Background.

Media critics and public figures such as Robert W. McChesney, Ben Bagdikian, Ralph Nader, Jim Hightower, Noam Chomsky, Thom Hartmann, Edward S. Herman, Amy Goodman, Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders suggest that such a media system, especially when allowed to dominate the mainstream media, inevitably will be manipulated by these same corporations to suit their own interests. These critics point out that the main national networks, NBC, CBS, and ABC, as well as most if not all of the smaller cable channels, are owned, funded, and controlled by an interconnected network of large corporate conglomerates and international banking interests, which may manipulate and filter out news that does not fit their corporate agenda. Media companies are slowly understanding how to accelerate the fluidity of media content across delivery channels to "expand revenue opportunities, broaden markets and reinforce consumer loyalties and commitments". Users are then understanding how to master these various media technologies to bring the flow of media more fully under their control and to interact/co-create with other users. Sometimes, these two forces reinforce each other, creating closer, more rewarding, relations between media producers and consumers. Sometimes the two forces conflict, resulting in constant renegotiations of power between these competing pressures on the new media ecology.

Propaganda model.

Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman developed a propaganda model which purports to explain this bias. The common misinterpretation of this model is that all bias is conscious and centralized. The hypothesis is that the process is decentralized and operates as a confluence of factors, that includes the overt pressure from owners and advertisers, but also by the gradual internalization of the biases and values of the corporate owners, leading to self-censorship.  American journalist Glenn Greenwald accused mainstream U.S. media of "spreading patriotic state propaganda".  Other factors include the tendency of journalists to avoid doing original research, instead obtaining news from the same few wire services, such as Reuters and Associated Press, which themselves tend to cover the same news under the same perspective. Due to the desire to reduce operation costs, the mainstream media favor news pieces that are pre-made by these news agencies instead of conducting their own reporting.

Impact.

On social justice.

Critiques have pointed to the ownership of major news outlets in USA by corporations. Bernie Sanders, an American anti-establishment politician, contends that media are an arm of the ruling class. In his view, "corporate media by definition has conflict of interests." He points to alleged low pay of workers in media companies such as Disney which biases them against publishing specials on minimum wage and wealth and income equality. There have been allegations of corporate media's manipulation of presidential campaign facts against Sanders.

Public relations on news and public affairs programming.

This same economic pressure makes media susceptible to manipulation by government and other corporate sources through the widespread use of press releases, often created by industry-funded public relations firms.

Impact on world events and society.

The point of view and statements made by governments, officials, military, police, national security organizations (such as the FBI and CIA), as well as various other political offices are regularly reported as facts and are published without any (or very little) fact checking by the corporate media. Perhaps the most infamous current example of the impact of the propaganda model on world events and societies was during the two-year period following the 2001 US attacks. During this time, according to a five year in-depth research project conducted by the Centre for Public Integrity; the President of the United States George W. Bush and seven high-ranking officials in his administration made at least 935 false statements about the threat posed to the world and to US national security by Saddam Hussein. These false statements were virtually uncontested by the corporate media and presented as a sound rationale for both the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the "War on Terror".  In "Buying the War" on PBS, Bill Moyers noted 27 "Washington Post" editorials supporting George W. Bush's ambitions to invade Iraq. National security correspondent Walter Pincus reported that he had been ordered to cease his reports that were critical of Bush administration. According to author and journalist Greg Mitchell, "By the "Post" own admission, in the months before the war, it ran more than 140 stories on its front page promoting the war, while contrary information 'got lost', as one "Post" staffer told Kurtz."  The result was the "manufacturing of consent" for the invasion of Iraq and "The Global War on Terror/ism" in which hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives to date. As an example, Jessica Yellin on Anderson Cooper 360 admitted being pressured by corporate executives to present positive stories during the run up to the Iraq war.  Anderson Cooper 360 Transcript of Jessica Yellin reporting:COOPER: Jessica, McClellan took press to task for not upholding their reputation. He writes: "The National Press Corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the nation during my years in Washington, the choice over whether to go to war in Iraq. The 'liberal media' -- in quotes -- didn't live up to its reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served." Dan Bartlett, former Bush adviser, called the allegation "total crap." What is your take? Did the press corps drop the ball?JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I wouldn't go that far. I think the press corps dropped the ball at the beginning. When the lead-up to the war began, the press corps was under enormous pressure from corporate executives, frankly, to make sure that this was a war that was presented in a way that was consistent with the patriotic fever in the nation and the president's high approval ratings.And my own experience at the White House was that, the higher the president's approval ratings, the more pressure I had from news executives—and I was not at this network at the time—but the more pressure I had from news executives to put on positive stories about the president. I think, over time...COOPER: You had pressure from news executives to put on positive stories about the president?YELLIN: Not in that exact—they wouldn't say it in that way, but they would edit my pieces. They would push me in different directions. They would turn down stories that were more critical and try to put on pieces that were more positive, yes. That was my experience.Factcheck.org (Factcheck.org), created by the Annenberg school of Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, found hundreds of misrepresentations in political ads that were never corrected by the mainstream media. Studies also show that those who rely on the media for their information have a poor understanding of the issues and are unable to discern misrepresentations in political advertising.  As documented by authors Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber, it is becoming increasingly common for video news releases (VNR) to be created by government and corporations, mimicking TV news story-format, to be used straight into broadcasting in a newscast. Other factors include the cost of litigation. Large corporations tend to sue over any news that are against their interests, causing great expense for the news editors. Even if the litigation is lost, the cost of time and pressure will certainly bias a reporter towards avoiding such possibility.  In March 2018, American documentary filmmaker Michael Moore criticized the "corporate media", saying "You turn on the TV, and it's 'Russia, Russia, Russia!' These are all shiny keys to distract us. We should know about the West Virginia strike. What an inspiration that would be. But they don't show this".

Interlocking corporations, corporate power, and its social influences.

To illustrate the growing problem of monocracy, Bagdikian notes that in the 1980s, "less than 1 percent of all corporations, have 87 percent of all sales. [The corporates] are the aristocrats of the American Industrial economy; the remaining 359,500, in terms of their national power, are the peasantry." This conflict continues to arise as "dominant media companies are further [integrating] into the ruling forces of the economy." The directorates of major companies interlock with others and control the content of multiple dominating media and information distribution (i.e., newspapers, magazines, radio and television companies, book publishers, film industries, and even multinational banking investors). They become directly influenced by still other powerful industry, creating the "Endless Chain" of mass media and economic aristocracy (Wardrip-Fruin, 479).  In 1993, 90% of media was owned by 50 companies. Today, starting in 2011,the same 90% is controlled by 6 companies. These 6 companies include Comcast, News-Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS. These 6 media companies are broken down into sub companies, for example, News-Corp is broken down into Fox, Wall Street Journal, and New York Post. Disney is broken down into ABC, ESPN, Pixar, Miramar, and Marvel Studios. Viacom is broken down into MTV, Nick Jr, BET, CMT, and Paramount Pictures. Time Warner cable is broken down into CNN, HBO, Time, and Warner Bros. Lastly, CBS is broken down into Showtime, Smithsonian channel, NFL.com, Jeopardy, and 60 minutes. 232 media executives control what media 277 million Americans consume. To put that into perspective, that's 1 media executive to 850,000 media consumers. These six big companies control 70% of cable and can make up to 275.9 billion revenue (2010 revenue for the big six). The media we receive by these 6 companies include movies which in 2010, their box office sales hit 7 billion, which is double what 140 smaller movie studios made.  Several issues arise from the fusion; under law and business ethics, the director of a firm is obligated to act in best interest of the company he or she is involved in, and failure to oblige under some circumstances can be a federal crime. This creates a dilemma in the governance of mass media: the same person may be trapped in a situation where working for the best interest for one may damage the other corporation. Another problem which arises is that the same person can abuse his or her power to get away with injustice as exemplified by Bagdikian: "When Sears was accused by the Federal Trade Commission of dishonest advertising and promotion, the Tribune was one of the major papers that failed to carry a word of it... (Wardrip-Fruin, 481)." Here, a market industry was able to conceal their crime of fraud since it was also interlocked with the news media, one of the main distributors of such significant information.  In summary, the concentration of massive media firms that control American public information is troublesome for the potential for deception misleads the public away from reality. The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs state that these facts raise fundamental issues as they can bear on social issues and possibly control the shape and direction of the nation's economy. It is further derived that "the summits of American business now control or powerfully influence the major media that create American public opinion" (Wardrip-Fruin, 483).

Corporate media is mass media production, distribution, ownership, and funding dominated by corporations and their CEOs. Characterizations of mainstream media as "corporate" may be pejorative insinuations that such media systems do not serve the public interest.

Die Begriffe Corporate Media, (CP) bzw. Unternehmensverlag bezeichnen die journalistische und periodische Unternehmenskommunikation mit eigenen Medien (Owned Media). Dabei ist die Art der Medien zunächst unerheblich. Die Wurzeln des Corporate Publishing liegen zwar traditionell bei Printprodukten wie Kundenzeitschriften, Mitarbeiterzeitschriften, Mitgliederzeitschriften und Firmenzeitungen, doch auch die immer zahlreicher werdenden TV- und Audiomedien sowie Online-Medien zählen zum Corporate Publishing – vorausgesetzt, sie sind journalistisch, also redaktionell geprägt.


Early life, education, and early career.

Richard Lugar was born on April 4, 1932, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Bertha (née Green) and Marvin Lugar. He was of part German descent. Lugar attended Indianapolis Public Schools. During this time he attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the Boy Scouts' highest. Later, he became a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. He graduated first in his class at Shortridge

Indianapolis politics and mayorship.

Lugar served on the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners from 1964 to 1967. He was elected mayor of Indianapolis in 1967, at the age of 35, defeating incumbent Democrat John J. Barton, and began serving the first of two mayoral terms in 1968. (A political cartoon of the time questioned how an Eagle Scout could survive in the world of politics.) He was closely associated with the adoption of Unigov in 1970, which unified the governments of Indianapolis and Marion County. The Unigov plan helped trigger Indianapolis's

U.S. Senate.

Elections.

