cyanic-selkie/wikianc huggingface dataset:
Ken Livingstone
Greater London's first mayor
Labour chose its official candidate on 20 February 2000. Although Livingstone received a healthy majority of the total votes, he nevertheless lost the nomination to former Secretary of State for Health Frank Dobson, under a controversial system in which votes from sitting Labour MPs and MEPs were weighted more heavily than votes from rank-and-file members. On 6 March, Livingstone announced that he would run against Dobson as an independent, confirming speculation that he would renege on his earlier pledge. He was suspended from the Labour Party the same day and expelled on 4 April. Tony Blair said that Livingstone as mayor would be a "disaster" for London; he later said he was wrong in that prediction.
The result of the election – held on 4 May – was a foregone conclusion: Dobson, who it was alleged, had been pressured into running by the party leadership, unsuccessfully based his campaign on claims that Livingstone was an egomaniac, and the Conservatives remained becalmed after their catastrophic national defeat in 1997. Livingstone came out ahead in the first round of balloting with 38% of first-preference votes to Conservative Steven Norris's 27%; Dobson finished third, with 13% of all first-preference votes – just ahead of Liberal Democrat Susan Kramer, with 12%. Under the modified instant-runoff voting system employed for the election, only the votes cast for Livingstone and Norris were considered in the second round, where Livingstone won with 58% of first- and second-preference votes, versus 42% for Norris.
Livingstone continued to sit in parliament, as an independent having had the Labour whip withdrawn, until standing down at the 2001 General Election.
2004 re-election
Livingstone was re-elected Mayor of London on 10 June 2004. He won 36% of first preference votes to Conservative Steven Norris's 28% and Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes's 15%. Six other candidates shared the remainder of the votes. When all the candidates except Livingstone and Norris were eliminated and the second preferences of those voters who had picked neither Livingstone or Norris as their first choice were counted, Livingstone won with 55% to Norris's 45%.
2008 Election
Livingstone sought re-election in 2008, but was defeated by Conservative candidate Boris Johnson on a night that saw the Labour Party suffer its worst electoral defeats for forty years. Once first and second votes were taken into account Johnson had 1,168,738 votes, Livingstone 1,028,966 - a margin of 139, 772 votes or just over 6% of those who voted.
Speaking immediately after the count, Johnson paid public tribute to his defeated rival, praising "the very considerable achievements of the last mayor of London" and describing Livingstone as "a very considerable public servant". Johnson went on to say "You shaped the office of mayor. You gave it national prominence and when London was attacked on 7 July 2005 you spoke for London."
Johnson also spoke of Livingstone's "courage and the sheer exuberant nerve with which you stuck it to your enemies" and expressed a desire that the new Conservative administration could "discover a way in which the mayoralty can continue to benefit from your transparent love of London".
Public transport
Livingstone's greatest challenge as Mayor of London has been dealing with the city's ageing transportation infrastructure. Despite conflict over appropriate funding schemes and engineering challenges to modernising both the London Underground and the city's bus system, an Association of London Government survey, conducted by MORI towards the end of Livingstone's first term in 2004, suggested growing public satisfaction with public transport, with buses in particular being seen as more frequent and reliable.
In accordance with his pre-election pledge, bus fares were frozen for four years, but then the standard single cash fare on buses more than doubled. Further, and contrary to his pledge during his first election campaign, when he said "only a de-humanised moron would get rid of the Routemaster", Livingstone removed the famous Routemaster buses from routine service on 9 December 2005, claiming it was because the new buses were wheelchair-accessible, although several of the old buses are used on shortened "heritage routes". There was some question over the legality of using the old Routemaster under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as the Routemasters effectively banned wheel chair users.
In tandem with the removal of Routemaster buses, Livingstone oversaw the introduction of bending articulated buses. These buses have faced criticism for allegedly being fire-prone, dangerous to cyclists, and unable to navigate some winding streets; see London articulated bus controversy.
Livingstone has been a strong proponent of the Oyster card smartcard ticketing system for London's public transport network introduced in 2003. In late 2005, Livingstone proposed large fare increases for on-the-spot tickets across the Tube and bus network to encourage regular travellers to use the automated Oyster system to reduce queuing at Underground stations and avoid delays in conductorless buses as drivers issue tickets. The plans, although ratified by the GLA and introduced in January 2006 were condemned by those who argued that the increases would increase the cost of travelling in London to tourists and others who do not travel regularly. Civil liberties groups have expressed concern over the way in which Transport for London is able to track the movements of passengers using the Oyster card system. Livingstone moved to make all bus journeys free for passengers under the age of 18 enrolled in full-time education who travel with an Oyster card and introduced initiatives to enable visitors to buy an Oyster card before arriving in London.
