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Ehud Olmert

Ehud Olmert (אֶהוּד אוֹלְמֶרְט, ; born 30 September 1945) is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009 and before that as a cabinet minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006. Between his first and second stints as a cabinet member, he served as mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003. After serving as prime minister, he was sentenced to serve a prison term over convictions for accepting bribes and for obstruction of justice during his terms as mayor of Jerusalem and as trade minister.

Biography
Ehud Olmert was born near Binyamina in the British Mandate of Palestine. According to Olmert, his parents, Bella (Wagman) and Mordechai Olmert, escaped "persecution in Ukraine and Russia, and found sanctuary in Harbin, China. They immigrated to Israel to fulfill their dream of building a Jewish and democratic state living in peace in the land of our ancestors." His father later became a member of the Knesset for Herut. Olmert's childhood included membership in the Beitar Youth Organization and dealing with the fact that his parents were often blacklisted and alienated due to their affiliation with the Jewish militia group the Irgun. They were also part of Herut, the opposition to the long-ruling Mapai party. However, by the 1970s, this was proving less detrimental to one's career than during the 1950s.

Olmert graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with degrees in psychology, philosophy and law. He opened a successful law partnership in Jerusalem. Olmert served with the Israel Defense Forces in the Golani Brigade. While in service he was injured and temporarily released. He underwent many treatments, and later completed his military duties as a journalist for the IDF magazine BaMahane. During the Yom Kippur War, he joined the headquarters of Ariel Sharon as a military correspondent. Already a member of the Knesset, he decided to go through an officer's course in 1980 at the age of 35.

Olmert is married to Aliza, an author, playwright and artist. The couple has four biological children and an adopted daughter. The oldest daughter, Michal, holds a master's in psychology and leads workshops in creative thinking. Another daughter Dana is a lecturer in literature at the Tel Aviv University, and the editor of a literature series. She is a lesbian and lives with her partner in Tel Aviv. Her parents are accepting of her sexual orientation and partner. Dana is active in the Jerusalem branch of the Israeli human rights organization Machsom Watch. In June 2006 she attended a march in Tel Aviv protesting alleged Israeli complicity in the Gaza beach blast, which made her the subject of bitter criticism from right-wing personalities.

Olmert's father Mordechai, a pioneer of Israel's land settlement and a former member of the Second and Third Knessets, grew up in the Chinese city of Harbin, where he led the local Betar youth movement. Olmert's grandfather J. J. Olmert settled in Harbin after fleeing post-World War I Russia. In 2004, Olmert visited China and paid his respects at the tomb of his grandfather in Harbin. Olmert said that his father had never forgotten his Chinese hometown after moving to what was then the British Mandate of Palestine, in 1933, at the age of 22. "When he died at the age of 88, he spoke his last words in Mandarin Chinese", he recalled.

In October 2007, Olmert was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Member of Knesset and Minister
In 1966, during the Gahal party convention (a predecessor to today's Likud), party leader Menachem Begin was challenged by the young Olmert, who called for his resignation. Begin announced that he would retire from party leadership, but soon reversed his decision when the crowd emotionally pleaded with him to stay. Olmert was first elected to the Knesset in 1973 at the age of 28, and was re-elected seven consecutive times. Between 1981 and 1989, he served as a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and served on the Finance, Education and Defense Budget Committees. He served as minister without portfolio, responsible for minority affairs between 1988 and 1990, and as minister of health from 1990 until 1992. Following Likud's defeat in the 1992 election, instead of remaining a Knesset member in the opposition, he successfully ran for mayor of Jerusalem in November 1993.

Mayor of Jerusalem
Between 1993 and 2003, Olmert served two terms as mayor of Jerusalem, the first member of Likud or its precursors to hold the position. During his term in office, he devoted himself to the initiation and advancement of major projects in the city, the development and improvement of the education system, and the development of road infrastructure. He also spearheaded the development of the light rail system in Jerusalem, and the investment of millions of shekels in the development of mass transportation options for the city.

While mayor of Jerusalem, Olmert was an invited speaker at an international conflict resolution conference held in Derry, Northern Ireland. In his address, he spoke of how "Political leaders can help change the psychological climate which affects the quality of relationships among people." His speech concluded with reflections on the importance of political process in overcoming differences: "How are fears born? They are born because of differences in tradition and history; they are born because of differences in emotional, political and national circumstances. Because of such differences, people fear they cannot live together. If we are to overcome such fear, a credible and healthy political process must be carefully and painfully developed. A political process that does not aim to change the other or to overcome differences, but that allows each side to live peacefully in spite of their differences."

Olmert ran unsuccessfully in the September 1999 Likud leadership election.

Deputy prime minister
Olmert was elected as a member of the sixteenth Knesset in January 2003. He served as the head of the election campaign for Likud in the elections, and subsequently was the chief negotiator of the coalition agreement. Following the elections he was appointed as Designated Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor. From 2003 to 2004, he also served as Minister of Communications.

On 7 August 2005, Olmert was appointed acting finance minister, replacing Benjamin Netanyahu, who had resigned in protest against the planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Olmert, who had originally opposed withdrawing from land captured in the Six-Day War, and who had voted against the Camp David Peace Accords in 1978, was a vocal supporter of the Gaza pullout. After his appointment, Olmert said:"I voted against Menachem Begin, I told him it was a historic mistake, how dangerous it would be, and so on and so on. Now I am sorry he is not alive for me to be able to publicly recognize his wisdom and my mistake. He was right and I was wrong. Thank God we pulled out of the Sinai." When Sharon announced he was leaving Likud to form a new party, Kadima, Olmert was one of the first to join him.

Acting prime minister
On 4 January 2006, as the designated Acting Prime Minister, Olmert became Acting Prime Minister as a result of the serious stroke suffered by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. This occurred after consultations took place between Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon and Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, who declared Sharon "temporarily incapable to carry out the duties of his office", while only officially in office. Then, Olmert and the cabinet reaffirmed in an announcement that the 28 March elections would be held as scheduled. During the days following the stroke, Olmert met with Shimon Peres and other Sharon supporters to try to convince them to stay with Kadima, rather than return to Likud or, in Peres' case, Labor. On 16 January 2006, Olmert was elected chairman of Kadima, and Kadima's candidate for prime minister in the upcoming election. In his first major policy address on 24 January 2006 after becoming caretaker prime minister, Olmert stated that he backed the creation of a Palestinian state, and that Israel would have to relinquish parts of the West Bank to maintain its Jewish majority. At the same time, he said, "We firmly stand by the historic right of the people of Israel to the entire Land of Israel." In a number of interviews, he also introduced his Realignment plan, which would see Israel unilaterally withdraw from most of the West Bank and redraw its borders to incorporate major settlement blocs into Israel. The plan was shelved following the 2006 Lebanon War.

Following the March 2006 election, Kadima won 29 seats, making it the largest party. On 6 April, Olmert was officially asked by President Moshe Katsav to form a government. Olmert had an initial period of 28 days to form a governing coalition, with a possible two-week extension. On 11 April, the Israeli Cabinet deemed that Sharon was incapacitated. The 100-day replacement deadline was extended due to the Jewish festival of Passover, and a provision was made that, should Sharon's condition improve between 11 and 14 April, the declaration would not take effect. Therefore, the official declaration took effect on 14 April, formally ending Sharon's term as prime minister and making Olmert the country's new Interim Prime Minister in office (he would not become the official prime minister until he formed a government).

Prime minister of Israel
On 4 May 2006, Olmert presented his new government to the Knesset. Olmert became prime minister and minister for welfare. Control over the Welfare Ministry was expected to be given to United Torah Judaism if it would join the government. The post was later given to Labor's Isaac Herzog. Olmert took over as acting prime minister of Israel after Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke.

On 24 May 2006, Olmert was invited to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. He stated that his government would proceed with the disengagement plan if it could not come to agreement with the Palestinians. Olmert was the third Israeli prime minister to have been invited to speak at a joint session of Congress.

Following the 2006 Lebanon War, Olmert's popularity ratings fell and, on 15 September 2006, former chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon publicly stated that Olmert should resign. In May 2007, Olmert's approval rating fell to 3%, and he became the subject of a Google Bomb for the Hebrew for "miserable failure".

On 9 December 2006, Olmert stated that he could not rule out the possibility of a military attack against Iran, and called for the international community to step up action against that country. He called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated threats to destroy Israel "absolutely criminal", and said that he expected "more dramatic steps to be taken". In an interview with German TV network Sat.1 on 11 December 2006, Olmert included Israel in a list of nuclear powers, saying: "Iran, openly, explicitly and publicly, threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Can you say that this is the same level, when they are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel and Russia?" He immediately attempted to backtrack, insisting that Israel's doggedly held position of nuclear weapons ambiguity had not changed. He nonetheless came under harsh criticism from both ends of the Israeli political spectrum due to the perceived threat to Israel's policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear status. On 2 May 2007, the Winograd Commission accused Olmert of failing to properly manage the 2006 Lebanese War, which prompted a mass rally of over 100,000 people calling for his resignation.