Lugar first ran for the U.S. Senate in the 1974 election and lost to incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Birch Bayh (51–46%). Two years later, he ran against Indiana's other U.S. senator, Democratic Senator Vance Hartke, defeating him in a massive landslide, 59%–40%.  In 1982, he defeated Democratic U.S. Congressman Floyd Fithian (54–46%) to win a second term, and six years later Lugar won reelection to a third term, defeating Democrat Jack Wickes (68–32%). In 1994, Lugar won a fourth term, defeating Democratic former U.S. Congressman Jim Jontz (67–31%). He became the first U.S. senator from Indiana elected to a fourth term.  Lugar went on to serve a

Tenure.

1970s.

Future Governor of Indiana Mitch Daniels served as Lugar's chief of staff from 1977 to 1982. During the 1980 Republican National Convention, Lugar was rumored as a potential Vice Presidential nominee for Presidential nominee Ronald Reagan.  In his first months, Lugar backed legislation prompting the Senate to adopt a stringent

1980s.

Lugar attended the January 7, 1980 signing ceremony of the Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act of 1979 in the Cabinet Room. Lugar addressed President Jimmy Carter during the ceremony by thanking him for signing what Lugar called "very humane and compassionate legislation" that was important for the United States.  In the early months of the Reagan administration, Lugar supported its program to eliminate all restrictions on planting and marketing of peanuts. An April 30, 1981 vote by members of the Senate Agriculture Committee continued the restrictions.  On May 11, 1981, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of implementing restrictions on American aid to El Salvador requiring President Reagan to verify the Salvadorian government was using the funds to implement human rights along with political and economic changes. The measure was opposed by Lugar who voted against the entirety of its conditions.  Lugar was one of four senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to vote against the Senate rejecting the nomination of Ernest W. Lefever for Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights on June 5, 1981.  On October 15, 1981, Lugar voted against the recommendation of the disapproval toward the Reagan administration's intent to sell Awacs radar surveillance planes and other air-combat equipment to Saudi Arabia.  On December 2, 1981, Lugar

1990s.

In February 1990, Lugar announced that the congressional group President Bush named to observe Nicaragua elections the following month was disbanded following their being denied visas by the Nicaraguan government.  In 1990, after President Bush nominated James E. Cason to be Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, the latter received scrutiny for his record during the Reagan administration. During a September hearing, Lugar "asked a series of probing questions on the spotted owl", and questioned him during a hearing the following month regarding his record at the Interior Department. On October 19, 1990, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted to recommend Cason for Assistant Agriculture Secretary.  on August 21, 1990, Lugar told reporters that the move to a marketing economy on the part of Vietnam had created the possibility for American investment provided that differences between

2000–2008.

During the August recess of 2005, Lugar and then-freshman Senator Barack Obama of neighboring Illinois visited Russia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine to inspect nuclear facilities there. He was detained for three hours at an airport in the city of Perm, near the Ural Mountains, where they were scheduled to depart for a meeting with the President and the Speaker of the House of Ukraine. He was released after a brief dialogue between U.S. and Russian officials and the Russians later apologized for the incident. In January 2007, President Bush signed into law the Lugar–Obama Proliferation and Threat Reduction Initiative, which furthered Lugar's work with

Obama administration.

On January 13, 2009, Lugar participated in the confirmation hearing for Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton, raising questions on the potential conflict of interest between her husband Bill's charitable activities and her new position. Lugar offered praise to Clinton as "the epitome of a big leaguer", Lugar's spokesman Andy Fisher said that before the hearing, Lugar offered Clinton's staff four ways in which to increase the transparency of former President Clinton's fundraising.  On March 18, 2009, Lugar cast his 12,000th Senate vote, putting him in 13th place for most votes. During his 32 years as a Senator, he had a 98% attendance record.

1996 presidential campaign.

Lugar ran for the Republican nomination for President in 1996. He declared his candidacy on April 19, 1995 in Indianapolis. However, the announcement was largely overshadowed by the Oklahoma City bombing, an event that was the largest act of domestic terrorism on U.S. soil up to that time. The primaries and caucuses began in January 1996. He ran on a campaign slogan of "nuclear security and fiscal sanity", but his campaign failed to gain traction.  He came in 7th in the Iowa caucuses on February 12 with 4%, and 4th in the New Hampshire primary on February 20 with 5%. In the Delaware primary on February 24 he also

Post-Senate career.

On February 15, 2018, Lugar made a joint appearance with Lee H. Hamilton at DePauw University for the program "Can We Talk?: Restoring Civility in Public and Political Discourse in the U.S. and Abroad".

The Lugar Center.

Following his service in the Senate, Lugar established The Lugar Center, a nonprofit public policy institution located in Washington, DC.  Under the leadership of Lugar, the Lugar Center seeks to become a prominent voice in many of the global issues that defined the Senator's work in Congress. There are four "focus areas": Global Food Security, WMD Nonproliferation, Foreign Aid Effectiveness, and Bipartisan Governance. Since its inception in January 2013, the Lugar Center has served as a source of education and awareness on these pertinent issues.  The Center's initiatives include the

Political positions.

Abortion.

Lugar's 2007 rating from NARAL was 40%. His

Agricultural reform.

As Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Lugar built bipartisan support for 1996 federal farm program reforms, ending 1930s-era federal production controls. He worked to

Bipartisan governance.

Although Republican, Lugar often worked across the aisle, working alongside Democrats on many initiatives. For this reason, he commonly broke with traditional Republican lines, especially on non-domestic issues. Lugar's most well-known piece of legislation, the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat

Climate change.

Lugar was a firm believer in pragmatic, scientific solutions to climate change issues. In 2006, he co-sponsored Senate Resolution 312 with

Cuba.

Lugar described U.S. sanctions on Cuba as a failed policy and wrote to President Obama that "additional measures are needed...to recast a policy that has not only failed

Economy.

Lugar took a conservative approach to economics. He voted for the Economic

Gun control.

Lugar was a supporter of gun control, and supported a number of gun legislations and weapons bans. He had an F

Health care reform.

Lugar opposed President Barack Obama's health reform legislation, voted against the Patient Protection

Immigration.

Lugar had a generally liberal stance on immigration, supporting the DREAM Act during the Obama administration

Iraq War.

On June 25, 2007, Lugar, who had been "a reliable vote for President Bush on the war", said that "Bush's Iraq strategy [is] not working and... the United States should downsize the military's role".  Lugar's blunt assessment has been viewed as significant because it showed the growing impatience and dissatisfaction with President Bush's strategy in Iraq. After Lugar finished his remarks, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), a sharp critic of the war, praised Lugar's "thoughtful, sincere and honest" speech, which Durbin said was in

Judicial nominees.

Lugar believed that judicial confirmation decisions should not be purely partisan. His view was if an appointee is properly qualified for the position by their education, integrity, and other similar factors, that they should be confirmed by the Senate. Lugar introduced President George W. Bush's appointee,

LGBT issues.

Lugar held a socially conservative approach on LGBT issues. He voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment, limiting the definition of marriage to one man and one woman. However, he has also voted in favor of the Matthew Shepard Act, which expanded the federal hate crime statutes to include sexual

Middle East.

In a television interview on September 11, 1983, amid President Reagan not defining the penalties for American casualties in the Middle East, Lugar stated the US position in Lebanon was "clearly defensive" but concurred that issue was debatable.  On May 6, 1986, Lugar was among 22 senators to vote in favor of the Reagan administration-backed proposed arms sale to Saudi Arabia, warning other senators prior to voting that they "were taking a headlong plunge in opposition to the President of the United

Nuclear stockpile.

Lugar was influential in gaining Senate ratification of treaties to reduce the world's use, production and stockpiling of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and spearheaded many bipartisan nonproliferation initiatives. In 1991 he initiated a partnership with then-Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman

Pakistan.

In October 2008, Lugar and Joe Biden, his partner in the Committee on Foreign Relations, received the Hilal-i-Pakistan (Crescent of Pakistan) Award from

Other international policy achievements.

Senator Lugar supported Nelson Mandela's fight against South African apartheid. When President Reagan vetoed economic sanctions against South African leaders as a punitive measure for apartheid, Lugar turned against his own party and led the charge to overrule the veto successfully with bipartisan support. As Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he declared on the Senate floor, "We are against tyranny,

Views on Trump administration.

In a November 2017 interview, Lugar stated that President Donald Trump had not

Awards and honors.

Lugar received numerous awards, including Guardian of Small Business, the Spirit of Enterprise, Watchdog of the Treasury, and 46 honorary doctorate degrees. In 2001, Lugar received the Democracy Service Medal of the National Endowment for Democracy. In 2010, Lugar received the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Advancing American Democracy Award. In June 2012, he was conferred with the Grand Collar of the Order of Lakandula by President Benigno S. Aquino III for his contributions to the enhancement of the Philippine-US alliance and friendship as well as Poland's Knight of Freedom Award for his actions and support of the Polish accession process to NATO structures.  On August 8,

Other outside activities.

Lugar was a member the Indiana Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, as well as a member of the Society of Indiana Pioneers, based on his descent from very early settlers in the state. He joined the Rotary Club of Indianapolis in 1957 and spoke at the club annually during his time in the

Richard G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research.

A biological research facility in Tbilisi, Georgia, is named after Lugar in honor of his efforts to reduce nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons around the world. The Richard G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research is a biological research facility funded by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to contain and house dangerous pathogens and support international research efforts. It and other upgraded bio-threat reduction facilities in the region are designed to stop diseases like plague and African swine fever from spreading globally.  Lugar, utilizing the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program (CTR) which helped former Soviet Union states dismantle weapons of mass destruction after the Cold War,

Personal life and death.

Lugar married Charlene Smeltzer on September 8, 1956. The couple had four sons. He was a member of the United Methodist

Legacy.

John T. Shaw assessed the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction as Lugar's landmark legislative accomplishment. The initiative would later be considered "one of the most prescient pieces of legislation ever passed, and the most important nonproliferation program ever".  In 2000, Eric Schmitt described Lugar as "a four-term senator, former presidential candidate and perhaps the most popular politician in Indiana history". Following Lugar's 2012 Senate loss, Peter Rusthoven stated, "Historically, this is not just one of the great senators now. This is one of the great senators in United States history. He is like a Daniel Webster, he is like a Henry Clay—names that I fear too many of our kids in grade school and high school don't even know anymore."  Lugar's defeat in the 2012 Senate Republican primary was written of as a sign of the national GOP base's escalation into strict support for the traditional views aligned with the right. Former Senator John Danforth said the loss told him "that there is an attempt by a lot of people to purge the Republican Party and to kick out of it people who do not hue a very strict party line". Geoffrey Kabaservice cast doubts on this view: "It may be that his bipartisanship and comparative moderation contributed to his loss, or his defeat may simply have reflected the political truism that young blood drives out the old. What's certain is that the Senate will miss his qualities, and in time so may we all."

