title: Kars

text: After the Bolshevik advance into Armenia, the Treaty of Alexandropol was superseded by the Treaty of Kars (October 23, 1921), signed between Turkey and the Soviet Union. The treaty allowed for Soviet annexation of Adjara in exchange for Turkish control of the regions of Kars, Igdir, and Ardahan. The Treaty of Kars established peaceful relations between the two nations, but as early as 1939, some British diplomats noted indications that the Soviet Union was not satisfied with the established border. The Treaty of Kars, signed in 1921 by the Government of the Grand National Assembly and by the Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, established the current north-eastern boundaries of Turkey. The treaty included "de jure" provisions guaranteeing the Armenian residents right to relinquish Turkish nationality, leave the territory freely and take with them either their goods or the proceeds of their sale, but by some accounts formerly Armenian lands had "de facto" become state property as a consequence of the treaty.


title: Kars

text: After World War II, the Soviet Union attempted to annul the Kars treaty and regain the Kars region and the adjoining region of Ardahan. On June 7, 1945, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov told the Turkish ambassador to Moscow Selim Sarper that the regions should be returned to the Soviet Union, on behalf of the Georgian and Armenian republics. Turkey found itself in a difficult position: it wanted good relations with the Soviet Union, but at the same time they refused to give up the territories. Turkey itself was in no condition to fight a war with the Soviet Union, which had emerged as a superpower after the second world war. By the autumn of 1945, Soviet troops in the Caucasus were ordered to prepare for a possible invasion of Turkey. Prime Minister Winston Churchill objected to these territorial claims, while President Harry Truman initially felt that the matter should not concern other parties. With the onset of the Cold War, however, the United States came to see Turkey as a useful ally against Soviet expansion and began to support it financially and militarily. By 1948 the Soviet Union dropped its claims to Kars and the other regions.


title: Kars

text: In April 1993, Turkey closed its Kars border crossing with Armenia, in a protest against the capture of Kelbajar district of Azerbaijan by Armenian forces during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. Since then the land border between Armenia and Turkey has remained closed. In 2006, former Kars mayor Naif Alibeyoğlu said that opening the border would boost the local economy and reawaken the city. Despite unsuccessful attempts to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2009, there remained opposition and pressure from the local population against the re-opening of the border. Under pressure from Azerbaijan, and the local population, including the 20% ethnic Azerbaijani minority, the Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoğlu reiterated in 2010 and 2011 that opening the border with Armenia was out of question. , the border remains closed.


title: Kars

text: The last elected mayor of Kars was Ayhan Bilgen of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who was elected in 2019, and arrested and deposed in 2020. He was replaced by the governor of Kars Province, Eyüp Tepe, as a government-appointed trustee.


title: Kars

text: According to Turkey's 2011 Statistical Yearbook, the area has been depopulating because of migration to bigger cities. In Istanbul alone, there are 269,388 people from Kars, more than three times the city's population.


title: Kars

text: The Azerbaijanis are mainly composed of the Terekeme and Qarapapaq sub-ethnic groups. The Shia Azerbaijanis make up 20% of the city's population.


title: Kars

text: Most of the population in Kars is Sunni Muslim, mainly made up by the population of Kurds and Turks, and the minority is Shia Muslim, mainly among the Azerbaijanis.


title: Kars

text: The ethnic make-up of Kars is also reflected in politics, with the Turks and Azerbaijanis often voting for the nationalist MHP and the Kurds often voting for the pro-Kurdish HDP. On 30 March 2014, Murtaza Karaçanta (MHP) was elected mayor. During the June 2015 elections, Kars was won by the pro-Kurdish HDP, becoming the largest political party in both the city and the province of Kars. The last elected mayor was Ayhan Bilgen from the HDP until he was deposed in October 2020.


title: Kars

text: Kars has a humid continental climate (Köppen: "Dfb, Trewartha: Dcb"). It experiences significant seasonal and diurnal temperature variation, due to its location away from large bodies of water, its high elevation and location, where the high plateau of Eastern Anatolia converges with the Lesser Caucasus mountain range.


title: Kars

text: Summers are generally brief and quite warm with cool nights. The average high temperature in August is .


title: Kars

text: Winters are very cold. The average low January temperature is , and temperatures can plummet to during the winter months. Kars experiences frequent and sometimes heavy snowfall, with four months of snow cover on average.


title: Kars

text: Due to its geographical location, the city itself has a slightly milder climate compared to the surrounding region. Some hills and peaks in the province, especially around the Sarıkamış region, are subarctic (Köppen: "Dfc, Trewartha: Ec") due to the higher elevation of the region. Summers and winters are colder in these areas, with winter temperatures reaching more regularly.


title: Kars

text: The town has a football club Kars S.K. Bandy, a sport which does not exist in Turkey today, was once played here.


title: Kars

text: Kars is served by a main highway from Erzurum, and lesser roads run north to Ardahan and south to Igdir. The town has an airport (Kars Harakani Airport), with daily direct flights to Ankara and Istanbul. Kars is served by a station on the Turkish Railways (TCDD) that links it to Erzurum. This line was originally laid when Kars was within the Russian Empire and connected the city to nearby Alexandropol and Tiflis, with a wartime, narrow-gauge extension running to Erzurum. Turkey's border crossings with Armenia, including the rail link, the Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railway, have regrettably been closed since April 1993. Turkey's border with Armenia was closed down after local Armenian forces occupied the Kalbajar District (adjacent to disputed Nagorno Karabakh) in Azerbaijan. (As of September 2018, Turkey maintains that the border will remain closed until Armenia ends its occupation). Construction on a new line, the Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway, intended to connect Turkey with Georgia and Azerbaijan, began in 2010. The line became operational on October 30, 2017. The line connects Kars to Akhalkalaki in Georgia, from where trains will continue to Tbilisi, and Baku in Azerbaijan.


title: Kars

text: The Castle of Kars (), also known as the Citadel, sits at the top a rocky hill overlooking Kars. Its walls date back to the Bagratuni Armenian period (there is surviving masonry on the north side of the castle) but it probably took on its present form during the thirteenth century when Kars was ruled by the Zak'arid dynasty.


title: Kars

text: The walls bear crosses in several places, including a Khachkar with a building inscription in Armenian on the easternmost tower, so the much repeated statement that Kars castle was built by Ottoman Sultan Murad III during the war with Persia, at the close of the sixteenth century, is inaccurate. However, Murad probably ordered to reconstruct much of the city walls (they are similar to those that the Ottoman army constructed at Ardahan). During the eighteenth century at the Battle of Kars (1745) a crushing defeat was inflicted upon the Ottoman army by the Persian conqueror, Nader Shah, not far from the city of Kars.


title: Kars

text: By the nineteenth century the citadel had lost most of its defensive purpose and a series of outer fortresses and defensive works were constructed to encircle Kars – this new defensive system proved particularly notable during the Siege of Kars in 1855.


title: Kars

text: Below the castle is a mosque, formerly the Armenian church known as Surb Arak'elots, the Church of the Holy Apostles. Built in the 930's, it has a tetraconch plan (a square with four semicircular apses) surmounted by a spherical dome on a cylindrical drum. On the exterior, the drum of contains bas-relief depictions of twelve figures, usually interpreted as representing the Twelve Apostles. The dome has a conical roof. The church was converted to a mosque in 1579, and then converted into a Russian Orthodox church in the 1880s. The Russians built porches in front of the church's three entrances, and an elaborate clocktower (now demolished) next to the church. The church was used as a warehouse from the 1930s, and it housed a small museum from 1963 until the late 1970s. Then the building was left to itself for about two decades, until it was converted into a mosque in 1993. In the same district of Kars are two other ruined Armenian churches. A Russian church from the 1900s was converted to a mosque in the 1980s after serving as a school gymnasium.


title: Kars

text: The Grand Mosque of Kars is the largest historic mosque in the city. Built by the Seljuks, it was restored by the Ottomans in 1579.


title: Kars

text: The "Taşköprü" (Stone Bridge) is a bridge over the Kars river, built in 1725. Close to the bridge are three old bath-houses, none of them operating any longer.


title: Kars

text: As a settlement at the juncture of Turkish, Armenian, Georgian, Kurdish and Russian cultures, the buildings of Kars come in a variety of architectural styles. Most Russian-era buildings in Kars are identical in architectural style to those of Gyumri in Armenia. Orhan Pamuk in the novel "Snow", set in Kars, makes repeated references to "the Russian houses", built "in a Baltic style", whose like cannot be seen anywhere else in Turkey, and deplores the deteriorating condition of these houses.


title: Kars

text: The municipality of Kars has developed sister city relationships with following cities at home and abroad:


