Early life.

James Harrod was born in Bedford County, Province of Pennsylvania, a British Royal Colony, now Bedford County, Pennsylvania, as one of twelve children born to John and Sarah Moore Harrod. His actual year of birth is disputed. When he volunteered as one of "Captain Cochran's Recruits" in June 1760, he listed his age at sixteen, but historian James C. Klotter notes that his listed height of 5 feet, 2 inches differed greatly from his adult height of over six feet and may suggest that he lied about his age in order to serve. Various sources list his birth year anywhere from 1742 to 1746, and the latter is most often considered correct.  He grew up a frontiersman, and became particularly adept at hunting, trapping, and fishing. His skill with a rifle was particularly noteworthy. His brother Sam and his father's first wife were both killed by Indians. In 1754, near the outset of the French and Indian War, Harrod's father died. The family relocated to Fort Littleton, where Harrod served as a ranger and a guard. James Harrod and his brother William served under John Forbes during the French and Indian War.  Despite his early experiences with the Indians, Harrod never developed a hatred of them. In fact, he developed a reputation of generosity, often using his hunting skills to provide food for those less skilled than himself. Early sources record that Harrod was illiterate, but Klotter points out that he is known to have kept written records and possessed books in his house.  In 1763, Harrod joined Henry Bouquet in his relief of Fort Pitt during Pontiac's Rebellion. Later, he ventured into the area now known as Illinois. While there, he lived among French traders and learned to speak their language. He also spent some time with the Indians in the area, and learned to speak their languages as well. From there he traveled into the areas that form present-day Kentucky and Tennessee. It was during these later expeditions that he first met Daniel Boone.

Exploration of Kentucky.

In 1774, Harrod was ordered by Lord Dunmore to lead an expedition to survey the bounds of land promised by the British crown to soldiers who served in the French and Indian War. Leaving from Fort Redstone, Harrod and 37 men traveled down the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers to the mouth of the Kentucky River, eventually crossing Salt River into what is today Mercer County, Kentucky. On June 16, 1774, the men established the first pioneer settlement in Kentucky, Harrod's Town. The men divided the land amongst them; Harrod chose an area about six miles (10 km) from the settlement proper, which he named Boiling Springs.  Just as Harrod's men had completed the settlement's first structures, Dunmore dispatched Daniel Boone to call them back from the frontier and into military service against the Indians in Lord Dunmore's War. Harrod enlisted in the militia, but arrived too late to participate in the war's only major battle – the Battle of Point Pleasant. His men arrived at the battle site at midnight on October 10, the day the fighting ended.  On March 8, 1775, Harrod led a group of settlers back to Harrodstown to stay. Within months, the town grew, and the original fortifications became inadequate. New structures were built on top of Old Fort Hill, which today is the site of Old Fort Harrod State Park. The settlers at Harrodstown joined other pioneers in the area at Boonesborough to formulate the first regulations to govern the area.  In 1778, Harrod married Ann Coburn McDonald at Logan's Station, a settlement established by fellow explorer Benjamin Logan. McDonald had come to Harrodstown in 1776; her first husband was killed by Indians later that year. Her father was also killed and scalped by Indians. The couple had one daughter, Margaret, who was born in September 1785. McDonald also had a son from her previous marriage, James, who was captured by Indians in November 1787 and burned at the stake.  Harrod successfully opposed Richard Henderson's colonization schemes for the area. Well respected in the settlement, he held several positions of political leadership. When Virginia created Kentucky County on December 31, 1776, Harrodstown was designated the county seat. In 1777, Harrod became a justice in Kentucky County, and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1779. Throughout the 1780s, he served as a trustee for the settlement that bore his name. In 1784, he attended the first of a series of meetings in Danville that eventually led to Kentucky's petition for statehood.  Harrod's political service was frequently interrupted by military necessity. In 1776 and 1777, he led two expeditions eastward to secure provisions for the fledgling forts of Kentucky. Harrod again served in the militia, and defended the settlement of Harrodstown from Indian attacks throughout the summer of 1777. Beginning as a captain, he attained the rank of colonel by 1779.

Disappearance.

As the settlement of Harrodstown grew, James Harrod became a wealthy farmer, owning more than 20,000 acres (80 km2) across Kentucky. He also became increasingly socially detached and wont to make long, solitary excursions into the wilderness. In February 1792, he and two other men entered the wilderness of Kentucky to hunt for beaver. Harrod never returned from the expedition.

Abandonment theory.

Many theories have been proposed as to the fate of James Harrod. That he was killed by Indians or fell ill and died in the wilderness are among the common explanations. Several other theories hinge on the idea that Harrod abandoned his family and went to another part of the country. A legal deposition from Harrod's sister claims that Harrod came to live with her following his disappearance in Kentucky. Another tradition holds that Harrod had been married in Pennsylvania before his pioneer days, and that he simply returned to his first family. A third tradition holds that two pioneers from Kentucky who were being held captive by Indians near Detroit, Michigan saw a man enter the Indian camp. They claimed to recognize him, and addressed him as "Colonel Harrod." Upon returning to Kentucky, the pair indicated that Harrod had intended to return to his family, but had not said when. Ann Harrod offered the men one thousand dollars to take her to Harrod's location, but the men declined, stating that the trip was too dangerous.  In an interview with a historian half a century after Harrod's disappearance, a man named Henry Wilson claimed that Harrod had told him that he felt like his wife Ann had become too intimate with some of the other men in the town. Another man corroborated that Ann was not always a loving wife. Wilson claimed that Harrod told him "You will not see me here again," and that years later, someone had claimed to have seen Harrod in the Northern United States.  Some historians doubt Wilson's account, since other things that he told the historian proved false. Also, in the will he made out just prior to his disappearance, he left everything to his "beloved wife" and daughter. Other settlers declared that Harrod "almost worshiped" his wife. Ann was granted an annulment of her third marriage in April 1804 on the grounds that her previous husband was still living. It is not clear whether Ann had contact with Harrod following his disappearance or if she was simply seeking a means of escaping an undesirable marriage.

Murder theory.

Harrod's wife, daughter, and son-in-law believed that Harrod had been killed by one of his fellow hunters, a man named Bridges. The family claimed that Harrod and his companions had not been hunting beaver, but were instead searching for a silver mine that a man named Jonathan Swift had claimed to have discovered years before. Ann Harrod claimed that she had warned her husband that she feared that Bridges was planning to murder him because of a dispute over some property that the two had some years earlier. Although Harrod had said he was not afraid, he made out the will. He also allowed a fellow explorer and friend, Michael Stoner, to accompany him on the trip.  According to Stoner's account, the group had camped on the Three Forks of the Kentucky River (Beattyville, Kentucky) near an area where Harrod had found an abundance of beaver. One morning, Stoner was making breakfast while Harrod and Bridges checked their traps. Suddenly, Bridges rushed back to the camp, claiming that he heard a shot from Harrod's vicinity. When Harrod did not return, Bridges offered to look for him. He soon returned and claimed that he had seen fresh signs of Indian activity in the woods, and was sure Harrod must have been killed. Stoner wanted to look for Harrod, but Bridges insisted that it was too dangerous. Eventually, Stoner acquiesced. Soon after the expedition, Bridges went to Lexington where he sold some furs and some silver buttons engraved with the letter "H" at a local shop. The shopkeeper sent the buttons to Ann Harrod, who said they belonged to her husband.  Later, while searching the area where Harrod was last seen, some of Harrod's friends found some bones in a cave. The bones were still tightly wrapped in sedge grass, which appeared to have been used to help transport the body to its present location. Some of the friends claimed that the bones were wearing Harrod's shirt, and that the buttons were missing. Others claimed there was no shirt at all. Regardless, when the men returned, Bridges had fled the area. Harrod's family claimed that Bridges' flight proved that Harrod's friends had found Harrod's body in the cave and feared that he would be implicated in his death. However, when Ann applied for Harrod's pension, she swore he had died in a hunting accident and that his clothes had been found in a nearby river.

James Harrod () was a pioneer, soldier, and hunter who helped explore and settle the area west of the Allegheny Mountains. Little is known about Harrod's early life, including the exact date of his birth. He was possibly underage when he served in the French and Indian War, and later participated in Lord Dunmore's War. He also rose to the rank of colonel in the local militia.

James Harrod (* um 1746; † nach 1792) war ein Pionier der amerikanischen Besiedlung des US-Bundesstaats Kentucky im 18. Jahrhundert Obwohl er die erste dauerhafte weiße Ansiedlung in Kentucky gründete, wurde er nie so bekannt wie Daniel Boone. Harrod wurde in Pennsylvania geboren, das genaue Jahr ist ungewiss. Viele Mitglieder seiner Familie, darunter sein Bruder und die erste Frau seines Vaters, wurden bei Indianerüberfällen getötet. Während des Siebenjährigen Kriegs kämpfte er als britischer Soldat. Nach dem Krieg erkundete er als Waldläufer die westlich der Appalachen gelegenen Gebiete und lernte dabei Französisch und zahlreiche Indianersprachen. 1774 gründete er Fort Harrod, die erste dauerhafte weiße Ansiedlung in Kentucky. Aus diesem Fort ging die Stadt Harrodsburg hervor. Harrod erwarb umfangreichen Grundbesitz und galt als wohlhabender Bürger. 1778 heiratete er die 22-jährige Witwe Ann McDonald. Ihr Mann war von Indianern getötet worden, sie brachte einen Sohn namens James mit in die Ehe. 1779 war Harrod Abgeordneter für das Kentucky County in der Generalversammlung von Virginia und Oberst der Miliz. Als solcher führte er 1780, 1782 und 1786 Expeditionen gegen die Indianer im Nordwesten der damaligen USA. 1785 wurde die gemeinsame Tochter Margaret geboren, im November 1787 wurde jedoch sein Stiefsohn James von Indianern entführt und am Marterpfahl ermordet, was Harrod schwer belastete. Er unternahm wieder häufiger ausgedehnte Touren in die Wildnis. 1792 ging er auf eine längere Jagdtour in die Wildnis und wurde nie wieder gesehen.


Transmission.

