Brian Christopher

Brian Christopher Lawler (January 10, 1972 – July 29, 2018) was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered for his career in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he performed as Brian Christopher and Grand Master Sexay. Lawler was a one-time WWF Tag Team Champion as part of Too Cool with Scotty 2 Hotty, and won 44 titles within the United States Wrestling Association, the promotion formerly co-owned by his father, professional wrestler Jerry Lawler.
Professional wrestling career.
United States Wrestling Association (1988–1997).
Lawler began his career as one half of the masked tag team "The Twilight Zone" with Tony Williams under the individual ring names of Nebula (Lawler) and Quasar (Williams). After they were unmasked, Brian continued to wrestle in the United States Wrestling Association under the name "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher. He feuded with wrestlers such as Jeff Jarrett, Bill Dundee, Tom Prichard, and The Moondogs, and his father Jerry Lawler. Among his partners were Tony Williams (as the New Kids), Doug Gilbert, Scotty Flamingo, and "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert.
World Wrestling Federation (1997–2001).
Lawler, still known as Brian Christopher, joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1997 and began competing in the light heavyweight division. Taka Michinoku defeated him in the finals of a tournament for the Light Heavyweight Championship. In mid-1998, he started teaming up with Scott "Too Hot" Taylor to form the tag team "Too Much". When he was known as Brian Christopher, his father Jerry Lawler would talk him up as being superior to all the other Light Heavyweights but never publicly acknowledged that Brian was his son, although after Paul Heyman revealed that fact on "Raw", Jim Ross (Jerry's broadcast partner) always hinted at it. Often a running joke was that someone (usually a commentator) would mention their relationship, which led to both of them adamantly denying that they were related.
On the June 13, 1999, episode of "Heat", Brian and Scott adopted the ring names Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty, returning after a hiatus. Their tag team was renamed Too Cool, and they were later joined by Rikishi. They defeated Edge and Christian in May 2000 on "Raw" to become the Tag Team Champions. They were even occasionally involved with top-card feuds, notably being enemies to the McMahon-Helmsley Faction and their associates, such as The Radicalz, Edge and Christian, and T & A. The trio's run ended in late 2000 when Rikishi was revealed as the man behind the wheel of the car that hit Stone Cold Steve Austin at Survivor Series. Shortly after, Rikishi turned on his teammates. While Scotty was sidelined in 2001 with a broken ankle, Lawler formed a short-lived tag team with Steve Blackman and was later released from the company for illegally conveying drugs across the Canada–United States border.
Later career (2001–2017).
On February 24, 2002, at the second World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) pay per view in Las Vegas, Lawler wrestled WWA Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett for the title, but lost. In April 2002, Lawler wrestled in a fatal-four-way match for the championship at a house show but lost to Nathan Jones, Scott Steiner and Jarrett. From June 2002 until April 2004, he worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Brian Lawler. He formed a group called Next Generation with fellow second generation stars David Flair and Erik Watts. They were involved in a rivalry with Dusty Rhodes and harassed him with a replica of the NWA World Title belt that he wore when he was champion.
In April 2004, Lawler was signed back to the WWE roster as Jim Ross's last act as head of WWE Talent Relations. He only appeared in four matches: against Kane, Wavell Starr, Christian, and Garrison Cade. He was later released after only one month with the company after John Laurinaitis took over as head of WWE Talent Relations. Prior to his release, Lawler was scheduled to take part in a Battle Royal for the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, but he was replaced by Maven. After his departure from WWE, Lawler wrestled for several independent promotions, including Memphis Wrestling and UWF Live. Christopher usually worked with his teammates Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty, making several reunions of Too Cool.
Sporadic WWE appearances (2011, 2014).
On the March 14, 2011 episode of "Raw", Lawler returned to the WWE as a heel in a segment between Michael Cole and his father, Jerry Lawler, where Brian would side with Cole, saying that he felt that Jerry never cared for him and that he was ashamed to be his son. Lawler indirectly agreed, telling Brian that he was a bigger screw-up than Charlie Sheen. Lawler returned to the WWE on January 6, 2014, appearing on the "Old School" edition of "Raw" and reuniting with Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty, for what would be the final time, to take on 3MB in a six-man tag team match. His team was successful in winning. He made what would be his final WWE appearance, on NXT Arrival in February 2014 as part of Too Cool in a losing effort as mystery opponents to The Ascension, who defended their NXT Tag Team Championship.
Personal life.
Lawler was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, in stark contrast to his father, a diehard Cleveland Browns fan. According to his brother Kevin, Lawler was buried in a Steelers-themed casket with his ring name.
Legal issues.
Lawler was arrested in February 2009 for disorderly conduct. On June 26, 2009, he was arrested for public intoxication just before 3 a.m. According to the police report, he "became very belligerent" once in custody and threatened the police officer who arrested him. On July 13, 2009, he was jailed for 30 days after failing to attend an in-patient treatment center as part of his plea agreement.
Death.
Around 1 a.m. EST on July 7, 2018, Lawler was again jailed for driving under the influence, and for evading police. On the early morning of July 29, Lawler was found hanging in a cell at the Hardeman County Jail and was observed to be brain dead. His life support was disabled few hours after his father Jerry Lawler had arrived to the hospital to see him. Lawler was pronounced dead at around 4:40 p.m. EST at the age of 46. On the one year anniversary of his death, Jerry Lawler filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Hardeman County, Hardeman County Sheriff John Doolen, and others for allegedly failing to protect Lawler. He alleged that Doolen had personally promised to "keep an eye" on Lawler after he was incarcerated. At his funeral, a little red wagon that he used to carry his numerous title belts to the ring in his USWA days was present, in memorial to the career of a decorated, respected, & well-liked wrestler.


Pauline Lord

Pauline Lord (August 13, 1890 – October 11, 1950) was an American stage and film actress.
Early years.
Lord was born in Hanford, California, to Edward Lord and Sara Foster. When the family moved to San Francisco she attended Holy Rosary Academy, where she discovered her vocation from participating in a school play. As a youngster, she used her weekly allowance to attend Saturday productions at the Alcazar Theatre in San Francisco and eventually gained small parts in some of those plays. She graduated from the Jennie Morrow Long College of Voice and Action.
Career.
At age 13, she debuted professionally with the Belasco Stock Company in the play "Are You a Mason?" where her first role was that of a maid. The comedian Nat Goodwin saw her act and invited her to look him up if she ever got to New York City. Three years later, after the San Francisco Fire, at the age of 16, she made the trip, and true to his words, Goodwin put her to work with several tour engagements. Fired from her first tour, she returned to New York and acted in some plays there before returning to California.
Her first Broadway role was in January 1912 as Ruth Lenox in "The Talker" followed by more tours and vaudeville parts. Her next hit was in August 1917 as Sadie in "The Deluge", directed by Arthur Hopkins. It was not until November 2, 1921, that she again scored another hit where she starred in the title role of Eugene O’Neill's "Anna Christie" at the Vaudeville Theatre on Broadway. This turned out to be her greatest success; the play was taken to London, and at the Strand Theatre on April 10, 1923, she received a half-hour ovation. In 1924, she starred as Amy in Sidney Howard's "They Knew What They Wanted" and later in 1928 as Nina Leeds in O’Neill's "Strange Interlude". Mary Pickford listed her as one of her favorite stars.
Lord returned to the stage in 1932 playing Abby in Sidney Howard's "The Late Christopher Bean". She made her film debut in 1934 as "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch", followed by "A Feather in Her Hat", released the following year. She found she was not interested in cinema and returned to the stage. In January 1936, she played Zenobia in Owen and Donald Davis’ dramatization of Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome". Her last appearance on stage was in 1946 as Amanda in a touring company's production of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie".
Personal life and death.
Lord married Owen B. Winters on April 27, 1929. They divorced on October 26, 1931.
She died in October 1950 from injuries suffered after her car went off the road near Alamogordo, New Mexico.


Charley Ewart

Charles Ewart (October 10, 1915 — April 30, 1990) was the head coach for the New York Bulldogs in the 1949 NFL season. Before the Bulldogs, Ewart was a backfield coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1946 and promoted to general manager for the Eagles in 1948. Outside of the National Football League, Ewart was a FBI agent during World War II and the vice president of American Bakeries Company.
Early life and education.
Ewart was born on October 10, 1915 in Lynn, Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree and master's degree in the arts.
Career.
Ewart began his American football career as a college football quarterback for Yale from 1935 to 1937. After college, he continued to work in college football as a backfield coach for Wesleyan University in 1940 and Dartmouth College the following year. In 1946, Ewart began working in the National Football League as a backfield coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Ewart was promoted to general manager for the Eagles in 1948. After the Eagles won the 1948 NFL Championship Game, Ewart became the youngest general manager to win an NFL Championship.
The next year, he became the head coach of the New York Bulldogs in the 1949 NFL season. After the end of the season, Ewart resigned from the Bulldogs with 1 win, 10 losses and 1 tie. Outside of sports, Ewart was an FBI agent in World War II as a part of the Manhattan Project. At the end of his career, Ewart worked in the food industry as the vice president of American Bakeries Company and director of marketing for General Foods.
Death.
Ewart died on April 30, 1990 in Elk Grove, Illinois.