Richard Green Lugar (April 4, 1932 – April 28, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Richard Green „Dick“ Lugar (* 4. April 1932 in Indianapolis, Indiana; † 28. April 2019 in Falls Church, Virginia) war ein US-amerikanischer Politiker. Er war von 1977 bis 2013 einer der beiden US-Senatoren aus dem Bundesstaat Indiana. Er gehörte der Republikanischen Partei an und war von 1987 bis 1995 sowie von 2003 bis 2007 Vorsitzender des Senatsausschusses für Außenpolitik. Lugar setzte sich im Senat sehr stark für den Abbau nuklearer, biologischer und chemischer Waffen in der Welt ein.


History.

The land in Coffee County was originally part of Dale County, which was incorporated in 1824. Coffee County was formed from the western part of Dale County on December 29, 1841. It was named after John R. Coffee, a soldier in the Creek War of 1813—14. The first county seat was in Wellborn. After the courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1851, the county seat was moved to Elba.

Geography.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.2%) is water. The county is located in the Wiregrass region of southeast Alabama.

Demographics.

As of the census of 2010, there were 49,948 people, 19,849 households, and 13,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 people per square mile (29/km). There were 22,330 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (12.7/km). The racial makeup of the county was 74.7% White, 16.7% Black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. 6.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.  The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Coffee County were English (59.9%), German (4.4%), Irish (3.3%), "American" (3.1%), (1.8%), Scottish (1.2%) and Portuguese (1.0%).  There were 19,849 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98.  In the county, the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.3 males.  The median income for a household in the county was $42,253, and the median income for a family was $54,929. Males had a median income of $41,635 versus $29,082 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,797. About 14.1% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture.

The county is referred to in Joe David Brown's 1971 novel "Addie Pray," which inspired the movie "Paper Moon."

Coffee County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,948. Its county seat is Elba. Its name is in honor of General John Coffee.

Coffee County ist ein County im US-Bundesstaat Alabama der Vereinigten Staaten. Der Sitz der Countyverwaltung (County Seat) befindet sich in Elba, wenn auch in Enterprise ein zusätzliches Courthouse steht. Das County gehört zu den Dry Countys, was bedeutet, dass der Verkauf von Alkohol eingeschränkt oder verboten ist.


Early life and background.

Waheeda Rehman was born on 03 February 1938 to a Dakhini Muslim family in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India. It is a common misconception that Rehman was born in Andhra Pradesh instead of Tamil Nadu. Her father was Mohammed Abdur Rehman and her mother was Mumtaz Begum, and she was the youngest out of four daughters. As a child, she and her sisters were trained Bharatanatyam in Chennai. She studied in St. Joseph's Convent in Visakhapatnam when her father was posted there in the then Madras Presidency. Her father, who worked as a district commissioner, died in 1951 while she was in her early teens.  Rehman's dream was to become a doctor, but due to her family's circumstances emotionally and financially, alongside her mother's illness, she abandoned her goal. In order to help her family, she accepted movie offers that stemmed from her dancing abilities.  Waheeda Rehman's first performance on stage as a Dancer in earlier days was at Brahampur's Ganjam Kala Parishad organized by her Uncle Dr.Ferose Ali who was a famous doctor and social activist in Brahmapur city.  This performance of Bharat Natyam was watched by a Telugu Film Director who gave her first opportunity to work for a Telugu film. Guru Dutta watched that movie and introduced in Mumbai. Later she become the heartthrob of Indian Cinema with Dev Anand and Guru Dutt's film CID.  Dr. Ferose Ali was a down to earth man who used to cure patients free of cost those days. He originally hailed from Cuttack but established in Brahmapur City. His house was known as 'White House' in that era which situated between Khallikote Collage Stadium and Palur Bunglow Street and used to be the epicenter of intellectual hangouts in those days. Waheeda visited her Uncle's house several times in those days.  Waheeda again came back to Brahmapur city for a grand performance after achieving stardom in Bollywood. She raised funds for charity. The funds were used for Red Cross Maternity Ward in Then Red Cross Hospital and Now known as City Hospital in Brahmapur.  Nargis Natarajan (Writer and Daughter of Late Dr. Ferose ali, a student of Saint Vincent Convent School, Brahmapur) also mentioned these incidents in her book'Daddy- A Bouquet of Memories'.

Acting career.

Early work as a starting actress (1955–1959).

Rehman began her career in films in the mid-1950s, usually dancing in item numbers. Her film debut occurred in the Telugu film "Rojulu Maraayi" (1955), in which she was encouraged by the producer of the film to join the cast, despite hesitance from her mother. It was a success, becoming a channel for more offers from filmmakers to Rehman. She was featured in "Jayasimha" (1955) by the side of veteran actor NT Rama Rao. "Kaalam Maari Pochu" (1956) and the first full-length colour Tamil film "Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum" (1956).  In the success party of "Rojolu Maraayi", Hindi filmmaker Guru Dutt noticed her and decided to have her act in Hindi films. In later interviews, Rehman describes how she considers Dutt as her mentor. Dutt brought her to Bombay (current-day Mumbai) to have her in a supporting role in his production "CID" (1956), directed by Raj Khosla. Because of the famous Hindi actresses of that era, such as Madhubala, Nargis and Meena Kumari, Rehman was pressurized into changing her name into "something sexy", but she was adamant on keeping her birth name, signifying her will to stay true to herself. The success of the film caused Dutt to give Rehman her first leading role as a prostitute in "Pyaasa" (1957), which was also a commercial success and became one of Dutt's most acclaimed movies. By the time the decade was over, she had made a few more films with the filmmaker, including "12 O'Clock" (1958) and "Kaagaz Ke Phool" (1959). After several years in the industry, her mother died.  Rehman also established a working relationship with Dev Anand, and together as a pair, they had a number of successful films to their credit. Including "CID", other box office hits are "Solva Saal" (1958), "Kala Bazar" (1960) and "Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja" (1961). Suresh Kohli of The Hindu writes on her performance in "Solva Saal", "Though barely 22 then and only in her fourth Hindi release, Waheeda Rehman demonstrates her class: both in serious scenes demanding intensity and through sparkling, mischievous eye movements during lighter moments."

Rise to recognition (1960–1964).

Besides "Kala Bazar", Rehman acted in three other films in 1960, which were "Ek Phool Char Kaante", "Girlfriend", and "Chaudhvin Ka Chand." The last film was another partnership between Rehman and Dutt, and was the fourth-highest grossing Hindi film of 1961. It was considered a "saving" point in Dutt's career, after their last collaboration, "Kaagaz Ke Phool", had a horrendous run at the box office. It also represented the strained relationship of the duo. Dutt's existing marriage and her film successes with other directors caused them to drift apart personally and professionally, although they continued to work together into the 1960s. Their last movie together was the drama "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" (1962), starring Dutt, Meena Kumari, Rehman and Rehman herself in a supporting role, and the movie was a flop financially but was lauded internationally by critics. The film presented Rehman her first Filmfare nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actress, and the movie itself received nominations for the Golden Bear at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival and was selected as India's official entry to the Oscars. Rehman and Dutt finally broke away in 1963, and a year later, Dutt was found dead on 10 October 1964 in Mumbai, reportedly from an overdose mixture of sleeping pills and alcohol.  The actress began to experiment with her roles when she ventured into Bengali film-making with Satyajit Ray's film "Abhijan" in 1962. As the years went on, she began to taste higher success when she was offered the leading actress roles in films and played parts that were deemed as unconventional for the typical Bollywood actress. Rehman played a murder suspect in "Baat Ek Raat Ki" (1962), a girl embroiled in a sibling feud in "Rakhi" (1962) and an infertile woman in "Ek Dil Sau Afsane" (1963).  As a leading lady, she also started to star opposite of many familiar faces of Hindi Cinema; Sunil Dutt in "Mujhe Jeene Do" (1962), Nirupa Roy in "Kaun Apna Kaun Paraya" (1963), and Biswajit in the horror film "Kohraa" (1964), "Majboor" (1964), and the psychological-thriller "Bees Saal Baad" (1962)—the latter becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1962.  At the end of 1964, Rehman became the third-highest paid actress in Bollywood, from 1959 to 1964.

Extreme success and peak (1965–1971).

Vijay Anand's magnum opus, the 1965 romantic drama "Guide" presented Rehman with a different outlook of success that resulted in major fame and popularity to her name. The film itself was an adaptation of the same book written by R. K. Narayan, published in 1958. The main cast were Rehman and Dev Anand, and they were last seen together in "Baat Ek Raat Ki," an average hit at the Indian box office. The film itself proved difficult for Rehman, as her character Rosie was rebellious, strong-willed and didn't fit the mold of the usual women Bollywood films portrayed. However, the film was an instant success, becoming the fifth-highest grossing Hindi film of 1965 and a fan-favorite in Rehman's repertoire. Rehman's character was especially praised, with Trisha Gupta of Hindustan Times writing, "Rosie was triply unusual: a woman who walks out of an unhappy marriage, begins a romantic relationship with a man who isn’t her husband, and simultaneously embarks on a successful career as a dancer. She would be an unusual Hindi film heroine even today." and her performance was ranked amongst her best. She won her first Filmfare Award—Filmfare Award for Best Actress—and soon after, she became a sought-over actress in the latter half of the 1960s. "Guide" became India's official entry to the Oscars and a staple film in Hindi cinema.  Her peak continued when she was paired with other well-established superstars, namely Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Rajesh Khanna. Among her most acclaimed films of late 1960s include "Teesri Kasam" (1966), "Ram Aur Shyam" (1967), "Neel Kamal" (1968) and Khamoshi (1969). The last three movies all earned Rehman consecutive nominations for Filmfare Award for Best Actress each, with her winning her second Filmfare Award in "Neel Kamal". In her role in "Khamoshi" starring alongside Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra, it is believed to be Rehman's finest acting performance. She plays a nurse who has gone mentally insane after falling in love with one of her patients, and eventually is sent to her own mental institution.  Other films that were commercially successful were "Patthar Ke Sanam" (1967) and "Aadmi" (1968), and box office failures include "Dharti" (1970) and "Shatranj" (1969). At the end of the 1960s, Rehman ranked a new record amongst herself in becoming the second-paid actress in Bollywood, from 1964-1969. She states herself, "For "Solva Saal", my first film as a freelancer, I received ₹30,000. The highest I ever earned in my career was 7 lakh for a film."

