title: George Pickett

text: General Pickett had received orders from Robert E. Lee to, with the Cavalry divisions of Major Generals William Henry Fitzhugh Lee and Thomas L. Rosser, hold the vital railroad crossing at Five Forks at all costs. On April 1, at the Battle of Five Forks, their troops were attacked by a combined force under Major General Philip Henry Sheridan, which consisted of the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major General Gouverneur K. Warren, and the Cavalry Corps of the Army, commanded by Brigadier General Wesley Merritt. Pickett, W.H.L. Lee, and Rosser were located behind the lines of their troops at the time of the attack, enjoying a shad bake while failing to inform their subordinate officers of their location. Meanwhile, Warren's troops overwhelmed Pickett's left flank, and the Cavalry troops pinned the Confederates down elsewhere. By the time the Confederate commanders realized the catastrophe, it was too late to prevent the defeat. The result of the battle, as well as that of the Third Battle of Petersburg the following day, forced Lee to abandon his entrenchments at Petersburg, leading to the capture of Richmond and surrender of his army on April 9.


title: George Pickett

text: A controversy existed over whether Pickett was relieved of his command in the final days of the war. After the war, Lee's Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Walter H. Taylor, wrote that following the Battle of Sayler's Creek on April 6, 1865, he had issued orders for Lee relieving Major Generals Richard H. Anderson and Bushrod Johnson, whose forces had been lost in the battle and who thereby no longer had troops under their command. In fact, Anderson had returned to his home in South Carolina following the battle. In addition, Taylor recollected that he had issued an order relieving Pickett as well. Pickett's division was still intact, though reduced in number to about the size of a brigade. No copies of these orders exist. Douglas Southall Freeman, a biographer of Lee, supported this assertion, writing in 1935 that at the same time Lee relieved Anderson of command, he took the same action regarding Pickett and Bushrod Johnson, but the order regarding Pickett apparently never reached him. As late as April 11, he signed himself, "Maj. Genl. Commdg."


title: George Pickett

text: In contradiction to this assertion, in his 1870 book "Pickett's Men" Walter Harrison reprinted an order from Lieutenant Colonel Taylor to Pickett dated April 10, 1865, in which Taylor addressed Pickett as "Maj Gen G E Picket , General Commanding" The order was a request for an account of the movements and actions of Pickett's Division from the time of the Battle of Five Forks on April 1 to the surrender at Appomattox on April 9. In the report Pickett submitted, he said:


title: George Pickett

text: Pickett's official report to Taylor was signed "G.E. Pickett, Major-Gen., Commd'g." This is the April 11 report mentioned by Freeman above. Thus in Pickett's official report to Taylor he speaks of commanding his men and interacting with his superior officer right up until the surrender at Appomattox. Taylor attempted to explain the apparent contradiction by telling Fitzhugh Lee that he addressed his request in the manner he did because Pickett was not dismissed from the Army, and for the period in question, Pickett was initially in command. This explanation, however, leaves unanswered the question of how Taylor expected Pickett to answer for the period of time Pickett purportedly was not in command. The explanation does not explain Pickett's report which covered the entire period, nor the fact that Pickett signed the report as the acting commander, nor did it explain Longstreet's interactions with Pickett over this period of time. Furthermore, there is no record of Taylor requesting reports from any other officers dismissed from the service on the movements of their former troops, nor of his referring to such officers in a manner which would connote active command.


title: George Pickett

text: The medical officer of Pickett's division, Dr. M. G. Elzey, was with Pickett at the time of these events. When an elderly Colonel John S. Mosby raised this issue in 1911, Elzey wrote a letter to the "Richmond Times-Dispatch" in answer to Mosby:


title: George Pickett

text: In Longstreet's final report, he makes no mention of Pickett or his division. Nor does Longstreet mention any other officer being in charge of the unit, nor Pickett commanded the men remaining in his division and reported to Longstreet. These men surrendered with Pickett at Appomattox. Regarding Pickett and his division, no source can be produced which asserts anything otherwise.


title: George Pickett

text: On April 9, Pickett commanded his remaining troops in the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse, forming up in the final battle line of the Army of Northern Virginia. He surrendered with Lee's army and was paroled at Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865.


title: George Pickett

text: A legend told by Pickett's widow stated that when the Union Army marched into Richmond, she received a surprise visitor. He acted graciously and inquired whether he had found the Pickett house. Abraham Lincoln himself, the story goes, had come to determine the fate of an old acquaintance before the wars, and Sallie, astonished, admitted she was his wife and held out her infant for the president to cradle. Lincoln historian Gerald J. Prokopowicz has called this story a "fantasy".


title: George Pickett

text: Pickett's execution of 22 captured Union Army soldiers, from North Carolina at New Bern, was then under investigation. Pickett, fearing prosecution, fled with his wife and son to Canada. Testimony at the hearings, including that of wartime North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance, alleged that at least some of the executed men had belonged to local militias and been unwillingly transferred to the regular Confederate army in "violation of their enlistment agreement," and thus should not have been treated as deserters and shot. Pickett remained out of the country for a year until hearing that, at the recommendation of Ulysses S. Grant, the investigation had ended. Pickett returned to the United States with his family in 1866 to work as an insurance agent and farmer in Norfolk, Virginia.


title: George Pickett

text: On June 23, 1874, House Resolution 3086, an "act to remove the political disabilities of George E. Pickett of Virginia", was passed by the U.S. Congress. Pickett was granted a full pardon, about a year before his death.


title: George Pickett

text: Pickett lamented his men, lost in great number at Gettysburg. Late in his life, Colonel John S. Mosby, who had served under General J. E. B. Stuart, was present when Lee and Pickett met briefly after the war. He claimed their interaction was cold and reserved. Others present at the meeting disputed this, stating Lee only acted in his usual reserved and gentlemanly fashion. Pickett, Mosby said, complained bitterly to him after this meeting that "That man destroyed my division." Mosby allegedly replied, "Yes, but he made you immortal." Most historians find the encounter as Mosby interpreted it unlikely. Asked by reporters why Pickett's Charge failed, Pickett frequently replied, "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it."


title: George Pickett

text: George E. Pickett died in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 30, 1875. The cause of death was a liver abscess, although whether it was alcohol-related, amoebic or bacterial is not clear. He was initially interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Norfolk. His remains were disinterred on October 23, and he was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, on October 24, 1875. More than 40,000 people lined the funeral route, while another 5,000 marched in the funeral procession. A memorial to Pickett was erected over his grave site and dedicated on October 5, 1888. The memorial was not, however, placed directly above Pickett's burial site, and the exact location of his remains is not clear.


title: George Pickett

text: LaSalle Corbell Pickett died on March 22, 1931, having outlived her husband by more than 55 years. Initially, Hollywood Cemetery declined to allow her to be buried next to her husband. Pickett's grandson, Lieutenant George E. Pickett III, threatened to have his grandfather disinterred and moved to Arlington National Cemetery, where both grandparents could be buried side by side. Hollywood Cemetery quickly agreed to permit LaSalle's interment at Hollywood, but this did not immediately occur for reasons which are not clear, and LaSalle was cremated and buried at Abbey Mausoleum in Arlington County, Virginia. Originally a mausoleum for the wealthy, it went bankrupt in 1968. The structure fell into disrepair, and it was vandalized many times and several graves desecrated. In early 1998, the Military Order of the Stars and Bars and United Daughters of the Confederacy worked together to pay for LaSalle's disinterment and reburial in front of the George E. Pickett Memorial in Hollywood Cemetery. LaSalle Pickett was buried on Saturday, March 21, 1998. She was the first woman interred in the Confederate military burial section.


title: George Pickett

text: Decades after Pickett's death, his widow LaSalle (also known as "Sallie" and "Mother") became a well-known writer and speaker on "her Soldier," eventually leading to the creation of an idealized Pickett who was the perfect Southern gentleman and soldier. Much controversy attends LaSalle Pickett's lionizing of her husband. LaSalle was the author of "Pickett and His Men", a history of her husband's military campaigns, which was published in 1899. She published two other books in her deceased husband's name, "The Heart of a Soldier, As Revealed in the Intimate Letters of Gen'l George E. Pickett" (published in 1913) and "Soldier of the South: General Pickett's War Letters to His Wife" (1928). These two writings have been described as "unreliable works that were fictionalized by Pickett's wife." As a result, General Pickett has become a figure partially obscured by "Lost Cause" mythology.


title: George Pickett

text: Pickett today is widely perceived as being a tragic hero of sorts—a flamboyant officer who wanted to lead his troops into a glorious battle, but always missed the opportunity until the disastrous charge at Gettysburg. Historian John C. Waugh wrote of Pickett, "An excellent brigade commander, he never proved he could handle a division." He quotes George B. McClellan, the Union general, as saying: "Perhaps there is no doubt that he was the best infantry soldier developed on either side during the Civil War."


title: George Pickett

text: Pickett's grave is marked by a memorial in Hollywood Cemetery, which was placed there in 1888. A monument to Pickett also stands in the American Camp on San Juan Island, Washington state, erected by the Washington University Historical Society on October 21, 1904.


title: George Pickett

text: Fort Pickett in Blackstone, Virginia, is named in his honor. It was completed in 1942 and served as an active U.S. Army training facility in World War II and is currently occupied by the Virginia National Guard.


title: George Pickett

text: Actor Stephen Lang portrayed Pickett in the 1993 film "Gettysburg". Billy Campbell portrayed him in the 2003 prequel "Gods and Generals". In a 2003 interview, Lang commented that "for all of Pickett's flamboyance, there's something organically sad about him. Have you ever looked at any of the portraits of him? You can see it in his eyes-the sadness. He could be charming, but it was tinged with sadness."


