title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In June 1918, O'Keeffe accepted Stieglitz's invitation to move to New York from Texas after he promised he would provide her with a quiet studio where she could paint. Within a month he took the first of many nude photographs of her at his family's apartment while his wife was away. His wife returned home once while their session was still in progress. She had suspected for a while that something was going on between the two, and told him to stop seeing O'Keeffe or get out. Stieglitz left home immediately and found a place in the city where he and O'Keeffe could live together. They slept separately for more than two weeks. By the end of the month they were in the same bed together, and by mid-August when they visited Oaklawn, the Stieglitz family summer estate in Lake George in upstate New York, "they were like two teenagers in love. Several times a day they would run up the stairs to their bedroom, so eager to make love that they would start taking their clothes off as they ran."


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In February 1921, Stieglitz's photographs of O'Keeffe were included in a retrospective exhibition at the Anderson Galleries. Stieglitz started photographing O'Keeffe when she visited him in New York City to see her 1917 exhibition, and continued taking photographs, many of which were in the nude. It created a public sensation. When he retired from photography in 1937, he had made more than 350 portraits and more than 200 nude photos of her. In 1978, she wrote about how distant from them she had become, "When I look over the photographs Stieglitz took of me—some of them more than sixty years ago—I wonder who that person is. It is as if in my one life I have lived many lives."


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: Owing to the legal delays caused by Stieglitz's first wife and her family, it would take six years before he obtained a divorce. In 1924, O'Keeffe and Stieglitz got married. For the rest of their lives together, their relationship was, "a collusion...a system of deals and trade-offs, tacitly agreed to and carried out, for the most part, without the exchange of a word. Preferring avoidance to confrontation on most issues, O'Keeffe was the principal agent of collusion in their union," according to biographer Benita Eisler. They lived primarily in New York City, but spent their summers at his father's family estate, Oaklawn, in Lake George in upstate New York.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: O'Keeffe's mental health was fragile. In 1928, Stieglitz began a long-term affair with Dorothy Norman, who was also married, and O'Keeffe lost a project to create a mural for Radio City Music Hall. She was hospitalized for depression. At the suggestion of Maria Chabot and Mabel Dodge Luhan, O'Keeffe began to spend the summers painting in New Mexico in 1929. She traveled by train with her friend the painter Rebecca Strand, Paul Strand's wife, to Taos, where they lived with their patron who provided them with studios.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In 1933, O'Keeffe was hospitalized for two months after suffering a nervous breakdown, largely due to Stieglitz's affair with Dorothy Norman. She did not paint again until January 1934. In 1933 and 1934, O'Keeffe recuperated in Bermuda and returned to New Mexico in 1934. In August 1934, she moved to Ghost Ranch, north of Abiquiú. In 1940, she moved into a house on the ranch property. The varicolored cliffs surrounding the ranch inspired some of her most famous landscapes. Among guests to visit her at the ranch over the years were Charles and Anne Lindbergh, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, poet Allen Ginsberg, and photographer Ansel Adams. She traveled and camped at "Black Place" often with her friend, Maria Chabot, and later with Eliot Porter.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: During O'Keeffe's marriage to Stieglitz, both had several affairs, O'Keeffe's with women and men, since she was bisexual. Though the nature of their relationship is unconfirmed, there is substantial evidence that O’Keeffe had an affair with the famous painter, Frida Kahlo sometime during her marriage to Diego Rivera. The two met in December 1931 in New York City at the opening of Rivera’s solo exhibition at the MOMA. Lucienne Bloch, a friend and assistant of Frida and Diego’s, claimed that Rivera bragged later that his wife had been flirting with O’Keeffe. From here, a friendship and potential relationship began.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: Soon after the women met, in 1932, Kahlo and her husband moved from NYC to Detroit. Here, Kahlo painted the famous Self Portrait on the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States. Many historians have noted the jack-in-the-pulpit flowers which lie on the Mexico side of the painting. These flowers, which are not native to Mexico, were the feature of a series of paintings by O’Keeffe just two years prior in which she painted the flowers at different periods of growth: one fully closed, one open, etc. This same series of growth is featured in Kahlo’s painting.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In 1933, while O’Keeffe was hospitalized for a mental breakdown, Kahlo wrote to her saying, “I thought of you a lot and never forget your wonderful hands and the color of your eyes." Kahlo also noted, "If you [are] still in the hospital when I come back I will bring you flowers, but it is so difficult to find the ones I would like for you. I would be so happy if you could write me even two words. I like you very much Georgia."


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In another letter written to a friend and colleague a month later, Kahlo described this letter saying, “O'Keeffe was in the hospital for three months, she went to Bermuda for a rest. She didn’t made [sic] love to me that time, I think on account of her weakness. Too bad. Well that’s all I can tell you until now." Though there is no record of O’Keeffe’s response to Kahlo, this has been used as considerable evidence of a potential affair between the women.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: There are a few other records of the women seeing each other a few other times. Both women visited each other’s homes on a couple occasions in the 1950s. Though records are not conclusive on whether their relationship was romantic/sexual or not, and CNN goes so far as to describe their relationship as an explicitly “formative friendship”, many sources claim that their relationship appeared somewhat one-sided with all the records and mementos saved coming from Kahlo.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In 1945, O'Keeffe bought a second house, an abandoned hacienda in Abiquiú, which she renovated into a home and studio. Shortly after O'Keeffe arrived for the summer in New Mexico in 1946, Stieglitz suffered a cerebral thrombosis (stroke). She immediately flew to New York to be with him. He died on July 13, 1946. She buried his ashes at Lake George. She spent the next three years mostly in New York settling his estate, and then moved permanently to New Mexico in 1949, spending time at both Ghost Ranch and the Abiquiú house that she made into her studio.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: Todd Webb, a photographer she met in the 1940s, moved to New Mexico in 1961. He often made photographs of her, as did numerous other important American photographers, who consistently presented O'Keeffe as a "loner, a severe figure and self-made person." While O'Keeffe was known to have a "prickly personality," Webb's photographs portray her with a kind of "quietness and calm" suggesting a relaxed friendship, and revealing new contours of O'Keeffe's character.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: O'Keeffe enjoyed traveling to Europe, and around the world, beginning in the 1950s. Several times she took rafting trips down the Colorado River, including a trip down the Glen Canyon, Utah, area in 1961 with Webb and photographer Eliot Porter.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In 1973, O'Keeffe hired John Bruce "Juan" Hamilton as a live-in assistant and then a caretaker. Hamilton was a potter, recently divorced and broke. This companion of her last years was 58 years her junior. Hamilton taught O'Keeffe to work with clay, encouraged her to resume painting despite her deteriorating eyesight, and helped her write her autobiography. He worked for her for 13 years. O'Keeffe became increasingly frail in her late 90s. She moved to Santa Fe in 1984, where she died on March 6, 1986, at the age of 98. Her body was cremated and her ashes were scattered, as she wished, on the land around Ghost Ranch.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: Following O'Keeffe's death, her family contested her will because codicils added to it in the 1980s had left most of her $65 million estate to Hamilton. The case was ultimately settled out of court in July 1987. The case became a famous precedent in estate planning.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: O'Keeffe was a legend beginning in the 1920s, known as much for her independent spirit and female role model as for her dramatic and innovative works of art. Nancy and Jules Heller said, "The most remarkable thing about O'Keeffe was the audacity and uniqueness of her early work." At that time, even in Europe, there were few artists exploring abstraction. Even though her works may show elements of different modernist movements, such as Surrealism and Precisionism, her work is uniquely her own style. She received unprecedented acceptance as a woman artist from the fine art world due to her powerful graphic images and within a decade of moving to New York City, she was the highest-paid American woman artist. She was known for a distinctive style in all aspects of her life. O'Keeffe was also known for her relationship with Stieglitz, in which she provided some insight in her autobiography. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum says that she was one of the first American artists to practice pure abstraction.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: Mary Beth Edelson's "Some Living American Women Artists / Last Supper" (1972) appropriated Leonardo da Vinci’s "The Last Supper", with the heads of notable women artists collaged over the heads of Christ and his apostles. John the Apostle's head was replaced with Nancy Graves, and Christ's with Georgia O'Keeffe. This image, addressing the role of religious and art historical iconography in the subordination of women, became "one of the most iconic images of the feminist art movement."


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: A substantial part of her estate's assets were transferred to the Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation, a nonprofit. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum opened in Santa Fe in 1997. The assets included a large body of her work, photographs, archival materials, and her Abiquiú house, library, and property. The Georgia O'Keeffe Home and Studio in Abiquiú was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, and is now owned by the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In 1996, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 32-cent stamp honoring O'Keeffe. In 2013, on the 100th anniversary of the Armory Show, the USPS issued a stamp featuring O'Keeffe's "Black Mesa Landscape, New Mexico/Out Back of Marie's II, 1930" as part of their Modern Art in America series.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: A fossilized species of archosaur was named "Effigia okeeffeae" ("O'Keeffe's Ghost") in January 2006, "in honor of Georgia O'Keeffe for her numerous paintings of the badlands at Ghost Ranch and her interest in the "Coelophysis" Quarry when it was discovered".


