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Isaac Carothers

Isaac "Ike" Sims Carothers is a former alderman of the 29th Ward on the far west side of the City of Chicago. He was first elected in 1999. He resigned in 2010 after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.

Family and early life
Carothers grew up in Chicago where he attended public elementary school and then De La Salle High School. He earned a degree in Political Science from DePaul University and his Masters in Criminal Justice from Chicago State University.

Both Carothers' father and grandfather were city employees active in local politics. Isaac's grandfather, Isaac "Ike" Sims, was a Department of Sewers employee, Illinois State Representative and 28th Ward committeeman. Isaac's father, William Carothers, was a Streets and Sanitation ward superintendent. William Carothers replaced his father-in-law, Isaac "Ike" Sims as committeeman in 1976.

While alderman, William Carothers and his assistant Ozzie Hutchins threatened to block a $14.5 million Bethany Hospital expansion unless they received $15,000 worth of remodelling in their ward office. Both William Carothers and Hutchins were convicted of conspiracy and extortion on August 23, 1983. William Carothers was sentenced to three years in the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana and was defeated in his next election in the 28th Ward by Ed Smith in a run-off in early 1983.

Early career
Isaac and his brother were both Cook County deputy sheriffs. In 1985, a federal judge ordered William Carothers, his two sons, and a fourth man to pay $152,000 in damages for a campaign of physical violence and intimidation organized by William Carothers, from prison, against a political opponent, independent incumbent State Representative Arthur Turner of the far west side 17th District who had challenged William Carothers' former assistant, Ozzie Hutchins. Turner's aides were threatened with guns and one aide suffered severe injuries to the side of his head and broken bones. Turner and his aides filed a civil lawsuit following their election defeat by Hutchins. U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras said Isaac Carothers appeared to be the ringleader and "organized their acts of intimidation" by force, while his brother used his deputy's position to verbally threaten the plaintiffs. Isaac Carothers was ordered to pay $25,000 damages.

Isacc Carothers worked for the Cook County Defender's Office. In 1989, he was hired as a Superintendent for the Department of Water. Carothers was hired as Director of Internal Audit for the Chicago Park District in 1993 and named Deputy Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation in 1997.

Aldermanic career
Carothers was elected alderman in 1999 after defeating eight opponents, including the incumbent, Alderman Sam Burrell, in a February first round, and a ninth opponent, Floyd Thomas, in an April run-off.

Carothers highlighted a new police station, a senior housing development, a movie theater, and new restaurants as some of his accomplishments.

Carothers served on five committees: Committees, Rules and Ethics, Finance, Aviation, Special Events and Cultural Affairs Transportation and the Public Way. Just two years after being elected alderman, Carothers was appointed chairman of the city council's Police and Fire Committee.

Carothers' name appeared more often than any other alderman's on a list of clouted job-seekers and their political sponsors unveiled by federal prosecutors in June 2006 during the trial of patronage chief Robert Sorich.

In 2008, Carothers was one of seven Chicago aldermen who between them got ten of their children good-paying summer jobs with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

In 2008, Carothers paid a relative more than $30,000 from a taxpayer-funded payroll account available to aldermen without scrutiny. "All of us (aldermen) have family members on the payroll," said Carothers, while declining to clarify if the William Carothers on his payroll was his father or his brother, both named William.

Indictment, cooperation with FBI, conviction, and resignation
In 2007, Carothers accepted $11,000 in campaign contributions from a real-estate developer seeking zoning changes who was cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In 2007, the office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald subpoenaed Carothers demanding documents including seven years worth of aldermanic expense records; 29th Ward zoning changes; ordinances introduced by Carothers, and correspondence between Carothers and the mayor's office regarding zoning changes. The subpoena further demanded information on comments made and votes taken by Carothers since January 2001 before two city council committees.

Beginning in early 2008, and for more than a year, Carothers worked undercover with the FBI and secretly wore a wire. Carothers was a member of the city council's Aviation Committee, whose duties include approving contracts at the airports. Carothers rented space for his ward office from one of the companies of local businessman Wafeek "Wally" Aiyash. Carothers wore a hidden microphone and a video camera to secretly capture his meetings with Aiyash in June 2008. Aiyash gave Carothers $9,000, and offered a $100,000 bribe, Aiyash thought Carothers could help him open five restaurants in Chicago's two airports. The federal charges against Aiyash alleged that Aiyash had a corrupt relationship with Carothers before the alderman began cooperating with federal authorities.

The US Attorney's office in Chicago indicted Carothers on federal corruption charges on May 28, 2009. Galewood Yards was a 50 acre former rail-yard and industrial site in the 29th Ward on the city's west side, the largest undeveloped tract of land within city limits. Real-estate developer Calvin Boender sought to transform the site into a mixed-use residential and commercial project. Boender paid for approximately $40,000 in home improvements to Carothers' residence and provided him with meals and tickets to professional sporting events, which Carothers illegally accepted, in exchange for Carothers' official acts supporting successful zoning changes for the project. Carothers and Boender were indicted on federal fraud and bribery charges. Carothers was charged with four counts of wire or mail fraud and one count each of accepting a bribe and filing a false federal income tax return. The indictment also sought forfeiture of at least $40,000 from Carothers, representing the financial benefits he received in home improvements. Carothers also asked Boender to donate to the campaign of Carothers' aunt, Anita Rivkin-Carothers, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2004, and Boender enlisted two others to give contributions on his behalf. Boender and his associates donated about $55,000 to Carothers, according to campaign-contribution records. On March 18, 2010, a federal jury convicted Boender on five counts including bribing Carothers for a zoning change.

Carothers initially pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in federal court on Monday, June 8, 2009. A plea deal called for prosecutors to drop four wire and mail fraud charges. On February 1, 2010, Carothers pleaded guilty to one count of failing to report the home improvements on his income taxes and to one count of corruptly accepting items of value for supporting the zoning change for the Boender project. Carothers agreed to a 28-month prison term, continued cooperation with prosecutors, and $40,000 in restitution. Under state law, the guilty plea requires that Carothers' city council seat be vacated immediately, and hours after entering the plea, Carothers resigned from the city council in a letter to Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Father William and son Isaac were convicted of almost the same crimes three decades apart, described as "...perhaps the most striking combination of aldermanic nepotism combined with Chicago-style corruption..." by the Chicago Tribune. William's was the eleventh, and Isaac's, the 28th, conviction of a Chicago alderman since 1972.

Isaac Carothers was released from prison in March 2012.

Candidate for Cook County Board of Commissioners
Carothers announced his candidacy for the office of Commissioner on the Cook County Board at a meeting of the 37th Ward Democratic Organization. Carthers' candidacy is supported by Alderman Emma Mitts of the 37th Ward. On November 25, 2013, Carothers filed nominating petitions to get on the March 2014 primary ballot. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she would not support Carother's candidacy. "It takes a special sort of chutzpah to run for public office after doing time for public corruption," the Chicago Tribune editorialized.

Personal life
Alderman Carothers is married to his wife Sharron, and they have two sons, Sherman and Matthew. Carothers attends Original Providence Baptist Church on Chicago's west side.

Carothers' aunt, Anita Rivkin-Carothers, is currently a judge on the Circuit Court of Cook County in the domestic violence court. As an attorney, Rivkin-Carothers represented white supremacist Matthew F. Hale before the Illinois Supreme Court, defended Gangster Disciples leader Larry Hoover in federal court, and represented Tina Olison in her custody battle with Alderman Edward M. Burke and his wife Anne over Olison's child "Baby T". In 2004 Rivkin-Carothers unsuccessfully challenged incumbent US Representative of the 7th Congressional District Danny K. Davis.

title: Isaac Carothers


text:
Ariel Reboyras

Ariel Reboyras is alderman of the 30th ward of the City of Chicago; he was first elected in 2003. He was previously a deputy commissioner in the general service department.

Early life
Ariel Reboyras was born in New York City in 1953. Of Puerto Rican descent, Reboyras moved to Chicago with his parents at the age of twelve. Reboyras attended the University of Illinois at Chicago where he was Co-Captain for the UIC Flames baseball team. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education, he taught at Roberto Clemente High School in Chicago's neighborhood of Humboldt Park.

Career in Chicago government
Ariel began his career with the City of Chicago as a truck driver. Reboyras worked his way up into other areas of city government- first as an Equipment Dispatcher, then with the Tank Remediation Program for Fleet Management, an Equipment Coordinator for the Water Department where he assisted with design specifications for the Fleet Management Division, until finally being promoted to Deputy Commissioner for the Department of General Services.

In 2003 Reboyras ran for the seat previously held by Alderman Mike Wojcik in Chicago's 30th Ward. Reboyras won the election and was sworn in on May 7, 2003. Reboyras was later reelected to serve another term as alderman in 2007.

In 2010 Reboyras cosponsored an ordinance with 38th Ward Alderman Tom Allen that designated a stretch of Central Avenue in the vicinity of its intersection with Belmont Avenue as "Honorary Lech Kaczynski Way" to honor the Polish President who perished in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash.

As a member of the Chicago City Council, Reboyras serves on five committees: Committees, Rules and Ethics; Housing and Real Estate; License and Real Estate; Police and Fire; and Transportation and Public Way.

Reboyras is a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

Reboyras is also involved with a number of Chicago charities and non-profit organizations. These include the Active Transportation Alliance, Test Positive Aware Network's Ride for AIDS Chicago, the Healthy Streets Campaign, as well as local little league baseball and youth football programs. Reboyras was also the co-founder of the Northwest Youth Basketball Association and "Maraton San-Juan," an 8K Road Race held in conjunction with the Chicago Puerto Rican Parade.

Reboyras also serves as the Democratic Party Committeeman of the 30th Ward. He was first appointed on November 6, 2006, and was elected on February 5, 2008.

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

title: Ariel Reboyras


text:
Theodore Matlak

Ted Matlak was the alderman of the 32nd ward in Chicago from 1998 until 2007. On April 17, 2007, Matlak lost to challenger Scott Waguespack in a close aldermanic race.

Background
Matlak was born in Chicago near the 2500 block of Marshfield in a tavern to Priscilla Gordon and the son of Polish immigrants, Theodore Matlak Sr. His younger sister now resides there with her children and his parents. Matlak was appointed alderman by former alderman Theris Gabinski and was an intern to ex-Congressman Dan Rostenkowski while attending page school in Washington D.C. He graduated from Gordon College Prep, and originally intended on joining the U.S. army. Unfortunately, health issues relating to his kidneys prevented such a career, and he instead proceeded to attend DePaul University in Chicago, where he received an accounting degree. In 1991, he married Gail and later he had 2 daughters: Emily and Aubrey Matlak.

