text:
Talk:El (deity)

Original Research
The vast majority of this article is unsourced, and appears to be original research. I don't want to just wholesale delete obviously, but isn't original research against Wiki Policy? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.250.10.14 (talk) 16:26, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

Undoing correction revisions
The goal of the rules on Wikipedia is to have well-written articles, not to make it difficult to write or improve them. And accuracy in an article is more important than technicalities of editing. Direct references to source materials are allowed. The goal is to improve an article if it is clearly in need of it. Knowledge of a topic is not POV, and referring to either references or to direct sources is allowed unless there is some debate as to accuracy. Note the previous addition to this Talk page, the person said the whole article looked at that time like Original Research. It still contains some, and corrections with direct references to Source Material are better than inaccuracies. If an editor feels a change is mistaken or debatable, then maybe adding "Citation needed" would be preferable to simply undoing major corrective work by another editor. Misty MH (talk) 23:35, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

 * No Original Research is not a technicality of editing, it is one of the core content policies of Wikipedia. It keeps editors from injecting their interpretation of Primary Sources. Any non-WP:fringe opinion should be easily sourced to a Reliable Source. Editor2020 (talk) 00:16, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

I teach this subject, in a state university. I can't presume to judge the sections connecting El with Greek myth. That's outside my area of expertise. Otherwise, the article is a really admirable summary of contemporary scholarship, as developed in the last twenty years, in standard texts like Mark S. Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the other Deities in Israel, 2nd ed. (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids and Cambridge, UK, 2002) or any of William G. Dever's books. I will recommend it to my students. It's not "original research" but it sure could use some sources. This was a lot of work to write, and perhaps the principal writer prayed this article would fly as it is, without him or her going through the tedious labor of typing in quotes, page numbers and sources. It certainly shouldn't be deleted, but it does need help. Profhum (talk) 03:10, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

 * You seem to be responding to an old discussion, but any thing you could add to the article would be appreciated. Editor2020, Talk 03:17, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

Alleged list at Ebla
This was added by and never sourced, just changed - as it was today. I spent some time trying to source it, but gave up when I found the Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible which says on p. 1254 "Cuneiform texts from Ebla provide clues to its pantheon of ca. 40 principal deities including Kura (principal god of the city), Hadad (storm-god). Pagan (lord of the region), Rashap (god of the underworld), Adamma (underworld goddess and spouse of Rashap), Ishara (principal goddess of the city), Ishtar (goddess of love and war), and Idabal (god associated with the Orontes Valley)." It doesn't say El wasn't mention, but it certainly doesn't suggest El was a major god or at the top of any list. Dougweller (talk) 13:34, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

Poseidon
From the attributes of this deity it can be deducted that 'Poseidon' is identical to: 'Neptune', and also to the Semitic: 'Leviatan', as a being living or staying in the depth of the sea darkness, this may have been one of the reasons for Hebrews withdrawing from sailoring. (Deity would come from the proto-european: 'Dyaus', meaning originally: 'the brightness' ('Diamond= the bright gem'), 'the force', 'the power', that in the end may have transformed into the Greek: 'Theos', the Latin: 'Deus', and cognates: 'Zeus', 'Jupiter = dyaus pitar', and its derivatives; in the real world, 'Zeus' was identical to 'Apollion', that had an original identification as a solar cult; 'Deity' may have no other linked attributes, but 'Divinity', as in the cognate Sanskrit word: 'Deva', would be a word restricted for good doers or beings favourable or friendly to mankind). This is a working sketch, additions and precise references welcome.--Jgrosay (talk) 13:22, 19 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Not here unless you have sources meeting criteria at WP:RS discussing El and mentioning the above, otherwise it's original research. Dougweller (talk) 19:30, 19 December 2013 (UTC)

Jgrosay, you display direct bias in that statement. You would be correct, if however the hebrew bible, the old testament, and various hebrew individuals and location names refer to "God" as "El" or "Elohim". The comparison is not in that they are cognates at all, but in that they were related culturally, or identical culturally. That is a far more relevant comparison than claiming that for example "Perun" is the same deity as "Thor", because that would be purely based on theological opinion, and not on cultural and linguistic reality in the case of "El" and "Yahweh". That being said, it's pointless to try and sweep this up, or attempt to present it in a different light, because that said deity has an origin in culture and history is the only thing that keeps it relevant in terms of an encyclopedia or dictionary. People who are impartial to the religion in question are not concerned with the adherents beliefs and opinions surrounding the culture of it other than the classification of sects and movements, in other words it could be relevant to note that jews or christians may disagree with that analysis or overview. 107.11.136.170 (talk) 20:40, 27 September 2016 (UTC)

Concepts of God
The lead stated the following: "Specific deities known as El or Il include the supreme god of the Canaanite religion,[4] the supreme god of the Mesopotamian Semites in the pre-Sargonic period,[5] and the God of the Hebrew Bible."

My issue w/ that phrasing is that according to the Wikipedia article on God (and its sources), there are "many different conceptions of God" not limited to the Hebrew God, but that phrasing implies the opposite.

I have reworded the lead so it reads: "Specific deities known as El or Il include the supreme god of the Canaanite religion,[4] the supreme god of the Mesopotamian Semites in the pre-Sargonic period,[5] and the god of the Hebrew Bible, all referring to different concepts of God.", which is correct. The former phrasing implied that God may only refer to the Hebrew God and not the other Gods which is incorrect. Israell (talk) 11:07, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

 * IsraellI gather you haven't read WP:VERIFY or WP:RS yet. We don't use our own articles as sources. It's also not relevant to this article which is talking about specific deities. You'd need sources meeting WP:RS for this - basically multiple academic sources as WP:UNDUE means that you'd have to show that this is a significant view.  Doug Weller  talk 11:14, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * In other words, it's unsourced and apparently your own opinion. Doug Weller  talk 11:15, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Doug Weller, does the El (deity) article give any source for this: "and the God of the Hebrew Bible."? No. Why is that phrasing more correct than the one I'm suggesting? I have simply reworded the lead so God applies to all three mentioned gods. Israell (talk) 11:19, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

No, it's not an opinion. It is a very well-documented fact that there are many concepts of God in different belief systems. Israell (talk) 12:08, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

 * And this is about "specific deities". You still need sources and those MUST related to the deity named El. That's basic Wikipedia policy. Doug Weller  talk 12:07, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

 * As for "God of the Hebrew BIble", are you disputing this? It's actually discussed in its own section with some sources. It's a statement of act about 'El' that can be and is sourced to sources discussing El. Doug Weller  talk 13:24, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

 * Israell - here is the dif of the change you are trying to make. It adds the words, "all referring to different concepts of God." You are making a very strong claim in that sentence; this is not a "simple rewording". The claim is that the three instances of a deity referenced in the sentence, are the same metaphysical entity, "God".   What is your evidence for that claim?  Jytdog (talk) 13:38, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

I am not disputing that El is one of the names of the "God of the Hebrew Bible". Jytdog, Doug Weller, are you implying that God can only refer to the Hebrew God? Israell (talk) 15:20, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Please answer the question that both Doug and I put to you. You proposed a change and the burden is on you to provide a source for it.  What is the source for  "all referring to different concepts of God."?   That is the only question that is relevant here. Jytdog (talk) 15:33, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * and you don't need to ping me I am watching this page. Jytdog (talk) 15:34, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Oh for heaven's sake. I am not implying that at all, I am stating as fact that this article is not about 'god' but about deities known as "El or Il". Doug Weller  talk 16:01, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Doug, maybe what is tripping up Israell is "the God of the Hebrew Bible." - the capital-G hyperlinked "God".  I think this problem goes away if we make that small-g "god". Jytdog (talk) 16:06, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

I have found this article on God, and it mentions the Canaanite deity El: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/God. This second article mentions the Mesopotamian concepts of God: http://urantia-book.org/newbook/ub/ppr096_7.html.

As I explained, God does not only refer to the Hebrew God. God is a very broad concept. Any deity that one sees as the "Supreme God" or "Supreme Being" fits that concept. Some Pagans do believe in "the Goddess and the God" — that's God! Sikhs believe in one God (as Sikhism is a monotheistic religion) — that's God! Theistic Buddhists also have a concept of God — that's God! Hindus (of different sects) believe in many Gods and acknowledge Ishwara as the Supreme (Cosmic) Being — that's God! Voodooists believe in a Supreme God — that's God! I had no idea such a simple, sensical change would require so many explanations.

Yes, that's the problem. The lead implies that God can only refer to the Hebrew deity. Making it a small g would at least give it some semblance of unbiasedness. Israell (talk) 16:16, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

 * Ok, small 'g'. As for your sources, didn't I say read WP:RS. Do you think that a publication by the Unification Church (sometimes known as Moonies) which takes our articles and puts their slant onto them and The Urantia Book should be used in this article? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Doug Weller (talk • contribs) 17:17, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * I fixed the article. i agree,  on the sources.  urantia, oy.  Isreall you seem well-intentioned but your arguments here - here in Wikipedia -  were invalid and your sources were too.  And please do not edit war in the future. Jytdog (talk) 18:26, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * The current wording is much better. "Concepts" is a problem word here: it implies that gods are things that people come up with by ideation. Mangoe (talk) 20:21, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Jytdog, are you still watching this article? Undid revision by 2601:8c:4401:678f:558c:6536:b81:44b7. Consensus was reached for "the god of the Hebrew Bible" (small 'g'). Israell (talk) 18:28, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

Creator
What I read in the text was that he is the creator of the gods and humans, but some sources also say creator of the earth and the universe. Is there a authentic reference for that? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.244.80.45 (talk) 12:41, 5 May 2016 (UTC)

Sabaean god?
At Talk:Wahab El Yahiz an editor argues that El is a Sabaean god, and Almaqah seems to be saying the same thing. Is this correct? Doug Weller talk 05:22, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

@User:Doug Weller; you can read this, it is an English source. Ecoboy90 (talk) 09:15, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

 * Seriously? You expect to use a random website as a source? Don't you check your sources? It's bad enough that he's anti-Muslim and believes Allah is a moon god (which I presume you do also given your source), but the guy(whoever he is, he seems to be anonymous) is a nut. He thinks evolution is a hoax, dinosaurs - you get the drift. Absolutely useless as a source. Doug Weller  talk 09:33, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

Well, the writer is Yoel Natan. He seems to already be used in Wikipedia, as a source for the articles on the Expedition of Kurz bin Jabir Al-Fihri, on Islam by country, on Umm Nidal, on Takbir, on Mangalorean Catholics, and on Navel in popular culture. Dimadick (talk) 21:11, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

No scholarly sources for this claim.
“In some places, especially in Psalm 29, Yahweh is clearly envisioned as a storm god, something not true of Ēl so far as we know (although true of his son, Ba'al Hadad). It is Yahweh who is prophesied to one day battle Leviathan the serpent, and slay the dragon in the sea in Isaiah 27:1. The slaying of the serpent in myth is a deed attributed to both Ba’al Hadad and ‘Anat in the Ugaritic texts, but not to Ēl.”