Anaplasmosis is classified as a tick-borne disease. It can be contracted from tick bites which contain "Anaplasma phagocytophilum". The most common tick that carries the bacterium is Ixodes scapularis, also known as the black-legged tick or the deer tick.  Anaplasmosis can also be contracted from blood transfusions, as well as using surgical, dehorning, castration, and tattoo instruments and hypodermic needles that are not disinfected between uses.

Signs and symptoms.

Classic signs and symptoms of anaplasmosis include fever, a decreased number of white blood cells, platelets in the bloodstream, and abnormally elevated levels of liver enzymes. The erythema chronicum migrans rash may be seen with anaplasmosis as it is co-transmitted in 10% of Lyme disease cases.  Anemia may be severe and result in cardiovascular changes such as an increase in heart rate. Blood in the urine may occur due to the lysis of red blood cells. General systemic signs such as diarrhea, anorexia, and weight loss may also be present.

Causes.

Several species of rickettsial bacteria cause anaplasmosis in ruminants:

Prevention.

Vaccines against anaplasmosis are available. Carrier animals should be eliminated from flocks. Tick control may also be useful, although it can be difficult to implement.

Treatment.

The most effective courses of treatment are doxycycline (a normal dose would be 100 mg every 12 hours for adults), rifampin and levofloxacin. After treatment most animals become resistant to the disease. Oxytetracycline and imidocarb have also been shown to be effective. Supportive therapy such as blood products and fluids may be necessary.

Epidemiology.

In the United States, anaplasmosis is notably present in the south and west, where the tick hosts "Ixodes" spp. are found. It is also a seemingly increasing antibody in humans in Europe. Although vaccines have been developed, none are currently available in the United States. Early in the 20th century, this disease was considered one of major economic consequence in the western United States. In the 1980s and 1990s, control of ticks through new acaricides and practical treatment with prolonged-action antibiotics, notably tetracycline, has led to the point where the disease is no longer considered a major problem. The disease affects immunoglobulin G, therefore G-specific antibody levels can be used to diagnose the disease.  In 2005, "A. ovis" was found in reindeer populations in Mongolia. This pathogen and its associated syndrome (characterized by lethargy, fever, and pale mucous membranes) was previously observed in only wild sheep and goats in the region, and is the first observed event of "A. ovis" in reindeer.  In Australia, bovine anaplasmosis, caused by "A. marginale", is found in only the northern and eastern parts of Australia where the cattle tick is present. It was probably introduced as early as 1829 by cattle from Indonesia infested with the cattle tick "Boophilus microplus".  The veterinarian George P. Broussard of New Iberia, Louisiana, conducted important research on anaplasmosis and brucellosis.

Anaplasmosis is a disease caused by a rickettsial parasite of ruminants, "Anaplasma" spp and is therefore related to rickettsial disease. The microorganisms are Gram-negative, and infect red blood cells. They are transmitted by natural means through a number of haematophagous species of ticks. The "Ixodes" tick that commonly transmits Lyme disease also spreads anaplasmosis.

Als Anaplasmose wird eine bakterielle Infektionskrankheit bezeichnet, die durch Vertreter der Gattung "Anaplasma" hervorgerufen wird. Anaplasmen befallen Blutzellen, vermehren sich intrazellulär und werden durch Zecken übertragen. Die Behandlung erfolgt zumeist mit Doxycyclin.


Plot.

During spring the flowers, mushrooms, and trees do their calisthenics. Some trees play a tune, using vines for harp strings and a chorus of robins. A fight breaks out between a waspish-looking hollow tree and a younger, healthier tree for the attention of a female tree. The young tree emerges victorious, but the hollow tree retaliates by starting a fire. The plants and animals try to extinguish or evade the blaze. By poking holes in clouds and making it rain, the birds manage to put out the fire, although the hollow tree perishes in the flames after getting caught up in them himself. The young tree then proposes to the female tree, with a caterpillar serving as a ring, and they embrace as a 12-color rainbow forms behind them.

Production.

In May 1932, the first three-strip Technicolor camera was completed. Herbert Kalmus wanted to test it in the animation field, giving the company time to build enough cameras to offer the whole movie industry, but could not find any interested animators. Finally Walt Disney agreed to try it as an experiment on "Flowers and Trees", which was already in production in black-and-white, and ordered the cartoon redone in color. The color animation caused the production to run over budget, potentially ruining Disney financially, but the cartoon proved so popular that the profits made up for the budget overage.

Impact.

As a result of the success of "Flowers and Trees", all future "Silly Symphonies" cartoons were produced in three-strip Technicolor. The added novelty of color helped to boost the series' previously disappointing returns. Disney's other cartoon series, the "Mickey Mouse" shorts, were deemed successful enough not to need the extra boost of color, remaining in black-and-white until "The Band Concert" (1935).  Disney's exclusive contract with Technicolor, in effect until the end of 1935, forced other animation producers such as Ub Iwerks and Max Fleischer to use Technicolor's inferior two-color process or a competing two-color system such as Cinecolor.

Accolades.

"Flowers and Trees" was the first animated film to win an Oscar at the fifth Academy Awards in 1932. It won an Oscar for best "Short Subjects, Cartoons", a category first introduced that year.

Home media.

The short was released on the 2001 Walt Disney Treasures DVD box set "".

Flowers and Trees is a 1932 "Silly Symphonies" cartoon produced by Walt Disney, directed by Burt Gillett, and released to theatres by United Artists on July 30, 1932. It was the first commercially released film to be produced in the full-color three-strip Technicolor process after several years of two-color Technicolor films. The film was a commercial and critical success, winning the first Academy Award for Best Cartoon Short Subject.

Von Blumen und Bäumen ist ein US-amerikanischer Zeichentrickfilm von Burt Gillett aus dem Jahr 1932. Es war der erste Film, der mit dem Oscar in der Kategorie „Bester animierter Kurzfilm“ ausgezeichnet wurde.


Early life.

Drummond was the second of three sons. Despite his father dying when he was young, he credited his mother with getting him through his education at Edinburgh High School and then on to be a Royal Engineer cadet at Woolwich Academy in 1813. He showed an early gift for mathematics. After Woolwich he was stationed in Edinburgh and was involved with public works. He was bored with this and had enrolled at Lincolns Inn when he was recruited to use his trigonometry to help conduct a survey in the Highlands.  This new work was done in the summer with the more difficult months being passed in London. Drummond took this opportunity to improve his knowledge of mathematics and science. He attended lectures by Sir Michael Faraday. At these he learned of the discovery of limelight.

Ordnance Survey of Ireland.

In 1824 Drummond was transferred to the new Ordnance Survey of Ireland and here he used the new Drummond light. He reported that the light could be observed 68 miles away and would cast a strong shadow at a distance of thirteen miles. Drummond left Ireland for a period prior to the Reform Bill of 1832. For his services to the Whigs, acting as secretary to Lord Spencer, Lord Brougham had him awarded a pension 300 pounds per annum.  In 1835 Drummond, now back with the Irish Survey, married the wealthy heiress Maria Kinnaird, who was the adopted daughter of the critic Conversation Sharp (1759–1835). They had three children, Emily, Mary and Fanny.

Appointment as Irish under-secretary.

He was then appointed to the significant post of Irish under-secretary, heading up the administration in Dublin Castle, a position he held from 1835 until his death in 1840. A supporter of the Whigs, Drummond was held in high regard by Irish, whom he treated with impartiality.  Drummond died in 1840 and was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin. It was concluded by his family physician, Dr. Johnson, who spent his last days with Drummond, that he was afflicted with peritonitis, which was symptomatic of an undetermined medical cause. It is believed by some that overwork and stress precipitated his premature death in 1840 after working unceasingly for five years as Irish under-secretary.  His dying words were reported as: Drummond was critical of the system of large estates ("landlordism") in Ireland and famously stated, "Property has its duties as well as its rights."

Captain Thomas Drummond (10 October 1797 – 15 April 1840), from Edinburgh was a Scottish army officer, civil engineer and senior public official. He used the Drummond light which was employed in the trigonometrical survey of Great Britain and Ireland. He is sometimes mistakenly given credit for the invention of limelight, at the expense of Sir Goldsworthy Gurney. It was Drummond, however, who realised its value in surveying.

Thomas Drummond (* 10. Oktober 1797 in Edinburgh, Schottland; † 15. April 1840 in Dublin, Irland) war ein britischer Offizier, Ingenieur, und Staatsbediensteter.


Early life and education.

Richman was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of the borough. He attended "a Solomon Schechter school through eighth grade and then a Talmud Torah high school", ultimately graduating from Midwood High School. He completed his undergraduate degree in International Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama. While attending Emory University, Richman was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.

Career.

Richman's acting career has included guest roles on "Guiding Light", "All My Children", "", and he portrayed God as a butcher on "Joan of Arcadia" in 2004. In addition to appearing in regional theater productions throughout the United States, he was also seen in several national television commercials.  As a self-educated food expert and trained sushi chef, Richman has kept a travel journal that includes every restaurant he has visited since 1995. To maintain his health while indulging for his show on "Travel Channel's" "Man v. Food" (which originally aired between 2008 and 2012), Richman would exercise twice a day while on the road. When the schedule permitted, he would not eat the day before a challenge. He also tried to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water or club soda and forgoing coffee and soft drinks. Richman retired from competitive eating in January 2012; thus, "Man v. Food Nation" was his final season of "Man v. Food". During his time as a competitive eater, Richman gained a considerable amount of weight and became depressed. After retiring from competitive eating, he lost.  Richman was a paid spokesman for Zantac during Season 3 of "Man v. Food".  Richman is also the author of "America the Edible: A Hungry History from Sea to Dining Sea", which was released on November 9, 2010, by Rodale Publishing.  On January 23, 2011, Richman appeared on Food Network's "Iron Chef America" as a judge for a battle with Gruyère cheese as the theme ingredient.  Richman hosted Travel Channel's "The Traveler's Guide to Life", which debuted on January 26, 2011, and "Amazing Eats", a spin-off of his popular series "Man v. Food" and "Man v. Food Nation", which premiered on January 11, 2012. Richman also hosted the TV series "Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America" which premiered Wednesday, June 6, 2012 at 9 p.m. ET. This 11 episode weekly series documented Richman's "nationwide quest to find the best thing since sliced bread 'on' sliced bread." He ultimately declared the roast-pork sandwich from Tommy DiNic's in Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market his "Best Sandwich in America."  Richman hosts the Travel Channel's "Adam Richman's Fandemonium". An NBC game show called "Food Fighters", with Richman as host, premiered on July 22, 2014.  In June 2014, Richman found himself embroiled in a social media controversy over comments he made about his weight loss, which were accompanied by a hashtag said to be linked to eating disorders. Highlighting the controversial nature of the encounter are allegations that Richman referred to one or more of his followers as "haters" and further advised them to "grab a razor blade & draw a bath". He later apologized, but the Travel Channel postponed Richman's series "Man Finds Food.  In 2015, Richman told "The Independent" that he eats a vegan diet when training for soccer.  Also in 2015, Richman was a judge on the British television series "BBQ Champ", hosted by Myleene Klass and broadcast on ITV.