Matlak has received two kidney transplants: one in 1993 and one in 2004.

Early career
He had interned with Dan Rostenkowski and worked in the ward office of former alderman Terry Gabinski.

Aldermanic career
Matlak served as 32nd ward alderman in Chicago for nine years, from 1998 to 2007.

He was appointed in 1998 by Mayor Richard M. Daley to finish the term of Theris Gabinski, and was elected outright in 1999. He subsequently was again reelected in 2003. In 2003, his challenger was Jay Stone, son of 50th ward alderman Bernard Stone. Bernard Stone not only supported Matlak, but publicly criticized his son for running. In 2007 opponent was newcomer Scott Waguespack, who beat him in a tight race by only 121 votes in 2007. Among some of his accomplishments during his aldermanic career were having several Chicago Public Parks built and having a new Chicago Public Library built.

Subsequent political endeavors
Matlak lost the February 2, 2010 Democratic Primary Election for Commissioner of the 12th District of the Cook County Board to politician John Fritchey.

title: Theodore Matlak


text:
Richard Mell

Richard F. "Dick" Mell (born May 5, 1938) is an American politician. A Democrat, he served on the Chicago City Council from 1975 to 2013. He retired in 2013 and was succeeded by Deb Mell, his daughter.

Early life
Mell was born and raised in Muskegon, Michigan, where he attended high school and college.

Career
After college, he settled in Chicago with his wife Marge and opened a spring manufacturing business. He also became active in local politics. In 1972, Mell was an unsuccessful candidate for 33rd Ward Democratic Committeeman, losing by about 500 votes. In 1975, he was elected Alderman of the 33rd Ward of the City of Chicago. In 1976, he was also elected ward committeeman. His ward comprised part of Chicago's Northwest Side.

In 1979, Mell was elected by the City Council to serve as the city's vice mayor. He held this position until April 1987.

During the Council Wars of the mid-1980s, Mell was allied with the Vrdolyak 29 who opposed then-Mayor Harold Washington. After the Vrdolyak 29 lost their majority in the city council in the 1986 court-ordered aldermanic elections, Mell offered to cooperate with Washington. Upon Washington's death in 1987, Mell famously stood on his desk in the City Council chambers, demanding to be recognized as the divided council wrestled with the question of who would succeed Washington.

In a 1982 handgun ban ordinance that Mell had himself authored, new pistol registrations had been prohibited with existing handgun registrations prior to 1982 allowed to renew. All new registration attempts since 1982 were disallowed. However, in 2007, Mell failed to re-register his extensive firearms collection (which included handguns) as then required by city ordinance. As a result, Mell, along with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, proposed a one-month amnesty, where the gun registry would be re-opened. Mell claimed that thousands of Chicagoans were in his situation and would benefit, but just 25 people (including Mell) successfully registered guns during the "amnesty." Chicago's handgun ban was struck down in 2011 by the United States Supreme Court in McDonald v. City of Chicago.

In December 2008, Mayor Richard M. Daley gave the city council three days to consider the complicated and lengthy contract to privatize the city's parking meters for 75 years. The city council ultimately approved the deal by a vote of 40 to 5.

On July 3, 2013, Mell submitted his letter of resignation, effective July 24, 2013. Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed Mell's daughter Deb as Mell's successor as alderman from the 33rd ward.

Personal life
Dick and Marge Mell have three children: Patricia, Deborah, and Richard. His daughter Patricia is married to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. His daughter Deb was elected to the state house of representatives in 2008 and appointed to the Chicago City Council in 2013. Marge Mell died December 3, 2006, of progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare and fatal disease.

title: Richard Mell


text:
Sollenau

Sollenau is a municipality in the Wiener Neustadt-Land District, Lower Austria, Austria. Sollenau is situated on the river Piesting. 4.03% of the municipality is forested. It is 10 km north of Wiener Neustadt and 36 km south of Vienna.

History
Sollenau was first mentioned in 1166. It is one of the oldest settlements in the Steinfeld region of Lower Austria.

Economy
In 2001 there were 191 non-agriculture-related jobs in the municipality, and 2,055 persons were employed. The activity rate was 45,92%. In 1999 there were 27 agricultural or forestry related companies.

title: Sollenau


text:
Carrie Austin

Carrie Austin is alderman of the 34th ward on Chicago's far south side. The predominantly African-American ward includes portions of Morgan Park, Roseland, Washington Heights and West Pullman.

Chicago City Council
Austin was appointed by Richard M. Daley to the seat of her late husband Lemuel Austin. She officially took office on July 13, 1994. She has been reelected in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019.

As a member of the Chicago City Council, she serves on six committees: Budget and Government operations; Energy, Environmental Protection and Public Utilities; Finance; Health; Housing and Real Estate; and Zoning.

Austin served as a delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Austin was an ally of mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel.

In 2016, Austin was a presidential elector from Illinois.

In the runoff of the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, Austin endorsed Lori Lightfoot.

On May 17, 2019, Austin publicly admitted that she had hired family members as interns on her committee payroll, refusing to apologize for it. The same day, mayor-elect Lightfoot announced that she would be naming Pat Dowell to supplant Austin as the City Council's budget chairman. Austin publicly took offense to this move by Lightfoot.

On July 1, 2021, Austin was indicted for allegedly taking bribes from a private development firm.

Austin previously served as the Democratic Committeewoman for the 34th ward. In late 2019, she withdrew from the race to remain the ward's committeewoman.

Austin's tenure on the Chicago City Council ended when she resigned from office effective March 1, 2023.

title: Carrie Austin


text:
Rey Colón

Rey Colón was an alderman of the 35th Ward of the City of Chicago. He was first elected in 2003. He served three terms and was defeated in a reelection bid on February 24, 2015.

Early history
Colón grew up in the Logan Square neighborhood. He graduated from Carl Schurz High School and Roosevelt University with a degree in Community Management.

Public service
Before becoming alderman, Colón worked as Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, Area Manager of the Chicago Park District, and Executive Director of YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. While working with the McCormick YMCA in Logan Square, Colón raised $7.5 million and oversaw construction of the new YMCA.

Aldermanic career
Colón ran for alderman unsuccessfully in 1999, but was encouraged by community leaders to run again. Colón's campaign was organized at the grassroots level against the incumbent candidate who had the support of powerful Chicago aldermen, the mayor, and the governor. Colón's campaign had a strong focus on community input about zoning issues. Colón was elected alderman of the 35th Ward in 2003. He organized a zoning committee to evaluate all the requests that come through the alderman's office.

Colón serves on six committees: Committees, Rules and Ethics; Economic, Capital, and Technology Development; Health; Human Relations; Special Events and Cultural Affairs; and Traffic Control and Safety.

Colón helped to secure Preliminary Landmark Designation for Logan, Kedzie, and Humboldt Boulevards.

Soon after he was first elected in 2003, Colón attracted controversy for allegedly using his zoning power as alderman to profit financially.

In August 2010, the Chicago Tribune reported that Colón was under investigation by state election officials and faced possible fines for failing to report $120,000 in campaign funds raised and $180,000 spent between 2007 through 2009.

Shortly after winning re-election in 2011, Colón abruptly announced a hearing to oppose waiving a permit fee for the Logan Square's Farmer's Market, which would have closed the weekly summerlong event. Colón stated that he was upset by political campaigning done at the market the previous summer; however, it was later reported that Colón's hearing was a personal retaliation against Paul Levin, the executive director of the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the market's operations. After newspapers and blogs picked up the story, Colón withdrew his request for a hearing and stated, "I’d like to urge those that are involved with the market to...keep it free of high-fructose corn syrup, free of pesticides and free of political activity."

In June 2011, Colón and the city council passed a measure to establish free parking along parts of Logan, Kedzie and Humboldt Boulevards. Although Colón indicated that he believed the measure would promote economic development, some residents opposed the measure, citing congestion and concerns about the neighborhood atmosphere. Many were upset the measure was passed without any community input. In the city's March 2012 elections, 88% of voting residents approved a referendum to end Colón's parking plan; despite the result, the parking rules were not changed.

In 2011, EZPAWN, a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: EZPW) and the largest pawn-shop operator in the world by market capitalization, proposed a new store at 3711 West Fullerton. Colón did not stop the store, despite significant neighborhood opposition and no community input. Colón said, "this national business will not have a negative impact and will provide an added benefit despite the outdated perceptions. Yes, I will support the special use and will continue to increase the variety of businesses in the community. That's the word." During zoning hearings, EZPAWN committed to hiring 10 people from the community and to participating in neighborhood organizations.

In January 2012, Colón was removed from the March 20 primary ballot for Democratic ward committeeman because he did not collect enough valid signatures from registered voters in the 35th Ward. The validity of 162 of his collected signatures were challenged, and they were consequently rejected.

Affordable housing advocates have criticized Colón for accepting campaign contributions from and collaborating closely with noted real-estate developer, Mark Fishman, because of his company's questionable management and development practices in the Logan Square neighborhood.

In 2013, Colón joined the Paul Douglas Alliance caucus.

In July 2014, Colón was arrested for driving while intoxicated on the Eisenhower Expressway. He was also found to have an expired drivers license.

On February 24, 2015, Colón was defeated in his bid for reelection by community activist Carlos Ramirez-Rosa.

Personal life
Alderman Colón lives with his fiancée Martha Ramos (who is also his chief of staff), and his two daughters.

title: Rey Colón


text:
That Gang of Mine

That Gang of Mine is a 1940 film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring Leo Gorcey and Bobby Jordan. It is the third film in the East Side Kids series.

Plot
Old horseman Ben brings his beloved thoroughbred Bluenight to New York from Kentucky in hopes of developing him into a championship racer. Because the old man is down on his luck, the East Side boys offer to provide a makeshift quarters for Bluenight, and Algy Wilkes persuades his father to put up the entrance fee for the horse. Muggs Maloney, an aspiring but untested jockey, rides Bluenight in the race, but loses his nerve on the track, causing Bluenight to trail in the field. Seated in the stands is Morgan, a respected trainer, who recognizes the horse's ability and urges Mr. Wilkes to race the horse with an experienced jockey. However, Muggs insists upon doing the riding, and his pals induce Mr. Wilkes to give him another chance. Complications arise the night before the race when Nick, a crooked bookie, tries to sabotage Bluenight. The boys discover the plot and save the horse, but the next day, Muggs realizes that he cannot guide the horse to victory. With the use of his fists, he convinces jockey Jimmy Sullivan to take his place, and Bluenight finishes the race the winner.