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a 2012 American fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges from a story by Ahmet Zappa. Starring Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, Dianne Wiest, CJ Adams, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ron Livingston, David Morse and Common, the film is about a magical pre-adolescent boy whose personality and naïveté have profound effects on the people in his town.<ref name="/Film"></ref> The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released theatrically on August 15, 2012. It received mixed reviews from critics, earned $55.3 million on a $25 million budget and had modest ticket sales in its debut weekend. CJ Adams's performance won him a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film, while Odeya Rush's performance was nominated for the same award. "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-ray and DVD on December 4, 2012.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: The film is told from the perspective of Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim Green (Joel Edgerton), as they explain their experience with Timothy (CJ Adams) in an effort to persuade an adoption agency to allow the couple to adopt a child.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: Cindy, who works in the town's local museum, and Jim, who is employed at the town's historic pencil factory, reside in the fictitious town of Stanleyville, self-described as "the pencil capital of the world". The Greens are informed by doctors that they are unable to conceive. Distraught by the news, Jim convinces Cindy to dream up their ideal child and write the child's characteristics and life events on slips of notepad paper.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: The couple place the notes inside a wooden box and bury it in their backyard garden. After an immediate thunderstorm, which seemingly affects only their property, a ten-year-old arrives at their home claiming the Greens as his parents. After finding the box they buried smashed to pieces around a large hole in the ground where they originally buried it, and finding the boy inside their house, covered in mud, they realize that the boy, named Timothy, is actually a culmination of all their wishes of what their child would be. The Greens also discover that Timothy has a startling feature: he has leaves growing on his legs, which he can only cover up by wearing long tube socks.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: The next day, at a family picnic, Timothy is introduced to members of his family: Brenda Best (Rosemarie DeWitt), Cindy's pompous sister; James Green Sr. (David Morse), Jim's estranged father; and Mel (Lois Smith) and Bub (M. Emmet Walsh), Cindy's paternal aunt and uncle. The parents take Timothy to their friend and town botanist, Reggie (Lin-Manuel Miranda), where they learn that Timothy's leaves cannot be removed.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: Timothy begins to attend school, where he meets Joni Jerome (Odeya Rush), a girl he encounters during a bullying incident. Jim takes Timothy to confront the bullies and Timothy is invited to a birthday pool party. There Joni Jerome tries to take off his socks, and is kicked in the head by Timothy. They later become friends. Meanwhile, the town's pencil factory, the largest employer in Stanleyville, begins laying off its employees. Timothy convinces Cindy and Jim to design a prototype for a new pencil in an effort to keep the pencil-producing business viable.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: Unbeknownst to the parents, one of Timothy's leaves falls off each time he fulfills one of the qualities listed on the original slips of paper. Timothy eventually reveals to Cindy and Jim that his time of existence is short and that he will eventually disappear. During another intense thunderstorm, he vanishes from their house and all they can find of him is the pile of paper slips.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: The Greens' meeting with the adoption counselor concludes with Cindy presenting a letter that Timothy left them before leaving. In the letter, he explains to them what he did with each of his leaves that fell off, with a montage sequence showing each person whose life Timothy touched. After an unspecified amount of time, the adoption counselor is shown pulling up to the Greens' house in a car with the little girl who is to become the Greens' daughter, Lily.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: In June 2009, Peter Hedges was signed to write and direct the film, which stemmed from an idea brought about by Ahmet Zappa through his production company Monsterfoot Productions. The film is one of the first films produced by Scott Sanders Productions after a deal with the Walt Disney Studios was made in 2007.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: Walt Disney Records released Geoff Zanelli's score from the soundtrack on August 14, 2012, the day before the film's release.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" was met with a mixed to negative reception. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 36% of 132 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.2/10, offering the consensus: "It means well, but "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" is ultimately too cloyingly sentimental—and thinly scripted—to satisfy all but the least demanding viewers." Mary Pols of "Time" wrote, "This is a movie about old-time values, a movie with Frank Capra aspirations. But Timothy’s life, his very conception by Zappa and Hedges, is definitely more odd than wonderful." Michael Phillips of the "Chicago Tribune", praised the film's art direction and cast, "It's an elegant, honeyed production, photographed (in Georgia) by cinematographer John Toll, and it's full of interesting actors." However, he differed on the script saying, "this fable of the gifted child doesn't go for the throat as it goes about its odd business." Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" was more enthusiastic in his 3½ star review, calling it "a warm and lovely fantasy... on a picture-postcard farm in the middle of endlessly rolling hills where it is always Indian Summer" adding that "instead of being simpleminded like too many family films, it treats the characters with care and concern."


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: The film had a $2.3 million debut on August 15. It made $7.6 million in three days and finished the five-day weekend off with $15,100,918 domestically. The film grossed $51.9 million in North America.


title: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

text: "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-ray and DVD on December 4, 2012.


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 16, 1990, by Priority Records. It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. The album was primarily produced by Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad. A critical and commercial success, it remains one of the defining hip hop albums of the 1990s.


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: After departing from Ruthless Records and the West Coast–based group N.W.A, Ice Cube immediately moved to record his own album. Cube maintains that originally, he and N.W.A producer Dr. Dre still wanted to collaborate for Cube's debut solo, but the move was nixed by label powers:


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: Linking up with Sir Jinx, Dr. Dre's cousin, Cube made use of pre-written notebooks of songs meant for N.W.A member/Ruthless co-founder Eazy-E. After relocating to New York, they worked on the songs, which included "Once Upon a Time in the Projects", "Get Off My Dick & Tell Yo' Bitch to Come Here" and "Gangsta's Fairytale", among others. Under fire from his former group with the song "100 Miles and Runnin', from the EP of the same name, he also recorded the song "Jackin' for Beats", using beats allegedly planned for use on the next N.W.A album, though he would use this several months later on the "Kill at Will" EP.


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: After contacting Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad, they completed the album. The album received a fair share of production credited to various Bomb Squad members, with an appearance by Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, despite Jinx's claims that the only Bomb Squad member fully present was Eric Sadler. Hank Shocklee spoke on meeting and working with Ice Cube in a "Cool'eh Magazine" interview:


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: With socio-political conscious and gangsta rap content, its songs delve into the issues of ghetto life, drug addiction, racism and poverty. Throughout the album, Ice Cube incessantly attacks institutional racism, as well as social norms which directly or indirectly allowed the oppression of those living in the ghettos of Los Angeles to continue. On "Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)," he predicts that his neighborhood would become a flash point for violence before 1992's scandal over the beating of Rodney King, and takes police to task for the policies that would later lead to the L.A. riots that resulted.


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: Throughout the album, Cube takes some controversial stands, referring to certain types of African-Americans as "Oreo cookies", an epithet implying that they appear black on the outside, but have, internally, negative white tendencies. Arsenio Hall is specifically mentioned as being a "sell-out." Cube also heavily criticizes R&B and hip hop radio stations for watered-down broadcasting. The title song directly parodies the television show, "America's Most Wanted", alleging bias and denouncing the glee the program displays in arresting African-American men.


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: A later skit, "The Drive By," returns to the same theme at the end, with newscaster Tom Brokaw reporting on rioting, stating: "Outside the south central area, few cared about the violence because it didn't affect them." He also addressed gender relations on "It's a Man's World", a duet between Cube and rapper Yo-Yo. Cube and Yo-Yo verbally spar and trade sexist barbs back and forth in an exposé of sexism between men and women. Amidst critics' accusing Ice Cube of sexism, Peter Watrous of "The New York Times" wrote, in review of a live show at New York's Apollo Theater:


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" initially charted without the support of a lead single or video, although the title track would later receive a pressing, and a rare video for "Who's the Mack?" eventually surfaced. It was directed by Alex Winter.


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: The title track was the first official single from the album - the B-side for the song was "Once Upon a Time in the Projects". "Who's the Mack?" was released as a promo single and music video. A remix of the album track "Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside)" was later released as a single the EP "Kill at Will".


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: Upon release, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" received critical acclaim, and over the years it has been regarded by many as a hip-hop classic. Davis Mills from "The Washington Post" praised the album for its lyrical dexterity, stating: "Ice Cube has now proven that he was N.W.A's crucial element. He's an unusually gifted rhymer, and his delivery is even more self-assured." Greg Sandow from "Entertainment Weekly" called it "not necessarily cohesive art", but complimented the album's vivid depictions of urban realities and wrote that Ice Cube "emerges as a rapper most original for his uncompromising tone. He throws ghetto life in our faces and dares us to draw our own conclusions".


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: "Rolling Stone" originally gave the album 2½ out of 5 stars in 1990, with Alan Light commenting; "The relentless profanity grows wearisome, the Bomb Squad beats lose steam, and Cube's attitudes toward women are simply despicable." He also declared the album as "a disappointment." (Light wrote the liner notes for the 2003 CD reissue of the album, that also included the "Kill at Will" EP.) "Rolling Stone", however, raised the rating to 3½ stars in 1992 and to 5 stars in 2004, and praised the album for its production, and lyrics. In a retrospective review, David Jeffries from AllMusic stated: "This street knowledge venom with ultra fast funk works splendidly throughout the album, with every track hitting home [...] "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" is a timeless, riveting exercise in anger, honesty, and the sociopolitical possibilities of hip-hop."


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: Ice Cube's social, and political commentary, delivered in an incisive manner, has influenced numerous rappers since "Amerikkka's Most Wanted", particularly in the gangsta rap and political rap subgenres. Focusing on the hardships of life in South Central, Los Angeles, as well as criticizing the American Justice System and race relations in the United States, Cube became an outspoken voice of U.S. injustice against young Black Americans.