Olmert welcomed the Arab League's 2007 re-endorsement of the Arab Peace Initiative. Olmert wrote in The Guardian newspaper that Israel was ready to make "painful concessions" to achieve peace with the Palestinians. "'I take the offer of full normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world seriously; and I am ready to discuss the Arab peace initiative in an open and sincere manner. Working with our Jordanian and Egyptian partners, and hopefully other Arab states, we must pursue a comprehensive peace with energy and vision.... But the talks must be a discussion, not an ultimatum.'" On 4 November 2007, he declared Israel's intention to negotiate with the Palestinians about all issues, stating, "Annapolis will be the jumping-off point for continued serious and in-depth negotiations, which will not avoid any issue or ignore any division that has clouded our relations with the Palestinian people for many years." On 29 November 2007, he warned of the end of Israel in case a two-state solution is not eventually found for the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. "If the day comes when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights (also for the Palestinians in the territories), then, as soon as that happens, the State of Israel is finished", Olmert said on the last day of the Annapolis Conference. "The Jewish organizations, which were our power base in America, will be the first to come out against us", Olmert said, "because they will say they cannot support a state that does not support democracy and equal voting rights for all its residents".

During the talks, Olmert agreed that Israel would share Jerusalem as the joint capital of Israel and a Palestinian state and hand over its holy sites to a multinational committee, land swaps that would allow Israel to keep its major settlement blocs in the West Bank, the construction of a tunnel connecting the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and a demilitarized Palestinian state with an American-led international security force stationed on the Palestinian–Jordanian border. Both sides disagreed over how much land would be exchanged in the swaps, with Olmert demanding at least 6.3–6.8% of the West Bank and Abbas insisting a swap would not exceed 1.9%. In his memoirs, Olmert wrote that he agreed Israel would generously compensate the remaining refugees. Olmert later stated that U.S. President George W. Bush offered to accept another 100,000 refugees as American citizens if a peace agreement was signed. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrote in her memoirs that the Palestinians demanded they be allowed to negotiate additional "returns" to Israel following the peace deal, insisting that the right of return was a matter of individual choice that would ultimately have to apply to every refugee. In his memoirs, Olmert claimed that he and Abbas were very close to an agreement, but Abbas' hesitation, Olmert's legal troubles, and the Gaza War caused the talks to end. President Bush wrote in his memoirs that the talks broke down when Olmert announced that he would resign from office, and Abbas then broke off the talks and refused to finalize an agreement on the grounds that he did not want to sign a peace deal with a prime minister on his way out of office.

During at least two meetings, Olmert made a secret promise to Abbas: Once a prisoner exchange deal for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was finalized with Hamas, Israel would bolster Abbas' government by releasing Fatah prisoners. After a prisoner exchange deal was agreed upon in 2011 under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Olmert's successor, Palestinian officials demanded that Netanyahu live up to Olmert's promise and release Fatah prisoners.

On 6 September 2007, Israel launched Operation Orchard, an airstrike against a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria, allegedly being built with North Korean and Iranian assistance. The strike was preceded by years of covert operations by Israeli special forces and the Mossad. Details of the strike were censored in Israel, and the attack was not confirmed to have taken place until 2 October. Following the attack, Olmert's approval rating rose to 35%.

President Bush wrote in his memoirs that Olmert had first asked him to bomb the facility, but ordered the attack after Bush refused and told him that he would prefer diplomatic action and sanctions. Following the strike, Bush claimed to have suggested to Olmert to hide the strike for a while and then make it public as a way to isolate the Syrian government, but Olmert asked for total secrecy, wanting to avoid anything that could force Syria to retaliate. However, Israeli columnist Caroline Glick wrote that Israel had bowed to US demands in concealing the airstrike.

In May 2008, Israel opened Turkish-brokered indirect peace talks with Syria. Olmert stated that the resumption of peace talks with Syria was a national obligation that must be tried. However, Syria broke off the talks several months later in response to the Gaza War.

Rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian terrorists from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Israel occurred frequently throughout the spring and summer of 2008, until a ceasefire was agreed between Hamas and Israel in June. Rocket attacks increased sharply in November after an Israeli raid on an Hamas-built smuggling tunnel. The ceasefire expired in December 2008 and negotiations stalled between the two parties to renew the ceasefire. On 24 December, the Negev was hit by more than 60 mortar shells and Katyusha and Qassam rockets, and the IDF was given a green light to operate. Hamas claimed to have fired a total of 87 rockets and mortar rounds that day at Israel, code-naming the firing "Operation Oil Stain".

On 25 December 2008, Olmert delivered a "last minute" warning to Gaza in direct appeal to Gaza's people via the Arabic language satellite channel al-Arabiya, to pressure their leaders to stop the rocket barrages. "I am telling them now, it may be the last minute, I'm telling them stop it. We are stronger", he said. The attacks did not stop and Israel launched its military operation, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, on the morning of 27 December, when more than 50 fighter jets and attack helicopters began to bomb strategic targets. Air and naval strikes continued for days, when on 3 January 2009 the IDF began a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. The fighting lasted 22 days until a ceasefire came into effect. Israel subsequently withdrew from Gaza.

On 1 February 2009, Olmert stated: We've said that if there is rocket fire against the south of the country, there will be a severe and disproportionate Israeli response to the fire on the citizens of Israel and its security forces.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution on 8 January 2009 calling for an immediate ceasefire to the hostilities in the Gaza Strip. It passed 14–0–1, with one abstention from the United States. Olmert told reporters, "[U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice] was left shamed. A resolution that she prepared and arranged, and in the end she did not vote in favor. In the night between Thursday and Friday, when the Secretary of State wanted to lead the vote on a ceasefire at the Security Council, we did not want her to vote in favor. I said 'get me President Bush on the phone'. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn't care. 'I need to talk to him now'. He got off the podium and spoke to me. I told him the United States could not vote in favor. It cannot vote in favor of such a resolution. He immediately called the Secretary of State and told her not to vote in favor." When asked about the comments, a White House spokesman said that Olmert's version of events was "inaccurate".

The war ended on 18 January 2009. A day before, Israeli officials announced a unilateral ceasefire, without an agreement with Hamas. In a press conference, Olmert declared the ceasefire effective that night, at 00:00 GMT.

Resignation
On 30 July 2008, Olmert announced that he would not contest the Kadima party leadership election in September and would resign from office once his party elects a new leader. In his resignation speech, he said he was "proud to be a citizen of a country in which a Prime Minister can be investigated like any other citizen", but also stated he "was forced to defend [himself] from ceaseless attacks by the self-appointed soldiers of justice, who sought to oust [him] from [his] position". The move was interpreted as signaling the end of Olmert's political career.

Many politicians across the political spectrum praised Olmert's decision to resign. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said "the personal decision was not simple, but it was a correct one. Kadima must continue to act in a way that will preserve its unity and ability to lead." Defense minister and Labor party leader Ehud Barak called Olmert's announcement "a proper and responsible decision made at the right time". Opposition leaders called for the resignation to be followed by general elections. The Likud party leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, called for snap elections: "It doesn't matter who heads Kadima. They are all partners in this government's total failure. National responsibility requires a return to the people and new elections."

After Tzipi Livni won the leadership election, Olmert officially resigned but remained prime minister, according to the dictates of the law. Even after an official resignation, he remained in power until a new prime minister was sworn in, in order to prevent a government void. Livni tried unsuccessfully to form a new coalition government. After Livni announced she could not form the new government, new parliamentary elections were set for 10 February 2009, and Olmert remained in power until after the elections, just as the law dictates.

Corruption and bribery investigations
Beginning in the mid-1980s, Olmert was subjected to a string of corruption allegations that resulted in multiple police investigations. According to Israeli journalist Yossi Melman, the repeated investigations led some to believe that Olmert was corrupt but a master at covering his tracks, while others believed that the authorities were simply obsessed with harassing him.

On 7 March 2006, it was disclosed that an inquiry was being carried out on the 1999 sale and lease-back of a Jerusalem property purchased by Olmert in 2004, which allegedly was done on financial terms very favorable to Olmert, in what would amount to an illegal campaign contribution and/or bribe. Olmert was alleged to have paid $325,000 below market value. A criminal investigation regarding the matter was formally launched on 24 September 2007. The investigation closed in August 2009 due to lack of evidence.

On 16 January 2007, a criminal investigation was initiated against Olmert on suspicion that during his tenure as finance minister, he tried to steer the tender for the sale of Bank Leumi in order to help Slovak-born Australian real estate baron Frank Lowy, a close personal associate. Israeli Finance Ministry Accountant General Dr. Yaron Zelekha was as a key witness, according to the State Comptroller's office. The state comptroller testified against Olmert. Israeli Police who investigated the case eventually concluded that the evidence that was collected was insufficient for indictment, and no recommendations were made to press charges. In October 2007, he was questioned for five hours by three officers from the National Fraud Investigations Unit in his Jerusalem residence. State Prosecutor Moshe Lador closed the case in December 2008 due to lack of evidence.