The East Side Kids

 * Bobby Jordan as Danny Dolan
 * Leo Gorcey as Muggs Maloney
 * Sunshine Sammy as Scruno
 * David Gorcey as Peewee
 * Donald Haines as Skinny
 * Eugene Francis as Algy Wilkes

Remaining cast

 * Clarence Muse as Ben
 * Dave O'Brien as 'Knuckles' Dolan
 * Joyce Bryant as Louise
 * Milton Kibbee as Mr. Wilkes
 * Richard Terry as Henchman Blackie
 * Wilbur Mack as Nick Buffalo
 * Hazel Keener as Mrs. Wilkes
 * Forrest Taylor as Horse Trainer Morgan (uncredited)
 * Nick Wall as Jockey Jimmy Sullivan (uncredited)
 * Victor Adamson as Turf Club Extra

Crew

 * Associate Producer: Pete Mayer
 * Set Decoration: Fred Preble
 * Production Management: Ed W. Rote
 * Second Unit Director/Assistant Director: Arthur Hammond, Herman Pett
 * Sound Recordist: Glen Glenn

title: That Gang of Mine


text:
William Banks (alderman)

William Joseph Panebianco Banks (born July 28, 1949 ) was alderman of the 36th ward in Chicago from 1983 to 2009.

Early career
Banks is Italian-American; to avoid anti-Italian bigotry, Banks' father, currency exchange owner Vincenzo Giuseppe Panebianco, anglicized his name to James Joseph and added "Banks" to their surname. All his sons continued to use "P" or "Panebianco" in front of "Banks."

Banks earned a B.A. degree in 1971 and a law degree in 1975 from DePaul University.

Before his election as alderman, Banks served as Chief Research Aide and Legal Counselor to Congressman Morgan F. Murphy. Later, Banks served as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago.

Political career
Banks is the Democratic committeeman for the 36th Ward, a party position within the Cook County Democratic Party. Banks took over as committeeman when long-time ward committeeman Louis Garippo died in 1981.

Banks is chairman of two well-funded political action committees, the "Friends of William J P Banks" and the "Citizens to Elect Committeeman William J P Banks", and controls a third, the "36th Ward Regular Democratic Organization".

Aldermanic career
Banks was first elected alderman in 1983. Banks succeeded first-term alderman Louis Farina, who declined to run for re-election in 1983 under pressure from then Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne, because of Farina's imminent indictment. Farina was indicted on January 27, 1983 on charges of extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion, and was subsequently charged with accepting bribes to get the contractor's nephew a job at the airport and for fixing a drunk driving charge. Banks' 36th ward Democratic organization held a fund-raiser to help defray Farina's legal fees. Farina was convicted on December 7, 1983 and sentenced to four years, later reduced to three, and served 15 months.

An important facet of Banks' aldermanic career is his position as chair of the Zoning Committee of the Chicago City Council.

Banks has come under some scrutiny because his nephew, James J. Banks, is a zoning attorney and registered lobbyist, the busiest zoning lawyer in Chicago, who has a very high success rate in securing zoning changes. Banks recuses himself prior to all of James Banks' clients. (On October 11, 2007 then Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed James J. Banks as a salaried member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Tollway Authority).

Banks said there is "nothing unusual" about donations to aldermen from developers or their attorneys.

In addition to the Zoning Committee, Banks served on seven other committees: Rules and Ethics; Aviation; Economic, Capital and Technology Development; Budget and Government Operations; Finance; and Housing and Real Estate. Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Banks to lead the Commission of Zoning Reform. He is also a member of the Chicago Plan Commission.

Two city zoning inspectors with ties to Banks' 36th Ward organization were among more than a dozen defendants charged on May 22, 2008 by federal prosecutors in "Operation Crooked Code" who alleged bribery in the Daley administration's Buildings and Zoning Departments. Garneata pleaded guilty on May 14, 2009 in federal court to acting as a go-between in a bribe-for-permits scheme. Garneata admitted that, in December 2007, he acted as a go-between to pass on a bribe to a city plumbing inspector while pocketing some of the cash. Garneata was charged with passing a $7,000 bribe to the inspector, Mario Olivella, who was also charged in the scheme. Garneata is a onetime client of lobbyist James Banks. Garneata and his companies have made $23,000 in campaign contributions since 1999, including $4,000 to the 36th Ward Democratic Organization run by William J. P. Banks.

In late April, 2009, Banks announced his intention to retire from City Council and asked Mayor Daley to appoint his driver John Rice as his replacement.

Professional career
While alderman, Banks worked as an attorney in private practice. Banks is a lobbyist registered with Cook County and the State of Illinois. Banks is co-counsel with Morrill and Associates, P.C., a law firm specializing in Illinois state and local government relations.

Banks is also Of Counsel with the law firm of his brother, criminal defense attorney and lobbyist Samuel V. P. Banks, which is also the law firm of Banks' nephew, zoning lobbyist James J. Banks. Belmont Bank & Trust, a bank in Banks' 36th ward, was founded in 2006 by and is owned by James J. Banks, who is also chairman of the bank's board of directors and the bank's landlord. Other directors of Belmont Bank & Trust include Samuel V. P. Banks (William's brother and law partner and James' father and law partner), State Senator James DeLeo, and waste management consultant Fred Bruno Barbara. Belmont Bank and Trust is a designated Municipal Depository bank for the City of Chicago.

After his retirement from Chicago City Council, Alderman Banks became a named partner in the firm Schain, Banks, Kenny & Schwartz, Ltd., where he practices as an attorney. He counsels clients on matters related to land use, real estate development, real estate tax reduction, litigation strategy, and state, county and federal government relations and approvals.

Personal life
Alderman Banks lives in the Galewood neighborhood with his wife Shirley and their two children.

Bank's brother, Samuel Vincent Panebianco Banks, was an attorney who for years was synonymous with influence in Chicago's 36th Ward on the Far Northwest Side.Samuel V. P. Banks was a powerful behind-the-scenes figure in his brother William's 36th Ward Democratic organization. Samuel V. P. Banks made a name for himself as a criminal defense attorney representing Mob-linked and corruption defendants.

title: William Banks (alderman)


text:
Emma Mitts

Emma Mitts (born June 12, 1955) is alderman of the 37th ward on Chicago's West Side. The predominantly African-American ward includes portions of Austin, West Garfield Park and West Humboldt Park. She has represented the ward since 2000.

Early life
Mitts was born June 12, 1955, in Elaine, Arkansas.

She eventually became a coordinator of special projects for the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation

Chicago City Council
Mitts was appointed by Richard M. Daley to the Chicago City Council in January 2000 to replace Percy Giles who had been indicted along with other city officials in Operation Silver Shovel. She has been reelected in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019. In 2006, her ward received the first Wal-Mart in Chicago. She was an opponent of the 2006 Chicago Big Box Ordinance.

In the runoff of the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, Mitts endorsed Lori Lightfoot. After the death of Karen Yarbrough, Mitts was appointed state central committeewoman from Illinois's 7th congressional district.

title: Emma Mitts


text:
Thomas Allen

Thomas Allen may refer to:

Clergy

 * Thomas Allen (nonconformist) (1608–1673), Anglican/nonconformist priest in England and New England
 * Thomas Allen (dean of Chester) (died 1732)
 * Thomas Allen (scholar) (1681–1755), Anglican priest in England
 * Thomas Allen (Manx author) (1710–1754), vicar of Maughold Parish and author of Manx carols
 * Thomas M. Allen (Missouri clergyman) (1797–1871), minister of the Disciples of Christ church
 * Thomas Allen (dean of Achonry) (1873–1927)
 * Thomas Allen (chaplain) (1743–1810), American Revolution chaplain

Music

 * Thomas S. Allen (1876–1919), American composer
 * Sir Thomas Allen (baritone) (born 1944), British baritone singer
 * Tom Allen (broadcaster) (born 1961), trombonist and radio broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Politicians

 * Thomas Allen (Cavalier) (1603–1681), English MP for Middlesex
 * Sir Thomas Allen, 1st Baronet (c. 1633–1690), Lord Mayor of London
 * Tom Allen (Maine politician) (born 1945), U.S. representative for Maine
 * Thomas Allen (representative) (1813–1882), railroadman and United States congressman from Missouri
 * Thomas Allen (Wisconsin politician) (1825–1905), ninth secretary of state of Wisconsin
 * Thomas Newton Allen (1839–after 1909), lawyer and author in Kentucky and Washington
 * Thomas Carleton Allen (1852–1927), Canadian attorney and mayor of Fredericton
 * Thomas R. Allen (born 1965), Chicago alderman
 * Thomas M. Allen (Georgia politician), Baptist preacher and representative in the Georgia Assembly
 * Thomas Y. Allen (1852–1933), member of the Virginia House of Delegates

Sport

 * Tom Allen (boxer) (1840–1904), heavyweight boxing champion
 * Tom Allen (cricketer) (1912–1954), Australian cricketer
 * Tom Allen (hurler) (1874–1952), Irish hurler
 * Tommy Allen (footballer, born 1897) (1897–1968), English footballer
 * Tom Allen (Australian footballer) (born 1930), former Australian rules footballer
 * Thomas Allen (sport shooter) (born 1953), Irish sports shooter
 * Tom Allen (American football) (born 1970), American football coach
 * Thomas Allen (basketball) (born 1998), American college basketball player

Other people

 * Thomas Allen (mathematician) (1542–1632), English mathematician
 * Sir Thomas Allin, 1st Baronet (1612–1685), officer of the Royal Navy, sometimes known as Thomas Allen
 * Thomas Allen (topographer) (1803–1833), English topographer
 * Thomas Allen (captain) (1816–1885), South Australian sea captain
 * Thomas A. Cullinan (1838–1904), law enforcement officer in Kansas, also known as Tom Allen
 * Thomas Allen (Irish Volunteer) (died 1916), member of the Irish Volunteers who fought and died in 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland
 * Thomas B. Allen (painter) (1928–2004), illustrator
 * Thomas B. Allen (author) (1929–2018), author and historian
 * Thomas J. Allen (1931–2020), MIT professor, economist
 * Tom Allen (comedian) (born 1983), English comedian
 * Thomas D. Allen (fl. 1992), Scout
 * Thomas William Allen (1862–1950), English classicist

Other uses

 * Thomas Allen & Son Limited, a Canadian book distributor

title: Thomas Allen


text:
Margaret Laurino

Margaret Laurino Barnette (born June 17, 1952) is a former alderman of the 39th Ward of the City of Chicago. She is the daughter of former Alderman Anthony C. Laurino, the sister of former state Representative William Laurino, and the wife of former 39th Ward Democratic Committeeman Randy Barnette.

