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Talk:Strobe Talbott

Career as journalist
Good grief, no mention whatsoever of his long career as a journalist before joining the State Dept.??? Unbelievable. Okay, I guess I will have to take care of that myself when I can free up some time... Cgingold 21:56, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, I just listened to Strobe on a panel discussion on C-Span sponsored by Brookings, and he had the most intelligent wisdom on Russia, Putin and the entire scope of our dealings with Russian and its basic problems... spoken by one with immense experience, insight and knowledge. Has he written any books on Russian diplomacy or analysis? Is he a professor now at Yale? There is more to his credit than listed here on Wikipedia. mpburns. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.234.203.48 (talk) 19:38, 19 February 2014 (UTC)

Last edits
A significant portion of perfectly sourced text from this article has recently been deleted. If you want to explain your edits, please do it here.Biophys (talk) 17:11, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

POV
"He has also been a friend of Bill Clinton and other communist sympathizers and one-worlders..." -- Rather amusing and downright biased, don't you think?

 * He was Bill's college room mate. The part about communist sympathies was removed a long time ago.--FeralOink (talk) 15:09, 10 October 2022 (UTC)

Question
Hi Joshdboz, first you agreed to keep the Tretyakov allegations; then you removed them. What had happened? Thanks, Biophys (talk) 03:01, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * You're right, I did go along with it at the time and added Talbott's reactions to the accusations. However, after reviewing the BLP policy, notably the following:
 * "Biographies of living persons (BLPs) must be written conservatively, with regard for the subject's privacy. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a tabloid paper; it is not our job to be sensationalist, or to be the primary vehicle for the spread of titillating claims about people's lives. The possibility of harm to living subjects is one of the important factors to be considered when exercising editorial judgment."
 * I think these assertions made by Tretyakov would fit into the category of unsubstantiated claims (even if he is a semi-authoritative source) that are both 1) undue weight in relation to the rest of his life/career and 2) possibly harmful. Against this last argument is the fact that he is a public figure and these allegations have been reported to some degree in the press, but that doesn't change the fact that it is undue weight compared with every other notable detail of his life.  That being said, I think all the info is appropriate for Tretyakov's article, and I would certainly support copying the paragraph from here to there. Joshdboz (talk) 19:56, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * This article is very small; so this might be indeed undue weight. But it would be good to ask someone else.Biophys (talk) 21:13, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * There is no real "controversy" here. No reliable secondary source says the allegations are probable. Author Earley says he was unable to verify the story. The spy Tretyakov never met Talbott.  Tretyakov indicates that some unknown person told him the story that the spy agency gave Georgiy Mamedov questions to ask Talbott about. Both Talbott and Mamedov reject the interpretation. It was Talbott's official job to brief  Mamedov on Clinton's foreign policies, with the expectation that thee reports would go to Moscow. Thus it fails the BLP rules. Rjensen (talk) 09:39, 21 March 2021 (UTC)

removed
Strobe Talbot modeled for several memorable characters in Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies.TogetherinParis (talk) 15:10, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Caption
The caption on the top right seems to be wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.177.183.227 (talk) 17:25, 8 September 2011 (UTC)
 * It has now been removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.177.183.227 (talk) 12:00, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

"New World Order" and quotes
I removed the link to the "New World Order" conspiracy page, which seemed highly POV and was not justified by the article itself. I'm also skeptical about the quotes - the first one seems to be there mostly to justify the conspiratorial connection, and outside of that context doesn't seem that representative of his overall career. The second one is somewhat interesting, but I'm honestly not sure why it's there. I may remove them or try to find some more representative ones, unless somebody is willing to make a good case for their inclusion here. Lateralus1587 (talk) 15:41, 16 May 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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Reliability of Talbott's information on Russia
At another talk page, there was recently a debate regarding whether Strobe Talbott's account of the 1999 Russian apartment bombings is a reliable source per Wikipedia policies.

More specifically, the following is the excerpt from Talbott's book in which he claimed there was no evidence for the conspiracy theory that the FSB had blown up apartment buildings in Russia to bring Putin to power:

But Putin also had, on top of the full force of Yeltsin's backing, a gruesome bit of luck. The war in the North Caucasus burst back into flame, this time with a difference that made it as much of a political winner for Putin as it had been a loser for Yeltsin.

At about the time of Putin's appointment, Chechen forces under the militant leader Shamil Basayev crossed the eastern border into Dagestan, driving thousands of people from several villages and killing or wounding scores of Russian troops who were manning outposts in the region. In and of itself, the raid was a bolder version of one that Basayev had conducted in June 1995 when he took hostages during the Halifax summit of the G-7. That earlier episode was one of the few occasions when the secessionist struggle in Chechnya spilled into other parts of southern Russia. Because the Chechen conflict had been mostly contained within the republic's borders, many Russians had come to see, and oppose, the war that Yeltsin waged there in 1994-1996 as an attempt to cling to a remote and hostile fragment of the old empire.

However, the Chechens' foray into Dagestan in August 1999 seemed to be explicitly part of an aggressive strategy that would take a new round of warfare into the heartland of Russia. Basayev proclaimed a jihad to liberate the surrounding Muslim-dominated areas from Russian tyranny. That claim seemed all the more credible when it was followed within weeks by a series of bombings against apartment buildings in Volgodansk, Buinaksk and Moscow, killing some three hundred civilians.

The Chechens denied responsibility for the explosions. Some Russians and observers in the outside world suspected a covert provocation by the Russian security services, presumably on orders from their most prominent and powerful alumnus, Putin himself. Berezovsky figured in some of this speculation. In addition to being one of Putin's backers for the presidency, he had extensive ties among the Chechen warlords and therefore might have been able to prod or bribe them into providing the new government of Moscow with a pretext for what might be a popular war.

There was no evidence to support this conspiracy theory, although Russian public opinion did indeed solidify behind Putin in his determination to carry out a swift, decisive counteroffensive. It was organized by General Anatoly Kvashnin, the chief of staff of the armed forces who had played the heavy during the confused drama in June when Russia "accidentally" deployed its troops into Kosovo ahead of NATO.

Based on that information, the lead section to the Russian apartment bombings currently sais the following: "The theory of FSB involvement has been criticised for the lack of evidence by Strobe Talbott".

I have studied every passage in the "Comrade J" book about Tretyakov which mentions Talbott, and I believe the following is correct:
 * There is no evidence to indicate that Talbott was an unreliable source of information regarding Russia in general and the 1999 Russian apartment bombings in particular.
 * The current view of allegations against Talbott at the Strobe Talbott page is pretty much correct.

I will cite the relevant information from the "Comrade J" book here to corroborate my findings:

From "Preface"

In yet another troubling disclosure, Tretyakov claims Russian intelligence targeted President Clinton's deputy secretary of state, Strobe Talbott, and ran a carefully calculated campaign designed to manipulate him. Talbott was the architect of U.S. policy toward Russia and its former republics during a crucial seven-year period after the Soviet Union breakup. According to Tretyakov, the SVR used Russia's then deputy minister of foreign affairs Georgiy Mamedov to deceive and manipulate Talbott, in part by massaging his ego. Unbeknownst to Talbott, his Russian contact was a longtime "co-optee," which meant Mamedov often did the bidding of Russian intelligence, Tretyakov said. In return, it helped promote Mamedov's diplomatic career. There was no reason for Talbott to suspect that Mamedov was acting as an SVR conduit.

According to Tretyakov, the SVR prepared specific questions for Mamedov to ask Talbott during their private, one-on-one conversations, including times when the two diplomats were socializing. Talbott considered Mamedov a friend and respected colleague. According to Tretyakov, the Russian diplomat used their personal relationship to glean information from Talbott that the SVR considered helpful to Russia.

Talbott was shown a copy of Tretyakov's accusations before this book went to press. In a written response, Talbott called Tretyakov's "interpretation of events erroneous and/or misleading." He wrote that he knew that Mamedov was relaying all of their conversations, including their private ones, back to Moscow. Talbott challenged Tretyakov to provide "specifics and corroboration" that showed he had been manipulated by Mamedov. "There can be none," Talbott concluded, "since what went on in my channel with Mamedov, in fact, advanced U.S. policy goals."

Just the same, the FBI took the accusations about Talbott seriously when Tretyakov raised them after he began secretly helping the U.S. In 1999, FBI officials asked Secretary Albright not to share information with Talbott about an ongoing espionage investigation at the State Department because its agents were afraid he might inadvertently tip off the SVR through Mamedov, according to private and published sources.

Trytyakov said the SVR considered Mamedov's handling of Talbott so clever that Russian intelligence identified the senior American diplomat in correspondence and classified internal reports as a SPECIAL UNOFFICIAL CONTACT—a specific term that the SVR used to identify its most secret, highly placed intelligence sources.

Chapter "TWENTY"

Sergei recommended that KABAN be awarded a contract to consult and help build housing in Tver, which was a town about a hundred miles outside of Moscow. His superiors and the FSK agreed.

In 1994, Russia was in the midst of a national housing shortage. The main cause was the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Russian troops from across Eastern Europe were being called home, but there was no place to house them. Yeltsin had specifically asked President Clinton for help with this problem when they met in April 1993 at their first presidential summit. According to The Russia Hand: A Memoir of Presidential Diplomacy, by Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, Yeltsin had been desperate.

There was one area...where Yeltsin said he needed as much help as possible and as soon as possible, and that was in emergency funds to build housing for the Russian officers whom Yeltsin had promised to withdraw from the Baltic states in 1994.

Clinton had earmarked $6 million for housing, but Yeltsin said he needed much more than that. Yeltsin added that he could only make his plea in private, according to Talbott's book, because it was embarrassing for him to talk openly about the conditions in which the Russian army was living. Talbott quoted Yeltsin saying:

''"Tents, Bill! Can you imagine? They're living in tents!"

Clinton promised to increase the figure for housing. In addition to U.S. aid, Yeltsin received loans from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom to help build houses. The World Bank chipped in another $550.8 million loan specifically earmarked for housing improvements in six cities, including Tver.

Chapter "TWENTY ONE"

On January 3, 1995, Mike McCurry, the press spokesman for the State Department, compared Russia's invasion of Chechnya to the Civil War. He said:

We have a long history as a democracy that includes an episode... where we dealt with a secessionist movement through armed conflict called the Civil War. So we need to be conscious of those types of issues when we look at a new democracy in the former Soviet Union.