John Augustus Larson

John Augustus Larson (11 December 1892 – 1 October 1965) was a Police Officer for Berkeley, California, United States, and famous for his invention of modern polygraph used in forensic investigations. He was the first American police officer having an academic doctorate and to use polygraph in criminal investigations.
After a famed career in criminal investigation, he died of a heart attack in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 72.
Early life and career.
Larson was born in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada, to Swedish parents. His family moved to New England in his early childhood, though his parents soon divorced. He studied biology at Boston University holding down odd jobs to support himself, ranging from busboy and paperboy to stonecutter and elevator operator. In 1915, he earned a master's degree with a thesis on fingerprint identification. This work inspired his interest in forensic science and led him to the University of California, Berkeley, where he obtained a Ph.D. in physiology in 1920.
Having done moonlighting work as a student for the Berkeley Police Department, he joined the force in 1920. His great insight was to integrate a test for blood pressure, developed by William Moulton Marston, with measurements for pulse, respiration and skin conductivity, to make a comprehensive lie detection tool. He was also highly encouraged by his police chief August Vollmer.
At the time of the invention of the polygraph, Larson was a 21-year-old medical student at the University of California, Berkeley. He later entered the field of forensic psychiatry.
Invention of polygraph.
The instrument, with its diverse collection of physiological indices, became known as the polygraph, which Larson then fully developed for forensic use in 1921, and applied it in police investigations at the Berkeley Police Department. His instrument provided continuous readings of blood pressure, rather than discontinuous readings of the sort found in Marston's device.
The first practical use was in the summer of 1921. The "San Francisco Call and Post" arranged for Larson to use the apparatus to test William Hightower, accused of murdering a priest in San Francisco. The newspaper reported Larson’s findings the following morning: Hightower was pronounced guilty by impartial science. The graphic results of the interrogation were printed large across the page, with arrows marking each presumed lie. Vollmer exalted the machine to the press, which renamed it the 'lie detector.' However, Larson himself used to refer to his apparatus as a 'cardio-pneumo psychogram,' which basically consisted of a modification of an Erlanger Sphygmomanometer.
Legacy.
Larson married Margaret Taylor, the freshman victim of the College Hall case and the first person he ever interrogated on the lie detector. Over the next fifteen years, he collected hundreds of files on successful criminal cases where his polygraph solved murders, robberies, thefts and sex crimes. His instrument was nicknamed 'Sphyggy' by the press who covered Larson’s crime solving escapades in the 1920s and 30's; Sphyggy because they couldn’t pronounce 'Sphygmomanometer.'
The polygraph is included in the Encyclopædia Britannica Almanac 2003's list of 325 greatest inventions. This first polygraph instrument of Larson is now at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. It first appeared in action in a moving picture in 1926 in the silent police serial ‘’Officer 444’’.
Due to differing methods of using his device that Larson felt were incorrect and abusive by some law enforcement, he eventually came to regret having invented it.


Mr. Harley Quin

Harley Quin is a fictional character created by Agatha Christie and the most mysterious of all her detectives. His name is a word play on "Harlequin", which is a clue to his personality and his very existence. Quin helps his old acquaintance, whom he visits from time to time, Mr. Satterthwaite, a social dilettante, solve crimes using his extraordinary skills and instincts. He appears in the 12 short stories appearing in "The Mysterious Mr Quin", first published in 1930, and in an additional two short stories, "The Love Detectives" and "The Harlequin Tea Set" from "Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories". Satterthwaite, who appears together with Quin in all the previously mentioned short stories, also appears without him in Christie's short story "Dead Man's Mirror" as well as in her novel "Three-Act Tragedy".
In her , Christie wrote that Quin and Satterthwaite (whom she called Quin's "emissary") became her favourite characters. The reason was that she did not exploit them as much - she refused to make series of books about them, writing only when she felt like it. Here is how she described the protagonist: "Mr Quin was a figure who just entered into a story – a catalyst, no more – his mere presence affected human beings. There would be some little fact, some apparently irrelevant phrase, to point him out for what he was : a man shown in a harlequin-coloured light that fell on him through a glass window; a sudden appearance or disappearance."


No Sad Songs for Me

No Sad Songs for Me is a 1950 film directed by Rudolph Maté, featuring Margaret Sullavan in her last film role as a woman dying of cancer. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music Scoring in 1951. The sentimental film is known as a post-war Hollywood tearjerker.
Plot summary.
Mary Scott thought she was pregnant. Instead she learns from her physician she has terminal cancer with only eight months to live. She gets the doctor's assurance to keep her illness a secret and not tell her husband, Bradley and young daughter, Polly. She wants to live her last year with each minute happy and important. Brad is a surveyor and Mary is a wife, mother and housekeeper. Husband gets a new assistant at work. Chris Radna is a draftsman and a lot of great help to the business.
Christmas is coming and it is such a sentimental time of year. Polly's joy at Christmas was just the right medicine. Mary keeps trying to do each thing just right. For New Year's Eve, Mary insists they invite Chris along to the annual party. Brad sees Chris in a dress for the first time and he flirts and dances with her all night. Husband Brad is paying so much attention that Mary hears the other women gossiping about it in the ladies' room. Mary is sure her ultimate sacrifice of secrecy is protecting her family but is still hurt.
It becomes clear that Brad and Chris are falling in love and to get away, Mary visits her father in San Francisco. Even there she cannot tell her dad about the cancer. She comes home and decides if her husband no longer loves her that suicide may be the answer. Brad really does love his wife and he tells her of the affair. It is over and Chris is leaving town. He is so sorry. Mary secretly visits Chris and Chris is sorry too. Chris's first husband died in World War II and she never expected to see love gain.
Mary sees that Brad and Chris were compatible and even sees that Chris and Polly got along so well. She convinces Chris to stay. She likes Chris and she would be a good wife. Mary then goes about grooming everyone to know what to do when she was no longer with them. She allows Chris and Polly to get close. She so loves her family she wants to make her passing and their continued life as easy as possible. One day Brad finds Mary's pain pills and he calls the doctor. Keeping the secret now Brad tries to make Mary's last weeks as wonderful as he can. They even take an idyllic vacation to Mexico.


Amnesty International Thailand

Amnesty International Thailand (AITH), also known as Amnesty Thailand or AI Thailand, is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) focused on the protection of human rights in Thailand and worldwide with more than 1,000 members across Thailand. Amnesty Thailand is one of more than 70 "sections" that make up Amnesty International worldwide.
Amnesty International, as a whole, is an organisation of more than seven million supporters, activists and volunteers in over 150 countries, independent of government, corporate, and other interest groups. It works to mobilise public opinion to put pressure on governments that let abuse take place. The organisation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977.
Amnesty International Thailand was established in 1993 and registered with the Thai government ten years later in 2003 as an association. Its headquarters are in Chatuchak, Bangkok. In 2016, Amnesty International opened its South East Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Pathum Wan, Bangkok.
Campaigns.
Amnesty became known to the Thai people during the Thammasat University massacre of 6 October 1976. After the successful campaign, more Thai people started to recognize Amnesty. After that, there were more people supporting Amnesty until the election of the Amnesty Commission in Thailand to attend the international Amnesty conference in 1993. AITH was established formally in Thailand in 2003.
In June 2016, Amnesty International Thailand urged the Thai government to drop all charges against 13 pro-democracy activists and release seven activists who were campaigning to reject the new constitution draft in the incoming constitutional referendum.
Amnesty International Thailand, together with Thai Netizen Network, launched an online petition to rewrite amendments to the Computer-related Crime Act aimed at keeping it in conformance with international laws and standards. According to Amnesty Thailand, the bill would pose threats to civil liberties, privacy, trade secrets, and security of the internet.
Amnesty Thailand presents annual media awards to honour Thai media organisations and professionals who have produced outstanding reporting about human rights, in order to promote freedom of the press and encourage more such stories.
Missions.
The missions of Amnesty Thailand are based on the tenets of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty Thailand campaigns and advocates for:
Organisational structure.
Amnesty International Thailand is composed of members who elect its board members and chair. Each year there is an annual general meeting (AGM) where the future of the organisation and other topics are being discussed and approved by attending members.
As of 2016 Amnesty Thailand includes at least three main task forces:
Support.
Amnesty Thailand is financially supported by Amnesty International and individual donations from more than 1,000 members across Thailand. The first ever face-to-face fundraising program took place in January 2016 at Victory Monument, Ratchathewi District, and at One Udomsuk community mall, Bang Na District.
Under military rule.
After the military seized power in a 2014 coup d'état, Amnesty International Thailand has deep concern about human rights violations and abuses in the country. The organisation is criticized over being a rival of Prayut Chan-o-cha's government and as to serve Thaksinocracy in order to overthrow the royal family.
In July 2015, a board member of Amnesty International Thailand was charged by the police for protesting against the ruling junta's curbs on civil liberties. According to the police he contravened Article 116 of Thailand's Criminal Code.
In November 2016, Amnesty Thailand organized an event to screen the documentary film, ""White Shadow", in collaboration with students from Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Khon Kaen University. Despite the local military's permission, the event was barred by faculty's deputy dean because the content was too sensitive for the current situation in the country even though it focused on albinosin Malawi.


List of assassinations by the United States

This is a list of individuals who have been the targets of assassination by the United States. American authorities usually define these killings as 'targeted killings'.


