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Forced marriage

Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later forced to stay in the marriage against their will.

A forced marriage differs from an arranged marriage, in which both parties presumably consent to the assistance of their parents or a third party such as a matchmaker in finding and choosing a spouse. There is often a continuum of coercion used to compel a marriage, ranging from outright physical violence to subtle psychological pressure.

Though now widely condemned by international opinion, forced marriages still take place in various cultures across the world, particularly in parts of South Asia and Africa. Some scholars object to use of the term "forced marriage" because it invokes the consensual legitimating language of marriage (such as husband/wife) for an experience that is precisely the opposite. A variety of alternative terms have been proposed, including "forced conjugal association" and "conjugal slavery".

The United Nations views forced marriage as a form of human rights abuse, since it violates the principle of the freedom and autonomy of individuals. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that a person's right to choose a spouse and enter freely into marriage is central to their life and dignity, and their equality as a human being. The Roman Catholic Church deems forced marriage grounds for granting an annulment—for a marriage to be valid both parties must give their consent freely. The Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery also prohibits marriage without right to refusal by both parties and requires a minimum age for marriage to prevent this. Similarly, the International Labour Organization recognizes forced marriage as a form of modern slavery.

In 2009, the Special Court for Sierra Leone's (SCSL) Appeals Chamber found the abduction and confinement of women for "forced marriage" in war to be a new crime against humanity (AFRC decision). The SCSL Trial Chamber in the Charles Taylor decision found that the term 'forced marriage' should be avoided and rather described the practice in war as 'conjugal slavery' (2012).

In 2013, the first United Nations Human Rights Council resolution against child, early, and forced marriages was adopted; the resolution recognizes child, early, and forced marriage as involving violations of human rights which "prevents individuals from living their lives free from all forms of violence and that has adverse consequences on the enjoyment of human rights, such as the right to education, [and] the right to the highest attainable standard of health including sexual and reproductive health", and also states that "the elimination of child, early and forced marriage should be considered in the discussion of the post-2015 development agenda." The elimination of this harmful practice is one of the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5.

Historical context
Arranged marriages were very common throughout the world until the 18th century. Typically, marriages were arranged by parents, grandparents or other relatives. The actual practices varied by culture, but usually involved the legal transfer of dependency of the woman from her father to the groom. The movement towards emancipation of women in the 19th and 20th centuries led to major changes to marriage laws, especially in regard to property and economic status. By the mid-20th century, many Western countries had enacted legislation establishing legal equality between spouses in family law. The period of 1975–1979 saw a major overhaul of family laws in countries such as Italy, Spain, Austria, West Germany, and Portugal. In 1978, the Council of Europe passed the Resolution (78) 37 on equality of spouses in civil law. Among the last European countries to establish full gender equality in marriage were Switzerland, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, and France  and the paternal authority of a man over his family was ended in 1970, it was only in 1985 that a legal reform abolished the stipulation that the husband had the sole power to administer the children's property.

An arranged marriage is not the same as a forced marriage: in the former, the spouse has the possibility to reject the offer; in the latter, they do not. The line between arranged and forced marriage is however often difficult to draw, due to the implied familial and social pressure to accept the marriage and obey one's parents in all respects. The rejection of an offer to marry was sometimes seen as a humiliation of the prospective groom and his family.

In Europe, during the late 18th century and early 19th century, the literary and intellectual movement of romanticism presented new and progressive ideas about love marriage, which started to gain acceptance in society. In the 19th century, marriage practices varied across Europe, but in general, arranged marriages were more common among the upper class. Arranged marriages were the norm in Russia before early 20th century, most of which were endogamous. Child marriages were common historically, but began to be questioned in the 19th and 20th century. Child marriages are often considered to be forced marriages, because children (especially young ones) are not able to make a fully informed choice whether or not to marry, and are often influenced by their families.

In Western countries, during the past decades, the nature of marriage—especially with regard to the importance of marital procreation and the ease of divorce—has changed dramatically, which has led to less social and familial pressure to get married, providing more freedom of choice in regard to choosing a spouse.

Historically, forced marriage was also used to require a captive (slave or prisoner of war) to integrate with the host community, and accept his or her fate. One example is the English blacksmith John R. Jewitt, who spent three years as a captive of the Nootka people on the Pacific Northwest Coast in 1802–1805. He was ordered to marry, because the council of chiefs thought that a wife and family would reconcile him to staying with his captors for life. Jewitt was given a choice between forced marriage for himself and capital punishment for both him and his "father" (a fellow captive). "Reduced to this sad extremity, with death on the one side, and matrimony on the other, I thought proper to choose what appeared to me the least of the two evils" (p154).

Forced marriage was also practiced by authoritarian governments as a way to meet population targets. The Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia systematically forced people into marriages, in order to increase the population and continue the revolution. "These marriage ceremonies consisted of no fewer than three couples and could be as large as 160 couples. Generally, the village chief or a senior leader of the community would approach both parties and inform them that they were to be married and the time and place the marriage would occur. Often, the marriage ceremony would be the first time the future spouses would meet. Parents and other family members were not allowed to participate in selecting the spouse or to attend the marriage ceremony. The Khmer Rouge maintained that parental authority was unnecessary because it 'w[as] to be everyone's 'mother and father.''"

Raptio is a Latin term referring to the large scale abduction of women, (kidnapping) either for marriage or enslavement (particularly sexual slavery). The practice is surmised to have been common since anthropological antiquity.

In the 21st century, forced marriages have come to attention in European countries, within the context of immigration from cultures in which they are common. The Istanbul Convention prohibits forced marriages (see Article 37).

Timeline of laws against forced marriages

 * 1215: Magna Carta banned forced marriage of widows in England.
 * 1724: Peter the Great signed decree banning forced marriages in Russia.
 * 1734: Sweden banned forced marriages.
 * 1804: Napoleonic Code banned forced marriage.
 * 1889: New law in Japan required consent of both spouses for marriage, although the consent of women was still likely to be forced until the early 20th century, as women gradually gained access to education and financial independence.
 * 1901: Zimbabwe banned forced marriages, but practice continued covertly.
 * 1917: Ottoman family law banned forced marriage.
 * 1926: Criminal code of Uzbekistan criminalized forced marriages.
 * 1928: Albania: The Civil Code of 1928 bans forced marriages and gives married women the right to divorce and equal inheritance.
 * 1928: Criminal code of Kazakhstan criminalized forced marriages.
 * 1946: North Korea banned forced marriages and selling of women.
 * 1950: China banned forced marriages via New Marriage Law
 * 1956: Tunisia banned forced marriages.
 * 1959: Iraq banned forced marriages.
 * 1960: Vietnam banned forced marriage.
 * 1962: Mali banned forced marriage.
 * 1965: Ivory Coast banned forced marriages.
 * 1973: England and Wales: The Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 stipulates that a forced marriage is voidable.
 * 1978: New communist government banned forced marriages in Afghanistan.
 * 1991: Laos banned forced marriages.
 * 1994: Kyrgyzystan banned bride kidnapping with up to three years in prison.
 * 1998: Sweden made forced marriages a criminal offense.
 * 1990: Burkina Faso banned forced marriages, however the law is not well enforced and the practice is widespread.
 * 1999: Ghana banned forced marriages.
 * 2003: Norway made forced marriage a criminal offense.
 * 2004:
 * Benin banned forced marriages.
 * Morocco banned forced marriages.
 * Georgie banned bride kidnapping.
 * Ethiopia banned forced and child marriage with up to 20 years in prison.
 * 2005:
 * Saudi Arabia banned forced marriages.
 * Germany made it a criminal offense to force someone to marry.
 * 2006:
 * Austria criminalized forced marriage.
 * Democratic Republic of the Congo outlawed forced marriage.
 * 2007:
 * Pakistan introduced a law to ban forced marriages with up to three years in jail.
 * Sierra Leone banned forced marriages.
 * Belgium made forced marriage a criminal offense.
 * Togo banned forced marriage.
 * 2008:
 * Denmark criminalized forced marriage.
 * Luxembourg criminalized forced marriage.
 * 2009: Afghanistan made forced marriage a criminal offense.
 * 2010: France introduced forced marriage as an aggravating circumstance of other crimes.
 * 2011:
 * Scotland made forced marriage a criminal offense.
 * Australian court ruled against validility of a foreign marriage made under duress.
 * Zambia banned forced marriages.
 * 2013:
 * Australian government made it a criminal offense to force someone to marry.
 * Switzerland criminalized forced marriages increasing penalty to up to five years in prison.
 * Hungary criminalized forced marriage.
 * France criminalized forcing someone to marry abroad.
 * Kyrgyzystan increased punishment for bride kidnapping up to 10 years in prison.
 * 2014:
 * UK government made it criminal offense to force someone to marry in England, Wales and Scotland.
 * Malta criminalized forced marriage.
 * 2015:
 * Canada made forced marriage a criminal offense punishable up to five years in prison.
 * Georgia criminalized forced marriages with up to 400 hours of public labour or up to two years in jail.
 * 2016:
 * Gambia banned forced marriages.
 * Cameroon criminalized forced marriages.
 * New Zealand criminalized forced marriages.
 * 2018: Morocco made forced marriages a criminal offense.
 * 2022: Indonesia banned forces marriages with up to nine years in prison.

Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery
The 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery defines "institutions and practices similar to slavery" to include:

c) Any institution or practice whereby:
 * (i) A woman, without the right to refuse, is promised or given in marriage on payment of a consideration in money or in kind to her parents, guardian, family or any other person or group; or
 * (ii) The husband of a woman, his family, or his clan, has the right to transfer her to another person for value received or otherwise; or
 * (iii) A woman on the death of her husband is liable to be inherited by another person;

Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, states:

Article 32 – Civil consequences of forced marriages

Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that marriages concluded under force may be voidable, annulled or dissolved without undue financial or administrative burden placed on the victim.

Article 37 – Forced marriage

 * 1) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that the intentional conduct of forcing an adult or a child to enter into a marriage is criminalised.
 * 2) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that the intentional conduct of luring an adult or a child to the territory of a Party or State other than the one she or he resides in with the purpose of forcing this adult or child to enter into a marriage is criminalised.

