text_chunks:
Mpho<mask> (mm-POH, n-GO-pay; born 18 January 1990) is a South African professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the Québec Capitales of the Frontier League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays. In 2017, he became the first native of continental Africa to reach the Major Leagues. Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates
A native of Randburg, <mask> became the first black South African, and the sixth South African to sign a professional baseball contract when he signed in October 2008. When Ngoepe was growing up, his mother was a clubhouse attendant for the Randburg Mets, and they lived in one of the clubhouse rooms. He was invited to Major League Baseball's academy in Tirrenia, Italy, where the Pirates signed him. In 2009, Ngoepe played for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates, and batted .238/.341/.281 with one home run, nine runs batted in (RBI), and 13 stolen bases in 47 games.He was a member of the South Africa national baseball team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. At the 2009 WBC, he hit consecutive triples off of Mexico's Elmer Dessens in a 14–3 loss to Mexico. On 10 August 2009, Sports Illustrated published an article on Ngoepe titled "A Gift From Africa" which covered how he started his baseball career, his upbringing, and time with the Pirates since moving from South Africa. In 2010, he played 64 games with the Short Season-A State College Spikes and two with the Advanced-A Bradenton Marauders, batting a combined .206/.316/.318 with one home run, 20 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Ngoepe played only 27 games in 2011 due to a hamate injury. He batted .297/.354/.440 with two home runs and five RBI before the injury. Ngoepe played the entire 2012 season with Bradenton, and in a then career-high 124 games played he hit .232/.330/.338 with nine home runs and 36 RBI and a career-high 22 stolen bases.He also played 16 games for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. In 2013, he again began the season with Bradenton, playing 28 games and batting .292/.424/.427 before being promoted to the Double-A Altoona Curve, where he played 72 games. In Altoona, Ngeope batted .177/.278/.282 with three home runs, 16 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. He made his second trip to the Arizona Fall League at the end of the season, playing 17 games for Scottsdale. In 2014, Ngeope set career-highs in games played and RBI, playing 131 games with Altoona and batting .238/.319/.380 with nine home runs, 52 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. He was invited to 2015 spring training by the Pirates on 9 January 2015. He played for the Indianapolis Indians of the Triple-A International League in 2016.On 26 April 2017, the Pirates promoted <mask> to the major leagues from Indianapolis; this was widely reported as making him the first African-born player in MLB history. Indeed, he was the first continental African (and the first player from an African nation) to reach the Major Leagues. Some point out that Canary Islands-born Al Cabrera played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1913. While the Canary Islands are part of Spain and have been since before Cabrera played in the Major Leagues, the archipelago is located off the coast of northwestern Africa. Regardless, <mask> made his Major League debut that day, and recorded his first career hit, a single off Cubs' starting pitcher Jon Lester. Because of time zone differences, <mask>'s MLB debut fell on the early morning of 27 April in South Africa, observed in that country as Freedom Day, memorializing the 1994 election that was the first in which the country's black population was allowed to vote. In 2017 with Pittsburgh he batted .222/.323/.296.Toronto Blue Jays
On 20 November 2017, <mask> was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations or a player to be named later. He earned a spot on the active roster to begin the season, and was optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on 20 April, with whom he batted .168/.304/.252. With Toronto he had one hit in 19 at bats. He was designated for assignment on 3 May 2018. <mask> was released from the organization on 13 August 2018. Sydney Blue Sox
On 30 August 2018, <mask> signed with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League (a winter league) for the 2018/19 season. He batted .357/.451/.700.Philadelphia Phillies
On 11 January 2019, <mask> signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played for the Class AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and batted .221/.296/.410 with 5 home runs and 21 RBIs in 122 at bats, playing second base, third base, and shortstop. He was released on 20 June 2019. Second stint with Pittsburgh Pirates
On 29 June 2019, <mask> signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was assigned to the Double-A Altoona Curve. He batted .100/.289/.100 in 30 at bats. He was released on 30 July 2019. Lancaster Barnstormers
On 6 August 2019, <mask> signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.He batted .289/.317/.632 with three home runs and seven RBIs for them in 38 at bats, playing seven games at shortstop and four games at second base. Second stint with Sydney Blue Sox
Ngoepe returned to the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League for the 2019/20 season. Québec Capitales
On March 30, 2021, Ngoepe signed with the Québec Capitales of the Frontier League. Personal life
Ngoepe's younger brother, Victor, plays in the Pirates organization. References

External links

1990 births
Living people
Altoona Curve players
Bradenton Marauders players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
South African expatriate baseball players in Australia
Expatriate baseball players in Canada
Gulf Coast Pirates players
Indianapolis Indians players
Lancaster Barnstormers players
Lehigh Valley IronPigs players
Major League Baseball players from South Africa
Major League Baseball second basemen
Major League Baseball shortstops
Major League Baseball third basemen
People from Polokwane
People from Randburg
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Scottsdale Scorpions players
South African expatriate baseball players in the United States
South African expatriate sportspeople in Canada
South African Sotho people
Sportspeople from Johannesburg
State College Spikes players
Sydney Blue Sox players
Toronto Blue Jays players
West Virginia Black Bears players
West Virginia Power players
2009 World Baseball Classic players
Sportspeople from Limpopo

masks:
' Gift Ngoepe
Ngoepe
Ngoepe
Ngoepe
Ngoepe
Ngoepe
Ngoepe
Ngoepe
Ngoepe
Ngoepe
Ngoepe


text_chunks:
<mask> (born <mask>, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B group the Four Tops, who released a variety of Motown hit records during the 1960s and 1970s. He has been noted for his powerful, emotional, dramatic style of singing. <mask> was also a voice artist in film and television, and provided the voice of "Audrey II", the alien plant in the 1986 musical horror comedy film Little Shop of Horrors (an adaption of the stage musical of the same name), as well as Mother Brain in the 1989 TV series Captain N: The Game Master. <mask> was admired by his peers for his impressive vocal range, and influenced many later pop and soul artists, such as Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates. <mask> was born and spent much of his life in Detroit, Michigan. He had five children with his wife <mask>, to whom he was married for almost 50 years. His last performance was at the Four Tops' "50th Anniversary Concert" on July 28, 2004, at the Detroit Opera House.Early life and music career

Born in 1936 in Detroit, <mask> had a brother, Joe, who later became a member of 100 Proof (Aged in Soul), The Falcons, The Contours and The Originals. His cousin was Jackie Wilson. <mask> attended Detroit Pershing High School, where he met Abdul "Duke" Fakir. He began his professional singing career with friends Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton, forming a singing group called the Four Aims in 1954. Two years later, after signing with Chess Records, the group changed their name to the Four Tops. The name change was meant to avoid confusion with the then-popular Ames Brothers. The Four Tops began as a supper-club act before signing to Motown Records in 1963.By the end of the decade, they had over a dozen hits. The most popular of their hits (all of which featured <mask> on lead vocals) include "Ask the Lonely", "Baby I Need Your Loving", "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)", "It's the Same Old Song", "I'll Turn to Stone", "Reach Out I'll Be There", "Standing in the Shadows of Love", "Bernadette", "Still Water (Love)", "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)", as well as the late hit "Loco In Acapulco". Although <mask> was a natural baritone, most Four Tops' hits were written in a tenor range to give the lead vocals a sense of urgency. Despite being the most prominent member of the group, <mask> refused to have separate billing (in contrast to other Motown acts such as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Diana Ross and the Supremes), and he also turned down several offers for a solo career, out of loyalty to his bandmates. <mask> and the other Tops remained a team until Lawrence Payton died in 1997, at which point Theo Peoples took his place. The Four Tops were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013. They have sold over 50 million records worldwide.During the band's long career it was signed to the Motown, ABC Dunhill, Arista and Casablanca record labels, and <mask>' vocals influenced many later pop and soul artists, such as Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates. Hall has remarked that <mask>' "unique" style rendered the Four Tops' material "timeless". Other musical peers expressing admiration for the Four Tops' work include Lonnie Jordan of War and Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, among many others. In 2000, Theo Peoples replaced <mask> as lead singer after <mask> suffered a stroke, with Ronnie McNeir taking the place that Lawrence Payton originally held. Renaldo Benson died on July 1, 2005, leaving Duke Fakir as the only surviving member of the Four Tops' original lineup. Stubb's final performance with the Four Tops was at the group's "50th Anniversary Concert" on July 28, 2004 at the Detroit Opera House. Voice acting
<mask> provided the voice of the carnivorous plant Audrey II in the 1986 movie version of the musical Little Shop of Horrors, where he sang the Oscar-nominated, "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space."He also was the voice of Mother Brain in the animated TV series Captain N: The Game Master (1989). <mask> also guest-starred in a number of TV shows as himself. Berry Gordy offered him the role of Louis McKay in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues, which would have starred him opposite Diana Ross as Billie Holiday. <mask> turned the role down, however, once again not wishing to overshadow the other members of the Four Tops. Reputation
<mask> has been regarded by some as one of the quintessential male soul singers. According to AllMusic's Ed Hogan, the vocalist had a "pleading urgency in his voice that perfectly captured the longing anxiousness of the songs written by the producing trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland". War band member Lonnie Jordan later told Billboard.com he felt "blessed" to meet <mask>, and thought that the Four Tops singer's "voice was so good he was just, like, from another planet."Personal life
<mask> and his wife Clineice were married (for 48 years) from 1960 until his death in 2008. The couple had five children along with 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. <mask> was diagnosed with cancer in 1995, and after suffering a stroke in 2000, he was no longer able to tour with the Four Tops. He died in his sleep on October 17, 2008, at his home in Detroit. A memorial service for <mask> was held at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit on October 27. Many of <mask>' friends from the music industry attended including Berry Gordy, Martha Reeves, Brian Holland, Ali-Ollie Woodson and Dennis Edwards. Detroit City Council member JoAnn Watson, along with Martha Reeves, presented a resolution naming <mask>' birthday "Levi Stubbs Day" in Detroit.<mask> is interred at Detroit's historic Woodlawn Cemetery. Cultural references
<mask> features in Billy Bragg's 1986 song "<mask>ubbs' Tears", about a woman whose Four Tops cassette brings her comfort through difficult times. The chorus goes:

When the world falls apart, some things stay in place
<mask>' tears run down his face. Filmography

Film

Television

Soundtrack

References

External links

<mask> interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' October 1992

Obituary in Los Angeles Times
Obituary in The New York Times
Obituary on NPR Music

1936 births
2008 deaths
African-American male actors
American baritones
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American soul singers
Burials in Michigan
Deaths from cancer in Michigan
Male actors from Detroit
Motown artists
Four Tops members
The Midnighters members
Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
American rhythm and blues singers
Singers from Detroit
20th-century American male actors
Pershing High School alumni
20th-century African-American male singers
21st-century African-American male singers

masks:
Levi Stubbs
Levi Stubbles
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Clineice Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Levi Stubbs
Death Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Stubbs
Levi St
Levi Stubbs
Levi Stubbs


text_chunks:
<mask> (born 20 March 1969) is a Moldovan politician, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova from May 2013 to January 2016. Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Central Asia (UNRCCA) since 2017. Born in Chișinău in 1969, she is the daughter of Mircea Snegur, the first President of Moldova. She studied at the Moldova State University and completed postgraduate studies at King's College London. She joined the Moldovan diplomatic service, working in several different places before eventually becoming Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the OSCE from 2002 to 2006, and Ambassador to Sweden, Norway and Finland from 2006 to 2009. In 2009, she became Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and Chief Negotiator on the Moldova–European Union Association Agreement, serving until 2013. In 2013 she became Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova, serving until January 2016.From June to July 2015, following Chiril Gaburici's resignation, she served as the acting Prime Minister of Moldova. In February 2016, she was nominated as Moldova's candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations in the 2016 selection process for Ban Ki-moon's successor. Early life and education
<mask> was born in 1969 in Chișinău, then part of the Soviet Union but now part of independent Moldova. She is the daughter of Mircea Snegur, who served as the first President of Moldova from 1991 to 1997, and Georgeta Snegur. For her undergraduate education, she received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the Moldova State University. In 1999, she completed a Master of Arts (MA) postgraduate degree in war studies at King's College London. Diplomatic career
She began working in the Moldovan diplomatic service in 1991, as the Second and then First Secretary at the Department of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.From 1994 to 1997, she served as Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Agencies in Vienna and the OSCE. From 1997 to 2001, she was Deputy Head of the Department of European Security and Political-Military Affairs at the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2001 to 2002, she was a Minister-Counsellor at the Moldovan Embassy in Brussels, as well as Deputy Head of the Mission of Moldova to NATO. In 2002, she became the Moldovan Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the OSCE and the UN Agencies in Vienna. In this role, she was a "prominent contributor to the efforts of the [OSCE] in identifying solutions to the unresolved conflicts in the OSCE area" and also mobilized "the potential of the OSCE community towards the settlement of the Transnistria conflict in the Republic of Moldova." In 2006, she left Brussels for Stockholm, becoming the Moldovan Ambassador to Sweden, Norway and Finland. For her "merits in promoting relations between Sweden and Moldova", <mask> was awarded the Order of the Polar Star at the rank of Commander 1st Class.She left this role in 2009, upon her appointment as a Deputy Minister. In September 2017, she was appointed Special Representative and Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia with headquarters in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Political career
On 29 June 2009, she was appointed as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, to then-Minister Andrei Stratan. In November 2009, she was appointed as the Chief Negotiator in the talks with the European Union over the Moldova–European Union Association Agreement. She also assisted in the talks that led to the liberalization of the visa requirements for Moldovans travelling to the EU. As Deputy Prime Minister, Iurie Roșca supported Gherman. In a conversation with the US Ambassador, that was later revealed in a US diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks, the conversation was described: "Rosca expressed his hope that Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan, whom he described as a friend, would not continue in the job, and said that he was trying to help <mask>, daughter of Moldova's first President Mircea Snegur, to get the job."On 30 May 2013, she was appointed as the full Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, whilst concurrently being appointed to the role of Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova. She was also responsible for chairing the National Committee for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. In this role, she participated in the Global Forum on Migration and Development and contributed to the 'High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development'. In 2014, The Guardian chose her as one of "Seven women to watch in global politics who are leading change all over the world." They claimed that "she could well be a future prime minister or president." Also in 2014, she was awarded Moldova's highest national honour, the Order of the Republic. In the November 2014 election, <mask> was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP), and became a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy and European Integration.Following Chiril Gaburici's resignation as Prime Minister of Moldova on 22 June 2015, <mask> took over in an interim capacity. She served until 30 July 2015, when Valeriu Streleț became Prime Minister, and she resumed her previous roles in the Streleț Cabinet. On 20 January 2016, she was succeeded in the roles of Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and Deputy Prime Minister by Andrei Galbur. United Nations Secretary-General selection

On 18 February 2016, <mask> was officially nominated by Vlad Lupan, the Moldovan Permanent Representative to the UN, as the Moldovan candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations in the 2016 selection process. On 19 February, this nomination was made public by the President of the General Assembly. It has been argued that "The long-running friction between Moldova and Russia over the breakaway region of Transnistria could mean she is blocked by Moscow." Gherman took part in an informal dialogue at the United Nations General Assembly on 13 April 2016, where she claimed the "United Nations has never been so necessary."In total, she spoke for over two hours, in what the campaign group 1 for 7 Billion called a "historic breakthrough and the additional transparency and scrutiny that comes with it." As part of her campaign to become Secretary-General, she has spoken at events or in interviews at the International Peace Institute, Royal United Services Institute, Kennan Institute, London School of Economics and King's College London. As a candidate, she is also supported by the Campaign to Elect a Woman UN Secretary-General. On the topic of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers, Gherman was asked multiple times about this problem during the United Nations informal dialogues. She stated that the report given by the panel that oversees peacekeeping should be closely reviewed and analyzed. She also stated that member states need to ensure the immediate persecution of peacekeepers who commit such crimes, as their actions tarnish the UN's image. As for the victims of peacekeepers' abuse, Gherman believes we should work together to ensure that victims overcome this horrible experience and begin living a normal live.She was also questioned about peacekeeper SEA at an International Peace Institute dialogue. Gherman said that their actions were "deplorable and unacceptable" for it "undermines the trust of the people being helped in the organization and the trust of member states." She also said that member states needed to ensure that troops are well trained and held responsible in the case of abuse. Awards

 Order of the Republic (2014)
 Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Polar Star (2010, Sweden)
 Jubilee Medal "25 Years of Neutrality of Turkmenistan" (2020, Turkmenistan)