In April 1996, during a Moscow press conference, President Clinton used that same comparison.

I would remind you that we once had a civil war in our country in which we lost, on a per capita basis, far more people than we lost in any of the wars of the twentieth century, over the proposition that Abraham Lincoln gave his life for, that no state had a right to withdrawal from our union.

In his memoir The Russia Hand, Strobe Talbott wrote apologetically that he felt responsible for suggesting the Chechnya—Civil War comparison to McCurry and Clinon. It proved to be a "gaffe" that "produced a headline we didn't want out," he noted. Clinton was accused in the international media of shilling for Yeltsin. Clinton himself later quipped: "I really painted a bull's-eye on by butt with that Lincoln line."

The fact that Talbott, McCurry, and Clinton each defended Russia's attacks in Chechnya by comparing the invasion to the U.S. Civil War delighted the propagandists inside the SVR, Sergei said. Whether or not their efforts had planted the idea in the three men's minds didn't matter. The SVR spin masters claimed credit.

Chapter "TWENTY-TWO"

It was during the briefings that Sergei discovered the SVR had identified U.S. deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott as a SPECIAL UNOFFICIAL CONTACT. Inside the SVR, that term was used only to identify a top-level intelligence source who had high social and/or political status and whose identity neened to be carefully guarded.

<...>

Because of the prominence of SPECIAL UNOFFICIAL CONTACTS, the SVR's operational dossiers about them were always closely guarded with top-secret access limited to only a few senior officials in Moscow. Sergei later explained that this was why he could not cite specific examples in this book of information that the SVR claimed it had collected through diplomatic channels from Talbott. Nor could he recall any specifics of how information alleged to have come from Talbott might have been used. "All I can tell you is that the SVR conferred on Talbott the SPECIAL UNOFFICIAL CONTACT designation, and I was told Russian intelligence had tricked and manipulated him."

A SPECIAL UNOFFFICIAL CONTACT was identified in cables between the Center and rezidenturas as a "11-2" source. That was the same designation used by the SVR to identify sources in its network who were "trusted contacts" (spies).

"Even though the SVR identified Talbott as a SPECIAL UNOFFOCIAL CONTACT, I want to underline that he was not a Russian spy," Sergei carefully explained later. "In fact, I suspect he was the opposite—an ardent American patriot. But like so many before him, he underestimated his Soviet and Russian counterparts and he overestimated his own knowledge and influence to a point where our intelligence service was able to use him with great effectiveness during the Yelstin presidency. He became an extremely valuable intelligence source."

A former columnist and Washington bureau chief for Time maganize, Talbott befriended Bill Clinton when both were Rhodes scholars at Oxford University. After Clinton won the 1992 presidential election, he asked Talbott to oversee U.S. and Russian relations. In The Russia Hand, Talbott would recall that one of his first and, ultimately, his most important contacts in the Yeltsin administration was Georgi Mamedov, the deputy minister of foreign affairs. Talbott noted fondly in his book that Memedov had both a gift for gab and an ability for straight talk that made him effective in arguing his side's case and in probing for diplomatic give on the American side. Talbott wrote that he and Mamedov frequently worked behind the scenes during Talbott's seven-year stint. They arranged the Clinton—Yeltsin presidential summits, handled dozens of international emergencies, and found ways for the Clinton administration to support Yeltsin politically when his administration was being rocked by charges of massive corruption. Talbott added that he and Mamedov privately negotiated the framework for a controversial NATO-Russian cooperative agreement and personally resolved preliminary matters in the START II treaty talks about arms reduction. Talbott wrote that many of their face-to-face meetings were held with only the two of them being present, and during their exchanges, the two diplomats developed a friendship, trust, and respect that Talbott felt was mutual and mentioned repeatedly in his memoir. In one chapter, Talbott described a scene that typified their warm relationship. He wrote that he and Mamedov decided to take a break after working all day during a meeting in Washington, D.C. Talbott invited Mamedov to go with him to see that summer's blockbuster movie Independence Day, along with Talbott's children. Afterward, Mamedov joined the family for dinner at an Italian restaurant, and Talbott and the Russian diplomat playfully joked about whether the aliens in the Hollywood movie would be eligible to join Partnership for Peace (a Clinton and Yeltsin initiative) or if they would be considered for membership in NATO. At the time, the U.S. and NATO were feuding with Russian about NATO expanding its membership.

During the secret briefings that Sergei was given in Moscow before his move to Manhattan, he was told that Mamedov was secretly working for the SVR. "Mr. Mamedov was a longtime co-optee. The KGB and SVR helped him build a very successful career in the foreign ministry. What does this mean? It means he was reporting everything that was said or done by Mr. Talbott directly to us at the Center. Everything. It was part of his job." There is no evidence that shows, nor is there any reason to believe, that Talbott kned Mamedov was a longtime co-optee with Russian intelligence.

Sergei was told that SVR director Primakov and his deputy, General Trubnikov, decided early on that Talbott could be "massaged" and developed into a useful source based on a psychological profile that the SVR had prepared. "Mr. Talbott saw himself as an expert on Russia and he thought he knew what was best for the country and its people. The SVR had seen this arrogant attitude before in Western leaders. We understood this, and Mr. Mamedov was instructed to massage Mr. Talbott's ego to suit our purposes," Sergei said. Mamedov was encouraged by the SVR to meet with Talbott in private as often as he could, without any of the two men's aides being present. During these sessions, Mamedov was told to ask Talbott questions that had been prepared specifically for him by the SVR center. The Russian diplomat posed these questions as if they were coming only from him. "Mr. Talbott was led to believe that many of his conversations with Mr. Mamedov were between only the two of them, when, in fact, Mr. Mamedov was collecting information that had been specifically requested by the Center. This is how the SVR was able to begin manipulating him to the point that it eventually identified him as a SPECIAL UNOFFOCIAL CONTACT."

Sergei was told that Mamedov's relationship with Talbott was an "example of how a skilled intelligence agency could manipulate a situation and a diplomatic source to its advantage without the target realizing he was being used for intelligence-gathering purposes."

Sergei's statements are not the first to raise questions about Talbott's interactions with Russian officials. A U.S. House of Representatives select committee released a three-volume report in 1999 that harshly criticized the Clinton administration for its handling of Russia. Known informally as the Cox Committee Report, after its chairman, Representative Christopher Cox, the study initially was classified top-secret. Several parts of it, however, were later declassified. Representative Cox told reporters at a news conference that the Clinton administration had continuously supported Yeltsin regardless of his actions or his behavior. The Cox report said the Clinton administration's "unchecked" backing of Yeltsin had undermined the development of democratic institutions in Moscow by short-circuiting the legislative process that Russia had put into place and by ignoring the wishes of the country's elected representatives. This partisan and oftentimes parental attitude toward the Russian president had caused Yeltsin and the Russian government to rule by decree rather than by establishing a genuine democratic process, the report concluded. Representative Cox claimed a small group of administration officials, including Talbott, consistently ignored and downplayed U.S. analytical information that contradicted their own personal views of Russia and what was happening under Yeltsin. One criticism was that Talbott had been persuaded by Mamedov and other Russian officials to disregard negative stories about Yeltsin, his presidency, and the oligarchs.

After portions of the Cox report were made public, Talbott noted that twelve of the fifteen committee members who had drafted the critical study were Republicans. He called their findings politically biased and questioned the timing of the report, which was released in the midst of the 2000 presidential campaign.

Talbott became president of the Brookings Institution, a Washintson, D.C., think tank, after he left the Clinton administration. His diplomatic counterpart, Mamedov, was appointed Russian ambassador to Canada.

Talbott was shown Sergei's statements while this book was being written and he quickly dismissed them. "Your source's [Sergei's] interpretation of events is erroneous and/or misleading in several fundamental respects," Talbott wrote. "First, there was never a presumption on Ambassador Mamedov's part or mine that what we said to each other in our one-on-one sessions would remain between us alone. Quite the contrary, each of us presumed that the other would report back to his government. Second, your source suggests that, in his many exchanges with me, Ambassador Mamedov 'tricked, deceived, and manipulated' me into helping him and his government advance Russian causes.... Your source offers no amplification or corroboration. There can be none, since what went on in my channel with Mamedov in fact advanced U.S. policy goals: getting Russian troops to leave the Baltic states, getting Russia to accept NATO enlargement and join the Partnership for Peace, getting Russia to support us in Bosnia, and getting Russia to help in ending the Kosovo war on NATO's terms."

In a note responding to Sergei's accusations, Ambassador Mamedov wrote: "As a devoted fan of John le Carré's novels, I really enjoyed the fantasy land you and your 'sources' from the CIA created to impress me.... Surely, I don't need to tell you what you know already: all of these allegation of my 'manipulation' of Strobe Talbott on behalf of the SVR are blatant lies and nothing else. Unfortunately, old stereotypes die hard and some witch-hunters from the CIA and FBI simply can't make themselves believe in such simple human values as trust and friendship—especially between Russian and American officials. Pity for them!"

Chapter "TWENTY-FOUR"

It was at this critical point that President Aliyev reached out to the Clinton administration, and the White House saw a chance to get access for Western oil companies into the Caspian Sea.

In October 1995, President Aliyev arrived in Manhattan for the United Nations' fiftieth-anniversary celebration and for a series of private meetings with U.S. officials. The Azerbaijan president met with Madeleine Albright, who was then the U.S. permanent representative to the UN, but soon would become Clinton's secretary of state. Three days later, he met privately with President Clinton.

Within hours of those private meetings, Ambassador Kouliev had secretly passed his handwritten notes to his SVR handler (Antonov) to forward to the Center without knowing that Sergei would be reading them, too.

Six months later, the White House sent Deputy Secretary of State Talbott and Deputy National Security Advised Samuel Berger to Azerbaijan and Armenia. Once again, Ambassador Kouliev passed along noted to the New York rezidentura for Moscow.

<...>

In February 2000, President Aliyev visited President Clinton, Secretary of State Albright, and other top U.S. diplomats in Washington, D.C. Sergei would later brag that the SVR had been able to deliver summaries about each of those confidential meetings to Moscow within forty-eight hours after they happened. He said that the SVR was convinced that President Clinton, Albright, and Talbott had no idea Ambassador Kouliev was a deep-cover officer.