title: George Pickett

text: Pickett also appeared in two episodes of the 1985 mini-series "North and South", depicting him as a cadet at West Point, at which time he was a friend of George Hazard and Orry Main, the two main fictional characters of the series.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: Vista Equity Partners is an American investment firm focused on financing and forwarding software, data and technology-enabled startup businesses. Vista has invested in hundreds of companies, including Misys, Ping Identity, and Marketo.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: The company has offices in several cities, including Austin, Texas, New York City, and San Francisco.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: Vista Equity Partners was founded in 2000 by American businessman and investor Robert F. Smith, who serves as chairman and CEO. Vista opened its first office in San Francisco in 2000. In November 2008, the company closed a funding round for its first institutional fund with a total of $1.3 billion raised.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: Vista is known for applying detailed scrutiny in human resources when investing in firms, in a procedure it calls Vista Standard Operating Procedures.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In 2010, Brian N. Sheth was promoted to president and awarded the title of co-founder of the firm. He remained in this role until his departure in 2020.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In 2011, the company opened an office in Austin, Texas. Over the years, Vista has added several private equity funds and credit funds to its portfolio, including its first fund, the Vista Credit Opportunities Fund, which raised $196 million. During that time, Vista opened several funds that specifically target middle-market companies and emerging technology companies. The company also has a permanent capital investment fund, Vista Equity Partners Perennial, which focuses on growing vertical market software companies.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In 2018, Vista was named the top software investor of the past decade by Pitchbook. Also in 2018, Vista's sale of Marketo to Adobe was named Deal of the Year by Buyouts magazine. In 2019, Vista was named Dealmaker of the Year at the PitchBook Private Equity Awards.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: As of May 2020, Vista had more than $57 billion in capital commitments. In 2020, Vista joined Diligent Corporation's modern leadership initiative and pledged to create five new board roles among its portfolio companies for racially diverse candidates.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: As of June 2021, Vista had more than $81 billion in assets under management. In August 2021, its chief operating officer David Breach was announced as president of Vista, the previous incumbent, Brian N. Sheth, a Vista co-founder, resigning in 2020 following the criminal tax investigation of CEO Smith.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In January 2022, it was announced that Citrix Systems had been acquired in a $16.5 billion deal by affiliates of Vista and Evergreen Coast Capital. The all-cash acquisition will see Citrix merge with TIBCO, a Vista portfolio company.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In August 2022, Vista agreed to acquire tax automation software platform maker Avalara, Inc. for $8.4 billion including debt.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In October 2020, Vista's CEO Robert F. Smith and investor Robert T. Brockman were named in a tax evasion case. That month, Smith signed a non-prosecution agreement with the IRS, agreeing to pay $139 million and testify against Brockman. The following month, Vista's president and co-founder Brian Sheth departed the company, stating that his leaving was unrelated to the tax situation.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In August 2000, Vista invested in SourceNet Solutions, a provider of finance and accounting business process outsourcing services. Between 2001 an 2005, Vista invested in several software companies, including BigMachines, a provider of product configuration software, and Aspect Communications, a contact center technology company, among others. In 2004, Vista acquired Applied Systems, Inc., an insurance software company. In 2005, Vista invested in MDSI Mobile Data Solutions.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In 2006, Vista invested in Reynolds and Reynolds, an auto technology company. The following year, Vista acquired Indus International, which it later merged with MDSI Mobile Data Solutions to form Ventyx, Inc. That year, the company also invested in SirsiDynix, a library software company. In 2008, Vista acquired P2 Energy Solutions Inc, a software company that helps oil and gas producers keep track of drilling leases. The following year, the company acquired SumTotal Systems from Accel Partners and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, as well as MicroEdge from Advent Software.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In 2011, the firm acquired multiple companies, including Sage Healthcare, an electronic health records company, which it renamed Vitera Healthcare Solutions.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: Between 2012 and 2013, Vista acquired companies including Bullhorn, Inc. a CRM software provider; Misys, a British software company; Websense; and Active Network, Inc, an online event registration service. Between 2014 and 2015, Vista acquired Automated Insights, a software company specializing in natural-language generation; Main Street Hub, a social-media company; PowerSchool, a provider of educational technology, and TIBCO Software, a company that specializes in big data and software integrations, among others.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In 2016, Vista acquired Solera Holdings for $6.5 billion and Cvent for $1.65 billion, and announced agreements to acquire Marketo (marketing automation software), Ping Identity (single sign-on digital security), and GovDelivery (technology platform for government bodies). The company invested in Granicus and Vivid Seats that same year. Vista subsequently merged GovDelivery and Granicus into one company. In 2017, Vista acquired several software companies, including NAVEX Global. That year, the company also invested in Upserve, a restaurant software provider, and Market Track.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In 2018, Vista acquired Apptio, a cloud-based business management software, Alegeus, and entered into an agreement to acquire Mindbody for $1.9 billion. That year, Vista invested in several other companies, including Wrike, a provider of project management software. In 2019, Vista bought a majority stake in Acquia, and completed its first IPO when it took Ping Identity public. Also in 2019, Vista purchased Sonatype, a cybersecurity, open-source automation company and Accelya, a technology provider for the airline industry.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In 2020, Vista acquired Tripleseat, a web-based sales and event management company, and purchased a 2.32% stake in Jio Platforms. In November 2020, Vista acquired CRM-Software provider Pipedrive for $1.5 billion. In the same month, Vista also acquired Customer Success company Gainsight for $1.1 billion.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In September 2021, Vista acquired a majority stake in Drift, a sales and marketing software company, valued at over $1.0 billion in the deal.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: Also in September, Vista announced it intended to acquire Blue Prism for £1.095 billion ($1.5 billion), and to merge it into Tibco but Blue Prism was ultimately bought by SS&C Technologies in March 2022 for approximately $1.6 billion (£1.25 billion).


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: Between 2010 and 2013, Vista sold several companies, including Ventyx to ABB Group for over $1 billion, BigMachines to Oracle for over $400 million, and P2 Energy Solutions to Advent International Corp. In September 2014, Vista announced the sale of MicroEdge to Blackbaud for $160 million. In 2015, the company sold Websense to Raytheon for $1.9 billion.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: Between 2015 and 2020, Vista divested other companies, including selling BullHorn, Inc to Insight Venture Partners, selling parts of Active Network to Global Payments Inc. and selling NAVEX Global to BC Partners. During this time, Vista also sold SirsiDynix to ICV Partners, and Main Street Hub to GoDaddy for $125 million. In 2018, Vista sold Marketo to Adobe Systems for $4.75 billion.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In 2020, Vista sold Vertafore to Roper Technologies for $5.35 billion and Regulatory DataCorp to moody's for $700 million. In 2021, Vista divested from Aspira, a software provider and Numerator, a market intelligence firm Vista had backed since 2017. Also in 2021, Vista sold Allocate, which it acquired in 2018, to RLDatix for $1.3 billion.


title: Vista Equity Partners

text: In September 2017, Vista and their companies pledged $1 million to assist the Akshaya Patra Foundation in delivering meals to Indian school children. In 2019, Robert F. Smith committed to eliminate the student loan debt of the Morehouse College Class of 2019. He paid $34 million to cover the students' loans and the loans of their parents for their studies.


title: The Vampire Diaries (season 7)

text: "The Vampire Diaries", an American supernatural drama, was renewed for a seventh season by The CW on January 11, 2015, and premiered on October 8, 2015. On March 11, 2016, The CW renewed "The Vampire Diaries" for an eighth season, which was confirmed to be the final one in July 2016.


title: The Vampire Diaries (season 7)

text: The cast features Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore, Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore, Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett, Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes and Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan.


title: The Vampire Diaries (season 7)

text: On April 6, 2015, it was announced that Nina Dobrev would be leaving after the sixth season and that Michael Trevino would only appear as a guest on the new season. On April 11, 2015, it was announced that Steven R. McQueen would be departing the show.


title: The Vampire Diaries (season 7)

text: On July 15, 2015, it was announced that Scarlett Byrne and Teressa Liane were hired to play Nora and Mary Louise, respectively. Nora and Mary Louise are described as extremely powerful and protective with each other, because it is the first same-sex couple in the series; additionally it is reported that Elizabeth Blackmore was chosen to give life to Valerie. The trio is part of the family of heretics adopted by Lily Salvatore. On November 5, it was announced that Leslie-Anne Huff was hired to play Rayna, a vampire huntress.


title: The Vampire Diaries (season 7)

text: Based on 13 reviews, the 7th season currently holds a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.75 out of 10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Despite an Elena-less season, "Vampire Diaries" still has plenty of fleshed out plot and new characters for fans to sink their teeth into."


title: Embolism

text: An embolism is the lodging of an embolus, a blockage-causing piece of material, inside a blood vessel. The embolus may be a blood clot (thrombus), a fat globule (fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas (gas embolism), amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid embolism), or foreign material. An embolism can cause partial or total blockage of blood flow in the affected vessel. Such a blockage (a vascular occlusion) may affect a part of the body distant from the origin of the embolus. An embolism in which the embolus is a piece of thrombus is called a thromboembolism.


title: Embolism

text: An embolism is usually a pathological event, i.e., accompanying illness or injury. Sometimes it is created intentionally for a therapeutic reason, such as to stop bleeding or to kill a cancerous tumor by stopping its blood supply. Such therapy is called embolization.


title: Embolism

text: Embolism can be classified based on where it enters the circulation, either in arteries or in veins. Arterial embolism are those that follow and, if not dissolved on the way, lodge in a more distal part of the systemic circulation. Sometimes, multiple classifications apply; for instance a pulmonary embolism is classified as an arterial embolism as well, in the sense that the clot follows the pulmonary artery carrying deoxygenated blood away from the heart. However, pulmonary embolism is generally classified as a form of venous embolism, because the embolus forms in veins, e.g. deep vein thrombosis.