It claims Yahweh was a storm god in theses psalms. But there is no sources cited about what scholars interpret theses psalms. It only cites the psalms but doesn’t mention scholars interpretation of them. CycoMa (talk) 03:54, 11 January 2020 (UTC)

 * It was added by, now retired from Wikipedia. He claimed that he was only rendering WP:RS from Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, which are easily searchable. Tgeorgescu (talk) 04:33, 11 January 2020 (UTC)

 * I think sources should at least be provided. Otherwise the claim comes off as just personal interpretation. CycoMa (talk) 04:40, 11 January 2020 (UTC)

 * Can you locate the references for this? Tgeorgescu (talk) 04:59, 11 January 2020 (UTC)

 * I'm flattered - just the other day I was being called a new editor (not by you of course) with little experience.
 * The para doesn't seem to come from a single source. Let's go by phrases:
 * * "In some places, especially in Psalm 29, Yahweh is clearly envisioned as a storm god" - see the bottom of page 80 of Mark Smith's Early History.
 * * "something not true of Ēl so far as we know (although true of his son, Ba'al Hadad)" - for Haddad as storm god, (it's usually spelled with a double d), see this, p.384
 * * and for El as not-storm-god, see Jimmy Jack McBee Roberts, Collected Essays, p.321.
 * * For Yahweh slaying the dragon Leviathan in Isaiah, see Debra Scoggins Ballentine, "Conflict Myth", p.130.
 * * For who slays the serpent in the Ugarit myth, see Mark SMith's Ugaritic Baal Cycle (you'll have to do an internal search).
 * Hope this is helpful. I must say I find the paragraph is very accurate, but also very lacking in sources - like the entire article.Achar Sva (talk) 10:53, 11 January 2020 (UTC)

 * OK, WP:CITED. Tgeorgescu (talk) 11:20, 11 January 2020 (UTC)

Where does Mannu-ki-ili come from?
I've done some research into the canaanite gods, and while I've found reason to believe that Yahweh was a son of El, but while I've found evidence of the connection between Michael and Mannu-ki-ili, I haven't found any evidence that he was a son of El. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nayerb (talk • contribs) 18:15, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

 * @Nayerb There's at least three references within the Ugarit Texts, outside of the Baal Cycle Tablets. There's also El Tablet #74 Damascus, which excellently presents his name.  And then a few odd mentions just of "Mannu" and "MNN-L" in various 12th and 13th century material. Sadena (talk) 20:21, 10 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Nice, thanks dude. Nayerb (talk) 00:27, 11 March 2022 (UTC)

The Sons of El
Unless there is an objection, I'm going to overhaul the list of the Sons of El. In addition to increasing the list from 14 to 25, i will be removing the Ugaritic designation and the question marks. These gods appear as Sons of El in multiple pantheons (Canaanite, Ugaritic, and Babylonian), so they are confirmable and not exclusive. My sources are Marvin Pope, James Pritchard, Philo of Byblos, Sanchunations, and Jerome Eubius. Sadena (talk) 15:34, 24 March 2022 (UTC)

 * Anat

Ashart Ashtar Arsu Athtart Azizos Baal Berith Dagon Eshum Fo Hadad HLL/Hillel/Helel Hey-el-el Kothar Mannu Mot Salem Shahar Shalim Shapash Sidedon Yahweh Yam Yarikh Sadena (talk) 15:42, 31 March 2022 (UTC)

 * Anat can't be a son of El. She was a goddess, which would make her a daughter of El. 19:35, 31 March 2022 (UTC) IAmNitpicking (talk) 19:35, 31 March 2022 (UTC)

 * Yes, you are correct, she's the 71st anomaly, or at least so believed. the Babylonian variant has 77 or 88 Sons of El, the Canaanite has almost always 70, and now and then 71, and people think that's because of Anat.  we don't really know if they ever fleshed out all 70.  but then again, they did have a THOUSAND years! Sadena (talk) 16:33, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

Amarna Letters
I checked two texts online of the Amarna Letters and could not find a mention of Raphael in EA333, just "Rabi" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2603:6010:53F0:96A0:8943:296F:E494:232 (talk) 12:38, 1 May 2023 (UTC)

Revert
See               tgeorgescu (talk)  11:04, 16 September 2023 (UTC)

Another revert
Hint: the word El appeared before the Hebrew language appeared. So, the Strong Lexicon is not WP:RS about it. tgeorgescu (talk) 12:50, 11 November 2023 (UTC)

 * Strong lexicon is RS. 2600:100F:B1B1:D934:0:30:9929:8F01 (talk) 02:56, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

 * The Strong Lexicon is not WP:RS about the etymology of the word El. You can't use SL in order to claim that El originated in Hebrew language. While SL could reasonably be trusted about the Hebrew language, it cannot be trusted for stuff happening before the Hebrew language appeared. tgeorgescu (talk) 07:23, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:El (deity)


text:
Manor Park railway station

Manor Park railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line serving Manor Park in the London Borough of Newham, east London. It is 6 mi down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Forest Gate and Ilford. Its three-letter station code is MNP and it is in Travelcard Zone 3/4. It is currently managed and served by the Elizabeth line.

Manor Park is a short walk from Woodgrange Park on the Gospel Oak to Barking line, and an out-of-station interchange is available one stop to the west, at Forest Gate, for Wanstead Park.

Great Eastern Railway (1873-1922)
The railway through the site of Manor Park station was first built in 1839 by the Eastern Counties Railway as the first part of what was to become the Great Eastern Main Line, which was constructed between Mile End and Romford.

The original name for the station was Manor Park and Little Ilford. When the original line was built the Manor House had its own access road and bridge that crossed the railway line. Little Ilford referred to the settlement on the western bank of the River Roding opposite Ilford.

When the station opened on 6 January 1873 the land north of the station was undeveloped. The access bridge was replaced by a bridge (Forest Drive) over the railway at the station, and the station building was located on this. The Manor House itself succumbed to housing development and had disappeared by the 1890s. A signal box was provided on the upside of the line west of the station.

A goods yard was provided in 1882 which was located east of the station and a new signal box provided there to control the entrance to that yard. The earlier box was closed.

As London grew, developers starting acquiring land to build new properties and the demand at stations such as Manor Park increased. The GER realised that the two track main line was not enough to cope with the new suburban traffic and longer distance traffic and still provide a reliable service for the minor stations such as Manor Park. The answer was a programme of quadrupling (providing two additional tracks) along the route and this work took place in phases.

The GER was mostly restricted to the land it owned and work commenced c1890 in preparing for the quadrupling that was complete in 1894. The two new lines called the Through Lines, were provided south of the station and the goods yard (which was moved slightly southward) was connected to these lines. In the case of Manor Park some additional land to the north was purchased to accommodate what were now the Local Lines. A new signal box was provided east of the station and the 1882 box became an office. No platforms were provided on the Through Lines as these were used by longer distance services.

An additional track was also provided and opened on 4 April 1893 which ran between the west end of Manor Park and Forest Gate Junction. This was a reception road for the new goods yard located there.

Table 298 of the Bradshaw's timetable guide of July 1922 shows Manor Park to have a regular services of trains from Liverpool Street or Fenchurch Street. These trains terminated at Ilford, Chadwell Heath, Romford or Gidea Park or worked through to the Fairlop Loop. The station is referred to as Manor Park for Little Ilford in this publication.

In 1923, the GER amalgamated with other railways to form the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).

London and North Eastern Railway (1923 - 1947)
During this period local stopping trains were generally hauled by LNER Class N7 locomotives on trains of corridor type carriage stock.

Plans were drawn up in the 1930s to electrify the suburban lines from Liverpool Street to Shenfield at 1,500VDC and work was started on implementing this. However, the outbreak of the Second World War brought the project to a temporary halt and it was not until 1949 that the scheme was completed.

The station was damaged by bombing on 29 July 1944 during World War II.

As part of the electrification scheme a flyover was built just north of Manor Park. The flyover was designed to remove conflicting moves between Local Line and Through Line trains and meant that Maryland, Forest Gate and Manor Park stations required new platforms to be provided on the Through Lines as these three locations only had Local Line platforms after the 1893/4 quadrupling.

An additional fifth line known as the Up Passenger Avoiding line was added which allows up trains to switch from the up Through to Up Local lines. After the work was completed the Local Lines became the Electric Lines and the Through Lines became the Main Lines.

British Railways (1948 - 1994)
On January 1 1948, following nationalisation of the railways, Manor Park became part of the British Railways Eastern Region. The electrification scheme and its associated works were finished and from February 1949 the Class 306 EMUs operated the service to steam timings but an accelerated all electric schedule was introduced in September 1949.

The signal box was closed as part of the electrification scheme on 14 August 1949 and a new box at Aldersbrook north of Manor Park took over working the area's signals.