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: Although Ice Cube's popularity among mainstream listeners has lessened since the 2000s, and his sound may be considered distinctively old school to modern ears, many notable rappers themselves have been influenced by "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted". His style of rapping about real life sentiment and socio-political awareness influenced the music of West Coast rappers, including that of Tupac Shakur, Ras Kass, and Xzibit, as well as East Coast rappers Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., and more recently, Saigon, JPEGMafia and Southern rapper Young Jeezy. East Coast rapper Redman also covered "Once Upon a Time in the Projects" on his album "Doc's Da Name 2000", with the song "Jersey Yo!".


title: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

text: "AmeriKKKas Most Wanted" debuted at number 19 on the US "Billboard" 200 chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) two weeks after it was released for sales of over 500,000 copies. The album was eventually certified platinum four months later on September 16, 1990.


title: Kathryn Beaumont

text: Kathryn Beaumont Levine (born 27 June 1938) is a British-American former actress, singer and school teacher. She is best known for voicing Alice in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) and Wendy Darling in "Peter Pan" (1953), for which she was named a Disney Legend in 1998.


title: Kathryn Beaumont

text: Kathryn Beaumont was born to Evelyn and Kenneth Beaumont in London on 27 June 1938. Her mother was a professional dancer, while her father was a singer.


title: Kathryn Beaumont

text: Beaumont made her feature film debut in "It Happened One Sunday" (1944), which drew interest from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who offered her a contract. She recalled: "MGM was planning to have films with British characters and British-type stories. However, as ideas come and go, they must have shelved the idea because they brought me over and put me under contract, then nothing happened." In spite of this, she did play small parts in MGM's "On an Island with You" (1948), where she did a Jimmy Durante impression in front of Durante's character, "The Secret Garden" (1949) and "Challenge to Lassie" (1949).


title: Kathryn Beaumont

text: After Beaumont had relocated to Los Angeles, Walt Disney Pictures began auditioning young British actresses to portray Alice in their animated version of "Alice in Wonderland" (1951). Beaumont auditioned and received the role, working under voice director Winston Hibler. Disney subsequently cast her in the voice role of Wendy Darling in their following feature, "Peter Pan" (1953). In addition to providing her voice, Beaumont also served as the performance model for both characters for live-action reference to help the animators. When performing as Wendy, Beaumont was suspended in the air to simulate flight, although Beaumont had a fear of heights. Walt Disney personally cast Beaumont after seeing the film, "On an Island with You". Beaumont reprised her voice acting role as Alice in two episodes of the animated series "Disney's House of Mouse" (2001–2003) and as both Alice and Wendy in the 2002 video game "Kingdom Hearts". In 1998, Beaumont was awarded a Disney Legend award for her voice work on the films "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan".


title: Kathryn Beaumont

text: In 2005, Beaumont retired from acting; the roles of Alice and Wendy were taken over by Hynden Walch. She made a brief return to voice acting in 2010 when she voiced Kairi's grandmother in "Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep".


title: Kathryn Beaumont

text: After completing "Peter Pan", Beaumont graduated from high school and enrolled at the University of Southern California, where she graduated with a degree in education. Upon graduating from college, Beaumont worked as an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles for 36 years.


title: Kathryn Beaumont

text: As of 2020, she is the last surviving cast member of "It Happened One Sunday" (1944) and "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) .


title: Wild World (song)

text: "Wild World" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. It first appeared on his fourth album, "Tea for the Tillerman", recorded and released in 1970.


title: Wild World (song)

text: Stevens developed a relationship with actress Patti D'Arbanville and the two were a pair throughout a period of roughly two years. During that time, he wrote several songs about her, including "Wild World".


title: Wild World (song)

text: The song is in the form of the singer's words to his departing lover, inspired by the end of their romance. Stevens later recalled to "Mojo": "It was one of those chord sequences that's very common in Spanish music. I turned it around and came up with that theme—which is a recurring theme in my work—which is to do with leaving, the sadness of leaving, and the anticipation of what lies beyond."


title: Wild World (song)

text: Released as a single in late 1970, it peaked at No. 11 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. "Wild World" has been credited as the song that gave Stevens' next album, "Tea for the Tillerman", "enough kick" to get it played on FM radio; and Island Records' Chris Blackwell called it "the best album we've ever released".


title: Wild World (song)

text: In November 2008, the "Tea for the Tillerman" CD was re-issued in a deluxe version which included the original demo of "Wild World".


title: Wild World (song)

text: Some critics and music writers have deemed "Wild World" to be condescending and misogynistic. In her 1971 essay "But Now I'm Gonna Move," critic Ellen Willis described a method of revealing male bias in lyrics in which the listener imagines the genders reversed:


title: Wild World (song)

text: The song has been covered by many artists, with many of the covers becoming hits of their own. Jimmy Cliff's version, released a few months after Stevens released the original version, reached No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart. Surprisingly, Stevens' version was not released as a single in the UK. Some of the subsequent covers have also been in the reggae style, such as Maxi Priest's version of the song. Recorded and released as a single in 1988, this version also did well on the charts, reaching No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 25 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Wild World (song)

text: In 1987, Jonathan King accused Pet Shop Boys of plagiarising the melody of "Wild World" for their UK No. 1 single "It's a Sin". He made the claims in "The Sun", for which he wrote a regular column during the 1980s. King also released his own cover version of "Wild World" as a single, using a similar musical arrangement to "It's a Sin", in an effort to demonstrate his claims. This single flopped, while Pet Shop Boys sued King, eventually winning out-of-court damages, which they donated to charity.


title: Wild World (song)

text: On 7 July 2007, the song was performed twice at the Live Earth concerts. James Blunt sang it at Wembley Stadium in London, England, while Stevens (by then known as Yusuf Islam) himself sang it in Hamburg, Germany.


title: Wild World (song)

text: In 2011, Taiwanese-American singer Joanna Wang released her own version on her album "The Things We Do for Love". Wang's version was also featured in American web television series The Good Fight Season 1, 2017.


title: Wild World (song)

text: In 1988 English reggae vocalist Maxi Priest recorded a cover of the song, which was released as the third single from his album, "Maxi" (1987). The single charted at No. 25 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. In Europe it was very successful, peaking at No. 3 in Norway, No. 5 in Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK, No. 7 in the Netherlands, and No. 8 in Australia.


title: Wild World (song)

text: In 1993, American rock band Mr. Big released a cover of "Wild World" on their third album, "Bump Ahead" (1993). The single charted at No. 27 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, No. 33 on the Top 40 Mainstream and No. 12 on the Mainstream Top 40. In Europe, it was very successful, peaking at No. 4 in Denmark, No. 7 in Austria and Switzerland, at No. 10 in Norway, Sweden and Netherlands and No. 13 in Iceland.


title: Wild World (song)

text: Larry Flick from "Billboard" described it as "a relatively faithful cover". He added, "Pleasing lead vocals and tightly knit harmonies weave around cowboy-like acoustic strumming and nimble-but-subtle electric doodling. Warmly familiar, easy-going track". Troy J. Augusto from "Cashbox" commented, "Back to ballad-land again with a credible cover of the Cat Stevens classic." Dave Sholin from the "Gavin Report" called it a "soulful, sensitive approach with a slight rock edge." He noted further that lead singer Eric Martin "is powerful without overpowering the song."


title: Wild World (song)

text: Another editor, Kent Zimmerman complimented its "decidedly wooden, unplugged flavor". Alan Jones from "Music Week" said it is "rendered in the low key intimate rock ballad style recently deployed by the likes of Metallica, Extreme and Little Angels. Mr. Big carry it of very well and can expect a modest hit." John Kilgo from "The Network Forty" noted that it "sounds remarkably similar to the 1971 original", adding that it "will sound like a fresh, new song to the younger demographics."


title: Variants of the M113 armored personnel carrier

text: A huge number of M113 Armored Personnel Carrier variants have been created, ranging from infantry carriers to nuclear missile carriers. The M113 armored personnel carrier has become one of the most prolific armored vehicles of the second half of the 20th century, and continues to serve with armies around the world in many roles.


text: In 2005, Afghanistan received 15 second-hand M577A2 command and control vehicles from the United States.


text: In 1967, the Argentine Army received from USA 250 M113A1 APC, 10 M577A1 command and control vehicles and 12 M548A1 cargo carriers. In 1992, they received from USA 200 M113A2 APC, 25 M106A1 mortar carrier, 10 M577A1 command and control vehicles and 16 M548A1 cargo carriers. Some variants are modified by the Army's "Comando de Arsenales".


text: Some Australian AFVs have the suffix "AS" (the NATO code for Australia), often appended by a model number.


text: Generally speaking, Australian models are modified from the original models, in the case of the M113A1 series this included the AN/VIC-1 communications harness, large dust filters for the passenger compartment ventilation blower, heavy steel track manufactured by ADI, provision for 600 kg of belly armor, the Cadillac-Gage T-50 turret mounting twin .30 Brownings (early service) or a .30/.50 Brownings machine guns for APC/LRV versions, a traverse bar to prevent the crew commander traversing the turret to the rear over the troop compartment roof hatch with the guns depressed low. For some reason, besides the M577A1 command vehicle, all of versions of the M113A1 had the passenger compartment heaters removed. In the late 1980s, the fleet was issued with German BM8005 image intensifying night vision driving periscopes, which, with the aid of an adaptor, could be fitted to replace the driver's central periscope for night driving. In the early 90s, the fleet was issued with VINSON family cipher equipment, typically a single KY-57 per vehicle. This allowed the command net to be enciphered, but the admin net would normally work en clair.


text: BMF from Belgium has built the M113A1 with some modifications (using the suspension of the M113A2, NBC protection system etc.) under license as the M113A1-B, The Belgian army received 525 vehicles from 1982.


text: Under the Armoured Personnel Carrier Life Extension (APCLE) program otherwise known as M113LE Project, which was started after the 1994 White Paper on Defence, it was originally planned that 341 Canadian M113A2 series vehicles were to be upgraded under the contract issued in 2000: 183 were to be stretched by 50 cm and fitted with 6 road wheels and a one-piece rubber Band Track (which is prone to slipping off the running gear during high speed turns) as part of the MTVL (Mobile Tactical Vehicle Light) series upgrade. The remaining 158 vehicles were to be upgraded to M113A3 standards, retaining 5 road wheels. An optional additional order of 61 air defence vehicles either to the MTVL or M113A3 standard of upgrades for both existing M113A2 ADATS and to convert additional APCs for use as ADATS platforms was also considered. The program underwent three reductions including scrapping the optional ADATS update order and it reduced the total amount of vehicles down to 254 vehicles, with just 112 MTVL standard and 142 M113A3 standard being produced starting in 2002.