title: Embolism

text: Arterial embolism can cause occlusion in any part of the body. It is a major cause of infarction (tissue death from blockage of the blood supply).


title: Embolism

text: An embolus lodging in the brain from either the heart or a carotid artery will most likely be the cause of a stroke due to ischemia.


title: Embolism

text: An arterial embolus might originate in the heart (from a thrombus in the left atrium, following atrial fibrillation or be a septic embolus resulting from endocarditis). Emboli of cardiac origin are frequently encountered in clinical practice. Thrombus formation within the atrium occurs mainly in patients with mitral valve disease, and especially in those with mitral valve stenosis (narrowing), with atrial fibrillation (AF). In the absence of AF, pure mitral regurgitation has a low incidence of thromboembolism.


title: Embolism

text: The risk of emboli forming in AF depends on other risk factors such as age, hypertension, diabetes, recent heart failure, or previous stroke.


title: Embolism

text: Thrombus formation can also take place within the ventricles, and it occurs in approximately 30% of anterior-wall myocardial infarctions, compared with only 5% of inferior ones. Some other risk factors are poor ejection fraction (<35%), size of infarct, and the presence of AF. In the first three months after infarction, left-ventricle aneurysms have a 10% risk of emboli forming.Patients with prosthetic valves also carry a significant increase in risk of thromboembolism. Risk varies, based on the valve type (bioprosthetic or mechanical); the position (mitral or aortic); and the presence of other factors such as AF, left-ventricular dysfunction, and previous emboli.


title: Embolism

text: Emboli often have more serious consequences when they occur in the so-called "end circulation": areas of the body that have no redundant blood supply, such as the brain and heart.


title: Embolism

text: Assuming a normal circulation, an embolus formed in a systemic vein will always impact in the lungs, after passing through the right side of the heart. This will form a pulmonary embolism that will result in a blockage of the main artery of the lung and can be a complication of deep-vein thrombosis. The most common sites of origin of pulmonary emboli are the "femoral" veins. The deep veins of the calf are the most common sites of actual thrombi.


title: Embolism

text: In paradoxical embolism, also known as crossed embolism, an embolus from the veins crosses to the arterial blood system. This is generally found only with heart problems such as septal defects (holes in the cardiac septum) between the atria or ventricles. The most common such abnormality is patent foramen ovale, occurring in about 25% of the adult population, but here the defect functions as a valve which is normally closed, because pressure is slightly higher in the left side of the heart. Sometimes, for example if a patient coughs just when an embolus is passing, it might cross to the arterial system.


title: Embolism

text: In anterograde embolism, the movement of emboli is in the direction of blood flow. In retrograde embolism, the emboli move in opposition to the blood flow direction; this is usually significant only in blood vessels with low pressure (veins) or with emboli of high weight.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: The economy of Liechtenstein is based on industry, with a small but significant agricultural sector, and services (especially general services, including tourism and information technology). The country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 85% of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) since 1991 (previously its interests had been represented by Switzerland). It also has been a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) since May 1995 and participates in the Schengen Agreement for passport-free intra-European travel.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: Liechtenstein's historical customs union with Austria was dissolved in 1919. A customs treaty was signed in 1923 and since its entering into force in 1924, Liechtenstein and Switzerland have been in a customs union with each other and as such the borders between the two countries are open. The German village Büsingen am Hochrhein and the Italian village Campione d'Italia also form part of this customs union (the latter albeit in a "de facto" manner), which is often referred to as the "Swiss customs area".


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: Liechtenstein utilizes the Swiss franc as its national currency. Swiss border police and customs officers secure its frontier with Austria. Currently there are 21 Swiss border guards stationed in Liechtenstein and 20 Austrian border guards securing its border (as of 2011).


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: Liechtenstein is a member of EFTA, and joined the European Economic Area (EEA) in 1995 in order to benefit from the EU internal market. The capitalist economy and tax system make Liechtenstein a safe, trustworthy and success-oriented place for private and business purposes, especially with its highly modern, internationally laid-out infrastructure and close connections to Switzerland.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: The Principality of Liechtenstein has gone through economic and cultural development in the last 50 years like no other Western country. In the last half century, Liechtenstein has developed from a mainly agricultural state to one of the most highly industrialized countries in the world.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: Besides its efficient industry, there also is a strong services sector. Four out of ten employees work in the services sector, a relatively high proportion of whom are foreigners, including those who commute across the border from neighboring Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Industrial exports more than doubled in 20 years from $1.21 billion (SFr. 2.2 billion) in 1988 to $2.9 billion (SFr. 4.6 billion) in 2008. Some 15.7% of Liechtenstein goods are exported to Switzerland, 62.6% to the EU and 21.1% to the rest of the world.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: The United States has been the most important export market for Liechtenstein in recent times, totaling $561 million (SFr. 876 million); Germany is second, with $479 million (SFr. 748 million) worth of imports, and Switzerland third, with $375 million (SFr. 587 million).


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: About 32% of the country's revenues are invested in research and development, one of the driving forces of the success of Liechtenstein's economy. Total R&D spending in 2000 rose by 20.7% to approximately $140 million (213 million francs).


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: The Principality of Liechtenstein also is known as an important financial centre, primarily because it specializes in financial services for foreign entities. The country's low tax rate, loose incorporation and corporate governance rules, and traditions of strict bank secrecy have contributed significantly to the ability of financial intermediaries in Liechtenstein to attract funds from outside the country's borders. The same factors made the country attractive and vulnerable to money launderers, although late 2009 legislation has strengthened regulatory oversight of illicit funds transfers.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: Liechtenstein has chartered 17 banks, three non-bank financial companies, and 71 public investment companies, as well as insurance and reinsurance companies. Its 270 licensed fiduciary companies and 81 lawyers serve as nominees for, or manage, more than 73,000 entities (primarily corporations, institutions, or trusts), partly for non-Liechtenstein residents. About one-third of these entities hold the controlling interest in other entities, chartered in countries other than Liechtenstein. The Principality's laws permit the corporations it charters to issue bearer shares. Until recently, the Principality's banking laws permitted banks to issue numbered accounts, but new regulations require strict know-your-customer practices for all new accounts.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: Liechtenstein's standard rate of VAT (Mehrwertsteuer) is identical to Switzerland's for it must mirror the latter's continually and is currently 7.7%. The reduced rate is 2.5%. A special rate of 3.7% is in use in the hotel industry.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: In July 2015, Liechtenstein and Switzerland signed a new agreement on double taxation, which took effect in December 2016, superseding the previous one from 1995. Some differences on the withholding tax arose, but Switzerland did not agree to introduce this practice to residents of Liechtenstein working in Switzerland.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: In November 2016, the parliament of the principality decided with a large majority to introduce an agreement of automatic information exchange with 27 new treaty partners, including Switzerland. Data collection will start in 2018, and effectual exchange of account information is planned for 2019.


title: Economy of Liechtenstein

text: The principal industries are electronics, metal manufacturing, textiles, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, and tourism.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: Dude Ranch is the second studio album by American rock band Blink-182, released on June 17, 1997, by Cargo Music and MCA Records, making it their major record label debut. MCA signed the band in 1996 following moderate sales of their 1995 debut "Cheshire Cat" and their growing popularity in Australia. "Dude Ranch" was the band's final recording released on Cargo and the last to feature their full original lineup as drummer Scott Raynor was dismissed from the band in 1998.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: The band recorded the album from December 1996 to January 1997 at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California with producer Mark Trombino. With lyrical material written on their nonstop tours over the previous years, as well as completed songs, the band recorded with Trombino in sessions that lasted for five weeks. During production, the members of Blink-182 were plagued with difficulties only made worse by the rushed schedule: bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge, co-vocalists for the band, were having vocal problems and Raynor had to record his drum tracks with injuries to both feet.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: The album was released in the summer of 1997 and was a success, reaching number 67 on the "Billboard" 200 and number one on the Top Heatseekers chart. The second single, "Dammit", became a rock radio hit single and helped the band gain mainstream credibility as they toured worldwide on the Vans Warped Tour. The band toured exhaustively behind the album, creating tensions which led to the firing of Raynor in mid-1998. Three more singles were released, with "Josie" gathering MTV play and charting highly in Australia. "Dude Ranch" eventually grew in sales and was certified platinum in the US by the end of the decade.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: The San Diego-based trio Blink-182 released their debut album, "Cheshire Cat", in 1995. Released on local record label Cargo Music, the album sold well for an independent release; it had moved over 70,000 units by late 1996. Throughout 1995 and 1996, the trio vigorously toured nonstop and grew in popularity, most notably in Australia, where audiences embraced the band's irreverent sense of humor and stage shows. The trio grew frustrated when fans lamented the inability to purchase "Cheshire Cat" at their respective local record stores, and began searching for larger record labels with better distribution. Likewise, problems had become apparent between the trio and employees at Cargo, who largely considered the band a joke. In contrast, the group had accumulated a genuine buzz among major labels, and a bidding war for the band began in March 1996. Several labels courted the group, sending A&R reps to shows and inviting the band to their offices for lunch meetings. With several labels interested, Blink-182 seriously considered Interscope, Epitaph, and MCA. The band contemplated their options: the three had no qualms signing to a major label, and were wary of purists attempting to define "punk". They felt a great affinity for Epitaph, as many of their favorite acts (Pennywise, Bad Religion, NOFX) were signed to the label. Overall, Blink felt they were nothing but honest regarding their ambitions: "I try and tell kids, 'The Clash, Sex Pistols and the Ramones did it, so how come we can't?" guitarist Tom DeLonge reasoned. "If people are bummed, we don't care. It's normally critics. Older critics."