References

|-

|-

1969 births
Living people
Alumni of King's College London
Ambassadors of Moldova to Austria
Ambassadors of Moldova to Finland
Ambassadors of Moldova to Norway
Ambassadors of Moldova to Sweden
Children of national leaders
Female foreign ministers
Women government ministers of Moldova
Diplomats from Chișinău
Moldova State University alumni
Prime Ministers of Moldova
Women prime ministers
Women philologists
Moldovan philologists
Moldovan women diplomats
21st-century women politicians
Moldovan women ambassadors

masks:
Natalia Snegur Gherman
Gherman
Gherman
Natalia Gherman
Gherman
Gherman
Gherman


text_chunks:
<mask> (born September 21, 1972) is an American drummer, best known as the original drummer for nu metal band Korn from 1993 until leaving the band in 2006. He then became the drummer for Infinika, which was formed in 2012 and disbanded in 2015. As of 2019, <mask> is the drummer of a band called Breaking in a Sequence (B.I.A.S). Biography

1993 to 2006: Korn

Born in San Leandro, California, <mask> was raised in Bakersfield. He was one of the original five members of the nu metal band Korn, alongside Brian "Head" Welch, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Jonathan Davis. Korn proceeded to popularize the nu metal subgenre in the music industry, selling over 40 million albums worldwide. <mask> sat out a part of the "Sick and Twisted 2000" and "Summer Sanitarium" tours due to injury, with Mike Bordin from Faith No More filling in on drums.<mask> then returned for the album recording of Untouchables, <mask>'s own explanation for the issue was that he "hits too fucking hard". On December 13, 2006, after the tour in support of See You on the Other Side, it was announced that <mask> would be going on hiatus, and Jonathan Davis later said <mask> would "probably not" appear on their next album. In 2009, after working with several different temporary drummers, Ray Luzier was announced as the official replacement. 2006 to 2012: Leaving Korn and hiatus
For the first time in three years <mask> appeared promoting Lil' Kim in Dancing with the Stars, he also introduced himself as "<mask> from Korn". In May 2010, he appeared as a model for Remetee clothing. Comments on Korn since leaving
Since January 2012, <mask> has become vocal about his time in Korn, and has often spoken negatively about the band, its members and in some cases its outspoken fans, during conversations on Korn fansite Kornspace.com. Although he maintains no relationship with his former bandmates, he has stated that he has no hard feelings towards guitarist James Shaffer.However, <mask> has spoken less fondly of singer Jonathan Davis and bassist Reginald Arvizu, such as calling Arvizu a "cowardly little bitch". <mask> was flawed due to them not letting him back in the band after his long absence from music. <mask> mentioned during his conversation with fans on Kornspace that he had contacted then-former band member Brian Welch about a Korn reunion tour but Welch refused the offer. <mask> also confirmed his comments that he left Korn due to "negative attitudes" and that he "couldn't take it anymore". He mentioned at that point that he had not spoken with Davis since November 2006. However, after it was announced that original guitarist Welch would be returning to Korn for two shows at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park in 2013, <mask> commented on his Facebook page that he would be open to a reunion if all five original members were involved. On January 7, 2013, <mask> updated his status on his official Facebook page stating, 'Korn fans need to flood the Korn site telling them Korn isn't Korn without the original five!!!'He then went on to say in a later status that fans should 'Flood Jd's and Munkys twitter to bring the original 5 back together" and later commenting that he had 'made contact', after which fans began predicting that a full reunion would happen. On January 7, 2013, Welch stated in an interview that "<mask> has really said some crazy things online about personal things and he's not in a place where people would really want him around. That happened before I talked with them but I guess the things he said were really crazy. Those guys were in a band together for so long so I don't know, but for now it's just not going to happen." On August 11, 2013, <mask> took to his personal Facebook account to state that "[t]here are a lot of things I did for the band that they don't like to admit I did." He then went on to say in a later post that he blamed the band's "cookie cutter" musical direction after Follow the Leader for his lack of interest from that point. On August 17, 2013, <mask> responded to the repeated misquoting of his post on Ray Luzier and Korn with "To be clear I am NOT talking bad about Ray.My posts have been about my work with Korn during our early years specifically during our first three records." <mask> has claimed that he could restore Korn's original sound, and says that he would like to have a discussion with the band about their early days, the future of the band and Korn's original sound. However, Davis stated on Twitter that "I will never never play with him again" (which appears to be a reference to the title of Korn's first single "Never Never" from the album The Paradigm Shift). On February 27, 2015, <mask> stated that he was suing his former bandmates in Korn for money owed after the band declined to allow him back in the group following a lengthy break. According to TMZ, <mask> is suing the other four original bandmembers in an effort to reclaim the money owed to him and his "ownership interest" in the band since his departure. If <mask> is paid what he believes he is owed from the past 9 years, he will dissolve his partnership with the group. 2012–2015: Infinika
On January 24, it was announced on YouTube that <mask> was playing drums for the experimental rock band Infinika alongside the founding member of ANYONE (and filmmaker) Riz Story.On January 27, it was confirmed with an article on Blabbermouth.net. <mask> stated that he wished to expand his musical scope with Infinika adding that it was technically the most advanced drumming of his career. On January 30, fan site Kornspace.com confirmed that <mask> had in fact joined the site, with a picture of <mask> holding a Kornspace banner. This confirmed previous comments that had supposedly been made by the drummer on the site earlier that week. <mask> stated that he would be touring with Infinika and that he was looking forward to the release of the first full-length album by the band, Echoes and Traces. On April 2, Infinika released a single and music video via YouTube called "Beautiful World". The video features footage of <mask> recorded for the Infinika – Promotional Clip.The album Echoes and Traces was released worldwide on September 1, 2014. The album features 14 tracks which vary widely from acoustic to psychedelic metal. Silveria stated that "the direction of the band would be defined by its rich mixture of sounds and unpredictable direction". Noting the mixed reviews from some Korn fans Silveria stated, "I have no interest in repeating myself. I want to keep expanding my drumming and Infinika allows me to explore the wide range of my drumming". On January 24, 2015, Infinika announced the band would be dissolved. 2016–2018: Leaving Core10 for Breaking in a Sequence (B.I.A.S.)<mask> stated he would be joining a band by the name of Core10 on his Facebook page. On May 22, 2018, it was announced that <mask> and everyone else in the band, aside from their two frontmen, had quit the band due to mixed reviews and creative differences. <mask> then helped form a new band called Breaking in a Sequence (B.I.A.S) with singer Rich Nguyen, guitarist and vocalist Joe Taback, guitarist Mike Martin, and bassist Chris Dorame. Musical equipment

The following is a listing of the drums and equipment used by <mask> during his career with Korn. <mask> later married <mask>. Discography
With L.A.P.D
James Brown (also known as Love and Peace Dude EP) (1989)
Who's Laughing Now (1991)
L.A.P.D (1997)

With Korn
 Korn (1994)
 Life Is Peachy (1996)
 Follow the Leader (1998)
 Issues (1999)
 Untouchables (2002)
 Take a Look in the Mirror (2003)
 See You on the Other Side (2005)

With Infinika
 Echoes and Traces (2014)

With Breaking in a Sequence
 Acronym EP (2021)

See also
LAPD
Korn
List of Korn band members

References

1972 births
Living people
People from San Leandro, California
American people of Portuguese descent
Korn members
American heavy metal drummers
Musicians from California
Nu metal drummers
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
21st-century American drummers

masks:
David Randall Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
David Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveriarn
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
David
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Silveria
Victoria Silveria