Types
There are numerous factors which can lead to a culture which accepts and encourages forced marriages. Reasons for performing forced marriages include: strengthening extended family links; controlling unwanted behavior and sexuality; preventing 'unsuitable' relationships; protecting and abiding by cultural values; keeping the wealth in the extended family; dealing with the consequences of pregnancy out of wedlock; considering the contracting of a marriage as the duty of the parents; obtaining a guarantee against poverty; aiding immigration.

Relation to dowry and bride price
The traditional customs of dowry and bride price contribute to the practice of forced marriage. A dowry is the property or money that a wife (or wife's family) brings to her husband upon marriage. A bride price is an amount of money or property or wealth paid by the groom (or his family) to the parents of the bride upon marriage.

Marriage by abduction
Marriage by abduction, also known as bride kidnapping, is a practice in which a man abducts the woman he wishes to marry. Marriage by abduction has been practiced throughout history around the world and continues to occur in some countries today, particularly in Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Africa. A girl or a woman is kidnapped by the groom-to-be, who is often helped by his friends. The victim is often raped by the groom-to-be, for her to lose her virginity, so that the man is able to negotiate a bride price with the village elders to legitimize the marriage. The future bride then has no choice in most circumstances, but to accept: if the bride goes back to her family, she (and her family) will often be ostracized by the community because the community thinks she has lost her virginity, and she is now 'impure'. A different form of marital kidnapping, groom kidnapping, occurs in some areas where payment of a dowry is generally expected.

As debt negotiation
Money marriage refers to a marriage where a girl, usually, is married off to a man to settle debts owed by her parents.

As dispute resolution
A forced marriage is also often the result of a dispute between families, where the dispute is 'resolved' by giving a female from one family to the other. Vani is a cultural custom found in parts of Pakistan wherein a young girl is forcibly married as part of the punishment for a crime committed by her male relatives. Vani is a form of forced child marriage, and the result of punishment decided by a council of tribal elders named jirga.

Widow inheritance
Widow inheritance, also known as bride inheritance, is a cultural and social practice whereby a widow is required to marry a kinsman of her late husband, often his brother. It is prevalent in certain parts of Africa. The practice of wife inheritance has also been blamed for the spread of HIV/AIDS.

As war spoils
"In conflict areas, women and girls are sometimes forced to marry men on either side of the conflict. This practice has taken place recently in countries such as Syria, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Historically, this was common throughout the world, with women from the communities of the war enemy being considered "spoils of war", who could be kidnapped, raped and forced into marriage or sexual slavery". Because women were regarded as property, it seemed reasonable to see them as the chattel of the war enemy, which could now be appropriated and used by the winner.

Shotgun wedding
A shotgun wedding is a form of forced marriage occasioned by an unplanned pregnancy. Some religions and cultures consider it a moral imperative to marry in such a situation, based on reasoning that premarital sex or out-of-wedlock births are sinful, not sanctioned by law, or otherwise stigmatized. Giving birth outside marriage can, in some cultures, trigger extreme reactions from the family or community, including honor killings.

The term "shotgun wedding" is an American colloquialism, though it is also used in other parts of the world. It is based on a hyperbolic scenario in which the pregnant (or sometimes only "deflowered") woman's father resorts to coercion (such as threatening with a shotgun) to ensure that the male partner who caused the pregnancy goes through with it, sometimes even following the man to the altar to prevent his escape. The use of violent coercion to marry was never legal in the United States, although many anecdotal stories and folk songs record instances of such intimidation in the 18th and 19th centuries. Purposes of the wedding include recourse from the man for the act of impregnation and to ensure that the child is raised by both parents as well as to ensure that the woman has material means of support. In some cases, a major objective was the restoring of social honor to the mother.

Shotgun weddings have become less common as the stigma associated with out-of-wedlock births has gradually faded and the number of such births has increased; the increasing availability of birth control, sex education and abortion, as well as material support to unwed mothers, such as Elterngeld, child benefits, parental leave, and free kindergartens have reduced the perceived need for such measures.

For victims and society
Early and forced marriages can contribute to girls being placed in a cycle of poverty and powerlessness. Most are likely to experience mistreatment such as violence, abuse and forced sexual relations. This means that women who marry younger in age are more likely to be dominated by their husbands. They also experience poor sexual and reproductive health. Young married girls are more likely to contract HIV and their health could be in jeopardy. Most people who are forced into a marriage lack education and are often illiterate. Young ones tend to drop out of school shortly before they get married.

Forced marriage often means a lifetime of rape, abuse and domestic servitude, and the loss of reproductive rights, financial rights and basic human rights. For women and girls, forced marriage often means forced motherhood.

Escaping a forced marriage
Ending a forced marriage may be extremely difficult in many parts of the world. For instance, in parts of Africa, one of the main obstacles for leaving the marriage is the bride price. Once the bride price has been paid, the girl is seen as belonging to the husband and his family. If she wants to leave, the husband may demand back the bride price that he had paid to the girl's family. The girl's family often cannot or does not want to pay it back. Some countries also have Male Guardianship requirements, prohibiting women from paying themselves out, but in other countries it has happened multiple times.

British citizens escaping forced marriage abroad are forced to pay their repatriation costs or get into debt. This makes escaping a forced marriage harder.

In the United States, Unchained At Last is the only nonprofit organization operating to help people in the U.S. escape forced or arranged marriages by providing free legal and social services.

Honor killing
Forced marriages are often related to violence, both in regard to violence perpetrated inside the marriage (domestic violence), and in regard to violence inflicted in order to force an unwilling participant to accept the marriage, or to punish a refusal (in extreme cases women and girls who do not accept the marriage are subjected to honor killings).

Legislative consequences

Depending by jurisdiction, a forced marriage may or may not be void or voidable. Victims may be able to seek redress through annulment or divorce. In England and Wales, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 stipulates that a forced marriage is voidable. In some jurisdictions, people who had coerced the victim into marriage may face criminal charges.

Sharia law
In Islamic law, consent is needed for a valid marriage. Islamic marriage is concluded (but not excluding the bride) between the guardian (wali) of the bride and bridegroom, not between bridegroom and bride but her permission is still necessary. The guardian (wali) of the bride can only be a free Muslim. The wali has the power to initiate a marriage contract on behalf of a child before puberty, but once the child attains puberty he or she can accept or reject the marriage. The marriage contract can be annulled on grounds of coercion.

However, in the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, a guardian is not needed to make the marriage valid.

Madagascar
Forced marriage is prevalent in Madagascar. Girls are married off by their families, and often led to believe that if they refuse the marriage they will be "cursed". In some cases, the husband is much older than his bride, and when she becomes a widow, she is discriminated and excluded by society.

Malawi
According to Human Rights Watch, Malawi has "widespread child and forced marriage" and half of the girls marry before 18. The practice of bride price, known also as lobolo, is common in Malawi, and plays a major role in forced marriage. Wife inheritance is also practiced in Malawi. After marriage, wives have very limited rights and freedoms; and general preparation of young girls for marriage consists in describing their role as that of being subordinated to the husband.

Mauritania
Forced marriage in Mauritania takes three principal forms: forced marriage to a cousin (known as maslaha); forced marriage to a rich man for the purpose of financial gain; and forced polygamous marriage to an influential man.

Morocco
In 2018, a law went into effect known as the Hakkaoui law because Bassima Hakkaoui drafted it; among other things, it includes a ban on forced marriage.

Niger
Forced marriage is common in Niger. Niger has the highest prevalence of child marriage in the world; and also the highest total fertility rate. Girls who attempt to leave forced marriages are most often rejected by their families and are often forced to enter prostitution in order to survive. Due to the food crisis, girls are being sold into marriage.

Balkissa Chaibou is known as one of the most famous activists against forced marriage in Niger. Chaibou was 12 when she was informed by her own mother that she was to be married to her cousin, and when she was 16, she took to the courts. With little success, Chaibou was forced to a women's shelter before she was finally able to go home where she learned of her parents changed views on forced marriage, that they were now against it.

Somalia
The "Sexual Intercourse Related Crimes Bill" proposed in August 2020 in Somalia would allow both child marriage and forced marriage. The new bill "risks legitimizing child marriage, among other alarming practices," U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said. Thousands of people in Somalia circulated a petition against the bill, including representatives of the Mogadishu-based Elman Peace and Human Rights Center. More than 45% of young women in Somalia marry or are "in union" before the age of 18.

South Africa
In South Africa, ukuthwala is the practice of abducting young girls and forcing them into marriage, often with the consent of their parents. The practice occurs mainly in rural parts of South Africa, in particular the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The girls who are involved in this practice are frequently under-aged, including some as young as eight. The practice received negative publicity, with media reporting in 2009 that more than 20 Eastern Cape girls are forced to drop out of school every month because of ukuthwala.

Tanzania
In Tanzania, the practices of forced marriage and child marriage impacts the human rights and childhood of girls. Families sell their girls to older men for financial benefits, causing pain among young girls. Oftentimes, girls are married off as soon as they hit puberty, which can be as young as seven years old. To the older men, these young brides act as symbols of masculinity and accomplishment. Child brides endure forced sex, causing health risks and growth impediments. Primary education is usually not completed for young girls in forced marriages. Married and pregnant students are often discriminated against, and expelled and excluded from school. The Law of Marriage Act currently does not address issues with guardianship and child marriage. The issue of child marriage establishes a minimum age of 18 for the boys of Tanzania, but no such minimum age is established for girls.

The Gambia
In 2016, during a feast ending the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced that child and forced marriages were banned.

Compensation marriage
Compensation marriage, known variously as vani, swara and sang chatti, is the traditional practice of forced marriage of women and young girls to resolve tribal feuds in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The practice is illegal in Pakistan, though it continues to be widely practiced in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. In Afghanistan, the practice is known as baad.