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: MCA at the time was riding out a dead spell, and was derisively referred to in the music industry as MCA — Musicians' Cemetery of America. Despite this, their executives' persistence and sincerity won the band over, as well as their promise of complete artistic freedom. The trio signed a joint venture deal with MCA to distribute their sophomore album with Cargo. Drummer Scott Raynor was happy for the band's signing, but was uneasy with signing to a major label—he much preferred Epitaph, and when the band passed over the label, he began to feel only half-invested in the band. Raynor was not, however, difficult about the band's mainstream growth: "I didn't measure success in terms of oppositional credibility. I loved being on the radio and MTV. We were certified products of pop culture, born and bred in suburbia." Thanks to their established fan base and merchandising, MCA did not intervene much in the band's activities. Although the label had granted the band artistic freedom in their contract, MCA did step in and warn the band when they planned to feature a spoof of the "Macarena" on "Dude Ranch", humorously titled "Hey Wipe Your Anus".


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: To celebrate their signing, the group held a party at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. At the event, Raynor became inebriated and jumped off a balcony. He broke both his heels and was forced to record "Dude Ranch" while in a wheelchair. Soon, the band booked time at DML Studios in Escondido, California, where they worked out arrangements for the songs on "Dude Ranch". Most of the lyrics for the album had been written over 1995 and 1996, while touring. "I remember writing most of those songs in my living room, sitting on a curb, whatever," recalled DeLonge in 2001. "Back then, each song was pretty much written with a specific girl or event in mind." Demos for the album were recorded with Warren Fitzgerald of the Vandals; early versions of "Enthused" and "Lemmings" were released on the "Wasting Time" single and the "Lemmings / Going Nowhere" split EP, respectively.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: The band were afforded more time to record than previous endeavors, and were listening to music such as Jawbreaker, Bad Religion and Lagwagon, which influenced the album. For production duties, the band worked with Mark Trombino, who provided additional piano and keyboards on "Dude Ranch". The trio picked him based on his work he had done on Jimmy Eat World's "Static Prevails" (1996). The group spent time trying to amuse Trombino, to no avail. Hoppus' sister, Anne Hoppus, described Trombino as very quiet during the sessions. Trombino, in a retrospective piece about the album, mentioned that he was "excited, but also nervous and intimidated. I felt weird that there were these guys who had sold way more records than I had ever sold and I'm sitting in the producer’s chair telling them what to do." "Dude Ranch" was recorded at Big Fish Studios in Rancho Santa Fe, California in December 1996. Big Fish was a converted guesthouse which had just survived a wildfire months before. However, the gloomy atmosphere did not faze Blink-182 at all, and what was a tragedy to local individuals became fodder for jokes for the group. Bassist Mark Hoppus had just bought a new video camera and he filmed stunts with guitarist Tom DeLonge on the burnt landscape in spare time. Despite this, Trombino was impressed by their work ethic: "They were the most business-centric band I'd ever seen at that point. They had their shit together."


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: Despite the creative boom while writing lyrics for the album, all three members of Blink-182 faced setbacks while recording "Dude Ranch". DeLonge was having vocal problems and spent much time recording and re-recording vocal tracks, and Hoppus realized he too was having difficulty singing after losing his voice during a one-off Christmas concert. Hoppus realized the magnitude of the situation and cancelled the final week of recording in December 1996. He quit smoking in order to take care of his voice, which was stressed due to lack of vocal warm-ups, full days of vocal tracks, and the strain of singing for "Dammit", which was accidentally written just outside his vocal range. Meanwhile, Raynor had to record his drum tracks while still in his wheelchair, the result of injuries sustained at the signing party. He would wheelchair up to the drum set and scoot onto the drum throne and play," remembered Trombino in a later interview. "I got the sense that [the band] were bummed." Aside from the recording, the band spent time playing "Crash Bandicoot" and "reading the articles from the shelves and shelves of "Playboy"s that the studio had thoughtfully provided." The group ate lunch nearly each day at Sombrero, a local Mexican restaurant namedropped in "Josie", and Chinese for dinner from Encinitas' Pick Up Stix.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: It would be January 1997 by the time the band was able to wrap up sessions for "Dude Ranch", eventually amounting to five weeks of recording. For the final touches, Unwritten Law frontman Scott Russo donated a few vocal tracks to "Josie", and Trombino let Blink-182 record a couple of jokes between songs using a sound-effects machine he owned. The group contacted Fletcher Dragge of Pennywise to find someone to remix a few tracks from the album, and he suggested Donnell Cameron of Track Recording Studios. The band went in to Track and re-recorded Raynor's drum tracks for several songs. Representatives from MCA dropped by on occasion and were excited by the material they heard. "When we were in there mixing, the A&R person would come by," remembered Cameron. "I don't think the band really knew what they had but certainly the label knew they had so many good songs on the record." DeLonge remembered it differently: "[Label executives] fucking hated pop-punk. They wanted nothing to do with it. They were into Pavement or whatever." After production completed, the album was mastered by Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood. In 2001, Hoppus recalled, "I remember when we finished "Dude Ranch" I was so proud. That was the first time we could take the time and whatever to make a good record." In addition to the record, Trombino produced "I Won't Be Home for Christmas", a Christmas song recorded during the "Dude Ranch" sessions.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: According to music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "Dude Ranch" is an album of "juvenile, adrenaline-fueled punk-pop." "Billboard" magazine's Doug Reece described it as "a collection of machine-gun-quick, energetic punk songs—sometimes with a puerile slant—about such topics as girlfriends, broken hearts, and fights with one's parents." At "Alternative Press", it was characterized as a "killer skate-punk record". Greg Simpsons at Punknews.org too labeled it skate punk, stating that the album "set [the] blueprint for their style of poppy, goofy skate punk that they would later bring to the masses." DeLonge considered the album a step up in terms of songwriting, with "Dammit" proving the breakthrough to him.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: "Pathetic" has been considered a tale of "abject self-pity in the face of collapsed relationship." "Pathetic" is also reportedly about DeLonge's mother being disappointed about how DeLonge was doing in high school and college. The distinctive riff of "Dammit" was created when Hoppus was forced to skip over the missing two strings on an acoustic guitar. The song's theme is maturity, exemplified by the refrain, "Well, I guess this is growing up." "Dick Lips" was named after an insult the trio bandied around at Big Fish during recording. It was written about DeLonge's experience when he was kicked out of Poway High School for showing up to a basketball game while intoxicated. "Waggy" was a word Hoppus created while belching, prompting him to name the song with it. "Untitled" has been considered a tribute to the emerging ska punk scene, and "Emo" by its namesake, which is partly a tribute to DeLonge's favorite band at that time, Jimmy Eat World.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: "Apple Shampoo" was inspired by Elyse Rogers of Dance Hall Crashers, whom Hoppus dated; the title is culled from a particular brand of shampoo she often used. "Josie" makes further reference to Dance Hall Crashers and the band Unwritten Law ("My girlfriend likes UL and DHC"). "A New Hope" takes the standard rock subject matter of a hopeless crush and rewrites it with details of the "Star Wars" series. The original "Star Wars" trilogy were popular during Hoppus' childhood into the late 1970s and early 1980s, and a theatrical re-release in the late 1990s reinvigorated interest in the series. "Degenerate" is a re-recording of a track that first appeared on the band's demo cassette "Demo No.2". "Lemmings" is another re-recorded track, which had previously only been available on a 7-inch. The band felt the song was strong enough that it should not be limited to those owning record players.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: The cover design, a collage by artist Lou Beach, features a bull with the band's name branded on its rear end, while the packaging is decorated by images of the band as cowboys on a "dude ranch". The gatefold packaging features a painting stating "Greetings from the Blink-182 Dude Ranch," which was intended to be a pastiche of both "cheesy postcards" and a parody of Bruce Springsteen's "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.". Art direction for the album was headed by Tim Stedman, with Stedman and graphic designer Ashley Pigford designing the package. The CD art, a revolver chamber, was designed by artist Victor Gastelum, while the band photography was done by Steven Shea. DeLonge recalled in 2012 that the only "bad" aspect of "Dude Ranch" in retrospect were the jokes found within the inside artwork: "I remember sitting at the Sombrero taco shop going, 'Fuck, we’ve got to finish off our album cover, let’s just write some jokes to these cowboy pictures.' Why did we do that? We should have had better jokes for those pictures."


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: "Dude Ranch" was released on June 17, 1997, jointly through Cargo Music and MCA Records. The record, at first, largely passed without notice from audiences outside their established fan base. With fan support and the trio touring nonstop, the album's sales began to improve. The momentum from touring helped "Dude Ranch" sell 3,000–4,000 units a week, and the record sold 40,000 copies by August 1997. "Dude Ranch" was promoted by the label through board-sport magazines and tie-ins between surf shops and record stores. At retail, MCA and Cargo organized midnight sales promotions on the West Coast. The popularity of the trio in Australia has been cited as the sign that alerted major record companies of "Dude Ranch" commercial potential; at the time, the album had spent five months on the charts and the band became famous for their stage show while on the 1997 Warped Tour. Thanks to increased recognition, the band dropped Cargo and fully signed with MCA in 1998 to handle increased distribution. Punk rock purists asserted the band were betraying their indie roots by even considering major label proposals and began to address the band as "sell-outs".


