Abdossamad Kambakhsh

Abdolsamad Kambakhsh () also known by his aliases as Abdolsamad Qanbari or the Red Prince, was an Iranian communist political activist. He educated three times in Russia, first time before 1917 Russian Revolution in a Military School, Second in Military Academy and later graduated as Aeroengineer & military instructor, and third times started as aspirant in Economical Sciences and Later graduated as Dr of Historical science from Moscow State University. He was the author of some books such as “The October Revolution and Liberation Movements in Iran” & “Fifty Years of the Proletarian Party in Iran”, “Reminiscences on the Educational Society in Qazvin”, “Reflections on the History of the Tudeh (Communist) Part”, “The Formation of the Tudeh (Left) Party”, “The Tudeh Party in the Struggle to Create a Democratic United”, “Notes on the History of the Iranian Army”, Articles/Books about “History of the Azerbaijan Revolt”, “History of the Kurdistan Revolt”, and “History of the Khorasan Revolt”. But his ref. book and dissertation was Comments on the Workers’ and Communist Movement in Iran (Nazari Beh Jonbeshi Kargari va Komunist-i dar Iran) in 290 Pages. The book is about the only organized resistance against the pro-Hitler Coalition and Regime during the Reza Shah era.
From CIA Point of view Abdossamad Kambakhsh was the founder of Tudeh Party and Azerbaijan Revolt. From Point of view of Russian he was the Iranian represent in Communist International and one of them. From point of view of Iranians he was the "Voice of Russia" in Iran.
Kambakhsh was member of the "group of fifty-three", he was an influential member of the Tudeh Party of Iran and belonged to the party's hardline faction.
Political life.
Kambakhsh, who was to be a prominent Tudeh leader in future years, was also one of the few “Fifty-three” with experience in the youth section of the Communist party. The son of a Qajar prince, he was born and raised in Qazvin, and sent in 1915 to study in Russia.
Deeply impressed by the Bolshevik Revolution, he had, on his return to Qazvin, joined the Socialist and Communist parties, and helped organize the local educational society. Despite his political affiliations, the government sent him to Russia in 1927 to study mechanical en gineering. At the time of his arrest in 1937, Kabakhsh was an instructor of engineering at the military academy and the manager of the army mechanics school outside Tehran. The contacts he developed in these years proved highly useful later when the Tudeh decided to form cells within the military.
Anti-Russian Campaign” point of view about Kambakhsh (Iranian Fascists Coalition).
Kambakhsh was known for his close connections to the Soviet intelligence agencies, including the OGPU, the NKVD and the KGB.
Scholar Maziar Behrooz argues that "Kambakhsh was not a theorist but a party functionary with strong personal connections to the Soviets".
Early life and education.
Kambakhsh was born in 1902 or 1903 in Qazvin, and came from an aristocrat Qajar family. He was grown up in his birthplace, and went to study in Soviet Union in 1915. Inspired by the Russian Revolution, he returned to Iran and joined the Socialist and Communist parties. He then resided in Tehran and became a factory manager. Despite his political leanings, the Persian government granted him a scholarship in 1927 and he was sent to Russia for university. At Moscow University, he studied aeronautics between 1928 and 1932.
Career.
He represented Tudeh in the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
According to written statements of Khosro Rouzbeh in military court, Kambakhsh initiated the activities of Tudeh Military Network in early 1944.
In the first congress of Tudeh held in August 1944, Kambakhsh was elected to the central committee.
After the 1946 Azerbaijan revolt, he was prosecuted with a warrant and as a result he fled the country. The military tribunal sentenced him to death in absentia, forcing him into exile until his death.


Roy Buchanan

Leroy "Roy" Buchanan (September 23, 1939 – August 14, 1988) was an American guitarist and blues musician. A pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan worked as a sideman and as a solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career and two later solo albums that made it to the "Billboard" chart. He never achieved stardom, but he is still considered a highly influential guitar player. "Guitar Player" praised him as having one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time." He appeared on the PBS music program "Austin City Limits" in 1977 (season 2).
Early career.
Leroy Buchanan was born in Ozark, Arkansas, and was raised there and in Pixley, California, a farming area near Bakersfield. His father was a sharecropper in Arkansas and a farm laborer in California. Buchanan told interviewers that his father was also a Pentecostal preacher, a note repeated in "Guitar Player" magazine but disputed by his older brother J.D. Buchanan told how his first musical memories were of racially mixed revival meetings he attended with his mother, Minnie. "Gospel," he recalled, "that's how I first got into black music." He in fact drew upon many disparate influences while learning to play the guitar (though he later claimed his aptitude derived from being "half-wolf"). He initially showed talent on steel guitar before switching to guitar in the early 50s, and started his professional career at age 15, in Johnny Otis's rhythm and blues revue.
In 1958, Buchanan made his recording debut accompanying Dale Hawkins (Buchanan played the solo on "My Babe") for Chicago's Chess Records. Two years later, during a tour through Toronto, Buchanan left Dale Hawkins to play for his cousin Ronnie Hawkins and tutor Ronnie's guitar player, Robbie Robertson. Buchanan plays bass on the Ronnie Hawkins single "Who Do You Love?". Buchanan soon returned to the United States, and members of the Ronnie Hawkins' group later gained fame as the roots rock group The Band.
In the early 1960s, Buchanan often played as a sideman with various rock bands, and he played guitar in recording sessions with Freddy Cannon, Merle Kilgore, and others. At the end of the 1960s, with a growing family, Buchanan left the music industry to learn a trade and was trained as a hairdresser (barber). However, in the early 1970s he performed in the Washington, D.C.–Maryland–Virginia area with the Danny Denver Band, which had a following in the area. Buchanan was also popular as a solo act in the D.C. area at this time.
Recording career.
In 1961 he released "Mule Train Stomp", his first single for Swan, featuring rich guitar tones. Buchanan's 1962 recording with drummer Bobby Gregg, nicknamed "Potato Peeler," first introduced the trademark Buchanan "pinch" harmonic. An effort to cash in on the British Invasion caught Buchanan with the British Walkers. In the mid-1960s, Buchanan settled down in the Washington, D.C., area, playing for Danny Denver's band for many years while acquiring a reputation as "...one of the very finest rock guitarists around. Jimi Hendrix would not take up the challenge of a 'pick-off' with Roy."
The facts behind that claim are that in March 1968 a photographer friend, John Gossage gave Buchanan tickets to a concert by the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Washington Hilton. "Buchanan was dismayed to find his own trademark sounds, like the wah-wah that he'd painstakingly produced with his hands and his Telecaster, created by electronic pedals. He could never attempt Hendrix's stage show, and this realization refocused him on his own quintessentially American roots-style guitar picking."
Gossage recalls how Roy was very impressed by the Hendrix 1967 debut album "Are You Experienced?", which was why he made sure to give Roy a ticket to the early show at the Hilton. Gossage went backstage to take photos and tried to convince Jimi to go and see Roy at the Silver Dollar that night after the show, but Jimi seemed more interested in hanging out with the young lady who was backstage with him. Hendrix never showed up at the Silver Dollar, but Gossage did talk to Roy about seeing the Hilton show. That same night (as the Hilton show) Roy did several Hendrix numbers and "from that point on, had nothing but good things to say about Hendrix". He later released recordings of the Hendrix composition "If 6 Was 9" and the Hendrix hit "Hey Joe" (written by Billy Roberts and first recorded by The Leaves).
Buchanan's life changed in 1971, when he gained national notice as the result of an hour-long PBS television documentary. Entitled "Introducing Roy Buchanan," and sometimes mistakenly called "The Best Unknown Guitarist in the World", it earned a record deal with Polydor Records and praise from John Lennon and Merle Haggard, besides an alleged invitation to join the Rolling Stones which he turned down and which gave him the nickname "the man who turned the Stones down". He may have turned the Stones down for two reasons. He may have feared abusing drugs and alcohol more if he joined them, and dying, like Brian Jones. And he may have felt that his own career as he was then pursuing it had promising directions that he could not follow as well if he joined the Stones. In 1977, he appeared on the PBS music program "Austin City Limits" during Season 2. He recorded five albums for Polydor, one of which, "Second Album", went gold, and after that another three for Atlantic Records, one of which, 1977's "Loading Zone", also went gold. Buchanan quit recording in 1981, vowing never to enter a studio again unless he could record his own music his own way. Four years later, Alligator Records coaxed Buchanan back into the studio.
His first album for Alligator, "When a Guitar Plays the Blues", was released in the spring of 1985. It was the first time he had total artistic freedom in the studio. His second Alligator LP, "Dancing on the Edge" (with vocals on three tracks by Delbert McClinton), was released in the fall of 1986. He released the twelfth and last album of his career, "Hot Wires", in 1987. Buchanan's last show was on August 7, 1988, at Guilford Fairgrounds in Guilford, Connecticut.
Death.
According to his agent and others, Buchanan was doing well, having gained control of his drinking habit and playing again, when he was arrested for public intoxication after a domestic dispute. He was found hanged from his own shirt in a jail cell on August 14, 1988, in the Fairfax County, Virginia, Jail. According to Thomas Hartman, who was in a cell near Buchanan's, the deputy sheriff opened the door early in the morning and found Buchanan with the shirt around his neck. His cause of death was officially recorded as suicide, a finding disputed by Buchanan's friends and family. One of his friends, Marc Fisher, reported seeing Roy's body with bruises on the head.
After his death, compilation and other albums continue to be released, including in 2004 the never-released first album he recorded for Polydor, "The Prophet".
Roy Buchanan is interred at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Guitars, tone, and technique.
Guitars.
Buchanan used a number of guitars in his career, although he was most often associated with a 1953 Fender Telecaster, serial number 2324, nicknamed "Nancy." At some point "Nancy" had jumbo frets installed, but remained largely original. There are two very different stories explaining how Buchanan got the guitar. He himself said that, while enrolled in 1969 in a school to learn to be a hairdresser, he ran after a guy walking down the street with that guitar, and bought him a purple Telecaster to trade. A friend of Buchanan's, however, said that Buchanan was playing a Gibson Les Paul at the time, and traded it for the '53 Tele. One of Buchanan's Telecasters was later owned by Danny Gatton and Mike Stern, who lost it in a robbery.
Tone.
Buchanan played the Telecaster through a Fender Vibrolux
amplifier with the volume and tone "full out," and used the guitar's volume and tone controls to control volume and sound (he achieved a wah wah effect using the tone control). To achieve his desired distorted sounds, Buchanan at one point used a razor blade to slit the paper cones of the speakers in his amp, an approach also employed by the Kinks' Dave Davies and others. Buchanan rarely used effects pedals, though he started using an Echoplex on "A Street Called Straight" (1976). In his later career he played with a Boss DD-2 delay.
Technique.
Buchanan taught himself various playing techniques, including "chicken picking". He sometimes used his thumb nail rather than a plectrum, and also employed it to augment his index finger and pick. Holding the pick between his thumb and forefinger, Buchanan also plucked the string and simultaneously touched it lightly with the lower edge of his thumb at one of the harmonic nodes, thus suppressing lower overtones and emphasising the harmonic, sometimes referred to as pinch harmonics, though Buchanan called it an "overtone." Buchanan could play harmonics at will, and could mute individual strings with free right-hand fingers while picking or pinching others. He was famous as well for his oblique bends.
Having first played lap steel guitar, Buchanan often imitated its effect and bent strings to the required pitch, rather than starting on the desired note. This was particularly notable in his approach to using double and triple stops.
Legacy.
Buchanan has influenced many guitarists, including Robbie Robertson, Gary Moore, Danny Gatton, Arlen Roth, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Jerry Garcia, Mick Ronson, Nils Lofgren, Jim Campilongo, and Steve Kimock; Beck dedicated his version of "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" from "Blow by Blow" to him. His work is said to "stretch the limits of the electric guitar," and he is praised for "his subtlety of tone and the breadth of his knowledge, from the blackest of blues to moaning R&B and clean, concise, bone-deep rock 'n' roll."
In 2004, "Guitar Player" listed his version of "Sweet Dreams," from his debut album on Polydor, "Roy Buchanan", as having one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time." In the same year, the readers of "Guitar Player" voted Buchanan #46 in a top 50 readers' poll.