Personal life.

Richman is a fan of the New York Yankees, English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and Miami Dolphins (especially their Hall of Fame quarterback, Dan Marino).  On June 8, 2014, Richman represented the "Rest of the World" team in the annual Soccer Aid match against England at Old Trafford, Manchester in a game that combined former professional players and celebrities. Richman was quoted as saying that he lost for the game, and cried when he was asked to take part.

Adam Richman (born May 16, 1974) is an American actor and television personality. He has hosted various dining and eating-challenge programs on the Travel Channel.

Adam Richman (* 16. Mai 1974 in Brooklyn, New York, USA) ist ein amerikanischer Schauspieler. In Deutschland wurde er durch die Sendung "Verdammt lecker! Nachschlag für Adam Richman" auf dem Sender DMAX bekannt.


History.

Earlier publications.

The original "An Phoblacht" was founded as the official organ of the Dungannon Clubs in Belfast in 1906 and its first edition was printed on 13 December 1906 under the English-language version of the title "The Republic". In the first edition, Bulmer Hobson, one of the founders of the Dungannon Clubs, set out their aims:  Ireland today claims her place among the free peoples of the Earth. She has never surrendered that claim, nor will ever she surrender it, and today forces are working in Ireland that will not be still until her claim is acknowledged and her voice heard in the councils of the nations. A year later the paper merged with a Dublin publication called "The Peasant". However, the title "An Phoblacht" was again used from 1925 with Patrick Little (P.J Little) as editor and continued until 1937 with a tumultuous history of internal splits and constant state oppression. From 1925 into 1926, Seán Lemass wrote a number of articles advocating engagement in politics prior to the establishment of Fianna Fáil. Peadar O'Donnell took over as editor in April 1926 following a split in the Republican movement (Little became one of the founding members of Fianna Fáil). Frank Ryan also edited the paper for some time; other prominent contributors during this time included Maurice Twomey, Seán MacBride, Frank Gallagher (who became the first editor of The Irish Press), Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington and Fr Michael O'Flanagan.  The title appeared again in 1966 as the paper of a small IRA splinter group based in Cork.

1970-founded publication.

Its modern version was again refounded immediately following the Sinn Féin split by Jimmy Steele in January 1970, "An Phoblacht" supporting the group led by Ruaírí O'Bradaigh that became the Provisional IRA when the split with the Official Irish Republican Army occurred.  In 1970, "An Phoblacht" was at first circulated only in the South with another republican paper also established in Northern Ireland in 1970, "Republican News", under the editorship of veteran republican Jimmy Steele. It supported the campaign of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and published a weekly column titled "War News", which outlined IRA actions and conflict with the British Army, and provided in depth analysis of the policies being formulated by the Republican Movement. "An Phoblacht" began with a circulation of 20,000 per month.  Located at 2a Lower Kevin Street in Dublin's south inner city, it moved to the northside of the capital, to Kevin Barry House, 44 Parnell Square, in August 1972. And in that October it became a fortnightly publication under the editorship of Éamonn MacThomáis, a writer and historian who instituted changes in layout and general improvements so that it became a weekly publication. After 1976, the then Minister for Post and Telecommunications, Conor Cruise O'Brien, a Labour Party minister in the Fine Gael/Labour coalition, strengthened Jack Lynch's original 1971 Section 31 censorship directive banning members of the IRA or its political wing Sinn Féin from the airwaves. However this ban did not extend to the print media. Section 31 produced a climate where many career journalists engaged in self-censorship to avoid official opprobrium.  "An Phoblacht" became more important in disseminating the republican message and highlighting what it saw as the naked state oppression by the Unionist Party and the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland. However, it was the southern Irish government which harassed "An Phoblacht" most stridently, with regular Garda Special Branch investigations into the publication's links (both real and alleged) to the IRA. Mac Thomáis was arrested and charged with IRA membership and sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment having been found guilty of the offence. The paper continued under the stewardship of Dublin journalist Deasún Breathnach until Mac Thomáis resumed duties on his release in July 1974. Within two months, Mac Thomáis was again arrested and sentenced to another 15 months. Another editor, Coleman Moynihan, who had succeeded Seán Ó Brádaigh in 1972, suffered a similar fate. The paper continued on with the succeeding editors being Gerry Danaher (1974–75), Gerry O’Hare (1975–77), and Deasún Breathnach (1977–79).

Amalgamation with "Republican News".

The Republican Movement (Sinn Féin and the IRA) felt that a single paper for the whole of Ireland was required to provide a clear and coherent line from the leadership and to counter what they regarded as any partitionist thinking which might flow from the British division of Ireland. Accordingly, on 27 January 1979, the first 12-page issue of the merged publications, under the banner of "An Phoblacht/Republican News" (AP/RN), appeared under the editorship of Danny Morrison.  In the final editorial of "Republican News" on 20 January 1979, the essential thinking behind the merger was outlined: "To improve on both our reporting and analysis of the war in the North and of popular economic and social struggles in the South... the absolute necessity of one single united paper providing a clear line of republican leadership... [and] the need to overcome any partitionist thinking which results from the British-enforced division of this country and of the Irish people."  On 12 May 1979 "An Phoblacht" published extracts from a secret British Ministry of Defence intelligence document which contained a detailed analysis of the Provisional IRA and the situation in Northern Ireland. The document, written by Brigadier JM Glover, described the IRA as "highly-professional" and capable of sustaining their campaign for at least a further five years, and predicted increasing British military casualties. The publication caused considerable embarrassment to the incoming British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Humphrey Atkins with Danny Morrison, the paper's editor, forced into hiding for several months. A representative of the Press Association who was passed a copy of the document by AP/RN was also pursued by the British authorities and forced to flee to the United States.  During the 1980s An Phoblacht was to the fore in reporting many issues including allegations of abuse of prisoners in Castlereagh and Gough Barracks, the H-Block and Armagh Prison hunger strikes and also coverage of the ongoing conflict in Northern Ireland. Miniature versions of the paper which were about a third of the size were also printed and smuggled into prisoners in Long Kesh, Portlaoise, Armagh and other prisons. During the 1981 hunger strike sales of the newspaper reached up to 60,000 copies per-week and some issues quadrupled in size resulting in some editions running to 48 pages long. During this period "An Phoblacht" also opened another office based in west Belfast.  In October 1982 Morrison left the newspaper after being elected to the Northern Assembly for the Mid-Ulster constituency. He was succeeded by Mick Timothy who expanded the newspaper from 12 to 16 pages. Timothy died suddenly in January 1985 and was replaced by Rita O'Hare. The headquarters of "An Phoblacht" was subsequently named after Timothy. During this period "An Phoblacht" focused strongly on alleged collusion between the British security forces and loyalist death squads. In response the paper came under attack from deathsquads.  In the 1980s, top Irish Government officials questioned senior ministers as to why the paper had not been banned under the Offences Against the State Act 1939 and suggested that the publication could be classed a "treasonable document or seditious document" and thus make it illegal to send it through the post. The officials also suggested blocking the publication's application for official newspaper status. The Attorney General at the time dismissed the move. State papers also revealed that during a meeting on 10 January 1984, the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Jim Prior and Irish Minister for Justice Michael Noonan discussed the possibility of banning the publication but recognised that "if one title was stopped, the same paper could appear under a new title".

Ulster loyalist attacks.

In 1991 a group calling itself the "Loyalist Retaliation and Defence Group" launched a spate of attacks against newsagents who sold "An Phoblacht" and also targeted AP/RN delivery drivers. On 10 August 1991, a 33-year-old shopkeeper (James Carson) was shot dead in his shop on the Falls Road, Belfast. This was followed by the shooting death of a 66-year-old shopkeeper (Lawrence Murchan) on St James's Road on 28 September 1991. Both were targeted for selling "An Phoblacht" in their newsagents. On 12 December 1992 AP/RN worker Malachy Carey was shot dead by loyalist gunmen in Ballymoney. In January 1991 the RUC also raided the offices of "An Phoblacht" in Belfast seizing computer equipment and disks. Letter bombs were also frequently sent to "An Phoblacht" by loyalist paramilitaries in the 1990s. In one incident on 4 January 1994 a bomb disguised as a book was carried outside of the offices by AP/RN book reviewer Aengus Ó Snodaigh where it exploded a short time later, injuring two members of the Irish Defence Forces bomb disposal unit as they attempted to defuse it. In January 2018, loyalist Winston Churchill Rea was charged with encouraging the murder of "persons working in shops selling An Phoblacht in republican and nationalist areas" between November 1977 and October 1994.

Peace Process onwards.

During the early 1990s AP/RN was the publication which was first to report on many of the moves towards the IRA ceasefire as well as the first place where Sinn Féin peace documents such as "Towards a Lasting Peace" were published. The paper also played an important role in winning support for a peace strategy from republican activists. In 1997 the paper became one of the first in Ireland to go online.  The paper was officially relaunched in September 2005 as "An Phoblacht", dropping the "Republican News" title although it is still often referred to as such. In 2010, the paper went from a 16-page weekly paper to a 32-page full colour monthly paper. The current editor is John Hedges. In 2013, Seán Crowe TD told the Dáil that republican prisoner John Anthony Downey, from County Donegal, who had been arrested in connection to the Hyde Park bombing and was being held in Belmarsh Prison, had been refused copies of the paper by prison authorities because of the Irish language content contained within it. He stated that other prisoners who spoke different languages had no difficulty in obtaining other publications.  In November 2017 it was announced that "An Phoblacht" would cease as a monthly print publication and would become an internet based news service with only special editions being made available in paper format. The move coincided with an announcement from Gerry Adams that he would be stepping down as leader of Sinn Féin.

