehabilitated in 1961, 20 years after his death. From 1976 to 1990, one of the streets in Ekaterinburg, then known as Sverdlovsk, was named after Goloshchyokin.

Name.

The surname is often written as "Goloshchekin", a transliteration of the surname written without diacritics: Голощeкин.  He is also often referred to as Shaya Goloshchekin (Шая) by the diminutive from the name Isay in Yiddish. "Filipp" was his party cryptonym.

In popular culture.

Goloshchyokin was portrayed by Lithuanian actor Jokūbas Bareikis in the 2019 American docudrama "The Last Czars".

Filipp Isayevich Goloshchyokin (), born Shaya Itsikovich (), ( – October 28, 1941) was a Bolshevik, communist revolutionary, Soviet politician, and party functionary.


Story.

"The Headless Horseman" is a story about an Irish adventurer and hero in the War with Mexico. First Lt. Reid, writing as "Captain Reid," penned a series of popular novels and attributed his headless horseman idea to a south Texas folk tale. Vladimir Nabokov recalled "The Headless Horseman" as a favorite adventure novel of his childhood years: "which had given him a vision of the prairies and the great open spaces and the overarching sky." At 11, Nabokov even translated "The Headless Horseman" into French alexandrines.  The story takes place in Texas soon after the War with Mexico. Louise Poindexter, a beautiful newcomer, is courted by two men – the arrogant and vindictive Cassius Calhoun and the dashing but poor mustanger Maurice Gerald. Calhoun plots to eliminate his rival when tragedy strikes: Louise's brother, the young Henry Poindexter, is murdered. All clues point to Maurice Gerald as the assassin. At the same time a headless rider is spotted in the environs of the Poindexter plantation.

Origins of the novel.

The novel was reportedly inspired by Creed Taylor's (1820–1906) true story of "El Muerto", the Headless Horseman. Taylor was a veteran of the Texas Revolution, the War with Mexico, the Civil War and an Indian fighter, who was also involved in the Sutton–Taylor feud, once considered the state's longest and deadliest feud.  Historian J. Warren Hunter, through his discussions with Taylor, learned a lot of Texas history firsthand at the Taylor home in Kimble County. Among the many recollections Taylor conveyed to Hunter, was a particularly outrageous one which involved his cronies, Alexander Anderson "Bigfoot" Wallace and John McPeters.  Taylor claimed the event occurred in 1848. By then, Wallace, a survivor of the doomed Mier Expedition, had become a famed Indian fighter. Although McPeters fought at San Jacinto, he is almost forgotten today. During the War with Mexico, both men were Texas Rangers commanded by the fierce Mabry "Mustang" Gray (1817–1848).  As Creed's story appears in Hunter's 1898 manuscript, "The Life of Creed Taylor"; Bigfoot and McPeters tracked and killed a number of Mexican horse thieves near the Nueces, south of present-day Uvalde. Wallace decided to use the ringleader's body as a warning to others. Bigfoot decapitated the dead man, called Vuavis or Vidal, and the two put his body on a wild stallion that the two had caught and tied between two trees. They thrust his head into his sombrero, secured by a strap and tied to the pommel of the saddle. Then they set the horse loose to roam the hilly countryside.  Creed didn't place himself in the story, but did know the horse thief who had lost his head. One of Taylor's friends, Bate Berry, captured Lt. Vuavis during the Siege of Bexar (December 1835). Creed watched as Vuavis, who had deserted, willingly spilled all his Mexican military info to Berry, who had a reputation for scalping enemies. They finally released the shaken captive.  Years later, Vuavis, alias "Vidal," and his gang began terrorizing south Texas ranchers and stealing their cattle. It was then that Bigfoot and McPeters got on his trail, and shortened his career. Travelers and soldiers at Fort Inge near Uvalde soon were reporting sightings of a wily headless rider.

Various narratives.

The original story spawned various retellings. After Mayne Reid, James T. DeShields was the next interpreter. A dry-goods salesman, he was known for one novel, "Cynthia Ann Parker". DeShields wrote pieces for the "Fort Worth Press" based on material he bought from old Texans; and his sometimes exaggerated articles were presented as factual.  In 1906, J. Warren Hunter sold his Taylor interview manuscript to DeShields, who lightly rewrote parts. 21 years after Hunter's death, he published "Tall Men with Long Rifles", an account of Taylor's adventures in the Texas Revolution.  In 1924, J. Warren Hunter's son, J. Marvin Hunter (editor of "Frontier Times"), took his turn. He personalized crimes of Vidal's rustlers, who were now stealing horses from Creed Taylor. The younger Hunter vividly sketched events, while changing the time to 1850, the year of a sweeping Indian raid that drained frontier manpower, leaving few defenders against bandits. John McPeters disappeared from the narrative altogether. The younger Hunter declared that Capt. Reid's novel was based on fact.  Folklorist J. Frank Dobie changed the tale in his 1928 "Tales of Old Time Texas", suggesting the headless rider was once a "ghostly guard of the mine of the long-abandoned Candelaria Mission on the Nueces to protect it from profane prospectors".

Adaptations.

"The Headless Horseman", a 1972 Soviet-Cuban co-production film directed by Vladimir Vajnshtok and starring Ludmila Savelyeva and Oleg Vidov.

The Headless Horseman is a novel by Mayne Reid, first published in monthly serialized form during 1865 and 1866, and subsequently published as a book in 1866, based on the author's adventures in the United States. ""The Headless Horseman"" or ""A Strange Tale of Texas"" was set in Texas and based on a south Texas folk tale.