In April 2007, it was further alleged that while Olmert was Minister of Trade, Industry and Labor, he may have been guilty of criminal behavior by taking an active part in an investment center. Prosecutors said that Olmert placed himself in a conflict of interest by personally dealing with issues involving business figures represented by his friend and former business partner, lawyer Uri Messer. Olmert was alleged to have changed some decisions made by his ministry in their favor. During a parliamentary inquest in July 2007, Olmert flatly denied these accusations.

In October 2007, Attorney General Mazuz ordered a police investigation into allegations that Olmert, when he held the positions of trade minister, communications minister and finance minister, had improperly appointed associates from the Likud party to posts on government bodies. Police completed their investigation in 2009, and concluded that there was a basis to indict Olmert and others for fraud and breach of trust.

In July 2008, Haaretz reported that in 1992, Olmert took a loan from U.S. businessman Joe Almaliah but never repaid it and concealed the size of the loan from the State Comptroller. In March 2003, State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg asked Olmert to submit the wealth-declaration statement required of all cabinet ministers. Olmert disclosed that he had taken a loan from Almaliah, but did not say when it was due. In 2004, Olmert conceded that he had taken $75,000, and stressed that Almaliah had not asked for repayment of the loan. At Goldberg's insistence, Olmert signed a contract with Almaliah undertaking to repay the loan in January 2009. According to an indictment, Olmert had actually taken another $100,000 from Almaliah, which was deposited into his personal bank account. The State Prosecutor's office said that it was not aware of Olmert's repayment of either loan.

Bribery investigation
In May 2008, Olmert was the subject of another police investigation on allegations of bribery. Olmert said that he took campaign contributions from Jewish-American businessman Morris Talansky when he was running for mayor of Jerusalem, leadership of the Likud and candidacy in the Likud list for the Knesset. It was alleged that Olmert unlawfully received millions of shekels in illegal campaign funding from Talansky over a 15-year period. Olmert resisted calls to resign, and stated: "I never took bribes, I never took a penny for myself. I was elected by you, citizens of Israel, to be the Prime Minister and I don't intend to shirk this responsibility. If Attorney General Meni Mazuz, decides to file an indictment, I will resign from my position, even though the law does not oblige me to do so." On 2 May, head of the National Fraud Investigations Unit Brigadier-General Shlomi Ayalon and two investigators questioned Olmert for 90 minutes in his Jerusalem residence. On 23 May, National Fraud Investigations Unit officers interrogated Olmert for an hour in his Jerusalem residence. On 27 May, Talansky testified in court that over the last 15 years he gave Olmert more than $150,000 in cash in envelopes to fund political campaigns, and hinted that Olmert also used the money for fine hotels, cigars, pens and watches. On 6 September 2008, the Israel Police recommended that criminal charges should be brought against Olmert. In their indictment, prosecutors claimed that Olmert had received some $600,000 from Talansky in either cash or bank transfers, and that $350,000 of this was held in a "secret cache" managed by Olmert's close associate Uri Messer. The prosecution also claimed that Olmert used his official capacity as minister of trade and industry to facilitate introductions with hotel managers for Talansky, a partner in a firm providing mini-bars for hotels. It was alleged that Olmert sometimes used official letterheads. The charge sheet said that Olmert was aware he was in an "acute conflict of interest".

On 26 November 2008, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz informed Olmert that he would be indicted in the so-called "Rishon Tours" affair, pending a hearing before Mazuz. The scheme allegedly worked as follows: Olmert would speak abroad on behalf of groups such as the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, a support group for the Israel Defense Forces or a charity for mentally disabled Israeli children. Rishon Tours then billed each group for the same trip as if they alone were paying, and placed the money in a special bank account allegedly for Olmert's personal use. Prosecutors charged that Olmert had gained $92,164.

On 1 March 2009, Attorney General Mazuz announced that he would file an indictment against him in what is known as the "cash envelopes" affair, pending a hearing before the attorney general.

In 2010, the National Fraud Investigations Unit accused Olmert of involvement in the "Holyland Affair", where officials took bribes in exchange for promoting real estate projects, especially the Holyland real estate development project in southwest Jerusalem, which was allowed to grow 1,200% beyond the limit authorized. As Mayor of Jerusalem, Olmert allegedly took thousands of shekels in bribe money from businessmen, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders.

Indictments, trials and criminal convictions
On 30 August 2009, an indictment against Olmert was served at the Jerusalem District Court. The indictment includes the following counts: obtaining by fraud under aggravating circumstances, fraud, breach of trust, falsifying corporate documents, and tax evasion. The indictment refers to three out of the four corruption-related cases standing against him: "Rishon Tours", "Talansky" (also known as the "money envelopes" affair), and the "Investment Center". This was the first indictment of someone who has ever held the office of Israeli Prime Minister. On 25 September 2009, Olmert's trial opened. The court began hearing testimonies on 22 February 2010, with three discussions per week. The prosecution began arguing its case at the beginning of the trial, and the prosecution phase ended on 30 March 2011. The defense phase began on 31 May, and they began with Olmert testifying in his own defense. On 30 June, the prosecution began a cross-examination on the various charges.

In January 2012, Olmert was indicted for taking bribes over the Holyland affair. The indictment was filed in the Tel Aviv District Court. After Olmert began accusing his secretary, Shula Zaken, of committing the crimes he was charged with, Zaken began negotiating a plea bargain with prosecutors. In late March 2014, prosecutors signed a plea bargain with Zaken, under which she would plead guilty, and prosecutors would not request a prison term longer than 11 months. As part of the plea bargain, Zaken agreed to provide evidence and testify against Olmert as a state's witness.

On 10 July 2012, Olmert was convicted on one count of breach of trust over the investment center case, but exonerated over the Talansky and Rishon Tours affairs. In September 2012, he was given a one-year suspended sentence and a fine of ₪75,000 ($21,000).

On 31 March 2014, five years to the day after he was replaced by Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister, Olmert was convicted of two counts of bribery over the Holyland affair by Tel Aviv District Court Judge David Rosen, who ruled that he had accepted ₪560,000 ($160,000) while serving as mayor of Jerusalem, and had lied about it in court. He was acquitted on two other corruption charges. Olmert and eight other defendants, including former Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski and former Bank Hapoalim chairman Dan Dankner, were convicted of accepting bribes in exchange for helping land developers receive municipality licenses for the Holyland Park residential project in the city.

Olmert's sentencing hearing began on 28 April 2014. On 13 May 2014, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison and fined ₪1.5 million ($430,000). He was ordered to report to prison on 1 September to begin serving his sentence.

In addition to the Holyland affair, Zaken provided new evidence against Olmert in the Talansky and Rishon tours affairs. Olmert and his lawyers were subsequently questioned by police on suspicion of obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Following an investigation, police announced that there was sufficient evidence to indict Olmert for obstruction of justice. On 7 August 2014, following Zaken's testimony, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered a retrial of Olmert in the Talansky case.

In September 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that Olmert could stay out of prison pending an appeal. Oral arguments would have to take place within three months, but together with the delay in the final verdict he could potentially stay out of prison for over a year. He began serving a 19-months sentence on 15 February 2016 in Maasiyahu Prison.

In December 2014, Zaken again provided new evidence, revealing that Olmert had offered her $10,000 for every month she would serve in jail for taking the blame in the Holyland case, to be paid in a foreign bank account. In one of the eight recordings revealed, Olmert can also be heard talking about buying Sheldon Adelson's, a Jewish-American billionaire's, testimony, and how he told U.S. President George W. Bush about Olmert's traitorship: "Adelson – this dog, son of a dog – went to President Bush and said that I’m a traitor. Bush told me."

In March 2015, Olmert was convicted in Jerusalem District Court of fraud, breach of trust, and tax evasion in his retrial on corruption charges over the Talansky case. The judges ruled that he had taken bribes and used the funds for personal reasons without reporting it. Sentencing was set for May, and his lawyers advised he would appeal.

Olmert was sentenced to eight months in prison in connection with the Talansky case on 25 May 2015, as well as fined ₪100,000 ($25,000) and given an additional suspended sentence of eight months. The prison sentence was stayed for 45 days to allow Olmert's legal team time to appeal the ruling. The verdict acknowledged Olmert's public service, and he was given a weaker sentence than prosecutors sought. Olmert filed an appeal of his conviction to the Supreme Court of Israel in July 2015; the court agreed that Olmert's sentence would be suspended until after the outcome of the appeal.

Olmert eventually served 16 months of a 27-month prison sentence before being released on parole in early July 2017.