Republican Publications.

An Phoblacht also publishes books, booklets, posters and magazines under the name "Republican Publications". These include:

An Phoblacht ( ; "") was a weekly, and later monthly newspaper published by Sinn Féin in Ireland. From early 2018 "An Phoblacht" will move to a magazine format while remaining an online news platform. Editorially the paper took a left-wing, Irish republican position and was supportive of the Northern Ireland peace process. Along with covering Irish political and trade union issues the newspaper frequently featured interviews with celebrities, musicians, artists, intellectuals and international activists. The paper sold an average of up to 15,000 copies every week. During the 1981 Irish hunger strike its sales soared to over 70,000 per week. It was the first Irish paper to provide an edition online and currently has in excess of 100,000 website hits per week.

An Phoblacht (irisch für "Die Republik") ist seit 1970 die offizielle Zeitschrift der Sinn Féin in Irland. Sie bezieht sich ausdrücklich auf die Traditionen der republikanischen Zeitschriften und der republikanischen Bewegung in Irland und ist die politische Wochenzeitschrift in Irland mit der höchsten verkauften Auflage.


31 December Women's Movement.

She was involved with 31 December Women's Movement, a non governmental organization affiliated to the NDC, whose president is Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, wife of Jerry Rawlings, former President of Ghana. She was the Projects and Programmes Officer of the organisation.

GREL trial.

After the NDC lost the Ghanaian presidential election in December 2000, the New Patriotic Party came to power with John Kufuor forming his government. Various NDC activists stood trial for different reasons. Sherry Ayitey was put on trial with Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings in relation with the divestiture of the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited. Sherry Ayitey had been a member of the Divestiture Implementation Committee. Sherry Ayitey had decided to challenge the High Courts decision for Her to open Her defence. However, the Court of Appeal turned down Her request and asked that She opened Her defence in the High Court.  Giving evidence at the court under cross-examination, Emmanuel Amuzu Agbodo, former Executive Secretary of the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC), and one of the three accused persons said during his tenure of office, Hanny Sherry Ayitey, treasurer of 31 December Women's Movement did not approach him to seek any favours on behalf of SIPH. Whilst standing trial in the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL) divestiture case with two others, on Wednesday denied ever playing any role in the privatisation of the company. She told the court that as a co-opted member of the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC) she did not perform any function in respect of GREL's divestiture. Ayitey made these denials when she continued her evidence-in-chief at the Accra Fast Track Court hearing the case.  Sherry Ayitey told an Accra Fast Track Court that she never participated in any meeting of the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC) Board that discussed GREL's privatisation. Giving her evidence-in-chief, Hanny Sherry Ayitey, Treasurer of 31 December Women's Movement (DWM), told the Court that at the 37th Regular Meeting of the DIC, which she attended, members did not discuss anything in respect of GREL's privatisation. Ayitey, who is standing trial on corruption charges in connection with the divestiture process, told the Court that between January 1998 and October 1998, She was invited by the then Executive Secretary of the DIC Board to three of the Board's meetings. She said in spite of those three invitations to the 37th and 38th Regular Meetings and an Emergency Meeting, She could honour only the invitation to the 37th Regular Meeting.  In the course of the trial, Mr Justice J. C. Amonoo-Monney, the trial judge, acquitted and discharged Mrs Ocran for lack of evidence. At the end of the trial on 21 April 2005, the Court ruled that the Prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubts against Mrs Ayittey and Mr Agbodo, and, therefore, freed them.

Minister of state.

After the 2008 presidential election, President John Atta Mills appointed her as Minister for Environment, Science and Technology in his government. In January 2013, she was appointed Minister for Health by President John Dramani Mahama. On 9 June 2014, Sherry Ayitey was reassigned by President Mahama to the Ministry of Fisheries & Aquaculture.

Sherry Ayitey (born 1948) is a Ghanaian politician. Hon. (Ms) Hanny Sherry Ayittey is the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development. She was the Minister for Health from February, 2013 – June, 2014. She was the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology from 2009 – 2012.

Sherry Ayittey (* 1948) ist eine Politikerin aus Ghana und seit der Präsidentschaftswahl in Ghana 2008 Ministerin für Umwelt, Wissenschaft und Technologie im Kabinett von John Atta-Mills (derzeit Dezember 2010).


Plot.

Police Sergeant Neil Howie journeys to the remote Hebridean island Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, Rowan Morrison, about whom he has received an anonymous letter. Howie, a devout Christian, is disturbed to find the Islanders paying homage to the pagan Celtic gods of their ancestors. They copulate openly in the fields, include children as part of the May Day celebrations, teach children of the phallic association of the maypole, and place toads in their mouths to cure sore throats. The Islanders, including Rowan's own mother, appear to be attempting to thwart his investigation by claiming that Rowan never existed.  While staying at the Green Man Inn, Howie notices a series of photographs celebrating the annual harvest, each featuring a young girl as the May Queen. The photograph of the most recent celebration is suspiciously missing; the landlord tells him it was broken. The landlord's beautiful daughter, Willow, attempts to seduce Howie, but despite his inner turmoil he refuses her advances. He enters the local school and enquires about Rowan among the students, but all deny her existence. He checks the school register and finds Rowan's name in it. He questions the schoolteacher and she tells him about her burial plot.  After seeing Rowan's burial plot, Howie meets the island's leader, Lord Summerisle, grandson of a Victorian agronomist, to obtain permission for an exhumation. Summerisle explains that his grandfather developed strains of fruit trees that would prosper in Scotland's climate, and encouraged the belief that old gods would use the new strains to bring prosperity to the island. Over the next several generations, the island's inhabitants fully embraced pagan religion.  Howie finds the missing harvest photograph, showing Rowan standing amidst empty boxes; the harvest had failed. His research reveals that when there is a poor harvest, the islanders make a human sacrifice to ensure that the next harvest will be bountiful. He comes to the conclusion that Rowan is alive and has been chosen for sacrifice. During the May Day celebration, Howie knocks out and ties up the innkeeper so he can steal his costume and mask (that of Punch, the fool) and infiltrate the parade. When it seems the villagers are about to sacrifice Rowan, he cuts her free and flees with her into a cave. Exiting it, they are intercepted by the islanders, to whom Rowan happily returns.  Summerisle tells Howie that Rowan was never the intended sacrifice: Howie himself is. He fits their gods' four requirements: he came of his own free will, has "the power of a king" (by representing the Law), is a virgin, and is a fool. Defiant, Howie loudly warns Summerisle and the islanders that the fruit-tree strains are failing permanently and that the villagers will turn on Summerisle and sacrifice him next summer when the next harvest fails as well; Summerisle angrily insists that the sacrifice of the "willing, king-like, virgin fool" will be accepted and that the next harvest will not fail. The villagers force Howie inside a giant wicker man statue along with various animals, set it ablaze and surround it, singing the Middle English folk song "Sumer Is Icumen In". Inside the wicker man, a terrified Howie recites Psalm 23, and prays to God before cursing the islanders as he and the animals burn to death. The head of the wicker man collapses in flames, revealing the setting sun.

Production.

Background.

In the early 1970s, Christopher Lee was a Hammer Horror regular, best known for his roles in a series of successful films, beginning with "The Curse of Frankenstein" (as the monster, 1957). Lee wanted to break free of this image and take on more interesting acting roles. The idea for The Wicker Man film began in 1971 when Lee met with screenwriter Anthony Shaffer, and they agreed to work together. Film director Robin Hardy and British Lion head Peter Snell became involved in the project. Shaffer had a series of conversations with Hardy, and the two decided that it would be fun to make a horror film centering on "old religion", in sharp contrast to the Hammer films they had both seen as horror film fans.  Shaffer read the David Pinner novel "Ritual", in which a devout Christian policeman is called to investigate what appears to be the ritual murder of a young girl in a rural village, and decided that it would serve well as the source material for the project. Pinner originally wrote "Ritual" as a film treatment for director Michael Winner, who had John Hurt in mind as a possible star. Winner eventually declined the project, so Pinner's agent convinced him to write "Ritual" as a novel instead. Shaffer and Lee paid Pinner £15,000 for the rights to the novel, and Shaffer set to work on the screenplay. He soon decided that a direct adaptation would not work well and drafted a new story based only loosely on the story of the novel.  Shaffer wanted the film to be "a little more literate" than the average horror picture. He specifically wanted a film with a minimum of violence and gore. He was tired of seeing horror films that relied almost entirely on viscera to be scary. The focus of the film was crystallised when he "finally hit upon the abstract concept of sacrifice." The image of the wicker man, which gave the filmmakers their title, was taken from one sentence in Julius Caesar's account of his wars in what is now France. Caesar claimed that the local tribes there had executed their most serious criminals by burning them alive in a huge man-shaped sculpture of woven twigs. For Shaffer, this was "the most alarming and imposing image that I had ever seen." The idea of a confrontation between a modern Christian and a remote, pagan community continued to intrigue Shaffer, who performed painstaking research on paganism. Brainstorming with Hardy, they conceived the film as presenting the pagan elements objectively and accurately, accompanied by authentic music and a believable, contemporary setting. One of their main resources was "The Golden Bough", a study of mythology and religion written by Scottish anthropologist James Frazer.

Casting.

Television actor Edward Woodward was cast in the role of Sergeant Neil Howie after the part was declined by both Michael York and David Hemmings. In Britain, Woodward was best known for the role of "Callan", which he played from 1967 to 1972. After "The Wicker Man", Woodward went on to receive international attention for his roles in the 1980 film "Breaker Morant" and the 1980s TV series "The Equalizer".  After Shaffer saw her on the stage, he lured Diane Cilento out of semi-retirement to play the town's schoolmistress. (They lived together in Queensland from 1975, and married in 1985.) Ingrid Pitt, another British horror film veteran, was cast as the town librarian and registrar. The Swedish actress Britt Ekland was cast as the innkeeper's lascivious daughter, although two body doubles were used for her naked scenes below the waist. Ekland found out that she was three months pregnant with her son Nic, to Lou Adler two weeks into filming. Stuart Hopps (the film's choreographer) called upon Lorraine Peters, a nightclub dancer from Glasgow who gyrated at the doorway and in the wall scenes although in reality, the bedrooms of Willow and Sergeant Howie were not "through the wall" from each other: Willow's was upstairs in the Cally Estates offices in Gatehouse of Fleet whilst Howie's was away in a family home in George Street of Whithorn). Her speaking and singing voices were dubbed by Annie Ross and Rachel Verney respectively.  Local girl Jane Jackson was blonde haired and bore a resemblance to Britt Ekland and was employed as her stand-in for camera setups but was otherwise not involved in any filming.