text_chunks:
<mask> (born October 11, 1946) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet and screenwriter. The author of The Illustrator (1988) and Rumor and Other Stories (1985), his work has frequently appeared in The New Yorker and numerous other journals. He is a recipient of the Whiting Award for his short fiction and a Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has held teaching posts at numerous universities across the United States, including the University of Houston and Loyola University Maryland. Biography
<mask> was born in Worthington, Ohio, in 1946. His father was a graphic artist and freelance illustrator in Columbus, Ohio. <mask> attended Worthington High School from 1960-1964.He attended Ohio State University. After working for several years as a commercial artist, he continued his education, and received an MFA from Brown University in 1979, where he worked with Robert Coover, R.V. Cassill, and John Hawkes. His creative thesis was entitled Gold Whiskey and Other Stories. After Brown, he traveled to Baltimore and Boston. In 1988, he began teaching creative writing along with his former wife, the author <mask>, at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program, where he would spend much of the next decade. Since leaving Houston, he has taught at various universities, including as Visiting Writer at Loyola College of Maryland, The University of Southern Mississippi and the University of North Dakota.He's been married to the writer, Mary Ferraro, since 1997. Work
<mask>'s first publications were in literary journals, including eight stories in The New Yorker beginning in 1979, as well as Grand Street, The Mississippi Review, Best American Short Stories 1980 (selected by Stanley Elkin), and The Pushcart Prize Anthology. The Mississippi Review devoted an entire issue to his work in 1994. His stories were first collected in Rumor and Other Stories in 1985. His first novel, The Illustrator, appeared in 1988. He has at least one screenplay to his credit, 2008's New Orleans, Mon Amour. Since 2010, his work has undergone something of a renaissance, with numerous new stories, flash fictions, and poems appearing in journals such as BLIP Magazine, SmokeLong Quarterly, Blue Fifth Review, and elsewhere.In 2012 he won a second Pushcart Prize for his short story "I See Men Like Trees, Walking" which will be included in the Pushcart 2013 Anthology. Critical reception
Like most minimalists, he tends to eschew the term. Donald Barthelme called The Illustrator “a remarkable achievement,” and “a brilliant piece of work. It is funny and sinister and affecting and profound, all at the same time." Anthony Burgess said, "His ear is astounding, as is his narrative power, his ability to deal shocks and psychological truths, and his sheer grasp of the form." John Hawkes wrote "his stories are among the funniest, profoundest, and most exactingly written of any appearing in print." Of Rumor and Other Stories, Frederick Barthelme said "The world through <mask>'s eyes is such a dazzling show of delicacy and precision that heartbreak turns on the choice of a verb.His dialogue is never less than perfect. Radiant, energetic, and above all, touching." Recent work
Since 2010, <mask> has again begun to publish extensively, with work appearing in The Manchester Review, Smokelong Quarterly, The Blue Fifth Review, Commonline, BLIP Magazine, Blast Furnace, Scythe Literary Journal, Metazen, The Raleigh Review, Whale Sound, and Corium Magazine. Normally reticent, he granted an interview to Smokelong Quarterly, in which he discussed aesthetics: "I saw a Nova-like show about dark matter, how scientists know that it exists because some light waves firing to earth bend and curve all around a precisely shaped nothingness. I thought, boy howdy, this is how so much art, plastic or literary, from the 20th and 21st Century behaves: Its true content is what it refuses to describe explicitly, but the shape of its meaning may be precisely limned by implication." Contributing to a piece posted in BLIP, he wrote: "For years, decades, I tried to teach the students to do lightning strike stuff. Bang.Blinding light. Whiff of burnt earth. Then go away and do not worry about anything because you have not done the great damage of boring anybody. It was years of this. NOW many are doing it and NOW, 25, 30 years later, it's good that they are and I am happy to see such stuff and even that its name is FLASH fiction." He is an active member of the Fictionaut site, of which he said: "Fictionaut is a test track and display room for works in process and as a writer, your readers there make up a community of trusted and truthful equals, eerily reliable so far. Writing into a void is miserable, like telling jokes to a wall.Fictionaut provides a round-the-clock, faithfully attentive audience. It's a post post graduate-level workshop." In an interview with Meg Pokrass at Fictionaut Five, he said: "A story must have three ingredients, like, oral surgery, Puccini’s Turandot, and divorce. Or hurricane science, a niece, and physics. If I have three large thoughts, intuitions or detections about three varied things, I’ll launch a story." Later in the interview, he said, "Before you can be a writer you must make it new and the only way to do that is to run a harrowing, fearless, ruthless self audit. A psychological, emotional, moral inventory.You must know who you are, without delusions or self-deception, and what you find is apt to scare the spit out of you. But that is the truth you must accept and the truth from which you will construct every sentence." New Letters on the Air, 18 Sept. 1987
 "Interview: <mask>" Interview by Patricia Lear. Other Voices 12 (Summer/Fall 1990)
 "Smoking With <mask>" Interview by Lauren Becker. SmokeLong Quarterly, 29 Sept. 2010
 "Fictionaut Five: <mask>", Interview by Meg Pokrass. Fictionaut Blog - A Literary Community for Adventurous Readers &  Writers, 17 Nov. 2010

Articles, essays and other work

 "Notes for a Story" Hit and Run Magazine, 22 Mar. 2009
 "Some Grateful Thoughts About Fictionaut" Fictionaut Blog - A Literary Community for Adventurous Readers & Writers, 23 Apr.2009
 "Wallace Stevens Week: <mask> on Stevens" BIG OTHER, 17 Nov. 2010
 "What May Have Been: Review of Letters of Jackson Pollock & Dori G by Susan Tepper and Gary Percesepe" Used Furniture Review, 14 Jan. 2011
 "Why I Write" The Montréal Review (Sept 2011)
 "A Temper" {Artwork} THIS Literary Magazine 14 (March/April 2012)

Screenplay
 New Orleans, Mon Amour (2008)

Audio
 "<mask>: 'Envy'" Reading and Interview with Robert Stewart and Rebekah Presson. New Letters on the Air, 18 Sept. 1987
 "The Slender Scent" Group Reading at Whale Sound, 17 Dec. 2010 Comments at Voice Alpha

References

External links
 Official website
 <mask> Bibliography at EasyBib
 <mask> in WorldCat

Profile at The Whiting Foundation

20th-century American novelists
University of Houston faculty
American male novelists
People from Worthington, Ohio
1946 births
Living people
Ohio State University alumni
Brown University alumni
American male short story writers
20th-century American short story writers
Novelists from Ohio
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from Texas

masks:
James Robison
Robison
Robison
Mary Robison
Robison
James Robison
Robison
James Robison
James Robison
James Robison
James Robison
James Robison
James Robison
James Robison


text_chunks:
<mask> (Kyrgyz: Роза Исаковна (Исак кызы) Отунбаева, <mask> (Isak kyzy) <mask>; born August 23, 1950) is a Kyrgyz diplomat and politician who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 7 April 2010 until 1 December 2011, becoming the first female Central Asian head of state. She was sworn in on July 3, 2010, after acting as interim leader following the 2010 April Revolution, which led to the ousting of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. She previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and as head of the parliamentary caucus for the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan. Early life
<mask> was born in Frunze, Kyrgyz SSR, USSR into the family of Isak Otunbayev, a member of the Supreme Court of Kyrgyz SSR (1967–1992), and Salika Daniyarova (1925–2020), a teacher. She graduated from the Philosophy Faculty of Moscow State University in 1972 and went on to teach as Senior Teacher and then as Head of the Philosophy Department at Kyrgyz State National University for six years (1975–1981). In 1975, she became Candidate of Sciences after defending her dissertation, "Critique of falsification of Marxist-Leninist dialectic by the philosophers of Frankfurt school". Otunbayeva is a divorced mother of two children.She is fluent in Russian, English, German and French in addition to Kyrgyz. Political career
In 1981, she began her political career as the Communist Party's Second Secretary of the Lenin raion council (raikom) of Frunze (now Bishkek). From 1983 to 1986, Otunbayeva served as the Secretary of the City Communist Party Committee in Frunze (now Bishkek). In 1986, she was appointed the Deputy to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and the same time the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1989, she was appointed as the Executive Secretary and later as the Chairwoman of the USSR UNESCO National Committee, and she also became member of the USSR Foreign Ministry's Board. From 1989–1992, she served as the Vice-President of the UNESCO Executive Council. By 1992, the now independent Kyrgyzstan was led by Askar Akayev, who chose her to be Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, positions she held until later that year when she became her country's first ambassador to the US and Canada (1992–1994).In May 1994 she was called back to her original post of Kyrgyz Minister of Foreign Affairs, remaining there for three years. From 1997 to 2002, she served as the first Kyrgyz ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. From 2002 to 2004, she was recruited Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the Peacekeeping Mission for Georgia. Upon her return to Kyrgyzstan in late 2004, <mask> became politically active. In December 2004, she and three other opposition parliamentarians founded the Ata-Jurt (Fatherland) public movement in preparation for the February 2005 parliamentary elections. From March to September 2005, <mask> served as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Tulip Revolution"

<mask> was one of the key leaders of the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan which led to the overthrow of President Akayev.Subsequently, she served for a few months as Acting Foreign Minister in the interim government of then prime minister (and acting president) Kurmanbek Bakiyev. After Bakiyev was elected President and Feliks Kulov became Prime Minister, <mask> failed to receive the required parliamentary support to become Foreign Minister. She then ran unsuccessfully in a parliamentary by-election a few months later. Otunbayeva played a key role in the November 2006 protests that pressed successfully for a new democratic constitution. She was the co-chairwoman of the country's Asaba (Flag) National Revival Party for a short time. In December 2007, <mask> was elected to the Jogorku Kenesh – the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan – on the list of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan. She served as the Leader of the Opposition SDP from 2008 to 2010.In 2009 she became the Leader of People's Front opposition. 2010 uprising and presidency