One of the key points of conflict between Livingstone and the Labour Party had been the proposed 'Public-Private Partnership' for the London Underground. Livingstone had run in 2000 on a policy of financing the improvements to Tube infrastructure by a public bond issue, which had been done in the case of the New York City Subway. However the Mayor did not have power in this area at the time as the Underground operated independently of Transport for London. The PPP deal went ahead in July 2002, but it did not diminish Livingstone's desire to re-join Labour. Metronet, one of the winners of the contract for PPP, subsequently went into administration in July 2007.
Congestion charge
Livingstone introduced the London congestion charge with the purpose of reducing traffic congestion in central London. Since being introduced the charge has proved to be controversial, though Transport for London maintains that traffic has fallen by 20% within the charge zone since the scheme began. One reason for the controversy is that whilst the scheme has been lucrative for its private-sector operator, Capita, some people argue it has not made enough money for public transport because the money has been spent on other things.
However, its apparent success in reducing congestion has led to similar schemes being proposed in other major cities such as New York.
In November 2003, Livingstone was named 'Politician of the Year' by the Political Studies Association, which said his scheme was 'bold and imaginative'.
The United States Embassy for many years has refused to pay the charge because they argue it is a tax and not a charge on congestion.
Denton, Texas
Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. According to 2010 United States Census, there were 113,383 people living there It is the 27th most populous city in Texas and the 200th city in the United States with the most people.
Ken Livingstone
Environmental policies
Ken Livingstone has been called “an environmentalist, a leftist, a lover of newts," and has made a significant effort to reduce London’s impact on the environment. He began by creating the London Hydrogen Partnership and the London Energy Partnership  in his first term as Mayor of London. The Mayor’s Energy Strategy, “green light to clean power,” commits London to reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide by 20%, relative to the 1990 level, by 2010. However, he does support the Thames Gateway Bridge in East London that Friends of the Earth say "would bring few benefits to the local people and lead to more traffic, more noise and air pollution and an increase in climate-changing emissions". In October 2007, London Councils stated Livingstone had gone back on his promise to help chair the developing London Waste and Recycling Board, and to provide £6 million of funding for the project, because "the government had failed to provide him with absolute control of the Board."
In June 2007, Livingstone criticised a planned £200 million desalination plant at Beckton, which would be the United Kingdom's first, calling it "misguided and a retrograde step in UK environmental policy", and that "we should be encouraging people to use less water, not more."
Same-sex civil partnerships
In 2001 Livingstone set up Britain's first register for same-sex couples; while falling short of legal marriage rights, the register was seen as a "step towards" such rights. Legal status was later passed by the government through the Civil Partnership Act 2004.
Religious and other festivals
After rejecting the idea for a couple of years, Livingstone hosted a Jewish Hanukkah ceremony at City Hall in December 2005. He said he intended this to be an annual occurrence. On 17 March 2002 Livingstone introduced an annual Saint Patrick's Day festival to London to celebrate the contributions of the Irish to London, with around 250,000 people annually turning out for this. On 28 October 2006 he helped organise the first ever "Eid in the Square" in Trafalgar Square, in commemoration of the Eid ul-Fitr festival which marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting.
Reaction to 7 July 2005 London bombings
After the 7 July 2005 London bombings Livingstone, from the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, where it had recently been announced London would host the 2012 Olympic Games, delivered a speech.
Livingstone defended the police after the mistaken killing of a Brazilian man, Jean Charles de Menezes, who police believed was a suicide bomber.
Racism policies
In 2001 Livingstone revived the free anti-racism Music festival now called Rise: London United. He believes that this, along with other anti-racist policies, is why London has seen a 35% decrease in racist attacks.
In September 2005 Livingstone came out in support of placing a statue of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, on the north terrace of Trafalgar Square. Livingstone said "There can be no better place than our greatest square to place a statue of Nelson Mandela so that every generation can remind the next of the fight against racism." He was highly critical of the Planning and City Development Committee of Westminster City Council who refused planning permission.
Slinky
Slinky (also known as Spring) is a toy metal spring that tumbles end over end down stairs and even "walks". It was invented by Richard James in 1943, and quickly became a bestseller. Other Slinky toys were developed such as the Slinky Dog and the Slinky Train. Company president Betty James has always kept the toy's price low so children could buy it. It originally sold for $1. Slinky has received many toy industry awards and honors over the years. Its television jingle is the longest running jingle in advertising history.
Ken Livingstone
Racism policies
In 2008 Livingstone's race advisor Lee Jasper resigned after being accused of corruption and inappropriate behaviour. Simon Woolley of Operation Black Vote has said the 2008 Mayoral campaign has seen a "wholly disproportionate" focus on Jasper, Doreen Lawrence (Livingstone supporter and mother of Stephen Lawrence), and others.