Afghanistan
Forced marriage is very common in Afghanistan, and sometimes women resort to suicide to escape these marriages. A report by Human Rights Watch found that about 95% of girls and 50% of adult women imprisoned in Afghanistan were in jail on charges of the "moral crimes" of "running away" from home or zina. Obtaining a divorce without the consent of the husband is nearly impossible in Afghanistan, and women attempting a de facto separation risk being imprisoned for "running away". While it is not socially acceptable for women and girls to leave home without permission, "running away" is not defined as a criminal offense in the Afghan Penal Code. However, in 2010 and 2011, the Afghan Supreme Court issued instructions to courts to charge women with "running away" as a crime. This makes it nearly impossible for women to escape forced marriages. The Human Rights Watch report stated that:

"According to the UN, as of 2008, 70 to 80 percent of marriages in Afghanistan were forced, taking place without full and free consent or under duress. Another study found that 59 percent of women had experienced forced marriage."

Pakistan
DIG Sindh Police Aftab Pathan had said on the occasion of a consultative workshop organized by FIA Sindh that in 2014, 1,261 cases of abduction of women for forced marriage were registered. Five accused were jailed while the case of 369 accused was pending. There were also 45 cases of abduction of children under the age of ten. There are reports of forced conversion of girls belonging to minorities in Pakistan and then forced marriages to a Muslim man. Forced marriages are the norm in Pakistan.

However, Federal Shariat court had taken strict actions against forced marriages and pressurized provincial governments, after which Balochistan government drafted a bill "The Balochistan Child Marriages Prohibition Act, 2021".

China
Forced marriages have been documented between Chinese men and women from neighboring countries. These women, usually through false promises of work, are lured to China and forced to marry.

Indonesia
Some Indonesian tribes have traditions or local customs that may be considered a forced marriage. For instance, Sasak people who still adhere to old customs believe that if their daughter were going out with a man until late at night, then marriage must be carried out soon after. People in Sumba also practices bride kidnapping.

However, in April 2022, Indonesian legislature passed Law No. 12 of 2022 on Sexual Violence Crimes. The law considers forced marriage a form of sexual violence and outlaw it, with offenders can be sentenced to a maximum imprisonment of 9 years and/or face a maximum fine of Rp200 million. Included as forms of forced marriage are child marriage, forcing rape victims to marry the rapists, and forcing people to marry in the name of local customs.

Iran
Forced marriage remains common for girls in Iran and is also one of the major reasons for self-immolation in Iran. In 2021, UNICEF reported high rates of forced marriage in Iranian Kurdistan, including at an early age, but also reported that the practice was declining. Kurdish cultural norms which facilitate the practice of child forced  marriage perpetuate the fear of violence amongst Kurdish girls in Iran.

Nepal
Girls in Nepal are often seen as an economic burden to the family, due to dowry. Parents often compel young girls to marry, because older and more educated men can demand a higher dowry. In 2009, the Nepalese government decided to offer a cash incentive (50,000 Nepali rupees – $641) to men for marrying widowed women. Because widows often lose social status in Nepalese society, this policy was meant to 'solve' their problems. However, many widows and human rights groups protested these regulations, denouncing them as humiliating and as encouraging coerced marriages.

Sri Lanka
During the Sri Lankan Civil War, a 2004 report in the journal Reproductive Health Matters found that forced marriage in Sri Lanka was taking place in the context of the armed conflict, where parents forced teenage girls into marriage in order to ensure that they do not lose their chastity (considered an increased risk due to the conflict) before marriage, which would compromise their chances of finding a husband.

Germany
In 2011, the family ministry of Germany found that 3,000 people were in forced marriages, nearly all from migrant families and most (83.4%) from Muslim families, by querying help bureaus. These figures exceeded the estimates of help organisation Terre des Femmes, which up until then had estimated that about 1,000 migrant women sought help annually. More than half of the women had experienced physical abuse, and 27% were threatened with weapons or received death threats. Of the victims, 30% were 17 years old or younger. 31.8% were from Germany, 26.4% from Asia, 22.2% from Turkey, and 5.6% from Africa. In 2016, the German ministry of the interior found that 1,475 children were in forced marriages including more than 1,110 girls. Of those particularly affected 664 were Syrians, 157 were Afghans, and 100 were Iraqis.

United Kingdom
Forced marriages can be made because of family pride, the wishes of the parents, or social obligation. For example, according to Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood, many forced marriages in Britain within the British Pakistani community are aimed at providing British citizenship to a member of the family currently in Pakistan to whom the instigator of the forced marriage feels a sense of duty. In response to the problem of forced marriages among immigrants in the UK, the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 (applicable in England and Wales, and in Northern Ireland) was passed, which enables the victims of forced marriage to apply for court orders for their protection. Similar legislation was passed in Scotland: the Forced Marriage, etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland), Act 2011 gives courts the power to issue protection orders.

In 2008, it was estimated that about 3,000 forced marriages took place each year.

In June 2012, the British Government, under Prime Minister David Cameron, declared that forced marriage would become a criminal offence in the United Kingdom. In November 2013, it was reported that a case was brought before the High Court in Birmingham by local authority officials, involving a then-14-year-old girl who was taken to Pakistan, forced to marry a man ten years her senior, and, two weeks later, forced to consummate the marriage with threats, resulting in pregnancy; the court case ended with Mr. Justice Holman saying he was powerless to make a "declaration of non-recognition" of the forced marriage, since he was prevented by law from granting a declaration that her marriage was "at its inception, void". Mr. Justice Holman said that the girl, now 17, would have to initiate proceedings herself to have the marriage nullified. British courts can also issue civil orders to prevent forced marriage, and since 2014, refusing to obey such an order is grounds for a prison sentence of up to five years.

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 makes forcing someone to marry (including abroad) a criminal offence. The law came into effect in June 2014 in England and Wales, and in October 2014 in Scotland. In Northern Ireland, the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 criminalises forced marriage (section 16 – Offence of forced marriage).

In July 2014, the United Kingdom hosted its first global Girl Summit; the goal of the Summit was to increase efforts to end child marriage, early, and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation within a generation.

The first conviction for forced marriage in the United Kingdom occurred in June 2015, with the convicted being a man from Cardiff, who was subsequently sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Of the cases recorded by the government's Force Marriage Unit, run jointly between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office, the majority involved South Asia communities, with 37% linked to Pakistan, 11% linked to Bangladesh, and 7% linked to India. About 30% involved victims below the age of 18.

Sweden
In July 2014, forced marriages were criminalised to protect individuals who were forced to marry against their will (äktenskapstvång). The maximum sentence is four years. No court has given the maximum sentence.

Schools in Skåne in the southern part of Sweden report that they discover that about 25 youth are forced to marry annually due to them being part of a shame society. An investigation by government organisation Ungdomsstyrelsen reported that 70,000 youth perceived they were unfree in their choice of spouse.

In July 2016, an Afghani man in Sweden was sentenced to 4 years in prison for forcing his daughter to marry someone in Afghanistan in the first Swedish conviction. He was also convicted for sexually molesting her Swedish boyfriend, assault, threats, robbery, blackmailing, and false imprisonment.

In January 2019, the maternal uncle and aunt of a 16-year-old girl of an Iraqi family were sentenced to 21 months in jail and to pay €12500 in damages for forced marriage. In December 2016, her family discovered that the girl was dating a boy, and the family decided to marry her off to a cousin without her knowledge. Under the false pretense that her grandmother was mortally ill, the girl, her mother, aunt, and uncle travelled to Iraq where all but the girl had return tickets. In Iraq, the grandmother proved to be in good health, and the girl was to marry her cousin. Despite having no contacts in Iraq, and the mobile phone had been taken from her, she managed to return to Sweden eight months later.

Other
Although forced marriage in Europe is predominately found within the immigrant population, it is also present among some local populations, especially among the Roma communities in Eastern Europe.

The British Forced marriage consultation, published in 2011, found forcing someone to marry to be a distinct criminal offence in Austria, Belgium, Turkey, Denmark, Norway, and Germany. In 2014, it became a distinct criminal offence in England and Wales.

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence defines and criminalizes forced marriage, as well as other forms of violence against women. The Convention came into force on 1 August 2014.

In November 2014, UCL held an event, Forced Marriage: The Real Disgrace, where the award-winning documentary Honor Diaries was shown, and a panel, including Jasvinder Sanghera CBE (Founder of Karma Nirvana), Seema Malhotra MP (Labour Shadow Minister for Women), and Dr Reefat Drabu (former Assistant General Secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain), discussed the concept of (honour), recent changes in British law, barriers to tackling forced marriage, and reasons to be hopeful of positive change.

Canada
Forced marriage may be practised among some immigrant communities in Canada. Until recently, forced marriage has not received very much attention in Canada. The lack of attention has protected the practice from legal intervention. In 2015, Parliament enacted two new criminal offences to address the issue. Forcing a person to marry against their will is now a criminal offence under the Criminal Code, as is assisting or aiding a child marriage, where one of the participants is under age 16. There has also been the long-standing offence of solemnizing an illegal marriage, which was also modified by the 2015 legislation.

In addition to these criminal offences, the Civil Marriage Act stipulates: "Marriage requires the free and enlightened consent of two persons to be the spouse of each other", as well as setting 16 as the minimum age for marriage.

United States
According to Nancie L Katz, thousands of Pakistani girls have been flown out of the New York City area to Pakistan to undergo forced marriages; those who resist are threatened and coerced. The AHA Foundation commissioned a study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to research the incidence of forced marriage in New York City. The results of the study were equivocal. However, AHA Foundation for the past 11 years has operated a helpline that successfully referred numerous individuals seeking help in fleeing or avoiding a forced marriage to qualified service providers and law enforcement. According to the National Center for Victims of Crime Conference, there are "limited laws/policies directly addressing forced marriage", although more general non-specific laws may be used. The organization Unchained at Last, an organization in the United States, assists women escaping forced or arranged marriages with free legal services and other resources. It was founded by Fraidy Reiss.