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In November 2016, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum recognized the importance of her time in Charlottesville by dedicating an exhibition, using watercolors that she had created over three summers. It was entitled, O'Keeffe at the University of Virginia, 1912–1914.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: O'Keeffe holds the record ($44.4 million in 2014) for the highest price paid for a painting by a woman.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: In 1991, PBS aired the "American Playhouse" production "A Marriage: Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz", starring Jane Alexander as O'Keeffe and Christopher Plummer as Alfred Stieglitz.


title: Georgia O'Keeffe

text: Lifetime Television produced a biopic of Georgia O'Keeffe starring Joan Allen as O'Keeffe, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Stieglitz, Henry Simmons as Jean Toomer, Ed Begley Jr. as Stieglitz's brother Lee, and Tyne Daly as Mabel Dodge Luhan. It premiered on September 19, 2009.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Never Let Me Go is a 2010 British dystopian romantic tragedy film based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Mark Romanek from a screenplay by Alex Garland. "Never Let Me Go" is set in an alternative history and centres on Kathy, Ruth and Tommy portrayed by Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield, respectively, who become entangled in a love triangle. Principal photography began in April 2009. Filming locations included Andrew Melville Hall and Forest School, Walthamstow. The film was produced by DNA Films and Film4 on a US$15 million budget.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Prior to the book's publication, Garland had approached Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich about a possible film, and wrote a 96-page script. The producers initially had trouble finding an actress to play Kathy. Mulligan was cast in the role after Peter Rice, the head of the company financing the film, recommended her by text message while watching her performance in "An Education". Mulligan, a fan of the book, enthusiastically accepted the role, as she had long desired to play the part. The film's message and themes were the factors that attracted Garfield to the film.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: "Never Let Me Go" premiered at the 37th annual Telluride Film Festival in September 2010, where the audience responded positively to its message. The film was also screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, and it opened the 54th London Film Festival. The film was distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures to cinemas in the United States on 15 September 2010, where it was given a limited release. It opened on 14 January 2011 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, "Never Let Me Go" opened at four theatres, grossing over US$111,000 during its first weekend. The movie got off to a better start in its first weekend in the UK, earning £625,000 and taking ninth place at the box office.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: "Never Let Me Go" earned US$9.5 million at the box office and an additional US$1.89 million in DVD sales revenue. "Never Let Me Go" was met with generally positive reviews from film critics, with most reviewers praising its portrayals.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: The film begins with on-screen captions explaining that a medical breakthrough in 1952 has permitted the human lifespan to be extended beyond 100 years. It is narrated by 28-year-old Kathy H as she reminisces about her childhood at a boarding school called Hailsham, as well as her adult life after leaving the school. The film first depicts the young Kathy, along with her friends Tommy and Ruth, spending their childhood at Hailsham in 1978. The students are encouraged to create artwork, and their best work gets into "The Gallery" run by a mysterious woman known only as Madame. One day, a new teacher, Miss Lucy, quietly informs the students of their fate: they are destined to be organ donors and will die, or "complete", in their early adulthood. Shortly afterward she is fired by the headmistress, Miss Emily, for sharing this revelation with the children. As time passes, Kathy falls in love with Tommy, but Ruth and Tommy begin a relationship and stay together throughout the rest of their time at Hailsham.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: In the second act, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, now teenagers, are rehoused in cottages on a farm in 1985. They are permitted to leave the grounds on day trips, but are resigned to their eventual fate. At the farm, they meet former pupils of schools similar to theirs, and it is revealed that they are all clones. They also hear rumours of the possibility of "deferral"—a temporary reprieve from organ donation for donors who are in love and can prove it. Tommy becomes convinced that "The Gallery" at Hailsham was intended to look into their souls and that artwork sent to "The Gallery" will be able to confirm true love where it is present. The relationship between Tommy and Ruth becomes sexual, and Ruth confronts Kathy, telling her Tommy never thought of her as more than a friend. This causes Kathy and Ruth to end their friendship. The lonely Kathy leaves and becomes a "carer"—a donor who is given a temporary reprieve from donation as a reward for supporting and comforting donors as they are made to give up their organs. Tommy and Ruth's relationship ends but Kathy has already begun her training.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: In 1994, Kathy is still working as a carer, and has watched many donors gradually die as their organs are harvested. Kathy, who has not seen Ruth or Tommy since the farm, discovers Ruth, frail after two donations. They find Tommy, who is also weakened by his donations, and they take a drive to the seashore, where Ruth admits that she did not love Tommy, and only seduced him because she was afraid to be alone. She is consumed with guilt and has been searching for a way to help Tommy and Kathy. She believes that the rumours of "deferral" are true, and has found the address of the gallery owner, Madame, who she thinks may grant deferrals to couples in love. Ruth dies on the operating table shortly afterward.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Kathy and Tommy finally begin a relationship. Tommy explains to Kathy that he has been creating art in the hope that it will aid deferral. He and Kathy drive to visit Madame, who lives with the headmistress of Hailsham. The two teachers tell them that there is no such thing as deferral, and that Tommy's artworks will not help him. They explain that the purpose of "The Gallery" was not to look into their souls but to investigate whether the "all but human" donors even have souls at all; Hailsham was the last place to consider the ethical implications of the donor scheme. As they take in the news on their return journey, Tommy explodes in rage and frustration, and they cling to each other in grief. Tommy completes his final donation and dies on the operating table, leaving Kathy alone, waiting for her donations to begin in a month. Contemplating the ruins of her childhood, she asks in voice-over whether her fate is really any different from the people who will receive her organs; after all, "we all complete".


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Director Mark Romanek has said that, as in the novel, everyone has to uncover their relationship to their own mortality; there are two options: either go against it, or try to figure out a way around it like the character Tommy does. Romanek hoped the audience of "Never Let Me Go" would be reminded of what is important: love, behaviour and friendships. He recalled an email from one viewer: "I saw your film and it made me cry and I haven't reacted to a film emotionally like that in years. And I called my father, cause I realized I hadn't spoken to him in 3 weeks and I told him how much I love him and how much I appreciated what a good father he's been."


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Andrew Garfield believes the story of "Never Let Me Go" is about humans, and exploring "what it is to have a soul, and how you prove what a soul is"; he says he enjoys the way the film is a "call to arms" about the positives of life. He said that it could remind people that every morning they can choose whether to pursue their own activities, or do what they should do, or do what they are obliged to do. Keira Knightley feels that the film's story is alarming, but has said that the film is "more about humanity's ability to look the other way". "You know in fact that your morals can go out the window if you think you can survive in a certain way, whatever your morals may be".


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Animal activist Jon Hochschartner draws parallels between clone farming and the commodity status of animals. Main character Tommy compares the fate of clones to farmed animals: “I suppose you both heard that Hailsham is closed. The only schools left now — you hear they’re like battery farms,” he says, suggesting that other institutions treat donor children exceptionally badly.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Alex Garland, a long-time friend of Ishiguro, asked the author for the rights to the novel before he had finished reading it. Before the novel was published in 2005, Garland had already written a script for a possible film. He gave the screenplay to two producers, Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich, and development started at that moment. "We are delighted to be shooting this special project, which Alex Garland first brought to us before the book's publication in 2005." The script for the film was 96 pages long, and divided into chapters. Director Mark Romanek was originally attached to "The Wolfman", but when he was dropped from that production for an unknown reason, he accepted the offer to work on "Never Let Me Go". The movie was made into a dystopian drama. Romanek was glad to get the opportunity to shoot this film: "From the moment I finished [reading] the novel, it became my dream to film it. Ishiguro's conception is so daring, so eerie and beautiful. Alex Garland's adaptation is sensitive and precise. The cast is perfect, the crew superb." "The Seattle Times" observed that the project was "something of a departure" for the novelist, noting that it merges Ishiguro's signature "elegant prose with a decidedly science-fiction theme".