Laurel Griggs

Laurel Clair Griggs (June 28, 2006 – November 5, 2019) was an American child actress, primarily acting in Broadway theatre, and also appearing in films and on television, including two appearances in "Saturday Night Live" sketches and a small part in the Woody Allen film "Café Society".
Career.
Her first appearance on Broadway was at the age of six as the character Polly in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". She played the character Ivanka in the musical "Once" for a record-setting seventeen-month stint between 2013 and 2015. Her Broadway career was reported to have encompassed over a thousand performances. She also appeared on episodes of the TV series "Louie" and "Bubble Guppies".
Death.
Griggs died of a massive asthma attack on November 5, 2019, at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital. She was 13 years old. Griggs was Jewish. She is buried at New Montefiore Cemetery.


Hend Sabry

Hend Sabry (; born Hend Mohamed El-Moldy Sabry on 20 November 1979) is an Tunisian Egyptian actress working in Egypt.
Career.
Sabry starred as "'Ola" in the Egyptian television drama "Ayza Atgawez" as a character obsessed with getting married, who goes through dozens of prospective fiancés.
In 2010 she was appointed an ambassador against hunger by the UN World Food Programme. "Arabian Business" listed her among the "100 most powerful Arab women" in 2013.
Sabry is married to an Egyptian businessman and has dual-nationalities of her home country Tunisia and her country of residence Egypt.
She was on the cover of the Tunivisions people magazine in June 2011. She is also an ambassador for Garnier.


Ganesh-Vasanth

Ganesh - Vasanth are the fictional lawyer cum detective duo appearing in Tamil crime thriller novels written by Sujatha from 1970s. Lawyer Ganesh is a senior advocate who is mainly accompanied by his witty and mischievous young junior assistant lawyer Vasanth. The duo featured in many of the detective crime thriller novels of writer Sujatha.
Duo pair.
Ganesh is a level-headed, senior advocate while Vasanth is his flirtatious junior advocate. The Ganesh-Vasanth pair were similar to James Hadley Chase's characters, Vic Malloy and his sidekick. Ganesh was initially assisted by a female assistant Niraja, but later on he was paired with Vasanth. The exact ages of Ganesh and Vasanth were not mentioned by the author and they remain immortal in the minds of the readers. The ages of the duo are assumed to be in between late twenties and early thirties with Vasanth being few years younger than Ganesh. The marital status of the duo was also not mentioned in any of the novels. According to the last few interviews of the author in the early 2000s, Vasanth is still an eligible bachelor searching for a suitable bride for himself.
Ganesh is portrayed as a serious person while Vasanth is a jolly, social, yet an intelligent guy who lives as right-hand man to his boss Ganesh. Vasanth loves to flirt with women, trying to impress them, and he cracks adult jokes especially the famous mysterious and untold adult joke 'Mexico Salavaikkaari' (Mexican washerwoman), much against the likes of his senior. He is also shown as a brave guy who involves himself in dangerous stunts on his boss' instructions.
The novels were made into films and television shows where the character Ganesh is enacted by well known actors Rajnikanth in Priya (1978 film), Jaishankar in Gaayathri etc.
A television series titled "Vijay Chithiram" consisting seven parts one which was based on the duo which was broadcast on Star Vijay where Ganesh and Vasanth were enacted by actors Suresh and Vijay Adhiraj respectively.
Works.
The duo appeared as solo and together in more than 25 novels many of which listed below:
Novels.
1. Nylon Kayiru "(Nylon Rope)" - Ganesh in solo, a crime thriller based on a murder happened in Mumbai
2. Gayathri - a thriller based on a married woman Gayathri who is abused by her in-laws - made into a film as 'Gayathri' with Jaishankar portraying the character of Ganesh
3. Priya - a thriller based on a film actress Priya's life - made into a film as Priya' with Rajnikanth portraying the character of Ganesh
4. Kolaiyuthir Kalam "(Autumn of Murders)"- a science fiction thriller based on 3D Holography
5. Aah "(Aah - a way of screaming)" - a science fiction thriller based on Auditory Hallucination
6. Pesum Bommaigal "(Talking toys)" - a science fiction thriller based on downloading in medical field
7. Ithan Peyarum Kolai "(This is also called as 'Murder')" - a crime thriller of chasing a serial killer who is in the hunting spree of unfaithful wives
8. Vasanth! Vasanth!
9. Marupadiyum Ganesh "(Ganesh Again)" - a crime thriller based on the murder of the wife by her husband
10. Marina
11. Nirvana Nagaram "(Nude City)"
12. Kolai Arangam "(Murder Stage)" - a crime thriller based on Property Dispute
13. Iynthavathu Athiyayam "(Fifth Chapter)"
14. Aayirathil Iruvar "(Two in a thousand") - a crime thriller based on an IAS officer
15. Nillungal Rajavae "(Please Stop! Raja)" - a science fiction thriller based on hypnosis
16. Yedhaiyum Orumurai "(Anything one time)"
17. Odaathe! "(Do not run)" - a crime thriller based on a newly married couple
18. Megathai Thurathiyavan "(The one who chases the cloud)" - a thriller based on bank robbery (Vasanth in solo)
19. Maerkae Oru Kutram "(A crime at West (Western Country))" - a thriller where a chasing from India to Germany begins with a murder of a young girl.
Short Stories.
1. Maya
2. Maelum Oru Kutram "(Another crime)" - a story based on a holiday of Ganesh and Vasanth at a hill station
3. Meendum Oru Kutram "(Once again a crime)" - a crime thriller based on a murder of a business man
4. Vidhi "(Fate)"
5. Paathi Rajiyam "(Half of the Kingdom)" - a thriller based on blackmail (Ganesh in solo)
6. Oru Vibathin Anatomy "(An anatomy of an accident)" - Ganesh in solo
7. Malai Maaligai "(Mountain Palace)" - a story based on Metempsychosis


Pamela Bryant

Pamela Jean Bryant (February 8, 1959 - December 4, 2010) was an American model and actress. She was "Playboy" magazine's Playmate of the Month for its April 1978 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Richard Fegley.
Bryant first appeared in "Playboy" in the September 1977 pictorial "The Girls of the Big Ten". (She was attending Indiana University at the time). She went on to have an extensive acting career, appearing in films such as "H.O.T.S." (1979), "Don't Answer the Phone" (1980) and "Private Lessons" (1981). Bryant also appeared on TV shows such as "Dukes of Hazzard", "Magnum, P.I.", "Fantasy Island", and "The Love Boat".
She worked as an artist before her death from an asthma attack.
References.
2. Death Certificate State of Hawaii showing date of death, December 5, 2010, 12:20 AM


Maxim Bazylev

Maxim Bazylev (Romanov; also known as Adolf; 17 October 1980 - 27 March 2009) was a Russian nationalist, founder of the magazine "Russian Will" (), and last leader of the NSO (). The FSB believed Bazylev to be the organizer of the Pushkin and Sergiev Posad groups, whose members are accused of committing over 30 murders.
With Bazylev in prison was a co-defendant, 21-year-old student of the Higher School of Economics Roman Zheleznov (Zuhel). Both were charged with eight murders. Bazylev committed suicide in his cell at Petrovka 38 metropolitan detention center by slitting the veins on his forearms and neck.