On 7 April 2010, she was chosen by opposition leaders as head of the Interim Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, following widespread rioting in Bishkek and the ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Bakiyev fled the Jalal-Abad area as the riots became more violent. Unable to rally support, he resigned as president on 10 April 2010, and left the country for Kazakhstan. Nine days later he went to Minsk, Belarus, where he was given protected-exile status. On 21 April, he recanted his resignation and declared that he was still president of Kyrgyzstan. Otunbayeva vowed to bring him to trial.As interim president, <mask> had four male deputies. <mask> is considered to be unusual as there are few women in politics in Kyrgyzstan. Her first conversation after she came to power was with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Otunbayeva declared that new elections would be called within six months and that she would act as president until then. With violent protests in support of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev continuing in Jalalabad, the home city of the former president, it was announced on 19 May  2010, by the interim government that elections would be delayed until 2011 and <mask> was named as president. Following a referendum on the new Kyrgyz constitution, she was sworn in on 3 July 2010. <mask> however was prohibited by the new constitution from running in the 2011 presidential election and her term ended on 31 December 2011.The referendum was supported by over 90% and changes the government from a Presidential republic to a Parliamentary republic. Parliamentary elections were held in October and the new parliament elected the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Post-Presidency
In January 2012, <mask> has established the International Public Foundation "Roza Otunbayeva Initiative". The main objective of the Foundation is to implement programs and projects that will contribute to the social, political and economic development of the Kyrgyz Republic. During a 2016 speech by her successor at a military parade on Ala-Too Square for the 25th anniversary of Kyrgyzstan's independence, <mask> walked off the stage after President Atamabayev repeatedly criticized her government. During a speech at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in May 2018, she claimed that the young Kyrgyz generation values freedom above all, saying that they "have been infected by freedom and it runs deep". Honours and awards
<mask> Otunbayeva was listed as one of the 150 Most Influential Women in the World by Newsweek/Daily Beast 2011 Edition.<mask> has received France's "Legion of Honour" Award with the degree of Commander, as well as the highest order of Mongolia's "Polar Star" Award. She was awarded the Premio Minerva Medallion, which is presided over by the President of the Italian Republic, "For occupying the highest institutional role in Kyrgyzstan, and for her international activities promoting democracy and peace". In 2011, <mask> received an International Women of Courage Award, which is presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have shown leadership, courage, resourcefulness, and the willingness to sacrifice for others, especially while promoting women's rights. On December 13, 2012, the Eurasia Foundation (USA) awarded her with the 2012 Bill Maynes Award for demonstrating visionary leadership throughout Kyrgyzstan's constitutional transition and providing a lifelong example of public service.

masks:
Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva
Roza Isakovna
Otunbayeva
Roza Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva
Roza
Otunbayeva
Otunbayeva


text_chunks:
<mask> (born December 13, 1950) is an American record producer, songwriter, musician, bass guitarist, and very occasional actor. <mask> is considered to be one of the key producers of what is called the jangle pop movement of the early 1980s. Early life
<mask> was born in Lancaster, South Carolina. He learned guitar at age 13, and made his first recording as a jazz bassist at age 15. He attended the University of North Carolina, where his roommate was the writer Bruce Brooks. <mask> and several fellow UNC freshmen formed the band Arrogance, who recorded six albums and inspired others in the North Carolina music scene. <mask> spent thirteen years as a member, and learned the essence of record production during this time.Production
<mask> was still playing with Arrogance in 1982 when Mitch Easter asked him to co-produce R.E.M. 's debut LP Murmur and their 1984 follow-up LP Reckoning (both <mask> and Easter are credited in the Reckoning liner notes as "Machinists"). <mask> then spent several years producing the work of artists including Chris Stamey (formerly of The dB's), The Smithereens, Fetchin Bones, Richard Barone, Guadalcanal Diary and Marshall Crenshaw. Considered to be a highlight of this period was Tommy Keene's Run Now EP. Working with Mitch Easter at Fidelitorium Recordings in Kernersville, NC, <mask> produced Mixed Reality, the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band Gin Blossoms. It was released on June 15, 2018, on Cleopatra Records. Recordings
In 1985, success as a producer led to <mask>'s solo debut Most of the Girls Like to Dance But Only Some of the Boys Like To, a collection of early demos.This album reflected his love of classic pop melodies and spiky, Nick Lowe-inspired word play. In 1987, <mask> recorded Romeo at Juilliard described as Big Star-style power pop. Chi-Town Budget Show (1988) was a recording of a Chicago's Park West nightclub broadcast. In 1989, his album EEE featured the Uptown Horns. In 1992 Restless Records released a <mask> "Best Of" album entitled "(If) I'm A Ham, Well You're A Sausage". In 1995, after taking time off to raise a family, <mask> released Romantic Depressive, a somewhat darker-themed album. In 1996, <mask> produced the original cast recording of King Mackerel & The Blues Are Running (Songs And Stories of the Carolina Coast) which featured Bland Simpson (Red Clay Ramblers) and author/composer Jim Wann.It was another four years before he released The Invisible Man (2000), an album about mortality, with songs from viewpoints of people of various ages. Note Pad #38 in 2001 was an odds-and-ends collection of unreleased material from his solo career. In 2006, <mask> released The Entire Combustible World in One Small Room, a concept album revolving around rooms in a house. <mask> and wife Marti Jones released the download-only album Lucky Stars: New Lullabies for Old Souls in 2008. A departure from their previous sound, this project began as a request from a friend who was putting together an album of lullabies to sell in hospitals to new parents. The album featured six vocal songs and five instrumentals. In 2008, <mask> released The Nu-Look with The Jump Rabbits, his bandmates of 20 years: Jamie Hoover of The Spongetones, and Jim Brock.In 2009, a book of <mask>'s song lyrics, Songs 101: the Lyrics of <mask> was published by VanZeno Press. Although <mask> and wife Marti Jones have collaborated on each other's albums for years, in 2011 they released Living Stereo, their first proper duet album. In 2014, <mask> released High & Filthy & Borderline, based on the lives of a male and a female assassin. Personal life
<mask> has been married to the singer/artist Marti Jones since 1988. Actor
Played an alcoholic composer in Todd Graff's 2003 film Camp . Appeared onstage in the musical King Mackerel & the Blues Are Running: Songs & Stories of the North Carolina Coast, co-created with Jim Wann (Pump Boys and Dinettes) and Bland Simpson (of The Red Clay Ramblers). References

External links

1950 births
Living people
Record producers from North Carolina
Record producers from South Carolina
Songwriters from North Carolina
Songwriters from South Carolina
Musicians from Charlotte, North Carolina
Guitarists from North Carolina
Guitarists from South Carolina
People from Lancaster, South Carolina
The Golden Palominos members
American male bass guitarists
20th-century American bass guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
American male songwriters

masks:
Don Dixon
Dixon
Don Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Don Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Don Dixon
Dixon
Dixon
Dixon


text_chunks:
<mask> (born February 7, 1959) is an American businessman and investor. In June 2011, he was arrested in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, while overseeing a rice growing agricultural venture that he had invested in, and was jailed for 18 months on suspicion of money laundering, though he was never formally charged. Ostreicher maintained his innocence and stated that the allegations by the Bolivian government were "the scam of the century". His family and friends initiated a public effort to plea for his release, and actor-activist Sean Penn visited Ostreicher in Bolivia and pledged to work for his release. On December 18, 2012, Ostreicher was released from prison on $14,000 bail and placed under house arrest. Bolivian officials were later arrested for what authorities state was an extortion ring. On December 16, 2013, Ostreicher arrived in the United States after 30 months in Bolivia.It was unclear how he managed to flee the country. Background