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) has been suspected of trafficking underage girls across state lines, as well as across the US–Canada and US–Mexico borders, for the purpose of sometimes involuntary plural marriage and sexual abuse. The FLDS is suspected by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of having trafficked more than 30 under-age girls from Canada to the United States between the late 1990s and 2006 to be entered into polygamous marriages. RCMP spokesman Dan Moskaluk said of the FLDS's activities: "In essence, it's human trafficking in connection with illicit sexual activity." According to the Vancouver Sun, it is unclear whether or not Canada's anti-human trafficking statute can be effectively applied against the FLDS's pre-2005 activities, because the statute may not be able to be applied retroactively. An earlier three-year-long investigation by local authorities in British Columbia into allegations of sexual abuse, human trafficking, and forced marriages by the FLDS resulted in no charges, but did result in legislative change.

Forced divorce
One internationally publicized and criticized instance of forced divorce occurred in Saudi Arabia in July 2005. Justice Ibrahim Al-Farraj of the first-instance court in Al-Jouf Province annulled in absentia the nearly three-year-old marriage of Mansour al-Timani and Fatima `Azzaz in response to a complaint from `Azzaz's half-brothers that her husband's tribe had insufficient social status compared to hers; the brothers also said that al-Timani had misrepresented his background. Her half-brothers filed the lawsuit with power of attorney obtained from Fatima's father, who was her male legal guardian while she was unmarried (and who later died). Al-Timani was not served the divorce papers until nine months later, in February, 2006.

`Azzaz gave birth to their son in detention the couple's forced separation. `Azzaz spent three months living with her mother and the couple's two children before sneaking off to Jeddah with Al-Timani, where they were arrested for living together as an unmarried couple. `Azzaz was detained in Dammam Public Prison with both their children and then another Dammam facility described as an orphanage with her son because she refused to return to her mother's family under her half-brothers' guardianship. She feared being married off to a "more suitable" man, As he was afraid they would be mistreated if sent to live with the brothers' family, Al-Timani later gained custody of their daughter, but was repeatedly detained and warned not to talk to the media. He said the first instance court had not asked the couple for its side of the story, that sharia law did not use tribal affiliation as a requirement for marriage, and that the brothers brought the case as part of an inheritance dispute. The Riyadh Court of Appeals (known as a Court of Cassation) upheld the annulment in January, 2007. Authorities stopped letting the couple see each other after she gave an interview to Arab News in November, 2006.

After King Salman asked the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia, which did not exist at the time of the initial decision, to review the case, lawyers submitted arguments about al-Timani's tribal background. The Supreme Court ruled in January 2010 against the annulment, allowing the couple to reunite.

Statistics
Child marriage (2008–2014): Summary:

title: Forced marriage


text:
Duck confit

Duck confit (confit de canard ) is a French dish made with whole duck. In Gascony, according to the families perpetuating the tradition of duck confit, all the pieces of duck are used to produce the dish. Each part can have a specific destination in traditional cooking, the neck being used for example in an invigorating soup, the garbure. Duck confit is considered one of the finest French dishes. Duck confit is also a traditional ingredient in many versions of cassoulet.

Traditional preparation
While it is made across France, it is seen as a specialty of Gascony. The confit is prepared in a centuries-old process of preservation that consists of salt curing a piece of meat (generally goose, duck, or pork) and then cooking it in its own fat.

The meat is rubbed with salt (which acts as a preservative), garlic, and sometimes herbs such as thyme, covered, and refrigerated for up to 36 hours, then cooked in an oven at a low temperature. The meat is slowly poached at least until cooked, or until meltingly tender, generally four to ten hours.

The cooked meat can be transferred to a container and completely submerged in the fat. Skipping the salt curing stage greatly reduces the shelf life of the confit.

Confit is also sold in cans, which can be kept for several years. The flavourful fat from the confit may also be used in many other ways, as a frying medium for sautéed vegetables (e.g., green beans and garlic, wild or cultivated mushrooms), savory toasts, scrambled eggs or omelettes, and as an addition to shortcrust pastry for tarts and quiches.

A classic recipe is to fry or grill the legs in a bit of the fat until they are well-browned and crisp, and use more of the fat to roast some potatoes and garlic as an accompaniment. The potatoes roasted in duck fat to accompany the crisped-up confit are called pommes de terre à la sarladaise.

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

title: Duck confit


text:
Eva Ayllón

Eva María Angélica Ayllón Urbina (born February 7, 1956), better known by her stage name Eva Ayllón, is a female composer and singer, one of Peru's foremost Afro-Peruvian musicians, and one of the country's most enduring living legends. She held the record for most nominations without a winning the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. In 2019, she received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Also known as La Reina del Landó ("The Queen of Landó"), Ayllón is a winner of the Latin Grammy for Musical Excellence for her contribution to Peruvian culture, and has been nominated ten times for Best Folk Album. Considered one of the icons of Creole and musica criolla, Ayllón also ventured into various musical genres and collaborated with a number of prominent artists such as Gilberto Santa Rosa, Soledad Pastorutti, Marc Anthony, Armando Manzanero, Raphael, Diego el Cigala, and José Luis Rodríguez.

With an uninterrupted singing career of nearly 50 years, Ayllón is considered one of the greatest icons of the traditional Peruvian music.

Early life
Ayllón was raised in a traditional Limeño family with her maternal grandmother. Ayllón adopted the stage name "Eva" from her maternal grandmother, Eva, who initiated her in vocalization at the age of three. As a child and teen, Eva Ayllón sang in school competitions and later on television and radio. Throughout the early 1970s, Eva appeared in many música criolla musical groups (locally called "peñas criollas") such as Rinconcito Monsefuano, La peña de los Ugarte, Los Mundialistas o Callejón and Los Kipus. Ayllón sang as the lead voice in this popular trio from 1973 through 1975, eventually leaving the group to pursue a solo career.

Career
In 1979, Ayllón began touring internationally, with appearances in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Japan and since then her music and live performances are requested on a yearly basis at international music events. In 1989, Ayllón was invited to join Los Hijos del Sol, a supergroup made up of Peruvian musical stars, developed by producer Ricardo Ghibellini in an effort to promote Peruvian music through performance and recording.

Ayllón released her first US album, ''Eva! Leyenda Peruana'', on Times Square Records in 2004. Since then, Ayllón's musical presence continues to expand boundaries. In her commitment to broaden the awareness of Afro-Peruvian culture, Ayllón changed her residence from Lima, Peru to New Jersey that same year. Leyenda Peruana gained praise and recognition in different latitudes, and in Germany it received the Critic's Choice Award for Best Traditional Recording.

In 2007, Ayllón participated as a judge at Latin America's largest music festival, the Viña del Mar International Song Festival. In April, Ayllón released a live concert DVD recording titled Live from Hollywood.

Ayllón has produced over 30 records, and nominated ten times for the Latin Grammy. Her latest release, "48 años después", is a compilation of her greatest hits, and revisits the musical styles that she has performed over the last four decades. In 2008, she performed at a sold out Carnegie Hall on November 8 in New York.

Discography

 * Kipus y Eva (Iempsa, 1977)
 * Esta noche (Sonodisc 1979)
 * Al ritmo de Eva Ayllón (Sono Radio, 1980)
 * Señoras y señores (Sono Radio, 1981)
 * Cuando hacemos el amor (Sono Radio, 1982)
 * Eva Ayllón (CBS, 1983)
 * Eva Ayllón en escena (CBS, 1984)
 * Para mi gente (CBS, 1985)
 * Para Todos (CBS, 1986)
 * Huellas (CBS, 1987)
 * Landó de la vida y yo (Sono Radio, 1989)
 * Eva siempre Eva (Sono Sur, 1990)
 * Concierto de gala en vivo (Discos Independientes, 1992)
 * Gracias a la vida (Discos Independientes, 1993)
 * Para tenerte (Discos Independientes, 1994)
 * 25 años, 25 éxitos (Discos Independientes, 1995)
 * Ritmo color y sabor (Discos Independientes, 1996)
 * Amanecer en ti (Discos Independientes, 1998)
 * Juntos llevamos la Paz (Pro Estudios, 1999)
 * 30 años en Vivo (Iempsa, 2000)
 * Eva (Sony 2002)
 * Eva! Leyenda Peruana (Times Square Records, 2004)
 * Live From Hollywood DVD (NIDO Entertainment, 2007)
 * Kimba Fá (Times Square Records, 2008)
 * Canta A Chabuca Granda (SURA MUSIC S.R.L, 2009)
 * Celebra 40 Años Enamorada Del Perú
 * Eva + Inti Illimani Histórico (Macondo Koncerte, 2009)
 * Como la primera vez (Aylloncito Producciones, 2014)
 * Un Bolero Un Vals 1 (Aylloncito Producciones, 2015)
 * Clavo y Canela (Aylloncito Producciones, 2017)
 * Sencillamente Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2018)
 * 48 Años después (Aylloncito Producciones, 2018)
 * Un Bolero Un Vals 2 (Aylloncito Producciones, 2019)
 * Quédate en casa (Aylloncito Producciones, 2021)''
 * Esta Noche - Versión Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2021)
 * Al Ritmo De Eva Ayllón - Versión Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2022)
 * Señoras y Señores - Versión Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2022)
 * Cuando Hacemos el Amor - Versión Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2022)
 * En Escena - Versión Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2022)
 * Para mi gente - Versión Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2022)
 * Para Todos - Versión Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2022)
 * Huellas - Versión Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2022)
 * Con amor y fe por mi Perú - En Vivo (Aylloncito Producciones, 2022)
 * Landó de la vida y yo - Versión Eva (Aylloncito Producciones, 2022)

title: Eva Ayllón


text:
Saffire

Saffire may refer to:
 * Saffire (guitar quartet), an Australian guitar ensemble
 * Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women, an American blues ensemble
 * Saffire (company), an American video game developer
 * Bajaj Saffire, a scooter produced by Bajaj Auto
 * Safire Theatre complex in Chennai, India

title: Saffire


text: Category:Ecuadorian artists

title: Category:Ecuadorian artists


text:
2006 Tour de France

The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between the 1st and the 23rd of July. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of Floyd Landis. Due to the United States Anti-Doping Agency announcing on August 24, 2012, that they had disqualified Lance Armstrong, a former teammate of Landis, from all of his results since August 1, 1998, including his seven Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005, this is also the first Tour to have an overall winner since 1998. By terms of margin of victory the 2006 Tour was the 3rd closest of all time.