text: Modifications for the MTVL series and M113A3 series include a more powerful Detroit Diesel 6V-53TIA series Detroit Diesel Electronic Control (DDEC) IV electronic engine (which allows the user to electronically tune the engine to a desired rating up to 400 hp), upgraded suspension, additional fuel tanks that were added under the floor of the vehicle (In addition to the existing rear exterior fuel tanks, both of which now had special fuel cells designed not to rupture in an anti-tank mine blast) increasing the fuel tank capacity to 757 litres, bolt-on steel armour plates, replacement of the previous lever based steering with a steering wheel, the option of mounting steel cage armour, and improved armament consisting of either a Cadillac-Gage 1 metre turret, a Nanuk Remotely Controlled Weapon Station or a FFNW (Fitted For Not With) mounting, although some vehicles have been seen using older weapons mounts in place of not having any weapons mounted due to FFNW and not having enough RWS to equip all vehicles at once.


text: After being upgraded, the family of vehicles later became known by the acronym TLAV (Tracked Light Armoured Vehicle) or the LAV-T in Canadian Army parlance. While some vehicles were retired as early as a year after being upgraded, the remaining vehicles are now set to be replaced along with the Bison in the coming decade by the ASCV (A LAV 6 support vehicle variant) produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada as announced by the Government of Canada on August 4, 2020.


text: Canada originally adopted and used the M113A1 series of vehicles after the failure of the domestic program for creating an armoured personnel carrier which had culminated in the Bobcat APC. After the cancellation of the Bobcat in late 1963, Canada began looking for an off-the-shelf vehicle to purchase instead and as the Canadian Army had kept themselves updated on American armour developments, including having even trialed some M59 APCs during the mid to late 1950s in parallel to the Bobcats development, they decided to purchase the M113A1 series as it fit the desired roles for use. In 1964 Canada began to procure the M113A1 from the United States with an order for 300 M113A1s, delivered through 1964–1965, with additional orders in 1968 for 300 M113A1s, and in 1971 for 445 M113A1s.


text: While the vehicles had all initially used the standard American T130 tracks that came with the vehicles, by 1974 a third of the fleet was using the T130E1 tracks as a large scale trial of the new track which was supposed to have a longer service life of around 60% along with better durability but results of these large scale trials were extremely poor, blamed on poor quality materials used as well as forging defects, these factors lead to a search for new tracks to replace both the T130 and T130E1 tracks. The search culminated in the Diehl 213B tracks made in the Federal Republic of Germany which were already being used on the West German M113 fleet. Canadian trials with the Diehl 213B tracks proved conclusively that for a slightly higher cost initially over the T130E1, it had a much longer service life, better durability, easier maintenance, and would save money in the long term. In March 1976 the procurement of the Diehl 213B tracks was approved with delivery to forces in Europe taking place during mid-July, forces in Canada during September, and forces on the UN mission in Cyprus during October. Eventually the entire Canadian fleet was using the Diehl tracks, along with the Lynx and later the M113A2 series.


text: Beginning between 1980 and 1984, Canada began to procure the M113A2 in limited amounts and also slowly began to upgrade older M113A1s to the A2 standard. As of the early 1990s, Canada had a mixed fleet of A1 and A2 series, for which they began to also procure a large amount of ACAV protection kits as early as 1992 for use in United Nations peacekeeping missions like UNPROFOR and later NATO intervention in the Balkans, with these kits even seeing limited use in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) on some M113A3s and MTVLs. The fleet started to be withdrawn from service in the late 1990s starting mainly with older M113A1s and by the mid-2000s, only vehicles upgraded or being upgraded to M113A3 or MTVL standards were still in service.


text: Denmark had a variety of M113s enter service starting with a delivery of 450 M113 (including 56 M125 81mm mortar carriers) between 1962 and 1964, followed by delivery of 288 M113A1 from 1967 to 1975 and 1978–1979. These were to replace the M3 Halftrack and C15TA Armoured Truck that Denmark had used since 1955 and World War II respectively. During 1972-1973 the original M113s underwent a 'mid-life-update' and were brought up to the M113A1 standard by Falck Schmidt in Odense. The M113 series has since been replaced by the MOWAG Piranha V and the BAE Systems Hägglunds AB CV 90 in service, with only a few M113A2 Mk I DK fire fighting vehicles kept.


text: The M113G3 series upgrade by FFG which was initially done for 97 M113A1s and in 1999 it was announced that 257 M113A1s were to be upgraded between 2001 and 2004, which included; a more powerful 6-cylinder, 10.6 Liter turbo-charged diesel-engine (MTU 6V 183 TC22 EURO II) developing 300 hp with a ZF LSG 1000 transmission (6F2R), improved suspension, prepared slots for mounting Addon Armour from Israelian Urdan, external fuel-tanks, a basket mount on the front of the hull, the option to mount 6x smoke dischargers on the front of the hull, the original T130 tracks were replaced with Diehl 513 tracks, a new heater (Stewart-Warner, type 10560 M), a new 200 AMP generator, and an improved steering and brake system.


text: Models that left service in 2014 and then returned to service in 2016 after undergoing essential modifications:


text: The M113G4 series upgrade by FFG was for remaining M113G3 in service to be upgraded, initially between 2009 and 2010, with the addition of upgraded belly protection, Rubber Band tracks to replace the Diehl 513 tracks, adjustable seats, and other features. The upgrade was originally just for vehicles in use during operations in the War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) but was later standardized for the G3 fleet through upgrades through 2011–2012.


text: In German service, the M113 and M113A1 were known respectively as the M113G and M113A1G, while the M577 and M577A1 command post vehicles were known as the M577G and M577A1G. Most M113A1Gs were later upgraded to A2 standard and got the new designator M113A2 GE. Those vehicles that were fitted with external fuel tanks and the new SEM-80/90 radioset are known as M113A2 EFT GE A0. Under the NDV-2 program, some vehicles had been fitted with a new MTU engine, new steering and brake systems etc. German M113s often have a bank of eight 76mm smoke grenade dischargers at the front of the vehicle, and are armed with Rheinmetall MG3s instead of the more common M2 .50 caliber machine gun. The German Army uses the type not only as APC (MTW – ) but in many different specialized roles as well:


text: 288 M113s have been rebuilt and upgraded as a part of Project 5026, and all vehicles have received new rubber band tracks, exterior fuel tanks (to create more space inside), new intercom, new interior and command and control systems. In addition, the upgraded M113s come in three versions mainly based on the level of protection:


text: Furthermore, a fourth variant, the M113F4, has been developed, but it was ultimately set aside in favor of FFG's ACSV, which is based on the PMMC G5.


text: The Portuguese Army operates 190 (of 255 delivered) in the A1 and A2 variants of the basic M113 armored personnel carrier (M113 A1/2 M/76 a 90, or simply "M113"). Besides the M113 APC, the Portuguese Army operates 107 mm mortar carriers, 81mm mortar carriers, self-propelled surface-to-air missile systems, TOW anti-tank guided missile tank destroyers, ambulance, command and communications variants of the M113.


text: The skidders use the same 6V53 Detroit Diesel engine and steering gearbox as the M113, but utilized a more heavily built undercarriage and a 4-speed Clark powershift transmission. The skidder either came as a cable arch model, with a tilting tray to set the logs on (a hydraulic grapple attachment was later offered to fit over the cable fairleads), or as a Clam-Bunk forwarder, with a Prentice grapple mounted on the roof of the cab. Dealers also modified the base tractor to handle various forestry and utility jobs.


text: Because of their mobility and light weight, these skidders are often used in steep and swampy terrain, and the most common alternate use is to fit them with water tanks and use them to fight forest fires.


text: In 1988, FMC sold the manufacturing rights of the skidder to Kootenay Tractor, their main dealer in British Columbia, Canada, who is selling them under the KMC brand name.


text: Newer skidder models use Cummins diesel engines, and offer the option of hydrostatic drive alongside the mechanical steering.


text: From the early 1960s through to 2013 NASA operated a number of ex-United States Army M113s as armoured rescue vehicles. The vehicles, numbered 1 to 4, were originally painted white with large red numbers but were later repainted luminous yellow-green with a reflective silver stripe along the side interrupted by the vehicle number in red.


text: Located at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and operated by the KSC Fire Department, for every crewed spacecraft launch during Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs two vehicles containing firefighters and emergency rescue personnel wearing fire-proof suits were located approximately one mile from the foot of the launchpad. For the Space Shuttle program a further unmanned vehicle was parked outside the exit of the crew evacuation bunker for use by the spacecraft crew as an emergency evacuation vehicle. As part of their mission training, the Shuttle astronauts were taught to drive and operate the vehicles (usually units 3 and 4), and each crew would affix their respective mission patch upon the vehicle's exterior.


text: NASA's M113s were replaced in 2013 by more modern – and roomier – Caiman Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) trucks.


text: M113s and variants such as the M548 are used by various fire departments and private companies around the world as firefighting vehicles, often employed to combat forest fires where terrain makes access for regular firefighting appliances difficult.


text: In 2017 "MythBusters" star Jamie Hyneman created the 'Sentry', a prototype firefighting vehicle from a surplus M548A1 Tracked Cargo Carrier. Deluge guns (water cannons) are mounted on the left and right front corners, supplied by two 500 gallon (1900L) water tanks located in the rear cargo tray along with an air compressor and other equipment. The vehicle can be either crewed or remotely operated.


text: M113s and variants such as the M577 are used by various law enforcement agencies around the world (mostly North American), usually by tactical response teams (SWAT) as mobile command posts and siege and hostage rescue vehicles.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to and is now a part of the Indian Armed Forces. BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries. This includes infrastructure operations in 19 states and three union territories (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka. By 2022, BRO had constructed over of roads, over 450 permanent bridges with a total length of over length and 19 airfields in strategic locations. BRO is also tasked with maintaining this infrastructure including operations such as snow clearance.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: Officers from the Border Roads Engineering Service (BRES) and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the BRO. It is also staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army's Corps of Engineers on extra regimental employment (on deputation). The Indian Army Pioneer Corps are attached to BRO task forces. BRO is also included in the Order of Battle of the Armed Forces, ensuring their support at any time. The organisations motto is "Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam" (everything is achievable through hardwork).