Emanuel Boekman

Emanuel ("Manus") Boekman (15 August 1889 – 15 May 1940) was a Dutch social democratic politician, statistician, demographer and typographer. He is remembered for his activities as a municipal executive board member for education and culture ("wethouder") in Amsterdam (1931-1933, 1935-1940) and his advocacy for an active state cultural policy.
Life.
Boekman was born into a Jewish bookseller dynasty and was the eldest son of Maurits Boekman (1869-1942), initially a diamond cutter, and Heintje Peereboom. At the age of twelve, he started working as a typographer. He was interested in politics and became a chairman of his trade union, the Typografen Jongelingen Vereeniging (Young Typographer's Society). Originally he was a follower of the early Dutch socialist Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis. Boekman's spare time was devoted to studying, and he qualified for various teacher's degrees, including the economy.
In 1911 Boekman obtained a position as head of the administration of the Amsterdam Harbour Authority and, in 1916, became head of the department for statistics of the Rijksverzekeringsbank (), a state insurance bank. In this period, he became a prolific author on various subjects, ranging from statistics and economy to unemployment and alcoholism. From 1921 up to his death in 1940, Boekman was a member of the Amsterdam city council for the Dutch Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP). In 1931 he became a municipal executive board member ("wethouder") for Amsterdam's education and culture.
On 6 June 1939, Boekman obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of Amsterdam with professor H.N. ter Veen. His thesis "Overheid en kunst in Nederland" (Government and art in the Netherlands) investigated the 19th and 20th-century history of Dutch cultural policy and projected seminal plans for cultural dissemination by the state and municipalities, e.g., by incorporating art in new building projects and giving the working class access to art. This thesis was influential and reprinted into the 1970s. When the German army invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, Boekman initially stood by his principle that executives should not flee. Later on, when he had changed his mind, the escape route via IJmuiden to the United Kingdom became . On capitulation day 15 May 1940, Boekman and his wife committed suicide together with their friends, the family of the social democrat professor Bob van Gelderen.
In 1963 the Boekmanstichting () was founded, named after him by the Federatie van Kunstenaarsverenigingen (federation of artist's societies). The Boekmanstichting is an independent center for the study of art, culture and policy.


Ordinary Love (film)

Ordinary Love is a 2019 romantic drama film, directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn, from a screenplay by Owen McCafferty. It stars Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville.
It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2019. It was released in the United Kingdom on 6 December 2019, by Universal Pictures and Focus Features and then in the United States on 14 February 2020 by Bleecker Street.
Plot.
Joan and Tom Thompson have been married for many years; they keep their house in order and go about their routine lives. There is an ease to their relationship, and a deep love which manifests itself through tenderness and humor in equal measure. Tom owns a pet fish that Joan does not care for. They exercise by going on a long walk through town, turning back when they reach a newly planted sapling.
One evening while showering, Joan finds a mass on her breast. She and Tom head to the hospital, where she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Joan's doctor arranges for surgery to excise the mass and surrounding lymph nodes. On the day of Joan's surgery, Tom visits the grave of their daughter, Debbie, alone. He confesses to Debbie that he is scared of being left alone without his wife.
Joan's surgery goes well, and the doctors are able to remove all physical signs of cancer. They refer Joan to an oncologist to start chemotherapy. This leads to a disagreement between Joan and Tom about the nature of being "cancer-free." Tom sees that his fish has died and cries as he flushes it down the toilet. While waiting for her chemotherapy appointment, Joan sees Debbie's primary school teacher, Peter, waiting in the lobby. The two chat, and Peter reveals he has terminal cancer. Joan's name is called, and she undergoes her first treatment of chemotherapy. The next day, she vomits heavily.
Soon after, Joan's hair begins to fall out in clumps. Tom cuts her hair short and then shaves her head with a razor. Joan forgets which medication she is supposed to take on what day, leading to a vicious argument with Tom about how cancer is destroying their marriage. Donning a wig, Joan meets with Peter at a café where they discuss their mortality. Feeling hot and silly, Joan takes her wig off. Tom meets a man smoking on a bench outside the chemotherapy clinic. A terminal cancer patient himself, the man reassures Tom that the doctors can save Joan.
Joan and Tom decide to have a romantic evening at a hotel before Joan's mastectomy. After enjoying a fancy dinner, they have sex. Tom promises to still love Joan even if she does not have breasts. Joan undergoes the mastectomy and more sessions of chemotherapy. Tom waits outside by the bench, but does not see the smoking man again. As Peter visits Joan, Tom meets Steve, Peter's husband, in the hospital cafeteria. They discuss their shared experiences around love and loss.
Some time later, Joan has undergone surgery to reconstruct her breasts using abdominal muscle tissue. She and Tom attend Peter's funeral, where Steve delivers a eulogy. After successfully completing her cancer treatment, Joan and Tom go to the supermarket in preparation for Christmas. They go on their exercise walk once more and find that the sapling has grown.
Production.
In April 2018, it was announced Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville had joined the cast of the film, with Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leburn directing from a screenplay by Owen McCafferty. Brian J. Falconer, David Holmes, Piers Tempest, will produce the film under their Out of Orbit, Canderblinks Films, and Tempo Productions, banners respectively. In October 2018, it was announced David Wilmot and Amit Shah had joined the cast of the film.
Release.
In December 2018, Bleecker Street acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. In March 2019, Focus Features acquired UK distribution rights to the film. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2019. It was released in the United Kingdom on 6 December 2019. It was released United States on 14 February 2020.
Critical reception.
"Ordinary Love" received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 87 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.71/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Led by strong performances from Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson, "Ordinary Love" wrings heartrending drama out of one couple's medical travails." On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 73 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."


Ed Bethune

Edwin Ruthvin Bethune Jr. (born December 19, 1935), known as Ed Bethune, is an American lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, D.C., who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas from 1979-1985.
Early years, education, military, legal practice.
Bethune was born to Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Bethune Sr. in Pocahontas, Arkansas. He graduated in 1953 from Pocahontas High School. He was a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps from 1954–1957, with service in South Korea.
After military service, Bethune obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961 from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He received the Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1963 and was admitted to the Arkansas bar that same year.
Career.
That year he began his practice in Pocahontas. In 1972, while he was living in Searcy north of Little Rock, he practiced with former Arkansas Republican Party chairman Odell Pollard, who served as his political mentor. Bethune also was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
He was a prosecuting attorney for the First Judicial District of Arkansas from 1970-1971. He was chairman of the Ninth District Federal Home Loan Bank Board from 1973-1976.
Political career.
Campaign for state attorney general, 1972.
In 1972, Bethune was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Arkansas attorney general against the Democrat James Guy Tucker Jr. Tucker defeated Bethune, 370,647 (60 percent) to 247,404 (40 percent).
Election to the U.S. House, 1978.
Bethune was chosen in 1979 as the president of the U.S. House Republican freshman class. He was reelected with ease in 1980—he polled 159,148 votes (78.9 percent) to 42,278 (21 percent) for his Democratic opponent, Jacksonville Mayor James G. Reid.
Once in the House, Bethune made federal taxes and spending his chief concern.
Bethune opposed Reagan's proposal to sell AWACS fighter planes to Saudi Arabia, which was against the advice of Israel. Bethune joined Senators Bumpers and Pryor to veto a proposal to override Arkansas' 10 percent interest ceiling for retail loans.
Election of 1982.
In 1982, a year of widespread election of Democrats, Bethune had a harder race. He did not begin campaigning until the final three weeks of the contest, as he had been confident of winning a third term. His opponent was the Democratic former state Senator Charles Lindbergh George Sr. (born ca. 1929), from Cabot. George was not the Democrats' first choice; party leaders failed to persuade Little Rock attorney Sandy Sidney McMath (born ca. 1942), the son of the former governor, Sidney Sanders McMath, to challenge Bethune.
Bethune survived the challenge and gained re-election: 96,775 (53.9 percent) to George's 82,913 (46.1 percent). It was his last election victory.
U.S. Senate campaign, 1984.
In 1984, Bethune sought the Senate seat against the incumbent Senator Pryor. He was decisively defeated, with Pryor receiving 502,341 votes (57.3 percent) to Bethune's 373,615 (42.7 percent).
After leaving Congress, Bethune served from 1986-1988 as the Arkansas Republican Party state Chairman. He resisted suggestions that he run for governor in 1986, and the nomination went to Frank White.
References.
 Retrieved on 2008-04-01


Nanmadaw Me Nu

Nanmadaw Me Nu (, ; 18 June 1783 – 12 May 1840), commonly known by her regnal title Thiri Pavara Mahayazeinda Yadana Dewi (; ) was the chief queen of King Bagyidaw of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma from 1819 to 1837. She married Bagyidaw when he was Prince of Sagaing, then became chief queen consort when he ascended to the throne on 5 June 1819, gaining the title Namadaw Mibaya Khaunggyi (lit. Queen of the Main Palace). Me Nu was later sentenced to death when Bagyidaw's brother, Tharrawaddy Min, usurped him.
Background.
Me Nu was born Shin Min Nu on 18 June 1783 at Phalangon Village, 5 miles northwest of present-day Khin-U. She had an elder brother, Maung O, and was the great-grand daughter of the hero Bala Thaman. He founded the village during the reign of King Mahadhammaraza Dipadi of the Nyaungyan dynasty, who assigned him to the local fort to help guard against the Manipuris.
Her mother was Daw Nge, and her father, Htaung Thinn Hmu Thiha Kyawswar U Hlote, was a son of Thakhin Mun, who was the third daughter of Bala Thaman.
Selection as crown princess.
During the reign of King Bodawpaya, a falcon took 11-year-old Me Nu's sarong as she was bathing, dropping the garment in the left wing of the southern royal palace. When the king searched sarong owner for it, she soon arrived in the presence of the king. After royal officials had conducted an investigation, the king offered her a position as lady-in-waiting at the palace.
Prince Sagaing became crown prince on 6 April 1809. At the end of 1812 his consort, Hsinbyume, gave birth to Prince Nyaungyan, but died seven days later. Prince Sagaing married Me Nu in 1813 and she became crown princess. This granted her the rights to nine villages (five of them salt farms), thiry horses, 3,000 pei of land, and the taxes from four kinds of products.
Chief queen.
Prince Sagaing became King Bagyidaw, the seventh king of the Konbaung dynasty, on 7 June 1819, making Me Nu his chief queen and given the title of Thiri Pavara Mahayazeinda Yadana Dewi. Her husband also given the title Thadoe Minhla Kyawhtin and granted the appanage of Salin to her brother, Maung O.
Me Nu had three children with Bagyidaw. Their eldest daughter passed away in childhood and their son, the Prince of Palaing, died in April 1804 at age 10 due to chickenpox. Their remaining daughter, Princess Supayagale, became Queen Hsinbyumashin; she was the wife of King Mindon and mother of Burma's last queen, Supayalat.
Increasing power and downfall.
Bagyidaw favored Mei Nu, who became a powerful in the palace. Alongside her brother and General Maha Bandula, she advocated for war with the British. After the disastrous First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826) left the country crippled, Bagyidaw became increasingly reclusive. Me Nu and Maung O became the de facto rulers of the country, and they were much feared due to their tyrannical policies.
In February 1837, Crown Prince Tharrawaddy, brother of Bagyidaw, raised a rebellion. By April he had forced Bagyidaw to abdicate in his favor. Tharrawaddy put his brother under house arrest but executed Me Nu and her brother.
Donations.
Me Nu established the Me Nu Oak-kyaung (Brick Monastery) in 1822 for royal abbot Nyaunggan Sayardaw U Po. It was then offered to the second Nyaunggan Sayardaw U Bok. The monastery was damaged by the earthquake of 1838 but repaired in 1873 by Hsinbyumashin. The monastery is a fine specimen of the Konbaung period of architecture. It consists of a series of wooden monasteries with multiple roofs and a prayer hall with a seven-tiered superstructure.