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Garland, who has explored science fiction themes in his previous work, was a sounding board for ideas for the novel and an early reader of the book. Ishiguro stated that, despite Garland's screenwriting skills and previous experience with film, they did not discuss the idea of a film until after the novel was complete. "I try not to think about things like that when writing a novel—in fact, quite the reverse", he stated. He said that he attempts to "go for something... very interior, following thoughts and memories, something that I think is difficult to do on the screen, which is essentially a third-person medium." Thus he was surprised when Garland, after reading a complete version of the book, said he would like to try to adapt it. Ishiguro recalled that Garland wrote a draft very quickly and immediately asked for his opinion "as a first go". Ishiguro was very satisfied with Garland's screenplay—which was changed very little from its initial draft to the filmed version—and with the final film. When asked to compare the experience with that of "The Remains of the Day", he acknowledged that both were more hands-on with this film. Romanek said that he did not make "Never Let Me Go" a science fiction film; rather, he was presenting a love story with fictional science context mixed in. He described the film as telling a "love story where the science fiction is this subtle patina on the story." The filmmaker explained that had they done the film with "science fiction-y things", it would have been more openly, with props such as futuristic structures and devices.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Carey Mulligan plays the narrator, Kathy, an introverted, observant character who projects both innocence and knowingness, and who over the course of the story develops from a passionate, optimistic child to a wise and accepting young woman. Prior to her casting, Mulligan had already read the novel a few times, considering it a favourite. She recalled that from when she first read the book three years ago she had wanted to play Kathy. The young actress said that she could not "bear the idea of anyone else" portraying Kathy, although she acknowledged that she thought other people would be able to do a better performance. She was certain that someone would make a film adaptation of the novel and had hoped that they would wait until she would be old enough to play the character. Romanek told "The Los Angeles Times" that he originally was having difficulty finding the right actress to play Kathy; a tight filming deadline loomed prior to Mulligan's casting. Peter Rice, the head of Fox Searchlight (the company financing the film) was watching "An Education" at the Sundance Film Festival in January. He wrote Romanek a four-word text message: "Hire the genius Mulligan." When later asked why the message was so abrupt, he explained that he was still in the middle of viewing the film. Rice exhibited what was described as a "rare foresight" in greenlighting a film with an almost unknown lead actress. "He just knew that she was it", said Romanek.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Andrew Garfield was cast as Tommy, a well-meaning, rather dim young person who struggles to find a place in an environment which values imagination and creativity above all. He said of his character, "There's a sense of anxiety that runs through these kids, especially Tommy, because he's so sensory and feeling and animalistic, that's my perspective of him." Garfield was attracted to the film based on its existential questions. He called the experience of being a part of "Never Let Me Go" a "dream come true". Garfield enjoys an opportunity to let loose with his roles. He said the scenes in which his character—unable to contain his frustration—erupts with a wail, was "intense" for him. "I think those screams are inside all of us, I just got a chance to let mine out". Before shooting the film, he had read the screenplay and the book. In March 2009 "Daily Variety" reported that Knightley was signed to the project. Knightley admitted that she only agreed to appear in "Never Let Me Go" because her friend Mulligan had asked her to. She portrays Ruth, a zealous, ambitious character who behaves manipulatively out of inner insecurity. When asked what she did and did not have in common with her character, Knightley said she was unable to relate to Ruth's situation of being involved in a love triangle.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: The three lead characters do not have last names because "they are not normal people". Romanek believed that the three main characters act with great dignity. He noted that they are not materialistic or looking for power, but just desire to acknowledge their love for each other and stay close in their friendship. He cited how Ruth tries to seek redemption by attempting to set right a big mistake she had made. What he found the most moving aspect of the film was the "graceful place of acceptance that Kathy comes to at the end". Child actors Isobel Meikle-Small, Ella Purnell and Charlie Rowe play the younger versions of the story's lead actors. Hawkins, who co-starred with Mulligan in "An Education", had a supporting role as Miss Lucy, a teacher at an isolated English boarding school where the students slowly become aware that they are feared by people in the outside world. Charlotte Rampling portrays Miss Emily, a schoolmaster who presides over the orphanage at Hailsham. Richard was cast as the administrator, known as Madame, who is conducting a project to analyse the students' characters and psychologies, which has been compared to treating them as if they were subjects in an experiment. Riseborough's casting in "Never Let Me Go" was announced in April 2009.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: "Never Let Me Go" was given a production budget of US$15 million. Principal photography for the film started in April 2009 and lasted a few weeks. Production design was done by Mark Digby, and Adam Kimmel was assigned to cinematography. The commercial director was Duncan Reid, who works for Ingenious Media, and the film was shot by English company DNA Films. On 8 May 2009, the production moved to Norfolk for filming. The beach at Holkham was used for filming; Knightley had shot scenes at nearby Holkham Hall for her 2008 film "The Duchess". A location on Hill Road In Clevedon was used, and a shop was converted into a travel agency. They also filmed on the beach and the Victorian pier in Clevedon. The pier is featured on the film poster and the cover of the rereleased book. A large property on the Bexhill-on-Sea seafront was used on 12 and 13 May 2009 to act as the exterior for the residence of Madame, where Tommy and Kathy go to apply for a deferral.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Andrew Melville Hall in the University of St. Andrews was the setting for the Dover Recovery Centre. Nearly thirty film extras, film producers and location scouts had to wait several hours for the sun to set so they could film the scenes there. The restaurant scene, which is featured in the trailer and in promotional screenshots, was shot in the Regent Restaurant and Coffee Lounge in Weston-super-Mare in April 2009. Chiswick Town Hall, a dark building in London, was also used as a shooting location. The scenes where the Hailsham assemblies were held was filmed at Forest School in Snaresbrook in May 2009. Ham House, Richmond, was used for filming mostly exterior scenes at Hailsham School and a couple of interior scenes.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Romanek described working with child actors and "knowing that the first act of the film was going to have to be carried by 12-year-olds" as probably the most difficult aspect of making the film. He said that most of the rehearsal schedule was devoted to ensuring that the first act would be good. At rehearsals, the film-maker would have the younger actors observe the older actors practise the first-act scenes. This had a double purpose: the older actors would have a memory of having played those scenes, while the child actors would get a better idea of how a more skilled actor would play their part. Romanek would then mix and match the actors (for example, Mulligan would do a scene with the child playing the younger Tommy). He also had them spend time together doing things like playing and talking. He took them to the school location and let them play games together so they could get a better idea of the layout of the place.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: According to Mulligan, a problem during the production was that her role required her to drive: at the time she did not know how to drive or have a driver's licence. She did a two-week intensive course to learn how to work a manual gear change so she could eventually film the driving scenes, but failed the driving test. "I'm really bad at it", she explained. "[I have] no hand and eye coordination." The production team ultimately had to shoot the scene on a private road, where she was allowed to get behind the wheel. The director had a hard time making Knightley look plain in the film; "It was difficult. She was eager and happy to do it because the role called for it. But even at her worst, Keira still looks astonishing".


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: When accessing the very deep emotions called for by her character, Mulligan stated, "I really took my cue from the book". She noted that her role did not require her to have much to say, because Kathy was more of an observer throughout most of the film. She recalled that "every time I was in a scene where I wasn't quite sure where I was going with it, I would go to the book and read through the lines because she's unreliable, in that much of the time she's not being truly honest with herself or the audience." She said that her friendship with Knightley made their scenes together easier because they would both regard each other's comments helpful and would not feel "insulted or hurt" in discussion.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: The film's score was composed by British composer Rachel Portman over a four-month period. She said that because of the film's sad themes, she wanted to "put some hope" and humanity into the music; it was important that there be a "real emotional heartbeat in the midst of this story." Believing that a "huge sweeping score" would not have fit "Never Let Me Go", she instead worked with a smaller orchestra of no more than 48 players. The director and producers prodded her to try other approaches, so she considered using a child's voice, and what was described as a "big finale cue." In the end, they went for a simpler and more subtle approach. Stating that most of the score was written for piano, strings and harp, with solos for violin and cello, she called her score something of a "chamber piece". "If you use a solo instrument, it's like having a voice", she says. "It highlights the emotion." But, she adds, "the violin is played with virtually no vibrato, because I didn't ever want it to sound sentimental". She notes that "for my own taste, I stay on the side of restraint, because I think it works better in film". Her work on "Never Let Me Go" earned her a San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Score.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: The song "Never Let Me Go" that Kathy listens to in the film is from a cassette tape that Tommy gave her at Hailsham called "Songs After Dark" by 'Judy Bridgewater'. The album and singer are fictitious, but "Never Let Me Go" was written by Luther Dixon and sung by Jane Monheit.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: In July 2010 "Never Let Me Go" was screened to film critics, who gave it generally positive reviews, with "The Daily Telegraph" calling the film's three leads "brilliant". "Never Let Me Go" premièred at the 37th annual Telluride Film Festival, presented by the National Film Preserve. The festival began on 3 September 2010, running through Labor Day in the remote Colorado town. "The Hollywood Reporter" observed that the audience "seemed to respond positively to the film's look at what makes us human and what defines a soul." The film was in the 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) line-up during September 2010, with 300 other films. "Never Let Me Go" was originally expected to have its world premiere at the 2010 Venice Film Festival in September, but Fox replaced it with "Black Swan". They favored the TIFF over Venice, but eventually settled on the Telluride Film Festival.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: In the same month, the film was screened during the 2010 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. "Never Let Me Go" opened the 54th London Film Festival on 13 October 2010, the same day as its European release date. "Never Let Me Go" was the second film based on an Ishiguro novel to open the festival, after Merchant Ivory–Ismail Merchant's "The Remains of the Day" in 1993. Regarding the film's screening at the London Film Festival, Ishiguro said, "It is a fantastic privilege, I feel very lucky. To some extent it is a showcase for British talent and it's a tremendous honour". Describing "Never Let Me Go" as "accomplished and imaginative", Sandra Helborn, the London Film Festival Artistic Director, added that "It combines impeccable film making, outstanding performances and a deeply moving story, and I couldn't wish for a stronger or more appropriate opening night". That same month it was also screened in competition at Japan's Tokyo International Film Festival. Six screenings of the film were held in the Little Theatre at Western Michigan University between 17–19 December 2010.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: "Never Let Me Go" was scheduled for a limited release for select cities in the United States on 1 October 2010, but the date was later moved up to 15 September. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 11 February 2011, and in France on 9 February 2011. To promote the film, Mulligan appeared at movie screenings, including at the Landmark Theatres and AMC Loews Lincoln Square. After the Telluride Film Festival, the "Los Angeles Times" called the film an "Oscar wild card". He believed its reviews were "likely to be split between those who consider the film a bleak masterpiece and others who find it straining so mightily for aesthetic perfection that it fails to provide a gripping narrative." "The Globe and Mail" called "Never Let Me Go" one of 2010's "big noise" films. In the United States, "Never Let Me Go" was released on DVD on 1 February 2011. By 6 February, it had sold 44,911 units (amounting to US$628,305 in consumer revenue) and was the 17th-best-selling DVD for that week. the DVD sales revenue stands at US$1,886,997.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: In its opening weekend in the United Kingdom, between 11–13 February 2011, it took ninth place at the box office. Playing on 265 screens, it took in an estimated £625,000, which the British press considered disappointing. In its second week its box-office revenue decreased by 45%, to £338,404. "Never Let Me Go" has made a total of £9,455,232 worldwide.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: "Never Let Me Go" was released to four cinemas in its opening weekend in the United States, with an additional 163 theatres added to its theatrical run later on. The film became the number-one screening at these four theatres on its opening day, and grossed slightly over US$44,500 from those select screenings. In its opening weekend, the film made over US$111,700, averaging US$30,250 per theatre, taking 42nd place at the box office. In its succeeding week, revenues for "Never Let Me Go" saw a 117% increase, making about US$241,000, with an average of nearly US$9,500 per theatre. It was the 28th-highest-grossing film at the box office for that week. By its third week of release, the film suffered a revenue decrease to around US$188,000, despite being screened at more theatres than the previous week. After one month of release, it pulled in US$350,000, increasing nearly 90 per cent from its previous weekend.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: According to a news piece published by the "Los Angeles Times" on 21 October, by its fifth week of release the film was an "undeniable disappointment" commercially. The publication noted that when its release widened to over 200 theatres the previous weekend its per-theatre average was so low that its distributor decided to cut its screens in the succeeding weeks. Based on answers from film experts and executives for Fox Searchlight, there were five factors to why the film commercially disappointed: its timing, airing too early in the year when lighter summer fare is still popular; a novel that is particularly difficult to adapt; mixed reviews from critics; its depressing tone; and its lack of appeal to male viewers. In the following weeks "Never Let Me Go" began to gross under US$100,000 per weekend, going on to earn US$2.5 million in the U.S. by the second week of December.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: "Never Let Me Go" received generally positive reviews from critics, with the cast's performances being praised. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 71% approval rating based on 184 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Mark Romanek has delivered a graceful adaptation that captures the spirit of the Ishiguro novel—which will be precisely the problem for some viewers." David Gritten of "The Daily Telegraph" saluted the film, applauding the production and the performances of its supporting cast. Saul Austerlitz of the "Boston Globe" felt that the film struck a "mournful note" and believed that certain images in the film, such as a tree in an empty field, "possess a haunting power directly lifted from the best of Romanek's video work", while respecting the themes in Ishiguro's novel.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: "The Hollywood Reporter" critic Jay A. Fernandez said that "Never Let Me Go" was an engaging film, but he thought that its overall impact was not as emotionally devastating as the book. "Cleveland Magazine"s Clint O'Connor strongly approved the acting performance of Garfield, and Eric Kohn from IndieWire praised the script and the photography of Kimmel and Garland.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Chris Knight of the "National Post" wrote that the film was able to capture the wistfulness and the unpredictable tone of Ishiguro's novel, but added that it "spills the beans much sooner". Mark Jenkins of NPR called "Never Let Me Go" a "remarkably successful adaptation" of Ishiguro's book, but acknowledged that Romanek and Garland "do make a few missteps", which were mostly the result of the limitations imposed by turning the novel's contents into a film. "Entertainment Weekly" film critic Owen Gleiberman described the film as feeling like a "period piece" and rated it a C+. Reuterss Stephen Farber called the film a disappointment, because although it was "expertly acted, impeccably photographed, intelligently written" and "even intermittently touching", "Never Let Me Go" is "too parched and ponderous to connect with a large audience"; he said the film should have laid out more completely the logic of its parallel universe, such as the cloning process, and he found its theme of the dangers of medical experimentation "rather tired".