Two months later, the U.S. and Azerbaijan announced the start of construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, the second-longest pipeline in the world, covering some 1,094 miles. It was being financed by a consortium of Western oil companies and would be completed in July 2006. It was a huge victory for the Clinton administration.

Sergei would later have a difficult time explaining why President Yeltsin had not chosen to take advantage of the more than one hundred cables that had been sent to Moscow based on Ambassador Kouliev's insider reports. "I could see no evidence that Yeltsin did anything about the oil deal. He let the U.S. walk in and simply take it."

Chapter "THIRTY-NINE"

After Sergei told U.S. intelligence officials that Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott had been identified by the SVR as a SPECIAL UNOFFICIAL CONTACT, the FBI asked Secretary Albright not to share information with him about the government's ongoing probe in 1999 into how a Russian bug was planted inside the State Department. Jaime Dettmer, a reporter with the news website Insight on the News, revealed the FBI's unusual request to keep Talbott out of the loop in a story published January 10, 2000. In it she quoted an unnamed CIA source saying, "Talbott has long been widely seen at Langley as being too close to the Russians—a sort of trusted friend, you might say."

— Document hippo (talk) 12:49, 16 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Do you suggest to include some of that info to the page? Good idea. I do not mind. This is consistent with BLP rule because the subject is a public figure and because there are multiple RS, for example, the book by Earley (secondary RS), this book, this soure, and of course whatever Talbott said himself about it was also reliably published. Or maybe not on this page, but on page about the bombings. For example here The Kremlin “influenced” the Clinton administration. One example: “The fact that Talbott (Strobe Talbott, Deputy Secretary of State), McCurry (Mike McCurry, State Department spokesman), and Clinton each defended Russia’s attacks in Chechnya . . . delighted the propagandists inside the SVR”. Note that according to BLP, the allegation for public figures should not proven, but only notable and well documented. That one certainly is.    My very best wishes (talk) 04:40, 4 April 2021 (UTC)
 * I have looked and found no reliable secondary source that agrees with the wild speculation made by Sergei Tretyakov, a person who never observed or met Talbott and instead speculated on the basis of third-hand gossip. Journalist Earley interviewed Talbott and the Russian diplomat Mamedov and they both rejected Sergei's speculations & challenged him to name an actual detail. [see above from ch 22: " Because of the prominence of SPECIAL UNOFFICIAL CONTACTS, the SVR's operational dossiers about them were always closely guarded with top-secret access limited to only a few senior officials in Moscow. Sergei later explained that this was why he could not cite specific examples in this book of information that the SVR claimed it had collected through diplomatic channels from Talbott. Nor could he recall any specifics of how information alleged to have come from Talbott might have been used. "All I can tell you is that the SVR conferred on Talbott the SPECIAL UNOFFICIAL CONTACT designation, and I was told Russian intelligence had tricked and manipulated him.""]  So when challenged the "source" (Sergei) was could not specify to Earley a single actual example of manipulation even in the broadest terms--that indicates he is wholly ignorant of Talbott's actions. Not a reliable source. ] Talbott was briefed daily at the time by US intelligence agencies. He was the main interface with Russian officials  --the silly suggestion is that if a Russian intelligence agency supplies questions that were asked of Talbott he was "manipulated" by them. It's the job of intelligence agencies  to draft questions to ask  highly experienced diplomats--who are not easy to "manipulate". Rjensen (talk) 09:04, 4 April 2021 (UTC)
 * The interactions/negotiations between Talbott and Mamedov is a matter of fact, this is something Talbott described himself in his books. This is just a matter of interpretation. Talbott honestly believed that he promotes US interests, exactly as he said himself. And perhaps he did. SVR believed that they manipulated Talbott. They could be right or wrong about it, I have no opinion. But the story is well known, sourced and can be neutrally described on the page. But whatever. I just replied to the very long post by user Document hippo. My very best wishes (talk) 16:20, 4 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Well no--the point is that "SVR believed that they manipulated Talbott. " is a claim made by someone with no credibility regarding Talbott. He admits it himself: "All I can tell you is that the SVR conferred on Talbott the SPECIAL UNOFFICIAL CONTACT designation, and I was told Russian intelligence had tricked and manipulated him." That's third-hand gossip --gossip--his informants never gave him access to SVR documents, and never gave him any examples or episodes. Talbott was the official American contact with the post-Soviet Russian leadership (ie Yeltsin) and was therefore indeed a special contact who provided lots of information about the hopes and intentions of the Clinton administration. Rjensen (talk) 02:12, 6 April 2021 (UTC)
 * OK, let's not include it. I just looked at preface to a book Endgame: The Inside Story of Salt II written by Talbott himself . It tells: "The former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) operative Sergei Tretyakov claimed that SVR considered Talbott a source of intelligence information and classified him as "a special unofficial contact", although "he was not a Russian spy". These unproven allegations ...", and so on (whole paragraph). I did not read the book, but apparently this story was described in the book (hence it should an important story?). So, I thought one could do the same on this page and present it in the same light as Talbott described himself. My very best wishes (talk) 03:37, 6 April 2021 (UTC)
 * As a side note, Robert Amsterdam said that "When Talbott was a journalist, he had career-boosting relations with a KGB agent called Viktor Louis". That one is really famous. My very best wishes (talk) 03:43, 6 April 2021 (UTC)

title: Talk:Strobe Talbott


text: Category:Temperate coniferous forests

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

title: Category:Temperate coniferous forests


text:
His Majesty (opera)

His Majesty, or, The Court of Vingolia is an English comic opera in two acts with dialogue by F. C. Burnand, lyrics by R. C. Lehmann, additional lyrics by Adrian Ross and music by Alexander Mackenzie.

The work premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London on 20 February 1897, running for only 61 performances until 24 April 1897, despite a strong cast including George Grossmith, Ilka Pálmay, Scott Russell, Fred Billington, Florence Perry and Walter Passmore. The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company then toured the opera throughout 1897 alongside more familiar Gilbert and Sullivan works.

Background
When the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership collapsed after the production of The Gondoliers in 1889, impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte struggled to find successful new works to present at the Savoy Theatre. He was able to bring Gilbert and Sullivan together briefly for two more operas, neither of which was a great success. In fact, after its disappointingly short run, their last piece, The Grand Duke (1896), was the only outright failure of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera. Arthur Sullivan had produced two operas for the Savoy in the early 1890s with librettists other than W. S. Gilbert, but neither had proved particularly successful, and pieces by other composers, for example Mirette, had fared worse.

Synopsis
The late father of King Ferdinand intended that Ferdinand marry Lucilla Chloris, the daughter of the king of Osturia, and Chloris has arrived at the Court of Vingolia for the wedding with her ladies. Ferdinand and the Princess have never met and have never seen any portrait of one another.

However, Ferdinand has fallen in love with the peasant maid Felice, the adopted daughter of an old woodman, and has wooed her while disguised as a court artist. Meanwhile, Princess Chloris is in love with Prince Max of Baluria. Prince Max devises a plan which, if carried out, will allow the Princess to elope with him, while Felice takes her place.

Boodel, the King's former master of the revels, has been listening in on various conversations but only hears the end of each of them. He concludes that there is a plot afoot to assassinate Ferdinand. He becomes especially suspicious of a trunk carried by Felice. Preparations for war begin. But it turns out that Felice and her trunk bear a secret that changes everything: Proof that she is, in fact, Chloris's older sister, and thus the one meant to be engaged to Ferdinand all along.

Production
Carte assembled a high-quality team for His Majesty, including the well-known dramatist and writer F. C. Burnand and the well-respected composer Alexander Mackenzie. Lyrics were supplied by Rudolph Lehmann, though his career gave no hint of a particular talent at writing verse.

The piece was expected to draw the public solely on the strength of the return of George Grossmith after an absence of almost a decade from the Savoy Theatre. Grossmith was well and fondly remembered for his creation there of the comedy roles in the famous series of Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and during his years away, he had become the most popular solo piano entertainer in the country. The Savoy audience was eager to see him perform together on stage with his successor in the Savoy opera roles, Walter Passmore. Rehearsals began in December 1896, an unusually long rehearsal period for the Savoy, but Mackenzie later recalled that even the company felt that the work was not wanted. London's leading stage director, Charles Harris, was engaged, but he died a few days before the opera premiered, leaving the Cartes to finish his work. Richard D'Oyly Carte took ill, leaving the final arrangements to his wife, Helen. The Savoy's usual choreographer, John D'Auban arranged the dances.

The opening night met with instantaneous signs of disapproval. Grossmith received an ovation at his first appearance, but his entrance number met with a cool response from the house. The Whitehall Review declared that the audience preferred Passmore, and "whenever he appeared on the scene, hearty applause greeted him." Though six encores were taken on the opening night, the piece seemed doomed to failure before its first public representation was complete. Only three principals came forward for their curtain call. Mackenzie was applauded warmly for his music, but when Burnand and Lehmann came forward, there was booing and hissing from all the private boxes and most of the pit.

Critical reaction and aftermath
Although this would be his only comic opera, The Times called Mackenzie's score "appropriate throughout, musicianly, and very often marked by distinction as well as humour," though it called the book dull and "confused". Other newspapers called Mackenzie's score "a comic oratorio", "devoid of memorable tunes" or "peculiarly unattractive, almost entirely devoid of humour, strangely wanting in charm, brightness, fizz and spontaneity" and opined that "some of the best lines were appropriated to the most severe music". The press uniformly found fault with the verbose libretto and felt that the music and book were not well suited to each other. They praised Passmore's comic acting but were disappointed by the nervous Grossmith, commenting that he was unsuited to the role of King Ferdinand.

Grossmith lasted only four performances before pleading ill-health and returning to retirement. Charles H. Workman, playing Adam, filled in as Ferdinand until Henry Lytton arrived and was ready to play the King. The histrionic Hungarian actress, Ilka Pálmay, who had been engaged for The Grand Duke and was still under contract to Carte, played Felice, a role that gave her many opportunities to display her talents as ballad singer, opera soprano and comedian. Florence Perry, who had been playing smaller roles up to that point, was cast as Chloris.