Slinky
Origin
Slinky was the invention of Richard James, a mechanical engineer in the United States Navy. In 1943 he was looking for a way to lessen the vibrations that sensitive equipment endured shipboard in rough waters. An accident during his experiments led to the creation of a "walking", tumbling metal spring. Neighborhood children loved it. James's wife Betty named the toy Slinky after finding the word in a dictionary. The Jameses had 400 Slinkys made by a local machine shop. The Jameses put Slinky on display at Gimbels department store in Philadelphia in November 1945. All 400 units were sold.
Ken Livingstone
Apology for London's role in the transatlantic slave trade
On 23 August 2007, at 12pm, Mayor Ken Livingstone formally apologised for London's role in the transatlantic slave trade. In a bicentennial day memorial event, he also called for the 23 August to be named as a national day for remembrance in the UK for the "horrific crime against humanity of the transatlantic slave trade." He went on to make the following tearful speech and formal apology:
Slinky
Other Slinky products
The Jameses went into the Slinky business. They invented a machine that could produce a Slinky from 80 feet of steel wire within 10 seconds. A huge advertising campaign was launched in America. James showed television viewers how Slinky worked. Other Slinky toys manufactured during the 1950s were the Slinky Dog, Suzie the Slinky Worm, and a pair of eyeglasses with eyeballs dangling at the end of two Slinkys. Other companies were granted licenses to produce Slinky toys.
The Jameses divorced. Richard became a missionary in Bolivia. Betty James moved the company to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania in 1964. She was president of the company from 1960 to 1998. She kept the price of Slinky low so all children could afford one. The original Slinky was $1. In 2008 Slinky cost about $4. She explained the toy's appeal by saying, "It's the simplicity of it."
Ken Livingstone
Apology for London's role in the transatlantic slave trade
"'It is because it is the anniversary of the biggest slave revolt in history, that UNESCO officially marks this day, the 23 August, the anniversary of that outbreak in Haiti, as slavery's official remembrance day. This is why we, in London, call for it to be the annual slave memorial day. We are therefore here to initiate London's annual slavery memorial day, and call for the establishment of a national, annual memorial day. In 1999, Liverpool became the first major British slaving city to formally apologise. The Church of England soon followed suit. In March I invited representatives of London's institutions to join the City of Liverpool and the Church of England for formally apologising for London's role in this monstrous crime. As Mayor, I offer an apology on behalf of London and its institutions for their role in the transatlantic slave trade.'"
Slinky
Slinky Dog
Very early in the production history of Slinky, Helen Malsed of Washington developed ideas for Slinky pull toys. The company liked her ideas and added Slinky Dog and Slinky Train to their line in 1952. The Slinky Dog was a small plastic dog whose front and rear ends were joined by a Slinky. Malsed received annual sums of $60,000 to $70,000 per year for 17 years for her idea.
Slinky Dog was reworked in 1995 for Pixar's Toy Story. James Industries had dropped their Slinky Dog from production, but Betty James liked the new Slinky Dog. She said, "[The earlier Slinky Dog] wasn't nearly as cute as this one." The dog's front and rear ends were made in China, and the Dog put together and packaged in America. The entire run of 825,000 new Slinky Dogs sold out well before Christmas 1995.
Ken Livingstone
Apology for London's role in the transatlantic slave trade
Rejecting the idea that it is not possible to "meaningfully apologise for something a former generation did," Livingstone emphasised that London and by implication the rest of the developed world still profited enormously from the assets accumulated in the slave era, adding "It was the racial murder of not just those who were transported but generations of enslaved African men, women and children. To justify this murder and torture black people had to be declared inferior or not human. We live with the consequences today."
Cronyism and corruption allegations
In March 2002, while still independent, Livingstone was accused of "cronyism" by some Labour party members in the London Assembly after he had appointed six officials as special advisers at a salary level which seemed to them excessive, and a manoeuvre to help his chances of being re-elected. Livingstone denied the allegations and stated the appointments were a "necessary efficiency drive."
Slinky
Jingle
The first Slinky television commercial was shown on Miss Patty's Romper Room in 1946. Homer Fesperman and Charles Weagley wrote the Slinky television jingle in 1962. In Timeless Toys, Tim Walsh writes that this jingle is the longest running jingle in advertising history. In 1990 USA Today reported that 90 percent of all adults surveyed knew the Slinky jingle.
SpongeBob's Last Stand
"SpongeBob's Last Stand" is the 134 episode of the seventh season of SpongeBob SquarePants. It originally aired on April 22, 2010, in celebration of Earth Day. The episode was written by Aaron Springer, Steven Banks, and Derek Iversen, and was directed by Andrew Overtoom and Tom Yasumi. Upon release, the episode met positive reviews. On March 16, 2010, the episode became available on DVD.
