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Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Mutual Support

2011-03-27 20:52:25+00:00

The Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Mutual Support (Turkish: Stratejik Ortaklık ve Karşılıklı Yardım Anlaşması; Azerbaijani: Türkiyə-Azərbaycan Strateji Əməkdaşlıq Sazişi) between Azerbaijan and Turkey for strategic partnership and security co-operation was signed at Baku by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Abdullah Gül. Under the terms of the treaty, both Turkey and Azerbaijan will support each other "using all possibilities" in the case of a military attack or aggression against either of the countries. The Agreement consists of 23 articles and five chapters: "Military-political and security issues", "Military and military-technical cooperation", "Humanitarian issues", "Economic cooperation", and "Common and final provisions". = Azerbaijan The agreement was ratified by National Assembly of Azerbaijan on 21 December 2010. Turkey Following ratification by the Azerbaijani Assembly, Grand National Assembly of Turkey ratified on 2 February 2011.

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Amendments to the Rome Statute

2011-03-03 21:02:00+00:00

Amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court must be proposed, adopted, and ratified in accordance with articles 121 and 122 of the Statute. Any state party to the Statute can propose an amendment. The proposed amendment can be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote in either a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties or a review conference called by the Assembly. An amendment comes into force for all states parties one year after it is ratified by seven-eighths of the states parties. However, any amendment to articles 5, 6, 7, or 8 of the Statute only enters into force for states parties that have ratified the amendment. A state party which ratifies an amendment to articles 5, 6, 7, or 8 is subject to that amendment one year after ratifying it, regardless of how many other states parties have also ratified it. For an article 5, 6, 7, or 8 amendment, the Statute itself is amended after the amendment comes into force for the first state party to ratify it. Amendments of a purely institutional nature enter into force six months after they are approved by a two-thirds majority vote in either a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties or a review conference. In June 2010, two amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court were adopted by the Review Conference in Kampala, Uganda. The first amendment criminalizes the use of certain kinds of weapons in non-international conflicts whose use was already forbidden in international conflicts. The second amendment defines the crime of aggression. It entered into force in May 2013, but its activation was tied to two conditions, which were met in July 2018. In November 2015, an additional amendment to remove article 124 from the Statute was adopted during the 14th meeting of the Assembly of States Parties in The Hague in the Netherlands. In December 2017, three amendments to article 8 were adopted at the 12th meeting of the Assembly of States Parties in New York City. In December 2019, one additional amendment to article 8 was adopted by the Assembly of States Parties in The Hague. = An amendment to article 8 was adopted on 10 June 2010 at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute in Kampala, Uganda. The amendment had originally been proposed by Belgium and it was forwarded to the Review Conference by the eighth session of the Assembly of States Parties. The amendment adds to article 8(2)(e) three clauses which make it a war crime to employ poison, "asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and all analogous liquids, materials or devices," or expanding bullets in an armed conflict not of an international character. The Rome Statute already makes the use of such means of warfare a war crime in international armed conflicts. = Because the amendment is to article 8, it will come into force only for those states parties which have ratified it, one year after doing so. As of January 2023, 45 states parties have ratified the document. The Rome Statute itself was amended on 26 September 2012 after the amendment came into force for the first state party to ratify it. = Amendments on the crime of aggression were adopted on 11 June 2010 at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute in Kampala, Uganda. The amendments were proposed by Liechtenstein, which chaired the Special Working Group on the Crime of Aggression, the committee directed by the Assembly of States Parties to form a definition for the crime of aggression, which was originally absent from the Statute. The amendments define the crime of aggression in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314. Acts of aggression are: invading another state; bombing another state; blockading the ports or coastlines of another state; attacking the land, sea, or air forces, or marine or sea fleets of another state; violating a status of forces agreement; using armed bands, groups, irregulars or mercenaries against another state; allowing territory to be used by another state to perpetrate an act of aggression against a third state. While the amendments come into force one year after being ratified, the amended text says that only crimes of aggression committed one year or more after the thirtieth ratification are within the jurisdiction of the Court. Furthermore, a decision had to be taken by the Assembly of States Parties with a two-thirds majority vote after 1 January 2017 to actually activate jurisdiction. On 26 June 2016, the State of Palestine became the 30th state party to ratify the amendment, thus ensuring that the first condition would be fulfilled. On 14 December 2017, the Assembly of States Parties adopted a resolution fulfilling the second condition, activating the Court's jurisdiction over the crime of aggression as of 17 July 2018. While upon a United Nations Security Council referral the Prosecutor can open an investigation against the national of any state, this is not the case with state referral and proprio motu investigations by the Prosecutor. A state party can opt out of these amendments, and nationals of non-states parties are not subject to the Court's jurisdiction. Additionally, the Prosecutor must wait for a determination of the Security Council regarding an act of aggression. If the Security Council determines an act of aggression has taken place, the Prosecutor may proceed. If the Security Council does not act within six months, the Prosecutor can proceed provided that a Pre-Trial Chamber approves that move. The Security Council keeps its right to defer investigations for a period of one year. = As of April 2023, 45 states parties have ratified the amendment. The Rome Statute itself was amended on 8 May 2013 after the amendment came into force for the first state party to ratify it. The Court gained jurisdiction over the crime of aggression on 17 July 2018. On 26 November 2015 during their 14th meeting, the Assembly of States Parties adopted the amendment to article 124 in The Hague in the Netherlands. The amendment deletes article 124 from the Rome Statute. Article 124 is a transitional provision, which allows a state, upon becoming party to the Statute, to declare that it does not accept the jurisdiction of the Court over war crimes committed in its territory or by its nationals for a period of seven years. = As of June 2024, 22 state parties have ratified the amendment. Per article 121(4) of the Rome Statute, this amendment will enter into force for all state parties to the Rome Statute one year after seven-eighths of states parties (currently 109 states parties) have ratified it. On 14 December 2017, during their 16th meeting the Assembly of States Parties adopted the amendment to article 8. The amendment inserted an article defining the use of weapons which use microbial or other biological agents, or toxins as a war crime. = Because the amendment is to article 8, it will come into force only for those states parties which have ratified it, one year after doing so. As of June 2024, 20 state parties have ratified the amendment. The Rome Statute itself was amended on 2 April 2020 after the amendment came into force for the first state party to ratify it. On 14 December 2017, during their 16th meeting the Assembly of States Parties adopted the amendment to article 8. The amendment inserted an article defining the use of weapons the primary effect of which is to injure by fragments undetectable by x-rays in the human body as a war crime. = Because the amendment is to article 8, it will come into force only for those states parties which have ratified it, one year after doing so. As of June 2024, 18 state parties have ratified the amendment. The Rome Statute itself was amended on 2 April 2020 after the amendment came into force for the first state party to ratify it. On 14 December 2017, during their 16th meeting the Assembly of States Parties adopted the amendment to article 8. The amendment inserted an article defining the use of blinding laser weapons as a war crime. = Because the amendment is to article 8, it will come into force only for those states parties which have ratified it, one year after doing so. As of June 2024, 18 state parties have ratified the amendment. The Rome Statute itself was amended on 2 April 2020 after the amendment came into force for the first state party to ratify it. On 6 December 2019, at its ninth plenary meeting, the Assembly of States Parties adopted the amendment to article 8 defining the war crime of the intentional use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in armed conflicts not of an international character. The Rome Statute already makes the use of such means of warfare a war crime in international armed conflicts. = Because the amendment is to article 8, it will come into force only for those states parties which have ratified it, one year after doing so. As of June 2024, 16 state parties have ratified the amendment. The Rome Statute itself was amended on 14 October 2021 after the amendment comes into force for the first state party to ratify it. A number of amendments have been proposed by states parties, but have either not been considered or adopted by the Assembly: African Union states parties have proposed allowing a state party that has jurisdiction over a situation before the Court to ask the United Nations Security Council to defer the matter, or alternatively, if the Security Council fails to make a decision the state party can ask the United Nations General Assembly to defer the matter. Kenya proposed several amendments, including making sitting heads of state immune from prosecution, subjecting ICC authorities to prosecution for crimes against the administration of justice, and granting the Independent Oversight Mechanism more authority. Mexico has proposed to list the use or the threat of use of nuclear weaponry as a war crime. The Netherlands has proposed adding terrorism as a prosecutable crime. Norway has proposed establishing a mechanism for allowing international or regional organizations to play a role in the enforcement of sentences. Trinidad and Tobago and Belize have proposed adding international drug trafficking as a prosecutable crime.

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Astrakhan Declaration

2010-12-12 14:20:32+00:00

The Astrakhan Declaration is a Russian-brokered humanitarian agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, signed on October 27, 2010, in the Russian city of Astrakhan. Concerning the post-war situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the declaration envisages the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of killed servicemen with the assistance of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky assessed the declaration as "a small advancement in geopolitical sense", which in fact has "a great political significance in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh problem". In his statement, the then French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said, that "the measures set out in the resolution adopted in Astrakhan can help to reduce tension and violations of the ceasefire, which have become frequent in past months" and "therefore, France expects them to be executed immediately". At a press briefing in Washington U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip J. Crowley welcomed the signing of Astrakhan Declaration as a "positive development": "We appreciate President Medvedev's personal efforts to reach this agreement, which aims to build confidence between the parties and to strengthen the 1994 ceasefire".

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2010 Northeastern Brazil floods

2010-06-22 09:08:27+00:00

The 2010 Northeastern Brazil rains caused widespread flooding in the second half of June 2010. The flooding mainly hit Alagoas and Pernambuco, where entire villages were carried away, killing dozens and causing hundreds to disappear. President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva convened an emergency session to arrange for the distribution of aid. The distribution of aid was complex, because the affected cities were isolated rural areas with few intact roads (in Pernambuco 79 bridges in critical areas were destroyed by the flood). Lula also cancelled a trip to Canada for a meeting of the G20 major economies. At least 44 people were killed, some 1,000 are missing, including 500 in União dos Palmares and at least 120,000 had to leave their homes. Entire towns were destroyed. Dams burst and river levels rose, engulfing entire towns. Electricity and telephone services were disrupted and destroyed. The homeless collected in schools and churches in their search for shelter. The Mundau river in Alagoas State flooded Uniao dos Palmares, causing the disappearance of at least 500 people. Corpses floated along on the beaches and in the rivers. Over 40,000 houses in Alagoas were flooded, affecting 22 towns. The death toll at one point of time in Alagoas was 26 and in Pernambuco state was 13. Rio Largo in Alagoas had its banks completely destroyed by water due to a dam collapse, leaving only a mangled railway and muddy ruins. A search is underway there for survivors. Weather officials in Alagoas predicted rain until at least June 25, 2010. More than 40 centimetres (16 in) of rain fell over a four-day period. President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met in an emergency session with the governors of both states to decide how to distribute emergency funds. The federal government sent supplies to the disrupted areas, consisting of R$100 million reais in funds, 20,000 food baskets, mattresses and blankets. 10 tons of supplies were delivered by 24 June which is not yet enough to cover the large amounts of destruction. Emergency services and the military embarked on missions to ensure supplies were safely delivered to isolated towns. There were difficulties with the delivery of aid as roads and rail routes were affected by the floods. This led to some citizens to retrieve their food from the mud for eating instead. On 24 June, the federal government announced it would grant an additional R$500 million reais for emergency relief efforts in the two states. President Lula cancelled his trip to Canada for the meeting of the G20 major economies as the situation unfolded, sending economy minister Guido Mantega instead. Those affected by the floods watched the Brazil national football team take on the Portugal national football team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in makeshift shelters. There are plans to relocate the entire city of Branquinha, one of the most damaged cities in Alagoas, to a higher place near the main highways. No public service buildings were left standing and the State Secretary of Health issued concerns about contaminated water causing diseases.

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January 2010 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides

2010-01-02 12:58:25+00:00

The January 2010 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides was an extreme weather event that affected the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in the first days of January 2010. At least 85 people died, with at least 29 people in the Hotel Sankey after it was destroyed by landslides, and many more have been injured. More than 4,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes. The worst affected municipality was Angra dos Reis, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) southwest of the city of Rio de Janeiro. At least 35 people were killed at a resort on Ilha Grande: about forty people were staying in the hotel which was buried under a mudslide, and the death toll is expected to rise further. Brazil's only functioning nuclear power plant, Central Nuclear Almirante Álvaro Alberto, is also located within the municipality: plans were made for a temporary shutdown, as blocked roads would make any evacuation difficult or impossible in the event of an incident at the plant. In Rio Grande do Sul, at least seven people died and 20 went missing after a bridge collapsed due to heavy rains. Around 60 tons of dead fish washed up in a lagoon in Rio de Janeiro beginning in January, possibly as a result of local ocean anoxia caused by algal blooms triggered by increased eutrophication from the excess run-off produced by the flooding. Mudslide in Brazil resort kills at least 19 people, BBC News, 2 January 2010. Brazil storms and landslides kill at least 18, BBC News, 31 December 2009.

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April 2010 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides

2010-04-06 22:54:38+00:00

The April 2010 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides was an extreme weather event that affected the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in the first days of April 2010. At least 212 people died, 161 people have been injured (including several rescuers), while at least 15,000 people have been made homeless. A further 10,000 homes are thought to be at risk from mudslides, most of them in the favelas, the shanty towns built on the hillsides above downtowns. Damage from the flooding has been estimated at $23.76 billion reais (US$13.3bn, €9.9bn), about 8% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Rio de Janeiro State. The flooding particularly affected the city of Rio de Janeiro, where at least 60 people died, and its surrounding area. Deaths were also reported in the cities of Niterói (132), São Gonçalo (16), Paracambi (1), Engenheiro Paulo de Frontin (1), Magé (1), Nilópolis (1) and Petrópolis (1). Several municipalities, including Niterói and municipalities to the east such as Maricá and Araruama, have declared states of emergency or of public calamity. The Governor of Rio de Janeiro State, Sérgio Cabral, declared three days of official mourning for the dead. Heavy rain started at around 5 p.m. local time (2000 UTC) on Monday April 5th in Rio de Janeiro city, and continued for 24 hours, with a total of 28.8 cm (11½ in.) of rain falling, more than was predicted for the whole of April and the heaviest rainfall for 30 years. The Brazilian TV station Globo said the rainfall was equivalent to 300,000 Olympic swimming pools of water. There were drivers who were forced to sleep in their cars. There were also firemen who used rubber dinghies to rescue passengers from stranded buses, and shopkeepers who worked very quickly to prevent the rainfall from destroying their businesses. Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes admitted that the city's preparedness for heavy rainfall had been "less than zero," but added "there isn’t a city that wouldn’t have had problems with this level of rainfall." A further landslide hit a slum in Niterói late on April 7. It is thought to have killed at least 150 people. Around 200 people were missing in the town as of April 13th, 2010. After nearly 300 landslides hit the area, the statue of Christ the Redeemer was cut off from traffic for the first time in history. More than 300 homes were bulldozed after the landslides, and it is estimated that close to 12,000 families will need to be relocated by 2012 due to the damage from the floods. During this storm, “14,000 people were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge with relatives or at shelters.” Over 180 mudslides occurred that Tuesday. The governor of Rio advised that people stayed in their homes so that the emergency workers can "concentrate on reaching those in need." The city mayor also advised that everyone sought safer ground, and if possible, stayed in their homes. On 13 April, United Press International reported on shortages of drinking water. City authorities initially were not able to say when power, gas, and water supplies were going to come back on, which made the residents start complaining of the slow relief. They also blame on decades of negligence for this disaster, since Rio de Janeiro has the highest proportion of people living in poverty. Although there were many complaints, the storm itself was not “extraordinary”. Rain and mudslides were common during the month of April. The President declared that “once the storm has completely receded, a new drainage system would be built.” He also said that it would not affect the 2016 Olympics, since the projects involving the Olympics would take six years to complete.

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Agents of Secret Stuff

2012-06-21 05:12:04+00:00

Agents of Secret Stuff is a 2010 American action comedy short film created and co-directed by Wesley Chan, Ted Fu, and Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions, and Ryan Higa. The film stars Ryan Higa, Arden Cho, and Dominic Sandoval, and also features cameos by several other YouTube users. The film had a theatrical debut in Los Angeles on November 23, 2010, and was released on YouTube on November 24. It has received over 36.2 million views on YouTube as of April 2021, and its trailer, bloopers, and behind the scenes videos have received 5.4 million, 4 million, and 2.2 million views respectively. The movie was eventually released on the iTunes Store as Agents of Secret Stuff: Secret Edition, along with the Agents of Secret Stuff Soundboard and Agents of Secret Stuff - Spy Catcher of Reasonable Effort apps. Teenager Aden (Higa) has been training as an agent with the "Agents of Secret Stuff" (A.S.S.), a secret society of spies, his whole life. To receive his "Honorary Operative License Entitlement" (H.O.L.E.), he must fulfill one more mission for A.S.S. operative Tracy. Aden is given the undercover mission to protect Taylor (Arden Cho), a high school student who, for unknown reasons, has been targeted by the opposing assassins group, the "Society Involving Not-So-Good Stuff" (S.I.N.S.). At first Aden, under the false name Jose McDonald, has difficulty fitting in with the high school scene, and continuously attempts to protect Taylor from normal things that he perceives as threats, causing more harm than good. On the fourth time protecting Taylor, Aden eventually reveals that he is an A.S.S., and explains the backstory of the S.I.N.S. and the A.S.S. When Taylor tells him to leave, he is forced to explain his actions, and she sympathetically helps him learn how to be a normal teenager. On the day of the school dance, Aden again tries to save Taylor's life from Melvin (D-Trix), angering Taylor. Aden leaves Taylor with Melvin, only to realize Melvin is actually the S.I.N.S. assassin, which eventually leads to a chase scene to a warehouse. At the warehouse, Melvin ties Taylor to a chair, and when Aden eventually reaches the building, Melvin reveals that Taylor is part of the A.S.S.'s plans, which eventually leads to a fight between Aden and Melvin, which tilts to Aden's favor, until Melvin resorts to attacking Aden with a mousetrap. After Aden falls to the ground, Melvin attempts to finish him off with an axe. However, Taylor is able to break free from the chair, leading to a fight between the two. Melvin was later defeated by Taylor, but eventually leaps at Aden and Taylor, but was later attacked from behind by Tracy. Tracy eventually congratulates Aden for "bringing out Taylor's full potential". Eventually, two other A.S.S. agents arrive, consisting of Aden's step-step-brother-in-law, and X (the A.S.S. founder), who reveals to Taylor that he is her father. X then also congratulates Aden, and awards him the H.O.L.E., making him an official A.S.S. Aden then asks Taylor to go to the homecoming dance with him, but Taylor was able to beat him to it, but when the two reach the school, the dance has already ended. Aden eventually sets his watch to JR Aquino's "You and I" and asks Taylor to dance. While dancing, a bush starts making noise, startling the two. Before they go investigate, the two share a kiss, ending the movie. Ryan Higa as Aden Arden Cho as Taylor Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval as Melvin HiimRawn as Tracy Philip Wang as Step-Step-Bro-in-Law/guy on bike Aki Aleong as Agent X KassemG as Mr. Anderson Ian Hecox as Pervert Anthony Padilla as Bryson The film's production began as self-funded project, but in a deal brokered by YouTube executive George Strompolos was optioned by Digital Artists Studios in order that they might expand beyond YouTube and into mobile, television and film platforms. Strompolos reported that the film's $25,000 was recouped through YouTube advertising revenue and through the licensing of the film for other media. According to Wong Fu's website, filming took place over the span of a week with a crew that is no bigger than 10. While the executive producers of the film were members of HigaTV and Wong Fu Productions, Chris Dinh received an assisted producer credit, and members of Corridor Digital and FreddieW, and Eric Lim provided visual effects and action coordination. The soundtrack consisted of "My Time With You" by David Choi and Kina Grannis, and "By Chance (You and I)" by JRA, the score was composed by George Shaw. The soundtrack of the film featured songs from other productions by Wong Fu ("Funemployed", "These Four Walls", "Technology Ruins Romance", "Up in Da Club", "Just a Nice Guy"). Agents of Secret Stuff was filmed in California, United States, and used Galt High School and Wilson High School as its school locations. Gigaom wrote that the production was a "slickly-produced spy comedy", that suffered from a lack of sophistication in its over-repeated use of jokes based upon the plot use of acronyms. They offered that animations within the project "played really well", and made special note of strong acting by Kassem Gharaibeh as a bitter teacher, and how Arden Cho "stands out as a performer in her own right".

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Baby (Justin Bieber song)

2010-01-13 04:57:37+00:00

"Baby" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber featuring American rapper Ludacris. It was released as the lead single on Bieber's debut studio album, My World 2.0. The track was written by the artists alongside Christina Milian and producers Tricky Stewart and The-Dream. It was available for digital download on January 18, 2010. The song received airplay directly after release, officially impacting mainstream and rhythmic radio on January 26, 2010. The song received positive reviews from critics, who complimented the song's effective lyrics and chorus and commended Ludacris' part and the song's ability to have an urban twist. It is widely regarded as one of the defining songs of modern-day popular music and continues to find audiences globally. The song was a commercial success, peaking at number one in France and Scotland, and charting in the top ten of the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia, Norway, Japan, Ireland, Hungary, Belgium (Flanders), Slovakia and New Zealand. "Baby" was the fourth most successful single of 2010 in France. The accompanying music video takes place in a mall/bowling-alley setting. The video features several cameos such as Drake, Lil Twist and Tinashe, in which Bieber pursues a girl. As of May 2013, the song has sold 3.9 million digital downloads in the United States and is certified 12× platinum by the RIAA. The official music video is the 39th most-viewed video on YouTube and, as of December 2021, is the fourth-most-disliked YouTube video and the second-most-disliked YouTube music video. It had been the most-viewed YouTube video from July 16, 2010, when it surpassed the music video for "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, until November 24, 2012, when it was surpassed by the music video for "Gangnam Style" by Psy. Bieber performed the song several times, including on Saturday Night Live, and the ninth season of American Idol. Bieber also performed an acoustic rendition of the remix version with Drake at the 2010 Juno Awards. The official remix in the United Kingdom features British hip-hop artist Chipmunk. "Baby" was written by Bieber with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart (who worked on Bieber's debut single "One Time"), R&B singer The-Dream and his then-wife, Christina Milian, as well as Def Jam label-mate and the songs co-performer, Ludacris. When asked how the collaboration initially came about, Bieber said, "[Ludacris and I] both live in Atlanta. I met him a year prior to this and we figured it was a perfect collaboration for him, so we invited him out to do it." A few days before the release of the single, Bieber posted an acoustic version of the song to his YouTube with his guitarist Dan Kanter, similar to the way he did with "Favorite Girl". Billboard said that: "Bieber delivers his characteristically clean vocals with conviction: "My first love broke my heart for the first time / and I'm like, 'baby, baby, baby, no!' I thought you'd always be mine." Also in a review of the acoustic version Bill Lamb of About.com said that, "I think the vocals here will convince some that Justin Bieber really does have the vocal chops." The song is predominantly upbeat, featuring Bieber's R&B vocals over a backdrop containing a dance infused beat, full of keyboard and "disco string" synths. The song is played at a tempo of 130 BPM and is composed in the key of E♭ major with Bieber's vocal range spanning from the low-note of G3 to the high-note of C5. According to Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone, the song "blends winks at Fifties doo-wop with hip-hop chants", comparing the style and the lyrics "My first love broke my heart for the first time/And I was like/Baby, baby, baby, ooooh/I thought you'd always be mine" to fifties ballads like "Tears on My Pillow", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and "Earth Angel". Lyrically, Bieber's lines explain his distress over his lost love, and promise to get it back, featured in lines like, "And I wanna play it cool/But I'm losin' you…/I'm in pieces/So come and fix me…". The chorus features the distinct and repetitive "baby, baby, baby, ohhhh (nooooo)" hook. After the second verse, Ludacris comes in with the verse-rap, an anecdote of young love when he was thirteen, as it runs "When I was 13/I had my first love/She had me going crazy/Oh, I was star-struck/She woke me up daily/Don't need no Starbucks…". Nick Levine of Digital Spy felt the song was "no great departure from what he's given us before", but felt the production of Tricky and The-Dream helped give the song a "simple", "big" chorus about "puppy love" that works. Melanie Bertoldi of Billboard said, "The midtempo number's undeniably contagious chorus should keep Bieber's tween fan base satisfied, and Ludacris' brief cameo adds a welcome urban twist." Bertoli went on to say, "The matchup adds a layer of maturity to Bieber's repertoire and should further solidify his growing presence on the charts." Rap-Up magazine said that "the sweet pop fare gets a little street cred courtesy of the teen sensation's labelmate Ludacris." Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone appreciated the song's vintage doo-wop and fifties aesthetic and hip-hop chants, and said the song included "one of the catchiest choruses concocted by the-Dream and Tricky Stewart, the duo behind "Umbrella" and "Single Ladies." Luke O'Neill of Boston Globe had mixed thoughts about the song calling Ludacris' cameo "goofy", and said, the song "effects a musical anachronism, albeit a catchy one, but in this sped-up recycling moment all styles all at once are grist for the mill." In the United States, "Baby" debuted at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Bieber's highest-charting single in the US. Bieber then went on to surpass this chart position when "Boyfriend" debuted at number two in April 2012. The song was also Ludacris's biggest song to date, solo or featuring, since 2007's "Glamorous". "Baby" was beaten out as the week's highest debut by Taylor Swift's "Today Was a Fairytale", which debuted at number two. The debuting of the pair of songs was just the third time in history that the Hot 100 had two new top-five debuts. The instance had last happened in 2003 when American Idol's Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken's debut singles charted at number one and two. During its first week of radio impact, the song had over 1400 spins, and was the top gainer for mainstream and rhythmic radio formats. The song debuted at thirty-three on the Pop Songs chart on the week labeled February 13, 2010. The song missed out becoming the greatest gainer by one spot, which was Kesha's "Blah Blah Blah". However the following week, the song did collect greatest gainer recognition, jumping to twenty-five on the chart, and has since peaked at sixteen. On August 2, 2010, the song was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of 2,000,000 units. As of May 2013, the song had sold 3.9 million digital downloads in the United States. With the inclusion of streaming in the RIAA certifications in 2013, the song became the highest certificated single of all time at 12× Platinum (surpassing "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John at 11× Platinum). "Baby" debuted and peaked on the Canadian Hot 100 at number three, becoming his highest-charting single at the time. On the issue dated February 8, 2010, the song debuted in Australia on the official ARIA Singles Chart at number thirty-seven. After twelve weeks of ascending and descending the charts the single reached a peak of three. "Baby" has since been certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 70,000 units. In New Zealand, the song entered the chart at nineteen. After weeks of ascending and descending the charts, "Baby" reached a peak of four. The song dropped to the number five position the following week and after weeks of fluctuating around the chart it attained the number four position once again. It has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart on the issue date March 14, 2010. The following week, "Baby" fell to number four, but climbed back to its previous peak position of three on the issue date March 28, 2010. In the process of climbing the charts, "Baby" gained a new peak of two on the R&B Singles Chart. By June 2012, Baby had sold 442,432 copies in the United Kingdom. Filming for the music video began during the week of January 25, 2010, in Los Angeles. It was filmed at Universal CityWalk and Lucky Strike Lanes, by director Ray Kay, who had previously directed videos for Beyoncé Knowles, Lady Gaga, Alexandra Burke, and Cheryl Cole, among others. Ludacris said that the video "is like a 2010 version of Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel"." Bieber said that the video "will capture the song's message of trying to woo back a girl." In explaining the concept of the video, Bieber said, "It starts off, I really like this girl, but we didn't [get] along; we couldn't be together. Basically I want her back and [I'm] kind of going through the whole thing. I'm chasing her around, trying to get her, and she's kind of playing hard to get, but I'm persistent. I keep going." The video premiered exclusively on Vevo on Friday, February 19, 2010. Singer and actress Jasmine Villegas portrays Bieber's love interest in the video. Bieber's friends, Young Money artists Drake and Lil Twist also appeared in the video, along with Tinashe and jerkin' crew The Rangers. The video takes place in a mall-like setting with a bowling alley and more. After the video was released, MTV commented on the video being the new version of "The Way You Make Me Feel" saying, "... and the choreography does use a few of Jackson's less-suggestive moves." The MTV review goes on to say, "most of the video takes place in the bowling alley, there are also scenes of Bieber in other settings, hanging out with Luda, doing the moonwalk, messing with his hair and mugging for the camera. During the video Bieber's friends and Villegas's friends have several dance offs and Villegas eventually smiles at him. Regardless of his crush's apparent frustration with him, Bieber eventually wins her over. The video concludes with the pair walking off into the night holding hands." Billboard reviewed the video, saying, "Those new dance moves he's showing off can only mean one thing: all over the world, tweens' hearts are melting right now." In July 2010, the video became the most viewed video in YouTube history until it was surpassed by Psy's hit single, "Gangnam Style", in November 2012. The video received 7.7 million views within its first seven days. As of September 2023, the video has received over 3 billion views on the video-sharing website YouTube. It was also the most disliked video of all time (briefly surpassed by "Friday" by Rebecca Black upon that video's release in 2011). Baby's music video held the record for the most disliked video for over 7 years, until it was surpassed in December 2018 by YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind (the current most disliked video). The video currently sits as the fourth most disliked YouTube video. Bieber first premiered the song performing on the MuchMusic series Live at Much on December 28, 2009. He sang the song on VH1's Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam, along with other performers Rihanna, JoJo and Timbaland, and on CBS' The Early Show as a part of their Super Bowl programming. He performed the song the first time with Ludacris on BET's SOS: Saving Ourselves – Help for Haiti Telethon, on February 6, 2010, which also aired on VH1, and MTV. During the chorus, he changed the lyrics to "Baby, baby, Haiti", to show support for the cause, and the reason everyone came together for the show. In the week of his album release, he performed the song on The View and 106 & Park. Bieber also performed the song at the 2010 Kids Choice Awards on March 27. Bieber performed the song along with "U Smile" on the eighteenth episode of season thirty five of Saturday Night Live. Bieber performed an acoustic rendition of the song along with a freestyle by good friend Drake at the 2010 Juno Awards. In April 2010, Bieber noted that due to his voice changing, he could no longer hit all the notes in "Baby", and for live performances, the key is lowered. Bieber performed the song live in Sydney, Australia on April 26, 2010, in the Sunrise studios after his public performance was cancelled. Bieber also performed the song on May 11, 2010, on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Bieber performed the song on June 4, 2010, on the Today Show along with "Never Say Never", "Somebody to Love", and "One Time". He performed the song with "Somebody to Love" at the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards. Jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson covered "Baby" with his trio on his 2012 album Gouache. The song was also covered by Relient K in 2011 for their cover album Is For Karaoke. It was also covered by "Weird Al" Yankovic in the polka medley, "Polka Face" in the same year for his 2011 album Alpocalypse. It was sampled 40 times. In 2012, Alexa Ilacad, Mika Dela Cruz, Noemi Oineza and Angel Sy, AKA T.O.P., sampled this song for their single "Crush". Yes We Canberra released a parody version satirising then Opposition leader Tony Abbott during the lead-up to the 2010 Australian federal election. In the 2012 film Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Greg Heffley's older brother Rodrick (portrayed by Devon Bostick) performs a hard rock cover of the song with his band, Löded Diper, in an attempt to impress his love interest Heather Hills (older sister of Greg's love interest, Holly) during her Sweet 16th party. His performance causes the event to end in disaster. In the Annoying Orange episode, "OMG" (parody of TMZ), there is a clip of Justin Bieberry (portrayal of Bieber) singing a parody version called "Gravy".

28129724

Double Rainbow (viral video)

2010-07-23 16:01:01+00:00

Double Rainbow was a viral video filmed by Paul "Bear" Vasquez (September 5, 1962 – May 9, 2020). The clip, filmed in his front yard just outside Yosemite National Park in California, shows his ecstatic reaction to a double rainbow. As of July 2024, Vasquez's video had accumulated more than 51 million views on YouTube. Vasquez was a native of East Los Angeles, initially working for the California Conservation Corps and later becoming a Los Angeles County firefighter. After two years, he re-settled in Yosemite in 1985, eventually buying an eight-acre (3.2 ha) plot. He was married with two children, before divorcing, becoming a truck driver, and participating in a single mixed martial arts bout. Vasquez lived on a forested property outside Mariposa, California, approximately 10 miles (16 km) from Yosemite, where he operated a farm with the help of passing volunteers and uploaded videos of his daily life. Vasquez was a prolific uploader, publishing several thousand videos during his lifetime. In a 2019 video, he mentioned uploading fifteen years worth of videos dated in advance, leaving his YouTube channel still active as of 2024. In a 2014 interview, Vasquez stated he was a very spiritual person, and that 'the video is me understanding that I'm in the presence of God'. He clarified that he is not religious, as he does not believe in 'intermediaries'. Vasquez claimed that before the incident, he had been attempting to live as a starving artist and was in a deep depression, having quit his job six years prior. The success of the video had allowed him to live comfortably again. = In a May 3, 2020 Facebook post, Vasquez spoke of feeling feverish and having trouble breathing. However, he refrained from going to a hospital, as he looked forward to reincarnating and "enjoying the ride". On May 9, Vasquez died in the emergency room of John C. Fremont Hospital in Mariposa, California. Vasquez was tested for COVID-19 but no results were publicly released. The amateur video shows the view from Vazquez's property into the skies above the Yosemite Valley on January 8, 2010. After moving away from several trees that interfere with the scene, Vazquez enjoys an unobstructed view of a semicircular double rainbow. Vasquez's reaction captures his intense emotional excitement; he weeps with joy and moans ecstatically, uttering phrases such as "Double rainbow all the way across the sky," "What does this mean?" and "Too much!" Vasquez posted the video to YouTube himself as user Hungrybear9562 (now Yosemitebear62) on January 8, 2010. On July 3, comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel linked to the video in a post on Twitter, saying that he and a friend had declared it the "funniest video in the world." The video quickly gained over one million views. A July 16 feature on the video by CNN.com stated that the video had gained 4.8 million views. The video gained Vasquez a feature on the comedy show Tosh.0. ABC News describes the video as "a three-and-a-half-minute emotional journey," with Vasquez confirming his sobriety during recording. On July 26, 2010, Bear was interviewed by Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. On the December 16 episode, he was awarded Video of the Year and appeared in a video short created by the show for the event. On July 5, 2010, the Gregory Brothers auto-tuned the video under the name "Double Rainbow Song". Their video has since gotten over 41 million views and has become a viral video in itself, almost surpassing the original in number of views. The song was covered by Amanda Palmer, Jimmy Fallon (as Neil Young) and The Axis of Awesome during a live recording of a charity show in the UK. In 2011, Vasquez appeared in a commercial for Vodafone New Zealand, parodying the video. The video appears as the first scene of the 2013 movie We're the Millers. Two years earlier, Bear had appeared in Jennifer Aniston's ad for Smartwater. On May 9, 2016, Bear appeared on the Slooh.com live broadcast of the Transit of Mercury. This video was featured in 2016 YouTube's April Fool prank and it can be watched with Snoop Dogg in 360 "SnoopaVision".

26427675

1000 Ways to Lie

2010-03-04 21:18:20+00:00

1000 Ways to Lie is an American television special and spin-off of the television series 1000 Ways to Die. It recreates intricate lies that people have told, as well as how, and what happened when they were found out. It also includes interviews with experts who describe the science behind each lie. The special aired on Spike on March 3, 2010. The special is in the style of its parent show, by telling the location and date with a border that has the words "Liar", "Deception", "Greed", "Money", "Shame", "Secrets" and "Betray" surrounding a picture of the incident. At the end of each summary, there is another picture of the incident, and the "Way to Lie #" and the nickname for the incident typed over the image in yellow "Sin City" font, mocking the 1000 Ways to Die presentation. At the beginning of the episode there is a sped-up voice over that is merely the voice over from 1000 Ways to Die with a few words changed around: "WARNING: The stories portrayed in this show are based on real scams and depict illegal activities." "Names have been changed to protect the guilty...and the gullible." "Do not attempt to try ANY of the actions depicted." "YOU CAN BE ARRESTED AND/OR PROSECUTED!" The disclaimer then cuts to animation while the voice-over reads: "Everybody lies, and everybody gets lied to...We lie to get ahead, we lie to get the girl, and to keep our secrets. Whether motivated by greed, ego, or criminal intent, just when you think you've heard it all, there are 1000 WAYS TO LIE." = Originally aired March 3, 2010, the first episode was to be called "Natural Born Liars", but because it got negative reviews, 1000 Ways to Lie became a special instead of a spin-off, and "Natural Born Liars" is no longer an episode title. 1000 Ways to Lie hasn't aired again since.

28896725

America's Medicated Kids

2010-09-21 01:28:24+00:00

America's Medicated Kids is a British documentary that was televised on 18 April 2010. The Louis Theroux documentary ran for 60 minutes. The documentary follows Theroux as he travels to one of America's leading children's psychiatric treatment centres, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and investigates the effects of putting children diagnosed with mental health disorders on prescription medication and the impact that medicating the child has on the family group. America's Medicated Kids attracted an audience of 2.098 million viewers (8.1%) in the 9pm hour time slot. The documentary was met with mostly positive responses.

29149798

Art + soul

2010-10-11 05:32:40+00:00

art + soul is an Australian cultural project, led by curator Hetti Perkins, that aims to convey the diversity and complexity of Indigenous Australian expression. The project spans three mediums: an ABC Television documentary series, an exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW, and an accompanying book published by the Miegunyah Press. The three-part documentary was directed by Warwick Thornton, and first aired on ABC Television on 7 October 2010. Each part explores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, culture, and heritage, according to a certain theme: home + away; dreams + nightmares; and bitter + sweet. The art + soul exhibition ran from 28 August 2010 until 13 June 2011 in the Yiribana gallery at the Art Gallery of NSW. It featured works from the gallery's own Aboriginal art collection. The art + soul book was published by the Miegunyah Press, and released to coincide with the exhibition and series.

70733740

Best Trip Ever

2022-05-08 17:07:59+00:00

Best. Trip. Ever. is a Canadian television special, which aired November 27, 2010 on Discovery Channel Canada. Filmed by Castlewood Productions in the summer following Jon Montgomery's gold-medal skeleton performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the special featured Montgomery and his friends Darla Deschamps, Kelly Forbes and Sarah Reid on a road trip to try out various other adventure sports, including kite surfing, uphill endurance sprinting and extreme mountain biking, in various locations around British Columbia. The program was originally conceived as a series, although only the one special was ultimately produced or aired. The special received three Gemini Award nominations at the 26th Gemini Awards in 2011, for Best Reality Series, Best Photography in an Information Program or Series (Marlon Paul and Scott Wilson) and Best Picture Editing in an Information Program or Series (Clark Masters and Richard Rotter). It won the award for Best Picture Editing.

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Britain's Economy: Cameron and Clegg Face the Audience

2010-08-13 12:05:36+00:00

Britain's Economy: Cameron and Clegg Face the Audience is a special live political debate programme which was aired on BBC television on the evening of Wednesday 23 June 2010. The programme featured British prime minister David Cameron and his Deputy Nick Clegg facing questions from a specially selected audience following the previous day's emergency budget statement in which Chancellor George Osborne had announced £6 billion worth of cuts in Government spending. It was chaired by Nick Robinson and saw Cameron and Clegg facing questions on the Budget's potential impact. The occasion marked the first joint interview with Cameron and Clegg since forming a coalition government following the 2010 general election the previous month. The programme was aired on the BBC News channel at 7:00pm, then again on BBC Two at 11.25pm. It was also shown on BBC Parliament the following Sunday. During the election campaign, the Conservatives had promised to hold an emergency budget within fifty days of coming to office. The budget, the first of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, was presented by Chancellor George Osborne at 12:30pm on 22 June and aimed to reduce the national debt accumulated by the Labour government. Highlights of the budget included a 2.5% increase in VAT to 20% and a large reduction in public spending. Concerns were raised about the impact the VAT raise would have on the less well off, and the effects which would be felt by those working in the public sector. The live debate was scheduled for the following evening and would be the first time Cameron and Clegg had conducted a joint interview since forming the coalition government in May. The studio audience for the programme was made up of 20 individuals, who were specially selected to represent a cross-section of society. Among those present were businessmen, public sector workers, self-employed people and union representatives. The debate was first aired at 7:00pm on the BBC News Channel and chaired by BBC political editor Nick Robinson, who introduced Cameron and Clegg then took questions from members of the audience. One of the main issues discussed was the planned cuts to public spending. David Cameron faced questions from public sector workers who were angry about a two-year pay freeze for those earning more than £21,000 per year, arguing that it amounted to a real-terms cut in wages. Cameron admitted that this was effectively the case because of inflation. The debate itself lasted for 30 minutes, after which BBC News presenters Nicholas Owen and Joanna Gosling presented a 20-minute segment analysing the debate and discussing some of the issues that had been raised. The programme was repeated on BBC Two later that evening, at 11:25pm, then again on BBC Parliament on Sunday 27 June.

28882174

2010 Lörrach hospital shooting

2010-09-19 19:29:29+00:00

On 19 September 2010 in the small town of Lörrach, Germany, 41-year-old Sabine Radmacher killed her five-year-old son and the boy's father, her ex-partner in her flat. After setting part of the building on fire, she crossed the street to St. Elisabethen Hospital, where she shot and stabbed one nurse, killing him, and injuring three people with gunshots, including a police officer. Soon after, Radmacher was fatally shot by SEK units. Lörrach is located near the Swiss and French border and due to its location, it is a vital industrial part of Trinational Eurodistrict of Basel. The town's crime rates were on a steady decline since 2000 and although overall rates were above the district average, the statistics remained generally below the national median. In March 2009, a similar gun rampage had occurred in nearby Winnenden, when teenage gunman Tim Kretschmer killed twelve people at his former school before killing three civilians and then committing suicide in Wendlingen. The incident triggered off a debate in Germany on tougher gun ownership laws. On 16 September 2010 – only three days before the Lörrach rampage – the boy's father had to appear in court on a charge of failure to securely store his gun. The initial murders occurred shortly before 6:00 p.m. CEST inside Sabine Radmacher's apartment on Markus-Pflüger-Straße, which doubled as her lawyer's office. Radmacher killed her 44-year-old husband with two gunshots in the head and neck after he entered. Afterwards, she knocked their son unconscious with several blows to the head before suffocating him with a plastic bag. Radmacher then covered the rooms of her apartment with 70 liters of a mixture of nitro thinner, gasoline, and ethanol before setting a fire, causing an explosion, due to which 15 people, all residents of the same building, suffered the effects of smoke inhalation. At approximately 6:04 p.m., Radmacher crossed the street to the St. Elisabethen Hospital, carrying 300 rounds of ammunition with her. Neighbours later stating that she appeared calm and "strolled" at a leisurely pace. She heavily injured two passerby with gunshots, striking one in the back and grazing the other in the head, before entering the hospital through the front entrance. First reponders in the form of the fire department arrived two minutes later. After taking the stairs up to the first floor to the gynaecology ward, Radmacher killed a 56-year-old surgical nurse with three shots in the head and numerous stab wounds. The nurse had prevented her from going further into the floor and is credited with saving lives through this action. Radmacher also injured a police officer, who was privately at the hospital, with a shot in the kneecap. Police arrived shortly after and exchanged fire with Radmacher for around ten minutes before SEK killed her with 17 gunshots. The shooting led to renewed political discourse over gun control in Germany, particularly tighter regulations over the firearms that can be accessed with a gun permit in relation to Schützenverein membership, as well as the storage of weapons and ammunition. 50 police officers involved in the response unit received psychological counselling, 17 of whom required "intensive care". Police identified the shooter as 41-year-old lawyer Sabine Radmacher. She was later also connected to the apartment explosion. Radmacher was born in Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate in 1969. She previously worked as a paralegal for a law firm until December 2009, when she earned her lawyer's licence. She was described as a sporting markswoman and had used a .22 calibre Walther GSP during the rampage, with another three small calibre firearms being recovered from the scene. Several long rifles were also found at an acquaintance's home, whom she had entrusted the weapons for safekeeping. The acquaintance, a hobby hunter, also stated that Radmacher voiced an interest in becoming a licenced hunter before the killings. The sporting club in Mosbach she was signed under later stated that Radmacher had not been a member since 1996, yet was able to keep her sporting weapons. Before moving to Lörrach following her separation, Radmacher lived in Häg-Ehrsberg. Since June 2010, she was separated from her husband Wolfgang Radmacher, who kept custody over their son at her request, but the pair had arranged for their son to live with his mother on the weekends. Radmacher's husband had been at her apartment to fetch their son the day of the shootings. Radmacher's motive was not ascertained by police, who ruled out a custody dispute. Investigators assume that she planned the fire in advance, as indicated by the amount of accelerant she hoarded and used for the arson. Neighbours variously described Radmacher as a confident, friendly and ambitious woman who dressed sharply and drove a Mercedes she bought with her own money, while others noted that she was surly and erratic with "strange priorities", having clashed with her old employer who threatened to sue her, over which contacted a journalist to publish an account, which was described as "incoherent". Due to her targeting of the St. Elisabethen Hospital, investigators also considered possible trauma stemming from pregnancy loss, as Radmacher experienced the miscarriage of a previous child in the 16th week at the clinic in 2004. In 2006, she applied for a position in management at the clinic, but it was not accepted.

39696496

2010 Rinkeby riots

2013-06-17 03:23:40+00:00

On 8 June and 9 June 2010, youth riots broke out in Rinkeby, a suburb dominated by immigrant residents, in northern Stockholm, Sweden. Up to 100 youths threw bricks, set fires and attacked the local police station in Rinkeby. The riot broke out late on the evening of 8 June, when a group of young adults were refused admittance to a junior high school dance; angered, they responded by throwing rocks through the windows of the school. From there, the rioting spread. Rioting continued for two nights. Police estimate that about 100 young men participated in the rioting, throwing bricks, setting fires and attacking the police station. Rioters threw rocks at police, attacked a police station and burned down a school, throwing rocks at responding fire engines and preventing fire fighters from reaching the school in time to save the building. = Social activist George Lakey describes the 2010 Rinkeby riots as among the earliest riots by migrant youth in Sweden. Founder of iona Institute - the Catholic Pressure Group, commentator David Quinn linked the riots to immigration of Muslims blaming "the mainstream political parties, aided for the most part by the mainstream media," for abetting the rise of right wing political movement by "refus(ing) to permit an open and honest debate about" the causes of this and other riots by immigrant youth, and also by ignoring the "anti-Semitism, sex abuse, voter fraud," in immigrant communities. Sociologist Peggy Levitt attributes the riots to anger over "long-term youth unemployment and poverty." Rinkeby is noted for its high concentration of immigrants and people with immigrant ancestry. 89.1% of the population of Rinkeby had a first- or second-generation immigrant background as of 31 December 2007.

57794031

Shirley Towers fire

2018-06-29 20:04:05+00:00

The Shirley Towers Fire occurred in a tower block on 6 April 2010 in Southampton, Hampshire, England. Two firefighters were killed when a fire developed and spread from the 9th floor. The investigations and inquiries following the fire led to changes in fire safety rules nationally, particularly the regulations around electrical wiring. Shirley Towers is a 15-storey concrete tower block of 150 apartments located in the Shirley area of Southampton and is home to about 400 people. The building dates from the mid-1960s and is of the unusual scissor section construction where each apartment is spread over several floors in an interlocking design. The fire started when curtains in the lounge of the flat caught fire from being on top of an uplighter lamp (light fitting.) Emergency crews were called at 20:10 on 6 April 2010. The fire response teams were confused by the complex layout of the building and of the flat itself. The flat was very smoky with zero visibility and firefighters did not locate the fire in the lounge. The flat rapidly became very hot - more than 1,000°C. The firefighters tried to escape through the flat's fire exit on the 11th floor. Two firefighters managed to escape but needed hospital treatment for burns. Firefighters James Shears and Alan Bannon were overcome by sudden exposure to intense heat and died at the top landing of the flat. The escaping firefighters got tangled in cables that fell from the roof, both inside and outside the flat, after the heat from the fire melted the plastic trunking they were contained in. The Coroner's inquest highlighted the "extremely difficult and dangerous" conditions in the fire, but noted that "numerous factors" led to the eventual tragedy which could be addressed to stop a similar future tragedy. After the inquest the coroner issued a "Rule 43 letter." This is a letter to other statutory authorities designed to prevent future deaths. The Rule 43 letter made nine recommendations to the Government and fire services. These included: Improved training for firefighters. Changing building regulations to ensure fire resistant cable supports. Fitting of sprinklers to existing residential buildings over 30 metres tall. Improved escape signage. Changes to the British Standards electrical wiring regulations finally came into force in July 2015 following the Shirley Towers tragedy, and the previous Harrow Court fire, where similar problems were a factor in firefighter deaths.

39985798

Isiolo District

2013-07-16 22:08:09+00:00

Isiolo District was an administrative district in Eastern Province of Kenya, with its capital at Isiolo town. The district's origin go back to when the Garba Tula and Bulesa areas was carved out of Wajir District, between 1917 and 1918. The district, within the Northern Frontier District, was headquartered at Bulesa shortly before being moved to Garba Tula. The district will later return under Wajir District's administration for five years before civilian administration was restored in 1925. In 1929, the district joined Samburu District to form Isiolo District. In 1934, the Samburu would be transferred to the Rift Valley Province. Isiolo District was one of the forty districts of 1963. By 2005, Isiolo District had been split into two; the additional district known as Garba Tula. The total population of the two districts stood at 143,294 as per the 2009 census. In 2010, after the promulgation of the new constitution of Kenya, counties were to be created based on the districts of Kenya that existed prior to 1992. This effectively led to the creation of Isiolo County. Isiolo district had only one local authority, Isiolo county council. The district has two constituencies: Isiolo North Constituency and Isiolo South Constituency. The district was divided into six administrative divisions: Central, Garba Tula, Kinna, Merti, and Sericho.

29751179

Star Mega Jam

2010-11-25 17:13:28+00:00

The Star Mega Jam was a series of music concerts in Nigeria held annually from 2000 to 2010. Each year it was held in Lagos and Abuja. Acts that played included Awilo Logomba, Shaggy, Usher, Koffi Olumide, 50 Cent, Ja Rule and Kevin Lyttle, LL Cool J and Akon, Kanye West, T-Pain, Nelly, Nas, Busta Rhymes and Ludacris. The music festival was cancelled in 2011, with the organizers citing logistical challenges. It has not been held since.