J. J. Bittenbinder

John Joseph Bittenbinder (born September 1, 1943), known as J. J. Bittenbinder, is a retired member of the Chicago Police Department and author, who hosted the 1990s crime series "Tough Target" and is a public speaker on the subject of safety.
Biography.
Bittenbinder was born September 1, 1943, in Buffalo, New York. He joined the Chicago Police Department in 1971, and remained with the force for 23 years; the last 18 were spent assigned to homicide and violent crimes. He is considered to be an expert on violent crimes and tours the country, speaking to audiences about the topic. His 1997 book "Tough Target: A Street-Smart Guide to Staying Safe" was critically and financially successful.
In popular culture.
In 1995, J. J. Bittenbinder became the host of the television program "Tough Target", which focused on crimes and their prevention. He also wrote for the show. It was cancelled in 1996. He also has two of his own television specials on PBS, "Street Smarts: How to Avoid Being a Victim" and "Street Smarts: Straight Talk for Kids, Teens & Parents". He has made guest appearances on many television shows, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Primetime Live". He has also appeared on CNN and been the subject of national PBS television specials.
Bittenbinder was parodied in the cult favorite sketch comedy program "Mr. Show". In the episode "Now Who Wants Ice Cream?", the comedian Bob Odenkirk portrayed F. F. Woodycooks, a bizarre, nasal-voiced host of a television show about crime, who was a parody of Bittenbinder. Woodycooks even has a strange mustache like Bittenbinder's and uses unusual and funny-sounding phrases to refer to criminals. Woodycooks hosts a show called "Take Back the Streets" in which he shows dramatizations of crimes. The sketch ends with Woodycooks promoting his "F. F. Woodycooks Ice Cream Parlour Precincts". "Mr. Show" writer Paul F. Tompkins states that he came up with the idea for the sketch after he heard Bittenbinder refer to a couple of rapists as "goofs".
Stand-up comedian John Mulaney references Bittenbinder's presentations to Mulaney's class at Saint Clement Catholic Elementary School in his Netflix comedy special "".
Recent work.
Currently, J. J. Bittenbinder is serving as "Good Morning America" Safety Specialist. He also has stated that he never wore a cowboy hat to school visits, contrary to what John Mulaney has said.


John, the Lord Chamberlain


Thomas Kneir

Thomas Kneir is an American law enforcement official who was the Federal Bureau of Investigations Office Chief in Chicago, Illinois. After his career in the FBI, Kneir became the Chief of Product Security at Abbot Laboratories.
Early life and education.
Thomas Kneir was born in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1949. He played baseball at Western Michigan University, but then transferred to University of Illinois in Chicago after hearing of an opening at the FBI office in Chicago for clerical work. After graduation from UIC with an accounting degree he stayed with the FBI. He was made a Special Agent in April 1973.
Career.
FBI.
Kneir's first assignment was in Dallas, Texas where he helped to stop a 25 million dollar fraud scheme. After Dallas, Kneir was moved to Atlanta. After successfully finishing his time in Atlanta, Kneir was moved to the Eastern Kentucky Louisville office in 1979 where he was promoted to supervisor. In 1984, Kneir was assigned to headquarters in Washington where he supervised the Governmental Fraud Unit. In 1986, Kneir was assigned to the Baltimore FBI office as supervisor. During his tenure in this office, the FBI Baltimore office was tracking the money from the Iran-Contra scandal. Returning to Washington D.C. from 1989 to 1991, he headed the Public Corruption unit. In September 1994 he became the No. 2 supervisor in the Albuquerque office and was promoted to head of the office. After Albuquerque, Knier became the head of the Jacksonville office. On September 10, 2001, he was appointed head of the Chicago Office.
Head of Chicago Office.
The primary focus of Kneir's time in Chicago was dealing with terrorism and public corruption. Working in cooperation with Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, the Chicago office led by Kneir launched several large investigations which lead to trials including the Duffs trial, the Governor Ryan Corruption Trial, and Operation Family Secrets. As head of the Chicago Field office, Kneir attended many events related to security including the Prizker Military Museum and Library program "Front & Center with John Callaway: Homeland Security: Is Chicago Prepared?" Kneir retired in 2004.
Abbott Laboratories.
After the FBI, Kneir took a job at North Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories as director of product security.


John Joseph Kitchen

John Joseph Kitchen (December 29, 1911 – September 21, 1973) was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Education and career.
Born in Camden, New Jersey, Kitchen received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1933 and a Bachelor of Laws from South Jersey Law School (now Rutgers Law School) in 1937. He was a clerk for the Registrar of Deeds for Camden County, New Jersey from 1938 to 1939. He was in private practice in Woodbury, New Jersey from 1939 to 1942. He was a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1942 to 1946. He was a deputy state attorney general of New Jersey from 1946 to 1953. He was in private practice in Woodbury from 1946 to 1962. He was the township solicitor for Logan Township, New Jersey from 1947 to 1961. He was the township solicitor for Mantua Township, New Jersey from 1960 to 1962. He was a judge of the Municipal Court of West Deptford Township, New Jersey from 1955 to 1959. He was a judge of the Municipal Court of Westville, New Jersey from 1957 to 1959. He was a judge of the Superior Court of Gloucester County, New Jersey from 1962 to 1970.
Federal judicial service.
Kitchen was nominated by President Richard Nixon on October 7, 1970, to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, to a new seat created by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 13, 1970, and received his commission on October 16, 1970. Kitchen served in that capacity until his death of an apparent heart attack on September 21, 1973, at Underwood Memorial Hospital (now Inspira Health Network) in Woodbury.


Pedro Cunha (actor)

Pedro Cunha (12 August 1980 – 28 April 2014) was a Portuguese actor who appeared in several TV series and soap operas in Portugal, England and Spain. He was found dead on 28 April 2014 after committing suicide.


Helsinki Watch

Helsinki Watch was a private American non-governmental organization established by Robert L. Bernstein (died on May 27, 2019 at 96 years of age due to respiratory failure) in 1978, designed to monitor the former Soviet Union’s compliance with the 1975 Helsinki Accords. Expanding in size and scope, Helsinki Watch began using media coverage to document human rights violations committed by abusive governments. Since its inception, it has produced several other watch committees dedicated to monitoring human rights in other parts of the world. In 1988, Helsinki Watch and its companion watch committees combined to form Human Rights Watch
History.
Beginnings.
Following the multinational agreement establishing the Helsinki Accords in 1975, the Helsinki Watch was established to ensure Eastern Bloc countries undergoing severe civil conflict comply with the provisions originally established in the Helsinki Accords. This was the result of an emergence of pressing requests on behalf of organizations located in Moscow, Prague, and Warsaw who were tasked with monitoring the Soviet Union and regions of Eastern Europe to ensure their compliance in facilitating various human rights pledges made throughout the Accords, many of which were arrested by Soviet authorities in early 1977. One of the primary objectives of Helsinki Watch was to serve as an instrument of advocacy for freeing the imprisoned monitors arrested by Soviet officials, but its most noteworthy accomplishments was predicated on promoting civil and political freedoms in the Soviet Union and regions of Eastern Europe. Helsinki Watch developed a means of identifying the corrupt actions of governments by publicly acknowledging unethical behaviour carried out by different governmental bodies through media coverage and directly through policymakers on an international scale.
Transition to Human Rights Watch.
As tensions built between the United States and the Soviet Union, The Americas Watch was created in 1981 to avoid criticism of hypocrisy. The Americas watch set out to observe and acknowledge abuses carried out by governmental bodies situated in Central America, and most notably criticized governments such as the United States for their involvement in providing arms and support to dangerous regimes situated in the Americas. The establishment of other similar organizations rapidly increased through their classification as “The Watch Committees” with the creation of the Asia Watch (1985), Africa Watch (1986), and Middle East Watch (1989). In 1988, these committees formally adopted the overarching title of The Human Rights Watch.
Funding.
The establishment of the Helsinki Watch was made possible by a $400,000 grant donated by the Ford Foundation.
Effectiveness.
Upon its establishment, the Helsinki Watch immediately became a major organization with significant leverage internationally. Initially, the Helsinki Watch would directly appeal to communist leaders by creating petitions and publicly "naming and shaming" abusive governments. When this method proved to be ineffective, they quickly graduated to using political influence from important Western and European politicians to further their mission of influencing government policy both directly and indirectly. As the Helsinki Watch grew it continued to build its reputation of providing accurate and reliable information on human rights violations in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The Helsinki Watch is said to have played an important role in shaping human rights in the 1980s.
Criticism.
Helsinki Watch attracted some allegations of bias during its early days. It was criticized for narrowing its scope to human rights violations committed by the Soviet bloc while ignoring human rights violations that were occurring in other parts of the world. Many suggested that its strategy of enlisting the help of Europeans to denounce the Soviet Union reflected this. It was specifically criticized for being hypocritical in its reporting, as in its early days it neglected to recognize abuses taking place within America. In response to such criticism, the founders of Helsinki Watch created a new division called Americas Watch. From there the organization expanded rapidly, establishing Watches to cover other parts of the world. In 1988, all of the Helsinki Watch's separate divisions were amalgamated into one unit called the Human Rights Watch.
Major publications.
Published in 1991, major publications of The Helsinki Watch include:


Dorothy Collins

Dorothy Collins (born Marjorie Chandler; November 18, 1926 – July 21, 1994) was a Canadian/American singer, actress, and recording artist.
Radio and TV.
Collins was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and adopted her stage name in her mid-teens. As a youngster, she sang on radio stations in Windsor and Detroit. In 1940, at age 14, she and her family were introduced to bandleader/composer Raymond Scott in Chicago. Shortly thereafter, she became Scott's protégée. In early 1942, at age 15, she became a featured vocalist with Scott's orchestra, performing on radio and on tour. Scott groomed her for stardom, which included coaching her vocals (pitch, phrasing, and delivery) and mentoring her performance skills. In the late 1940s, she contributed vocals to the revived Raymond Scott Quintette, a sextet that released records on the bandleader's own Master label and served as house band on the radio program "Herb Shriner Time". In 1949, after Scott was hired to conduct the orchestra on the popular CBS Radio program, "Lucky Strike's Your Hit Parade", Collins was trained by Scott to lead his sextet on tour in his absence.
In 1950, "Your Hit Parade" moved to NBC television, with Scott retained as conductor. Shortly thereafter, at Scott's urging, Collins auditioned for a vocalist slot and was hired. She shot to nationwide fame as one of the show's featured vocalists, singing—and acting in costume—in sketches dramatizing popular songs of the day. After her absence from "Your Hit Parade" during the 1957–58 season (a new cast of singers replaced Collins and her fellow vocalists), Collins returned for the series' final season on CBS Television ending in April 1959.
Collins often appeared as spokeswoman/vocalist in Lucky Strike cigarette commercials during the program and on their other sponsored series (including the Jack Benny radio show) via transcription disc, earning the title, "The Sweetheart of Lucky Strike." She made television history as the first performer to appear on videotape. The recording format was first introduced in a Collins musical segment on the October 23, 1956 episode of NBC's "The Jonathan Winters Show". Her additional TV credits include "The Steve Allen Show", "The Bell Telephone Hour", and "The Hollywood Palace". From 1961 to 1963 she was co-host and stunt participant on CBS-TV's "Candid Camera" with Durward Kirby and series creator Allen Funt. In 1961 she occasionally guest-hosted a short-lived Carol Burnett and Richard Hayes CBS Radio Network show.
Recording and concerts.
In 1955, her single "My Boy – Flat Top, " reached No. 16 on the "Billboard" charts. A follow-up single, "Baciare Baciare (Kissing Kissing)", peaked at No. 43. In 1956, her single "Seven Days" peaked at No. 17. She recorded other singles and albums in the 1950s, with little chart success. In 1958, for the Coral Records label she released "Picnic: Dorothy Collins Sings Steve Allen", an album of compositions by the musician/TV host/comedian. Collins sang a collection of educational tunes on an album titled "Experiment Songs", one of six LPs in a set called "Ballads for the Age of Science," composed and produced by Hy Zaret and Lou Singer around 1960.
During the 1950s and '60s, Collins provided vocals for many TV and radio commercials produced and recorded by Raymond Scott's Jingle Workshop. A number of these performances were issued in 2019 on the double album "The Jingle Workshop: Midcentury Musical Miniatures 1951–1965", on the Modern Harmonic label.
In 1979, she performed in concert at Michael's Pub in New York.
Theatre.
In the summer of 1957 she played Dorothy Gale in The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis production of "The Wizard of Oz", alongside Margaret Hamilton reprising her movie role of the Wicked Witch of the West. Collins played the title role in the Saint Paul Civic Opera Association's presentation of "The Unsinkable Molly Brown".
In 1971, Collins made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim's "Follies", portraying Sally Durant Plummer, a one-time Ziegfeld-style showgirl trapped in a disappointing marriage. Critic Martin Gottfried wrote of her performance: "Dorothy Collins, 'Hit Parade' jokes notwithstanding, has a voice of impressive versatility and range." Her performance earned a Tony Award nomination as Best Actress in a Musical, but lost to co-star, fellow Canadian-born actress Alexis Smith. When the production opened in Los Angeles in 1972, Collins reprised the role of Sally.
At the Melody Top summer stock theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin she starred in "Good News" (1975), and she reprised her role in "Follies" (1977). In 1980 she appeared as Dolly in "Hello Dolly" at An Evening Dinner Theatre, Elmsford, New York.
Personal life.
Collins was married to Raymond Scott from 1952 until their divorce in 1965. They had two daughters, Deborah and Elizabeth.
She married actor Ron Holgate in December 1966, whom she met in a touring production of "Do I Hear A Waltz." Collins and Holgate had a daughter, Melissa. They separated in 1977, and divorced in 1980.
Death.
Dorothy Collins died in July 1994 from asthma and heart disease at her home in Watervliet, New York. She was survived by her three daughters. Her first husband, Raymond Scott, had died just five months earlier.


Mike Oxley

Michael Garver Oxley (February 11, 1944 – January 1, 2016) was an American Republican politician and attorney who served as a U.S. Representative from the 4th congressional district of Ohio.
Background.
Oxley was born in Findlay, Ohio, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in 1966 and a law degree from Ohio State University in 1969. He was a member of the Alpha chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity at Miami.
From 1969 to 1972, Oxley worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and became active in the Ohio Republican Party. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1973 to 1981.
Oxley was elected a U.S. Representative in 1981 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of U.S. Representative Tennyson Guyer. Oxley began serving at this post in June 1981 in the 97th Congress.
He served as the chairman of the Committee on Financial Services, and was House sponsor of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002, which enacted "sweeping post-Enron regulations of publicly traded companies." He was also the House sponsor of a 2006 bill that condemned media outlets that had published information on a covert financial surveillance system.
Oxley announced his retirement from Congress on November 1, 2005, effective at the end of his term in 2007. He was succeeded by Republican Jim Jordan.
Post-congressional career.
Following his retirement from Congress, Oxley was named a nonexecutive vice chairman for NASDAQ, and a partner at the law firm of BakerHostetler in Washington, D.C. He later became a lobbyist for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the "self-regulatory body of the securities industry."
Oxley, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer around 2006, and became a member of the Lung Cancer Alliance board. He died in McLean, Virginia, on January 1, 2016, from the disease.
Honors.
The Findlay post office is named for Oxley and the portion of US 30 within Hancock County is designated "Congressman Michael G. Oxley Memorial Highway".


Suicide in the United States

Suicide is a major national public health issue in the United States. The country has one of the highest suicide rates among wealthy nations. In 2018, there were 48,344 recorded suicides, up from 42,773 in 2014, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). On average, adjusted for age, the annual U.S. suicide rate increased 24% between 1999 and 2014, from 10.5 to 13.0 suicides per 100,000 people, the highest rate recorded in 28 years. Due to the stigma surrounding suicide, it is suspected that suicide generally is underreported. In April 2016, the CDC released data showing that the suicide rate in the United States had hit a 30-year high, and later in June 2018, released further data showing that the rate has continued to increase and has increased in every U.S. state except Nevada since 1999. Surging death rates from suicide, drug overdoses and alcoholism, what researchers refer to as "deaths of despair", are largely responsible for a consecutive three year decline of life expectancy in the U.S. This constitutes the first three-year drop in life expectancy in the U.S. since the years 1915–1918.
In 2015, suicide was the seventh leading cause of death for males and the 14th leading cause of death for females. Additionally, it was the second leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 34 and the third leading cause of death for those between the ages of 10 and 14. From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans aged 35 to 64 increased nearly 30 percent. The largest increases were among women aged 60 to 64, with rates rising 60 percent, then men in their fifties, with rates rising nearly 50 percent. In 2008, it was observed that U.S. suicide rates, particularly among middle-aged white women, had increased, although the causes were unclear. As of 2018, about 1.7 percent of all deaths were suicides.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reported that in 2016 suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., imposing a cost of $69 billion to the US annually. Other statistics reported are:
The U.S. government seeks to prevent suicides through its National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, a collaborative effort of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, and Indian Health Service. Their plan consists of eleven goals aimed at preventing suicides. Older adults are disproportionately likely to commit suicide. Some U.S. jurisdictions have laws against suicide or against assisting suicide. In recent years, there has been increased interest in rethinking these laws.
Suicide has been associated with tough economic conditions, including unemployment rate.
There are significant variations in the suicide rates of the different states, ranging from 28.89 per 100,000 people in Montana to 8.11 per 100,000 people in New York.
Approximately half of suicides are committed using a firearm, accounting for two-thirds of all firearm deaths. Firearms were used in 56.9% of suicides among males in 2016, making it the most commonly used method by them.
Trends in suicide attempts.
The spike in suicide rates in the United States during the 21st century has gained public and clinical attention. Studies have found that despite all efforts to minimize suicide rates, rates have steadily increased by approximately 2% per year from 2006 to 2014. A national epidemiologic survey of 69,341 US adults found the percentage of adults attempting suicide increased from 0.62% in 2004 through 2005 to 0.79% in 2012 through 2013. Because of this, clinicians aim to determine whether this is a coincident national increase in suicide attempts. In order to achieve this, trends in suicide attempts are characterized among sociodemographic and clinical groups. It was found that suicide attempts impact "younger adults with less formal education and those with antisocial personality disorder, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and a history of violence” at disproportional rates. It is important for trends in suicide attempts to be investigated and researched for they help to determine the cause of the increase in suicide rates. Knowing the trends in suicide also allow preventative measures to be taken. Suicide prevention is possible through early identification and treatment of individuals deemed high risk.
Suicide as a public health crisis.
Suicide prevention has been thought of as the responsibility of mental health professionals within clinical settings between 2000–2010. As of 2019, suicide prevention is being recognized as a public health responsibility rather than within clinical settings due to the trend in increasing suicide rates. In 1960–2010, population-based risk reduction approaches have been used for other diseases such as myocardial infarction. However, as of 2019, the urgency of development of effective suicide prevention has been recognized by the CDC. While suicide is often thought of as an individual problem, suicides may impact families, communities, and society in general. The responsibility of public health would be to develop policies to reduce people's risk of suicidal behavior through addressing factors at the individual to societal levels. "Public health emphasizes efforts to prevent violence (in this case, toward oneself) before it happens. This approach requires addressing factors that put people at risk for, or protect them from, engaging in suicidal behavior."
The CDC has created a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline where they provide free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for people who are in need of such help, and best practices for professionals. In May 2019, Bloomberg reported that in spite of the recent mental health crisis, insurance companies, including UnitedHealth Group, are doing what they can to limit coverage and deny claims for mental health related issues.
A 2019 study by a private non-profit called National Bureau of Economic Research says there is a direct causal link between worker's wages and suicide rates, and that raising the minimum wage would result in a quick drop in the suicide rate.
In August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey conducted by the CDC found that 25.5 percent of people aged between 18 and 24 have seriously contemplated suicide within the last 30 days. For the age group 25 to 44, it was 16 percent. Glenn Greenwald of "The Intercept" said of the findings:
In a remotely healthy society, one that provides basic emotional needs to its population, suicide and serious suicidal ideation are rare events. It is anathema to the most basic human instinct: the will to live. A society in which such a vast swath of the population is seriously considering it as an option is one which is anything but healthy, one which is plainly failing to provide its citizens the basic necessities for a fulfilling life.
Subgroups.
Age and sex.
The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) keeps data on U.S. suicides.
Based on the NVDRS 2016 data, the "New York Times" acknowledged that, among men, those over 65—who make up a smaller proportion of the population—are at greatest risk of death by suicide. The NVDRS 2015 data showed that, among men of all races, men over 65 were the most likely to die of suicides (27.67 suicides per 100,000), closely followed by men 40–64 (27.10 suicides per 100,000). Men 20–39 (23.41 per 100,000) and 15–19 (13.81 per 100,000) were less likely to die of suicides.
By state.
There are significant variations in the suicide rates of the different states. A number of theories for these differences have been suggested, ranging from socioeconomics to access to firearms and isolation (low population densities), and a study in 2011 found a correlation between altitude above sea level and suicide.
College students.
For college students, suicide is the second highest cause of death. The risk tends to be underestimated, as many falsely believe that young people do not have thoughts about suicide. The suicide rate for male students is about three times higher than that of female students. The study of suicide rates and trends was not common in the past, but it has gained more attention in 2019. From 1990 to 2004, about 1,404 college students committed suicide. This is about 6.5 percent of those who committed suicide nationwide. In 2014, the adjusted age rate was higher for male than female: the suicide rate for males was 20.7 per 100,000 while the rate for females was 5.8 per 100,000.
While counseling services can help prevent suicide, resource availability may be insufficient. Students who do not go to counseling services are at 18 times more at risk of suicide compared to those who do. If a college student has any suicidal thoughts, it is always critical to let others, such as members of the school, family, or friends know.
Military.
A 2009 U.S. Army report indicates military veterans have double the suicide rate of non-veterans, and more active-duty soldiers have died from suicide than in combat in the Iraq War (2003–2011) and War in Afghanistan (2001–present). Colonel Carl Castro, director of military operational medical research for the Army noted "there needs to be a cultural shift in the military to get people to focus more on mental health and fitness." In 2012, the US Army reported 185 suicides among active-duty troops, exceeding the number of combat deaths in that year (176). This figure has significantly increased since 2001, when the number of suicides was 52.
LGBTQ.
Attempted suicide rates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and adults in the U.S. are three times higher than national averages.
Veterinarians.
Suicide rates among veterinarians are a growing problem: suicide rates among male veterinarians are twice the national average, and among female veterinarians the suicide rate is 3.5 times the national average.
Chronic pain.
Patients with chronic pain are twice as likely to attempt suicide compared with those without chronic pain.
Autism.
Studies have found very high rates of suicide in people with autism spectrum disorders, including high functioning autism and what was formerly known as Asperger syndrome. Autism and particularly Asperger syndrome are highly associated with clinical depression and as many as 30 percent or more of people with Asperger syndrome also suffer from depression.
ADHD.
Those with ADHD are 3-5 times more likely to complete suicide. A comorbidity of depression with ADHD is the best predictor of suicidal thoughts in adolescence.
Murder–suicide.
There have been many high-profile incidents in the United States in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s of individuals thought to be attempting "suicide by cop" or killing others before killing themselves. Examples include the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, the 2010 Austin plane crash, the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the 2014 Isla Vista killings and the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting.