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: BRO is instrumental in significantly upgrading and building new India-China Border Roads (ICBRs). With regard to ICBRs Vaishali S Hiwase is the first woman officer for BRO road projects along the border with China. BRO set a Guinness World Record in November 2021 for the "highest altitude road" at Umling La. BRO has been instrumental in constructing some of the great Engineering Marvels like Atal Tunnel, Atal setu, Col Chewang Rinchen Setu to name a few. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh Ji Dedicated Website on BRO Tourism to the Nation on 24 May 2022 https://marvels.bro.gov.in . The website will initially felicitate Students and citizens across the country to take a guided tour of Atal Tunnel and subsequently to all Marvels created by BRO.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: The BRO was formed on 7 May 1960 to secure India's borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of the country. In order to ensure coordination and expeditious execution of projects, the Government of India set up the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) with the prime minister as chairman of the board and with the defence minister as deputy chairman. Today, the board exercises the financial and other powers of a Department of Government of India and is chaired by the Minister of State for Defence (Raksha Rajya Mantri, RRM). Among others, Chief(s) of Army and Air Staff, engineer-in-chief, Director General Border Roads (DGBR), FA(DS) are members of the BRDB. The secretary of the board exercises the powers of Joint Secretary to the Government of India. The executive head of the BRO is the DGBR, who holds the rank of lieutenant general. In a bid to boost border connectivity, BRO has been entirely brought under the Ministry of Defence in 2015. Earlier it received funds from the Ministry of Surface Transport under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: The BRO consists of Border Roads Wing under the Ministry of Defense and the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF). Officers are selected through the Indian Engineering Services (IES) Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Few officers are also deputed from Indian Army Corps of Engineers, who are posted to GREF on ERE. The GREF includes civil engineers, mechanical engineers, administrative officers and medical officers.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: The Border Roads Engineering Service (BRES) officers are governed by Central Civil Services (CCS/ CCA) Rules, 1965. They also subjected to all provisions of the Army Act, 1950 and Army Rules, 1954 except a few exceptions as given in SRO 329 and SRO 330 both 23 September 1960. GREF is an integral part of the Armed Forces within meaning of Article 33 of the Constitution of India and members of GREF are also members of the Armed Forces as declared by the Supreme Court in respect of "R. Viswan vs Union of India 1983" and authorized for all benefits which are applicable to Armed Forces of India.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: The BRO includes 18 projects, which are divided into Task Forces, Road Construction Companies (RCCs), Bridge Construction Companies (BCCs), Drain Maintenance Companies (DMCs), and Platoons. The organisation also includes base workshops, store divisions, training and recruitment centers, and other staff.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: An Internal Financial Advisor (IFA) supports the BRO, performing the roles of Chief Accounts Officer and Internal Auditor. This system was introduced on 23 March 1995 to introduce efficiency and improve resource utilisation. The IFA secured ISO 9001 certification in December 1999.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: The organisation employs laborers locally. No local labourer is deployed in BRO for more than 179 days at a stretch, thus keeping the nature of their employment casual.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: In June 2021, the "Centre of Excellence for Road Safety & Awareness" and "Centre of Excellence for Roads, Bridges, Air Fields and Tunnels" were set up.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: BRO is entrusted for construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, causeways, helipads and airfields. The BRO is also in charge of maintenance of its road networks. In many places landslides, avalanches and snow block the routes and have to be cleared as quickly as possible. BRO also employs more than 200,000 casual paid labours in the task.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: The BRO undertakes projects in India and friendly countries. These projects typically include developing roads, bridges, and airfields in hostile environments shunned by private enterprises, whether due to security concerns related to hostilities, or because of environmental challenges. BRO has been active during the 1962 war, the conflicts with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and has also been active in anti-insurgency operations in the northeast.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: The BRO operates in 18 projects namely: Arunank, Beacon, Brahmank, Chetak, Deepak, Dantak (Bhutan), Himank, Hirak, Pushpak, Sampark, Setuk (currently non-functional), Sewak, Shivalik, Swastik, Udayak, Vartak and Vijayak.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: The BRO also played a vital role in reconstruction work in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 tsunami in Tamil Nadu, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake,


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: Some of these projects carry out some of the development initiatives of the Indian government in foreign territories like Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Bhutan. These include the Delaram-Zaranj Highway in Afghanistan, completed and handed over to the Afghan government during 2008, and the restoration of the Farkhor and Ayni air bases in Tajikistan.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: In response to the ever-present security threat from Pakistan and increased incursions and rapid border infrastructure from China, India too is undertaking border infrastructure development.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: As per a July 2017 update to Lok Sabha from the Government of India, construction of 73 completed strategic roads along the Sino-India border was approved in 2005 with initial and currently revised deadlines of 2012-2013 and 2019-2020 respectively, including 43 by the Ministry of Defence and 27 by the Ministry of Home Affairs, of which only 21 roads by March 2017 and 30 roads by July 2017 have been completed and the remaining are under construction as progress was slowed down due to wildlife conservation and environmental approval, insurgency related security hurdles, delay in land acquisition by the states, inaccessible terrain, inclement weather, and other impediments.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: In July 2020, BRO was also tasked with building new roads to connect eastern Bhutan to westen Tawang area such as Lumla-Trashigang road through Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: To provide multiple points of alternative connectivity to the forces, BRO is building 410 2-lane class-70 (heavy load bearing including tanks) road bridges along the long McMahon Line border with China, including 144 in Arunachal Pradesh (75 already under construction and will be completed by 2020), 100 under construction in Jammu and Kashmir, 55 under construction in Uttrakhand, 40 under construction in Sikkim and 25 under construction in Himachal Pradesh (c. Dec 2017). The annual pace of construction is of bridges (c. Dec 2017). On 12 October 2020 Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 44 new bridges.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: In November 2017 BRO announced the plan to construct 17 road and rail tunnels, with a total length of , on some of the 73 strategic roads on Sino-Indian border to provide the year-round all-weather rail and road surface connectivity. Currently, surface access to high altitude posts on Sino-India border is closed for six months every year due to snowfall and rain, and supplies are through air lift only. Some of these 17 tunnels are already under construction, including Srinagar-Kargil-Leh NH1 in J&K (Zoji La pass tunnel), Leh-Manali Highway in J&K and Himachal Pradesh (Lungalacha La, Bara-lacha la, Tanglang La, Shingo La near Nimo and Rohtang Tunnel), 578 meter Theng Pass tunnel on NH310A between Chungthang and Tung in North Sikkim, Nechipu Pass (near Bomdila) and Sela Pass tunnels on Bogibeel Assam to Sagalee to Tawang NH13 in Arunachal Pradesh. This will reduce the travel time and operational costs, eliminate the risk of avalanche and landslide.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: In 2009, eight Shaurya Chakras, all posthumous, were awarded to BRO personnel for their actions in places such as Afghanistan, Sikkim, the north-east and Jammu and Kashmir. Bulldozer operator Zalim Singh, Bar to the Shaurya Chakra, was crushed by boulders while clearing a strategic road for Indian Army tanks. Two BRO men working on BRO's Project Zaranj in Afghanistan were killed during a suicide bomb attack on Zaranj-Delaram highway. Engineer Santosh Kumar Singh and driver Jaikrit Singh Rawat, while working on the Kishtwar-Sinthan Pass, died in an ambush. Others died or were killed in places such as Meghalaya, Kailash Mansarovar, Kali River and Hapoli Sarli-Huri road.


title: Border Roads Organisation

text: In November 2021, BRO received a Guinness World Record for the "highest altitude road" following construction at Umling La.


title: Edward Abbey

text: Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author, essayist, and environmental activist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include "Desert Solitaire", a non-fiction autobiographical account of his time as a park ranger at Arches National Park considered to be an iconic work of nature writing and a staple of early environmentalist writing; the novel "The Monkey Wrench Gang", which has been cited as an inspiration by environmentalists and groups defending nature by various means, also called eco-terrorists; his novel "Hayduke Lives!"; and his essay collections "Down the River (with Henry Thoreau & Other Friends)" (1982) and "One Life at a Time, Please" (1988).


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, (although another source names his birthplace as Home, Pennsylvania) on January 29, 1927 to Mildred Postlewait and Paul Revere Abbey. Mildred was a schoolteacher and a church organist, and gave Abbey an appreciation for classical music and literature. Paul was a farmer, as well as a socialist, anarchist, and atheist whose views strongly influenced Abbey.