25651295

List of 2010 Canadian incumbents

2010-01-02 05:05:01+00:00

Head of state (monarch) – Queen Elizabeth II Governor General – Michaëlle Jean then David Johnston = 28th Canadian Ministry Prime Minister – Stephen Harper Minister of Finance – Jim Flaherty Minister of Foreign Affairs – Lawrence Cannon Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day (to January 19) Peter Van Loan (from January 19) Minister of National Defence – Peter MacKay Minister of Health – Leona Aglukkaq Minister of Industry – Tony Clement Minister of National Revenue Jean-Pierre Blackburn (to January 19) Keith Ashfield (from January 19) Minister of Heritage – Josée Verner Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs – Josée Verner Minister of the Environment Jim Prentice (to November 5) John Baird (from November 7) Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (House Leader) Jay Hill (to August 6) John Baird (from August 6) Minister of Justice – Rob Nicholson Minister of Transport John Baird (to August 6) Chuck Strahl (from August 6) Minister of Labour Rona Ambrose (to January 19) Lisa Raitt (from January 19) Minister of Canadian Heritage – James Moore Minister of Citizenship and Immigration – Jason Kenney Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Chuck Strahl (to August 6) John Duncan (from August 6) Minister of Veterans Affairs Greg Thompson (to January 16) Jean-Pierre Blackburn (from January 19) Minister of Fisheries and Oceans – Gail Shea Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food – Gerry Ritz Minister of Public Works and Government Services Christian Paradis (to January 19) Rona Ambrose (from January 19) Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan (to January 19) Vic Toews (from January 19) President of the Treasury Board Vic Toews (to January 19) Stockwell Day (from January 19) Minister of Natural Resources Lisa Raitt (to January 19) Christian Paradis (from January 19) Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development – Diane Finley Minister of Western Economic Diversification Jim Prentice (to November 5) Rona Ambrose (from November 5) Minister for International Cooperation – Bev Oda See: 40th Canadian parliament = Liberal Party of Canada – Michael Ignatieff Conservative Party of Canada – Stephen Harper Bloc Québécois – Gilles Duceppe New Democratic Party – Jack Layton Green Party of Canada – Elizabeth May = Speaker of the Senate – Noël Kinsella Speaker of the House of Commons – Peter Milliken Governor of the Bank of Canada – Mark Carney Chief of the Defence Staff – General Walter J. Natynczyk = Chief Justice: Beverley McLachlin Marshall Rothstein Michel Bastarache William Ian Corneil Binnie Louis LeBel Marie Deschamps Morris Fish Louise Charron Rosalie Abella = Commissioner of Yukon Geraldine Van Bibber (to November 30) Doug Phillips (acting from November 30 to December 17; Commissioner thereafter) Commissioners of Northwest Territories Tony Whitford (to April 28) Margaret Thom (acting) George Tuccaro (from May 28) Commissioners of Nunavut Ann Meekitjuk Hanson (to April 10) Nellie Kusugak (acting) Edna Elias (from May 31) = Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Norman Kwong (to May 11) Donald Ethell (from May 11) Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Steven Point Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Philip S. Lee Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Graydon Nicholas Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador – John Crosbie Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Mayann Francis Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – David Onley Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Barbara Hagerman Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Pierre Duchesne Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Gordon Barnhart = Premier of Alberta – Ed Stelmach Premier of British Columbia – Gordon Campbell Premier of Manitoba – Greg Selinger Premier of New Brunswick Shawn Graham (to October 12) David Alward (from October 12) Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Danny Williams (to December 3) Kathy Dunderdale (from December 3) Premier of Nova Scotia – Darrell Dexter Premier of Ontario – Dalton McGuinty Premier of Prince Edward Island – Robert Ghiz Premier of Quebec – Jean Charest Premier of Saskatchewan – Brad Wall Premier of the Northwest Territories – Floyd Roland Premier of Nunavut – Eva Aariak Premier of Yukon – Dennis Fentie see also list of mayors in Canada Calgary – Dave Bronconnier Charlottetown – Clifford J. Lee Edmonton – Stephen Mandel Fredericton – Brad Woodside Halifax – Peter J. Kelly Iqaluit – Elisapee Sheutiapik then Madeleine Redfern Ottawa – Larry O'Brien then Jim Watson Quebec City – Régis Labeaume Regina – Pat Fiacco St. John's – Dennis O'Keefe Toronto – David Miller then Rob Ford Vancouver – Gregor Robertson Victoria – Dean Fortin Whitehorse – Bev Buckway Winnipeg – Sam Katz Yellowknife – Gordon Van Tighem Roman Catholic Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada – Cardinal Archbishop Marc Ouellet Roman Catholic Archbishop of Montreal – Cardinal Archbishop Jean-Claude Turcotte Roman Catholic Bishops of London – Bishop Ronald Peter Fabbro Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto – Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada – Fred Hiltz Moderator of the United Church of Canada – David Giuliano Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada – Wilma Welsh National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada – Raymond Schultz Michael Grant, 12th Baron de Longueuil

25667975

List of international organization leaders in 2010

2010-01-03 18:56:41+00:00

The following is a list of international organization leaders in 2010.

25642741

List of state leaders in 2010

2010-01-01 07:09:08+00:00

This is a list of heads of state, heads of governments, and other rulers in the year 2010. Algeria President – Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria (1999–2019) Prime Minister – Ahmed Ouyahia, Prime Minister of Algeria (2008–2012) Angola President – José Eduardo dos Santos, President of Angola (1979–2017) Prime Minister – Paulo Kassoma, Prime Minister of Angola (2008–2010) Benin President – Thomas Boni Yayi, President of Benin (2006–2016) Botswana President – Ian Khama, President of Botswana (2008–2018) Burkina Faso President – Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso (1987–2014) Prime Minister – Tertius Zongo, Prime Minister of Burkina Faso (2007–2011) Burundi President – Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Burundi (2005–2020) Cameroon President – Paul Biya, President of Cameroon (1982–present) Prime Minister – Philémon Yang, Prime Minister of Cameroon (2009–2019) Cape Verde President – Pedro Pires, President of Cape Verde (2001–2011) Prime Minister – José Maria Neves, Prime Minister of Cape Verde (2001–2016) Central African Republic President – François Bozizé, President of the Central African Republic (2003–2013) Prime Minister – Faustin-Archange Touadéra, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (2008–2013) Chad President – Idriss Déby, President of Chad (1990–2021) Prime Minister – Youssouf Saleh Abbas, Prime Minister of Chad (2008–2010) Emmanuel Nadingar, Prime Minister of Chad (2010–2013) Comoros President – Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, President of the Comoros (2006–2011) Congo–Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo) President – Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo (1997–present) Congo–Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) President – Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2001–2019) Prime Minister – Adolphe Muzito, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2008–2012) Djibouti President – Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti (1999–present) Prime Minister – Dileita Mohamed Dileita, Prime Minister of Djibouti (2001–2013) Egypt President – Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt (1981–2011) Prime Minister – Ahmed Nazif, Prime Minister of Egypt (2004–2011) Equatorial Guinea President – Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea (1979–present) Prime Minister – Ignacio Milam Tang, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (2008–2012) Eritrea President – Isaias Afwerki, President of Eritrea (1991–present)  Ethiopia President – Girma Wolde-Giorgis, President of Ethiopia (2001–2013) Prime Minister – Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (1995–2012) Gabon President – Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon (2009–2023) Prime Minister – Paul Biyoghé Mba, Prime Minister of Gabon (2009–2012) The Gambia President – Yahya Jammeh, President of the Gambia (1994–2017) Ghana President – John Atta Mills, President of Ghana (2009–2012) Guinea President – Sékouba Konaté, Acting President of Guinea (2009–2010) Alpha Condé, President of Guinea (2010–2021) Prime Minister – Kabiné Komara, Prime Minister of Guinea (2008–2010) Jean-Marie Doré, Prime Minister of Guinea (2010) Mohamed Said Fofana, Prime Minister of Guinea (2010–2015) Guinea-Bissau President – Malam Bacai Sanhá, President of Guinea-Bissau (2009–2012) Prime Minister – Carlos Gomes Júnior, Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau (2009–2012) Ivory Coast President – Laurent Gbagbo, President of the Ivory Coast (2000–2011; claimant, 2010–2011) Alassane Ouattara, President of the Ivory Coast (2010–present) Prime Minister – Guillaume Soro, Prime Minister of the Ivory Coast (2007–2012) Gilbert Aké, Prime Minister of the Ivory Coast (claimant, 2010–2011) Kenya President – Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya (2002–2013) Prime Minister – Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of Kenya (2008–2013) Lesotho Monarch – Letsie III, King of Lesotho (1996–present) Prime Minister – Pakalitha Mosisili, Prime Minister of Lesotho (1998–2012) Liberia President – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia (2006–2018) Libya De facto Head of State – Muammar Gaddafi, Guide of the Revolution of Libya (1969–2011) De jure Head of State – Imbarek Shamekh, General Secretary of the General People's Congress of Libya (2009–2010) Mohamed Abu al-Qasim al-Zwai, General Secretary of the General People's Congress of Libya (2010–2011) Prime Minister – Baghdadi Mahmudi, General Secretary of the General People's Committee of Libya (2006–2011) Madagascar the Third Republic was superseded on 11 December Head of State – Andry Rajoelina, President of the High Transitional Authority of Madagascar (2009–2014) Prime Minister – Albert Camille Vital, Prime Minister of Madagascar (2009–2011) Malawi President – Bingu wa Mutharika, President of Malawi (2004–2012) Mali President – Amadou Toumani Touré, President of Mali (2002–2012) Prime Minister – Modibo Sidibé, Prime Minister of Mali (2007–2011) Mauritania President – Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania (2009–2019) Prime Minister – Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, Prime Minister of Mauritania (2008–2014) Mauritius President – Sir Anerood Jugnauth, President of Mauritius (2003–2012) Prime Minister – Navin Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius (2005–2014) Mayotte (overseas collectivity of France) Prefect – Hubert Derache, Prefect of Mayotte (2009–2011) Head of Government – Ahmed Attoumani Douchina, President of the General Council of Mayotte (2008–2011) Morocco Monarch – Mohammed VI, King of Morocco (1999–present) Prime Minister – Abbas El Fassi, Prime Minister of Morocco (2007–2011) Western Sahara (self-declared, partially recognised state) President – Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of Western Sahara (1976–2016) Prime Minister – Abdelkader Taleb Omar, Prime Minister of Western Sahara (2003–2018) Mozambique President – Armando Guebuza, President of Mozambique (2005–2015) Prime Minister – Luísa Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique (2004–2010) Aires Ali, Prime Minister of Mozambique (2010–2012) Namibia President – Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of Namibia (2005–2015) Prime Minister – Nahas Angula, Prime Minister of Namibia (2005–2012) Niger Head of State – Mamadou Tandja, President of Niger (1999–2010) Salou Djibo, President of the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy of Niger (2010–2011) Prime Minister – Ali Badjo Gamatié, Prime Minister of Niger (2009–2010) Mahamadou Danda, Prime Minister of Niger (2010–2011) Nigeria President – Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, President of Nigeria (2007–2010) Goodluck Jonathan, President of Nigeria (2010–2015) Rwanda President – Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda (2000–present) Prime Minister – Bernard Makuza, Prime Minister of Rwanda (2000–2011) Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – Andrew Gurr, Governor of Saint Helena (2007–2011) São Tomé and Príncipe President – Fradique de Menezes, President of São Tomé and Príncipe (2003–2011) Prime Minister – Joaquim Rafael Branco, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (2008–2010) Patrice Trovoada, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (2010–2012) Senegal President – Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal (2000–2012) Prime Minister – Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye, Prime Minister of Senegal (2009–2012) Seychelles President – James Michel, President of Seychelles (2004–2016) Sierra Leone President – Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone (2007–2018) Somalia President – Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, President of Somalia (2009–2012) Prime Minister – Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, Prime Minister of Somalia (2009–2010) Abdiwahid Elmi Gonjeh, Acting Prime Minister of Somalia (2010) Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Prime Minister of Somalia (2010–2011) Somaliland (unrecognised, secessionist state) President – Dahir Riyale Kahin, President of Somaliland (2002–2010) Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud, President of Somaliland (2010–2017) Puntland (self-declared autonomous state) President – Abdirahman Farole, President of Puntland (2009–2014) South Africa President – Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa (2009–2018) Sudan President – Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan (1989–2019) Swaziland Monarch – Mswati III, King of Swaziland (1986–present) Prime Minister – Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, Prime Minister of Swaziland (2008–2018) Tanzania President – Jakaya Kikwete, President of Tanzania (2005–2015) Prime Minister – Mizengo Pinda, Prime Minister of Tanzania (2008–2015) Togo President – Faure Gnassingbé, President of Togo (2005–present) Prime Minister – Gilbert Houngbo, Prime Minister of Togo (2008–2012) Tunisia President – Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of Tunisia (1987–2011) Prime Minister – Mohamed Ghannouchi, Prime Minister of Tunisia (1999–2011) Uganda President – Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda (1986–present) Prime Minister – Apolo Nsibambi, Prime Minister of Uganda (1999–2011) Zambia President – Rupiah Banda, President of Zambia (2008–2011) Zimbabwe President – Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe (1987–2017) Prime Minister – Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (2009–2013) Afghanistan President – Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan (2002–2014) Bahrain Monarch – Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain (1999–present) Prime Minister – Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain (1970–2020)  Bangladesh President – Zillur Rahman, President of Bangladesh (2009–2013) Prime Minister – Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (2009–present) Bhutan Monarch – Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, King of Bhutan (2006–present) Prime Minister – Jigme Thinley, Prime Minister of Bhutan (2008–2013) Brunei Monarch – Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei (1967–present)  Prime Minister – Hassanal Bolkiah, Prime Minister of Brunei (1984–present) Cambodia Monarch – Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia (2004–present) Prime Minister – Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia (1985–2023)  China (People's Republic of China) Communist Party Leader – Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (2002–2012) President – Hu Jintao, President of China (2003–2013) Premier – Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of China (2003–2013) East Timor President – José Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor (2007–2012) Prime Minister – Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of East Timor (2007–2015) India President – Pratibha Patil, President of India (2007–2012) Prime Minister – Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India (2004–2014) Indonesia President – Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia (2004–2014) Iran Supreme Leader – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran (1989–present) President – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran (2005–2013) Iraq Head of State – Presidency Council of Iraq  Members – Jalal Talabani (2006–2010; President of Iraq, 2006–2010), and Adil Abdul-Mahdi and Tariq al-Hashimi (2006–2010) Jalal Talabani, President of Iraq (2010–2014) Prime Minister – Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq (2006–2014) Israel President – Shimon Peres, President of Israel (2007–2014) Prime Minister – Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel (2009–2021) Palestinian National Authority (non-state administrative authority) President – Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority (in the West Bank) (2005–present) Prime Minister – Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority (in the West Bank) (2007–2013) Gaza Strip (rebelling against the Palestinian National Authority, in the West Bank) President – Aziz Duwaik, Acting President of the Palestinian National Authority (in the Gaza Strip) (2009–2014) Prime Minister – Ismail Haniyeh, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority (in the Gaza Strip) (2007–2014) Japan Monarch – Akihito, Emperor of Japan (1989–2019) Prime Minister – Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan (2009–2010) Naoto Kan, Prime Minister of Japan (2010–2011) Jordan Monarch – Abdullah II, King of Jordan (1999–present) Prime Minister – Samir Rifai, Prime Minister of Jordan (2009–2011) Kazakhstan President – Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan (1990–2019)  Prime Minister – Karim Massimov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (2007–2012) North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Communist Party Leader – Kim Jong-il, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (1997–2011) De facto Head of State – Kim Jong-il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea  (1993–2011) De jure Head of State – Kim Yong-nam, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea (1998–2019) Premier – Kim Yong-il, Premier of the Cabinet of North Korea (2007–2010) Choe Yong-rim, Premier of the Cabinet of North Korea (2010–2013) South Korea (Republic of Korea) President – Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea (2008–2013) Prime Minister – Chung Un-chan, Prime Minister of South Korea (2009–2010) Yoon Jeung-hyun, Acting Prime Minister of South Korea (2010) Kim Hwang-sik, Prime Minister of South Korea (2010–2013) Kuwait Monarch – Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (2006–2020) Prime Minister – Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait (2006–2011) Kyrgyzstan President – Kurmanbek Bakiyev, President of Kyrgyzstan (2005–2010) Roza Otunbayeva, President of Kyrgyzstan (2010–2011) Prime Minister – Daniar Usenov, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan (2009–2010) Roza Otunbayeva, Acting Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan (2010) Almazbek Atambayev, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan (2010–2011) Laos Communist Party Leader – Choummaly Sayasone, General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (2006–2016) President – Choummaly Sayasone, President of Laos (2006–2016) Prime Minister – Bouasone Bouphavanh, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Laos (2006–2010) Thongsing Thammavong, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Laos (2010–2016) Lebanon President – Michel Suleiman, President of Lebanon (2008–2014) Prime Minister – Saad Hariri, President of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon (2009–2011) Malaysia Monarch – Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (2006–2011) Prime Minister – Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia (2009–2018) Maldives President – Mohamed Nasheed, President of the Maldives (2008–2012) Mongolia President – Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Mongolia (2009–2017) Prime Minister – Sükhbaataryn Batbold, Prime Minister of Mongolia (2009–2012) Myanmar Head of State – Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar (1992–2011) Prime Minister – Thein Sein, Prime Minister of Myanmar (2007–2011) Nepal President – Ram Baran Yadav, President of Nepal (2008–2015) Prime Minister – Madhav Kumar Nepal, Prime Minister of Nepal (2009–2011) Oman Monarch – Qaboos bin Said al Said, Sultan of Oman (1970–2020) Prime Minister – Qaboos bin Said al Said, Prime Minister of Oman (1972–2020) Pakistan President – Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan (2008–2013) Prime Minister – Yousaf Raza Gillani, Prime Minister of Pakistan (2008–2012) Philippines President – Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines (2001–2010) Benigno Aquino, President of the Philippines (2010–2016) Qatar Monarch – Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar (1995–2013) Prime Minister – Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar (2007–2013) Saudi Arabia Monarch – Abdullah, King of Saudi Arabia (2005–2015) Prime Minister – Abdullah, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia (2005–2015) Singapore President – S. R. Nathan, President of Singapore (1999–2011) Prime Minister – Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore (2004–2024) Sri Lanka President – Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka (2005–2015) Prime Minister – Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (2005–2010) D. M. Jayaratne, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (2010–2015) Syria President – Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria (2000–present) Prime Minister – Muhammad Naji al-Otari, Prime Minister of Syria (2003–2011) Taiwan (Republic of China) President – Ma Ying-jeou, President of Taiwan (2008–2016) Premier – Wu Den-yih, President of the Executive Yuan of Taiwan (2009–2012) Tajikistan President – Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan (1992–present) Prime Minister – Oqil Oqilov, Prime Minister of Tajikistan (1999–2013) Thailand Monarch – Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand (1946–2016) Prime Minister – Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of Thailand (2008–2011) Turkey President – Abdullah Gül, President of Turkey (2007–2014) Prime Minister – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey (2003–2014) Turkmenistan President – Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, President of Turkmenistan (2006–2022) United Arab Emirates President – Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (2004–2022) Prime Minister – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (2006–present) Uzbekistan President – Islam Karimov, President of Uzbekistan (1990–2016)  Prime Minister – Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan (2003–2016) Vietnam Communist Party Leader – Nông Đức Mạnh, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (2001–2011) President – Nguyễn Minh Triết, President of Vietnam (2006–2011) Prime Minister – Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, Prime Minister of Vietnam (2006–2016) Yemen President – Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of Yemen (1978–2012)  Prime Minister – Ali Muhammad Mujawar, Prime Minister of Yemen (2007–2011) Albania President – Bamir Topi, President of Albania (2007–2012) Prime Minister – Sali Berisha, Prime Minister of Albania (2005–2013) Andorra Monarchs – French Co-Prince – Nicolas Sarkozy, French Co-prince of Andorra (2007–2012) Co-Prince's Representative – Christian Frémont (2008–2012) Episcopal Co-Prince – Archbishop Joan Enric Vives Sicília, Episcopal Co-prince of Andorra (2003–present) Co-Prince's Representative – Nemesi Marqués Oste (1993–2012) Prime Minister – Jaume Bartumeu, Head of Government of Andorra (2009–2011) Armenia President – Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia (2008–2018) Prime Minister – Tigran Sargsyan, Prime Minister of Armenia (2008–2014) Austria President – Heinz Fischer, Federal President of Austria (2004–2016) Chancellor – Werner Faymann, Federal Chancellor of Austria (2008–2016) Azerbaijan President – Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan (2003–present) Prime Minister – Artur Rasizade, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan (2003–2018) Nagorno-Karabakh (unrecognised, secessionist state) President – Bako Sahakyan, President of Nagorno-Karabakh (2007–2020) Prime Minister – Arayik Harutyunyan, Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh (2007–2017) Belarus President – Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus (1994–present) Prime Minister – Sergei Sidorsky, Prime Minister of Belarus (2003–2010) Mikhail Myasnikovich, Prime Minister of Belarus (2010–2014) Belgium Monarch – Albert II, King of the Belgians (1993–2013) Prime Minister – Yves Leterme, Prime Minister of Belgium (2009–2011) Bosnia and Herzegovina Head of State – Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Serb Member – Nebojša Radmanović (2006–2014; Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010–2011) Bosniak Member – Haris Silajdžić (2006–2010; Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010) Bakir Izetbegović (2010–2018) Croat Member – Željko Komšić (2006–2014; Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009–2010) Prime Minister – Nikola Špirić, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2007–2012) High Representative – Valentin Inzko, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2009–2021) Bulgaria President – Georgi Parvanov, President of Bulgaria (2002–2012) Prime Minister – Boyko Borisov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria (2009–2013) Croatia President – Stjepan Mesić, President of Croatia (2000–2010) Ivo Josipović, President of Croatia (2010–2015) Prime Minister – Jadranka Kosor, Prime Minister of Croatia (2009–2011) Cyprus President – Demetris Christofias, President of Cyprus (2008–2013) Northern Cyprus (unrecognised, secessionist state) President – Mehmet Ali Talat, President of Northern Cyprus (2005–2010) Derviş Eroğlu, President of Northern Cyprus (2010–2015) Prime Minister – Derviş Eroğlu, Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus (2009–2010) Hüseyin Özgürgün, Acting Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus (2010) İrsen Küçük, Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus (2010–2013) Czech Republic President – Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic (2003–2013) Prime Minister – Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (2009–2010) Petr Nečas, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (2010–2013) Denmark Monarch – Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark (1972–2024) Prime Minister – Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark (2009–2011) Estonia President – Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia (2006–2016) Prime Minister – Andrus Ansip, Prime Minister of Estonia (2005–2014) Finland President – Tarja Halonen, President of Finland (2000–2012) Prime Minister – Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland (2003–2010) Mari Kiviniemi, Prime Minister of Finland (2010–2011) France President – Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France (2007–2012) Prime Minister – François Fillon, Prime Minister of France (2007–2012) Georgia President – Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia (2008–2013) Prime Minister – Nika Gilauri, Prime Minister of Georgia (2009–2012) Abkhazia (partially recognised, secessionist state) President – Sergei Bagapsh, President of Abkhazia (2005–2011) Prime Minister – Aleksander Ankvab, Prime Minister of Abkhazia (2005–2010) Sergei Shamba, Prime Minister of Abkhazia (2010–2011) South Ossetia (partially recognised, secessionist state) President – Eduard Kokoity, President of South Ossetia (2001–2011) Prime Minister – Vadim Brovtsev, Prime Minister of South Ossetia (2009–2012) Germany President – Horst Köhler, Federal President of Germany (2004–2010) Jens Böhrnsen, Acting Federal President of Germany (2010) Christian Wulff, Federal President of Germany (2010–2012) Chancellor – Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of Germany (2005–2021) Greece President – Karolos Papoulias, President of Greece (2005–2015) Prime Minister – George Papandreou, Prime Minister of Greece (2009–2011) Hungary President – László Sólyom, President of Hungary (2005–2010) Pál Schmitt, President of Hungary (2010–2012) Prime Minister – Gordon Bajnai, Prime Minister of Hungary (2009–2010) Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary (2010–present) Iceland President – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland (1996–2016) Prime Minister – Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland (2009–2013) Ireland President – Mary McAleese, President of Ireland (1997–2011) Prime Minister – Brian Cowen, Taoiseach of Ireland (2008–2011) Italy President – Giorgio Napolitano, President of Italy (2006–2015) Prime Minister – Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy (2008–2011) Latvia President – Valdis Zatlers, President of Latvia (2007–2011) Prime Minister – Valdis Dombrovskis, Prime Minister of Latvia (2009–2014) Liechtenstein Monarch – Hans-Adam II, Prince Regnant of Liechtenstein (1989–present) Regent – Hereditary Prince Alois, Regent of Liechtenstein (2004–present) Prime Minister – Klaus Tschütscher, Head of Government of Liechtenstein (2009–2013) Lithuania President – Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of Lithuania (2009–2019) Prime Minister – Andrius Kubilius, Prime Minister of Lithuania (2008–2012) Luxembourg Monarch – Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (2000–present) Prime Minister – Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1995–2013) Republic of Macedonia President – Gjorge Ivanov, President of the Republic of Macedonia (2009–2019) Prime Minister – Nikola Gruevski, President of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia (2006–2016) Malta President – George Abela, President of Malta (2009–2014) Prime Minister – Lawrence Gonzi, Prime Minister of Malta (2004–2013) Moldova President – Mihai Ghimpu, Acting President of Moldova (2009–2010) Vlad Filat, Acting President of Moldova (2010) Marian Lupu, Acting President of Moldova (2010–2012) Prime Minister – Vlad Filat, Prime Minister of Moldova (2009–2013) Transnistria (unrecognised, secessionist state) President – Igor Smirnov, President of Transnistria (1990–2011)  Monaco Monarch – Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco (2005–present) Prime Minister – Jean-Paul Proust, Minister of State of Monaco (2005–2010) Michel Roger, Minister of State of Monaco (2010–2015) Montenegro President – Filip Vujanović, President of Montenegro (2003–2018)  Prime Minister – Milo Đukanović, President of the Government of Montenegro (2008–2010) Igor Lukšić, President of the Government of Montenegro (2010–2012) Kingdom of the Netherlands Monarch – Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands (1980–2013) Netherlands (constituent country) Prime Minister – Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2002–2010) Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2010–2024) Netherlands Antilles (constituent country) see § North America Aruba (constituent country) see § North America Curaçao (constituent country) see § North America Sint Maarten (constituent country) see § North America Norway Monarch – Harald V, King of Norway (1991–present) Prime Minister – Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway (2005–2013) Poland President – Lech Kaczyński, President of Poland (2005–2010) Bronisław Komorowski, Acting President of Poland (2010) Bogdan Borusewicz, Acting President of Poland (2010) Grzegorz Schetyna, Acting President of Poland (2010) Bronisław Komorowski, President of Poland (2010–2015) Prime Minister – Donald Tusk, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Poland (2007–2014) Portugal President – Aníbal Cavaco Silva, President of Portugal (2006–2016) Prime Minister – José Sócrates, Prime Minister of Portugal (2005–2011) Romania President – Traian Băsescu, President of Romania (2004–2014) Prime Minister – Emil Boc, Prime Minister of Romania (2008–2012) Russia President – Dmitry Medvedev, President of Russia (2008–2012) Prime Minister – Vladimir Putin, Chairman of the Government of Russia (2008–2012) San Marino Captains-Regent – Francesco Mussoni and Stefano Palmieri, Captains Regent of San Marino (2009–2010) Marco Conti and Glauco Sansovini, Captains Regent of San Marino (2010) Giovanni Francesco Ugolini and Andrea Zafferani, Captains Regent of San Marino (2010–2011) Serbia President – Boris Tadić, President of Serbia (2004–2012)  Prime Minister – Mirko Cvetković, President of the Government of Serbia (2008–2012) Kosovo (partially recognised, secessionist state; under nominal international administration) President – Fatmir Sejdiu, President of Kosovo (2006–2010)  Jakup Krasniqi, Acting President of Kosovo (2010–2011) Prime Minister – Hashim Thaçi, Prime Minister of Kosovo (2008–2014) UN Special Representative – Lamberto Zannier, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Kosovo (2008–2011) Slovakia President – Ivan Gašparovič, President of Slovakia (2004–2014) Prime Minister – Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia (2006–2010) Iveta Radičová, Prime Minister of Slovakia (2010–2012) Slovenia President – Danilo Türk, President of Slovenia (2007–2012) Prime Minister – Borut Pahor, Prime Minister of Slovenia (2008–2012) Spain Monarch – Juan Carlos I, King of Spain (1975–2014) Prime Minister – José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, President of the Government of Spain (2004–2011) Sweden Monarch – Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden (1973–present) Prime Minister – Fredrik Reinfeldt, Prime Minister of Sweden (2006–2014) Switzerland Council – Federal Council of Switzerland  Members – Moritz Leuenberger (1995–2010), Micheline Calmy-Rey (2003–2011), Hans-Rudolf Merz (2004–2010), Doris Leuthard (2006–2018; President of Switzerland, 2010), Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (2008–2015), Ueli Maurer (2009–2022), Didier Burkhalter (2009–2017), Johann Schneider-Ammann (2010–2018), and Simonetta Sommaruga (2010–2022) Ukraine President – Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine (2005–2010) Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine (2010–2014) Prime Minister – Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine (2007–2010) Oleksandr Turchynov, Acting Prime Minister of Ukraine (2010) Mykola Azarov, Prime Minister of Ukraine (2010–2014) United Kingdom Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom (1952–2022) Prime Minister – Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2007–2010) David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2010–2016) Isle of Man (Crown dependency of the United Kingdom) Lieutenant-Governor – Sir Paul Haddacks, Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man (2005–2011) Chief Minister – Tony Brown, Chief Minister of the Isle of Man (2006–2011) Guernsey (Crown dependency of the United Kingdom) Lieutenant-Governor – Sir Fabian Malbon, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (2005–2011) Chief Minister – Lyndon Trott, Chief Minister of Guernsey (2008–2012) Jersey (Crown dependency of the United Kingdom) Lieutenant-Governor – Andrew Ridgway, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (2006–2011) Chief Minister – Terry Le Sueur, Chief Minister of Jersey (2008–2011) Gibraltar (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – Sir Adrian Johns, Governor of Gibraltar (2009–2013) Chief Minister – Peter Caruana, Chief Minister of Gibraltar (1996–2011) Vatican City Monarch – Pope Benedict XVI, Sovereign of Vatican City (2005–2013) Head of Government – Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, President of the Governorate of Vatican City (2006–2011) Holy See (sui generis subject of public international law) Secretary of State – Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Secretary of State (2006–2013) Anguilla (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – Alistair Harrison, Governor of Anguilla (2009–2013) Chief Minister – Osbourne Fleming, Chief Minister of Anguilla (2000–2010) Hubert Hughes, Chief Minister of Anguilla (2010–2015) Antigua and Barbuda Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Antigua and Barbuda (1981–2022) Governor-General – Dame Louise Lake-Tack, Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda (2007–2014) Prime Minister – Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda (2004–2014) Aruba (constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Governor – Fredis Refunjol, Governor of Aruba (2004–2016) Prime Minister – Mike Eman, Prime Minister of Aruba (2009–2017) The Bahamas Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of the Bahamas (1973–2022) Governor-General – Arthur Dion Hanna, Governor-General of the Bahamas (2006–2010) Sir Arthur Foulkes, Governor-General of the Bahamas (2010–2014) Prime Minister – Hubert Ingraham, Prime Minister of the Bahamas (2007–2012) Barbados Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados (1966–2021) Governor-General – Sir Clifford Husbands, Governor-General of Barbados (1996–2011) Prime Minister – David Thompson, Prime Minister of Barbados (2008–2010) Freundel Stuart, Prime Minister of Barbados (2010–2018) Belize Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Belize (1981–2022) Governor-General – Sir Colville Young, Governor-General of Belize (1993–2021) Prime Minister – Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize (2008–2020) Bermuda (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – Sir Richard Gozney, Governor of Bermuda (2007–2012) Premier – Ewart Brown, Premier of Bermuda (2006–2010) Paula Cox, Premier of Bermuda (2010–2012) British Virgin Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – David Pearey, Governor of the British Virgin Islands (2006–2010) Vivian Inez Archibald, Acting Governor of the British Virgin Islands (2010) William Boyd McCleary, Governor of the British Virgin Islands (2010–2014) Premier – Ralph T. O'Neal, Premier of the British Virgin Islands (2007–2011) Canada Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada (1952–2022) Governor-General – Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada (2005–2010) David Johnston, Governor General of Canada (2010–2017) Prime Minister – Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada (2006–2015) Cayman Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – Donovan Ebanks, Acting Governor of the Cayman Islands (2009–2010) Duncan Taylor, Governor of the Cayman Islands (2010–2013) Premier – McKeeva Bush, Premier of the Cayman Islands (2009–2012) Costa Rica President – Óscar Arias, President of Costa Rica (2006–2010) Laura Chinchilla, President of Costa Rica (2010–2014) Cuba Communist Party Leader – Fidel Castro, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (1965–2011) Raúl Castro, Acting First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (2006–2011) President – Raúl Castro, President of the Council of State of Cuba (2008–2018) Prime Minister – Raúl Castro, President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba (2008–2018) Curaçao (constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) separately became a constituent country, with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, on 10 October Governor – Frits Goedgedrag, Governor of Curaçao (2010–2012) Prime Minister – Gerrit Schotte, Prime Minister of Curaçao (2010–2012) Dominica President – Nicholas Liverpool, President of Dominica (2003–2012) Prime Minister – Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica (2004–present) Dominican Republic President – Leonel Fernández, President of the Dominican Republic (2004–2012) El Salvador President – Mauricio Funes, President of El Salvador (2009–2014) Grenada Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Grenada (1974–2022) Governor-General – Sir Carlyle Glean, Governor-General of Grenada (2008–2013) Prime Minister – Tillman Thomas, Prime Minister of Grenada (2008–2013) Guatemala President – Álvaro Colom, President of Guatemala (2008–2012) Haiti President – René Préval, President of Haiti (2006–2011) Prime Minister – Jean-Max Bellerive, Prime Minister of Haiti (2009–2011) Honduras President – Roberto Micheletti, President of Honduras (2009–2010) Porfirio Lobo Sosa, President of Honduras (2010–2014) Jamaica Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Jamaica (1962–2022) Governor-General – Sir Patrick Allen, Governor-General of Jamaica (2009–present) Prime Minister – Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica (2007–2011) Mexico President – Felipe Calderón, President of Mexico (2006–2012) Montserrat (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – Peter Waterworth, Governor of Montserrat (2007–2011) Chief Minister – Reuben Meade, Chief Minister of Montserrat (2009–2014) Netherlands Antilles (constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) dissolved into both Curaçao and Sint Maarten on 10 October Governor – Frits Goedgedrag, Governor of the Netherlands Antilles (2002–2010) Prime Minister – Emily de Jongh-Elhage, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles (2006–2010) Nicaragua President – Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua (2007–present) Panama President – Ricardo Martinelli, President of Panama (2009–2014) Saint Barthélemy (overseas collectivity of France) Prefect – Jacques Simonnet, Prefect of Saint Barthélemy (2009–2011) Head of Government – Bruno Magras, President of the Territorial Council of Saint Barthélemy (2007–2022) Saint Kitts and Nevis Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983–2022) Governor-General – Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis (1996–2013) Prime Minister – Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis (1995–2015) Saint Lucia Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Saint Lucia (1979–2022) Governor-General – Dame Pearlette Louisy, Governor-General of Saint Lucia (1997–2017) Prime Minister – Stephenson King, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia (2007–2011) Saint Martin (overseas collectivity of France) Prefect – Jacques Simonnet, Prefect of Saint Martin (2009–2011) Head of Government – Frantz Gumbs, President of the Territorial Council of Saint Martin (2009–2012) Saint Pierre and Miquelon (overseas collectivity of France) Prefect – Jean-Régis Borius, Prefect of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (2009–2011) Head of Government – Stéphane Artano, President of the Territorial Council of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (2006–2017) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1979–2022) Governor-General – Sir Frederick Ballantyne, Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2002–2019) Prime Minister – Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2001–present) Sint Maarten (constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) separately became a constituent country, with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, on 10 October Governor – Eugene Holiday, Governor of Sint Maarten (2010–2022) Prime Minister – Sarah Wescot-Williams, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten (2010–2014) Trinidad and Tobago President – George Maxwell Richards, President of Trinidad and Tobago (2003–2013) Prime Minister – Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (2001–2010) Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (2010–2015) Turks and Caicos Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – Gordon Wetherell, Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands (2008–2011) United States President – Barack Obama, President of the United States (2009–2017) Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of the United States) Governor – Luis Fortuño, Governor of Puerto Rico (2009–2013) United States Virgin Islands (insular area of the United States) Governor – John de Jongh, Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (2007–2015) American Samoa (unorganised, unincorporated territory of the United States) Governor – Togiola Tulafono, Governor of American Samoa (2003–2013) Australia Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia (1952–2022) Governor-General – Quentin Bryce, Governor-General of Australia (2008–2014) Prime Minister – Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia (2007–2010) Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia (2010–2013) Christmas Island (external territory of Australia) Administrator – Brian Lacy, Administrator of Christmas Island (2009–2012) Shire-President – Gordon Thomson, Shire president of Christmas Island (2003–2011) Cocos (Keeling) Islands (external territory of Australia) Administrator – Brian Lacy, Administrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2009–2012) Shire-President – Balmut Pirus, Shire president of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2009–2011) Norfolk Island (self-governing territory of Australia) Administrator – Owen Walsh, Administrator of Norfolk Island (2007–2012) Chief Minister – Andre Nobbs, Chief Minister of Norfolk Island (2007–2010) David Buffett, Chief Minister of Norfolk Island (2010–2013) Fiji President – Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, President of Fiji (2009–2015) Prime Minister – Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji (2007–2022) French Polynesia (overseas collectivity of France) High Commissioner – Adolphe Colrat, High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia (2008–2011) President – Gaston Tong Sang, President of French Polynesia (2009–2011) Guam (insular area of the United States) Governor – Felix Perez Camacho, Governor of Guam (2003–2011) Kiribati President – Anote Tong, President of Kiribati (2003–2016) Marshall Islands President – Jurelang Zedkaia, President of the Marshall Islands (2009–2012) Micronesia President – Manny Mori, President of Micronesia (2007–2015) Nauru President – Marcus Stephen, President of Nauru (2007–2011) New Caledonia (sui generis collectivity of France) High Commissioner – Yves Dassonville, High Commissioner of New Caledonia (2007–2010) Thierry Suquet, Acting High Commissioner of New Caledonia (2010) Albert Dupuy, High Commissioner of New Caledonia (2010–2013) Head of Government – Philippe Gomès, President of the Government of New Caledonia (2009–2011) New Zealand Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand (1952–2022) Governor-General – Sir Anand Satyanand, Governor-General of New Zealand (2006–2011) Prime Minister – John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand (2008–2016) Cook Islands (associated state of New Zealand) Queen's Representative – Sir Frederick Tutu Goodwin, Queen's Representative of the Cook Islands (2001–2013) Prime Minister – Jim Marurai, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (2004–2010) Henry Puna, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (2010–2020) Niue (associated state of New Zealand) Premier – Toke Talagi, Premier of Niue (2008–2020) Tokelau (dependent territory of New Zealand) Administrator – John Allen, Acting Administrator of Tokelau (2009–2011) Head of Government – Foua Toloa, Head of Government of Tokelau (2009–2010) Kuresa Nasau, Head of Government of Tokelau (2010–2011) Northern Mariana Islands (Commonwealth of the United States) Governor – Benigno Fitial, Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands (2006–2013) Palau President – Johnson Toribiong, President of Palau (2009–2013) Papua New Guinea Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Papua New Guinea (1975–2022) Governor-General – Sir Paulias Matane, Governor-General of Papua New Guinea (2004–2010) Jeffrey Nape, Acting Governor-General of Papua New Guinea (2010) Michael Ogio, Acting Governor-General of Papua New Guinea (2010–2011) Prime Minister – Sir Michael Somare, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (2002–2010) Sam Abal, Acting Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (2010–2011) Pitcairn Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – George Fergusson, Governor of the Pitcairn Islands (2006–2010) Mike Cherrett, Acting Governor of the Pitcairn Islands (2010) Victoria Treadell, Governor of the Pitcairn Islands (2010–2014) Mayor – Mike Warren, Mayor of the Pitcairn Islands (2008–2013) Samoa Head of State – Tufuga Efi, O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa (2007–2017) Prime Minister – Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of Samoa (1998–2021) Solomon Islands Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of the Solomon Islands (1978–2022) Governor-General – Sir Frank Kabui, Governor-General of the Solomon Islands (2009–2019) Prime Minister – Derek Sikua, Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands (2007–2010) Danny Philip, Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands (2010–2011) Tonga Monarch – George Tupou V, King of Tonga (2006–2012) Prime Minister – Feleti Sevele, Prime Minister of Tonga (2006–2010) Sialeʻataongo Tuʻivakanō, Prime Minister of Tonga (2010–2014) Tuvalu Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of Tuvalu (1978–2022) Governor-General – Sir Filoimea Telito, Governor-General of Tuvalu (2005–2010) Iakoba Italeli, Governor-General of Tuvalu (2010–2019) Prime Minister – Apisai Ielemia, Prime Minister of Tuvalu (2006–2010) Maatia Toafa, Prime Minister of Tuvalu (2010) Willy Telavi, Prime Minister of Tuvalu (2010–2013) Vanuatu President – Iolu Abil, President of Vanuatu (2009–2014) Prime Minister – Edward Natapei, Prime Minister of Vanuatu (2008–2010) Sato Kilman, Prime Minister of Vanuatu (2010–2011) Wallis and Futuna (overseas collectivity of France) Administrator – Philippe Paolantoni, Administrator Superior of Wallis and Futuna (2008–2010) Michel Jeanjean, Administrator Superior of Wallis and Futuna (2010–2013) Head of Government – Victor Brial, President of the Territorial Assembly of Wallis and Futuna (2007–2010) Siliako Lauhea, President of the Territorial Assembly of Wallis and Futuna (2010–2011) Argentina President – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina (2007–2015) Bolivia President – Evo Morales, President of Bolivia (2006–2019) Brazil President – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil (2003–2010) Chile President – Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile (2006–2010) Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile (2010–2014) Colombia President – Álvaro Uribe, President of Colombia (2002–2010) Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia (2010–2018) Ecuador President – Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador (2007–2017) Falkland Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) Governor – Alan Huckle, Governor of the Falkland Islands (2006–2010) Ric Nye, Acting Governor of the Falkland Islands (2010) Nigel Haywood, Governor of the Falkland Islands (2010–2014) Guyana President – Bharrat Jagdeo, President of Guyana (1999–2011) Prime Minister – Sam Hinds, Prime Minister of Guyana (1999–2015) Paraguay President – Fernando Lugo, President of Paraguay (2008–2012) Peru President – Alan García, President of Peru (2006–2011) Prime Minister – Javier Velásquez, President of the Council of Ministers of Peru (2009–2010) José Antonio Chang, President of the Council of Ministers of Peru (2010–2011) Suriname President – Ronald Venetiaan, President of Suriname (2000–2010) Dési Bouterse, President of Suriname (2010–2020) Uruguay President – Tabaré Vázquez, President of Uruguay (2005–2010) José Mujica, President of Uruguay (2010–2015) Venezuela President – Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela (2002–2013)

26491642

21st Ankara International Film Festival

2010-03-09 23:06:13+00:00

The 21st Ankara International Film Festival was a film festival held in Ankara, Turkey that ran from March 11 to 21, 2010. This edition of the Ankara Film Festival, organized by The World Mass Media Research Foundation and accredited by FIPRESCI, opened with a gala on the evening of March 10 at the Presidential Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall, at which the foundation special awards were presented, and closed with a screening of The Dust of Time (Greek: Η Σκόνη του Χρόνου) directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos. 11 films competed in the National Feature Competition, 28 films competed in the National Short Film Competition under fiction, experimental and animation categories and 17 films competed in the National Documentary Film Competition under amateur and professional categories. The festival films were shown at three venues, including Batı Movie Theaters, German Cultural Center and Çankata Municipality Contemporary Arts Center with the final awards being given out in a ceremony held at the Presidential Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall. Among the filmmakers who were present to present their films at the festival were Siddiq Barmak, Aslı Özge and Aku Louhimies. = Aziz Nesin Endeavour Award: Turkish actress Filiz Akın Mass Media Award: NTV culture and art programme Gece Gündüz produced and presented by Yekta Kopan Oak of Art Award: Turkish poet Gülten Akın = Best Film Award: Men on the Bridge (Turkish: Köprüdekiler) directed by Aslı Özge Best Movie Director Award: Pelin Esmer for 10 to 11 (Turkish: 11'e 10 Kala) Best Leading Actor Award: Mert Fırat for Love in Another Language (Turkish: Başka Dilde Aşk) Best Leading Actress Award: Saadet Işıl Aksoy for Love in Another Language (Turkish: Başka Dilde Aşk) Best Supporting Actor Award: Volga Sorgu for Black Dogs Barking (Turkish: Kara Köpekler Havlarken) Best Supporting Actress Award: Selen Uçar for A Step into the Darkness (Turkish: Büyük Oyun) Best Screenplay Award: Pelin Esmer for 10 to 11 (Turkish: 11'e 10 Kala) Cinema Writers Association Best Film Award: Black Dogs Barking (Turkish: Kara Köpekler Havlarken) directed by Mehmet Bahadır Er and Maryna Gorbach Mahmut Tali Öngören Special Award: On the Way to School (Turkish: İki Dil Bir Bavul) directed by Orhan Eskiköy and Özgür Doğan = Best Documentary Film Award: Prison No 5: 1980–1984 (Turkish: 5 Nolu Cezaevi: 1980–84) directed by Çayan Demirel Runner-up: The Children of September (Turkish: Eylül Çocukları) directed by Meltem Öztürk and Hülya Karcı = Films in Competition 10 to 11 (Turkish: 11'e 10 Kala) directed by Pelin Esmer. Black Dogs Barking (Turkish: Kara Köpekler Havlarken) directed by Mehmet Bahadır Er and Maryna Gorbach. How Are You? (Turkish: Kako Si?) directed by Özlem Akovalıgil. Love in Another Language (Turkish: Başka Dilde Aşk) directed by İlksen Başarır. Men On The Bridge (Turkish: Köprüdekiler) directed by Aslı Özge. On the Way to School (Turkish: İki Dil Bir Bavul) directed by Orhan Eskiköy. The Pain (Turkish: Acı) directed by Cemal Şan. Piano Girl (Turkish: Deli Deli Olma) directed by Murat Saraçoğlu. The Ringing Ball (Turkish: Çıngıraklı Top) directed by M. Egemen Ertürk. A Step into the Darkness (Turkish: Büyük Oyun) directed by Atıl İnaç. There (Turkish: Orada) directed by Hakkı Kurtuluş and Melik Saraçoğlu. = The Hopeless (Turkish: Umutsuzlar) directed by Yılmaz Güney. The Crab Game (Turkish: Yengeç Oyunu) directed by Ali Özgentürk. = National Documentary Film Competition Jury Hakan Aytekin Hacı Mehmet Duranoğlu Yaprak İşçibaşı Özgür Şeyben Mutlu Binark Amateur Films in Competition Baghdad (Turkish: Bağdat) directed by Berrak Samur On the Coast (Turkish: Bu Sahilde) directed by Merve Kayan and Zeynep Dadak The Silence Time (Turkish: Dema Bêzar) directed by Çiğdem Mazlum and Sertaç Yıldız The Wall (Turkish: Duvar) directed by Emre Karadaş and Deniz Oğuzsoy A Fatal Dress: Polygamy (Turkish: Kirasê Mirinê: Hewîtî) directed by Müjde Arslan The Song Of Romeika (Turkish: Romeyika'nın Türküsü) directed by Yeliz Karakütük The Cling (Turkish: Tutunmak) directed by Musa Ak The Colors of Zilan (Turkish: Zilan’ ın Renkleri) directed by Nagihan Çakar Professional Films in Competition Prison No 5: 1980–1984 (Turkish: 5 Nolu Cezaevi: 1980–84) directed by Çayan Demirel The Children of September (Turkish: Eylül Çocukları) directed by Meltem Öztürk and Hülya Karcı Bullet and Pen (Turkish: Kurşun Kalem) directed by Mustafa Ünlü Lady Mukhtar (Turkish: Lady Muhtar) directed by Didem Şahin Miraz directed by Rodi Yüzbaşı An Argonaut in Ordu (Turkish: Ordu’da Bir Argonot) directed by Rüya Arzu Köksal Silicosis (Turkish: Silikozis) directed by Ethem Özgüven, Petra Holzer and Selçuk Erzurumlu The Last Season: Shawaks (Turkish: Demsala Dawî: Şewaxan) directed by Kazim Öz Coffee Futures (Turkish: Neyse Halim Çıksın Falim) directed by Zeynep Devrim Gürsel = 4857 directed by Ethem Özgüven, Petra Holzer and Selçuk Erzurumlu Thoughts on the Cinema of Halit Refiğ (Turkish: Halit Refiğ Sineması Üzerine Düşünceler) directed by Çetin Tunca. Istanbul Is Naked (Turkish: İstanbul Çıplak) directed by Zafer Biçen. Leyla and Mecnun Abroad (Turkish: Leyla en Mecnun in den vreemde) directed by Zeynep Özkaya. Memduh Ün: Big World Of Small People (Turkish: Memduh Ün: Küçük İnsanların Büyük Dünyası) directed by Çetin Tunca. The Losers (Turkish: Kaybedenler) directed by Gül Büyükbeşe Muyan. Passion of Metin Erksan (Turkish: Metin Erksan’ın Tutkusu) directed by Sadık Battal. = Power and Rebellion was selected as the basic theme of the festival in order, according to the organisers, to bring up the need for an uprise to the public agenda of the public, and because, In an era of uncertainty and abdication like today, we all need to watch these films and then think about our future once again. The Commute (Spanish: El Tránsito) directed by Elías León Siminiani. Rabbit à la Berlin (Polish: Królik po Berlinsku) directed by Bartosz Konopka. Living on Your Feet: The Struggles of Cipriano Mera (Spanish: Vivir de Pie: Las Guerras de Cipriano Mera) directed by Valentí Figueres. Confessions of an Economic Hitman directed by Stelios Kouloglou. Kavalar - The White Zone (German: Kavalar - Die Weisse Zone) directed by Ralf Küster. Stammheim (German: Stammheim - Die Baader-Meinhof-Gruppe vor Gericht) directed by Reinhard Hauff. If.... directed by Lindsay Anderson. Burn! (Italian: Queimada) directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. Red Psalm (Hungarian: Még kér a nép) directed by Miklós Jancsó. United Red Army (Japanese: 実録・連合赤軍 あさま山荘への道程) directed by Kôji Wakamatsu. Rosa Luxemburg directed by Margarethe von Trotta. Entranced Earth (Portuguese: Terra em Transe) directed by Glauber Rocha. Viva Maria! directed by Louis Malle. = The Masters programme exhibited new works by the world's most established and renowned filmmakers such as Robert Guédiguian, Theodoros Angelopoulos, Costa-Gavras, Michael Haneke. Achilles and the Tortoise (Japanese: アキレスと亀) directed by Takeshi Kitano. The White Ribbon (German: Das Weisse Band - Eine Deutsche Kindergeschichte) directed by Michael Haneke. Eden Is West (French: Eden à l'Ouest) directed by Costa-Gavras. Rembrandt's J'Accuse...! directed by Peter Greenaway. The Army of Crime (French: L'Armée du crime) directed by Robert Guédiguian. The Dust of Time (Greek: Η Σκόνη του Χρόνου) directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos. = From All Over the World was a collection of premieres and prize-winning film selections which aims to present the best of current international filmmaking. Opium War directed by Siddiq Barmak. Backyard (Spanish: El traspatio) directed by Carlos Carrera. Tales from the Golden Age (Romanian: Amintiri din epoca de aur) directed by Hanno Höfer, Razvan Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu & Ioana Uricaru. The Last Days of Emma Blank (Dutch: De laatste dagen van Emma Blank) directed by Alex van Warmerdam. The Investigator (Hungarian: A Nyomozó) directed by Attila Gigor. Johnny Mad Dog directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire. Mary and Max directed by Adam Elliot. Metropia directed by Tarik Saleh. Breathless (Korean: Ddongpari) directed by Yang Ik-june. Tears of April (Finnish: Käsky) directed by Aku Louhimies. The Other Bank (Georgian: Gagma Napiri) directed by George Ovashvili. Letters to Father Jaakob (Finnish: Postia pappi Jaakobille) directed by Klaus Härö. Revanche directed by Götz Spielmann. Samson and Delilah directed by Warwick Thornton. = A Country: Brazil was a lineup of 7 films, which aims to highlight the renaissance Brazilian Cinema has undergone in the 2000s. The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (Portuguese: O Ano em Que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias) directed by Cao Hamburger. Brainstorm (Portuguese: Bicho De Sete Cabeças) directed by Luiz Bolognesi. Estamira directed by Marcos Prado. BirdWatchers (Portuguese: La Terra Degli Uomini Rossi) directed by Marco Bechis. Estômago: A Gastronomic Story (Portuguese: Estômago) directed by Marcos Jorge. Elite Squad (Portuguese: Tropa de Elite) directed by José Padilha. Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (Portuguese: Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus) directed by Marcelo Gomes. = In Memoriam: Eric Rohmer was a selection of two films screened in memory of the new wave auteur Eric Rohmer, who died that year. Pauline at the Beach (French: Pauline à la plage) directed by Eric Rohmer. The Green Ray (French: Le Rayon vert) directed by Eric Rohmer. = Immortals at Cinema's Century was a selection of four films screened to celebrate Akira Kurosawa’s 100th and Luis Buñuel’s 110th birthday. The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (Spanish: Ensayo de un crimen) directed by Luis Buñuel. Simon of the Desert (Spanish: Simón del desierto) directed by Luis Buñuel. Yojimbo (Japanese: 用心棒) directed by Akira Kurosawa. Throne of Blood (Japanese: 蜘蛛巣城) directed by Akira Kurosawa. = Midnight Cinema was a late night screenings of the most bizarre films of the horror and thriller genres. Mom (Spanish: Mamá) directed by Andres Muschietti. Dead Snow (Norwegian: Død snø) directed by Tommy Wirkola. Deadspiel directed by Jay Molloy. Full Employment (German: Arbeit für Alle) directed by Thomas Oberlies & Matthias Vogel. = Addicted in Afghanistan directed by Jawed Taiman. Afghan Chronicles directed by Dominic Morissette. Yelda - The Longest Night directed by Roberto Lozano. = Painful Years (Dutch: Geslagen Jaren) directed by Anne-Mieke van den berg. The Heretics directed by Joan Braderman. The Real World Of Peter Gabriel directed by Georg Maas & Dieter Zeppenfeld. Listening to The Silence directed by Pedro Flores. Tobacco Girl (German: Tabakmädchen) directed by Biljana Garvanlieva.