Raymond L. Acosta

Raymond L. Acosta (May 31, 1925 – December 23, 2014) was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.
Education and career.
Born in New York City, New York, Acosta after serving in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946, during World War II, and participated in the D-Day Invasion of Normandy (Utah Beach) attended Rutgers School of Law – Newark where received a Juris Doctor in 1951. He was in private practice of law in Hackensack, New Jersey, from 1953 to 1954, and was then a special agent at the F.B.I. field office in San Diego, California, Washington, D.C., and Miami, Florida, from 1954 to 1958. He was an Assistant United States Attorney in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 1958 to 1961. Acosta went into private practice in San Juan from 1962 to 1980, specializing in banking and trust litigation. In 1980 President Jimmy Carter named him United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, serving until 1982.
Federal judicial service.
On September 9, 1982, President Ronald Reagan nominated Acosta to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico vacated by Judge Jose Victor Toledo. Acosta was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 29, 1982, and received his commission the following day. He assumed senior status on June 1, 1994. He died on December 23, 2014.
Notable case.
Acosta was perhaps best known for presiding over the complex litigation resulting from the Dupont Plaza Hotel arson, a disaster that claimed 98 lives. His "masterful and innovative handling of the complex mass disaster litigation" led to the approval of a $220 million settlement of the lawsuit which had involved 2,400 plaintiffs, 250 defendants, and three trial phases over 19 months.
Honor.
The Puerto Rico Chapter of the Federal Bar Association was renamed in honor of Acosta in 2008.


Leland Clure Morton

Leland Clure Morton (February 20, 1916 – April 11, 1998) was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Education and career.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Morton received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee in 1934 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1936. He was in private practice in Knoxville from 1937 to 1941. He was an FBI special agent in Washington, D.C., from 1941 to 1945, thereafter returning to private practice in Knoxville, from 1946 to 1970.
Federal judicial service.
On September 21, 1970, Morton was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee vacated by Judge William Ernest Miller. Morton was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 8, 1970, and received his commission on October 14, 1970. He served as Chief Judge from 1977 to 1984, assuming senior status on July 31, 1984, and serving in that capacity until his death, on April 11, 1998, in Knoxville.
Honor.
In 1996, the L. Clure Morton United States Post Office and Courthouse in Cookeville, Tennessee, was renamed in his honor.


Alexander John Goodrum

Alexander John Goodrum (1960–2002) was an internationally known African-American transgender civil rights activist, writer, and educator. He was the founder and director of TGNet Arizona. He was a board member of the Tucson GLBT Commission, and the Funding Exchange's OUT Fund, which allocates an annual grant named after Goodrum to LGBT community organizing projects such as the Latina lesbian magazine "Esto no tiene nombre," edited in part by tatiana de la tierra. Goodrum was bisexual, disabled, and a trans man, he wrote about his gender influencing spirituality. His "Gender Identity 101: A Transgender Primer" has been reprinted in various forms to educate mainstream society on basic questions regarding transsexual and transgender people. His work is carried on by the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA).
Goodrum died by suicide on September 28, 2002 while at La Frontera Psychiatric Health Facility, a psychiatric ward. His death was unexpected and investigation into the facilities handling of his case prompted some procedural and physical changes at La Frontera.
He was posthumously awarded the Godat Award, which honors lifetime service to the LGBT community.
In 2015, SAGA initiated the Alexander John Goodrum Catalyst of Change award. The first honoree was TV and film star Laverne Cox.