The House of Bernarda Alba

The House of Bernarda Alba () is a play by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. Commentators have often grouped it with "Blood Wedding" and "Yerma" as a "rural trilogy". Garcia Lorca did not include it in his plan for a "trilogy of the Spanish land" (which remained unfinished at the time of his murder).
Garcia Lorca described the play in its subtitle as "a drama of women in the villages of Spain". "The House of Bernarda Alba" was Garcia Lorca's last play, completed on 19 June 1936, two months before Garcia Lorca's death during the Spanish Civil War. The play was first performed on 8 March 1945 at the Avenida Theatre in Buenos Aires. The play centers on the events of a house in Andalusia during a period of mourning, in which Bernarda Alba (aged 60) wields total control over her five daughters Angustias (39 years old), Magdalena (30), Amelia (27), Martirio (24), and Adela (20). The housekeeper (La Poncia) and Bernarda's elderly mother (María Josefa) also live there.
The deliberate exclusion of any male character from the action helps build up the high level of sexual tension that is present throughout the play. Pepe "el Romano", the love interest of Bernarda's daughters and suitor of Angustias, never appears on stage. The play explores themes of repression, passion, and conformity, and inspects the effects of men upon women.
Plot summary.
Upon her second husband's death, domineering matriarch Bernarda Alba imposes an eight-year mourning period on her household in accordance with her family tradition. Bernarda has five daughters, aged between 20 and 39, whom she has controlled inexorably and prohibited from any form of relationship. The mourning period further isolates them and tension mounts within the household.
After a mourning ritual at the family home, eldest daughter Angustias enters, having been absent while the guests were there. Bernarda fumes, assuming she had been listening to the men's conversation on the patio. Angustias inherited a large sum of money from her father, Bernarda's first husband, but Bernarda's second husband has left only small sums to his four daughters. Angustias' wealth attracts a young, attractive suitor from the village, Pepe el Romano. Her sisters are jealous, believing that it's unfair that plain, sickly Angustias should receive both the majority of the inheritance and the freedom to marry and escape their suffocating home environment.
Youngest sister Adela, stricken with sudden spirit and jubilation after her father's funeral, defies her mother's orders and dons a green dress instead of remaining in mourning black. Her brief taste of youthful joy suddenly shatters when she discovers that Angustias will be marrying Pepe. Poncia, Bernarda's maid, advises Adela to bide her time: Angustias will probably die delivering her first child. Distressed, Adela threatens to run into the streets in her green dress, but her sisters manage to stop her. Suddenly they see Pepe coming down the street. She stays behind while her sisters rush to get a look, until a maid hints that she could get a better look from her bedroom window.
As Poncia and Bernarda discuss the daughters' inheritances upstairs, Bernarda sees Angustias wearing makeup. Appalled that Angustias would defy her orders to remain in a state of mourning, Bernarda violently scrubs the makeup off her face. The other daughters enter, followed by Bernarda's elderly mother, Maria Josefa, who is usually locked away in her room. Maria Josefa announces that she wants to get married; she also warns Bernarda that she'll turn her daughters' hearts to dust if they cannot be free. Bernarda forces her back into her room.
It turns out that Adela and Pepe are having a secret affair. Adela becomes increasingly volatile, defying her mother and quarreling with her sisters, particularly Martirio, who reveals her own feelings for Pepe. Adela shows the most horror when the family hears the latest gossip about how the townspeople recently tortured a young woman who had delivered and killed an illegitimate baby.
Tension explodes as family members confront one another and Bernarda pursues Pepe with a gun. A gunshot is heard outside. Martirio and Bernarda return and imply that Pepe has been killed. Adela flees into another room. With Adela out of earshot, Martirio tells everyone else that Pepe actually fled on his pony. Bernarda remarks that as a woman she can't be blamed for poor aim. A shot is heard; Bernarda immediately calls for Adela, who has locked herself into a room. When she doesn't respond, Bernarda and Poncia force the door open. Poncia's shriek is heard. She returns with her hands clasped around her neck and warns the family not to enter the room. Adela, not knowing that Pepe survived, has hanged herself.
The closing lines of the play show Bernarda characteristically preoccupied with the family's reputation. She insists that Adela has died a virgin and demands that this be made known to the whole town. (The text implies that Adela and Pepe had an affair; Bernarda's moral code and pride keep this from registering). Bernarda forbids her daughters to cry.
Adaptations.
Film adaptations include:
In 1967, choreographer Eleo Pomare adapted the play into his ballet, "Las Desenamoradas", featuring music by John Coltrane.
The play was adapted as an opera, "Bernarda Albas Haus", by Aribert Reimann; it premiered in 2000.
In 2006, the play was adapted into musical form by Michael John LaChiusa. Under the title "Bernarda Alba", it opened at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theater on March 6, 2006, starring Phylicia Rashad in the title role, with a cast that also included Daphne Rubin-Vega.
In 2012, Emily Mann adapted Federico García Lorca's original, shifting the location from 1930s Andalusia, Spain, to contemporary Iran. Her adaptation opened at the Almeida Theatre under the director Bijan Sheibani, starring Shohreh Aghdashloo as the title character and Hara Yannas as Adela.
Steven Dykes wrote a production named 'Homestead' for the American Theatre Arts (ATA) students in 2004 which was revived in 2013 (The Barn Theatre). The original production went on to perform at The Courtyard in Covent Garden, with members of an ATA graduate company Shady Dolls.
In August 2012, Hyderabad, India based theatre group Sutradhar staged Birjees Qadar Ka Kunba, an Urdu/Hindustani adaptation of The House of Bernarda Alba. Directed by Vinay Varma and scripted by Dr. Raghuvir Sahay, the play adapted Lorca's original to a more Indian matriarch family setup. The play boasted of a cast of more than 10 women actors with Vaishali Bisht as Birjees Qadar (Bernard Alba) and Deepti Girotra as Hasan baandi (La Poncia).
In 2018, dramatist Patricia Cornelius adapted "The House of Bernarda Alba" for Melbourne Theatre Company, retelling the story as a family drama set in a mining town in contemporary Western Australia. The adaptation was staged at the Fairfax Studio, and featured Candy Bowers as Martirio (renamed "Marti"), Peta Brady as Angustias (renamed "Angela"), Julie Forsyth as Poncia (renamed "Penelope"), Bessie Holland as Magdalena (renamed "Magda"), Sue Jones as Maria Josefa, Melita Jurisic as Bernarda Alba (renamed "Bernadette"), and Emily Milledge as Adela (renamed "Adele").
In 2019, Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas staged Lorca's "La Casa de Bernarda Alba" for its 44th theatre season under the direction of Alexander Cortez. 'The House of Bernarda Alba | Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba' was translated by Daisy Lopez to English and translated by Alexander Cortez himself to Filipino.


Thomas E. Delahanty

Thomas E. Delahanty (July 26, 1914 – February 4, 1985) was a justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He was appointed to the position on September 5, 1973 and later served as active retired from August 31, 1979 until his death.
Early life and education.
Delahanty was the son of an Irish immigrant and working-class parents. He attended Lewiston High School where he excelled at baseball and football. He worked in local textile mills to earn money for law school. He earned a law degree from the Columbus School of Law. After an ulcer kept him out of the military during World War II, he became a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Career.
Delahanty was a delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine in 1948. In 1954, he was a candidate for United States House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd congressional district.
Personal life.
Thomas E. Delahanty was married to Jeanne Clifford who was the daughter of Judge John David Clifford, Jr., cousin to Judge Robert W. Clifford, and granddaughter of John M. C. Smith, a U.S. Representative from Michigan's 3rd congressional district. Their eldest son, Thomas E. Delahanty II, was appointed as a justice of the Maine Superior Court.