28205873

47th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival

2010-07-30 21:06:25+00:00

The 47th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (Turkish: 47. Uluslararası Antalya Altın Portakal Film Festivali) was a film festival held in Antalya, Turkey which ran from October 9 to 14, 2010. Prizes were awarded in four competitions in the course of the festival, at which 191 films were shown at 12 venues across the city with the theme Cinema and Social Interaction and Italian actress Claudia Cardinale was the guest of honor. This edition of the International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival was the second to be organised solely by the Antalya Foundation for Culture and Arts (AKSAV), a cultural body affiliated with the Antalya Greater Municipality. It opened with at the Glass Pyramid Exhibition Center in Antalya with an awards ceremony and performances from Melike Demirağ and director Emir Kusturica with The No Smoking Orchestra. Kustrica, who was to have headed the International Feature Film Competition Jury, withdrew from the festival following claims that he had supported the Serbian genocide of Muslims in Bosnia from protestors, including Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertuğrul Günay, who boycotted the opening gala, and director Semih Kaplanoğlu, who cancelled an out-of-competition screening of his film Honey (Turkish: Bal). Other events included the four kilometer annual Parade of Stars led by Antalya Mayor Mustafa Akaydın, who heads AKSAV, which featured Eşref Kolçak, Mujdat Gezen, Erkan Can, Ilker Inanoglu and Sumer Tilmac in cars decorated with carnations, and a gala diner at which honorary awards were presented to Megan Mylan, Fyodor Bondarchuk and Serge Avedikian, and fashion designer Erol Albayrak presented his Cinema collection choreographed by Uğurkan Erez. Akaydın announced that this year the festival has been freed from the clutches of a certain group of people and has taken important steps to become a festival of the people. Gardens of prisons in Antalya were used as a festival areas as part of social responsibility projects, with screenplay workshops organized for prisoners and screens set up for prisoners and artists to view the films together every night during the festival. The director Alan Parker and screenwriter Oliver Stone of the Oscar-winning film Midnight Express, which was set in a Turkish prison, as well as Billy Hayes, who wrote the source book, were invited to attend one such screening. According to new regulations, the winning filmmaker will be granted half of the TL 330,000 cash prize (TL 165,000) on March 31, 2011. The remaining amount will be granted only if the filmmaker starts working on a new project within two years after the prize win. An additional TL 70,000, billed by the organizers as the Antalya Incentive Prize, will be granted only if part of the movie is filmed in Antalya, thus bringing the sum to TL 400,000. The winner of the best director award will get TL 50,000, while best screenplay gets TL 30,000. A total of eight books, including biographies or tributes, were published for the festival under the name of Golden Orange Publications. = Best Film: Majority (Turkish: Çoğunluk) directed by Seren Yüce Best First Film: Toll Booth (Turkish: Gişe Memuru) directed by Tolga Karaçelik Best Director: Seren Yüce for Majority (Turkish: Çoğunluk) Best Actor: Serkan Ercan for Toll Booth (Turkish: Gişe Memuru) & Bartu Küçükçağlayan for Majority (Turkish: Çoğunluk) Best Actress: Claudia Cardinale for Signora Enrica Special Jury Award: Press directed by Sedat Yılmaz = Best Film: Cirkus Columbia directed by Danis Tanović & Dooman River directed by Zhang Lu Best Director: Lancelot von Naso for Ceasefire (German: Waffenstillstand) Best Actor: Nik Xhelilaj for The Albanian (German: Der Albaner) Best Actress: Emma Suárez for The Mosquito Net (Spanish: La Mosquitera) Special Jury Award: Meryem Uzerli (actress) for Journey of No Return (German: Eine Reise ohne Rückkehr) = Cinema Labor Award: Necmettin Çobanoğlu Yıldırım Önal Memorial Award: Yıldız Kenter (actress) Social Responsibility in Arts Award: Müjdat Gezen (actor, entrepreneur, writer and poet) Lifetime Achievement Award: Zeki Alasya and Metin Akpınar (theatre and film comedy duo ) Lifetime Achievement Award: Gülşen Bubikoğlu (actress) Lifetime Achievement Award: Nur Sürer (actress) Lifetime Achievement Award: Safa Önal (screenwriter) Lifetime Achievement Award: Ertem Göreç (director and screenwriter) Honorary Award: Megan Mylan (documentarian) Honorary Award: Fyodor Bondarchuk (filmmaker) Honorary Award: Serge Avedikian (filmmaker) = Fifteen nominees, including nine by first time directors, were initially selected from the record forty-seven films which were submitted for the National Feature Competition of this edition of the festival, but Honey (Turkish: Bal) directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu had to be withdrawn under competition rules after winning the Grand Jury Best Picture award at the 17th International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival. National Feature Competition Jury Kadir İnanır Tomris Giritlioğlu Meltem Cumbul Meral Okay Murathan Mungan Gökhan Kırdar Atilla Dorsay Zinos Panagiotidis Mehmet Aktekin Films in competition Zephyr (Turkish: Zefir) directed by Belma Baş Merry-Go-Round (Turkish: Atlıkarınca) directed by İlksen Başarır Black and White (Turkish: Siyah Beyaz) directed by Ahmet Boyacıoğlu Paper (Turkish: Kağıt) directed by Sinan Çetin The Crossing (Turkish: Kavşak) directed by Selim Demirdelen White as Snow (Turkish: Kar Beyaz) directed by Selim Güneş Signora Enrica directed by Ali İlhan Toll Booth (Turkish: Gişe Memuru) directed by Tolga Karaçelik Jackal (Turkish: Çakal) directed by Erhan Kozan Hayde Bre directed by Orhan Oğuz Hair (Turkish: Saç) directed by Tayfun Pirselimoğlu Press directed by Sedat Yılmaz Majority (Turkish: Çoğunluk) directed by Seren Yüce Shadows and Faces (Turkish: Gölgeler ve Suretler) directed by Derviş Zaim = Eleven nominees, including one Turkish film, were selected for the International Feature Competition of this edition of the festival. Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica, who was to head the competition jury, was forced to withdraw from the festival after protests from various Turkish groups that claimed he supported the Serbian genocide of Muslims in Bosnia. International Feature Film Competition Jury Emir Kusturica (withdrawn) Films in competition Brought by the Sea (Turkish: Denizden Gelen) directed by Nesli Çölgeçen Silent Souls (Russian: Ovsyanki) directed by Aleksei Fedorchenko 180° directed by Cihan Inan Echoes of the Rainbow (Chinese: 歲月神偷; Jyutping: Seoi Jyut San Tau; romanisation: Shui Yuet Sun Tau; literally "Time, the Thief") directed by Alex Law Dooman River directed by Zhang Lu The Albanian (German: Der Albaner) directed by Johannes Naber Hitler in Hollywood (French: Hitler à Hollywood) directed by Frédéric Sojcher Cirkus Columbia directed by Danis Tanović Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio (Italian: Scontro di Civiltà per un Ascensore a Piazza Vittorio) directed by Isotta Toso The Mosquito Net (Spanish: La Mosquitera) directed by Agustí Vila Ceasefire (German: Waffenstillstand) directed by Lancelot von Naso = Twenty nominees were selected for the National Documentary Competition of this edition of the festival. National Documentary Competition Jury Megan Mylan Coşkun Aral = National Short Film Competition Jury Serge Avedikian Mehmet Bahadır Er

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16th Festival on Wheels

2010-11-18 11:15:41+00:00

The 16th Festival on Wheels (Turkish: 16 Gazici Festival) was a film festival held in Ankara, Turkey from December 3 to 9, 2010; Artvin, Turkey from December 10 to 16, 2010; and Ordu, Turkey from December 17 to 19, 2010. A selection of films was screened at Kızılay Büyülü Fener theater and the Goethe Institut in Ankara, and the Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar cultural centre in Artvin with the theme of Coup d’Etat! to commemorate the 30th anniversary year of the 1980 Turkish coup d'état. The Golden Bull awards were handed out for the second year running to the best films of the 16th Festival on Wheels as selected by the festival jury. Golden Bull: Illegal (French: Illégal) directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse Silver Bull: Chongqing Blues (pinyin: Rizhao Chongqing) directed by Xiaoshuai Wang Special Mention: Hair (Turkish: Saç) directed by Tayfun Pirselimoğlu SİYAD Award: Bibliothèque Pascal directed by Szabolcs Hajdu = Nine nominees, including two Turkish features, were selected to compete for the Golden Bull during the Artvin leg of this edition of the festival. Films in competition Illegal (French: Illégal) directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse Chongqing Blues (pinyin: Rizhao Chongqing) directed by Xiaoshuai Wang The Temptation of St. Tony (Estonian: Püha Tõnu Kiusamine) directed by Veiko Õunpuu Pál Adrienn directed by Ágnes Kocsis Bibliothèque Pascal directed by Szabolcs Hajdu October (Spanish: Octubre) directed by Daniel & Diego Vega Mundane History (Thai: เจ้านกกระจอก, Jao Nok Krajok) directed by Anocha Suwichakornpong Majority (Turkish: Çoğunluk) directed by Seren Yüce Hair (Turkish: Saç) directed by Tayfun Pirselimoğlu = Two international features were selected to be shown out of competition in special pre-release screenings. Somewhere directed by Sofia Coppola Socialism (French: Film Socialisme) directed by Jean-Luc Godard = Five Turkish features made in the preceding year were selected to be shown out of competition in the national showcase. Merry-Go-Round (Turkish: Atlıkarınca) directed by İlksen Başarır Toll Booth (Turkish: Gişe Memuru) directed by Tolga Karaçelik Tales From Kars (Turkish: Kars Öyküleri) directed by Özcan Alper, Ülkü Oktay, Emre Akay, Ahu Öztürk & Zehra Derya Koç Black and White (Turkish: Siyah Beyaz) directed by Ahmet Boyacıoğlu Zephyr (Turkish: Zefir) directed by Belma Baş = Six international films were selected for this special section, timed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, examining the impact of military coups in Turkey, Portugal, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Greece. 48 directed by Susana de Sousa Dias The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (Portuguese: O Ano em Que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias) directed by Cao Hamburger Missing directed by Costa Gavras The Judge and the General directed by Elizabeth Farnsworth & Patricio Lanfranco The International (Turkish: Beynelmilel) directed by Sırrı Süreyya Önder & Muharrem Gülmez September 12 (Turkish: 12 Eylül) directed by Özlem Sulak = Two international documentaries were selected for this special section about the consequences of urban regeneration projects for human lives as much as city plans. My House Stood in Sulukule (German: Mein Haus Stand In Sulukule) directed by Astrid Heubrandtner Paradise Hotel (Bulgarian: Hotel Rai) directed by Sophia Tzavella = One Turkish film was seşected for this special section which offers a grateful nod to the countryside and is supported by the publication of a collection of essays edited by Tül Akbal and Aslı Güneş under the same title. Vavien directed by Yağmur & Durul Taylan

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13th Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival

2010-08-05 21:57:44+00:00

The 13th Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival (Turkish: 13. Uçan Süpürge Kadın Filmleri Festivali) was a film festival held in Ankara, Turkey, which ran from May 6 to 13, 2010. This edition of the Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival, which was founded in 1997 and is organized by Flying Broom with support from the Çankaya municipality in Ankara and accredited by FIPRESCI, had the theme of evil and focused on the problems of women (including prostitutes, migrant women, poor women and lesbians). The festival opened with a ceremony at the Ankara State Opera and Ballet Hall on May 6, 2010 at which honorary awards were presented to actresses Lale Belkıs and Gülsen Tuncer, and art director Deniz Özen, who attended the special screening of Turkish classic Unmade Bed (Turkish: Dağınık Yatak) directed by Atıf Yılmaz. Among those also in attendance at the ceremony were actresses Hale Soygazi and Deniz Türkali, director Biket İlhan, film critic Sevin Okyay, German director Almut Getto, and American director Nancy Schwartzman. More than 100 films were screened in 13 programmes at the Kızılırmak cinema, the Ankara Goethe Institute and the Ankara University communication faculty during the festival. A short film competition also under the theme evil, whose winners were to be announced at the opening gala, and a program titled The Other History, dedicated to ignored identities, and featuring four recent Turkish documentaries focusing on identities that have been subjected to 'evil' by being deliberately alienated and ignored were new features of this edition. The festival closed with an award ceremony and screening of the winning film at the Kızılırmak cinema on May 13, 2010, at which the FIPRESCI jury, consisting of Ceylan Özçelik, Dominique Martinez and Kirsten Liese, awarded the festivals top prize to Home directed by Ursula Meier, and bestowed the Young Witch Award upon Damla Sönmez. = Lale Belkıs (actress, singer and model) = Deniz Özen (art director) Gülsen Tuncer (actress) = Home directed by Ursula Meier. = Damla Sönmez (actress) = Unmade Bed (Turkish: Dağınık Yatak) directed by Atıf Yılmaz. = Pomegranates and Myrrh (Arabic: المر و الرمان) directed by Najwa Najjar. Perfect Love (French: Parfait amour!) directed by Catherine Breillat. Ladybird Ladybird directed by Ken Loach. Dark Habits (Spanish: Entre tinieblas) directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Or (My Treasure) directed by Keren Yedaya. Fuck Me (French: Baise-moi) directed by Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi. Judgement in Stone (French: La Cérémonie) directed by Claude Chabrol. Story of Women (French: Une affaire de femmes) directed by Claude Chabrol. = 10 to 11 (Turkish: 11'e 10 Kala) directed by Pelin Esmer. Amreeka directed by Cherien Dabis. Between Us (Spanish: Entre nos) directed by Paola Mendoza and Gloria La Morte. She, a Chinese directed by Xiaolu Guo. Can Go Through Skin (Dutch: Kan door huid heen) directed by Esther Rots. Women Without Men directed by Shirin Neshat. Winter Silence (German: Winterstilte) directed by Sonja Wyss. Men on the Bridge (Turkish: Köprüdekiler) directed by İlksen Başarır. Lourdes directed by Jessica Hausner. Five Days Without Nora (Spanish: Cinco días sin Nora) directed by Mariana Chenillo. Close to You (German: Ganz nah bei Dir) directed by Almut Getto. My Year Without Sex directed by Sarah Watt. Home directed by Ursula Meier. = White Material directed by Claire Denis. Bright Star directed by Jane Campion. = Love Story directed by Signe Baumane. The Witch and the Cow directed by Signe Baumane. Teat Beat Of Sex directed by Signe Baumane. Birth directed by Signe Baumane. The Very First Desire directed by Signe Baumane. Tiny Shoes directed by Signe Baumane. Natasha directed by Signe Baumane. Signe and… directed by Signe Baumane. = Adoption (Hungarian: Örökbefogadás) directed by Márta Mészáros. Take My Eyes (Spanish: Te doy mis ojos) directed by Icíar Bollaín. Nothing (Polish: Nic) directed by Dorota Kędzierzawska. Broken Mirrors (Dutch: Gebroken spiegels) directed by Marleen Gorris. Morvern Callar directed by Lynne Ramsay. Struggle directed by Ruth Mader. A Common Thread (French: Brodeuses) directed by Éléonore Faucher. = The Day I Became A Woman (Persian: روزی که زن شدم) directed by Marziyeh Meshkini. The Piano directed by Jane Campion. = Children of September (Turkish: Eylül Çocukları) directed by Hülya Karcı and Meltem Öztürk. Brush Stroke (Turkish: Fırça Darbesi) directed by Nihan Belgin. Two Wisps of Hair: The Missing Girls of Dersim (Turkish: İki Tutam Saç: Dersim'in Kayıp Kızları) directed by Nezahat Gündoğan. Hush! (Turkish: Nahide'nin Türküsü) directed by Berke Baş. Voices (Turkish: Sesler) directed by Filiz Işık Bulut.

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17th International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival

2010-07-30 22:55:11+00:00

The International 17th Adana Golden Boll Film Festival was a film festival held in Adana, Turkey which ran from September 20 to 26, 2010. Prizes totalling 575,000 Turkish Liras were awarded in three categories and more than 200 films were shown at nine different locations, including the Cinebonus, Airplex and Metropol cinemas, in the course of the festival, at which films promoting the ideals of democracy were shown and Greek Director Theo Angelopoulos was the guest of honor. This edition of the International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, which was founded in 1969 and is organised by the Adana Metropolitan Municipality and accredited by FIPRESCI, opened with a screening of La Mujer sin Piano by Javier Rebollo at the city's municipal theater on the evening of September 21 and included gala ball at Park Zirve on the evening of September 23, at which lifetime achievement awards were presented to actress Müjde Ar, a selection of whose films were screened, and film critic Atilla Dorsay. The festival closed with an awards ceremony presented by Oktay Kaynarca and Öykü Serter on the evening of September 25. Other celebrities present at the festival included Ümit Ünal, Yılmaz Köksal, Bulut Aras, Nuri Alço, Suzan Avcı, Rıza Sönmez, Sibel Can, Zuhal Olcay, Göksel and Erol Evgin. Palestinian filmmakers, Nasri Hajjaj and Liana Badr were also present at the festival to chair a special program Palestine, Longing for Peace dedicated to films and documentaries portraying Middle Eastern issues and to take part in a panel entitled Making Movies in Palestine. The festival was originally scheduled for June 7 to 13, 2010 but was postponed, following the May 31, 2010 Gaza flotilla raid and a terrorist rocket attack on the Iskenderun Naval Base, with Adana Deputy Mayor Mustafa Tuncel announcing, We cannot have fun while people are crying. The Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD) protested the decision, saying that postponing the festival, resulted in the silencing of Palestinian filmmakers. Grand Jury Best Picture: Honey (Turkish: Bal) directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu Grand Jury Yılmaz Güney Best Picture: Brought by the Sea (Turkish: Denizden Gelen) directed by Nesli Çölgeçen Best Director: Selim Demirdelen for The Crossing (Turkish: Kavşak) / Levent Semerci for Breath (Turkish: Nefes: Vatan Sağolsun) Best Actor: Tansu Biçer for Five Cities (Turkish: Beş Şehir) Best Actress: Nergis Öztürk for Envy (Turkish: Kıskanmak) / Sezin Akbaşoğulları for The Crossing (Turkish: Kavşak) Best Supporting Actor: Bülent Emin Yarar for Five Cities (Turkish: Beş Şehir) Best Supporting Actress: Beste Bereket for Five Cities (Turkish: Beş Şehir) Most Promising Newcomer (actor): Umut Kurt for The Crossing (Turkish: Kavşak) Most Promising Newcomer (actress): Suzan Genç for A Step into the Darkness (Turkish: Büyük Oyun) Special Jury Award (young actor/actress): Bora Altaş for Honey (Turkish: Bal) Best Screenplay: Onur Ünlü for Five Cities (Turkish: Beş Şehir) Best Music: Selim Demirden for The Crossing (Turkish: Kavşak) Audience Jury Best Picture: Breath (Turkish: Nefes: Vatan Sağolsun) directed by Levent Semerci Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD) Best Film Award: Honey (Turkish: Bal) directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu = Ten Turkish films made in the preceding year were selected from the forty that applied to compete in the festival's National Feature Film Competition. Films in Competition Honey (Turkish: Bal) directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu Five Cities (Turkish: Beş Şehir) directed by Onur Ünlü A Step into the Darkness (Turkish: Büyük Oyun) directed by Atıl İnaç. Brought by the Sea (Turkish: Denizden Gelen) directed by Nesli Çölgeçen Eyvah Eyvah directed by Hakan Algül The Crossing (Turkish: Kavşak) directed by Selim Demirdelen Envy (Turkish: Kıskanmak) directed by Zeki Demirkubuz Breath (Turkish: Nefes: Vatan Sağolsun) directed by Levent Semerci There (Turkish: Orada) directed by Hakkı Kurtuluş and Melik Saraçoğlu. The Voice (Turkish: Ses) directed by Ümit Ünal = Eight documentary films, seven experimental films, ten fictional films and eight animation films by undergraduate students studying at cinema and television departments of Turkey's communications and fine arts faculties were selected to compete in the festival's National Student Films Contest. = Eleven documentary films, eight experimental films, twenty-eight fictional films and fourteen animation films were selected from the 368 films that applied to compete in the festival's Mediterranean Countries Short-films Contest.

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Blackheath train accident

2011-01-08 17:07:19+00:00

The Blackheath train accident occurred at 7:03 a.m. on 25 August 2010 when a Metrorail commuter train crashed into a minibus taxi on the Buttskop Road level crossing in Blackheath, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. The minibus was carrying fourteen children to school; nine died on the scene and five were hospitalised. One of the injured children died two days later in the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. The minibus driver was also hospitalised; there were no injuries aboard the train. An initial investigation by the Railway Safety Regulator determined that the lights and booms at the crossing were in full working order. Witnesses stated that the minibus drove around a queue of stopped cars and past the closed half-booms blocking the crossing. The driver, Jacob Humphreys, was arrested upon being released from hospital and charged with ten counts of culpable homicide; he was initially held in custody but was later released on bail. On 12 December 2011 he was convicted in the Western Cape High Court on ten counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder and on 28 February 2012 he was sentenced to an effective twenty years in prison. On 22 March 2013 the Supreme Court of Appeal reduced the conviction to culpable homicide and the sentence to an effective eight years' imprisonment.

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2010 Pretoria train accident

2010-05-16 07:25:54+00:00

The Pretoria train accident occurred on 21 April 2010 when a train of carriages ran away for 12 miles (19 km) from Centurion Station and derailed at Pretoria. Three people were killed and seven were seriously injured. On 21 April 2010, a luxury tourist train operated by Rovos Rail was at Centurion Station where the electric locomotive was being changed for a Class 25NC 4-8-4 steam locomotive. During the changeover, the carriages ran away out of control for 12 miles (19 km) until they derailed at Pretoria. The accident occurred outside the Blue Train depot. There were 59 passengers and thirty train staff on board the carriages. Three of the train crew were killed, and about R15,000,000 (£1,338,000) of damage was done to the carriages. The South African authorities opened an investigation into the accident. A board of enquiry was set up. Metrorail and the South African Railway Safety Regulator were represented on the board of enquiry. An initial assessment of the cause of the accident was that the uncoupled carriages had insufficient braking power to prevent the runaway. It is reported that the handbrakes on the carriages had not been applied. As the train was not on level track, scotches (wedges) were also required to be placed under the wheels of the carriages.

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2010 Africa Cup of Nations Group D

2013-12-28 02:01:10+00:00

Group D was one of four groups of national teams competing at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. The group's first round of matches began on January 10 and its last matches were played on January 18. Most matches were played at the Estádio Alto da Chela in Lubango and featuring Zambia, Mali, Tunisia, and Cameroon. This was a very tight group with three teams being level on four points and the Tunisians being undefeated but eliminated.

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2010 Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage

2014-01-01 00:10:22+00:00

The knockout stage of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. It began on 24 January with the quarter-finals and ended on 31 January 2010 with the final held at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda. A total of 8 teams (the top two teams from each group) advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament. All match times are local, WAT (UTC+1). In the knockout stage, except for the third place play-off, if a match was level at the end of 90 minutes of normal playing time, extra time was played (two periods of 15 minutes each). If still tied after extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. In the third place play-off, if the scores remained level after 90 minutes the match would go directly to a penalty shoot-out, without any extra time being played. The top two placed teams from each of the four groups qualified for the knockout stage. = = = = = =

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Zambia at the 2010 Commonwealth Games

2010-08-25 09:48:42+00:00

Zambia competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. Because of a lack of money, the team was cut from fifty seven athletes to twenty two. Saviour Kombe Gift Soko Rachel Nachula Tonny Wamulwa Olga Siamupangile Eli Mambwe Juma Muwowo Brian Mwabu Precious Makina Martin Chibale Godfrey Mumba Foster Banda Matimba Hildah Ray Simbule Lazarous Chilufua Kelvin Ndolvu Milimo Mweetwa Jade Howard Mercedes Milner Mark Thompson (9) Zane Jordan

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Zambia at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics

2010-08-27 12:02:09+00:00

Zambia competed at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore from 14 August to 26 August 2010. = Track and Road Events Boys

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2010 Shanghai Expo opening ceremony

2010-05-18 05:05:46+00:00

The 2010 Shanghai Expo opening ceremony (Chinese: 中国2010年上海世界博览会开幕式) occurred on April 30, 2010 at the Shanghai World Expo Cultural Center in Shanghai, People's Republic of China, a day before the opening of the Expo 2010.The opening ceremony was planned and designed by ECA2's founder, Yves Pepin. On April 29, 2010 General Secretary Hu Jintao of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sat down with former Chairman Lien Chan of the Kuomintang in a pre-expo meeting. In the morning of April 30, the flags of 189 nations, 57 international organizations, the World expo bureau flag and the Shanghai expo flag were all raised at the expo venues. The event began at 8:10 pm with a massive river side display of fireworks and lights. = Chinese leader Hu Jintao enters Expo Culture center with many world leaders. Twenty foreign heads of state or government attended the opening ceremony: Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou-Nguesso European Commission President José Manuel Barroso French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea South Korean President Lee Myung-bak Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré Maltese President George Abela Micronesian President Emanuel Mori Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Seychelles President James Alix Michel Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung In addition, speakers of legislative bodies, deputy heads, and ministers of over 20 other countries also attended the opening ceremony. Just a few hours before the opening ceremony, the Maltese President, George Abela suffered from an accident, which left his second Lumbar vertebrae slightly damaged. He was taken to the Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, and therefore couldn't attend the ceremony. Chinese leader Hu Jintao paid him a visit at the hospital the following day. Hong Kong and Macau Special administrative region chief exec Donald Tsang and Fernando Chui both attended with a group of delegates. = The song "Harmonious Gathering" (和谐欢歌) was performed by Hong Kong's Jackie Chan and PRC's Song Zuying. The PRC flag was raised, and the March of the Volunteers was played. Then the international bureau exposition flag was raised, and the expo song was played. This was followed by the raising of the Shanghai Expo flag and the playing of the Shanghai Expo song. Then the flag-bearers of 246 participating countries and international organizations paraded out. Wang Qishan, Vice Premier of China and BIE president Jean-Pierre Lafon both gave a speech. Hu Jintao then opened up the expo performances with an official statement. The first song (相约上海) was sung by PRC's Mao Amin, Lau Yuan-yuan (刘媛媛) and Taiwan's Wakin Chau. They were also accompanied by dancers. An orchestra featuring PRC pianist Lang Lang played "Jasmine Flower", "The Blue Danube", "New Shanghai concerto" (新上海协奏曲), and "Yangtze river song" (长江之歌). The theme song "Better city, Better life" was followed and sung by United States's Jonathan Buck and Siedah Garrett. An instrumental performance of "Brave Bugle" (勇敢的号角) is performed by a New Zealand troupe (纽西兰毛利艺术团). Japan's Shinji Tanimura then perform the song "star" (星). Afterwards the song "A type of love" (一种爱) was performed by the South Africa's Soweto Gospel Choir. Italy's Andrea Bocelli then followed up with a performance of "Nessun dorma". The expo theme song (致世博) was performed by PRC's Huang Ying (黄英), Liao Chang (廖昌永), Tan Jing and Sun Nan. Two Tibetan orphans who survived the earlier 2010 Yushu earthquake joins the stage. = The 30-minute outdoor ceremony took place along a 3.4-km stretch of the Huangpu River in central Shanghai. It set numerous world records, such as the biggest LED screen, the largest searchlight installation and one of the largest pyrotechnic displays ever created. The outdoor portion was produced by David Atkins enterprise. = First music piece was "China welcomes you" (中国欢迎你) accompanied by Spring Festival Overture. First music of that piece was "Civilization" (文明之光), followed by "Better City, Better Life" (城市，让生活更美好), followed by "Urban Rhapsody" (都市协奏曲). In this part was included the track "The Dragon" composed by Vangelis in his conceptual album China = Second piece was "Happy at expo" (欢聚在世博) accompanied by Waltz The Blue Danube, Violin concerto, Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto. First music of that piece was "One World, One Home" (同一世界，同一家园), followed by "Water of Life" (生命之水). = Third piece was "World celebrate together"(世界同欢庆) accompanied by the piece (在快速机器上的短暂骑行), "Oh, destiny goddess" (哦！命运女神), Ode to Joy (欢乐颂), "Night of fire festival" (火把节之夜), "Good beijing news to mountain village" (北京喜讯到山寨), White jasmine (茉莉花). In a separate concert Song Zuying performed with Taiwan's Jay Chou in a celebration of the opening ceremony.

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China pavilion at Expo 2010

2010-12-17 09:48:36+00:00

The China pavilion at Expo 2010 (simplified Chinese: 中国国家馆; traditional Chinese: 中國國家館; pinyin: Zhōngguó guójiā guǎn) in Pudong, Shanghai, colloquially known as the Oriental Crown (东方之冠; 東方之冠; Dōngfāng zhī Guān), was the largest national pavilion at the Shanghai Expo and the largest display in the history of the World Expo. It was also the most expensive pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, having cost an estimated US$220 million. The pavilion showcased China's civilization and modern achievements by combining traditional and contemporary elements in its architecture, landscaping and exhibits. After the end of the Expo 2010, the building was converted to a museum. On October 1, 2012, it was reopened as the China Art Museum, the largest art museum in Asia. The building is located halfway along the Expo Axis on its eastern side in Zone A of the Expo Park. The pavilion lies directly to the east of the Theme pavilions and to the north of the Hong Kong and Macau pavilions. The chosen design was selected from a range of 344 design proposals put forward by architects from all over the world. The chief architect of the pavilion was 72-year-old He Jingtang, the director of the Architectural Academy of the South China University of Technology. The construction of the China pavilion began on 18 December 2007 and was completed in November 2009. On 8 February 2010, the completion of construction was commemorated by almost 1,000 people including the pavilion's designers and construction workers. Construction milestones: = The 63-metre high pavilion, the tallest structure at the Expo, is dubbed "The Oriental Crown" because of its resemblance to an ancient Chinese crown. It was meticulously designed with profound meaning and symbolism. The architectonic feature of the building was inspired by the Chinese roof bracket known as the dougong as well as the Chinese ding vessel. The dougong is a traditional wooden bracket used to support large overhanging eaves which dates back nearly 2,000 years. It symbolizes the unique charm of Chinese architecture and the unity and strength. The ding was a vessel used by Chinese emperors to make offers to the gods. It represents the union between heaven and earth. The China pavilion's four giant columns resemble the legs of a ding vessel while the inverted pyramid body resembles the bowl of a vessel. The rooftop of the building is in the shape of a grid-like pattern reminiscent of Jiugongge when view from the air. Jiugongge was the basis of urban planning in ancient China. The exterior is painted in seven subtle shades of Chinese red, symbolizing Chinese culture and good fortune. The different shades combine effectively to illustrate the concept "unity with difference". The overhanging columns of the main China pavilion and exterior of the Chinese joint provincial pavilion are decorated with Diezhuan characters, calligraphic characters used on official seals. The characters for north, south, east and west are engraved on the red China pavilion, while 24 Chinese solar terms are carved into the silver facade of the provincial pavilion. = The structure was built with a strong emphasis on sustainable and energy-saving practices with the exterior offering thermal insulation and natural ventilation. The inverted pyramid design and the lower courtyard offers a large overhang for self-shading. There is a 0.36 mega-watt solar energy system on the rooftop while the thermal panels and insulating glasses on the exterior are energy-saving initiatives. = A high-tech rooftop garden surrounding the China pavilion and on top of the Chinese Joint Provincial pavilion is known as "New Jiuzhou Qing Yan" The 27,000-square metre traditional garden contains modern landscaping techniques and technology including rainwater harvesting techniques and is decorated with distinctly Chinese-style landscaping inspired by the Jiuzhou Qing Yan in the Yuanmingyuan. It was designed to emulate natural Chinese landscapes with Chinese wisdom and oriental charm in mind. The garden provides space for public recreation and crowd evacuation. It uses nine landscaping features to symbolize nine characteristic topographies of China, namely, human habitat (here represented by the main building itself), farmlands, lakes, mountains, seas, forests, alpine meadows, valleys and deserts. The theme of the pavilion during the Expo was "Chinese Wisdom in Urban Development". To enter the pavilion visitors must ascend the giant staircase on the north-facing side. The sheltered courtyard space within the four main columns provides a large open space for waiting crowds. The pavilion display highlights is divided into three parts: "The Footprints", "The Dialogue" and "The Vision". Visitors are taken by lift to the uppermost level for the first exhibition before working their way down the building for the subsequent segments. = This first part highlights the wisdom of Chinese urban practices in Chinese history, from the achievements of China's reforms in the late 1970s to the urban experiences of imperial China. Pre-show Hall This hall features iconic symbols of a city. Story of Spring In this exhibition, two seven-minute films are alternately shown in the 1,071 square metre 700-seat theatre of the pavilion. The films are shown on three 22m-long by 7.5m-high projection screens and a 24m-diameter overhead dome. Both films reflect the social and urban impact of China's economic transformation. Thematic movie 1: "The Road to our Beautiful Life" (Chinese: 历程; pinyin: Lìchéng) directed by Lu Chuan highlights the developments of modern China in the last 30 years through the eyes of four generations of the same family. The film begins with a countryside scene showing an elderly father and his young adult son facing each other. The father is from a humble peasant background and symbolizes tradition, wisdom and the patriarch of the family. The son then walks away and begins to sprint around the rural landscape towards the city, soon to be followed by numerous others. Although the son grew up with his peasant father, he moves into the city as a migrant worker together with his future wife. This symbolises the start of China's urban development and nation-building in the 1970s. The son represents the courage and unrelenting spirit of his generation and the great achievements made in urban development in China in the last few decades. Next, the grandson is introduced as a growing child in the 1980s who emerges from a revolving door as an adult in the mid-2000s. He was brought up in the city and has lived in a developing urban environment all his life. The Sichuan earthquake is brought to the fore when the son witnesses the tragedy personally. The son's generation has absorbed the wisdom and knowledge of his father and grandfather, taking a courageous China into a world of globalisation. The final scene features an image of a fetus and the infant great-grandson interacting with his great-grandfather. The great-grandson symbolises new life, hope and the future of China. Thematic movie 2: "Harmonious China" (Chinese: 和谐中国; pinyin: Héxié Zhōngguó) directed by Zheng Dasheng integrates three Confucius quotations with the themes of change, diversity and the future in China. The initial scene contains the film's tile rendered in Chinese calligraphy. A simple brush-stroke then gradually changes to show a night scene of Shanghai's Pudong skyline. The film quotes Confucius: "What passes away is, perhaps, like his. Day and night it never lets up." A scene of an average Chinese family's living room changing over the years is shown with scenes of China's urban development on the two side screens from the 1970s to the present day. The next quote "The gentleman agrees with others without being an echo" is displayed with a panoramic scene of the heart of Beijing from Jingshan Park. The modern Chinese city and its people are shown along with the lavish wedding of a young couple, China's modern architecture and images from a Chinese theatre performance. The last quote "Follow my heart's desire without overstepping the line" highlights the future decades through an idyllic lakeside scene rendered as a Chinese painting. Reminiscence River of Wisdom The Scroll: The Scroll is Zhang Zeduan's Song Dynasty masterpiece Along the River During the Qingming Festival and re-adapted as a large-scale 3D animation. The animation is projected onto a massive screen which is 128 metres long and 6.5 metres high and features all of the original painting's 1068 figures as well as boats, vehicles and animals. All the characters move within the landscape and perform their everyday tasks. The animation also features a 2-minute-long night scene. National Treasures: In May 2010: Qiu Ying's copy of Along the River During the Qingming Festival. From June 2010 to October 2010, except 1 October: The No.1 Bronze Chariot and Horse from the Mausoleum of the Qin Shi Huangdi Terracotta Army is displayed. The statue features a four-horse chariot and a chariot master all cast in bronze with sophisticated precision and technique. The statue is life-sized and made to the correct proportions. Along with the rest of the terracotta army, it was buried underground for 2,000 years until it was unearthed in 1980. On 1 October 2010: Zhang Zeduan's genuine Along the River During the Qingming Festival. Crystals of Civilisation: Sixteen individual ancient Chinese artifacts are displayed behind security glass. The pieces range from porcelain to bronzes to models of Chinese architecture. Land of Hope A world of greenness symbolizes the harmony between the people as well as that between Man and Nature in future Chinese cities. The Chinese-style development strategy of urban-rural integration is a key message here. Green Homeland: Dazzling hanging plants, illuminated shade trees and simulated wetland represent the urban ideal of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Under the Same Roof: Created by Artist David Niles and Niles Creative Group. A 2-minute multimedia experience shows the "ideal neighbourhood" of future cities. Improved quality of life in modern society does little to help bond a neighbourhood together. The show applies a series of interesting interactions with magical scene shifts to show the breaking of "walls" between neighbors and life "under the same roof" in future cities. Rural-Urban Duet: The futuristic "bamboo grove" indicates both future cities surrounded by Nature and healthy rural-urban linkages. Children's Aspiration = With an area of 3400 sq.m., excursion trains on a 340m-long track provide visitors with a 6-minute ride exploring urban wisdom and the dialogue between the past and present. The exhibits include "Gates of History", "Stone Bridges", "Dougong Matrix", "Tunnel of Planning" "Heavenly Garden and Garden City". = An exploration of a lower-carbon future in China. It shows how China is inspired by nature and will develop innovative solutions to meet the challenges of urban growth and environmental protection. The exhibits are represented simply by one of the four main mathematical operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division (+, -, ×, ÷) Warning from Nature The minus sign represents that reliance on fossil fuel shall be reduced and efficiency in energy consumption shall be improved to reduce waste. Proper Exploration The addition sign represents that increase of carbon emission is threatening global environment and hampering the development of human society. Measured Consumption Individual actions of reduced consumption can have a great effect, given the population of the country. Return to Simplicity The multiplication sign represents that individual actions can add up to a great effect, given the large population in the country. Fountain of Illumination The division sign represents that the ambitious forest carbon sink plan, if divided by a large population, is a rational target. The China pavilion was designed to accommodate up to 50,000 visitors over the course of any given day. Despite the fact that 73 million people visited the Shanghai Expo over a six-month, only 10 million visitors were able to see the China pavilion due to the huge numbers. The pavilion opened for nearly 13 hours a day. While most pavilions were temporary structures and dismantled after the end of the Expo, the China pavilion, along with the theme pavilions, the Expo Cultural Center, and the Expo Axis are permanent buildings. The China pavilion was temporarily reopened on 1 December 2010 for half a year, with the same exhibits as those shown during the Expo. On 1 October 2012, the pavilion was reopened as the China Art Museum, the largest art museum in Asia.

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Expo 2010 emblem

2010-12-18 07:51:11+00:00

The Expo 2010 emblem was the official emblem used during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The emblem depicts a stylised image of three people representing the concept of you, me and him/her. The three people are holding hands which symbolises the family of mankind. The overall form was inspired by the Chinese character "世" ("shi", meaning the world) which represents the ideals for a truly global scale event in the World Expo (世博会 in Chinese). The emblem is designed with a calligraphic quality representing Chinese culture. The organisers also wanted the Expo to showcase the diverse urban cultures of the world. The predominantly green colour represents the world and the balance of the natural world. It highlights that sustainable development in the future is a pivotal part of the Expo's theme "Better City Better Life". In the emblem, the word "shi" is connected to the styled Arabic numerals 2010. The typeface of the emblem reads "Expo 2010 Shanghai China". The designer of the emblem is 34-year-old Shao Honggeng. He said "I hope that the quintessence of Chinese calligraphic representation will express the World Expo's philosophy of "understanding, communication, togetherness and cooperation". The official Volunteer emblem consists of a coloured ribbon arranged in the shape of the letter V (for Volunteer) as well as the Chinese character for heart (心). It also appears to make an outline of the shape of a dove, symbolising friendship and peace. The logo represents the spirit of volunteering and community.