The Tour began with a prologue in Strasbourg, on the French-German border, and ended on Sunday 23 July in Paris. The distance of the course (run counterclockwise around France) was 3657 km. The race was the third fastest in average speed. Along the way, the cyclists passed through six different countries including France, The Netherlands (a stop at Valkenburg in Stage 3), Belgium (at Huy, Stages 3 and 4), Luxembourg (at Esch-sur-Alzette, Stages 2 and 3), Germany (though not stopping there, Stage 1) and Spain (Pla-de-Beret, Stage 11). The presentation of the course was made by the new director of Le Tour, Christian Prudhomme. For the first time since the 1999 edition, there was no team time trial.

The event, as with some of the Tours of the late 1990s, was marred by doping scandals. Prior to the tour, numerous riders – including the two favourites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso – were expelled from the Tour due to their link with the Operación Puerto doping case.

After the Tour, the apparent winner, Floyd Landis, was found to have failed a drug test after stage 17; Landis contested the result and demanded arbitration. On 20 September 2007, Landis was found guilty and suspended retroactive to 30 January 2007 and stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title making Óscar Pereiro the title holder. Landis appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which upheld the ban.

Pereiro was also suspected of having taken a forbidden substance during this Tour after failing a drug test. However, his use of the substance in question, salbutamol, was approved by the UCI for medical reasons.

Of the six Americans to complete this Tour, four of them had their results voided. The results of Chris Horner and Christian Vande Velde remain official, although Vande Velde had previous results voided. American Sprinter Fred Rodriguez did not finish the Tour, but his results remain valid.

Teams
In the most controversial scandal since the 1998 tour, thirteen riders were expelled from the tour on the eve of Strasbourg prologue to the 93rd edition stemming from a Spanish doping scandal. Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, two favourites to win the race, were among those excluded from the Tour along with podium candidate Francisco Mancebo and Alberto Contador (who would return to win the following year, 2007). Alexander Vinokourov, another race favourite, was not linked to the doping scandal, but was forced to withdraw when the eligible riders on his Astana-Würth Team fell below the minimum starting requirement of six. Because of this and the retirement of then-seven-time consecutive winner Lance Armstrong, this year's Tour started without the top five riders from the 2005 edition. It was also the first Tour since 1999 that did not contain a past champion. All 21 teams were composed of nine cyclists, so 189 riders commenced the 2006 Tour de France.

The teams entering the race were:

Pre-race favourites
After the retirement of then seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, the main contenders for the overall win were expected to be Ivan Basso from, the 2005 runner-up; and Jan Ullrich from , the third man on the podium in 2005, winner in 1997, and the only previous winner still racing. However, both Ullrich and Basso were suspended by their teams on 30 June after UCI told T-Mobile and Team CSC that the riders were involved in the anti-doping investigation in Spain. The 2006 Tour also saw the return of former yellow jersey holder and three-time stage winner David Millar after serving a two-year ban for admissions of the use of the drug EPO, which was discovered in a police search of his house before the 2004 Tour de France, in June 2004.

Francisco Mancebo of the French team, who finished fourth in 2005 and sixth in 2004, was also suspended by his team due to the Puerto investigation, and subsequently it was reported by the press that he announced his retirement. Mancebo denied this, claiming that he decided to change his focus. He would return to ride for Team Relax–GAM the following year and while he continued riding for more than another decade; with his change in focus he never entered another grand tour.

Alexander Vinokourov would have been the only returning rider with a top-five finish from last year's race. However, his team,, was forced to pull out of the race because they would not be able to start with the minimum of six riders. As a result of the drug scandal, many believed Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Épargne), or the Americans Floyd Landis (Phonak), Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner), or Australian Cadel Evans (Davitamon–Lotto) would probably win the race.

Route and stages
The highest point of elevation in the race was 2642 m at the summit of the Col du Galibier mountain pass on stage 16.

Race overview
Due to the developing doping case known as Operacion Puerto several top tier riders were denied entry to the 2006 Tour including Jan Ullrich, Joseba Beloki, Alberto Contador, Ivan Basso and indirectly, as his team did not have enough eligible riders, Alexander Vinokourov. The Prologue was won by Thor Hushovd and over the first few flat stages Robbie McEwen claimed three stage victories, but did not take the overall lead at any point as by Stage 3 another sprinter, Tom Boonen, had claimed the Yellow Jersey, which he held until the ITT in Stage 7.

The ITT was won handily by Serhiy Gonchar who claimed the maillot jaune with Floyd Landis finishing in 2nd in the Stage, as well as moving up the standings into 2nd place in the overall. After the ITT Team T-Mobile had four riders in the top 6 overall including Honchar and Andreas Klöden. The top of the GC remained more or less static until Stage 10 when a pair of riders escaped early in the day and stayed away to the finish with Juan Miguel Mercado winning the stage and moving into 2nd place overall and Cyril Dessel finishing the stage 2nd with the same time as Mercado, but taking over the Yellow Jersey as the new race leader.

Stage 11 was a brutal mountain stage with five highly categorised climbs. It was won by Dennis Menchov with Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis staying with him to the finish line. Landis took over the Yellow Jersey as the new race leader :08 ahead of Dessel. Cadel Evans and Carlos Sastre finished 4th and 5th in the stage and at the same time moved into 4th and 5th in the overall standings. Stage 12 was an intermediate stage won by Yaroslav Popovych who jumped from outside the top 20 to tenth place overall.

The top GC Contenders wouldn't change places until Stage 13 when Jens Voigt and Óscar Pereiro outlasted Manuel Quinziato and Sylvain Chavanel in a four-man breakaway that finished about 30 minutes ahead of the Peloton. Pereiro jumped everyone to take the overall lead by about 1:30 over Landis and Dessel and around 2:30 ahead of Menchov and Evans with Sastre over 3:00 back.

The situation remained the same after Stage 14, but in Stage 15 from Col d'Izoard to Alpe d'Huez the race blew apart with Fränk Schleck winning the stage and among the GC riders Landis and Kloden winning considerable time on everyone but one another. Landis was back in Yellow by a thread of :10 with the 3rd through 7th place riders of Dessel, Menchov, Sastre, Kloden and Evans each within only three minutes of Landis and Pereiro. Stage 16 was won by Michael Rasmussen as Pereiro took over the race lead with Sastre jumping up to 2nd, Kloden taking over 3rd and Landis coming entirely unhinged and dropping outside the top 10.

In Stage 17 however, Landis made the potentially catastrophic decision to attack off the front of the Peloton entirely on his own over 100 km from the finish in pursuit of the morning Breakaway bunch. Before long he caught the escapees, rode with the break for a while, then attacked off the front with only Patrice Halgand and Patrik Sinkewitz able to stay with him for any length of time, though without doing any work being as Halgand was nearly cooked, and Sinkewitz was teammates with two riders placed higher than Landis in Kloden and Michael Rogers. Landis won the stage with Sastre finishing nearly six minutes back and Pereiro finishing over seven minutes back barely hanging onto the maillot jaune by :30 over Floyd Landis and :12 over Carlos Sastre. At this point in the Tour, Kloden, Evans, Menchov and Dessel were all within 5:00 of the Yellow Jersey; not since the 1987 Tour de France had even five riders been within 5:00 of the overall lead this late in the race.

Stage 18 there were no serious (Cat-1 or HC) climbs and Matteo Tosatto won the Sprint with no change in the overall situation. The Stage 19 ITT would decide the race and Gonchar would win his second stage of the Tour putting in the fastest ride of the day. Floyd Landis won the 2006 TDF by defeating all of the other GC Contenders except for Kloden taking the Yellow Jersey back for the 3rd and final time. Pereiro finished 2nd overall at 0:59 back, Kloden rounded out the podium at plus 1:29, Sastre was 4th over three minutes behind and Cadel Evans finished 5th just over 5:00 slower than Landis.

Doping
This was the first TDF since the first retirement of Lance Armstrong and to the majority of American fans doping by contending riders was thought of as a rare occurrence that just didn't happen even though in reality many GC Contenders, Sprinters and Domestiques of the Armstrong Era, as well as previous eras admitted to doping or were implicated in some form of doping incident. Landis would be stripped of his only Tour de France victory soon after winning it following a confirmed failed drug test after Stage 17 and Óscar Pereiro would be declared the winner.

2006 Tour de France winner Óscar Pereiro was an incredibly talented athlete who finished 10th, 1st, 10th and 10th in the four TDF's that he finished and even scored a goal apiece in the two professional soccer games he played in. He initially failed a drug test in this Tour de France as well, but was cleared after providing sufficient medical evidence that he had a legitimate medical reason for taking the substance he failed for.

Despite Landis having this entire TDF vacated for doping, among some modern riders and fans when a GC rider attacks and finishes a seemingly impossible solo breakaway, as Chris Froome did in Stage 19 of the 2018 Giro, it is referred to as "Doing a Landis".

This was initially the closest three-way finish in the race's history to date. Floyd's final time was 89h 39'30". While Landis was a leading favourite even before the Spanish doping scandal came to light, in an epic eight-minute loss of performance in Stage 16, it appeared he had lost all hope to finish on the podium, much less win.

But the following day, during Stage 17, Landis set a very high pace on the first climb of the day that no other rider could match. He then caught a breakaway group that had escaped earlier, passed them, and continued to the finish line solo, making up almost all of his deficit, ending up 30 seconds behind yellow jersey wearer Óscar Pereiro, which he made up with an extra minute in the final Stage 19 time trial.

A urine sample taken from Landis immediately after his Stage 17 win has twice tested positive for banned synthetic testosterone as well as a ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone nearly three times the limit allowed by World Anti-Doping Agency rules. Landis indicated that he would appeal the test results with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

On 20 September 2007, Landis' doping accusation was upheld by an arbitration panel deciding between him and USADA and will be banned for two years. In response to this, the UCI formally stripped him of his 2006 Tour de France title. Second place finisher Óscar Pereiro was officially declared the winner. The only previous Tour de France winner to be disqualified was 1904 Tour de France winner Maurice Garin.