2009–2019
In 2009, Olmert spoke at various colleges throughout the United States to mixed receptions. In October 2009, he visited Magnolia, Arkansas, and spoke about Israeli farming, technology and Israel's view on Iran. The speech was given at Southern Arkansas University, where he also invited the rural university to form a partnership with Israel's Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In 2012, Olmert expressed opposition to a military strike on Iran. In July 2019, he canceled a visit to Switzerland after being notified that he would face questioning for his role in Operation Cast Lead. In 2021 Israeli legislative election and 2022 Israeli legislative election, he voiced support for the Israeli Labor Party. He also became a Haaretz columnist, together with fellow politicans, former Meretz leader Zehava Galon and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

title: Ehud Olmert


text: Wikipedia:Short pages

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title: Wikipedia:Short pages


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Decommissioned highway

A decommissioned highway is a highway that has been removed from service by being shut down, or has had its authorization as a national, provincial or state highway removed, the latter also referred to as downloading. Decommissioning can include the complete or partial demolition or abandonment of an old highway structure because the old roadway has lost its utility, but such is not always the norm. Where the old highway has continuing value, it likely remains as a local road offering access to properties denied access to the new road or for use by slow vehicles such as farm equipment and horse-drawn vehicles denied use of the newer highway.

Decommissioning can also include the removal of one or more of the multiple designations of a single segment of highway. As an example, what remains as U.S. Route 60 (US 60) between Wickenburg, Arizona, and Phoenix, Arizona, carried the routes of three US Highways (US 60, US 70, US 89) and one state highway (Arizona State Route 93). Since then, US 60 was diverted to other routes.

United States
Decommissioned highways are common in the United States. Even in the early years of the United States Numbered Highway System, some highways had short lives as US Highways especially if they were themselves short routes, such as the early US 110 in Wisconsin. Indeed, the fourteen shortest U.S. Numbered Highways that have ever existed were stripped of "US" status in 1982 or earlier. Extensions of US Routes have implied the elimination of earlier designations; for example, US 6, which originally went no farther west than the Hudson River in New York, was extended to Long Beach, California over routes that included an old Indiana State Road 6, most of an old US 32 between Chicago and Omaha, all of US 38 between Omaha and Denver, and an old California State Route 7 mostly in the Mojave Desert. US 6 was itself pared back to Bishop, California, in the Great Renumbering of California in 1964.

As the states build freeways as a new classification of highways, the state may strip the old highway of its old designation as a numbered highway or downgrade it to a lesser status. For example, US 66, which connected Los Angeles and Chicago from 1926 until 1985, lost its designation as a U.S. Highway in favor of faster, more direct Interstate Highways which had supplanted it. Some highways may be partly decommissioned, such as two segments of M-21 in Michigan from Holland to Grand Rapids as Interstate 196 and between Flint and the Canadian border at the Blue Water Bridge as Interstate 69 (I-69) supplanted much of it and M-21 remained in existence between Grand Rapids and Flint. US 33 in Lancaster, Ohio, was signed as US 33 Business following relocation of US 33 and construction to Interstate Highway standards. Other highways have been wholly decommissioned in favor of newer Interstates, as was the case with Texas State Highway 9. However, the reverse can also be done, such as I-170 in Baltimore being removed in favor of US 40 (which was previously routed on parallel-running one-way streets) because its parent route (I-70) had been cancelled due to longstanding opposition.

Some state routes built on freeway alignments may be upgraded to Interstate Highway standards (or already built to Interstate standards) and receive Interstate designation, such as the case with Pennsylvania Route 60 being largely replaced by I-376. On the other hand, some routes are downgraded, as with US 61 in Minnesota, which became Minnesota State Highway 61 from Duluth to the Canadian border. At times, a state can abandon a number as the reason for state maintenance of the entire route no longer exists; Arizona transferred the short Arizona State Route 62 to the Mohave County government after a mine in Chloride closed and so did the economic purpose of the town. At the extreme a decommissioned route may be demolished, as was done with California State Route 480. Once part of the Interstate Highway System, it required retrofitting to remain in service after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake to remain in use; instead the highway was demolished.

"Alternate", "Bypass" and suffixed routes (such as US 6A in Connecticut, the old US 71 bypass around Kansas City that disappeared in favor of Interstate 435 and Missouri Route 291, and the former US 30S in Ohio) have often been redesignated as lesser routes, in accordance with a policy of the AASHTO that now deprecates such highways, especially if short and confined to one state.

Some states have decommissioned state highways which were within a state-numbered system because significant parts of those highways were not up to state standards, such as being unpaved and unlikely to ever be paved, as with Nevada State Route 49.

Indiana removed all state and US Highway designations in Indianapolis within the Interstate 465 beltway, either truncating the highway at the beltway (U.S. Highway 136), deleting the highway altogether (Indiana State Road 100), or diverting the routes onto the beltway. Similar removals happened in Fort Wayne after the completion of Interstate 469 in 1998.

A decommissioned route may also find other use besides automobile use. The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike, a bypassed section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that features two vehicle tunnels that were overcapacity after the Turnpike saw a surge in usage after World War II, is perhaps the most notable example of this, as it has since become a bike and pedestrian trail and, due to using the alignment for the stillborn South Pennsylvania Railroad, is also unofficially a rail trail.

Even as superhighways supplant older surface routes, some historical highways get attention from those with antiquarian (and commercial) interests in the continued recognition of such routes. US 66 in the midwestern and southwestern United States is a prime example of such efforts; "Historic Route US 66" markers, completely unofficial, designate most of the old surface road, some of which has literary significance (as in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath).

Canada
Many of Quebec's Autoroutes supplant old through routes.

In New Brunswick, when a bypass road or freeway is constructed, it normally takes the number of the road it replaced, often removing portions of the old road from the provincial highway system entirely. Most become local or county roads; in some cases (such as the Moncton-Fredericton Highway 2, bypassed as freeway in 2001) a section of the old road would be retained as part of some other provincial highway because it reaches a major town the new road had bypassed.

In 1997 and 1998, the province of Ontario undertook a major highway decommissioning project, dropping over 5,000 km of road from the provincially maintained highway system. Most of the former highways are now numbered as county roads. See also List of former provincial highways in Ontario.

The Thousand Islands Parkway in Ontario was originally four lanes and part of Ontario Highway 401, Canada's busiest highway, before 401 traffic was bypassed inland on completion of that freeway in 1968. Two of the lanes are provincially maintained for automobile traffic by the St. Lawrence Parks Commission but the other pair have been replaced with footpaths and a bicycle trail.

Europe
In Germany, many Autobahns supplant an older through route, as in Bundesstraße 60 (best translated as Federal Highway 60), which disappeared as the A40 Autobahn supplanted it.

In the Republic of Ireland, National Primary Routes are often realigned after the construction of new motorway sections, dual carriageways or bypasses. The old route thus loses its national route status and is usually redesignated as a Regional Road.

New South Wales
Most (old system) state and national routes in New South Wales are decommissioned routes. Among those was state route 30 between Ryde and Kellyville that existed between 1974 and 1993.

title: Decommissioned highway


text:
StarBand

StarBand was a two-way satellite broadband Internet service available in the U.S. from 2000–2015.

StarBand ceased operations effective September 30, 2015 citing increased competition from other internet providers.

The StarBand satellite Internet system was a VSAT platform that used Ku band satellites for transmission of data from users' PCs to the StarBand network operations center. Two-way bandwidth for residential users was up to 1.5 Mbit/s download speed and 256 kbit/s upload speed, with unlimited usage and online hours. A 0.75 meter satellite dish is needed; the antenna was sufficiently small that homeowner associations could not prohibit its installation.

History
StarBand Communications Inc. was initially a joint venture between Gilat Satellite Networks, EchoStar and Microsoft, and the StarBand service launched in 2000. StarBand Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002 and emerged from bankruptcy in 2003. In March 2005, StarBand Communications was wholly acquired by Spacenet, a division of Gilat Satellite Networks, which continued to operate the service. As of mid-2005, StarBand had approximately 32,000 subscribers.

StarBand announced in August 2015 that they would cease operations on 30 September 2015, citing competitive pressures from other current satellite internet providers, as well as new higher-bandwidth providers (Starlink and OneWeb) on the horizon, with new constellations slated to come online before 2020.

Technology
StarBand offered the first residential two-way satellite Internet service in the United States market. Launched in November 2000, StarBand began selling the Gilat Satellite Networks SkyBlaster PCI card VSAT. Initially, the only way to purchase the StarBand system was to purchase a PC with the send/receive adapter card pre-installed as well as hosting software.

In 2001, StarBand began offering service using standalone VSAT units using the StarBand Model 180 (based on the Gilat Skystar Advantage/180 VSAT) connected via USB. The 180 modem was Windows OS-only because it required specialized Windows drivers for the USB interface.

In 2002, StarBand switched to Gilat's Model 360 VSAT, which enabled higher speed and allowed USB or Ethernet connections, but still required driver software to communicate.

In 2003, StarBand introduced the Model 480 modem (based on the Gilat Skystar 360E VSAT), which connected via Ethernet, supported multiple computers/OSes and required no additional software. The 48x series service supported Microsoft Windows PC, Macintosh, Unix and Linux computers. In late 2005, StarBand began selling only Model 480-based services.