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Expo 2010 pavilions

2010-05-13 16:13:21+00:00

This article contains the details of the pavilions at Expo 2010. The 2010 World Expo Shanghai is the largest Expo site ever, covering more than 5.2 square kilometers and containing more than 70 exposition pavilions. More than 190 countries and 50 international organizations registered to participate in the 2010 Shanghai Expo. After the six-month run, the Expo had attracted well over 70 million visitors. The Expo 2010 is also the most expensive fair in the history of the World's Fair, with more than 45 billion US dollars invested by the Chinese Government. There were five central theme pavilions at the Expo 2010 – Urban Footprint, Urban Planet, Urbanian, City Being, and Urban Future – each exploring different aspects of urban development. Three of the five theme pavilions were located in the Central Exhibition Building constructed by the host country. Covering an area of 11.5 hectares, it is the largest exhibition structure in the history of World Expositions. The building was located near the Expo Axis, in Zone B. The total exhibition space of this building was 80,000 m2. A 7,000 m2 multifunctional room in the building's center had an atrium in which some of the individual pavilions opened. Construction was completed in September 2009 before interior construction began. = The Urban Planet Pavilion was located in the central exhibition building on the Expo Axis. The concept and design were contributed by the German communication agency TRIAD Berlin. The company, which had already designed a pavilion for the Expo 2000 in Hanover, won an international bidding contest against more than 150 competitors. TRIAD Berlin was responsible for construction management and the supervision of the artistic aspects of the pavilion. With its total floor space of 12,000 m2, the Urban Planet pavilion addressed the complex processes marking urbanization. According to its designers, the scenography combined Western forms of artistic expression with ideas from the Chinese Feng shui heritage. The exhibition was characterized by a dichotomous structure illustrating the two-faced character of the city as both a consumer of environment and as a place for innovation and technology in the service of an ecological renewal for the future. The first part of the exhibition "Road of Crisis" is made of five chapters, each corresponding to the five elements in Wu Xing: Water − Fire − Metal − Wood − Earth. It reflected the potential of destruction emanating from the cities, the threats facing the ecosystem, and the depletion of Earth's natural resources. The second part of the exhibition, "Road of Solution" offered possible approaches to the problems that were expressed. The pavilion was one of the largest in this Expo 2010. The wide corridors and enormous size of the pavilion were to provide a visit with limited waiting times, compared to other pavilions. = The concept for the Urbanian Pavilion was contributed by the Dutch designer Herman Kossmann and focused on residents of modern cities. According to Kossmann, its guiding principle was the awareness that city planners have to address the urgent needs of the residents as "the prerequisite for the city's sustainable development." Video clips in the exhibition illustrated the stories of six real families, from cities in six continents: Paris (Europe), São Paulo (Latin America), Phoenix, Arizona (North America), Lijiang, Yunnan (Asia), Melbourne (Oceania), and Ouagadougou (Africa). The videos covered different issues – such as family, work, relationship, education, and health – of an average city dweller's life. = The City Being pavilion is designed by the joint venture of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and Land Design Studio in London. The exhibition examined the growth of infrastructures of modern cities, presenting the networks of both traffic, water, and energy supply as core elements in an urban setting. The pavilion was located in the Central Exhibition Building on the Expo Axis. The exhibition included a "Dynamic Station", reminiscent of the architecture of train stations in the early 20th century. Train models from different generations were presented. The "Circular Pipeline" provides visitors into the insights of the underground infrastructures of a city. In the "Soul Square", an 8-minute video clip was shown through a large theater with seven folded screens and a 7000 m2 velarium. = The concept and design for the Urban Footprint Pavilion were contributed by the Xiao Hui Wang Art Center under the supervision of the Shanghai Museum. The pavilion portrayed the growth of the cities as a decisive factor for human progress over the ages. The pavilion is divided into four exhibition halls, "Ideal Fantasy City", "City Origin", "Urban Development", and "City Wisdom." The main lobby, "Ideal Fantasy City" shows the Western and Eastern characteristics of an ideal city. The pavilion used high-tech installations as well as cultural relics loaned from international museums. The organizers described their concept for the presentation of the city's evolution as "an inspiration for urban development in the future." = The Urban Future pavilion in Zone B. The exhibition was designed by the Spanish agency Ingeniaqued in cooperation with the Chinese artist Bu Hua. The concept involved an imaginary journey into the future, adopting an optimistic view of opportunities for developing habitable cities via a combination of technological progress and tradition., Visitors walking through five exhibition rooms found examples of sustainable solutions for urban problems concerning living, traffic, energy supply, and city planning. There were specific references to innovations put into practice in such diverse cities as Beijing, Kōbe, Freiburg im Breisgau, Canberra and San Diego. The tour included an animated movie shown in a 35-meter-high hall which presented a colorful fantasy world. The pavilion is located in an old renovated manufacturing plant. It is the first building to receive a MOHURD three-star green building certification, equipping many energy and eco-housing technologies such as solar panels, wind turbine, as well as LED lighting. 189 of the world's 196 nations were represented at Expo 2010, either in stand-alone pavilions or within larger pavilions. The three largest national pavilions were the China Pavilion, the Africa Pavilion, and the Pacific Pavilion. = The Africa Pavilion was made up of a joint presentation by 42 nations and 1 organization from Africa. It received a total of about 23 million visitors during the duration of the Expo. = More than 4 million visits were made to the Argentina Pavilion during the duration of the Expo. = The three-story Australia Pavilion was constructed on a 4,800 m2 site and designed by leading Australian architectural firm Wood Marsh in conjunction with creative design firm Think!OTS. The façade of the structure was composed of weathered steel, which oxidized in the months preceding the expo's opening. The red ochre color was meant to represent the "red center" desert regions of central Australia. The pavilion cost A$83 million, the most Australia has ever allocated for a pavilion in history. A$6 million of the total cost was contributed by the state of Victoria, whose largest foreign trading partner is China. The mascot of the Australia pavilion was Peng Peng, a kookaburra. = The Bangladesh Pavilion was themed as "The Spirit and Growth of Golden Bengal." The pavilion entrance was decorated with colorful traditional Bangladeshi patterns, a sculpture, pictures of Bangladeshi urban areas, and models of traditional architecture. The pavilion mainly emphasized two key features: the national features and the traditional gourmet of Bangladesh. The pavilion celebrated its pavilion day on September 20 with a performance of traditional singing and dance. News at the website remarked it "Bravo and a big day for the country". The country's performance – "Eternal Bangladesh" was also highly praised. = The Belgium Pavilion received 7 million visitors during the expo. The interior of the pavilion featured a giant model of a brain cell, representing innovation in Belgium. Because Belgium was due to assume the presidency of the European Union in 2010, the pavilion also housed the joint initiatives of the EU. The pavilion was opened by José Manuel Barroso. Exhibits in the Belgian part of the pavilion included "the Wall of fame" – showing pictures of the most famous Belgians; "the Wall of Smurfs," and a solar car. There was also a shopping area inside the pavilion which mainly sold chocolate by Godiva, Neuhaus and Guylian. The second floor housed a restaurant that served typical Belgian dishes, like waterzooi, a dish of sausage with mashed potatoes and fries. There was also a take-out service outside the pavilion, selling Belgian specialty food such as French fries, Belgian ice cream, and Belgian waffles. = The 1,000 m2 Brunei Pavilion was themed "Now for the Future". It opened to the public on May 8, 2010, one week after the opening of the Expo. The interior design mainly consisted of vertical, revolving patterns which symbolized development and the improvement of the lives of Brunei's citizens. The pavilion featured a pathway through the rainforest of Borneo and emphasized efforts to protect Brunei's environment and culture. A 4-D theater introduced attendees to Brunei using recreated rainwater, wind, sound and video. The pavilion presented Bruneian cuisine and local food brands throughout the Expo. The Brunei Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade hired Royal Brunei Catering (RBC), the largest catering firm in the country, to create a monthly rotating list of halal certified local foods for pavilion visitors. Local drinks offered included teh tarik mixed with "Gula Angau" – local sugar and tongkat ali, which consists of boiled long jack root mixed with coffee. Cuisine elements served included Brunei fried noodles, nasi lemak, dim sum, and murtabak. = The 6,000 m2 Canada Pavilion featured an exhibition themed "The Living City: Inclusive, Sustainable, Creative". The pavilion was expected to receive up to 5.5 million people or 30,000 visitors per day, during the six-month Expo period. Canada hired Mark Rowswell, (known as Dashan in China), to be the pavilion's general manager. The overall budget for the Canadian pavilion was 45 million Canadian dollars (US$43.57 million). Cirque du Soleil designed the concept for the pavilion and also created public performances, organized cultural programs and developed strategic corporate alliances for the pavilion. The exterior of the pavilion was covered in polished steel and cedar. The pavilion was anchored by an open public square and surrounded by three large, wooden, curved structures. The square was a performing area, with performances by Cirque du Soleil. Part of the pavilion's exterior walls were covered by a special kind of greenery and rainwater was collected by a drainage system for use inside the pavilion. The Canadian pavilion featured the National Film Board of Canada film Glimpses/Impressions, depicting a day in the life of a composite Canadian city. Directed by Jean-François Pouliot, Glimpses was created with over 3,000 animated photos projected onto a large screen with a 150-degree curve. A restaurant in the pavilion served Moosehead Beer and poutine. A corporate boardroom was constructed by Bombardier Inc., and a V.I.P. suite for business dealings was sponsored by the Power Corporation of Canada. Canada was the first country to sign a contract agreeing to open an exhibition at Expo 2010. = The Chile Pavilion, also known as the "Sprout of a New City" was located in Area C and occupied approximately 2,000 m2. = The China Pavilion was the largest national pavilion at the Expo with a footprint of more than 71,000 m2 and a gross floor area in excess of 160,000 m2. It is also the most expensive pavilion, costing an estimated US$220 million. The building is located halfway along the Expo Axis on its eastern side in Zone A of the Expo Park. The pavilion lay directly to the east of the Theme Pavilions and to the north of the Hong Kong and Macau pavilions. The chief architect of the pavilion was He Jingtang, the director of the Architectural Academy of the South China University of Technology. The 63-meter high pavilion, the tallest structure at the Expo, is dubbed "The Oriental Crown" because of its resemblance to an ancient Chinese crown. The architectonic feature of the building was inspired by traditional Chinese roof brackets known as dougong which date back nearly 2,000 years. The exterior is painted in various shades of Chinese red, symbolising Chinese culture and good fortune. The structure was built with a strong emphasis on sustainable and energy-saving practices with the exterior offering thermal insulation and natural ventilation. The inverted pyramid design and the lower courtyard offers a large overhang for shading. The environmentally friendly roof design allows rainwater harvesting and is decorated with Chinese-style landscaping. The theme of the pavilion during the Expo was "Chinese Wisdom in Urban Development". The pavilion display was divided into three parts starting from the top of the building and finishing at the bottom. Exploring the Oriental Footprint: This first part highlighted the wisdom of Chinese urban practices in Chinese history, from the achievements of China's reforms in the late 1970s to the urban experiences of Imperial China. Among the highlights were two films exploring the developments in the lives of ordinary Chinese in the last 30 years, an animation of the famous painting "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" projected onto a huge screen, and the display of a four-horse chariot from the Terracotta Army. The Experience Trip: Excursion trains provided a journey exploring urban wisdom in modern and present times, with a track that followed close by for wheelchair users to share the experience. Focus on a Lower Carbon Future: An exploration of a lower carbon future in China. Unlike most of the other pavilions, the China pavilion along with the theme pavilions, Expo Cultural Center and the Expo Axis were not dismantled following the Expo. On 1 October 2012, the China pavilion was reopened as the China Art Museum. = China's Joint Provincial Pavilion was a large box-shaped building located underneath the China Pavilion. It housed the individual pavilion stalls of every one of China provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. In all there were 31 pavilions. Although each pavilion is relatively small in size, all were elaborately designed with cultural and architectural qualities unique to each province. For example, the exterior of the Heilongjiang Pavilion resembled blocks of ice, alluding to the extremely cold environment of the province, while the Guizhou pavilion strongly emphasised silver head decorations, displaying special folk characteristics. = The Colombia Pavilion which was located in Area C of the Expo was designed by Colombian architects Alejandro Puentes and Esteban Castro from the firm 4H. The concept divided the building into three elements. The base was a glass wall imprinted with a series of pictures showing landscapes, people and city developments. The body of the building was in the form of laser-cut PVC panels showing Tumaco's fabric stamps to celebrate their harmonic relationship with the environment. The third part was a lighthouse, landmark and a glowing tower displaying a flock of parrots recalling the colors of the Colombian flag. = The Denmark Pavilion designed by Bjarke Ingels Group showcased sustainability and energy solutions along with unique Danish architecture and design. The pavilion's centerpiece was The Little Mermaid, marking the first time that the iconic statue had left Copenhagen. The Little Mermaid was displayed in the center of an artificial pond within the pavilion. The original plans for the exhibit called for seawater from Copenhagen's harbor to be transported, but that idea was dropped because the water would have turned rotten by the time it had reached Shanghai. The intention of transporting the seawater with the statue was to give a more authentic experience to spectators. The pavilion and Little Mermaid statue were unveiled on 25 April 2010, accompanied by a performance by singer Thomas Helmig, who performed a song called Swim, written expressly for the statue's debut. Denmark's Tax Minister Troels Lund Poulsen also delivered a speech to mark the opening of the pavilion. According to the official site, the pavilion welcomed its 4 millionth visitor on September 12, 2010, and on October 30, 2010, it welcomed its 5.55 millionth visitor, matching the population of Denmark. = The Egypt Pavilion was located in Area C. Egypt's 1,000-square-meter pavilion was designed as a gift by Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. A bit stark with swirling black and white swooshes, it is apparently meant to combine modernity with antiquity, represented by the constellation-like graphic of three pyramids above the arched entrance. = The original name of Finland Pavilion was Kirnu – a Giant's kettle. The pavilion was a feat of Finnish design and showcased Finnish nature and society. Finland wanted to build the Finnish pavilion at the Shanghai EXPO 2010 as ecologically as possible. The main planning work for the pavilion was done in Finland, while the Chinese handled the construction in Shanghai. The pavilion featured a large video installation (70 meters × 7½ meters) designed by artist Jaana Partanen and architect Heikki Lamusuo as well as a unique elevator named 'Lantern', specially designed by KONE = The France Pavilion featured six paintings and one sculpture on loan from the Musée d'Orsay. The paintings included works by Paul Cézanne, Jean-François Millet, Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin, while the sculpture was Auguste Rodin's The Age of Bronze'. The Age of Bronze had previously been displayed at the Exposition Universelle in 1889 and the 1900 Paris Expo. The Angélus, by Jean-François Millet, was also shown at the 1867 Expo in Paris. The French pavilion won 3rd prize for best development of theme in the pavilion, a prize category for pavilions at the expo. = The 6000 m2, Germany Pavilion was located in Zone C of the expo. The pavilion was themed "Balancity" – a portmanteau word created from two previously existing words, balance and city – representing a balance between modernization and preservation. The centerpiece of the pavilion was a massive LED swinging ball that interacted in turn with the volume of the audience. The pavilion won first prize for the best theme development of Expo 2010 for class A pavilions = Due to the financial crisis, the budget for the Greece Pavilion was cut short by 40%. . The exhibition featured the countries' main highlights, including its Olympic tradition, in the hope of attracting Chinese tourists to visit Greece. By presenting the 24 hours of a day, the Greek Pavilion hoped to give visitors an experience of Greek night life in addition to the exhibits. = The 2,000 m2 Hong Kong Pavilion featured an indoor recreation of the Hong Kong Wetland Park. The main theme of the Pavilion was "Hong Kong – A City with Unlimited Potential". According to the official site, the pavilion welcomed its 1 millionth visitor on July 31, 2010, and its 2 millionth visitor on August 17, 2010. = The Hungary Pavilion had a remarkable interior ceiling, consisting of about 1000 wooden bars hanging loosely from the ceiling, some 600 among them moved up and down by small motors. The pavilion was decorated with natural materials; wood and a pebble stone floor, all surrounded by a water curtain – representing green living in the city. The pavilion's center exhibition item was a Gömböc, a Hungarian invention by two mathematicians. Gomboc is a homogeneous object with the same self-righting feature as roly-poly toy. Gomboc symbolizes the creative and innovative spirit of the Hungarians, and also the philosophical aspect of mankind striving for harmony and balanced life. On August 8, 2010, the pavilion welcomed its 3,333,333rd visitor – a third of Hungary's population. By the end of the expo, the Hungarian Pavilion received a total of 5,785,400 visitors. The Pavilion won the Silver Prize in pavilion design for Category C. = The Iceland Pavilion was built in the form of a cube with the outside covered with a blue and white photo of ice. The interior of the pavilion featured videos projected onto the walls and ceiling which depicted Icelandic nature, geysers, volcanoes, a lagoon and the night skyline of Reykjavík, Iceland's capital. = The 4,000 m2 India Pavilion showcased the world's largest bamboo dome inspired by the Sanchi Stupa, an ancient Buddhist monument built between 321 and 187 BC by Ashoka. The main theme was "Cities of Harmony", reflecting the country's wide range of ethnic groups, religions and languages. The pavilion had a crimson central dome, while the focus of the exhibit was on the interaction between rural and urban areas through exchange of goods and services. Revolving around a journey of Indian cities from ancient times through medieval periods to modern India, the pavilion showcased India's rich cultural heritage, its faith, culture and language diversity, traditional and modern technological development, and urban-rural interface. Notable pieces of the pavilion included: Tree of Life: The entrance to the pavilion was through a vaulted portal with the "Tree of Life" carving inspired by the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque at Ahmedabad. The central dome was herb-roofed with the "Tree of Life" in copper. The innovative combination of plants and metals distinguished the dome. Zero-chemical Area: The seemingly ancient India Pavilion was replete with marvelous modern technologies. The pavilion was designed as a zero-chemical Area. Energy efficiency was made possible through the use of solar panels, wind mills, herbs, and bamboo. The terracotta and stone floor was inspired by the palace at Rampur in Varanasi and was cooled by embedded pipes, so that visitors would be touring around the pavilion in a cool and comfortable temperature even in the summer. Indian Market: The "Indian Market" was open for curious visitors. In fact, the attic in this market belonged to one of the exhibition areas of the India Pavilion, from which one could get a bird's-eye view of the whole pavilion. The market was also a catering service area where traditional food from India was served. 360-degree Holographic Projection: Depicted India's evolution from the ancient times of Mohenjodaro and Harappa (dating back to 2000–3000 BC) through the medieval period to modern India. The display around the dome elaborated on the theme "Cities of Harmony". Shopping Arcade and Amphitheater: The Shopping Arcade in the pavilion enabled visitors to see the artisans from different parts of the country demonstrating their skills. Also, specialized products from different regions were available for sale. The Shopping Arcade also displayed typical Indian columns in its arcade structure. The Amphitheater hosted cultural shows from different regions of India on a regular basis. = The 4,000 m2 Indonesia Pavilion was themed "Biodiverse City". The exterior of the pavilion was covered with green bamboo sticks with bamboo growing from the pavilion's ceiling. The pavilion was divided into three zones: Bio Zone, Diverse Zone and City Zone. The building also featured an indoor waterfall, Bio Tunnel, Music Tunnel, 680 m2 Borobudur Megawall, collection of 2,200 narrative exhibits, indoor screening room, amphitheater, dining area and coffee corner. The mascots of the pavilion were Pongo the orangutan and Koko the Komodo dragon. The total cost of the Indonesian Pavilion is estimated to have been IDR 200 billion or approx US$23 million. The Indonesia Pavilion had its 8 millionth visitor on October 29, 2010. It was the 10th most visited Pavilion and received bronze medal in Creative Display category at the Pavilion Award. = The Iran pavilion's official theme was "Blending of Diverse Cultures in the City" and highlighted traditional Islamic architecture and the colorful culture that can be found in Iranian cities. The pavilion appeared in three parts that focused on the past, present and future of Iranian excellence. A map on the front of the building focused on the ancient silk road that used to stretch across Asia, which could be seen whilst waiting to enter the pavilion. Upon entering the pavilion the visitor could see replicas of colorful Islamic tile work, and beyond a giant quarter sphere in the center of a great room that symbolizes Iran as one of the four great human populations. There were some antiques and cultural relics scattered around and a loft upstairs where rugs and sewn handicrafts were for sale. Looking forward, Iran had several displays that highlighted their ability to drill for oil and other energy resources. There was also a laser harp that could be played by visitors. = The Iraq Pavilion was located in Area A. = The 2,500 m2 Ireland Pavilion was themed "Urban Space and the Evolution of Urban Life Style". The pavilion's theme symbolized the relationship between urban and nature. The exhibition inside sets the creativity of the Irish, their ancient history, vibrant modern culture, educational traditions, and technical innovations into the context of a small, but varied and beautiful island. = The 2,000 m2 Israel Pavilion was composed of two streamlined buildings, which looked as if two clasped hands. One side of the pavilion was made of authentic stone while the other is made from transparent glass. The design symbolized Israeli innovation and technology as well as the connection between humanity and nature. The pavilion highlighted both modern and ancient Jewish culture. It consisted of three areas: the Whispering Garden, the Hall of Light, and the Hall of Innovations. The Whispering Garden was an orchard which greeted visitors as they entered the building. Next, inside the natural stone, was the Hall of Innovations, symbolizing links with the earth and history, and the recycling of natural resources. Under the transparent glass was the Hall of Light, symbolizing technology, transparency, lightness and the future. Pavilion Highlights: Green Orchard: A green orchard visible as visitors entered the pavilion. About 50 orange trees were planted, and technology made the trees "whisper" in English and Chinese when visitors walked close to them. Everyone was expected to be in direct touch with nature and the irrigation technology that the Israelis take pride in. Innovation: The Hall of Light featured a 15-meter screen that showed films highlighting the country's innovations and technological achievements. As the centerpiece of the pavilion, the Hall of Innovations presented an audiovisual show which allowed visitors to hear from Israeli children, scientists, doctors and inventors, via hundreds of screens. Each light sphere represented innovation and technical breakthroughs in such fields as agriculture, food, pharmacology, solar and green energy, science, music, literature, high-tech, telecommunication, and security. Capsule: Highlights included a capsule containing a mini-camera that can be swallowed for internal medical checks (the camera can then be discharged naturally and not cause any pain for the patient). It was displayed in the Hall of innovations. = The Italy Pavilion, dubbed "The City of Man," was composed of 20 functional modules which could be assembled freely. Its design was inspired by the game of Mikado, which is called "Shanghai" in Italy and pick-up sticks elsewhere. In said game, children drop a batch of 20 to 30 sticks on a table and try to move one stick at a time without moving the others until all the sticks are cleared. The final project was selected from a field of 65 candidates in a competition among European Union entries, said Beniamino Quintieri, the commissioner general for Italy. The 20 modules represent the 20 regions of Italy, making the whole pavilion embody a mini Italian city. The building's design also represented the harmony of different cultures and regions. When people walked in the pavilion, they were to feel themselves as if walking in a city that combines Shanghai's Shikumen-style lanes and an Italian square. Italy reserved a 6,000 m2 plot of land for its pavilion. The edifice was made with cutting edge transparent cement which constitutes the 3,774 blocks of transparent concrete covering the building. Italcementi Group, an Italy-based cement maker, developed the transparent cement employed to build the pavilion. Although the Italian group has not fully disclosed what was put into the mixture to make the cement, they said it contains transparent thermoplastic resin and inorganic materials such as alumina which can become solid without the use of water. Each block was able to transmit 20% of the light passing through., the cement blocks themselves were produced in Taiwan by Romastone Hong Hao, director of the Bureau of World Expo Shanghai Coordination, said that since Milan won the bid to host World Expo 2015, Italy was more than just a participant at Shanghai Expo. He said that China and Italy were the hosts of "sister Expos" and would have many chances to share valuable experience. According to the pavilion's designer Giampaolo Imbrighi the Italian pavilion had these fundamental characteristics: image – first and foremost seen as a window of Italian excellence as regards the quality of city life; functionality – able to host and help a large number of visitors and even more, astonish them during the six months that EXPO was open; the search for architectonic quality – referred to the dual concept tradition/innovation of the materials used for the project which are bioclimatic and eco-compatible. The spatial atmosphere of the building was brought about by: regionalism – combining the variety of customs and uses of both the Chinese and Italian populations in a single national reality of great tradition; the urban shape – the building was constructed in such a way that it shows roads and alleys which open onto a square represented by a central court. This was the heart of the Pavilion where you could find integration and exchange with city life. = The Japan Pavilion, nicknamed the "Purple Silkworm Island," resembled a living breathing organism. Under the theme "Harmony of the Hearts, Harmony of the Skills," the Japan Pavilion was separated into three separate sections: the exhibition area, the pre-show and the main show. = The Latvia Pavilion was themed as "Innovation city of science and technology". The philosophy and message imparted through the pavilion was "The road to happiness leads to harmony between nature and technology." The Aerodium wind tunnel was the centerpiece of the pavilion. Through the latest technological advances, the wind tunnel allowed visitors to fly in both a figurative and literal sense. The flight was said to have embodied the harmony, happiness and creative energy, that people have always pursued. = By July 31, 2010, the Lithuania Pavilion had received its 3 millionth visitor according to the official website. = The Macau Pavilion was fashioned in the shape of a rabbit paper lantern, resembling traits of a multicultural city. Inside the pavilion, there were about 120 projectors for the main exhibition. = The Malaysia Pavilion showcased rural building with Minangkabau's "Rumah Gadang" architecture. The roof design with a myriad of colours showcasing the Malaysian "Batik" design. The building comprised two streamlined high slopes with a cross on top, the symbol of Malaysian architecture. The facade of the pavilion was made from a combination of recyclable materials of palm oil and plastic. The design of the Malaysia Pavilion was derived from the unique architectural style of the Rumah Negeri Sembilan (Negeri Sembilan house), distinguished by their horn-shaped roofs too. After the Expo, the pavilion was donated to the city of Wuxi in the People's Republic of China. = The Malta Pavilion called "Malta: 8000 Years – A Life Center" was located within Zone C of the Expo Site. It featured different exhibition sections, connected by high-tech facilities such as intelligent lighting and audio-visual systems. Movable booths, various sculptures, giant rocks and the evolution of historical cities, were exhibited with sophisticated audio-visual technologies to showcase the complexity, uniqueness, and development trends within Malta's modern cities. = With an area of 4,000 m2 and the theme "Living Better", the Mexico Pavilion was located in Zone C, nearby several other American pavilions. The physical space divided into three levels represented three different moments of the country's cities. The past in the basement of the pavilion, present-day Mexico at the access level and the future on the platform of the slope. A plaza was the centerpiece of the Mexican pavilion, and a representation of a kite forest and a proposal for the future. The natural grass showed the concern for the recovery of green areas in cities. According to the official site, the Mexico pavilion welcomed its 2 millionth visitor on August 12, 2010 . = The theme of the Myanmar Pavilion was "Better Urbanization with Harmonized Eco-System". The pavilion-style entrance, magnificent wall, and bridge represented the distinct Southeast Asian flavor and architectural charm of Myanmar. Featuring holy temples and traditional buildings, the pavilion adopted advanced display methods to introduce local customs, rich resources and brilliant culture of Myanmar. The pavilion was located in zone A of the Expo. = The Nepal Pavilion was a replica of Kathmandu, with Pagoda styled buildings in the expo. Through the Expo, Nepal planned to attract foreigners to Nepal in the year 2011 as part of the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign. With the theme "Tales of Kathmandu City", the pavilion captured important historic moments of the city. The pavilion displayed the luster of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal and an architectural, artistic, and cultural center that has developed over 2,000 years. The theme touched upon the soul of a city by exploring its past and future. Another highlight of the pavilion was Nepal's efforts in environmental protection and developing renewable energies. The pavilion was in the form of an ancient Buddhist temple in Kathmandu, surrounded by traditional Nepalese houses. = The Netherlands Pavilion, called Happy Street, was built in the form of an 8 (a Chinese magic number, meaning "wealth") and represented a number of typical Dutch houses (28). The houses are not only traditional Dutch canal houses, but also represented some of the architectural highlights of the country. The VIP room was built in the form of a crown, which gave the structure its nickname. The building was designed by John Körmeling. It was formally opened by prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende. The pavilion's themes were water management, innovation, and architecture. The exhibition showed a hair of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. The catering which was performed by Maison van den Boer (By Appointment to the Court of the Netherlands) included Dutch specialties which were adjusted to the Chinese taste, such as croquettes made with Peking duck. A separate Water Pavilion of the city of Rotterdam showed a spectacular water printer. The venue management of both the Netherlands and the Rotterdam WaterCity Pavilion was performed by De Vries + Partners / DVP China Eventmarketing. On October 3, 2010, the 'Happy Street' welcomed its 7th million visitor, which was 10% of the total visitors of the Expo 2010, and above the 5 to 10% goal of the Dutch stand. Its record breaking day was achieved on Saturday October 16, with 80,000 visitors on one day, which was the same day of the record high of 1 million people visiting that Expo on one day. On Thursday the 21st of October 'Happy Street' officially welcomed its 8th million visitor. The Dutch stand won 'the Golden Eye 2010 award' for 'best design of the year', granted by the Dutch Design Awards. = The New Zealand Pavilion, nicknamed the Kiwi pavilion was guarded by a large steel and rubber 12-meter high native Pōhutukawa Tree. Because New Zealand is the world's first developed nation to sign a Free Trade Agreement with China, the pavilion was located near the China Pavilion. The theme Cities of Nature: Living between land and Sky followed the history of New Zealand mixed with nature, modern living, economics and technology, and how it could make for a sustainable and a creative future. The pavilion's roof was landscaped with real native flora of New Zealand including a bubbling mud pool and a beautiful coastline. This rooftop garden was divided into four parts: Tropical Land, Farmland, Gondwanaland (pre-historic land) and a Thermal Wonderland, which displayed active geysers, sulphur craters, and an active volcano. In addition, part of the rooftop acted as a sheltered viewing platform overlooking the forecourt below which, during the expo, hosted various displays and live performances. A newly carved giant Waka (Māori canoe) was also to be on show during the expo, and was expected to then be gifted to the people of China. Another feature was a 1.8-tonne Greenstone (Pounamu/Jade) boulder which further symbolised the connection between China and New Zealand, as the rock is significant to both peoples. The pavilion's interior took visitors on a hi-tech journey through time from New Zealand's earliest beginning to what it has achieved today. = The North Korea Pavilion was the first exhibition from North Korea at any Expo. The pavilion contained a large exhibition hall including a sky-line view of Pyongyang, a small replica of Juche Tower, cultural and contemporary displays, and a souvenir counter. The souvenirs included works by Kim Jong-il, lapel pins, paintings, and a selection of North Korean music DVDs, some of which are also projected in the pavilion. = The Nigeria Pavilion with a theme of Our Cities: Harmony in Diversity was in zone C, opposite to the joint Africa pavilion. Its exterior walls displayed a simulated Zuma Rock and showed the colors of the Nigerian flag(). = The Norway Pavilion was constructed around 15 model trees made from Norway's pine trees and Chinese bamboo. The theme for the Norwegian pavilion was "Norway, powered by nature". = The Oman Pavilion showcased the country's seafaring and architectural heritage. The front half of the pavilion resembled one of Oman's forts, such as those found in Sohar and Nizwa, which was attached to the front of a traditional Omani ship. = The Pacific Pavilion, which was the third largest national pavilion after China and the combined Africa pavilions, housed the stands and exhibitions of fifteen Pacific Island nations and French Polynesia. Countries participating in the pavilion included the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. French Polynesia was also represented with its own exhibition stand. Additionally, The Pacific Islands Forum and the South Pacific Tourism Organisation exhibited within the pavilion. The Pacific Pavilion was located near the entrance to the Expo, adjacent to the China pavilion. Each country within the Pacific Pavilion was assigned its own exhibition stand, which are all shaped like a vaka sail, though each nation was responsible for its own design. Much of the materials for the exhibits arrived in early April. The interior of the pavilion featured mobiles depicting postage stamps from each country. The pavilion was decorated throughout with exotic furniture from Fijian company Pacific Green. Large banners, designed by signage and art director Roger Huggett, were hung from the pavilion's entrance, displaying welcome signs written in various Pacific languages. A soft opening, held before the official May 1 opening date, attracted 69,811 visitors to the Pacific Pavilion, despite the fact that only the French Polynesian booth was completed at the time. Cook Islands The Cook Islands exhibition was located within the Pacific Pavilion. The Chinese government covered the total $650,000 cost of the exhibit and travel expenses. The Cook Islands' stand, which included 324 square meters of exhibition space, was designed by Woods Creative of New Zealand. The stand, which was staffed by Chinese volunteers and Cook Islander expatriates living in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, showed Cook Islander culture and local brands, such as Avaiki Cook Islands pearls. Solomon Islands The Solomon Islands exhibition, located in the Pacific Pavilion, exhibited more than four hundred cultural pieces, including art and handicrafts. The stand, which was chaired by Michael Tokuru, the general manager of Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, promoted tourism, trade, and products produced in the Solomons. A giant carved nguzunguzu was positioned in front of the Solomon Islands booth to as a centerpiece of the attraction. = The Pakistan Pavilion was themed harmony in diversity. The pavilion was shortlisted as one of the five most imaginative themes that engaged well with the overall theme of the Expo. It displayed various facets of urban living in the country in terms of the tradition, culture, modernity, and history. Located next to the Chinese pavilion, the two story exhibition was spread over an area of 2,000 square meters. The pavilion was built through a public-private partnership at a total cost of $6.8 million. The pavilion takes a realistic historical view of its theme. The façade boasted a replica of Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort. The gatekeeper in traditional dress with frill turban attracted immediate attention. The interior offered glimpses of a former royal garden. Other features inside the pavilion gave visitors an understanding of the urban life in Pakistan through a range of visual aspects and multimedia presentations. The three major highlights of the pavilion included: Culture, history, and diversity: The history of the country since the times of the Indus Valley civilization through Gandhara era, and the independence from British Raj. The model area exhibited a sculpture of Buddha, Minar-e-Pakistan, The Pakistan National Monument, and other monuments backed with audio-visual commentary. China-Pakistan friendship: The diversity of cultures, especially from the areas bordering with China. A 50-seat theater showcased the culture, natural scenery, and the oldest group game in the world, Polo. Dances and cuisines: There was an equal focus on the interaction between ancient customs and modern traditions. The pavilion hosted popular urban cuisines from across the country with dances that are symbolic of its provinces. = The 1,000 m2 Peru Pavilion was themed as "Food Breeds the City" featuring a bamboo facade that simulates the material used by Peruvian highlanders immigrating to urban areas. Additionally, this pavilion showed the image of Mario Vargas Llosa, the 2010 Nobel Laureate in literature. This pavilion showed Peru's best attractions for its visitors: its cuisine and its vast rich culture, being the center of the former Inca Empire. = The 2,000 m2 Philippines Pavilion was designed to become the largest exhibition in the country's history at the World Expo. The theme of the pavilion was "Performing Cities." Filipino architect Ed Calma's firm designed the building. A montage of giant hands, representing both well-known and ordinary Filipinos, featured across the pavilion's facade. The hands were meant "to emphasize the human dimension in urbanization, and to assert the Filipino's genius at (hand) crafting vital relationships through work, art, and play." The interior of the pavilion featured exhibitions, videos and performances showcasing the Philippines' best cities, based on standards used by the World Bank. The Filipino cities that featured at the Expo were Calbayog, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo City, Naga City, Makati, Manila, Malaybalay, Puerto Princesa, San Fernando City, La Union, and Taguig. Other exhibits included concerts, a boutique, and a cafe. The pavilion featured daily performances by Filipino artists and entertainers, including the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Ballet Philippines, the Philippine Madrigal Singers, pianist Cecille Licad, Joanna Go, Rachelle Gerodiea, and the group Kontra Gapi. The estimated cost of the Philippines' participation in the Expo was PhP450 million. Half of the expenses covered by Filipino-Chinese chambers of commerce and half by corporate sponsors. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo attended the Philippine Independence Day celebrations at the pavilion on June 9, a few days before the actual holiday. = The Poland Pavilion was opened on 1 May 2010 during a festive ceremony in the exhibition area of EXPO 2010 Shanghai. The design of the pavilion was created by Marcin Mostafa and Natalia Paszkowska of WWA Architects. The basic motif of the pavilion's construction was the national folk-art paper cut-out form known as wycinanki. The designers of this project wanted to translate folk patterns into the contemporary language of architectural form. According to the official site, the pavilion welcomed its 5 millionth visitor on August 27, 2010. = The Portugal Pavilion had an academic section on the ancient (trade) history and links between Portugal and China. = The Romania Pavilion was built on a surface of about 2,000 m2, and its design evolved around the color and environmental implications of "green," inspired by the apple, the most popular fruit in Romania and representing a "green city," healthy life and the concept of sustainable development. The exhibition included three sections——"Millennium in Retrospect", "Social and urban development promoted by history and nature" and "City life close to nature". = The Russia Pavilion was the first exhibition Russia constructed at an expo in 30 years. It was one of the pavilions visited by President Hu Jintao when at the Expo. The pavilion towers symbolized rapidly growing megalopolises with skyscrapers of a nonlinear architecture. The white-gold color of the towers resembled historical images of Russian architecture while the perforation of the upper tower parts was created based upon ethnic ornaments of the peoples who populate Russia. The pavilion plan, similar to the outlay of a Slavic settlement, symbolized "the flower of life" or the sun, roots of "the world tree" (a spreading oak among the Slavs) where "the life heavens" lie. The towers "roots" were oriented to the center of the composition and support "the civilization cube" connected with a symbol "man". The elements of the cube's external decoration could move and that organizes huge surfaces of "the living facade" which by reflecting the sky, the towers, greenery and people created an image of a giant living being in daytime. At night with the help of special lighting, an even more stunning effect of the changing light-color-dynamic screen was created. The narrative demonstration slogan represented in the Russian pavilion was: better city is the city of a dream, happiness, a good place for children to live in. Original children's ideas, youth projects and inventions will let dip into the future. As today's children are those who will live on the Earth tomorrow, they will build new cities, make scientific discoveries and implement them in life = Built on a plot of 7,600 m2, the Saudi Arabia Pavilion was the second largest after the China's national pavilion in terms of area and height, Saudi Arabia spent $164 million on its pavilion, which was the highest figure spent by one nation amongst all visiting countries. The pavilion was designed to resemble a giant oil tanker. The centerpiece of the Saudi Arabia pavilion featured a huge hanging boat shaped like a half moon. Date palms were planted on the top deck of the "moon boat", creating a hanging garden and thus epitomizing oases in the desert. Visitors were welcomed to the pavilion in both modern, as well as traditional, Bedouin tents set among date palm trees. The Saudi government imported the date palms and a full mosque for the expo. A large screen, estimated to be the size of a soccer field, projected images of King Abdullah meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The Saudi Pavilion marked more than four million visitor by the end of the Expo and the pavilion was one of a few that remained standing when the Expo was concluded. The Saudi Pavilion saw a number of heads of state and government as well as celebrities visiting including Robert De Niro, Liv Tyler and Yao Ming. The public figures were received by the pavilion's director of Media Khalid Altowelli and other members of the Saudi Pavilion management. China is Saudi Arabia's fastest growing trading partner. A large stage within the pavilion was used to unveil joint Saudi-Chinese business deals, including a new railway between the cities of Mecca and Medina, which will be constructed by a Chinese firm. According to the official site, the pavilion welcomed its 2 millionth visitor on August 1, 2010. The Pavilion re-opened in July 2011 to welcome further guests to experience the 1400sqm flyover screen and will finally close on 8 October 2016. Over 7 million visitors will have visited the pavilion between May 2010 and its closing. As of June 2017, the pavilion has had all internal components removed and is now being demolished to allow for new construction to be completed on the site. = The Serbia Pavilion was located in so-called European Square, in the west side of zone C. It has 1,000 m2 in size. The exhibition theme was City Code. The pavilion was opened by the Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić. The pavilion was built in the process of weaving, merging and matching modular parts that represent the Pirot rug theme. Modules were made of metal, plastic and porcelain affixed upon networks of wedges and cables. Serbian National Day is June 27 when the pavilion hosted Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, an investment forum and many cultural events including series of concerts by Slobodan Trkulja and his band Balkanopolis. The Serbian pavilion also featured a visit by actor Bata Živojinović. = The music-box-like Singapore Pavilion was a two-story structure with an "Urban Symphony" theme. The theme was inspired by the harmony of unique elements in Singapore: progress and sustainability, urbanization and greenery, tradition and modernity and a cosmopolitan mix of residents of different races living peacefully together. The two environmental aspects that Singapore has successfully tackled in balancing progress with sustainability – water and garden – formed the softscape of the pavilion as its two design elements. The pavilion incorporated an orchestra of elements into its design – music fountains, an interplay of sounds and visuals and roof garden flora, with the country's unique rhythm and melody. Unique Design supported by four columns of different profiles, the entire structural system featured floors of different shapes and sizes, connected by ramps and stairs suspended from trusses to form a tensional balance, which symbolized a harmonious coexistence of people who live, work and vacation in Singapore. Architect: Kay Ngee Tan, Exhibition Director: Singapore Tourism Board, Creative Director: Jay Phua, Production Director: Walter Lim. There was a "Hanging Garden", a rooftop garden landscaped with exotic flora and music fountains. Here visitors received a first-hand feel of Singapore as a Garden City. = The South Korea Pavilion was a three-story building with the exterior decorated in the 20 basic letters of the Korean alphabet. South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and his wife opened the pavilion in Shanghai on May 1. Korea also had a separate corporate pavilion to showcase its wares to its largest trading partner, China. The pavilion won second prize for category A pavilion design. = Spain Pavilion was remarkable for its wicker facade, designed by the Spanish architect studio EMBT Miralles-Tagliabue, it commemorates the resemblance in both textile cultural background of both Spain and China, wishing to unite the two cultural countries with a symbol with this wicker basket technique, the exterior undulate walls hides special meanings to Chinese characters embedded in the facade. The pavilion comprised three exhibition halls designed by the UTE Empty- Noe Special Concept design. The three exhibition halls featured a movie by Bigas Luna in the first exhibition hall, a technological giant projection screen room in hall 2 and in the future hall #3 a giant baby by the celebrated Spanish-Catalan director Isabel Coixet. According to the official website, the Spain pavilion welcomed its 4 millionth visitor on August 10, 2010. The building won the 2012 International Architecture Award for the best new global design. = The overall theme of the Sweden Pavilion was "The Spirit of Innovation". This theme was reflected in the architecture of the pavilion, the exhibition and the activities hosted by the pavilion during the Expo. It was distinguished by a large outdoor atrium with a rooftop bar, and the exhibition focused on Sweden as a nation of problem solvers in the areas of urban environment and quality of life. The exhibition contained many interactive elements and outside hosted a popular slide. = The Taiwan Pavilion, created by C. Y. Lee, was designed to resemble a lantern and parts of Taipei 101. In the center of the pavilion a gigantic round LED screen projected images of Taiwan and its culture. After Expo 2010 concluded, the pavilion was disassembled and shipped to Hsinchu, where it has become a permanent attraction. = The Thailand Pavilion had three separate chambers. While interchanging three large groups of people around the building, visitors could sense and briefly experience the beauties and wonders of the country. In front of the building was an "Intarachit" (Indrajit) commonly seen guarding Thai temples and sacred areas in Thailand. The two statues represented the long-lasting relational bond between China and Thailand. The first part of the exhibition contained a miniature outdoor gallery, surrounded by water features and a traditional Naga fountain, the host sometimes entertained waiting visitors by teaching simple Thai vocabulary before entering the pavilion. The first chamber of the pavilion's main attraction was a four-sided screen with rainwater features, where visitors could view videos of Thai culture. Below the screen was a water theme, featuring projected lotus ponds and other objects relating to the movie screened above, giving an impression of a "Thai" environment. The second chamber projected a 360° clip, explaining Thai history and the four eras of prosperity, from the Sukhothai era, when King Ramkhamhaeng the Great invented the Thai alphabet to the present Rattanakosin Kingdom. While traveling in time between eras, art designs of the specific era or "Lai Thai" (ลายไทย) could be seen decorating the plain pillars around to room. The last assembly room included a 3D movie about tourism in Thailand, which featured Siam Paragon, one of the largest shopping complexes in Southeast Asia, along with Siam Ocean World, the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia. The pavilion also featured Thai cuisine, provided by Thai Airways, and a Souvenir Shop, packed with delicate collectables. The exterior of the building was decorated with Thai decorations, traditional roofs and delicate designs. = Lospalos-style roof, carved wooden door, processed palm leaves and a dazzling array of handicrafts depicted a unique look of Timor-Leste. With the help of lighting, the country's natural scenery, scenes of work and entertainment of its people are displayed, showing the harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. = The design for the exterior of the 2,000 m2 Turkey Pavilion was derived from one of the first known settlements in the world called Çatalhöyük, the center of advanced culture in the Neolithic period. The pavilion looked like a red and beige box with an animal sculpture. = The United Arab Emirates Pavilion, created by British architect Lord (Norman) Foster, was designed to resemble a sand dune. The building, which was constructed of gold-colored glass, was curved to imitate the natural formations of the leeward and windward sides of the sand dunes found in the U.A.E. Foster's design also drew attention to the country's traditional Bedouin culture. After Expo 2010 finished the pavilion was moved to Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi in UAE = The budget for the UK Pavilion was approximately £25m, with £2.5m provided by private sector sponsors and the rest by the UK Government. The pavilion was built with 60,000 translucent acrylic rods which produced effects when the wind blew and was given the name "Seed Cathedral" and nicknamed the "Dandelion". The pavilion won the title of Best Pavilion at the Expo. The Pattern of the Union Jack flag could be seen faintly from the outside of the pavilion if one looked closely. = The USA Pavilion was one of the last of the 192 participating countries to sign up for involvement with the Expo. As of August 31, 2010, the pavilion reported that attendance had surpassed 4.7 million and was averaging more than 41,000 people per day. On September 30, 2010, the pavilion welcomed its 6 millionth visitor. Entertainment was provided at the US Pavilion on an ongoing basis with live performances by various US artists. Performers during the opening weeks of Expo 2010 included the Philadelphia Orchestra, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Herbie Hancock. The U.S. Pavilion, with its theme of "Rising to the Challenge", was a gray steel structure designed to resemble an eagle with its wings outstretched to welcome pavilion visitors. The 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) pavilion, constructed largely from glass and steel, was designed by Canadian architect Clive Grout. The show aspects of the Information and Communication Pavilion were conceived and produced by Bob Rogers (designer) and his Burbank, California-based firm, BRC Imagination Arts. The U.S. Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo was notable as per it having been the only national pavilion at the Expo, and the only U.S. Pavilion in recent history, solely funded by private financial contributions, coming from approximately 60 multinational corporations. = The 3,000 sq. meter (9,842 sq. foot) Venezuela Pavilion was in the geometric shape of a Klein bottle. It was structured in the form of an "8" – a symbolic number both in China and Venezuela, with the eight stars of Simón Bolívar which had been incorporated into the Venezuelan flag in 2006. The pavilion depicted many traditional aspects of Venezuela's history and culture. There was one escalator, an auditorium, an open-air atrium with a small café offering fresh fruit juices and fried Venezuelan snacks. An equestrian sculpture of Simón Bolívar by Chinese artist Yuang Xikung was installed near the entrance to the pavilion. = Within Zone A of the Expo Site. Theme: 1000-Year History of Hanoi. The facade of the 1,000-square-meter pavilion appeared like a river and the bamboo surrounding it reduced the heat from the sun. The design highlighted Vietnamese culture. Visitors could learn about the country's profound history and culture as well as its wisdom in eco-protection and urban development. The Shanghai World Expo had a number of corporate pavilions. = The Information and Communication Pavilion, with its theme "Information and Communication – Extending City Dreams", was a corporate pavilion co-sponsored by China Mobile and China Telecom. The 6,196-square-meter pavilion was designed so that hexagonal panels, which cover the building's entire exterior, continuously change colors and animate in various patterns. These panels were made of recyclable material and most of the construction materials used for the pavilion were environmentally friendly and intended to be recyclable and reusable at the end of the Expo. In addition to its recyclable content, another sustainable feature of the Information and Communication Pavilion was the use of cold water from the Expo site to regulate the building's indoor temperature and reduce energy consumption and emissions. The show aspects of the Information and Communication Pavilion were conceived and produced by designer Bob Rogers' Burbank, California based firm, BRC Imagination Arts. The firm, which was also responsible for the show aspects of the US Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, has an extensive history in Expo show designs, producing content for six world's fairs, including the film for the Vancouver Expo, "Rainbow War", which was nominated for an Academy Award ("Oscar"). Visitors to the Information and Communication Pavilion participated in its show elements with the use of mobile devices that enable each to interact with show content and show characters. The interaction began before pavilion visitors enter the pavilion structure. Outside, in the pavilion's outdoor queue, referred to as the "Dream Garden", visitors waiting to enter the pavilion could use mobile phones to interact with the information and video streaming all around them. Once in the pavilion, visitors were given a personal interactive device carry with them to use in both the pre-show as well as in the main show portions of the pavilion experience. The pre-show film presented visitors with highlights of key moments and the historically important figures who led to advancements in communication technologies. In the main show, visitors used their personal interactive devices to further interact with the main show characters and events and record personal choices of ideas presented to them in the show. The interaction by the audience with the storylines of the show's key characters, and immersive theater and screen special effects, helped to relay the ideal that the capabilities of communications in our future society are limitless. = SAIC and GM jointly produced a pavilion spanning around 6,000 square meters about driving in 2030. The pavilion featured futuristic demonstrations of highly mobile electric cars named EN-V. The New York Times notes, "The trio have separate personalities. Xiao ("laugh" in Chinese) by Holden in Australia is playful and lighthearted, a "gumball blue" cousin to Wall-E, the film character. Miao (Magic) was designed at the General Motors Advanced Design Studio in California. Its LED accents applied to a dark form suggesting a large motorcycle helmet were inspired by consumer electronics. Jiao (Pride), by G.M. Europe designers, suggests Western admiration for China with a clean and bright look inspired by bullet trains and Chinese opera masks." International organisations were well represented at this expo, with almost 50 participants. Some had their own pavilions, and some were shared. = The UN had their own pavilion in Zone B, near to the Pacific pavilion. = The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent also had their pavilion in Zone B and on August 1 had welcomed over 500,000 visitors according to the official website. = This pavilion had stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Boao Forum for Asia, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Forum Francophone des Affaires, Global Environment Facility, International Association of Public Transport, International Council of Museums (which was inaugurated by its Director General, Julien Anfruns), International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), League of Arab States (sometimes called Arab League), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, United Cities and Local Governments, World Water Council (WWC) and the World Wildlife Fund. This was an area in Zone E in which cities presented themselves, many displayed in one of four joint pavilions, some in stand-alone pavilions = Cities contributing in the joint pavilions included: Barcelona (Spain) – The District of Innovation Bremen (Germany) – From Knowledge to Innovation: Urban Transportation Solutions Cairo (Egypt) – Integrated Model for Revitalization of Historical Cities Düsseldorf (Germany) – Business Meets Lifestyle – Livable City and Sustainable Development as Strategic Goals and Achievements Hong Kong (China) – Smart Card, Smart City, Smart Life, whose pavilion showed the practical use of the Hong Kong octopus card, and placed it in historical context of contactless smart cards (it was first) Liverpool (UK) – Protection and Utilization of Historical Heritages in Liverpool. The Liverpool display had 3 sections: an auditorium where visitors viewed a 3D show; an event and exhibition area including games and a VIP area. For most of the expo a superlambanana was on display outside the pavilion, before being presented to Shanghai, and being replaced by table football London (UK) – Zero Carbon Living ZedPavilion, A collaboration between UK Architect Bill Dunster and University of Nottingham. Low carbon urban design and sustainable technologies formed the basis for an exhibition, a series of 'show-houses' and a seminar series that showcased Sino-UK collaboration on everything from sustainable city healthcare to carbon capture and storage. The Pavilion itself was one of the cheapest to build on the Expo Park at GBP350k and is one of the few legacy buildings. More than 1M visitors were recorded by the ZedPavilion hosts. Montreal (Canada) – The Complexe Environnemental de Saint-Michel (CESM): A practicable example for the world showcased the transformation of Saint Michel from a landfill to a green area. The exhibition, designed and produced by gsmprjct°, featured an installation of mobile blocs that served as a three-dimensional projection screen on which a multimedia show of the site's transformation was projected. Pondicherry (India) – Achieving Economic and Environmental Goals through Heritage Preservation Initiatives as Demonstrated through: Asia Urbs Programme 2002–2004 Porto Alegre (Brazil) – Governance Practice Based on Social Consensus: Strategies for Social Integration Promotion Rotterdam (Netherlands) – Rotterdam Watercity São Paulo (Brazil) – Clean City Project Venice (Italy) – Protection and Utilization of Historical Heritages: Urban Best Practices in Venice = This pavilion from Saudi Arabia described the tent city of Mina, temporary accommodation for 3 million people each year during the Hajj pilgrimage. The pavilion described transport, accommodation and sanitation needs and solutions. = This Spanish pavilion was entitled The Sample of Government Low-cost Housing Estate and described the work there on the largest public housing project in Europe over the last decade. = The city of Odense, the birth city of Hans Christian Andersen, had an exhibition called Spinning Wheels, showcasing the city as a bike friendly destination. = Vancouver's exhibit was called "Cultural Heritage and Livable City: From Expo 1986 to 2010 Winter Olympics and included pictures and plans which showed how areas had changed over the 24 years between the city's two most significant international events = Situated in Zone B, this was the only public participation pavilion at the expo. It took the theme Each Action You Take Will Change Our Life and comprised three sections: "Paper" in Constant Change History of World Expo An interactive area including an activity to design an ideal city The number of visitors reached 1 million in July = The first ever expo pavilion designed for disadvantaged people, this pavilion gave visitors the opportunity to experience some of the physical sensations associated with some disabilities. It hosted a wedding in October. = The first meteorological pavilion ever at an expo, this explored efficient energy use, energy conservation, natural phenomenon (via a 3-D film), weather forecasting, disaster prevention and climate change.