Filming.

The film was produced at a time of crisis for the British film industry. The studio in charge of production, British Lion Films, was in financial trouble and was bought by wealthy businessman John Bentley. To convince the unions that he was not about to asset-strip the company, Bentley needed to get a film into production quickly. This meant that "The Wicker Man", a film set during spring, actually began filming in October 1972: artificial leaves and blossoms had to be glued to trees in many scenes. The production was kept on a small budget. Christopher Lee was extremely keen to get the film made; he and others worked on the production without pay. While filming took place, British Lion was bought by EMI Films.  The film was shot almost entirely in the small Scottish towns of Gatehouse of Fleet, Newton Stewart, Kirkcudbright, and Creetown in Galloway as well as Plockton in Ross-shire. Some scenes were filmed in and around the Isle of Whithorn, where the owners of the castle, Elizabeth McAdam McLaughland and David Wheatley, plus several other local people, featured in various scenes. Culzean Castle in Ayrshire and its grounds and Floors Castle were also used for the shooting. Some of the opening flying shoots feature the Isle of Skye, including the pinnacles of The Storr and the Quiraing. The cave scenes were filmed inside Wookey Hole in Somerset. The amphibious aircraft that carries Sergeant Howie was a Thurston Teal, owned and flown in the aerial sequences by Christopher Murphy. The climax of the film was shot on the clifftops at Burrow Head. According to Britt Ekland, some animals perished in the Wicker Man, whereas Robin Hardy said in an interview that great care was taken to ensure that the animals were in no danger of being hurt during this scene and that they were not inside the Wicker Man when it was set on fire.

Music.

The film's soundtrack often forms a major component of the narrative, just as with other important arthouse films of the era such as Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg's "Performance". Songs accompany many important scenes, such as the plane's arrival, Willow's dancing, the maypole dance, the girls jumping through fire, the search of the houses, the procession, and the final burning scene. Indeed, according to Seamus Flannery in a subsequent documentary, director Robin Hardy surprised the cast by suddenly announcing midway through filming that they were making a "musical".  Composed, arranged, and recorded by Paul Giovanni, and performed by Magnet (in some versions of the film credited as "Lodestone"), the soundtrack contains 13 folk songs performed by characters in the film. Included are traditional songs, original compositions by Giovanni, and even a nursery rhyme, "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep".  "Willow's Song" has been covered or sampled by various rock music bands. It was first covered by the English musical project known as Nature and Organisation on their 1994 release 'Beauty Reaps the Blood of Solitude'. It was covered by Sneaker Pimps as "How Do", and is included on their 1996 release "Becoming X". "How Do" can be heard in the movie "Hostel" (2005); the song is incorrectly credited in the end titles as being composed by Sneaker Pimps. Additionally, the band has covered "Gently Johnny" as "Johnny"; it is featured as a B-side on their single "Roll On" (1996). It also was covered by Faith and the Muse on their 2003 album "The Burning Season", and The Mock Turtles on their album "Turtle Soup".  The songs on the soundtrack were composed or arranged by Giovanni under the direction of Hardy and Shaffer, whose research into the oral folk tradition in England and Scotland was based largely on the work of Cecil Sharp, a 'founding father' of the folk-revival movement of the early 20th century. Using Sharp's collections as a template, Shaffer noted to Giovanni which scenes were to have music, and in some cases provided lyrics which would be appropriate to spring pagan festivals. Other songs on the soundtrack come from a later folk tradition, for example, "Corn Riggs", by Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns, accompanies Howie's arrival on Summerisle. The lyrics of this song were taken directly from the Burns song "The Rigs of Barley", but Giovanni used a very different tune. Burns' tune was based on "Corn Riggs", and altered to match his lyrics. The song sung by the cultists of Summerisle at the end of the film, "Sumer Is Icumen In", is a mid-13th-century song about nature in spring.  The Wickerman Festival was an annual music festival held near Auchencairn in Galloway. Dubbed "Scotland's Alternative Music festival" It began in 2001 when the festival's artistic director Sid Ambrose hit upon the idea of a local counter-culture based family-friendly festival due to the surrounding area being inextricably linked with various locations used within The Wicker Man. It was held annually until 2015 at East Kirkcarswell Farm, Dundrennan.

Distribution.

By the time of the film's completion the studio had been bought by EMI, and British Lion was managed by Michael Deeley. The DVD commentary track states that studio executives suggested a more "upbeat" ending to the film, in which a sudden rain puts the flames of the wicker man out and spares Howie's life, but this suggestion was refused. Hardy subsequently had to remove about 20 minutes of scenes on the mainland, early investigations, and (to Lee's disappointment) some of Lord Summerisle's initial meeting with Howie.

Original release.

The first screening of the film was to trade and cinema distributors on 3 December 1973.  The first public theatrical release was a week of test screenings at the Metropole Cinema London on 6 December 1973 ahead of the official public release in January 1974. It runs 87 minutes.  A copy of a finished, 99-minute version was sent to American film producer Roger Corman in Hollywood to make a judgment of how to market the film in the US. Corman recommended an additional 13 minutes be cut from the film. (Corman did not acquire US release rights, and eventually Warner Bros. test-marketed the film in drive-ins.) In Britain, the film was ordered reduced to roughly 87 minutes, with some narrative restructuring, and released as the "B" picture on a double bill with "Don't Look Now". According to Lee, the cuts adversely affected the film's continuity.

First restoration.

During the mid-1970s, Hardy made inquiries about the film, hoping to restore it to his original vision. Along with Lee and Shaffer, Hardy searched for his original cut, or raw footage. Both of these appeared to have been lost. Cult film director Alex Cox said in his "Moviedrome" introduction in 1988 that the negative had "ended up in the pylons that support the M4 motorway." Hardy recalled that a copy of the film made prior to Deeley's cuts was sent to Corman, who, it turned out, still had a copy, possibly the only existing print of Hardy's original cut. The US rights had been sold by Warner Bros. to a small firm called Abraxas, managed by film buff Stirling Smith and critic John Alan Simon. Stirling agreed to an American release of a reconstruction by Hardy. Hardy restored the narrative structure, some of the erotic elements which had been excised, and a very brief pre-title segment of Howie on the mainland (appearing at a church with his fiancée). A 96-minute restored version was released in January 1979, again to critical acclaim.

US VHS version.

Strangely, the original 99-minute version was available in the US on VHS home video from Media Home Entertainment (and later Magnum) during the 1980s and 1990s. This video includes additional early scenes set inside Howie's police station which Hardy had left out of the 1979 restoration.

Director's cut.

In 2001, the film's new world rights owners, Canal+, tried to release the full-length film. Corman's copy had been lost but a telecine transfer to 1-inch videotape existed. Missing elements were combined with film elements from the previous versions (in particular, additional scenes of Howie on the mainland were restored, showing him to be the object of gossip at his police station, establishing his devout religiosity). The extended DVD cut was released by Canal+ (Anchor Bay Entertainment handling US DVD distribution) in this 95-minute hybrid, considered the longest and closest version to Hardy's original 99-minute version. A two-disc limited edition set was sold with the shortened theatrical release, the new extended version and a documentary, "The Wicker Man Enigma". In 2005, "Inside The Wicker Man" author Allan Brown revealed he had discovered stills taken on the set showing sequences from the script that had never been seen; it had never been certain that the scenes had been filmed. They include scenes where Howie closes a mainland pub open after hours, encounters a prostitute, has a massage from Willow McGregor and sees a brutal confrontation between Oak and a villager in The Green Man, which were featured in a revised edition of "Inside The Wicker Man". Anchor Bay released a limited edition wooden box of "The Wicker Man". Fifty thousand two-disc sets were made, of which twenty were signed by Lee and Woodward, Shaffer, Snell and Hardy. In June 2007, Lee discussed the lost original cut, "I still believe it exists somewhere, in cans with no name. I still believe that. But nobody's ever seen it since, so we couldn't re-cut it, re-edit it, which was what I wanted to do. It would have been ten times as good".

"The Final Cut".

European distributors of the film StudioCanal began a Facebook campaign in 2013 to find missing material, which culminated in the discovery of a 92-minute 35mm print at the Harvard Film Archive. This print had previously been known as the "Middle Version" and was itself assembled from a 35mm print of the original edit Robin Hardy had made in the United Kingdom in 1973, but which was never released. Robin Hardy believes that the original edit will probably never be found, saying, "Sadly, it seems as though this has been lost forever. However, I am delighted that a 1979 Abraxas print has been found as I also put together this cut myself, and it crucially restores the story order to that which I had originally intended."  Hardy reported in July 2013 that Studiocanal intended to restore and release the most complete version possible of the film. Rialto Pictures announced that they were to release the new digital restoration in North American cinemas on 27 September 2013. This new version was also released on DVD on 13 October 2013. It is 91 minutes long, shorter than the director's cut but longer than the theatrical cut, and is known as "The Wicker Man: The Final Cut".  "The Final Cut" (UK) Blu-ray (2013) features short documentaries "Burnt Offering: The Cult of the Wicker Man", "Worshipping The Wicker Man", "The Music of The Wicker Man", interviews with director Robin Hardy and actor Christopher Lee, a restoration comparison, and the theatrical trailer. The second disc features both the UK 87-minute theatrical cut and the 95-minute 2013 director's cut, along with an audio commentary on the director's cut and a making-of for the commentary. The third disc is the soundtrack to the film.

Reception.