The 1500 DC electrification system was converted to 25/6.35 KV AC operation between 4 and 6 November 1960.

In 1980 the first Class 315 EMUs were introduced to replace the Class 306s and were used on passenger trains serving Forest Gate.

The railway was sectorised in 1982 and Manor Park and the trains calling at it became part of the London and South-East sector. On 10 June 1986 this was rebranded to become Network South East which was responsible for working services up to privatisation.

The privatisation era (1994 - present day)
In April 1994 Railtrack became responsible for the maintenance of the infrastructure. Railtrack was succeeded by Network Rail in 2002.

Between privatisation on 1 April 1994 and 4 January 1997 the station was operated by a non-privatised business unit. Since then passenger services calling at the station have been operated by the following franchises:
 * First Great Eastern 5 January 1997 – 31 March 2004
 * National Express East Anglia 1 April 2004 – 4 February 2012
 * Abellio Greater Anglia between 5 February 2012– 30 May 2015
 * MTR TFL Rail between 31 May 2015 and 23 May 2022 after which the line was rebranded as the Elizabeth Line who are the current operator.

In 2015, services run by Greater Anglia were intermediately rebranded to TfL Rail, as part of the development of the Elizabeth Line. Significant upgrades were made to the station, including the installation of three lifts, a new bridge, staircases, and signage.

In June 2017, new trains began entering service in preparation for the opening of the Crossrail. The Class 315 trains were finally taken out of service in 2022. Through services to central London, Heathrow Airport and Reading started running on the Crossrail line (rebranded the Elizabeth line) on 22 November 2022.

In early 2019 step free access was introduced to Manor Park station.

Services
All services at Manor Park are operated by the Elizabeth line using EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:
 * 8 tph to London Paddington of which 2 continue to Heathrow Terminal 5
 * 8 tph to Shenfield

During the peak hours, the station is served by a number of additional services between London Liverpool Street and Gidea Park. These services do not call at Whitechapel.

On Sundays, the service to and from Shenfield is reduced to 4 tph, with alternating services running only as far as Gidea Park.

Future development
New trains began entering service in 2017. Platforms 1 and 2 are only 168 m and 185 m long respectively and cannot physically be extended to accommodate the new trains, which will be over 200 m in length, so selective door operation will be used. The freight loop around platform 1 is due to be removed and replaced by a new loop line further down-line, west of Chadwell Heath.

Due to the narrow platforms and the layout of the station, fitting lifts for disabled access is difficult, requiring the walkways to be rebuilt and closing parts of the station for several months. The station will receive new ticket machines and gates, an accessible toilet and new retail space.

Connections
London Buses routes 101, 304, 474 and W19 serve the station.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Manor Park railway station


text:
Rogers Morton

Rogers Clark Ballard Morton (September 19, 1914 – April 19, 1979) was an American politician who served as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Commerce during the administrations of presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, respectively. He also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland.

Morton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and moved to a farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the early 1950s. In 1962, he was elected to the House of Representatives, in which capacity he established a pro-environment record. Morton would joke that his two middle initials stood for "Chesapeake Bay". In 1968, Morton played a major role in Richard Nixon's campaign for president, and was chosen by Nixon in 1969 to serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

In the elections of 1970, Morton was considered a strong candidate to challenge Joseph Tydings for his U.S. Senate seat from Maryland, but he chose instead to remain as chairman of the RNC. In 1971, President Nixon tapped Morton to serve as Secretary of the Interior, during which time he oversaw the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and the 1973 oil crisis. Morton was the only person from the East Coast to serve as head of the Interior Department in the 20th century.

Following Nixon's resignation due to the Watergate Scandal, Morton continued in his post in the Gerald Ford administration until 1975, when he was nominated to serve as Secretary of Commerce. From April to August 1976, Morton served as Ford's campaign manager in his bid for election. Morton retired from politics following Ford's election defeat. Three years later, he died of cancer at his home in Easton on the eastern shore of Maryland.

Early life and career
Morton was born in Louisville, the son of David Clark Morton, a physician, and his wife, Mary Harris Ballard Morton, an heiress to a flour milling business. He was related to George Rogers Clark, a military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. Morton was one of three children; his brother Thruston B. Morton also had a career in politics, serving as chairman of the Republican National Committee and representing Kentucky in both the United States House of Representatives and then the United States Senate.

Morton received his early education from the Woodberry Forest School near Orange, Virginia, and in 1937 graduated from Yale University, where he was a brother of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Phi chapter). Like his father, Morton worked to become a physician and entered the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. However, he dropped out after only one year. In 1939, Morton married the former Anne Jones. They had two children, David Clark and Anne Morton.

In 1938, Morton was commissioned in the United States Navy but only served for a short time due to problems with his back. Afterwards, he entered his family's flour business, Ballard & Ballard. In 1941, at the outset of World War II, Morton enlisted in the Armored Field Artillery of the United States Army as a private and served in the European Theater. He received a commission during the war and left the army as a captain in 1945.

After the war, Morton returned to the family business, where he served as president from 1947 to 1951. In 1952, the business was merged into the Pillsbury Flour Company, where Morton went on to serve as a director and a member of the executive committee for several more years.

Congressional career
In 1947, Morton spent a great deal of time helping his brother Thruston in his ultimately successful campaign for election to the House of Representatives in Kentucky. After this initial exposure to politics, Morton moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the early 1950s, where he set up a 1400 acre cattle farm along the Wye River in Talbot County. In 1962, Morton decided to challenge Democratic incumbent Thomas Francis Johnson of Maryland's 1st congressional district. Johnson, who was reeling from a political scandal, lost to Morton in the general election. Morton was lauded for not making Johnson's legal troubles his primary campaign issue.

Morton was reelected to Congress four more times, and served from 1963 until 1971. In Congress, Morton worked to enact legislation that would preserve the Chesapeake Bay, including laws reducing pollution into the bay, working for the creation of a national park on Assateague Island, and providing funds to the Army Corps of Engineers to model how the Bay functions as an estuary. Concerning civil rights, Morton voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but cast no vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

During the 1968 Republican National Convention, Morton served as the floor manager for eventual presidential nominee Richard Nixon. Morton also delivered the speech nominating Spiro Agnew, then-governor of Maryland, as the vice presidential candidate.

Due to his role in Nixon's election campaign and his environmental advocacy, Morton expected to be appointed as Secretary of the Interior in 1969. However, he was passed over for the position in favor of a westerner. He had also been considered for Nixon's vice presidential running mate, but lost out to Agnew. In January 1969, to recognize his efforts, Nixon appointed Morton as chairman of the Republican National Committee. As chairman, Morton was granted ex officio cabinet rank by Nixon, an unprecedented practice that ultimately continued through the administration of Gerald Ford.

1970 United States Senate election
In 1969, leading up to the 1970 elections, Morton was considered one of the strongest potential candidates to challenge incumbent Democratic senator Joseph Tydings. Morton had sought the Republican nomination for Maryland's other U.S. Senate seat in the 1968 elections, but bowed out in favor of Congressman Charles Mathias to prevent a primary battle.

Speculation that Morton would seek election to Tydings' seat increased after an editorial in the Baltimore Sun encouraged him to challenge Tydings. Sources within the administration of Vice President Spiro Agnew, who was formerly governor of Maryland, were also commenting that Morton would make a strong candidate and would likely run. When Morton stated he would be making an important announcement with President Nixon in December 1969, it seemed all but certain at the time that it would be to declare his candidacy.

However, Republicans around the country were concerned that Morton, who had just been appointed chairman of the RNC in January 1969, would resign during the election season to better handle the battle with Tydings. President Nixon shared their concerns, and encouraged Morton to remain as chairman. On December 16, 1969, with Nixon by his side, Morton announced that his priorities were with the national committee, and that he would not seek Tydings' seat. Morton also threw his full support for the nomination behind J. Glenn Beall Jr., a freshman member of the House from Cumberland, Mathias's successor in the House, and son of former senator James Glenn Beall.

Morton's decision not to challenge Tydings initially worried Maryland Republicans, who saw Morton as one of their best candidates. National Republican strategists had also begun to write off Tydings' seat as unwinnable for the 1970 election because of Tydings' wealth and popularity in the dense urban areas of Montgomery County and Baltimore. However, despite initial misgivings by state Republicans, Beall defeated Tydings on November 3, 1970, by a margin of more than 30,000 votes.

Secretary of the Interior
Morton continued to serve in the House and as chairman of the RNC until 1971, when he was nominated to be Secretary of the Interior by President Nixon. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate Subcommittee on the Interior, though some concerns regarding Morton's record of environmental protection were raised by Phillip Berry, then-President of the Sierra Club. Morton's predecessor, Wally Hickel, had been chosen over Morton to fill the job in 1969, but was fired by Nixon in late 1970 for criticizing White House policy. Morton was the only person from the east coast to serve as Interior Secretary in the 20th century.

Upon assuming the office of Secretary of the Interior, Morton promised he would seek to "purify the environment". However, as his tenure progressed, he was gradually isolated from the proceedings of the White House and lost several major divisions to other departments. During the 1973 oil crisis, for example, the oil and natural gas divisions of the department were transferred to the Office of Emergency Preparedness. Furthermore, though Morton was the one who announced the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, speculation was put forward that he did not play a major role in determining its route.

As he was leaving his post in 1975, further criticism was directed at Morton for his overseeing the partial dismantling of the Interior Department. He was also criticized for lacking the vigor necessary to serve as head of a cabinet department, and for failing to see through the proposed creation of a new, stronger cabinet department that would have replaced Interior.

Secretary of Commerce and the Ford administration
Following the resignation of President Nixon in the Watergate scandal, Morton continued in his position as Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President Gerald Ford. In March 1975, while still serving as the head of the Interior Department, Morton was nominated by Ford to serve as the next Secretary of Commerce. Ford cited Morton's extensive business experience as the primary factor for selecting him and expressed the hope that Morton would be able to "encourage American business to expand energy development and conservation efforts".