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: "Slant" writer Ed Gonzalez gave the film a two-out-of-four-star rating, saying the characters' actions do not feel "appropriately warped" while the interactions between the teachers and students is not "at all rife with the what-are-they-thinking-about-us mystery of the book". Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com wrote that Romanek "does so many difficult things beautifully in this movie". He thought the film carried a reminder that life is short regardless of how long it lasts rather than a "lecture about the horrors of human history". Tom Preston from "The Guardian" described Mulligan and Garfield's acting as solid, while commenting that Knightley's emotional performances are occasionally jarring. He said that although the film finely demonstrated subtlety, its screenplay could have been written with less compression in some parts. Writing in "Newsweek", Louisa Thomas praised the film for its beauty and its performances but declared that "there's something just missing here."


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Marshall Fine of "The Huffington Post" noted that like the novel, the film is difficult to embrace. He said that the film does work on a "suspense level", due to Romanek's creating a "quiet, leisurely pace that would not be out of place in a yoga class". He stated that he "no doubt was aiming for an eerie, "Children of the Damned" vibe, except that it's the children who are damned". The writer concluded that "Never Let Me Go"s final result is a "staid, lifeless tale that never talks about what it's about, or at least not enough to provoke deep thoughts on the subject." Film critic Rex Roberts of "Film Journal International" thought the film was moderately surprising given Romanek and Garland's previous work, saying that they "show real affinity for the subtle shades of resignation and quiet desperation that characterize Isighuro's [sic] prose and, as would be expected, accentuate the unsettling eeriness that pervades "Never Let Me Go"". Roberts felt that Mulligan and Knightley were not convincing in portraying their ages until the last third of the movie.


title: Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

text: Christy Lemire stated that the film was a "gorgeous, provocative look at humanity" and observed that like its characters, the film "demands much of its audiences emotionally". She concluded that "Never Let Me Go" is worth the investment. "Los Angeles Times" film critic Kenneth Turan thought that the film was "passionate about deliberation and restraint" and believed that the latter may not appeal to all audiences. Scott Bowles, writing for "USA Today", gave the film a negative review, declaring "never was a movie so bleak and empty". He claimed that "Never Let Me Go" did not "embrace the book's unrelentingly dark tones", but rather wallowed in them. He commented that not even the cast's performance, particularly Garfield's, were enough to redeem the film. "New York Times" journalist Manohla Dargis said that the film presented "the aspect of a tasteful shocker" because its "cruelty is done so prettily and with such caution that the sting remains light".


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Héctor Bellerín Moruno (born 19 March 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right-back or wing-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Bellerín started his career at Barcelona, and moved to Arsenal in 2011. On 21 November 2016, he signed a long-term contract that tied him to Arsenal until 2023, but returned to Barcelona in September 2022, after spending the previous year on loan at Real Betis.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Bellerín played internationally for Spain from under-16 to under-21 levels. He made his senior debut for Spain in 2016 and was later chosen for the European Championship of that year.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Bellerín started his club football career in Barcelona's youth team. He moved to Arsenal in the summer of 2011, and signed his first professional contract the following year. While a youth player at Arsenal, Bellerín also helped the club to reach fourth place of the NextGen Series of 2012–13.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Bellerín made his competitive debut away to West Bromwich Albion in the third round of the League Cup on 25 September 2013, coming on in the 95th minute as a substitute in a penalty shootout victory after a 1–1 draw.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Two months later, Bellerín joined Championship club Watford on a two-month loan deal, and made his debut against Yeovil Town eight days after signing. The loan at Watford was extended until the end of the season, but he was recalled by Arsenal in February 2014.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Following injuries to Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and Nacho Monreal, Bellerín made his Champions League debut on 16 September 2014 in a 2–0 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund. He scored his first goal for Arsenal on 1 February 2015, in a 5–0 win against Aston Villa, and added a second on 4 April to open a 4–1 win over Liverpool despite also conceding a penalty kick through a foul on Raheem Sterling.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Bellerín was selected to start for Arsenal in the 2015 FA Cup Final on 30 May, helping the team keep a clean sheet in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: He signed a new long-term contract before the 2015–16 season and played the entirety of Arsenal's 1–0 win over rivals Chelsea in the 2015 FA Community Shield. He was the sole Arsenal player listed in the season's PFA Team of the Year, and came in third place in Arsenal's Player of the Season voting. On 21 November 2016, he signed a new long-term contract after agreeing to a deal that ties him to the club until 2022.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Bellerín featured in the following season throughout Arsenal's victorious 2016–17 FA Cup campaign. He played in the Cup final which Arsenal went on to win by a 2–1 margin against Chelsea. He was again triumphant in the Gunners lifting the 2017 Community Shield by beating Chelsea 4–1 on penalties.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Bellerín scored his first goal of Arsenal's 2017–18 season in Arsenal's 3–1 victory over 1. FC Köln. On 3 January 2018, Bellerín earned a draw for Arsenal against Chelsea with what BBC Sport described as 'stunning injury-time strike' in the 92nd minute, having earlier conceded a penalty for a foul on Eden Hazard. Bellerín played the full time match as Arsenal lost the EFL Cup by 3–0 to Manchester City at Wembley. 7 March 2018, Bellerín was ruled out of the Europa League first leg clash against Milan with an unknown return date.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Bellerín missed out the first five weeks of the 2018–19 season due to a calf problem. During a league game against Chelsea on 19 January he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee and was stretchered off of the pitch in the 70th minute at the Emirates Stadium. He was later ruled out for nine months, consequently missing the remainder of the season and the start of the 2019–20 season. Arsenal coach Unai Emery perceives Bellerín as "very mature" and believes that "he is already preparing to come back stronger than before".