David McGillivray of "The Monthly Film Bulletin" praised the film as "an immensely enjoyable piece of hokum, thoroughly well researched, performed and directed." "Variety" wrote that Anthony Shaffer's screenplay "for sheer imagination and near-terror, has seldom been equalled." Kevin Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times" called it "a witty work of the macabre" with "the splendid performances typical of British films." Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" was more negative, calling it "handsomely photographed" with "good performances," but "something of a howl" even though "it seems to have been made in all seriousness."  "The Wicker Man" initially had moderate success and won first prize in the 1974 Festival of Fantasy and Science Fiction films in Paris, but largely slipped into obscurity. In 1977 the American film magazine "Cinefantastique" devoted a commemorative issue to the film, asserting that the film is "the "Citizen Kane" of horror movies" – an oft-quoted phrase attributed to this issue.  Decades after its release, the film still receives positive reviews from critics and is considered one of the best films of 1973. At the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "The Wicker Man" holds a 88% "Fresh" rating based on 48 reviews, with a weighted average score of 7.75/10 and the site's consensus: "This intelligent horror film is subtle in its thrills and chills, with an ending that is both shocking and truly memorable". In 2008, "The Wicker Man" was ranked by "Empire" at No. 485 of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Christopher Lee considered "The Wicker Man" his best film. Edward Woodward meanwhile has said that "The Wicker Man" is one of his favourite films and that the character of Howie was the best part he ever played. In addition to Lee's admiration of the final shot of the film (of the collapsing Wicker man), Woodward said that it is the best final shot of any film ever made.  In his 2010 BBC documentary series "A History of Horror", writer and actor Mark Gatiss referred to the film as a prime example of a short-lived subgenre he called "folk horror", grouping it with 1968's "Witchfinder General" and 1971's "The Blood on Satan's Claw". In 2003, the Crichton Campus of the University of Glasgow in Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway hosted a three-day conference on "The Wicker Man". The conference led to two collections of articles about the film. In 2004, "The Wicker Man" ranked No, 45 on Bravo's "100 Scariest Movie Moments".

Popular culture.

In May 2016, British band Radiohead released the music video for a song named "Burn the Witch", made in stop-motion animation and whose storyline greatly resembles that of "The Wicker Man".  In March 2018, a rollercoaster inspired by the film opened at Alton Towers. Wicker Man is a wooden roller-coaster that features a 6-storey wicker man structure which the train passes through three times as it bursts into flames.

Related works.

Novelisation.

A novelisation which expanded on the story and bearing the same title, was released in 1978. It was written by Hardy and Shaffer.

Possible sequel.

In 1989, Shaffer wrote a thirty-page film script treatment entitled "The Loathsome Lambton Worm", a direct sequel to "The Wicker Man", for producer Lance Reynolds. It would have been more fantastical in subject matter than the original film, and relied more heavily on special effects. In this continuation of the story, which begins immediately after the ending of the first film, Sergeant Neil Howie is rescued from the burning Wicker Man by a group of police officers from the mainland. Howie sets out to bring Lord Summerisle and his pagan followers to justice, but becomes embroiled in a series of challenges which pit the old gods against his own Christian faith. The script culminates in a climactic battle between Howie and a fire-breathing dragon – the titular Lambton Worm – and ends with a suicidal Howie plunging to his death from a cliff while tied to two large eagles. Shaffer's sequel was never produced, but his treatment, complete with illustrations, was eventually published in the companion book "Inside The Wicker Man".  Hardy was not asked to direct the sequel, and never read the script, as he did not like the idea of Howie surviving the sacrifice, or the fact that the actors would have aged by twenty to thirty years between the two films. In May 2010, Hardy discussed "The Loathsome Lambton Worm". "I know Tony did write that, but I don't think anyone particularly liked it, or it would have been made."  A fan-made full-cast audio drama adaptation of Shaffer's "The Loathsome Lambton Worm" treatment was eventually released in 2020.

Remake.

An American remake of the same name, starring Nicolas Cage and Ellen Burstyn, and directed by Neil LaBute was released in 2006. Hardy expressed concern about the remake.

Stage production.

A stage adaptation was announced for the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and was directed by Andrew Steggall. The production was based jointly upon Anthony Shaffer's original "The Wicker Man" script and David Pinner's novel "Ritual". Robin Hardy gave input on the project, and original songs and music from the film were supervised by Gary Carpenter, the original music director. Workshop rehearsals were held at The Drill Hall in London in March 2008, and a casting call was held in Glasgow in May 2009. After three weeks at the Pleasance in Edinburgh in August 2009, the production was to visit the Perth Rep, the Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, and then have a short run at Citizen's Theatre in Glasgow, with hopes for a run in London in 2010. However, in July 2009 it was announced that the production had been cancelled, three weeks before it had been due to preview.  In 2011, the National Theatre of Scotland produced "An Appointment with the Wicker Man" written by Greg Hemphill and Donald McCleary. The production has an amateur theatre company attempting to stage a "Wicker Man" musical.

Spiritual sequel.

In 2011, a spiritual successor entitled "The Wicker Tree" was released. It was directed by Hardy and featured an appearance by Lee. Hardy first published the story as a novel, under the name "Cowboys for Christ". First announced in April 2000, filming on the project began on 19 July 2009 according to IMDb. It follows two young American Christian evangelists who travel to Scotland; like Woodward's character in "The Wicker Man", the two Americans are virgins who encounter a pagan laird and his followers. The film received mixed reviews.  Those involved in the production of the film have given conflicting statements regarding the identity of Christopher Lee's character, referred to only as Old Gentleman in the credits. Writer–director Robin Hardy has stated that the ambiguity was intentional. Fans would immediately recognise Lee's character as Lord Summerisle. Lee himself has contradicted this, stating that the two are not meant to be the same character, and that "The Wicker Tree" is not a sequel in any way.

Potential graphic novel and third film.

As a former artist, Hardy expressed great interest in the medium of comics, and planned a graphic novel which would retell the story of "The Wicker Man", based on his own storyboards for the film. Hardy was in talks with yet unnamed artists to work on the project, as he found it too difficult to make the characters look consistent from one panel to the next. Hardy was working on his next film, "The Wrath of the Gods", at the time of his death on 1 July 2016. He intended the graphic novel and the new film to be released at the same time in autumn 2013; however as of autumn 2014 neither had been released, and the film never started production.

The Wicker Man is a 1973 British folk horror film directed by Robin Hardy and starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, inspired by David Pinner's 1967 novel "Ritual", centres on the visit of Police Sergeant Neil Howie to the isolated island of Summerisle, in search of a missing girl. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity and now practice a form of Celtic paganism. Paul Giovanni composed the film score.

The Wicker Man ist ein britischer Spielfilm aus dem Jahr 1973, der Elemente des Kriminalfilms, des Horrorfilms und des Musicals kombiniert. Die Hauptrollen spielten Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee und Britt Ekland. Regie führte Robin Hardy.


Synopsis.

The documentary is split into five parts. It begins by examining how Iceland was highly deregulated in 2000 and the privatization of its banks. When Lehman Brothers went bankrupt and AIG collapsed, Iceland and the rest of the world went into a global recession. At the Federal Reserve annual Jackson Hole conference in 2005, Raghuram Rajan, then the chief economist of IMF, warned about the growing risks in the financial system and proposed policies that would reduce such risks. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers called the warnings "misguided" and Rajan himself a "luddite". However, following the financial crisis of 2007–2008, Rajan's views were seen as prescient and he was extensively interviewed for this movie.

Part I: How We Got Here.

The American financial industry was regulated from 1941 to 1981, followed by a long period of deregulation. At the end of the 1980s, a savings and loan crisis cost taxpayers about $124 billion. In the late 1990s, the financial sector had consolidated into a few giant firms. In March 2000, the Internet Stock Bubble burst because investment banks promoted Internet companies that they knew would fail, resulting in $5 trillion in investor losses. In the 1990s, derivatives became popular in the industry and added instability. Efforts to regulate derivatives were thwarted by the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, backed by several key officials. In the 2000s, the industry was dominated by five investment banks (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Bear Stearns), two financial conglomerates (Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase), three securitized insurance companies (AIG, MBIA, AMBAC) and the three rating agencies (Moody’s, Standard & Poor's, Fitch). Investment banks bundled mortgages with other loans and debts into collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), which they sold to investors. Rating agencies gave many CDOs AAA ratings. Subprime loans led to predatory lending. Many home owners were given loans they could never repay.

Part II: The Bubble (2001–2007).

During the housing boom, the ratio of money borrowed by an investment bank versus the bank's own assets reached unprecedented levels. The credit default swap (CDS), was kin to an insurance policy. Speculators could buy CDSs to bet against CDOs they did not own. Numerous CDOs were backed by subprime mortgages. Goldman-Sachs sold more than $3 billion worth of CDOs in the first half of 2006. Goldman also bet against the low-value CDOs, telling investors they were high-quality. The three biggest ratings agencies contributed to the problem. AAA-rated instruments rocketed from a mere handful in 2000 to over 4,000 in 2006.

Part III: The Crisis.

The market for CDOs collapsed and investment banks were left with hundreds of billions of dollars in loans, CDOs, and real estate they could not unload. The Great Recession began in November 2007, and in March 2008, Bear Stearns ran out of cash. In September, the federal government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which had been on the brink of collapse. Two days later, Lehman Brothers collapsed. These entities all had AA or AAA ratings within days of being bailed out. Merrill Lynch, on the edge of collapse, was acquired by Bank of America. Henry Paulson and Timothy Geithner decided that Lehman must go into bankruptcy, which resulted in a collapse of the commercial paper market. On September 17, the insolvent AIG was taken over by the government. The next day, Paulson and Fed chairman Ben Bernanke asked Congress for $700 billion to bail out the banks. The global financial system became paralyzed. On October 3, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the Troubled Asset Relief Program, but global stock markets continued to fall. Layoffs and foreclosures continued with unemployment rising to 10% in the U.S.A. and the European Union. By December 2008, GM and Chrysler also faced bankruptcy. Foreclosures in the U.S. reached unprecedented levels.

Part IV: Accountability.