Enayat al-Zayyat

Enayat al-Zayyat (Arabic: ) (March 23, 1936 - January 5, 1963) was an Egyptian writer born in Cairo. She was considered one of Egypt's most prominent women writers who committed suicide. She wrote a single novel that impressed many Egyptian critics and writers, "Love and Silence" (original: "al-Ḥubb wa-al-ṣamt") (1967), which was presented by writer Mustafa Mahmoud.
Life.
Her mysterious suicide at a young age and the release of her posthumous novel gave rise to her name in the Arab world at the time. In addition, a film and a radio drama inspired by the novel were also produced. The name Enayat al-Zayyat resurfaced after an absence when the Mahrousa Center For Publishing reprinted her novel in 2019. In November 2019, poet Iman Mersal wrote a book about her, trying to trace her lineage, uncover her biography, and the secret behind her suicide, titled "In the Wake of al-Zayyat" (original: "Fī athar ʻInāyāt al-Zayyāt").
The second edition of "In the Wake of al-Zayyat" was published in January 2020, while the third was published in March 2020.
"Al-Musawar" interview.
The interview published on May 16, 1967 in "Al-Musawar" magazine titled "Nadia Lutfi Tells the Secret of al-Zayyat's Suicide," is one of the best sources of information available about the author, in which Lutfi points out that al-Zayyat was her early childhood colleague, that she sat next to her at school and found out that she loved painting like she did. In this interview, Lutfi states that they used to study and go to the movies together. Lutfi also points out that al-Zayyat sent her novel "Love and Silence" to the publishers, who first failed to respond and later rejected the book, claiming it was not fit for publication.
Education and marriage.
She went to school but stopped attending it in 1955. She married Kamal Ben-Shaheen in 1956. Lutfi also points out that al-Zayyat began to have trouble in her married life. After her divorce, al-Zayyat faced a harsh reality and regretted not completing her studies and marriage. According to information available, al-Zayyat had a son, Abbas Shaheen, who graduated from the Faculty of Archaeology, married, and died young, as mentioned in "In the Wake of al-Zayyat". Moreover, al-Zayyat had left a speech to her son apologizing to him for her inability to endure a cruel and dark life.
On March 18, 1967, Anis Mansour published "But Her Book was Published Years After Her Death," an article in "Al-Qahariya" newspaper, in which he referred to her presentation of her literary output of articles, a short story project, and reflections as "humble". In her book, Iman Mersal points out that writer Anis Mansour dedicated most of the article to the presentation of the novel's plot and excerpts, but in the meantime gave scattered information about what he knew about al-Zayyat, including that he gave her his observations on the draft of her novel, which she refused to follow, and that the writer barely knew Arabic and that all her studies were in German.


Epicharis (Pisonian conspirator)

Epicharis () (died 65 CE) was an Ancient Roman freedwoman and a leading member of the Pisonian conspiracy against the emperor Nero.
According to Polyaenus she was the mistress of a brother of Seneca, and it may be that through this connection she became acquainted with the plot of the conspirators, though Tacitus says that it was unknown by what means she had acquired her knowledge of it.
She endeavored by all means to stimulate the conspirators to carry their plan into effect. But as they acted slowly and with great hesitation, she at length grew tired, and resolved upon trying to win over the sailors of the fleet of Misenum in Campania, where she was staying. One Volusius Proculus, a chiliarch of the fleet, appears to have been the first who was initiated by her in the secret, but no names were mentioned to him. Proculus had no sooner obtained the information than he betrayed the whole plot to Nero.
Epicharis was summoned before the emperor, but as no names had been mentioned, and as no witnesses had been present at the communication, Epicharis easily refuted the accusation. She was, however, kept in custody. Subsequently, when the conspiracy was discovered, Nero ordered her to be tortured on the rack because she refused naming any of the accomplices; but neither blows, nor fire, nor the increased fury of her tormentors, could extort any confession from her. When on the second or third day after she was carried in a sedan chair – for her limbs were already broken – to be tortured a second time, she strangled herself on her way by her girdle, which she fastened to the chair. She thus acted, as Tacitus says, more nobly than many a noble eques or senator, who without being tortured betrayed their nearest relatives.
Cultural impact.
She is mentioned in Boccaccio's "De mulieribus claris".
The later Italian politician and writer Niccolò Machiavelli praised Epicharis's audacity, and also stated that she had been one of Nero's former mistresses.
Daniel Casper von Lohenstein was the first dramatist to produce a drama named after Epicharis, in 1665; and in 1794 the French poet Gabriel-Marie Legouvé published the spoken play "Épicharis et Néron." In 1829 Thomas Henry Lister published "Epicharis: An Historical Tragedy." Epicharis has also featured as a character in other operas and dramas.
Epicharis is one of the 998 mythical, historical or notable women named on the heritage floor of Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party" art installation (1979).


Lou Smit

Andrew Louis "Lou" Smit (April 14, 1935 – August 11, 2010) was an American police detective in Colorado Springs, Colorado who worked on a number of notable cases before his retirement in 1996, and then was recalled to work on the murder of JonBenét Ramsey.
Life and career.
Having tried various businesses and failed, Smit prayed for a solution and saw as an answer from God a call he received from a cousin who served on the Colorado Springs Police Department suggesting that he apply to serve. Smit fell just short of the department's minimum height of five feet and nine inches, but was able to join the force in 1966 after he had his cousin hit him over the skull with a nightstick, allowing him to meet the height minimum when he was remeasured the following day with the bump on his head. Working his way up to the rank of detective, Smit was involved in a number of notable cases including the conviction of spree killer Freddie Glenn for a series of murders, including the 1975 killing of Karen Grammer, younger sister of actor Kelsey Grammer. In 1995, he arrested Robert Charles Browne for the 1991 murder of Heather Dawn Church. Church's father had been one of the original suspects in his daughter's murder, but Browne ultimately confessed to a total of 48 murders and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Smit retired in 1996 from the El Paso County, Colorado Sheriff's department where he had served as captain of detectives. Some of Smit's cases, such as the Grammer and Church murders, were featured on the Investigation Discovery series "Homicide Hunter".
In 1997, three months after the murder of JonBenét Ramsey, Smit was asked by the district attorney's office to come out of retirement to assist with the investigation. While initial suspicions had been that Patsy Ramsey was responsible for the murder and that John Ramsey had been protecting his wife, Smit resigned from the case after 18 months having concluded that the Ramseys were not responsible for the murder and that the Boulder Police Department had been unjustifiably pursuing the Ramseys as suspects despite DNA and other evidence that showed that some other person was responsible for the killing. In his September 1998 resignation letter, Smit stated that "the Ramseys did not do it" and cited "substantial, credible evidence of an intruder and a lack of evidence that the parents are involved". Smit later worked for the Ramseys in helping establish their innocence and was portrayed by Kris Kristofferson in a CBS television miniseries based on the case called "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town".
After the Ramsey case, Smit continued to work on cold cases. As a detective, Smit boasted that he "never lost a homicide case" in a career in which he worked on more than 200 murder cases in which a suspect had been arrested and tried for their crime.
Smit went to a doctor in April 2010 after experiencing abdominal pain. After a CAT scan identified a tumor as the cause of the pain, surgeons discovered that the cancer had spread throughout his body and was untreatable. Smit died at age 75 on August 11, 2010, at the Pikes Peak Hospice in Colorado Springs due to colon cancer. John Ramsey came to pray at his bedside shortly before Smit's death. Smit was survived by three daughters, a son and nine grandchildren.


Ways to Live Forever (film)

Ways to Live Forever is a 2010 drama film by director Gustavo Ron based on the award-winning 2008 novel of the same name written by Sally Nicholls. The film stars Robbie Kay, Alex Etel, Ben Chaplin, Emilia Fox, and Greta Scacchi. The film is produced by Life&Soul Productions, El Capitan Pictures, and Formato Producciones. It was distributed via Karma in Spain, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation for North America, and InTandem for the rest of the world.
Production.
"Ways to Live Forever" was filmed in studio and on location in and around Newcastle upon Tyne: Eldon Square, Tynemouth, North Shields, Cullercoats, and Whitley Bay.


SS Robert Wallace

SS "Robert Wallace" was a wooden-hulled American bulk freighter that served on the Great Lakes of North America from her construction in 1882 to her sinking in 1902 on Lake Superior near the town of Palmers, St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. On November 17, 1902 shortly after leaving Superior, Wisconsin with a cargo of iron ore, "Robert Wallace" sprang a leak and sank. Her wreck was found in 2006, and on October 14, 2009, the wreck of "Robert Wallace" was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
History.
"Robert Wallace" (Official number 110518) was built in 1882 by William H. Radcliffe of Cleveland, Ohio, for David Wallace of Lorain, Ohio. Her homeport was Lorain. She had a length of , a beam of , and she had a depth. She was powered by a small 550 horsepower compound steam engine and fueled by a single coal-fired Scotch marine boiler. She had a gross tonnage of 1189.56 tons and a net tonnage of 905.38 tons. She was launched at 2:30P.M. on April 13, 1882. She usually carried bulk cargoes such as iron ore, coal and grain.
On August 2, 1883, "Robert Wallace" was towing the schooner barge "J.M. Hill" when she and "J.M. Hill" were struck by lightning in the Milwaukee harbour. Both the "Robert Wallace" and the "J.M. Hill" had their foremasts heavily damaged.
On November 18, 1886, "Robert Wallace" was towing her schooner barge "David Wallace" (which was named after Robert Wallace's brother) when she stranded near Marquette, Michigan. "Robert Wallace" eventually caught fire and burned down. This incident almost ended her career but she was pulled off and repaired.
On November 12, 1891, "Robert Wallace" ran aground because of low water in the Sheboygan Harbor. She was loaded with a cargo of coal at the time of the incident. She was also towing "David Wallace" which was carrying 1,500 tons of coal and also ran aground.
On October 22, 1896, the boilers of "Robert Wallace" started to leak and they needed to be repaired so that she could continue her journey. She was repaired in Harbor Beach, Michigan.
Sinking.
On November 17, 1902, "Robert Wallace" departed the ore docks in Superior, Wisconsin laden with a cargo of iron ore. She was also towing the schooner barge "Ashland", which was also full of iron ore. About four hours after their departure "Robert Wallace" sprang a leak and started sinking. Accounts differ on what caused the leak. Some accounts claim that "Robert Wallace" struck a floating log, others claim "Ashland" pulled off her stern post. Her crew was transferred to "Ashland" which then sailed to Two Harbors, Minnesota, and was towed to safety by the steel hulled tug "Edna G". Even though "Robert Wallace" was loaded with iron she sank quite slowly. Hours after her crew abandoned her, "Robert Wallace" continued to float on the surface of Lake Superior with her lights still on. Even when she sank her pilothouse broke off and continued to float on the surface.
"Robert Wallace" wreck.
Discovery.
The remains of "Robert Wallace" remained undiscovered until 2006 when an unidentified diver discovered the wreck near the shipping lanes. The diver reported the location of her wreck to diver Jay Hanson, who conducted a dive with wreck hunter Ken Merryman in 2006; in 2007 Hanson and Merryman captured video footage of the wreck. Later, Merryman and diver Bob Olson identified her wreck after seeing her name, still painted in white lettering on her stern.
"Robert Wallace" today.
The wreck of "Robert Wallace" rests relatively intact in of water about south of Knife River, Minnesota. Close by are the wrecks of several ships including the wreck of the iron hulled steamer "Onoko", the steel hulled package freighter "Benjamin Noble", and the wooden hulled rafting tug "Niagara", all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The wreck of "Robert Wallace" is the most intact known wooden-hulled bulk freighter in Minnesota waters. Her hull is separated about at the stem, which makes exploring her wreck easier. Numerous artifacts lie outside the wreck; it is illegal to remove any artifacts because she is protected by the state of Minnesota. Her stern, however, remains intact, disproving the theory that "Ashland" pulled off her stern post.
The wreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 for its state-level significance in the themes of commerce, engineering, historical archaeology, and maritime history. It was nominated for its significant research potential on the formative design and shipboard life of the first lake freighters.