Early life
Laurino is a lifelong resident of Chicago; she attended St. Edward's Elementary School and Alvernia High School. She went on to Northeastern Illinois University where she earned her bachelor's degree in Education and master's degree in History.

Family legacy and controversy
Her father, Anthony C. Laurino, became the 39th ward alderman in 1965 and served for nearly three decades; he was quoted in a 1987 interview with the Chicago Tribune as saying that he walked the alleys of the ward to get to know residents and became known as the "alley alderman." When he resigned in 1994 due to poor health, she was appointed to replace him by Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Family indictments and convictions in ghost-payrolling
A year later, the elder Laurino was indicted by federal investigators on a ghost-payrolling scheme. He died before the trial was concluded, but several family members were convicted, including his wife, Bonnie Rhein Laurino; another daughter, Marie D'Amico; and D'Amico's husband, John.

Aldermanic career
Laurino is Chairperson of the Economic, Capital and Technology Development Committee where she has worked on a proposal for citywide wireless Internet access. She also created the Aldermanic Technology Task Force, which meets quarterly to discuss technological needs in city government.

As of February, 2012 Alderman Laurino is Chairman of the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety.

She also serves on the Committee on Budget and Government Operations, Committee on Committees, Rules and Ethic, Committee on Education and Child Development, Committee on Finance, Committee on Workforce Development and Audit, Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards.

In addition to technology advancements, Laurino has proposed several other ordinances: legislation that regulates restrictive covenants on land occupied by grocery and drug stores, and legislation that created mandatory ethics training for all city employees that could be done online.

Laurino's accomplishments include: a new police station in her ward, a new health center at Roosevelt High School, and helping bring $500,000 for improvements into the homes of senior citizens.

In 2013 she was elected by the Chicago City Council to serve as its President Pro Tempore.

Aldermanic challenges
In 1995, Laurino was forced into a challenging run-off with Tony Fornelli, ultimately winning with 61 percent of the vote. In 1999 she again won 61 percent of the vote, then ran unopposed in 2003 and received 79 percent of the vote in 2007.

2011 campaign
In 2010, four candidates filed to run in the 39th Ward aldermanic campaign; with the exception of Laurino, all of them later faced objector petitions claiming that they failed to gather enough signatures. All of the objector petitions were filed by Rosa and Pat J. Kelly, and Pat Kelly reportedly works in Laurino's office. Matthew J. Robinson was kept off the ballot but ran as a write-in candidate. Lyndon A. Johnson was also kept off the ballot and possibly was running a mock-campaign. Mary Hunter stayed on the ballot and ran a grassroots campaign. Laurino won with 76% of the vote to Hunter's 24%.

2015 campaign
In 2014, community organization president Robert Murphy ran against Laurino. Murphy dragged Laurino under 60% for the first time in a three way race.

title: Margaret Laurino


text:
David Cooke

David Cooke may refer to:

Politics

 * Dave Cooke (born 1952), Canadian NDP politician from Windsor, Ontario
 * David R. Cooke (born 1937), Canadian Liberal politician in Ontario
 * David O. Cooke (1920–2002), former U.S. Department of Defense administrator
 * David Cooke (mayor) on List of mayors of Ballarat

Sports

 * David Cooke (basketball) (born 1963), American basketball player
 * David A. Cooke (born 1949), English rugby union player
 * David H. Cooke (born 1955), English rugby union player

Others

 * Dave Cooke (businessman) (born 1950s), founder of charities Operation Christmas Child and Teams4U
 * David Cooke (Royal Navy officer) (1955–2014), British admiral
 * David Cooke (BBFC), succeeded Robin Duval at British Board of Film Classification
 * David Cooke (voice actor), voiced as Morton Koopa Jr since Mario Kart 8
 * David Cooke, a video game programmer who worked for Tarantula Studios

title: David Cooke


text:
Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway

The Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway was an 87 mi long American shortline railroad connecting Minneapolis and Northfield, Minnesota. It was incorporated in 1918 to take over the trackage of the former Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company, also known as the Dan Patch Lines. On June 2, 1982, it was acquired by the Soo Line Railroad, which operated it as a separate railroad until merging it on January 1, 1986, along with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road).

Until around 1963, it was a Class I railroad; in 1967, it reported 131 million ton-miles of revenue freight on 77 mi of railroad.

The Dan Patch Lines
Marion W. Savage, owner of the race horse Dan Patch, planned an electric railroad that would connect the Twin Cities to his farm and stables south of the Minnesota River. Savage purchased Dan Patch for $62,000 (a fortune in 1902), then lavishly promoted his equine protégé.

Savage and his backers chose 54th and Nicollet, at the time the Richfield-Minneapolis border, as the starting point for the new railroad. Minneapolis' Nicollet streetcar line ended at that spot, so passengers could easily transfer to the adjacent Dan Patch system. Its owners named their new firm the Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company, but no one used the full name. Instead, they preferred the nickname "Dan Patch Line." Construction began in 1908, eventually reaching Northfield in late 1910. Grading began on an extension to Faribault in 1911, but the company never secured an entrance into Faribault and abandoned the project.

The new railroad built four stations in Richfield, with platforms along the Nicollet Avenue corridor – on the Bachman's farmstead spur at 62nd, Goodspeed's farmstead at 66th, Irwin's farmstead on 72nd and Wilson's farmstead on the southwest corner of 78th. They also completed a company-developed picnic destination named Antlers Park, now part of the Lakeville city park system. Richfield gardeners and farmers used the Dan Patch railroad for shipping produce, dairy products and other goods. Passengers shared the platforms with farmers.

Original plans called for the Dan Patch Line to be electrified, but did not happen. The company used steam engines for their freight trains, while gas-electric locomotives and motorcars handled passenger traffic. Savage's penchant for first-class style did produce luxurious coaches – red, plush seat cushions and fringed shades on windows added a touch of Victorian elegance.

Management struggled to make the rail route profitable without consistent success. According to some reports, the railroad had an abysmal operating ratio of 147%. It persisted in operation until less than a week after the deaths of the horse Dan Patch and his owner Colonel Savage, it slumped into receivership on July 16, 1916.

Bankruptcy, receivership, and new ownership
Four days after the bankruptcy, Charles P. Bratnober (president of the Minneapolis, Anoka and Cuyuna Range Railroad) was appointed receiver. The Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railroad, incorporated during June 1918 in South Dakota, bought the remnants of Savage's former company at foreclosure on August 6, 1918. The new owners promoted the Dan Patch's route from Northfield to Minneapolis, and successfully marketed the reconstituted railroad as a bridge line around the congested Twin Cities freight yards.

As finally constructed, the MN&S mainline ran in what is now the west metro of the Twin Cities. From its junction with the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad at MNS Junction in Crystal, it traveled through New Hope, Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, Edina, Bloomington, Savage, Lakeville and down to Northfield. Along the way, the line connected the Soo Line with the Milwaukee Road, the Omaha Road, the Chicago Great Western and the Rock Island's St. Paul to Kansas City "Spine Line". They had shops at Glenwood on a spur line that went from the present area of Hwy 100 and Hwy 55 to the edge of downtown Minneapolis. Along that spur were connections to the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway and Great Northern Railway. In addition, the original passenger "High Line" ran from Auto Club Junction in Bloomington through Richfield and into south Minneapolis, ending just north of the current Crosstown freeway.

Besides its freight service, the company continued passenger service using their gas-electric motorcars from Minneapolis to Antlers Park and Northfield until the 1940s. Until the Great Depression, the MN&S Ry. also used trackage rights on the Chicago Great Western from Northfield to Randolph and Mankato, and even after discontinuing passenger service maintained trackage rights to Randolph for freight service. Dan Patch's gas-electric locomotives were sold during bankruptcy, and freight was hauled by steam until the 1940s. Immediately after World War II, the MN&S began transitioning to diesel-electric locomotives such as the Baldwin DT-6-6-2000, then to various EMD models.

Sale to the Soo Line and current usage

The railroad was purchased in 1982 by the Soo Line, and merged into the Soo Line in 1986. For decades prior to the sale to the Soo Line, the MN&S had a lucrative business interchanging with several Class I railroads. Rock Island and Milwaukee Road at Northfield, C&NW at Savage, Soo Line at Crystal, M&StL at St Louis Park, Great Northern at Cedar Lake Yard in Minneapolis, and CGW over trackage rights between Randolph and Northfield. By the time of the sale to Soo Line in 1982, MN&S's interchange business was in shambles with the Rock Island and Milwaukee Road fading in bankruptcy and the sale of CGW and M&StL to C&NW in the 1960s leaving only the Soo Line and Burlington Northern as viable interchange partners. The loss of interchange traffic at Randolph when CGW merged with C&NW in 1968 was a significant setback as C&NW already had its own routes to the Twin Cities and kept most of the ex-CGW inbound freight on its own rails. By 1982, the Soo Line was ready to make several moves and had sufficient funds to counter competing offers. Soo Line's grand plan was to secure MN&S to Northfield, then purchase the Spine Line to Kansas City from Rock Island in its liquidation. However, C&NW purchased the Spine Line for $93 million in 1983. The Soo Line saved face in 1985 by purchasing the bankrupt Milwaukee Road. The Soo Line's loss of the Spine Line and the transfer of southbound freight to the former Milwaukee Road route to Northfield reduced service on the entire MN&S for the next 25 years. By 1997, six years after the Soo Line was purchased by Canadian Pacific, the last train had gone between Lakeville and Savage, and the tracks have remained out-of-service since then. In 1999 the I&M Rail Link gained trackage rights on the former MN&S to Minneapolis but never utilized them. In 2004, during which Burnsville proposed reopening an at-grade crossing on the MN&S, Canadian Pacific stated that by the next five years Progressive Rail would be utilizing the MN&S route that is currently out-of-service, but this didn't happen. The Glenwood shops were closed and tracks removed in the mid 1980s after the Soo Line took over. Despite that, of the MN&S mainline extending south to Northfield, the Soo's owner Canadian Pacific Railway still owns the tracks from Savage to Lakeville and from the Minnesota River north to MNS Junction. In late August of 2023, the Lynn Avenue bridge in Savage was damaged by a truck. CP removed the bridge's decking in early September.