Not long after getting surgery for his hip, while still on crutches, Landis briefly participated in a 2008 documentary film about steroids and performance-enhancing drugs titled Bigger, Stronger, Faster*. During his brief interview he showed the homemade altitude chamber he slept in, which by the time of the documentary was kept on the ground outside his garage. He stated that he slept at an altitude of 13,000 feet, felt proud of what he accomplished in the 2006 Tour and at that time, still considered himself the winner.

Classification leadership and minor prizes
There were four main individual classifications contested in the 2006 Tour de France, as well as a team competition. The most important was the general classification, which was calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. There time bonuses given at the end of each mass start stage. If a crash had happened within the final 3 km of a stage, not including time trials and summit finishes, the riders involved would have received the same time as the group they were in when the crash occurred. The rider with the lowest cumulative time was the winner of the general classification and was considered the overall winner of the Tour. The rider leading the classification wore a yellow jersey.

The second classification was the points classification. Riders received points for finishing in the highest positions in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints during the stage. The points available for each stage finish were determined by the stage's type. The leader was identified by a green jersey.

The third classification was the mountains classification. Most stages of the race included one or more categorised climbs, in which points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit first. The climbs were categorised as fourth-, third-, second- or first-category and hors catégorie, with the more difficult climbs rated lower. The leader wore a white jersey with red polka dots.

The final individual classification was the young rider classification. This was calculated the same way as the general classification, but the classification was restricted to riders who were born on or after 1 January 1981. The leader wore a white jersey.

The final classification was a team classification. This was calculated using the finishing times of the best three riders per team on each stage; the leading team was the team with the lowest cumulative time. The number of stage victories and placings per team determined the outcome of a tie. The riders in the team that lead this classification were for the first time identified with yellow number bibs on the back of their jerseys.

In addition, there was a combativity award given after each mass start stage to the rider considered, by a jury, to have "made the greatest effort and who has demonstrated the best qualities of sportsmanship". The winner wore a red number bib the following stage. At the conclusion of the Tour, David de la Fuente was given the overall super-combativity award.

There were also two special awards each with a prize of €5000, the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, given in honour of Tour founder and first race director Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass the summit of the Col du Galibier on stage 16, and the Souvenir Jacques Goddet, given in honour of the second director Jacques Goddet to the first rider to pass the summit of the Col du Tourmalet on stage 11. Michael Rasmussen won the Henri Desgrange and de la Fuente won the Jacques Goddet.

 * In stage 1, George Hincapie wore the green jersey.
 * In stage 4, Daniele Bennati wore the green jersey.
 * In stage 11, Juan Miguel Mercado wore the polka-dot jersey
 * Stage 17 was originally won by Floyd Landis, who also wore the yellow jersey on the 19th and 20th stage. After the court's decision to forfeit all his results in the 2006 Tour de France, Carlos Sastre became the winner of the 17th stage, and Cyril Dessel and Óscar Pereiro should be considered having led the general classification as shown in the table.

title: 2006 Tour de France


text:
Geographic areas of Houston

The geographic areas of Houston are generally classified as either being inside or outside Interstate 610, colloquially called "the Loop". The Loop generally encircles the central business district and the "island cities" of West University Place (West U.), Southside Place, and a portion of Bellaire. ("Island cities" refers to the city of Houston's practice of annexing around the existing boundaries of incorporated municipalities.)

Other "island cities" include the Memorial VillagesBunker Hill Village, Hedwig Village, Hilshire Village, Hunters Creek Village, Piney Point Village, and Spring Valley Village.

The outlying areas of Houston, as well as the rest of Bellaire, the Memorial Villages, the airports, and the city's suburbs and enclaves are outside the loop. Another ring road, Beltway 8 (also known simply as "the Beltway"), encircles the city 5 mi further out. A third road, State Highway 99 or Grand Parkway, has begun construction roughly 10 mi beyond the Beltway, around the outer suburbs and currently extends from north of Interstate 10/U.S. Highway 90 east of Katy to Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 in Sugar Land.

Locations within the Houston city limits inside Beltway 8 had traditionally used the 713 area code. Those outside Beltway 8 but within city limits had received the 281 or 832 area code. The geographic division between 713, 281, and 832 has been eliminated, and newly issued phone numbers (especially for cell phones and fax machines) within that zone may be assigned any of the three codes. There is also a new, 346 area code. Areas far north, west, east and south of the inner-city also use 936 and 409. Zip codes in Houston range from 77002 to 77099. A small portion of northeast Houston uses zip codes 77339 and 77345.

Houston is the most populated city in the United States without zoning laws. City voters rejected creation of separate commercial and residential land-use districts in 1948, 1962 and 1993. As a result, Houston has grown in an unusual manner. Rather than a single “downtown” as the center of the city's employment, five additional business districts have grown throughout the inner city, including one for Houston's medical center complex. If these business districts were combined, they would form the third largest downtown in the United States. The city also has one of the largest skylines in the United States, but because it is spread a few miles apart, pictures of the city show, for the most part, the main downtown area.

Development of geographic areas
John Nova Lomax of the Houston Press said that before the interstate system was established in Houston, the neighborhoods were "strongly distinct neighborhoods and districts with poetic names[...]".

Beginning in the 1960s the development of the 610 Loop caused the focus of the Houston area to move away from Downtown Houston. Joel Barna of Cite 42 said that this caused Greater Houston to shift from "a fragmenting but still centrally focused spatial entity into something more like a doughnut," and that Downtown Houston began to become a "hole" in the "doughnut." As interchange connections with the 610 Loop opened, according to Barna Downtown "became just another node in a multi-node grid" and, as of 1998, "has been that, with already established high densities and land prices." By 1998 Beltway 8 neared completion and development increased in the central city. Barna said that "it's as if Houston had stretched out so far that it its sprawl began doubling back upon itself."

Lisa Gray of the Houston Chronicle said that Houston differs from many "old-style" European cities and cities of the East Coast of the United States because Houston began with sprawl development and later developed dense cores, as opposed to beginning with dense cores and later developing sprawl. Many denser areas of Houston have parking garages, allowing automobile drivers to access areas with relatively few parking spaces.

Downtown Houston
Downtown is located in the very center of the city's highway system, bounded by I-45 on the south and west, I-69/US-59 on the east, and Buffalo Bayou on the north.

The Skyline District is the heart of downtown and home to headquarters of various multinational businesses and financial institutions.

The Houston Theater District, in north downtown, is home to Houston's eight performing arts organizations and includes the Alley Theatre, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Wortham Center, the Revention Music Center, and Jones Hall, home of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. The theater district is the second-largest performing arts district, next to New York City.

Downtown is also home to one of the city's two Chinatowns. The first Chinatown is situated in the shadow of the George R. Brown Convention Center downtown, while the newer, larger Chinatown (originating around 1982), is located primarily on Bellaire Boulevard west of the Sharpstown neighborhood.

The Main Street Corridor in downtown, opened in 2004, has become a popular nightlife spot, particularly now that the city has light rail service. This is because the light rail line begins at the University of Houston–Downtown.

Preston Station is a neighborhood in downtown Houston that takes its name from the Houston MetroRail's Preston Station, which is at the neighborhood's center. It is well known for its bars and restaurants, and includes such famous buildings as the Rice Hotel, the St. Germain building, and the Hotel Icon.

South Side
South of downtown, but to the east of Meyerland and Fondren, lies Hiram Clarke, Sunnyside, South Park, Kennedy Heights, and other largely African-American communities with sizable Latino populations. Collectively (with the Third Ward) known as the "Southside", these formerly rural communities were childhood homes of country singer Kenny Rogers and (more recently) rap artist Scarface.

Hiram Clarke is a small neighborhood in south side Houston. The neighborhood is adjacent to Hiram Clarke Blvd. and West Fuqua Street. It was named after a former president of Houston Lighting & Power, a predecessor to Reliant Energy.

Southwest
The term "southwest Houston" often refers to the area that opened in the years following World War II, when they were considered to be suburbs, such as Alief, Fondren Southwest, Meyerland, Sharpstown and Westbury. Alief is a large, ethnically diverse community which Houston began annexing in 1977. Fondren Southwest and Meyerland are centers of Houston's Jewish community. Sharpstown has large Hispanic and Asian American communities and was the first master-planned community in Houston. Also in the southwest is the Pakistani & Indian enclave, now known as the Mahatma Gandhi District, informally known as Hilcroft. Westbury and Meyerland are becoming popular places for some gay men and lesbians to live, as real estate in the Neartown area has become more expensive as it has gentrified.

Southeast
See Southeast Houston

Northside
The Northside of Houston consists of several Historic neighborhoods to include Houston Heights, Near Northside, The Fifth Ward, The Historic Sixth Ward, Kashmere Gardens, Trinity Gardens, Homestead, Acres Homes, Greater inwood ,the East Aldine District and Greenspoint. Residents of these neighborhoods commonly refer to this area as " Northside " Many suburban Houstonians confuse the term to be also associated with the suburbs of North Houston such as Klein, Texas, Spring, FM 1960 or The Woodlands. The Northside along with other neighborhoods inside 610 have recently become the focus of Gentrification in an effort to tear down historic homes to make room for modern living to accommodate the influx of young professionals drawn to the Downtown/Inner 610 Loop area. The Houston Light Rail is extending its route that will head north from the University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) along North Main St and Fulton St. The Northside consists primarily of Hispanic and African Americans with the exception of The Houston Heights neighborhood which has a large Caucasian presence. Notable residents of the Northside include Politician Barbara Jordan, Singer Kenny Rogers, Activist Mickey Leland, Rapper Slim Thug and Boxer George Foreman.

Energy Corridor
The Energy Corridor is a district that lies along Memorial Drive and Eldridge Parkway in west Houston. The district is loosely bound by the area just north of IH-10 (the Katy Freeway) and Westheimer to the south, and extends from Kirkwood Road to the east and Fry Road to the West. The area is defined by many oil industry related companies, residential neighborhoods, restaurants and parks.