Character roles, career decline and marriage (1971).

Her career continued throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her roles in "Guide" (1965), where she hit the peak of her career, and "Neel Kamal" (1968), but despite excellent offbeat roles in subsequent films, including a National Award-winning performance in "Reshma Aur Shera" (1971), some of the films failed at the box office. Seeing her films being successful, Waheeda decided to experiment with roles at this stage of career. She accepted "Reshma Aur Shera", opposite her old co-star Sunil Dutt, with whom she had previously in the sixties had hits such as "Ek Phool Char Kaante", "Mujhe Jeene Do", "Meri Bhabhi" and "Darpan". Her performance was appreciated by critics, but the film failed at the box office. But Waheeda continued to experiment with roles and accepted the offer to play a mother to Jaya Bhaduri in "Phagun" (1973). This, she regards the mistake of her career, as after this film flopped, suddenly people started offering her motherly roles to heroes.Film expert Rajesh Subramanian reported that Manmohan Desai had approached Rehman, on behalf of Shammi Kapoor, during the making of "Naseeb". In the song "John Jani Janardhan", Shammi Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman make a grand entry holding hands. Incidentally this was the first time the two stars appeared together on screen. Later she also did Manmohan Desai's "Coolie" and "Allah Rakha".  From the mid-seventies, Waheeda's career as lead heroine ended and her career as character actor began. At around this time, Kamaljit, who starred opposite her in "Shagoon" (1964), proposed and they got married in 1974. After her appearance in "Lamhe" (1991), she retired from the film industry for 12 years.  In her new innings from the seventies, her successful films where she played pivotal roles include "Kabhi Kabhie" (1976),"Trishul" (1978), "Jwalamukhi" (1980), "Namkeen" and "Namak Halaal" (1982), "Mashaal" (1984), "Chandni"(1989) and "Rang De Basanti"(2006). She played the central character in the Mahesh Bhatt directed film "Swayam" that starred Akash Khurana and Anupam Kher. She also appeared in a tele-series being directed by Gulzar.  In recent years she made a comeback playing elderly mother and grandmother roles in "Om Jai Jagadish" (2002), "Water" (2005), "Rang De Basanti" (2006), 15, Park Avenue and "Delhi 6" (2009) which were all critically acclaimed.

Personal life.

A biography has been written and published in 2014 about Rehman, entitled "Conversations with Waheeda Rehman", which consist of interviews collected by author and director Nasreen Munni Kabir.  At the beginning of her career, Rehman is rumoured to have been involved with her frequent collaborator Guru Dutt. At the time, Dutt was married to singer Geeta Dutt and had children. One of their films, "Kaagaz Ke Phool", which chronicles a film director falling in love with an actress, is thought to be inspired by the ill-fated affair. Eventually, the pair broke off due to personal and professional reasons in 1963. Dutt eventually died in 1964 due to mixing of alcohol and sleeping pills. Rehman is private about her life and often speaks about it, as said in an interview at the launch of "Conversations with Waheeda Rehman":  On April 1974, Rehman married Shashi Rekhi (also known by his screen name Kamaljeet), and both had worked together prior in the film Shagoon (1964). She has two children: Sohail Rekhi and Kashvi Rekhi, both of them are writers. After her marriage, she lived in a farmhouse in Bangalore but after the death of her husband on 21 November 2000, she moved back to her ocean-view bungalow in Bandra, Mumbai, where she currently resides.  In October 2004, a Waheeda Rehman film retrospective was held at the Seattle Art Museum and the University of Washington where Rehman participated in spirited-panel-and-audience discussions on her most memorable films; "Pyaasa", "Teesri Kasam" and "Guide."

Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is an Indian actress and dancer who has appeared in mainly Hindi films, as well as Telugu, Tamil, Bengali and Malayalam films. She is noted for her contributions to different genres of films and different roles from the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. Her accolades consist of a National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards out of eight nominations, the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award and the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality. Throughout her career, she has been frequently cited as one of Bollywood's "most beautiful" actresses by various media outlets, a title for which she has received substantial publicity.

Waheeda Rehman (Hindi, वहीदा रहमान, Vahīdā Rahmān; * 14. Mai 1938 in Delhi) ist eine indische Filmschauspielerin. Sie hatte ihr Filmdebüt 1955 in einem Telugu-Film von D. Yoganand. Das Publikum war von ihrer tänzerischen Leistung begeistert und machte sie später zum Star des Hindi-Films der 1950er und 1960er Jahre. In Guru Dutts autobiografisch geprägten Film "Pyaasa" (1957) spielt sie eine Prostituierte. Auch in einigen weiteren Guru Dutt-Filmen, wie "Kaagaz Ke Phool" (1959), spielte sie die Hauptrolle. Häufig trat sie auch als positives Gegengewicht zu dramatischen Rollen anderer Schauspieler auf, so mit Meena Kumari in "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" (1962). Sie spielte unter der Regie von Satyajit Ray in "Abhijan" (1962, mit Soumitra Chatterjee). Den Höhepunkt ihrer Karriere erreichte sie in "Guide" (1965, mit Dev Anand) von Vijay Anand in der Rolle einer Frau, die ihren impotenten Mann verlässt, um mit ihrem Liebhaber zusammenzuleben, der ihr bei der Karriere als Tänzerin behilflich ist. Ihre Darstellung gilt als herausragend und es gelang ihr trotz antitraditionalistischem Plot die Sympathie der Zuschauer für die Filmfigur zu gewinnen. Nachfolgende ambitionierte Rollen waren weniger erfolgreich, jedoch hatte sie kommerziellen Erfolg z. B. mit "Teesri Kasam" (1966, mit Raj Kapoor). Waheeda Rehman spielte weiterhin Charakterrollen, mehrfach war sie in den 1970er und 1980er Jahren "Filmmutter" von Amitabh Bachchan. Yash Chopra besetzte sie in seinem Film "Lamhe" (1991) und stellte sie mit einer Reminiszenz an ihren tänzerischen Auftritt in "Guide" prominent heraus. Danach zog sich Waheeda Rehman zunächst vom Filmgeschäft zurück, scheint aber seit 2005 wieder in Bollywood aktiv zu werden.


Life and work.

He took his first art lessons at the Hamburg School of Applied Arts, where he studied with and. On their recommendation, he transferred to the Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School in 1870, where his teachers were Albert Baur, Karl Gussow and the history painter Ferdinand Pauwels. Baur would be particularly influential in forming Brütt's mature style.  When Baur accepted a professorship at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Brütt went with him and became a specialist in painting courtroom scenes. He was able to draw from his own experiences, having spent quite a bit of time on jury duty, developing the genre based on earlier work by Louis Gallait and Hendrik Leys.  In 1889, he took an extended study trip to Italy where he found himself less inspired by the "Old Masters" than he was by the landscapes. This prompted further trips to the Alps and the North Sea. In 1893, he was appointed a Royal Prussian Professor.

Kronberg.

In 1898, his friend Anton Burger invited him to stay at the Kronberger Artists' Colony in Kronberg im Taunus. He lived and worked there until 1920. He executed several municipal commissions in Frankfurt from 1905 to 1913, including several large wall and ceiling decorations for various public buildings and designs for the Bürgersaale (Civic Hall) in the Rathaus. In 1920, he went to live with his son, a District Court Councillor, in Bergen.  His style may generally be described as impressionistic, although he preferred scenes with large crowds in urban or indoor settings. His initial phase extended through the 1880s, when he developed an interest in more subtle displays of light and color. After 1902, he concentrated on large landscapes.

Ferdinand Martin Cordt Brütt (13 July 1849, Hamburg - 6 November 1936, Bergen) was a German painter. He was a distant relative of the sculptor Adolf Brütt.

Ferdinand Martin Cordt Brütt (* 13. Juli 1849 in Hamburg; † 6. November 1936 in Bergen bei Celle) war ein deutscher Maler. Brütt war ein entfernter Verwandter des Bildhauers Adolf Brütt.


Life.

Yves Chauvin was born on 10 October 1930 in Menen, Belgium, to French parents; his father worked as an electrical engineer. He graduated in 1954 from the Lyon School of Chemistry, Physics, and Electronics. He began working in the chemical industry but was frustrated there. He is quoted as saying, "If you want to find something new, look for something new...there is a certain amount of risk in this attitude, as even the slightest failure tends to be resounding, but you are so happy when you succeed that it is worth taking the risk." In 1960, Chauvin began working for the French Petroleum Institute in Rueil-Malmaison. He became honorary director of research there following his retirement from the institute in 1995. Chauvin also served as an emeritus (retired) director of research at the Lyon School of Chemistry, Physics, and Electronics.

Awards and recognitions.

He was awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Robert H. Grubbs and Richard R. Schrock, for his work from the early 1970s in the area of olefin metathesis. Chauvin was embarrassed to receive his award and initially indicated that he might not accept it. He did however receive his award from the King of Sweden and deliver his Nobel lecture. He was elected a member of the French Academy of Sciences in 2005.

Research.