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: Sales improved dramatically when the record's lead single, "Dammit", began making rounds at rock radio. MCA's marketing strategy involved waiting until after the band's Warped Tour performances wrapped in order to have a retail story to back up radio promotion efforts. The label first serviced "Dammit" in August 1997 and several SoCal stations were quick to pick up the single, finding it to be a good match alongside Green Day and The Offspring radio hits. The song was released in September, and was added to the playlist of Los Angeles-based radio station KROQ, after which the song began to be played across the country. Mainstream rock received "Dammit" in November, and MTV picked up the "Dammit" video, bumping it into "stress rotation" in December. This led to feature stories in magazines such as "Billboard" and "Rolling Stone". Radio-wise, "Dammit" achieved great commercial success, peaking at number 11 on the US rock charts in 1998. The year-end "Billboard" Airplay Monitor Report (BDS) stats indicated that "Dammit" earned top spins at many key radio stations. In addition, its success knocked "Dude Ranch" onto the album "Billboard" 200 album chart for the first time, where it peaked at number 67 in February 1998. On January 24, 1998, "Billboard" reported that "Dude Ranch" sold more than 268,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: "Dude Ranch", which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 9, 1998, yielded three more singles, which did not attract the same commercial success as "Dammit". "Apple Shampoo" was the second single release from "Dude Ranch", released in October 1997. "Although it didn't have the impact of "Dammit", it hardly mattered as the former was still receiving heavy play on radio and TV stations across the nation", wrote journalist Joe Shooman. "Dick Lips" was released in February 1998 but failed to register on charts. "Josie" became the record's fourth and final single in November 1998. Its music video also received MTV airplay and the single charted at number 31 in Australia. For the single release of both "Dammit" and "Josie", the songs were remixed and remastered by Tom Lord-Alge. The unreleased "Dude Ranch" cut "I Won't Be Home for Christmas" was released as an international single in 2001, only successful in Canada, but charting for six non-consecutive weeks at number one. "Dude Ranch" was certified platinum by the RIAA on November 8, 1999. As of June 30, 2001, "Dude Ranch" sold 1,100,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: "Dude Ranch" was released when the band was only achieving moderate success, and very few critical reviews of the record were published in 1997. A "CMJ" write-up commented, ""Dude Ranch" has the hooks and sonic wallop to rocket Blink-182 into stadiums throughout the nation." British rock magazine "Kerrang!" published a negative early review: the reviewer laments the disc's "little depth, passion, soul and even vaguely memorable hooks." Later reviews were subsequently more positive. "Rolling Stone" regarded "Dude Ranch" as the moment "the trio focused and refined their pop-punk sound," summarizing the record's themes: "bassist Mark Hoppus plays the straight man, singing sturdily and deadpan, while the squeakier-voiced guitarist Tom DeLonge bleats urgently about romance gone wrong." The website AbsolutePunk placed the album on their "Absolute Classics" list in February 2009, calling it a "classic mix" that was successful due to timing. In 2011, a writer for "Total Guitar" referred to the record as "a genuine modern punk classic," while Scott Heisel of "Alternative Press" called it a "quantum leap in sonic quality and songwriting."


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: In a 20th anniversary piece celebrating the album, Maria Sherman, writing for MTV News, commented that on "Dude Ranch" the trio "found a subversive way to embrace lameness as something to be commended—a language all outsiders could understand." Over time, the album has proved influential. Trevor Kelley from "Alternative Press" credited it with "reigniting" the pop punk movement while calling it a "huge source of inspiration for a new generation of bands," such as Midtown and New Found Glory. Panic! at the Disco guitarist Ryan Ross has cited the album as his first influence: "I wanted to learn how to play like Tom DeLonge."


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: Beginning in the summer of 1997, Blink-182 would enter an extended period of touring. The group had played a handful of dates on the Vans Warped Tour 1996, a lifestyle tour promoting skateboarding and punk rock music. However, upon "Dude Ranch" release and popularity, Blink-182 would play every date of the 1997 tour worldwide with influences Pennywise, NOFX, and Social Distortion. "The Warped Tour is really more of a traveling-band barbecue," commented DeLonge. "You hang out with the other bands all day, you play your set, and then hang out again." In late 1997 and early 1998, the band would be on the road for nine months straight, only coming home to San Diego for days at a time before striking out on the next tour. "When we did our longest tour stretch, it was right when I started dating my fiancee," recalled DeLonge. "We were all new and in love, and I had to leave. It was just, 'Hey, I'll see you in nine months.' It was really hard." In addition to the hefty touring schedule, the trio grew tired of other commitments, including interviews and TV appearances due to the success of "Dammit".


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: Desperate for a break, the overworked band began to argue and tensions formed. Raynor, who was at the center of this drama, had been commenting of his desire to attend college for years, and had been taking homework out with him on tour to try and complete his high school diploma. The tension came to a head in February 1998 as the band embarked on SnoCore 98, described as "a winter version of the Warped Tour." Sharing the stage with Primus, the band was enjoying more success than ever before, but the drama between the musicians had grown substantially. The band reached a low point when the band engaged in a fight on a Nebraska date after SnoCore's conclusion. Shortly after the conclusion of SnoCore was a short minitour along the western coast, most notably Southern California, the band's favorite place to play. The tour ended with the band headlining a sold-out show at the Palladium in Hollywood, California, where the band had dreamed of performing at for years.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: Raynor suffered a "tragic loss" during the West Coast minitour and flew home, forcing the band to find a fill-in drummer: Travis Barker of the ska punk support band The Aquabats. Barker learned the drum tracks for the band's set in only 45 minutes prior to his first show. Raynor returned for the band's Hollywood Palladium performance, and the band became increasingly uneasy and arguments grew worse. To offset personal issues, Raynor began to drink heavily and it began to affect the band's performances. Following a largely successful Australian tour in the spring, Hoppus and DeLonge presented an ultimatum: quit drinking or go to an rehab. Raynor agreed to both and informed the band of his decision after taking the weekend to mull options. According to Raynor, he was fired through a phone call despite his agreement to rehab. Despite this, he felt no malice toward his former bandmates and conceded they were "right" to fire him.


title: Dude Ranch (album)

text: The band would minimize the impact of the situation in future interviews and remained vague regarding his departure. The "Josie" CD single, released in the US in November 1998, was the first Blink-182 release to feature Barker in any capacity (he is pictured on the back cover alongside Hoppus and DeLonge). Barker would join Blink-182 full-time in the summer of 1998 and toured with the band for the remainder of the year, playing sold-out shows across America on the PooPoo PeePee Tour.


title: Imbolc

text: Imbolc or Imbolg (), also called Saint Brigid's Day (; ; ), is a Gaelic traditional festival. It marks the beginning of spring, and for Christians it is the feast day of Saint Brigid, Ireland's patroness saint. It is held on 1 February, which is about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Historically, its traditions were widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with: Bealtaine, Lughnasadh and Samhain.


title: Imbolc

text: Imbolc is mentioned in early Irish literature, and there is evidence suggesting it was also an important date in ancient times. It is believed that Imbolc was originally a pagan festival associated with the goddess Brigid, and that it was Christianized as the feast day of Saint Brigid, who could be a Christianization of the goddess. The festivities on the feast of Saint Brigid did not begin to be recorded in detail until the early modern era. In recent centuries it was marked by the making of Brigid's crosses and a doll-like figure of Brigid (a ) would be paraded from house-to-house by girls, sometimes accompanied by 'strawboys'. Brigid was said to visit one's home on the eve of the festival. To receive her blessings, people would make a bed for Brigid and leave her food and drink, and items of clothing would be left outside for her to bless. Brigid was also evoked to protect homes and livestock. Special feasts were had, holy wells were visited, and it was a time for divination.


title: Imbolc

text: Although many of its customs died out in the 20th century, it is still observed by Christians as a religious holiday and by some non-Christians as a cultural one, and its customs have been revived in some places. Since the latter 20th century, Celtic neopagans and Wiccans have observed Imbolc as a religious holiday. From 2023, "Imbolc/St Brigid's Day" will be an annual public holiday in the Republic of Ireland.


title: Imbolc

text: Scholars such as historian Ronald Hutton argue that the festival must have pre-Christian origins. Some scholars argue that the date of Imbolc was significant in Ireland since the Neolithic period. A few passage tombs in Ireland are aligned with the sunrise around the times of Imbolc and Samhain. This includes the Mound of the Hostages on the Hill of Tara, and Cairn L at Slieve na Calliagh. Frank Prendergast argues that this alignment is so rare that it is rather a product of chance.


title: Imbolc

text: The etymology of Imbolc/Imbolg is unclear. The most common explanation is that it comes from the Old Irish (Modern Irish: ), meaning 'in the belly', and refers to the pregnancy of ewes at this time of year. Joseph Vendryes linked it to the Old Irish verb , 'to wash/cleanse oneself'. He suggested that it referred to a ritual cleansing, similar to the ancient Roman festival "Februa" or "Lupercalia", which took place at the same time of year. Eric P. Hamp derives it from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning both 'milk' and 'cleansing'. Professor Alan Ward derives it from the Proto-Celtic , 'budding'. The early 10th century Cormac's Glossary has an entry for , calling it the beginning of spring and deriving it from "oí-melg" ('ewe milk'), explaining it as "the time that sheep's milk comes". However, linguists believe this is the writer's respelling of the word to give it an understandable etymology.


title: Imbolc

text: The "Táin Bó Cúailnge" ('Cattle Raid of Cooley') indicates that Imbolc (spelt "imolg") is three months after the 1 November festival of Samhain. Imbolc is mentioned in another Old Irish poem about the "Táin" in the "Metrical Dindshenchas": """", which Edward Gwynn translates "after Candlemas, rough was their herding". Candlemas is the Christian holy day which falls on 2 February and is known in Irish as , 'feast day of Mary of the Candles'.


title: Imbolc

text: Hutton writes that Imbolc must have been "important enough for its date to be dedicated subsequently to Brigid … the Mother Saint of Ireland". Cogitosus, writing in the late 7th century, first mentions a feast day of Saint Brigid being observed in Kildare on 1 February. Brigid is said to have lived in the 6th century and founded the important monastery of Kildare. She became the focus of a major cult. However, there are few historical facts about her, and her early hagiographies "are mainly anecdotes and miracle stories, some of which are deeply rooted in Irish pagan folklore". It is suggested that Saint Brigid is based on Brigid, a Gaelic goddess. Like the saint, the goddess is associated with wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, blacksmithing and domesticated animals, according to "Cormac's Glossary" and "Lebor Gabála Érenn". It is suggested that the festival, which celebrates the onset of spring, is linked with Brigid in her role as a fertility goddess. According to Hutton, it could be that the goddess Brigid was already linked to Imbolc and this was continued by making it the saint's feast day. Or it could be that Imbolc's association with milk drew the saint to it, because of a legend that she had been the wet-nurse of Christ.