The Twin Cities and Western Railroad owns the Dan Patch Line Bridge over the Minnesota River. TC&W has trackage rights over the MN&S Spur and purchased the bridge to protect what they feel may become a valuable shipping route in the future. In 2016, TC&W undertook a major rehabilitation of the Dan Patch Line Bridge in anticipation of an upsurge in grain traffic. By September of 2022, TC&W was seeking Minnesota state funding to rehabilitate a three-quarter mile stretch of the old MN&S main in Savage, a section of track that would enable direct service to resume. Progressive Rail, Inc. owns the track between Lakeville and Northfield, operating it as their Jesse James Line. Progressive Rail owns and occasionally operates two MN&S cabooses as well as a former MN&S EMD SD39. Some of Progressive Rail's rolling stock is painted in an MN&S-inspired livery.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has performed studies on operating commuter rail over the Dan Patch Line. This service would be known as the Dan Patch Corridor. Although the Minnesota Legislature imposed a ban on state money going to further studies of the proposed service in 2002, in 2023, this ban was lifted.


text: User talk:70.19.142.140

title: User talk:70.19.142.140


text:
Amalgamated Broadcasting System

The Amalgamated Broadcasting System (ABS), sometimes referred to as the Amalgamated Network (Amalgamated ), was an ambitious, although unsuccessful, attempt to establish a national "third radio network" in the United States. Its primary promoters were the company's president, American comedian Ed Wynn, and its vice-president, Hungarian-born violinist Ota Gygi. The network's inaugural broadcast on September 25, 1933, was carried by a small group of stations located in the Northeast. Despite plans to eventually expand nationwide, the network never grew beyond its original group of affiliates, and ceased operations at midnight November 1, 1933, just five weeks after its debut. Its failure resulted in a major financial loss, plus significant emotional distress, for Wynn.

Formation
In the early 1930s, network radio in the United States was dominated by two major companies: the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), formed in 1926, which operated two national networks, known as the NBC-Red and the NBC-Blue, plus the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), established in 1927. These two companies had subsequently signed affiliation agreements with almost all of the country's major radio stations, leaving limited program options for a few hundred remaining medium and small stations. This imbalance led to ongoing efforts to create a "third radio network", to help the left-out stations compete with the NBC and CBS programs.

The idea to form ABS originated with Ota Gygi, who then enlisted Wynn, who, as the "Fire Chief" on the original Fire Chief Program on NBC, was one of the country's best-known performers. Despite his professional and financial success, Wynn was concerned about his future and the power the established networks had over the programming policies of their local affiliate stations. It was his hope that ABS would provide a programming alternative, and would also insure a more stable financial future for himself and his family, explaining that "acting is such an uncertain profession, and I want to establish a business for my actor son, Keenan, which will be sane and secure and bring in plenty of profits".

Formation of the Amalgamated Broadcasting System, Inc. was announced in October 1932, although at the time it was described as being a production company. Ed Wynn was the president and "famed producer" Arthur Hopkins was director of productions, with Ota Gygi and T. W. Richardson described as assistants. Irving Berlin and Daniel Frohman were rumored to be planning to join the effort, and the new company, which it was reported "has Radio Row atwitter", was said to have already signed $1,000,000 of business contracts.

Plans for ABS gained support in January 1933 from George W. Trendle, president of the recently founded Michigan Regional Network, who stated his stations would join Amalgamated once it expanded westward. Efforts were made to attract major investors, and there were rumors that additional funding would be coming from "Detroit millionaires", but the network would actually be primarily financed by Ed Wynn's personal funds.

At a March 10, 1933, press dinner, Wynn reviewed his plans: "My idea is to give the listener more radio and less advertising ballyhoo. There is one thing that attracts the average listener to his receiver. He wants entertainment. The spot on the dial where he finds the most entertainment is the spot where the dial will stand. So I want Amalgamated to give the listener a maximum of the best entertainment possible with the least possible advertising talk." It was planned to greatly limit commercial messages, in order to "limit the ballyhoo to thirty words—a curtain announcement at the beginning and the end". (The restriction of advertising messages to short announcements at the start and close of each program had been the original network radio policy, until NBC and CBS abandoned it as the 1930s progressed.) Moreover, "in the broadcasting station the plan for the whole day's schedule should be in the hands of the program manager. No prerogatives should be surrendered there to commercial interests." Wynn stressed the need for high quality programming, so that: "The listener will know that by tuning in one of our programs at any time from 8 a. m. until 1 a. m. he will be able to hear a fine program." He also hoped that, with the country mired in the depths of the Great Depression, his network would provide an additional source of employment for the numerous unemployed actors and other entertainers.

Despite announcements that the new network would soon start operations, its launch date was repeatedly postponed, creating growing skepticism within the radio industry. The work needed to establish a New York City flagship station was particularly complicated. An effort was made to combine four small stations — WCDA, WBNX, WMSG and WAWZ — which all shared a common frequency. WCDA was able to gain control of most of the frequency's broadcasting hours by buying out WBNX and WMSG, after which WCDA changed its call letters to WBNX. WAWZ's owners were unwilling to sell, which meant ABS's key station was not even a full-time operation.

Operations
An initial roster of approximately 15 affiliate stations, located in the Northeast, was recruited for the new network, with plans to add additional geographical groups of stations over time. The charter stations were almost all small ones with limited transmitting ranges: their combined powers totaled less than half of that of many individual NBC and CBS stations. (ABS's flagship, WBNX, at only 250 watts, was dwarfed by the three 50,000-watt NBC and CBS flagship stations, which were also located in New York City). To reduce expenses, instead of the specially prepared telephone lines employed by NBC and CBS to link stations together, ABS decided to use Western Union telegraph wires, despite the admonition by one reviewer that using telegraph lines was known to be problematical, and "Broadcast engineers in the know never use them except in a dire emergency."

As company president, Wynn was actively involved in overseeing developments, and planned to be on-hand for the network's launch. However, the delay in the starting date eventually required him to leave in July for Hollywood, for the filming of a movie "The Fire Chief". This left Gygi in charge, who, unlike Wynn, proved to be unpopular, in addition to being unqualified for the task of running a radio network. At a press conference launching ABS, Gygi "managed to alienate almost the entire New York City press corps", "by announcing... that he was only interested in what The New York Times thought of the project and had no use for any of the other papers." This irked the influential New York Daily News radio critic Ben Gross, whose lead in attacking the apparent ABS attitude was picked up by his peers — and by advertisers whom Gygi reportedly alienated by positioning the network toward treating advertising as "a necessary but distasteful evil", which in turn caused ABS difficulty attracting sponsors needed to pay for the promised top quality programming.

The new network finally debuted with a four-hour gala on September 25, 1933, broadcast from its newly built studios (and luxurious offices) at 501 Madison Avenue in New York City. Personalities appearing on the program schedule included Vaughn De Leath and Norman Brokenshire, with welcoming addresses by Postmaster General James A. Farley, Judge E. O. Sykes, chairman of the Federal Radio Commission, and Representative Sol Bloom of New York, who spoke from Washington via WOL. Ed Wynn did not appear, in part because his radio contract would not allow him to be on a competing network. Ben Gross, who attended, later described the event as poorly organized and disrupted by an unruly audience.

Failure and aftermath
Despite initial high hopes, the ABS network struggled from the beginning. The plan to greatly restrict advertising "ballyhoo" was even more successful than intended, for despite Wynn's claim in March that there were "twenty-seven sponsors ready", none of the ABS offerings ever gained sponsorship. (Affiliates therefore had to pay the network to carry its unsponsored "sustaining programs".) Chronically under-financed, there were reports that the employees had worked unpaid for weeks, and when they finally began to receive salaries, it was at half-pay.

Wynn returned from Hollywood to investigate reports that the network was faltering. Prior to its launch, a confident Wynn had said, "We may get knocked down a couple of times but we'll get up smiling and go right ahead toward our objective, building slowly but firmly so that each time we take a set-back — if we must take set-backs — it will be only for a short distance. Then we will build back up from there." However, he was shocked to find the situation unsalvageable, and resigned as ABS president on October 25. A series of unsuccessful attempts were made by Gygi to save the network, but Amalgamated ceased operations at midnight November 1, 1933, only five weeks after its start. Within a few days creditors had forced the network into involuntary bankruptcy and liquidation, with the $10,000 pipe organ sold for $1,000, and the studios acquired for use by a Newark, New Jersey, station, WNEW. Ed Wynn felt ashamed and personally responsible for the ABS fiasco. He vowed to repay the investors, whose losses were estimated to be as much as in excess of $300,000. The resulting pressure, plus the end of The Fire Chief Program and his marital trouble two years later, helped drive the comedian toward a nervous breakdown by the end of the 1930s.

The ABS failure did not deter others from promoting their own "third network" ideas. Included was Ota Gygi, who in 1934 unsuccessfully tried to form a network around station WCFL in Chicago, then in 1936 found a new backer, Chicago industrialist Samuel Insull, and became vice president of the short-lived Affiliated Broadcasting Company network. (In contrast, when Ed Wynn was asked if he would make another attempt at organizing a radio network, his firm reply was: "Never again. My business is to make people laugh, not to make myself feel like crying.") After the launch of CBS's radio network filled the "third network" slot, there were several attempts at launching additional national radio networks; one eventual success of launching an independent radio network would be the Mutual Broadcasting System, which was established on September 29, 1934, although it would never gain the prominence of the older NBC and CBS networks. Others were the Liberty Broadcasting System (LBS; considered second in size to Mutual), launched in 1948 by Gordon McLendon, which mainly aired live recreations of Major League Baseball (MLB) games, but also aired various other types of programming, such as late night band remotes, and the Progressive Broadcasting System (PBS; considered below LBS), a short-lived radio network launched in the 1950s, which "catered to small radio stations".

The film The Great Man (1956), which has a broadcasting background and features Ed Wynn in a supporting role, is based at a fictional network known as the "Amalgamated Broadcasting Network".

A recording of ABS's inaugural broadcast survives and is circulated among old-time radio fans.

title: Amalgamated Broadcasting System


text:
Dangwa flower market

Dangwa Flower Market, also known as Dangwa or Bulaklakan ng Maynila (Flower Market of Manila), is a fresh flower market in the Sampaloc area of Manila, in the Philippines. The market is composed of small, individually-owned stalls and street vendors selling flowers wholesale and retail, at prices 50 to 90 percent cheaper than Metro Manila's flower shops. In 2004, it was home to 50 flower vendors, and most are members of the Dangwa Flower Market Association. The market is centered on the crossroads of Dos Castillas Street and Dimasalang Street, spreading to adjacent roads like Lacson Avenue and Maria Clara Street.