In October 2006, StarBand introduced its next-generation service, the StarBand Nova (based on the Gilat SkyEdge series). The StarBand Nova modems were capable of higher speeds, optimized for VoIP, VPN, and worked on a more efficient hub. The SkyEdge modems had one Ethernet port and did not require hosting software for any OS platform.

Initially, StarBand supplied a .76M convergence antenna, which picked up two Dish Network signals and the satellite internet signal. StarBand later supplied a third generation .78M antenna, which required a separate antenna to receive satellite television signals. The third generation antenna provided a longer focal length, which helped to create a better signal-to-noise ratio.

All satellite internet providers such as StarBand measure the amount of data you transfer. Starband had six plans ranging from 500 kbit/s down to 1500 kbit/s down with weekly download limits of 750 Mbytes to 4,000 Mbytes.

title: StarBand


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Weirdo Jace Moose Head

See Votes for deletion/Weirdo Jace. Andrewa 01:11, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete, per above. Geogre 03:08, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Wile E. Heresiarch 03:53, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Ianb 05:51, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Gamaliel 07:07, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete Maybe >>>IF<<< it gets released it MIGHT be WIKI material.. Williamb 08:38, 23 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Elf-friend 17:00, 27 Jul 2004 (UTC)


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Moose Head

See Votes for deletion/Weirdo Jace. Andrewa 01:14, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete, per above. Geogre 03:10, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Wile E. Heresiarch 03:53, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Possible redirect, for spelling, to the brewery -- Moosehead. SWAdair | Talk  05:06, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete, hang on wall. Ianb 05:51, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Gamaliel 07:10, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Elf-friend 17:03, 27 Jul 2004 (UTC)


text:
User:FT2

''Welcome to the Wikipedia user page of FT2.

Enjoy exploring :)''

articles project contributions barnstars and accolades (all potentially out of date!)

Wikipedia and me
I started editing in 2004, wrote over a hundred articles, became an administrator, then appointed to the email response team ('OTRS') and shortly afterwards the Arbitration Committee in December 2007. In these roles, I have dealt with content writing, content policy, editorial disputes, community matters, privacy and sensitive issues, and a large number of fairly nasty editors and inappropriately-behaving admins. We're here as volunteers to write a reference work, which means fair handling is important. As of 2012 I'm still writing articles.

I lean towards community approaches and a level field. I pushed for communal input in the Checkuser/Oversight appointment process, provided the first on-wiki analysis of Checkuser tool use, and a load of others. At Arbcom itself I fought hard for better process, a formal structure for proposals to be examined and voted on, and better collaboration/workflow.

As of October 2009, I stepped down from some roles. I'm still round though. In 2009-10 I served on the Foundation's 5 year strategy taskforce, in 2010 I was asked to visit and contribute at the Foundation's offices, in 2011 I was invited onto the WMF Communications Committee. In 2012 I was active in the SOPA community decision, primarily co-ordinating and reviewing our messages, posts, and information flow. I was also heavily involved in the 2011 - 2012 review of the site's legal Terms of Use and urged [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Village_pump_(proposals)/Archive_45#Quality_related_proposal_-_use_of_a_.22drafts.22_namespace. in 2009] and again in 2010 the creation of the 'Draft:' namespace, eventually created in 2013.

Areas of interest:
 * Writing content - I've written over a hundred articles and substantively contributed to many more. I have a wide interest; my contributions include physics and legal rulings, film plots and clinical science, technology and religion.

 * Fixing messes and problems that get in the way of editors - I help experienced users with difficult article wordings, input into difficult discussions, difficult neutrality cases, 2nd opinion, admin problem, email responses, and sensitive problems.

 * Improving editorial processes and guidance - I work on policy wordings and process updates that help readers and volunteers to contribute and improve the project in turn. If one process or policy is cleaned up, or one poor wording is fixed, a thousand editors benefit from it and will save their time, stress and frustration. I love this aspect. One of my mainspace articles on Wikipedia has been cited at length in a 2012 Utah Court of Appeals ruling as evidence covering Wikipedia's self-regulation and quality control.

I also have a "real" life, and balancing the two's important. But I'm free to choose my work hours. It helps :)

I'll update this at some point. Right now the old version's just a little out of date.

Recent article activity (occasionally brought up to date)
Incomplete list

 * {| class=wikitable style="font-size:95%"

 * Russians (song)
 * and: Trinity (nuclear test), Atomic Age, Manhattan Project
 * and: Trinity (nuclear test), Atomic Age, Manhattan Project

 * July 2013 ||  || historical context added || historical context on early atomic age, prompted by Sting's appearance in a film and his song Russians.

 * Hollingsworth v. Perry and Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill
 * and: California Proposition 8, United States v. Windsor
 * and: California Proposition 8, United States v. Windsor

 * June/July 2013 ||  || major expand/update || very high profile current events (and widely awaited US Supreme Court ruling) in US and UK, expand and updating legal/legislative aspects
 * Fermat's Last Theorem
 * and: Wiles's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, Andrew Wiles, Modularity theorem, Frey curve, Ribet's theorem, Proof by infinite descent
 * and: Wiles's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, Andrew Wiles, Modularity theorem, Frey curve, Ribet's theorem, Proof by infinite descent

 * May 2013 ||  || major expand/refactor || High interest article (and also its related topics) - was poorly and confusingly covered, and missing considerable encyclopedic info
 *  Boston Marathon bombings || April 2013 ||  || updating current event ||
 * Erection || April 2013 ||  || refactor || Rework article to be more science based and provide primarily a clinical/biology approach (the core knowledge of the topic is not its social nicknames!)
 * Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher
 * and: UK miners' strike (1984–1985), Arthur Scargill
 * Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher
 * and: UK miners' strike (1984–1985), Arthur Scargill
 * and: UK miners' strike (1984–1985), Arthur Scargill

 * April 2013 ||  || Expand/refactor || Considerable missing information and context in some areas. Prompted by death of Margaret Thatcher in the news.
 * Kermit Gosnell || April 2013||  || major reorganization/cleanup || High profile media abortion case currently at trial - article had survived deletion but was in an awful condition and was also getting extensive attention and scrutiny from media and activist groups.
 * Memory Reference Code || February 2013||  || New article || Described by sources as "one of the most important aspects of the BIOS" for an Intel-based motherboard.
 * Declaratory judgment || September 2012 ||  || Extension and refactor of intro|| Article came to potential attention via this post in the Internet Brands/Wikitravel/Wikimedia legal matter, noting our relevant article was very weak (both were poor, one a stub). Quick "band-aid" to give a more solid start.
 * List of file copying software || September 2012 ||  || New article||
 * Pregnancy from rape || August 2012 ||  || Expansion and reorganization of new + high profile topic|| Media uproar over 'legitimate rape' and pregnancy comments by US politician Todd Akin led to other users creating (and AFD'ing) this article. Although a clear AFD "keep", it was of inadequate quality for a now-prominent topic, aspects such as rape and pregnancy in war and statutory rape contexts were clearly missing, along with research cite data on these, and the article was also in need of cleanup and reorganizing, partly due to likely high viewing level.
 * File hosting service || January 2012 ||  || Major update || Included legal matters from the Megaupload seizure and distinguishing features from Atari v. Rapidshare AG.
 * Murder of Stephen Lawrence
 * and: Double jeopardy, Criminal Justice Act 2003, Murder in English law, Born alive rule, Born alive laws in the United States
 * Pregnancy from rape || August 2012 ||  || Expansion and reorganization of new + high profile topic|| Media uproar over 'legitimate rape' and pregnancy comments by US politician Todd Akin led to other users creating (and AFD'ing) this article. Although a clear AFD "keep", it was of inadequate quality for a now-prominent topic, aspects such as rape and pregnancy in war and statutory rape contexts were clearly missing, along with research cite data on these, and the article was also in need of cleanup and reorganizing, partly due to likely high viewing level.
 * File hosting service || January 2012 ||  || Major update || Included legal matters from the Megaupload seizure and distinguishing features from Atari v. Rapidshare AG.
 * Murder of Stephen Lawrence
 * and: Double jeopardy, Criminal Justice Act 2003, Murder in English law, Born alive rule, Born alive laws in the United States
 * Murder of Stephen Lawrence
 * and: Double jeopardy, Criminal Justice Act 2003, Murder in English law, Born alive rule, Born alive laws in the United States
 * and: Double jeopardy, Criminal Justice Act 2003, Murder in English law, Born alive rule, Born alive laws in the United States

March 2011 ||  || Major expansion and reorganization ||
 * December 2011
 * Major expansions and refactors
 * Prompted by a verdict after 17 years on one of Britain's highest profile racial crimes of all time, this one case changed the social and cultural world of a country and its police force.
 * Fusion power || December 2011
 * Fusion power || December 2011
 * Fusion power || December 2011
 * Higgs boson
 * and: Large Hadron Collider, Collider, Synchrotron
 * and: Large Hadron Collider, Collider, Synchrotron