Personal life
<mask> was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1959 to David and <mask>, both Orthodox Jews. He has 2 children and 5 grandchildren. Bolivian investment and arrest
A group of investors, including Ostreicher and Geneva lawyer Andre Zolty, invested at least $25 million in a rice farming project in Bolivia in 2008. Zolty stated that the idea originally came from Claudia Liliana Rodriguez who he had worked with in Geneva. The investors became concerned with irregularities and suspected that Rodriguez was cheating them. Ostreicher was dispatched to Bolivia to handle the situation, and pursued criminal charges against Rodriguez.The investors also state that Rodriguez became involved in a romantic and financial relationship with a drug trafficker by the name of Maximiliano Dorado. Dorado was arrested in 2010, and was imprisoned in Brazil. On June 4, 2011, after an initial investigation, Ostreicher was arrested for suspicion of money laundering and criminal organization. The prosecutors also claimed that one of the investors, Andre Zolty, was under investigation in Switzerland, however, the Swiss authorities have denied this. Rodriguez has also been arrested. Ostreicher was imprisoned at Palmasola prison. Ostreicher was brought before a judge who after several hearings ordered for him to be released on September 23, 2011.However the judge reversed his decision a week later. A month later the judge was promoted and a new judge was assigned to the case. Following several postponements, the second judge recused himself from the case; no other judge had yet to be assigned. A marriage certificate showing Ostreicher was married in Bolivia was entered into evidence during the September 23 hearing. Ostreicher denied that he was married to a Bolivian. Ostreicher was visited by actor Sean Penn on October 31, 2012. Bolivian law allows for imprisonment without charge for 18 months during the investigative phase.Since Ostreicher was arrested in early June 2011, the 18-month mark occurred in early December 2012. Ostreicher appeared in a hearing on Tuesday, December 11, and the judge ordered that the case be sent back to the lower court. Actor Penn was present at the hearing. On December 18, Ostreicher was released from prison on $14,000 bail and was placed under house arrest. Government extortion ring
Fifteen people, including prosecutors, government officials, and the judge who originally had Ostreicher imprisoned, were arrested in what authorities say was an extortion ring. They include:

 Gustavo Dagner Cespedes Rosales - arrested on 11/27/2012. Minister of Government's Representative in Santa Cruz.Fernando Rivera Tardio - arrested on 11/28/2012. Judicial Counsel for the Minister of Government. One of the ring leaders of "The Red". Attended most of <mask>'s hearings and threatened judges openly with arrest if they were to release <mask>. Denis Efrain Rodas Limachi – arrested on 11/29/2012. Worked together with Fernando Rivera Tardio. Jose Manuel Antezana Pinaya – arrested on 11/26/2012.Worked in the office of the Ministry of Presidency. Roberto Isabelino Gomez Cervero - arrested on 12/3/2012. Former District Attorney of Santa Cruz Bolivia. Miguel Alberto Gutierrez Soliz - arrested on 12/3/2012. Lawyer for DIRCABI (Government Division in charge of confiscated goods). Mosies Aguilera Lopez - arrested on 12/11/2012. Administrator of DIRCABI.Janet Velarde Luna - arrested on 12/8/2012. Lead Prosecutor in Ostreicher case  until she requested transfer to another division in 2013. Roberto Acha Arandia - arrested on 12/20/2012. Prosecutor in tandem with Janet Velarde Luna (was removed in 2013 after a DUI). Cori Balcaza De Acha - arrested on 12/20/2012. Wife of Roberto Acha,  implicated in extortion. Boris Villegas Rocabado - arrested on 12/11/12.Head of Internal Affairs. Ramiro Ordonez Lopez – arrested. Franklin Pedraza Suarez – under house arrest. Employee of DIRCABI. Ariel Rocha – arrest warrant issued on 12/19/2012. Fled the country. Public campaigns

Rally
A rally was held for Ostreicher in front of the Bolivian Mission in New York City on May 3, 2012.The rally was arranged by Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind. White House petition
On May 3, 2012, supporters of Ostreicher initiated an online petition on the White House We the People website requesting the Obama Administration to assist in the effort to free <mask>. As of December 2, 2019, 35,958 people signed the petition. A total of 25,000 signatures were needed by June 2, 2012, in order to submit the petition to the White House; this requirement was met. Congressional hearings
Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) held a hearing in the Congress on June 6, 2012, to investigate the role that the United States Department of State has played in helping free <mask> from Bolivia. Hearings were also held on August 1, 2012, and May 20, 2013. Return to United States
On December 16, 2013, Ostreicher arrived in the US after 30 months in Bolivia.He was reported to be in an undisclosed location with Sean Penn and receiving medical attention. It was unclear how he had fled the country. In May 2014 Ostreicher revealed that after his release, Penn had personally nursed him back to mental and physical health at the latter's home. References

Sources

External links
White House petition to help free Ostreicher

1959 births
Living people
American investors
American Orthodox Jews
American people imprisoned abroad
Businesspeople from New York City
People from Brooklyn
Prisoners and detainees of Bolivia

masks:
Jacob Ostreicher
Ostreicher
Violet Ostreicher
Jacob Osticher
Jacob
Jacob
Jacob


text_chunks:
<mask><mask> is a former American Democratic politician and labor leader from Flushing, Queens. <mask> was a New York Assemblyman elected in 1992 to represent the 25th district in New York City. He was also elected, in June 1995, as the President of the Council on New York Labor. <mask> was arrested October 17, 2006, on charges of stealing more than $2 million from the State of New York and labor unions. After his arrest, he announced that he would not run for re-election, and left office at the end of 2006. In March 2008, <mask> pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and embezzlement. On May 20, 2009, he was found guilty of these charges and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.Early life and family
<mask> was born in Inwood, Manhattan, New York, and grew up in Queens. His family moved to Brentwood, Long Island, when he was 10. His paternal grandfather, <mask>, an electrician, was an immigrant from County Cavan, Ireland. <mask>'s father was also an electrician, who worked for years as chief electrician at The New York Times. His mother held jobs at General Motors and Gertz department stores. None of his family went to college. Both <mask>'s father and his paternal grandfather were union activists; <mask> sat on labor leader Harry Van Arsdale's "Committee of 100."In his high school yearbook, <mask>'s stated career ambition was practical: electrician. He later dropped out of Bridgeport University and did become an electrician. Career