title: Imbolc

text: The original pre-Christian festival of Imbolc is mentioned in several early Irish manuscripts, but they say very little about its original rites and customs. Imbolc was treated as one of four seasonal festivals in Gaelic Ireland along with Beltane (1 May), Lughnasadh (1 August) and Samhain (1 November). The tale "Tochmarc Emire", which survives in a 10th-century version, names "Imbolc" as one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, and says it is "when the ewes are milked at spring's beginning". This linking of Imbolc with the arrival of lambs and sheep's milk probably reflected farming customs that ensured lambs were born before calves. In late winter/early spring, sheep could survive better than cows on the meager vegetation, and farmers sought to resume milking as soon as possible due to their dwindling stores. The "Hibernica Minora" includes an Old Irish poem about the four seasonal festivals, translated by Kuno Meyer (1894). It says "Tasting of each food according to order, this is what is proper at Imbolc: washing the hands, the feet, the head". This suggests ritual cleansing. Prominent folklorist Seán Ó Súilleabháin wrote: "The main significance of the Feast of St. Brigid would seem to be that it was a Christianisation of one of the focal points of the agricultural year in Ireland, the starting point of preparations for the spring sowing. Every manifestation of the cult of the saint (or of the deity she replaced) is bound up in some way with food production".


title: Imbolc

text: From the 18th century to the mid 20th century, many accounts of St Brigid were recorded by folklorists and other writers. They tell us how it was celebrated then, and shed light on how it may have been celebrated in the past.


title: Imbolc

text: It has also been argued that originally the timing of the festival was more fluid and based on seasonal changes. It is associated with the onset of the lambing season (which could vary by as much as two weeks before or after 1 February), the beginning of preparations for the spring sowing, and the blooming of blackthorn. In Ireland, a spring cleaning was also customary around the time of St Brigid's Day.


title: Imbolc

text: Holy wells were visited, as they were during some of the other Gaelic festivals. Visitors to holy wells would pray for health while walking 'sunwise' around the well. They would then leave offerings, typically coins or clooties (see clootie well). Water from the well was used to bless the home, family members, livestock, and fields.


title: Imbolc

text: Donald Alexander Mackenzie also recorded in the 19th century that offerings were made "to earth and sea". The offering could be milk poured into the ground or porridge poured into the water, as a libation.


title: Imbolc

text: As well as being a springtime festival, it is the feast day of Saint Brigid (, modern Irish: ', modern Scottish Gaelic: ' or "", anglicised "Bridget").


title: Imbolc

text: On St Brigid's Eve, Brigid was said to visit virtuous households and bless the inhabitants. As Brigid represented the light half of the year, and the power that will bring people from the dark season of winter into spring, her presence was very important at this time of year. Before going to bed, people would leave items of clothing or strips of cloth outside for Brigid to bless. The clothes or strips of cloth would be brought inside, and believed to now have powers of healing and protection.


title: Imbolc

text: Families would have a special meal or supper on St Brigid's Eve to mark the last night of winter. This typically included food such as colcannon, sowans, dumplings, barmbrack or bannocks. Often, some of the food and drink would be set aside for Brigid.


title: Imbolc

text: In County Kilkenny graves were decorated on Imbolc with box and laurel flowers (or any other flowers that could be obtained at that time). Additionally a Branch of Virginity was decorated with white ribbons and placed on the grave of a recently deceased maiden on Imbolc.


title: Imbolc

text: Brigid would be symbolically invited into the house and a bed would often be made for her. In the north of Ireland, a family member, representing Brigid, would circle the home three times carrying rushes. They would then knock on the door three times, asking to be let in. On the third attempt they are welcomed in, the meal is had, and the rushes are then made into crosses or a bed for Brigid. In 18th century Mann, the custom was to stand at the door with a bundle of rushes and say "Brede, Brede, come to my house tonight. Open the door for Brede and let Brede come in". Similarly, in Donegal, the householder who was sent to fetch the drying russhes knelt on the front step and repeated the following chant three times, "Go on your knees, open your eyes, and let in St. Brigid." Those inside the house answered three times "She's welcome." The rushes were then strewn on the floor as a carpet or bed for Brigid. In the 19th century, some old Manx women would make a bed for Brigid in the barn with food, ale, and a candle on a table. The custom of making Brigid's bed was particularly common in the Hebrides of Scotland, where it was recorded as far back as the 17th century. A bed of hay or a basket-like cradle would be made for Brigid and someone would then call out three times: "'" (", come in; thy bed is ready"). A corn dolly called the "dealbh Bríde" (icon of Brigid) would be laid in the bed and a white wand, usually made of birch, would be laid beside it. It represented the wand that Brigid was said to use to make the vegetation start growing again. Ashes from the fire would be raked smooth and, in the morning, they would look for some kind of mark on the ashes as a sign that Brigid had visited. If there was no mark, they believed bad fortune would come unless they buried a cockerel at the meeting of three streams as an offering and burned incense on their fire that night. Women in some parts of the Hebrides would also dance while holding a large cloth and calling out "'" (", come over and make your bed").


title: Imbolc

text: In Ireland and Scotland, a representation of Brigid would be paraded around the community by girls and young women. Usually, it was a doll-like figure known as a ' (also called a 'Breedhoge' or 'Biddy'). It would be made from rushes or reeds and clad in bits of cloth, flowers, or shells. In the Hebrides of Scotland, a bright shell or crystal called the ' (guiding star of Brigid) was set on its chest. The girls would carry it in procession while singing a hymn to Brigid. All wore white with their hair unbound as a symbol of purity and youth. They visited every house in the area, where they received either food or more decoration for the . Afterward, they feasted in a house with the set in a place of honour, and put it to bed with lullabies. When the meal was done, the local young men humbly asked for admission, made obeisance to the , and joined the girls in dancing and merrymaking. In many places, only unwed girls could carry the , but in some both boys and girls carried it.


title: Imbolc

text: In some areas, rather than carrying a , a girl took on the role of Brigid. Escorted by other girls, she went house-to-house wearing 'Brigid's crown' and carrying 'Brigid's shield' and 'Brigid's cross', all of which were made from rushes. The procession in some places included 'strawboys', who wore conical straw hats, masks and played folk music; much like the wrenboys. Up until the mid-20th century, children in Ireland still went house-to-house asking for pennies for "poor Biddy", or money for the poor. In County Kerry, men in white robes went from house to house singing.


title: Imbolc

text: In Ireland, Brigid's crosses ("pictured on the right") were made on St Brigid's Day. A Brigid's cross usually consists of rushes woven into a four-armed equilateral cross, although there were also three-armed crosses. They were often hung over doors, windows and stables to welcome Brigid and for protection against fire, lightning, illness and evil spirits. The crosses were generally left there until the next St Brigid's Day. In western Connacht, people would make a "" ('s girdle); a great ring of rushes with a cross woven in the middle. Young boys would carry it around the village, inviting people to step through it and so be blessed.


title: Imbolc

text: The festival was traditionally a time of weather divination, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens may be a forerunner of the North American Groundhog Day. A Scottish Gaelic proverb about the day is:


title: Imbolc

text: Imbolc was believed to be when the —the divine hag of Gaelic tradition—gathers her firewood for the rest of the winter. Legend has it that if she wishes to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood. Therefore, people would be relieved if Imbolc is a day of foul weather, as it means the is asleep and winter is almost over. At Imbolc on the Isle of Man, where she is known as "", the is said to take the form of a gigantic bird carrying sticks in her beak.


title: Imbolc

text: Today, St Brigid's Day and Imbolc is observed by Christians and non-Christians. Some people still make Brigid's crosses and s or visit holy wells dedicated to St Brigid on 1 February. Brigid's Day parades have been revived in the town of Killorglin, County Kerry, which holds a yearly "Biddy's Day Festival". Men and women wearing elaborate straw hats and masks visit public houses carrying a to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck for the coming year. There are folk music sessions, historical talks, film screenings, drama productions and cross-making workshops. The main event is a torchlight parade of 'Biddy groups' through the town. Since 2009 a yearly "Brigid of Faughart Festival" is held in County Louth. This celebrates Brigid as both saint and goddess, and includes the long-standing pilgrimage to Faughart as well as music, poetry and lectures.


title: Imbolc

text: The "Imbolc International Music Festival" of folk music is held in Derry at this time of year. In England, the village of Marsden, West Yorkshire holds a biennial "Imbolc Fire Festival" which includes a lantern procession, fire performers, music, fireworks, and a symbolic battle between giant characters representing the Green Man and Jack Frost.


title: Imbolc

text: More recently, Irish embassies have hosted yearly events on St Brigid's Day to celebrate famous women of the Irish diaspora and showcase the work of Irish female emigrants in the arts. In 2022, Dublin hosted its first "Brigit Festival", celebrating "the contributions of Irish women" past and present through exhibitions, tours, lectures, films and a concert.


title: Imbolc

text: From 2023, "Imbolc/St Brigid's Day" will be a yearly public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, to mark both the saint's feast day and the seasonal festival. A government statement noted that it will be the first Irish public holiday named after a woman, and "means that all four of the traditional Celtic seasonal festival will now be public holidays".


title: Imbolc

text: Imbolc or Imbolc-based festivals are held by some Neopagans. As there are many kinds of Neopaganism, their Imbolc celebrations can be very different despite the shared name. Some try to emulate the historic festival as much as possible. Other Neopagans base their celebrations on many sources, with historic accounts of Imbolc being only one of them.