& July onward 2012
 * December 2011 - Jan 2012
 * Higgs boson submitted for peer review as GA
 * Expansion and reorganisation
 * The Higgs Boson hit the news hard in December, but our article didn't explain much about this crucial area of cutting edge physics, nor the linked areas behind it. When the July 2012 discovery was announced, the article and related articles gained from considerable research and many new sections to both make explanations clearer and add new more exact technical and history information.
 * TRESOR || December 2011 ||  || New || Novel encryption module for Linux, notable as the only system known to defeat cold boot attacks.
 * Laws of robotics || October 2011 ||  || New || Actual laws studied in the real world, as opposed to the fictional one.
 * Exile || April 2011 ||  || Major expansion and rewrite || Resulting from Arab Spring media reports.
 * DDR4 SDRAM || April 2011 || DYK Updated DYK query.svg || New || DDR4 is the newest up-and-coming memory type for desktop computers. First test samples were produced in Q1 2011 - expect to see this hitting the market in 2012 and going mainstream around 2014-2015.
 * Gödel's incompleteness theorems || April 2011 ||  || Rewrite of proof sketch of first theorem ||
 * Shōgun (novel) || February 2011 ||  || Rewrite of plot ||
 * Mustafa Abdul Jalil || February 2011 ||  || Expansion and reorganization || Ex–justice minister and Chairman of National Transition Council in Libya
 * Instinctive drowning response
 * and: Drowning
 * Gödel's incompleteness theorems || April 2011 ||  || Rewrite of proof sketch of first theorem ||
 * Shōgun (novel) || February 2011 ||  || Rewrite of plot ||
 * Mustafa Abdul Jalil || February 2011 ||  || Expansion and reorganization || Ex–justice minister and Chairman of National Transition Council in Libya
 * Instinctive drowning response
 * and: Drowning
 * Instinctive drowning response
 * and: Drowning
 * and: Drowning

 * December 2010
 * Drowning response: New
 * Along with Drowning (cleaned up) a crucial article. This one article is one of those I value most. This article isn't about mere information. Wikipedia will directly over time save many lives. It's humbling.
 * }
 * (Earlier...)
 * (Earlier...)

title: User:FT2


text:
Rebellion Losses Bill

The Rebellion Losses Bill (full name: An Act to provide for the Indemnification of Parties in Lower Canada whose Property was destroyed during the Rebellion in the years 1837 and 1838) was a controversial law enacted by the legislature of the Province of Canada in 1849. Its passage and subsequent royal assent, this being a affirmation of responsible government in the colony, by the Governor General, James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin makes the bill a landmark piece of legislation in Canadian political history.

The bill was enacted to compensate Lower Canadians who lost property during the Rebellions of 1837 with measures similar to those providing compensation in Upper Canada. Two factors made this measure controversial. Even though participants in the Rebellion could not be compensated with taxpayer's money, sympathy for the Rebellion was more widespread in Lower Canada so that compensation in Lower Canada was seen as "giving money to the rebels". Secondly, the damage done by the army far exceeded the damage done by the rebels, so that enacting provisions to compensate for damages done by the army was considered an act of disloyalty to the Crown.

The enactment of the bill angered some of Montreal's Tory citizens and provoked weeks of violent disturbances known as the Montreal Riots. These culminated in the burning of the Parliament building on April 25, 1849, which at the time was in Montreal.

Draper–Viger government
On February 28, 1845, the representatives sitting in the Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted the text of an address asking Governor Metcalfe to take measures to compensate the inhabitants of Lower Canada whose properties were damaged or destroyed during the armed conflict of 1837–8. Prior to that, in the course of the last session of the Parliament of Upper Canada on October 23, 1840, the representatives had passed an act (3 Vict. c. 76) to indemnify certain parties for losses incurred during the uprising in that province in 1837. A credit of £40,000 had been appropriated to address claims made by inhabitants, but no amount had been spent because the treasury of the province was empty. Amending an act passed in 1838, the act of 1840 provided for the indemnification of civilians whose property had been damaged without enquiring into the presumed loyalty of persons during the armed conflict. On its part, the Special Council of Lower Canada had also issued an ordinance, in 1838, to indemnify certain parties, but on the basis of their presumed loyalty to the crown. On March 29, 1845, the governor assented to a bill allocating the revenue from the tavern licences in Canada West to the payment of claims by habitants settled in the former Upper Canada who had still not received any compensation. A sum of £38,658 was raised between April 5, 1845 and January 24, 1849 by the means of this law. Later, in 1846, the revenues from wedding licences were also allocated for the same purpose. Following the adoption of the address to the governor in 1845, the Draper–Viger government set up, on November 24, a commission to enquire into the claims the inhabitants of Lower Canada had sent since 1838, to determine those that were justified and provide an estimate of the amount to be paid. The five commissioners, Joseph Dionne, P. H. Moore, Jacques Viger, John Simpson and Joseph-Ubalde Beaudry, submitted their first report in April 1846. They received instructions from the government to distinguish between claims made by persons participating in the rebellion and those who had given no support to the insurrectionist party. The total of the considered claims receivable amounted to £241,965, 10s. and 5d., but the commissioners were of the opinion that following a more thorough enquiry into the claims they were unable to make, the amount to be paid by the government would likely not go beyond £100,000. The Assembly passed a motion on June 9, 1846, authorizing compensation of £9,986 for claims studied prior to the presentation of the report. Nothing further was accomplished on this question until the dissolution of parliament on December 6, 1847.

Baldwin–Lafontaine government
The general election of January 1848 changed the composition of the House of Assembly in favour of the opposition party, the moderate reformists led by Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine. The new governor, Lord Elgin, who arrived in the colony on January 30, first formed a government that did not have the support of the majority of the members in the House. These withdrew their support of the Executive by a vote of no-confidence on March 3. On March 7, governor Elgin called in Baldwin and Lafontaine, respectively leaders of the majority parties in both sections of the united province, to the Executive Council. On March 11, 11 new ministers entered the Council.

On January 29, 1849, Lafontaine moved to form a committee of the whole House on February 9 to "take into consideration the necessity of establishing the amount of Losses incurred by certain inhabitants in Lower Canada during the political troubles of 1837 and 1838, and of providing for the payment thereof". The consideration of this motion was pushed ahead on several occasions. The opposition party, which denounced the desire of the government to "pay the rebels", showed itself reluctant to begin the study of the question which was on hold since 1838. Its members proposed various amendments to Lafontaine's motion: a first, on February 13, to report the vote within ten days "to give time for the expression of the feelings of the country"; a second one, on February 20, declaring that the House had "no authority to entertain any such proposition" since the Governor-General had not recommended that the House "make provision for liquidating the claims for Losses incurred by the Rebellions in Lower Canada, during the present session". The amendments were rejected and the committee was eventually formed on Tuesday, February 20, but the House was adjourned.

The debates that took place between February 13 and 20 were particularly intense and, in the House, the verbal violence of the representatives soon yielded to physical violence. Tory MPPs Henry Sherwood, Allan MacNab and Prince attacked the legitimacy of the proposed measure because according to them it rewarded the "rebels" of yesterday and constituted an insult to the "loyal" subjects who had fought against them in 1837 and 1838. On February 15, executive councillors Francis Hincks and William Hume Blake retorted in the same tone and Blake even went as far as claiming the Tories to be the true rebels, because, he said, it was they who had violated the principles of the British constitution and caused the civil war of 1837–38. Blake refused to apologize after his speech, and a mêlée burst out among the spectators standing on the galleries. The speaker of the House had them expelled and a confrontation between MacNab and Blake was avoided by the intervention of the Sergeant at Arms.

On February 16, John A. Macdonald, opposition MPP for the riding of Kingston, provoked William Hume Blake to a duel. While Blake was reading excerpts from a document, Macdonald interrupted him to request that he read the phrases and paragraphs in full. Blake replied that he would read whatever he wanted to read. Macdonald did not appreciate the reply and passed a written note to Blake which provoked him to a duel. The two men left the room to go outside. Soon after, the Speaker suspended the sitting and sent the sergeant at arms to bring them back to their duty. Macdonald came back while Blake could not be found. He was asked to appear before the bar of the House on Monday, February 19 to give explanations for his departure. The House accepted his explanation. The two men assured the members of the House that the duel had been cancelled.

The English-language press of the capital (The Gazette, Courier, Herald, Transcript, Witness, Punch) participated in the movement of opposition to the indemnification measure. A single daily, the Pilot, owned by cabinet member Francis Hinks, supported the government. In the French-language press (La Minerve, L'Avenir), the measure was unanimously supported.

On February 17, the leading Tory MPPs held a public meeting to protest against the measure. George Moffatt was elected chairman and various public men such as Allan MacNab, Prince, Gugy, Macdonald, Rose and others gave speeches. The meeting prepared a petition to the governor asking him to dissolve the parliament and call new elections, or to reserve the assent of the bill for the Queen's pleasure, that is to say, to defer the question to the UK Parliament. The press reported that Lafontaine was burned in effigy that night.