Etymology
The market derives its name from the adjacent Dangwa Tranco Terminal. Since the late 1950s, Dangwa Tranco passenger coaches have been bringing fresh flowers from Baguio City and other parts of the Cordilleras down to Manila.

History
The flower market was said to have sprouted in around 1976, when the neighbourhood was mostly middle-class residential, with a book publisher called Alip & Sons. The place grew in popularity as a flower market due to the presence of Dangwa Tranco Terminal, with buses coming from Benguet – where most cut flowers are harvested – unloading the fresh blooms in nearby streets.

By the 1980s and the 1990s, the market had surpassed competitors in Quiapo, Manila and Baclaran. The market’s growth during the Marcos era was also due to then-First Lady Imelda Marcos and her lavish lifestyle. At that time, the market provided flowers for big flower shops, which in turn decorated Malacañang Palace.

In 1994, a hardworking business owner started operating 24 hours a day due to growing demand, and other vendors followed suit. The advent of modern technology, specifically short message service (SMS) or "texting", has tremendous impact in the industry providing improved communication with the rural farmers and efficiency in transporting flowers at lower costs. SMS has also cut losses as dealers can instantly send feedback to farmers as to which flowers are in demand in a specific season.

Flowers in the market have since originated from beyond Trinidad Valley and the Cordilleras, in other flower farms nationwide like nearby Tagaytay, Batangas, and Laguna, to Davao and Cotabato south in Mindanao. The market has also expanded to sourcing specific varieties from overseas like Thailand, the Netherlands, and Ecuador. Some common varieties available include mums, roses, orchids, ylang-ylang, gerberas, anthuriums, and asters.

Peak season
The flower market's peak seasons are around graduation days, Holy Week, Valentine's Day, All Saints Day and Mother's Day, and December. Sometimes customers flock the market till 11 pm on Valentine's Day.

title: Dangwa flower market


text:
User:Captain Silly

This user is a vandalizor who always puts pics of Dick Cheney on other people's infoboxes.

title: User:Captain Silly


text:
Theresienfeld

Theresienfeld is a town in the Wiener Neustadt-Land district of Lower Austria, in eastern Austria. It lies 5 km (3 miles) north of Wiener Neustadt, in the southern part of the Vienna Basin. Of its 11.47 km2 area, 3.40% is forested.

History
Theresienfeld was founded in 1763 by Empress Maria Theresa, for the agricultural development of the area.

Economy and education
In 2011, there were 169 non-agricultural jobs in the municipality, and 14 agriculturally and forestry related companies. 109 persons were unemployed.

Theresienfeld has two kindergartens, a primary school, and a vocational school.

title: Theresienfeld


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/American Statistic

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. jni 14:17, 3 Mar 2005 (UTC)

American Statistic
Non-notable band. Their website is at myspace.com. allmusic.com doesn't kow them. RickK 23:43, Feb 25, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, not notable, possible band vanity. Megan1967 03:41, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. A lot of notable bands are on myspace too, but if a myspace link is all they give, then they probably aren't notable.  They get 548 Google hits, most of which are unrelated. --Idont Havaname 19:29, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete for not meeting the Notability and Music Guidelines. Tuf-Kat 04:42, Feb 27, 2005 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.
 * Comment: User:24.10.173.186 vandalized this page, deleting all of the Delete votes and replacing my vote with a Keep.  RickK 00:16, Mar 3, 2005 (UTC)


text:
Grez-sur-Loing

Grez-sur-Loing (, literally Grez on Loing; formerly Grès-en-Gâtinais, literally Grès in Gâtinais) is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France.

Sights

 * The Church of Notre-Dame et Saint-Laurent (Church of Our Lady and of Saint Lawrence) was the church of a priory dependent on Saint Peter's Abbey in Sens. It dates from the twelfth century and houses some tombs of the sixteenth century.
 * The Tower of Ganne, built by Louis VI the fat in 1127, at the same time as the castle.
 * The Old bridge, former bridge of Grez-en-Gâtinais built between the 12th century and the 14th century. Destroyed several times it was rebuilt identically in 1980.
 * Tacot des Lacs (Lakes' crate), a narrow-gauge heritage railway running about lakes on plains of the Loing river.

Art colony
It is located 70 km south of Paris and is notable for the artists and musicians who have lived or stayed there. The painter Fernande Sadler became mayor and encouraged the community gathering paintings and she wrote about the artists there.

The Swedish artist Carl Larsson met his wife Karin Bergöö while they were both staying at Grez. Others include Irish artist Frank O'Meara, Swedish artists Karl Nordström, Emma Chadwick, Julia Beck and Bruno Liljefors as well as writer August Strindberg, the Danish and Norwegian members of the Skagen Painters, and Robert Louis Stevenson. American artists were John Singer Sargent, Francis Brooks Chadwick, Robert Vonnoh, Edward Simmons (painter), Will Hicox Low, Theodore Robinson, Willard Metcalf, Bruce Crane, and Kenyon Cox. Grez is featured in many paintings by The Glasgow Boys, where the bridge over the river is clearly featured. They were resident in the village at the turn of the 20th century.

Musicians also migrated to Grez-sur-Loing. The English composer Frederick Delius lived here and dictated a number of works to his amanuensis, Eric Fenby, here. Their house was portrayed in the 1968 Ken Russell film Song of Summer, but it was filmed in England. Delius died in Grez on 10 June 1934. The American soprano and folk song fieldworker Loraine Wyman spent several years here starting in 1928, following her retirement from singing.

title: Grez-sur-Loing


text:
Aldan, Russia

Aldan (Алдан; Алдан) is a gold-mining town and the administrative center of Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located in the Aldan Highlands, in the Aldan River basin, on the stream Orto-Sala near its mouth in the Seligdar River, about 470 km south of the republic's capital of Yakutsk. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 21,275.

History
It was founded in 1923 as Nezametny (Незаме́тный), after discovery of rich gold deposits. It was granted town status and renamed in 1939. During World War II, an airfield was built here for the Alaska-Siberian (ALSIB) air route used to ferry American Lend-Lease aircraft to the Eastern Front.

Administrative and municipal status
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Aldan serves as the administrative center of Aldansky District. As an inhabited locality, Aldan is classified as a town under district jurisdiction. As an administrative division, it is, together with two rural localities, incorporated within Aldansky District as the Town of Aldan. As a municipal division, the Town of Aldan is incorporated within Aldansky Municipal District as Aldan Urban Settlement.

Economy
Aldan remains a productive gold and mica mining center, largely avoiding the large drop in population suffered by most other towns in the Russian Far East in the years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Transportation
The town stands on the A360 Lena Highway, which connects Yakutsk and Never, as well as on the partially complete Amur–Yakutsk Mainline railway. It is served by the Aldan Airport.

Climate
Aldan has the typical eastern Siberian subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) though it is affected by the Pacific Ocean more than localities in the lower Lena basin, which gives it much heavier rainfall during the summer than most of the republic, as well as a little more snowfall and rather less extreme winter temperatures – though still extremely cold for the latitude and as much as 10 C-change colder than settlements actually on the Okhotsk coast. In spite of the less extreme winters vis-à-vis more northerly parts of Sakha, Aldan has never seen any day above freezing from 22 November to 7 March inclusive. Although winters are somewhat less extreme than Yakutsk, summers are actually somewhat cooler, and cloudier, than those northerly areas.

The coldest temperature recorded in Aldan since the weather station was opened in 1937 has been −50.0 C on 20 January 2023 and the hottest 36.5 C on 3 July 2021. February 1969, with a mean temperature of −33.6 C, has been the coldest month on record, shading the preceding January which averaged −33.4 C. The hottest month has been July 1941 which averaged 20.7 C, the wettest August 2006 with 269 mm of rain, and the driest March 1937 with only 2 mm of water equivalent.

title: Aldan, Russia


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Dark Mercenaries

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. jni 15:31, 4 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Dark Mercenaries
Final Fantasy gaming clan. Related article Gibbs was already voted for deletion, so I'm putting this here for consistency. sjorford →•← 23:44, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC) This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.
 * Delete, not notable. Megan1967 03:42, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Concur, delete. Radiant! 11:04, Feb 28, 2005 (UTC)


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User:Roy.overstreet

My interests, while broad, are largely confined within the context of Wikipedia to all aspects Formula One--the technology, the politics, the spoorting and technical regs, the personalities, how it all fits together.

title: User:Roy.overstreet


text:
Pate's Grammar School

Pate's Grammar School is a grammar school with academy status in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. It caters for pupils aged 11 to 18. The school was founded with a fund bestowed to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, by Richard Pate in 1574. The school became co-educational in 1986, when Pate's Grammar School for Girls merged with Cheltenham Grammar School.

Pate's has been awarded 'State Secondary School of the Year' twice by The Sunday Times in their Good Schools Guide in 2012 and 2020. In 2013, and again in 2024, the school was given an Outstanding judgement by Ofsted.

Academic achievements
At GCSE level in 2004, 100% of pupils entered earned five A* to C grades, and the school came twelfth in the BBC table of performance in A-/AS-Level. Again in 2005, 100% of pupils earned five A* to C grades at GCSE, and in 2006, 100% of pupils passed in at least seven subjects with grades A* to C. In 2008, more A* grades were achieved collectively than any other grade put together at GCSE level.

The physics department was recognised as the best in the country in a survey published by The Observer in May 2006.

In 2012 Pate's achieved the fourth best state secondary school results in the United Kingdom. It was also awarded with 'State Secondary School of the Year'. In 2019 the school was ranked as one of the top secondary state schools in the UK with 95.6% of grades at A*-B at A-level and 87.5% of grades at 9-7 at GCSE.

Sporting achievements
The senior rugby team was coached by ex-England scrum-half Peter Kingston until his retirement in 2009. In 2007 Pate's senior rugby teams completed a season unbeaten for the first time in 21 years.

The Old Patesians club has grounds and a clubhouse in Leckhampton, which was built when their previous premises were demolished to make way for Cheltenham's tallest building, Eagle Tower.

Community
The school competes in the Young Enterprise competition held amongst schools nationwide. The school was also named as one of the four winners of the annual BBC School's Question Time competition in 2009. During the 1970s the school were winners of the BBC radio show Top of the Form.