Chauvin's work centred on metathesis, which involves organic (carbon-based) compounds. In metathesis, chemists break double bonds more easily by introducing a catalyst—that is, a substance that starts or speeds up a chemical reaction. Chemists began performing metathesis in the 1950s without knowing exactly how the reaction worked. This lack of understanding hindered the search for more efficient catalysts.  In the early 1970s Chauvin achieved a breakthrough when he described the mechanism by which a metal atom bound to a carbon atom in one group of atoms causes the group to shift places with a group of atoms in another molecule and explained metathesis in detail. He showed that the reaction involves two double bonds. One of the double bonds connects two parts of an organic molecule. The other double bond connects a metal-based catalyst to a fragment of an organic molecule. In metathesis, these two double bonds combine and split to make four single bonds. The single bonds form a ring that connects the metal catalyst, the organic fragment, and the two parts of the organic molecule. The metal catalyst then breaks off from the ring, carrying away part of the organic molecule. This process leaves the fragment attached to the remainder of the organic molecule with a double bond, forming a new organic compound. Scholars have compared this reaction to a dance in which two sets of partners join hands to form a ring and then split apart again to form two new partnerships.  Chauvin's description of metathesis led Robert H. Grubbs and Richard R. Schrock to develop catalysts that carried out the reaction more efficiently. The three chemists' work has enabled manufacturers to make organic compounds, including some plastics and medicines, using less energy because the required reaction pressures and temperatures became lower, and using fewer harmful and expensive chemicals, and creating fewer contaminant reaction by-products and hazardous waste that must be extracted from the desired synthetic. It was for this process they were awarded with 2005 Chemistry Nobel Prize.

Death.

Chauvin died, at the age of 84, on 27 January 2015 in Tours, France.

Yves Chauvin (; 10 October 1930 – 27 January 2015) was a French chemist and Nobel Prize laureate. He was honorary research director at the "Institut français du pétrole" and a member of the French Academy of Science. He was known for his work for deciphering the process of metathesis for which he was awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Robert H. Grubbs and Richard R. Schrock.

Yves Chauvin (* 10. Oktober 1930 in Menen, Belgien; † 28. Januar 2015 in Tours, Frankreich) war ein französischer Chemiker und Träger des Nobelpreises für Chemie im Jahr 2005.


Personal background and professional career.

Maurer grew up as the son of a poor farmer in the Zürcher Oberland. After a commercial apprenticeship, Maurer received a federal accountant's diploma. He was director of the Zürich Farmers' Association from 1994 to 2008 and president of the Swiss Vegetable Farmers' Association and the Farmers' Machinery Association ("Maschinenring") until his election to the Federal Council.  Maurer is married and has six children and currently resides in Hinwil in the canton of Zürich. He has served in the Swiss Army with the rank of major, commanding a bicycle infantry battalion.

Political career.

Cantonal politics.

From 1978 to 1986, Maurer was a member of the municipal government of Hinwil. He was elected to the cantonal parliament of Zürich in 1983, which he presided over in 1991. In that year, he lost an election to the cantonal government against Moritz Leuenberger, as his opponents derided Maurer's campaign as inept and himself as a naïve devotee of party strongman Christoph Blocher. In the same year's national election, though, Maurer was elected to the National Council.

National career and party presidency.

In 1996, at Blocher's behest, Maurer was elected president of the Swiss People's Party. Not taken seriously at first and parodied by TV comedian Viktor Giacobbo as Blocher's servile sycophant so memorably that his taunted children regularly returned from school in tears, his presidency saw the party double its voter base, establish itself in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and become the country's strongest political party. These successes have been largely credited to Maurer's leadership, who was able to make up a lack of charisma with astonishingly hard work, the imposition of strict party discipline, a keen sense for promising populist issues (such as opposition to European integration, foreigners and political correctness) as well as a penchant for headline-grabbing soundbites, as attested by an often-cited statement of his: "As long as I talk of negroes, the camera stays on me".  As president of the People's Party, Maurer was a leading force behind the party's aggressive and successful populist campaigns – campaigns that drew the ire of the Swiss political mainstream and the concern of foreign observers – signing off on cartoonish posters attacking leftists, foreigners and other undesirables. In a breach with Swiss political etiquette, he did not shy away from direct personal attacks on fellow politicians, labeling the center-right Free Democrats as "softies", Social Democratic voters as deranged, and renegade Federal Councillors Schmid and Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf as "appendices" requiring excision. Nonetheless, Maurer was able to keep his public persona separate from the way his colleagues in Parliament perceived him. In the National Council, his personal stature grew during his service and even political opponents credited his personal integrity, collegial demeanour and solid grasp of political issues. His good professional relations with Social Democratic women representatives were particularly noted by puzzled political observers.  Even as his and his party's star rose, however, relations between Maurer and his longtime mentor Blocher slowly cooled, even though the two men remained strong allies in public. Blocher, used to exercising authoritarian leadership as the party's undisputed leading figure, did not approve of Maurer questioning some of his strategic approaches, and increasingly exercised power through a close-knit circle of followers instead of through Maurer and the party secretariat. In October 2007, after the People's Party won its greatest electoral victory in history, Maurer resigned as party president and was succeeded against his wishes by Toni Brunner, one of Blocher's close confidants, on 1 March 2008. After losing a run-off election for a Council of States seat against Verena Diener, Maurer contented himself with the presidency of the Zürich section of the People's Party.

Swiss Federal Council.

On 27 November 2008, the party's parliamentary group unanimously nominated both Maurer and Blocher as candidates to succeed Schmid as Federal Councillor. With Blocher – who was ousted from the Council in 2007 – considered unelectable by all other parties, the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" and other Swiss media called Maurer the clear frontrunner for the Council seat even before his nomination. On 10 December 2008 Maurer was elected to the Federal Council in the third round of voting with 122 votes, a margin of a single vote.  Maurer was elected Vice President of the Confederation for 2012, alongside President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. On 5 December 2012 he was elected President of the Confederation for 2013.  Maurer was reelected as Federal Councillor on 8 December 2015, and on 11 December 2015 he was selected to become head of the Federal Department of Finance, with newly elected Guy Parmelin, a fellow member of the SVP, replacing his position as head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports.  As Finance Minister, Maurer attended the 2017 G20 Hamburg summit, becoming the first federal councillor to attend a G20 summit.  Maurer became President of the Confederation for a second time for 2019.  On 29 April 2019, during his visit in China, Maurer signed a Memorandum of Understanding under the Belt and Road Initiative.  On 16 May 2019, Maurer met U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House, becoming the first Swiss president to meet a U.S. president in that location. The two discussed several issues, including Iran and a potential free trade agreement.

Ulrich "Ueli" Maurer (born 1 December 1950) is a Swiss politician who served as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2013 and 2019. A member of the Swiss People's Party, he has been a member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2009. Formerly head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (2009–2015), Maurer has served as head of the Federal Department of Finance since 2016.

Ulrich "Ueli" Maurer [](* 1. Dezember 1950 in Wetzikon, heimatberechtigt in Adelboden und Hinwil) ist ein Schweizer Politiker (SVP). Seit dem 1. Januar 2009 ist er Mitglied des Bundesrates, zuerst als Vorsteher des Eidgenössischen Departements für Verteidigung, Bevölkerungsschutz und Sport (VBS) (2009–2015) und seit 2016 als Vorsteher des Eidgenössischen Finanzdepartements (EFD). Bundespräsident der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft war er 2013 und 2019.


Function and operation.

The spacecraft are aluminum-covered brass spheres with diameters of and masses of, covered with 426 cube-corner retroreflectors, giving them the appearance of giant golf balls. Of these retroreflectors, 422 are made from fused silica glass while the remaining 4 are made from germanium to obtain measurements in the infrared for experimental studies of reflectivity and satellite orientation. They have no on-board sensors or electronics, and are not attitude-controlled.  They orbit at an altitude of, well above low earth orbit and well below geostationary orbit, at orbital inclinations of 109.8 and 52.6 degrees.  Measurements are made by transmitting pulsed laser beams from Earth ground stations to the satellites. The laser beams then return to Earth after hitting the reflecting surfaces; the travel times are precisely measured, permitting ground stations in different parts of the Earth to measure their separations to better than one inch in thousands of miles.  The LAGEOS satellites make it possible to determine positions of points on the Earth with extremely high accuracy due to the stability of their orbits. The high mass-to-area ratio and the precise, stable (attitude-independent) geometry of the LAGEOS spacecraft, together with their extremely regular orbits, make these satellites the most precise position references available.

Mission goals.

The LAGEOS mission consists of the following key goals:  Ground tracking stations located in many countries (including the US, Mexico, France, Germany, Poland, Australia, Egypt, China, Peru, Italy, and Japan) have ranged to the satellites and data from these stations are available worldwide to investigators studying crustal dynamics.  There are two LAGEOS spacecraft, LAGEOS-1 launched in 1976, and LAGEOS-2 launched in 1992., both LAGEOS spacecraft are routinely tracked by the ILRS network.

Time capsule.

LAGEOS-1 (which is predicted to re-enter the atmosphere in 8.4 million years) also contains a plaque designed by Carl Sagan to indicate to future humanity when LAGEOS-1 was launched. The plaque includes the numbers 1 to 10 in binary. In the upper right is a diagram of the Earth orbiting the Sun, with a binary number 1 indicating one revolution, equaling one year. It then shows 268435456 (in binary; 2) years in the past, indicated by a left arrow and the arrangement of the Earth's continents at that time. The present arrangement of the Earth's continents is indicated with a 0 and both forward and backward arrows. Then the estimated arrangement of the continents in 8.4 million years with a right facing arrow and 8388608 in binary (2). LAGEOS itself is shown at launch on the 0 year, and falling to the Earth in the 8.4 million year diagram.

LAGEOS, Laser Geodynamics Satellite or Laser Geometric Environmental Observation Survey, are a series of two scientific research satellites designed to provide an orbiting laser ranging benchmark for geodynamical studies of the Earth. Each satellite is a high-density passive laser reflector in a very stable medium Earth orbit (MEO).

LAGEOS ("Laser Geodynamics Satellite") ist der Name zwei der wichtigsten Lasersatelliten der höheren Geodäsie. Damit sind die "Hauptanwendungsgebiete" umrissen: die Bestimmung von tektonischen Plattenbewegungen und regionalen Krustenverschiebungen, die Bestimmung von Polbewegung und Erdrotationsparameter sowie die Festlegung eines geodätischen Bezugssystems.


Etymology.

The scientific name is from Latin. "Anthus" is the name for a small bird of grasslands, and the specific "cervinus" means "stag-coloured", from "cervus", "stag".

Description.

This is a small pipit, with adults easily identified in the breeding season by their brick red face and throat. In other plumages this is an undistinguished looking species, heavily streaked brown above, with whitish mantle stripes, and with black markings on a white background below. It is very similar in appearance to the meadow pipit and in the autumn it much resembles the tree pipit but has an altogether more striped appearance because of the larger numbers of streaks on the cap, back, flank, rump and chest. The flight of the red-throated pipit is strong and direct, and it gives a characteristic "psii" call as it flies.