On February 22, Henry John Boulton, MPP for Norfolk, introduced an amendment that all persons having pleaded guilty or having been found to be guilty of high treason should not receive compensation from the government. The government party supported the amendment, but the gesture had no effect on the opposition, which persisted in denouncing the measure as amounting to "paying the rebels". Certain liberal MPPs, including Louis-Joseph Papineau and Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, opposed the amendment because, according to them, it resulted in the recognition, by the government, of the legality of the military court created by former acting governor John Colborne in order to speedily execute the prisoners of 1839. On February 23, Lafontaine presented a series of seven resolutions which included the introduction of a bill to indemnify inhabitants for their losses during the armed conflict of 1837-1838. The bill, entitled Bill to provide for the Indemnification of Parties in Lower Canada whose Property was destroyed during the Rebellion in the years 1837 and 1838, authorized total payments of £90,000.

The seven resolutions were adopted individually on February 27, and the bill was introduced the same day, then read a second time on March 2.

On March 9, the Legislative Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 47 to 18. MPPs from the former district of Upper Canada voted in favour, 17 to 14, while those of the former Lower Canada voted 30 to 4 in favour. Six days later, the Legislative Council approved the bill 20 to 14.

Burning of the Parliament Building

Once the bill was passed by both houses of the Parliament, the Lafontaine–Baldwin ministry submitted it to Lord Elgin for assent. Some outraged English-Canadians demanded the governor refuse assent. Lord Elgin had his own misgivings about the bill, making many Tory supporters confident that the governor would reject the bill. Elgin nonetheless gave royal assent to the bill on April 25, 1849.

Montreal's English population was incensed. Elgin's carriage was pelted with stones and rotten eggs, and by the evening a riot had developed which lasted for two days and involved thousands of people. By the time the rioting had ended, mobs had caused thousands of dollars in damage and razed the Montreal Parliament building. Despite the violent opposition, Lord Elgin's grant of assent established the principle of responsible government in the Province of Canada.

title: Rebellion Losses Bill


text:
David F. Houston

David Franklin Houston (February 17, 1866 – September 2, 1940) was an American academic, businessman and conservative Democrat. He served under President Wilson as the 5th Secretary of Agriculture and the 48th United States Secretary of the Treasury.

Early life and family
Houston was born in Monroe, North Carolina, on February 17, 1866. He was the son of William Henry Houston, a horse dealer and grocer, and his wife, the former Pamela Ann Stevens. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1887, with honors, and completed his graduate work at Harvard University, where he received a M.A. in political science in 1892. Houston married Helen Beall on December 11, 1895. They had five children: David Franklin, Jr., Duval, Elizabeth, Helen and Lawrence Reid Houston.

Higher education
Houston taught political science at the University of Texas in Austin. He became an adjunct member of the faculty in 1894 and was named dean of the faculty in 1899. He then became the president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University) from 1902 until 1905. In 1905 he returned to the University of Texas to become the president of the institution, serving until 1908. During his tenure at UT, the school opened a doctoral program and a law school.

Houston left Texas to serve as chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, after being recommended by Charles W. Eliot, the president of Harvard University. He held the position from 1908 to 1913. During his tenure he established the School of Architecture and strengthened the medical school through partnerships with Children's and Barnes hospitals. He left the university to become the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Under President William McKinley he was on the board of visitors of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Later in life, he was an overseer of Harvard University and on the Columbia University Board of Trustees.

Politics and ready for Wilson's administration
Houston served as President Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of Agriculture from 1913 to 1920. During his time as Agriculture Secretary many important agricultural laws were passed by the U.S. Congress, including the Smith-Lever Act, the Farm Loan Act, the Warehouse Act, and the Federal Aid Road Act. However following the Food and Fuel Control Act responsibility for food was handed over to Herbert Hoover at the United States Food Administration. Hoover only accepted the position on the basis he would be free from interference from Houston.

He became the Secretary of the Treasury from 1920 to 1921 shortly following the First World War. His brief tenure was marked by stormy controversies over federal monetary policies. As ex officio Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, he issued severe warnings and, increased rediscount rates in order to prevent the inflation that the European allies were experiencing. Houston predicted a fall in U.S. prices, particularly of farm products, after the optimism of the Armistice wore off. He pushed for easier credit for farmers and urged them to produce less.

But when prices fell more dramatically than expected in 1920, farm spokesmen unfairly accused Houston of deliberately wrecking agrarian prosperity. Abroad, England and France were pushing to cancel their war debts. Houston, the U.S. Congress and the President, against cancellation, converted the short-term debts to long-term loans. Houston resigned at the end of President Wilson's term, after only a year in office.

During his time in government Houston advocated other progressive measures such as the provision of a proper system of personal credit unions, aiding land settlement, the encouragement of farm ownership, and improvements in rural health and sanitation. In regards to the latter, Houston stated that “To what extent the further projection of effort is a matter for state or local action remains to be determined, but it seems clear that there should be no cessation of activity until there has been completed, in every community of the Union, an effective sanitary survey and, through the provision of adequate machinery, steps taken to control and eliminate the sources of disease and to provide the necessary modern medical and dental facilities easily accessible to the mass of the people.” Houston also argued that "The farmer, as well as the industrial worker, is entitled to a living wage and to a reasonable profit on his investment." He also argued that "We are all in sympathy with rational proposals for the improvement of the masses of the less fortunate people of the Nation and of the world, but this improvement must come by orderly processes. And we must recognize that, after all, the real progress of humanity is slow."

Business
After leaving the U.S. federal government, Houston became as the president of the Bell Telephone Securities and a vice president at AT&T. Houston also served as a director of AT&T, the Guaranty Trust Company and the United States Steel Corporation. He was president of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York for ten years.

Death
Houston died of a heart attack on September 2, 1940, at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. He was buried next to his wife at Saint John's Church Cemetery in Laurel Hollow, New York.

Writings
Houston published A Critical Study of Nullification in South Carolina (1896) to establish his place in academia. He later published a two-volume memoir of his experiences as a cabinet member, Eight Years with Wilson's Cabinet.

title: David F. Houston


text:
David Houston

David Houston may refer to:

 * David Houston (1841–1906), American inventor issued the first patent for a roll film holder
 * David F. Houston (1866–1940), American politician, Secretary of Agriculture and the Treasury under President Wilson
 * G. David Houston (1880–1940), professor of English at Howard University
 * David Houston (singer) (1935–1993), American country music singer
 * David Houston (footballer) (born 1948), Scottish footballer and manager
 * David Houston, British Army officer and Lord Lieutenant of Sutherland, 1992–2005
 * David Houston (zoologist) (fl. 1999), British zoologist

title: David Houston


text:
Marie-Charles Damoiseau

Baron Marie-Charles-Théodore de Damoiseau de Montfort (6 April 1768 in Besançon – 6 August 1846) was a French astronomer.

Damoiseau was originally an artillery officer but he left France in 1792 during the French Revolution. He worked as assistant director of the Lisbon Observatory before he returned to France in 1807.

In 1825, he was elected a member of the French Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the Bureau des Longitudes.

He is best known for publishing lunar tables (positions of the Moon) between 1824–1828.

Theory of the Moon
In 1818 Laplace proposed that the Académie des Sciences in Paris set up a prize to be awarded to whoever succeeded in constructing lunar tables based solely on the law of universal gravity. In 1820 the prize was awarded to Carlini and Plana and to Damoiseau by a committee of which Laplace was a member.

Satellites of Jupiter
See also

 * David P. Todd, A continuation of de Damoiseau's tables of the satellites of Jupiter, to the year 1900, 1876
 * John Couch Adams, Continuation of Tables I. and III. of Damoiseau's Tables of Jupiter's satellites, 1877

Honors

 * He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831.
 * Elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1832. *
 * The crater Damoiseau on the Moon is named after him.

Manuscripts
The Paris observatory holds a large set of manuscripts from Damoiseau. See Manuscrits Damoiseau on http://alidade.obspm.fr

Publications

 * Éphémérides nauticas, ou Diario astronomico para 1799 [-1805] calculado no Observatorio real da marinha (8 volumes, 1798–1802)
 * Memoria relativa aos eclipses do sol visiveis em Lisboa, desde 1800 até 1900 inclusivamente (1801)
 * Tables de la lune, formées par la seule théorie de l'attraction et suivant la division de la circonférence en 400 degrés (1824)
 * Tables de la lune, formées par la seule théorie de l'attraction et suivant la division de la circonférence en 360 degrés (1828)
 * Tables écliptiques des satellites de Jupiter, d'après la théorie de leurs attractions mutuelles et les constantes déduites des observations (1836)

title: Marie-Charles Damoiseau


text:
Charles Mickle

Charles Julius Mickle (July 22, 1849 in Stratford, Canada West, now Ontario – November 10, 1919 in Minnedosa, Manitoba) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a provincial cabinet minister for three years and on two occasions served as the leader of the Liberal Party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

Mickle trained as a lawyer and was admitted to the Ontario bar in 1872. He practiced law in Ontario for ten years before moving to Manitoba. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature for the constituency of Birtle in the 1888 provincial election, as a supporter of Liberal Premier Thomas Greenway. He was re-elected in the 1892 campaign and won by acclamation in 1896.