Alterations were made to the opera during Workman's tenure in the title role. Three songs were deleted, and the Act I Finale was shortened. Fred Billington became ill, and his part was taken by Jones Hewson for the remainder of the run. The opera closed on 24 April 1897 and was sent on tour with two D'Oyly Carte companies until September 1897, during which Mackenzie's autograph score was stolen.

Musical numbers

 * Overture

 * Act I  -   Interior of the Palace of Vingolia.  View of the Royal Art Galleries.
 * No. 1 - Introduction, Trio and Chorus - "When Ferdinand came to Vingolia throne"
 * No. 2 - Chorus - "Hail our King in regal splendour"
 * No. 3 - Song with Chorus - King - "I was born upon a Sunday"
 * No. 4 - Song - Felice - "In the forest, in the forest, ah! how joyful are the days"
 * No. 5 - Duet - Felice and Boodel - "Cross-examination"
 * No. 6 - Quartet - Gertrude, Adam, Boodel and Felice - "Who goes home?"
 * No. 7 - Duet - Felice and King - "Why, oh why this cruel mockery?"
 * No. 8 - Septett - Cosmo, Vincentius, Michael, Duchess, Schnippentrimmer, Clarkstein and King - "He doesn't explain"
 * No. 9 - Female Chorus - "The mistress we adore is"
 * No. 9a - Song - Chloris and Chorus - "Delightful, oh delightful, I feel inclined to shout"
 * No. 10 - Serenade - Max - "Fair Chloris, let me be thy slave"
 * No. 11 - Quartett - Felice, Chloris, Max and Boodel - "I shall wear velvet and satin that speckless is"
 * No. 12 - Coon Song - "In de music-hally pieces when de rumpty tumpty ceases"
 * No. 13 - Beard Chorus - "By the King's decree, all of us are hirsute"
 * No. 14 - Finale Act I - "War, the very word inspires us"

 * Act II  -   On the Vingolia Ramparts.   Preparations for War.
 * No. 1 - Introduction and Chorus - "Behold us, a mobilised nation; the banners are flaunting on high"
 * No. 2 - Song - Felice - "When a gallant soldier loves from his lady love must go"
 * No. 3 - Nautical Song and Hornpipe - Boodel and Sailors - "Who would not be a sailor"
 * No. 4 - Duet - Felice and King Ferdinand - "What is this mysterious feeling?"
 * No. 5 - Trio - Felice, Chloris and King Ferdinand - "Das kleine Fraulein"
 * No. 6 - Song - Mopolio - "I am a King who must not smile, a fact profoundly vexing" (this song was replaced in the original run with "I'm a model of a melancholy king")
 * No. 7 - Duet - Boodel and Mopolio - "Noblemen in distress"
 * No. 8 - Quartet - Felice, Chloris, Max and Ferdinand "Although we are at war" (this song was added during the original run)
 * No. 9 - Finale Act II - "Ev'ry thought of trouble over, I propose to live in clover"

Roles and opening cast

 * Ferdinand the Fifth (King of Vingolia) (baritone) – George Grossmith (later Henry Lytton)
 * Count Cosmo (Prime Minister and First Lord of the Admiralty) (tenor) – Scott Russell
 * Baron Vincentius (Lord High Chamberlain and Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War) (baritone) – Jones Hewson
 * Baron Michael (Vice-Chamberlain; of Celtic extraction) (baritone) – Mr. Earldon
 * Prince Max (of Baluria) (tenor) – Charles Kenningham
 * Mopolio VII (King of Osturia) (bass) – Fred Billington
 * Boodel (Ex-Master of the Revels to King Ferdinand) (baritone) – Walter Passmore
 * Herr Schippentrimmer (Court Costumier) (baritone) – Mr. Bryan
 * Chevalier Klarkstein de Frise (Court Perruquier) (tenor) – H. Charles
 * Adam (a Woodman) (baritone) – C. Herbert Workman (who also briefly played Ferdinand between Grossmith's departure and Lytton's arrival)
 * Princess Lucilla Chloris (of Osturia, daughter of Mopolio) (soprano) – Florence Perry
 * Felice (adopted daughter of Adam and Gertrude) (soprano) – Ilka Pálmay
 * Duchess Gonzara (Mistress of the Royal Wardrobe) (mezzo-soprano) – Miss Macaulay
 * Dame Gertrude (Wife of Adam) (contralto) – Bessie Bonsall
 * Principal Ladies-in-Waiting on Princess Lucilla Chloris:
 * Helena (mezzo-soprano) – Jessie Rose
 * Dorothea (soprano) – Ruth Vincent
 * Claudina (soprano) – Mildred Baker
 * Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court of Vingolia and Ladies of the Court of Osturia in attendance on Princess Chloris.

title: His Majesty (opera)


text:
User talk:Butterflyvertigo

Welcome
Hi and welcome to wikipedia. I hope you like it and decide to stay. Here are some handy links for newcomers. Also you can sign your name on talk pages and vote pages with three tildes like this ~~~, and your name with a time stamp with four like this ~~~~. If you have any questions, ask me on my talk page. Howabout1 Talk to me! 20:48, July 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * Welcome
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title: User talk:Butterflyvertigo


text: User:Csmiller

title: User:Csmiller


text:
Encyclopédie nouvelle

The Encyclopédie nouvelle, ou dictionnaire philosophique, scientifique, littéraire et industriel, offrant le tableau des connaissances humaines au XIXe siècle was a French encyclopedia founded by Pierre Leroux and Jean Reynaud and published in installments from 1834 through 1847. It reflected the socialist philosophy of the founders.

Volume 1 (with an imprint of 1836, though the first installment appeared in 1834) covered A-Ari; volume 2, Ari-Bos; volume 3, Bot-Cons; volume 4, Const-Épic; and volume 8, Sap-Zor. Volumes 5 through 7 were never finished as planned, but materials issued in installments and intended for these volumes were eventually bound together in a miscellaneous volume covering the sequences Episc-Force and Organog-Phil.

title: Encyclopédie nouvelle


text:
Terry Date

Terry Date (born January 31, 1956) is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in rock genres, especially heavy metal. He is well known for his work with Metal Church, Dream Theater, Soundgarden, Overkill, Pantera, Dark Angel, Fishbone, Prong, White Zombie, Deftones, Slipknot and Limp Bizkit.

Works
Production/Engineering/Mixing
 * Metal Church – Metal Church (1984)
 * The Cowboys – How the West Was Rocked (1985)
 * Fifth Angel – Fifth Angel (1986)
 * Metal Church – The Dark (1986)
 * Fifth Angel – Time Will Tell (1986)
 * Chastain – The 7th of Never (1987)
 * Sir Mix-A-Lot – Swass (1988)
 * Liege Lord – Master Control (1988)
 * Sanctuary – Refuge Denied (1988)
 * The Accüsed – Martha Splatterhead's Maddest Stories Ever Told (1988)
 * Chastain – The Voice of the Cult (1988)
 * Metal Church – Blessing in Disguise (1989)
 * Dream Theater – When Dream and Day Unite (1989)
 * Soundgarden – Louder Than Love (1989)
 * Overkill – The Years of Decay (1989)
 * Mother Love Bone – Apple (1990)
 * Pantera – Cowboys from Hell (1990)
 * Overkill – Horrorscope (1991)
 * Dark Angel – Time Does Not Heal (1991)
 * Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger (1991)
 * Screaming Trees – Uncle Anesthesia (1991)
 * Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
 * 24-7 Spyz – Strength in Numbers (1992)
 * Mantissa - Mossy God  (1992)
 * Fishbone – Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe (1993)
 * Mind Funk – Dropped (1993)
 * Prong – Cleansing (1994)
 * Pantera – Far Beyond Driven (1994)
 * Deftones – Adrenaline (1995)
 * White Zombie – Astro Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)
 * Pantera – The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)
 * Prong – Rude Awakening (1996)
 * Animal Bag – Image Damage (1996)
 * Deftones – Around the Fur (1997)
 * Helmet – Aftertaste (1997) (Mixed)
 * Soundgarden – A-Sides (1997)
 * Handsome – Handsome (1997)
 * Incubus – S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997)
 * Staind – Dysfunction (1999)
 * Limp Bizkit – Significant Other (1999)
 * Big Daddy Official Soundtrack (1999)
 * Deftones – White Pony (2000)
 * Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000)
 * Limp Bizkit – New Old Songs (2001)
 * Snoop Dogg – Greatest Hits (2001)
 * Otep – Sevas Tra (2002)
 * Soulfly – 3 (2002)
 * Lito & Polaco – Mundo Frío (2002)
 * Deftones – Deftones (2003)
 * Limp Bizkit – Results May Vary (2003)
 * The Matrix Reloaded Soundtrack (2003)
 * Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3: Official Soundtrack (2003)
 * Soulfly – Prophecy (2004)
 * 'A' – Teen Dance Ordinance (2005)
 * Funeral for a Friend – Hours (2005)
 * Ozzy Osbourne – Prince of Darkness (Box Set) (2005)
 * Korn – See You on the Other Side (2005)
 * Dredg – Catch Without Arms (2005)
 * Soulfly – Dark Ages (2005)
 * Unearth – III: In the Eyes of Fire (2006)
 * EchoGram – EchoGram (2006)
 * Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist (2007)
 * Emanuel – Black Earth Tiger (2007)
 * Fear Nuttin Band – Yardcore (2008)
 * The Fall of Troy – In the Unlikely Event (2009)
 * Arkaea – Years in Darkness (2009) (Mixed)
 * Rev Theory – Justice (2011)
 * Loaded – The Taking (2011)
 * Arms of the Sun – Arms of the Sun (2011)
 * Bring Me the Horizon – Sempiternal (2013)
 * Soulfly – Savages (2013)
 * After the Burial – Wolves Within (2013)
 * Miss May I – Rise of the Lion (2014)
 * Havok – Unnatural Selection (2014)
 * Insobrio – Under the Surface (2014)
 * Slayer – Repentless (2015)
 * Centrilia - In the Name of Nothing (2019) (Mixed)
 * Deftones – Ohms (2020)
 * Pantera – Reinventing the Steel (20th Anniversary Edition) (2020)
 * Tommy MV$ERVTI – MV$ERVTI SYNDICATE (2023)

title: Terry Date


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hagfish fiber

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was Delete --Allen3 talk 19:57, July 22, 2005 (UTC)

Hagfish fiber
Hoax? Search in http://www.altavista.com for "hagfish fibre" and "hagfish fiber" shows nothing except Wikipedia echoes. I know some biology: talk of making fish slime into tough fiber is SILLY. Anthony Appleyard 20:51, 11 July 2005 (UTC)

Actually, it's not a hoax - I've read articles on hagfish slime before; it's a fascinating substance which, yes, has some horribly nasty vicious tough fibers permeating it. Don't think it's notable yet, though, so I vote delete - for now. DS 21:25, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, unverifiable. Dcarrano 01:14, July 12, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep...for now. See if anything else comes up.  (But keep the VfD sign up as long as new, truthful information hasn't come up yet.) 68.14.25.141 02:19, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

simply the knowledge of the uses of 'hagfish slime' would be useful. perhaps changing the presentation of the article so as to imply that the findings are few would do.
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


text:
Eliza Armstrong case

The Eliza Armstrong case was a major scandal in the United Kingdom involving a child bought for prostitution for the purpose of exposing the evils of sexual slavery. While it achieved its purpose of helping to enable the passage of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, it also brought unintended consequences to W. T. Stead.