In January 1976, Ford announced Morton would be resigning as commerce secretary to instead serve as Counselor to the President with cabinet rank. Morton's new position was to advise the president on domestic and economic policy. In addition, Morton was to serve as the special liaison to the political committee to elect President Ford. Morton's duties blurred the line between his public and political duties, and caused controversy concerning how Morton would divide his time between the White House and Ford's election campaign, and how much of his salary would be supplied by taxpayers versus the Ford election committee. In rebuttal, Morton stated "you can't separate government from politics", and that Presidential aides should be allowed to offer political advice.

In April 1976, Morton was named campaign manager for Ford leading up to the 1976 presidential election. He replaced former U.S. Representative Howard Callaway of Georgia, who was forced to resign following allegations of improper use of authority while he was Secretary of the Army. Morton directed Ford's campaign until August 25, 1976, when he was reassigned as chairman of a steering committee and was replaced by James Baker of Houston, Texas. Morton's demotion was at his own request; he said that he no longer wished to bear "the responsibility and accountability of the chairmanship".

After the 1976 campaign, Morton retired from politics to his farm, "Presqu'isle", near Easton, Maryland, where he operated a boat construction business.

Morton had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1973, but he said that the disease was in its early phase and was still treatable. In 1979, however, Morton died of the cancer at his home in Easton. He is interred in Old Wye Cemetery in Wye Mills, Maryland.

title: Rogers Morton


text:
Tony Conigliaro Award

The Tony Conigliaro Award is a national recognition instituted in 1990 by the Boston Red Sox to honor the memory of Tony Conigliaro. It is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best "overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Conigliaro."

Conigliaro debuted with the Red Sox in 1964, and was selected to the MLB All-Star Game in the 1967 season. Subsequently, he was hit in the face by a pitch at Fenway Park on August 18, 1967. After missing the rest of the year and all of 1968, he made a comeback in 1969, homering on opening day. He then hit 20 home runs in that season, winning The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award. In 1970, he posted career highs in home runs with 36 and RBIs with 116, but vision problems continued to persist; his performance fell off, and he was never the same player. After a final comeback attempt in 1975, Conigliaro retired at age 30.

Conigliaro died in 1990, and the Red Sox instituted the award in his honor. A panel is composed of the media, representatives of the commissioner, and the two leagues' offices. The selection is made by a panel of voters and the award is presented at the annual dinner of the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), normally held in December or January, by members of the Conigliaro family.

Award winners
† The award is presented at the annual banquet of the Boston chapter of the BBWAA, which was not held in December 2021, possibly due to the 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout. The 2021 winner of the Tony Conigliaro Award was instead announced the following year.

title: Tony Conigliaro Award


text:
Allied Irish Banks

Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. (Irish: Bainc-Aontas Éireann) is one of the so-called Big Four commercial banks in the Republic of Ireland. AIB offers a full range of personal, business and corporate banking services. The bank also offers a range of general insurance products such as home, travel and car. It offers life assurance and pensions through its tied agency with Irish Life Assurance plc.

In December 2010 the Irish government took a majority stake in the bank, which eventually grew to 99.8%. AIB's shares are currently traded on the Irish Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange, but its shares were delisted from these exchanges between 2011 and 2017, following its effective nationalisation. The remainder of its publicly traded shares were listed on the Enterprise Securities Market of the Irish Stock Exchange until 23 June 2017.

AIB also owns Allied Irish Bank (GB) in Great Britain and AIB (NI) in Northern Ireland. In November 2010, it sold its 22.5% stake in M&T Bank in the United States. At the beginning of 2008 AIB entered the Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian markets by acquiring AmCredit mortgage finance business from the Baltic – American Enterprise Fund. This stake was sold at a loss to Swedbank in 2012.

In 2009, Allied Irish Banks along with its competitor Bank of Ireland accepted a €3.5 billion bailout from the government of Ireland as a part of the Bank Recapitalisation Scheme. Over several further tranches, the total bailout of AIB (including EBS) amounted to €20.7 billion.

In June 2017, the Irish government completed an IPO of Allied Irish Banks. In December 2021, when the company was valued less than 6 billion euro on the public market, the government announced it would start gradually selling its stake. The CEO of AIB is Colin Hunt since March 2019. Jim Pettigrew was appointed chair of the board in October 2021.

AIB has been designated as a Significant Institution since the entry into force of European Banking Supervision in late 2014, and as a consequence is directly supervised by the European Central Bank.

Name
Allied Irish Banks is usually referred to, both inside and outside the company, simply as AIB and often by its trade name of "Allied Irish Bank" (singular). In Northern Ireland, the bank traded as First Trust Bank until November 2019, while in Great Britain, it is called "Allied Irish Bank (GB)"—the only part of the operation where the full name, in the singular, is still in day-to-day use. Initially, the bank operated under the names of its former constituent companies, alongside a new AIB logo, a circle divided in three with an "A" at the centre. From 1970, these were replaced by "Allied Irish Banks". In 1990, AIB introduced a new logo (prompted, it was said in some quarters, by the remarkable similarity between its previous logo and that of Mercedes-Benz.) Since then, the bank has preferred to be referred to as "AIB", though "Allied Irish Banks plc" remains its legal name.

The bank is often referred to colloquially as "AIB Bank", an example of a redundant acronym. This is due to the name "AIB Bank" being adopted for the Republic of Ireland branch banking business at the time of the 1990 rebrand (with the word "Bank" being printed in the green stripe in the logo). This version of the logo is no longer used in print advertising but can still be seen on the façades of most AIB branches in the Republic. The 'Trustee Savings Banks' similarly rebranded to "TSB Bank" in 1993. The new logo features a depiction of Noah's Ark, after a carving on a Celtic cross at Killary Church near Lobinstown in County Meath, which dates from the 9th century.

History
Allied Irish Banks Limited was formed in 1966 as a new company that acquired three Irish banks: Provincial Bank of Ireland, the Royal Bank of Ireland, and the Munster & Leinster Bank. In 1966, AIB's aggregate assets were IR£255 million (€323.8 million)—as at 31 December 2005, the AIB Group had assets of €133 billion. In the 1980s the introduction of their Automatic Teller Machine Network called Banklink just shortly after the Bank of Ireland Pass. ATMs were only available in cities and major towns in the 1980s but arrived into smaller and medium towns during the 1990s.

Early history
In 1825, Provincial Bank commenced operations, pioneering joint stock branch banking in Ireland. It also established a branch in London.

Royal Bank of Ireland (RBI) commenced operations in 1836, becoming known for its mercantile links.

Shaw's Bank later merged with Royal Bank in 1837.

In 1864, the Munster Bank was established. In 1867, the Munster Bank purchased some of the branches of the unsuccessful Union Bank of Ireland. In 1870, The Munster Bank acquired the David La Touche & Son bank. In 1885, the Munster Bank failed due to debt and ran out of cash, causing it to close all of its branches. Also in 1885, The Munster and Leinster Bank commenced operations.

In 1923, the Royal Bank of Ireland bought the Irish Free State business of the Belfast Banking Company, which in turn bought the Northern Ireland business of the Royal Bank.

1985 ICI collapse
The Can of Worms at ICI was the headline in Business & Finance magazine on 8 November 1984. The Insurance Corporation of Ireland (ICI) was a wholly owned subsidiary of AIB when it collapsed in 1985 with losses of over IR£200 million. When it was discovered in November 1984 that ICI was operating below the statutory reserve ratio, a request for further capital was made to AIB — ICI had returned a profit of more than £80 million the previous year. This collapse occurred at a time of deep economic recession in Ireland. The level of Government debt at that time was 116% of GDP. But the Irish taxpayer bailed ICI out of its difficulties. The Irish Government did so to ensure a continuation of the insurance business and to protect policyholders. AIB claimed that it could not resolve the problems of ICI without putting its core banking business in jeopardy. The investment of £85 million by AIB in ICI was written off and the cost to the Irish taxpayer was £400 million. On 9 September 2010 AIB reached agreement to sell a 66% stake in BZ-WBK to Santander for €3.1 billion, the balance of the shares to be sold on the open market. Any purchase over 66% would have forced Santander to make an offer to buy the entire company.

Recent history
Between 1999 and 2001 AIB had an interest in Keppel TatLee Bank in Singapore, but withdrew after Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) acquired it.

After suffering large losses due to the activities of rogue trader John Rusnak at Allfirst (see below) in April 2003, AIB completed a deal merging Allfirst with M&T Bank Corporation, which is headquartered in Buffalo, New York. In November 2010, AIB sold its 22.5% stake (26.7 million shares) in M&T. The shares were sold at US$77.50 per share and generated $2.1 billion. The sale was part of AIB's effort to raise capital amidst the ongoing financial crisis in Ireland. AIB maintains its current US customer treasury services from its branch in New York.

At the beginning of 2008 AIB entered the Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian markets by acquiring the AmCredit mortgage finance business from the Baltic American Enterprise Fund. Now AIB operates as a branch of this financial group in Estonia and Lithuania (update needed), operations in Latvia have ceased (see below). In 2008 AIB operated through its local branches providing financial services under established AmCredit brand in all three countries. AmCredit operated as a single product mortgage business, but the company is expanding the range of banking products. All AmCredit's mortgage customers automatically became customers of the AIB branch in their country. The goal of AIB is to become a full service customer focused bank in the Baltic region. The branch in Latvia was operating between 26 November 2007 (date of registration) and 20 September 2012 (date of liquidation). Its mortgage portfolio of 800 loans was acquired by Swedbank.

In February 2008, AIB entered into an agreement to acquire a 49.99% interest in Bulgarian American Credit Bank (BACB), a specialist provider of secured finance to small and medium-sized companies in Bulgaria. AIB later sold its stake in BACB to a Bulgarian private-equity fund for a nominal sum in May 2011.