32726043

Acer Iconia

2010-11-23 22:52:41+00:00

The Acer Iconia is a range of tablet computers from Acer Inc. of Taiwan. Acer presented its first tablet during a global press conference in New York on 23 November 2010. The family includes a big screen smartphone called Iconia Smart. The Iconia series displays utilize Gorilla Glass. Iconia Smart – 4.8 in (120 mm) smartphone/tablet Iconia Tab A100 – 7 in (180 mm) Android tablet Iconia Tab A110 – 7 in (180 mm) Android tablet Iconia Tab A200 – 10.1 in (260 mm) Android tablet Iconia Tab A210 – 10.1-in Android tablet Iconia Tab A500 – 10.1-in Android tablet Iconia Tab A510 – 10.1-in Android tablet Iconia Tab A700 – 10.1-in Android tablet Iconia Tab W500 – 10.1-in Windows tablet Iconia Tab W510 – Windows tablet Iconia Tab W700 – Windows tablet Iconia A3 – 10.1-in Android tablet Iconia W3 – 8.1-in Windows 8.1 slate PC Iconia W4 – 8-in Windows tablet Iconia B1 – 7 in (180 mm) Android tablet (Jelly Bean 4.1.2) Iconia One 7, 8 and 10 – ranges of Android tablets with screen sizes 7, 8 and 10 inches = This is a tablet with the size of a smartphone: 4.8 in (120 mm) widescreen with a 21:9 aspect ratio and 1024×480 screen resolution. It runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and it is equipped with a 16 MP camera with LED flash plus a 5 MP front camera for video calls. = The Iconia Tab A100 tablet is the smallest tablet in the series. It runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system and it has a capacitive touchscreen display with 1024 x 600 pixel of resolution. Iconia supports multiple connectivity options, including Wi-Fi (in the a 101 version) 3G band and GPS. Iconia tab has gyro-sensor, accelerometer and compass. The A100 features a Nvidia Tegra 2 T20 SoC and a primary 5 MP camera with a secondary 2 MP camera. Acer has released an update for the A100 to Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. = Released in October 2012, the A110 includes 8 GB of internal flash storage, 1 GB of RAM and a 7-inch 1024×600 TFT multitouch display. Also includes in a front-facing 2 MP camera. Ships with Android 4.0 but can be upgraded to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). = Similarly equipped as the A500, the A200 is a budget minded tablet that lacks a rear camera and an HDMI port. Two models offer 8 or 16 GB internal flash storage and 1 GB of DDR2 system memory. It is equipped with a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 SoC and features a 1280×800 screen resolution. The A200 features a USB and mini-USB input ports, as well as a MicroSD slot. The device shipped with the Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) operating system. In February 2012, an update to Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) was made available via over-the-air update, less than a month after the tablet's release. It comes with Wi-Fi and blue tooth connectivity as well as the standard USB cable connection through the slave USB port which is extra on top of the full sized USB port, allowing direct connection to a PC and a printer or other USB device. = Released in November 2012, its two models offer 8 or 16 GB and 1 GB of DDR3 system memory. Each features a 10.1-inch 1280×800 TFT display and Nvidia Tegra 3 SoC including a quad core 1.2 GHz CPU. And Graphics Coprocessor ULP High Performance 12-Core NVIDIA GeForce GPU. Also includes in a front-facing 2 MP camera. It ships with Android 4.0, but it can be upgraded to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). Average battery Life (in hours) 8 hours, number of USB 2.0 Ports 1- USB 2.0 Port 1- Micro USB 2.0 Port MicroSD memory card up to 32 GB, item dimensions L x W x H 10.20 x 6.90 x 0.48 inches, item weight 1.5 pounds, Wireless Type 802.11bgn Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Sensors:G-Sensor, Gyroscope = The Iconia Tab A500 tablet runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. As of 28 April 2012 the tablet has been updated to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It is equipped with Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor and is 13.3 mm thick with a 1280×800 screen resolution and 1080p HDMI capacity. It supports Wi-Fi connectivity (The Iconia Tab A501 supports 3G + Wi-Fi connectivity). Iconia Tab A500 tablet also features a 5 MP rear-facing camera plus an HD front-facing camera, for video chat. Specs: 10.1 in (260 mm) TFT LCD display LED backlight 1,280×800 resolution Nvidia Tegra 250 1 GHz dual core 1 GB DDR2 memory & SSD 8–32 GB storage, 64 GB storage available in some countries Android 3.0 Honeycomb, upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3 since April 2012. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth enabled HDMI and 1× USB 2.0 ports Li-ion 3-cell battery lasts 8–10 Hours. Standby 12–15 days. = Similar to the A500, but with 3G. = The Iconia Tab A510 was shown for the first time at CES 2012. This tablet has been released for pre-order on 22 March 2012. Specs: 10.1 in (260 mm) inch touch screen (max. 10 finger input) Nvidia Tegra 3 1.3 GHz quad core 1 GB DDR2 memory 32 GB storage 5 megapixel rear-facing camera 1 megapixel front-facing camera Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR HDMI and 1× USB 2.0 port Capable of HD games = Similar to the A510, but with 3G. = A Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 tablet with a WUXGA (1920×1200) resolution. = A700 with 3G broadband modem. = The Acer Iconia Tab 8 was announced by Acer on 31 May 2014, as an 8-inch Android tablet featuring an Intel Atom Z3745 processor, 1920x1200 resolution, and 2 GB RAM. Iconia Tab 7 Acer Iconia Tab 7 is a 7-inch 3G tablet with Android that have regular phone functionality as well as data transfer. It was announced on 29 April 2014, in New York. The launch begins in May 2014. = In April 2013, Acer announced the first generation Acer A1, which is a 7.9-inch Android tablet with a 1.2 GHz Mediatek quad-core processor and was released in May that same year. = In January 2014, Acer announced the second generation Acer A1, which is a 7.9-inch Android tablet that will be released in February 2014, for $149 in the US. = Acer Iconia A3 is a 10.1" Android 4.2 Jelly Bean tablet powered by a quad-core Mediatek processor to be released in November 2013 for $249. = The Acer Iconia W3 was handed out to attendees at the Microsoft Build Conference in June 2013. It was billed as the "world's first 8.1" tablet with Windows 8." It sold for list US$379.99 for the 32 GB version and $429.99 for the 64 GB version. It has since been superseded by the W4. It has an Intel Atom processor Z2760, and runs Windows 8.1. = An 8-inch Windows 8.1 tablet unveiled in October 2013 as a followup to the W3. Powered by a 1.8 GHz Intel Bay Trail processor. 32 GB and 64 GB model options. Also has a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera. is available with HDMI port as well as with micro USB socket. Other competitors are the Dell Venue and Lenovo IdeaTab Miix. = The Iconia Tab W500p runs the Windows operating system, Windows 7 Home Premium to be specific. The tablet is complemented by a full-size chiclet docking keyboard and powered by the AMD Fusion – Brazos chip and features two 1.3 MP cameras. Starting point of the Iconia Tab W500 touch experience is the Acer Ring. It allows to access all features and touch applications pre-loaded. With clear.fi, Acer media sharing system, Iconia Tab W500 can be connected to the home network and can share multimedia content with other clear.fi enabled devices. Known Models: W500p-BZ412(C50), -BZ467(C50), -BZ607(C60), -BZ841(C60) Specs: 10.1 in (260 mm) TFT LCD display LED backlight 1,280×800 resolution AMD Fusion C-50 1 GHz dual-core CPU or C-60 dual-core CPU 1.33 GHz 2 GB DDR3 onboard memory and SSD 32 GB m-SATA upgradeable storage Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit OS Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n & Bluetooth enabled HDMI, USB 2.0 port AMD Radeon HD 6250 Graphics Li-ion 3-cell battery lasts up to 6 hours Integrated bottom US keyboard Dock = The Iconia W510 is a convertible laptop running the Windows 8 operating system. Using Intel Atom processor Z2760, 10.1 in (260 mm) Acer CineCrystal LED-backlit TFT LCD, Bluetooth, Front and Rear-facing Camera, Audio, Video, 64 GB storage, Wi-Fi, Touchscreen, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3650, Genuine Windows 8 32-bit. = Iconia W700 is a convertible laptop running the Windows 8 operating system. Bluetooth, Front and Rear-facing Camera, Audio, Video. Specs: 11.6 in (290 mm) Acer CineCrystal LED-backlit TFT LCD Intel Core i3-2375M 2 GB DDR3 memory and SSD 64 GB storage Windows 8 Home Premium Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n & Bluetooth enabled HDMI, USB 2.0 port Intel HD Graphics 3000 Li-ion 3-cell battery Integrated bottom US keyboard Dock = Acer unveiled the first Iconia B1 in April 2013. It claims that it's a tablet with great specifications for a budget buy; it does keep its word for a decent specification for the price of Rs. 7 999, £99 or US$154. Acer made its first announcement at CES 2013 where it gave a glimpse of its new release of tablets, the Iconia B1 being one of them. Hardware and design The tablet features 1.2 GHz dual core Mediatek processors with a 512 MB RAM and has a 7-inch TFT LCD screen with 1024×600 pixel resolution with a pixel density of approximately 170 ppi. The tablet weighs 320 grams, and has a plastic back cover with a big black bezel. The top of the tablet sports the Acer branding and a VGA camera at the front and there is no rear-facing camera. There is a blue-coloured frame contouring the sides of the tablet. Also at the back of the tablet, there is an Acer brand mark and speaker grills. There's Micro-USB port located at the bottom, slot for a micro-SD card, and a 3.5 mm headset jack that is at the top. The volume rocker and the power or sleep button is also made up of plastic and is located at the right side of the tablet. Software and interface The operating system on the Iconia B1 is the Google Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. It doesn't include a custom skin by Acer though they have tweaked the Notification bar. There are 3 onscreen capacitive buttons – for Home, recent apps and back button. In the quick settings area there are options for GPS, brightness, screen timeout, Screen rotation, Bluetooth, Aeroplane mode, Wi-Fi and shortcut to Settings app which are all located at the top of the notification tray. Users can add up to five customisable home screens with various app shortcuts and widgets that are available along with the stock Jelly Bean and the ones from the Google Play store. The app-launcher allows users to add six apps at a time. The downside is that even with Jelly Bean 4.1.2 and a dual core processor there is a noticeable lag while navigating through the home screens or even switching between the apps, the possible reason could be the RAM which is low with 512 MB, the other could be the type of processor and the materials used to design and fabricate it. There is also that rough touch while swiping through the screens could be the type of glass used and the sensitivity of touch while making the touch screen. Specifications Android Jelly Bean operating system Mediatek dual-core 1.2 GHz processor (MTK 8317T) 7-inch diagonal WSVGA capacitive multitouch screen with 1,024×600 resolution display 512 MB RAM 8 GB of internal storage Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth wireless technology 4.0 GPS 3.5-mm headset/headphone/microphone jack Internal speaker MicroSD expansion slot with up to 32 GB support Front-facing 0.3-megapixel webcam Rechargeable 2,710 mAh battery Micro-USB (charging and PC connect) with USB 2.0 Dimensions: 197.4 mm × 128.5 mm × 11.3 mm Weight: 320 g = On 3 January 2014, Acer launched a new Acer Iconia B1-720 that would be released in the middle of February 2014. It features a new 1.3 GHz processor, and an upgrade to 10-point touch screen. The release price is $129 in the United States. = The Acer Iconia One 7 was launched in June 2014 as an Android 4.4 tablet with an Intel Atom processor, a 7-inch screen and HD display. The 2015 version retailed for £99 in the UK, with 1 GB RAM and 16 GB storage. The resolution of the IPS LCD screen was 1200x800, lower than competing tablets such as the Tesco Hudl 2. In early 2018, the Iconia One 7 was available in two models, designated B1–780 and B1–790. Both have a 1.3 GHz MediaTek Cortex-A53 processor, a 1280x720 display, 1 GB RAM and 16 GB storage. = The Acer Iconia One 8 was released in 2015. It was an Android 5.1 tablet with an 8-inch screen, 1 GB RAM and 16 GB storage. It had a 5 megapixel rear camera and 0.3 megapixel front camera. In early 2018, the Iconia One 8 was available under designation B1–850. This has the same Cortex-A53 processor as the One 7, a 1280x800 display, a 5 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front camera. = Released in 2017, the Acer Iconia One 10 has a 10.1-inch screen and an initial retail price of £180 in the UK. It offers Android 6.0, front-firing speakers and 5 GHz Wi-Fi. In early 2018, the Iconia One 10 was available in two base models designated B3–A30 and B3–A40. Both have a 1280x800 screen, 16 GB storage and similar cameras to the One 8. The A30 model has the same Cortex-A53 processor as the One 8 and 1 GB RAM, while the A40 has a Cortex-A35 processor and 2 GB RAM. A "Full HD" variant designated B3–A40 FHD improves the screen resolution to 1920x1200, runs the Cortex-A35 at 1.5 GHz instead of 1.3, and has 32 GB storage. = Acer Iconia Tab 10 has a 10.1-inch screen. It runs Android 7.0 of which is unveiled back in May 2017. It is the last Acer Iconia device ever released in that decade. = Acer Iconia Tab P10 has a 10.4-inch screen. It runs Android 12, and is powered by the MediaTek MT8183C, up to 4 GB RAM. It is unveiled back in June 2023. = Acer Iconia Tab M10 has a 10.1-inch screen. It runs Android 12, and is powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 500, up to 4 GB RAM. It is unveiled back in July 2023. Initial reactions saw the devices as an attempt to challenge Apple's iPad. Former Acer Chairman Gianfranco Lanci claimed, in an article in Stuffmideast magazine, that Acer's foray into the world of touchscreen tablets would overtake the Apple tablet within the next 2–3 years.

29388476

Advent Vega

2010-10-28 16:00:43+00:00

The Advent Vega (also known as P10AN01) is an Android-based compact tablet computer produced by Dixons Retail plc. It features a 10.1-inch (260 mm) LCD touchscreen, Wi-Fi capability, a 1.0 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor, and a 1.3 MP front-facing camera. The Advent Vega was released on 19 November 2010 in the UK. The tablet is enclosed in a black plastic body weighing a total of 700 grams (1.5 lb). The screen has a 1024 x 600 px resolution and supports two-finger multi-touch. It has a flash internal storage of 512 MB and comes with a 4 GB microSD card which can be used to expand its storage. Its CPU is a 1.0 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore with 512 MB of RAM. The tablet has a 1.3 MP front-facing camera, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and EDR connectivity. It also has a HDMI port and USB port, but does not have a Home button and 3G connectivity. The battery features 6.5 hours of video playback or 16 hours of audio playback time (with the screen powered off). On standby, the battery will last up to four days. The Advent Vega runs on Google's Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and was never upgraded to newer versions of Android. The installed Android version has been stripped of some functionality compared to similar tablets running on Android 2.2, most notably the absence of the pre-installed Android Market service, which was supposed to be corrected with a future update of Android. The device instead featured the Archos AppsLib store which contains over 5,000 apps. Several custom ROMs (e.g. Corvus5, MoDaCo) were available to improve the experience on the Vega by giving access to the Android Market. Android 3.2, 4.0.4 and 4.1.2 have been successfully ported to the Advent Vega as "VegaComb", "VegaCream", and "Vegabean" by individuals in the user community, providing access to the Google Play Store, along with full hardware acceleration provided by the Tegra 2 system on a chip (SoC). The Advent Vega had good first hands-on impressions and was considered a strong rival to other tablet PCs released earlier in 2010, such as the Apple iPad and Neofonie WeTab, considering both the competitive announced price and the later generation dual-core CPU. Advent also simultaneously released the Advent Amico, a smaller and slower version of the Advent Vega. The tablet ran on Android 2.1 and had an identical look to the Vega but with a 7-inch (180 mm) resistive touch-screen. The Advent Vega was added to the Currys and PC World web sites on 19 November 2010. It was also sold in Turkey under the name Exper Easypad. In the Netherlands, as well as in other countries where Point of View operates, released their clone named Mobii 10.1".

29470181

Archos 43

2010-11-04 11:02:36+00:00

ARCHOS 43 Internet Tablet is a discontinued 4.3-inch tablet computer designed and developed by Archos in the ARCHOS Generation 8 Internet Tablets line. The Archos 43 runs Android 2.2 Froyo of the Android operating system. It was released globally in early November 2010. It was met with mixed reviews, with its biggest overall complaint being its resistive touchscreen. On the ARCHOS 43 Internet Tablet several applications are installed by default. Users are able to add applications through Appslib, an application marketplace. Webbrowser Email Contacts Appslib Twitter Wikipedia Weather Channel Ebuddy Deezer Mewbox For users from the United Kingdom Napster For users from the United States Racing Thunderlight World Newspaper

29405574

Archos 70

2010-10-30 03:12:16+00:00

The ARCHOS 70 Internet Tablet is part of the Archos Generation 8 range, distributed between 2010 and 2011. It is a 7 inches (18 cm) tablet computer running Android.

37430420

IPad (1st generation)

2012-10-24 14:37:22+00:00

The first-generation iPad (; EYE-pad) (retrospectively referred to unofficially as the iPad 1 or original iPad) is a tablet computer designed and marketed by Apple Inc. as the first device in the iPad lineup of tablet computers. The device features an Apple A4 SoC, a 9.7 in (250 mm) touchscreen display, and, on certain variants, the capability of accessing cellular networks. Using the iOS operating system, the iPad can play music, send and receive email and browse the web. Other functions, which include the ability to play games and access references, GPS navigation software and social network services can be enabled by downloading apps. The device was announced and unveiled on January 27, 2010, by Apple founder Steve Jobs at an Apple press event. On April 3, 2010, the Wi-Fi variant of the device was released in the United States, followed by the release of the "Wi-Fi + 3G" variant on April 30. On May 28, 2010, it was released in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The device received positive reviews from various technology blogs and publications. Reviewers praised the device for its wide range of capabilities and labeled it as a competitor to laptops and netbooks. Some aspects were criticized, including the closed nature of the operating system and the lack of support for the Adobe Flash multimedia format. During the first 80 days, 3 million iPads were sold. By the launch of the iPad 2, Apple had sold more than 15 million iPads. On March 2, 2011, the first generation iPad was discontinued following Apple's announcement of the iPad 2. Remaining stock of the first iPad were temporarily available from Apple at reduced price. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs stated in a 1983 speech about the company: "[Our] strategy is really simple. What we want to do at Apple, is we want to put an incredibly great computer in a book that you can carry around with you and learn how to use in 20 minutes ... And we really want to do it with a radio link in it so you don't have to hook up to anything and you're in communication with all of these larger databases and other computers." Apple's first tablet computer was the Newton MessagePad 100, introduced in 1993, which led to the creation of the ARM6 processor core with Acorn Computers. Apple also developed a prototype PowerBook Duo-based tablet, the PenLite, but decided not to sell it in order to avoid hurting MessagePad sales. Apple released several more Newton-based PDAs; the final one, the MessagePad 2100, was discontinued in 1998. Apple reentered the mobile-computing market in 2007 with the iPhone. Smaller than the (not yet announced) iPad and featuring a camera and mobile capabilities, it pioneered the multitouch finger-sensitive touchscreen interface of Apple's iOS mobile operating system. By late 2009, the iPad's release had been rumored for several years. Such speculation mostly talked about "Apple's tablet"; specific names included iTablet and iSlate. The actual name is reportedly an homage to the Star Trek PADD, a fictional device very similar in appearance to the iPad. The iPad was announced on January 27, 2010, by Jobs at an Apple press conference at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Jobs later said that Apple began developing the iPad before the iPhone, but temporarily shelved the effort upon realizing that its ideas would work just as well in a mobile phone. The iPad's internal codename was K48, which was revealed in the court case surrounding leaking of iPad information before launch. Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPad from US customers on March 12, 2010. The only major change to the device between its announcement and being available to pre-order was the change of the behavior of the side switch from sound muting to that of a screen rotation lock. The Wi-Fi version of the iPad went on sale in the United States on April 3, 2010. The Wi-Fi + 3G version was released on April 30. 3G service for the iPad in the United States is provided by AT&T and was initially sold with 2 prepaid contract-free data plan options: 1 for unlimited data and the other for 250 MB per month at 1/2 the price. On June 2, 2010, AT&T announced that, effective June 7, the unlimited plan would be replaced for new customers with a 2 GB plan at slightly lower cost; existing customers would have the option to keep the unlimited plan. The plans are activated on the iPad itself and can be cancelled at any time. The iPad was initially only available for purchase on Apple's online store and its retail locations; it has since become available through retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and network operators. The iPad was launched in countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom on May 28. Online pre-orders in those countries began on May 10. Apple released the iPad in Hong Kong, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore on July 23, 2010. Israel briefly prohibited importation of the iPad because of concerns that its Wi-Fi might interfere with other devices. On September 17, 2010, the iPad was officially launched in Mainland China. = The iPad originally shipped with iPhone OS 3.2. On September 1, 2010, it was announced the iPad would get iOS 4.2 by November 2010; to fulfill this, Apple released iOS 4.2.1 to the public on November 22. It comes with several applications, including Safari, Mail, Photos, Video, iPod, iTunes Store, App Store, Maps, Notes, Calendar, and Contacts. Several are improved versions of applications developed for the iPhone or Mac. The iPad syncs with iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC. Apple ported its iWork suite from the Mac to the iPad, and sells pared-down versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps in the App Store. Although the iPad isn't designed to replace a mobile phone, a user can use a wired headset or the built-in speaker and microphone to place phone calls over Wi-Fi or 3G using a VoIP application. On October 12, 2011, iOS 5 was released to various iOS devices, including the first-generation iPad, and was downloadable through iTunes. The update was reported to contain hundreds of new features and tweaks, including Twitter integration, the Notification Center and iMessage, which is a feature that allows users to send messages or multimedia files to other users on iOS or OS X, the operating system for Apple computers. iCloud, an iOS app and Apple-provided internet storage service which allows users to sync and backup their user data and settings to/from other devices, was also made available through this update. On June 11, 2012, it was announced that iOS 6 would not be available for the first-generation iPad, making iOS 5.1.1 the update officially available for the device. = The first-generation iPad features an Apple A4 SoC, which comprises a 1 GHz processor, 256 MB of RAM and a PowerVR SGX535 GPU. There are four physical switches on the iPad, including a home button near the display that returns the user to the main menu, and three plastic physical switches on the sides: wake/sleep and volume up/down, plus a software-controlled switch whose function has changed with software updates. Originally the switch locked the screen to its current orientation, but iOS 4.2 changed it to a mute switch, moving the rotation lock function to an onscreen menu. In the iOS 4.3 update, a setting was added to allow the user to specify whether the side switch was used for rotation lock or mute. Unlike its successors, the first-generation iPad has no cameras. The iPad's touchscreen display is a 1,024 by 768 pixel, 7.75 × 5.82 in (197 × 148 mm) liquid crystal display (diagonal 9.7 in (246.4 mm)), with fingerprint- and scratch-resistant glass. As a result of the device's screen dimensions and resolution, the screen has a pixel density of 132 ppi. The display responds to other sensors: an ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness and a 3-axis accelerometer to sense the iPad's orientation and switch between portrait and landscape modes. Unlike the iPhone and iPod Touch's built-in applications, which work in 3 orientations (portrait, landscape-left and landscape-right), the iPad's built-in applications support screen rotation in all four orientations, including upside-down. Consequently, the device has no intrinsic "native" orientation; only the relative position of the home button changes. The iPad was equipped with 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB (1 GB = 1 billion bytes) of solid-state (flash) storage for program and data storage. Furthermore, the device was available with two connectivity options: Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and 3G. Unlike its successors, the Wi-Fi + 3G variant of the first-generation iPad could only support carriers that utilized GSM/UMTS standards and was not compatible with CDMA networks; however, like its successors, assisted GPS services are supported. Bluetooth was also available on all models. The weight of the first-generation iPad varied, dependent upon the connectivity options chosen. The Wi-Fi only variant weighs 1.5 lb (680 g) whereas the variant with Wi-Fi + 3G weighs 1.6 lb (730 g). Its dimensions, however, are identical across the entire range of variants, measuring 9.56×7.47×0.5 in (243×190×13 mm). = Apple offers several iPad accessories, most of which are adapters for the proprietary 30-pin dock connector, the iPad's only port besides the headphone jack. A dock holds the iPad upright at an angle, and has a dock connector and audio line-out port. Each generation of iPad requires a corresponding dock. A dock that included a physical keyboard was only supported for the original iPad, but all generations are compatible with Bluetooth keyboards that also work with Macs and PCs. The iPad can be charged with a 10 W standalone power adapter, which is also compatible with iPods and iPhones. = Media reaction to the announcement of the device and the device itself was mixed. The media noted that thousands of people queued on the first day of sale in a number of countries with many of those who waited claiming that "it was worth it." Walt Mossberg (of The Wall Street Journal) wrote, "It's about the software, stupid", meaning hardware features and build are less important to the iPad's success than software and user interface, his first impressions of which were largely positive. Mossberg also called the price "modest" for a device of its capabilities, and praised the ten-hour battery life. Others, including PC Advisor and the Sydney Morning Herald, wrote that the iPad would also compete with proliferating netbooks, most of which use Microsoft Windows. The base model's price of US$499 (equivalent to $697 in 2023) was lower than pre-release estimates by Wall Street analysts, and Apple's competitors, all of whom were expecting a much higher entry price point. The media also praised the quantity of applications, as well as the bookstore and other media applications. In contrast, some sources, including the BBC, criticized the iPad for being a closed system and mentioned that the iPad faces competition from Android-based tablets. However, at the time of the first-generation iPad's launch, Yahoo! News noted that the Android tablet OS, known as "Honeycomb", was not open source and has fewer apps available for it than for the iPad,; although later Google released the source code for Honeycomb. The Independent criticized the iPad for not being as readable in bright light as paper but praised it for being able to store large quantities of books. After its UK release, The Daily Telegraph said the iPad's lack of Adobe Flash support was "annoying". The iPad was selected by Time magazine as one of the 50 Best Inventions of the Year 2010, while Popular Science chose it as the top gadget behind the overall "Best of What's New 2010" winner Groasis Waterboxx. = 300,000 iPads were sold on their first day of availability. By May 3, 2010, Apple had sold a million iPads; this was just half the time it took Apple to sell the same number of original iPhones. After passing the one million mark, they continued selling rapidly, reaching 3 million sales after 80 days. During the financial conference call on October 18, 2010, Steve Jobs announced that Apple had sold more iPads than Macs for the fiscal quarter. In total, Apple sold more than 15 million first-generation iPads prior to the launch of the iPad 2 – more than all other tablet PCs combined since the iPad's release, and reaching 75% of tablet PC sales at the end of 2010. = CNET criticized the iPad for its apparent lack of wireless sync, which other portable devices such as Microsoft's Zune have had for a number of years. Walt Mossberg called it a "pretty close" laptop killer. David Pogue of The New York Times wrote a "dual" review, one part for technology-minded people, and the other part for non-technology-minded people. In the former section, he notes that a laptop offers more features for a cheaper price than the iPad. In his review for the latter audience, however, he claims that if his readers like the concept of the device and can understand what its intended uses are, then they will enjoy using the device. PC Magazine's Tim Gideon wrote, "you have yourself a winner" that "will undoubtedly be a driving force in shaping the emerging tablet landscape." Michael Arrington of TechCrunch said, "the iPad beats even my most optimistic expectations. This is a new category of device. But it also will replace laptops for many people." PC World criticized the iPad's file sharing and printing abilities, and ArsTechnica critically noted that sharing files with a computer is "one of our least favorite parts of the iPad experience." The lack of Adobe Flash support was criticized with The Daily Telegraph saying that the iPad's lack of Adobe Flash support was "annoying." Source: Apple Newsroom Archive.

61974761

Central Plains USD 112

2019-10-05 09:46:57+00:00

Central Plains USD 112 is a public unified school district (USD) headquartered in Claflin, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Holyrood, Bushton, Claflin, Dorrance, Frederick, Lorraine, Wilson, Beaver, Dubuque, Odin, Hitschmann, and nearby rural areas. The school district operates the following schools: Central Plains Jr/Sr High School in Claflin Central Plains Elementary School in Holyrood Wilson Jr/Sr High School in Wilson, closing in spring 2023 Wilson Elementary School in Wilson The USD was formed in 2010 from the merger of Lorraine USD 328 and Claflin USD 354. In January 2023, the district decided to close the Wilson Jr/Sr High School. In May 2023, members of the community petitioned to dissolve the district. An election was held August 1 to decide the fate of the school district, where approximately two-thirds voted to not dissolve the district.

38183711

Cossatot River School District

2013-01-10 03:43:59+00:00

Cossatot River School District is a public school district located along the Cossatot River and is based in Wickes, Arkansas, United States. The Cossatot River School District provides early childhood, elementary and secondary education for more than 1,150 prekindergarten through grade 12 students at its six facilities. The school district was formed by the merger of the former Wickes School District and Van–Cove School District on July 1, 2010; together the Cossatot River School District encompasses 475.60 square miles (1,231.8 km2) of land, in Polk, Sevier, and Howard counties. The district serves the communities of Cove, Vandervoot, Wickes, Grannis, and Umpire. Cossatot River School District and its schools are accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). All high schools participate in the 1A 7 West Conference as sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association. Secondary schools: Umpire High School (Umpire, Howard County)—serving more than 50 students in grades 7 through 12. Cossatot River High School (Unincorporated, Polk County)—serving more than 400 students in grades 7 through 12. Opened in 2013 Elementary schools: Van–Cove Elementary School (Vandervoort, Polk County)—serving more than 250 students in prekindergarten through grade 6. Wickes Elementary School (Wickes, Polk County)—serving more than 325 students in prekindergarten through grade 6. Umpire Elementary School (Umpire) The ADE recognized Van–Cove as a 2011 High Progress Exemplary School. Former schools: Wickes High School and Van-Cove High School. "Arkansas Department of Education school district maps, 1952-1954 Polk County, 1952-1954". Arkansas Digital Archives. Arkansas State Archives. (Download) "Arkansas Department of Education school district maps, 1952-1954 Howard County, 1952-1954". Arkansas Digital Archives. Arkansas State Archives. (Download) "Arkansas Department of Education school district maps, 1952-1954 Sevier County, 1952-1954". Arkansas Digital Archives. Arkansas State Archives. (Download)

59696703

Graettinger–Terril Community School District

2019-01-17 17:39:57+00:00

Graettinger–Terril Community School District (G-T) is a rural public school district in Iowa, with campuses in Graettinger and Terril. The district lies within four counties: Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, and Palo Alto. In 2013, the district had 329 students. It was established on July 1, 2010, as a consolidation of the Graettinger Community School District and the Terril Community School District. In 2011, the district and the Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District agreed to do athletic team sharing. In 2013 the district and the Ruthven-Ayrshire agreed to a partial-day sharing arrangement in that high school students may spend portions of their school days at each campus for certain courses. They began discussing the idea in October 2012. They had discussed the possibility of whole grade-sharing, but Ruthven-Ayrshire canceled those talks in January 2013, stating that it wanted to have its own students in its own high school. On September 12, 2017, there was a $9.61 bond election for improvements in the Graettinger and Terril buildings, with a security entrance for the latter and classroom improvements for the former. An election for a $9.7 million bond, held on April 3, 2018, and requiring 60% or more of the voters to approve, was for a regulation gymnasium and industrial arts and science classrooms at the high school facility. It was approved on a 658-410 (61.6%) basis, with Graettinger voters voting 404–108 (78.9%) in favor, Terril voters opposing it by 195–111 (36.3% in favor), and absentee ballots favoring it on a 143–101 (57.2%) basis. The district operates three schools: Graettinger–Terril Elementary School, Terril Graettinger–Terril Middle School, Graettinger Graettinger–Terril High School, Graettinger = Athletics The Titans compete in the Twin Lakes Conference in the following sports as G-T/R-A: Cross country Volleyball Football Basketball Wrestling Track and field Golf Baseball Softball "Special Election for Graettinger-Terril Community School District". Palo Alto County, Iowa. February 28, 2018.

63813385

Prairie Hills USD 113

2020-04-30 05:56:33+00:00

Prairie Hills USD 113 is a public unified school district headquartered in Sabetha, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Sabetha, Axtell, Bern, Goff, Morrill, Summerfield, Wetmore, Berwick, Capioma, Woodlawn, and nearby rural areas. The school district operates the following schools: Sabetha High School Sabetha Junior High School Sabetha Elementary School Axtell Public School After Dawson-Verdon Public Schools in Nebraska dissolved in 2004, some students chose the public schools of Sabetha. It was formed in 2010 by the merger of Sabetha USD 441 and Axtel USD 488. Closed schools: Bern High School - closed 2012 Bern Elementary School - closed 2012 Summerfield Elementary School - closed 2014 Wetmore Academic Center

28007997

2010 Kampala bombings

2010-07-11 23:09:25+00:00

On 11 July 2010, suicide bombings were carried out against crowds watching a screening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final at two locations in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. The attacks left 74 dead and 85 injured. Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militia based in Somalia that has ties to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the blasts as retaliation for Ugandan support for AMISOM. In March 2015, the trial of 13 Kenyan, Ugandan and Tanzanian alleged perpetrators of the bombings began at the High Court of Uganda. The al-Shabaab jihadist group grew into a potent force against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and threatened attacks against foreign and AMISOM troops deployed against it in the country, including those from Uganda. The attacks in Kampala were seen as revenge against the Ugandan forces' presence in Somalia. Al-Qaeda was also rumoured to have been involved in Somalia. The Kampala bombings followed American warnings of attacks on Air Uganda planes in 2010. The first bombing was carried out at the Ethiopian Village restaurant, situated in the Kabalagala neighbourhood. Fifteen people were killed and many of the victims were foreigners. The Kabalagala bombing occurred during the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. The second attack, consisting of two explosions in quick succession, occurred at 11:18 pm at Kyadondo Rugby Club in Nakawa, where state-run newspaper New Vision was hosting a screening of the match. According to eyewitnesses, there was an explosion around the 90th minute of the match, followed seconds later by a second explosion that knocked out the lights on the field. An explosion went off directly in front of a large screen that was showing the telecast from South Africa, killing 49 people. The discovery of a severed head and leg at the rugby field suggests that it was a suicide attack carried out by an individual. A third unexploded vest was later found. A police officer put the total death toll as 64. A further 71 were hospitalized, 14 of whom were treated for minor injuries and later discharged. Uganda National Police inspector general Kale Kayihura stated, "The information we have indicates the people who have attacked the Ethiopian Village were probably targeting expatriates." Initial reports of further blasts in the neighbourhoods of Ntinda and Bwaise were false. Most of the dead were Ugandan. Others included: a Sri Lankan, an Indian, an Irish Lay missionary, one American, one Ethiopian, six Eritreans, and one Kenyan. The injured also included six Methodist missionaries from a Pennsylvania church. Ugandan police made arrests in the days following the attack. Another Ugandan was arrested in Kenya over the attacks. Twenty people were arrested, including several Pakistanis, and Interpol also published facial reconstructions of two suspected bombers. Uganda's police said they had come to believe two suicide bombers were part of the attacks. Facial reconstructions of the two suspected suicide bombers suggested one was of Somali origin and the other a black African of unknown origin. "There is strong evidence that these attacks were carried out by suicide bombers." The facial identification were on two bodies which "have remained unclaimed and unidentified." Three Kenyans—Hussein Hassan Agad, Mohamed Adan Abdow and Idris Magondu—were charged with 76 counts of murder. The Chief Magistrate, however, said they were not allowed to enter a plea because the court does not have jurisdiction to rule on the crime of terrorism. They are due back in court on 27 August, but will not be permitted to plead until the Directorate of Public Prosecutions decides the case is ready to move to the High Court. On 12 August 2010, chief of military intelligence James Mugira stated that all suspects at the time had been arrested. On 18 August 2010, Ugandan officials charged 32 people with murder. John Kagezi, the state attorney, said four of those charged confessed to the attacks. Court hearings were to start for the Ugandan, Kenyan and Somali nationals on 2 September 2010; though police said continued investigations were ongoing and that more arrests may follow. Al-Shabaab, the main group in the Islamist insurgency in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Wall Street Journal quotes an unnamed al-Shabaab senior leader stating, "We have reached our objective. We killed many Christians in the enemy capital (Kampala)." Reports also allege confirmation from other al-Shabaab militants. This is al-Shabaab's first attack outside of Somalia. On 9 July, al-Shabaab leader Sheikh Mukhtar Robow had called for attacks against Uganda and Burundi. Al-Shabaab leader Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa told Reuters "Uganda is a major infidel country supporting the so-called government of Somalia. We know Uganda is against Islam and so we are very happy at what has happened in Kampala. That is the best news we ever heard." However he refused to confirm or deny responsibility after the attacks, also stating, "Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry, makes us happy. May Allah's anger be upon those who are against us." By 12 July, Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage from Mogadishu stated "We will carry out attacks against our enemy wherever they are ... No one will deter us from performing our Islamic duty." Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, a spokesman for the group saying "Al-Shabab was behind the two blasts in Uganda. We thank the mujahideens that carried out the attack. We are sending a message to Uganda and Burundi, if they do not take out their Amisom troops from Somalia, blasts will continue and it will happen." On 9 July 2017, al-Shabaab released a video featuring one of the suicide bombers. Domestic Uganda – At an African Union summit in Kampala two weeks later, President Yoweri Museveni urged other African leaders to defeat "the terrorists" and "sweep them out of Africa." Supranational bodies Malawi/African Union – President of Malawi and Chairman of the African Union Bingu wa Mutharika condemned the perpetrators "in the strongest terms," and asserted that "the African Union stands with you, my brother President [Museveni] and with the people of Uganda." Virtually every speaker at the AU summit condemned the attacks. States Chile – The Government of Chile "condemned in the most energetic manner the terrorist attack in Kampala... attributed to the Somali extremist group Al Shabaab. Chile values the contribution of Uganda to peace forces in Somalia (AMISOM), which is part of the joint efforts of the United Nations and the African Union to bring peace and development to that nation." Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic – The President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, sent a message of condolence to his Ugandan counterpart and families of the victims of the Kampala bomb attacks, and expressed condemn "in the strongest possible terms these attacks, as well as all forms of indiscriminate violence that aims to terrorise and inflict harm on innocent people". UK – Prime Minister David Cameron passed on his personal condolences to the Ugandan President. Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the bomb attacks in Kampala calling them "cowardly" and stressed the "UK will stand with Uganda in fighting such brutal acts of violence and terror." He also sent "heartfelt sympathies to President Museveni" US – President Barack Obama in an interview with SABC claimed that the attack was an example of how al-Qaeda does not regard "African life as valuable in and of itself." An anonymous U.S. government official confided to Jake Tapper of ABC News an administration belief that al-Qaeda is a "racist organisation" which practices discriminatory techniques and sentiments in the deployment of black African operatives (e.g., only targeting black African recruits for lower-level missions such as suicide bombings) because economic conditions in most African countries supposedly make black Africans more susceptible to recruitment than Arabs. Vietnam – Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga on 13 July said: "We are extremely indignant upon learning of the two bomb attacks on 11 July in the Ugandan Capital of Kampala, in which many civilians were killed and injured. We express our heart-felt condolences to the Government of Uganda and families of the victims. We strongly condemn the attacks at civilians and hold that perpetrators of these attacks should be appropriately punished." = In 2011, Edris Nsubuga, aged 31, was sentenced to three concurrent 25-year sentences for his involvement in the Kampala bombings. After expressing regret and indicating that he had taken part in the bombings under threat of decapitation, he was spared the death penalty. Additionally, 24-year-old Muhamoud Mugisha was sentenced to five years imprisonment for conspiring to commit terrorism. They later provided important evidence in the subsequent trial of 13 men. = In March 2015, the trial of 13 other men suspected of having been involved in the Kampala bombings began at the High Court of Uganda. The hearings had been delayed for five years due to court challenges by the apprehended individuals, who accused the Ugandan police and security agencies of torture and illegal rendition. The seven Kenyans, five Ugandans, and one Tanzanian were each charged with terrorism, murder, attempted murder, and of being accessories to terrorism, All but one were accused of being Al-Shabaab members. The trial was again delayed when the prosecutor, Joan Kagezi, was murdered on 30 March 2015, purportedly by agents of al-Shabaab. The trial resumed in June 2015. In May 2016, all defendants were acquitted of being members of al-Shabaab because, in 2010, that organization was not listed by Uganda as a terrorist organization. Seven of the suspects were convicted of terrorism, murder, and attempted murder. Ugandan Isa Ahmed Luyima, who is thought to have orchestrated the attacks, Kenyan Hussein Hassan Agad, Kenyan Idris Magondu, Kenyan Habib Suleiman Njoroge, and Kenyan Muhammed Ali Muhamed were sentenced to life imprisonment. The other two, Ugandan Hassan Haruna Luyima and Tanzanian Suleiman Hajjir Nyamandondo, were sentenced to 50 years imprisonment. Five of the suspects were acquitted (Kenyan Yahya Suleiman Mbuthia, Kenyan Muhammed Hamid Suleiman, Kenyan Mohammed Awadh, Ugandan Abubakari Batemetyo, and Ugandan Ismail Kalule). Ugandan Muzafaru Luyima was acquitted of terrorism but convicted of aiding the attackers. He was sentenced to one year of community service. Two sets of brothers were tried in this case: Isa Ahmed Luyima and Muzafaru Luyima; Yahya Suleiman Mbuthia and Habib Suleiman Njoroge.

50926150

2010–11 Bangladeshi cricket season

2016-06-26 05:04:50+00:00

Bangladesh co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka the 2011 Cricket World Cup from February to April 2011 during the 2010–11 Bangladeshi cricket season, also featuring a limited overs international series between Bangladesh and New Zealand. Rajshahi Division won the National Cricket League championship title in the third consecutive season. The One Day League was contested a final time and won by Dhaka Division. National Cricket League – Rajshahi Division One-Day League – Dhaka Division Most runs – Nasiruddin Faruque (Barisal) 632 @ 52.66 Most wickets – Sohag Gazi (Barisal) 41 @ 23.26 New Zealand played five limited overs internationals, but no Tests, in October 2010, Bangladesh winning the series 4–0 after the second match was abandoned. This was the first time of Bangladesh winning an international series against a full-strength Test-playing nation (barring the West Indies series plagued by strikes). Bangladesh co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka the 2011 Cricket World Cup from February to April 2011. Bangladesh did not fare well and failed in qualifying for quarter-finals stage. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2011 Miscellaneous articles re Bangladesh cricket CricInfo re Bangladesh CricketArchive re tournaments in Bangladesh in 2010–11

68423363

2010–11 Senior Women's Challenger Trophy

2021-08-07 15:49:35+00:00

The 2010–11 Senior Women's Challenger Trophy was the second edition of India's 50 over Women's Challenger Trophy. Three teams made up of the best players in India competed in a round-robin group, with the top two advancing to the final. Matches were held at the Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam across four days in December 2010. The tournament was won by India Blue, who beat India Green in the final by 7 wickets. The three teams played in a round-robin group, playing each other team once, with the top two advancing to the final. Matches were played using a 50 over format. The group worked on a points system with positions with the group being based on the total points. Points were awarded as follows: Win: 4 points. Tie: 2 points. Loss: 0 points. No Result/Abandoned: 2 points. If points in the final table are equal, teams are separated by their Net Run Rate. Source: CricketArchive = Source: ESPNcricinfo = Source: ESPNcricinfo

67396385

2010–11 Action Cricket Cup

2021-04-14 15:15:22+00:00

The 2010–11 Action Cricket Cup was a 50-over women's cricket competition that took place in New Zealand. It ran from December 2010 to January 2011, with 6 provincial teams taking part. Canterbury Magicians beat Wellington Blaze in the final to win the competition. The tournament ran alongside the 2010–11 Action Cricket Twenty20. Teams played in a round-robin in a group of six, therefore playing 5 matches overall. Matches were played using a one day format with 50 overs per side. The top two in the group advanced to the final. The group worked on a points system with positions being based on the total points. Points were awarded as follows: Win: 4 points Tie: 2 points Loss: 0 points. Abandoned/No Result: 2 points. Bonus Point: 1 point awarded for run rate in a match being 1.25x that of opponent. Source: New Zealand Cricket Advanced to the Final = Source: ESPN Cricinfo = Source: ESPN Cricinfo

67396387

2010–11 Action Cricket Twenty20

2021-04-14 15:15:24+00:00

The 2010–11 Action Cricket Twenty20 was the fourth season of the women's Twenty20 cricket competition played in New Zealand. It ran from December 2010 to February 2011, with 6 provincial teams taking part. Canterbury Magicians beat Wellington Blaze in the final to win the tournament, their second Twenty20 title. The tournament ran alongside the 2010–11 Action Cricket Cup. Teams played in a double round-robin in a group of six, playing 10 matches overall. Matches were played using a Twenty20 format. The top two in the group advanced to the final. The group worked on a points system with positions being based on the total points. Points were awarded as follows: Win: 4 points Tie: 2 points Loss: 0 points. Abandoned/No Result: 2 points. Source: ESPN Cricinfo Advanced to the Final = Source: ESPN Cricinfo = Source: ESPN Cricinfo

69401398

2010–11 Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup

2021-11-30 16:00:57+00:00

The 2010–11 Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup was the second formal season of the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which was the premier domestic women's Twenty20 cricket competition in Australia prior to the inception of the Women's Big Bash League in 2015. The tournament started on 15 October 2010 and finished on 5 February 2011. Defending champions Victorian Spirit won the tournament after finishing second in the group stage and beating New South Wales Breakers in the final. As of 31 January 2011 = = = =

45476649

6 Towns Radio

2015-02-22 23:43:41+00:00

6 Towns Radio is a community radio station covering Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle and Kidsgrove in the United Kingdom. The aim of the station is to appeal to a wide demographic, covering musical styles including House, Northern Soul and Rock. It has its own studio which based in Burslem, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent. 6 Towns Radio launched on 8 September 2010. Throughout its history, it has been funded by advertising, donations, sponsorship and events. In 2012, the station joined with Cre8 FM from Staffordshire University, to provide a joint RSL broadcast. As this went well, 6 Towns Radio had its own RSL in January 2014. Over the years, members of 6 Towns have interviewed many famous names, as well as many local names, including Keith Lemon, Welsh Rugby player Gareth Evans, The 1975 and Gordon Hill, the Wealdstone Raider. In early 2016, 6 Towns Radio had a major rebrand. The station became known as 6TR, but still retains the name 6 Towns Radio. 6 Towns Radio currently has around 80 volunteers who donate their time to present shows and help out. It has a range of programmes designed to appeal to a wide audience, with musical genres including Jazz, Pop, Rock and Local unsigned music. The station is very active in the local community and hosts many events each year. In 2014, 6 Towns Radio applied for a community radio licence from Ofcom to broadcast on FM permanently. The station’s planned transmitter site was at Burslem Cricket Club, and it proposed a mix of music and talk with a local angle. However, 6 Towns' license application, and other local stations were turned down. No station in Stoke-on-Trent was awarded a licence due to frequency allocations. The Hitmix, based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, won a licence. In late 2023, 6 Towns Radio had their ofcom license accepted and began to broadcast across DAB to Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

29611959

24/7 Comedy

2010-11-15 22:04:19+00:00

24/7 Comedy was a 24-hour live, commercial-free radio format produced by iHeartMedia's Premiere Networks in the United States and by Bell Media in Canada. It showcased the stand-up comedy routines of established and emerging comedians in a rapid-fire presentation style and was programmed by an array of comedians and comedy experts. The network targeted a 18-54 demographic range. It remains available through the iHeartRadio app in a more automated form, and in Canada through IHeart's Bell Media-managed presences. It was first conceived in April 2008 by Bill Bungeroth, who had his partner George Gimarc design the format. 24/7 Comedy's debut on air was September 27, 2010 in Riverside, California, on KFNY, and a few weeks later digitally on iHeartRadio on October 22, 2010. Bungeroth's company was purchased by what was then Clear Channel in July 2012. Short and fast-paced comedic bits are broadcast all day and night, averaging two to four minutes, like music formats. A different comedian would appear weekly as a guest host, often with on the road stories about their routines and featuring their favorite fellow comedians. Clear Channel started phasing out the format from its stations in early 2014, with it discontinuing over-the-air on August 3, 2014. Non-iHeart-owned stations then transitioned to another network known as "Today's Comedy," which launched concurrently with 24/7 Comedy's closure. Astral Media introduced the network on its AM stations in Hamilton and London, Ontario in 2012—It is a rarity among Canadian radio networks in that the programming originates almost entirely from outside Canada — the longstanding Canadian content requirements do not apply to spoken-word programming (however, the stations still provide local inserts, and also air the locally produced Humble & Fred as a late night program). = Notes: ¹ Indicates a Daytimer radio station. = Notes: ² Indicates a shortwave station, repeating CKMX Calgary.

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91.3 SportFM

2015-11-15 01:19:20+00:00

91.3 SportFM (ACMA callsign: 6WSM) is an Australian sport-formatted community radio station in Western Australia. Established in 2003, the station broadcasts in the Perth metropolitan area and to the City of Fremantle, Cockburn, and Melville areas, from studios in Hamilton Hill alongside Radio Fremantle. The station first began test broadcasts in 2003, under a Temporary Community Broadcasting Licence timeshared with Capital Radio, now Capital 101.7FM. Following the allocation of the 90.5FM frequency to Capital, and another licence to Noongar Radio on 100.9FM, the station ceased transmission. Following further test transmissions on 101.7 FM, the station secured a full-time community licence for the Fremantle RA1 area, also served by Radio Fremantle. The station launched at 12:00 am on 2 February 2010. = As a temporary broadcaster, the Australian Communications and Media Authority found it breached the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 by "broadcasting advertisements" and by "exceeding the hourly sponsorship limit of five minutes" in a broadcast of The Run Home sourced from 1116 SEN. The programme is no longer carried on the station. Weekday programming includes a live Breakfast programme, A live mid-morning show and a live drive-time afternoon programme. Live heritage specialty programmes run of a weekday evening and across weekends including WAFL World, The SMCA Cricket Show, The Football Fix, Before the Footy, Wednesday Wheels, Track and Field tonight, The AFLWrap, Talking Horses, Pure Footy, The Gloves are off and many more. Station schedule includes regular live coverage of the West Australian Football League, National Rugby League, Sheffield Shield Cricket and A-League Football combined with a diverse range of daily Sports Talk programs, and hourly news updates sourced from Australian Independent Radio News each weekday between 6am and 6pm. Sport FM also takes selected syndicated content from RSN 927 in Melbourne and 2 GB in Sydney. Sport FM is a known breeding ground for young broadcasting talent producing many broadcasters and media professionals who have gone on to forge successful careers in the sports and media industry. Notable Presenters both past and present have included Colin Minson, Glenn Mitchell, Kim Hughes, Wayne Clark, Peter Vlahos, John Townsend, Corbin Middlemas, Ben Cameron, Brett Sprigg, Adam McGrath, Emma Payne, Jacob Landsmeer, Ashleigh Nelson, Kris Klifunis, Bryce Parker, Shayne Hope, Blayne Treadgold and Matt Grubelich amongst many others. Sport FM regularly features various sports and media professionals including current and past players, coaches and administrators from various clubs and codes both locally, interstate and overseas.