Slinky
Awards and honors
Slinky is a part of the Smithsonian Institution's permanent Americana exhibition. In 1999 the United States Postal Service issued a Slinky postage stamp. Slinky joined the Toy Hall of Fame in 2000. A bill to nominate the Slinky as the state toy of Pennsylvania was introduced in 2001, but not enacted. The same year, Betty James was inducted into the Toy Industry Association's Hall of Fame. In 2003, Slinky was named to the Toy Industry Association's "Century of Toys List", a roll call of the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the twentieth century. Orange Coast Magazine writes, "[T]he original machines designed and engineered by [James] turn 80 feet of steel wire into a coil in only 10 seconds. Since its introduction, more than 250 million Slinkys have been sold, enough for every person in the United States to have one. Stretched out, the wire would encircle the planet more than 126 times."
Ken Livingstone
Cronyism and corruption allegations
In December 2007, the Evening Standard published news of an investigation into grants worth £2.5 million paid to organisations in which Ken Livingstone's adviser Lee Jasper was involved. It is confirmed that some of these grants were paid directly by the mayor's office.
Following Mr. Livingstone’s defeat in the 2008 Mayoral Elections, The Daily Mail reported that “Eight 'cronies' of Ken Livingstone are to receive £1.6 million in pay-offs following his defeat in the London mayoral elections.” Mr. Livingstone changed the rules for political appointees who would otherwise not have been eligible for severance packages, which paved the way for the eight City Hall advisors to receive an average of £200,000. Liberal Democrat Leader Dee Doocey stated that the payments were “completely inexcusable” and added that “It seems like there's one law for the ordinary working person and one law for the political class.” Tony Travers, local government expert at the London School of Economics, said: “I think most people will be shocked. You could do quite a lot about knife crime with £1.6 million. It is odd indeed that the full benefits of labour laws designed to protect the vulnerable are being claimed by courtiers who knew they would lose their jobs if their master lost the election.” Mr Livinstone refuted the comments by stating that 'It's a question of what the law requires. Either there's a legal responsibility or there is not.'
Dispute with the Evening Standard
Ken Livingstone was publicly criticised in February 2005 for remarks made to an Evening Standard reporter, comparing him to a Nazi concentration camp guard, after the reporter had tried to interview him following a reception marking the 20th anniversary of Chris Smith's coming out as gay. The reporter, Oliver Finegold, was in fact Jewish and said he took offence at the remarks, but Livingstone refused to withdraw the remark and was subsequently accused of antisemitism. Finegold had an audio recorder running. The Evening Standard decided not to run the story at first but the following transcript of the conversation was published by guardian.co.uk:
The epithet "German war criminal" and Livingstone's subsequent jibes refer to the Standard's owners, the Daily Mail and General Trust, which endorsed Oswald Mosley's Fascists in 1934 and supported Nazism until 1939. Livingstone also claimed the Standard was guilty of "harassment of a predominantly lesbian and gay event". Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell suggested in the Evening Standard that this explanation "came across as patronising. Gay people don't need the Mayor's protection to fend off a journalist asking simple questions."
After listening to the recording supplied by Finegold, the London Assembly voted unanimously to ask Livingstone to apologise. Livingstone responded by saying "the form of words I have used are right. I have nothing to apologise for." Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron, herself the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, said of Livingstone: "These were inappropriate words and very offensive, both to the individual and to Jews in London." Some two dozen complaints were referred to the Standards Board for England, the body responsible for English local government standards, which passed it to the Adjudication Panel for England, which has the power to ban individuals from public office for five years.
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is a match organised by UEFA. It is played every year. The winner of the UEFA Champions League plays against the winner of the UEFA Europa League. It is played in the middle of August.
Bretton Woods system
The Bretton Woods system was the first system used to control the value of money between different countries. It meant that each country had to have a monetary policy that kept the exchange rate of its currency within a fixed value—plus or minus one percent—in terms of gold.
UEFA Super Cup
History
The UEFA Super Cup started in 1972, with the winner of the Champions Cup playing against the winner of the European Cup Winners' Cup. It was not recognized by UEFA because it had a team that was banned from UEFA competitions, Rangers F.C.. Since there was no stadium chosen to host the game, they played one match at one team's stadium, and one match at the other's. In 1973, the first Super Cup final to be recognized by UEFA was played between Ajax and Milan. On aggregate (the added score from the 2 matches), Ajax won 6-1.