Background
Since the middle of the 19th century, efforts by the Social Purity movement, led by early feminists such as Josephine Butler and others, sought to improve the treatment of women and children in Victorian society. The movement scored a triumph when the Contagious Diseases Acts were repealed under pressure due to their double standard nature and ultimate ineffectiveness.

At the same time, the campaign had also turned towards the problem of prostitution, and male oppression of women. By the end of the 1870s, this had become particularly focused on fears that British females (women and children) were being lured—or abducted—to brothels on the Continent, especially since this was happening to children and women without their consent. Although the age of consent was raised to 13 when amendments to the Offences against the Person Act 1861 were made in 1875, the movement sought to further raise this to at least 16, but Parliament was reluctant to make this change.

However, a Criminal Law Amendment Bill to change this was introduced in 1881. While it passed the House of Lords easily in 1883 after a two-year Select committee study, it stalled twice in the House of Commons. Then in 1885, it was reintroduced for a third time, but again it was threatened to be set aside ultimately because of a political crisis and the upcoming general election that year.

W. T. Stead
Parliament recessed for the Whit Week bank holiday on 22 May, and upon the following day Benjamin Scott, anti-vice campaigner and the Chamberlain of the City of London, went to see W. T. Stead, editor of the Pall Mall Gazette. Stead was a pioneer of modern investigative journalism, with a flair for the sensational. He was a supporter of the Social Purity movement.

Scott told stories of sexually exploited children to Stead, who agreed to work for popular support. Stead set up a "Special and Secret Committee of Inquiry" to investigate child prostitution, which included Josephine Butler, as well as representatives of the London Committee for the Suppression of the Traffic in British Girls for the Purposes of Continental Prostitution (of which Scott was the chairman) and the Salvation Army. As part of the investigation, two women, an employee of the Pall Mall Gazette and a girl from the Salvation Army, posed as prostitutes and infiltrated brothels, leaving before they were forced to render sexual services. Butler spent ten days walking the streets of London with her son Georgie, posing as a brothel-keeper and a procurer, respectively; together they spent a total of £100 buying children in high-class brothels. Stead, in turn, also spoke to a former director of criminal investigation at Scotland Yard to get first-hand information; he later cast his net wide to include active and retired brothel keepers, pimps, procurers, prostitutes, rescue workers and jail chaplains.

Stead felt that he needed something more to make his point: he decided to purchase a girl to show that he could do it under the nose of the law.

A £5 virgin
With the help of Josephine Butler and Bramwell Booth of the Salvation Army, Stead got in touch with Rebecca Jarrett, a reformed prostitute and brothel-keeper who was staying with Mrs Butler in Winchester as an assistant. Although Mrs Butler had no problem with Rebecca's meeting Stead, she did not know Stead's reason for doing so.

Stead prevailed upon Jarrett to help him to show that a 13-year-old girl could be bought from her parents and transported to the Continent. Despite her reluctance about returning to her old brothel contacts for help, Jarrett agreed to help.

Rebecca Jarrett met an old associate, a procuress called Nancy Broughton. Through her Jarrett learned of a 13-year-old named Eliza Armstrong, whose alcoholic mother Elizabeth was in need of money. She arranged for Jarrett to meet Mrs Armstrong, who lived in the Lisson Grove area of West London, and although Rebecca told the mother the girl was to serve as a maid to an old gentleman, she believed Mrs Armstrong understood that she was selling her daughter into prostitution. The mother agreed to sell her daughter for a total of GB£5 1885. On 3 June, the bargain was made.

On the same day, Jarrett then took Eliza to a midwife and abortionist named Louise Mourez, who examined her and attested to her virginity and sold Jarrett a bottle of chloroform. Then Eliza was taken to a brothel and lightly drugged to await the arrival of her purchaser, who was Stead. Stead, anxious to play the part of libertine almost in full, drank a whole bottle of champagne, although he was a teetotaler. He entered Eliza's room and waited for her to awaken from her stupor. When she came to, Eliza screamed. Stead quickly left the room, letting the scream imply he had "had his way" with her. Eliza was quickly handed over to Bramwell Booth, who spirited her to France, where she was taken care of by a Salvationist family.

In the meantime, Stead wrote his story.

The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon
On Saturday 4 July 1885, a "frank warning" was issued in the Pall Mall Gazette: "All those who are squeamish, and all those who are prudish, and all those who would prefer to live in a fool's paradise of imaginary innocence and purity, selfishly oblivious to the horrible realities which torment those whose lives are passed in the London inferno, will do well not to read the Pall Mall Gazette of Monday and the three following days". The public's appetite whetted sufficiently in anticipation, on Monday 6 July, Stead published the first instalments of The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon.

The first instalment taking up six whole pages, Stead attacked vice with eye-catching subheadings: "The Violation of Virgins", "The Confessions of a Brothel-Keeper", "How Girls Were Bought and Ruined". He argued that while consensual adult behavior was a matter of private morality and not a law enforcement issue, issues rife in London existed that did require legislative prohibition, listing five main areas where the law should intervene:

 * 1) "The sale and purchase and violation of children.
 * 2) The procuration of virgins.
 * 3) The entrapping and ruin of women.
 * 4) The international slave trade in girls.
 * 5) Atrocities, brutalities, and unnatural crimes."

The theme of "Maiden Tribute" was child prostitution, the abduction, procurement and sale of young English virgins to Continental "pleasure palaces". Stead took his readers to the labyrinthine streets of London (intentionally recalling the Greek myth) to its darker side, exposing the flesh trade while exposing the corruption of those officials who not only turned a blind eye but also condoned such abuse. Stead acknowledged that his articles described the situation of a small minority of London's prostitutes, agreeing that most "have not come there by the road of organized rape", and that his focus was child victims who were "regularly procured; bought..., or enticed under various promises into the fatal chamber from which they are never allowed to emerge until they have lost what woman ought to value more than life". In particular, he drew a distinction between sexual immorality and sexual criminality, and criticized those members of Parliament who were responsible for the Bill's impending "extinction in the House of Commons" and hinted that they might have personal reasons to block any changes in the law.

The disclosure began properly in the 6 July publication, in which Stead reveals that he had asked if genuine maiden virgins could be procured, and being told it was so, asked whether such girls were willing and consensual, or aware of the intentions planned for them:

"'But,' I continued, 'are these maids willing or unwilling parties to the transaction–that is, are they really maiden, not merely in being each a virgo intacta in the physical sense, but as being chaste girls who are not consenting parties to their seduction?' He looked surprised at my question, and then replied emphatically: 'Of course they are rarely willing, and as a rule they do not know what they are coming for.' 'But,' I said in amazement, 'then do you mean to tell me that in very truth actual rapes, in the legal sense of the word, are constantly being perpetrated in London on unwilling virgins, purveyed and procured to rich men at so much a head by keepers of brothels?' 'Certainly,' said he, 'there is not a doubt of it.' 'Why, 'I exclaimed, 'the very thought is enough to raise hell.' 'It is true,' he said; 'and although it ought to raise hell, it does not even raise the neighbours.' 'But do the girls cry out?' 'Of course they do. But what avails screaming in a quiet bedroom? Remember, the utmost limit of howling or excessively violent screaming, such as a man or woman would make if actual murder was being attempted, is only two minutes, and the limit of screaming of any kind is only five... But suppose the screams continue and you get uneasy, you begin to think whether you should not do something? Before you have made up your mind and got dressed the screams cease, and you think you were a fool for your pains... Once a girl gets into such a house she is almost helpless, and may be ravished with comparative safety.'"

Stead commented that "Children of twelve and thirteen cannot offer any serious resistance. They only dimly comprehend what it all means. Their mothers sometimes consent to their seduction for the sake of the price paid by their seducer. The child goes to the introducing house as a sheep to the shambles. Once there, she is compelled to go through with it. No matter how brutal the man may be, she cannot escape". A madam confirmed the story for him, stating of one girl that she was rendered unconscious beforehand, and then coercively given the choice to continue or be homeless afterwards.

The last section of the first instalment bore special mention: under the subheading "A Child of Thirteen bought for £5" Stead related the story of Eliza, a purchased victim, whose name he changed to "Lily". Although he vouched "for the absolute accuracy of every fact in the narrative", Stead changed a number of details, and omitted the fact that "Lily's" purchaser was none other than himself. Describing himself as an "investigator" rather than an "informer", and having also promised not to use information obtained against those who provided it, he stated that he would disclose actual names and identifying details only to the two UK Archbishops, one M.P., two members of the House of Lords active in criminal legislation or child protection, and a past director of the CID.

Reactions to the "Maiden Tribute"
The "Maiden Tribute" was an instant hit. While W.H. Smith & Sons, who had a monopoly on all the news stalls, refused to sell the paper due to its lurid and prurient content, volunteers consisting of newsboys and members of the Salvation Army took over distribution. Even George Bernard Shaw telegraphed Stead offering to help. Crowds gathered in front of the Pall Mall Gazette offices. Second-hand copies of the paper sold for up to a shilling – twelve times its normal price.