30404627

Absolute Radio 00s

2011-01-10 13:17:51+00:00

Absolute Radio 00s is a national digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts locally on Bauer's Inverness DAB Multiplex. It broadcasts nationally via smart speaker streaming and online web streaming. Absolute Radio 00s launched on 10 December 2010 on the Switch London DAB multiplex, replacing Absolute Radio 90s, which moved permanently to the national Digital One multiplex following a trial period. In December 2014, Absolute 00s was withdrawn from DAB in London, as part of wider alterations, but simultaneously was made available, on a placeholder basis, on DAB in Inverness. On 8 May 2020, the transmission of Absolute Radio 00s was temporarily suspended for 24 hours to allow the online capacity to be used for the one-day pop-up station Absolute Radio 40s, marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day, which also took over the AM frequencies of Absolute Radio for the day. The 40s pop-up was also added to the CE Digital London 1 multiplex as a DAB+ service. As with Absolute's other digital spin-offs, Absolute Radio 00s simulcasts the Dave Berry breakfast show from the parent Absolute Radio station. In a change to how the breakfast show is simulcast, as with the other sister stations, Absolute Radio 00s now only features music from the 2000s during the breakfast show. As a promotion for the new station, during December 2010 Christian O'Connell would present an additional hour (10 am to 11 am) on the 00s station after the end of his main show. From 23 September 2019, Absolute Radio's sibling stations, including 00s, began to syndicate the weekday afternoon drivetime show (then Hometime with Bush and Richie) from the main station; as at breakfast, a split playlist system will allow relevant music to be played on each station. The service is available, as of December 2014, on digital radio in Inverness, via the local DAB multiplex (Block 11B: 218.640 MHz) from the Mount Eagle transmitter. Prior to December 2014, the station was available via digital radio to the Greater London area via the Switch London platform (12A - 223.936 MHz) via the following transmitter sites (transmitter power in brackets): Crystal Palace (2.10 kW) Bluebell Hill (2.00 kW) Reigate (1.51 kW) Guildford (1.00 kW) Zouches Farm (0.35 kW) Hemel Hempstead (0.25 kW) Otford (0.17 kW) Alexandra Palace (0.10 kW) Arkley (0.10 kW) Mount Vernon (0.10 kW) Stoke D'Aberdon (0.01 kW) Shooter's Hill - Thamesmead (0.01 kW) The London DAB slot occupied by Absolute Radio 00s was initially occupied by The Groove (later Virgin Radio Groove), then by Virgin Radio Xtreme from September 2005; this was renamed Absolute Xtreme in 2008 and closed in 2009, replaced by Absolute Radio 80s; when the 80s service moved to Digital One, Absolute Radio 90s took the slot, and when the 90s service also went national, Absolute Radio 00s was launched. In 2011 it was confirmed by Ofcom that to accommodate the launch of new sister station Absolute Radio 70s, the reduction of the broadcast bitrate of Absolute Radio 00s would be permitted, resulting in the station moving from stereo to mono broadcasts. In December 2014, Absolute Radio 00s was removed from Switch London as part of a wider raft of changes to Bauer's DAB offerings. Absolute Radio 00s continues to be available nationally online as previously. On 9 May 2020, a DAB+ broadcast of Absolute Radio 00s was made available to the London area over the CE London digital multiplex - the space for this was created the previous day (for the Absolute Radio 40s pop-up) by reducing the bandwidth allocated to the relay of Absolute Radio on the multiplex. From 28 April 2021, the broadcast of AR 00s on CE London switched from stereo DAB+ to a mono DAB service, using the capacity freed up by the removal of Absolute Radio from the multiplex two days prior.

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Absolute Radio 90s

2010-06-12 00:02:06+00:00

Absolute Radio 90s is a semi-national digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. Its output is non-stop 1990s hits. The station launched on DAB in London in June 2010 and on the Digital One platform on 25 August 2010 and was initially available for one month as a "test". However, the availability of the station nationally continued beyond the end of September, and after a strong opening RAJAR figure, it was confirmed that the 90s service would continue to be available on Digital One. It remained on that multiplex until January 2015, when its slot was given over to Magic. Ahead of this change Absolute 90s began appearing on a number of local DAB ensembles from 12 December 2014, replacing Kerrang! Radio in many cases. Absolute 90s continues to broadcast nationally via satellite TV and online, and on 29 January 2018 the station went nationwide on DAB. The station was announced in May 2010 when Absolute Radio 80s launched on the Digital One national multiplex. The service was launched on 21 June 2010 by Christian O'Connell at 10 am with the Oasis song "Roll With It" the first song played on the station. It was then followed by a 90s mixtape. Like its other digital spin-offs, Absolute Radio 90s also carries the Dave Berry breakfast show from Absolute Radio. During the 2013 season, Absolute Radio 90s was the UK's broadcaster of NFL (American football) games, taking over in that capacity from BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. (Absolute Radio abandoned NFL broadcasts in 2014.) The service, which took over the slots previously used by Absolute Radio 80s, was available in London on the Switch Digital multiplex. The station replaced dabbl in Bristol, Essex, London, Newbury, Reading, Swindon and Cardiff. The service is also available on Sky (channel 0203). Absolute Radio 90s launched on the Digital One platform in August 2010, initially as a test due to run until 30 September 2010. This used the broadcast capacity of Absolute Radio Extra during that station's downtime. The trial was subsequently extended, and in November 2010 it was confirmed that the station would remain on Digital One, sharing with Extra as before, on a permanent basis, and that a new station, Absolute Radio 00s ("Noughties") would launch on DAB in London in December (in the former 90s slot.) As a result of its national launch Absolute Radio 90s has now also been removed from the other local DAB multiplexes it broadcast on (Absolute Classic Rock took over the slot on the Cardiff local multiplex). As a result of sharing its Digital One slot with Absolute Radio Extra, Absolute Radio 90s was off-air on DAB between 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm on Saturdays. However, the digital TV and internet broadcasts of the 90s station were uninterrupted and continuous throughout this period. Following the closure of Absolute Radio Extra, Absolute Radio 90s regained a full uninterrupted service on all platforms. At the end of 2017, Absolute Radio 90s resumed transmitting nationally on Digital One, taking the place of temporary station Magic Christmas, and so during 2018 had dual illumination on local and national tier. In February 2019, as part of the reorganisation of DAB capacity required ahead of the launch of Scala Radio, Absolute Radio 90s began transmitting on SDL National (taking the place of Heat Radio) with its other slots vacated, the Digital One slot going to Kisstory and local-tier slots to Magic Chilled, both of which in turn gave up their SDL capacity to Scala. On 16 October 2023, Absolute Radio 90s switched to DAB+ broadcasting in stereo. On 13 December 2023, Absolute Radio 90s was removed from Sky, along with every other radio station owned by Bauer Media on the TV platform, including Absolute Radio, Absolute Radio 80s, Absolute Radio Classic Rock, Hits Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, Kiss, Magic, Jazz FM and Planet Rock.

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Nicholas Bowen

2010-09-20 00:44:45+00:00

Nicholas Robert Bowen, , also known as Nick Bob Bowen, is a head teacher and promoter of enterprise. He was the head teacher at St Benet Biscop Catholic High School, Bedlington, Northumberland from 2001 to 2012. In 2010, he was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. He is, as of 2015, the principal at Horizon Community College, Barnsley, a position he has held since 2012. While head teacher at St Benet Biscop Catholic High School, Bedlington, Bowen led the development of the school's enterprise agenda from 2001-2012. The school gained Specialist Business and Enterprise College status in 2005 and in 2006 it opened a Business and Learning Centre. sponsored by Cooperative Group. The school had a national reputation for engaging with local business. The school twice represented the North East in the National Young Enterprise Competition. Because of the success of the student enterprises, Bowen set up a social enterprise, based on these ventures. Called Benet Enterprises Ltd., it was a successful venture based off-site in the town centre offering commercial services to local business. The enterprise was funded by Alcan, through the Go Wansbeck LEGI. Thus Bowen had established the first commercially viable social enterprise to incubate student's ideas. He was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion in part for this work. In 2008 Benet Enterprises, working with Go Wansbeck and Northumberland Strategic Partnership enabled nearly a thousand pupils to visit local companies and see how they work. Bowen inspired schools "in Northumberland and now as far afield as Leeds to do the same". As a result of the social enterprise a number of businesses were founded by pupils. Bowen worked with Go Wansbeck Local Enterprise Growth Initiative Board, where he was instrumental obtaining £11.8m for business regeneration, which included £1m for young people's enterprise education. He also worked with the Wansbeck Enterprise Education Network, and brought together a network of organisations resulting in a culture change in favour of enterprise and entrepreneurship. Bowen was the inaugural head of Horizon, a local authority school formed by the merger of two schools, in 2012. In 2013 he was appointed chairman of the South Yorkshire School Games, which were partly hosted at Horizon Community College that year. In June 2014, due to falling rolls, he announced redundancy of 40 staff, including at least eight teaching staff.

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Paul Davidson (businessman)

2010-09-19 22:07:01+00:00

Paul Russell Davidson (January 1947) is Chief Executive of Bolton Business Ventures, Bolton, Lancashire, where he became director on 28 November 2001. Davidson is also managing director of North Manchester Enterprise Group. Davidson lives in Sale, Cheshire. In 2007 Davidson's Bolton Business Ventures introduced "pioneering" Halal Grants, working with the Islamic Bank of Britain. At the award in Bolton and Bury Business Awards, attention was drawn to the millions of pounds investment and the thousands of jobs Davidson had secured for the area. Davidson was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion (2010) as Chief Executive of Bolton Business Ventures. Davidson was also given the Special Achievement award at the fifth the Bolton and Bury Business Awards.

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Simon Denny (professor)

2010-09-20 00:45:02+00:00

Simon Denny is a retired professor who was formerly Director of Enterprise, Development and Social Impact at the University of Northampton. Born and raised in Essex, Denny left school at 17 and joined the British Army, where he rose to the rank of captain. While in the service he studied for a BA at Exeter University. He was previously the associate dean, Research and Knowledge Transfer, Northampton Business School, University of Northampton, Northamptonshire. His research has included the longevity of social enterprises, demonstrating that they are on average more stable than publicly listed companies. In 2006 Denny was awarded the university's Court Award for services to enterprise. In 2008 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. In 2010, he was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. Social Enterprise: Accountability and Evaluation Around the World Routledge, 2013. With Frederick Seddon. ISBN 978-1136242298

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Maureen Milgram Forrest

2010-09-20 00:45:53+00:00

Maureen Milgram Forrest (1 February 1938, London) was a British co-founder of LeicesterHERday Trust and the original project director for the BRIT School in Croydon, London. She is also known as Lillian Maureen Bernice Forrest. She was born in London, England on 1 February 1938 and died in Victoria, British Columbia, on 1 March 2013. Born in London in 1938, she emigrated to Toronto with her parents in the 1950s, where she attended the University of Toronto, gaining a graduate degree in Leisure Service Administration. She later moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where she produced the musical The Wonder of it All at the Royal British Columbia Museum. In 1987 she was awarded Victoria's Woman of the Year. She returned to live in England in the late 1980s, where she was initially employed by the Leicester Mercury newspaper. She was director of the Ken Chamberlain Trust. In the late 1990s she was artistic director and chief executive of the Brewhouse Arts Centre in Burton upon Trent. In 2009 Forrest was a judge for the Leicester First award, and presented it to Stuart Berry at the Walkers Stadium along with footballer Alan Birchenall. She moved back to Victoria in 2010. In 2010, she was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. The INA Carlyle Winners of the Poetry Digest Love Poetry Competition 1994 (ed) (With Alan Forrest) ISBN 978-1-85473-012-1

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Beverly Hurley

2010-09-20 00:45:19+00:00

Beverly Hurley CBE is the Chief Executive, YTKO Group, Cambridge. In 2010, she was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. Hurley served on the EEDA board from 14 December 2007 until August 2010. Hurley was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to enterprise.

60144966

Air Kufra

2019-03-05 16:47:55+00:00

Air Kufra (Arabic: الكُفرة للطيران) (IATA: 7F, ICAO: KAV) was a small Libyian charter airline. It was mainly operated out of Kufra Airport. It had only one commercial aircraft, which was leased from Buraq Air, along with a cargo aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-76TD. The airline had two bases: the main base was in Tripoli, Libya, and the other was located in Kufra Airport, Al Jawf. The airline was run by Giuma Nasir (CEO) and Abdurrazag Zaatut (COO). Air Kufra was a short lived airline, which reportedly had operations between 2008 and 2010. The airline also offered cargo services. Also, on February 25, 2009, Air Kufra announced it will be opening a training center in Tripoli. = The Air Kufra training center was founded in 2007, to encourage Libyans to get into aviation, and is still open. The training center operates Cessna 172s. The Cessna 172s were sold to Air Kufra in 2007 from Africair. It was the first US corporation to sell US manufactured goods into Libya after the sanctions were lifted. These are the only known aircraft Air Kufra had: = The British Aerospace Jetstream 32, tail number 5A-DGR, Serial Number 945, was delivered to Buraq Air on August 19, 2004. The plane was used by 2 prior airlines, Dong-Ah Group and British Aerospace. It was 13 years old when it was delivered, having taken its first flight on December 2, 1991. The aircraft's current status is unknown. The Ilyushin Il-76TD, tail number UN-76008 was also leased from Buraq Air. It was used by 6 prior airlines. It was delivered to Buraq Air on 26 February 2004. The plane was later passed on to the GST Aero Aircompany in March 2006. It was 21 years old when it was delivered, having take its first flight on October 31, 1983. = These are the Air Kufra destinations (Before closing): = Air Kufra provided many charter services. They were used for passenger and cargo charter services. For passenger charter, they could provide regular charter, helicopter services and desert dispatches. They are also equipped for both national and international services. = The training center is located at 32°37′38″N 013°10′04.5″E in Qasr bin Ghashir, Libya. It operates 2 Cessna 172s, 5A-KFA and 5A-KFB. In order to achieve its goal of modern aircraft, its aircraft are fitted with new efficient diesel engines. Also, they were fitted with the FNPTII from Alsim. The training center is ISO 9001/2008 certified. The Training center provides training courses to become a Private Pilot and a Commercial Pilot.

35513422

2010 OEC Taipei Ladies Open

2012-04-16 02:19:41+00:00

The 2010 OEC Taipei Ladies Open was a women's professional tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the third edition of the OEC Taipei Ladies Open, and was part of the $100,000 tournaments of the 2010 ITF Women's Circuit. It took place at the Taipei Arena in Taipei City, Taiwan, from November 1 to November 7, 2010. = Rankings as of October 25, 2010. = The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw: Chan Chin-wei Chen Yi Chuang Chia-jung Yan Zi The following players received entry from the qualifying draw: Juan Ting-fei Yumi Nakano Jessy Rompies Yasmin Schnack The following player received entry via the Junior Exempt (JE) spot: Kristina Mladenovic = Peng Shuai def. Ayumi Morita, 6–1, 6–4. It was Peng's 1st title of the year and the 8th of her career. = Chang Kai-chen / Chuang Chia-jung def. Hsieh Su-wei / Sania Mirza, 6–4, 6–2. It was Chang's 2nd title of the year and 7th of her career It was Chuang's 1st title of the year and 30th of her career

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July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike

2010-04-06 01:56:00+00:00

On July 12, 2007, a series of air-to-ground attacks were conducted by a team of two U.S. AH-64 Apache helicopters in Al-Amin al-Thaniyah, New Baghdad, during the Iraqi insurgency which followed the invasion of Iraq. On April 5, 2010, the attacks received worldwide coverage and controversy following the release of 39 minutes of classified gunsight footage by WikiLeaks. The video, which WikiLeaks titled Collateral Murder, showed the crew firing on a group of people and killing several of them, including two Reuters journalists, and then laughing at some of the casualties, all of whom were civilians. An anonymous U.S. military official confirmed the authenticity of the footage, which provoked global discussion on the legality and morality of the attacks. In the first strike, the crews of two Apaches directed 30 mm cannon fire at a group of ten Iraqi men. Among the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen. Seven men (including Noor-Eldeen) were killed during this first strike; Chmagh, who was injured, died in the second strike. The second strike, also using 30 mm rounds, was directed at a van whose driver, Saleh Matasher Tomal, drove by and helped the wounded Chmagh. Both Chmagh and Tomal were killed in the second strike, and two of Tomal's children were badly wounded. In a third strike, Apache pilots watched people, including some armed men, run into a building and attacked the building with several AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. According to Tom Raju, a reporter at CNN, "the soldiers of Bravo Company, 2–16 Infantry had been under fire all morning from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms on the first day of Operation Ilaaj in Baghdad". Al Jazeera stated that the Army had received "reports of small arms fire", but were unable to positively identify the gunmen. Apache helicopters were called in by a soldier in the Humvee (Hotel 2–6) under attack from the same position used by Namir Noor-Eldeen to photograph the vehicle. According to a military review, soldiers in that company "had been under sporadic small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire since" the operation—described as "clearing their sector and looking for weapons caches"—began. The Air Weapons Team (AWT) of two Apache AH-64s from the 1st Cavalry Division had been requested by the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment (2–16), 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, before July 12 to support Operation Ilaaj. Tasked to conduct escort, armed reconnaissance patrols, and counter-IED and counter-mortar operations, the two helicopters left Camp Taji at 9:24 a.m. They arrived on station in New Baghdad at 9:53 a.m., where sporadic attacks on coalition forces continued. = In the video on the morning of July 12, 2007, the crews of two United States Army AH-64 Apache helicopters observe a gathering of men near a section of Baghdad in the path of advancing U.S. ground troops. The crew estimates the group is twenty men. Among the group are two journalists working for Reuters, Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. While the two are carrying media cards, a military officer claimed they were not wearing distinctive clothing identifying themselves as such. Noor-Eldeen has a camera and Chmagh is talking on his mobile phone. Two other men in the group appear to have rifles. Another has a long cylindrical object which a U.S. army general investigating the incident said was a rocket-propelled grenade. The Apache gunner says that there are "five to six individuals with AK-47s" and requests permission to engage the group which is granted. Noor-Eldeen walks ahead of the group and peers around a street corner to aim his long-lensed camera at U.S. Humvees which are about 100 metres down the street. Noor-Eldeen's camera is misidentified by the Apache gunner who says "He's got an RPG!" Three pictures of the U.S. Humvee were found on his camera's memory card when it was recovered by U.S. soldiers. The men become obscured behind a building as the Apache moves around the group. Both helicopters strafe a group of ten men with 30 mm rounds once they became visible again. After the lead helicopter fires, one of the crew shouts "Hahaha. I hit 'em" and another member of the crew responds "Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards". Seven men were killed, including Noor-Eldeen, with three others being wounded. Once the group is eliminated, the Apache pilots direct the ground troops to move up to the position of the attack to clear the area. = As the ground troops advanced, a wounded Chmagh was seen crawling and attempting to stand. As the U.S. soldiers moved towards the site of the attack, a van stopped near Chmagh. The military said that the van was "fair game under Army rules", because it had no visible markings to suggest it was an ambulance or a protected vehicle. The Apache crew alerted the ground troops of the van and requested permission to engage the vehicle before the ground troops arrived. The Apache crew saw unarmed men exit the vehicle and move to Chmagh. The Apache crew requested permission to engage, stating it "looks like [the men] possibly, picking up bodies and weapons" from the scene, and repeated their request to shoot, before they received permission to begin firing on the van and its occupants. Chmagh was killed along with three other men, while two children, not known to be in the van to the U.S. forces, were injured. The children, a girl and boy, suffered injuries. The girl suffered from a stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and the boy a head injury. Just as the van was destroyed, U.S. ground troops made their final turn and arrived on the road with the van. The Apache crew then alerted the ground troops that they believed that they could see an injured child moving around inside the destroyed van. On the video, it is then seen that Army soldiers establish a perimeter around the site and extract the children from the burning van. When the helicopter pilots discover that they have killed a number of Iraqi civilians and wounded two children, one of them is heard to say: "Well, it’s their fault for bringing their kids into a battle". = The ground troops who secured the site of the first two strikes then receive small arms fire from nearby buildings. There is a period of 20 minutes not included on the leaked tape. According to the internal legal review, the helicopters engaged a group of armed insurgents, and that some were seen entering a nearby building. As the tape resumes, two men, one holding an AK-47, are seen walking. They split up and the footage follows one who appears to be armed. He walks into a building which has been identified as the source of fire at U.S. ground troops. They request permission to fire a missile at the building, describing it as "abandoned" or "under construction". The ground controller responds, "If you've [positively identified] the individuals in the building with weapons, go ahead and engage the building". As the pilot positions the helicopter to attack the building, two unarmed men walk towards, and perhaps into, the building. As the gunner fires the first missile, another man is seen walking along the street in front of the building. The missile hits the building, and the man is caught in the explosion. The crew then reposition the helicopter and fire two more missiles into the upper floors of the building Commentary WikiLeaks said in the preface to one of their videos of the incident that "some of the men appear to have been armed [although] the behavior of nearly everyone was relaxed" in the introductory text of the shorter video. Julian Assange said "permission to engage was given before the word 'RPG' was ever used". Politifact stated: "When Assange points out in the context of justifying the title 'Collateral Murder' that the word 'RPG' was not used until after permission to engage was given, he leaves the impression that the soldiers were given the okay to open fire on a group of unarmed men, or men believed to be unarmed. But the video and accompanying audio make clear that the soldiers in the helicopter said they spotted 'weapons' among those in the group—later identified by an internal army investigator as an AK-47 and an RPG." Assange later said "Based upon visual evidence, I suspect there probably were AKs and an RPG, but I'm not sure that means anything". The legal review carried out by the U.S. Army stated that the two children were evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital via Forward Operating Base Loyalty, then transferred to an Iraqi medical facility the next day. The Guardian stated "It is unclear if some of the men are armed but Noor-Eldeen can be seen with a camera". Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com said that "the vast majority of the men were clearly unarmed". Greenwald called the second airstrike a "plainly unjustified killing of a group of unarmed men carrying away an unarmed, seriously wounded man to safety". The Australian newspaper said the group was displaying "no obvious hostile action". In The Independent on April 8, 2010, human rights activist Joan Smith wrote that the engagements were like a game to the helicopter crew. She wrote that the co-pilot urged a dying, unarmed journalist to pick up a weapon as he tried to crawl to safety and that "the Apache crew open[ed] fire on civilians". When the crew were informed that a child had been injured by their attack, one initially responded, "Ah damn. Oh well", and a minute later continued, "Well, it's their fault for bringing kids into a battle". Smith describes this reaction as inhuman. She draws parallels with soldiers who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder in earlier wars. She continued, "the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are inflicting huge psychological damage on combatants". In refusing to recognize this, the US military fails both its own soldiers and their victims. She concluded that command structures need to be in place to identify "combatants with serious psychological problems". On Democracy Now!, Josh Stieber, who was at the time assigned to Bravo Company 2–16, said that although it's natural to "judge or criticize the soldiers", in fact "this is how [they] were trained to act". He said that the debate should be re-framed, that it is more appropriate to ask "questions of the larger system" that teaches "doing these things is in the best interests of my own country". In 2009, Stieber left the military as a conscientious objector and became a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. In a later interview on the World Socialist Web Site, Stieber said that the attack "exposes so clearly the fallacy of using war as a tool of foreign policy or as a way to supposedly spread 'freedom and democracy' around the world". Ethan McCord, a soldier who arrived on the scene after the attack, stated in an interview for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: From being in the perspective of the Apache helicopter crew, I can see where a group of men gathering, when there's a firefight just a few blocks away, which I was involved in, and they’re carrying weapons, one of which is an RPG. …Their overall mission that day was to protect us, to provide support for us, so I can see where the initial attack on the group of men was warranted. However, personally I don't feel that the attack on the van was warranted. I think that the people could have been deterred from doing what they were doing in the van by simply firing a few warning shots versus completely obliterating the van and its occupants. On June 7, 2010, The New Yorker reported that Kristinn Hrafnsson, an investigative reporter who worked on the Collateral Murder video and later became a spokesman for WikiLeaks, said he had found the owner of the building involved in the incident. The owner told him that three families were living in the building and seven residents had died, including his wife and daughter. The report stated that the helicopter crew did not know how many people were in the building when they destroyed it with missiles, and that "there is evidence that unarmed people have both entered and are nearby". It concluded that an investigating officer would want to know how the armed men were identified as combatants from the earlier engagement; would question the nature of the collateral-damage estimate carried out by the crew before the missiles were launched; and would wish to determine whether a missile attack was a proportionate response to the threat. A Pentagon spokesman said the video did not contradict the official finding that the helicopters' crew acted within the rules of engagement and said that the military's own inquiry backed the assessment that the group of men were carrying a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Assange stated that the attack on the van was the most damning part of the video: "I'm very sceptical that was done under the rules of engagement; and, if it was legal, the rules of engagement must be changed". Fox News reported in 2010 that the rules of engagement in Iraq had not been changed since the incident occurred. On the day of the attack the U.S. military reported that the two journalists were killed along with nine insurgents, and that the helicopter engagement was related to a U.S. troop raid force that had been attacked by small-arms fire and RPGs. U.S. forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Scott Bleichwehl later stated: "There is no question that coalition forces were clearly engaged in combat operations against a hostile force". The Washington Post reported it was unclear whether the journalists were killed by U.S. fire or by shooting from the targeted Iraqis. Captain James Hall stated they couldn't drive in Bradleys in fear of running over bodies. Major Brent Cummings claimed they took great pains to prevent the loss of innocent civilian lives. Reuters reported that it could locate no witnesses who had seen gunmen in the immediate area. Reuters also stated that local police described the attack as "random American bombardment". Reuters subsequently asked the U.S. military to probe the deaths. They asked for an explanation of the confiscation of the journalists' two cameras, access to the on-board footage and voice communications from the helicopters involved, and access to the reports of the units involved in the incident, particularly logs of weapons taken from the scene. On July 25, 2007, during an off-the-record briefing in Baghdad by the U.S. military, two Reuters editors were shown "less than three minutes of video from the Apache’s gun camera, up to the exact moment it opened fire the first time." The editors asked to see the remaining footage so Reuters could check whether it had been edited or manipulated. Their request was denied at the briefing and they were told to seek access under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. Reuters requested a copy of the full video under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on the same day. In a personal statement during her court-martial, Chelsea Manning stated that the military had access to the video, and was actively examining it, yet it told Reuters in response to the FOIA request that the information might no longer exist. The Pentagon eventually blocked the FOIA request despite several follow-up requests by Reuters. An internal legal review by staff at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in Iraq during July 2007 stated that the helicopters had attacked a number of armed insurgents within the rules of engagement, and that in an apparent case of civilian casualties two reporters working for Reuters had also been killed. The review was not released in full until 2010, after the video of the incident had been released by WikiLeaks. After the U.S. military concluded that the actions of the soldiers were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own "Rules of Engagement", WikiLeaks released the classified Rules of Engagement for 2006, 2007 and 2008, revealing the rules before, during, and after the attacks. Washington Post reporter David Finkel, who at the time was embedded with Bravo Company 2–16 Infantry, later covered the incidents of the day in his book, The Good Soldiers. At a February 2013 pretrial hearing, Manning stated that Finkel "was quoting, I feel in verbatim, the audio communications of the aerial weapons team crew". She said that she was "aghast" at Finkel's portrayal of the incident. "Reading his account," she explained, "one would believe the engagement was somehow justified as 'payback' for an earlier attack that led to the death of a soldier." = The footage was released by the nonprofit media organisation WikiLeaks during an April 5 press conference at the US National Press Club, and subsequently on a designated website titled Collateral Murder. WikiLeaks stated that the footage shows the "murder of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists". WikiLeaks identified the leak's source as "a number of military whistleblowers". Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity of the leaked audio and video. The military reported that it could not find its copy of the video. WikiLeaks released a 39-minute version, which shows all three incidents, and a 17-minute version, which shows only the first two incidents. Highlighted in the 17-minute version of the video are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on his mobile phone. Both videos depict the attack on the van, van driver, and two other men, and the aftermath when the two seriously injured children were evacuated by U.S. ground forces who arrived on the scene. The longer video shows the third attack, in which Hellfire missiles were fired into a building. Choice of title for the video In an Al Jazeera English interview on April 19, 2010, WikiLeaks' Julian Assange explained why WikiLeaks titled the video Collateral Murder: And you can see that they also deliberately target Saaed, a wounded man there on the ground, despite their earlier belief that they didn't have the rules of engagement—that the rules of engagement did not permit them to kill Saeed when he was wounded. When he is rescued, suddenly that belief changed. You can see in this particular image he is lying on the ground and the people in the van have been separated, but they still deliberately target him. This is why we called it Collateral Murder. In the first example maybe it's collateral exaggeration or incompetence when they strafe the initial gathering, this is recklessness bordering on murder, but you couldn't say for sure that was murder. But this particular event—this is clearly murder. Stephen Colbert, in an interview with Assange in April 2010, asked him about the title: "You have edited this tape, and you have given it a title called 'Collateral Murder'. That's not leaking, that's a pure editorial." Assange responded: The promise we make to our sources is that not only will we defend them through every means that we have available – technologically, legally and politically – but we will try and get the maximum possible political impact for the material that they give to us. Colbert asked "So 'Collateral Murder' is to get political impact?" Assange responded: Yes, absolutely… Our promise to the public is that we will release the full source material. So if people have a different opinion, the full material is there for them to analyse and assess. Reactions to the video footage On 19 April 2010, Ethan McCord, who appears on the ground in the video, and Josh Steiber, a member of the same company who was not present on the day, wrote an open Letter of Reconciliation & Responsibility to the Iraqi People apologising for the events in the video. They wrote that: What was shown in the Wikileaks video only begins to depict the suffering we have created. From our own experiences, and the experiences of other veterans we have talked to, we know that the acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war: this is the nature of how U.S.-led wars are carried out in this region. Ahlam Abdelhussein Tuman, the widow of the man who had been driving the van, and the mother of the children McCord had carried out, responded to the open letter in 2010: I can accept their apology, because they saved my children, and if it were not for them, maybe my two little children would be dead. I would like the American people and the whole world to understand what happened here in Iraq. We lost our country and our lives were destroyed. Bill Keller of The New York Times wrote, "But in its zeal to make the video a work of antiwar propaganda, WikiLeaks also released a version that didn't call attention to an Iraqi who was toting a rocket-propelled grenade and packaged the manipulated version under the tendentious rubric Collateral Murder." The New York Times wrote that "Critics contend that the shorter video was misleading because it did not make clear that the attacks took place amid clashes in the neighborhood and that one of the men was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade." Captain Jack Hanzlik, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command stated that the airstrike video "gives you a limited perspective, [it] only tells you a portion of the activity that was happening that day. Just from watching that video, people cannot understand the complex battles that occurred. You are seeing only a very narrow picture of the events". Hanzlik said images gathered during a military investigation of the incident show multiple weapons around the dead bodies in the courtyard, including at least three RPGs. "Our forces were engaged in combat all that day with individuals that fit the description of the men in that video. Their age, their weapons, and the fact that they were within the distance of the forces that had been engaged made it apparent these guys were potentially a threat." He said that WikiLeaks "does not point out that at least one man was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle. He is seen swinging the weapon below his waist while standing next to the man holding the RPG". The WikiLeaks edited video did not add arrows pointing to these men, or label them, as it did with the men carrying cameras. WikiLeaks stated that "some of the men appear to have been armed [although] the behavior of nearly everyone was relaxed" in the introductory text of the shorter video. In an interview with Fox News Assange said that "it's likely some of the individuals seen in the video were carrying weapons" and "based upon visual evidence I suspect there probably were AKs and an RPG, but I'm not sure that means anything. ... Nearly every Iraqi household has a rifle or an AK. Those guys could have just been protecting their area". Fox News later stated that "although it could be argued AK-47 rifles are common household items, RPGs are not". A draft version of the video WikiLeaks produced made reference to the AK-47s and RPGs, but WikiLeaks said that ultimately they became unsure about the RPG, believing the long object could have been a camera tripod, so they decided not to point it out in the released version. Assange also said "it's ludicrous to allege that we have taken anything out of context in this video". U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized WikiLeaks for releasing the video without providing any context. "These people can put out anything they want, and they're never held accountable for it. There's no before and there's no after". Gates said that the video provides the public with a view of warfare "as seen through a soda straw". Gates stated: "They're in a combat situation. The video doesn't show the broader picture of the firing that was going on at American troops. It's obviously a hard thing to see. It's painful to see, especially when you learn after the fact what was going on. But you—you talked about the fog of war. These people were operating in split second situations.". The New Yorker praised its release, calling it "a striking artifact—an unmediated representation of the ambiguities and cruelties of modern warfare". Daniel Ellsberg, a former United States military analyst who was known for having leaked the Pentagon Papers to the media, said of the airstrike: It would be interesting to have someone speculate or tell us exactly what context would lead to justifying the killing that we see on the screen. As the killing goes on, you obviously would see the killing of men who are lying on the ground in an operation where ground troops are approaching and perfectly capable of taking those people captive, but meanwhile you're murdering before the troops arrive. That's a violation of the laws of war and of course what the mainstream media have omitted from their stories is this context. = Publicity of the incident ballooned following the release of the footage. The event was covered by Al Jazeera English and Reuters, and later by The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, the BBC, and CNN. Assange stated that some of the press had not reported on the third airstrike, in which three Hellfire missiles were fired onto an apartment complex, which only appears in the longer unedited version of the two videos. In an interview on NPR on April 6, the day after the Collateral Murder video release, David Finkel said that the Reuters reporters were not embedded with anyone, but working independently. He gave his view of the context of the killings: the Reuters guys walked into the hottest spot of a very hot morning. There had been running gun battles. There had been a lot of RPG, grenade fire and so on, and they were doing what journalists do. They heard about something, they came to it and they just wanted — from everything I've learned since, they were just there to get that side of the story. Finkel had reported the day in his book The Good Soldiers, including conversations which closely matched the subsequently leaked video footage. On the same day as the NPR interview, Finkel was asked how he had seen the unedited video and whether WikiLeaks had shown it to him. He responded, "I hadn't heard of WikiLeaks before yesterday. I based the account in my book on multiple sources, all unclassified". Assange said that Finkel had seen the video and that at least one individual at the offices of The Washington Post had a copy of the video for at least a year, prior to its release by WikiLeaks. The Washington Post has denied having any copy of the unedited video prior to WikiLeaks release of their edited version, and Finkel (who was on book leave from The Washington Post at the time) said that he has never made any statement about his sources for the story, except that it was "sourced ... from unclassified information and my presence in the area that day". Interviews with Ethan McCord Ethan McCord, the soldier seen in the video carrying the injured boy, recalled in an interview on The Marc Steiner Show that on arrival at the scene, "The first thing I did was run up to the van". After attending to the girl's wounds and handing her to a medic, McCord was ordered to take position on the roof but he returned to the van to find the boy moving his hand. "I grabbed him and ran to the Bradley myself". McCord states he was yelled at for not "pulling security". "The first thing I thought of ... was my children at home". He later sought help for psychological trauma, but was ridiculed by his NCO and told that if he were to go to the mental health officer, "there would be repercussions". McCord discussed his experience in the battle in an interview with the World Socialist Web Site on April 28, 2010, stating, "What happened then was not an isolated incident. Stuff like that happens on a daily basis in Iraq." McCord also recalled being ordered to "kill every motherfucker on the street" in the event of an attack on their convoy. Describing doubts over his initial enthusiasm in Iraq, McCord said that "I didn’t understand why people were throwing rocks at us, why I was being shot at and why we're being blown up, when I have it in my head that I was here to help these people. ... The first real serious doubt, where I could no longer justify to myself being in Iraq or serving in the Army, was on that day in July 2007." In this interview, McCord reports that repercussions for seeking mental health help could include being labeled as a "malingerer", a crime under U.S. military law. McCord requested mental health assistance following his experiences on July 12, but was told by his superior officers to "get the sand out of [his] vagina" and to "suck it up and be a soldier". When interviewed by Wired, McCord stated that he supported WikiLeaks in releasing the video, with some qualifications: "When it was first released I don't think it was done in the best manner that it could have been. They were stating that these people had no weapons whatsoever, that they were just carrying cameras. In the video, you can clearly see that they did have weapons ... to the trained eye." McCord added, "I don't say that Wikileaks did a bad thing, because they didn't. ... I think it is good that they're putting this stuff out there. I don't think that people really want to see this, though, because this is war. ... It's very disturbing." James Spione made a short documentary film about the airstrikes called Incident in New Baghdad, featuring a first-person account from Ethan McCord. It was nominated as a Documentary Short Subject for the 84th Academy Awards. In May 2010, a 22-year-old American Army intelligence analyst, Bradley Manning, now Chelsea Manning, was arrested after telling hacker Adrian Lamo she had leaked the airstrike video, along with a video of the Granai massacre and around 260,000 diplomatic cables, to WikiLeaks. The Internet chats between Manning and Lamo were revealed to the public by Wired. WikiLeaks said they were unable to confirm whether or not Manning was the source of the video, stating "we never collect personal information on our sources", but saying that "if [Manning is the] whistleblower then, without doubt, [s]he's a national hero" and "we have taken steps to arrange for [her] protection and legal defence". On February 28, 2013, Manning pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 specified charges. Her trial on the remaining charges began on June 3, 2013. On July 30, Manning was acquitted of the most serious charge, that of aiding the enemy, for giving secrets to WikiLeaks. In addition to five or six espionage counts, she was also found guilty of five theft specifications, two computer fraud specifications and multiple military infractions. On August 21, 2013, Manning was sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment, reduction in rank from private first class to private, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge. Pursuant to a commutation by President Obama, Chelsea Manning was released on May 17, 2017. In a June 7, 2010, article in The New Yorker, Raffi Khatchadourian addressed several issues involved in determining the legality of the attacks, including "proportionality", "positive identification" ("reasonable certainty" that the target has hostile intent), and "the treatment of casualties during an ongoing military operation". Mark Taylor, an international law expert and a director at the Fafo Institute for International Studies in Norway, told Al Jazeera "there's a case to be made that a war crime may have been committed." He added, "I think what this video shows is really a case that challenges whether the laws of war are strict enough." An article at Gawker stated that Reuters reporter Luke Baker had written an article claiming that the airstrikes may have been war crimes, but Reuters refused to run the story. Reuters responded, "It is absolutely untrue that this story was spiked. It was sent back for more reporting in an effort to incorporate a wider range of experts. The story was then overtaken by a more updated one out of Washington that incorporated reporting from the original piece." On April 5, 2010, the same day as the release of the video footage by WikiLeaks, the United States Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, released a collection of documents including two investigative reports. Pentagon officials told the Reuters news agency that U.S. military lawyers were reviewing the video and could reopen an investigation into the incident, but a spokesperson later said that there were no plans to reopen the investigation. The report states that at least two members of the group which were first fired on were armed, that two RPGs and one AKM or AK-47 rifle could be seen in the helicopter video, as well as that these weapons were picked up by the follow-up U.S. ground troops. The report concludes that the Reuters employees were in the company of armed insurgents. It also states that "The cameras could easily be mistaken for slung AK-47 or AKM rifles, especially since neither cameraman is wearing anything that identifies him as media or press". The report recommends encouraging journalists in Iraq to wear special vests to identify themselves, as well as to keep the U.S. military updated about their whereabouts. It claimed reporters' "furtive attempts to photograph the Coalition Ground Forces made them appear as hostile combatants". = Attack on personnel and a van per U.S. Army report account According to the U.S. Army investigation report released by the United States Central Command, the engagement started at 10:20 Iraqi local time and ended at 10:41. The report claims that a unit from Bravo Company 2–16 was within 100 meters of the individuals that were fired upon with 30 mm AH-64 Apache cannons. The company was charged with clearing their sector of any small armed forces and had been under fire from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). The company was supported by two Apache helicopters from the 1st Cavalry Division's Aviation Brigade, call signs "Crazyhorse 1/8" and "Crazyhorse 1/9". Two men were identified by Crazyhorse 1/8 as carrying an RPG launcher and an AKM or AK-47. When the cameraman on the ground aimed his camera in the direction of Bravo Company 2–16, a pilot remarked "He's getting ready to fire". An Apache maneuvered around a building to get a clear field of fire and shot all nine men, killing eight. A passing van then stopped and attempted to load a wounded man. After getting permission to fire, the Apache crew fired on the van. When Bravo Company arrived at the scene, they reported finding two RPGs and an AK-47 or AKM. They also found two Canon EOS digital cameras with telephoto lenses. Two children were found in the van, a four-year-old girl with gunshot wounds and embedded windscreen glass wounds and an eight-year-old boy with multiple wounds, including brain damage arising from shrapnel damage to his right temporal lobe. Both children were said to have been evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital via Forward Operating Base Loyalty, then transferred to an Iraqi medical facility the next day. This account of first bringing the wounded children to the Combat Support Hospital appears to be contradicted by orders by radio that form part of the video record, which forbids it and orders that the children be handed over to local police. While the Air Weapons Team was providing support at the first engagement area they were informed by ground troops that they were receiving small arms fire from the south/southwest. The crew for Crazyhorse 1/8 then located multiple individuals with weapons about 400 meters east of coalition forces and was given clearance to engage the targets. However, the co-pilot/gunner then observed a child and some other non-combatants in the vicinity of the individuals and decided to hold off on the engagement until the non-combatants were clear. After the non-combatants were clear Crazyhorse 1/8 engaged the targets. The crew for Crazyhorse 1/9 could not engage due to target obfuscation from buildings and dust. The team observed several individuals from this group, some possibly wounded, run into a large multistory building. The co-pilot/gunner for Crazyhorse 1/9 spotted three individuals near this building get into a red SUV and drive away to the west. For about 5 to 10 minutes the team diverted its attention to this vehicle. However, according to the co-pilot for Crazyhorse 1/8 they failed to positively identify the occupants as combatants and returned to the previous engagement area. Attack on building per U.S. Army report account The events between the attack on the van and the attack on the building (approximately 30 minutes) were not captured on the leaked video footage. The military did not include the attack on the building in their report. Julian Assange's comments regarding U.S. Army report Assange responded to the investigation report released by the Army in an interview with Democracy Now!, stating that "the tone and language is all about trying to find an excuse for the activity. ... It's very clear that this is the approach, to try and find any mechanism to excuse the behavior, and that is what ended up happening." In May 2011 the Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival awarded the investigative film Collateral murder, Hellfire, done by Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks spokesperson, and Ingi Ingason, with the award for International Journalism and Human Rights. In June 2011 the Federation of German Scientists (VDW) awarded the "Whistleblower Award" to the person who made the video Collateral Murder public via WikiLeaks. The War You Don't See, a 2010 feature-length documentary film directed and presented by Australian journalist John Pilger, opens with the WikiLeaks footage of the attack. British musician M.I.A. used the WikiLeaks footage of the attack in visualisers for her 2010 mixtape Vicki Leekx, which were posted to her YouTube account in February 2011. Incident in New Baghdad, a 2011 Oscar-nominated short documentary film about the Baghdad airstrike. We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks, a 2013 feature-length documentary film directed by Alex Gibney, includes the WikiLeaks footage of the attack. Documentary: Permission to Engage Archived January 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine: "Collateral Murder" through the eyes of victims' families. Interview with Ethan McCord Representation (including audio) by Banksy, October 9, 2013. Part of Banksy's Better Out Than In month-long artwork series on the streets of New York City. The Source, a 2014 oratorio by Ted Hearne, included footage of the airstrike, as well as the faces of people reacting to it. Risk, a 2016 documentary on WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange, included the footage in its discussion. Line in the Sand, a 2023 book by Reuters bureau chief Dean Yates about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder after his staff were killed in the attack.

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Cooks Source infringement controversy

2010-11-05 05:04:33+00:00

The Cooks Source infringement controversy is an Internet phenomenon which occurred in November 2010, when Cooks Source, a free, advertising-supported publication distributed in the New England region of the United States, became the center of a copyright infringement dispute after the magazine reprinted an online article without permission of the author. The controversy was fueled by social media and crowdsourced investigations finding additional alleged infringement and plagiarism. The incident became an international topic of news and analysis, which expanded to become an internet meme. On the issue of copyright, the incident illustrates that "masses of Internet users are very good at finding examples of copyright infringement, which counterbalances how easy the Internet has made plagiarism in the first place." At the same time, the response by the Cooks Source editor "may well become a digital textbook example of how not to respond to grievances in the internet age." The incident was named Journalistic Error of the Year for 2010 by Craig Silverman on his website Regret the Error. The fallout from the controversy drove Cooks Source out of business within two weeks of it breaking in full. As reported by Dan Crowley of the local Daily Hampshire Gazette, Cooks Source was founded in 1997 by Judith D. Griggs, a former town planner and conservation agent, who had previously been art director and editor of several small magazines. The magazine stated its goal was "to help educate readers about sustainable sources of foods and products, farms, cooking, restaurants and businesses," and to provide a marketing tool for small businesses and farms which create and sell food for local businesses and consumers. At the time of the incident, Cooks Source was published by Cooks Source Publications in the second-floor office of a rented duplex in Sunderland, Massachusetts, almost 40 miles (64 km) north of Springfield. Griggs, who was 59 years old at the time of the incident, hand-delivered the monthly publication with her adult daughter along a 2,000-mile distribution route to locations in western New England, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and some of New Hampshire. The magazine's circulation varied, but it was under 10,000 a month. Griggs rose to internet notoriety on November 4, 2010, after it became known that an article published on page 10 in the October 2010 Cooks Source issue infringed on the copyright of Monica Gaudio, the piece's author. In 2005, Gaudio had published the copyrighted piece under the title "A Tale of Two Tarts" on a website devoted to medieval cookery. Gaudio was credited in Cooks Source for the 1,300-word piece, which was retitled "As American As Apple Pie — Isn't!" and was revised from Gaudio's original in places. Griggs neither paid Gaudio nor notified her when the piece had run. Gaudio notified Griggs of the infringement and asked for an apology and a small donation to the Columbia School of Journalism (Gaudio chose the Columbia School of Journalism so Cooks Source could easily comply with her request; she has stated that she is neither a journalist herself nor is she affiliated with that institution). The ensuing response by Griggs "has become the stuff of internet legend," and said in part: But honestly Monica, the web is considered 'public domain' and you should be happy we just didn't 'lift' your whole article and put someone else's name on it! It happens a lot, clearly more than you are aware of, especially on college campuses, and the workplace. If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally. Now it will work well for your portfolio. For that reason, I have a bit of a difficult time with your requests for monetary gain, albeit for such a fine (and very wealthy!) institution. We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me! I never charge young writers for advice or rewriting poorly written pieces, and have many who write for me... ALWAYS for free! Griggs' response, particularly her statement that all web content is considered public domain, was publicized by a number of online celebrities, including Nick Mamatas, Wil Wheaton, John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, and Warren Ellis. The tone of Griggs' response and her erroneous claims led to what Gaudio described as "nerd rage". The magazine's Facebook page received a slew of mocking messages. In less than 24 hours, a list of the magazine's advertisers was generated and the advertisers contacted, with secondary campaigns beginning to reward advertisers who had pulled their ads from the magazine. One blog campaigned for making "griggs" a verb meaning "to take something without permission then demand compensation from the victim". The hashtags #buthonestlymonica and #crookssource went viral on Twitter. Cooks Source's web hosting company, Intuit, experienced an outage on November 4, prompting speculation that a denial-of-service attack aimed at Cooks Source may have been the reason. Several parodic Twitter accounts and a bogus Facebook page titled Cooks Source Mag were created on November 5, containing additional inflammatory statements purportedly by the magazine staff. It also inspired editorials by Robert X. Cringely and John Birmingham, Downfall parodies, a tribute song, and a satirical proposed apology composed entirely of unattributed famous quotations. Cringely later named it fourth among the Top 10 Dumbest Tech Moves of 2010. Gaudio said she never intended the online response to go as far as it had, but she expected mainstream media coverage once Gaiman re-tweeted it. She said she knew one or more Cooks Source advertisers had been contacted, but she did not intend for any small businesses or people to be harmed or harassed. She said she found many of the Facebook comments amusing. Gaudio did not receive a direct response from Griggs or Cooks Source Magazine in relation to the affair after Gaudio posted about their email communication. On November 9, the Cooks Source website was updated with an unsigned statement indicating Cooks Source had complied with Gaudio's requests for redress and were changing their business practices. Gaudio was unable to confirm immediately if the requested donation had in fact been made. NPR pop culture writer/host Linda Holmes characterized the statement as "a very strange semi-apology", adding, "It actually sounds a lot like the e-mail Gaudio got in the first place: defiant, sure of its correctness, and, in the end, kind of baffling." New York declared the publication's apparent retention of Griggs "a victory for passive-aggressive e-mail writers everywhere." The Cooks Source statement was quickly parodied and mocked. John Scalzi graded the apology a D+, adding, "This is the apology of someone who is sorry she got caught, not the apology of someone who feels she has done wrong." Robert X. Cringely called the statement "one of the oddest things I've ever read." In her first interview after the incident, Griggs said she had received hundreds of emails and disconnected her phone after getting over 100 calls. Though the November issue was scheduled for delivery, Griggs said, "I don't know if I'm going to continue Cooks Source. At this point, it's looking doubtful." The article elaborated that Cooks Source commonly received cookbooks and recipes from publishers and that its content was routinely duplicated from those sources, sometimes with express permission. Shortly after the interview's publication, Gaudio was able to confirm Griggs' donation, and therefore considered the matter "all resolved, at least to my satisfaction." On November 17, 2010, the Cooks Source homepage was updated again, with a personal statement from Griggs which claimed Gaudio's email was "antagonistic and just plain rude", that Gaudio had neglected to post "nice" things Griggs had said in her email alongside the rude things, and that Griggs had offered to compensate Gaudio for the article, but that Gaudio "never gave [her] a chance" to address the issue. Griggs reiterated that she would likely close down Cooks Source due to the backlash. Gaudio responded by posting her side of her correspondence with Griggs; she explained that she was unable to post Griggs' portion of the email conversation due to Griggs holding copyright on her own words. The Cooks Source and Travel Source homepages were later taken offline completely, and Facebook deleted the related sites originally created by Griggs. The incident prompted editorials from a range of journalists including Melissa Block of NPR's All Things Considered, Zachary Hunchar of Technorati, and CNN's Eatocracy. Journalist Ivor Tossell opined that this may be the first major Facebook-based internet vigilantism where many participants used their real names instead of remaining anonymous. He noted that Griggs resembled a cartoonish "pantomime villain", and her passive-aggressive attitude, and not the infringement itself, caused the response. TechRepublic offered tips to avoid having one's online work used without credit. One author compared the incident to the 2008 sourcing dispute that led to the demise of The Bulletin, a small Texas alternative weekly. Glenn Fleishman wrote that "regardless of the provenance of the email, it was scary to watch the net awake as one." The NPR program On the Media discussed the episode as an example of how quickly and severely anger can spread on the Internet, noting that the episode had made the phrase "but honestly, Monica" into an internet meme and had spawned the verb "to Griggs", defined as "to use content on the Web without permission, then request payment from the original author for rewrites and editing." Paul Bradshaw reviewed professional options for Griggs that might have mitigated the impact of the negative response. Joseph P. Kahn used the Cooks Source incident to illustrate how senders should have no expectation of privacy once something is electronically transmitted to a recipient, especially if it is potentially controversial or embarrassing. After Gaudio posted Griggs' email, online investigators created a Google Spreadsheet and compiled almost 170 instances where Cooks Source appeared to have lifted copyrighted material, including text and images, from other sources, "including NPR, Hallmark and the website of Food Network personality Paula Deen." Blogger Edward Champion contacted the original authors or publishers of several pieces published in Cooks Source and confirmed that many of them had been used without permission. NPR sent the magazine a cease-and-desist letter.