Behaviour.

The red-throated pipit is native to the boreal regions of northern Europe and Asia. The breeding habitat is open country including mountains, marshland and tundra. The nest is built on the ground, often beside a tussock of grass, on rough grassland or on a hummock in a marsh. It is made of dry grasses and sedges with a soft lining of reindeer hair or down. Four to six eggs are laid and incubated by the female for nearly two weeks. The young are fledged and ready to leave the nest about twelve days later. The red-throated pipit is insectivorous, like its relatives, but also eats seeds.

Status.

The red-throated pipit has a very large range and the global population has been estimated to be about two million individuals. It is rated as being of "least concern" by the IUCN as its population is believed to be stable and it faces no particular threats.

The red-throated pipit ("Anthus cervinus") is a small passerine bird which breeds in the far north of Europe and the Palearctic, with a foothold in northern Alaska. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to Africa, south and east Asia and west coast United States. It is a vagrant to western Europe.

Der Rotkehlpieper ("Anthus cervinus") ist eine Vogelart aus der Familie der Stelzen und Pieper. Die Art bewohnt die nördliche Taiga und die Strauchtundra in Eurasien und Alaska und überwintert in den Tropen Afrikas und Asiens. In Mitteleuropa ist die Art regelmäßiger Durchzügler in kleiner Zahl.


Plot.

Two years have passed since Heidi and Klara parted. Klara's plans to visit Heidi never work out. Klara has since suffered a relapse and sometimes has to sit in the chair again.  Heidi is doing well at school but Peter prefers to spend his time sledging. Alpöhi comes up with a plan. On December 6, dressed up as Nikolaus, he frightens Peter so much that the boy resolves to do better in school. His reading still isn't that good but then Heidi helps him and achieves what the teachers couldn't and soon Peter learns to read fluently.  Klara can finally travel to Switzerland. Peter loses the letter in which she announces her arrival and Heide only finds out at the last minute that Klara is coming. Now Heidi has to take care of her guest. Since Klara can not walk so well, Heidi can not accompany Peter up the mountain anymore. Peter is annoyed especially as he built a shelter specifically for Heidi. In the Alps, Peter meets surveyors surveying the mountains. After speaking with them, Peter wants to take up this profession because he can then stay in the mountains. The training costs a lot of money, which Peter's mother does not have.  Peter is becoming more and more taciturn with Heidi and Klara. When he sees the parked up wheelchair, he pushes it down the mountain where it shatters, hoping Klara, who depends on the chair, will leave. Peter begins to have nightmares about his bad action. The Alpöhi soon realises who pushed the wheelchair but says nothing because the absence of the chair encourages Klara to try and walk again.  During a stormy night, Klara is frightened. Alpöhi has to go to the village because it is threatened by floods. Klara panics and follows him before Heidi can prevent it. Heidi and her grandfather find Klara near the bridge. The village is flooded but fortunately, there are no casualties though a lot of material damage. Klara, who seems to have been changed by the shock of her adventure, helps with cleaning. When her father arrives, he is astounded to see his daughter in such good spirits and health.  To avoid flooding from happening again in the future, it is decided that the stream will be diverted. To raise the necessary funds, a public festival is held. Heidi and Peter, accompanied by Klara on the piano sing in the nearby Spa town to raise funds. Before he and Klara leave, Mr. Sesemann tells Peter he will fund his studies to become a surveyor.

Heidi and Peter (German: Heidi und Peter) is a 1955 Swiss family drama film directed by Franz Schnyder and starring Heinrich Gretler, Elsbeth Sigmund and Thomas Klameth. It was a sequel to the 1952 film "Heidi", which was itself an adaptation of the 1880 novel "Heidi" by Johanna Spyri. It was the first Swiss film made in colour and was one of the biggest grossing films in Switzerland for the year.

Heidi und Peter des Regisseurs Franz Schnyder ist ein Schweizer Film aus dem Jahr 1955. Die Titelrolle ist mit Elsbeth Sigmund besetzt, Heinrich Gretler verkörpert Heidis Großvater, den Alp-Oehi, und Thomas Klameth ist erneut als Geissenpeter zu sehen. Auch Isa Günther, Willy Birgel, Anita Mey, Theo Lingen und Carl Wery sind wieder mit von der Partie.


Models.

"Note: chassis and engine type numbers displayed in italic for each model are sourced from Fusi 1978, pages 841–848."

Giulia TI.

Unveiled on 27 June 1962 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the Alfa Romeo Giulia TI was the very first of the Giulia family of cars to be introduced. Its 1,570 cc Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine was fitted with a single Solex 33 PAIA 7 twin-choke down-draft carburettor, and produced or at 6,200 rpm. The "TI" nomenclature referred to a class of Italian saloon car racing known as "Turismo Internazionale", and had previously been applied to higher-performance versions of the 1900 and Giulietta saloons in the 1950s. However, for the Giulia saloon, the TI was at first the only version available, and later, with the introduction of the TI Super and Super, the TI became the base version in the 1.6-litre engine class. A distinguishing feature of the original Giulia were drum brakes on all corners, the front ones of the three-shoe type like on late Giuliettas; four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes and a brake servo were phased in during August 1963, after 22–23 thousand cars had been built. The car was marketed as a six-seater, thanks to a standard column-mounted shifter and a split bench front seat—though Italian car magazine Quattroruote found it rather a comfortable four-seater. Other notable interior features of the early models were mottled cloth and vinyl upholstery, a grey, trapezoid instrument panel including a strip speedometer, and a black steering wheel with two ivory-coloured spokes and a chrome half horn ring.  In May 1964 a floor shifter became available (chassis "tipo 105.08"), to be ordered solely in conjunction with the newly introduced separate front seats. Around the same time a right hand drive model variant entered production ("tipo 105.09"), with floor shifter only. In February 1966 several changes were made. The floor shifter became standard; the interior received new seats, a new dashboard with triple round instruments (two large ones and the smaller fuel gauge in the centre) in place of the strip speedometer, and new door cards. From outside these later TIs can be recognized by L-shaped chrome strips around the tail lights which supplanted the previous C-shaped ones. Production of the Giulia TI ceased during 1967; it was replaced by the Giulia 1600 S as the entry-level 1.6-litre model.

Giulia TI Super.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super was a special road-going sports model produced in limited numbers, fitted with a more powerful engine and a number of weight saving components, and intended for racing use. It was introduced to the press at the Monza race track on 24 April 1963. In total only 501 were made, 178 in 1963 and 323 1964. On 2 May 1964 the TI Super received international FIA and Italian CSAI homologation for racing, and was then extensively campaigned in the European Touring Car Challenge. Today the Giulia TI Super is rare and considered very desirable by collectors.  The TI Super's 1,570 cc engine was the same installed on the Giulia Sprint Speciale coupé—though bearing a different type code. It was fitted with two twin-choke horizontal Weber carburettors and, as on the Sprint Speciale, produced or at 6,500 rpm, pushing top speed to over. Dry weight was compared to of the standard Giulia TI. Parts contributing to the weight reduction were mesh grilles replacing the inner pair of head lamps, bumpers without overriders, fixed front quarter windows, Plexiglas rear windows, and magnesium alloy wheels with hubcaps, very similar in appearance to the standard steel wheels of the TI. Braking was by discs all around, although the first cars used drums. Cars built from August 1964 used the bodyshell of the TI with mounting points for the brake servo, but were never fitted with one. On the inside both the gear shifter and the handbrake lever were moved to the floor. The TI's instrument cluster with its strip speedometer was replaced by a three-instrument binnacle comprising speedometer, tachometer and a multi-gauge instrument (fuel level, water temperature, oil temperature and oil pressure). The steering wheel was a three-spoke aluminium lightweight item with centre horn button. Front racing-type bucket seats and safety belts were standard, while the heater, door armrests, the grab handle in front of the passenger, the glove box lid, and ashtrays were deleted. Visually the Giulia TI Super was made immediately recognizable by green "quadrifoglios" (four-leaf clovers) on the front wings and tail panel, and "Giulia TI Super" scripts on the engine bonnet and tail. All cars produced were painted white, save for two examples—one red and one grey.  Contrary to popular belief, the Giulias used by the Italian police forces (the "Pantere" of the Polizia di Stato and "Gazzelle" of the Carabinieri) were not tuned TI Supers but rather standard models; early ones were fitted with mesh in place of the inner headlights like the TI Super simply to make the siren mounted behind sound louder. Only two TI Supers were actually owned by the Polizia, and used at the police schools of Nettuno and Cesena.

Giulia 1300.

The Giulia 1300 marked the Giulia's entry in the then crowded 1.3-litre class, and featured simplified trim and equipment. It was introduced on 11 May 1964 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza and produced until 1971, in left hand drive only. At first the Giulia 1300 was sold alongside the slightly cheaper Giulietta TI, the last of the outgoing 101-series Giulietta saloons, in its last year of production. In fact the Giulia used a twin cam engine derived from the Giulietta TI's. Equipped with a single Solex 32 PAIA 7 down-draft twin-choke carburettor, this updated 1,290 cc four-cylinder produced or at 6,000 rpm. Top speed was. A four-speed gearbox with floor change fitted as standard; the 1300 would remain the only Giulia model not fitted with a five-speed gearbox. Braking was by discs all around, without a servo at first, later with a servo.  Visually the 1300 was distinguished by a new grille design housing single instead of twin head lamps, rectangular side repeaters without ornamentation, and all-metal hubcaps. It also did without bumper over-riders, most pieces of exterior chrome trim, and rear back-up lamps. Inside dashboard and steering wheel came from the TI (though the latter was all-black), there were rubber mats instead of carpets, and several convenience features such as the passenger grab handle and rear ashtrays were omitted. In September 1967 the Giulia 1300 was updated, adopting a black mesh grille with three horizontal chrome bars, the vertical louvres at the base of the windshield first seen on the Giulia Super, the second series Giulia TI three round instrument dashboard, and the 1300 ti's three-spoke steering wheel.

Giulia Super.