Fan Yanguang

Fan Yanguang () (died September 30, 940), courtesy name Zihuan () (per the "History of the Five Dynasties") or Zigui () (per the "New History of the Five Dynasties"), formally the Prince of Dongping (), was a general from the state of Later Tang and Later Jin during the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He was a close associate of the Later Tang's second emperor Li Siyuan, serving three terms as Li Siyuan's chief of staff ("Shumishi"), and subsequently continued to serve as a general. After the Later Tang's final emperor Li Congke (Li Siyuan's adoptive son) was overthrown by Li Siyuan's son-in-law Shi Jingtang, who founded Later Jin, Fan initially formally submitted, but later rebelled against Shi. His rebellion, however, was not successful, and after Shi promised to spare him, he surrendered. He was, nevertheless, later killed by Shi's general Yang Guangyuan, probably with Shi's implicit, if not explicit, approval.
Background.
It is not known when Fan Yanguang was born, but it is known that he was from Linzhang (臨漳, in modern Handan, Hebei). In his youth, he came to serve as a guard at the prefectural government of Xiang Prefecture (), which Linzhang belonged to. When Li Siyuan, then a general of Jin under his adoptive brother Li Cunxu the Prince of Jin, was serving as the prefect of Xiang Prefecture, Fan became part of his guard corps.
By 923, Li Cunxu had declared himself emperor of a new Later Tang, and at that time was facing off against the army of archrival Later Liang across the Yellow River. In spring 923, he sent Li Siyuan to launch a surprise attack across the Yellow River against Later Liang's Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong), and Li Siyuan was able to surprise Tianping's garrison and capture it. In the aftermaths of Tianping's fall, the Later Liang officer Kang Yanxiao, formerly a Jin subject, sent a secret letter to Li Siyuan, offering to surrender. Li Siyuan believed that it was important to inform Li Cunxu right away, but as Tianping was deep in Later Liang territory, he did not know whom he could send to deliver the letter. Fan volunteered, and was able to deliver the letter to Li Cunxu. As the Later Liang general Wang Yanzhang at that time was attacking the Yangliu (楊劉, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong), a fort on the Yellow River then held by Later Tang, hoping to cut off the supply route between Tianping and Later Tang proper entirely, Fan argued that Yangliu's defense was strong and suggested to Li Cunxu that another fort be built at Majiakou (馬家口, also in modern Liaocheng) while Yangliu was being sieged, rather than to go to Yangliu's aid immediately. Li Cunxu agreed and built Majiakou, which Wang then attacked. Li Siyuan again sent Fan to suggest to Li Cunxu to reinforce Majiakou, but Fan was captured by Later Liang sentry soldiers on the way and taken to the Later Liang capital Daliang. There, he was whipped several hundred times and threatened with swords, but did not reveal Later Tang military secrets. After Li Cunxu captured Daliang in a surprise attack later in the year and the Later Liang emperor Zhu Zhen committed suicide, ending Later Liang, Li Cunxu rewarded him with the honorary titles "Yinqing Guanglu Daifu" () and minister of public works (工部尚書, "Gongbu Shangshu").
During Li Siyuan's reign.
In 926, Li Cunxu was killed in a mutiny at then-Later Tang capital Luoyang. Li Siyuan, who had led one of the rebellions against him, quickly arrived at Luoyang and claimed imperial title. He commissioned Fan Yanguang as one of the directors of palace affairs (宣徽使, "Xuanhuishi").
Meanwhile, one of the rebel leaders against Li Cunxu at Yedu (鄴都, in modern Handan), Zhao Zaili (), had wanted to accept Li Siyuan's subsequent commission as military governor ("Jiedushi") of Yicheng Circuit (義成, headquartered in modern Anyang, Henan), but was coerced by the Yedu troops into not accepting it. However, he sent secret messengers to Li Siyuan, again requesting to be moved. In spring 927, Li Siyuan thus commissioned his own son Li Congrong as the defender of Yedu and had Fan command troops to escort him to Yedu, while commissioning Zhao Zaili as the military governor of Henghai Circuit (橫海, headquartered in modern Cangzhou, Hebei) and two of the main rebel officers under him, Huangfu Hui () and Zhao Jin () as prefectural prefects elsewhere. Apparently in fear of the troops that Fan and Li Congrong had with them, the Yedu troops did not dare to resist. Upon Fan's arrival, nine corps of Yedu troops were dispatched to Lutai Base (蘆臺軍, in modern Cangzhou) to defend against a possible Khitan incursion, but mutinied once they reached there and killed the commander of the base, Wu Zhen (). During the mutiny (which was induced by the general Fang Zhiwen (), who however subsequently suppressed it with An Shentong (), Fan requisitioned Yicheng troops to help defend a potential mutineer return to Yedu.
Fan appeared to have then returned to Luoyang to again serve as a director of palace affairs, for that was the office he was described as having in winter 927. At that time, Li Siyuan publicly declared that he was going from Luoyang to Bian Prefecture (汴州, i.e., Daliang), and there were rumors that he was either intending to attack Later Tang's southeastern neighbor Wu, or to strike at one of the military governors in the east that he suspected the loyalty of. In fear, Zhu Shouyin the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered at Bian Prefecture) decided to resist his arrival, and put up defenses to do so. Li Siyuan was initially sending Fan to try to see if he could persuade Zhu not to resist, but Fan believed that he needed to attack the Bian defenses quickly so that the defenses could not be solidified, and so, at his request, he was given 500 soldiers to accompany him. When he arrived at Bian, he launched an attack with his limited number of troops, surprising the Bian defenders. When Li Siyuan's son-in-law Shi Jingtang subsequently also arrived with reinforcements, followed by Li Siyuan himself, the Bian defenders began surrendering in droves. Zhu, finding the situation hopeless, killed his family and then committed suicide.
In 928, Fan was made one of Li Siyuan's chiefs of staff ("Shumishi"). He was soon thereafter made the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei). He was also given the honorary title of acting "Taibao" (). He was apparently subsequently recalled to the imperial government, for, as of fall 930, he was referred to as the "former" military governor of Chengde without being referred to by other titles. At that time, Li Siyuan was considering replacing then-chief of staff An Chonghui (who was the most dominating figure at court for Li Siyuan's entire reign up to that point) due to accusations that An was overly domineering of the political scene. Fan urged against removing An, and when Li Siyuan responded, "Can you not do so?" Fan responded, "I, your subject, have not served you as long, and I am not as talented as An Chonghui. How would I dare replace him?" Li Siyuan subsequently kept An as chief of staff, but also made Fan a chief of staff, serving with An. After An was finally removed (and subsequently killed) in 931, Zhao Yanshou, also a son-in-law of Li Siyuan's, took over as the other chief of staff, serving with Fan. Nevertheless, it was said that because An had suffered his fate due to his domination of the political scene, neither Fan nor Zhao dared to overly involve themselves with policy decisions, such that the eunuch Meng Hanqiong (who took over as the director of palace affairs), and Li Siyuan's favorite concubine Consort Wang, became highly influential in policy decisions. In fall 931, Fan was given the designation "Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi" (), thus also designating him as a chancellor.
In 932, it was said that it was at Fan's urging that Li Siyuan sent the generals Yao Yanchou () and Kang Fu () against Dangxiang tribesmen, to try to stop them from pillaging against imperial messengers and foreign ambassadors in the region between Ling (靈州, in modern Yinchuan, Ningxia) and Bin (邠州, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) Prefectures. Yao and Kang were said to be successful in their mission in defeating and capturing Dangxiang tribesmen, although the long-term maintenance of peace in the region was not mentioned. Also in 932, Dong Zhang the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan) was attacking Meng Zhixiang the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan). (Both Dong and Meng were by that point "de facto" independent from the imperial government, although Dong was in a confrontational posture with the imperial government while Meng was more conciliatory.) Fan advocated trying to take advantage of Dong's attack to try to recapture both circuits. However, when Meng quickly defeated Dong thereafter, Fan changed his recommendation and recommended taking a conciliatory posture with Meng, which Li Siyuan accepted. Subsequently, Meng became nominally submissive to the imperial government again.
By late 932, it was said that Li Congrong, as Li Siyuan's oldest son and presumed heir, as well as the Prince of Qin, as well as the commander of the imperial guards, was becoming very dominant at court, and used that domination to bully the imperial officials. Shi (who was then the deputy to Li Congrong as the deputy commander of the imperial guards), Zhao, and Fan were all wanting to leave the imperial court to avoid confrontations with Li Congrong, but Li Siyuan would not allow them to leave. However, when Khitan apparently was preparing an incursion, Li Siyuan, at Fan's and Zhao's recommendation that the only appropriate commanders would be Shi or Kang Yicheng (), relented at least as to Shi, making Shi the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), to defend against the Khitan.
Despite Li Congrong's honored status, Li Siyuan did not want to name him Crown Prince, believing that if he had a crown prince, it would effectively be a sign that he was old and should be retiring. When the official He Ze (), trying to ingratiate Li Congrong, nevertheless suggested it in summer 933, Li Siyuan was saddened, but nevertheless felt compelled to have the matter discussed with the chancellors and chiefs of staff. Li Congrong, however, thought that it was Fan and Zhao who drove the proposal, and was not happy himself with it, both because he knew it displeased his father and because he saw as an attempt to have him confined to the crown prince's palace and unable to command troops. Fan and Zhao, knowing that both Li Siyuan and Li Congrong were displeased, moved to withdraw the proposal, and further to have Li Congrong named the commander of all armed forces. Shortly after, Fan and Zhao were both given the greater chancellor designation "Shizhong" (侍中, head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, "Menxia Sheng")).
Despite this, Fan and Zhao were continuing to be fearful of Li Congrong, who was privately threatening to act against them once he was in power. They continued to try to resign, but this drew Li Siyuan's anger, believing that they were trying to abandon him. Finally, at the urging of Zhao's wife the Princess Qi, Li Siyuan agreed to let one of them leave—and made Zhao the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit and replacing him with Zhu Hongzhao. Subsequently, in winter 933, Fan was also allowed to resign, and was made the military governor of Chengde; he was replaced by Feng Yun. (Only as Li Siyuan was sending him off did Fan dare to bring up the fact that Meng Hanqiong was being too dominant in the palace, but even then he only did so circumspectly).
Not long after Fan's departure, Li Siyuan fell seriously ill. Li Congrong, believing that Li Siyuan's associates, including Zhu and Feng, might try to divert the succession away from him, tried to seize the throne by force, but was defeated and killed. Li Siyuan thereafter summoned Li Congrong's younger brother Li Conghou the Prince of Song, who was then the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered at Yedu), from there, and left Meng temporary in charge of Tianxiong. When Li Siyuan died shortly after, Li Conghou became emperor.
During Li Conghou's and Li Congke's reigns.
It was said that Zhu Hongzhao and Feng Yun, then the dominant figures at court, did not want Shi Jingtang to stay long at Hedong, and also wanted to recall Meng Hanqiong back to the imperial government. In spring 934, without officially having Li Conghou issue edicts to those effects, issued a series of transfer orders—transferring Fan Yanguang from Chengde to Tianxiong; transferring Li Conghou's adoptive brother Li Congke the Prince of Lu from Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) to Hedong; and transferring Shi from Hedong to Chengde. While Fan's reaction to these transfers was not clearly stated in history, Li Congke suspected that this series of orders were targeted toward him, and therefore rebelled. The imperial forces sent against him, commanded by the general Wang Sitong, was initially successful against Li Congke, but during the siege of Fengxiang, a group of soldiers turned against Wang and submitted to Li Congke, leading to a collapse of the imperial army in general. Li Conghou fled, but was eventually killed in flight. Li Congke took the throne. Shortly after taking the throne, Li Congke recalled Fan from Tianxiong to again serve as chief of staff. In spring 935, however, he sent Fan back out to serve as the military governor of Xuanwu, also giving him the greater honorary chancellor title of "Zhongshu Ling" ().
In the aftermaths of Li Conghou's death, Li Congke returned Shi to Hedong. However, they had long had a rivalry, and the rivalry led to suspicion between them. Shi repeatedly tried to test Li Congke by offering to yield Hedong in favor of a smaller circuit. In 936, Li Congke decided to agree, and issued an edict transferring Shi to Tianping. Shi immediately rebelled. Shortly after, the Tianxiong officer Zhang Lingzhao () also mutinied against Tianxiong's military governor Liu Yanhao (a brother of Li Congke's wife Empress Liu) and seized the circuit. Li Congke commissioned Fan as the military governor of Tianxiong and the commander of the forces against Zhang, with Li Zhou () serving as his deputy. Fan quickly defeated and killed Zhang, ending that rebellion.
The rebellion by Shi, however, was much stronger and difficult to defeat. Moreover, Shi resolved to seek Khitan aid, offering to cede to Khitan's Emperor Taizong (Yelü Deguang) 16 prefectures on Later Tang's northern borders (in effect, Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) and other prefectures north of Yanmen Pass) if Emperor Taizong would help him overthrow Li Congke. Emperor Taizong agreed, and went to aid Shi, while the general commissioned by Li Congke to attack Shi, Zhang Jingda, put Hedong's capital Taiyuan under siege. Once Emperor Taizong arrived at Taiyuan, the joint Khitan/Hedong forces defeated Zhang, and subsequently had Zhang's forces surrounded at Jin'an Base (晉安寨, in modern Taiyuan). The news of Zhang's defeat and envelopment greatly troubled Li Congke, and he ordered Fan, Zhao Dejun the military governor of Lulong, and Pan Huan () the defender of Yao Prefecture (耀州, in modern Tongchuan, Shaanxi), to all launch troops toward Jin'an to aid Zhang. Fan therefore took his army and advanced to Liao Prefecture (遼州, in modern Jinzhong, Shanxi). Zhao, however, had other ideas—he wanted to take over other armies to join his own, so that he could then use the joint armies as his own, and therefore, instead of directly heading toward Jin'an, he advanced south, requisitioning troops of Yiwu (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei), Chengde, and Zhaoyi (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi) Circuits and merging them into his own army, before also requesting to rendezvous with Fan's army. Fan, however, was suspicious of Zhao's intentions, and refused the overture, claiming that his army was deep in enemy territory already and could not rendezvous with Zhao's, preventing his army from being merged into Zhao's. Zhao thereafter advanced to Tuanbo Gorge (團柏谷, in modern Jinzhong), but stopped there, not advancing further toward Jin'an, while engaging in secret negotiations with Emperor Taizong, hoping that Emperor Taizong would support "him", instead of Shi, in overthrowing Li Congke. Emperor Taizong was tempted, but eventually turned down Zhao's overture. To further affirm his support of Shi, he created Shi emperor of China, founding a new Later Jin.
With Zhao not heading to aid the Later Tang imperial army at Jin'an, Zhang was killed by his deputy Yang Guangyuan, who then surrendered to the joint Khitan/Later Jin forces. The Khitan/Later Jin forces then attacked Zhao, defeating him and forcing him to surrender as well. Li Congke, who had by that point departed Luoyang and was at Huai Prefecture (懷州, in modern Jiaozuo, Henan), received this news, and considered heading to Tianxiong to rendezvous with Fan, but soon gave up the idea and returned to Luoyang. Once back at Luoyang, however, he saw that his own army generals were surrendering to the new Later Jin emperor in droves. Finding the situation hopeless, he gathered his family, ascended a tower in the palace, and committed suicide by burning the tower, ending Later Tang. Shi thereafter entered Luoyang and took over Later Tang territory.
During Shi Jingtang's reign.
After Zhao Dejun's defeat, Fan Yanguang returned from Liao Prefecture to Yedu, and sent a petition to Shi Jingtang, submitting to him as a subject. However, he continued to be uncomfortable with the situation because he had resisted Shi and because he was friendly with Li Congke. He sent a secret letter to Mi Qiong (), who had taken over Chengde Circuit after Chengde's military governor Dong Wenqi () had, at Zhao's invitation, joined Zhao's army and was then detained by Khitan along with Zhao, by slaughtering Dong's family and seizing Dong's considerable wealth. Shi subsequently refused to let Mi stay at Chengde, but gave him another post, as the defender of Qi Prefecture (齊州, in modern Jinan, Shandong). Mi decided to carry his wealth (originally seized from Dong's family) with him. Fan, wanting to silence him and seize his wealth, sent soldiers and surprised Mi on the way, killing him and seizing his wealth, while claiming to Shi that the killing was accidental. Shi chose not to react to Mi's killing.
Meanwhile, Fan was also enticed by the fact that when he was still a common citizen, one fortuneteller named Zhang had predicted that he would become general and chancellor, and then once he reached those positions, Zhang visited him again and, when interpreting a dream that Fan had where a snake entered his navel, predicted that because snakes and dragons were of the same kind, it was a sign of enthronement. He decided to gather his troops, and he summoned all the prefects of the prefectures within Tianxiong, preparing to rebel. In reaction, Shi decided to move the capital from Luoyang to Daliang, which was closer to Yedu, to prepare for the eventuality of Fan's rebellion, but also created Fan the Prince of Linqing to try to assuage him.
Fan's subordinates Sun Rui () and Feng Hui (), however, continued to press him to rebel, and Fan, continuing to be enticed by what fortuneteller Zhang said, agreed. He launched his troops in summer 937 and headed toward the Yellow River ford at Liyang (黎陽, in modern Hebi, Henan), with Sun and Feng serving as his commanders. Shi's general Zhang Congbin () joined Fan's rebellion, killing Shi's son Shi Chongxin () the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Luoyang) and Shi Chong'ai () the defender of Luoyang, taking over both Heyang Circuit and Luoyang itself. A number of former aristocrats who had lost power under Shi's new regime also joined the rebellion. However, as Fan's army was crossing the Yellow River, Yang Guangyuan attacked Sun and Feng, crushing Fan's army, which he then was forced to withdraw to Yedu. Shi's other generals Du Chongwei and Hou Yi () then defeated and killed Zhang Congbin, quelling that part of the rebellion.
Believing the situation to be hopeless, Fan blamed the rebellion on Sun and slaughtered him and his family, and submitted a petition to surrender to Yang. Yang relayed it to Shi, but Shi initially rejected it. However, a subsequent siege of Yedu by Later Jin forces dragged on to fall 938 and wore out the Later Jin forces. Shi decided to allow Fan to surrender, and he sent his associate Zhu Xian () to meet Fan, promising to transfer Fan to another large circuit and swearing to the sun that if Fan surrendered and was killed anyway, his own state would not last. Fan agreed, sending his sons Fan Shoutu () and Fan Shouying () to Daliang to serve as hostages, and then opened the city and surrendered. Shi commissioned Fan as the military governor of Tianping and bestowed on him an iron certificate, promising to pardon a future death sentence. He was also created the Prince of Dongping. In winter 938, however, he went to Daliang to pay homage to Shi and repeatedly asked to retire. Shi allowed him to retire as a senior advisor to the Crown Prince (a completely honorary post as there was no crown prince at the time) and kept him at Daliang, while treating him no differently from any other senior official.
In fall 940, Fan asked to retire to his mansion at Heyang, and Shi agreed. Fan carried the treasures that he had accumulated through the years with him. Yang Guangyuan, who was then Luoyang's defender as well as Heyang's military governor, repeatedly submitted petitions to have Fan killed, as he coveted Fan's treasures and also feared that Fan would create problems for him. Shi refused, but when Yang subsequently requested to have Fan moved to Luoyang, Shi agreed. Shortly after, Yang had his son Yang Chenggui () take soldiers and surround Fan's mansion, trying to force him to suicide. Fan, citing Shi's promise to him, refused. Yang Chenggui then forced Fan to march to the Yellow River, and then had him pushed into the river to drown, while Yang Guangyuan submitted a report claiming that Fan committed suicide. While it was said that Shi did not dare to pursue the matter because of Yang's military strength, he posthumously honored Fan. (However, even at the time it was believed that this fit within what Shi wanted.)