27771130

Acacia Mining

2010-06-20 10:18:03+00:00

Acacia Mining (formerly African Barrick Gold plc) is a gold mining business operating in Tanzania, with exploration properties in Kenya, Burkina Faso and Mali. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index until it was re-acquired by Barrick Gold in September 2019. The business was established as a unit of Barrick Gold when that company started mining in Tanzania in 2000. Barrick's involvement in Tanzania had begun the previous year, when the company purchased the Bulyanhulu property as part of its acquisition of Sutton Resources Ltd. Barrick then acquired Buzwagi and Tulawaka as part of its acquisition of Pangea Goldfields Inc. in 2000. Finally, in 2006, Barrick acquired North Mara, when it took over Placer Dome. The company was floated off by Barrick Gold and first listed on the London Stock Exchange as African Barrick Gold in 2010. The company changed its name to Acacia Mining on 27 November 2014 but was re-acquired by Barrick Gold in September 2019. The Company operates three mines in northwest Tanzania—Bulyanhulu, Buzwagi and North Mara. = The Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is an underground gold mine in the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania, located 55 kilometres south of Lake Victoria. Barrick acquired the project in 1999 when it purchased Sutton Resources and the mine opened in 2001. The opening of Bulyanhulu, Tanzania's deepest mine, made Tanzania the third largest producer of gold in Africa. = The Buzwagi Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania, located 6 kilometres southeast from the town of Kahama. The mine, which opened in 2009, is the second largest mining operation and the largest single open pit mine in Tanzania. = The North Mara Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in the Tarime District of the Mara Region of Tanzania. The mine, which opened in 2002, was acquired by Barrick through the takeover of Placer Dome in 2006. Acacia Mining was fined $2.4 million in May 2019 for alleged pollution at its North Mara mine in Tanzania. Tanzania's National Environment Management Council issued an environmental protection order relating to pollution from the mine's tailings dam. = Security guards hired by Acacia Mining have shot and killed 22 people at the North Mara gold mine since 2014, and injured 69 others. Tanzanian human rights groups estimate as many as 300 mine-related civilian deaths since the mine's opening in 1999. Acacia included only 17 civilian deaths at North Mara in their annual report in 2014, and six civilian deaths in the 2016 report. No Acacia security guards have been killed on duty. The Financial Times reported, “In 2015, without admitting liability, Acacia settled out of court for an undisclosed sum after a case was brought against it in the London High Court following an incident in which six people were allegedly killed by police hired by Acacia. The company admits to providing per diem expenses for the police at its mine”. The International Council of Jurists said, after a September 2017 visit to the North Mara mine, that they were “deeply concerned about the gravity of many of [the] allegations and the difficulties [victims] experienced in accessing any adequate remedy and reparation”. Multiple women claim to have been raped at the North Mara gold mine. In July 2018, a 9-year-old girl was crushed and killed by a mine vehicle driven by the police as the driver took a short-cut. Afterward, four women who came to sit by the girl's body were injured by teargas canisters as the police sought to disperse the crowd. In June 2019, Acacia's grievance process at the North Mara mine was found to not comply with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the international standard for corporations. = Beginning in 2013, Acacia Mining reportedly bribed Tanzanian government officials, Adam Yusuf and Jerry Minja, and others responsible for valuing land near the North Mara gold mine that it wanted to buy. The alleged bribes totaled more than $400,000.00 and were paid in cash. Jerry Minja, a district land officer who received cash payment, stated that his agreement prevents him from commenting on the details of the arrangement. The Wall Street Journal reported that the original whistleblower intended to report the payments to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act units of the United States Justice Department and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Tanzanian authorities charged three affiliates with conspiracy, organized crime, forgery, money laundering and corruption. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2018 that the British Serious Fraud Office had opened an investigation in Tanzania, despite insistence that the payments were legal. = In 2016, a Tanzanian government tribunal ruled that a “sophisticated scheme of tax evasion” was organized in Tanzania and fined Acacia Mining, as reported by Bloomberg, for under-declaring export revenues from the Bulyanhulu and Buzwagi mines since 2000. John L. Thornton told The Globe and Mail that “Acacia never paid a dime of income tax” to the Tanzanian government. In May 2017, the government of Tanzania accused Acacia Mining of “underreporting its gold exports by a factor of ten”. The investigation revealed that Acacia declared the presence of gold, copper and silver in its mineral sand exports, but did not declare other precious metals. The committee found that the exports included amounts of undeclared sulfur, iron, iridium, titanium and zinc. The report stated that Acacia declared 1.1 tons of gold in a container that actually contained up to 15 tons of gold. The Tanzanian government then imposed a ban on the export of gold and copper concentrates. The accusation and ban halved Acacia's market value. In October 2017, Thornton met with John Magufuli, the president of Tanzania, for six hours, and negotiated a deal that included a $300 million payout from Acacia to the Tanzanian government, as well as the Tanzanian government taking a 16% stake in Acacia's mines. Thornton reportedly did not tell Acacia the terms of the settlement until after the deal was announced, even though Acacia would be responsible for the payment. Shortly after Thornton's deal with Magufuli was announced, Acacia's top executives – CEO Brad Gordon, CFO Andrew Wray and COO Mark Morcombe – resigned. = In 2017, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression reported that journalists in Tanzania had been threatened and persecuted for reporting on Acacia mines.

45434846

Berau Coal Energy

2015-02-18 08:37:38+00:00

PT Berau Coal Energy Tbk is Indonesia's fifth largest coal producer. Berau Coal Energy was created in 1983, following the signing of a contract with the Indonesian government as sole mining contractor within the Berau regency of East Kalimantan. Production began in 1994. Berau Coal operate three active mines (Lati, Sambarata and Binungan) at a single site in East Kalimantan. Estimated resources of about 2.6 billion tons, with probable and proven reserves estimated at 512 million tons (mt), lie within a single concession of around 118,400 hectares. All three mines produce thermal coal, using conventional open pit mining techniques, primarily to supply the Chinese market. Berau Coal became part of Vallar plc, British financier Nathaniel Rothschild's £700m cash shell, in July 2010. In 2013, it was variously reported that $173 million had allegedly gone "missing" or that "mysteriously vanished" or that a withdrawal was "unauthorised" from Berau Coal under Rosan Roeslani's leadership. Roeslani disputed the claims. As part of an effort to restructure and take control of the business, Rothschild offered to inject US$100 million into Berau Coal and offered sign a restructuring support agreement with creditors in February 2015. After a series of internal disputes, board room battles and court inquiries into "financial irregularities" at Berau Coal, Amir Sambodo agreed to resign in March 2015 as president of Berau. However, he failed to relinquish the position and refused to allow Asia Resource Minerals's chief financial officer, chief mining officer or his successor into the head office of Berau. For a while, executives acting on behalf of Rothschild only had limited access to Berau's accounting systems and bank account information. The Widjaja's Sinar Mas subsidiary company, Asia Coal Energy Ventures, spearheaded by the 33-year-old Fuganto Widjaja, together with Argyle Street Management Ltd., countered on 7 May 2015 with a cash offer and alternative recapitalisation plan involving a $150 million cash injection and a restructuring support agreement similar to the one offered by Rothschild in May. In response Rothschild gave up his long battle for ARM and agreed to sell his 17.2% stake in June 2015. Rothschild's holding company later commented on the affair that "This will be our first and last investment in Indonesia’s coal sector" Defaults Berau Capital Resources Pte issued US$450 million worth of 12.5% guaranteed senior secured notes, in 2015. PT Berau Coal Energy also issued US$500 million worth of 7.25% guaranteed senior notes in 2017. While these were to be restructured under an agreement with bondholders, the company later did not proceed with the deal. Both the 2015 and 2017 notes are currently in default. Since July 2015, the Berau Group has brought 4 separate rounds of scheme of arrangement / moratorium proceedings, with terms which have been described as "frankly insulting" at a time when global coal prices had doubled. None of the schemes has succeeded. Suspension from the IDX Berau Coal Energy has been delisted from the IDX since 16 November 2017, following multiple suspensions over the course of the last 2 years and failure to submit timely annual reports and financial statements since 2014. New York Court Case In April 2019, following the default of two bonds worth about US$1 billion, the Widjaja family was taken to court in New York by investors in Berau coal, seeking damages of US$165M plus interest. Legal advisers for the plaintiffs, a New York hedge fund, claimed in court that many of the tactics employed by the Widjaja family during the APP restructuring were being deployed again. The Financial Times noted that the case came as "concerns build over Indonesia’s political and economic environment".

26000192

Hanson Traction

2010-01-30 01:47:42+00:00

Hanson Traction Ltd was a locomotive leasing company based at Washwood Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands. The company owned thirteen locomotives, consisting of seven class 56s, one class 50 and five class 31s. They were the first company to return class 56 locomotives to mainline use in the United Kingdom after the previous fleet (operated by Fastline) was withdrawn in 2008, owing to a decline in traffic levels (specifically the intermodal arm). In October 2010, the company was merged into the operations of British American Railway Services and the locomotives rebranded as part of their Devon & Cornwall Railways fleet with ultimate ownership by RMS Locotec, part of the wider group. Hanson Traction was founded by IT entrepreneur Garcia J Hanson in 2006. The company purchased Neil Boden's preserved class 56, BR large logo blue liveried No. 56057 British Fuels in 2008. The locomotive later became 56311 and was painted into a non-standard yellow & grey colour scheme at the Railway Technical Centre in Derby. Purchase of a second class 56, Load Haul liveried No. 56003 followed shortly afterwards—this became 56312 and was repainted into the Artemis livery which consisted of a purple bodyside, yellow cabs, grey roof and large green ARTEMIS name complete with squiggly green vinyls. Both of these 56s returned to the mainline in late 2008 and have seen use with Colas Rail, having appeared on their Washwood Heath to Immingham & Boston to Washwood Heath steel workings (the former was a short lived trial run), Dagenham to Dollands Moor "Transfesa" trains and Dollands Moor to Hams Hall Norfolk Line container workings. They have also been used on track machine movements and excursion trains from time to time. 56312 was repainted again in October 2011 and wore the same livery as 56311, this being a non-standard grey and yellow colour scheme with 'DCR' (Devon & Cornwall Railways) logos and advertising for the June 2012 Railfest event (DCR being a subsidiary of British American Railway Services, the present owners of Hanson Traction). As of August 2012 the Railfest event logos and advertising have been removed. Two further 56s, No's 56114 and 56128 were also purchased with the view to returning them to the mainline when traffic levels required. However, 56128 has remained in storage at Wansford (Nene Valley Railway) since 2008 and now appears to have an uncertain future. 56114 has donated its power unit to 56311, and was stripped of usable parts & scrapped in March 2012. Hanson Traction also own class 31s No. 31190 & No. 31602 plus class 50 No. 50008. 31190 has been used mainly on route learning runs for DB Schenker, Network Rail & DCR during 2010 and 2011. 50008 is currently residing at the BARS depot in Washwood Heath where it is undergoing repairs and reinstatement of the vacuum braking & AWS equipment removed for the abortive move to Peru some years ago. It has been repainted into the unique BR "Laira blue" livery, which it carried when it was in service with British Rail. 31452 has remained inactive during 2011 after a brief period of hire use with DB Schenker for Network Rail test trains during 2010. Neil Boden's BR blue class 47 No. 47270 Swift had a short spell with Hanson Traction before he parted ways with the company to form Boden Rail Ltd in early 2010. He had initially joined the company when 56311 (057) was acquired, which he owned and operated at the Nene Valley Railway whilst it was in preservation. Hanson Traction's core depot was the former Alstom facility at Washwood Heath in the West Midlands, which it began using in 2009. In October 2010, the company was purchased by British American Railway Services (BARS). The acquisition of Hanson Traction by BARS means that the combined assets now include six class 31s, five class 56s (three operational and two stored, a sixth loco was subsequently scrapped in November 2011) and one class 50, plus a wide variety of coaching stock and other vehicles.

34412829

Additional Paternity Leave Regulations 2010

2012-01-17 21:06:06+00:00

The Additional Paternity Leave Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1055) are a statutory instrument involving UK labour law, which introduced a basic right for mothers to transfer their right to unpaid leave to their partner if the mother has returned to work in the last three months of her nine-month maternity leave. The measure was pushed by the Women and Equality minister Harriet Harman, but the opposition saw it as a mere electoral promise. The main provisions of the regulations are as follows. r 4, the employee must have (2) worked for 25 weeks and have the main responsibility, with the mother, for caring for the child (5) the mother must be entitled to maternity leave, pay or an allowance and have returned to work r 5, right arises between 20 and 52 weeks after birth, for a period of continuous leave between 2 and 26 weeks, after 8 weeks notice. r 6, notice, an employee declaration of intent to care, a mother declaration that she has returned to work must be given. (3) the employer can require the birth certificate and the mother’s employer’s contact details. r 7, variation before leave begins r 8, employer confirmation r 9, commencement rr 10-13, rights on mother’s death.

45417688

Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010

2015-02-16 13:57:32+00:00

The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 is a UK labour law regulation which penalises a practice of listing trade union members for the purpose of discrimination against them, and potentially leads to criminal sanctions for employers and agencies who do so. In 2009, the Information Commission's Office found that a group called the "Consulting Association" had compiled lists of trade unionists to exclude people from employment in the building industry. John McDonnell described this as "one of the worst ever cases of organised abuses of human rights in the UK". It resulted in the 2010 Regulations specifying the wrong and penalties. Regulation 3(1) prohibits the compilation, use, sale or supply of a prohibited list which "contains details of persons who are or have been members of trade unions or persons who are taking part or have taken part in the activities of trade unions" and (2) compiled "with a view to being used by employers or employment agencies for the purposes of discrimination in relation to recruitment or in relation to the treatment of workers". (3) discrimination is "treating a person less favourably than another on grounds of trade union membership or trade union activities". (4) union membership of any branch. Regulation 5 states that refusal of employment is unlawful. Regulation 6 states that refusal of employment agency services is unlawful. Regulation 13 says the nature of the claim is a breach of statutory duty, and (3) the court can order as appropriate, award damages including injury to feelings.

28090687

Minimum Wage Ordinance

2010-07-20 02:27:08+00:00

The Minimum Wage Ordinance Cap. 608 is an ordinance enacted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong to introduce a minimum wage in Hong Kong in July 2010. The executive branch proposed a minimum wage of HK$28 (~US$3.61) per hour in November 2010, which the Legislative Council voted to accept after much debate in January 2011. It came into effect on 1 May 2011. Prior to this, there had also been a fixed minimum wage for one specific class of workers, foreign domestic helpers, of HK$3,740/month. The Hong Kong statutory minimum wage for non-domestic workers is HK$37.5 (~US$4.83) per hour, effective 1 May 2019. Hong Kong had some legislation relating to the minimum wage as early as 1932; the Governor was granted the right, but was not obliged, to establish a minimum wage. The Trade Boards Ordinance also gave the governor (and after 1997, the Chief Executive) the power to set minimum wages for piece-rate and time-rate work, and established penalties for non-compliance. However, no governor exercised these powers. In 2006, legislators floated a proposal for a voluntary minimum wage. The executive branch formed a Minimum Wage Provisional Commission in February 2009 to research and eventually set a proposed wage floor. More debate came about on the possibility of a minimum wage in 2010. Legislator Tommy Cheung, who represents the catering functional constituency, suggested that the minimum wage be no greater than HK$20. This earned him the derogatory nickname "Twenty-dollar Cheung". He later amended his proposal to HK$24. Lam Woon-kwong of the Equal Opportunities Commission also indicated he had no objection to a lower minimum wage for disabled people. Chief Executive Donald Tsang was opposed to the whole concept of a minimum wage, according to legislator Lee Cheuk-yan of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions. Other voices of opposition included the free-market think tank Lion Rock Institute, as well as Miriam Lau of the Liberal Party, who gave estimates that between 30,000 and 170,000 jobs would be lost as a result of the proposal, depending on the wage adopted. = The Minimum Wage Bill was passed on 15 July 2010 by a vote of 53–1 after extensive debate which included the tabling of 34 amendments. The lone opposition vote came from Paul Tse, a functional constituency legislator representing the tourism sector. The bill required the Chief Executive to propose a minimum wage level, which LegCo would then either approve or reject the amount. The law did not give LegCo the power to amend the amount. The proposed minimum wage had been expected to be between HK$23 and HK$33 per hour. Among the amendments: Lee Cheuk-yan proposed including foreign domestic helpers in the scope of the bill. Defeated 9–26 with 17 abstentions. Lee Cheuk-yan proposed that overtime and commissions should be excluded from the minimum wage. Defeated. The government proposed an exemption of internships from the minimum wage legislation. Passed. The government proposed that the Trade Boards Ordinance should be repealed. Defeated 26–28. = On 10 November 2010, a HK$28 (~US$3.59) per hour rate was recommended by the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission and adopted by the Chief Executive-in-Council. The Legislative Council voted to accept the proposed wage on 5 January 2011. It came into force on 1 May 2011. The law does not mandate that meal breaks and rest days be paid; Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung stated that this should be decided by private negotiation between employers and employees. There were fears that the implementation of the law might actually lead to lower take-home pay for low-income workers who currently receive paid meal breaks. In November 2010, before the minimum wage came into effect, fast-food chain Cafe de Coral had forced staff to sign new contracts that would give them a pay raise but see their paid meal breaks forfeited, effectively leading to lower pay. In April 2011, Edward Cheng, president of the Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies, the largest property management association in Hong Kong, stated that he would appeal to their members to retain paid meal breaks for estate security guards where possible; however, he pointed out that the property owners themselves would have to approve any consequent increases in management fees. = On 1 May 2013, the statutory minimum wage is reviewed, and to be set at the level at $30 (~US$3.87). This is to be in effect from 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2015, as the minimum wage is set to be reviewed every two years. = On 1 May 2015, the statutory minimum wage is reviewed and to be set at $32.5 (~US$4.19). This is to be in effect from 1 May 2015 to 30 April 2017. = The minimum hourly wage will be increased from to HK$40 per hour from 1 May 2023. It was gazetted on 13 January 2023. Foreign domestic helpers' minimum wages are inflation-adjusted annually for contracts about to be signed, and apply for the duration of the contract. Furthermore, FDHs are entitled to one 24-hour rest period each week. An employer's failure to meet this minimum level may result in a fine as high as HK$350,000 and three years' imprisonment. The minimum wage for FDHs was reduced by HK$190 (5%) in 1999. Again in April 2003, in a deflationary environment, the Government announced a HK$400 reduction in pay, to HK$3,270, "due to the steady drop in a basket of economic indicators since 1999." This led to lawsuits by some Filipinos in Hong Kong. The minimum allowable wage was raised by HK$80 to HK$3,480 per month for contracts signed on or after 6 June 2007. Another HK$100 cost of living adjustment took effect for all employment contracts signed on or after 17 July 2008, increasing the minimum wage to HK$3,580 per month. In September 2017, the minimum wage was further increased from HK$4,310 to $4,410 per month. As of 2019, the minimum wage of FDHs are set to HK$4,630/month.

30532151

2010 BWF World Championships – Women's doubles

2011-01-19 14:24:00+00:00

The 2010 BWF World Championships was the 18th tournament of the World Badminton Championships. It was held at Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, France, from August 23 to August 29, 2010. Following the results of the women's doubles. = = = =

30532139

2010 BWF World Championships – Women's singles

2011-01-19 14:21:58+00:00

The 2010 BWF World Championships was the 18th tournament of the World Badminton Championships. It was held at Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, France, from August 23 to August 29, 2010. Following the results of the women's singles. = = = =

29189351

Badminton at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Women's singles

2010-10-14 11:00:01+00:00

The Women's singles event of badminton at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held from 9 to 14 October 2010 in Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India. The seeds for the tournament were: =

29189344

Badminton at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Women's doubles

2010-10-14 10:58:27+00:00

The Women's doubles event of badminton at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held from 10 to 14 October 2010 in Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India.

66031299

Comedia (trade union)

2020-12-06 17:36:41+00:00

Comedia was a trade union representing print and media workers in Switzerland. The union was founded in December 1998, when the Union of Printing and Paper merged with the Swiss Lithographers' Union, the Employees' Union of the Swiss Book Trade, and the Swiss Union of Journalists. It affiliated to the Swiss Trade Union Federation, and initially had about 17,000 members. Originally, the union was divided into six sectors, but in 2005, it restructured its members into four sectors: graphics, books and media, press and culture, and graphical communication. On 3 December 2010, Comedia merged with the Union of Communication, to form Syndicom. 1998: Christian Tirefort 2005: Roland Kreuzer and Danièle Lenzin

49718860

Community and District Nursing Association

2016-03-10 18:54:42+00:00

The Community and District Nursing Association (CDNA) was a trade union representing nurses and healthcare assistants in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1939 as the District Nursing Association. In 1971, it was renamed as the "Community and District Nursing Association". It affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, and membership had risen to 3,763 by 2007. It worked closely with the GMB trade union for many years, and in 2010 decided to merge with it.

52533844

Council of Civil Service Unions

2016-12-09 20:32:18+00:00

The Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) was a trade union federation in the United Kingdom. The federation's origins lay in the Civil Service National Whitley Council, a joint bargaining organisation consisting of trade unions and representatives of the civil service as an employer. By the 1970s, most unions were unsatisfied with the arrangement, feeling that the trade union members of the council were unrepresentative, and that it was an overly bureaucratic system. As a result, in 1980, they formed the independent "Council of Civil Service Unions". The founding members of the federation, with the number of seats they initially held, were: Association of First Division Civil Servants (2 associate members) Association of Government Supervisors and Radio Officers (2) Association of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Taxes (2 associate members) Civil and Public Services Association (20) Civil Service Union (6) Inland Revenue Staff Federation (8) Institution of Professional Civil Servants (11) Prison Officers' Association (3) Society of Civil and Public Servants (11) The council led a campaign against the government's prohibition of staff at the Government Communications Headquarters from joining a trade union. This landmark case, Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service, was ultimately lost in the House of Lords. Over the years, many of the civil service unions merged and, in 1998, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) was formed, representing for the first time a majority of civil service trade unionists. With many of the council's functions having been delegated to other bodies, it agreed thereafter to proceed only on the basis of consensus among all members. By 2010, the following unions held membership of the council: FDA Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance Prison Officers' Association Prospect Public and Commercial Services Union The consensus-based approach led to dissatisfaction, the PCS complaining that decisions were subject to the veto of even very small unions. The FDA, meanwhile, opposed the PCS's specific recommendations for change, arguing that this would effectively give the PCS the final say on all civil service matters. In 2010, unable to agree a way forward for the federation, it was dissolved. 1980: Bill Kendall 1983: Peter Jones 1992: John Ellis 1995: Charles Cochrane

29450053

Women's épée at the 2010 World Fencing Championships

2010-11-02 19:20:45+00:00

The Women's épée event took place on November 8, 2010 at Grand Palais. = = Section 1 Section 2 = Section 3 Section 4

29450030

Women's foil at the 2010 World Fencing Championships

2010-11-02 19:18:17+00:00

The Women's foil event took place on November 7, 2010 at Grand Palais. = = Section 1 Section 2 = Section 3 Section 4

29450012

Women's sabre at the 2010 World Fencing Championships

2010-11-02 19:16:37+00:00

The Women's sabre event took place on November 6, 2010, at Grand Palais. = = Section 1 Section 2 = Section 3 Section 4

29450070

Women's team épée at the 2010 World Fencing Championships

2010-11-02 19:22:12+00:00

The women's team épée took place on November 12 at the Grand Palais.

29450044

Women's team foil at the 2010 World Fencing Championships

2010-11-02 19:19:37+00:00

The Women's team foil event took place on November 10, 2010 at Grand Palais.

36579226

Template:2010 WWE pay-per-view events

2012-07-29 20:53:42+00:00

This template's initial visibility currently defaults to autocollapse, meaning that if there is another collapsible item on the page (a navbox, sidebar, or table with the collapsible attribute), it is hidden apart from its title bar; if not, it is fully visible. To change this template's initial visibility, the |state= parameter may be used: {{2010 WWE pay-per-view events|state=collapsed}} will show the template collapsed, i.e. hidden apart from its title bar. {{2010 WWE pay-per-view events|state=expanded}} will show the template expanded, i.e. fully visible.

27855549

Bragging Rights (2010)

2010-06-26 07:24:29+00:00

The 2010 Bragging Rights was the second annual and final Bragging Rights professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on October 24, 2010, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The theme of the event was that wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands competed against each other for "bragging rights." The event was discontinued as the first brand split was dissolved in August 2011. Seven matches were contested at the event. It received 137,000 buys, down from the 181,000 of the previous year. Bragging Rights was discontinued and replaced by Vengeance in 2011. = In 2009, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) held a pay-per-view (PPV) titled Bragging Rights. The concept of the show was based around a series of interpromotional matches for "bragging rights" between wrestlers of the Raw and SmackDown brands, with a Bragging Rights Trophy awarded to the brand that won the most matches out of the series. A second Bragging Rights event was scheduled to be held on October 24, 2010, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. = Bragging Rights featured professional wrestling matches involving different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines that were played out on World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed villains or heroes as they followed a series of events that build tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. On the October 8 episode of SmackDown, Big Show was named the captain of Team SmackDown. On the October 11 episode of Raw, six of the seven members of Team Raw qualified through winning matches, all of which included John Morrison, R-Truth, Santino Marella, Sheamus, the recently traded CM Punk and the team captain The Miz. Following that, SmackDown also held qualification matches adding Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Kofi Kingston, and the recently traded Edge. Hoping to prove himself, Kaval challenged the Big Show to earn a spot on Team SmackDown, Big Show stated that Kaval wouldn't last five minutes in the ring with him and accepted a five-minute challenge. Kaval lasted the five minutes and earned a spot on Team SmackDown only to lose to Tyler Reks right after and lost his spot to him. On the October 18 episode of Raw, The Miz completed Team Raw by adding the returning Ezekiel Jackson as the seventh member of Team Raw. The main rivalry from Raw involved the WWE Champion Randy Orton against Nexus leader Wade Barrett in a match for Orton's WWE Championship which included newly inducted Nexus member John Cena in Barrett's corner. The previous month at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, Cena lost a match to Barrett, due to interference by Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty, under the stipulation that Cena would join the Nexus upon losing. While attempting to destroy the Nexus from the inside, the Raw General Manager forced Cena to follow Barrett's orders because of the stipulations of the match or he would fire Cena. During a battle royal to determine the next number one contender to face Orton, Cena, Barrett and the other members of the Nexus worked together to eliminate the other Raw Superstars, until only Cena and Barrett were left, Barrett ultimately won when he forced Cena to eliminate himself, thus making Barrett the number one contender. Upon winning, Barrett forced Cena to be in his corner during the match to ensure that Barrett wins the match. Another rivalry from Raw was that of Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan. On the October 18 episode of Raw, Bryan challenged Ziggler to an interpromotional match at Bragging Rights. Ziggler accepted the challenge and the match was made official. It was announced that the match would be non-title, with Ziggler being the Intercontinental Champion and Bryan being the United States Champion. The main rivalry from SmackDown involved the World Heavyweight Champion Kane against his (kayfabe) half-brother The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match for the World Heavyweight Championship. At Hell in a Cell, Paul Bearer, who was with The Undertaker during the Hell in a Cell match against Kane, betrayed The Undertaker giving the victory to Kane once again. Two weeks later on SmackDown, Bearer issued one more challenge to The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match. Later that night, The Undertaker accepted the match and taunted Kane with his own pyrotechnics. Another rivalry from SmackDown revolved around the Divas Championship. Michelle McCool and Layla were the self professed "Co-Divas Champions" heading into the event, where one of them would face challenger Natalya. It was announced on the October 22 episode of SmackDown that Layla would be the one to face Natalya at Bragging Rights, with the Divas Championship on the line. Prior to Bragging Rights airing, an untelevised match took place between Montel Vontavious Porter and Chavo Guerrero Jr., which Porter won. = The first match aired was between Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan in an inter-promotional singles match. Bryan dominated the match early on, before the pair traded control of the match. Following a series of near-falls, Ziggler earned a three-count. As Bryan's feet were on the ropes, however, the match continued. The two traded moves and near falls until Bryan forced Ziggler to submit to his LeBell Lock hold (an omoplata crossface). Immediately after the match ended, Vickie Guerrero entered the ring and started arguing with the referee about Ziggler's loss due to the fact that during the match, he had earned a three count and the referee did not see Bryan's foot on the ropes and decided to continue the match. The referee proceeded to symbolically eject Vickie and then Ziggler as he engaged in the argument with Vickie. The second contest of the evening was an impromptu tag team match, with the Tag Team Championship on the line. Wade Barrett announced that David Otunga and John Cena were to face champions Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre. Otunga and Rhodes started the match, and Rhodes gained control. Rhodes and McIntyre utilised quick tags to keep control and earn a near-fall before Otunga tagged in Cena. Rhodes submitted to Cena's STF hold to end the match, and make Cena and Otunga the new champions. Following the match, Cena attacked Otunga and left with both championship belts. The third match was also impromptu and had not been advertised prior to the event. Ted DiBiase Jr. and Goldust faced off in a singles match, revolving around Goldust stealing the Million Dollar Championship from DiBiase a few weeks prior to the event. The match ended when Goldust was distracted by Maryse and Aksana fighting outside the ring, and pinned by DiBiase. The next match was for the Divas Championship between champion Layla and challenger Natalya. Natalya dominated the first part of the match until Layla managed to counter. Michelle McCool, Layla's tag team partner, interfered in the match on multiple occasions, and helped Layla to win the contest by pinfall. = The fifth contest of the evening was the Buried Alive match between Kane and The Undertaker, with Kane's World Heavyweight Championship on the line. The match started with both men brawling on the entrance ramp, at ringside, and into the audience, before they entered the ring. Kane took control after using a steel chair, and dragged The Undertaker out of the ring and up to the burial site, located at the side of the entrance ramp. The Undertaker retakes control by using his Hell's Gate gogoplata submission hold. The Undertaker was distracted by Paul Bearer, and then The Nexus interfered in the match, attacking The Undertaker and beginning to fill the grave with dirt, before Kane scared them off. Kane hit The Undertaker with an urn, causing him to fall into the grave, and then used a digger to fill the grave and win the match. This was Undertaker's last pay-per-view match outside of WrestleMania, until 2015's SummerSlam, and ended his status as a full-time wrestler. The sixth match was the seven-on-seven elimination tag team match between Team Raw and Team SmackDown. Santino Marella was the first eliminated from Team Raw, when he was pinned by Tyler Reks. Sheamus eliminated SmackDown's Kofi Kingston. In the course of the match, Alberto Del Rio attacked his own teammate Rey Mysterio, and Mysterio was escorted to the back by medical personnel. John Morrison eliminated Jack Swagger and Sheamus eliminated Reks giving Team Raw a six-three advantage. Big Show and Sheamus fought outside the ring, which led to both men being counted out. Edge eliminated R-Truth and Morrison in quick succession, but CM Punk eliminated Del Rio, leaving Edge as the only member of Team SmackDown. Mysterio, who was never officially eliminated, returned to the match and rejoined Team SmackDown. Mysterio quickly pinned Punk and Jackson, leaving The Miz as the only wrestler remaining on Team Raw. Alex Riley, The Miz's protege, prevented Mysterio from performing his finishing move on The Miz, but Edge performed a Spear on The Miz. Edge pinned The Miz to win the match for Team SmackDown. The seventh and final contest of the night was for the WWE Championship between champion Randy Orton and challenger Wade Barrett, who was accompanied by John Cena. The stipulation is if Barrett lose the match Cena would be fired. Orton took initial control of the match, but Barrett was able to gain some control before Cena caused a distraction allowing Orton to regain control. On the outside of the ring, Barrett sent Orton shoulder first into the steel steps, allowing Barrett to take control of the match. The Nexus interfered and attacked Orton while the referee was down, until Cena stopped them, telling Barrett he did it to stop Barrett from being disqualified. Following Orton regaining control, Cena attacked Barrett causing Barrett to win by disqualification. Orton retained the championship, but as Barrett won the match, Cena retained his job. Following the match, Orton attacked both Cena and Barrett to end the event. Bragging Rights received 137,000 pay-per-view buys, a decrease from the 181,000 garnered by the 2009 event of the same name; this represented a decline of 24% and contributed to a $2.5 million decline in pay-per-view revenue in the fourth quarter of 2010 for WWE. Overall the event was positively received, with the Bryan vs Ziggler and Team SmackDown vs Team Raw matches being particularly praised. After vignettes started airing from January 31 episode of Raw with the date 2-21-11 burned into the screen, The Undertaker returned on the February 21, 2011 episode of Raw. After Undertaker entered the ring, Triple H also returned that night and confronted him, where the two engaged in a non-verbal stare-down before looking at the WrestleMania XXVII sign, signaling a challenge between the two at the event which was later confirmed four days later on WWE's official website. Undertaker defeated Triple H in a No Holds Barred Match at WrestleMania XXVII to extend his undefeated WrestleMania Streak to 19-0, but the beatdown he received during the match had left him to leave the ring on a cart. After defeating The Undertaker, Kane set up a "funeral service" for his half-brother on the October 29 episode of SmackDown, but was interrupted by Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio and Edge who wanted to have a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge defeated Mysterio and Del Rio in a Triple Threat Match to become the number one contender to face Kane for the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series. The match ended in a draw, so Kane retained his title. The Undertaker and Kane would not appear on screen together until 2012 at Raw 1000, where The Undertaker would return to help Kane fend off Jinder Mahal, Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks, Camacho and Drew McIntyre. Bragging Rights would be a short-lived pay-per-view, as the 2010 event was the final Bragging Rights. It was discontinued and replaced by the returning Vengeance in 2011. Although the 2010 event was the final Bragging Rights event, a similar brand competition theme was used for 2016's Survivor Series, and the annual Survivor Series now revolves around competition for brand supremacy. 14-man interpromotional elimination tag team match

26334408

Extreme Rules (2010)

2010-02-25 10:32:30+00:00

The 2010 Extreme Rules was the second annual Extreme Rules professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 25, 2010, at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It replaced Backlash as the post-WrestleMania pay-per-view and was the first Extreme Rules event to feature the titular Extreme Rules match. The concept of Extreme Rules is that the event features various hardcore-based matches. There were eight matches scheduled on the event's card, all of which were contested under a hardcore stipulation. There was also one dark match that occurred before the live broadcast. In the main event, John Cena defeated Batista in a Last Man Standing match to retain Raw's WWE Championship. In SmackDown's main match, which was an interpromotional match, Jack Swagger defeated Raw's Randy Orton in an Extreme Rules match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. The event received 182,000 pay-per-view buys, the same as the figure achieved by the 2009 Backlash event. = In 2009, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) established Extreme Rules as a gimmick pay-per-view (PPV), replacing One Night Stand. Just like One Night Stand, the concept of the show was that the event featured various matches that were contested under hardcore rules. The defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, which WWE acquired in 2003, originally used the "extreme rules" term to describe the regulations for all of its matches; WWE adopted the term and has since used it in place of "hardcore match" or "hardcore rules". While the inaugural 2009 event had originally been described as a continuation of the One Night Stand chronology, the 2010 Extreme Rules event was noted by WWE to be only the second event under a new chronology, thus establishing Extreme Rules as its own annual event. Although the second event in the Extreme Rules chronology, it was the first to feature the titular Extreme Rules match, among other hardcore-based matches. The event took place on April 25, 2010, at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands. Extreme Rules 2010 also replaced Backlash as the post-WrestleMania pay-per-view. = The professional wrestling matches at Extreme Rules involved professional wrestlers performing as characters in scripted events pre-determined by the hosting promotion, WWE. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. The main storyline from the Raw brand featured John Cena and Batista feuding over the WWE Championship. The feud had begun several months previously and been a feature of several pay-per-views, including WrestleMania XXVI, where Cena defeated Batista to win the championship. Following WrestleMania, on the April 5 episode of Raw, Batista attacked Cena after a match. It was announced that Batista would receive his rematch in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules. World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger from the SmackDown brand was scheduled to face Raw wrestler Randy Orton. Swagger won the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania, earning a contract for a guaranteed championship match at the time and place of his choosing. He used the contract on the April 2 episode of SmackDown, defeating Chris Jericho to win the World Heavyweight Championship after Jericho had been attacked by Edge. After a number one contender's match between Jericho and Edge ended in a double countout, Raw guest host David Hasselhoff announced that Swagger would face Orton, who had beaten Swagger on two occasions, in an Extreme Rules match. Chris Jericho and Edge also had a scheduled match on the card. Edge returned from injury at the Royal Rumble, winning the Royal Rumble match, and earning a match for a championship of his choosing at WrestleMania. Edge elected to wrestle then-World Heavyweight Champion Jericho, but lost. On the following episode of SmackDown, after being refused a rematch, Edge attacked Jericho, allowing Jack Swagger to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and win the championship. After a number one contender's match between Jericho and Edge went to a double count-out, it was announced that they would face each other in a Steel Cage match. The secondary rivalry from the Raw brand heading into Extreme Rules was between Triple H and Sheamus. Sheamus felt that Triple H was responsible for him losing the WWE Championship at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, and so challenged him to a match at WrestleMania, but lost. As a result, the following night on Raw, Sheamus attacked Triple H with a lead pipe, and it was announced that the two would meet in a Street Fight at Extreme Rules. CM Punk and Rey Mysterio had been feuding for several months prior to Extreme Rules, which included Punk tormenting Mysterio in front of his wife and children. They wrestled at WrestleMania, with Mysterio winning, allowing him to avoid being forced to join Punk's stable, The Straight Edge Society. When inducting members into The Straight Edge Society, Punk shaved their hair while retaining long hair himself; as a result, Mysterio challenged him to a match at Extreme Rules with a stipulation that if Punk lost, he would have his head shaved. Also announced for the card was a match for the Women's Championship between the champion, Michelle McCool, and Beth Phoenix. The feud began when Phoenix objected to SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero aligning with Team Lay-Cool (McCool and Layla) and refusing to grant Phoenix a title match. After earning her championship match, Phoenix was attacked and humiliated on the April 23 episode of SmackDown by Team Lay-Cool, who hit her with an ironing board and drew on her while unconscious with lipstick to set up an Extreme Makeover match. The final match on the card was between former tag team partners, Shad Gaspard and JTG. After Cryme Tyme lost a tag team match on the April 2 episode of SmackDown, Gaspard turned on JTG and attacked him, setting up a strap match between the two. } = Before the event went live on pay-per-view, Kofi Kingston defeated Dolph Ziggler in a dark match. = The actual pay-per-view opened with Sheamus attacking Triple H with a pipe. Following the attack, Unified WWE Tag Team Champions ShoMiz (Big Show and United States Champion The Miz) came to the ring and complained about not having a match for the night, prompting SmackDown general manager Theodore Long to make a tag team gauntlet match for them against three other teams, with the winners earning a future tag team championship match. The first team was John Morrison and R-Truth, who lost when Morrison was disqualified for refusing to release a hold on Big Show by a five count. The next team was Montel Vontavious Porter and Mark Henry, who also lost after Miz pinned MVP following a KO Punch from Big Show. The final team was The Hart Dynasty, who won after Kidd pinned Miz following a Hart Attack. Next, CM Punk faced Rey Mysterio, where if Punk lost he would have his head shaved bald. During the match, Luke Gallows and Serena attacked Mysterio on the outside and were banned from ringside. At the conclusion of the match, a masked man (Joey Mercury) attacked Mysterio with a Fallaway Powerbomb on the floor, which allowed Punk to perform a Go To Sleep on Mysterio and pin him. After that, JTG wrestled Shad in a Strap match, where the objective was to touch all four turnbuckles while connected to the opponent. Shad used his size advantage to overpower JTG for most of the match. The conclusion of the match came when Shad had JTG on his back and began to tag corners, unaware that JTG was doing the same. After touching the third corner, JTG performed a Box Cutter on Shad and touched the final corner to win the match. In the fourth match, Jack Swagger defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton in an Extreme Rules match. At the conclusion of the match, Orton attempted an RKO on a chair but Swagger countered by throwing Orton through the chair. Swagger then performed a gutwrench powerbomb on Orton and pinned him to retain the World Heavyweight championship. After the match, Orton performed an RKO on Swagger on the floor. When Orton was leaving the ring, Sheamus came out carrying a pipe for his street fight with Triple H. At the start of the match, Triple H attacked Sheamus and executed a spinebuster. Triple H attempted a Pedigree, but Sheamus countered and began to work over Triple H, executing a neckbreaker on the floor on Triple H. Back in the ring, Triple H performed a DDT on Sheamus, who executed an Irish Curse Backbreaker for a near-fall. On the entrance ramp, Triple H attacked Sheamus with a kendo stick and attempted a Pedigree, but Sheamus countered with a Back Body Drop onto the entrance ramp and executed a Brogue Kick. Back in the ring, Sheamus executed another Brogue Kick. As the referee checked on Triple H, he pushed him aside and in a final act of defiance performed the famous "crotch chop", taunting Sheamus. Sheamus executed two more Brogue Kicks before pinning Triple H to win the match. After this, he posed on top of the knocked out Triple H before leaving as the decisive winner. After, the officials tried to help Triple H backstage, but Sheamus came out again and executed a fifth Brogue Kick. Triple H was carried out on a stretcher and not seen again for almost 10 months. Later, Michelle McCool defended the Women's Championship against Beth Phoenix in an Extreme Makeover match. At the conclusion of the match, Phoenix performed a Glam Slam on McCool and pinned her to win the title. The next match was a Steel Cage match between Edge and Chris Jericho. When Jericho attempted to retrieve a chair, Edge stopped him but Jericho slammed the steel cage door on him. Jericho then attempted to strike Edge with the chair but Edge ducked and performed a spear on Jericho for a near-fall. Jericho then performed a Springboard Codebreaker on Edge for a near-fall. Edge performed another spear on Jericho to win the match. = In the main event, John Cena defended the WWE Championship against Batista in a Last Man Standing match. Cena performed an Attitude Adjustment onto a chair on Batista, who stood at an eight count. Batista performed two Spears on Cena, who stood at an eight count each time. Cena attempted the STF but Batista countered, knocking Cena through a table; Cena stood at a nine count. Batista threw Cena through the barricade but Cena stood at a nine count. Cena performed an Attitude Adjustment through the announce table on Batista, who stood at a nine count. Batista performed a Spinebuster through a table on Cena, who stood at a nine count. Batista performed a Batista Bomb on Cena, who stood at a nine count. Cena applied the STF on Batista, who stood at a nine count. Cena incapacitated Batista by tying Batista's feet to the ring post with duct tape. Batista was unable to answer the 10 count, allowing Cena to retain the title. In August 2010, WWE reported that the event had received 182,000 pay-per-view buys, down on what the previous year's event had. Because The Hart Dynasty defeated ShoMiz (Big Show and The Miz) at Extreme Rules, they received a tag team championship match the next night on Raw, which they won. After the match, Big Show turned face and punched The Miz right through his jaw. Big Show moved to the SmackDown brand and became the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at Over the Limit. The feud between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio continued after Extreme Rules. A match combining the stipulations of their matches from Extreme Rules and WrestleMania XXVI was announced for Over the Limit, in which if Mysterio lost, he would have to join the Straight Edge Society, and if Punk lost, he would have to shave his head. At Over The Limit, Mysterio defeated Punk and forced Punk to shave his head. After Extreme Rules, Randy Orton started a feud with Edge. A match was set up between the two at Over The Limit, ending in a double countout. Jack Swagger entered into a program with the Big Show, against whom Swagger defended the World Heavyweight Championship at Over The Limit. At Over the Limit, Swagger lost via disqualification, retaining the title. Triple H was sidelined for the rest of the year and came back in February 2011 to confront The Undertaker. A week later when he returned, he attacked Sheamus to end the feud. The feud between Batista and John Cena continued after Extreme Rules. Batista earned a rematch for the WWE Championship at Over the Limit by defeating Randy Orton and Sheamus in a number one contender's match, but Cena defeated Batista at the event in an "I Quit" Match. The next night, Raw general manager Bret Hart told Batista he had to qualify for the WWE Championship Fatal-4-Way at the eponymous pay-per-view, but he refused and lost to Randy Orton by forfeit. Batista then quit WWE. After capturing the WWE Women's Championship, Beth Phoenix tore her ACL on the May 6 episode of Superstars during a singles match against Rosa Mendes, which Phoenix won with a roll-up. Phoenix eventually dropped the WWE Women's Championship to Layla in a 2-on-1 handicap match on the May 14 edition of SmackDown. After being out of action for six months, Phoenix returned at Survivor Series to save Natalya from an attack by LayCool. In December at TLC, Phoenix and Natalya defeated LayCool in a Divas Tag Team Tables match. In April 2011, the promotion ceased using its full name with the "WWE" abbreviation becoming an orphaned initialism. =

26250870

WWE Fatal 4-Way

2010-02-18 21:10:03+00:00

WWE Fatal 4-Way was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on June 20, 2010, at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The show was based around a few matches on the card being contested as fatal four-way matches. Fatal 4-Way replaced The Bash as the June 2010 PPV. The event received 143,000 pay-per-view buys, down on The Bash's figure of 178,000 buys. This was the final WWE pay-per-view event to be held in Nassau Coliseum before its 2015 renovation. This was the only Fatal 4-Way PPV produced by WWE for their main roster, as it was replaced by Capitol Punishment in 2011; however, the promotion revived the name for their developmental territory NXT in 2014 as the brand's second TakeOver event titled NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way. = World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) previously ran an annual summer pay-per-view (PPV) titled The Great American Bash from 2004 to 2009, which they had acquired in 2001 when the promotion purchased World Championship Wrestling. The 2009 event was titled The Bash. In 2010, WWE discontinued The Bash and replaced it with Fatal 4-Way. The event took place on June 20, 2010, at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. Tickets went on sale on April 24 through Ticketmaster. = The card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. The storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Raw and SmackDown. The main feud for the Raw brand was a fatal four-way match for the WWE Championship between defending champion John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, and Sheamus. After Cena retained his title against Batista in an "I Quit" match at Over the Limit, Sheamus attacked Cena. On the May 24 episode of Raw, Bret Hart was announced as the new Raw General Manager. Before Batista could cut a promo, Hart interrupted and said that if Batista wanted his rematch, then he would have to qualify. Batista refused to wrestle, citing an injury and Hart then let Orton qualify by forfeit, causing Batista to quit the WWE afterwards. Edge and Sheamus won their respective qualifying matches to gain entry into the match alongside Orton. The following three weeks saw the four wrestlers compete against each other in singles and tag team bouts. The main event for the SmackDown brand was a fatal four-way match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Jack Swagger, Big Show, CM Punk, and Rey Mysterio. At Over the Limit, Big Show defeated Swagger by disqualification but did not win the championship since it cannot change hands on a disqualification, and as a result qualified for the fatal four-way match. The Undertaker and CM Punk won their respective qualifying matches against Rey Mysterio and Kane. Later, Kane found his half-brother Undertaker in a storyline vegetative state, unable to compete and The Undertaker was removed from the match. A battle royal was put in place to determine The Undertaker's replacement in the match, which was won by Mysterio, who last eliminated Kane. On the April 12 episode of Raw, Eve Torres beat Maryse for the Divas Championship. When Maryse attempted to seek revenge at Over the Limit, she was defeated by Eve. On the May 17 episode, Gail Kim teamed up with Evan Bourne to defeat Alicia Fox and Zack Ryder. After this, Kim and Fox started to feud for several weeks. On the June 14 episode, the current Divas Champion, Eve, teamed up with Kim in a winning effort against Maryse and Fox and a fatal four-way match was announced between the four. = The event began with Kofi Kingston defending the Intercontinental Championship against Drew McIntyre. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long was also in attendance near the announce table. The contest was even between both competitors. Kingston executed an S.O.S. on McIntyre for a near-fall. Kingston then applied a submission near the turnbuckle, but it was countered by McIntyre, who threw Kingston's legs into referee Charles Robinson, knocking him out. Since the referee was unable to officiate the match, McIntyre forced Long to fill in for the referee. When McIntyre attempted the pin, however, Long refused to count to three. As they argued, Matt Hardy interfered and attacked McIntyre, which allowed Kingston to perform Trouble in Paradise on McIntyre. Kingston then pinned McIntyre for the win and retained the title. The WWE Divas Championship was defended next by Eve against Alicia Fox, Maryse, and Gail Kim in a fatal four-way match. Eve performed a moonsault on Maryse, but her pin attempt was broken up by Fox, who threw Eve out of the ring. She then covered Maryse and won her first title in the WWE. Chris Jericho cut a promo, challenging Evan Bourne to an impromptu match. Jericho executed a Codebreaker on Bourne for a near-fall. The match ended when Bourne executed an Air Bourne on Jericho's back and pinned him for the win. = In the first main event match, Jack Swagger, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, and CM Punk competed in a fatal four-way match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Big Show dominated the first half of the match, quickly knocking down his opponents. The advantage turned when the other three concentrated their offense mainly on him taking him out for some time. The match was then contested evenly until Punk delivered a GTS to Swagger, but before he could pin him, Kane interrupted them, attempting to put Punk in a casket but Punk escaped with Kane in pursuit. Mysterio took advantage of the situation and delivered the 619 to Swagger and covered him to win the World Heavyweight Title. In the next match, The Miz faced R-Truth for the United States Championship. The match went at a quick pace throughout and ended when Miz reversed R-Truth for a pin attempt to retain the title. In the next match, Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Hart Dynasty (Tyson Kidd, David Hart Smith and Natalya), faced The Usos and Tamina Snuka. The Hart Dynasty won after Natalya pinned Tamina after a Nattie-By-Nature. In the main event, John Cena faced Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Edge in a fatal four-way match for the WWE Championship. None of the competitors stayed in the ring for long as when one would get an advantage over another opponent they would be interrupted by another one of the challengers. The match came to an abrupt end when the rookies from the first season of NXT who had previously formed a faction against the roster of the Raw brand, interrupted. The rookies first attacked Cena in the ring. Edge then tried to help him but instead was attacked by Nexus. In the midst of the commotion, Sheamus pinned Cena to win the title, bringing the event to a premature conclusion. Approximately 10,000 people attended Fatal 4-Way live at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The event received generally mixed reviews. Bob Kapur from Canadian Online Explorer's wrestling section awarded the WWE Championship match an eight out of ten and the World Heavyweight Championship match a seven out of ten. He also appreciated Chris Jericho and Evan Bourne for their performances in their match and rated the match as eight out of ten. Overall, he awarded the event a score of eight out of ten. This would be the only Fatal 4-Way PPV produced by WWE for their main roster as it was replaced by Capitol Punishment in 2011. In April 2011, WWE ceased using its full name with the "WWE" abbreviation becoming an orphaned initialism. WWE revived the event's name in 2014 for their developmental territory NXT as a TakeOver event titled NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way.