Pate's is also involved with charity work and has a Charity Committee appointed each year; in 2007–2008, over £16,000 was raised. The school is situated in a deprived area of Cheltenham and under the headmaster Richard Kemp deprived students were encouraged to apply.

The current headmaster is James Richardson, who took over from Russel Ellicot in September 2023.

Developments
The boys' school was established in 1586. The Gothic premises in the High Street were demolished in 1967 to make way for a concrete supermarket, at a time when many other historic buildings, which would now be listed and protected, were also lost. The school playing field existed quite remote from the school in Hesters Way, and a replacement school was built there, after the boundaries had been altered to make way for the Princess Elizabeth Way and Coronation Square council developments. The majority of pupils lived in more affluent areas on the opposite side of the town and needed to commute by public transport. The building opened in 1965 and was designed by the architects Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, and featured innovative use of concrete and brick construction, a copper-clad dome over the library and a moat, but its striking appearance was not universally popular, frequently drawing comparisons with a prison. By the 1980s the concrete had developed significant structural problems. Following the merger with the girls grammar school in 1986, the school became multi-site for a time, utilising the former Monkscroft school buildings on a nearby site, predominantly for lower school pupils. The combination of the issues with running a split-site school, and the decaying condition of both buildings led to their replacement from 1994 with new buildings. During this period the school somehow lost its nomenclature with Richard Pate, becoming known instead as Cheltenham Grammar School, and Pate's name instead became associated with the girls' school at Pittville.

The school raised funds in order to complete new fitness facilities. The £50,000 fitness suite was opened by Geoff Hurst in April 2010.

The school converted from a voluntary aided school into an academy in November 2010.

In summer 2012, Pate's Grammar completed the construction of a new refectory, costing £1.75 million. This also involved upgrading the school canteen to a cashless catering system operated by sQuid. It was opened by the Duke of Gloucester on 5 October 2012. The new sixth form block was built and completed in summer 2019.

In 2013, a new school block was opened named 'The George and Eve Tatam Block', after alumni who also sponsor higher level study at both Corpus Christi, Oxford and Corpus Christi, Cambridge.

In spring 2019, a new sixth form block opened following a grant received in 2017. The three-storey building comprises study spaces and IT facilities on the lower two floors, whilst the upper floor houses the senior library. The building links directly to the George and Eve Tatum Block next to which it is constructed.

Pate's Grammar School

 * Ben Chacko, editor since 2014 of the Morning Star
 * Siân Berry, Member of the London Assembly and former leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
 * Matt Smith, professional footballer
 * Sue Limb, novelist

Music

 * Gustav Holst, composer
 * Brian Jones, musician and founder of The Rolling Stones
 * Philip Lane, composer

Sport

 * Gilbert Jessop, cricketer
 * Robert Lanchbury, Gloucestershire cricketer
 * Alfred Payne, cricketer

Engineers

 * Sir Benjamin Baker, engineer of the Forth Bridge
 * Sir Frederick Handley Page, founder of the aircraft company Handley Page
 * Gordon Lewis, aeronautical engineer, and designer of the Olympus and Pegasus engines with Bristol Siddeley
 * Bob Parkinson, rocket engineer with British Aerospace, worked on HOTOL

Academia

 * William Henry Corfield, revolutionised hygiene and household sanitation in Victorian England.
 * Sir Rowland Biffen, developed disease resistant wheat strains
 * H. J. Round, scientist, played an important part in the discovery of light-emitting diodes
 * Martin Hume Johnson, Professor of Reproductive Sciences from 1992 to 2012 at the University of Cambridge (Christ's College)
 * Piers Coleman, theoretical physicist, Professor of Physics Rutgers University and brother of Jaz Coleman.
 * Anthony Howe, professor of modern history since 2003 at UEA
 * Kit Fine, philosopher

Politics

 * Adrian Bailey, Labour MP from 2000 to 2019 for West Bromwich West.
 * John Roberts, Liberal MP from 1885 to 1906 for South Caernarfonshire, Eifion

Film & TV

 * John Ringham, character actor
 * Rex Tucker, TV director, Head of BBC TV drama from 1969-81
 * Desmond Wilcox, TV reporter, late husband of Dame Esther Rantzen

Authors

 * Robert Hawker, poet
 * Geoff Dyer, writer

Other

 * Colonel John Chard, British Army officer; received the Victoria Cross (VC) for his service in January 1879 at Rorke's Drift
 * Peter Lampl, founder of the Sutton Trust
 * Sir Edgar Vaughan, ambassador from 1960 to 1963 to Panama
 * Ernest Blackie, Bishop of Grimsby from 1935 to 1937
 * The Baron Christopher, general secretary from 1976 to 1988 of the Inland Revenue Staff Federation
 * John Clink, Flag Officer Sea Training since 2015

Pate's Grammar School for Girls

 * Mary Honeyball, Labour MEP 2000 - 2019 for London
 * Dame Felicity Lott, soprano
 * Dame Lesley Rees, endocrinologist, professor of chemical endocrinology since 1978 at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
 * Fiona Sampson, poet, professor of poetry since 2013 at the University of Roehampton
 * Anne Warner, professor of developmental biology at UCL, and director from 1999 to 2006 of UCL's Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology

title: Pate's Grammar School


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Waidmannsfeld

Waidmannsfeld is a municipality in the Wiener Neustadt-Land District, Lower Austria, Austria. The forested portion of the municipality amounts to 77.9% of its area. Waidmannsfeld consists of the cadastral communities Neusiedl and Waidmannsfeld.

Economy
In 1999 there were 34 companies with agricultural or forestry related activities. In 2001 there were 51 jobs apart from agriculture, and 790 persons were employed. The activity rate was 45.04% in 2001.

title: Waidmannsfeld


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Alessandro

Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include:

People with the given name Alessandro

 * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter
 * Alessandro Baricco (born 1958), Italian novelist
 * Alessandro Bega (born 1991), Italian tennis player
 * Alessandro Bordin (born 1998), Italian footballer
 * Alessandro Botticelli (1445–1510), Italian painter
 * Alessandro Bovo (born 1969), Italian water polo player
 * Alessandro Cagliostro (1743–1795), alias of occultist and adventurer Giuseppe Balsamo
 * Alessandro Calcaterra (born 1975), Italian water polo player
 * Alessandro Calvi (born 1983), Italian swimmer
 * Alessandro Cattelan (born 1980), Italian television preesenter
 * Alessandro Cortini (born 1976), Italian musician
 * Alessandro Criscuolo (1937–2020), Italian judge
 * Alessandro Del Piero (born 1974), Italian footballer
 * Alessandro Di Munno (born 2000), Italian footballer
 * Alessandro Evangelisti (born 1981), Italian footballer
 * Alessandro Fontana (1936–2013), Italian academician and politician
 * Alessandro Grandi (1586–1630), Italian composer
 * Alessandro Hojabrpour (born 2000), Canadian soccer player
 * Alessandro Juliani (born 1978), Canadian actor
 * Alessandro Lindblad (Alesso) (born 1991), Swedish musician, DJ and producer
 * Alessandro Manzoni (1785–1873), Italian poet and novelist
 * Alessandro Martelli (1876–1934), Italian academic and politician
 * Alessandro Martini (1812–1905), Italian businessman and founder of Martini & Rossi distillery
 * Alessandro Matri (born 1984), Italian footballer
 * Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (1510–1537), ruler of Florence from 1530 to 1537
 * Alessandro Moreschi (1898–1922), only castrato to make solo recordings
 * Alessandro Murgia (born 1996), Italian footballer
 * Alessandro Mori Nunes (born 1979), Brazilian footballer
 * Alessandro Nannini (born 1959), Italian racing driver
 * Alessandro Nesta (born 1976), Italian footballer
 * Alessandro Nivola (born 1972), American actor
 * Alessandro Nunziante (1815–1881), Italian general and politician
 * Alessandro D'Ottavio (1927–1988), Italian boxer
 * Alessandro Pagani (born 1937), Italian Roman Catholic bishop
 * Alessandro Petacchi (born 1974), Italian professional road cyclist
 * Alessandro Pezzatini (born 1957), Italian race walker
 * Alessandro Piccolo (agricultural scientist) (born 1951), Italian scientist
 * Alessandro Riggi (born 1993), Canadian soccer player
 * Alessandro Ruben (born 1960), Italian politician
 * Alessandro Safina (born 1963), Italian tenor
 * Alessandro dos Santos (born 1977), Brazilian and naturalised Japanese footballer
 * Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725), Italian composer
 * Alessandro Viana da Silva (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
 * Alessandro Stratta (born 1964), celebrity chef
 * Alessandro Sturba (born 1972), Italian footballer
 * Alessandro Serenelli, criminal, gardener, porter and layman
 * Alessandro Tiarini (1577–1668), Italian painter
 * Alessandro de Tomaso (1928–2003), Argentine racing driver and businessman
 * Alessandro Trentacinque (1541–1599), Italian writer and jurist
 * Alessandro Emanuele "Alex" Treves (1929–2020), Italian-born American Olympic fencer
 * Alessandro Venturella (born 1984), British musician
 * Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), Italian physicist
 * Alex Zanardi (born 1966), Italian racing driver

People with the surname Alessandro

 * Danilo Alessandro (born 1988), Italian footballer
 * Darío Alessandro (1951–2021), Argentine sociologist, politician, and diplomat
 * Jonatan Alessandro (born 1987), Argentine footballer
 * Victor Alessandro (1915–1976), American orchestra conductor

title: Alessandro


text:
Talk:Strike Force (TV series)

I've removed this, due its impossible vagueness:

 * Strike Force is rumored to be a group of Vigilante operating in a port city bordering the Gulf of Mexico. It's conception and motives are unknown, but is recognized by the ATF as a threat. None have been apprehended, but are wanted in connection with several drug busts in and around the Gulf Coast area.