Midtown
Midtown, located immediately south of downtown, is a recently redeveloped area with many newly constructed apartments and condominiums. The area is also home to Little Saigon, the center of the city's Vietnamese American commerce and businesses. Midtown is roughly bounded by I-45 on the north, SH-288 on the east, I-69/US-59 on the south, and Bagby Street on the west. Midtown is an official State of Texas Cultural Arts and Entertainment District, as of 2012.

Uptown
Uptown is Houston's second-largest business district and home to the world-famous Williams Tower. The Williams Tower is said to be the tallest building outside of a CBD. The District is home to Houston's tallest condominium towers. Uptown has headquarter and subsidiary locations of Fortune 500 companies, high-end retailers, and local and international fashion designers.

Actual residents do not use the term Uptown. That is reserved for city officials and/or realtors. This is often referred to as the Galleria Area by residents in reference to the Houston Galleria in the middle of the district.

Texas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center, about three miles (5 km) south of the Midtown area is the largest medical complex in the world. Bordering the Texas Medical Center are Reliant Park to the south and the Rice University/Rice Village area to the west.

Museum District
The Museum District comprises more than 20 institutions, Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo and the Miller Outdoor Theatre. It is one of the most visited museum districts in the country. The Museum District covers a 1.5 mi radius around Mecom Fountain in Hermann Park.

The six "wards"
When Houston was established in 1837, the city's founders divided it into political geographic districts called "wards." The ward designation is the progenitor of the nine current-day Houston City Council districts.

Much of the predominantly African American First Ward was demolished and renovated as part of a gentrification effort. Much of the district is bordered by Houston Avenue, Interstates 10 and 45, and Washington Avenue. Because of rising land values, houses formerly located in Third Ward, Neartown, the West End and West University Place were relocated from their former land parcels and rehabilitated.

The Second Ward, located east of downtown, was developed in the early 20th century. The Second Ward is predominantly a Hispanic community. The area has been undergoing gentrification due to its close proximity to downtown and entertainment venues. In the mid-to-late 2000s upper middle class residents moved into this East End area to take advantage of houses that are less expensive than west side houses. Second Ward is located in the East End district and is one of Houston's oldest neighborhoods.

The predominantly African American Third Ward, southeast of downtown, was home to one of the most affluent African American communities in the South after World War I. It is also where Texas Southern University and University of Houston are located. The Third Ward lies within two city council districts (D and I).

The Fourth Ward, known as Freedmen's Town for the freed slaves that settled there after the United States Civil War, was the first and most prominent African American community in Houston. It is home to the first campus of Booker T. Washington High School which was later moved to Independence Heights in northern Houston. Historically, the ward has been among the poorest areas of the inner-city, but is undergoing extensive gentrification because of its proximity to downtown. The ward included the Allen Parkway Village housing project, which was redeveloped into the Historic Oaks at Allen Parkway Village. The Freedmen's Town Historical District was created in 1988. Today, about 40 percent of the original wood-frame homes remain in the ward.

The Fifth Ward is another predominantly African American community originally settled by freed slaves. It too is undergoing gentrification. A section of the Fifth Ward, Frenchtown, once held the center of the Creole community in Houston.

The Sixth Ward is bounded by Memorial Drive to the south, Glenwood Cemetery to the west, Washington Avenue to the north, and Houston Avenue to the east. It was carved out of the Fourth Ward in 1877 as a residential area. There are many examples of Greek revival, Victorian, and Classical Revival architecture in the neighborhood, but due to extensive gentrification many are being demolished in favor of modern housing.

Greenway Plaza
The Greenway Plaza business district is west of Midtown and southwest of Downtown Houston. The district is home to Lakewood Church, the country's largest megachurch.

Neartown
Neartown is an area located in west-central Houston, Texas and is one of the city's major cultural areas. The location has a distinctive character of eccentricity and a diverse population. The eastern–southeastern portion of Neartown (colloquially referred to as Montrose) is the center of Houston's gay and lesbian community, and known for its vintage shops, 1950s-style eateries and street art. The Neartown area traditionally hosted the Westheimer Street Festival, a colorful community gathering that was ended mostly due to gentrification. It is also the location of the Menil Collection and the University of Saint Thomas.

Other notable communities
The historic Houston Heights, near downtown, has the highest point of elevation in the city. Like the smaller Woodland Heights neighborhood just to its east, it was originally a separate, independent suburb connected to Houston by streetcar. It was incorporated in 1891 and consolidated into the city of Houston in 1919. Even today it retains a ban on liquor sales and is a popular area for antique shopping. Like the neighboring Neartown, Houston Heights has long been a popular place for the artistic and gay and lesbian communities to live. Like other neighborhoods, the Heights has been experiencing gentrification pressures as the inner-loop grows, but residents concerned with historic preservation have resisted through the use of deed restrictions. Many of the Heights' Victorian houses and Craftsman bungalows are in high demand, especially those that have been remodeled. The Houston Heights is also home to the ArtCar Museum, a tourist attraction.

River Oaks is the city's most affluent area, often compared to Beverly Hills. Beyond Houston, it is the wealthiest neighborhood in the entire state and is home to many celebrities and political figures. Situated as it is between downtown and Uptown, River Oaks is a collection of mansions in a sea of high-rise apartments and lofts. Near and partially blending into River Oaks, the areas of Highland Village and Upper Kirby are home to many high-end shopping and dining venues. To the west is the Memorial Area. The zip code for Memorial (77024) is the sixth wealthiest in Texas. It contains the largest of a series of affluent municipalities separate from but surrounded by the city of Houston, known as the Villages, which include Hedwig Village, Bunker Hill Village, Hunters Creek Village, Piney Point Village, Hilshire Village, and Spring Valley Village''.

Clear Lake City is a master-planned community located in southeast Houston. It is home to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, the University of Houston–Clear Lake and a very large upper-middle class Asian American community. The area was annexed into the city of Houston in 1979. League City, just south of this area, is home to a few water-side resorts.

To the northeast is the 14000 acre master-planned community of Kingwood, which was annexed by the city of Houston in 1996. Kingwood is the largest master-planned community in Harris County.

Adjacent cities and suburbs
In addition to the "island cities" of Bellaire, West University Place, Southside Place and the Memorial Villages, there are several communities not part of Houston that are important to the metropolitan area.

Harris County
Pasadena is Houston's most populous suburb and the former location of "Gilley's", the honky-tonk bar that inspired the hit 1980 movie Urban Cowboy, which was filmed in Pasadena. Because of its location skirting the ship channel where most of the city's refineries are located, Pasadena is considered the backbone of Houston's enormous petrochemical complex. The nearby cities of Baytown, La Porte, which is home to the San Jacinto Monument, and Channelview are also host to many refineries and chemical plants. Other nearby cities are Deer Park, Galena Park, and South Houston.

Katy is about 30 minutes west of downtown. Manylive between Katy and Houstonthose areas have "Katy" addresses and are referred to as the "Katy Area", while the city proper is known as "Old Katy". Because of this, the "Greater Katy" area has a population of over 250,000. Several developments are located in this area, including Cinco Ranch, Kelliwood, and various other communities. Much of the Katy area borders the western portion of George Bush Park, and it is home to Katy Mills Mall. The Katy area also stretches into northern Fort Bend County as well as southeast Waller County.

Cypress is an unincorporated area about 30 minutes northwest of downtown. Originally a grouping of rice farms and forest, this area has seen tremendous growth since the 1980s, almost all of it single-family housing. Cypress is also home of Cy-Fair ISD, metro Houston's second-largest school district. Other cities to the northwest are Jersey Village, a bedroom community at the intersection of Beltway 8 and the Northwest Freeway, and Tomball, a city of around 25,000 at the edge of Harris County.

Between Cypress and Katy lies Bridgeland, a large development in the early stages of construction. At completion, the developers expect a population of 65,000 in the area.

Humble, Texas is a town 20 mi northeast of Downtown, adjacent to Bush Intercontinental Airport. Humble area has a sizable population, which includes Atascocita. While the city of Humble itself has a high crime rate, the area is one of the fastest and safest areas in Houston.

Fort Bend County
Sugar Land is a city southwest of Houston in northeast Fort Bend County, and is named for the former Imperial Sugar refinery. It is home to a number of international energy, software and product firms. It also is one of the fastest-growing and wealthiest cities in the state due to the numerous master-planned communities in the area, such as First Colony, New Territory, Greatwood, Sugar Creek, Sugar Lakes, Avalon, and Riverstone. Sugar Land has the most master-planned communities within Fort Bend County, which is home to the largest number of master-planned communities in the nation. In 2006, Sugar Land was ranked as the hottest place to live within the state of Texas and was third in the United States for that year, according to Money magazine, with the city receiving honors for its quality government services, affordable housing, and diversity (around one-quarter of Sugar Land's residents are Asian-American).

Stafford lies between Sugar Land and Houston, straddling Fort Bend and Harris counties. Stafford is home to many corporate campuses due to the lack of a municipal property tax. The Stafford Municipal School District, run by the city, is the only school district in Texas run by a municipal government.

In 1890, the land that now comprises Missouri City was advertised for sale in St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding areas as "a land of genial sunshine and eternal summer." Despite all the efforts to appeal to settlers from the "north", the first actual settlers came from Arlington, Texas – between Dallas and Fort Worth – in early 1894. Partially within Harris County, but mostly in neighboring Fort Bend County, the city boasts a large African American population. "Mo City", as it is sometimes called, has experienced significant "white flight". Most of this white flight has occurred in the northeastern portions of the city which are now predominantly black, and master-planned communities within the city such as Quail Valley and Lake Olympia boast significant white populations, and some of these communities have pockets of African-American and Asian-American residents. Sienna Plantation, an unincorporated community within Missouri City's extraterritorial jurisdiction, is culturally one with Missouri City.

Brazoria County
Pearland is a city located south of Houston in Brazoria County with a small portion in Harris County. Pearland is the fastest-growing city in Brazoria County – it has increased from about 19,000 to 39,000 residents in the 1990s alone (based on 2000 U.S. Census figures). It has since increased from 39,000 to 82,000 since 2000. It is home to companies such as Weatherford and Aggreko. It is the closest suburb to Downtown Houston and the Texas Medical Center (about 10 mi away), which attracts professionals from the oil, gas, energy, medical and aerospace industries. Some of the master-planned communities found in the area are Silverlake, Silvercreek, and Shadow Creek Ranch.