Tipo 105.26 was introduced at the 1965 Geneva Motor Show. It transferred the technology from the racing TI Super to a road car, to make the most successful Giulia saloon. 1,570 cc engine with two double-choke Weber 40DCOE carburettors for a milder, but torquier tune than the TI Super - at 5500 rpm. New dashboard with two large round instruments (speedo and tacho) and clock. Sportier steering wheel with three aluminium spokes and centre horn push, similar to that of the Ti Super, later changed for one with the horn pushes in the spokes. All-around disc brakes with servo were fitted as standard from the outset. The serpent crest of the Sforza family appears in a badge on the C-pillar and is a distinguishing feature of the Super saloon. For 1968, there was a suspension update, including revised geometry and a rear anti-roll bar. The wheels were changed in size from 5J x 15 to 5J x 14, and tires from 155/15 to 165/14. For 1970, updates included dual-circuit brakes, centre-mounted handbrake lever to replace under-dash "umbrella handle", larger external door handles, and top-hinged pedals (the latter in left hand drive models only; right hand drive continued with bottom-hinged pedals to the end of production). In 1972, Tipo 105.26 was rationalised into the Giulia 1.3 - Giulia 1.6 range (see below).

Giulia 1300 ti.

Tipo 105.39 was built from 1965 to 1972. Right hand drive model replaced in 1970 by the 1300 Super (see below). It mounted a 1,290 cc engine with single down-draft carburettor for at 6000 rpm. Unlike the re-deployed 101-series Giulietta engine of the austerity-model 1300, the 1300 ti motor was a 105 series engine, basically that of the sportier GT1300 Junior coupe with different camshaft timing (but the same camshafts) and induction system. Other features were the five-speed gearbox, a three-spoke bakelite steering wheel with plastic horn push covering the centre and spokes, and the dashboard initially with strip speedo like that of the TI. For 1968, updates included a dashboard based on that of the Super, but with a simpler instrument binnacle, still featuring two large round instruments (speedo and tacho) and a separate fuel gauge, and the same suspension, wheel and tire updates applied to the Giulia Super in the same year. 1970 updates included dual-circuit brakes, centre handbrake, larger external doorhandles and top-hinged pedals (on left hand drive cars only), again as applied to the Super for that year.

Giulia 1600 S.

Tipo 105.85 was basically a Giulia TI re-introduced in 1968 as a lower-level model to come between the 1300 and 1300 ti on one hand, and the Super on the other. It had a re-interpretation of the 1,570 cc single-carburettor engine for at 5500 rpm and similar trim to the 1300 ti. Replaced in 1970 by the 1300 Super (see below) which offered similar performance in a lower tax bracket. The last cars from 1970 featured the top-hinged pedals, centre handbrake and dual-circuit brakes as for the Super and 1300 ti.

Giulia 1300 Super.

Tipo 115.09 was introduced in 1970. It was basically a 1300 ti fitted with the engine from the GT 1300 Junior coupe that featured two double-choke horizontal carburettors; the engine actually had the GT 1300 Junior type number. This model was rationalised into the Giulia Super 1.3 - Giulia Super 1.6 range in 1972.

Giulia Super 1.3 and Giulia Super 1.6.

In 1972 a rationalisation of the Giulia range saw the Super 1300 (Tipo 115.09) and the Super (Tipo 105.26) re-released as the Super 1.3 and Super 1.6. The two models featured the same equipment, interior and exterior trim, differing only in engine size (1,290 cc and 1,570 cc) and final drive ratio. The 1300 ti was dropped. A small Alfa Romeo badge on the C-pillar is a distinguishing feature, as are hubcaps with exposed wheel nuts.

1600 Rallye.

In December 1972 Alfa-Romeo South Africa released the 1600 Rallye. This locally developed more powerful 1600 cc version of the 1300 Super, using the 1300s single-headlight body shell. The car was largely ready for competition and was only planned to be built in limited numbers, and was fitted with racing-style rear-view mirrors, rally lamps, fully adjustable seats, and a limited-slip differential. Claimed power was SAE.

Giulia Nuova Super.

The Giulia Super range was re-released in 1974 as the Nuova Super range, including the Giulia Nuova Super 1300 and 1600 This and featured a new black plastic front grille and a flat boot (trunk) lid without the characteristic centre spine. Otherwise the cars differed little from their Giulia Super predecessors and bore the same Tipo numbers with an S suffix. Production ceased in 1977.

Giulia Nuova Super Diesel.

Introduced in June 1976, the Giulia Nuova Super Diesel became the first ever diesel engined Alfa Romeo passenger car. It was fitted with a naturally aspirated Perkins type "4.108" 1,760 cc four cylinder, the same engine used on the Alfa Romeo F12 van. With an output of at 4,000 rpm and a top speed, the diesel version was the slowest of all Giulias. In total 6,537 examples made up to 1977. The diesels were not quite in line with Alfa Romeo's sporting image, but Alfa's President stated that Italy's fiscal legislation so favoured diesels that the company was simply forced to offer such an option.

Engines and performance.

Unless noted otherwise, DIN rated horsepower and torque is given.

Giulia Spider, Sprint and Sprint Speciale.

The Spider, Sprint and Sprint Speciale Giulias introduced together with the Giulia sedan in 1962 were rebadged and updated versions of earlier Giulietta models (series 101), now with a 1.6 litre instead of a 1.3 litre engine. Easiest to distinguish from a Giulietta is the Spider ("tipo" 101.23), which featured a bonnet bulge to clear the slightly taller engine. The Giulia Sprint 1600 ("tipo" 101.12) arrived in June 1962. The Sprint coupé was also available for a short time with the 1.3 litre engine as the Sprint 1300 - essentially a Giulietta Sprint with a different name. This version carries a small "1300" script on the lower bootlid, while Giulia 1600 Sprints have a "1600" badge just behind the rear wheel. Most models were discontinued in 1964, although the Sprint Speciale continued until 1966. The Spider was complemented by a Spider Veloce in 1964 ("tipo" 101.18), using the engine seen in the Giulia Sprint Speciale and Giulia TI Super, producing. The Giulia Spider continued to be available until the mid-1966 introduction of the Spider 1600 Duetto.

Giulia Sprint GT.

In 1963 the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT ("tipo" 105) was first shown. This coupé (and rare convertible sister, the Giulia GTC) proceeded to be developed through numerous series with engines from 1.3 up to 2 liters. Production ended in 1976. There was also a range of competition models called the GTA as well as a Zagato-bodied iteration called the Junior Z.

2015 Alfa Romeo Giulia (952).

The Giulia (952) compact executive car was unveiled on 24 June 2015 at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese. The all-new model is the first product of the company's revival plan, which will see the brand return to a rear wheel drive platform with the option of all wheel drive. The new model was shown in the high-performance "Quadrifoglio" specification.  Following the success of the Giulia, Alfa Romeo unveiled the Stelvio - Alfa Romeo's first ever SUV - at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show. Production started at the Cassino Plant end of 2016, attaining top-Alfa sales by 2018.

Alfa Romeo Giulia () is the name of three not directly related models by the Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. The first is a line of sporty four-door compact executive cars (Type 105) produced from 1962 to 1978, the second is an updated, mainly up-engined Spider, Sprint and Sprint Speciale Giuliettas, and the third Giulia is a compact executive car (type 952) unveiled in 2015.

Die Giulia war eine von Mitte 1962 bis Ende 1978 hergestellte Baureihe des italienischen Automobilherstellers Alfa Romeo. Chef-Konstrukteur der Giulia war der Ingenieur Orazio Satta Puliga.


History.

Chris Corner and Liam Howe met as teenagers in the 1980s, both taking an interest in recording and studio experimentation. They banded together under the name F.R.I.S.K. and produced the "Soul of Indiscretion" EP, an early example of what became known as trip hop. The mix of beats and acoustic folk sounds was further explored on two more instrumental EPs: "F.R.I.S.K." and "World as a Cone". They were signed to Clean Up Records. The duo's early DJ and production efforts took the alias Line of Flight.

Becoming X.

In 1995 as their music evolved, Howe and Corner drafted school friend Ian Pickering to help write lyrics for what would become Sneaker Pimps' debut album, "Becoming X". Chris Corner recorded vocals for several demo tracks, but the band decided the kind of music they were writing would better suit a female voice. At their manager's suggestion, they saw Kelli Ali performing in a pub with her band, The Lumieres, and invited her to sing on some demos, including an early version of "6 Underground". She soon joined the band, and the demos won the group a contract with Virgin Records. The band came together with Liam's friends from art college in Reading, Joe Wilson on bass and Dave Westlake on drums and percussion. At this time, the band adopted the name 'Sneaker Pimps'.  Released in 1996, "Becoming X" sold over a million copies. The band toured the album for two years, including gigs alongside Aphex Twin, and a "gruelling" tour of the US, during which "the band threatened to implode" and Liam Howe walked out on the tour, flying home to the UK.  A remix album, Becoming Remixed, followed in 1998.

Splinter.

After the tour for "Becoming X", the band moved their studio, Line of Flight, from Howe's bedroom in Hartlepool to Terminal Studios in London to begin work on their follow-up album, "Splinter". Chris Corner again sang on the demos. Ali, who had taken a break to travel, returned to the UK and was called to a meeting in which she was told that the other members felt Corner's voice suited the new material better than hers would, that her relationship with the band had broken down and that they were afraid of being identified with the fad for female-fronted trip-hop acts. Ali was fired from Sneaker Pimps and Corner became its singer.  The band's change in line-up led Virgin Records to drop them. "Splinter" was released in the UK on Clean Up Records in 1999. "Splinter" featured more traditional instrumentation, acoustic guitars, and downbeat tempos. With the band's change in direction, "Splinter" did not match the commercial success of "Becoming X", but solidified a cult fanbase.

Bloodsport.

Their third album "Bloodsport" was released on Tommy Boy Records in 2002. While they worked on the material, the band sustained themselves by writing and producing for other artists, including Natalie Imbruglia, and remixing songs under the name "Line of Flight". Songs from "Bloodsport" were premiered during a 2001 European tour opening for Placebo. A more dance-oriented album than its predecessor, "Bloodsport" contains influences of new wave, pop, funk, and alternative combined with a residue of trip-hop. Cynical takes on fame and celebrity are a recurring lyrical theme throughout the album.

Hiatus and unreleased projects.