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey graduated from high school in Indiana, Pennsylvania, in 1945. Eight months before his 18th birthday, when he was faced with being drafted into the U.S. Military, Abbey decided to explore the American southwest. He traveled by foot, bus, hitchhiking, and freight train hopping. During this trip, he fell in love with the desert country of the Four Corners region. Abbey wrote:


title: Edward Abbey

text: "<nowiki>[...]</nowiki>crags and pinnacles of naked rock, the dark cores of ancient volcanoes, a vast and silent emptiness smoldering with heat, color, and indecipherable significance, above which floated a small number of pure, clear, hard-edged clouds. For the first time, I felt I was getting close to the West of my deepest imaginings, the place where the tangible and the mythical became the same."


title: Edward Abbey

text: In the military, Abbey had applied for a clerk typist position but instead served two years as a military police officer in Italy. Abbey was promoted in the military twice but, due to his knack for opposing authority, was twice demoted and was honorably discharged as a private. His experience with the military left him with a distrust for large institutions and regulations which influenced his writing throughout his career, and strengthened his radical beliefs.


title: Edward Abbey

text: When he returned to the United States, Abbey took advantage of the G.I. Bill to attend the University of New Mexico, where he received a B.A. in philosophy and English in 1951, and a master's degree in philosophy in 1956. During his time in college, Abbey supported himself by working at a variety of odd jobs, including being a newspaper reporter and bartending in Taos, New Mexico.


title: Edward Abbey

text: During this time, he had few male friends but had intimate relationships with a number of women. Shortly before getting his bachelor's degree, Abbey married his first wife, Jean Schmechal, also a UNM student.


title: Edward Abbey

text: While an undergraduate, Abbey was the editor of a student newspaper in which he published an article titled "Some Implications of Anarchy". A cover quotation of the article (from Denis Diderot, ironically attributed to Louisa May Alcott), stated: "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." University officials seized all of the copies of the issue and removed Abbey from the editorship of the paper.


title: Edward Abbey

text: Upon receiving his honorable discharge papers, Abbey sent them back to the department with the words "Return to Sender". The FBI took note and added a note to his file which was opened in 1947 when Edward Abbey committed an act of civil disobedience: he posted a letter while in college urging people to rid themselves of their draft cards. Abbey was on the FBI's watch-list ever since then and was watched throughout his life. In 1952, Abbey wrote a letter against the draft in times of peace, and again the FBI took notice writing, "Edward Abbey is against war and military." Throughout Abbey's life the FBI took notes building a profile on Abbey, observing his movements, and interviewing many people who knew him. Towards the later part of his life Abbey learned of the FBI's interest in him and said, "I'd be insulted if they weren't watching me."


title: Edward Abbey

text: After graduating, Schmechal and Abbey traveled together to Edinburgh, Scotland, where Abbey spent a year at Edinburgh University as a Fulbright scholar. During this time, Abbey and Schmechal separated and ended their marriage. In 1951, Abbey began an affair with artist Rita Deanin, who in 1952 would become his second wife after he and Schmechal divorced. Deanin and Abbey had two children, Joshua N. Abbey and Aaron Paul Abbey.


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey's master's thesis explored anarchism and the morality of violence, asking the two questions: "To what extent is the current association between anarchism and violence warranted?" and "In so far as the association is a valid one, what arguments have the anarchists presented, explicitly or implicitly, to justify the use of violence?" After receiving his master's degree, Abbey spent 1957 at Stanford University on a Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellowship.


title: Edward Abbey

text: In 1956 and 1957, Abbey worked as a seasonal ranger for the United States National Park Service at Arches National Monument (now a national park), near the town of Moab, Utah. Abbey held the position from April to September each year, during which time he maintained trails, greeted visitors, and collected campground fees. He lived in a house trailer that had been provided to him by the Park Service, as well as in a ramada that he built himself. During his stay at Arches, Abbey accumulated a large volume of notes and sketches which later formed the basis of his first non-fiction work, "Desert Solitaire". Abbey's second son Aaron was born in 1959, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.


title: Edward Abbey

text: In 1961, the movie version of his second novel, "The Brave Cowboy," with screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, was being shot on location in New Mexico by Kirk Douglas who had purchased the novel's screen rights and was producing and starring in the film, released in 1962 as "Lonely Are the Brave". Douglas once said that when Abbey visited the film set, he looked and talked so much like Douglas' friend Gary Cooper that Douglas was disconcerted. Nonetheless, over 25 years later when Abbey died, Douglas wrote that he had "never met" Abbey. In 1981, Abbey's third novel, "Fire on the Mountain," was also adapted into a TV movie by the same title.


title: Edward Abbey

text: On October 16, 1965, Abbey married Judy Pepper, who accompanied him as a seasonal park ranger in the Florida Everglades and then as a fire lookout in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Judy was separated from Abbey for extended periods of time while she attended the University of Arizona to earn her master's degree. During this time, Abbey had relations with other women—something that Judy gradually became aware of, causing their marriage to suffer. On August 8, 1968, Judy gave birth to a daughter, Susannah "Susie" Mildred Abbey. Ed purchased the family a home in Sabino Canyon, outside of Tucson. Judy died of leukemia on July 11, 1970, an event that crushed Abbey, causing him to go into "bouts of depression and loneliness" for years. It was to Judy that he dedicated his book "Black Sun". However, the book was not an autobiographical novel about his relationship with Judy. Rather, it was a story about a woman with whom Abbey had an affair in 1963. Abbey finished the first draft of "Black Sun" in 1968, two years before Judy died, and it was "a bone of contention in their marriage."


title: Edward Abbey

text: "Desert Solitaire", Abbey's fourth book and first non-fiction work, was published in 1968. In it, he describes his stay in the canyonlands of southeastern Utah from 1956 to 1957.


title: Edward Abbey

text: In 1973, Abbey married his fourth wife Renee Downing. However, with Abbey frequently away, they divorced four years later.


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey met his fifth and final wife, Clarke Cartwright, in 1978, and married her in 1982. Together they had two children, Rebecca Claire Abbey and Benjamin C. Abbey.


title: Edward Abbey

text: In 1984, Abbey went back to the University of Arizona to teach courses in creative writing and hospitality management. During this time, he continued working on his book "Fool's Progress".


title: Edward Abbey

text: In July 1987, Abbey went to the Earth First! Rendezvous at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. While there, he was involved in a heated debate with an anarchist communist group known as Alien Nation, over his stated view that America should be closed to all immigration. Abbey devoted an entire chapter in his book "Hayduke Lives!" to the events that took place at the Rendezvous. In autumn of 1987, the "Utne Reader" published a letter by Murray Bookchin which claimed that Abbey, Garrett Hardin, and the members of Earth First! were racists and eco-terrorists. Regarding the accusation of "eco-terrorism", Abbey responded that the tactics he supported were trying to defend against the terrorism he felt was committed by government and industry against living beings and the environment.


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey died on March 14, 1989, aged 62, in his home in Tucson, Arizona. His death was due to complications from surgery; he suffered four days of bleeding into his esophagus due to varices caused by portal hypertension, a consequence of end stage liver cirrhosis. Showing his sense of humor, he left a message for anyone who asked about his final words: "No comment." Abbey also left instructions on what to do with his remains: Abbey wanted his body transported in the bed of a pickup truck and wished to be buried as soon as possible. He did not want to be embalmed or placed in a coffin. Instead, he preferred to be placed inside of an old sleeping bag and requested that his friends disregard all state laws concerning burial. "I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree," said the message. For his funeral, Abbey stated, "No formal speeches desired, though the deceased will not interfere if someone feels the urge. But keep it all simple and brief." He requested gunfire and bagpipe music, a cheerful and raucous wake, "<nowiki>[a]</nowiki>nd a flood of beer and booze! Lots of singing, dancing, talking, hollering, laughing, and lovemaking."


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey's body was buried in the Cabeza Prieta Desert in Pima County, Arizona, where "you'll never find it." The friends carved a marker on a nearby stone, reading:


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey is survived by two daughters, Susannah and Rebecca, and three sons, Joshua, Aaron, and Benjamin.


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey's literary influences included Aldo Leopold, Henry David Thoreau, Gary Snyder, Peter Kropotkin, and A. B. Guthrie, Jr. Although often compared to authors like Thoreau or Aldo Leopold, Abbey did not wish to be known as a nature writer, saying that he didn't understand "why so many want to read about the world out-of-doors, when it's more interesting simply to go for a walk into the heart of it." The theme that most interested Abbey was that of the struggle for personal liberty against the totalitarian techno-industrial state, with wilderness being the backdrop in which this struggle took place. Most of Abbey's writing criticizes the park services and American society for its reliance on motor vehicles and technology. He wanted to preserve the wilderness as a refuge for humans and believed that modernization was making us forget what was truly important in life.


title: Edward Abbey

text: Regarding his writing style, Abbey states: "I write in a deliberately provocative and outrageous manner because I like to startle people. I hope to wake up people. I have no desire to simply soothe or please. I would rather risk making people angry than putting them to sleep. And I try to write in a style that's entertaining as well as provocative. It's hard for me to stay serious for more than half a page at a time." Abbey felt that it was the duty of all authors to "speak the truth—especially unpopular truth. Especially truth that offends the powerful, the rich, the well-established, the traditional, the mythic".