In 1991, the UEFA Super Cup between Manchester United and Red Star Belgrade was only played at Old Trafford (Manchester United's stadium) because of the war in Yugoslavia. In 1992, the Champions Cup was renamed the UEFA Champions League. In 1995, the European Cup Winners' Cup was renamed the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The tournament was made the same. In 1998, the tournament was made 1 match with a host stadium. In 1999, The Cup Winners' Cup was ended by UEFA. The last Super Cup to be played with the winner of the Cup Winners' Cup was between Manchester United, winners of the Champions League, and Lazio, the winners of the last ever Cup Winners' Cup. Lazio won 1-0. In the year 2000, the Cup Winners' Cup was replaced in the Super Cup by the UEFA Cup. The first match to be played this way was between Real Madrid, the winners of the Champions League, and Galatasaray S.K., winners of the UEFA Cup. Galatasaray won 2-1.
In 2009, the UEFA Cup was renamed the UEFA Europa League. The tournament stayed the same.
Trophy
The UEFA Super Cup trophy is with UEFA at all times. A replica trophy is given to the winning club. Forty gold medals are given to the winning club and forty silver medals to the runners-up.
The Super Cup trophy has went through several changes in its history. The first trophy was presented to Ajax in 1973. In 1977, the original trophy was replaced by a plaque with a gold UEFA emblem. In 1987, the next trophy was the smallest and lightest of all the European club trophies, weighing 5 kg (11 lb) and measuring 42.5 cm (16.7 in) in height. The new model, which is a larger version of the previous trophy, was introduced in 2006 and weighs 12.2 kg (27 lb) and measures 58 cm (23 in) in height.
Bretton Woods system
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was created to fight against temporary imbalances of payments. The Bretton Woods system was the first monetary order that organized monetary relations among independent nation-states.
It set out the rules for commercial and financial relations among the world's major industrial states.
Plans to rebuild the international economic system after the end of World War II started before the war ended. 730 delegates from all 44 Allies of World War II came to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire for the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference. The delegates discussed and then signed the Bretton Woods Agreements during the first three weeks of July 1944.
Until the early 1970s, the Bretton Woods system worked. It controlled conflict and achieved the common goals of the leading states that had created it, especially the United States. But in 1971, In the face of increasing strain, the United States decided not to allow the conversion of dollars to gold and the system collapsed.
Naoki Matsuyo
Naoki Matsuyo (born 9 April 1974) is a former Japanese football player.
Club career statistics
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Ken Livingstone
Dispute with the Evening Standard
The Adjudication Panel addressed the case over two days on the 13 & 14 December 2005 and adjourned the hearing for two months. On 24 February 2006, Ken Livingstone was found guilty of bringing his office into disrepute and suspended from office for four weeks, stating that he seemed "to have failed... to have appreciated that his conduct was unacceptable". Livingstone attacked the decision on the grounds that the Adjudication Panel members ought not to suspend a democratically elected official from power, describing their actions as "striking at the heart of democracy". The ban was due to begin on 1 March 2006, but on 28 February, a High Court judge postponed it pending an appeal by Livingstone.
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is the county seat of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census. It's nickname is "Steel City".
Metta Sandiford-Artest
Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr., November 13, 1979 ) is an American former basketball player. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace in 2011, and changed his name to Metta Sandiford-Artest in 2020.
Chain store
Chain stores are retail stores which share a brand and central management, usually with standardized business methods and practices. They may all have the same owners or may be franchised. Many restaurants are also chains.
Metta Sandiford-Artest
Artest was drafted out of St. John's University by the Chicago Bulls and was known primarily as a defensive stopper. Later, he played for the Indiana Pacers, where he was involved in one of the most vicious NBA fights of all-time. After leaving Indiana in disgrace, he played briefly for a couple teams before settling with the Lakers and becoming the "Robin" to Kobe Bryant's "Batman."
Today Ron Artest is respected in the NBA for his loyalty, and his quality play for the Lakers shows that he was worthy of a second chance at an NBA career.
Ken Livingstone
Dispute with the Evening Standard
The decision was later quashed by the High Court of Justice when on 5 October, Mr Justice Collins overturned the suspension, regardless of the outcome of Livingstone's appeal concerning the breach of standards. The final judgment upheld Livingstone's appeal and stated that the Adjudication Panel had misdirected itself, although the judge stated that the Mayor should have apologised.
On 7 December 2006, at a City Hall reception marking the launch of the London Jewish Forum, Livingstone apologised for any offence that he had caused the Jewish community.
Criticism of Livingstone by the Evening Standard intensified during the 2008 campaign, with daily front page articles attacking him, under the direction of editor Veronica Wadley who originally urged Johnson to stand and who is closely linked to Tory leadership. According to articles in The Guardian and Time Out London, she is strongly influenced by the need to renew Associated Newspaper's multi-million pound contract to deliver the Metro free paper in London Underground stations in 2010, a decision within the gift of the Mayor.
Remarks over foreign policy
In a March 2005 commentary in The Guardian he accused Israel's prime minister Ariel Sharon of being a "war criminal", citing his alleged personal responsibility for the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982 and accusations of ethnic cleansing. Accusations that Sharon was implicated are frequently made by other organisations and leading politicians including the official Israeli Kahan Commission investigation into the massacres in 1982.