Electrician work and higher education
<mask> started his career as a journeyman electrician. He belonged to Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and was one of the union's business representatives. At a union meeting, he met labor leader Harry Van Arsdale, Jr., head of the CLC, who would become his mentor. Van Arsdale also came out of Local 3 of the IBEW, which was "long the most politically active building trades union in New York". Mr. Van Arsdale convinced <mask> that a job as a unionized electrician and a college degree were not incompatible, and persuaded him to attend night school.While <mask> was working as an electrician, he attended the Empire State College of the State University of New York and eventually graduated with a B.S. He also attended the New York Institute of Technology, where he earned a master's degree in Industrial Labor Relations. He later said that at this time he also worked on honing his leadership qualities. According to The New York Times, Van Arsdale "tutored Mr. <mask> on the ins and outs of labor politics and electoral politics." In 1981, Van Arsdale "gave the ambitious young electrician a huge responsibility – to organize the first Labor Day Parade in the city in decades." Eventually <mask> left his electrician job and went to work for the CLC. Politics
In 2003, <mask> was quoted about his happenstance of being a politician, saying he entered "politics quite by accident...I don't particularly like politics, and I have no ego for it, quite frankly... I guess all of us would say it's disproportionately influenced by money. But in the end, it's a process where you have a limited opportunity to champion and better the situation of the people who elected you. And if you don't have determination, it's an unfriendly process." Democratic district leader
<mask>, according to the New York Times, "was drafted into running for Democratic district leader in 1986 with the Queens Democratic Party in disrepair after the suicide of Donald R. <mask>; he won by 86 votes." New York State Assembly
In 1992, <mask> was elected to the New York State Assembly from the 25th Assembly District, which covers a portion of eastern Queens. He served as Chairman of the Democratic Conference and also sat on the influential Ways and Means Committee.While in the Assembly, he was author of the Sharps Bill, designed to prevent workplace injuries in the health-care industry. <mask> was remembered as "not a particularly high-profile legislator; most of his influence was exerted as a union chief." A February 2002 report noted that St. Ann's Athletic Association in Flushing had received $4,000 from <mask> for uniforms, equipment, and facilities, an appropriation he had introduced into the 1999 state budget. <mask> stated, "Studies have shown that when kids play sports they are less likely to use drugs and get in trouble, and they are more likely to stay in school." Mayoral ambitions
In 2003, there was speculation of a possible <mask> run for the New York mayor's office in the 2005 election. By October 2003, he had raised over $1 million of campaign funds for a possible run. Labor Council
During <mask>'s tenure at the Council on New York City Labor, he served as the assistant to the son of the first president of the organization, Thomas Van Arsdale.In 1986, Van Arsdale's father, Harry Van Arsdale, Jr., died, and he assumed his father's position in the organization as president. The Labor Council today reigns as the largest municipal labor council in the country, a federation with 400 union locals and over 1 million members. In June 1995, <mask> succeeded Van Arsdale as the president of the CLC in a landslide election; Thomas Van Arsdale floundered in the position and <mask> was charged with re-energizing the council. The Labor Council represents laborers from a wide range of industries and enterprises. The union locals that belong to the organization "represent workers ranging from public school teachers to crane operators to employees at the Bronx Zoo, The council's main responsibilities are coordinating the various unions' political activities and placing labor's overall weight behind individual unions during organizing drives and strikes." <mask> is also recognized for a number of achievements during his tenure at the CLC. He "was among the most influential labor leaders in New York City and in the state, providing pivotal early support for Mayor <mask>. Bloomberg's re-election and supporting the failed effort to build a football stadium on the Far West Side of Manhattan.He led the fight to keep Wal-Mart out of the city and lent strong support to transit workers" during a 2005 strike. <mask> had also been courted by not just the mayor, but also bishops, corporate CEOs and real estate magnates, thus emerging "as a major player in some of the biggest municipal battles" of 2006, "including the transit strike and the West Side stadium fight." As head of the Labor Council, <mask> led the annual Labor Day Parade. In 2001, he praised the selection of United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten as grand marshal of that year's parade. "Throughout the years, labor has focused on certain issues - the eight-hour workday, a livable minimum wage, the protection of Social Security. This year our attention will be on the need for quality public schools... Randi Weingarten has not only been an outstanding labor leader in this city. In a time where [sic] teacher bashing and finger-pointing, she has been a beacon in fighting for teachers and students."On October 4, 2003, as New York chairman of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, <mask> presided over a rally of 100,000 immigrants and their supporters at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and spoke up for illegal-immigrant workers: "The labor movement is well placed to redefine itself around the needs of those who most need a labor union." In 2004, <mask> protested <mask>'s fiscal austerity, saying, "Now is the time to invest in our public employees who have not let us down... Years of privatization and productivity schemes from City Hall have gotten us nowhere." In 2006, after <mask>'s indictment,  he was defended for his accomplishments; labor leaders  "credited him with reinvigorating the Central Labor Council in a city where unions were once far more powerful." One of the many local labor leaders to praise <mask> during his indictment, was most notably Randi Weingarten, President of the United Federation of Teachers: "<mask> took over the Central Labor Council when it was at its lowest point in terms of power, prestige and stature and made it into an important institution again... One of his big strengths is that even if you're in a fight that's unpopular, he'll stand with you." <mask>witz hearings on UFT contracts
In December 2003, it was understood that New York City Councilwoman <mask>witz had "garnered the undisguised ire of Randi Weingarten, the powerful head of the U.F.T., and <mask>" by "publicly airing the work rules that many education reformers have criticized for years." When <mask>witz held hearings in November 2003 "on how union contracts imposed inane work rules on public schools and made it nearly impossible for principals to fire bad teachers," she "went toe to toe" with Weingarten, who arranged to have <mask>, a longtime friend and ally, at her side during the confrontation. <mask>, who had opposed the hearings, said that he was there "to remind the city council members that the entire labor movement in the city is watching them."Influenced by <mask>'s presence, then City Councilman Bill de Blasio, a strong labor supporter who would later become mayor, "did what he could to distance himself from <mask>witz during the hearing." The New York Daily News stated in an issue of November 2003, "<mask> did not testify. But with 1.5 million members in his labor council - many of them active, Democratic voters - he didn't have to. <mask>'s show of political muscle demonstrated how unnerved the unions are by the hearings." In November, 2003, <mask> gave a speech at Queens College criticizing <mask>'s hearings. He accused Gifford <mask>, the City Council Speaker, of making "--referencing to <mask>witz--at the expense of the careers of "over 100,000 workers"—referencing New York public school teachers—who "were ridiculed in the process." <mask>, stating that labor had "built our city," simply saying that it was time "to get tough and play offense."A local newspaper, attempting to make sense of the speech, stated: "Clearly, here was the labor candidate denouncing the anti-labor candidate in no uncertain terms in what will be recalled as the day the race for the 2005 Democratic mayoral primary got off the mark." Other activism
<mask> was part of a coalition urging the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to commit $1 billion in post-9/11 federal funding to the Liberty Jobs plan. He led the 2003 Labor for Democracy campaign in reaction to Mayor <mask>. Bloomberg's effort to increase voter participation by replacing the 2003 party primaries with a charter referendum proposal. "If not the labor movement," he said, "then who is going to stand up and speak out for the working people? Sure, I'm looking cynically at the mayor's proposal; this smells of politics. What's broken? What's he trying to fix?The medicine we're trying to give the patient is not what the doctor prescribed. It imperils democracy." <mask>, in collaboration with Randi Weingarten, Rev. Al Sharpton and others, was part of a coalition that organized a march against police brutality. In 2003, he started, as the New York chairman of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, a campaign which called for "a road to citizenship, the reunification of families, a voice and dignity in the workplace, and the civil rights of all people." At the 2004 Republican National Convention, he worked with convention organizers to negotiate no-strike labor agreements, in order to secure the convention's venue in New York. However, during the convention, he organized a rally of unionists from a wide variety of trades to protest certain Bush Administration labor policies.Indictment, trial and imprisonment

Indictment
In March 2006, the FBI raided <mask>'s offices, making public the fact that he was being investigated. In October 2006, <mask> was indicted on 44 federal counts, including racketeering, money laundering, bank and mail fraud, labor bribery, and embezzlement. He was placed under arrest. "He was accused of stealing from virtually every organization with which he was involved," said the New York Post. At the news conference announcing the 186-page indictment, <mask>. Garcia, the United States Attorney for Manhattan, described the extent of <mask>'s alleged financial misdeeds as "stunning in its breadth and scope," and said, "This case lends a new meaning to the term 'hand in the till'... "What we have here is really a story of greed." The New York Times reported that <mask> had legally made "$263,600 in combined salaries and expenses as an assemblyman and labor council president." The Times further described the charges as "ranging from the Dickensian (stealing $95,000 from Little League baseball teams to pay his rent) to the brazen (creating two no-show jobs on his legislative payroll and keeping part of one salary)."Labor experts expressed shock

masks:
Brian M
. McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Miles McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Miles McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Manes
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Michael R
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Mayor Bloomberg
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Brian
Mosko
Eva Mosko
Brian McLaughlin
Mosko
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Mosko
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Moskowitz
Miller
Eve Mosko
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Michael R
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Michael J
McLaughlin
McLaughlin