Virgin Territory

Virgin Territory is a 2007 romantic comedy film directed by David Leland and starring Hayden Christensen, Mischa Barton, Tim Roth, Rosalind Halstead and
Kate Groombridge. Based upon Giovanni Boccaccio's "Decameron", it has also been known under the working titles "The Decameron", "Angels and Virgins", "Guilty Pleasures" and "Chasing Temptation". The film's Italian title "Decameron Pie" pays tribute to both the title of the original source inspiration and to American comedy film "American Pie". The film was released in France on December 12, 2007, under the title "Medieval Pie", and was released directly-to-DVD in the U.S. in August 2008. It was the last film produced by Dino De Laurentiis.
Plot.
The film is set in Florence (Republic of Florence) during the Black Death. As in the "Decameron", ten young Florentines take refuge from the plague. But instead of telling stories, they have lusty adventures, bawdy exchanges, romance and swordplay. There are randy nuns, Saracen pirates, and a sexy cow.
Pampinea is the daughter of a wealthy merchant who has died moments before the start of the movie. Lorenzo is a young man in town who is exceptionally good at gambling and is charmed by her beauty. Gerbino De Ratta is the head of the local thugs who robs anyone or steals anything that he sees stealable. Count Dzerzhinsky, from the city of Novgorod in Novgorod Republic now in modern Russia, is Pampinea's fiancé who she has never met. Their fate intertwines after Pampinea's father died and Gerbino robs Pampinea of her fortune, saying her father was in debt. The only way for the merchant's daughter to save her life was to marry him, according to Gerbino himself.
Lorenzo was being chased by Gerbino after he bested him at a gambling table, then took refuge in a convent by posing as a "deaf and dumb" gardener. At this convent, he has sex with all of the horny nuns, but only until Pampinea's arrival. Pampinea—trying to escape from Gerbino's grasp—ran to the convent for shelter. There she witnesses Lorenzo, whom she'd long had feelings for, having sex with the nuns and get jealous. She blindfolds Lorenzo and kisses him passionately out of love. But then, out of jealousy, she informs the convent's abbess of his deception, that he is actually neither deaf nor dumb.
The Count arrives in Florence only to be ambushed by Gerbino's men. All of his companions are killed, but he survives. Receiving a message from Pampinea's servant, Count Dzerzhinsky rides to Pampinea's father's mansion for the wedding, for he has been promised her hand in marriage. On the way, the young Count meets a skinny dipping Melissa—Pampinea's best friend, who is on her way to attend the wedding—and the two subsequently fall in love. The Count is led to believe Melissa is Pampinea.
Chased out of the convent, Lorenzo follows Pampinea to her father's mansion. There he confesses to her that he's fallen in love with the nun who kissed him whilst blindfolded, the woman whose face he never got to see. Later, Gerbino and his men arrive at the mansion and imprison Lorenzo. Pampinea agrees to marry Gerbino right that day to save Lorenzo, and thus Lorenzo is banished to the woods. There he meets Dzerzhinsky who is on his way to the mansion to be married to 'Pampinea' (actually Melissa) and the two team up to take out Gerbino's men. Gerbino himself dies falling into a large deep well inside the mansion.
Pampinea, in love with Lorenzo, refuses to marry Count Dzerzhinsky, only to realise moments later that the Count himself is actually in love with Melissa who has been posing as her. She happily then runs after Lorenzo and kisses him. Lorenzo realises that she is in fact the nun he's in love with and they hold their wedding that very day, with all of their friends attending.