On 20 July 2005, Livingstone made the following comments in a BBC interview about the role of foreign policy as a motivation for the London bombings of two weeks earlier:
"'I think you've just had 80 years of western intervention into predominantly Arab lands because of the western need for oil. We've propped up unsavoury governments, we've overthrown ones we didn't consider sympathetic. And I think the particular problem we have at the moment is that in the 1980s ... the Americans recruited and trained Osama Bin Laden, taught him how to kill, to make bombs, and set him off to kill the Russians and drive them out of Afghanistan. They didn't give any thought to the fact that once he'd done that he might turn on his creators. A lot of young people see the double standards, they see what happens in Guantanamo Bay, and they just think that there isn't a just foreign policy.'"
Later in the interview he stated, about the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip:
"'Under foreign occupation and denied the right to vote, denied the right to run your own affairs, often denied the right to work for three generations, I suspect that if it had happened here in England, we would have produced a lot of suicide bombers ourselves.'"
Commentator Mark Steyn described the interview as Livingstone "artfully" attempting "to draw a distinction between Muslim terrorists blowing up his own public transit (which he didn't approve of) and Muslim terrorists blowing up Israeli public transit (which he was inclined to be sympathetic to)."
In November 2003, Livingstone made headlines for referring to US President George W. Bush as 'the greatest threat to life on this planet,' just before Bush's official visit to the UK. Livingstone also organised an alternative 'Peace Reception' at City Hall 'for everybody who is not George Bush,' with anti-war Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic as the guest of honour. In 2004 he referred to Bush as "the most corrupt American president since Harding in the Twenties". In July 2007 Livingstone suggested that Prime Minister Gordon Brown needed to explain to Bush "that US governments need to return to a realistic view of the world. The US is the world's single most powerful country, but much weaker than the rest of the world put together. The attempt by one country to unilaterally impose itself on the rest of the world is not only undesirable but simply won't work."
Venezuelan oil deal
In February 2007, Ken Livingstone signed a deal with Venezuela to provide cheaper oil for London buses. In return, the Greater London Authority advises Venezuela on recycling, waste management, traffic and reducing carbon emissions. This deal came under criticism from the London Assembly Conservatives including Richard Barnes, who stated that the "money would be better directed at the poor of Venezuela," and journalist Martin Bright, who said that the deal "effectively takes from the poor of Latin America to give to one of the richest cities in the world." Prices have been slashed by 20%; following this, half-price bus travel became available to Londoners on income support. Livingstone stated the plan "rises on the suggestion of President Hugo Chávez and builds on the work his government is doing around the world in tackling the problems of poverty," and also said, "This will make it cheaper and easier for people to go about their lives and get the most out of London. The agreement... will also benefit the people of Venezuela, by providing expertise in areas of city management in which London is a world leader."
The deal was discontinued by incoming mayor Boris Johnson (effective from September 2008), a decision criticized by Livingstone.
Dispute with embassies over payment of congestion charge
A dispute with the US Embassy in London over payment of the London Congestion Charge escalated on 27 March 2006 when Livingstone criticised the Embassy's decision not to pay. The Embassy argued that the charge is a form of taxation, not a charge for a service, and diplomats and their staff are therefore exempt under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Embassy officials have never paid the charge, which was instituted in 2003. Livingstone, however, alleged that the decision was made by Robert Tuttle, who took up the post of Ambassador in July 2005. Livingstone described Tuttle as "one of George Bush's closest cronies and a big funder of his election campaign" and said he was trying to "skive out of [paying] like some chiselling little crook". The group Liberty and Law reported this remark to the Standards Board for England as a breach of its code, but the board chose not to investigate it.
Post-mayoral career
Livingstone acted as a stand-in presenter on London talk radio station LBC 97.3's Jeni Barnett for a week beginning on 30 June 2008. In July 2008 he announced his intention to run again for the office of Mayor of London at the next mayoral elections and signalled his intent to organise a "progressive alliance" of political parties (such as the Labour Party and the Green Party), trade unions and interest groups to defend the progress which was made during his terms as Mayor and to prepare for the next mayoral elections.