Within days, Stead had been getting telegrams from across the Atlantic inquiring about the scandal. By the end of the series he had thrown Victorian society into an uproar about prostitution. Fearing riots on a national scale, the Home Secretary, Sir William Harcourt pleaded with Stead to cease publication of the articles; Stead replied that he would comply if the Bill would be passed without delay. Since Harcourt could not make that guarantee, Stead ordered the Pall Mall Gazette presses to continue until paper ran out.

Stead's revelations struck a responsive chord in the public. Amidst the hysteria, it provoked a wide variety of reform groups and prominent individuals to call for an end to the scandal. Dozens of protest meetings were held throughout London and the provincial towns. Thousands, including wagon loads of virgins dressed in white, marched to Hyde Park demanding that the Bill be passed. The government was soon on the defensive and those members of Parliament who had previously opposed the Bill, now understood that opposition would not only mean denying the existence of child prostitution, but condoning it as well. While many of them wanted to have the paper prosecuted under obscenity laws, they bowed to the inevitable. On Wednesday 8 July debate resumed over the bill, on 7 August it passed its third and final reading, and passed into law a week later.

Unintended consequences

Although Stead was supported in his investigation by the Salvation Army and religious leaders including Cardinal Henry Edward Manning and Charles Ellicott, the Bishop of Bristol, his plan backfired on him. Rival newspapers, including The Times, investigated the original "Lily" and found that Stead was the "purchaser". Mrs Armstrong told police that she had not consented to put her daughter into prostitution, saying she understood that she would enter domestic service. Jarrett did not get the permission of the child's father.

Stead, Jarrett, Booth and Louise Mourez, the midwife, and two others appeared in court on 2 September charged with the assault and abduction for Eliza Armstrong without the agreement of her parents.

On 23 October, the defendants were brought to trial, with the Attorney General, Richard Webster, acting as prosecutor. Stead defended himself. He admitted that the girl was procured without the consent of the father and that he had no written evidence of payment to the mother. Stead had relied on Rebecca Jarrett's word, and was unable to prove Mrs Armstrong's complicity in the crime. Stead, Jarrett and Mourez were found guilty of abduction and procurement. The others were acquitted. Jarrett and Mourez were sentenced to six months in jail and Stead was sentenced to three months. He was sent to Coldbath Fields Prison for three days and then to Holloway as a first-class inmate for the rest of his sentence.

Aftermath
Many groups protested against Stead's imprisonment, and he was treated well in prison. "Never had I a pleasanter holiday, a more charming season of repose", he later said. In Holloway as a "first class misdemeanant" he had his own room with an open fire and a fellow prisoner as a servant to tend to him. His wife and children were allowed in for Christmas. Mourez died in jail. Jarrett survived her six months with hard labour. While in prison, he continued to edit the Pall Mall Gazette, and his Christmas card played up his martyrdom. Stead wrote a threepenny pamphlet of his prison experience soon after his release. He asked the prison governor whether he could keep his prison uniform, although he spent much of his sentence in ordinary civilian street clothes. The governor agreed, and thereafter, every 10 November, the anniversary of his conviction, Stead would dress up in his prison garb to remind people of his "triumph".

After the trial the prosecutor, surnamed Poland, started a public subscription for the Armstrong family through an advertisement in The Times. The money paid for Eliza to attend Princess Louise Home for the Protection of Young Girls in Wanstead, receiving training to become a servant. Later in her life, she lived in North East England, married twice and had six children from her first and four children from her second marriage. As late as 1906, she still maintained a friendly correspondence with Stead. She died in 1938, 66 years old.

Stead died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

title: Eliza Armstrong case


text: User talk:82.225.113.91

title: User talk:82.225.113.91


text:
User:Trempealeau Pi

Until I created this User Name, I was known by the IP addresses 128.146.39.190, 128.146.38.40, and 128.146.32.118

title: User:Trempealeau Pi


text:
Edward Foljambe, 5th Earl of Liverpool

Edward Peter Bertram Savile Foljambe, 5th Earl of Liverpool (born 14 November 1944), is an English Conservative politician and businessman. He has been married three times and has two children from his first marriage. He serves as a member of the House of Lords, the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Early life
Liverpool is the posthumous son of Captain Peter George William Savile Foljambe (1919–1944), who was killed in World War II in September 1944, and the former Elizabeth Joan Flint. His paternal grandfather was the Hon. Bertram Foljambe, sixth son of Cecil Foljambe, 1st Earl of Liverpool, the former Lord Steward of the Household to Edward VII.

Foljambe was educated at Shrewsbury School and the University of Perugia.

Career
In 1969, at the age of 24, he succeeded his great-uncle as Earl of Liverpool and took his seat in the House of Lords. He was one of the 90+ elected hereditary peers who remain in the House of Lords after the House of Lords Act 1999, and sits on the Conservative benches.

He is a former managing director of Melbourns Brewery and director of hotel management company Hart Hambleton.

Personal life
Lord Liverpool married three times—firstly to Lady Juliana Mary Alice Noel, daughter of Anthony Noel, 5th Earl of Gainsborough, and Mary Stourton, on 29 January 1970. Before they divorced in 1994, they had two children: Luke Foljambe, Viscount Hawkesbury (born 25 March 1972), and Hon. Ralph Foljambe (born 1974). He later married Countess Marie-Ange Michel de Pierredon, daughter of Count Géraud Michel de Pierredon, on 26 May 1995—they divorced in 2001. Finally, he married Georgina Ann Lederman (née Rubin) in 2002.

title: Edward Foljambe, 5th Earl of Liverpool


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Ruthless

Ruthless refers to a lack of conscience or empathy.

Ruthless may also refer to:

Music

 * Ruthless!, a 1992 musical
 * Ruthless (Ace Hood album), 2009
 * Ruthless (Bizzy Bone album), 2008
 * Ruthless (Gary Allan album), 2021
 * "Ruthless" (song), by Lil Tjay featuring Jay Critch
 * Ruthless Records, a hip hop record label
 * Ruthless Records (Chicago), a punk record label

Other uses

 * Ruthless (1948 film), a 1948 film starring Zachary Scott
 * Ruthless (2023 film), a 2023 film starring Dermot Mulroney
 * Ruthless (horse), a racehorse
 * Ruthless (novel), a Pretty Little Liars novel by Sara Shepard
 * Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me, a 2016 book by Ron Miscavige and Dan Koon
 * Ruthless (TV series), TV series premiered 2020, by Tyler Perry

title: Ruthless


text:
User:Jaded Thea

Stuff I Find Useful
 * Browse
 * Wikipedia:Existing Templates
 * Image copyright tags
 * Categorization
 * User:AllyUnion/Toolbox
 * My Sandbox

title: User:Jaded Thea


text:
Suppressive person

Suppressive person, often abbreviated SP, is a term used in Scientology to describe the "antisocial personalities" who, according to Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard, make up about 2.5% of the population. A statement on a Church of Scientology website describes this group as including notorious historic figures such as Adolf Hitler.

The term is often applied to those whom the Church perceives as its enemies, such as those whose "disastrous" and "suppressive" acts are said to impede the progress of individual Scientologists or the Scientology movement.

One of the reasons Scientology doctrines portray suppressive persons as such a danger is that they are supposed to make people around them become potential trouble sources (abbreviated PTS). Scientology defines a PTS as "a person who is in some way connected to and being adversely affected by a suppressive person. Such a person is called a potential trouble source because he can be a lot of trouble to himself and to others." Hubbard suggested that the effects of suppressive persons is amplified to cause 20% of the population to be predisposed against Scientology.

Origins and definitions
As with most Scientology terminology, "suppressive person" was coined by L. Ron Hubbard. Ruth A. Tucker writes in her book Another Gospel: Cults, Alternative Religions, and the New Age Movement that the concept appears to have first been introduced into Scientology in the 1960s "as membership grew and as authoritarian control [by Hubbard] increased". Tucker notes that many of those who joined Scientology during this period were "well-educated people who prided themselves in independent thinking [and] struggled with the idea of allowing any other individual to completely dominate their opinions." Many of Hubbard's early writings on suppressive persons focus on their alleged responsibility for poor management within the Church of Scientology.

The church's official glossary defines a suppressive person as being:"a person who possesses a distinct set of characteristics and mental attitudes that cause him to suppress other people in his vicinity. This is the person whose behavior is calculated to be disastrous. Also called antisocial personality."

The church regards these "antisocial personalities" as being those "who possess characteristics and mental attitudes that cause them to violently oppose any betterment activity or group". This concern with "groups" continues in the official Scientology Handbook, which states the corollary: "The antisocial personality supports only destructive groups."

Policies and practices
According to the Hubbard textbook Introduction to Scientology Ethics ("the Ethics book"), when an individual is found to be under the influence of a suppressive person, it is believed that this will affect their general well-being. An individual with an SP in their vicinity is likely to be under stress or frequently upset, and this would potentially jeopardize the stability of any treatment or education. Therefore, a parishioner who is found to have such suppressive connections is not permitted to participate in certain Scientology classes and counseling until the situation has been adequately resolved.

The Ethics book provides a guideline for use in sorting out such a condition. A first step is always to educate the person about the phenomenon of the suppressive person and the effects this is believed to have on the individuals close to the SP. Once the education step is completed, the person can further follow the guidelines to sort out the situation so that the parishioner is no longer negatively affected.

Scientology Security checks are also common for SP and PTS situations. If reasonable attempts have been made to "handle" the situation to no avail, the parishioner may take the option of "disconnecting" from the SP. In Introduction to Scientology Ethics, "disconnection" is defined as a self-determined decision made by an individual that he is not going to be connected to another. It is a severing of communication by one individual against the other.

The concept of the suppressive person in Scientology has been the source of some controversy, due in some part to aversion to the idea of "disconnecting" from close family members and friends.

Another source of controversy related to the suppressive person policies is the administrative judgment that formally labels an individual a "suppressive person". This "suppressive person declaration" is known as an "SP declare". Declares are issued as an "ethics order" on goldenrod-colored paper with blue ink and are approved through the executive over the ethics department as well as the office of the International Justice Chief" (IJC).