In 2002, Joe Wilson and Dave Westlake left Sneaker Pimps. Corner and Howe continued to record music and announce projects.  In 2003, a fourth Sneaker Pimps album was demoed but shelved. The album, which started as the soundtrack to an abandoned indie film project called "Blind Michael", is referred to in fan circles as "SP4". The same year, the band's website stated that Sneaker Pimps had "decided to undergo a mutation" and announced the launch of Chris Corner's new project, IAMX. Many of the songs on "SP4" would be finalised and recorded by Corner on the first two IAMX albums.  In 2004, the band announced a DVD of videos, B-sides, remixes and covers. The original release date slipped before being cancelled in 2007.  In 2005, the official Sneaker Pimps website announced that "Becoming X" and "Splinter" would be remastered in 5.1 surround sound, but these plans never materialised.  In 2006, the band's website was updated with images of a butterfly metamorphosing and loops of new music. No news followed but a MiniDisc containing demos for an unreleased fifth Sneaker Pimps album was later found in a bar in Russia. The tracks, which correspond to the loops and feature an unidentified female singer were subsequently leaked online and have been confirmed as legitimate.

Reunion.

In May 2015, Liam Howe hinted that Sneaker Pimps would return. He later reinforced this on a new Sneaker Pimps Twitter account. That year, Chris Corner said that he would be involved in future Sneaker Pimps projects if the other band members were equally interested. In April 2016, Corner seemingly confirmed plans for a fourth album in an image posted to Twitter. In May 2019, Corner announced on his IAMX Patreon page that he and Howe were 'deep into a fourth Sneaker Pimps album'. The duo gave a further update in a live video stream on Patreon in August 2019, promising that new Sneaker Pimps material would be released in 2019 and that a possible tour was being discussed, alongside plans for more music outside of the proposed album.

Side projects.

Chris Corner began recording as IAMX in 2003 and has since released nine solo albums. He has also provided guest vocals for TNT Jackson, Moonbootica and The Strike Boys, as well as produced material for Robots in Disguise. Corner also collaborated with Sue Denim from Robots in Disguise, under the name "Siblings".  Liam Howe has become a successful writer/producer and has written and produced the likes of Marina and the Diamonds, Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding. He is signed to Columbia Records for his solo project, which includes collaborations with Alan Vega, Neneh Cherry and Princess Superstar.  David Westlake played drums with Trash Money from 2003 to 2007. He was then the musical director and drummer for The Mighty Boosh, alongside session work for artists including Natalie Imbruglia, Mediaeval Baebes, and Zero-G, and live drums with Ultrafox.  Kelli Ali has released eight solo albums through One Little Indian Records and independently. In December 2016, she announced a forthcoming project called "Ghostdriver" - a new solo album & soundtrack to an independent feature-length film she would write, direct and perform in. The album and film would be produced at the same time, funded by a crowdfunding campaign on the PledgeMusic platform. On 26 January 2019, a digital edition of the "Ghostdriver" album was released to fans who donated to the campaign, with an announcement that Liam Howe contributed to the mix and production of the album, marking the first collaboration between two original Sneaker Pimps band members since their disbandment. In addition, the announcement pledged that the full commercial release of the album would follow later in 2019 with the release of the final film. As of January 2020, "Ghostdriver" remains unreleased.  Joe Wilson co-founded Trash Money in 1999 and has played live with bands including Client. He is currently Vice Principal of Leeds College of Music.

Members.

In the studio, the band regularly swapped instruments. As Corner explained during the recording sessions for "Bloodsport", "we tend towards jobs, but generally we can mix and match. If we get bored of one aspect, someone else jumps in the seat. Gone are the days where it’s like ‘You’re the drummer, I’m the synth player." When playing live, however, their roles were more fixed:

Sneaker Pimps are a British electronic music band formed in Hartlepool, England, in 1994. They are best known for their debut album, "Becoming X" (1996), and its singles "6 Underground" and "Spin Spin Sugar". The band takes its name from an article the Beastie Boys published in their "Grand Royal" magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers.

Die britische Band Sneaker Pimps wurde in den frühen 90er Jahren von Chris Corner, einem Astrophysikstudenten aus London, und seinem Freund Liam Howe, der in Reading die Kunsthochschule besuchte, gegründet.


Classification.

Due to its isolated position in the Altai Mountains and contact with surrounding languages, the classification of Altai within the Turkic languages has often been disputed. Because of its geographic proximity to the Shor and Khakas languages, some classifications place it in a Northern Turkic subgroup. Due to certain similarities with Kyrgyz, it has been grouped with the Kypchak languages which is within the Turkic language family. A more recent classification by Talat Tekin places Southern Altai in its own subgroup within Turkic and groups the Northern Altai dialects with Lower Chulym and the Kondoma dialect of Shor.

Geographical distribution.

Altai is spoken primarily in the Altai Republic (Southern Altai) and Altai Krai (Northern Altai).

Official status.

Alongside Russian, Altai is an official language of the Altai Republic. The official language is based on the Southern dialect spoken by the group called the Altay-Kiži, however in the few years it has also spread to the Northern Altai Republic.

Varieties.

Though traditionally considered one language, Southern Altai is not fully mutually intelligible with the Northern varieties. Written Altai is based on Southern Altai, and according to "Ethnologue" is rejected by Northern Altai children. In 2006, a Cyrillic alphabet was created for the Kumandy variety of Northern Altai for use in Altai Krai.  Dialects are as follows:  Closely related to the northern varieties are Kondom Shor and Lower Chulym, which have -j- for proto-Turkic inter-vocalic *d, unlike Mras Shor and Middle Chulym, which have -z- and are closer to Khakas.

Orthography.

The language was written with the Latin script from 1928–1938, but has used Cyrillic (with the addition of 9 extra letters: Јј [d͡z~ɟ], Ҥҥ [ŋ], Ӧӧ [ø~œ], Ӱӱ [y~ʏ], Ғғ [ʁ], Ққ [q], Һһ [h], Ҹҹ [d͡ʑ], Ii [ɨ̹]) since 1938.  The letter Ÿ is sometimes used instead of Ӱ.

Missionary's Cyrillic Alphabet.

The first writing system for Altai was invented by missionaries from the Altai Spiritual Mission in the 1840s; it was based on the Cyrillic alphabet and invented for the Teleut dialect and was used mostly for Church publications. The first books were printed in Altai not long thereafter and in 1868, the first Altaic Alphabet was published. There was no stable form of this alphabet, and it changed from edition-to-edition.  With this in mind, this is an inventory of some of these letters:

First Cyrillic Alphabet (1922-1928).

After the Bolshevic Revolution in 1917, publishing books into Altai was resumed in 1921, using a script similar to the Missionary's Alphabet. About this time, many post-revolution letters were adopted to better compose Russian words adopted into the language. As such, it took on this form (non-Russian letters emboldened):  Interestingly, in the same space, many considered adapting the old Mongolian Script for use in writing Altai.

Latin Alphabet (1928-1938).

The Latin Alphabet was eventually adopted and was used from 1922-1928. The final version of this alphabet was published in 1931, taking this form:

Second Cyrillic Alphabet (1938-1944).

In 1938, the "Central Research Institute of Language and Writing of the Peoples of the USSR" began a project of designing a new Altaic Alphabet, based on the Cyrillic script. Their new alphabet consisted of all 33 Russian letters, as well as the additions of the digraph 〈Дь дь〉 and the letter 〈Ҥҥ〉, for the phonemes /d͡ʒ/ and /ŋ/, respectively. However, this was later rejected, because it could not contain for all of Altai's phonological inventory. So too, was the use of 〈Ёё〉 and 〈Юю〉 for Altai's vowels /ø~œ/ and /y/ removed.  To amend, the Institute's first revised alphabet contained the base Russian with the edition of four extras, two digraphs and two letters: 〈Дь дь〉, 〈Нъ нъ〉, 〈Öö〉, and 〈Ӱӱ〉 for the sounds: /d͡ʒ/, /ŋ/, /ø~œ/, and /y/ respectively. In its second revision, however, 〈Нъ нъ〉 was replaced with 〈Ҥҥ〉. Thus was born:  Though, the speakers of Altai accepted the first variant, but preferring 〈Н' н'〉 over 〈Ҥҥ〉.

Modern Standard Altai Alphabet.

Their second Cyrillic alphabet had many shortcomings, thus begging for a reform, which was carried out in 1944. The usage of 〈Ёё〉 and 〈Юю〉 /ø~œ/ and /y/ was dropped entirely, being replaced by the adoption of the Institute's second revision's usages of 〈Öö〉, and 〈Ӱӱ〉, for native words. 〈Дь дь〉 was dropped in favour of 〈Јј〉; for 〈Н' н'〉, they finally accepted 〈Ҥҥ〉.  The letters 〈Ёё〉, 〈Юю〉, and 〈Яя〉 are still used, though they are reserved for only non-native, Russian loan-words. So, in modern Standard Altai, the equivalent sounds are written: 〈йа〉, 〈йо〉 and 〈йу〉, for native words. So, words that were written: "кая" and "коён", are now written as: кайа and "койон."  Therefore, we have born:

Linguistic features.

The following features refer to the outcome of commonly used Turkic isoglosses in Northern Altai.

Phonology.

The sounds of the Altai language vary among different dialects.

Consonants.

The voiced palatal plosive varies greatly from dialect to dialect, especially in the initial position, and may be recognized as a voiced affricate. Forms of the word "јок" "no" include (Kuu dialect) and (Kumandy). Even within dialects, this phoneme varies greatly. Palatal fricatives / / are pronounced as palato-alveolar / / in the main dialects.

Vowels.

There are eight vowels in Altai. These vowels may be long or short.

Morphology and syntax.

Pronouns.

Altai has six personal pronouns: The declension of the pronouns is outlined in the following chart.  Pronouns in the various dialects vary considerably. For example, the pronouns in the Qumandin dialect follow.

Altai (also Gorno-Altai) is a Turkic language, spoken officially in the Altai Republic, Russia. The language was called Oyrot (ойрот) prior to 1948.

Die altaische Sprache gehört zum sibirischen Zweig der Turksprachen und wird von verschiedenen indigenen Völkern Sibiriens, vorwiegend in der Republik Altai, gesprochen. Bis 1948 lautete der in der Sowjetunion offizielle Name der Sprache Oirotisch. Sie wird heute in einen nördlichen und südlichen Sprachzweig geschieden, die entsprechend als "Nord-" und "Südaltaisch" bezeichnet werden.