The Irish government received shares of €3.5 billion in AIB in 2009 as part of measures to recapitalise the bank. In April 2010, AIB announced that the Irish government would receive a stake of 16% or 17% in the bank. The Irish State had been due to receive dividends on those shares, but EU regulations state that banks that get State aid cannot make cash payments. This forced AIB to give the government shares instead.

The bank is currently involved in a number of "sale and leaseback" deals with its properties. In 2005 it sold an extension to its Ballsbridge Bankcentre headquarters for €367 million.

In February 2006 the bank announced record pre-tax profits of €1.7 billion, a 23% rise on the previous year and the largest ever for an Irish bank. The majority of the increase came from its Republic of Ireland operations, but with its Capital Markets in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Poland and American divisions also making significant contributions. This led to criticism from some newspapers, as their profit per customer was some three times that of other European banks. Former Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte called for more competition in the Irish banking sector. In August 2006 the bank again announced record profits for the first half of 2006, making €1.2 billion before tax, equating to €1.2 million per hour.

2008 share price collapse
The international credit crunch presented the first challenge to AIB — namely a dramatic fall-off in liquidity. As AIB depends to a significant extent on the international financial markets for liquidity due to an insufficient deposit base, this has impacted the bank severely. The Irish government stepped in with a guarantee which effectively granted a triple A rating on AIB debt, thus freeing up its access to finance.

The second and more serious problem, unacknowledged by bank management, the financial regulator and the Irish government, is solvency. The question concerning solvency has arisen due to domestic problems in the crashing Irish property market. AIB, like most Irish financial institutions, has substantial exposure to property developers in their loan portfolio. These property developers are currently suffering from gross over-supply of property, much still unsold, while demand has evaporated. The massive immigration from Eastern Europe which had propped up demand has now reversed due to rapidly rising unemployment in Ireland. Irish property developers own speculated billions of euros of overvalued land parcels such as urban brownfield and greenfield sites, and also agricultural land at an average value of €23,600 per acre (US$32,000 per acre or €60,000 per hectare) which is several multiples above the value of equivalent land in other European countries.

AIB correctly identify a systematic risk of triggering an even more severe financial crisis in Ireland if they were to call in the loans as they fall due. The loans are subject to terms and conditions, referred to as "covenants". Although AIB is not one of the banks listed as waiving these covenants, confidence in the Irish banking system is low as a result of other Irish banks electing to waive these financial safeguards in fear of provoking the (inevitable) bankruptcy of many property developers and banks are thought to be "lending some developers further cash to pay their interest bills, which means that they are not classified as 'bad debts' by the banks."

Furthermore, AIB's balance sheet indicated only limited impairment (bad debt) provisions. Their 2008 1st half financial report only accounts for an impairment provision of 0.21%. This does not appear to be consistent with the real negative changes taking place in property market fundamentals. The Central Bank told the Oireachtas Enterprise Committee that shareholders who lost their money in the banking collapse are to blame for their fate and got what was coming to them for not keeping bank chiefs in check, but did admit that the Central Bank had failed to give sufficient warning about reckless lending to property developers.

In contrast, on 7 October 2008, Danske Bank wrote off a substantial sum largely due to property-related losses incurred by its Irish subsidiary, National Irish Bank. Write downs by the domestically owned Irish banks are only now beginning to take place.

AIB's subsidiary Goodbody Stockbrokers continually issued "buy" recommendations for its then parent, notwithstanding its worsening financial position, and used Client Discretionary mandates to invest their monies in Allied Irish Banks at the start of the post-2008 Irish banking crisis in November 2008, which generated adverse comment. When asked if they had ever issued a sell notice on AIB, a Goodbody spokesman said "I don't know if we even keep records going back that far".

Rescue package 2009
On 12 February 2009 the Irish government arranged a €7 billion rescue plan for AIB and Bank of Ireland. The bank's capital value had fallen to €486 million, rather less than its 70% holding in Bank Zachodni in Poland.

Goodbody Stockbrokers was sold as part of the restructuring plan for €24 million. The Financial Times commented that the lowly price tag placed on Ireland's oldest stockbroker and "one-time bastion of Ireland's Protestant business elite" was just another measure of the dramatic decline of the Irish economy. AIB were likely to have had to indemnify the new owners of Goodbody Stockbrokers against any legal action arising from the firm's boom-time trading.

2010: Nationalisation
On 30 September 2010, the Irish Government announced plans to use its National Pensions Reserve to inject €3.7 billion of capital into Allied Irish Banks, becoming the majority shareholder and effectively nationalizing the bank.

AIB needed to raise additional capital due to increasing losses on bad loans incurred from the real estate bubble, and Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan stated that the bank was unable to attract sufficient interest from private investors. As part of the deal, Chairman Dan O'Connor agreed to quit the bank while managing director, Colm Doherty, announced he would leave before the end of the year after 13 months in the job.

In December 2010, the European Commission approved the plans, and the Government passed emergency legislation to allow the deal to take place without requiring the approval of existing shareholders. The High Court subsequently approved the deal on 24 Dec 2010, allowing the Irish government to take a 49.9% stake in the bank, rising to 92.8% following disposal of the Polish subsidiary to Banco Santander.

AIB became the fourth of Ireland's "Big Six" financial institutions to be nationalised, following Anglo Irish Bank, Irish Nationwide Building Society, and EBS Building Society. AIB was delisted from the main market of the Irish Stock Exchange on 25 January 2011 and the NYSE on 26 August 2011.

2011 AIB filed lawsuit
AIB filed a lawsuit against Oracle Financial Services, India in January 2011, claiming breach of contract on Flexcube implementation. The case was settled later that year.

Restructuring Credit Event
The ISDA Determinations Committee, consisting of 15 US and European banks, decided that a Restructuring Credit Event occurred with respect to Allied Irish Banks on 9 June 2011.

In December 2020 AIB announced its intention to cut 1,500 jobs by 2023 noting that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 80% of its workforce had been working from home. Some branches will also be merged.

Re-privatisation
The former Minister for Finance Pascal Donohoe said that the government would be selling its 71% stake in the bank, with the sell-off beginning in January 2022.

In June 2024, it was announced that the government's ownership had reduced to 25% as part of a recent share sale.

2002: John Rusnak losses
John Rusnak, a currency trader at Allfirst, racked up losses of almost US$700 million during Michael Buckley's tenure as group chief executive. It was Ireland's biggest banking scandal and the fourth-biggest banking scandal in the world when it came to light on 4 February 2002.

Tax evasion
The €90 million settlement that AIB reached with the Revenue Commissioners in respect of Deposit Interest Retention Tax evasion in 2000 was the highest tax settlement in the history of Ireland. The bank's internal auditor, Tony Spollen, highlighted a potential Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) liability of IR£100 million for the period 1986–1991, but Gerry Scanlon, the group chief executive at that time rubbished this estimate, describing it as "infantile". The Oireachtas Sub-Committee Inquiry into DIRT hearing on 27 September 1999 concluded that it was "extraordinary" when Scanlon told the Inquiry that he was unaware of the scale of the DIRT issue.

The Revenue Commissioners on 28 March 2006 imposed a tax settlement plus penalties on four former senior executives for their interest, while employed by AIB, arising from investments they maintained in Faldor Limited. Faldor was an investment company set up in the British Virgin Islands that between 1989 and 1996 hold funds on behalf of these senior AIB executives as well as people connected to them. Allied Irish Banks Investment Managers then managed the funds in the company on their behalf; at the time Gerry Scanlan was CEO of the bank. Faldor subsequently benefited from inappropriate deal allocations, and artificial deals that amounted to €48,000 out of AIB Investment Managers' own funds.

Those cited include:

 * Gerry Scanlon, chief executive AIB Group when this arrangement was in place, of Glenageary, County Dublin; tax and penalties amounted to €206,010.
 * Diarmuid Moore, former director of corporate strategy at AIB, Malahide, County Dublin; tax and penalties amounted to €51,044.
 * Roy Douglas, chairman, Irish Life & Permanent Plc and formerly of AIB, Howth, County Dublin; tax and penalties amounting to €53,245.43 was secured.
 * Patrick Dowling, former deputy chief executive, late of Delgany, County Wicklow; the estate paid tax and penalties of €13,000.

Excess FX charging issues
In 2004 it was revealed that the bank had been overcharging on foreign exchange transactions for up to ten years. The overcharging affected 3 million purchase transactions of foreign drafts. Initially the projected amount of overcharging was €14 million. However the bank set aside €50 million to cover the cost of refunds.

The Central Bank of Ireland published a report into an investigation of AIB Group concerning overcharging its own customers for FX transactions and deal allocation and other associated issues. This revealed excess charges of €34.2 million, including interest. AIB failed to comply with the law for a period of almost 8 years and that certain staff and management were fully aware of this at the time.

The Central Bank of Ireland had been aware that AIB was overcharging consumers in FX fees but did not act for a number of years. They gave a parliamentary inquiry the "false impression" that they were unaware of it. The whistleblower who gave the Central Bank the information was requested to come to a meeting with them but was only invited to withdraw the allegations of wrongdoing and at the same time found himself removed from his position at AIB without any reason given. After his case was highlighted in the media, the Central Bank officially apologised on how the authorities treated him, eight years after alerting them of overcharging.

AIB announced on 27 September 2006 that the final outlay in respect of restitution and interest arising from overcharging amounted to €65 million and that this included a donation of €20.6 million on behalf of its customers to an unspecified charity that it was unable to identify. No employee or officer of the banks was disciplined.

Apart from FX, the Central Bank of Ireland discovered in 2004, following an anonymous tip-off, that AIB overcharged customers €8.6 million. No regulatory action was taken.

Deal allocation and associated issues
Between 1989 and 1996, funds of certain senior executives of AIB at the time and/or related parties were managed by Allied Irish Investment Managers Limited (now AIBIM) through a British Virgin Islands investment company, Faldor Ltd.