Tony Godwin

Anthony Richard James Wylie Godwin (17 December 1919 – 15 March 1976) was an influential British publisher of the 1960s/1970s. His contribution to the publishing industry is recognized in the form of the Tony Godwin Memorial Trust.
Born in Ledbury, he started the avant-garde bookshop Better Books in Charing Cross Road, where author Barry Miles worked.
 He also ran Bumpus Books and the City Bookshop in London.
In May 1960, Godwin was recruited to join the senior editorial group at Penguin Books and rose to Chief Editor. He sought to update editorial and design policies. With this aim in mind, he hired Germano Facetti in January 1961, who replaced the original Penguin cover design system with the grid layout. He also brought in another designer Alan Aldridge who pushed for a more radical transformation. Godwin established the Penguin Modern Classics subseries in 1961 and The English Library series in 1965.
In 1967, Godwin published Penguin's English edition of acclaimed French cartoonist Siné's periodical "Massacre". It contained anti-clerical cartoons and Foyles book store chain refused to stock the book. A row over the book led to Godwin being fired by Penguin's founder, Allen Lane.
Godwin went on to become managing director of publisher Weidenfeld and Nicolson, and in 1972 crossed the Atlantic to start his own imprint under the umbrella of American publisher Harcourt Brace Jovanovitch. Godwin published many high-profile writers such as Edna O'Brien and Len Deighton.
Marriage.
In 1961, Godwin married his second wife, Fay Godwin, who became a successful landscape photographer after he left her in 1969. They had two sons Nicholas and Jeremy. Nicholas went on to become a documentary maker.
Death.
Godwin died suddenly in New York City in 1976 from an asthma attack, aged 56. Novelist John Berger said of Godwin, "[N]ow that he is dead I feel like an orphan."


Execution of Carey Dean Moore

The execution of Carey Dean Moore was the execution by lethal injection of Carey Dean Moore (October 26, 1957 – August 14, 2018) by the state of Nebraska in the United States. It was the first execution in Nebraska using lethal injection, and the first use of capital punishment in Nebraska since 1997. The execution was the first in the United States to use fentanyl.
The execution took place on August 14, 2018 at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, where Moore had been on death row since his conviction for killing two cab drivers in 1979; Moore was one of the United States' longest-serving death row inmates.
The execution used a novel drug cocktail of diazepam, fentanyl, cisatracurium, and potassium chloride. The German manufacturer of two of the drugs, Fresenius Kabi, sued the state of Nebraska and sought a restraining order to halt the execution, because EU law prohibits German companies from supplying pharmaceuticals that are used for capital punishment, which is regarded as a grave violation of international human rights law in Germany and other European countries, and because the manufacturer asserted that Nebraska authorities had acquired the drugs by fraud and in violation of the distribution contract which expressly prohibits sale, resale or distribution to American prisons. The lawsuit was part of a wider backlash against American prisons for using drugs obtained from European manufacturers in violation of the laws of their countries of origin.
The execution was the fourth in Nebraska since the 1976 "Gregg v. Georgia" decision, the first by lethal injection, and the first since a 2015 effort to ban capital punishment in Nebraska. Three other prisoners, including John Joubert and Harold Otey were executed in Nebraska's electric chair in the 1990s.
Background.
In the summer of 1979, 21-year-old Carey Dean Moore robbed and murdered two cab drivers in Omaha, Nebraska. He later confessed to police, and was convicted in 1980 of two counts of first-degree murder. On June 20, 1980, a three-judge panel sentenced Moore to death.
Fresenius Kabi lawsuit.
The German pharmaceutical company Fresenius Kabi, the manufacturer of the drugs used in Moore's execution, filed a lawsuit in the United States, seeking a restraining order to stop the use of the drugs in question in the planned execution. Capital punishment has been abolished in all countries of the European Union and the EU requires that all EU companies not provide drugs for lethal injection. The absolute ban on the death penalty is enshrined in both the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU) and the European Convention on Human Rights, and the use of the death penalty is therefore regarded as a grave violation of international human rights law in Europe. Fresenius Kabi only sells the products in question with a legally binding clause that they may not be sold, resold or distributed to prisons or used in executions. Fresenius Kabi asserted that the drugs "could only have been obtained by defendants in contradiction and contravention of the distribution contracts the company has in place and therefore through improper or illegal means" and said the execution would cause reputational damage.
Nebraska denied the charge that it had acquired the drugs by "fraud, deceit or misrepresentation." The United States District Court for the District of Nebraska denied the company’s motion for a temporary restraining order, whereby the Court relied on the truthfulness of "Nebraska Department of Correctional Services"' director Scott R. Frakes' testimony ("Unless Director Frazor is lying, it would seem that ...", p. 10). The court held that the company's position that delaying Moore's execution would not disrupt the public interest in Nebraska was "laughable" and that the company's position that the illegal use of its product in a killing violating the law of the country the company was based in would cause irreparable corporate reputational harm were without merit, stating that "this lawsuit has generated world-wide coverage of the Plaintiff's desire to avoid any association with the death penalty" and therefore wouldn't be held accountable. The Court further declared that the execution would be of major public interest: "In this case, it has everything to do with the functioning of democracy." The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court’s decision in its entirety.
In a similar case, also in 2018, the pharmaceutical company Alvogen sought a restraining order to prevent Nevada's execution of Scott Dozier, alleging that the Nevada Department of Corrections had fraudulently acquired its drugs. The Fresenius and Alvogen lawsuits, which took place at the same time, were widely compared by commentators; both lawsuits are part of a trend whereby it has become increasingly difficult for United States authorities to legally buy drugs for the use in executions, due to widespread adoption of distribution contracts by pharmaceutical companies banning distribution to prisons and use in executions. Especially European pharmaceutical companies have pushed back against violations of the distribution contracts in the United States prohibiting straw buying by prisons for capital punishment.
In response to the lawsuit, Nebraska's prisons director Scott Frakes acknowledged that Nebraska would not be able to buy the drugs used in Moore's execution again. Frakes said he had been turned down by 40 pharmacies when trying to buy the drugs, due to the pharmacies' legal obligation not to sell the drugs to prisons.


Ahmat Hassaballah Soubiane

Ahmat Hassaballah Soubiane is a Chadian politician and diplomat. He was the Ambassador of Chad to the United States from 1999 to 2004.
Soubiane was appointed as Ambassador to the United States on 21 December 1998 and presented his credentials on 21 January 1999.
The Criminal Court decided in August 2008 that Soubiane had breached the constitution and the territorial integrity and security of Chad, sentencing him to death and ordering the confiscation of his property.
Following a peace agreement signed in Tripoli, Libya on 25 July 2009, Soubiane, as the leader of a group opposed to President Idriss Deby, visited Tripoli on 6 August 2009 to meet Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi and thank him for his work facilitating peace in Chad. He also expressed his group's commitment to the peace agreement.


Comparison between Israel and Nazi Germany


Donald Sanders

Donald Gilbert Sanders (April 26, 1930 – September 26, 1999) was an American lawyer and a key figure in the Watergate investigation. As deputy minority counsel of the Senate Committee, he discovered the existence of President Richard Nixon's White House tapes. Nixon's refusal of a congressional subpoena to release the tapes constituted an article of impeachment against Nixon, and led to the president's subsequent resignation on August 9, 1974. Sanders served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and director of investigations for the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Early life and education.
Sanders was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Anna Marie Schmitz (1908–2008) and Howard Sanders (1906–1988). He was educated at Washington University and the University of Missouri, graduating in 1954 with a law degree.
In 1952, he married Dolores Henderson (1932–2008) of Columbia, Missouri and they had three children: Deborah, Michael, and Matthew. Sanders was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps serving from 1954 until 1956.
FBI career.
In November 1959, Sanders completed his FBI training and was assigned to Birmingham, Alabama. He was on the team in 1961 that solved the burning of the Freedom Riders' bus by the Ku Klux Klan.
 In 1963, Sanders also arrested Victor Feguer, the last prisoner executed in the 20th century by the federal government. In 1961 he was assigned to Miami, Florida and then went to Washington, D.C. in 1964 as Assistant Inspector. Sanders resigned from the FBI in 1969.
Capitol Hill.
In February 1969, Sanders became the Chief Counsel and Chief of Staff of the House Committee on Internal Security, formerly the House Un-American Activities Committee. The HCIS investigated and held hearings for a number of organizations and individuals who were considered dangerous to national security.
Sanders was admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court.
He left the HCIS in March 1973 and joined the United States Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (Watergate Committee) as the Deputy Minority Counsel. One of Sanders' responsibilities was to gather evidence by interviewing officials and aides to find out more information about the Watergate break-in. The most famous of these interviews occurred on July 13, 1973. Alexander Butterfield (Federal Aviation Administration head and a former White House aide) was being privately questioned by Senate committee staff members, when Sanders asked if it were possible that a recording system had been used in the White House. Butterfield answered: "I wish you hadn't asked that question, but, yes, there is. It is unknown why Sanders asked the question in the first place. As deputy minority counsel he was expected to represent the interests of the Republican committee members. It has been speculated that there was collusion between Sanders and Butterfield prior to his testimony. Butterfield, who owed everything to Haldeman, in fact did not support Nixon at all. Sanders was astute enough to have known to leave the subject of a recording system well and truly alone.
</ref> Sanders went to relay the news to Fred Thompson, who was the Minority Counsel. Sanders first had to call him out of a local restaurant. "Because he was with some reporters, I got him away from them, and got him out on the street corner and told him the story", Sanders said.
On July 16, 1973, during the televised hearings, Thompson publicly asked: "Mr. Butterfield, are you aware of the installation of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the president?" The revelation of a cover-up about a taping system in the Oval Office led the House Judiciary Committee to submit three articles of impeachment for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of congress. When the final article was approved July 30, 1974, Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974.
Later years.
Afterwards, Sanders worked as a Senior Program Analyst for the Atomic Energy Commission and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs (Ford administration). In the latter position, he received the Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the department's highest recognition. He returned to the Hill as director of investigations for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and then worked for the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
Sanders retired from national service in 1982 and returned to practice law in Columbia, Missouri. He was elected as Boone County Commissioner in 1988, and served until 1990. He completed an MA in history from the University of Missouri in 1991. Sanders was President of the Boone County Historical Society. He and his family donated land to Boone County where Nathan Boone blazed the Booneslick Trail across central Missouri. Sanders also served as chairman of the Administrative Board of Midway Locust Grove United Methodist Church. On September 26, 1999, Sanders died of cancer at the age of 69.