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey's abrasiveness, opposition to anthropocentrism, and outspoken writings made him the object of much controversy. Agrarian author Wendell Berry claimed that Abbey was regularly criticized by mainstream environmental groups because Abbey often advocated controversial positions that were very different from those which environmentalists were commonly expected to hold.


title: Edward Abbey

text: Abbey has also drawn criticism for what some regard as his racist and sexist views. In an essay called "Immigration and Liberal Taboos", collected in his 1988 book "One Life at a Time, Please", Abbey expressed his opposition to immigration ("legal or illegal, from any source") into the United States: "(I)t occurs to some of us that perhaps ever-continuing industrial and population growth is "not" the true road to human happiness, that simple gross quantitative increase of this kind creates only more pain, dislocation, confusion and misery. In which case it might be wise for us as American citizens to consider calling a halt to the mass influx of even more millions of hungry, ignorant, unskilled, and culturally-morally-generically impoverished people. At least until we have brought our own affairs into order. Especially when these uninvited millions bring with them an alien mode of life which—let us be honest about this—is not appealing to the majority of Americans. Why not? Because we prefer democratic government, for one thing; because we still hope for an open, spacious, uncrowded, and beautiful—yes, beautiful!—society, for another. The alternative, in the squalor, cruelty, and corruption of Latin America, is plain for all to see."


title: Edward Abbey

text: It is often stated that Abbey's works played a significant role in precipitating the creation of Earth First!. "The Monkey Wrench Gang" inspired environmentalists frustrated with mainstream environmentalist groups and what they saw as unacceptable compromises. Earth First! was formed as a result in 1980, advocating eco-sabotage or "monkeywrenching." Although Abbey never officially joined the group, he became associated with many of its members, and occasionally wrote for the organization


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The 2007 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 24 November 2007. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of the seats in the 76-member Senate were up for election. The election featured a 39-day campaign, with 13.6 million Australians enrolled to vote.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The centre-left Australian Labor Party opposition, led by Kevin Rudd and deputy leader Julia Gillard, defeated the incumbent centre-right Coalition government, led by Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister, John Howard, and Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, by a landslide. The election marked the end of the 11 year Howard Liberal-National Coalition government that had been in power since the 1996 election. This election also marked the start of the six-year Rudd-Gillard Labor government.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Future Prime Minister Scott Morrison, future opposition leader Bill Shorten and future Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles entered parliament at this election. This would be the last time the Labor Party would win a majority at the federal level until the 2022 election. This remains the most recent election in which both major parties won over 40% of first preference votes.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Rudd became the third Labor leader after World War II to lead the party to victory from opposition, after Gough Whitlam in 1972, Bob Hawke in 1983, and before most recently Anthony Albanese in 2022.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Under the provisions of the Constitution, the current House of Representatives may continue for a maximum of three years from the first meeting of the House after the previous federal election. The first meeting of the 41st Parliament after the 2004 election was on 16 November 2004, hence the parliament would have expired on 15 November 2007 had it not been dissolved earlier. There must be a minimum of 33 days and a maximum of 68 days between the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the day of the election. Prime Minister Howard opted for a 39-day campaign.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The prime minister of the day chooses the election date and requests the governor-general to dissolve the House and issue the writs for the election. On 14 October, John Howard gained the agreement of the governor-general, Major-General Michael Jeffery, to dissolve the House of Representatives and hold a general election for the House and half the Senate on 24 November 2007.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: During the last term of parliament before the 2007 election, the deadline for new voter enrolment was brought forward from 7 working days after the issue of the writ to the same day. When the election was announced, the writ was not issued the next day, but on the following Wednesday. This kept the roll open for three days, during which 77,000 enrolment additions were processed.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Roy Morgan polling in June 2007 reported WorkChoices was a reason for Labor party support, and a fear of union dominance and support for Coalition economic management policy as the biggest reasons behind the Coalition vote. Several big business organisations, including the Australian Industry Group, declined a request from the Prime Minister to run advertisements to counter the union-funded campaign. The share of voters concerned about industrial relations grew from 31 per cent to 53 per cent in the two years to June 2006, with around three-fifths of voters backing Labor's ability to handle the issue over the Liberal Party.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: A Newspoll released in June 2006 reported health and Medicare were the most important issue for voters; 83 per cent of respondents rated it "very important". Other key issues included education (79 per cent), the economy (67 per cent), the environment (60 per cent) and national security (60 per cent). Taxation and interest rates, key issues in previous campaigns, were rated very important by 54 per cent and 51 per cent respectively. Immigration, a key issue in 2001, scored 43 per cent. The poll showed that voters considered Labor marginally better-placed to handle health and education, and gave the government strong backing on the economy and national security.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Kevin Rudd promised Labor would introduce a greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 60 per cent by 2050, ratify the Kyoto protocol and introduce a mandatory renewable energy target (MRET) of 20 per cent by 2020. The Howard government reiterated their position of not ratifying the Kyoto protocol, setting "voluntary aspirational emission reduction targets" and introducing a carbon emissions trading scheme by 2012.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: On 7 June in a speech promoting the government's handling of the economy, Treasurer Peter Costello recalled the of the 2004 election: "This [the economy] is like a highly engineered racing car and I tell you what, I wouldn't be putting an L-plate driver in the cockpit at the moment". August 2007 saw, for the first time during an election campaign, a 0.25-point interest-rate rise to 6.5 per cent by the Reserve Bank, the sixth rise since the last election in 2004. Labor used the news to argue that the Coalition could not be trusted to keep interest rates low, while Costello argued that interest rates would be higher under Labor. In November 2007 interest rates were raised for the sixth time since the 2004 election, to a 10-year high of 6.75 per cent. In response to Labor criticism of the government on the rate rises, Howard stated in August 2007 "[Rudd] can scour every transcript, and I will make them available, of every interview that I gave during that election campaign and he will find no such commitment. During October 2007 Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews's decision to cut Australia's refugee intake and expressing public concern about Sudanese migrants was branded as racist.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The Queensland Labor Premier, Anna Bligh, described Andrews' criticism of Sudanese as "disturbing". She said: "It has been a long time since I have heard such a pure form of racism out of the mouth of any Australian politician." Labor politician Tony Burke branded Andrews' decision as "incompetent". However, Andrew's actions were applauded by the former One Nation politician, Pauline Hanson. Andrews was accused of helping to fuel assaults of Sudanese. During the controversy one criticism was that Andrews justified his decision based on "concerns raised by the community", however no official report or inquest has been tendered, leading to the conclusion that any 'concerns' were both unofficial, undocumented and most probably belonging to a racially intolerant minority. The Howard government had before used the race card in an election year to distract the voters from its other failures. This was most significant in the 2001 election with the infamous Tampa affair, in which the government was badly trailing in the polls before vilifying middle-eastern "boat people". The strategy worked for the government by exploiting the underlying racist elements of Australian society. Andrews defended the system of having refugee quotas against the opinion expressed that intakes of refugees should be variated on the basis of global needs ." In October 2007, Howard "admitted breaking a promise to keep interest rates at record lows". During the 2004 campaign, Howard was also cited as giving the same promise, personally, on radio. Inflation figures released on 24 October indicated underlying inflation was higher than expected, which resulted in seven of eight financial companies believing there will be an interest rate rise when the reserve bank met in the middle of November, the first during an election campaign.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Rudd advocated four-year fixed terms for federal parliaments if elected. Howard supported four-year terms but opposed fixed election dates. Any change would require approval by referendum. In mid-October, Howard said that if re-elected, the government would hold a referendum on the inclusion a statement of reconciliation in the preamble of the constitution.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: On 14 October, Howard announced a 24 November election. The Coalition had been trailing Labor in the polls since 2006, and most pundits predicted that Howard would not be re-elected. ABC Online election analyst Antony Green noted the Coalition's numbers were similar to what Labor had polled before losing power in 1996.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Howard's theme concentrated on leadership, stating that the nation ""does not need new leadership, it does not need old leadership. It needs the right leadership"" He said his government would strive to achieve full employment, which he argued was less likely under Kevin Rudd. In response, Rudd also concentrated on leadership, outlining his case for "new leadership". He argued that the government had 'lost touch' with the electorate, and that the Labor Party was best suited to deal with challenges that lie ahead.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: A Galaxy poll showed a Labor 53-47 per cent Coalition two-party-preferred result, with a 2 per cent gap on primaries, and ACNielsen polling reported a 2 per cent swing to the Coalition, reducing Labor's lead to 54–46. Rudd dropped 5 per cent as preferred prime minister. A Newspoll sampling 1,700 voters taken over the weekend prior to the leaders' debate reported a swing to Labor, increasing their two-party-preferred lead to 58 per cent, a rise of 2 points. Labor's primary vote increased 3 points to 51 per cent, and the Liberals decreased by 2 points to 34 per cent. Rudd extended his lead by 2 points to 50 per cent, with Howard down by 2 points to 37 per cent.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: On the first full day of the campaign, Howard and Costello announced a 'major restructuring of the income tax system' with tax cuts worth $35 billion over three years and a tax cut "goal" for the next five years. A few days later, Rudd released his policy which supported the reform measures, however offered education and health tax rebates instead of immediate cuts to the top rate as proposed by the Liberal Party, with a slower progression for the top rate.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The Liberals slogan, "go for growth" was launched after announcing the largest tax cut in Australian history. Media and political commentators questioned the suitability of the slogan in the context of rising inflation and interest rates.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: During the latter part of the week union influence over the ALP was questioned after the launch of the Liberal party's first campaign ads. Labor responded with commercials attacking the Liberals' campaign as 'smears', which was disputed by John Howard. One of the Liberal Party election commercials was corrected after it incorrectly said Wayne Swan and Craig Emerson had previously been union officials.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: A debate between the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister, under the moderation of the National Press Club, was shown live on ABC TV, the Nine Network, and Sky News Australia at 7.30 pm on 21 October. Rudd had called for a minimum of three debates between himself and Howard, while Howard, who had been rated poorly by studio audiences at past leadership debates, pressed for a single debate. A total of 2.4 million Australians watched the event, with Nine averaging 1.42 million, the ABC averaging 907,000, and Sky News averaging 62,000. The last election debate in 2004 was watched by 1.77 million on Nine and the ABC, while in 2001, average audiences on Nine, Seven and the ABC totalled 2.44 million. David Speers, Sky News's political editor, moderated the debate which was held in the Great Hall of Parliament House. The debate audience was 400, with the Coalition and Labor each selecting 200.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Kevin Rudd argued that the Liberal Party was being influenced by the H. R. Nicholls Society to make further reforms to industrial relations, citing Nick Minchin's speech at the Society's 2008 conference where he told the audience that the Coalition "knew its reform to WorkChoices were not popular but the process of change must continue", and that "there is still a long way to go... awards, the IR commission, all the rest of it..." In response to the Liberal Party message that 70 per cent of Labor's front bench was made up of former union officials, Rudd said 70 per cent of Liberal Party ministers were either lawyers or former Liberal Party staffers. On the same day, Peter Costello admitted when questioned that the 70 per cent figure was in reference to union members rather than union officials.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Rudd said that Howard had "no plan for the future" on tackling climate change. Howard said that a Coalition government would establish a climate change fund after 2011, which would be financed by carbon offsets.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The Nine Network, which broadcast the debate as an extended edition of "60 Minutes", used 'the Worm' in its broadcast despite prior objections from the Liberal Party and action from the National Press Club to cease its video feed. As a result, the Nine Network's feed was cut part way into the broadcast, which Nine then replaced with Sky News's coverage. The Nine television network's live audience, via the Worm's average, scored the debate 65 to 29 in Rudd's favour, with 6 per cent remaining undecided. Both sides, however, claimed victory. Nine had a separate group of 80 it said were 'swinging' voters (chosen by McNair Research) in its studio to control 'the Worm'. Steps were taken to ensure equal numbers so as not to taint the Worm. At one point, Peter Costello was asked to cease interjecting.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Figures released on the Tuesday, showed a stronger than expected underlying rate of inflation of 3 per cent. Treasurer Peter Costello argued against an increase in interest rates, saying the Reserve Bank should concentrate on the headline consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate which rose of 1.9 per cent for the period.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Controversy arose over the Coalition's climate change policy, with "The Financial Review" citing "government sources" who claimed Turnbull told Cabinet six weeks ago it should sign the Kyoto Protocol. Neither Howard nor Turnbull denied the story. The story said that "internal critics" are claiming Turnbull is "selfishly positioning himself for a Coalition defeat" and a "possible post-poll leadership battle with Treasurer Peter Costello". The story led to claims of major splits in Cabinet.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Labor also suffered from mixed messages. Kevin Rudd was compelled to clarify Labor policy on climate change after an interview in which Peter Garrett suggested Labor would sign up to the post-Kyoto agreement at 2012 even if carbon-emitting developing countries did not. Rudd's comments, which he described as having "always been [Labor's] position", saw Labor's policy move closer to Liberal policy, insofar as Labor would ratify the agreement only after persuading all major carbon emitters, developing and developed, to ratify. Rudd also committed Labor to a target of a 20 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020, a 5-point increase on the Liberal target, assisted by the use of renewable energy, but without the use of coal pollution mitigation, arguing that it would ultimately be a benefit, not a detriment to the economy.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: John Howard said the Coalition would not match Labor's promise of 20 per cent renewable energy target. Howard claimed Labor's policy "imposes too many additional costs to industry". Peter Garrett replied that lack of government action has cost jobs. ABC Radio reported that Howard had rejected a 2005 recommendation for higher renewable energy targets by his Environment Minister, but Howard declined to confirm or deny the claim.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The Coalition announced a promise to open 50 new emergency medical centres on Australia if re-elected. Adding to the campaign trend of both major parties criticising their opponent for plagiarism and "me-tooism", Labor responded that the government had copied its policy.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Peter Garrett was criticised by the Coalition when radio announcer Steve Price revealed Garrett had said to TV presenter Richard Wilkins that, "once we get in we'll just change it all" in reference to copying Coalition policies. Garrett said the comment was made during a "short, jocular and casual" conversation and Wilkins supported Garrett's response, saying that it was a "light-hearted throwaway line".