title: Imbolc

text: Neopagans usually celebrate Imbolc on 1 February in the Northern Hemisphere and 1 August in the Southern Hemisphere. Some Neopagans celebrate it at the astronomical midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox (or the full moon nearest this point). In the Northern Hemisphere, this is usually on 3 or 4 February. Other Neopagans celebrate Imbolc when the primroses, dandelions, and other spring flowers emerge.


title: Imbolc

text: Celtic Reconstructionists strive to reconstruct ancient Celtic religion. Their religious practices are based on research and historical accounts, but may be modified slightly to suit modern life. They avoid syncretism (i.e. combining practises from different cultures). They usually celebrate the festival when the first stirrings of spring are felt, or on the full moon nearest this. Many use traditional songs and rites from sources such as "The Silver Bough" and "The Carmina Gadelica". It is a time of honouring the goddess Brigid, and many of her dedicants choose this time of year for rituals to her.


title: Imbolc

text: Wiccans and Neo-Druids celebrate Imbolc as one of the eight Sabbats in their Wheel of the Year, following Midwinter and preceding Ostara. In Wicca, Imbolc is commonly associated with the goddess Brigid and as such, it is sometimes seen as a "women's holiday" with specific rites only for female members of a coven. Among Dianic Wiccans, Imbolc is the traditional time for initiations.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: Treponema pallidum, formerly known as Spirochaeta pallida, is a spirochaete bacterium with various subspecies that cause the diseases syphilis, bejel (also known as endemic syphilis), and yaws. It is transmitted only among humans. It is a helically coiled microorganism usually 6–15 μm long and 0.1–0.2 μm wide. "T. pallidum"'s lack of either a tricarboxylic acid cycle or oxidative phosphorylation results in minimal metabolic activity. The treponemes have a cytoplasmic and an outer membrane. Using light microscopy, treponemes are visible only by using dark field illumination. "Treponema pallidum" consists of three subspecies, "T. p. pallidum, T. p. endemicum," and "T. p. pertenue," each of which has a distinct associated disease.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: The three subspecies causing yaws, bejel, and syphilis are morphologically and serologically indistinguishable. These bacteria were originally classified as members of separate species, but DNA hybridization analysis indicates they are members of the same species. "Treponema carateum", the cause of pinta, remains a separate species because no isolate is available for DNA analysis. Disease transmittance in subspecies "T. p. endemicum" and "T. p. pertenue" is considered non-venereal. "T. p. pallidum" is the most invasive pathogenic subspecies while "T. p. carateum" is the least invasive of the subspecies. "T. p. endemicum" and "T. p. pertenue" are intermediately invasive.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: "Treponema pallidum" is a helically shaped bacterium with high mobility consisting of an outer membrane, peptidoglycan layer, inner membrane, protoplasmic cylinder, and periplasmic space. It is often described as Gram negative, but its outer membrane lacks lipopolysaccharide, which is found in the outer membrane of other Gram-negative bacteria. It has an endoflagellum (periplasmic flagellum) consisting of four main polypeptides, a core structure, and a sheath. The flagellum is located within the periplasmic space and wraps around the protoplasmic cylinder. "T. pallidum"'s outer membrane has the most contact with host cells and contains few transmembrane proteins, limiting antigenicity while its cytoplasmic membrane is covered in lipoproteins. The outer membrane's treponemal ligands main function is attachment to host cells, with functional and antigenic relatedness between ligands. The genus "Treponema" has ribbons of cytoskeletal cytoplasmic filaments that run the length of the cell just underneath the cytoplasmic membrane. They are composed of the intermediate filament-like protein CfpA (cytoplasmic filament protein A). Although the filaments may be involved in chromosome structure and segregation or cell division, their precise function is unknown.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: Treponemal outer membrane proteins are key factors for its pathogenesis, persistence and immune evasion strategies.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: TP0326 is an ortholog of BamA. BamA apparatus will insert newly synthetised and exported outer membrane proteins into the outer membrane


title: Treponema pallidum

text: Treponema repeat family of proteins, Tpr for short, are proteins expressed during the infection process. Tprs are formed by a conserved N-terminal domain, an amino-terminal stretch of about 50 aminoacids, a central variable region and a conserved C-terminal domain .There are many different types of tpr: tprA, tprB, tprC, tprD, tprE…However, variability of tprK is the most relevant due to the immune scape characteristics it allows.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: Antigen variation in TprK is regulated by gene conversion. In this way,  fragments of the seven variable regions (V1–V7) present in tprK and the 53 donor sites of tprD can be combined to produce new structured sequences. TprK antigen variation can help "Treponema pallidum" to evade a strong host immune reaction and it can also allow the reinfection of individuals. This is possible because the newly structured proteins can avoid antibody specific recognition.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: In order to introduce more phenotypic diversity, "Treponema pallidum" may undergo phase variation. This process will mainly happen in tprF, tprI, tprG, tprJ, tprL and it consists of a reversible expansion or contraction of polymeric repeats. These size variations can help the bacterium to quickly adapt to its microenvironment, dodge immune response or even increase affinity to host.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: Successful long-term cultivation of "T. pallidum" subspecies "pallidum" in a tissue culture system has been reported in 2018.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: However, because "T. pallidum" cannot be grown in a pure culture, it does not satisfy Koch's Postulates.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: The chromosomes of the "T. pallidum" subspecies are small, about 1.14 Mbp. Their DNA sequences are more than 99.7% identical. "T. pallidum" subspecies "pallidum" was sequenced in 1998. This sequencing is significant due to "T. pallidum" not being capable of growing in a pure culture, meaning that this sequencing played an important role in understanding the microbe's functions. It revealed that "T. pallidum" relies on its host for many molecules provided by biosynthetic pathways, and that it is missing genes responsible for encoding key enzymes in oxidative phosphorylation and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. It was found that this is due to 5% of "T. pallidum"'s genes coding for transport genes. The recent sequencing of the genomes of several spirochetes permits a thorough analysis of the similarities and differences within this bacterial phylum and within the species. "T. p. pallidum" has one of the smallest bacterial genomes at 1.14 million base pairs, and has limited metabolic capabilities, reflecting its adaptation through genome reduction to the rich environment of mammalian tissue. The shape of "T. pallidum" is flat and wavy. In order to avoid antibodies attacking, the cell has few proteins exposed on the outer membrane sheath. Its chromosome of about 1000 kilo base pairs is circular with a 52.8% G + C average. Sequencing has revealed a bundle of twelve proteins and some putative hemolysins are potential virulence factors of "T. pallidum." 92.9% of DNA was determined to be ORF's, 55% of which had predicted biological functions.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: The clinical features of syphilis, yaws, and bejel occur in multiple stages that affect the skin. The skin lesions observed in the early stage last for weeks or months. The skin lesions are highly infectious, and the spirochetes in the lesions are transmitted by direct contact. The lesions regress as the immune response develops against "T. pallidum". The latent stage that results lasts a lifetime in many cases. In a minority of cases, the disease exits latency and enters a tertiary phase, in which destructive lesions of skin, bone, and cartilage ensue. Unlike yaws and bejels, syphilis in its tertiary stage often affects the heart, eyes, and nervous system as well.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: "Treponema pallidum pallidum" is a motile spirochaete that is generally acquired by close sexual contact, entering the host via breaches in squamous or columnar epithelium. The organism can also be transmitted to a fetus by transplacental passage during the later stages of pregnancy, giving rise to congenital syphilis. The helical structure of "T. p. pallidum" allows it to move in a corkscrew motion through mucous membranes or enter minuscule breaks in the skin. In women the initial lesion is usually on the labia, the walls of the vagina, or the cervix; in men it is on the shaft or glans of the penis. It gains access to the host's blood and lymph systems through tissue and mucous membranes. In more severe cases, it may gain access to the host by infecting the skeletal bones and central nervous system of the body.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: The incubation period for a "T. p. pallidum" infection is usually around 21 days, but can range from 10 to 90 days.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: "Treponema pallidum" was first microscopically identified in syphilitic chancres by Fritz Schaudinn and Erich Hoffmann at the Charité in Berlin in 1905. This bacterium can be detected with special stains, such as the Dieterle stain. "T. pallidum" is also detected by serology, including nontreponemal VDRL, rapid plasma reagin, treponemal antibody tests (FTA-ABS), "T. pallidum" immobilization reaction, and syphilis TPHA test.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: During the early 1940s, rabbit models in combination with the drug penicillin allowed for a long term drug treatment. These experiments establish the ground work that modern scientists use for syphilis therapy. Penicillin can inhibit "T. pallidum" in 6–8 hours though the cells still remain in lymph nodes and regenerate. Penicillin is not the only drug that can be used to inhibit "T. pallidum"; it has been found that any β-lactam antibiotics or macrolides can be used. The "T. pallidum" strain 14 has built resistance to some macrolides, including erythromycin and azithromycin. Resistance to macrolides in "T. Pallidum" strain 14 is believed to derive from a single point mutation that increased the organism's livability. Many of the syphilis treatment therapies only lead to bacteriostatic results, unless larger concentrations of penicillin are used for bactericidal effects. Penicillin overall is the most recommended antibiotic by the CDC as it shows the best results with prolonged usage. It can inhibit and may even kill "T. Pallidum" at low to high doses with each increase in concentration being more effective.