Non-Scientologists as well as Scientologists can be and have been labelled suppressive persons. A suppressive person is anyone who has been responsible for "suppressive acts", defined by Hubbard as being "the overt or covert actions or omissions knowingly and willfully undertaken to suppress, reduce, prevent or destroy case gains, and/or the influence of Scn on activities, and/or the continued Scn success and actions on the part of organizations actions and Scientologists." Similarly, entire groups can be declared suppressive; suppressive groups, in Hubbard's view, are "those which seek to destroy Scn or which specialize in injuring or killing persons or damaging their cases or which advocate suppression of mankind." Under this broader definition, suppressiveness included more than just publicly opposing Scientology; it also included any group supporting activities to which Hubbard was strongly opposed, especially psychiatry. Specifically, Hubbard considered reporters and government agents to be members of suppressive groups: "There are no good reporters. There are no good government or SP group agents. The longer you try to be nice, the worse off you will be. And the sooner one learns this, the happier he will be."

The Church of Scientology maintains a central list of ex-members and splinter groups formally declared to be suppressive. In an executive directive of 1992, the Church's "International Justice Chief" lists over 400 groups and over 2,300 individuals considered to be suppressive. The list includes individual ex-Scientologists and breakaway groups regarded as hostile or heretical, such as Erhard Seminars Training (EST).

Abuse of the label
In a lecture he made on 19 July 1966, L. Ron Hubbard expressed concern about the possible abuse of the "suppressive person" label in respect of those who are otherwise good citizens and contribute to civil society:

"You should upgrade your idea of what an SP is. Man, meet one sometime! A real one! A real monster....Well, in all the time we've been around here we only had one SP that I know of. One real SP that was on staff.... And I don't know of another single SP that we've ever had on staff. Isn't that interesting. You see all these SP orders and so on...Don't throw it around carelessly, because this is an—a very exaggerated condition, SP."

Some former Scientologists have alleged that there has indeed been such abuse. For example, Bent Corydon describes seeing Scientology franchise holder Gary Smith declared suppressive on the spot during the October 1982 Mission Holders' Conference, simply for not obeying a shouted order to change his seat. There are also instances where SP declarations have disrupted families and businesses.

According to a 2006 St. Petersburg Times article entitled "SP profiles", one Scientologist found himself declared an SP after he repeatedly challenged the validity of a "patter drill" in which he was instructed to read passages of a course to a wall. He insisted the drill was not based on Hubbard teachings and stated that he had been previously threatened with an SP declare after a run-in with a Scientology attorney on an unrelated issue.

Views by religious scholars on disconnection
Those who communicate with suppressive persons can face being branded SPs themselves. Associates of the branded SP are ordered to disconnect from that person. Religious scholars have taken a negative view of Scientology's disconnection policies, which includes many who have previously testified on behalf of Scientology. For example, religious scholar J. Gordon Melton stated, "I just think it would be better for all concerned if they just let them go ahead and get out and everyone goes their own way, and not make such a big deal of it. The policy hurts everybody."

title: Suppressive person


title: File:LiveFillmore1969Cover.jpg


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P. T. Deutermann

Peter Thomas "P. T." Deutermann (born December 27, 1941) is an American writer of mystery, police procedural and thriller novels.

Deutermann served in the United States Navy for 26 years, earning 19 medals and decorations and retiring with the rank of captain. He served as the commander of the USS Tattnall (DDG-19) between 1981 and 1983. He also served on the USS Morton (DD-948), USS Hull (DD-945), USS Jouett (CG-29) and USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), while also serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets.

Early years
Deutermann was born in Boston, the son of Lieutenant Commander (later Vice Admiral) H. T. Deutermann. The family moved in 1944 to La Jolla, California, where they lived until the end of the war. Between the end of the war and 1959, when Deutermann entered the Naval Academy, the family lived in various places throughout the United States and also in Argentina. Deutermann attended parochial, public, and Jesuit high schools, graduating from Creighton Preparatory in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1959.

Military career
Deutermann was commissioned in 1963 in Annapolis, Maryland into the surface line, where he was ordered to the new destroyer USS Morton (DD-948). He served on the Morton for two years, and was on board for the second Gulf of Tonkin Incident in September 1964, which precipitated the first significant aircraft carrier strikes against North Vietnam.

Following his tour on the Morton, he was assigned to class 13 of the destroyer department head school in Newport, Rhode Island. Upon graduation he was diverted from the destroyer forces to Coronado, California, to train in the new Swift class gunboats. Upon completion of training, he went to Manila in the Philippines, as officer in charge of a mobile training team which trained Philippine navy crews to use Swift boats against the pirates plaguing Manila Bay and the waters off Corregidor. From Manila, he went in-country Vietnam as officer in charge of PCF-39, based at the mouth of the main Mekong River channel that led to Saigon. After a year there, he was assigned as operations officer on the USS Hull (DD-945) which operated intermittently for the next two years off the coasts of North and South Vietnam providing naval gunfire support for Army and Marine forces.

College and return to the military
In 1968 Deutermann entered the University of Washington for two years, where he was awarded a master's degree in public administration and international law. He rejoined the Pacific Fleet in 1970 as operations officer of the USS Jouett. A month later, the ship went back to Vietnam, serving as the overall air warfare commander in the Gulf of Tonkin and also as a recovery ship for downed Navy and Air Force pilots. During this deployment the ship visited Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and the Philippines. In 1972 Deutermann entered the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, for one year. He was then assigned to The Pentagon for three years, serving on a joint command and control computer integration project.

Return from shore duty
Following shore duty, Deutermann returned to sea, this time in the Atlantic Fleet as executive officer of the guided missile destroyer USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), which made two deployments to the Mediterranean over the following two years. He returned to the Pentagon in 1978 as a staff officer in the politico-military policy division of the Navy headquarters staff. He published his first book in 1980, a handbook for navy operations officers, through the Naval Institute Press in Annapolis, Maryland.

First command
In 1981 Deutermann assumed command of the guided missile destroyer USS Tattnall (DDG-19) for a three-year tour of duty, which included combat operations off Lebanon. Following that assignment he was appointed the executive secretary to the Chief of Naval Operations for JCS matters in Washington, D.C. In late 1985, he assumed command of Destroyer Squadron 25, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for two years, during which he made one deployment to the Indian Ocean, where he visited Kenya, Pakistan, Singapore and Japan.

Upon conclusion of this tour Deutermann was assigned to the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) in London, England, for one year. It was an international course studying the influence of military affairs on geopolitics, whose members represented forty different nations. In 1988 he returned to the Pentagon as head of the Strategy Planning branch of the Navy staff. He was then assigned as division director of the arms-control negotiations office concerned with chemical, biological, and radiation weapons on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was also appointed as a technical delegate to the United Nations, and participated in arms control negotiations with the Soviet Union in Geneva.

Retirement
Deutermann served for 26 years in the Navy, retiring in 1989. He earned 19 military awards and decorations. He then worked successively for three companies between 1989 and 1993, which supported the FAA in the procurement of large-scale computer systems.

Career as an author
After retiring from active duty, Deutermann moved to Georgia to work on his writing career. He published his first novel, entitled Scorpion in the Sea, in 1992 through the George Mason University Press. The book landed him an agent, and then a contract with St. Martin's Press in 1993. Three of his later books have been optioned for feature film development. Nightwalkers, was published May 26, 2009. In 2012, he was named the recipient of the W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction by the American Library Association for his novel Pacific Glory.

In 2023 he was again honored by the American Library Association for his novel, Last Paladin, as recipient of the W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction. He was honored a third time by the American Library Association in 2024 for the novel Iwo, 26 Charlie.

Other ventures
Since the late 1990s, Deutermann has served on the board of directors for two high-tech companies and on the board of advisors of the SpaceVest Venture Capital Group in Washington, D.C.

Personal life
Deutermann married Susan Cornelia Degenhardt, of Gainesville, Florida in 1968. They presently live in Rockingham County, North Carolina, where they run a Dartmoor pony breeding farm. Their son Daniel retired after 20 years active duty in both the Navy and the Coast Guard in 2011. Daniel's previous assignments included being a flight instructor in Pensacola, Florida. Their daughter, Sarah, flew in Navy F-14 fighter jets, as a radar intercept officer (RIO). She is now an attorney in Greensboro, North Carolina. Deutermann's father, two of his uncles, as well as both of his brothers served in the armed forces, as have some of their children.

Deutermann's hobbies include the design and construction of formal gardens, reading American Civil War history, and the study of the 1st century Roman Near East.

title: P. T. Deutermann


text:
Ghosthunters (TV series)

Ghosthunters is a British paranormal documentary television series that originally aired from 1996 to 1997 on the Discovery Channel. The four-series program was produced by Inca Productions of Covent Garden, London (by producers Sheldon Greenberg and Eddie Babbage), hosted by Ian Cashmore, and narrated by William Woollard. Ian Cashmore also appeared in the promo for the American Syfy series Ghost Hunters.

Premise
Frequently aired on the Discovery Channel, Discovery Civilizations, and Discovery Science, the first two seasons explored contemporary research in the area of field parapsychology, largely by asking prominent researchers to explain and outline their best evidential cases, and interviewing witness while placing the cases in the context of parapsychology.

Notable researchers regularly featured on the programme include professors Archie Roy, David Fontana and Peter Fenwick.

Series 1 (1996)
All episodes were first broadcast on Sundays.

Series 2 (1996)
All episodes were first broadcast on Sundays.

Series 3 (1996–1997)
These eight episodes were first screened between Sunday 8 December 1996 and Sunday 26 January 1997 (each episode was also repeated on the Wednesday night following the Sunday transmission).

Series 4 (1997)
The following eight episodes were first screened between Sunday 2 February 1997 and Sunday 23 March 1997 (each episode was also repeated on the Wednesday night following the Sunday transmission).

title: Ghosthunters (TV series)


text:
Tormented (Staind album)

Tormented is the debut studio album by the American rock band Staind, self-released in 1996. In 1993, Staind vocalist Aaron Lewis and Staind guitarist Mike Mushok met each other at a Christmas party in the New England area. Mushok brought drummer Jon Wysocki into the fold and Lewis had a connection with a bass guitarist who later left, starting the early lineup. Shortly after bassist Johnny April joined, Staind officially formed in Springfield, Massachusetts on November 24, 1995. Touring in the Northeast United States helped Staind achieve a cult following.

Tormented was self-released on November 29, 1996. Promoting Tormented, Staind played gigs throughout New England with bands such as God Lives Underwater, Gwar, and Kilgore. The album helped get Staind a record deal with Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst and the record label Flip Records. Durst was initially appalled by the album artwork, but changed his mind and signed Staind after being impressed with the band's performance.