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Tim Costello, director of World Vision Australia and Peter Costello's brother, criticised Australia's ranking of 19th out of 22 OECD countries for provision of overseas aid, and for government unwillingness to increase its policy of 0.35 per cent of national GDP to match Labor's commitment of 0.5 per cent. Howard said his party planned to lift the rate to 3.5 per cent.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Commentators pronounced Peter Costello and Wayne Swan's debate on 30 October as ending in a draw. Costello focused mainly on the government's past record, advocating the need for Australia to build into the future, while Swan said Labor were interested in "investing in people". Howard said he believed Costello "creamed" his opponent, while Rudd said Swan did a "fantastic job".


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Liberal Tony Abbott and Labor's Nicola Roxon debated health at the National Press Club on ABC television. Abbott's character and ministerial capacity were questioned by Roxon for his comments about terminally ill asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton and for arriving 35 minutes late to debate. At the end of the debate, Roxon suggested to Abbott that he "could have arrived on time" if he had "really wanted to", to which Abbott replied "bullshit". Former Liberal campaign strategist Sue Cato said "you just don't run late for things like that". Abbott apologised to Banton but not to Roxon.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: On 10 November, the Australian Democrats held their campaign launch in Melbourne under the banner of "Bring Back Balance", a reference to their central campaign theme of preventing the government from regaining absolute control of the Senate.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The Reserve Bank of Australia adjusted interest rates upwards by another 0.25 per cent, the sixth rise since the last election, to a 10-year high of 6.75 per cent, and the first time the Bank had been changed rates during an election campaign. The Coalition said that only the current government had the proper experienced team to manage the economy in future, less prosperous years. Costello argued that the inflationary reasons for the rate rise were "outside the control of a Government". In response, Labor accused the Coalition of having "hauled up the white flag in the fight against inflation", saying that they had backflipped from their past statements that they could keep interest rates low. Howard stated that he was sorry for the negative consequences for and burden on Australian borrowers, but subsequently denied that this constituted an apology for the rate rise itself.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: On 7 November, Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey and Labor's Julia Gillard debated industrial relations including WorkChoices at the National Press Club in Canberra. Hockey argued that Labor's policy to drop Workchoices was Australia's biggest threat to inflation.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: On 8 November, Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull and opposition spokesman Peter Garrett debated environment issues at the National Press Club in Canberra. Garrett criticised the government's record on climate change to which Turnbull responded that Garrett's current claims betray his previous career as a political activist.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Both major parties had their official campaign launches in Brisbane, Queensland; the Liberal Party on Monday 12 November and Labor on Wednesday 14 November. At their launch, the Coalition pledged a rebate for education costs, including private school fees, of all Australian children, totalling $9.4 billion. Under the plan, primary school students would have been eligible for $400, while secondary-school students would have been eligible for $800. Tax cuts worth $1.6 billion over four years were proposed to encourage people to save for first homes, and extra funding of $652 million for child care and $158 million to support carers was promised.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The Labor Party promised to spend only a quarter of the $9.4 billion promised by the Coalition, saying it would have a smaller impact on inflation. It accused the Howard Government of being "irresponsible". In addition to previous education funding announcements, Rudd promised Labor would provide an additional 65,000 apprenticeships, migrate all schools to new high speed broadband, and provide all year 9–12 students with access to their own computer. A doubling of the number of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships available at a tertiary level was announced, and the party re-iterating its view on climate change and WorkChoices.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: The Labor Party released footage on Thursday 15 November to Lateline, showing Tony Abbott addressing a room of people, stating "I accept that certain protections, in inverted commas, are not what they were" in reference to WorkChoices legislation. Referring to award structures, Abbott said in the same footage: "I accept that that has largely gone. I accept that." When questioned, Abbott said he stood by the comments that WorkChoices means "certain protections" are not what they used to be, but denied conceding workers had lost protections. He said the video released by Labor was a ""cut-and-paste job"".


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: A report by the National Audit Office found that the Coalition had been interfering in the $328 million regional grants program, with a bias toward their marginal seats, where projects under the Regional Partnerships Program were apparently approved without proper assessment, or none at all, and that there was an increase in approvals prior to the 2004 election.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Newspoll stated Labor's two-party-preferred level was down one point to 54 per cent. Former Liberal Party campaign director Lynton Crosby said that the Coalition was "closing in on Labor" in the final week and could "still win a tight election" on a campaign of defending marginal seats, declaring a win still possible on 48.5 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: On 20 November, John Howard defended the government's advertising spending in the months prior to the campaign, paid for with public money. The advertising, which covered topics including the controversial "Workchoices", cost $360 million over approximately 18 months. An article in the 20 November issue of the "Herald Sun" suggested spending could have been up to $500 million, though this took a broader view of what was included in that sum. Howard was criticised for not revealing documents written by his department about further changes to industrial relations laws in addition to WorkChoices legislation. In response, the government said the proposals had been cancelled, and that WorkChoices would not be expanded upon. The Seven Network failed in attempt to access the documents under Freedom of Information.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce said that the possibility of his crossing the floor to support Labor's amendments to WorkChoices remained open, and that he would judge all legislation on its merits, for which he was criticised by Nationals leader Mark Vaile.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: On 21 November, three days before the election, fake pamphlets were distributed in the electorate of Lindsay, which purported to be from an Islamic group. The group was non-existent and the pamphlets thanked the Labor Party for supporting the Bali bombers and encouraged people to vote Labor. Those involved included a member of the Liberals' state executive, Jeff Egan; Gary Clark, husband of retiring MP Jackie Kelly; and Greg Chijoff, the husband of Lindsay candidate Karen Chijoff. Kelly said the incident was a ""Chaser"-style prank." John Howard condemned the statement. Egan and Greg Chijoff were immediately expelled from the Liberal Party a day before John Howard's address to the Australian Press Club; although, Egan denied any wrongdoing. Court cases are progressing.


title: 2007 Australian federal election

text: Citing a clause of the Constitution that states parliamentarians are not permitted to hold an "office of profit under the crown", government frontbencher Andrew Robb said that up to 13 Labor candidates standing in the election may be ineligible for nomination. According to Robb, a "search of public records" indicated that the 13 candidates may have still been employed by government agencies, boards or offices, and that the Liberal Party may consider legal challenges to their election. According to Labor Senator Penny Wong, all Labor's candidates were eligible to stand, and that the Liberals had obtained the information from outdated websites.