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: On 24 September 2019, Bellerín made his return from injury as a substitute in Arsenal's 5–0 victory against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. On 21 January 2020, he scored in the 87th minute to help Arsenal earn a 2–2 draw against Chelsea in the Premier League. That was his only goal of the season. On 1 August 2020, Bellerín was selected to start in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea, and went on to win his third winners' medal as Arsenal won their 14th FA Cup.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: On 14 February 2021, Bellerín scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a 4–2 win over Leeds United in the Premier League.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: On 31 August 2021, Bellerín returned to Spain after a decade, joining Real Betis on a season-long loan.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: On 1 September 2022, Bellerín returned to Barcelona following the termination of his contract at Arsenal.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Having reached the semi-finals of the 2013 European Championship with the under-19 team, Bellerín made his debut for Albert Celades's under-21 team on 30 March 2015, playing the full 90 minutes of a 4–0 friendly win over Belarus in León.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: On 29 May 2016, after being named as a stand-by player for the year's European Championship, Bellerín made his debut for the full squad by starting in a 3–1 friendly win against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the AFG Arena in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Two days later, he was chosen for the final squad after Dani Carvajal withdrew through injury. He was unused as they reached the last 16.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Early in his career Bellerín was known for his pace, which allowed him to take on opposition defenders as well as provide defensive cover. At the beginning of the 2014–15 season, he broke Theo Walcott's Arsenal sprint record by 1/100th of a second. Although having been slowed down due to injury in recent{March 2022} seasons, he was considered to be one of the fastest footballers in the world during his early years at Arsenal and was known for often sprinting in hopes of creating attacking chances for his teammates as well as for making key defensive recoveries.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Bellerín became a vegan in 2017, which he credits for improving his health. In an interview in August 2019, he said that footballers have a responsibility to create awareness around environmental issues and that "It's nice to show what we have—our cars, our watches—but good to send a more meaningful message than 'look how cool we are'."


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: On the day of the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Bellerin criticised Prime Minister and eventual winner Boris Johnson in a tweet where he encouraged young people to vote accompanied by a hashtag #F*ckBoris.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: The 2019–20 Premier League was suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When it returned in June, Bellerin pledged to plant 3,000 trees for every Arsenal victory in the remainder of the season.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: Bellerín became the second-largest shareholder of EFL League Two club Forest Green Rovers in September 2020. He praised their commitments to veganism and environmentalism.


title: Héctor Bellerín

text: In March 2022, Bellerín spoke against what he described as double standards of the West on other issues compared to its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "It is quite difficult to see that we are more interested in this war than in others," he told "La Media Inglesa". "I don't know if it is because they are more like us or because the conflict can affect us more directly both economically and in terms of refugees. The Palestinian war has been completely silenced, no one speaks about it. Yemen, Iraq... now Russia not being able to play in the World Cup is something that other countries have faced for many years." He went on to say it was racist to "[turn] a blind eye to other conflicts" and that it also showed "a lack of empathy for the number of lives lost in many conflicts and we are prioritising those that are near to us."


title: Meg Tilly

text: Meg Tilly (born Margaret Elizabeth Chan on February 14, 1960) is an American-Canadian actress and writer.


title: Meg Tilly

text: For her role in the 1985 film "Agnes of God", she won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other film roles include "Psycho II" (1983), "The Big Chill" (1983), "Masquerade" (1988), and "Valmont" (1989). For her role in the television series "Bomb Girls" (2012–13), she won the 2013 Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Tilly has also written multiple novels, including "Porcupine" (2007), which was a finalist for the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Tilly was born in Long Beach, California to Patricia Ann (née Tilly), a Canadian teacher, and businessman Harry Chan. Her father was Chinese-American, while her mother was of Irish and Finnish descent. She is the younger sister of actress Jennifer Tilly.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Following her parents' divorce when she was three, Tilly was raised by her mother and stepfather, John Ward, on rural Texada Island in British Columbia, Canada. She later claimed that Ward was a violent pedophile. At the age of 12, Tilly started taking dance lessons, in part to avoid her stepfather, and in a few years had developed into a gifted ballerina.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Tilly attended Esquimalt High School in Esquimalt, British Columbia, and also Chief Sealth International High School in Seattle, Washington where she is listed among its alumni. After graduating from high school, Tilly left home and moved to the United States to pursue a career as a professional dancer. In New York City she studied with Madame Darvash and Melissa Hayden on full scholarship. She joined the Connecticut Ballet Company. She made her screen debut (somewhat ironically) as a dancer in Alan Parker's 1980 musical drama "Fame", despite the fact that Tilly's dance career had been halted in 1979, when a dance partner dropped her, leading to a serious back injury.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Forced to give up dancing because of complications stemming from her back injury, Tilly moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actress and studied acting under Peggy Feury. She made her television debut in the 1982 half-hour drama "The Trouble with Grandpa", co-starring Elisha Cook Jr. After playing a prostitute in a second-season episode of "Hill Street Blues", she appeared in her first starring role in the 1982 coming-of-age adventure film "Tex" with Matt Dillon.


title: Meg Tilly

text: In 1983, after she starred as the lead in the supernatural horror film "One Dark Night", she appeared in "Psycho II" with Anthony Perkins, and Lawrence Kasdan's award-winning ensemble film "The Big Chill", with Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Tom Berenger, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, JoBeth Williams and Mary Kay Place. Tilly's appearance in "The Big Chill", which was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, helped her career significantly. In 1984, she starred in the movie "Impulse".


title: Meg Tilly

text: Tilly was the first choice for the role of Constanze Mozart in Miloš Forman's film "Amadeus", having received glowing appraisals of her rehearsal work by both her would-be costar Tom Hulce and director Forman. However, she sustained a leg injury playing soccer and had to abandon the project. The role later went to Elizabeth Berridge.


title: Meg Tilly

text: In 1985, Tilly landed the acclaimed title role in Norman Jewison's "Agnes of God", appearing with Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft. Playing the role of a novitiate nun who confesses her involvement in a virgin conception, Tilly "delivered a magnificent portrayal of a tormented young woman experiencing the ultimate crisis of faith". Tilly's critically praised performance earned her an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Tilly later appeared in "Valmont" (1989), "The Two Jakes" (1990) with Jack Nicholson and "Leaving Normal" (1992) with Christine Lahti, as well as the 1993 horror film "Body Snatchers". After this, she stopped acting for the next 15 years.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Tilly returned to acting in 2010, portraying the Blessed Mother, a Pope-like figure in the "Caprica" episode "Unvanquished". In 2011 she played Martha in Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", presented by the Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre in Victoria, B.C.


title: Meg Tilly

text: In January 2012, Global in Canada launched the six-part "Bomb Girls" about women who work in a munitions factory during World War II. Tilly stars as Lorna, the emotionally closed floor matron who blossoms as a leader and an appealing woman. She won the 2013 Lead Actress, Drama Canadian Screen Award for her work on the series.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Tilly is the author of multiple published novels. In 1994, Tilly's first novel "Singing Songs" was published by Dutton to generally positive reviews. Donna Rifkind from "Publishers Weekly" called the book "an impressive first novel", and the "New York Times" Book Review praised Tilly for "the remarkable coherence and clarity" of Anna's narrative voice. The book is about a young girl and her sisters living in the Northwest who are molested by their stepfather.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Her second novel "Gemma" was published in 2006 by the Syren Book Company. and picked up by St. Martin's Press in 2010. The book is about a twelve-year-old girl who is kidnapped and taken on a cross-country journey in which she is physically and sexually abused by her captor.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Her third novel "Porcupine" was published in 2007 by Tundra Books. The book is about a twelve-year-old girl, Jacqueline "Jack" Cooper, whose life is shattered by the death of her father by friendly fire in the War in Afghanistan. "Porcupine" was a finalist for the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize, shortlisted for The Canadian Libraries Association Best Children's Book 2008, Foreword Magazine Book of the Year and was an Ontario Library Best Bets 2008.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Her fourth novel "First Time" was published in 2008 by Orca Book Publishers. The novel is about a sixteen-year-old who is molested and physically abused by her mother's boyfriend, and must deal with the trauma alone without the help of her mother or best friend. "First Time" was a 2009 Golden Eagle Award Nominee, a 2009 YALSA Quick Picks and 2010 CCBC Best Books.


title: Meg Tilly

text: Tilly's fifth novel "A Taste of Heaven" was published in 2013 by Puffin Books. A departure from the darker themes of Tilly's previous work, the novel is about two young girls who become friends who experience the "comical, sometimes bittersweet and melodramatic trials and tribulations of tweenhood". One reviewer wrote, "Tilly paints an insightful, memorable portrait of the ups and downs of friendship and the unwavering bonds of family, delving into age-old issues of honesty, trust, and loyalty. "A Taste Of Heaven" was shortlisted for the 2014 Libris Young Reader Book of the Year, a 2014 Diamond Willow Award and won the 2014/2015 Chocolate Lilly Award.


title: Meg Tilly

text: In 2018, Tilly published the first of three books in her "Solace Island" trilogy, a series of romantic thrillers about a young woman, Maggie Harris, dating a mysterious handsome man after recently being dumped by her fiancé. It was quickly followed by two sequels, "Cliff's Edge" and "Hidden Cove".


title: Meg Tilly

text: In 1983, Tilly married Tim Zinnemann, an American film producer and son of film director Fred Zinnemann. They met on the set of her first film, "Tex". The couple had two children, Emily (born 1984) and David (born 1986). The marriage ended in divorce in 1989.


title: Meg Tilly

text: In 1989, Tilly began a 5-year relationship with British actor Colin Firth, whom she met during the filming of "Valmont". They moved from Los Angeles to a log house on five acres of mountainside property about an hour outside Vancouver near the town of Maple Ridge, British Columbia. They have one son, William Joseph (born 1990).


title: Meg Tilly

text: In 1995, Tilly married John Calley, an American film studio executive and producer 30 years her senior. They moved to Los Angeles, where Calley worked as president and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. The marriage ended in divorce in 2002.