It also might be a hoax, as Google turns up some hits for a police task force called Strike Force. sjorford →•← 00:00, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

title: Talk:Strike Force (TV series)


text:
List of Islamic educational institutions

Institutions that have an Islamic or Muslim identity or charter include:University of Madinah

Historical institutions in continuous operations
Institutions founded before the colonial era and which are still in operation:
 * University of Al-Qarawiyyin, Morocco, the oldest existing, continually operating and the first degree-awarding educational institution in the world according to UNESCO and Guinness World Records.
 * Al-Azhar University, Cairo
 * Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad
 * University of Ez-Zitouna, Tunis, Tunisia
 * University of Timbuktu
 * Darul Uloom Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, India
 * Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow

Colonial era
Institutions of religious education (most are classified as "madrasas", a term that means "school" or, literally, "place where lessons are given") founded during the colonial era:

 * Jamia Nizamia, Hyderabad, India

Post-colonial era
Religious institutions (or madrasas) founded since the end of colonial rule in the respective countries:
 * Darul Uloom Deoband India
 * Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama India
 * Dar al-Mustafa, Tarim, Yemen
 * Darul Uloom Haqqania, Akora Khattak, PAKISTAN
 * Darul 'Uloom Karachi, Korangi, Karachi, PAKISTAN
 * Jamia Faridia, Sector E-7, Islamabad, Pakistan
 * Jamia Binoria, S.I.T.E Industrial Area, Karachi, PAKISTAN
 * Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, Allama Binori Town, Karachi, PAKISTAN
 * Darul Huda Islamic University, Malappuram
 * Umm al-Qura, Mecca
 * Zaytuna Institute, Hayward, California, US
 * Jamiatur Raza, Bareilly India
 * Jamiatul Qasim Darul Uloom Al-Islamiah, Supaul

Colonial era
These are institutions founded during colonial era that are not religious seminaries. Most are universities with a broad charter for comprehensive education in the Muslim communities they serve.

 * Aligarh Muslim University
 * Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
 * Jamia Osmania
 * Sindh Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Post-colonial era
Educational institutions founded since end of colonial rule that are not religious seminaries, but have an Islamic or Muslim identity or charter, or devoted to sciences and arts usually associated with Islamic or Muslim culture and history:

Afghanistan

 * Kabul University

Algeria

 * Emir Abdelkader University, Constantine

Bahrain

 * University of Bahrain
 * Arabian Gulf University

Bangladesh

 * Islamic University of Technology
 * Darul Ihsan University
 * Dhaka University
 * Jahangirnagar University
 * Khulna University
 * International Islamic University Chittagong
 * Islamic University, Bangladesh
 * Manarat International University
 * University of Rajshahi
 * Islamic Arabic University
 * Bangladesh Islami University

Bosnia and Herzegovina

 * University of Sarajevo

Burkina Faso

 * University of Ouagadougou

Brunei Darussalam

 * Universiti Brunei Darussalam
 * Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University

Chad

 * University of N'Djamena

Ivory Coast

 * University of Cocody

Egypt

 * Al-Azhar University
 * Assiut University
 * Minia University
 * Suez Canal University
 * Helwan University
 * Tanta University
 * Zagazig University
 * Cairo University
 * Mansoura University
 * Minufiya University
 * Ain Shams University
 * Alexandria University

Ghana

 * Islamic University College, Ghana

Republic of Guinea

 * University of Conakry
 * Julius Nyerere University of Kankan

Indonesia

 * Islamic University of Indonesia
 * Muhammadiyah University of Magelang
 * Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta
 * Bandung Islamic University
 * Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta
 * Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta
 * Sunan Kalijaga Islamic University
 * YARSI University
 * Nahdlatul Ulama Islamic University
 * International Islamic University of Indonesia

India

 * Darul Uloom Deoband, Uttar Pradesh
 * Darul Uloom Waqf, Deoband
 * Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow
 * Jamia Nizamia, Hyderabad, India
 * Jamiatul Qasim Darul Uloom Al-Islamiah, Supaul
 * Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom, Akkalkuwa
 * Aligarh Muslim University
 * Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, Uttar Pradesh
 * Al-Jame-atul-Islamia, Raunahi
 * Jamia Al Barkaat Aligarh, Aligarh
 * Darul Uloom Mau, Mau
 * Jamia Miftahul Uloom, Mau
 * Jamia Amjadia Rizvia, Ghosi
 * Jamiatur Raza, Bareilly
 * Jamia Hamdard ,Delhi
 * Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
 * Jamia Markaz, Kozhikode
 * Manzar-e-Islam, Bareilly
 * Markaz Knowledge City, Kozhikode
 * Darul Huda Islamic University
 * Ma'din Academy, Malappuram, Kerala

Iran

 * Iran University of Medical Sciences
 * Islamic Azad University
 * K. N. Toosi University of Technology
 * Payame Noor University (Distance Education)
 * Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman
 * Sharif University of Technology
 * Shiraz University
 * University of Tehran
 * Tarbiat Moallem University
 * Tehran University of Medical Sciences
 * Bu-Ali Sina University
 * Allameh Tabatabai University
 * Gorgan University
 * Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
 * University of Isfahan
 * Alzahra University
 * Amirkabir University of Technology
 * Isfahan University of Technology
 * Iran University of Science and Technology

Iraq

 * University of Basrah
 * University of Technology
 * University of Mosul
 * University of Baghdad
 * Al Qadissiya University
 * Kufa University
 * Mustansiriyah University
 * Iraqi University in Baghdad
 * University of Anbar
 * Babylon University

Ireland

 * Al-Mustafa Islamic Cultural Centre Ireland

Jordan

 * Al al-Bayt University
 * Al-Balqa` Applied University
 * Ajloun National Private University
 * Al-Ahliyya Amman University
 * Al-Hussein Bin Talal University
 * Al-Isra University
 * Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan
 * American University of Madaba
 * Applied Science Private University
 * German-Jordanian University
 * Hashemite University
 * Irbid National University
 * Jordan University of Science and Technology
 * Jerash Private University
 * Jadara University
 * Mutah University
 * Petra University
 * Philadelphia University
 * Princess Sumaya University for Technology
 * Tafila Technical University
 * University of Jordan
 * World Islamic Sciences and Education University
 * Yarmouk University
 * Zarqa Private University

Lebanon

 * Beirut Arab University
 * Lebanese University

Libya

 * Al-Arab Medical University
 * University of Garyounis
 * Sebha University
 * Seventh of April University
 * Al-Tahadi University

Malaysia

 * International Islamic University Malaysia
 * University of Science Malaysia
 * University of Malaya
 * Universiti Utara Malaysia
 * University of Technology, Malaysia
 * University Malaysia Sabah
 * Al-Madinah International University
 * Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah International Islamic University
 * Selangor International Islamic University College
 * Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Morocco

 * Chouaib Doukkali University
 * Mohammed V University at Agdal
 * Mohammed V University at Souissi
 * Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

Islamic Republic of Mauritania

 * University of Nouakchott

Republic of Mozambique

 * Eduardo Mondlane University

Netherlands

 * Islamic University of Rotterdam

Niger

 * Islamic University of Niger

Nigeria

 * Bayero University Kano
 * Usman Dan Fodio University

Palestine

 * Al-Azhar University, Gaza
 * An-Najah National University
 * Al-Quds University
 * Al-Quds Open University
 * Birzeit University
 * Islamic University of Gaza

Pakistan

 * Hamdard University
 * University of the Punjab
 * NED University of Engineering and Technology
 * Quaid-i-Azam University
 * Shah Abdul Latif University
 * Sindh Agriculture University
 * University of Sindh
 * Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology
 * University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
 * University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
 * Bahauddin Zakariya University
 * Gomal University
 * International Islamic University, Islamabad
 * Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro
 * Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic Studies
 * Jamia Amjadia Rizvia Karachi
 * Jamia Naeemia Lahore
 * Jamia Nizamia Ghousia Wazirabad
 * Jamia-tul-Madina
 * Islamia University of Bahawalpur
 * Minhaj International University
 * Al Quran Lab

Philippines

 * Jamiatu Muslim Mindanao

Qatar

 * University of Qatar

Russian Federation

 * Russian Islamic University, Kazan

Saudi Arabia

 * Islamic University of Madinah
 * Umm al-Qura University
 * King Saud University

Sudan

 * International University of Africa
 * Sudan University of Science and Technology
 * University of the Holy Quran and Islamic Sciences
 * University of Gezira
 * Blue Nile University
 * Al-Neelain University
 * Kordofan University
 * Sinar University
 * University of Juba
 * Khartoum University
 * Nile Valley University
 * Alzaiem Alazhari University
 * Omdurman Islamic University

Senegal

 * Gaston Berger University of Saint Louis

Somalia

 * Somali National University
 * Mogadishu University
 * University of Somalia

Syria

 * University of Damascus
 * Tishreen University

Tunisia

 * Ez-Zitouna University

Turkey

 * Selçuk Üniversitesi
 * Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi

Uganda

 * Islamic University in Uganda

United Arab Emirates

 * Ajman University of Science and Technology
 * United Arab Emirates University
 * University of Sharjah

United States

 * Cordoba University Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences
 * Zaytuna College
 * Islamic University of Minnesota

United Kingdom

 * Cambridge Muslim College
 * Jamia Al-Karam

Yemen

 * Dar al-Mustafa
 * University of Aden
 * Queen Arwa University
 * Taiz University
 * Sanaa University
 * University of Science and Technology, Sana'a


text:
Klapa

Klapa music is a form of traditional a cappella singing with origins in Dalmatia, Croatia. The word klapa translates as "a group of friends" and traces its roots to littoral church singing. The motifs in general celebrate love, wine (grapes), country (homeland) and sea. Main elements of the music are harmony and melody, with rhythm very rarely being very important. In 2012 klapa was inscribed in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Description
A klapa group consists of a first tenor, a second tenor, a baritone, and a bass. It is possible to double all the voices apart from the first tenor. It is usually composed of up to a dozen male singers. In recent times, female vocal groups have been quite popular, but in general male and female groups do not mix.

Although klapa is a cappella music, on occasion it is possible to add a gentle guitar and a mandolin (instrument similar in appearance and sound to tamburitzas). Klapa can also be accompanied with synthesizer keyboards, usually simulating percussion instruments.

Modern day
The klapa tradition is still very much alive, with new songs composed and festivals held. The Festival of the Dalmatian Klapas in Omiš is the best known music festival and has a long tradition in Klapa music. One of the most successful groups there in recent times is Klapa Šufit, who won the festival for three years in a row 2006–2008. Many young people from Dalmatia treasure klapa and sing it regularly when going out eating or drinking. It is not unusual to hear amateur klapa singing on the streets in the evenings over some food and wine.

In 2013, Croatia chose a klapa group to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. The klapa group was called Klapa s Mora, with the entry "Mižerja". Klapa s Mora is a "super klapa ensemble" of six performers chosen by Maestro Mojmir Čačija from five existing klapa groups, namely two from Kampanel, and one each from Sinj, Crikvenica, Šibenik and Grdelin.

title: Klapa