27056164

Colorado History Museum

2010-04-22 01:12:36+00:00

The Colorado History Museum was a museum in Denver, Colorado, United States, dedicated to the history of Colorado. It was at 1300 Broadway in Denver from 1976 to 2010, and was administered by the Colorado Historical Society, now known as History Colorado. It closed on 28 March 2010, and the building was demolished in June to make way for a new Colorado Judicial Complex. The replacement museum, the History Colorado Center, was constructed one block to the south.

42637802

Golden Age of Trucking Museum

2014-05-01 15:52:34+00:00

The Golden Age of Trucking Museum is a defunct trucking museum in Middlebury, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1998 by Richard and Frances Guerrera, it was non-profit organization dedicated to trucking that focused on trucks of the 1950s. The museum was dedicated on September 23, 2002 and housed in a 32,000 square foot building. It featured a collection of historic and antique vehicles including the first registered car in Connecticut, a 1928 Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company dump truck. Among the trucks in the museum were Mack Trucks, GMC and Autocar Company trucks, including a 1963 Mack B61 motivated Guerrera to found the museum. The Golden Age of Trucking Museum also featured a collection of toy trucks, hats, state license plates and images relating to trucking. Throughout its entire operation, the museum ran a deficit and it closed after a 2009 fund raising campaign failed. The museum's final day of operation was on July 20, 2010. The economic impact of the museums closure was expected to be low, but according to Steven Frischling of the Boston Globe. the Golden Age of Trucking Museum made its mark on the auto world. Founded in 1998 by Richard and Frances Guerrera, the Golden Age of Trucking Museum was a non-profit organization dedicated to trucking. The Guerreras owned and operated R.J. Guerrera, a liquid transportation trucking company. Originally, a collection of trucks were restored and stored in barns and garages throughout Connecticut. The Golden Age of Trucking Museum was opened to bring the collection under a single roof. After the property for the museum was purchased in July 1998, Richard Guerrera was diagnosed with cancer. In June 1999, he was transported to the site for an unofficial groundbreaking event. Richard Guerrera died a month later and the facility was completed in 2002. The museum was designed by Francis Guerrera's son-in-law, a general contractor. On September 23, 2002, the museum was formally opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the complete 32,000 square foot building. The museum never was able to sustain itself through its visitors and it ran a deficit throughout its entire operation; the museums operating costs that were covered by Frances Guerrera. In 2009, a $100,000 funding raising campaign was undertaken, but it only resulted in a total of $20,000 being raised prior to July 2010. On July 6, 2010, the board of directors came to the conclusion to close the museum. The museum's final day was on July 20, 2010 and also featured a gathering of antique cars in a "Cruise Night" event. The Golden Age of Trucking Museum featured a collection of historic trucks, cars and other items related to the trucking operation, with a special focus on trucking in the 1950s. Many of the historic vehicles on display were noted for their rarity or otherwise unique quality. These include the first registered car in Connecticut, a 1902 Merry Oldsmobile, and a 1928 Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company five-to-seven ton dump truck, one of only 55 Pierce-Arrow trucks produced. The displays included a 1916 Mack Paddy Wagon, a 1929 Diamond T truck, a 1931 Ford Model AA Service Car, a 1936 Ford Roadster Deluxe and a Model T Ford Tank Truck. A 1953 Fageol moving van with original owner's banner was located near some surreys and carriages. Other early period vehicles on display included a 1912 Autocar two-cylinder transit bus, a 1914 Trumbull, a 1915 Barker, and a 1917 Republic Model 10 1-ton express and a 1920 3 ½ ton Model AC Mack. Trucks of the 1930s and 1940s included a 1937 Ford tow truck, a 1940 Dodge VK, a 1940 Mack FN, a 1941 Federal Model 25K and a 1942 Dodge WC-21. The 1950s' vehicles were represented by a 1952 Diamond T 950RSa, 1955 IH DFC405 and a 1955 GMC Model 860. Later vehicles included two Autocar Company trucks, a 1962 DC75T and a 1974 DC9364 10-wheel dump truck. The 1963 Mack B61 was of special importance to the founder Richard Guerrera who acquired the truck with the purchase of a local company, Oil Transport. Guerrera sold the truck and reacquired the same vehicle in 1985 to restore it. This Mack B61 was described as the "impetus" for the museum. Also on display was a 1996 Volvo prototype truck cab. Other items on display included "Bumpers", a dog sculpture made of Mack Truck bumpers and a collection of toy trucks, hats, state license plates and images relating to trucking. The museum also included an exhibit featuring kerosene lamps. According to Stephen Wood, the kerosene lamps might have come from the defunct Kerosene Lamp Museum. Also on display was Stephen Guman's Guinness World Record breaking Popsicle stick structure, made of 396,000 sticks. Throughout its operation, the Golden Age of Trucking Museum was one of two trucking museums in Connecticut. Steven Frischling of the Boston Globe wrote, "It may seem strange that two trucking museums would be located in the same state, but [t]he Haul of Fame truck museum and [t]he Golden Age of Trucking Museum make their individual marks on the auto world." The economic impact of the museum's closure was not expected to be large according to John Cookson, co-chairman of Economic and Industrial Development Commission. Janet Serra, the director for the Western Connecticut Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said the effect of closure would not be immediate, but noted it could impact tourism and area hotels.

65278378

Love Lies Bleeding (ballet)

2020-09-10 15:13:18+00:00

Love Lies Bleeding is a ballet performed by the Alberta Ballet Company that features the work of pop star Elton John. The ballet is a pop-contemporary jukebox ballet that features 14 songs written by John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. The show was directed and choreographed by the company's artistic director Jean Grand-Maître. The show debuted at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary in May, 2010. The show was a critical and financial success and went on to perform around Canada and parts of the U.S. Love Lies Bleeding was the second jukebox contemporary performed by the company. The first was a Joni Mitchell inspired ballet called The Fiddle and the Drum, which was also directed and choreographed by Grand-Maître. Mitchell had told a close friend of John about the ballet, to which John was interested. When John was on tour performing in Calgary, he arranged for Grand-Maître and some of the company's dancers to meet John before the show. Backstage, Grand-Maître gave John a DVD performance of The Fiddle and the Drum. Grand-Maître later emailed John's staff to see if John was interested in collaborating to create a ballet, to which John responded five minutes later asking Grand-Maître to fly out to Las Vegas to meet. Grand-Maître met with John on February 14, 2009, at Caesar's Palace. Grand-Maître insisted he wanted to meet with John before creating any aspect of the ballet. Mitchell was very collaborative with Grand-Maître in the creation of The Fiddle and The Drum, so Grand-Maître did not prepare anything for his meeting with John. Grand-Maitre wanted to hear John's thoughts and intentions for the vision of the ballet before deciding the specifics about the production. Grand-Maître said "[John] immediately started telling me about his life, about how many challenges he’s faced, how many hardships. He was addicted to alcohol. He was addicted to drugs. He was repressed as a homosexual. He wanted the ballet to talk about addiction, homosexual dignity, dignity for people living with HIV/AIDS". The ballet would be more centered around John's personal struggles, compared to Mitchell's ballet which was a more abstract portrayal of environmental issues. John also wanted the ballet "to draw new people to dance, people who’d never been to a theatre to see dance who would try it once". Love Lies Bleeding became a 1.2 - 1.5 million dollar production, doubling its original budget estimate. The production featured 30 dancers and spawned another jukebox ballet collaboration with Sarah McLachlan titled Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Love Lies Bleeding is not a biographical story about John's life, but a production loosely inspired by John's struggles. The show's main character is Elton Fan, a representation of John as he goes through his struggles with fame, homosexuality, and drug use. Elton Fan is "the centerpiece of most of the production numbers". He is introduced in the beginning of the show wearing a sparkly baseball outfit that says "Elton and No.1 on the back". A representation of Elton does make an appearance as Young Elton, who appears on a tricycle to lead Elton Fan onto the stage. The antagonists of the show are The Demonics. They are a group of dancers that appear throughout the show to lead Elton Fan to the dark elements of fame and homosexual prejudice. In their three numbers with Elton Fan they represent "pain and victimization in Have Mercy on the Criminal, the destroyers of beauty in Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and the killers of dreams in The King Must Die". In I Need You To Turn To, one of the Demonics forces cocaine up Elton Fan's nose. The show intentionally makes the gender of the dancers hard to determine. Drag queens are characters seen throughout the show and featured in Believe and The Bridge. The Bridge also features a duet between Elton Fan and another male dancer, ending the dance with a kiss. Other characters that are specific to certain numbers include dancers dressed as baseball players, nuns, angels, and cowgirls. Elton Fan stays on the stage the whole time, with most of his costume changes happening on stage. The show adds to its theatricality with use of large props and aerial choreography. Love Lies Bleeding was a critical and financial success for the company. Love Lies Bleeding commerciality and John's stardom made it the most successful out of the three jukebox musicals the company performed; it was the company's biggest box office success at the time of the company's 46-year run. Grand-Maître estimates that "8,000 and 10,000 people came to the ballet for the very first time in their lives [to see this] show". Its success also garnered a television special where the company performed the show on the CBC. Critics were entertained by the show. They predicted the show's success, saying it would "make buckets for the company." Critics categorized Love Lies Bleeding as ballet-lite and wrote that the elements of jazz and musical theater in the choreography made it more accessible to a broad audience. They were impressed by the dancers, especially Yukichi Hattori, who played Elton Fan. Critics admired the costumes. Paula Citron of The Globe and Mail said that "the non-stop parade of razzle-dazzle costumes by Martine Bertrand rivals Las Vegas for sheer spectacle" and "Adam Larsen's eye-popping projections provide the showy backdrop for the dancing". Criticism for the show included the performances needed to be fine tuned with repeated runs and the quick changes done on stage for Elton Fan needed more work. Paula Citron of The Globe and Mail also said that "it seemed the razzle-dazzle of the staging hid a multitude of flaws". Gail Johnson from The Georgia Straight questioned if Grand-Maître was becoming predictable with his jukebox ballets. Grand-Maître replied that "[the Alberta Ballet Company] has done three pop ballets now, but they’re completely different from each other; they don’t even remotely resemble each other. If it’s formulaic to use pop music, then wouldn’t it be formulaic to use classical music all the time? It would become formulaic if the ballets resembled each other and followed the same recipe, but we’re avoiding that at all costs". Love Lies Bleeding debuted at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary in May 2010. Due to its success, Grand-Maître proposed a tour for the production. The tour would have to be approved by John. After watching a DVD of the performance, John approved a tour with two conditions. The first condition was that "the ballet cannot be performed in a city where either the entertainer himself is performing, or where the two musicals The Lion King and Billy Elliot, both with music written by John, are running". The second condition was that the show can only be performed in venues that are well suited and known for hosting ballets. John referred to these as the "ballet fraternity". Grand-Maître explained that "if we go to London, we go to Sadler's Wells Theatre, or if we go to New York, we go to City Center...We don't want to pretend it's a Broadway show. [John] likes it because it's an innovative contemporary ballet. And he wants new people to come to the ballet". Grand-Maître wanted the tour be primarily in Canada, making some stops in the U.S. The company performed in Toronto for a six night run from November 8–12, 2011, at the Sony Centre, again at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary from May 2–5, 2012, and at the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton from May 10–12, 2012. Love Lies Bleeding performed in the U.S. in Houston, Texas, at the Wortham Theater Center from January 30 - February 1, 2015, for the Houston Ballet's Cullen Series. Love Lies Bleeding later performed back in Calgary in the spring of 2016, and in Winnipeg at the Winnipeg's Centennial Concert Hall from March 1–5, 2017. Other songs by John and Taupin featured as excerpts in the show include: Belfast, Candle In The Wind, Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Out Of The Blue, Skyline Pigeon, Song For Guy, and Your Song. As well as being the director, choreographer, and libretto writer for Love Lies Bleeding, the creation of the show marked Grand-Maître's 10th year as artistic director for the Alberta Ballet Company. Martine Bertrand designed "440 accessories, 60 custom designed wigs, and 150 elaborate costumes worn on set".

30881356

Outlier (ballet)

2011-02-15 15:25:21+00:00

Outlier is a ballet made by Wayne McGregor for New York City Ballet to Thomas Adès' Violin Concerto (Concentric Paths), Op. 24 (2005). The premiere was Saturday, 14 May 2010 at the David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, New York. Concentric Paths, subtitle of the concerto for violin and chamber orchestra, refers to outliers who remain peripheral to actors having a common center. There is harmonious dance within the circle until an outlier intrudes, creating conflict among the men with regard to the women. The lighting is coded for mood: red for strong emotions, yellow for tranquil, grey for somber. The grouping of dancers in three movements reflects the triadic nature of the score. = NY Times, Alastair Macaulay, 16 May 2010 NY Times, Alastair Macaulay, 3 February 2011

29191258

Plainspoken

2010-10-14 16:19:51+00:00

Plainspoken is a ballet made by principal dancer Benjamin Millepied on the Chamber Ensemble of New York City Ballet to eponymous music commissioned from Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang. The premiere took place on Friday, August 6, 2010, at the Center for the Arts, Jackson Hole, Wyoming; the NYCB premiere took place at the Fall gala on Thursday, October 7, at the David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center. Costumes were designed by Karen Young. = NY Times by Alastair Macaulay, October 9, 2010 Wall Street Journal by Robert Greskovic, October 14, 2010 NY Times by Roslyn Sulcas, October 17, 2010 NY Times by Chelsea Zalopany, October 8, 2010

29190665

Why am I not where you are

2010-10-14 14:58:31+00:00

Why am I not where you are is a ballet commissioned by New York City Ballet, choreographed by principal dancer Benjamin Millepied to a likewise commissioned score by French composer Thierry Escaich, The Lost Dancer. It was the choreographer's second ballet for City Ballet; the premiere took place on Thursday, April 29, 2010, at the David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center. The costumes were designed by Marc Happel and the set by Santiago Calatrava as part of the company's Architecture of Dance Festival. Kathryn Morgan Sara Mearns Sean Suozzi Amar Ramasar

26321047

The 25th National Cultural Festival Okayama 2010

2010-02-24 07:31:29+00:00

The 25th National Cultural Festival Okayama 2010 (第２５回国民文化祭・おかやま２０１０) is The National Cultural Festival held in Okayama Prefecture, Japan between October 30 and November 7, 2010. The festival hosted 68 events such as the opening festival, orchestral music, choral music, brass band music, drama, literary, arts, dance, traditional Japanese music are held throughout the festival in all of Okayama Prefecture's cities, towns and villages. The Opening Ceremony was performed by the lead cast Shin Koyamada as Makibi on the stage in Momotaro Arena in Okayama. Special guests included the Japanese Crown Prince and the Governor of Okayama Prefecture. The press conference and official announcement were attended by Masahiro Ishii, Shin Koyamada, Noritake Kanzaki and Chika Kano in Okayama on 17 February 2010. Agency for Cultural Affairs Okayama Prefecture Okayama Prefectural Board of Education host municipalities host municipalities’ boards of education The Okayama Executive Committee for the 25th National Cultural Festival The Municipal Executive Committee for the 25th National Cultural Festival Shin Koyamada (as Makibi in Opening Ceremony) Chika Kano Momocchi

59212156

17th World Festival of Youth and Students

2018-12-01 04:12:49+00:00

The 17th World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) was an event that was opened on December 13, 2010 in the South African capital of Pretoria and was organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY). The festival attracted 15,000 people from close to 130 countries and was held under the slogan, "Let's Defeat Imperialism, for a World of Peace, Solidarity and Social Transformation!". It was the second time that an edition of the WFYS has been held in Africa, with the other being in Algeria in 2001 Some media reported that the festival organisers originally claimed that the festival would cost R370 million, but in reality the festival was organised by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), whose annual budget was R370 million at the time. The organisers were able to secure R69 million of funding, even after a gift from the South African National Lottery of R40 million. The true cost of the festival was later revealed to have been around R100 million. This included R24,5 million for travel and accommodation, R29,9 million for catering, and R9,4 million for entertainment. Delegates were originally going to be housed at Nasrec in Johannesburg, and transported daily to the festival venue in Pretoria 80 km away, but given the shortage of funds the organisers eventually relented and housed the delegates at the Tshwane University in Pretoria, saving itself R100 million in the process. The National Lottery gift caused an outcry in South Africa, and the festival was called a "bash" and an "expensive jamboree" by critics. The opening ceremony was held at the Moses Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, and delegates were addressed by among others the then-president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, whose speech focused on the value of education as a solution for the world's problems. A procession of delegations in national costume, chanting and carrying posters and banners also marched around the stadium. Some of the activities included discussion groups about various topics, concerts in the evenings, and group visits to monuments. There was a daily festival newsletter called Festival News. The bulk of the activities took place at the Tshwane Events Centre. There were 19 sessions every day (seminars, workshops and conferences). On one of the days, the proceedings were interrupted by hundreds of COPE members arriving in buses who believed that part of the venue was reserved for a conference of their own. They eventually left again. During the first three days of the festival, there were complaints of disorganisation, lack of communication and food not being provided. Some catering companies refused to serve meals, claiming that organisers have refused to pay invoices amounting to millions of rands. A number prominent speakers did not arrive.

25671837

Samir Allioui

2010-01-04 01:44:46+00:00

Samir Allioui (born 1983) is a Dutch politician and activist. From August 2009 to April 2010, Allioui served as the Co-President of Pirate Parties International, firstly with Pat Mächler and later with Jerry Weyer. He was later elected a Co-Chair of Pirate Parties International, serving from March 2011 to April 2012. Allioui was also the lijsttrekker for the Pirate Party of the Netherlands during the 2010 Dutch general election. Allioui was born in Amsterdam to a Moroccan father. His mother was 16 when she gave birth to him, and Allioui ended up spending time in several different orphanages. However, he spent most of his childhood with foster parents in Zoetermeer. Allioui also lived in the Hague for a few years, which was when his 16-year-old sister was killed in the house when he was not home. Five years after her death, he tracked down the culprit using his computer skills, and the culprit was prosecuted by the police. Allioui was complimented by the judge for his efforts. Allioui became very interested in computing, particularly coding and writing script at school. After he finished school, he spent a short time in the Dutch Army, and a year as a programmer at a marketing consultancy, before studying Business Information Technology at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences. = Allioui, alongside Pat Mächler, became joint Co-Presidents in charge of the 'Coreteam' of Pirate Parties International (PPI) in August 2009, following the resignation of sole coordinator Andrew Norton on 2 August. Allioui served in this role until the 2010 founding conference of the PPI on 18 April 2010. Mächler stepped down on 1 March 2010, shortly before the conference, which meant that between the Mächler stepping down and the conference, his role was filled by Jerry Weyer. During the conference, Weyer and Grégory Engels were elected the first Co-Chairs of the PPI. Allioui was re-elected as a Co-Chair of Pirate Parties International during their 2011 conference in Friedrichshafen, Germany. He was elected alongside Marcel Kolaja and served from 13 March 2011 until the next conference which ended on 15 April 2012. Allioui was described by Andrew Norton as "a constant and outspoken critic of the PPI Board". = Allioui is a co-founder of the Pirate Party of the Netherlands, and also served as their informal leader, notably during the 2010 Dutch general election, where he was the lijsttrekker for the Pirate Party. Allioui was the lijstduwer for the Pirate Party in the 2012 Dutch general election.

42573604

Ancilla van de Leest

2014-04-24 15:02:20+00:00

Ancilla van de Leest (Rotterdam, 21 July 1985), born as Linde van de Leest is a Dutch politician, former fetish model, producer, presenter, and activist. Van de Leest attended gymnasium in Rotterdam and worked as a waitress when she was discovered by a photographer. She quit school and at eighteen appeared under her birth name as a Playmate in the Dutch edition of men's magazine Playboy in May 2004. Afterwards she moved to Los Angeles for work and adopted the name Ancilla Tilia. In June 2009 Van de Leest appeared on the cover of Dutch Playboy, in a photo session by the photographer and music video director Carli Hermès. In September 2012 she again appeared on the cover of Dutch Playboy. She also appeared twice on the cover of the Dutch edition of FHM, as well as on the covers of Sp!ts, Rotterdams Dagblad, Panorama, Aktueel and Viva. In 2012 Van de Leest ended her career as a model. Van de Leest appeared in erotic fetish photography, specializing in latex clothes, corsets, high heels and stockings. As a fetish model, she appeared on the cover of Bizarre, Marquis and The Picture. In November 2013 she appeared in the first episode of the Dutch Popoz comedy series on Comedy Central. From 2008 to 2010 she wrote the "Ask Ancilla" section for the magazine FHM, which eventually became a full-page column that appeared monthly until 2010. In 2011 she wrote a book Aan mijn jongere ik ("To my younger self"). In 2013 she won the BNN's Nationale Reistest (a travel knowledge competition) as the "Famous Dutch person". In 2024 she replaced Sanae Orchi as presenter of the Dutch independent and critical TV news medium Blckbx. On 26 June 2016 Van de Leest was elected as the top candidate of the Pirate Party of the Netherlands for the Dutch parliamentary elections in 2017. In interviews Van de Leest indicated that her priorities are aimed at strengthening privacy-rights and opposing abolishing cash. She foresees a development in which high costs are imposed on entrepreneurs who use cash in order to stimulate digital currency. This she sees as a privacy undermining development in which a person can be followed on the basis of their payment history. In addition to privacy-rights in general, the party specifically focusses on strengthening privacy in the relationship between the government and its citizens, as the government poses a greater risk than corporations of infringing their fundamental rights. In September 2016 she stood up for the victims of a data-breach in the town of Almelo. On 6 April 2017, Ancilla announced that she would be leaving the Pirate-Party as lijsttrekker and would instead focus on her own projects. She will be a passive member and is going to continue to give advice to future party-members.

46248170

Dirk Poot

2015-03-28 05:12:14+00:00

Dirk Poot (born 1968) is a Dutch programmer and politician who is a former lijsttrekker and spokesperson for the board of the Pirate Party of the Netherlands. Poot was the lijsttrekker of the Dutch Pirate Party for the Dutch parliamentary elections in 2012 and fourth on the list for the Pirate Party in the 2010 Dutch parliamentary elections. Poot studied business administration in Breukelen and medicine in Sint Eustatius. He currently resides close to Breda in the Netherlands. Poot is a self-employed computer programmer, focusing on medical and education software. He has previously worked as a physician. When he was younger, Poot was a member of the Jongerenorganisatie Vrijheid en Democratie (JOVD), the youth organization of the main Dutch conservative party, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). He has been blogging about democracy, privacy, and medical issues since 2005. He has written about collection and storage of sensitive information in government databases, in particular the Electronic Patient Record (EPR). = Poot has been active with the Pirate Party since late 2009. He joined the party after discovering it through IRC while blogging about Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. He was fourth on the list for the Pirate Party in the 2010 Dutch parliamentary elections. Since 2011, he has been a member of the board of the Dutch Pirate Party, and the board's spokesperson since December 2011. In the 2012 parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, he was the first candidate of the Dutch Pirate Party.

26897935

200 (South Park)

2010-04-10 00:16:39+00:00

"200" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 200th overall episode of the series, hence the name. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010. In the episode, Tom Cruise and all other celebrities who have been mocked by residents of South Park in the past plan to file a class action lawsuit against the town, but Cruise promises to end the lawsuit if the town can get the Islamic prophet Muhammad to meet him. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. To celebrate their landmark episode, Parker and fellow series co-creator Matt Stone combined many of South Park's past storylines and controversies. The Muhammad subplot, similar to the one previously featured in the season 10 episode "Cartoon Wars", refers to Comedy Central's past refusal to allow images of Muhammad to be shown on the network in response to the riots and threats generated from controversial cartoons in 2005 and 2007 of Muhammad in European newspapers. "200" includes many celebrities that have been mocked in previous episodes, including Cruise, Rob Reiner, Steven Spielberg, Kanye West, Paris Hilton, George Lucas, Mel Gibson and Barbra Streisand. An additional subplot includes Cartman learning he may not know the true identity of his father. The season 2 episode "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut" claimed that Eric Cartman's mother Liane is a hermaphrodite and his father, but the events of "200" and the subsequent episode reveal that this is not the case. "200" received mostly positive reviews. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by 3.33 million viewers, making it the most watched cable television program of the night. Both "200" and the sequel episode "201" were nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 2010. Within a week of the episode's original broadcast date, the website for the radical Muslim organization Revolution Muslim posted an entry warning Parker and Stone that they risked being murdered for airing the episode, which several media outlets and observers interpreted as a threat. As a result, Comedy Central heavily censored portions of "201" by removing references to Muhammad and the episode's closing speech. The episode was rated TV-MA L in the United States. While on a school field trip to a candy factory, Butters Stotch notes that actor Tom Cruise is seemingly employed by the factory: as he is packaging fudge into delivery boxes. Stan Marsh, who previously compared Cruise negatively to Leonardo Dicaprio, Gene Hackman, and "that guy who played Napoleon Dynamite" during the episode "Trapped in the Closet", accidentally insults him again by calling him a "fudge packer," though Cruise refutes this: claiming to be fly fishing. Offended by the remarks of Stan and his classmates, Cruise recruits 200 celebrities who have been ridiculed by the town of South Park to bring a class action lawsuit against the townsfolk. Stan returns to the factory with his father Randy in an attempt to smooth over the situation and convince Cruise to drop the suit, though Randy inadvertently insults Cruise once more: pointing out that Cruise is wearing an employee uniform for "Frederick's Fudge and Candies" whilst literally packaging fudge into boxes. Cruise angrily agrees to drop the lawsuit on the condition that Cruise is able to meet the prophet Muhammad: who he claims to greatly admire. The townsfolk gather, and believe that perhaps enough time has passed for the tabu to have been eliminated, though claim that nobody would be able to identify Muhammad, as it is forbidden to depict him. Randy Marsh proceeds to create a preliminary sketch of Muhammad (depicted in the episode as a stickman without any discernible features). This causes an uproar, as depictions of Muhammad are forbidden and the townsfolk fear that forcing Muhammad to appear in public will drive Muslim radicals to bomb the town. Stan and his friend Kyle Broflovski visit the Super Best Friends, a squad of superhero-like religious figures (Jesus Christ, Gautama Buddha, Moses, Krishna, Laozi, Joseph Smith and "Seaman") of which Muhammad is a member, to request the muslim prophet return with them to South Park. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Cruise and the other celebrities only want Muhammad for his "goo", believing it will make them immune to ridicule, as Rob Reiner has invented a machine he calls "The Rob Ryder Goo Transfer Machine" to syphon Muhammad's "goo" into the celebrities. By this time, Eric Cartman arrives with "Mitch Conner," a face painted on his hand as one-half of a ventriloquist act who had successfully impersonated actress Jennifer Lopez in "Fat Butt and Pancake Head." Cartman and Connor return to the Lopez imitation: attempting to join the other celebrities' lawsuit. Cartman is angered to learn that the celebrities have no interest in receiving cash settlements from the town, though is reassured when Connor explains that he intends to steal Muhammad's goo to sell on the black market in Hong Kong for a significant profit. Meanwhile, Kyle and Stan convince the Super Best Friends to let Muhammad come to town on the condition that he remains in the back of a U-Haul truck and is not seen. When the townspeople realize they must bring Muhammad to Cruise's limo, they claim to put him inside a bear mascot outfit, though it is later revealed that Santa Claus was concealed within the suit: a plan spearheaded by Mr Hankey. The town is about to give Muhammad to the celebrities, when the exchange is interrupted by a bomb planted by ginger kids: a group of fair-skinned, red-haired children who are tired of being made fun of for their physical appearance. The gingers want Muhammad for themselves, hoping to use his goo for their own means. They threaten to blow up the town if Muhammad is not turned over to them. The people of South Park decide to turn Muhammad over to the gingers, fearing the violence that will befall their town if they do not. The celebrities are angered by this change in events, but refuse to resort to violence for fear of ruining their careers. Instead, the celebrities decide to awaken the rebuilt Mecha-Streisand, a giant mechanical monster form of Barbra Streisand, who previously terrorized the town of South Park before being destroyed. The celebrities hope to use Mecha-Streisand to force South Park to accept their demands. Meanwhile, due to the chain of events, Cartman decides Connor's scheme has become too complicated and tries to quit, but Connor convinces him to stay involved by revealing that the townspeople of South Park have lied to him about his true father. Although they previously claimed his hermaphroditic mother Liane was his father, Connor insists this is a lie. Cartman confronts his school teacher Mr. Garrison and Garrison's old hand puppet Mr. Hat, who admits to Cartman there was indeed a cover-up. The gingers are given Muhammad, but demand he come out of his bear outfit. Mecha-Streisand roars threateningly as the episode ends on a cliffhanger, setting the stage for "201". Written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, "200" was rated TV-MA L in the United States. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010. It was the 200th episode of the series. Parker and fellow co-creator Matt Stone conceive, write and produce most South Park episodes within a week of their broadcast date in order to maintain a sense of energy and timeliness. The idea for "200", however, was conceived before the fourteenth season began in March 2010, and before any of the season fourteen episodes that preceded it were conceived. While trying to decide how to celebrate the 200th episode, Parker and Stone started reviewing the plots and controversies of previous episodes, many of which had a common thread of mocking a particular celebrity. This led to the idea of the having all the celebrities band together in a class action lawsuit against the town. Parker said their reactions mirrored the real-life reactions some of the celebrities had to their portrayals, adding, "If they could join forces, they probably would". Stone said in writing the episode, they were determined not to produce a clip show, but to merge all of the old ideas into a new, original script. The process proved challenging for the duo because it involved incorporating many ideas, subplots and characters into a single episode. Parker and Stone included a joke about this process at the start of the episode, when Cartman and Kyle are fighting with each other, and Stan accuses them of just "rehashing a bunch of old stuff". In honor of the 200th episode, the website SouthPark200.com was launched, offering a forum to fans to post their congratulations to South Park and view those posted by others. Various people have contributed to the site, including the creators of the animated series The Simpsons (who used the opportunity to revisit another previous South Park theme, the episode "Simpsons Already Did It", saying "We already [produced 200 episodes]. Twice".), members of the rock band Rush and Denver Nuggets basketball player Chauncey Billups. The site also includes congratulations from All in the Family creator Norman Lear, who guest-starred in the 100th episode "I'm a Little Bit Country", and figure skater Brian Boitano, who was featured in the song "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" in the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. = "200" features jokes and references to past South Park episodes, storylines, characters and controversies. The episode revolves heavily around efforts to bring Muhammad into public view. This is based on two past controversies in 2005 (Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy) and 2007 (Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy), when European newspapers published cartoons of Muhammad, which was responded to with reactions of violent riots, global protests and death threats toward the artists. As a result of those incidents, many publications and television studios have refused to broadcast images of Muhammad whatsoever, which was the inspiration behind the Tom Cruise character's efforts in the episode to harvest Muhammad's apparent immunity to satire and ridicule. Parker and Stone addressed the Muhammad issue in their two-part tenth season episode "Cartoon Wars", during which they attempt to show an image of the prophet, only to reveal that Comedy Central has forbidden any such image from being broadcast on their network. However, Muhammad had already been featured on-screen in the fifth season episode "Super Best Friends", in which he is among a band of religious figures modeled after the superheroes in the Super Friends cartoons from the 1970s and 1980s. (The Super Best Friends are featured once again in "200".) The episode "Super Best Friends" aired in 2001, before the Jyllands-Posten and Vilks controversies. Stan makes reference to that past use of Muhammad's image in "200" by saying of Muhammad, "I saw him once...a while ago..." This reference was purposely included to reflect the irony that an image that was previously not a problem had suddenly become an issue due to new circumstances. Stone said, "Something that was OK is now not OK, and that's just fucked up." The "Super Best Friends" episode continues to be run uncensored by Comedy Central in repeats, even though new images of Muhammad remained prohibited. Additionally, Muhammad has long been featured as one of the many characters shown in an image of dozens of South Park residents during the show's opening credits. That image, however, has gone largely unnoticed, and thus has not drawn much controversy. When asked whether they feared retribution for mocking Muhammad, Parker said, "We'd be so hypocritical against our own thoughts, if we said, 'Okay, well let's not make fun of them because they might hurt us. Okay, we'll rip on the Catholics because they won't hurt us, but we won't rip on [Muslims] because they might hurt us.'" The Muhammad subplot in "200", like the "Cartoon Wars" episodes, advocates for free speech and speaks out against censorship, both of Muhammad's image and any subject considered taboo. "200" also demonstrates the double standard in the handling of offensive images of Muhammad and other religious figures, particularly in the scene in which Muhammad is censored altogether, but Buddhism founder Gautama Buddha is shown snorting cocaine in front of the South Park children. The extreme measures the South Park boys go to in order to conceal Muhammad, like hiding him in a window-less truck and dressing him as a mascot, demonstrate the absurdity of the fear in showing the prophet, as does the fear of retaliation that the South Park residents show after Randy draws a stick figure-like drawing of him, which is not censored. = "200" includes many celebrities that have been mocked in previous episodes. One of the most prominently parodied is Tom Cruise, who was the center of the ninth season episode "Trapped in the Closet". Cruise spent much of that episode hiding in a closet, a reference to rumors about his sexuality. In "200", he is found working in a fudge factory as a "fudge packer", a reference to alleged homosexuality. The episode also reveals Cruise's house consists mostly of closets, a reference to both homosexuality and the original episode in which Cruise was mocked. Other celebrities mocked in "200" include: Actor Ben Affleck ("How to Eat with Your Butt", "Fat Butt and Pancake Head") Film director Michael Bay ("Imaginationland Episode I", Cartmanland) Pope Benedict XVI ("Bloody Mary", "Fantastic Easter Special") al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden ("Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants") Magician David Blaine ("Super Best Friends") U2 vocalist Bono ("More Crap") Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett ("Tonsil Trouble") Politician Hillary Clinton ("The Snuke") Lawyer Johnnie Cochran ("Chef Aid") Singer/songwriter Phil Collins ("Timmy 2000") Politician Gary Condit ("Butters' Very Own Episode") Comedian Bill Cosby ("Trapper Keeper", "Here Comes the Neighborhood", "Clubhouses") Actor Russell Crowe ("The New Terrance and Phillip Movie Trailer") Actor Michael Douglas ("Sexual Healing") Actor David Duchovny ("Sexual Healing") Subway spokesman Jared Fogle ("Jared Has Aides") Film character Indiana Jones ("The China Probrem") Actor Mel Gibson ("The Passion of the Jew, Imaginationland") Television host Kathie Lee Gifford ("Weight Gain 4000") Socialite Paris Hilton ("Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset") Wildlife expert Steve Irwin ("Hell on Earth 2006", "Prehistoric Ice Man") Politician Jesse Jackson ("With Apologies to Jesse Jackson") Singer Michael Jackson ("Dead Celebrities, The Jeffersons") Actress Angelina Jolie ("Lice Capades") Talk show host David Letterman ("Sexual Healing") Film director George Lucas ("Free Hat", "The China Probrem") Actress Liza Minnelli ("Freak Strike") Disney mascot Mickey Mouse ("The Ring") Actress and television host Rosie O'Donnell ("Trapper Keeper") Singer and activist Yoko Ono ("World Wide Recorder Concert") Actress Sarah Jessica Parker ("The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs") Actor and film director Robert Redford ("Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls") Film director Rob Reiner ("Butt Out") Actor Michael Richards ("With Apologies to Jesse Jackson") Actress Winona Ryder (South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut) Actor and television host Bob Saget ("Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut") Actor Fred Savage ("Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls") Actor Charlie Sheen ("Sexual Healing") Actress Brooke Shields (South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut) Film director M. Night Shyamalan ("Imaginationland Episode I") Actor and retired football player O. J. Simpson ("Butters' Very Own Episode") Actor and rapper Will Smith ("Here Comes the Neighborhood") Film director Steven Spielberg ("Cripple Fight", "Free Hat", "The China Probrem") Singer Britney Spears ("Britney's New Look") Television host Martha Stewart ("Eat, Pray, Queef", "Red Hot Catholic Love") Actress Sally Struthers ("Starvin' Marvin", "Mecha-Streisand", "Starvin' Marvin in Space", "The Death of Eric Cartman") Actor Billy Bob Thornton ("Sexual Healing") Actor John Travolta ("The Entity", "Trapped in the Closet") Animal rights/Environmental activist Paul Watson ("Whale Whores") Rapper Kanye West ("Fishsticks") Talk show host Oprah Winfrey ("Here Comes the Neighborhood", "A Million Little Fibers") Golf pro Tiger Woods ("Sexual Healing") Near the end of "200", the celebrities seek assistance from singer and actress Barbra Streisand, who resembles a giant two-legged mechanical monster. This is a reference to Streisand's appearance in the first-season episode "Mecha-Streisand", in which she transforms into a monster in the style of Mechagodzilla from the Godzilla franchise. The Mecha-Streisand featured in "200" is designed with more sophisticated computer imagery than the original, which was a simple cut-out style cartoon like the rest of South Park. Although Parker and Stone have maintained that most of the celebrities they mock in South Park are chosen at random, with no personal animosity behind it, Barbra Streisand is one of the few they actively and vehemently dislike. Streisand, in turn, has been critical of South Park and her portrayal in it, and has accused the show of adding "to the cynicism and negativity in our culture, especially in children". = The episode ends with a cliffhanger involving Cartman's father. The identity of Cartman's father made up a major plot point at the end of the first season, culminating in the second season episode "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut", in which it is stated Cartman's mother, Liane Cartman, is a hermaphrodite and is Cartman's father. "200" is the first episode to return to the matter and suggest this was not the actual truth. Throughout the episode, Cartman uses a hand-puppet con-artist named Mitch Conner, who had, presumably, just been made up by Cartman in trying to fool Kyle in the seventh-season episode "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", resuming his role in pretending to be Jennifer Lopez and utilizing many offensive Hispanic stereotypes in his portrayal of her. The hand puppet portrayal is very similar to the work of Spanish ventriloquist Señor Wences. Several other references to previous South Park episodes are featured throughout "200". It marks the reappearance of Mr. Hat, a hand puppet that had been frequently used by Mr. Garrison during the early South Park seasons, but had long been abandoned in later episodes. During the second half of "200", an army of red-haired "ginger kids" attempt to capture Muhammad themselves. Several South Park episodes, most prominently the ninth-season episode "Ginger Kids", have featured the ginger kids, which are children with fair skin, freckles and red hair. In most cases, they have been made the subject of ridicule by Cartman, who views them in an offensively stereotypical way. During one scene, a frustrated Tom Cruise angrily jumps up and down on a couch while Oprah Winfrey sits next to him. This is a reference to an incident on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, in which Cruise repeatedly jumped on the couch next to Oprah, fell to one knee and loudly professed his love for actress Katie Holmes. Cruise has been repeatedly mocked for his behavior. In another scene, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are shown to have actor Harrison Ford leashed, chained and ball-gagged, as the actor wears the fedora he wore in the Indiana Jones films. This is a reference to the twelfth season episode "The China Probrem", in which Lucas and Spielberg literally rape Indiana Jones repeatedly, which served as a commentary by Parker and Stone for their opinion of the 2008 Spielberg/Lucas film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A cartoon image of film director Tim Burton is featured in the episode, despite having not appeared in any prior episodes. In 200, Burton is mocked for not having an original idea since the 1988 comedy horror film Beetlejuice, for his tendency to feature film actor Johnny Depp in so many of his films that he should "just have sex with him [Johnny Depp] already", and his tendency to reuse the same licensed music in many of his films. Cartman's Jennifer Lopez hand-puppet repeatedly demands food from the American restaurant chain Taco Bell, particularly enchiritos, which is one of the many Hispanic stereotypes utilized by the character. When the celebrities are discussing whom to bring in to help capture Mohammed, Barbra Streisand is referenced as "her," to which the discussion goes "her who?" "her" "oh...her." This is slightly reminiscent of the 1986 movie Little Shop of Horrors when Rick Moranis and Steve Martin are talking about Audrey, who the dentist had physically abused, where Steve asks "what did I ever do to you?" and Rick answers "it wasn't what you did to me, it was what you did to her" Steve: "her? oh...her" = In its original American broadcast on April 14, 2010, "200" was watched by 3.33 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the most watched cable television show of the night. It outperformed the previous week's episode, "You Have 0 Friends", which was seen by 3.07 million viewers, and it was seen by roughly 177,000 more viewers than its closest competitor on April 14, USA Network's In Plain Sight. The episode received an overall 2.0 rating/3 share, meaning that it was seen by 2% of the population, and 3% of people watching television at the time of the broadcast. Among viewers between ages 18 and 49, it received a 1.9 rating/5 share, and among male viewers between 18 and 34, it received a 3.7 rating/13 share. = The episode received mostly positive reviews. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly said he was surprised by the complexity of "200" and the amount of South Park references and subplots it encompassed, especially the questions over Cartman's father. Tucker praised the episode, and said, "With jokes raining down like hell-fire, the 200th episode spared no one except the South Park kids themselves." Ramsey Isler of IGN said it was fun to identify all the references to past South Park moments, but felt "200" itself didn't stand out as a great episode. Isler said the new material wasn't very funny, and that the rehashed material was not as funny as the first time they were shown, which was disappointing due to the hype surrounding the episode. The A.V. Club writer Sean O'Neal said the episode was funny, but that the original material was far outnumbered by rehashed jokes. O'Neal said the use of all the celebrities demonstrated how South Park had been more original in early episodes, but now had "morph[ed] into something whose default mode is mocking famous people in the news". Douglas Murray of The Daily Telegraph said of the episode, "I can't recommend it enough", and particularly complimented the episode scenes with Buddha snorting cocaine and the South Park townspeople hiding Muhammad. Murray said, "They make the point about the absurd self-censorship and thuggish intimidation surrounding the Islamic faith better than anything else I've seen." Amy Duncan of Metro said it "certainly was an episode to remember". Duncan praised the story, which she said "develops with [South Park's] usual rude inferences and below-the-belt remarks". Ryan Broderick of The Hofstra Chronicle said the episode "came together so simply, so smoothly, and so hilariously that it forgives the last couple lame duck episodes of the season". Broderick said it avoided the pitfalls of most landmark episodes by providing an original story in addition to the throwback references. Nick Zaino of TV Squad said the episode did not offer much new, but also offer good throwbacks and celebrity spoofs, and didn't "pull any punches". Zaino said the episode has "a wonderful sense of the absurd", particularly through the use of Mecha-Streisand and Cartman's hand-puppet. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights and advocacy group, said they were aware of the depiction of Muhammad in "200", but declined to put out a formal statement about it because they did not want to draw any more attention to the show. The group's spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, said, "People are pretty tired of this whole 'Let's insult the prophet Muhammad thing.'" = The website for the organization Revolution Muslim, a New-York-based organization, posted an entry that included a warning to creators Parker and Stone that they risk retribution for their depictions of Muhammad. It said that they would "probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show". Filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered by an Islamist in 2004 for making a short documentary on the violence against women in some Islamic societies. The posting provided the addresses to Comedy Central in New York and the production company in Los Angeles. The author of the post, Zachary Adam Chesser (who preferred to be called Abu Talhah al Amrikee), said it was meant to serve as a warning to Parker and Stone, not a threat, and that providing the addresses was meant to give people the opportunity to protest. The entry included audio clips of a sermon by al-Qaeda imam Anwar al-Awlaki, calling for the assassination of anyone who has defamed Muhammad, saying, "Harming Allah and his messenger is a reason to encourage Muslims to kill whoever does that". It also included a link to a 2009 Huffington Post article that gave details of Stone and Parker's mansion in Colorado, and images of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an activist writer and critic of Islam, who lives in permanent security protection because of threats. Comedy Central declined to comment on the post. Before writing the Revolution Muslim post, Chesser wrote an April 15 entry on his Twitter page: "May Allah kill Matt Stone and Trey Parker and burn them in Hell for all eternity. They insult our prophets Muhammad, Jesus, and Moses." Chesser was subsequently sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment for this and other offenses. Despite Chesser's statements that the website entry was a warning, several media outlets and observers interpreted it as a threat. Ayaan Hirsi Ali dismissed claims that the website entry was just a warning, calling it "an assault on the freedom of expression" that should not be marginalized or overlooked. She said of the episode, "The 'South Park' episode of last weekend was not just funny, and it wasn't just witty. [It] addressed an essential piece in the times that we are living. There is one group of people, one religion[,] that is claiming to be above criticism". New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said he was aware of the website posting, but said, "We don't think that this threat, as [it] is currently assessed, rises to a crime right now". CNN journalist Anderson Cooper said of the episode, "You might not like South Park the cartoon. You might think it's offensive. [But] the notion that some radical Islamic group in America would make a threat, even a veiled one, against two men's lives because of it is chilling." Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly said he would have advised Parker and Stone not to do the episode out of fear of retaliation: "On the one hand you do have to admire their courage. But I don't know whether the risk–reward [ratio] is worth it." The Daily Telegraph writer Douglas Murray said the entry only gave "200" more legitimacy, writing, "[It] of course just confirms the point that the South Park boys were making. [...] I'd have said that was point proved. South Park 1: Islamists 0." In an episode of Comedy Central's The Daily Show aired on April 22, 2010, host Jon Stewart went into a ten-minute tirade about the alleged death threats, expressing disgust at the alleged hypocrisy of Revolution Muslim's speech while its members enjoy the American lifestyle and freedom of speech. In response to the Revolution Muslim post, the South Park episode "201", which aired the following week and concluded the unresolved storylines from "200", was heavily censored by Comedy Central. The channel inserted audio bleeps over all references to Muhammad's name and other portions of dialogue, including the entirety of the ending speech by the show's main characters. The Dutch version of Comedy Central began airing commercials for "200" during the week of April 26, with the show scheduled to air on April 30. However, "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" was shown instead. When asked about this, a spokesperson for Comedy Central Netherlands said they had reluctantly decided the episode to be pulled, along with the episode "201". Neither episode is available on the Dutch South Park Studios website; the same applies to the German website as of May 9, 2010. The Swedish affiliate of Comedy Central also refused to broadcast "200" and "201" in Sweden: Comedy Central has decided not to air these two episodes of South Park. It is a decision we've made with great reluctance. Comedy Central believes strongly in creative freedom of expression; when unique and deeply insightful creative talents like those behind South Park are able to express themselves freely, we all benefit. However, the safety of our employees is our unquestioned number[-]one priority, and therefore we have decided to take these precautionary measures. = On May 1, 18 days after the episode's original airdate, a failed car bomb attempt was discovered by the New York City Police Department near the eastern corner of One Astor Plaza in New York City, on West 45th Street, a side street near the location of the world headquarters of Viacom, Comedy Central's parent company. Some news outlets reported that police are looking into a possible link between the attempted bombing and the warnings of violence against Trey Parker and Matt Stone, although no such link has yet been established. Such speculation was also fueled by statements from U.S. Congressman Peter T. King, who described as one possible motive "the whole issue with 'South Park,' which Islamic terrorists were threatening to have retribution for." However, King stressed the theory was "one possibility out of a hundred". Revolution Muslim has denied any involvement with the incident. Younus Abdullah Muhammed, who runs the group's website, was in Times Square at the time speaking out against President Barack Obama with a loudspeaker. But he said of the failed car bomb, "What do you think, I commanded somebody to blow up a building in the middle of Times Square? [...] It had nothing to do with the 'South Park' controversy. It was not an attack targeting Viacom." NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said of the theory, "We certainly wouldn't rule that out." However, media reports indicated Faisal Shahzad, the suspect arrested in connection with the attempted bombing, had trained for months prior to the first broadcast of "200." = The depiction of Buddha snorting cocaine in "200" and "201", prompted the government of Sri Lanka to ban the entire series outright. The day after the episode aired, the episode was available for streaming on the site. After a week, like the other Muhammad episodes, it was taken off. The message presented to the user for this episode is "We apologize that South Park Studios cannot stream this episode". The sequel episode, "201", also has not been made available for streaming, but a different message describes an intent to potentially post that episode. Similarly, the episode and its sequel are not available to stream or buy on services Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, Paramount+, or Amazon Prime Video. Furthermore, digital copies of these episodes that were purchased prior to their ban from digital distribution are no longer available for streaming or download. When the series was transferred to HBO Max in 2020, it was announced that "200" and "201" would be 2 of 5 episodes cut from the series, alongside "Super Best Friends", "Cartoon Wars Part I", and "Cartoon Wars Part II". The latter two episodes were not previously censored from digital streaming services. These episodes are also missing from Paramount+. Although "200" was not currently available on the internet legally, and had not re-aired since April 2010, it was confirmed on February 11, 2011, that "200" would be released on DVD. "200" along with the thirteen other episodes from South Park's fourteenth season, was released on a three-disc DVD set and two-disc Blu-ray set in the United States on April 26, 2011. The version presented on the DVD and Blu-ray is the uncensored version, with Muhammad's name unbleeped, unlike the episode that follows, "201", which is presented on disc in its original network censored version. During the commentary in both "200" and "201" Parker and Stone never mention Muhammad directly, referring to him only as "the prophet of the Muslim faith". Despite the package claiming otherwise, both "200" and "201" were completely omitted from the Region 4 and Region 2 releases.