Montgomery County
The Woodlands is a large master-planned community about 30 mi north of Downtown Houston in Montgomery County. It is one of the largest and most popular master-planned communities in the country. Most of The Woodlands lies in the city of Houston's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and the city limits of Shenandoah. Negotiations are under way with Houston and Conroe to the north to release The Woodlands from these ETJs and some in the community want The Woodlands to become a full city itself.

Galveston County
A popular day trip may include Galveston to visit Moody Gardens or the sandy beach. Before near destruction in 1900 Galveston was larger and wealthier than Houston, dubbed "The Wall Street of the Southwest" and on par with New Orleans as the Gulf Coast's premier city. Galveston is also home to the new Schlitterbahn Waterpark. The waterpark is located across the street from Moody Gardens. Galveston's vulnerability on a narrow barrier bar island led to the creation of the Port of Houston, made by dredging the shallow Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay to form a protected port some 40 miles (64 km) inland of the open Gulf and less than 10 miles (16 km) from Houston's central business district. Beach houses owned by Houstonians have sprung up in other cities along the Gulf of Mexico's shoreline. Another tourist hot spot is Kemah where visitors see the Kemah Boardwalk, which has many seafood restaurants and local tourist attractions. Kemah is surrounded by Galveston Bay to the east and Clear Lake Shores (a brackish-water boater's paradise with open pass through to Galveston Bay) to the west.

Five other cities lay along Interstate 45 on mainland Galveston County. League City, is the largest city in the county surpassing Galveston between 2000 and 2005, and the northernmost city in the county, with parts of it extending into Harris County. Dickinson, La Marque, Friendswood, and Texas City make up the other remaining cities in the county.

title: Geographic areas of Houston


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Knife Play

Knife Play is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Xiu Xiu, released on February 19, 2002.

Content
A sticker on the cover of the album reads "When my mom died I listened to Henry Cowell, Joy Division, Detroit techno, the Smiths, Takemitsu, Sabbath, Gamelan, Black Angels and Cecil Taylor". The title is a reference to knife play. Noted themes include familial dysfunction, violence and despair; "Hives Hives" is a cover of the IBOPA song "Hives" that references AIDS and HIV, and "Dr. Troll" is about a young transgender girl who teaches a class of preschoolers. "Suha" is about the titular 25-year old woman, and features lyrics describing how Suha wants to commit suicide by cop. "Luber" is about a child named Luber who Jamie Stewart encountered buying Smashing Pumpkins records while working at a record store in San Jose. "Poe Poe" is about a sugar daddy, "I Broke Up (SJ)" is about the violent breakup of a relationship, "Don Diasco" is named after Don Dias, former member of Ten in the Swear Jar. "Homonculus" is about someone who was romantically interested with Xiu Xiu member at the time Yvonne Chen.

Reception
Christopher Dare, writing for Pitchfork, though noting that "many who've bought the album for [the listed] influences aren't prepared for his tantrums", stated that the album "makes you reevaluate your opinion on what emotions music has the right to explore."

Packaging
Knife Play was initially issued on CD by 5 Rue Christine and LP by Absolutely Kosher Records. The CD packaging features a two page comic, illustrating an unnamed girl awake at 4:01 AM mourning a hospitalized loved one who was involved in an accident. The comic takes place over three hours, and the final panel is the unnamed girl holding her face in her hands on her bed.

The first LP release, by Absolutely Kosher, was a 12" black vinyl record in a paper inner sleeve wrapped in a 35" by 23" newsprint sleeve. This issue did not come with a standard LP cover. Knife Play was issued on CD and LP by Tomlab in Germany in 2003. Knife Play was also remastered and repressed by Absolutely Kosher in 2003, this time in the same design as the newsprint sleeve, but the sleeve itself was printed on standard heavyweight paper. The back cover features a calendar with a fictional month, 28 days and 8 days to the week, resulting in four days at the end not assigned to one of the three previous weeks. The first day of the week is unnamed, while the next seven follow the convention: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In 2014, Stoned to Death reissued Knife Play on cassette tape in a limited edition of 100 copies. In 2017, Graveface Records reissued Knife Play on vinyl with a bonus 7". The bonus 7" featured a live version of "I Broke Up (SJ)" and an acoustic version of "Don Diasco". This issue also features printed lyrics and a note from Jamie Stewart regarding the production, recording and publishing of Knife Play.

Personnel
Xiu Xiu Additional musicians Production
 * Jamie Stewart – vocals, guitar, harmonium, programming
 * Lauren Andrews – synthesizer, piano, bells
 * Cory McCulloch – bass, synthesizer, mandolin, feedback
 * Yvonne Chen – synthesizer, trumpet, percussions, gong
 * Ches Smith – drums
 * Greg Saunier – drums
 * Tally Jones – cello
 * Don Dias – bass accordion
 * Sergio Bernal – trumpet
 * Jason Albertini – guitar
 * Jarod Flores – alto sax
 * Jafid Moran – tenor sax
 * Kurt Stumbaugh – baritone sax

 * George Horn – mastering

title: Knife Play


text: User talk:69.40.110.238

title: User talk:69.40.110.238


text:
Category:Ecuadorian art

 * Art of Ecuador.

title: Category:Ecuadorian art


text:
Talk:Gotthard Base Tunnel

Pictures of incident from SBB
As seen at the end of this SBB article there are pictures of the incident. Does anyone know if these are ok to post on the page. There is no information about if you can use them but news agencies have in their articles. It isn't like we can go and get pictures ourselves as the incident is in the tunnel and not accesible to the public. Thanks. PHOTOSBYOK (talk) 18:57, 17 August 2023 (UTC)

Two derailment sections
So someone decided to add a derailment section under history when this topic was already covered under "incidents" many days prior. Do people not read? PHOTOSBYOK (talk) 19:37, 17 August 2023 (UTC)

maybe an error on "Route overview" scheme
maybe an error on "Route overview" scheme

i think the "Route overview" scheme show errors about the way direction of the trains; for what i know usually on the left (west) tunnel the trains run from south to north, and on the right (east) tunnel in the opposite way (north to south), matching the way of runs from the english drive system (Left-hand traffic "LHT")

the scheme show instead some "arrows" that let think the trains runs in the opposite way.

some verify is required.

151.68.120.204 (talk) 10:42, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Gotthard Base Tunnel


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Kinsella

Kinsella is a surname of Irish Gaelic origin, developed from the original form Cinnsealach, meaning "proud". The Kinsella sept is native in part of the modern County Wexford in Leinster, a district formerly called the Kinsellaghs. The oldest documentary mention of the surname appears in the Ancient Records of Leinster, dated to 1170, where the son of the King of Leinster is named as Enna Cinsealach. Originally pronounced, it is also often found pronounced   (especially in Australia and New Zealand). This surname is most often found in Ireland, Northern Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the Kinsellas were one of the chiefly families of the Uí Ceinnselaig who in turn were a tribe from the Dumnonii or Laigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC. The Kinsellas as one of the chiefly families of the Uí Ceinnselaig is supported by John O'Hart in his 1892 Irish Pedigrees; or, The Origin and Stem of The Irish Nation who gives the spelling as Kinselagh.

People with this surname

 * Alice Kinsella (born 2001), British gymnast
 * Arthur Kinsella, QSO (1918–2004), New Zealand politician
 * Ben Kinsella (1991–2008), English murder victim
 * Bob Kinsella (1899–1951), American baseball outfielder
 * Brian Kinsella (1954–2018), Canadian ice hockey player
 * Brooke Kinsella (born 1983), English actress
 * Douglas Kinsella (1932–2004), Canadian medical ethics expert
 * Eamonn Kinsella (1932–1991), Irish Olympic athlete
 * Edward Kinsella (disambiguation), several people
 * Elaine Kinsella, Irish radio presenter and writer
 * James Kinsella (disambiguation), several people
 * John Kinsella (disambiguation), several people
 * Kevin Kinsella, American reggae and roots rock musician
 * Lauren Kinsella (born 1983), Irish musician
 * Len Kinsella (born 1946), Scottish footballer
 * Lewis Kinsella (born 1994), English footballer
 * Liam Kinsella, English-born Irish footballer
 * Mark Kinsella (born 1972), Irish footballer
 * Mike Kinsella (born 1977), American musician
 * Nate Kinsella (born 1980), American musician
 * Niels Kinsella, Irish musician, member of God Is an Astronaut
 * Noël Kinsella (born 1939), Canadian senator
 * Owen Kinsella, Irish football player
 * Oscar Kinsella, (born 2011), Irish school boy and soccer player.
 * Pat Kinsella, English footballer
 * Ray Kinsella (1911–1996), Canadian ice hockey player
 * Sophie Kinsella, English Novelist
 * Stephan Kinsella (born 1965), American lawyer and author
 * Ted Kinsella, CBE (1893–1967), Australian politician and judge
 * Torsten Kinsella, Irish musician, member of God Is an Astronaut
 * Thomas Kinsella (1928–2021), Irish poet
 * Thomas Kinsella (politician) (1832–1884), American politician
 * Tim Kinsella (born 1974), American musician
 * Tommy Kinsella (1941–2009), Irish soccer player
 * Tony Kinsella (born 1961), English footballer
 * Warren Kinsella (born 1960), Canadian lawyer and author
 * Walter Kinsella (disambiguation), several people
 * W. P. Kinsella (1935–2016), Canadian author
 * Ray Kinsella Fictional Film Character - Field of Dreams

Spelling variations

 * Kinchella
 * Kinchsular
 * Kingslagh
 * Kingslaghe
 * Kinsela
 * Kinsella
 * Kinshellagh
 * Kinshlagh
 * Kinslayer
 * Kinsler
 * Kynsellagh
 * Kynsellaghe
 * O'Kinsella
 * O'Cinnseallaigh
 * Kinsley

title: Kinsella