Tormented received minor attention after its release, selling at least a few thousand copies. Critical reception was positive towards the heaviness and aggression of Tormented, but was negative towards the album's production. Described as a grunge-influenced metal album by critics, Tormented is somewhat of a concept album that tells the story of a depressed person who eventually commits suicide, inspired by Lewis's past struggles with depression, a relationship break-up and suicidal thoughts.

Background and recording

In 1993, Lewis and Staind guitarist Mike Mushok met at a Christmas party in Springfield, Massachusetts. Mushok brought drummer Jon Wysocki into the band and Lewis had a connection with a bass guitar player who later left, completing the early lineup of the band in early 1995. Originally, Staind went by the name Stain, but changed the name to Staind after the band found out the moniker already had been claimed by another group. Staind originally covered songs by bands such as Korn, Tool, Alice in Chains, Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Deftones, and Helmet. The band played their first gig in February 1995. The band officially formed in Springfield, Massachusetts on November 24, 1995, after Johnny April joined the same month replacing the original bassist. By 1996, Staind obtained the $2,500 they needed for recording Tormented. While Tormented was being written and recorded, Lewis reportedly was going through the throes of the breakup of a four-year relationship. Mushok said in a 2021 Ultimate Guitar interview that the first songs he and Lewis wrote together are "No One's Kind" and "Painful", both of which appeared on Tormented. Extensive touring in the Northeast United States helped Staind acquire an underground following. In a 2008 interview, Lewis elaborated on the motivation for the musical style featured on Tormented: ""

Music and lyrics

The songs on Tormented are about topics such as pain, animosity, suicide and depression. Author Tommy Udo wrote: "Tormented is one long rush of hardcore brat-rage, a 900mph scream of a man smashing his head against a wall with frustration". According to Rockzone, Tormented "revealed the raw feelings of a band whose front man Aaron Lewis captivated the minds and souls of teenagers and young adults tired of the vanity that has overcome life." Described as alternative metal by AllMusic, Tormented is also somewhat of a concept album that tells the story of a depressed person who eventually commits suicide. This is hinted by the spoken-word line, "it's been like this forever... no more... I hate my fucking life", followed by the sound of a gun being cocked before the first song, "Tolerate"; this thematic device returns with the line "there's nothing left for me" and then the sound of a gunshot immediately after the song "Four Walls" and before the hidden track "Funeral". The lyrics on Tormented were written by Lewis except the lyrics to "Four Walls", which was written by Mushok. Mushok provided the spoken word vocals on Tormented, which appeared in the songs "Tolerate", "Painful", "Nameless", "See Thru", and "Four Walls". Mushok said that Staind wrote Tormented first and then included suicidal spoken word lines such as on "Tolerate" after finishing writing the album.

The lyrics on Tormented are influenced by Lewis' life, which involved a dysfunctional family, divorced parents, a falling-out with his mother, being disowned by his grandfather's side of the family, and bullying. Lewis elaborated, saying: "My life, up to a point, was shit. But I've come a long way. I grew up in a trailer park in Vermont. That was the shit I got out of me in Tormented and Dysfunction, and tailing into Break the Cycle. But the title, Break the Cycle, says it all." For years, Lewis experienced serious depression and also considered suicide, too. "I’ve had a gun in my mouth," he says. "Just crying and wanting to do it, but not being able to for the thought of what it would do to the people I was going to leave behind. It took a hell of a lot more courage to not pull that trigger than it would have taken to pull it." The lyrics on Tormented have created controversy, with lyrics to songs like "Tolerate" and "Four Walls" showing themes of violence and antisocial values. AllMusic described Tormented as "grittier and more raw than" Staind's "subsequent releases". The album's music, which features singing and screaming, has been compared to that of the heavy metal band Pantera. During Staind's early days, Lewis was influenced by bands like Pantera and Sepultura.

According to the Lollipop, Staind combine grunge-influenced hooks with heavy metal-style drums and guitars. Describing the vocals on Tormented, Lollipop elaborated: "Vocally, it may seem odd to say a band can have the passionate trembling of, ya know, those Seattle bands, yet have a desperate howl that is rather Kornesque." According to AllMusic, Tormented shows influences from Tool, Faith No More, and Pantera. In 2008, Staind guitarist Mike Mushok expressed his lack of appreciation for Tormented: "We have a lot of fans who say, 'I love Tormented.' I'm like, 'Have you ever listened to it? Because I can't.' " Despite being an aggressive album overall, Tormented song "Four Walls" is a soft song, foreshadowing Staind's overall change in the early 2000s to a softer sound.

Release, promotion, and sales
Self-released on November 29, 1996, Tormented was launched with a record-release party which drew at least 900 people, with many obtaining the album. Being distributed to local record stores and at concerts, 2,000 copies of Tormented were sold within a year and Tormented was later available on Staind's website. Tormented had only sold a few thousand copies by 2002. Promoting the release of Tormented, Staind played gigs throughout New England with bands such as God Lives Underwater, Gwar, and Kilgore.

Critical reception
Anthony Tognazzini of AllMusic gave the album a very positive review, writing: "[Tormented] shows a band with its alternative metal heart in the right place [...] Despite some spotty production, this impressive debut unleashes a band whose amps are overloaded, and whose aim is deadly. The original version of "Mudshuvel" (which later appeared on Dysfunction) is one of several highlights." In 1997, Steven Woltasek of CMJ New Music Report wrote: "For those of you that don't know, wake up and look around for the debut release from Staind entitled Tormented. In the book Brave Nu World, author Tommy Udo wrote: "To go back now and listen to Staind's 1996 debut, Tormented, back to back with Break The Cycle is like listening to another band". Scott Hefflon of the Lollipop wrote: "Staind are savvy, street-smart, and dammit, they rock. Their studio debut, tOrmenteD, shows either a natural knack for milking the most out of a crunchy guitar, or they had some good coaching." The Northeast Performer wrote: "Staind's musicianship is striking, and their live performance takes their recorded material one step further: pushing the envelope, ripping up the envelope, then jumping up and down all over the envelope til there ain't a damn thing left". Andrew Blackie of PopMatters wrote about Tormented: "It’s disarming how heavy" Staind "were in those days, how screaming misery ... over harsh, sololess distortions made them sound more like the protégé of Pantera than the descendants of Alice in Chains they do today." Chad Childers of Loudwire ranked Tormented sixth place out of the band's seven studio albums, describing it as "a promising start for Staind, though one not widely heard."

Artwork

The album is known for its graphic cover art. The cover depicts a bloody Barbie doll on a crucifix with nails hanging from a plastic frame, a buried person with a rosary protruding from the person's nose, and a knife impaling a Bible. On October 23, 1997, when Staind met Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst at the Webster Theater in Hartford, Connecticut, Tormented album cover appalled Durst so much that he attempted to remove Staind from a concert bill shortly before their performance. Durst thought that Staind were Theistic Satanists. Despite his attempts to stop the band from performing, Durst eventually changed his mind and allowed Staind to perform. After hearing Staind perform, Durst was so impressed that he signed them to Flip Records by February 1998. Durst produced Staind's second album Dysfunction (1999).

Mushok said he "tried to get" Durst "to calm down", explaining to Durst that the cover art was meant to portray someone "who seemed normal going through a difficult time". Mushok said the cover art represents "someone who had lost belief in everything". According to Mushok, the cover art was not meant to be a religious thing. Mushok said the cover art "came out" as a religious thing "because the Bible was the most shocking image." Lewis said that the album cover "was twisted and demented and it totally did what it was supposed to do, which is shock the hell out of [Durst]". Lewis then said nonetheless, Durst "didn't find it shocking in an amusing way. It definitely grabbed your attention. That was the point of it." Lewis also has said about Tormented album cover: "That artwork depicted where I was at in my life," Lewis says. "I had lost faith in everything, from religion to love to life." Staind reportedly thought later that the album cover for Tormented was naïve. According to Mushok, Staind "had to move back the CD release party because four different places would not print the CD cover". Tormented also has artwork that shows the album's titles in smeared blood similar to the Charles Manson tradition. Backwards letters are also used on the song titles.

Live performances and post-Tormented
The Tormented track "Mudshuvel" was re-recorded and renamed "Mudshovel" as a radio-friendly version and the re-recorded version was released in 1999 as the third single for Staind's second studio album Dysfunction. It became the band's breakthrough single and the most popular song from their second studio album, ranking on the Mainstream Rock chart for 28 weeks where it peaked at number 10 in November 1999. The Tormented track "Come Again" is on Staind's 2006 singles compilation. "Come Again" also appears on a three-song sampler which was both free and available for fans who pre-ordered Staind's 2005 studio album Chapter V. The Tormented track "See Thru" was re-recorded for the 2002 soundtrack album NASCAR on Fox: Crank It Up. For a long time, Staind have not played many songs from Tormented except for "Tolerate", "Come Again", and "Break".

Track listing

 * Notes:
 * The voice from the intro of "Tolerate" can be heard again at the end of "Four Walls", saying, "There's nothing left for me", followed by the sound of a gunshot, segueing into the silence that follows.
 * "Four Walls" ends at 5:28, and is followed by 8:02 seconds of silence. A hidden track begins at 13:30.
 * The hidden track at the end of “Four Walls”, entitled "Funeral", is a near 20-minute musique concrète track, meant to replicate a funeral. The track contains a church organ that plays continuously throughout the track, the sound of a few people coughing, and a preacher reciting passages of the Bible, including Psalm 23 and Psalm 121 from the Old Testament's book the Book of Psalms. The audio progressively distorts, with the preacher’s voice descending in pitch and back-masking, the organ becoming more sporadic in its composition, and the sounds of static and a siren spontaneously interrupting.

Personnel
Credits are adapted from AllMusic and Tormented liner notes.
 * Staind
 * Aaron Lewis – lead vocals
 * Mike Mushok – guitars, backing vocals, spoken word
 * Johnny April – bass, backing vocals
 * Jon Wysocki – drums

 * Additional personnel
 * Jeff Gilmer – production, engineering
 * Mike Mushok – production, artwork
 * Johnny April – production, artwork
 * Kaz – artwork
 * Keith Vasquez – photography

title: Tormented (Staind album)