Faldor benefited from inappropriate favorable deal allocations, by way of artificial deals, amounting to approximately IR£38,000 (€48,000) out of AIBIM's own funds. Further inappropriate deal allocation practices relating to eight transactions in the period 1991 to 1993 were identified which adversely affected the performance of two specialist unit trusts, amounting to a total of £137,000 (€174,000), to the advantage of other clients. These were unrelated to Faldor. While the Internal Audit function of AIB did identify some inappropriate dealing practices in 1991 and 1993, there is no evidence that the Faldor account was identified in these audits. No disciplinary action was taken against individuals involved in these practices at the time and compensation was not paid to the unit trusts affected. When this episode of law breaking was exposed a disciplinary process was put in place within AIB and compensation has been paid to those who were disadvantaged. Tom Mulcahy, group chief executive of AIB from 1994 to June 2001, resigned the chairmanship of the board of Aer Lingus on 28 May 2004 following the disclosure of this matter.

Charles Haughey and the Moriarty Tribunal
In 2006, the Moriarty Tribunal published its report into the financial affairs of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey. Justice Moriarty found that AIB had settled a IR£1 million (€1.27 million) overdraft with Haughey on favourable terms for the politician shortly after he became Taoiseach in 1979; the tribunal found that the leniency shown by the bank in this case amounted to a benefit from the bank to Haughey. According to the report, the bank showed an extraordinary degree of deference to Haughey despite his financial excesses.

Cashless branches
On 19 July 2022, AIB announced that 70 of its 170 branches would become cashless due to "declining demand for these services" by October 2022. Under the plans, these branches would no longer provide cash or cheque services and ATMs would also be removed. The announcement was heavily criticised by GAA clubs, local councillors and AIB customers in rural areas. On 21 July, Government TDs sought an emergency meeting with Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe regarding the move. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said AIB should "reconsider and reflect on" its decision to remove cash facilities at 70 branches around the country.

The next day, on 22 July, the Minister for Social Protection, Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys called on AIB to halt the decision to go cashless at 70 branches, stating that rural communities across the country were "rightly angry" about the plan, accusing the bank of showing a "complete disregard" for rural communities. In the afternoon, AIB announced that it would not be proceeding with its plan to end cash services at 70 branches around the country following a backlash to the move from business groups, consumers, farming and rural organisations and politicians.

Sponsorships
During the late 1990s and early 2000s there were AIB Better Ireland Awards shown on RTE television.

AIB were one of the key sponsors of the 2006 Ryder Cup, which was held at The K Club in Straffan, County Kildare. In May of that year, the bank launched a €5 million advertising campaign for the tournament. AIB also sponsor an MSc course in Data Science at Technological University Dublin for a select few of their employees.

title: Allied Irish Banks


text:
Robert Hughes

Robert Hughes may refer to:

Entertainment

 * Robert Hughes (actor) (born 1948), Australian former actor
 * Robert Hughes (American composer) (1933–2022), San Francisco Bay Area composer
 * Robert Hughes (composer) (1912–2007), Scots-Australian composer
 * Robert Hughes (critic) (1938–2012), Australian art critic, writer and broadcaster
 * Robert Hughes (poet) (1744–1785), Welsh poet
 * Robert Alwyn Hughes (1935–2020), Welsh artist
 * Robert Ball Hughes (1804–1868), British-American sculptor
 * Robert Don Hughes (born 1949), American writer
 * Robert Earl Hughes (1926–1958), American one-time "World's Heaviest Human" according to the Guinness Book of Records
 * Robert F. Hughes, American television director
 * Robert Vincent Hughes, also known as Vincent (music producer)

Politics

 * Robert Hughes, Baron Hughes of Woodside (1932–2022), British Labour politician, MP for Aberdeen North
 * Robert Hughes (Conservative politician) (born 1951), British Conservative politician, MP for Harrow West
 * Robert H. Hughes (1925–2017), American politician in the Texas House of Representatives

Sports

 * Robert Hughes (American football) (born 1989), American football running back
 * Robert Hughes (basketball) (born 1928), all-time winningest high school boys basketball coach
 * Robert Hughes (cricketer) (born 1973), former English cricketer
 * Robert Hughes (darts player) (born 1966), Welsh darts player
 * Robert Hughes (footballer) (born 1986), of St Neots Town
 * Robert Hughes (swimmer) (1930–2012), American Olympic water polo player and swimmer
 * Judge Hughes (Robert E. Hughes, 1944–2013), American football player and college coach
 * Bob Hughes (athlete) (born 1947), British Olympic athlete

Other

 * Robert Hughes (conservationist) (1847–1935), New Zealand lawyer and conservationist
 * Robert Arthur Hughes (1910–1996), British medical missionary
 * Robert M. Hughes (1855–1940), American lawyer
 * Robert Patterson Hughes (1839–1909), American military commander
 * Robert Roland Hughes (1911–1991), British neurologist
 * Robert S. Hughes (died 1900), American, president of Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works
 * Robert William Hughes (1821–1901), American newspaperman, lawyer, and Virginia judge
 * Robert Hughes (Royal Navy officer, died 1729) (died 1729), British admiral

title: Robert Hughes


text:
Thruston Ballard Morton

Thruston Ballard Morton (August 19, 1907 – August 14, 1982) was an American politician. A Republican, Morton represented Kentucky in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Early life
Morton was born on August 19, 1907, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Dave Morton and his wife, Mary Ballard, descended from pioneer settlers of the area. He had a brother, Rogers Clark Ballard Morton, who also became a politician, and a sister, Jane, who survived him. He attended local public schools and the Woodberry Forest School, before he entered Yale University. He received a B.A. there in 1929.

Morton then worked in the family business, Ballard & Ballard Flour Milling, becoming its chairman of the board before the company was sold to the Pillsbury Company.

A lifelong Episcopalian, he married Belle Clay Lyons and was survived by their two sons, Clay Lyons Morton and Thruston Ballard Morton Jr., and five grandchildren.

His brother, Rogers Clark Ballard Morton, represented Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1963 through 1971. The Morton brothers served together in the U.S. Congress from 1963 to 1968, with Thruston as a U.S. Senator representing Kentucky and Rogers as a U.S. Representative representing Maryland. Both brothers also served as chair of the Republican National Committee.

Rogers Morton subsequently became U.S. Secretary of the Interior in the administration of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and then became U.S. Secretary of Commerce under Ford, before chairing Ford's re-election campaign in 1976.

U.S. House of Representatives
After naval service in World War II, Morton defeated the 12-year Democratic incumbent, Rep. Emmet O'Neal, in the 1946 election in his native Louisville area (Kentucky's 3rd congressional district), 61,899 votes to 44,599 votes. Having been re-elected in 1948 and 1950, Morton served three terms in the House, from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1953.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
Morton did not seek re-election in 1952. After leaving the House, Morton was appointed as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations in the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, garnering legislators' support for Eisenhower's foreign policy.

U.S. Senate
In 1956, Morton, by a very narrow margin, defeated the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Earle Clements from Kentucky, a former governor of Kentucky and then-minority whip in the U.S. Senate, by 506,903 votes to 499,922. Morton was re-elected to a second term in the U.S. Senate in 1962, defeating the Democratic lieutenant governor and former mayor of Louisville, Wilson W. Wyatt. Morton served from January 3, 1957, until his resignation, on December 16, 1968.

In the Senate, Morton was considered a moderate. He voted in favor of the Senate amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1957 on August 7, 1957, but did not vote on the House amendment to the bill on August 29, 1957. Morton voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960, 1964, and 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court. A compromise that Morton proposed to guarantee jury trials in all criminal contempt cases except for voting rights proved, with the assistance of Sens. Everett Dirksen from Illinois and Bourke Hickenlooper from Iowa, crucial in passing that Civil Rights Act.

Morton was the chair of the Republican National Committee from 1959 to 1961 and chaired the Republican National Convention of 1964.

When Morton retired, he surprised many, who considered him at the peak of his political power. However, he opposed the Vietnam War despite being criticized by Rep. William Cowger from Kentucky. Also, he was both depressed by the urban violence after the April 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and that of Robert F. Kennedy a few weeks later, and disappointed in his party's failure to address the broader social issues. He also ultimately counseled then-President Lyndon Johnson to decline to seek re-election, and he supported the unsuccessful presidential candidacy of Gov. Nelson Rockefeller of New York.

Morton is interviewed in the 1968 documentary film In the Year of the Pig, and another interview is available through the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library.

Consideration for 1960 Vice Presidential Nomination
Morton was among the last two candidates considered by Richard Nixon as a vice presidential running mate in 1960. As a midwesterner, however, he was considered to have a regional appeal where Nixon already figured to poll strongly and Nixon instead chose Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., of Massachusetts.

Later life
After his retirement from the U.S. Senate, Morton served as vice chairman of Liberty National Bank in Louisville, president of the American Horse Council, and chairman of the board of Churchill Downs, and he served as one of the directors of the University of Louisville, Pillsbury Company, Pittston Company, Louisville Board of Trade, Texas Gas Company, R.J. Reynolds Company, and the Ohio Valley Assembly.