title: Meg Tilly

text: In 2002, Tilly married her current husband, author Don Calame, who writes fiction for adolescents. They met during a writing seminar in Big Sur, California. Since 1999, she has resided in the Gulf Islands, British Columbia.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Sheikh Hasina Wazed ("née" Sheikh Hasina ; ; , , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh since January 2009. Hasina is the daughter of the founding father and first President of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She previously served as prime minister from June 1996 to July 2001. She is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh, having served for a combined total of over 18 years. As of , she is the world's longest-serving female Head of Government in history.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina's term as the Prime Minister witnessed worsening security situation that includes the Bangladesh Rifles revolt in 2009 which killed 56 officers of Bangladesh Army, as well as increasing attacks by Islamic extremists in the country, including the July 2016 Dhaka attack which has been described as "deadliest Islamist attack in Bangladeshi history" by BBC. On the economic front, Bangladesh's external debt has more than tripled under Hasina's term, reaching $95.86 billion by the end of fiscal year 2021-22, leading the government to seek IMF loan twice in this period, first in 2012 and again in 2022. The period is also marked by massive irregularities in the banking sector of the country where the amount of default loans went from less than to more than in 2019 according to IMF and includes the notable Bangladesh Bank robbery in 2016.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Under her tenure as Prime Minister, Bangladesh has experienced democratic backsliding. Human Rights Watch documented widespread enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings under her government. Many politicians and journalists have been systematically and judicially punished for challenging her views. Reporters Without Borders in 2021 characterized Sheikh Hasina as a predator for curbing press freedom in Bangladesh since 2014. According to experts, the Hasina-led government's repression of political opposition as well as shrinking democratic and civic


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: space has created "the space for extremist groups to flourish" and "has generated a violent backlash from Islamist groups."