Top executives of the insolvent companies walked away with their personal fortunes intact. The executives had hand-picked their boards of directors, which handed out billions in bonuses after the government bailout. The major banks grew in power and doubled anti-reform efforts. Academic economists had for decades advocated for deregulation and helped shape U.S. policy. They still opposed reform after the 2008 crisis. Some of the consulting firms involved were the Analysis Group, Charles River Associates, Compass Lexecon, and the Law and Economics Consulting Group (LECG). Many of these economists had conflicts of interest, collecting sums as consultants to companies and other groups involved in the financial crisis.

Part V: Where We Are Now.

Tens of thousands of U.S. factory workers were laid off. The incoming Obama administration’s financial reforms were weak, and there was no significant proposed regulation of the practices of ratings agencies, lobbyists, and executive compensation. Geithner became Treasury Secretary. Martin Feldstein, Laura Tyson and Lawrence Summers were all top economic advisers to Obama. Bernanke was reappointed Fed Chair. European nations imposed strict regulations on bank compensation, but the U.S. resisted them.

Reception.

The film was met with critical acclaim. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 146 reviews, with an average rating of 8.21/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Disheartening but essential viewing, Charles Ferguson's documentary explores the 2008 Global Financial Crisis with exemplary rigor." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert described the film as "an angry, well-argued documentary about how the American housing industry set out deliberately to defraud the ordinary American investor". A. O. Scott of "The New York Times" wrote that "Mr. Ferguson has summoned the scourging moral force of a pulpit-shaking sermon. That he delivers it with rigor, restraint and good humor makes his case all the more devastating". Logan Hill of "New York" magazine characterized the film as a "rip-snorting, indignant documentary", noting the "effective presence" of narrator Matt Damon. Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" said the film was "as gripping as any thriller". He went on to say that it was obviously influenced by Michael Moore, describing it as "a Moore film with the gags and stunts removed". In 2011, a "Metacritic" editor ranked the film first on the subject of the 2008 financial crisis.  The film was selected for a special screening at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A reviewer writing from Cannes characterized the film as "a complex story told exceedingly well and with a great deal of unalloyed anger".

Inside Job is a 2010 American documentary film, directed by Charles Ferguson, about the late-2000s financial crisis. Ferguson, who began researching in 2008, says the film is about "the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry and the consequences of that systemic corruption". In five parts, the film explores how changes in the policy environment and banking practices helped create the financial crisis.

Inside Job ist ein Dokumentarfilm von Charles H. Ferguson über die weltweite Finanzkrise ab 2007. Der Film wurde von Sony produziert und im Mai 2010 bei den Filmfestspielen in Cannes gezeigt. Er erhielt 2011 den Oscar für den besten Dokumentarfilm.


Life and career.

Dombrovsky was the son of Jewish lawyer Joseph Dombrovsky and Russian mother.  Dombrovsky fell foul of the authorities as early as 1932, for his part in the student suicide case described in "The Faculty of Useless Knowledge". He was exiled to Alma-Ata in Kazakhstan where he established himself as a teacher, and which provided the setting for his novel "The Keeper of Antiquities". This work, translated into English by Michael Glenny, gives several ominous hints as to the development of the Stalinist terror and its impact in remote Alma-Ata.  Dombrovsky had begun publishing literary articles in "Kazakhstanskaya Pravda" by 1937, when he was imprisoned again — this time for a mere seven months, having the luck to be detained during the partial hiatus between the downfall of Yezhov and the appointment of Beria.  Dombrovsky's first novel "Derzhavin" was published in 1938 and he was accepted into the Union of Soviet Writers in 1939, the year in which he was arrested yet again. This time he was sent to the notorious Kolyma camps in northeast Siberia, of which we are given brief but chilling glimpses in "The Faculty of Useless Knowledge".  Dombrovsky, partially paralysed, was released from the camps in 1943 and lived as a teacher in Alma-Ata until 1949. There he wrote "The Monkey Comes for his Skull" and "The Dark Lady". In 1949, he was again arrested, this time in connection with the campaign against foreign influences and cosmopolitanism. This time, he received a ten-year sentence, to be served in the Tayshet and Osetrovo regions in Siberia.  In 1955, he was released and fully rehabilitated the following year. Until his death in 1978, he lived in Moscow with Klara Fazulayevna (a character in "The Faculty of Useless Knowledge"). He was allowed to write, and his works were translated abroad, but none of them were re-issued in the USSR. Nor was he allowed abroad, even to Poland.  "The Faculty of Useless Knowledge" (Harvill), translated by Alan Myers the sombre and chilling sequel to "The Keeper of Antiquities" took eleven years to write, and was published in Paris in 1978.  A widespread opinion is that this publication proved fatal. The KGB did not approve of the work, and it was noted that the book had actually been finished in 1975. Dombrovsky received numerous threats over the phone and through the post; his arm was shattered by a steel pipe in the course of an assault on a bus, and he was finally was brutally beaten by a group of unknown persons in the lobby of the restaurant of the Central House of Writers in Moscow. Two months after the incident, on May 29, 1978 he died in hospital from severe internal bleeding caused by varicose veins of the digestive system.  An account about Dombrovsky written by Armand Maloumian, a fellow inmate of the GULAG, can be found in "Kontinent 4: Contemporary Russian Writers" (Avon Books, ed. George Bailey), entitled "And Even Our Tears."  Jean-Paul Sartre described Yuri Dombrovsky as the last classic.

Yury Osipovich Dombrovsky () (May 12, 1909 - May 29, 1978) was a Russian writer who spent nearly eighteen years in Soviet prison camps and exile.

Juri Ossipowitsch Dombrowski (; * 12. Mai 1909 in Moskau; † 29. Mai 1978 ebenda) war ein sowjetischer Schriftsteller. Während der Herrschaft Stalins wurde er viermal verhaftet und in die Verbannung geschickt. Nach den zwei ersten Verhaftungen 1933 und 1936 gelangte er nach Alma-Ata, der damaligen Hauptstadt Kasachstans. Nach der dritten Verhaftung 1939 wurde er in ein Lager in der Kolyma-Region geschickt, das er 1943 aufgrund von Invalidität verlassen konnte. Erneut verhaftet wurde er 1949 nach einem Strafprozess, bei dem die Aussage der Journalistin Irina Strelkowa eine Schlüsselrolle spielte. Dombrowski gelangte als Gefangener ins OserLag in Sibirien. 1956 wurde er rehabilitiert und durfte nach Moskau zurückkehren.


Background.

Frank Zappa explained that the album title was a political reference: "Things in America can be from hell. Right now we have a president from hell (Ronald Reagan), and a National Security Council from hell, so we should add "Jazz from Hell" also." 1987's "Video from Hell" is titled similarly.  All compositions were executed by Frank Zappa on the Synclavier DMS with the exception of "St. Etienne", a guitar solo excerpted from a live performance Zappa gave of "Drowning Witch" from his "Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch" album, during a concert in Saint-Étienne, France, on his 1982 tour.  "While You Were Art II" is a Synclavier performance based on a transcription of Zappa's improvised guitar solo on the track "While You Were Out" from the album "Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar" (1981). The unreleased original Synclavier performance was done using only the unit's FM synthesis, while the recording found here was Zappa's "deluxe" arrangement featuring newer samples and timbres.  "Night School" was possibly named for a late-night show that Zappa pitched to ABC; the network did not pick it up. A music video was made for the song.  "G-Spot Tornado", assumed by Zappa to be impossible to play by humans, would be performed by Ensemble Modern on the concert recording "The Yellow Shark" (1993).

Releases.

In the initial European CD release, the album was featured as the second album on a "two for the price of one compilation," with nine tracks from "Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention" (1985) on the same disc.

Awards.

Zappa won a 1988 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for this album.

Controversy.

Though "Jazz from Hell" is an entirely instrumental album, there is an unconfirmed report that the Fred Meyer chain of stores sold it in their Music Market department featuring an RIAA Parental Advisory sticker. This could have been the result of Zappa's feud with the Parents Music Resource Center (which had also inspired the 1985 album "Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention"), an objection to the use of the word "hell" in the album title, or in reference to the track "G-Spot Tornado", describing the erogenous zone in human anatomy commonly known as the G-spot.

Track listing.

The music to all selections was composed, and all selections were arranged, by Frank Zappa.

Jazz from Hell is an instrumental album whose selections were all composed and recorded by American musician Frank Zappa. It was released on November 15, 1986 by Barking Pumpkin Records on vinyl and cassette, and in 1987 by Rykodisc on CD.

Jazz from Hell ist ein Musikalbum hauptsächlich avantgardistischer Instrumentalmusik von Frank Zappa. Das fast vollständig mit dem Synclavier eingespielte Album wurde mit einem Grammy ausgezeichnet.


Background.

The fortified town of Rheinberg which had been in the possession of the Electorate of Cologne had been garrisoned by the Spanish for seven years after the place was finally taken by Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld on 3 February 1590 after a four-year siege. In mid 1597 the government at The Hague with improved funding ordered a new campaign for Maurice of Orange, the commander of the Dutch and English troops, to oust the Spanish in Twente while they had been preoccupied with the Siege of Amiens. Maurice's objective was to march along the Rhine and take the towns of Rheinberg and Meurs along the river, then head directly through the east of the Netherlands, where Grol and Oldenzaal being the strongest cities. The conquest of Rheinberg was important for Gelderland as it would increase the isolation of Spanish bases in the rest of Overijssel.  On the 4th of August Maurice along with his cousin (and brother in law) William Louis arrived at Arnhem with a force of seven thousand infantry and twelve hundred cavalry. This included thirteen ensigns of English troops under Colonel Horace Vere and ten ensigns of Scots under Sir Henry Balfour. Horace's brother Francis Vere was at this time governor of Brill and general of Elizabeth I's forces in the Netherlands and this meant Horace was temporarily in the field.

Siege & Aftermath.