title: Treponema pallidum

text: No vaccine for syphilis is available as of 2017. The outer membrane of "T. pallidum" has too few surface proteins for an antibody to be effective. Efforts to develop a safe and effective syphilis vaccine have been hindered by uncertainty about the relative importance of humoral and cellular mechanisms to protective immunity, and because "T. pallidum" outer membrane proteins have not been unambiguously identified. In contrast, some of the known antigens are intracellular, and antibodies are ineffective against them to clear the infection.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Bennie Gordon Thompson (born January 28, 1948) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Thompson has been the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security since 2019 and from 2007 to 2011. He was both the first Democrat and the first African American to chair the committee. He is the dean of Mississippi's congressional delegation.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Since 2011, Thompson has been the only Democrat in Mississippi's congressional delegation. His district includes most of Jackson and is the only majority-black district in the state. It is about long, wide, and borders the Mississippi River. The Mississippi Delta comprises the vast majority of the district.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Thompson was born in Bolton, Mississippi, the son of Will Thompson and Annie (Lauris) Thompson. He attended Hinds County public schools and graduated from Hinds County Agricultural High School. He then attended Tougaloo College, from which he earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1968. He earned a Master of Science in educational administration from Jackson State University in 1972. Thompson was a schoolteacher in Madison, Mississippi. He served as an alderman (1969–1973) and then mayor of Bolton (1973–1980) before being elected to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, on which he served from 1980 to 1993.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: When Mike Espy resigned from the United States House of Representatives in to become Secretary of Agriculture, Thompson ran in the special election to succeed him. With five other Democrats splitting the vote, he finished second, behind Republican Hayes Dent with 28% of the vote in the March 30, 1993, primary election. He then defeated Dent in the April 13 runoff with 55% of the vote. He won the seat again in 1994 and has been reelected 12 times. He has faced serious opposition only twice, when journalist Clinton LeSueur held him to 55% in 2002 and 58% in 2004.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Thompson became an outspoken advocate for the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005. From his position on the Homeland Security Committee, he pushed for accountability at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and a careful review of the role of the Red Cross in the time of disaster. He also pursued waste, fraud, and abuse in hurricane contracting and called for preferences to be given to small and Gulf Coast businesses in the recovery and rebuilding of the affected states. Thompson is the founding member of the bipartisan Gulf Coast Recovery & Rebuilding Caucus in the House of Representatives.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Thompson's voting record has been decidedly liberal; he is by far the most liberal member of the Mississippi delegation and arguably one of the most liberal congressmen ever to represent the state. He is a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. His legislative platform focuses mainly on homeland security, civil rights, agriculture and rural issues, equal education, and health care reform. In 1975, he became one of the original plaintiffs in the Ayers Case, which concerned the adequate funding of predominantly black educational institutes in Mississippi. In 2000, Thompson wrote legislation that created the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: During his tenure as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Thompson focused on assuring that state and local officials, as well as first responders (fire, police, EMTs), got the resources they needed to protect their communities. Thompson was particularly concerned about local officials getting adequate resources, having been a volunteer firefighter and a local elected official for 24 years.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Thompson was one of 31 House Democrats to object to the certification of the results of the 2004 presidential election in Ohio. President George W. Bush won Ohio, the state the representatives objected to counting, by 118,457 votes. Democrats claimed the results were tainted by irregularities or fraud. These claims were investigated and rejected by journalists, and Democratic nominee John Kerry, who did not contest the election result. As of 2021, Thompson stands by his vote, claiming it was "based on what the issues are at that time. But again, I didn't tear up the place because I cast a vote."


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Thompson brought an action against George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The case, "Conyers v. Bush", was ultimately dismissed.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: On January 5, 2007, Thompson introduced H.R.1, "Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007", the first bill of the 110th Congress. The bill, cosponsored by more than 100 House Members, provided for the implementation of the 9/11 Commission's remaining recommendations. It included provisions requiring major improvements in aviation security, border security, and infrastructure security; providing first responders the equipment and training they need; beefing up efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction; and significantly expanding diplomatic, economic, educational, and other strategies designed to counter terrorism. The bill had bipartisan support and passed 299–128 on January 9, 2007. On July 27, 2007, the Conference Report on H.R. 1 passed the House overwhelmingly, 371–40. The previous day, it had passed the Senate 85–8. The President signed H.R. 1 into law on August 3, 2007.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: With the passage of H.R. 1, Thompson is the first African-American Chairman of a House Committee to have a House–Senate Conference on the first bill introduced in either the House or the Senate in any given Congress.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: On December 27, 2009, commenting on reports that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who had allegedly tried to set off a suicide bomb on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, had subsequently confessed to being trained and equipped in Yemen,


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Thompson called for a halt to all current plans with regard to Yemen in light of Abdulmutullab's ties there, including plans to repatriate approximately 80 Yemeni captives in Guantanamo.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Thompson is a supporter, and one of the proposers of, a bill to prevent auto insurance companies from using credit scores to set their rates, which supporters claim would lower rates for Americans in financial struggle. The bill proposed that auto insurance rates be based solely on factors related to "skills and responsibility behind the wheel", excluding factors such as debt or poor credit elsewhere. The bill has not been enacted.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Thompson has also been a supporter of a measure to increase screening and background checks for pilot trainees to reduce chances of terrorist exploitation. The bill, H.R. 6159, would require all applicants to go through a waiting period while they are screened and cleared by the Department of Homeland Security. Currently, only foreign-born trainees are required to go through this screening. The bill has not been enacted.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: In July 2014, Thompson joined Senator Ron Wyden in introducing a bill to limit the number of documents that are classified and to overhaul the security clearance system. The bill stalled and was not passed.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: On April 1, 2020, Thompson and other Democratic lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee introduced legislation that would create a commission tasked with "producing a full and complete accounting of the nation's preparedness and response to the coronavirus". He compared this to the 9/11 Commission, saying, "while we don't yet know the full impact the coronavirus will have on the nation," already "more Americans have been killed by the virus than died in the September 11, 2001, attacks". A bipartisan group of House lawmakers would appoint 25 commission members, and 18 months after its initial meeting, a "public report detailing recommendations for the development of a national plan to address public health and the economic and social impacts of future pandemics" would be published.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: For his tenure as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee in the 116th Congress, Thompson earned an "A" grade from the non-partisan Lugar Center's Congressional Oversight Hearing Index.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: On March 3, 2021, Thompson was the only House Democrat to vote against the For the People Act, a top legislative priority of House Democrats that would reform campaign finance and election laws and expand voting rights. Despite initially cosponsoring the bill, Thompson said his vote "was no accident", explaining, "My constituents opposed the redistricting portion of the bill as well as the section on public finances. I always listen and vote in the interest of my constituents."


title: Bennie Thompson

text: On January 7, 2021, Thompson issued a statement about the January 6 United States Capitol attack. In the statement, he wrote, "There must be a thorough Congressional investigation into the clear and massive breakdowns in preparedness and response. My Committee has been examining the threat from domestic terrorism, right-wing extremism, and white nationalism for ten years and this will be at the top of our agenda for the new Congress."


title: Bennie Thompson

text: On February 13, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced plans for a bicameral commission to investigate the attack on the Capitol, modeled after the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission), an independent panel that investigated the attacks of September 11, 2001. The 9/11 Commission was created in 2002 by Congress and issued a detailed report on its findings 15 months later. Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tasked Thompson and John Katko, the House Homeland Security Committee's highest-ranking members, with negotiating the commission's establishment resolution. Despite initial bipartisan support for a commission, by March, disputes between Democrats and Republicans over the proposed investigation's scope and whether the commission would have an equal number of members from each party stalled the commission's creation.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: On May 14, 2021, Thompson and Katko announced H.R. 3233, "The National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act". The resolution introduced to the House on May 19 met all Republican objections; it contained an equal number of members from each party, required approval of both parties to issue subpoenas, and set a firm deadline of December 31, 2021, to complete the report. The bill to form the commission passed the House, 252–175, with 35 Republicans and every Democrat supporting it. On May 28, Senate Republicans used a filibuster to block taking up the bill. Thompson issued a statement denouncing Senate Republicans, calling it appalling that Mitch McConnell allowed the bill to be filibustered even after hearing from Officer Brian Sicknick's mother and her support for the bill.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: On July 1, 2021, Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose Thompson to chair the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. As chair, Thompson has the sole authority to sign and issue a subpoena. According to a Congressional Research Service survey, this is the only active House committee with this authorization, found under Section 5: Procedures in H.Res 503, as most House committees can issue and authorize subpoenas only with a majority vote of the committee/subcommittee or by consulting the ranking minority member. Most House committees can have a member designated by the committee to authorize subpoenas.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: On February 16, 2021, on behalf of Thompson, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed a federal lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of inciting violence on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol assault. The suit came three days after Trump was acquitted in the second Senate impeachment trial for inciting the riot. After the acquittal, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech he voted to acquit Trump because he believes the Senate cannot try a former president, but encouraged litigation against Trump, saying: "We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one." Included in the lawsuit as defendants are Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and the two organizations the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. The lawsuit alleges that, by preventing Congress "by the use of force, intimidation, and threat" from carrying out its constitutional duties, the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count, Trump, Giuliani and the hate groups violated the 1871 Third Enforcement Act (also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act).


title: Bennie Thompson

text: According to Thompson's friends and advisors, his national security expertise qualifies him to lead the Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.


title: Bennie Thompson

text: Thompson is married to London Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, and has a daughter, BendaLonne, a granddaughter, Jeanna, and a grandson, Thomas. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity (Gamma Rho – Tougaloo College) and a lifetime member of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Bolton.


title: Coltan

text: Coltan (short for columbite–tantalites and known industrially as tantalite) is a dull black metallic ore from which the elements niobium and tantalum are extracted. The niobium-dominant mineral in coltan is columbite (after niobium's original American name "columbium"), and the tantalum-dominant mineral is the tantalite.


title: Coltan

text: Tantalum from coltan is used to manufacture tantalum capacitors which are used for mobile phones, personal computers, automotive electronics, and cameras. Coltan mining is widespread in the Democratic Republic of Congo.