text_chunks:
 when hearing of the charges brought to <mask>. Labor historian Joshua Freeman, of the City University of New York, said, "If these charges prove true, it's certainly a blot on the union movement." According to the charges, <mask> had stolen "more than $2.2 million from the state, his union, his political club, his campaign and a Little League." The Little League team in question, from which <mask> had allegedly skimmed $95,000, was run by the Electchester Athletic Association. <mask> had reportedly "solicited donations for the team, which he founded, then took the money after it was deposited in one of the organization's bank accounts." According to the indictment, <mask> became furious "when he learned a team official tried to use $2,800 to pay for legitimate softball expenses," saying: "All that f-----g money he's f-----g spending on other stuff, that ain't his money... That's mine." The indictment also alleged that <mask> got the United Way charity to fund a Commission on the Dignity of Immigrants program.It was reported that <mask> "put a relative in charge who funneled his $94,000 salary back to him." The indictment charged that <mask> "took more than $140,000 from the street lights division of Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, for which he served as business representative," plus "$185,000 from the Central Labor Council, more than $35,000 from the State Assembly, and more than $330,000 from his own re-election committee." Moreover, it charged that "he illegally received more than $1.4 million from street-lighting contractors and other companies and that the lighting contractors gave him three cars — one of which he gave to his son and another to a second woman with whom he had a close personal relationship." The indictment also charged that <mask> had "used subordinates as 'personal servants,' to take his dog to the veterinarian, hang Christmas lights, trap rodents in his basement and clean out his barn." He was "also charged with making an aide use his E-ZPass at tollbooths to make it appear that he had returned home from Albany later than he really had, allowing him to bill for daily allowances given to legislators." Moreover, he was "accused of using more than $330,000 from his re-election campaign funds to pay for personal expenses like a rehearsal dinner for his son's wedding, renovation of his $760,000 house in Suffolk County near Long Island Sound, payment of his country club membership fees and the purchase and installation of a plasma television for a female friend." In addition, <mask> was "charged with using stolen money for an $80,000 Mercedes-Benz for his wife, marina fees, school tuition for one of his children, rent payments on his Albany residence and rent payments on his Queens residence."<mask> was also charged with accepting $450,000 in payments from Argent Electric, owned by former New York City Mayor Abe Beame's son, Bernard "Buddy" Beame, as part of a secret partnership dating back to 1999, when the city decided to switch from regular traffic lights to light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Argent sought the contract to provide the LEDs; <mask>, who as head of the CLC represented electrical workers, "could have failed to provide the number of electrical workers needed, or send people who weren't skilled," thereby sabotaging the contract. Beame "paid him to prevent that." In return for efforts by <mask> and an associate at the CLC on Argent's behalf, including pressuring contractors to buy LED units from a firm represented by Argent and encouraging contractors and CLC members to buy Argent products, Beame gave <mask> and his associate half of Argent's profits. The indictment also accused <mask> of using the Street Lighting Association fund "as his personal piggy bank, routinely diverting money earmarked for union members to himself, relatives and close friends." Post-indictment
According to federal authorities, most of the money <mask> stole reportedly "went to turn <mask>'s home in tony Nissequogue, L.I., into a mansion, complete with wine cellar and gazebo." Some of his ill-gotten gains "funded... 'personal relationships' with a number of women."One of these women, Eleanore Levitas, was allegedly paid sizable sums in 2000 "for 'consulting services' to <mask>'s re-election campaign committee," was put on the CLC payroll, and was given "a no-show job with a street-light contractor." Levitas "angrily denied" the charges involving her, describing herself as a victim of <mask>, but her step-uncle, Demetrius Pabers, told a reporter that <mask> had picked her up in a strip club in Queens, where she was stripping at the time, had showered her with money, and had given her a no-show job. She insisted that it had been a real job. "What upsets me is I look like his partner in crime. I'm nothing close to that." Another one of the women whom <mask> had allegedly showered with gifts and cash was reported to be <mask>, "an attractive beauty-spa operator with whom he carried on a long-term relationship." <mask>, represented by Jonathan Bach, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Federal District Court in Manhattan before Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV.It was noted that <mask> could face up to 500 years in prison if convicted of all charges. After learning of the indictment, UFT president Randi Weingarten, a longtime friend and ally of <mask>, told the New York Times, "I've been walking around all day stunned." ... It's like when you hear someone you're close to has suddenly died. But nobody wants to jump to any conclusions." Weingarten suggested that perhaps the FBI had conducted the raid on <mask>'s office as a means of pressuring him to provide evidence against others. She said that she had just lunched with <mask> on the previous Wednesday and "was shocked to learn of the allegations...I don't think any of us know enough to judge anything today, other than that our hearts go out to <mask> and his family." Following the news of the indictment, the CLC's 32-member executive board voted unanimously to suspend salary payments to <mask>, who at the time was on a paid leave of absence. Weingarten, a member of the board, only said that the vote "speaks for itself." Shortly after <mask>'s arrest, he was reportedly described by his staffers as "the cheapest boss on two feet," who had "refused to pay Christmas bonuses and argued over paying a staffer's health insurance." In addition, he had compelled union workers to serve as his personal drivers. One <mask> staffer said, "<mask> never should have been allowed by a state ethics panel to simultaneously run a union and serve as state Assemblyman... In some twisted way, he thought it was OK."

In November 2006, <mask> was removed from his post as CLC president.He had already announced in January 2006 that he would not be running for re-election to the New York State Assembly. In August 2007, it was reported that <mask>, who was out on bail pending trial, had been "last spotted a few months ago working as an electrician again for the first time in a quarter-century - this time making $46 an hour at an apartment house under construction on Manhattan's West Side." He was quoted as saying, "I'm back at work because I need to work." Trial
In March 2008, <mask> entered a plea of guilty in exchange for a reduced potential sentence. Asked her opinion of this development, UFT president Randi Weingarten said, "<mask> was a colleague and a close friend... this is a sad day for him, his family, and the labor movement." At his trial in Federal District Court in Manhattan, prosecutors "charged that Mr. <mask> had misappropriated more than $330,000 from his own re-election committee; $185,000 from the New York City Central Labor Council, which he led; and more than $35,000 from the State Assembly. They said he had created fictitious jobs within the labor council and on his own legislative staff, and took kickbacks from the jobholders."After <mask> was found guilty in May 2009, federal prosecutor Daniel A. Braun asked for leniency, saying he had provided substantial assistance to the government. <mask>'s lawyer, <mask>. Armstrong, said, "This is someone who at core is a good person who went terribly wrong, and who realizes that, and realizes it fully." <mask> apologized to the judge for his "improper conduct and criminal activity," saying that he made no excuses for it, but adding, "over the last three, three and a half years, I've had the opportunity to live the way I'd like to live my life." The New York Times described this as "an apparent reference to steps he has taken toward rehabilitation like attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, as well as cooperating with the government." Judge Richard J. Sullivan, however, rejected requests for leniency, and sentenced <mask> to ten years in prison and a $25,000 fine. "You had every opportunity," said Sullivan, "and you used those opportunities and squandered them for your own benefit on a monumental scale." The prosecution's request for leniency was reportedly based on the fact that <mask> had aided in the investigation of other public officials who had committed crimes, such as fellow Assemblyman Anthony S. Seminerio, but Sullivan said <mask>'s betrayal of public trust "outweighed any assistance he had given."Noting his receipt of dozens of letters supporting <mask>, including one from AFL-CIO president John Sweeney citing <mask>'s "long record of service to the working men and women of New York City," Sullivan said that the portrait of <mask> painted by Sweeney and others did not jibe with the picture that emerged from courtroom evidence of "a man who so abused the trust of institutions and people who depended on him that it sort of staggers the mind." Sullivan added that <mask>'s actions confirmed "the harshest critics of organized labor who accuse the leadership of corruption, and point to you as an example of that corruption." Sullivan ordered <mask>, who remained free on bond, to surrender on July 21. Post-trial
In July 2009, electrical contractor Santo Petrocelli, Sr., of the Petrocelli Electric Company, pleaded guilty to making thousands of dollars in illegal payments to <mask> at the latter's request. Petrocelli said he had made the payments to avoid a worker slowdown. <mask> "controlled all the labor," Petrocelli said. "We certainly didn't want any problems with the local."The relationship between <mask> and Petrocelli, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, had lasted from the mid-1990s through 2006, and had involved hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash payments, in return for which <mask> had used his position to benefit Petrocelli's business. As of August, 2011, it was reported that <mask> "promised to pay back everybody he stole from... Yet none of his victims - who are owed more than $845,000 - have been repaid." The sum included $90,085 owed to the Electchester Athletic Association's Little League team. He also owed $276,383 to the electrical workers' union, $268,821 to the NY Central Labor Council, $32,274 to the state Assembly, $19,475 to a Queens political club and $153,939 to Welsbach Electric of College Point. He had sold his Nissequogue, L.I. home for $652,000 and sold his $80,000 Mercedes, and in March 2010 had delivered a "$457,253 check to prosecutors with the expenditure marked 'preliminary order of forfeiture'"; yet as of August 2011 still had "more than $285,000 in the campaign war chest - sitting in a tax-free bond account earning interest."Alleged paramours
There were multiple implications and testimonies of <mask>'s extra-marital engagements with multiple women. The most notable were New York City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, Eleanore Levitas (an alleged stripper who took a "no-show" job for a paycheck),

Awards

<mask> won the Labor Achievement Award, presented by New Democratic Dimensions. Personal life

<mask> and his wife Eva have five children: <mask>, Kelly, Robert, Cassie, and <mask> <mask>. At the time of his indictment, he had an apartment in Queens; a house in Nissequogue, New York, purchased in 2003 for $760,000; a home in Melbourne Beach, Florida, bought for $81,000 in 1999, and a residence in Albany, New York. References

External links
A Lawmaker's Greed
Former NY legislator sentenced to 10 years
New York City Central Labor Council
New York State Assembly official member website
McLaughlin Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Racketeering Charges
Dirty Cash of Pol-Looter

1952 births
Living people
Members of the New York State Assembly
New York (state) Democrats
People from Queens, New York
American politicians convicted of fraud
New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes
New York Institute of Technology alumni
People from Melbourne Beach, Florida
People from Inwood, Manhattan
People from Brentwood, New

masks:
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Sonia Menezes
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Brian
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Brian McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Michael F
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
McLaughlin
Brian McLaughlin
Brian
Meaghan
McLaughlin