On 28 August 2008, it was announced that Livingstone will be an adviser on urban planning to Caracas, Venezuela. He will act as a consultant on the capital's policing, transport and other municipal issues. As a friend of Hugo Chávez, Livingstone was appointed personally by him to advise officials and mayoral candidates in Caracas, in order to help transform the city, which journalist Rory Carroll described as suffering from, "Gridlocked traffic, a crumbling centre, hillside slums, horrific murder rates, corrupt police and inept local government". Livingstone reckoned that in twenty years a "first-world city" can be made out of Caracas, stating, "I have a very extensive network of contacts both domestically and internationally which I will be calling on to assist in this." No decision on a salary for the ex-mayor has been made, although he mentioned that, "The whole cost of this trip has been paid for by the government of Venezuela and as an unemployed citizen I would not be able to pay for my own fare otherwise." The appointment follows on from the controversy surrounding the deal brokered by Livingstone in February 2007 for the Greater London Authority and Transport for London to provide advice to Venezuela in exchange for cheap fuel to help with bus subsidies. The deal was later overturned by new mayor Boris Johnson,   and Livingstone offered his services to Chávez so that Venezuela gets the "advice that we promised". Livingstone played down any accusations that his close relationship with the Venezuelan President was controversial, "unless you believe American propaganda", while a spokesperson for Johnson said, "Ken Livingstone is free, as a private individual, to offer his advice and services to whomever he wants." Livingstone is now being touted as a key asset for Chávez in the upcoming November elections in the country.
Gracie Fields
Fields was born on 9 January 1898 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England. She died on 27 September 1979 from complications of pneumonia in Il Canzone Del Mare, Capri, Italy, aged 81.
Angela Burdett-Coutts
Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts (21 April 1814 – 30 December 1906), born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a noted nineteenth century philanthropist. She was the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia Coutts, daughter of Thomas Coutts the banker. In 1837 she became the wealthiest woman in England when she inherited her grandfather's fortune of nearly three million pounds sterling. At the same time she got a Royal Licence (permission from the monarch) to join her father's and grandfather's surnames and become Angela Burdett-Coutts.
Lady Burdett-Coutts did not mary until she was 67. She married her 29-year-old secretary, the American born William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett, who later became MP for Westminster on 12 February, 1881. Her new husband changed his surname to Burdett-Coutts. Lady Burdett-Coutts had no children.
Philanthropy
She gave away most of her wealth, setting up on scholarships, endowments, and giving to a wide range of charitable causes. One of her earliest was to establish, with the novelist Charles Dickens, Urania Cottage, a home that helped young women who had 'turned to a life of immorality'including theft and prostitution.
Among many gifts to churches, she also personally endowed the bishoprics of Cape Town, and Adelaide (1847), and the founding bishopric of British Columbia (1857). The money from these endowments was invested to help pay for the Bishop's expenses.
The granite fountain in Edinburgh, with a statue of Greyfriars Bobby, was erected by Baroness Burdett-Coutts. She also established the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in 1883, the Westminster Technical Institute in 1893 and was closely involved with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
Other roles and charitable projects included:
In 1871, in recognition of her charity work, Queen Victoria made her a peer on her own under the title Baroness Burdett-Coutts, of Highgate and Brookfield in the County of Middlesex., although as a woman she was not a member of the House of Lords. On 18 July 1872 she became the first woman to be presented with the Freedom of the City of London at the Guildhall and in 1874 was Edinburgh's first woman Burgess, also being presented with the Freedom of that city.
Death
Lady Burdett-Coutts died of acute bronchitis at her house in Stratton Street, Piccadilly. By the time of her death she had given more than £3 million to good causes. She was buried on 5 January 1907 near the West Door in the nave of Westminster Abbey. The barony became extinct on her death.
Legacy
Charles Dickens dedicated his novel Martin Chuzzlewit to her and she had many royal and eminent friends. The book Flashman's Lady by George MacDonald Fraser makes reference to Angela Burdett-Coutts (fictional) love interest for James Brooke (The White Rajah); and his rejection of her due to his physical affliction.
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo (born September 28, 1964) is an American political activist, stand up comedian and actress. She was co-host on the radio show The Majority Report.
Garofalo is of Italian and Irish descent. Her father is a former executive at Exxon. Garofalo was raised as a conservative Catholic. Garofalo now describes herself as an atheist.
She had two Emmy Award nominations for her role on The Larry Sanders Show.
Fort Pierce, Florida
Fort Pierce is a city of Florida in the United States.
Cloak & Dagger (1984 movie)
Cloak & Dagger is a 1984 American spy family adventure movie directed by Richard Franklin and is the third version of the short story The Boy Cried Murder by Cornell Woolrich. It stars Henry Thomas, Dabney Coleman, Michael Murphy, Jeanette Nolan, Christina Nigra, John McIntire, Eloy Casados, Tim Rossovich and was distributed by Universal Pictures.
Palermo Stone
The Palermo Stone is one of seven pieces left of a much bigger stele known as the Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. The stele has a list of the kings of Egypt from the First Dynasty through to the early part of the Fifth Dynasty. It also listed important events in each year of their rule. It was probably made during the Fifth Dynasty (about 2392–2283 BCE). The Palermo Stone is in the Antonio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum in the city of Palermo, Italy, from which it gets its name.