A Walk to Remember

A Walk to Remember is a 2002 American coming-of-age romantic drama film directed by Adam Shankman and written by Karen Janszen, based on Nicholas Sparks' 1999 novel of the same name. The film stars Shane West, Mandy Moore, Peter Coyote and Daryl Hannah, and was produced by Denise Di Novi and Hunt Lowry for Warner Bros. Pictures.
The novel's 1950s setting was changed to the 1990s to early 2000s for the film, as the producers were concerned it might not appeal to teenage audiences. The film was shot for 39 days in Wilmington, North Carolina, with many of the sets borrowed from the television series "Dawson's Creek". The film, as with the book, is dedicated to Sparks' sister Danielle, whose cancer-afflicted life inspired the story.
"A Walk to Remember" was theatrically released on January 25, 2002, and was a box office success, earning four times its $11.8 million budget. The film had its DVD release in July 2002, while a "Family-Edited Version" was later released in December. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, most of whom criticized its blandness and predictability, while others praised its sincerity and the lead actors' performances.
Plot.
In Beaufort, North Carolina, popular and rebellious high school senior Landon Carter and his friends have partaken in underage drinking on school grounds. They lure a new student, Clay Gephardt, to a factory in the hopes of "pranking" him, with the façade that this is an initiation task into their elite friendship group. However, Clay becomes seriously injured, which is brought to the attention of the school principal through law enforcement. In an effort to avoid law involvement, the school principal gives Landon the choice of being expelled from the school or completing several service projects which include weekend tutoring, janitorial duties, and participation in the school play. Choosing the latter, Landon is further acquainted with Jamie Sullivan, the local Baptist minister's daughter. He never befriended her due to the status quo at the high school, though he has known her most of his life.
Landon begins to struggle with the play and reluctantly seeks guidance from Jamie, who agrees to help him on the condition that he will not fall in love with her, but Landon dismisses it as a foolish idea. They begin practicing together at her house after school. A bond begins to form between the two until Landon is rude to Jamie at school to impress his friends, and Jamie realizes that Landon wants to keep their friendship a secret from others, so she decides to distance herself from him.
On the opening night of the play, Jamie astounds Landon and the audience with her voice and beauty. When Jamie finishes singing towards the end, Landon impulsively kisses her just before the curtain closes. Afterwards, Jamie avoids Landon until his friends play a cruel prank on her, led by Belinda, his resentful ex-girlfriend who wants them to reconcile despite Landon's lack of interest. In opposition to his friends, he defends her and she eventually warms up to him again. Landon asks Jamie to go on a date, to which Jamie reveals that she is not allowed to date. Landon visits the church in order to ask her father for permission. Jamie's father is initially hesitant but agrees.
Their first date is a success, and it leads to another. Their relationship strengthens as they genuinely fall for each other, and all seems well. During a date, however, Jamie confesses that she is not making any plans for the future because she has leukemia and has not been responding to treatment. Jamie's condition grows worse and she gets sent to the hospital. Landon drives off to beg for help from his estranged father who is a doctor, asking him to help Jamie. Landon drives back in tears after feeling disappointed by his father's inability to help. Upon learning of her condition, Landon's friends come to him and apologize for their past treatment of Jamie and offer their support. While she is admitted, Jamie gives Landon a book that once belonged to her deceased mother and tells him that Landon is her angel. Unbeknownst to Landon, Jamie is given private home care by Landon's father to relieve her father's financial burden.
Landon builds a telescope for Jamie to see a one-time comet in the springtime, and with help from Jamie's father, he finishes it in time to give Jamie a view of the comet. It is then that Landon asks her to marry him. Jamie tearfully accepts, and they get married in the church where her mother was married. Landon reflects that their last summer together was spent as husband and wife, and that she had died soon after.
Years later, Landon returns to Beaufort to visit Jamie's father, revealing that he had been accepted into medical school. Landon laments that Jamie was never able to witness a miracle, to which Jamie's father replied that the miracle was Landon himself. Hereafter, Landon expresses sorrow over Jamie's passing, but describes their love like the wind: he cannot see it, but he can feel it.
Production.
Development.
The inspiration for "A Walk to Remember" was Nicholas Sparks' sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis, who died of cancer in 2000. In a speech he gave after her death in Berlin, the author admits that "In many ways, Jamie Sullivan was my younger sister". The plot was inspired by her life; Danielle met a man who wanted to marry her, "even when he knew she was sick, even when he knew that she might not make it". Both the book and film are dedicated to Danielle Sparks Lewis.
It was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, at the same time that "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" (2002) and the television show "Dawson's Creek" were being filmed there. Many of the sets were from "Dawson's Creek" (1998) – particularly the school, hospital and Landon's home. The total shooting time was only 39 days, despite Moore being able to only work 10 hours a day because she was a minor. Daryl Hannah, who wore a brown wig as her character, had received a collagen injection in her lips, which went awry and caused noticeable swelling. By the end of filming, however, the symptoms were less obvious.
Casting.
Director Shankman wanted the lead characters to be portrayed by young actors: "I wanted young actors with whom teenagers could connect", he said. Shankman arranged a meeting with Shane West after he saw him in a magazine. He was looking for someone who could transition from being very dark to very light. He described his choice as "an instinct" he had about West, who would appear in almost every scene and had "to be either incredibly angry and self-hating or madly in love and heroic." West said: "I don't generally read love stories, but after reading the screenplay, I knew I couldn't wait to read the book so I could truly understand Nicholas Sparks' story and how he envisioned the character of Landon. It's a beautiful story and the characters are very believable, which is what attracted me to the project.
Shankman said of Moore that she "has the voice and the face of an angel" and added that she is luminous. Moore explained that she was moved by the book: "I had such a visceral reaction to it that I remember not being able to read because I was almost hyperventilating while I was crying." Commenting on the film, she said: "It was my first movie and I know people say it may be cliche and it's a tearjerker or it's cheesy, but for me, it's the thing I'm most proud of."
Comparisons to novel.
While there are many similarities to the novel by Nicholas Sparks, many changes were made. On his personal website, Sparks explains the decisions behind the differences. For example, he and the producer decided to update the setting from the 1950s to the 1990s, worrying that a film set in the 50s would fail to draw teens. "To interest them," he writes, "we had to make the story more contemporary." To make the update believable, Landon's pranks and behavior are worse than they are in the novel; as Sparks notes, "the things that teen boys did in the 1950s to be considered a little 'rough' are different than what teen boys in the 1990s do to be considered 'rough.'"
Sparks and the producer also changed the play in which Landon and Jamie appear. In the novel, Hegbert wrote a Christmas play that illustrated how he once struggled as a father. Due to time constraints, the sub-plot showing how he overcame his struggles could not be included in the film. Sparks was concerned that "people who hadn't read the book would question whether Hegbert was a good father", adding that "because he is a good father and we didn't want that question to linger, we changed the play."
A significant difference is that at the end of the novel, unlike the film, it is ambiguous whether Jamie died or simply disappeared into the shadow world. Sparks says that he had written the book knowing she would die, yet had "grown to love Jamie Sullivan", and so opted for "the solution that best described the exact feeling I had with regard to my sister at that point: namely, that I hoped she would live."
Soundtrack.
The film's soundtrack was released by Moore's first label Epic Records and Sony Music Soundtrax on January 15, 2002. It features six songs by Moore and others by acts Switchfoot, Rachael Lampa and many more.
The lead single "Cry" was originally released on Moore's self-titled third studio album in 2001. The soundtrack also includes two versions of Switchfoot's song "Only Hope" including the version Moore sang in the film.
Moore's manager, Jon Leshay, the musical supervisor for the film, "instantly wanted" Switchfoot's music to be a vital part of the film after hearing them. He later became Switchfoot's manager. When they were approached to do the film, the band was unfamiliar with Moore or her music (despite her status as a pop star with several hits on the charts). Before their involvement with "A Walk to Remember", Switchfoot was only recognized in their native San Diego and in Contemporary Christian music circles, but have since gained mainstream recognition, with their double platinum fourth album, "The Beautiful Letdown" (2003) which included hits such as "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move".
The soundtrack was re-released on October 21, 2003 as a special expanded edition and featured three songs that were not originally included on the first release of the soundtrack but were featured in the film. The song "Only Hope" by Moore had dialogue added that featuring Shane West as his character Landon Carter taken from the scene from where the song is featured in the film, as well as West's narration at the end of the film.
Reception.
Box office.
"A Walk to Remember" grossed $41,281,092 in North America and $6,213,824 in other territories for a worldwide total of $47,494,916.
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $12,177,488, finishing third at the box office behind "Black Hawk Down" ($17,012,268) and "Snow Dogs" ($13,079,373).
Critical reception.
The film received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 27% based on reviews from 103 critics, with an average rating of 4.1/10. The site's critical consensus says: "Though wholesome, the Mandy Moore vehicle "A Walk to Remember" is also bland and oppressively syrupy." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100, based on 26 reviews, which indicates "generally unfavorable". However, audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A on scale of A to F.
"Entertainment Weekly" retitled the film "A Walk to Forget". On the other hand, Joe Leydon of "Variety" wrote: "As Carter, Shane West makes an appealingly persuasive transition from embittered cynic to earnest romantic. Moore, looking a bit like Phoebe Cates’ kid sister, does a fine job of conveying Jamie's strong religious convictions as one of many admirable elements in young woman's personality. (Not surprisingly, she's a terrific vocalist in school play.) As lead characters discuss their faith — or, in Carter's case, the lack thereof — actors are able to make those conversations sound perfectly natural, enabling pic to avoid any trace of overt preachiness." Still, Michael O'Sullivan of "The Washington Post" wrote: "If you can't see everything in this film coming from a mile away, then you really need to get out more." Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com wrote: "A vehicle for teen singing sensation Mandy Moore. As vehicles go, it's an Edsel." In 2010, "Time" named it one of the ten worst chick flicks ever made.
The film found a warmer reception with the general public, particularly in the Christian community for the film's moral values; as one reviewer from "Christianity Today" approvingly noted, "The main character is portrayed as a Christian without being psychopathic or holier-than-thou". "Chicago Sun-Times"' film critic Roger Ebert praised Moore and West for their "quietly convincing" acting performances. The "Chicago Reader" felt that the story "has a fair amount of nuance and charm". The "San Francisco Chronicle" reviewer Octavio Roca found the film "entertaining" and wrote: "The picture is shamelessly manipulative, but in the best melodramatic sense." S. Williams of "Momzone" magazine felt that the movie was "everything a chick flick should be" and praised Shankman's direction. "Us Weekly" deemed it one of the 30 most romantic movies of all time.
Home media.
"A Walk to Remember" was released by Warner Home Video on DVD on July 9, 2002. The DVD contains two commentaries (one featuring Shane West, Mandy Moore, and director Adam Shankman; the second featuring screenwriter Karen Janszen and author Nicholas Sparks), the music video for Moore's single "Cry", and the film's theatrical trailer. A "Family-Edited Version" was later released on December 24, 2002.
In other media.
In the HBO television series "Entourage", the character of Vincent Chase was credited as having a small supporting role in the film. In the fictional "Entourage" universe, Chase has an on-set relationship with Moore during the filming of "A Walk to Remember".