Morton died after many years of declining health. His brother Rogers Morton had died three years previously, and his wife, Belle, survived him by more than a decade. He was interred at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

Legacy
His papers are held by Louisville's Filson Historical Society, which his grandfather had revitalized. The Kentucky Digital Library has a collection of his speeches.

title: Thruston Ballard Morton


text:
William Morton

William Morton may refer to:

Law and politics

 * William Morton (MP for Leicester) (fl. 1386–1388), MP for Leicester
 * William Morton (MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed) (fl. 1584–1593), MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed
 * William Morton (judge) (1605–1672), English judge and MP
 * William Morton (American politician) (fl. 1886–1888), mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
 * William Morton (Manitoba politician) (1884–1958), Canadian politician

Sports

 * William Morton (boxer), American boxer, see Boxing at the 1955 Pan American Games
 * William Morton (cricketer) (1961–2019), Scottish cricketer
 * William Morton (cyclist) (1880–1952), Canadian cyclist
 * William Morton (footballer), English footballer
 * Bill Morton (American football) (1909–1987), American college football player and American Express executive

Others

 * W. L. Morton (1908–1980), Canadian historian
 * William T. G. Morton (1819–1868), American dentist, the first to publicly use ether anesthesia
 * William Morton (tenor) (1912–1995), Canadian opera singer
 * William H. Morton (1877–1947), British locomotive engineer and General Manager of the Great Southern Railways of Ireland
 * William J. Morton (1845–1920), American physician
 * William Morton (priest) (born 1956), Dean of Derry
 * William Morton (theatre manager) (1839–1939), amusement caterer and theatre and cinema manager in England

title: William Morton


text:
Adam Rickitt

Adam Peter Rickitt (born 29 May 1978) is an English actor and singer. He portrayed the part of Nick Tilsley on the British soap opera Coronation Street from 1997 to 1999, and again from 2002 to 2004. He later joined the New Zealand soap Shortland Street for a three-year stint between 2007 and 2010. From 2017 to 2020, he appeared as Kyle Kelly on Channel 4's Hollyoaks. His other credits include the BBC's Doctors (2001; 2016; 2023).

Rickitt had a musical career, both as a solo artist and as a member of 5th Story, a supergroup formed for the ITV reality series The Big Reunion. Alone, he released Good Times (1999) through Polydor Records, an album that spawned the UK Top 25 singles "I Breathe Again", "Everything My Heart Desires", and "The Best Thing". He attempted to embark on a political career within the Conservative Party in 2005, but has since denounced the party's views.

Early life
Rickitt was born in Crewe, the youngest of four brothers who grew up in Cuddington, Eddisbury. His father was the co-owner of an estate agency. Rickitt was educated at Sedbergh School, a boarding school in Cumbria. Rickitt has spoken publicly about suffering from bulimia in his teenage years and about how male sufferers have largely been neglected.

1997–2004: Coronation Street and music career
Prior to his acting career, Rickitt was briefly a child model. He subsequently modelled for magazines including Attitude and Cosmopolitan. Rickitt auditioned for the ITV soap opera Coronation Street in 1997. He did it as a joke, having never watched an episode, and his agent said that he would not get it. However, he was cast in the role of Nick Tilsley and remained on the soap until 1999, returning briefly in 2002 and for a longer spell from 2003 to 2004. His most famous and controversial storyline was in 2003, when his character was involved in the series' first gay kiss with Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley).

Rickitt left Coronation Street in 1999 to start a music career. He signed a six-album deal with Polydor Records, although he only released one album - Good Times (1999). Rickitt's first single, "I Breathe Again", reached number five in the UK and was certified silver by BPI. The album peaked at number 41 on the UK Albums Chart. Rickitt was then dropped.

Rickitt starred as Mark Cohen in the 2001 UK tour of Rent, before moving to London's West End. He made a return to the London stage to star in Bill Kenwright's production of Office Games, followed by a new play, Final Judgement, and also appeared in Nick Moran's play Telstar on UK tour in 2005.

2005–2010: Political ventures and Shortland Street
In October 2005, Rickitt was approved as a prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party. He was asked into politics as a way of getting young people engaged in voting and admitted that he had no real intentions of progressing far. In February 2006, he appeared on the political debate show Question Time as the non-partisan guest. In May 2006, he was one of 100 would-be MPs chosen for the Conservative party A-list. The following month, he appeared on Sunday AM with Andrew Marr. He attended national and local Conservative party functions in the hope of being selected as a candidate.

Alongside David Cameron, he also provoked the anger of Sir Nicholas Winterton when it was revealed that Rickitt was being tipped to stand for the safe Conservative seat of Macclesfield, which the outraged Winterton had represented for over thirty years. Winterton responded that he had no intention of standing down from this seat: "I wish Adam luck, but there are no vacancies here." Rickitt was unsuccessful in progressing his political career. According to his website, in July 2007, he decided to continue his acting career in New Zealand rather than seek selection as a candidate.

In March 2006, he took part in the Channel 4 reality series The Games. He took part as a replacement, after the scheduled contestant, Goldie, had to pull out, following an accident. Rickitt himself sustained two black eyes after over-rotating off the diving board. In December 2006, Rickitt appeared in his first pantomime, Cinderella, in the role of Prince Charming at the Norwich Theatre Royal.

Rickitt joined the cast of the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street in early 2007, portraying the role of Kieran Mitchell, with his first appearance being shown on 16 March 2007. Rickitt was given the opportunity to have creative freedom with the character since his storylines had not been fully formed. The character was written out of the series in 2010, with Rickitt's final episode broadcast on 2 August 2010. His death episode saw high ratings for the soap. He had said that he preferred his role on Shortland Street to working on Coronation Street.

He returned to the political scene in October 2010 as a guest reporter for the ITV breakfast television programme Daybreak covering the Conservative Party Conference from Birmingham, and hosted a conference gay party. However, in 2014, Rickitt agreed with a comment that the world would be a better place without the conservative party.

2014–present: Doctors and Hollyoaks
In 2014, he became part of the supergroup 5th Story, who took part in the second series of The Big Reunion, alongside Kenzie from Blazin' Squad, Dane Bowers from Another Level, Kavana and Gareth Gates. Rickitt returned to the United Kingdom to continue his acting career, and in 2016, he made a guest appearance in an episode of the BBC medical soap opera Doctors.

He was then cast in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as regular character Kyle Kelly. He left the soap in June 2020 when his character took his own life. In June 2023, it was announced that Rickitt would be returning to Doctors. His episode aired in December 2023, where he portrayed Michael Harvey.

Personal life
In 1999, at a performance at The Prince's Trust Party in the Park, a member of the audience sprayed gas onto the stage when Rickitt was performing. Rickitt fainted after inhaling the substance and was taken to hospital. He has an autoimmune disorder called ankylosing spondylitis, which made Rickitt infertile, with a sperm count of two. The disease causes the spine's vertebrae to fuse together if they remain still for too long, so Rickitt exercises for two hours daily.

Rickitt married Good Morning Britain presenter Katy Fawcett in 2014. In 2019, the couple took over an artisan bottle shop called Dexter and Jones in the Cheshire town of Knutsford.

Rickitt worked for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as a capital appeals manager. He left in 2013 to begin working with the cancer charity Help Harry Help Others, and Chief Executive of the mental health foundation, the Caerus Partnership.

Legal issues
On 21 September 2007, Rickitt was arrested and charged with shoplifting a block of cheese, a bottle of HP sauce and a jar of coffee beans from an Auckland supermarket. During an interview with Herald on Sunday he claimed that it was an honest mistake though later claimed that he was drunk at the time of the incident.

In August 2020, Rickitt drove 600m whilst under the influence of alcohol to pick up a takeaway.

title: Adam Rickitt


text:
User:Ghe

So long as within our breasts The Jewish heart beats true So long as still toward the east To Zion looks the Jew

Our hopes are not yet lost Two thousand years we cherished them To live as a free people in our land Land of Zion and Jerusalem

title: User:Ghe


text:
Carl Gustaf Mosander

Carl Gustaf Mosander (10 September 1797 – 15 October 1858) was a Swedish chemist. He discovered the rare earth elements lanthanum, erbium and terbium.

Early life and education
Born in Kalmar, Mosander attended school there until he moved to Stockholm with his mother in 1809. In Stockholm, he became an apprentice at the Ugglan pharmacy. He took his pharmacy examination in 1817, but had an interest in medicine and joined the Karolinska Institute in 1820. He passed his medical examination in 1825. He worked in the laboratory of Jöns Jakob Berzelius and became a close friend of fellow student Friedrich Wöhler.

Career
In 1832 Jöns Jakob Berzelius retired in favor of Mosander, his student, who succeeded him as professor of chemistry and pharmacy in the Karolinska Institute. From 1845 Mosander was also a professor at and inspector for the Pharmaceutical Institute. Mosander was an assistant curator of the mineralogical collections of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, founded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1819. From 1825 he was the owner of a spa in Stockholm where people could go to drink the waters.

Mosander discovered lanthanum in 1838. This came from the Cerite-(Ce) from Bastnaes, Sweden, which at the time was the only abundant source for "Cerium", which had been discovered therein by Berzelius and Hisinger, and independently by Klaproth, in 1803. At that time, one of the two known components of the mineral ytterbite (later named gadolinite) was a white oxide called ceria. Mosander partially decomposed ceria by heating it and treating the resulting salt with dilute nitric acid. He was hesitant to report his results, both for fear of embarrassing his mentor Berzelius, by showing that his discovery cerium was not an element; and because he was uncertain that he himself had reduced cerium to all of its components. Berzelius eventually suggested the name "lanthan", for "hidden" for this new discovery.

By 1840, Mosander had separated cerium oxide into yellow cerium oxide, white lanthanum oxide and a pinkish third component which he called "didymium" meaning "twin". Didymium was accepted as an element for many years, appearing in Dmitri Mendeleev's periodic system as number 95, with the symbol Di. In 1874, Per Teodor Cleve predicted that didymium contained at least two elements. In 1879, Lecoq de Boisbaudran isolated samarium, while in 1885 Carl Auer von Welsbach separated the two remaining elements through repeated fractional crystallizations. Welsbach named them praseodidymium (green didymium) and neodidymium (new didymium). They came to be known as praseodymium and neodymium.

In 1843 Mosander discovered terbium and erbium as components of yttria. However, this discovery was hotly contested. Spectroscopist Nils Johan Berlin denied that two elements existed, failing to confirm the existence of "erbia" and suggesting that its name be applied to "terbia". In 1864, Marc Delafontaine used optical spectroscopy to conclusively prove that yttrium, terbium and erbium were separate elements. Ironically, however, the confusion that had been introduced between the names continued. Mosander's proposed names were switched, giving the amethyst compound the name "erbium" oxide and the yellow substance the name "terbium" oxide, instead of the other way around as originally proposed.