The name "Palermo Stone" is sometimes used for all seven pieces of the Royal Annals, including those in museums in Cairo and London. The pieces are also sometimes known as the "Cairo Annals Stone". The name "Cairo Stone" is also used to mean only those pieces kept in Cairo.
The Royal Annals are probably the oldest historical writing from Ancient Egypt. They are very important for the study of Egyptian history in the Old Kingdom.
Description
The Royal Annals stele, of which the Palermo Stone is one part part, was probably about 60 cm high and 2.1m wide. The pieces that are left are type of hard black stone, probably basalt.
The Palermo Stone itself is shaped like a shield. It is 43.5 cm high, 25 cm wide and 6.5 cm thick. The writing on the front of the stone is six lines of hieroglyphs. The first line lists the names of the Early Dynastic Period kings of Lower Egypt, wearing the Red Crown ). The second and other lines has parts of the royal annals for pharaohs of the First to Fourth Dynasties. These annals are lists of the key events in each year of the rule of each king, arranged in date order. The second line on the Palermo Stone begins with the last details for a king of the First Dynasty. The name has been lost, but it would be either Narmer or Aha. The rest of the second row has the first nine annual entries for next king. Again the name is missing but is either Aha or his successor Djer. The rest of the writing on this side has the royal annals down to the kings of the Fourth Dynasty.
There is writing on the back of the Palermo Stone. This lists events during the rule of pharaohs down to Neferirkare Kakai, third ruler of the Fifth Dynasty. From the pieces that are left it is unclear if the Royal Annals continued beyond this point in time. Where a king is named, the name of his mother is also recorded, such as Betrest mother of the First Dynasty king Semerkhet and Meresankh I mother of the Fourth Dynasty king Seneferu.
Details recorded in the Royal Annals includes the height of the annual Nile flood (see Nilometer), the Inundation, details of festivals (such as Sed festivals), taxation, sculpture, buildings, and warfare.
Archaeological history
It is not known where the stele came from. None of the seven pieces has a proper archaeological history. One piece in Cairo is said to have come from at an archaeological site at Memphis. The three other pieces in Cairo were said to have been found in Middle Egypt. No one has ever said where the Palermo Stone was found. The Palermo Stone was purchased by a Sicilian lawyer, Ferdinand Guidano, in 1859. It has been in Palermo since 1866. On 19 October 1877, it was presented to the Palermo Archaeological Museum by the Guidano family.
There are five pieces of the Royal Annals in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Four of these were put in the Museum between 1895 and 1914. The fifth was purchased in 1963. One small piece is in the Petrie Museum of University College London, forming part of the collection of the archeologist Sir Flinders Petrie.
In 1895 a visiting French archaeologist realized the Palermo Stone was important. The writing on the stone was translated in 1902 by Heinrich Schäfer.
Problems
There are arguments about the date of the Palermo Stone and of the Royal Annals it records. Historians do not agree if the writing was done in one go or was added to over time. There is no agreement about the date of the writing; was it written about the times it describes, or was it written much later? It has been argued that the stele was made much later, perhaps in the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty (747-656 BCE). It seems clear from the details that, even if the Royal Annals, on the Palermo Stone and other pieces, were not written soon after the time they describe, they are based on an Old Kingdom original.
There are also arguments about if all the pieces are part of the same stele or come from different copies. It has been suggested some of pieces in Cairo are not genuine.
The writing is difficult to read. This because of both the poor condition of some parts, and because of its great age. If the writing is a later copy, not from the Fifth Dynasty, there is also the chance that errors were made in the copying process.
Significance
The Palermo Stone and the other pieces of the Royal Annals are a very important for the history of the Old Kingdom. For example, they list the names of members of the royal families during the first five dynasties which are not listed anywhere else.
New Kingdom Egyptian king lists, such as the Turin Canon (13th century BCE) and the Abydos king list (reign of Seti I, 1294–1279 BCE), say that Menes (probably Narmer) (c. 3100 or 3000 BCE) was the first king of the first dynasty. They say that he was the person who unified Egypt. However, the top line of the Royal Annals names some earlier rulers of Upper and Lower Egypt. These must come from a time before Egypt was unified. Linking the names of these kings with historical persons is still being argued about.
The ancient historian Manetho must have used something like the Royal Annals stele to write his history of the early dynasties of Egypt. This was written during the third century BCE. The king list which is the best match to his work is the Turin Canon.
Genet
Genets are Old World mammals. They are viverrids, in the same family as civet cats. They are feliform carnivores of the family Viverridae.
The closest relatives of genets are the civets, linsangs, fossa, and mongooses. Almost all species are in the genus Genetta. The common genet, Genetta genetta, is the only viverrid living in Europe. Other species live in Africa. Fossils of the genus have been found from the Pliocene.