Li Kao


Robert S. Strauss

Robert Schwarz Strauss (October 19, 1918 – March 19, 2014) was a figure in American politics and diplomacy whose service dated back to future President Lyndon Johnson's first congressional campaign in 1937. By the 1950s, he was associated in Texas politics with the faction of the Democratic Party that was led by Johnson and John Connally. He served as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee between 1972 and 1977 and served under President Jimmy Carter as the US Trade Representative and special envoy to the Middle East.
Strauss was selected by President George H. W. Bush to be the US ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1991 and after the Soviet Union collapsed to Russia, which he served as from 1991 to 1992. Strauss had advised and represented US presidents over three administrations and for both major US political parties.
An accomplished lawyer, Strauss founded the law firm now known as Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in 1945, which had grown to be one of the largest in the world with offices in 15 cities and employing over 900 lawyers and professionals worldwide. His business activities included serving on the Texas Banking Commission and as Chairman of the U.S.-Russia Business Council.
Strauss was inducted into the Academy of Achievement in 2003 and was recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian award, on January 16, 1981.
He was a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and The Forum for International Policy and was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission.
Strauss had occupied academic chairs and lecture positions, including one as the Lloyd Bentsen Chair at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas. He was also the namesake of The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas. He also had an interest in biomedical issues and had endowed two chairs at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas: the Helen and Robert S. Strauss Professorship in Pediatric Neurology and the Helen and Robert S. Strauss Professorship in Urology.
Background.
Strauss was born in Lockhart, Texas, south of Austin. He was the son of Edith Violet (née Schwarz) and Charles H. Strauss. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Germany. When he was one year old, his family moved to the small town of Hamlin, north of Abilene, and later to the slightly larger nearby town of Stamford. Strauss's father opened a small general store in Stamford.
In his sophomore year at the University of Texas at Austin, he campaigned for a state assembly candidate and was given a part-time job as a Committee Clerk in the Texas State Legislature. In 1937, while still an undergraduate, he volunteered for Johnson's first congressional campaign. Strauss was also a member of the Texas Cowboys, an honorary service organization at the University of Texas. At the University of Texas Law School, he met another student who would have a large impact on his career, Connally. After completing his law degree, Strauss was hired as a special agent by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and served in the FBI throughout World War II.
After the war, he settled in Dallas, where he and a fellow FBI agent, Richard A. Gump, founded their own law firm. This firm, originally known as Gump and Strauss, would eventually grow into the international law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. The many partners over the years included a high-profile defense attorney, William G. Hundley.
Texas political activity.
Still interested in a political career, Strauss and his wife, Helen Jacobs, found a more comfortable niche participating in numerous charities and community activities, and Strauss became a prodigious fundraiser for the Democratic Party. By the 1950s, Strauss's law school friend, John Connally, was serving on the staff of Lyndon Johnson, who soon became Senate Majority Leader.
When John F. Kennedy and Johnson were respectively elected President and Vice President in 1960, Connally, a former naval officer, was appointed Secretary of the Navy. Within a year, at Strauss's urging, Connally returned to Texas to run for governor. At the time, the Republican Party had little presence in Texas, but Connally nevertheless faced stiff opposition in the Democratic primary.
Strauss's skill as a campaign adviser and fund-raiser was a crucial factor in Connally's narrow victory. Having secured the Democratic nomination, Connally easily won the general election. Connally's election finally brought Strauss the access to the Dallas business establishment that he had long sought. Governor Connally appointed Strauss to the Texas Banking Commission, and Strauss's law firm grew and prospered.
The world of Texas politics was turned upside down by the events of November 1963. Connally and his wife Nellie were riding in the limousine with Kennedy in Dallas when the latter was fatally shot. Connally was severely wounded by the assassin's bullets but soon recovered. Connally and Strauss's mentor and patron, Johnson, was now President of the United States. Although Strauss did not regard himself as part of the President's inner circle of political advisers, Connally certainly was, and Strauss's connection to Connally brought him closer to the President.
In Texas, Connally was finding himself at odds with the more liberal wing of his own party, and on the national stage, Democrats were becoming bitterly divided over the Vietnam War. Johnson solicited Strauss's advice on the issue.
Strauss feared that continued involvement in the war was a mistake that was endangering Johnson's presidency, but he felt too intimidated by the imposing Johnson to share his true feelings. Strauss immediately regretted withholding his true opinion from Johnson. He resolved that if any president ever sought his advice again, Strauss would tell him the truth regardless of what he wanted to hear.
National political activity.
The 1968 presidential election brought the Republican Richard Nixon to power and left the Democratic Party deeply divided. Strauss had long expected that his friend, Connally, would run for president and hoped that he would seek the Democratic nomination in the next election. Strauss opened a Washington, D.C., office for his law firm and became Treasurer of the Democratic Party in 1970, but less than a year later, Connally accepted an invitation from Nixon to serve as Secretary of the Treasury.
In 1972, the Democrats nominated George McGovern, and Connally supported Nixon. McGovern and the Democrats suffered a crushing defeat, losing in 49 of the 50 states.
Strauss was then elected Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Although emboldened by its success in 1974, the party had no obvious frontrunner for the presidential nomination in 1976. While remaining studiously neutral in the struggle for the nomination, Strauss carefully rebuilt the party's finances and planned a tightly-disciplined national convention in New York City to erase memories of the chaotic gatherings of 1968 and 1972.
By the time the Democrats met at Madison Square Garden, the nomination had been secured by an unexpected candidate, former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter.
Strauss expertly managed the convention. At the 1972 convention, party infighting had delayed candidate McGovern's acceptance speech until late at night, when the television audience had gone to sleep. Strauss made sure that Carter's acceptance speech ran in prime time, and the convention ended with a memorable tableau: the leaders of the party's opposing wings, conservative George Wallace and liberal George McGovern, flanking Carter with clasped hands upraised. The Democrats entered the fall campaign united for the first time in years. Credit for this accomplishment was awarded to Chairman Strauss, and Carter quickly asked Strauss to chair his election campaign as well.
The national election was closely contested, but Carter emerged victorious, Strauss being acclaimed as a political kingmaker.
Carter.
After ascending to the presidency in 1977, Carter named Strauss as U.S. Trade Representative. The position enjoyed cabinet level status, while allowing Strauss to apply his considerable negotiating skills to America's troubled relations with its trading partners. As Trade Representative, Strauss successfully completed the Tokyo Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations, and secured the agreement's ratification by the US Congress in the Trade Act of 1979. Then, Carter asked Strauss to undertake an even more challenging task, as his Personal Representative to the Middle East. Carter's previous efforts had already resulted in the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, and Carter hoped that Strauss would be able to build on the success. The handshake of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Al Sadat on the White House lawn was a high point of Carter's presidency, but dark clouds were gathering on the horizon.
The Iranian Revolution led to the seizure of American diplomats as hostages, a crisis that dominated the last year of Carter's term.
In 1980, Strauss's old friend, Connally, finally made a run for the presidency. He entered the Republican primaries as a hard-core conservative, but found himself running at the back of the pack while Ronald Reagan emerged as the frontrunner. Strauss chaired Carter's campaign committee once again in 1980, but Carter did not win re-election. Before leaving office, Carter awarded Robert Strauss the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.
Strauss returned to his law firm's thriving Washington office. His experience as Trade Representative made him a sought after expert on international trade matters.
Reagan.
Carter's successor, Reagan, was to face difficulties of his own. His efforts to resolve another hostage situation led to the Iran-Contra affair. Many of the president's supporters believed that the aggressive management style of his White House Chief of Staff, Donald Regan, was making matters worse, but Reagan remained loyal to Regan and would not consider replacing him. A presidential adviser, Michael Deaver, as well as First Lady Nancy Reagan made a discreet approach to an experienced outsider they believed might be able to persuade Reagan. Others had told him what he wanted to hear: that the controversy would blow over and that Donald Regan was more useful than not being there. Strauss, who had closely observed the workings of two other presidential administrations, told Reagan the painful truth: Regan had become a liability and that the White House needed a Chief of Staff who could mend fences, especially with Congress.
Strauss recommended former Senator Howard Baker, a Republican who was respected on both sides of the aisle for his competence and his integrity. Reagan was visibly annoyed with Strauss's suggestions, but a few days later, Donald Regan submitted his resignation, and the President appointed Baker to replace him. Baker skillfully managed Reagan's recovery from the controversy, and Reagan left office with his popularity restored.
Strauss was then appointed as the co-chairman, along with ex-Secretary of Transportation Drew Lewis, of the National Economic Commission. The bipartisan commission was given the task to solve the federal budget deficit that had grown to over $4 trillion. The commission lasted from 1988 to 1989, and ended in the first term of George HW Bush.
Bush.
Reagan's Vice President, Bush, won the 1988 election to succeed him. Bush also found need for the counsel of Strauss. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was attempting to reform the country's communist system and to forge a new relationship with the United States. His efforts faced opposition from hard-liners within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as well as newly elected leaders who agitated for more and more autonomy.
Bush appointed Strauss to serve as Ambassador to the Soviet Union in the hope that Strauss's proven skills as a negotiator would ease the transition to a new era. The Soviet Union was also starting to transition from a dictatorship to a democracy, making it important to show that party membership should no longer be a requirement for political office and that political opposition should no longer be considered treasonous but, to use a British term, "the loyal opposition," making Bush's selection of one of his own opponents especially significant.
It was reported that Bush told Strauss that Bush had selected Strauss because Strauss said that he had voted against Bush and intended to do so again.
In August 1991, only weeks after a state visit by President Bush, reactionary members of the Communist Party and a few high-ranking officers of the military and KGB attempted to seize power and restore the old dictatorship. The coup attempt collapsed, but Gorbachev's leadership had been fatally injured. Strauss presented his credentials to Gorbachev only hours after Gorbachev resigned his post as Chairman of the Communist Party.
While Strauss served in Moscow, the first elected President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, emerged as the most powerful figure in the fragile union. With the agreement of the elected presidents of the other constituent republics, the Soviet Union was officially dissolved and replaced by a loosely associated Commonwealth of Independent States.
In December, Gorbachev resigned the presidency of a superstate that had ceased to exist. Strauss was quickly reappointed as Ambassador to the largest of the Soviet Union's successor states, the Russian Federation. With Strauss's assistance, Yeltsin quickly established amicable relations with the United States. Strauss resigned shortly after the 1992 presidential election in the United States and returned once again to private law practice with Akin Gump.
Later life and death.
Apart from his law practice and government service, Robert Strauss had long been a popular public speaker and lecturer, and had written on law, business and public affairs for professional journals, magazines and newspapers across the United States and abroad. He had also served on the boards of major corporations including Xerox and the Archer Daniels Midland Company until his death. In the academic world, he had occupied the Lloyd Bentsen Chair at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, where he lectured to students of law, business and public affairs. In his later years, Strauss served as Chairman of the U.S.-Russia Business Council, and was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
His sister-in-law, Annette Strauss, served as mayor of Dallas from 1987 to 1991.
On March 19, 2014, Strauss died of natural causes at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 95 years old.