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: In 2014, she was re-elected for a third term in an election that was boycotted by the BNP and criticised by international observers. She won her fourth term in 2018, following an election marred with violence and criticised by the opposition as being rigged.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina was born on 28 September 1947 to the Bengali Muslim Sheikh family of Tungipara in East Bengal. Her father was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and the first President of Bangladesh. She has Iraqi Arab ancestry through her paternal grandfather Sheikh Lutfar Rahman, who was a direct descendant of 15th-century Muslim preacher Sheikh Awwal of Baghdad. Her mother was Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib. She has said in many interviews that she had grown up in fear due to threats to her politically prominent father, who was assassinated in 1975. She married physicist M. A. Wazed Miah, who was chosen for her by her father, in 1968.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: During the peak of violence during the 1970 Pakistani general election, as well as her father's arrest, she had lived in refuge with her grandmother. She was active in the student politics of the University of Dhaka.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina was not in Bangladesh when her father, and most of her family, were assassinated on 15 August 1975 during a military coup d'état by renegade officers of the Bangladesh Army.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: She was in West Germany with her husband, M. A. Wazed Miah, who was working as a nuclear physicist. She moved to New Delhi in late 1975, having been granted asylum by India. Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, studied at Indian boarding schools. During her time in India, Hasina was not involved in politics, but became close friends with Suvra Mukherjee, wife of the future Indian President Pranab Mukherjee.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina was barred from returning to Bangladesh until after she was elected to lead the Awami League on 16 February 1981, and arrived home on 17 May 1981.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: While living in exile in India, Hasina was elected President of the Awami League (AL) in 1981. The AL has been described as a "left-of-center" party.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Under martial law, Hasina was in and out of detention throughout the 1980s. In 1984, she was put under house arrest in February and again in November. In March 1985, she was put under house arrest for another three months.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina and the AL participated in the 1986 Bangladeshi general election held under President Hussain Muhammad Ershad. She served as the leader of the parliamentary opposition in 1986–1987. She led an eight-party alliance as opposition against Ershad. Hasina's decision to take part in the election had been criticised by her opponents, since the election was held under martial law, and the other main opposition group boycotted the poll. However, her supporters maintained that she used the platform effectively to challenge Ershad's rule. Ershad dissolved the parliament in December 1987 when Hasina and her Awami League resigned in an attempt to call for a fresh general election to be held under a neutral government. During November and December in 1987, a mass uprising happened in Dhaka and several people were killed, including Noor Hossain, an Awami League activist and support of Hasina.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Her party, along with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) under Khaleda Zia, continued to work to restore democratically elected government, which they achieved after a constitutional referendum returning the country to a parliamentary form of government. The consequent parliamentary general election in 1991 was won by the BNP.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: After several years of autocratic rule, widespread protests and strikes had paralysed the economy. Government officers refused to follow orders and resigned. Members of the Bangladesh Rifles laid down their weapons instead of firing on protestors and curfew was openly violated. Hasina worked with Khaleda Zia in organising opposition to Ershad. A huge mass protest in December 1990 ousted Ershad from power when he resigned in favour of his vice president, Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed, the Chief Justice of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. The caretaker government, headed by Ahmed, administered a general election for the parliament. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Khaleda Zia won a general majority, and Hasina's Awami League emerged as the largest opposition party. Of the three constituencies Hasina contested, she lost in two and won in one. Accepting defeat, she offered her resignation as the party president but stayed on at the request of party leaders.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Politics in Bangladesh took a decisive turn in 1994, after a by-election in Magura-2, held after the death of the MP for that constituency, a member of Hasina's party. The Awami League had expected to win back the seat, but the BNP candidate won through rigging and manipulation, according to the neutral observer who came to witness the election. Hasina led the Bangladesh Awami League in boycotting the parliament from 1994. Relations between Hasina and Zia nosedived after this.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The Awami League (AL), with other opposition parties, demanded that the next general elections be held under a neutral caretaker government, and that provision for caretaker governments to manage elections be incorporated in the constitution. The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) refused to act on these demands.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Opposition parties launched an unprecedented campaign, calling strikes for weeks on end. The Government accused them of destroying the economy while the opposition countered that the BNP could resolve the issue by acceding to their demands. In late 1995, the MPs of the AL and other parties resigned en masse from parliament. Parliament completed its five-year term and the February 1996 general election was held. The election was boycotted by all major parties except the ruling BNP, who won all the seats in the parliament as a result. Hasina described the election as a farce.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The new Parliament, composed almost entirely of BNP members, amended the constitution to create provisions for a caretaker government (CTG). The June 1996 general election was held under a neutral caretaker government headed by retired Chief Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman. The AL won 146 seats, a plurality, but fell short of a simple majority. Khaleda Zia, leader of the BNP who won 104 seats, denounced the results and alleged vote rigging. This was in contrast with the neutral observers who said that the election was free and fair.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina served her first term as Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001. She became the first Bangladeshi prime minister since independence to complete an entire five-year term. She signed the 30-year water-sharing treaty with India governing the Ganges. Her administration repealed the Indemnity Act, which granted immunity from prosecution to the killers of Sheikh Mujib, her father and the first President of Bangladesh. Her government opened the telecom industry to the private sector, which until then was limited to government-owned companies. In 1999 the government started the New Industrial Policy (NIP) which aimed to strengthen the private sector and encourage growth.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Bangladesh joined two multilateral bodies, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8). The NIP allowed foreign companies to open 100 percent-owned subsidiaries.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: In the 2001 general election, despite winning 40% of the popular vote (slightly less than BNP's 41%), the AL won just 62 seats in the Parliament, while the 'Four Party Alliance' led by BNP won 234 seats, giving them a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Hasina herself ran in three constituencies, and was defeated in a constituency in Rangpur, which included her husband's home town, but won in two other seats. Hasina and the AL rejected the results, claiming that the election was rigged with the assistance of the President and the caretaker government. The international community was largely satisfied with the elections, and the 'Four Party Alliance' went on to form a government.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The Awami League MPs were irregular in attending the Parliament during the following period. In late 2003, the Awami League started its first major anti-government movement, culminating in the declaration by party general secretary Abdul Jolil that the government would fall before 30 April 2004. This failed to happen and was seen as a blow to the party and Hasina, who had implicitly supported Jalil.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: During her second term as leader of the opposition, political unrest and violence increased. MP Ahsanullah Master died after he was shot in May 2004. This was followed by a grenade attack on 21 August on an Awami League gathering in Dhaka, resulting in the death of 24 party supporters, including Ivy Rahman, party women's secretary. In October 2018, a special court gave verdicts in two cases filed over the incident; the court ruled that it was a well-orchestrated plan, executed through abuse of state power, and all the accused, including BNP Senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman (in absentia) and former top intelligence officials, were found guilty. The court prescribed various punishments. Shah A M S Kibria, Hasina's former finance minister, was also killed that year (2004) in a grenade attack in Sylhet.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: In June 2005, A. B. M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury, the incumbent AL Mayor, won an important election in Chittagong, the second-largest city in Bangladesh. This election was seen as a showdown between the opposition and the ruling party.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The months preceding the planned 22 January 2007 elections were filled with political unrest and controversy. Following the end of Khaleda Zia's government in October 2006, there were protests and strikes, during which 40 people were killed in the following month, over uncertainty about who would head the Caretaker Government. The caretaker government had difficulty bringing all parties to the table. The AL and its allies protested and alleged that the caretaker government favoured the BNP.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The interim period was marred with violence and strikes. Presidential Advisor Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury negotiated with Hasina and Khaleda Zia and brought all the parties to the planned 22 January 2007 parliamentary elections. Later the nomination of Ershad was cancelled by the returning officer of the Election Commission as Ershad had been convicted on a corruption case. As a result, the Grand Alliance withdrew its candidates en masse on the last day possible. They demanded that a voters' roll be published.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Later in the month, President Iajuddin Ahmed was compelled to declare a state of emergency. Consequently, Lt General Moeen Uddin Ahmed took control of the government. Political activity was prohibited. Fakhruddin Ahmed became the chief advisor with the support of the Bangladesh Army.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina went to the United Stated embassy on 14 March 2007 along with Kazi Zafarullah and Tareq Ahmed Siddique. She would fly the next day to the United States accompanied by Tareq Ahmed Siddique and Abdus Sobhan Golap. She vsited her son and daughter who live in the United States. She then moved to the United Kingdom.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: In April 2007, Hasina was charged with graft and extortion by the military-backed caretaker government during the 2006–2008 political crisis. She was accused of having forced businessman Tajul Islam Farooq to pay bribes in 1998 before his company could build a power plant. Farooq said that he paid Hasina for approving his project.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: On 18 April 2007, the Government barred Hasina from returning, stating that she had made provocative statements and that her return could cause disorder. This was described as a temporary measure. The Caretaker Government had also been trying to get Khaleda Zia to leave the country. Hasina vowed to return home, and on 22 April 2007, a warrant was issued for her arrest for murder. Describing the case against her as "totally false and fake", Hasina said that she wanted to defend herself against the charges in court. On 23 April 2007, the arrest warrant was suspended, and on 25 April 2007, the ban on Hasina's entry was dropped. After spending 51 days in the United States and the United Kingdom, on 7 May 2007 Hasina returned to Dhaka, where she was greeted by a crowd of several thousand. She told reporters that the Government should not have delayed her return.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: On 16 July 2007, Hasina was arrested by police at her home and taken before a local court in Dhaka. She was accused of extortion and denied bail, and was held in a building converted into jail on the premises of the National Parliament. The AL said the arrest was politically motivated. On 17 July 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission sent notices to both Hasina and Khaleda Zia, instructing them to provide details of their assets within one week. Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed was out of the country and said he would try to organise a worldwide protest. These arrests of the political leaders were widely seen as a move by the military-backed interim Government to force Hasina and Zia out of the country and into political exile. United Kingdom MPs condemned the arrest.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: On 11 April 2007, the police filed murder charges against Hasina, alleging that she masterminded the killing in October 2006 of four supporters of a rival political party. The four alleged victims were beaten to death during clashes between the AL and rival party activists. Hasina was visiting the United States at the time.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: On 30 July 2007, the High Court suspended Hasina's extortion trial and ordered her release on bail. On 2 September 2007, an additional case was filed against Hasina by the Anti-Corruption Commission regarding the awarding of a contract for the construction of a power plant in 1997, for which she allegedly took a bribe of 30 million takas and kept the contract from going to the lowest bidder. Six others were also accused of involvement. A graft case was filed against Zia on the same day.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: On 13 January 2008, Hasina was indicted on extortion charges by a special court along with two of her relatives, her sister Sheikh Rehana and her cousin Sheikh Selim. On 6 February, the High Court stopped the trial, ruling that she could not be prosecuted under emergency laws for crimes alleged to have been committed prior to the imposition of the state of emergency.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: On 11 June 2008, Hasina was released on parole for medical reasons. The next day she flew to the United States to be treated for hearing impairment, eye problems and high blood pressure. Syed Modasser Ali, her personal physician, threatened to sue the caretaker government over negligence regarding Hasina's treatment during her detention.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The caretaker government held mayoral elections in which AL won 12 out of 13 elections. The government extended her two-month medical parole by one more month.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: On 6 November 2008, Hasina returned to Bangladesh to contest the 2008 general election scheduled for 29 December. She decided to participate in the parliamentary election under the banner of the "Grand Alliance" with the Jatiya Party, led by Hussain Muhammad Ershad, as its main partner. On 11 December 2008, Hasina formally announced her party's election manifesto during a news conference, and vowed to build a "Digital Bangladesh" by 2021.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Her Awami League and the Grand Alliance (a total of 14 parties) won the 2008 general election with a two-thirds majority, having won 230 out of 299 seats. Khaleda Zia, leader of the BNP-led coalition (4-Party Alliance), rejected the results of the election by accusing the Chief Election Commissioner of "stage-managing the parliamentary election". Hasina was sworn into office as Prime Minister for a second term on 6 January 2009. Independent observers declared that the elections were held in a festive and peaceful atmosphere.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: After being elected Prime Minister, Hasina reneged on her agreement with the Jatiya Party to make Ershad, its leader, the President.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina removed many of her parties' politicians who supported reforms forced by the previous caretaker Government. She had to confront a major national crisis in the form of the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles revolt over a pay dispute, which resulted in 75 deaths, including Bangladesh Army officers. Some Bangladesh Army officers blamed Hasina for the deaths by not sending in the Army earlier. In 2011, the parliament removed the law that required non-party caretaker government hold elections. In 2012, she maintained a hard line stance and refused to allow entry to Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar during the 2012 Rakhine State riots.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: On 27 June 2013, a case against Hasina and 24 other Bangladeshi Ministers and security personnel was lodged at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the alleged violation of human rights. She has been "credited internationally" for the achievement of some of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. In 2012 a coup attempt against her by mid-ranking army officers was stopped, with the Bangladesh Army being tipped off by an Indian intelligence agency. The Bangladesh Army described the army officers involved as being Islamist extremists.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: In 2012, she had a falling out with Muhammad Yunus, Nobel laureate and founder of Grameen Bank, following a Norwegian documentary that was critical of Yunus's transferring of money from Grameen Bank to an affiliate organisation. Yunus transferred the money back after the documentary aired but it increased scrutiny of the Bank by the Government and media in Bangladesh. Yunus lost control of his Bank following a court verdict. He criticised Hasina and other Bangladeshi politicians. She responded by saying she did not understand why Yunus blamed her when it was a court verdict that removed him from Grameen Bank.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: During this term, her government led and succeeded in forming the International Crimes Tribunal, to investigate and prosecute suspects involved in the Bangladesh Genocide, committed by the Pakistan Army and their local collaborators, Razakars, Al-Badr, and Al-Shams during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina secured a second-consecutive term in office with her ruling Awami League and its Grand Alliance allies, winning the 2014 general election by a landslide. The AL-led Grand Alliance won 267 seats, surpassing its 2008 poll success – when it secured 263 parliamentary seats.  Sheikh Hasina's Awami League has run Bangladesh since 2009 and won 288 seats in this election. One of the leading opposition parties accused it of using stuffed ballot boxes. The election was boycotted by major opposition parties including the BNP.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The election was controversial, with reports of violence and an alleged crackdown on the opposition in the run-up to the election. 153 seats (of 300) went uncontested in the election, of which the Awami League won 127 by default. Hasina's Awami League won a safe parliamentary majority with a total of 234 seats. As a result of the boycott and violence, voter turnout was lower than the previous few elections at only 51%. The day after the result, Hasina said that the boycott should "not mean there will be a question of legitimacy. People participated in the poll and other parties participated." Despite the controversy Hasina went on to form a government with Ershad's Jatiya Party (who won 34 seats) as the official opposition.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The election has been called "an electoral farce". The BNP wanted the elections to be held under a neutral caretaker government and had hoped to use protests to force the government to do so.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: In March 2017, Bangladesh's first two submarines were commissioned. In September 2017, Hasina's government granted refuge and aid to around a million Rohingya refugees and urged Burma to end violence against the Rohingya community. The majority of the Bangladeshi people supported the government's decision to provide refugee status to the Rohingya. Hasina received credit and praise for her actions.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina supported calls to remove the Statue of Justice in front of the Supreme Court. This was seen as the government bowing down to the pressure of those who use religion for political ends.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina is a patron of the Asian University for Women, led by Chancellor Cherie Blair, and including the First Lady of Japan, Akie Abe, as well as Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: Hasina won her third consecutive term, her fourth overall, when her Awami League won 288 of the 300 parliamentary seats. The leader of the main opposition alliance, Kamal Hossain, declared the vote "farcical" and rejected the results. Before the election, Human Rights Watch and other rights organisations had accused the Government of creating an intimidating environment for the Opposition. "The New York Times" editorial board described the election as farcical, the editorial stated that it was likely Hasina would have won without vote-rigging and questioned why she did so.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The BNP, the main opposition party that has been out of power for 12 years and boycotted the 2014 general election, fared extremely poorly. Bagging only eight seats, the party and its Jatiya Oikya Front alliance have been marginalised to the weakest opposition ever since Bangladesh's post-Ershad democratic restoration in 1991.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: In May 2021, Hasina provided the inaugural address for the opening of a new headquarters for the Bangladesh Post Office, named the Dak Bhaban. In her address, Hasina urged for further development of the postal service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Developmental measures outlined in the address include continuing the service's digital transformation, and the construction of cooling units in postal warehouses to pave the way for the sending of perishable food by mail.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: The Padma Bridge graft scandal was a political incident in Bangladesh that involved the ruling Awami League government that allegedly sought, in exchange for the awarding of the construction contract, a large amount of money from the Canadian construction company SNC-Lavalin. The allegations were subsequently found to be false and without merit, and a Canadian court subsequently dismissed the case.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: As a result of the allegations, The World Bank pulled out of a project to provide funding for the Padma Bridge, citing corruption concerns, cancelling of credit for the 6 km-long (four miles) road-rail bridge over the Padma River. One of the individuals implicated was Minister of Communications Syed Abul Hossain who subsequently resigned and was later acquitted of any wrongdoing. On 11 July 2012, BNP General-Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the Awami League government should make public a letter sent by the World Bank, wherein the Bank brought graft charges against Hasina and three other figures. On 17 January 2016, Hasina stated that a managing director of a bank in the United States provoked the World Bank to cancel the loan.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: On 24 January 2017, in a speech in parliament, Prime Minister Hasina blamed Muhammad Yunus for the World Bank's pulling out of the project. According to her, Yunus lobbied with the former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to persuade the World Bank to terminate the loan. On 10 February 2017, a justice of the Superior Court of Ontario dismissed the bribery-conspiracy case for lack of any evidence.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: In 2018, Hasina's government passed the controversial Digital Security Act, 2018, under which any criticism deemed inappropriate by the government over the internet or any other media could be punished by prison terms of various degrees. This was heavily criticised both domestically and internationally for suppressing people's freedom of speech, as well as undermining press freedom in Bangladesh.