After reducing the town and castle of Alphen, Maurice marched to Rheinberg arriving there on 10 August and immediately attacked. The Spanish garrison of Rheinberg consisted of 850 men under the command of Camilo Sachino who had held many governing positions in the region for many years. The garrison though was not in a fit state to fight having had many desertions through lack of pay and many were unwilling to fight.  The Dutch and English army had access to a large quantity of artillery, which had landed via barges landed from the Rhine. On 11 August 1597 approaches were dug towards the city's walls as the siege commenced. William Louis of Nassau was wounded by a bullet in the thigh and Maurice not long after had a cannonball fly just over his head as it entered his tent while in repose. Once the batteries were placed, the city was intensively shelled which added to the misery of the garrison.  After ten days of shelling the Sachino afraid of a mutiny in the garrison called for negotiations and then surrendered on 20 August; the Archbishop of Rheinberg begged for the place and the populace to be spared from pillaging which Maurice agreed to.  The Spanish garrison who were allowed the honors of war but were not to fight for a long time, then marched out and the Dutch and English marched in. With the capture of Rheinberg Maurice knew that access over Rhine was now an easy task and the East of the Netherlands was now open to him. Maurice's troops were thus able to take the offensive further and capture Meurs, Groenlo, Bredevoort, Enschede, Oldenzaal and closed off the year and the campaign with the capture of Lingen.  The following year a Spanish force under Francisco de Mendoza knowing how important Rheinberg was, retook the place, which the city garnered a new nickname "La puta de la guerra" ("whore of war"), a name that would stick for the next 35 years.  The Spanish occupation under Commander Don Luis Bernardo de Avila would last only till 1601 when Maurice again captured Rheinberg after a siege of more than a month.  Rheinberg was repeatably taken and retaken captured before in 1633 the place finally came back into Dutch hands.

The Siege of Rheinberg took place from the 9 to 19 August 1597 during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War by a Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Orange. The siege ended with the capitulation and the withdrawal of the Spanish after much unrest in the garrison. The liberation of the city of Rheinberg was the commencement of Maurice's campaign of 1597, a successful offensive against the Spaniards during the period known as the "Ten Glory Years".

Die Belagerung von Rheinberg durch niederländische Truppen unter dem Befehl von Moritz von Oranien fand vom 9. bis zum 19. August 1597 während des Achtzigjährigen Krieges statt und endete mit der Kapitulation und dem Abzug der spanischen Garnison. Die Befreiung der Stadt Rheinberg war ein Bestandteil von Moritz’ Feldzug von 1597.


Taxonomy.

The white-chinned petrel is a member of the genus "Procellaria", and in turn is a member of the family Procellariidae, and the order Procellariiformes. As a member of the Procellariiformes, they share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. Although the nostrils on the petrel are on top of the upper bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates. They produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This can be sprayed out of their mouths as a defence against predators and as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. Finally, they also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nose.

Etymology.

"Procellaria" comes from two Latin words, "procella" "storm" and "arius" "pertaining to", with reference to the birds' association with stormy weather. The word "petrel" is derived from Saint Peter and the story of his walking on water, referring to their appearing to run on the water's surface when taking to the air.

Description.

The white-chinned petrel measures in length, weighs and spans across the wings. Not only is it the largest "Procellaria" petrel but is also the largest species in its family outside of the giant petrels. This large petrel is sooty-black and has some white on its throat and chin, more so in the Indian Ocean sector than the Atlantic. Its primaries can have a silvery appearance underneath. Its bill may be horn or yellow with a black tip, and also black between the nostrils. It has black feet. When it flies, it mixes slow wing beats with glides. Although normally quiet, it will rattle or groan while at its colony.

Behaviour.

Feeding.

Their diet is composed mainly of krill followed by fish. White-chinned petrels feed by surface seizing and by undertaking shallow dives, and they will readily follow ships to collect fisheries discards, making them vulnerable to longline fisheries.

Breeding.

Both sexes help to build a nest, and will help incubate the egg. Upon hatching, both sexes again will assist in feeding and protecting the young.

Range and habitat.

The white-chinned petrel utilises many islands during the breeding season. 2,000,000 pairs breed on South Georgia, Between 175,000 and 226,000 pairs are on the Kerguelen Islands, and 100,000 pairs on Disappointment Island. Some also breed on the Crozet Islands, Prince Edward Islands, Campbell Islands, Auckland Islands, Antipodes Islands, and the Falkland Islands. During the non-breeding season, the petrels fly from the Antarctic pack ice to the subtropics.

Conservation.

A 2004 estimate placed the adult population at 7,000,000 with an occurrence range of. Mortality of both adults and chicks due to longline fisheries has caused the IUCN to classify it as vulnerable. An overall decline in population is inferred by a drop in burrow occupancy rates of 28% at Bird Island, and an 86% reduction in population at Prydz Bay. Also, monitoring on Marion Island has shown of 14.5% reduction, and a 37% reduction on the Crozet Islands. Unintentional death at the hands of longline fisheries has proven to be a major contributor to the overall population decline. Nearly all of the bycatch from the Namibian hake are white-chinned petrels. 10% of the South African pelagic longline bycatch and 55% of the demersal. Also, the white-chinned petrel has suffered at the hands of invasive species such as the brown rat, "Rattus novegicus", and the black rat, "Rattus rattus".  Several of the breeding islands are protected areas. Ongoing studies and population monitoring are occurring at South Georgia, the Prince Edward Islands, Kerguelen Islands, and Crozet Islands. Finally, they are a part of ACAP Annex I, and CMS Appendix II.  To assist in reversing the decline in population it has been proposed to continue and extend monitoring studies, trying to eliminate most invasive species, promote adoption of best practice mitigation measures at all fisheries within the range via ACAP, FAO, CCAMLR.

The white-chinned petrel ("Procellaria aequinoctialis") or Cape hen, is a large shearwater in the family Procellariidae. It ranges around the Southern Ocean as far north as southern Australia, Peru and Namibia, and breeds colonially on scattered islands.

Der Weißkinn-Sturmvogel ("Procellaria aequinoctialis") ist eine monotypische Art aus der Familie der Sturmvögel. Es handelt sich um einen großen, kräftig gebauten Sturmvogel, der im Süden der Südhalbkugel vorkommt. Zu den bestandsbedrohenden Faktoren für diese Art gehört vor allem die Langleinenfischerei.


Geology.

North Sulawesi is considered to be a 'young' formation, of 5-24 million years of age. The region has undergone explosive volcanism 1.5-5 million years ago, which resulted in the volcanic tuff that characterizes the existing topography. Manado Tua is an inactive volcano formed in a classical cone shape and rising over 600 m above sea level, the highest elevation in the park. Bunaken Island also has volcanic origins with a significant amount of uplifted fossil coral. Nain Island is also a dome-shaped island, 139m in height. Mantehage Island is relatively flat and seems to be sinking into the sea. The island has extensive mangrove forest flats, partially separated by saltwater channels. Siladen is a low-lying coral sand island with no significant topography. Arakan-Wawontulap and Molas-Wori on the mainland of North Sulawesi are relatively flat areas at the base of volcanic hills. The absence of a continental shelf allows the coastal area of the park to drop directly down the continental slope. The sea depth between the islands of the park is 200 to 1,840 metres.

Flora and fauna.

A very rich coral ecosystem covers most of Bunaken National Park, dominated by fringing reef and barrier reef corals. There are about 390 species of coral recorded in the waters of the Park. A distinct feature is a 25-50 metre vertical coral wall which is inhabited by 13 coral genus. The seaweeds that can be found here include "Caulerpa", "Halimeda", and "Padina pavonica" species, while the dominant seagrasses, in particular in the islands of Montehage and Nain, are "Thalassia hemprichii", "Enhallus acoroides", and "Thalassodendron ciliatum". The park is also abundant in different species of fish, marine mammals and reptiles, birds, molluscs and mangrove species.  About 2000 species of fish live in the waters of the park, among them being the emperor angelfish, Almaco jack, spotted seahorse, bluestripe snapper, pinkish basslet and two-lined monocle bream. The species of mollusc include the giant clam, horned helmet shells, chambered nautilus, and ascidians.  It is claimed that this park has seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii, and more than 70% of all the known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific.  On land, the islands are rich in species of palm, sago, woka, silar and coconut. Among the animal species that live on the land and the beaches are Celebes crested macaque, Timor Deer, and Sulawesi bear cuscus. The mangrove forest of the Park contains, among others "Rhizophora" and "Sonneratia" species. This forest is also rich in species of crab, lobster, mollusc, and sea birds such as gulls, herons, sea doves, and storks.

Human habitation and tourism.

The area is densely populated, with 22 villages inside the park comprising about 35,000 people. Most locals work as fishermen or farmers cultivating coconut, sweet potato, banana or seaweed for export, while a small number are employed in tourism as dive guides, boat operators and cottage staff. Tourism is strongly developed, with accommodation ranging from backpacker cottages to 5 star resorts. Between 2003 and 2006 the number of visitors ranged from 32,000 to 39,000 of which 8,000-10,000 were international visitors for each year.  Scuba diving and snorkelling are the main activities pursued by tourists visiting the park, with the diving in Bunaken being world renowned. It's home to the winner of the World Travel Awards' "Indonesia's Leading Dive Resort 2019" and "Indonesia's Leading Dive Resort 2018", the Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort & Spa.

Conservation and threats.

Bunaken National Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's marine parks. In 2005 Indonesia submitted an application to UNESCO for including the park on the World Heritage List. Despite its national park status and significant funding, the park has suffered a slow, continuous degradation due to a number of threats including coral mining, anchor damage, blast fishing, cyanide fishing, diving, and trash. The World Wildlife Fund provides conservation support in the National Park as part of the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Eco-region Action Plan. This includes participatory enforcement and patrol, which resulted in significant reduction of blast fishing.

Bunaken National Park is a marine park in the north of Sulawesi island, Indonesia. The park is located near the centre of the Coral Triangle, providing habitat to 390 species of coral as well as many fish, mollusc, reptile and marine mammal species. The Park is representative of Indonesian tropical water ecosystems, consisting of seagrass plain, coral reef, and coastal ecosystems.

Der Nationalpark Bunaken (indonesisch "Taman Nasional Bunaken") ist ein indonesisches Schutzgebiet im nordöstlichsten Zipfel Sulawesis ("Sulawesi Utara"). Er liegt um die Insel Bunaken ("Pulau Bunaken"), etwa 3 km vor dem Festland Nord-Sulawesis in der Nähe von Manado. Der Park wurde 1997 eingerichtet. Sein Name verweist bereits auf seine Eigenschaft als Unterwasserwelt-Nationalpark. Er ist am Südostrand der Celebessee ("Sulawesisee") gelegen.