Mosander was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1833.

Personal life and final years
Mosander married Hulda Philippina Forsström on 20 December 1832. They had four children, two sets of twins.

Mosander suffered from cataracts in later life. He died in 1858, at his summer house on the island of Lovön, Stockholm County.

title: Carl Gustaf Mosander


text:
Đura Jakšić

Georgije "Đura" Jakšić (Георгије Ђура Јакшић; 27 July 1832 – 16 November 1878) was a Serbian poet, painter, writer, dramatist and bohemian.

Biography

Đura Jakšić was born as Georgije Jakšić in Srpska Crnja, Austrian Empire (present-day Serbia). His father was a Serbian Orthodox priest. Georgije's early education took place in Timișoara and Szeged. He lived for a time in Zrenjanin, where he began studying painting under Konstantin Danil. He later studied fine arts in Vienna and Munich but the revolution of 1848 interrupted his education, which he never finished. He took active part in the 1848 Revolution and was wounded while fighting in Srbobran. After the revolution he moved to Belgrade, Principality of Serbia, where he served as a schoolteacher, a lector in a state-owned printing office, and in various other jobs, although he was often unemployed. As a political liberal, he was persecuted by authorities. Jakšić died in 1878, having had taken part in the uprising against the Turks in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Jakšić is one of the most expressive representatives of Serbian Romanticism. According to Serbian literary critic Jovan Skerlić, Jakšiċ was influenced mainly by Sándor Petőfi, the great Hungarian poet of the 1848 Revolution, and Lord Byron's poetry depicting the Greek War of Independence.

Literary works
Đura Jakšić wrote about forty short stories and three full-length dramas in verse on historical themes:

 * Stanoje Glavaš (1878)
 * The Migration of the Serbs (Seoba Srbalja, 1864)
 * Elizabeth the Montenegrin Queen (Jelisaveta kneginja crnogorska, 1868) and the novel Warriors.

He also wrote poems, several of which are considered among the best of 19th-century Serbian poetry: Na Liparu (On the Lipar Hill), Put u Gornjak (The Road to Gornjak) and Mila, which is dedicated to his first love Mila, who he intended to marry but never found courage to tell her. He also drew sketches of Mila, one of which later became his famous painting "Devojka u Plavom" (The Girl in Blue). Other notable poems are Otadžbina (Fatherland), Veče (Evening) and Ponoć (Midnight). Jakšić published Pripovetke (Short Stories), which was released posthumously in two volumes on two occasions, 1882–1883 and 1902 in Belgrade. Through them he expressed his pessimism and bitterness about the harsh blows life and people had dealt him. A popular motif in Jakšić's work is the Battle of Kosovo, Kosovo myth, eagles and Serbian epic poetry.

Artistic opus
Jakšić painted around 200 paintings. The main influences on Jakšić were Rembrandt, Diego Velázquez and Peter Paul Rubens. Jakšić's work varies in quality, ranging from masterpieces to half-professional paintings. According to Novak Radonić, the biggest problem with his painting is the improper use of anatomy. His most praised picture is "The Lady in Blue", which was used for promotion during the reopening of the National Museum of Serbia.

The following paintings by Đura Jakšić are part of the collection of the National Museum in Belgrade:

 * Autoprotrait
 * Battle of Montenegris
 * Kosovo
 * Night Watch (Na straži)
 * Ubistvo Karađorđa (The Assassination of Karađorđe Petrović)
 * Strahinja Ban (Strahinja Banović)
 * Knez Lazar Hrebeljanović (Lazar of Serbia)
 * Girl in Blue (Devojka u plavom)
 * Portrait of director Ćirić
 * Car Dušan (Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia)
 * Knjaz Milan Obrenović IV
 * Nevesta Baja Pivljanina (The bride of Bajo Pivljanin)

Legacy

Đura Jakšić is included in The 100 most prominent Serbs. His house in Srpska Crnja is currently used as a Memorial Museum and for poetry performances.

Jakšić was one of the leaders of Serbian Romanticism and one of the country's greatest painters of that movement, together witk Novak Radonić. Although he wrote a number of loosely organized romantic plays, he is mostly known for his paintings and poetry. His poems include sonnets, lyrics, patriotic songs and full-scale epics. His favorite theme is nature and the patriotism.

The award for the best book of poetry in the Serbian language bears his name.

Jakšić was also a teacher and a professor; schools and colleges throughout Serbia bear his name. A number of anecdotes about Jakšić was published.

title: Đura Jakšić


text:
Robert Mosbacher

Robert Adam Mosbacher Sr. (March 11, 1927 – January 24, 2010) was an American businessman, accomplished yacht racer, and a Republican politician. A longtime friend and political ally of George H. W. Bush, Mosbacher served in Bush's Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce from 1989 to 1992.

Early life
Mosbacher was born in Mount Vernon, New York, to Gertrude (née Schwartz) and Emil Mosbacher. His grandparents were German Jewish immigrants. He had a sister, Barbara, and a brother, Emil Mosbacher Jr., a two-time America's Cup-winning yachtsman and former Presidential Chief of Protocol. Mosbacher had a colorful childhood, growing up around characters like George Gershwin, a friend of his father. After graduation from The Choate School, he went to Texas as a wildcatter. He befriended future president George H. W. Bush in Texas.

Sailing career
Sailing as a member of the Knickerbocker Yacht Club, Mosbacher led the team that won the Scoville Cup and the Midget Yacht championship for under-15 racers in 1940 on Long Island Sound. He went on to win the Southern Ocean Racing Conference championship in 1958 and the Mallory Cup, also in 1958. Mosbacher later appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, on May 18, 1959, with his brother Bus Mosbacher, for a feature article titled Kings of the Class-Boat Sailors.

Mosbacher won the silver medal in World Championships Dragon class in 1967 in Toronto. In 1969, he won the gold medal in World Championships Dragon class at Palma de Mallorca by one point. As of 2010, he was still only one of two Americans to have ever won the World Championships in the Dragon class.

He won the gold medal in World Championships Soling class in 1971 in Oyster Bay, NY, on a boat named "Adlez" built by Abbott with rigging from Melges. He lost to Buddy Melges in the 1972 Olympic Trials (Soling class) in San Francisco Bay. Buddy Melges went on to win the Gold Medal in the Soling Class at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Germany. Mosbacher won the bronze medal in World Championships 5.5 metre class in 1985 at Newport Beach. In 1988, he won the Scandinavian Gold Cup for 5.5 metre yachts.

He was described in Stuart H. Walker's book Advanced Racing Tactics as a keenly competitive racer "unwilling to settle for second".

Mosbacher participated in a semi-final match race against Ted Turner in the Mallory Cup in 1960. On the final windward leg, Mosbacher was slightly ahead. Ted Turner attempted to force Mosbacher into a mistake by executing a grueling tacking duel. The windward leg involved fifty-two tacks. In the end, Mosbacher won by five seconds.

Political career

Mosbacher was the finance chairman of Gerald Ford's failed election bid in 1976. He also lost his own race for delegate to the 1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, to a slate backing Ronald Reagan, Ford's rival for the party nomination. Mosbacher, running in the then 7th congressional district, lost to State Senator Walter Mengden of Houston, 39,276 to 26,344 votes.

Earlier, Mosbacher in 1970 headed the fund-raising effort for George H. W. Bush in his losing Senate campaign against Lloyd M. Bentsen and again in Bush's presidential campaigns in 1980 and 1988.

As U.S. Secretary of Commerce, he was the principal Cabinet official responsible for initiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He was a strong proponent of the agreement, which created the largest unified market in the world. The agreement was not signed into law in the U.S. until December 8, 1993, during the administration of President Bill Clinton. The agreement went into effect on January 1, 1994.

Mosbacher was a member of President Reagan's Task Force on Private Sector Initiatives 1981–83 and vice chairman of the board of trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He then became Secretary of Commerce in 1989 after he directed the George H. W. Bush 1988 Presidential Election Campaign. He also served as a director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In 2008, he was the general chairman of John McCain's bid for the White House.

Business interests
Mosbacher was a charter member and past chairman of the All American Wildcatters Association and served on the board of directors and executive committee of the American Petroleum Institute. He was a former director of Texas Commerce Bank and also of New York Life Insurance Company. Mosbacher was a former president of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen and a former chairman of the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association.

In 1989, Mosbacher received an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Houston. He was trustee emeritus of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies and president of the board of Odyssey Academy, a public charter school located in Galveston, Texas.

Mosbacher Institute
The Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy was founded in October 2009 upon the request of President George H.W. Bush to honor Mosbacher.

Family and personal life
Mosbacher's brother was Emil "Bus" Mosbacher Jr., who successfully defended the America's Cup as skipper of the Weatherly in 1962 and again in 1967 as skipper of the Intrepid.

Mosbacher was married four times:
 * In 1946, he married Jane Pennybacker. Born Jewish, Mosbacher converted to Pennybacker's Presbyterian religion. They had four children: Diane "Dee" Mosbacher, Robert Mosbacher Jr., Kathryn Mosbacher, and Lisa Mosbacher Mears. The marriage ended upon his wife's death from leukemia in 1970.
 * His marriage to Sandra Smith Gerry ended in divorce in 1982.
 * In 1985, he married Georgette Paulsin, herself twice previously married. They divorced in 1998.
 * His last marriage of 10 years to Michele "Mica" Mosbacher (Mica McCutchen Duncan) ended with his death.

Mosbacher's eldest daughter Diane "Dee" Mosbacher is a psychiatrist and lesbian activist. In 1992, Robert Mosbacher Sr. was the first Republican Campaign Chair to meet with leaders from the National Lesbian Gay Task Force. His son, Robert Mosbacher Jr., is a businessman, public servant, and a former Republican politician.

Death
On January 24, 2010, Mosbacher died of pancreatic cancer at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center at the age of 82. He was buried at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

title: Robert Mosbacher