title: Sheikh Hasina

text: In 1968, Hasina married M. A. Wazed Miah (1942–2009), a Bangladeshi physicist, writer, and Chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. She has a son, Sajeeb Wazed, and a daughter, Saima Wazed. Saima's father-in-law is a former minister of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and LGRD, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. Hasina's only living sibling, Sheikh Rehana, served as the adviser of Tungipara upazila unit Awami League in Gopalganj in 2017. Throughout her political career, Sheikh Hasina has survived a total of 19 assassination attempts on her life.


title: Astor family

text: The Astor family achieved prominence in business, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With ancestral roots in the Italian Alps region of Italy by way of Germany,


title: Astor family

text: the Astors settled in Germany, first appearing in North America in the 18th century with John Jacob Astor, one of the wealthiest people in history.


title: Astor family

text: John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor) was the youngest of four sons born to Johann Jacob Astor (1724–1816) and Maria Magdalena vom Berg (1730–1764).


title: Astor family

text: The Astor family can trace their ancestry back to Giovan Asdour (1595–1668) and Gretta Ursula Asdour (1589–). Giovan was born in Chiavenna, Italy, and died in Zürich, Switzerland. Their son, Hans Pieter Asdor, was born in Switzerland and died in Nußloch.


title: Astor family

text: John Jacob and his brother George left Germany and moved to London in 1778. There, they established a flute making company. In 1783, John Jacob left for Baltimore, Maryland, leaving his brother in charge of the London business, and was active first as a dealer in woodwind instruments, then in New York as a merchant in opium, furs, pianos, and real estate. After moving to New York, John met and married Sarah Cox Todd (1762–1842). She worked alongside her husband as a consultant, and was accused of witchcraft after her success with the company in 1817. The accusations never led to legal action. They had eight children, including John Jacob Astor Jr. (1791–1869) and real estate businessman William Backhouse Astor Sr. (1792–1875).


title: Astor family

text: John Jacob's fur trading company established a Columbia River trading post at Fort Astoria in 1811, the first United States community on the Pacific coast. He financed the overland Astor Expedition in 1810–1812 to reach the outpost, which was in the then-disputed Oregon Country. Control of Fort Astoria played a key role in English and American territorial claims on the region.


title: Astor family

text: John and George's brother Henry (born Heinrich) (1754–1833) also emigrated to America. Henry was a horse racing enthusiast, and purchased a thoroughbred named Messenger, who had been brought from England to America in 1788. The horse became the founding sire of all Standardbred horses in the United States today.


title: Astor family

text: During the 19th century, the Astors became one of the wealthiest families in the United States. Toward the end of that century, some of the family moved to England and achieved high prominence there. During the 20th century, the number of American Astors began to decline, but their legacy lives on in their many public works including the New York Public Library. English descendants of the Astors hold two hereditary peerages: Viscount Astor and Baron Astor of Hever.


title: Astor family

text: While many of Astor members joined the Episcopal Church, John Jacob Astor remained a member of the Reformed congregation to his death.


title: Astor family

text: For many years, the members of the Astor family were known as "the landlords of New York". Their New York City namesakes are the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, an Astor Row, Astor Court, Astor Place, and Astor Avenue in the Bronx, where the Astors stabled horses. The neighborhood of Astoria, Queens, was renamed to incite John Jacob Astor to invest there.


title: Astor family

text: Beyond New York City, the Astor family name is imprinted in a great deal of United States history and geography. Astor Street, in Chicago's landmark Gold Coast district, is named after John Jacob Astor. There are towns of Astor in the states of Florida, Georgia, Iowa, and Kansas and there are Astorias in Illinois, Missouri, and Oregon. In Astoria, Oregon, the primary elementary school is called John Jacob Astor Elementary and the city is home to the Astoria Column.


title: Astor family

text: There is a neighborhood called Astor Park just south of downtown Green Bay, Wisconsin. At the heart of this neighborhood is a park (also called "Astor Park"); the Astor family donated this land for the building of a trade school.


title: Astor family

text: The Astors were also prominent on Mackinac Island, Michigan, and Newport, Rhode Island, with their summer house, Beechwood. At Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, there are the Lord and Lady Astor Suites; the hotel salon is called Astor's. There is even a Hostel in York, England called The Astor. In addition, a dormitory at St. George's School in Newport, Rhode Island, bears Astor's name.


title: Astor family

text: The Danubius Hotel Astoria in the center of Pest, Budapest, Hungary, opened in 1914, was given its name by the original hotel owners and Mihály Gellér, the first General Manager of the hotel, who formerly worked for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. In Shanghai, China there is the Astor House Hotel in the Bund.


title: Astor family

text: Both of the current titleholders continue to sit in the House of Lords following the expulsion of the majority of the hereditary peers by the House of Lords Act 1999.


title: Hello (Adele song)

text: "Hello" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 23 October 2015 by XL Recordings as the lead single from her third studio album, "25" (2015). Written by Adele and with its producer, Greg Kurstin, "Hello" is a piano ballad with soul influences (including guitar and drums), and lyrics that discuss themes of nostalgia and regret. Upon release, the song garnered critical acclaim, with reviewers comparing it favourably to Adele's previous works and praised its lyrics, production and Adele's vocal performance. It was recorded in Metropolis Studios, London.


title: Hello (Adele song)

text: "Hello" was a massive global success, topping the records charts in a record-setting 36 countries, including in the United Kingdom where it became Adele's second chart topper, following "Someone Like You", and had the largest opening week sales in three years. In the United States, "Hello" debuted atop the "Billboard" Hot 100, reigning for ten consecutive weeks whilst becoming Adele's fourth number-one single on the chart and breaking several records, including becoming the first song to sell over a million digital copies in a week. By the end of 2015, it had sold 12.3 million units globally (combined sales and track-equivalent streams) and was the year's 7th best-selling single while it stands as one of the best-selling digital singles of all-time.


title: Hello (Adele song)

text: The accompanying music video was directed by Xavier Dolan and co-stars Adele and Tristan Wilds. The music video for the song broke the Vevo record by achieving over 27.7 million views within a 24-hour span, held previously by Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" which accumulated 20.1 million views in that timeframe. "Hello" also broke the record for shortest time to reach one billion YouTube views (87 days). The music video for the song received seven nominations at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year and Best Female Video. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, "Hello" won three awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. The song also won the Brit Award for British Single, and APRA Award for International Work of the Year.


title: Hello (Adele song)

text: "Hello" was written by Adele and Greg Kurstin and produced by Kurstin, who also played bass, guitar, drums, piano and keyboards, while Adele played drums. "Hello" was written in Chiswick, London, something not normally done by Adele, who said she likes to write her music at home. The writing process for the song was slow, taking six months to complete. Initially Adele and Kurstin started writing the first verse; finishing half of the song, six months later Adele contacted Kurstin to finish the song with her, with Kurstin stating he was not sure "if Adele was ever going to come back and finish it."


title: Hello (Adele song)

text: "Hello" is a soul piano ballad, played in the key of F minor at a tempo of 79 beats per minute. The repeated chord progression heard in the verse, played by the piano, follows two progressions and a passage (Bridge) progression (passage or Bridge progression connects two main progressions to each other) of Progression #1: Fm(i)–A(III)–E(VII)–D(VI), Passage progression: Fm(i)–E(VII)-Cm(v)-D(VI)-Fm7(i7)-E(VII)–D(VI), Progression #2:Fm(i)–D/F(VI)–A(III)–E(VII). According to Musicnotes.com, Adele's vocals span from F to A in the song. During the chorus, Adele is heard singing the lines over layers of backing vocals, piano and drums which were described by "The Daily Telegraph" as having "a very luscious wall of sound".


title: Hello (Adele song)

text: Lyrically, the song focuses on themes of nostalgia and regret, and was seen as a follow-up to her single "Someone like You" appearing to reflect on a failed relationship. The song's lyrics were also seen as being conversational, revolving around "all the relationships of her past", ranging from friends, family members and ex-partners. Speaking on the song's lyrical content, Adele told Nick Grimshaw on "The Radio 1 Breakfast Show": "I felt all of us were moving on, and it's not about an ex-relationship, a love relationship, it's about my relationship with everyone that I love. It's not that we have fallen out, we've all got our lives going on and I needed to write that song so they would all hear it, because I'm not in touch with them." According to Adele, the line "Hello from the other side" signifies "the other side of becoming an adult, making it out alive from your late teens, early twenties."


title: Hello (Adele song)

text: On 18 October 2015, a 30-second clip of "Hello" was played during a commercial break on "The X Factor" in the United Kingdom. The commercial teased what was then new material, with her vocals accompanied by lyrics on a black screen. Josh Duboff of "Vanity Fair" wrote that "the Internet collectively lost their minds" after the broadcast of the trailer.


title: Hello (Adele song)

text: On 22 October, Adele announced the upcoming release of "25" to her fans on Twitter. She also shared that "Hello" would be released on 23 October as the lead single off of the album.