German submarine U-566

German submarine "U-566" was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 30 March 1940 at the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg as yard number 542, launched on 20 February 1941 and commissioned on 17 April under the command of "Kapitänleutnant" Dietrich Borchert.
She was scuttled by her crew on 24 October 1943 after being damaged by six depth charges from a British Wellington aircraft in the North Atlantic west of Portugal, in position . There were no casualties.
Design.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-566" had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . "U-566" was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history.
In the eleven combat patrols of her career the U-boat sank seven vessels; six merchant ships totalling between February and November 1942, and the patrol gunboat on 5 August 1943.
She was initially involved in a short journey from Trondheim to Kirkenes, both in Norway in July 1941.
1st and 2nd patrols.
The submarine's first and second patrols were marked by no more than an unsuccessful attack by a Soviet submarine off Kildin Island which caused no damage.
Before her third patrol, she moved between Kirkenes, Bergen and Kristiansand from September to December 1941.
3rd, 4th and 5th patrols.
The boat's third patrol took her from Kristiansand to Lorient in occupied France where she arrived on 23 December 1941. Her route took her through the gap between the Faroe and Shetland Islands, west of Ireland and into the Bay of Biscay.
Her fourth sortie was marked with the sinking of the "Meropi" on 14 February 1942 east-southeast of the Sambro light-house in Nova Scotia.
The U-boat's fifth patrol commenced with her departure from Brest, which she continued to use for the rest of her career, on 8 April 1942. She sank the "Westmorland" on 1 June north-northeast of Bermuda, using a torpedo and her deck gun.
6th, 7th and 8th patrols.
Her sixth outing saw the sinking of the "Triton" northeast of the Azores on 17 August 1942 and the "Zuiderkerk" on 28 August.
The boat's seventh foray was rewarded with the sinking of the "Glenlea" on 7 November in mid-Atlantic, but she was attacked and severely damaged by a Hudson of No. 233 Squadron RAF on 17 November 1942, forcing the U-boat to abort her patrol.
Her eighth patrol was fruitless.
9th patrol.
On 26 April 1943 she was disabled by a British Leigh light-equipped Wellington of 172 Squadron. The damage was such (including an untraceable oil leak), that she was unable to dive and had to be escorted back to base.
10th patrol.
She sank the on southeast of Cape Henry, Virginia on 5 August 1943, but was attacked by a Lockheed Ventura from United States Navy Squadron VP-128 east of Cape Charles, also in Virginia, on 7 August 1943. Her AA fire forced the aircraft to ditch (she had misidentified the aircraft as a B-25 Mitchell). She also shot a second Ventura down (also wrongly categorized as a Mitchell) after it and a Martin Mariner both attacked, without result.
11th patrol.
The boat was scuttled after she came off worse with an encounter with a Wellington of 179 Squadron. The submarine's crew were picked up by a Spanish trawler and briefly interned. They survived the war and in 1970 met the aircrew who had been victorious.
Wolfpacks.
"U-566" took part in six wolfpacks, namely.


Mark L. Rosenberg

Mark L. Rosenberg (born 1945) is an American physician and public health researcher who is the current president and CEO of the Task Force for Global Health, where he began working in 1999. He is also on the faculty at Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, and the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He previously worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he helped oversee research on gun violence through the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC).
Education.
Rosenberg received his undergraduate degree, as well as degrees in public policy and medicine, at Harvard University. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, a residency in psychiatry at the Boston Beth Israel Hospital, and a residency in preventive medicine at CDC.
Career at the CDC.
Rosenberg worked at the CDC for 20 years, where he was instrumental in founding the NCIPC. He also served as the first permanent director of the NCIPC beginning in 1994. While there, he was responsible for overseeing gun violence research at the CDC prior to the enactment of the 1996 Dickey Amendment, the Congressional restriction which prevented the CDC from using its funding "to advocate or promote gun control," in 1996. Specifically, advocates of the restrictions referred to comments Rosenberg made in 1994: in a Washington Post article, he was quoted as saying “We need to revolutionize the way we look at guns, like we did with cigarettes. Now it [sic] is dirty, deadly and banned.” The same year Dr. Katherine Christoffel, head of the CDC funded Handgun Epidemic Lowering Plan, said in an interview with American Medical News "guns are a virus that must be eradicated..." In the same interview Rosenberg concurred with Christoffel, saying "...she’s not willing to be silent anymore. She’s asking for help.”
For his part, Rosenberg has been highly critical of this restriction, saying in 2012 that the National Rifle Association (which lobbied Congress to enact this restriction) has "terrorized" the scientific community. He has also said this restriction has impaired researchers' ability to understand the problem of gun violence, saying in 2015 that “Because we don’t know what works, we as a country are left in a shouting match.”
In a 2016 article in "The Atlantic" on the impact of the Dickey Amendment, Rosenberg says: “It was the leadership of CDC who stopped the agency from doing gun violence research ... Right now, there is nothing stopping them from addressing this life-and-death national problem." As the article notes this assertion runs counter to the "conventional wisdom" of the Dickey Amendment "as blocking the agency [i.e. the CDC] from conducting research on firearms deaths and injuries."
Honors and awards.
In 1995, Rosenberg was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine. He has also received the Outstanding, Meritorious, and Distinguished Service Medals, and the Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Medal.