In 1889, he married Mary A. Ross.

In November 1896, Mickle entered Greenway's cabinet as Provincial Secretary. He held this position until the resignation of the Greenway ministry in January 1900. The Liberals had narrowly lost the election of 1899, although Mickle was re-elected in Birtle.

Mickle was also one of only nine Liberals to be re-elected in the party's electoral debacle of 1903. The party won only nine seats, but Mickle scored a surprisingly easy victory (584 votes to 293) over Conservative John Leich. When Greenway re-entered federal politics in 1904, Mickle was chosen to replace him as parliamentary leader.

Mickle served as the de facto party leader until March 28, 1906, when a provincial Liberal convention acclaimed Edward Brown for the position. Brown was unable to win a seat in the election which followed, and Mickle was again chosen as parliamentary leader in January 1908.

He left politics in 1909, having been appointed a County Court Judge.

title: Charles Mickle


text: File:Emperor of america.jpg

title: File:Emperor of america.jpg


text:
Ultra Bra

Ultra Bra was a Finnish band, formed in 1994 by Olli Virtaperko and Kerkko Koskinen, and disbanded in 2001.

Band history
In 1994, Olli Virtaperko heard about a political song contest held by the Finnish Democratic Youth League (predecessor of the Left Youth, the Left Alliance's youth organisation) and decided to enter it with his friend Kerkko Koskinen. Koskinen composed several songs based on lyrics from his friends. A group of singers and musicians was assembled and the new band won the contest with their song "Ampukaa komissaarit, nuo hullut koirat" (Shoot the commissioners, those mad dogs).

In the summer of 1995, they released their first EP, "Houkutusten kiihottava maku". Over the course of the recording sessions, they also came up with a name for the band: Ultra Bra (which means "Very Good" in Swedish). During 1995, many new people joined the band, while others left. However, the lineup started to become fixed towards the end of the year. By the end of the year Anni Sinnemäki, Koskinen's wife who was to become the most celebrated of all UB's lyricists, began writing lyrics, starting with "Sankaritar" and "Ken Saro-Wiwa on kuollut". (The latter song refers to Nigerian environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the circumstances surrounding his execution. The statement he made before his execution is specifically referenced.)

Their first full-length album, Vapaaherran elämää, came out in the autumn of 1996. All the while, they had been doing a lot of touring and their live reputation had become substantial. In 1997, the second album Kroketti came out. With the release of this album Ultra Bra really started to gain fame. Kroketti sold very well, remains their best selling album and contains some of their biggest hits, namely "Sinä lähdit pois" ("You Went Away") and "Minä suojelen sinua kaikelta" ("I Shall Protect You From Everything").

In 1998, they participated in the contest for a song to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ultra Bra did not win, but their entry, "Tyttöjen välisestä ystävyydestä" ("About Friendship Between Girls"), became a hit song. The third album, Kalifornia, was released in the spring of 1999. In early 2000, Ultra Bra again participated in the Finnish Eurovision song selection process, with "Kaikki on hetken tässä" ("In This Moment, Everything's here") without reaching the final round. In the spring, they also released several new singles. The song "Heikko valo" ("The Weak Light") also featured in the Finnish movie Levottomat (The Restless).

Their fourth album, Vesireittejä, came out on 13 October 2000. The week before it was released, numerous magazines and newspapers wrote articles about them, and they appeared on TV and on the radio. Vesireittejä went number one – and gold – on its first week in the Finnish charts.

The end of Ultra Bra
In the summer before the release of Vesireittejä, Ultra Bra decided they would continue for only about a year and then quit and start doing something else. In October 2001, they released a compilation album, Sinä päivänä kun synnyin, that contained a few new songs and many rarities, along with a music video tape and music book. After this they did a small tour of seven gigs, quitting on 20 October 2001, with maximum media coverage, surrounded by thousands of fans.

Comeback
Ultra Bra performed a comeback on 30 January 2012. It took place at Kokoaan suurempi Suomi 2012, a fundraiser concert for Pekka Haavisto's presidential campaign. Tickets to the concert sold out in two hours on 25 January and the rush crashed the online ticket service Tiketti. According to singer Vuokko Hovatta, the fundraiser was a one-off event and there are no plans for further Ultra Bra gigs.

However, Ultra Bra did a small comeback tour in Finland in the summer of 2017.

The band also performed for three ultimate concerts in Helsinki (Hartwall Arena) from 15 to 17 December 2017. The 2017 comeback also included a new compilation album, Sinä päivänä kun synnyimme, and limited-edition releases of their studio albums on coloured vinyl.

Band members

 * Kerkko Koskinen – piano, main composer and quasi-leader
 * Vuokko Hovatta – vocals
 * Terhi Kokkonen – vocals
 * Arto Talme – vocals
 * Olli Virtaperko – vocals
 * Antti Lehtinen – drums
 * Joel Melasniemi – guitar
 * Marko Portin – saxophone
 * Tommi Saarikivi – bass
 * Jan Pethman – percussion
 * Kari Pelttari – trumpet
 * Ilmari Pohjola – trombone
 * Anna Tulusto – vocals (until summer 1998)

In many orchestral pieces Ultra Bra also had an additional string section and a chorus.

Current projects

 * Kerkko Koskinen is a solo artist. He composes and sings his own songs and has his own band. Anni Sinnemäki, Erpo Pakkala and Juhana Rossi have written lyrics for him. Kerkko released an album on 5 April. 2002, called Rakkaus viiltää. He has also written music for Finnish movies. His second album Lolita was released in August 2005. In 2012 Koskinen founded the supergroup Kerkko Koskinen Kollektiivi with three female vocalists from other bands, including Vuokko Hovatta.
 * Terhi, Joel, Tommi and Antti have joined together to form a new band called Scandinavian Music Group. Terhi writes the lyrics and Joel makes the music for their songs. Tommi quit the band in 2003 to concentrate on family life and a career as a lawyer. The band has released six albums, Onnelliset kohtaa (2002), Nimikirjaimet (2004), Hölmö rakkaus, ylpeä sydän (2006), Missä olet Laila? (2007), Palatkaa Pariisiin (2009) and Manner (2011). Joel has also played in an Iron Maiden tribute band called Mauron Maiden
 * Vuokko Hovatta has a new band, called Tekniikan ihmelapset. Vuokko is also an actress and continues to play many roles in Finnish theaters. She does many other things as well, such as Finnish movie dubbing and TV roles.
 * Antti Lehtinen became the new drummer of Don Huonot, a popular Finnish band, until the band broke up in 2003. He plays percussion in Kerkko's band and has been involved in producing Kerkko's album. Antti also participates in numerous other music projects.
 * Jan Pethman continues to play in the band of Maija Vilkkumaa, a Finnish singer-songwriter.
 * Olli Virtaperko continues to make music with his band Ensemble Ambrosius.
 * Ilmari Pohjola is a member of the bands Gourmet and Silvio. He also plays for the experimental jazz group Oddarang.
 * Anni Sinnemäki has been a member of the Finnish parliament from 1999 to 2015 and was the Minister for Labour and the chairwoman of Green League 2009–2011.

Albums

 * "Houkutusten kiihottava maku" (1995) ("The Exciting Taste of Temptations") (EP)
 * Vapaaherran elämää (1996) ("Life of a baron")
 * Kroketti (1997) ("Croquet")
 * Kalifornia (1999) ("California")
 * Vesireittejä (2000) ("Waterways")
 * Sinä päivänä kun synnyin (2001) ("On the day I was born")(Compilation)
 * Sinä päivänä kun synnyimme (2017) ("On the day we were born") (Compilation)

Singles

 * "Ken Saro-Wiwa on kuollut"/"Sankaritar"/"Moskova" (1996) ("Ken Saro-Wiwa Is Dead/Heroine/Moscow")
 * "Kahdeksanvuotiaana"/remix (1997) ("At The Age of Eight")
 * "Sinä lähdit pois"/"Lähetystyö"/"Haikara" (1997) ("You Went Away/Mission Trip/Stork")
 * "Tyttöjen välisestä ystävyydestä"/a few other songs (1998) ("About Friendship Between Girls")
 * "Hei kuule Suomi"/"Helsinki-Vantaa" (1999) ("Hey Hear Us Finland"/"Helsinki-Vantaa")
 * "Ilmiöitä"/"Eniten" (1999) ("Phenomena/Most of all")
 * "Heikko Valo" (2000) ("Weak Light")
 * "Villiviini''/"Itket ja kuuntelet" (2000) ("Boston ivy/You Cry and You Listen")
 * "Rubikin kuutio"/"Lapsuus loppui" (2000) ("Rubik's Cube/Childhood Ended")

Other releases

 * Kaikki laulut (sheet music book) (2001)
 * Ultra Bra: Videot 1996–2001 (music video tape) (2001)
 * Sokeana hetkenä (biography book) (2018)

title: Ultra Bra